May 28

Judy received notice today that her next surgery will be in Vancouver on Monday, July 6. Thank you to all the friends and family who attended Judy's mother's funeral yesterday. There were very touching tributes to grandma by the grandchildren. Judy's brother offered a very heartfelt, inspired message bringing honor to his mother and describing her legacy. The whole day was a wonderful time of connecting with old friends/relatives, laughing, crying, and reminiscing.

May 24

Ten days have passed since my last post; therefore, I have been asked how Judy is doing. The answer is:great. She had her stitches removed from her drain entries on May 15. Yesterday, the butterfly bandages that were over her main incision peeled off. Her scar is just a thin pink line. Nice job of sewing. Looks impressive. Judy has been taking good care of herself. She is going for short walks to increase her stamina and she is resting often. Her appetite is good and she is not experiencing any significant shortage of breath. Judy and I took a day trip to the lake on Thursday. In the next week, she will phone Vancouver to determine whether a date has been selected for her next surgery. She will also be seeing a Saskatoon-based thoracic specialist in the near future for a follow up appointment. As usual, I am suffering in silence. My buddy, Dale Tallon, has instructed Judy to sit in a chair and point with a stick to make me aware of the chores that need to be done. The house is spic and span. The grass is mowed, recycle recycled, flower beds weeded, bedding plants in, and Judy is being chauffered to her eye brow/dentist/medical/shoe shopping appointments. She will begin to drive again in the coming days. Cinderella, Cinderella All I hear is Cinderella From the moment that I wake up First go down and clean the attic Then go down and clean the cellar You can do them both together Cinderella Someone please take Judy's stick away. Seriously though. We are both glad to be home surrounded by the love of friends and family. We are truly blessed. Judy's brother is coming tomorrow in preparation for Judy's mom's funeral on Wednesday. We will be looking forward to seeing family members who will be in town for the funeral. Furthermore, we look forward to celebrating Judy's mom's life. The funeral is on Wednesday, May 27 at 1:30 pm. Christchurch Anglican on Avenue E. Lunch to follow.

May 14

Home, sweet beautiful home. We were awake at 3:15 PST and departed Abbotsford Airport at 6:15am. Landing in Saskatoon, we came through arrivals to see Judy's beautiful sister, Audrey waiting for a long awaited hug for her big sister and favorite brother in law. She had a beautiful bouquet of flowers in her hand. The flowers made Judy cry even harder...until I explained the flowers were for me, not Judy. Audrey took us for lunch, God bless her. When she dropped us off at home, we discovered buns and borscht from the Bartsches(couldn't resist the alliteration). Our wonderful neighbors, the Hamolines who have been looking after the ranch had left some of Judy's favorite treats on the table. Mary and Morgan had gone shopping for essential groceries. Haley and Dustin said they were bringing us supper. Did I ever mention I love my kids and their partners? Tomorrow, the Hudsons are bringing over some southern comfort - food, not the corn liquor. Do you get the picture? Thank you for every little and big act of kindness, even if it is a Facebook message, a prayer, a well wish, encouraging words, a laugh. It's all good. We feel the love. There is something else I have to get off my chest. I have been thinking about this all week. I told you about Judy's cousin, Gerry. When we flew to Vancouver in early March for a consultation at VGH, Gerry phoned Judy to tell her he had arranged accommodation with his in-laws, Adam and Shiela. We were fed, watered, entertained,transported, and treated like royalty. I already mentioned how Gerry and his wife, Dawn took me in when I was at a low point. They gave me a change of scenery and I got my mojo back. On Sunday, when we were sentenced to 4 more days in Vancouver, Gerry collected us and provided for our every need for the next 4 days. On Wednesday, he took a day off work, drove us to VGH, and patiently waited with Judy and I as we were slowly losing our minds. He let us know that if we had to stay longer, we would have a place to stay and we would be fed and sheltered. He was up at 3:00 am this morning to take us to the airport before he went to work. All of this, and Gerry/Dawn asked for nothing in return, just the joy of helping out. Does this remind you of someone? 33 But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. 34 He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. 35 The next day he took out two denari and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’ Yes, there are good Samaritans and angels that walk among us. They may be not have halos or wings. They may just be a cousin from PoCo who has a heart as big as Texas.

May 13

Up early and rush through morning traffic to Vancouver General. X-ray completed by 10:00. Then wait and wait and wait and wait. The surgeon is tied up in surgery until 4:00 pm. Meanwhile the nurse practitioner tells us the lung needs more time. Judy and I were out of reserves, trying to hold it together. Visions of a lengthier stay in Vancouver with me in a straight jacket were robbing us of our ability to speak. At long last we get the call. Hallelujah!!!judy is clear to fly. We have an early flight tomorrow and should be in Toon Town around 10:30am.

