So many things..where do I start?
Last night Linda's blood pressure began to drop to a point where we became very concerned...and lost a lot of sleep as a result. Of course things like this happen on Fridays...with the weekend to face without help until Monday. And Linda had already had a frightful experience with a blood pressure drop (althought this was not close to the drop last week).
We made it through the night....today the pressure was ok and then low with a high pulse.....big time stress was setting in....I actually felt more fear with all of this as opposed to the nasty first rounds of chemo and radiation...it is because we understood how dangerous the situation was last week. Anyway, Linda called her cousin Ron in Eugene who is a doctor...I think we have mentioned how helpful he has been before....a "life ring" when we really need some help.
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Anyway, he explained things to Linda and where the danger points were with blood pressure and with the pulse.....it gave both of us a much ease in what had been very stressful. So although things are all over the map (high pressure...high pulse, low pressure...high pulse, or low pressure...low pulse) we feel as if we can "weather things".
Linda has another cousin, Ruth, in Nebraska who sent Linda today a very nice picture...simple but clearly stating "we believe"...Linda's mantra in the journey:
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Thanks Ruth...very cool and appropriate!
Tonight our neighbor across the creek was having a surprise 70th birthday dinner and we were invited....it was held in the clubhouse in Tolgate. outside Sisters....where we lived years ago. We went back and forth whether to go because of all the above...and....and.....Linda decided she was up to it and we were glad we went. There were many, many wonderful people present and it was a lot of fun.....and Linda stayed for 3 hours.....all her choice. Jack...our neighbor...turned 70 and was very surprised.....it was well worth going just to hear folks talk about Jack and good things about him.....bravo to his wife Liz who put it all together....so nice it all was...gave Linda much energy just being there.
We feel as if we can make it through the weekend....we don't think the tests Monday will show anything (but we will still do them)....we now believe the blood pressue issues are due to the chemo....now that we believe that, the question is how can we avoid the frightful, dangerous blood pressure drops if they should happen again in the next cycle....or the cycle after that....that is what we will be pursuing in terms of answers next week.
Dave
4 comments:
The mail is speedy. You are welcome. I especially liked the '"WE" believe' because I want to remind both of you that there are lots of us on your team in this battle.
Love and prayers,
Ruth
Here is a cool lil story for you...
A friend sent this to me..
Just up the road from my home is a field, with two horses in it. From a distance, each horse looks like any other horse. But if you stop your car, or are walking by, you will notice something quite amazing....
Looking into the eyes of one horse will disclose that he is blind. His owner has chosen not to have him put down, but has made a good home for him. This alone is amazing.
If you stand nearby and listen, you will hear the sound of a bell. Looking around for the source of the sound, you will see that it comes from the smaller horse in the field. Attached to the horse's halter is a small bell. It lets the blind friend know where the other horse is, so he can follow.
As you stand and watch these two friends, you'll see that the horse with the bell is always checking on the blind horse, and that the blind horse will listen for the bell and then slowly walk to where the other horse is, trusting that he will not be led astray.
When the horse with the bell returns to the shelter of the barn each evening, it stops occasionally and looks back, making sure that the blind friend isn't too far behind to hear the bell. Like the owners of these two horses, God does not throw us away just because we are not perfect or because we have problems or challenges. He watches over us and even brings others into our lives to help us when we are in need.
Sometimes we are the blind horse being guided by the little ringing bell of those who God places in our lives. Other times we are the guide horse, helping others to find their way....
Good friends are like that... you may not always see them, but you know they are always there.
Please listen for my bell and I'll listen for yours.
And remember...
be kinder than necessary- everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle.
Live simply,
Love generously,
Care deeply,
Speak kindly.... and Leave the rest to God
Love Ya, Lil Sis
Linda and Dave,
It was so wonderful to have you at our party last night and to see smiles on your faces. We didn't know if you would make and we are so glad you did.
Liz and Jack
Dave,
This whole deal has reinforced one of the great lessons taught to me over my life:
"Fear knocked upon my door; Faith answered, and no one was there."
You ahd Linda are one of the greatest examples of this that I have ever been close to.
Thanks for having faith in me, and let me know if there is anything I can do for you.
manic
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