November 30

I visited Judy around noon today. I actually remembered to bring the hoof trimmers she requested. Actually, she had to do a manicure. After all this time in hospital, she is going for a Guinness record for finger nail length. No news from the doctors today. Judy threw up a couple times. I apologize for being graphic, but people want to know how things are going. There are times when she goes 2 or 3 times without getting upset stomach, but today was not one of those times. She is still on sips of water with only IV feeding. It's hard to believe she has anything to throw up. In spite of all this, Judy does not complain. She maintains her iron will and positive attitude. Good night, Jude.

November 29

I apologize for not making a post over the last three days. The King has been busy with Royal Galas, Haley's ugly sweater birthday party, and hockey team Christmas Party. On Thursday evening, we had barbecued steak. I decided earlier on Thursday to wrestle the barbecue up onto the deck from the patio. No problem for a King. On Friday, a little birdy told Judy, "I see you have your barbecue on the deck now." Busted. The Queen didn't give permission for the movement of assets. We had a good laugh about that one. On Saturday, I dispensed with our home's land line. My new cell phone number is now the old land line number. If you have my old cell phone number in your contacts, please delete. This was another major move that I made without royal consent. Even though I am a King, at home I am only a drone in the hive. One of my dear daughters...I won't disclose whether it was Drizelda or Anastasia, ratted on me. The Queen had me on the rack today for two counts of treason. I'm hoping no one who reads this blog will tell Judy that I move her TV watching chair to the other side of the room. I am on such thin ice, it is hard to stick handle my way out of trouble. Over the last three days, Judy has been spending more time in her chair and going for walks three times a day. She is still off of food and liquids. She is only allowed to sip water. On the backside, the leakage is abating somewhat. The catheter has been running clearer. Of course, this is good news. There is not much to report from the surgeons on the weekend. It's time for my beauty sleep. Ciao.

November 26

The house is decorated. The kids are fed. We had a wonderful evening. Oh yeah, and we have stockpiled 22 bottles of creamsicle Ensure so at the rate Judy is consuming, we are good until 2017. Thank you, everyone. Today was a roller coaster so far as Judy is concerned. I received a text from Judy at 7:30 am reporting that she will likely be in hospital over Christmas. There is a leak in her small or large bowel. The CT did not reveal the exact location of the leak. One step back. Audrey and I went to visit Judy at 2:00 pm thinking she would need extra support after the news she shared. As it turned out, the information came from a surgery resident who was being a little over zealous in his speculation. Audrey and I also found out from Judy that part of October 7's surgery was the removal a section of bowel. Judy was certain she had reported this bit of information to us. The jury is out on whether I was too concussed from old timer's hockey to remember the information. Whatever the case, yes, Judy had part of her bowel removed and there may be a leak that could account for the nasty discharge that I spoke of in an earlier blog. I am still mystified when it comes to the internal plumbing that runs through the temple that is Judy. I need someone to produce a blue print for me. As far as I can determine, the bowel may be leaking into the abdominal cavity, then somehow entering the bladder, then leaking from the bladder and down to Judy's backside. Judy may have a fistula. A fistula is an abnormal connection between an organ, vessel, or intestine and another structure. Fistulas are usually the result of injury or surgery. It can also result from infection or inflammation. Inflammatory bowel disease, such as ulcerative colitis or Crohn's disease, is an example of a disease that leads to fistulas between one loop of intestine and another. I had the chance to talk to Dr. Kanthan and he stated that everything is fine. There is no need to intervene. On a positive note, Judy was looking good. Audrey and I helped her into her chair. She was quite alert and her voice was stronger than it has been in days. Another positive: the urine collecting in the catheter was clearer. That's good. One step forward. This has been a roller coaster ride. Every time I find myself overwhelmed by the big future and the what ifs, I find comfort in refocusing my attention on today, the now. One can imagine all kinds of frightful scenarios or wonderful miracles that are down the road. I choose to look at today. Judy is here. There are steps forward that cause us to rejoice and be thankful. There are steps back that we deal with as they come. We had a wonderful visit that ended in the usual way: a kiss and an "I love you." We have today and today is good. All's well that ends well. Matthew 6:34 “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

