Bacon It Is

I'd love to tell you that the doctors got Glenn's diabetes under control and he is home recuperating but...

Things went from bad to worse. 

Glenn has a strange pain under his ribs on his left side. No one really seemed to know what the problem was and when I asked Glenn via text he replied, "Colitis."

I googled it and got a basic understanding and as long as it's caught and treated early it's not the end of the world. 

Then the pain went away. 

That was on Friday, January 14. 

Saturday Glenn's platelets started to drop. 

What are platelets you ask? According to John's Hopkins "platelets, the smallest of our blood cells, can only be seen under a microscope. They’re literally shaped like small plates in their non-active form. A blood vessel will send out a signal when it becomes damaged. When platelets receive that signal, they’ll respond by traveling to the area and transforming into their “active” formation. To make contact with the broken blood vessel, platelets grow long tentacles and then resemble a spider or an octopus."

Sunday they dropped again but everyone seemed to think it was a covid thing and nothing showed on tests...besides the pain was still minimal.


When I asked the nurse about the colitis she informed me that he never had colitis.

Um...what?

As a covid positive patient the staff has to wear double masks, face shields, gowns and gloves when the go into his room. Understandable precautions of course, however...Glenn doesn't hear very well.

One of his doctors is a woman with a very high pitched voice which is already difficult for someone who has hearing loss, nevermind through two masks and a face shield. I have no idea where he got the colitis from, and neither does he, but the good news is that he doesn't have it.

Monday and Tuesday he continued to improve was taken off oxygen, his platelets were beginning to climb and was scheduled to be discharged on Wednesday, January 19.

Then his spleen exploded.

No, it really did.

Explains the platelet issue.

Because he had been scheduled for discharge I had turned off the ringer on my phone so I wasn't woken up every time an email came in, like I had been every night for a week. I was exhausted, thought that things were better and that turning off the ringer for one night would be ok.

Huge mistake.

They had been trying to call me since 3:30 in the morning but I didn't wake up from the vibration of the phone ringing until 5:30.

Terrible way to wake up by the way.

His spleen had ruptured and he was bleeding internally. His spleen needed to be removed...immediately.

There was no way I could get there before they took him to the operating room so the doctor called me from his personal cell phone so that I could tell him I loved him before they took him to the OR.

Although he was still testing positive for Covid, now that he was in ICU, they allowed me to visit. I had to show proof of a negative covid test and wear wear a mask, a gown and gloves.

They could have told me that I had to wear an iguana suit and I would have done it. I hadn't seen Glenn in a week. I'd have done anything to be with him.

After his surgery I arrived at the ICU, donned the PPE and entered the room.

I had to keep myself from going into a full blown panic attack.

Hubby had tubes and wires everywhere! He was fully sedated, on a ventilator, had a gastic bypass tube coming from his nose, a catheter, four IVs, a pulse oximeter on his finger, pressure things on his legs, heart monitors all over his chest and restraints on his wrists to keep him from trying to pull out the ventilator tube if he woke up. 

It was tough to see him like that...really tough. 

But, I got to sit with him and hold his hand. 

The next day they took out the ventilator tube and he could talk. 

The following day they moved him out of ICU into a regular room and declared him Covid resolved so the gown/glove restriction was removed and I could visit whenever I wanted! 

It was such a relief to see him improving. 

He tried to apologize and I jumped on him verbally. 

This is not something that he caused and no apology is needed. 

It's not like he was screwing around with a chainsaw and cut off his foot. This was a virus that reacts differently in everyone it hits. There is no way to predict who will have a tough time with it. 

He has enough to deal with without the cloak of guilt! 

Through all of this I have done my best to keep friends, family and loved ones up to date on his status, while running businesses and being mom and domestic engineer, chauffeur, chef and laundress, etc. 

Most of it communication has been pretty easy. Once I sent one text I copy and paste the rest. I do call his family and my mom though. 

Fortunately, the boys' schedule has long been established and Glenn normally travels a lot for work so I'm already used to being the chief cook and bottle washer. 

What I'm not used to is the stress. 

Three times now, the day he was supposed to be discharged, there has been a complication. I'm at the point now that I don't want to know if they think he'll be discharged. Just call me when he's ready and I'll go get him. 

The rollercoaster ride is horrifying.

Right now I'd pay someone to shoot the ride operator...sadistic prick. 