May 12

Judy is getting stronger everyday. We are still at her cousin's home in Port Coquitlam. We are being treated like royalty. Yesterday,Judy spent most of the day snoozing. We have to be at the hospital for an X-Ray at 9:30 am. If all is well, we will try to catch an afternoon flight. If we are delayed another day, Judy will be flying out on Thursday and I will be admitted to the psyche ward at Vancouver General.

May 10

My beautiful wife was discharged today. We have to stay in Vancouver until at least Wednesday for an X-ray. If all is well, she will be cleared to fly. We were going to stay at a hotel in Richmond tonight then fly out tomorrow, but plans changed due to the appointment Wednesday. Fortunately, Judy's cousin Gerry and his wife Dawn invited us to stay with them in PoCo at their five star home. We are being so well fed, that I may need to book two seats for me alone for the flight home. Judy is looking forward to being able to shower tonight. In true Judy fashion, Judy had to style her hair before leaving the hospital. She is feeling well although she had some pain this morning around the opening where her drain tube was removed. Right now, she is feeling fine. We will have two days of R and R, then fly home.

May 9 Evening

Judy will have to wait for the morning to see whether she will be discharged. Tomorrow marks 14 days days since we arrived. Tomorrow is also the day I have to check out of the lodge. We have a hotel booked in Richmond. We might be looking at Tuesday now for a return flight. This game takes patience.

May 9

Judy had one tube removed last night and the remaining tube was removed at 11:30 this morning. She is feeling great. We are planning to stay at the Jean C. Barber Cancer Lodge for the next two nights, then fly back to Saskatoon on Monday or Tuesday. I have video of the tube removal. One nurse pulls out the tube while a second nurse ties a suture around the opening. Judy's job was to breathe out the word,"Meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!" while the suture was being tied. In this way, no air is sucked into the chest cavity. What a sight to see!

Good News - May 8

The old flow meter I have been talking about stayed at 0 overnight. If the 0 holds for 8 more hours, an x-ray will be taken, then the drain tubes will be removed. Judy could be discharged within the next couple of days. We are cautiously optimistic.

May 7

Your prayers are working, as expected, as usual, as a matter of fact. Judy's flow rate is getting lower and lower. Which way we going? Low er! Low er! Low er! The sunshine and warm temperatures had a positive effect on our attitude today. Judy is regaining her strength and her appetite. When w go for a walk, I can hardly keep up with Judy. I carry the flow meter with bodily fluids and Judy motors on. I have to remind her there should be no sudden stops because the hoses are like a leash. As much as I would like to see the hoses gone, it's not the recommended approach. Another answered prayer: Due to my moaning and belly-aching, kind souls have been taking Little Orphan Alvin in. I was out for the night last night and tomorrow, I will an invite from a wonderful couple in North Delta. People reading the blog do not get to read the statistics; therefore, I thought I would share some stats with you. The Diamond Judy Blog has well over 12 000 hits. During the last few days, nearly 200 people/day read the blog. I tell Judy the stats and she is in awe of the number of people who love and support her.

May 6

Nothing much to report on Judy today. Today's craving was for a Starbucks Decaf Misto with two shots of chai. To which, the Starbucks girl replied, "Huh?" Second craving was: cheezies. I bought Judy 12 bags. If you want something to pray for, ask for the lungs to heal to the level where they will stop draining. We need that number down to zero. I am enjoying a night with Judy's cousin having meal of baked halibut, watching hockey, and sleeping in a bed. Last night, I had a room mate at the lodge. If you are a single in the room, you often have to share a room with a complete stranger. I will have a room mate for the next three nights...Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. Gee ma, I wanna go home.

May 5 Evening

The one thing that has to happen for Judy to be discharged is for the drain tubes to stop draining fluid from her chest cavity. It just takes time. There is nothing unusual about the time that Judy is having to wait for the drain to register zero. Judy continues to feel well. She is not in pain, just discomfort from having two tubes inserted through her chest. Judy continues to enjoy the entertainment provided by her room mate, Anna. Tonight, Anna was going for the Guinness record for number of minutes speaking without taking a breath. For me, it has been a day of passing condolences and relaying information. I am grateful to Judy's cousin, Gerry, who has invited me to his home in PoCo for an evening meal, hockey on TV, and a sleep in a house instead of the lodge where I have been staying since April 26. The lodge has been wonderful, but I really need a change of scenery and a change of routine. The hope of being home by the weekend seems to be fading. Thank God, I am sorta retired.

