Calm Period - Update November 8, 2008

We have been blessed with two fairly calm weeks. Busy ones, but no significant emergencies, yay! Maybe a little concern again about Craig getting pregnant…but more about that later!

There is a constant flow of people in and out of our home, both visitors and therapists. We have realized that few people we know have accessible homes and bathrooms, so best for people to come visit us. We did go see our friend Grace Fountaine, though, who lives in a very accessible nursing home! Rita and Andy Wheeler from Erie, whom we met at the ECAP cancer retreat this spring, stopped by after a trip to the Cleveland Clinic. Nik Tressler spend Halloween eve and the next day with us and Craig, giving Susanne some respite time. They also had a great time using the ramp as a porch and giving out candy. Ban and Ruth Twaddell spent a few hours with us one day, making applesauce and doing various tasks, but mostly having a lovely visit. We even went out to dinner with them…double date night! Dave Farnsworth has been over to work on mowing and gutter cleaning. A crew of local boy scouts and leaders raked our leaves for us one morning. Bill Mable is a new caregiver in addition to LeNore, so we are doubly blessed. Sometimes people visit by proxy, too: Johanna and Steve Wu from Indiana ordered dinner to be delivered…Chinese!

Craig’s arm is still being very slow to recover, so we are now trying acupuncture treatments. He strained a muscle in his right (weaker) leg by mis-stepping down a stair while working with the physical therapist. That slowed him down for a few days. And put more weight on Susanne with helping him get in and out of bed and the wheelchair. It’s been great timing to have the very generous and welcome gift from friends of weekly massages for her! We spent one evening at the Urgicare due to slight swelling and pain on the top of Craig’s head. All blood tests for infection are okay though, and it seemed to just last that evening, thankfully. He seems to be a bit “loggy” – his word – just not quite as mentally sharp as he was, but still cognitively doing amazingly well.

Craig had the second Avastin intravenous treatment on November 6 with no problems. The Accutane pills began on Nov. 7 (20 days with 11 pills a day and then 10 days off). So far, the drug seems to make him sleepy, but both drugs have many nasty side effects listed, so Susanne is in hyper-vigilant observation and emergency-ready mode all the time. The biggest concern with this drug though is birth defects, so Craig had to pledge in writing not to get pregnant while taking it! J

We are continuing our Monday evening study circle focused on the topic of “life and death”. It’s providing the opportunity for Craig and all of us to explore some serious spiritual issues as a group.

Susanne is becoming fairly comfortable now with managing the personal and business finances. It’s complex and time consuming, but she feels it is empowering to learn how to do it. Then if she has to hand it over to others to manage at times, it’s from a position of strength and knowledge and not from panic and weakness. So, that feels good.

We got back to Toastmasters on October 30, which felt great to do. Susanne volunteered as grammarian, and Craig participated in impromptu speaking. We also made our annual trek to the apply farm yesterday and stocked up on apples for applesauce – Craig’s favorite – jams, cider, and more. We splurged on a giant apple fritter from the bakery and enjoyed it outside before leaving. Last year we pledged to do it annually, so it felt great that Craig was able to still go and enjoy it, even if it was in a wheelchair.

So, that’s our current update. We welcome hearing from people and continue to be grateful for everyone’s prayers and visits.

Love,

Susanne & Craig