Some updates on us

Well it has been a while since I have posted here.  Things have been sort of crazy between normal life happening, trying to rent/sell our home in Greensburg, and dealing with the health issues of Jacob and me.  Jacob has had some tests done that were inconclusive.  He is scheduled to see a pediatric gastro-intestinal doctor on December 31st.  We are hoping to get some answers then.  

Today we went to see the cardiologist regarding my health.  Based on everything he saw and heard from me, he feels we need to do more tests.  Specifically he is trying to discover if there is a root cause for my blood pressure.  To that end, he ordered blood work today to check for hypothyroidism and for renal function.  Kidney issues can evidently cause high blood pressure.  Also, he wants to order a CAT scan to check for coronary damage/problems. This made me happier than the idea of a catherization of my heart.   Also he wants to do an ultrasound of my kidneys to check for issues there.  

Based on the hole in my heart, I may end up needing a scan going down my esophagus to check for how much damage there actually is there.  So now it is a wait and see game.  He also switched my bp medicine.  I will actually start that on Thursday.  So we will see how things go. 

Well life may finally be settling down a little around here.    It appears we have rented our home out.  This is such a load off my mind.  Also,  it seems like we are moving forward to getting settled in to our home.  

School is going fairly well.  We need to pick up the pace with our Wisdom Books and with the older 2 boys' math and science.  Rebecca seems to be moving along fairly nicely with her school work as is Nathan.

Following Dennis' mobilization and return from New York, we are trying to settle back into family life.  The new Young Marine group is working out fantastic.  The children are starting to settle into their activities.  

This weekend we plan on visiting a church to see what kind of fit it is for our family.  Finding a church and a dentist are our last big 2 obstacles.

Well we survived Dennis' first activation.  It was rather rough on the whole family, but we made it.  He was gone for a total of 16 days.  It was not the longest he has ever been gone, but it definitely was the most challenging.  Communication was rather sporadic.  He was commander so that made for things to be different than a normal Annual Training.  

My health issues definitely added to the chaos and challenges of the separation.  Also, Jacob had probably the worst time with his health issues in years.  I am sure the recent stressful move and being in a new location did not help matters.  

Fortunately, God was on our side and brought us through.  Now we face finding out what is going on with my health and with Jacob's health.  So we will see what happens.

Today I listed our prior home for sale by owner on Craigslist.   Already I have had two people express interest.  So we will be praying it sells or rents quickly.  We have quite a few activities coming up as we approach the Christmas season.  We will be praying for all our friends and family to have a blessed Christmas season.

Well I thought Dennis would be home for Thanksgiving.   Unfortunately, I don't think that is the case now.  He told me this morning everything was definite for their departure from New York.  However, now everything is completely uncertain.  .  I am so ready for him to be home!  Rebecca is missing her daddy so much.  It is so sad to watch and listen to her.  She is such a daddy's little girl.  But they love each other so much. 

It seems like my blood pressure is coming down, but I am still dizzy, light-headed and having some blurry vision.  I am ready for Dennis to be home, so he can drive me to my dr. appointments so I don't have to worry about my vision .  I am going to have the holter put on Wednesday for that test.  Then the following week, I have my echo-cardiogram.  So it is a waiting game on that.

I am so ready for life to return to some semblance of normalcy.  

So on this Veteran's Day we should be in Greensburg

So if my husband was home, today we would be in Greensburg (well actually we would have bee there since Friday).   This morning we would have attended services at our church there.  More than likely my husband and four children would have been in their military uniforms (Dh - the Army Reserves and the four children in Young Marines).  Possibly they would have played a part in the service.  

But instead today my husband is on missions in the New York City area and we are in our new home of record.  I am so lonely and frustrated.  I am tired of people saying the time will pass by quickly because I can assure you time is dragging for me.  

There is very little communication, which is hard.  My children are all suffering from Dad being gone. It breaks my heart to have my little girl sit in my lap crying because she misses Daddy and wants him home.  She is only 10.  

