Monday, September 9, 2013

Monday, September 9

We met with the ear, nose and throat doctor today, and finally we have an explanation and solution. The explanation of the CT head scan online was really scary and it turns out that Ken has had some bad sinus surgery years ago that has led to complications and that he has a kind of chronic sinus infection with a crack that can connect sinus infection to a part of the brain that can cause symptoms like meningitis. The doctor says he can fix, it, correcting the botched surgery.  It sounds major.  They will keep him in the hospital for two days.  The soonest he can do it is October 19.  It is something they couldn't have done in Chile. What they did in Chile helped, but it wasn't enough to solve it.  It is complicated, but the doctor is confident.  They will put a dye in his lumbar fluid and use cameras.  There is a possibility that they might have to make an incision under his eyebrow, but they will try to do the surgery through his

We have planned a trip to Texas and Missouri between then and now.  We will probably leave the day after he sees his primary care physician. Tuesday or Wednesday Sept.; 24 or 25.  The pre-op appointment is October 14th.  We plan on being with Michael and Sare through the weekend of September 28 and 29 and then be in Warrensburg for Ocean's birthday on October 2.  We will spend conference weekend, the 5th and 6th with David and Julie and family.

We now have an explanation for how terrible the sinus problem was and for the slow recovery.  We have great hopes for major improvement when he is more completely cleaned up.

We stopped  by AAA this afternoon. The office has moved and at first Ken didn't remember being there between missions.  It was where we got our international drivers' licenses. But then after being there and after I talked about it, he remembered us getting our pictures taken.

It makes us glad we are here in the United States and finally gives us medical help that we did not receive and could not have received in Chile.  A verification of the rightness of our being home.

Communication between specialists and to us took time. Ken was eventually told that he needed to have sinus surgery. The doctors were especially concerned that during a sinus surgery many years earlier a hole had accidentally been created between his sinuses and his brain. It needed to be closed. Dr. Alt and a surgical team took several hours to take care of various sinus problems. It was a complex surgery, one that could not have been done where we were in Chile. We were again grateful that we had been sent home.

Monday, September 2, 2013

Monday, September 2, 2013

Our 49^th Anniversary:  Forty nine years ago today, we decided to commit to love and care for each other forever.  We had no idea what we were in for.  We didn't really know each other.  Our real future was unimaginable; much less imaginable than we imagined.  We are still getting to know each other.  Our commitment continues.  Our love is deeper and sweeter and more real.