November 25

Judy's surgeon, Dr. Kanthan, is back after a holiday. He visited Judy this morning and told her the long struggle she has endured with the bladder/drain situation and the nausea issues is an exceptional occurrence. The bladder should have healed after 7-10 from surgery and she should have started eating long ago. Dr. Kanthan has recommended no fluid or food intake other than IV and TPN. Furthermore, a drug has been prescribed to dry up the abdominal area. As I understand the drug's effect, the bowel action will be slowed. The latest concern is the coloration of the fluid draining through the catheter. The fluid is beyond yellow and orange. It is brown. The discharge that is coming from between the staples is becoming more odoriferous. This, of course, is a great discomfort to Judy in many ways. There are still no results from the ultrasound that was taken yesterday. Dr. Kanthan ordered a CT scan today to help determine possible causes of Judy's symptoms. On a positive note, Judy had a few staples removed today and the wound area that is not involved in the leakage area is healing quite well. I chased down the physiotherapist today and she reported Judy is progressing on the physio end. Judy continues to endure the challenges she faces with courage and resolve. We had a good visit this afternoon. Judy knew I was on my way to play hockey at 6:15 and gave me the usual admonition...play nice and have fun. Mission accomplished. Good night.

November 24

I just got off the phone. The Queen was actually well enough to phone me. She needs more shampoo. Apologies for not posting anything on the blog for the last couple of days. Sunday was a busy day with church, lunch with the fam, visit to the hospital, and hockey in Battleford. By the way,I am glad the score clock wasn't working in Battleford Arena. Yesterday, I hosted my men's splurge club (a.k.a. Tool Time). I was busy cutting kielbasa, cheese, pickles and other healthy snacks for the Knights of the Tool Bench. Judy has been enjoying the new found supply of orange creamsicle Ensure. There are times when she feels hunger, but she does not trust her system to keep the food down. Yesterday, she said she would like to try three bites of a Subway sandwich very soon. The catheter is still doing its job; however, there is still some fluid draining from her backside. Judy is having a CT scan later this week to determine whether there is any fluid pooling in her groin area. Judy is also spending more time sitting. She describes the odd sensation of seeing the world from an upright position after being on her side for six plus weeks. Visiting someone face to face is a real treat.

November 21

Judy may have turned the corner. She has been keeping the creamsicle Ensure down and has been taking sips of ginger ale. Speaking of Ensure...on Friday I received a text from one of Judy's former teaching colleagues stating that a bottle of the right Ensure found at Werezak's Pharmacy was deposited in my mailbox. I also received a call from the manager of my ball team on Friday morning. He asked me to pick up a mystery package on my way home from teaching in Warman. As it turned out the mystery package was a 6 pack of the creamsicle Ensure aka "nectar of the gods". This is only the tip of the iceberg when acts of kindness are mentioned. Resurrection Lutheran Church took up a special collection to provide me with a parking pass for RUH. Of course, dear friends and family continue to drop off soup, baking, and other treats. Furthermore, my friends,team mates, neighbors, and family continue to provide me what I need the most-companionship, a listening ear, and conversation about normal things. Another bright spot from today was: Judy woke up this morning with a dry backside. Too early to say the bladder has healed, but there are hopeful signs. Perhaps creamsicle Ensure is like Barsleak, a product we used to pour into the leaky radiator on our 52 Fargo. Barsleak would plug the leak and off to town we would go. I know many of you will want to know how the dance went last night. I did the jive, two step, 7 step (Kelvington-style), old time waltz, cha cha, shottische, and a heaping helping of polka. The meal, from the pickled herring to the crumbkakken was top notch. I took it easy on the Aquavit, but there was plenty of "Skol!!!" echoing through the hall. I felt young again, but it was only because the average age at the Scandanavian Club is 85. There were some of the original Vikings in attendance. One guy actually thought he was "Leif the Lucky". I am not sure if he was. Good night.

