I am aware that it has been eons since I have written my blog. Actually, I think it was early July. Lee and I have been on the road in our RV which is a 5th wheel for the last 6 weeks. Our weather in Arizona has been really oppressive this summer with temperature up to 110 degrees. I have some health problems and the heat just exhausts me. During the summers in Az. I actually have "cabin Fever"and I must admit that I have felt much better with much more energy since we have been in the Northwest. The weather is much cooler up there. Now we are on our way back to Arizona. Hopefully, the weather will be more comfortable than when we left in July.
I don't know if I will have the energy to finish an entire blog tonight, but I promise I will be much more vigilant about doing the blog in the future.
When I blogged the last time we were waiting for a diagnosis for our 4 year old daughter. After what seemed like forever the doctor came out to tell us that our daughter had ITP (idiopathic thrombocytic purpura) This was the best diagnosis out of the three he had talked about. What it means is that her blood was not clotting properly. Normally we have 250-350,000 platelets in our blood. Our daughter had 5,000 platelets which is the reason why she bruised so easily. The doctor wanted our daughter hospitalized to protect her from injury, and she was started on the medication Prednisone. He also informed us that if our daughter did not respond to this regimen that surgery would be necessary to remove her spleen. Thank God her platelets immediately started to increase and I brought her home from the hospital. We were all much happier with her at home.
Almost immediately after our daughter's medical scare, Lee's dad suffered a stroke and was not doing well. We packed up the car and started driving to New York as quickly as possible. His dad had been having health problems for several years and to be honest he was not a very compliant patient. When we visited his dad in the hospital, he did recognize all of us. As the days passed, sometimes his dad was very confused and had to be restrained. We spend a week in New York trying to help Lee's mom. Decisions had to be made about the finances and his mother looked to Lee for advice. On Saturday we drove back to Maryland, we were all exhausted. On Sunday, (the next day) just after we had gone to bed Lee's brother called to tell us that his dad had passed away. Once again we packed up and drove back to New York for the sad task of saying good-bye to Lee's dad. After the funeral, Lee and I and our children returned to Maryland. It was December and now our thoughts turned to preparing for Christmas. It was difficult for Lee and I, however when your children are young they still expect Santa Claus to leave presents under their x-mas tree.
This is a painful period in my life. I ask you to be patient with me as I attempt to recall the various incidents which took place. Until we meet again. Carol