I spend most days on pins and needles waiting for updates from doctors, nurses or Glenn. 

Glenn's updates are usually one or two words that end up generating more questions than peace of mind. He's never been a really wordy guy but the lack of details only adds to the stress.

I do my best to stay strong and not alarm the kids. Within reason, they know everything that is going on. I don't tell them things right away. I let things sit for a while and make sure I am calm before I tell them so they don't panic.  

The strategy seems to be working. I think they appreciate not being kept in the dark and I haven't incited any drama. Kids really are resilient and understand much more than we give them credit for. 

David has competed in two away gymnastics meets since his dad got sick. We have been to Atlantic City, NJ and State College, PA. He has added huge number of medals to his collection. He won almost every event in Atlantic City and placed first in the All Around. In State College he had a rough time in a couple of the events but still finished 4th overall. 

After one of his worst floor routines ever, he came back and scored a 9.9 on pommel! 

I am impressed with both his physical and mental strength. He seems to be able to put the stressful stuff aside and focus on the task at hand. A phenomenal trait at such a young age. 

Daniel has continued with his karate and Jiu jitsu. He loves it and is working on his brown belt! We are adding another day for lessons for him. 

Daniel is our "roll with it" kid. Very few things rattle him. He has a very laid-back, loving demeanor and would rather snuggle up and watch a movie than anything. Until he's grappling in jiu jitsu. He's fiercely competitive. It's not a side we see often so it's facinating to watch! 

Both boys chose to play string instruments this year. David is playing the violin and Daniel is playing the cello. They practice a few minutes every day and are doing really, really well. 

They had a concert last week. I was able to record all of the songs to play for Glenn. I was crazy impressed with how well the kids did. To be honest, I thought it was going to be cute but audibly painful. I didn't
expect to be able to actually hear music! 

Their teacher is both a miracle worker and a saint! 

I was also able to send Glenn videos of David's meets. The reception in the gyms sucks but I could run outside between events and get enough bars to get the videos to send. It wasn't the same as having him there but at least he could see how David did in real time. 

Glenn is still not home. 

Again, he was supposed to be discharged but they ultrasounded his legs and found clots. 

Glenn's text consisted of, "Not good. Clots."

It was three hours before I could speak with his nurse. 

Can you say, "Stress"?

He is on a Heparin drip now and will be monitored very closely as the blood thinners dissolve the clots. 

Thank God they checked him prior to discharging him! 

As always, I'm desperately trying to stay positive and find things that we can laugh about. 

One of the best so far came from one of the boys' friends and classmate who was diagnosed as a Type 1 Diabetic in first grade. 

She came to Daniel in class to give him some tips to pass along to his dad, "If he gets hungry," she said, "Tell him that he can chew on ice chips or eat meat, even bacon. He can have as much bacon as he wants because there are no carbs." 

Bacon it is! 

More Research Is Needed

Did you know that a potential long-term side effect from Covid is Diabetes?

Yeah, neither did we. 

While I have bounced back and and almost 100% again, Glenn was not so lucky. 

We thought he was making progress and had begun to eat again but his thirst was off the charts, he was still losing weight at an alarming rate and his fatigue was terrible. 

He went to the doctor who sent him for a chest x-ray because she was concerned about covid pneumonia.

Turns out he does have a mild case of pneumonia, so mild in fact, that if that had been his only complaint the doctor would have given him steroids and sent him home. 

It was the additional symptons that had her concerned so she wanted Glenn to head to the ER. 

Before we could leave I had to organize after school care, transportation to gymnastics, pick ups and dinner. It was a crazy amount of phone calls and texts but thanks to my assistant Jace, the parents of their friend and our wonderful friend Cory, everything worked out well. 

We got to the ER at approximately 4:30. I wasn't allowed in and had to wait in the car. Fortunately, this is the same hospital where my surgery was so I am familiar with the layout and was able to find a lounge where I could hang out, plug in my Kindle and cell phone and wait until they took him back. 

Unfortunately, I didn't last that long. Glenn needed a charging cord for the phone and informed me at 8:30pm that it was going to be at least three more hours until they were going to give him a bed so I gave him my cord and headed home so that Cory could head out. 

Glenn wasn't given a bed until 11:30 last night! 

Turns out that the pneumonia was the least of his problems. 