November 19

The Queen occupied the royal hospital chair for two sessions today. The catheter is still delivering product, but fluid continues to seep between her staples. The root beer that was such a hit yesterday, didn't sit well today so upchuck again. While I was with Judy, she drank half of the creamsicle Ensure. I will find out tomorrow whether the Ensure stayed down. I am subbing in Warman Middle School tomorrow; therefore, I won't get to see Judy until later in the afternoon. Tomorrow night I will be dancing to the hard charging "Rythmairs" at the Scandinavian Club Dine and Dance at the Legion Hall on Spadina. If you are wanting to get a spot on my dance card, you will have to get there early. I will be fueled by pickled herring, lutefisk, and Aquavit. Skol! You can always tell a Norwegian, but you can't tell'em much.

November 18

Another good day for Judy. She was given permission to sit in a chair for 10 minutes today, an odd sensation for a person who has not parked her caboose on a chair in 6 weeks. Yes, today marks 6 weeks since the operation. In the coming days, Judy will be allowed to sit in a chair for two 15 minute sessions. Judy has gone nearly 2 days without throwing up, another breakthrough. Another development: the catheter has begun to collect from the bladder. I am not sure whether you can connect the dots to the removal of the JP drain two days ago. One of the greatest joys from the day was having Mary, Haley, and I converge on Judy's royal chamber at the same time...nice to have the family together for a visit. Another joy I had today was going out to Mary's school to lead a couple sing songs with the K/1 and 2/3 classes at Hanley. Obviously, I wouldn't have ventured out on the highway if I had known Highway 11 was a skating rink. On my return to Saskatoon, I was caught in a 10 mile long parking lot because a semi trailer jackknifed in the northbound lane by Lake Blackstrap. Ah, the things you do for love.

Later on November 17

I forgot to mention the Clark Kents came in today. I picked them up on my way to the hospital. When I arrived at Judy's bedside, Judy was sawing logs. She awoke with a start and exclaimed, "Your new glasses arrived!" Amazing. She's still got it! That is to say, Judy knows when anyone has an engagement ring, a new hairdo/outfit/pair of shoes, and she can spot a newly expectant mother from across the street, and anyone with new glasses.

November 17

Judy had a good day. When I visited her in the late afternoon, she had not thrown up all day. She was craving root beer; therefore, I delivered. She also had her daily popsicle. She may have a junk food addiction. Tomorrow's treat will be a creamsicle flavored Ensure. Very rare. I looked all over the city for this flavor and finally found a bottle...in our pantry. If you see creamsicle flavored Ensure, email the name of the retailer to my home email. Today was good in other ways. The hockey team feasted on Shark meet, then the team slurped down a slow cooker full of my special turkey chili. Honestly, no left overs. One player stuck his head right in the slow cooker and finished the last serving with his tongue. I didn't even need to wash the slow cooker; I just placed it back in the cupboard. The dessert for me was scoring a goal. Very rare.

November 16

Judy had a cystogram this afternoon. They filled her bladder with a dye solution and used some type of imaging to determine what is going on with the bladder. The bladder leaked like a sieve. No fluid was retained in the bladder because there is a fissure in the bladder - a fissure that hasn't closed at all for the last 5 weeks. The abdominal drain tube called a JP was removed today. The catheter remains, but as mentioned in earlier blogs, everything from Judy's one kidney spills from the bladder and drains through the staples in Judy's backside. This means that Judy has to wear a Depends and lie on a bed pad that gets soaked with fluid and has to be changed every two hours thus Judy is not able to have prolonged periods of rest. The other kidney is drained by the nephrostomy that has been working fine for the last 5 weeks. On the other front, Judy is still plagued with nausea. Another day, another popsicle. On the home front, if you see smoke rising from our house tomorrow, it will be a result of the 5 alarm chili I am preparing for my hockey team, The Flightless Ducks. Tomorrow is my day for preparing the post game meal. We are playing the Sharks; therefore, the first course will be shark fin soup.