May 5 morning

I just received a call from Judy's sister, Audrey. Judy's mom died this morning at approximately 7:15 CST. Ironically, Judy's dad died while Judy was in hospital for her last major surgery in 2012. Tough times. It's always darkest before the dawn.

Happy Star Wars Day - May 4

Today was another day of progress. Judy is spending her second night in a semi private ward. I think her roommate is autistic. The conversations are interesting. The roommate doesn't have any visitors except the voices in her head. Judy continues to have the drain hose. The flow rate varies between 0 and 30. We're hoping for 0 tomorrow. Judy made multiple laps around the 12th floor of the hospital today. She even climbed some stairs. She is not in much pain. In fact, she went nearly 6 hours without pain meds today. The physiotherapist said she is not supposed to lift anything more than 10 lbs for 6-8 weeks. I will be adding sinks, tubs, and showers to my dusing and vacuuming duties for the foreseeable future. No problem. Judy's mom is still hanging on. No food and no liquid for a week...but her heart keeps beating. I really do pray she will let go. The girls are back in Saskatoon. Haley and Dustin went up to sit with Judy's mom tonight. Mary has been up a couple times today. Mary sang some songs to her and let her know that Judy is doing well. Today, I went for a walk around False Creek. My routine is to visit Judy three times a day. I return to the Cancer Lodge for meals and sleep. Obviously, we are just aching to get back to our friends and family in Saskatoon. Maybe Friday. It's just too early to know.

May 3 Evening

In my April 29 entry, I had speculated one of the nodules that was removed may have been a result of a collapsed lung back in the 70s. As it turns out, the nodule was scar tissue resulting from a fungal infection. I delivered a Jugo Juice to Judy this afternoon. She enjoyed the Jugo Juice, but the juice didn't stay down for long. Nausea continues to affect Judy. Apparently, the nausea is a result of constipation, not pain meds. Hopefully, things will get moving soon. I had a wonderful visit with an old friend of mine today. Terry Donaldson was a groomsman at our wedding. He is now an educatore in the Vancouver area. My challenge over the next few days will be to occupy myself now that my family members have left. Three visits a day to the hospital will occupy most of my time.

May 3

I just finished my morning visit with Judy. Looking good. She is down to one set of hoses. She is still attached to the hose draining fluid from her lungs. The flow today was down to 30. Hopefully, one more day should do it. We walked all around the 12th floor of the hospital,as well. Another sign Judy is doing well...I have to deliver a Jugo Juice when I see her this afternoon and she has placed an order for a chocolate shake for the evening. There is nothing new to report on Judy's mom.

May 2

Judy had another good day. The girls and I spent several hours with her today. She was sitting up,eating, and going for short walks in the hallway. She is attached to a machine that measures the flow of fluid from her lung. Yesterday the flow rate was over 900. Today the rate was around 100. That's good. The girls have to catch a plane early tomorrow. I know I am repeating myself, but I love my girls and having them here with me over the last few days has been wonderful. We have had some great conversations, long walks, delicious food, and some good laughs. In other news, David drove 19 hours to Saskatoon today. He was able to see his mom who is still hanging on. David is wanting to provide support to Audrey who has spent countless hours at her mother's bedside over the last week. Audrey's children have also spent many hours with their grandma this week. Hopefully, knowing that all went well with Judy and knowing her children have said their goodbyes will allow her to die peacefully.

May 1

When I arrived at the hospital this morning, Judy was quite drowsy. She had thrown up during the night everytime she was vertical; therefore, she was given anti nausea drugs introvenously. I have just returned from an afternoon visit and Judy looks much better. She was sitting in a chair after a decadent meal of mashed potatoes...two tbsp worth. Judy is still not ready for visitors,other than family. The girls and I try to keep the visits short. Apparently, she is not experiencing extreme pain,just discomfort from the drain inserted through her incision. The epidural has been removed. She no longer has oxygen tubes in her nose. Judy still has an IV for anti nausea. Pain meds are being taken orally. Oh yeah, she no longer has a catheter. The bladder issues of yesterday have been remedied. As the girls and I were leaving, the nurse was taking Judy for a stroll. I have no idea when she will be released. I am going to say: no earlier than Monday. Beyond Monday, I have no idea when she will be well enough for travel. David is leaving tomorrow and the girls are leaving early Sunday. Having company for the last few days has been wonderful. I have also enjoyed messages of support coming from Judy's friends and family. I have been staying at the Jean C. Barber Lodge near the hospital. 55$/night includes three meals a day and snacks. I usually eat breakfast at the lodge, then have one meal a day at one of the variety of restaurants on Broadway Ave.