I am not up to full strength for this.  I have no energy, feel like my heart is pounding way too fast.  I am just so wiped out.  I feel dizzy and just out of sorts.  I can't help being concerned about my own health.  I also can't help being concerned about my own health.

What a long, crazy rollercoaster of a week

Well this week sure has been a rollercoaster.  One week ago today, Dennis and his unit activated for the hurricane relief effort.  One week ago today, I really began to notice changes in my health.  We know Dennis and his group should be back by the 2nd of December, but boy would I love it if they got to come home sooner.  I really need him here right now.

Getting back to health situation, having had chronic high blood pressure for almost 20 years now, I know the feelings that indicate my bp is up. So with all the stress from our move I knew back in September my bp was up and I was right because Dennis and I went to our new doctor together.  I went first and we explained my dislike of going to the doctors.  He was rather concerned after that.  But he was fantastic.  I really have to say I was pleased.  Rather than start me on meds right away, he wanted me to monitor bp.  So off we went.

 This week I had those feelings in spades.  I took it several times and it was running between the 180s to well over 200 over numbers ranging in the 120s to the 130s.  These are scary numbers.  I was having some blurry vision, headaches and so forth - again not good things.

So I finally went to the dr (did I mention I don't like going to doctors and am deathly afraid of needles - because if I haven't mentioned it - I really really really don't like going to doctors and am really truly completely deathly afraid of needles.  Just walking into a doctor's office can raise my blood pressure.  And I really hate going alone (need Dennis there with me).  

I had the sweetest nurse, she was fantastic.  When she asked me what I was being seen for, I told her I could tell my blood pressure was high and that I had been monitoring it at home.  I also explained all the stresses I was under with just moving, no real support system here yet, and Dennis activated for an unknown period of time.  Bp was in the 180s over 120s range.  So dr. came in and reviewed my information and everything  (after all this was only the second time I had been in there - so can't expect him to remember everything)  Did I mention I checked in and it wasn't more than 5 minutes before the nurse took me back?  

The doctor came in, looked over everything, talked to me, checked me out by checking my breathing and heart sounds.  Then he checked my eyes because I have been having some blurry vision and headaches.  The next thing I know he is telling me I need an EKG done.  So he goes ad gets the nurse to do that.  Out in the hall, I can hear him telling her and one of the nurses about my feelings/fears/dislikes of doctors and for them to take really good care of me.  So my nurse comes back in with the machine and explains what she is going to do.  She explains the longest part is hooking me up to the machine.  So we complete the test.  Then the doctor comes in and looks at it.  The three monitors that were actually testing the heart were not normal.  In fact they essentially where the opposite of what they should have been.  There were dips going up and down instead of being the way they should.  He then informs me I need to have something called a holter test done (24 hours of being hooked up to a machine that records my heart).  Then I need to have an echocardiogram looking for damage/blockage/general health of my heart.  Plus I need to see a cardiologist.

Wait a minute, hold everything - cardiologist, tests, can this wait until Dennis gets back.  The doctor tells me no, we need to at least start the tests.  so this Tuesday I go for the holter test.  The following Tuesday I go in for the echocardiogram (did I say I really want Dennis home for this particular test).  I don't know what if anything will be said at the appointment).  Then the Tuesday after Thanksgiving I have a followup with my regular dr to see how my bp is doing with the bp meds and I don't know if anything will be said about the tests then or not.  Because on December 18, I have an appointment with a cardiologist  (did I mention I really am terrified of needles, tend to almost pass out when blood is drawn and just generally don't want to go see drs.

In the midst of all this Dennis is with his unit in New York City pumping water, attending meetings and doing his job.

I have everyone telling me it will be alright, don't be stressed, stay calm, God is in control and so forth.

Well I know God is in control, but I am not ready to face whatever may come from this.  Of course, part of that is that we don't know what we are actually facing.  The unknown is the really hard part right now along with not having Dennis here to lean on, to cry on and to pray with.  When you have a best friend for over 20 years, and all of a sudden you are put in trials and that friend is not where you can talk to them, laugh with them, cry with them and so forth, it makes things that much more difficult especially when everything is so stressful to begin with.