November 15

Still nausea. Still leaking bladder. The good news: tomorrow, the abdominal drain will be removed because the drain is not draining anything. Abdominal fluid is still leaking out between the staples on Judy's backside. Hopefully, the bladder will heal and the leaking will abate soon. Today's consumption: another popsicle. Judy continues to maintain a positive attitude and a spirit of determination. Another breakthrough: Judy wants her hair drier. A good friend suggested that I make a list of words I wish I didn't know. Here we go...nephrostomy,JP tube, catheter, Fol fox, Fol-fury, radiation, lesion, tumor, primary, metastases, CT, PET Scan, MRI, hospital parking, chemoembolization, chemo, white cell count, laproscopic, surgery, medical appointment, hospital stay, cancer. You know, when you have a cold and you don't feel like eating or even getting out of bed. Well, Judy experiences that feeling times ten every time she undergoes chemo and times who knows what every time she has a major surgery. She is an inspiration and she continues to fight for all the people who love her and pray for her. One of the greatest miracles I've seen is people who have learned from Judy's experience to live life fully, rejoice always, be thankful and forgiving, believe, have faith, hope audaciously, be kind be gracious, be kind, and do what you can to inspire others to do the same.

November 13

Judy had a rough morning with more throwing up, but by afternoon she was up for her first walk. She also had a Popsicle. Hard to view Popsicle consumption as progress, but it is progress. The plastic surgeon, Dr. Chadrin, visited Judy today. The date for removing the staples from her backside has been pushed back another week to November 25. Judy is now setting her sights on being home by early December. I will close by reminding people that tomorrow is VIM Day. My hope is that Judy has inspired all husbands to VIM the depths of the kitchen sink, dust the tops of the baseboards, use Lysol wipes on the base of the toilet, scrub the tub and shower with Mr. Clean, vacuum, damp mop, water the plants, do the laundry, dust under the couch, and whistle while you work. Good night, Judy Two Shoes.

November 12

The whirlwind trip to Kelvington and Tisdale yesterday was a success. My dear old mother gave me a care package containing fresh buns, brownies, and cookies. I was back in time to visit the Queen last night. Today was a lazy day for me. I went for a long walk beside the river and watched the air show sponsored by the local chapter of the Canada Geese. Judy had a rough day. She was not able to take her usual 3 walks because of nausea and dizziness. By late afternoon, she was feeling somewhat better. Judy's new surroundings are much brighter than the gloomy corner she has occupied for the last 5 weeks. She is next to the window with a view toward the river valley.

November 10

We went with the Clark Kents. Judy was looking quite spry today. She had been up for two longer walks today. Unfortunately, she still hasn't been eating and continues to struggle with nausea. I am off to the Kingdom of Kelvington tomorrow for Remembrance Day ceremony and will come back to Saskatoon via Tisdale where my mother lives. I am sure my mom will be firing up the cookstove tomorrow morning to bake a batch of Cinnamon buns for her youngest son. I will stop in to see Judy when I return to Toon Town.

November 9

Two steps forward, one step back. The improvement in the drainage situation that I referred to on Saturday lasted only one day. Yesterday and today, the catheter was not draining urine from the bladder. Instead, the urine is leaking into the abdomen and, in turn, seeping out between the staples in Judy's backside. Apparently, they are going to re-position the abdominal drain to more effectively drain the abdominal cavity. Judy is off all fluids until the drainage thing is figured out. She is only able to take sips of water. The surgical residents were up today and assured Judy she is going in the right direction. The other glimmer of light is Judy will be able to spend some time on her back and sitting upright in "only" nine more days. On the home front, I was roped into organizing the church Fall Supper yesterday. The supper was a resounding success, but I was too busy to enjoy the meal. I was arranging the caterer, recruiting volunteers, setting up tables, auctioning pies, and selling turkeys. I had turkey grease up to my elbows, collecting cash, and brow beating the crowd into buying leftover turkey. For an encore, I organized the carpet cleaning at the church today. Eight wonderful volunteers and I cleaned an acre of carpet today. I am giving myself a day off tomorrow to buy new eyeglasses. The queen says I am not to be trusted with picking out my own frames. I have to sign out frames to be scrutinized by Her Royal Highness. I am guessing I won't be able to get the John Lennon Roundies I always wanted. The Queen wants me in a pair of Clark Kents.

