No Place Like Home

 On the way home now and I can finally take some time to absorb all that has happened. We left last Friday. What were we thinking? Knowing that we had to go through part of Atlanta, it was an act of insanity! The traffic was brutal and it was miserably hot.

Friday was my birthday, I had totally forgotten until my sister-in-law called right before we left home. Not exactly a fun day, but at the end of the first day's journey there was cake and presents from my nephew and his wife. My daughter-in-law was feeling bad that there would be no celebration, but there was.

I liked the cake and the solar lights and a frog for my gardens, but spending time with the babies was my favorite part. Listening to them talk made my heart sing. They are so smart and so cute. Big boys with big boy haircuts, they look like 3 year olds. Jonah entertained me with some flash cards, eagerly showing me that he knows his numbers and colors. Josiah does, too, but he is man of few words. He gives great bye-bye kisses, though.

The main purpose of the trip was to see our cousin, Doris and try to help her figure out her next step with her husband. He needs multiple organ transplants. His has lived with liver disease for many years, but it has become critical. He needs a kidney, a liver and his pancreas has stopped working.

He was in Miami for a month, they sent him back to Gainesville and now talk about going back to Miami. If you find this confusing, you are not alone. Nothing I can do for him, other than pray and visit. I was determined to get her seen by a cardiologist. She finally succumbed to my bullying tactics last night and went down to the ER. She has congestive heart failure and was admitted. Her O2 level was 80 and her legs are so swollen. She was determined to get her husband, Kevin taken care of before she took time for herself. 

We had to leave to come home, but I feel a lot better knowing they are doing a full work up on her and she is being taken care of. It was still hard to leave her. I spent the morning running around the hospital to get all of her meds out of Kevin's room for the nurse to record and then locking her purse up in her car. I am now very familiar with another hospital!

I will need to call tonight for a status update on both of them. Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers. She will need to procure accomodations suitable for him to come home to before they will put him back up for review for a transplant. They will have to stay in Miami for about a year if he is accepted. They are currently in Gainesville at Shands hospital. Everything has been put on hold until Doris is well enough to be released.

Doris is scatterbrained in the best of times and this is far from from the best. I am still very worried about her and I suppose I will be until she is on the mend for sure. I will be happy to get home tomorrow, though! There really is no place like home.