Also during all this our oldest is has basically been sick since we left his dad at the unit after the four children finished young marines.  So that does not help things, since there really is nothing I can do to bring him comfort or relief.  He has people giving him a hard time for being sick and staying in bed (in the form of siblings).  So that adds to fuel to the furnace.

On a good note though, I am part of an online group called MOMYS.  I reached out to them requesting prayer for our family, the unit and the mission.  And several reached back - most by emai.  But one very special lady, who lives in my area (well within about 30 minutes anyhow,  sent a message to me saying she would like to reach out to us and have a get together.  She even drove to see us.  So yesterday afternoon my new friend and her five children came over.  And we had a fantastic time.  Everyone got along.  Everyone had fun and for a couple of hours I got to focus on something other than what was going on here at home.

So I think this is long enough for now.

Well we survived day 2 without Dennis.  We went to dance and to scouts.  Jacob and Joseph earned their bronze palms for Boy Scouts for their Eagle rank.  

I still don't know if Dennis' unit has moved out or not. I do know I am ready to have Dennis home.  The thought of holidays alone with only my children and my mom is sad.

We are in survival mode around here.  I know with God's grace we will get through this.

Update on Dennis' unit

Well Dennis and his unit (plus their add ons from two other units - the 14th where we just left, plus Dennis' battalion for both the prior and current units) arrived at Fort Dix in New Jersey at around 1 am this morning.  They will be there all day today taking inventory of Dennis' unit's equipment.  (He was actually supposed to be going to Fort Pickett in Virginia tomorrow for four days to do this inventory.)

Then in the morning, they will head into New York City to actually begin working on the relief effort.  As far as I know they are supposed to spending their nights at a military installation on the outside of New York City. Hopefully, I will hear more either tonight or tomorrow night.  If you would like to see pictures that have been taken so far of this activation and you are on Facebook, you can visit the following link.  This is a picture I took, but there are other photos on the same site.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151126872376527&set=pb.337414931526.-2207520000.1352039589&type=3&theater

Continued Effects of Hurricane Sandy

Well, we are still dealing with the after-effects of Hurricane Sandy.  Our van window was repaired Friday using our insurance for glass only coverage.  But we still have to get some additional work done to anchor the glass in properly.  

Also, Dennis' unit was activated yesterday to help with the hurricane relief effort in New York City.  They are on their way there now.  The orders have them gone anywhere from 30 days to 120 days.  This could be a really long, hard winter.  120 days would have them coming back around the 1st of March.

I don't think I would mind nearly as much.  But we just moved to a new area two months ago.  We really don't know a lot of people.  We don't have a church.  And the shopping in this area is sort of lacking.  The nearest Sams' Club are over 45 minutes away (and that is if conditions are good).

I am praying that things actually go really well and they get to come home sooner.  If it is only 30 days, he will be home around the 3rd of December.  I am not sure how well the children are going to handle this.  This will be the first time he has not been around for Thanksgiving, which is going to be hard.

the Aftermath of Hurricane Sandy

So we survived the remnants of Hurricane Sandy.  Unfortunately, one of the windows in our 12 passenger van did not survive.  Yesterday Dennis took it to find out the cost of repairing it.  It would have been $800 for just the piece of glass.  So today, I filed it under our insurance.  So now all we have to pay is the cost of our deductible - which is a lot better.

Today he took my little van in for its inspection.  The good news is, we did not have to pay for an emissions test.  The bad news is shortly we are going to need to replace the tires on it - especially with winter coming.

We are working on homeschooling, unpacking and getting things organized.  I am going to add some posts to our other pages regarding these topics.

I am going to start a new blog here.  I have come to the conclusiong, I do not like the Word Press format of my old blog.  So hopefully I will like this one better.  

A few updates on the family:

Dennis is back in school working towards his degree in religious studies.  We are back to doing school in full force.  We are using our Wisdom Books and Wisdom Book language arts as our main curriculum.  For the most part everyone seems to like this.

Scouts is going fairly well and the boys really seem to like their troop.  The only thing we have not been able to do yet is find a church.