November 7

The good news coming out of today is: the hose work that occurred yesterday is yielding positive results. That is to say, most of the urine is going to the catheter bag rather than spilling into the abdominal cavity. The abdominal drain had minimal amounts today. Judy still has the nephrostomy draining one kidney and a catheter draining the other kidney via the bladder. On the other front, Judy is still having trouble with nausea. I gave her a Starbucks Gingerbread Tea Misto (Don't ever order this item: the baristas will look at you like you have two heads)and Judy really enjoyed the bevvy. You know how Judy is slightly type A. Well, you will appreciate this. Judy had some of her minions call me with a request to buy two wrist watches for her hospital bed. Why? You ask. Well, she needs to have a watch for when she is on her left side and a watch for her right side. As luck would have it, I found two watches in Judy's wristwatch pile. A trip to Walmart for two new watches was not necessary. The two watches are now in place on the rails of her bed. Thankfully, Judy has so many watches she didn't recognize the watches I delivered were recycled. You my find this hard to believe, but sometimes I don't do as I'm told. The Queen still loves me.

November 6

Judy was transported by ambulance to St. Paul's Hospital today for her cystoscopy. There were some adjustments made to the hoses that are inserted into her bladder. Apparently, one hose was too far in. I had the nurse explain today's procedure to me and I was more confused after the explanation than before. Bottom line is: the urologist who performed the procedure thinks he has corrected the problem. Healing the leak in her bladder is still going to take time. Judy is still experiencing nausea and she is still on a 4 tsp of jello diet. Thank goodness the TPN is giving her the nutrients she needs. Today's task was to paint the laundry room. I didn't ask the Queen's permission. I took the risk and completed the job. What a job it was! Moving shelving units, wardrobe, washer, dryer, freezer, and filing cabinet then scrubbing the land where dust bunnies roam took longer than actual painting. I took pictures for the Queen to inspect. She wanted to know what color of white I chose. Tomorrow, the girls are coming over to do Christmas baking for Judy. I will be cleaning house while Anastasia and Drizelda mess up the kitchen.

November 4

Judy had a CT scan yesterday and got the results today. The good news is they did not find any abscesses that would have been a root cause of her nausea. Sometime later in the week, Judy will be taken to St.Paul's Hospital for cystostomy(sp) at the Urology Center. The purpose is to see what is going on with her bladder. The leakage continues. Judy still isn't eating. Her nutrition is still coming via TPN. While I was at the hospital today, Judy was unhooked from her IV tree while she went for a walk. She only has to contend with her catheter and her nephrostomy hoses that are secured to her walker. Judy was sporting a rather elegant rooster tail hairdo today...a common technique used in bedhead styling. Of course, on Judy the rooster tail looks exactly like a Tiara - quite fitting for a queen.

November 2

The struggle to keep food down continues. Yesterday, Haley made Judy some of her favorite food - veggie chowder. Judy had a few spoonfuls, but four hours later she threw it all up. The word from yesterday was: the urologist had scheduled a test to determine where all the fluid is coming from and where it is going. Today, we got to see Dr. Kanthan. He has scheduled a CT scan for this week to determine whether there is something other than the factors already considered that is causing the nausea. To date, the nausea was blamed on the painkillers and the lack of bowel movement. Dr. Kanthan also reiterated the hospital stay will be a minimum 6 weeks. The plastic surgeon, Dr. Chadrin, is the one insisting the 6 week minimum hospital stay. He wants to make sure the wound on Judy's back side is stable and healing well. I delivered one of Judy's favorite foods today - key lime Greek yogurt. A half dozen spoonfuls is what she could handle. The VIM inspector was by yesterday to check the sinks, the newly painted doors, and the lint trap on the dryer. I passed the inspection. The queen will not be asking for my head on a platter. Whew!