Playing catch up

It's amazing all the different things that can transpire in a rather short span of time. As I mentioned in my last post which was..gasp!..over a month ago Geof and I ventured out to experience a true Midwestern winter. We had a great time and thoroughly enjoyed our time there. When we returned to North Carolina we stayed a night with my folks before heading home. What I haven't mentioned is that at that time my Dad was about 3 weeks post op from another amputation. That would put the current score at Diabetes: 24 My Dad: 0. This time it was the middle finger on his right hand. He had gotten a fairly deep cut on it right on the underside of the joint several months ago. His skin tears easily and he always has nasty wounds. It had finally begun to close up and heal when one morning in February he noticed it was red and swollen. He asked what I thought about it and I told him it was infected and he should see a doctor. He went a few days later, the earliest they could see him, and he was put on oral antibiotics. The doctor initially wanted him in the hospital but Dad refused. So the doctor gave him the meds and referred him to an orthopedic surgeon...the same one who also removed a toe and two legs for my Dad. This doctor took one look at him and told him to go directly to the hospital and prepare for surgery the following morning. He removed the entire middle finger and cut a wedge shape down his hand to also remove the bones and connective stuff and sewed up what was left. When we finally saw my Dad 3 weeks later I was pleasantly surprised how good his hand looked. It looks like a cartoon hand...Dad calls it his Mickey Mouse hand...3 fingers and a thumb but no real noticeable gap between digits. Dad is right handed and has had to relearn how to write and draw. He hasn't taken any occupational or physical therapy since the surgery, but he is adapting well, although a bit too slowly for his liking.

I guess the one lesson that anyone reading this could take away from the story is to take care of your health. My Dad lost toes in the beginning. Then he lost one leg, a year later the other. He has glaucoma and cataracts. He's lost all of his teeth now. The feeling in his hands gets worse every year. His skin is always extremely dry and tears easily. My Dad is only 53 years old. I don't want the same kind of life for myself and I don't want to set the example for Geof that it's ok either. That plus a not-so-gentle kick in the ass from Nathaniel has prompted me to once again reevaluate my own life and the choices I make. I've begun to move more eat less and feel better. My other "other" blog has been revitalized and I've once again been documenting my journey through and challenges in Changing Shapes....nice plug, eh? Go check it out I could use the moral support.

Let's see what else has been going on...Nathaniel has been going out on month-long runs on the road for the past several months now. It's been especially rough and our relationship has suffered. Not to get into too much detail the last time he was home we discussed divorce but have decided to stay together and work things out slowly and one step at a time. Neither of us wants to do anything to jeopardize Geof's health or happiness and we're trying to do what is best all around. We each get caught up in our own daily routines that we forget to say to the other "hey, I love you." It's a whole different dynamic from folks who see their spouse or significant other every day and definitely a learning process. Nathaniel is currently out on the road right now but is due home some time tomorrow. We've made progress this past month and I feel that things will turn out for the better and I'm hopeful for our future.

Geof's doing great. He has an appointment to get his immunizations for school this Fall the week after next. I'm so not looking forward to that. I've been talking to him and trying to prepare him for it and he's handled it well. How he'll react once we get to the doctors office is a whole other thing! He starts school this Fall and we're planning on moving within the next few months. We'll be moving to the town I grew up in and where my family lives. It will be nice to be closer but a part of me will miss the distance too! Plus, the weather where we are now is so much milder than what is at home especially in the Summer. We've haven't been able to find a decent house to rent yet because there just isn't much to pick from, plus long-distance house hunting isn't too easy either. This Fall also marks the end of my being a stay-at-home mom and it's very bitter sweet. Geof's growing up and becoming more independent and it's time for me to pick up my life where I left off and go back to school. Actually, I'll probably work for a year to save up the necessary funds and then go back to school. I'm excited about it and nervous, but I'm really looking forward to the next phase of motherhood. I feel so damn old sometimes and I'm only 25 I mean 26....see, I'm already loosing my memory!

So that's what I've been up to these days, but I'm still here, still truckin' along.