His blood sugar was over 500! 

Blood sugar, or glucose, is the main sugar found in your blood. It comes from the food we eat and is the body's main source of energy. The blood carries the glucose to all the body's cells to use for energy. 

Normal blood sugar ranges from 70-100. 

What is Diabetes? The American Diabetes Association has a great article that explains it. 

So how does Covid cause diabetes? 

No one is 100% sure but it seems that they are getting closer to understanding what is happening. Recent research has discovered that the beta cells in the pancreas are particularly subject to attack by the Covid virus. Beta cells are responsible for the production of insulin and insulin is what is used to deliver glucose to the cells in the body. This article from abcNews does a nice job of explaining what happens, why diabetics are at higher risk and what happens to the pancreas to cause diabetes to develop in a patient. 

I learned today that viruses in general have long been suspected of causing or exacerbating diabetes. More research is needed but to have identified the attack on beta cells is huge and could lead to greater diabetes break throughs over time. 

Statistics are showing that the danger is worse for children under the age of 18 but, as we have learned, it can still happen to adults. Unfortunately, they don't have enough data to truly understand why some will get it and some won't. There is no way of knowing if the patient was predisposed to it or if they were prediabetic prior to contracting Covid. 

Again, more research is needed. 

Much like the symptons of Covid the side effects are numerous. As a result of Glenn's diagnosis we are now aware of the potential for diabetes but are also learning that other serious side effects include blood clots, strokes, heart issues and Guillain-Barre Syndrome which causes paralysis. 

Unfortunately, Covid is here to stay. I firmly believe that eventually everyone will get it. Some will suffer worse than others and some will just sail through. There is no way to predict how each person will be effected...yet. 

Hopefully, as time passes, the medicines will get better and less people will get it. 

In the meantime, keep an eye on your loved ones, especially the children. If they have had Covid and are suddenly thirsty, fatigued and losing weight they need to be tested for diabetes. 

I did my best to explain to the kids today what was going on. I think they understood. Lucky for us they have a friend who is a Type 1 diabetic so they understand that dad will need insulin and shots. They seemed relieved that he is feeling better already. 

He'll be in the hospital for a few days but his prognosis is good. 

If you are inclined, we'd appreciate if you could send a few prayers up.

Thankful, Grateful, Blessed

Thanksgiving 2021 was a wonderful, low key afternoon filled with family, laughter and delicious food. 

 

Because I was going to be having surgery again, I decided that we would use paper and plastic for Thanksgiving dinner. I'd never done this before. I love to set the table with my china and silver but I didn’t want the extra burden of cleaning up. 

 

Guess what? 

 

The food tasted just as good as it would have if I'd served it on china! 

 

Clean up was easy and stress free! We would have used disposable cups but I could only find Red Solo Cups and well, I drew the line on that.

Thankful, Grateful and Blessed are just some of the words that came to mind as I sat on the sofa Thanksgiving night with a fully belly and a face that hurt from smiling so much. 

 

I’ve been through some rough spots in my life but this past year has taught me more about love, gratitude and blessings than any other! 

 

Being diagnosed with breast cancer and going through chemo taught me the importance of attitude, humor and a support system. 

 

Being diagnosed with breast cancer also helped me see what really matters. 

I've always been the type of girl who doesn't beat around the bush. If you want warm and fuzzy, I'm probably not the girl you want to hang out with. 

 

Don't get me wrong, I can be kind and loving and offer a shoulder to cry on but I will most likely find a way to make you laugh. 

 

I really prefer to laugh. 

 

The last quarter of the year has been trying beyond description. 

Between the medical bills and the car situation it's a wonder that I haven't pulled out what little hair I have! 

The week before Thanksgiving week I spent seven hours on the phone dealing with the medical crap plus another three dealing with the vehicle situation. 

I had no idea that I had a spare 10 hours in the week. 

Who knew?! 

I have also cried more dealing with the car than I did through my whole cancer diagnosis and treatment. 

When I am frustrated beyond words I cry then shut down from depression as the walls close in. They closed in hard and fast and I was despondent. 

Well, until I hit that stupid deer. 

Anyway...

After receiving the quote from the dealership that was astronomically high, I called some independent transmission shops and got quotes. The best was with a guy who has rebuilt 15 of the same transmissions this year. His price was $3,800 worst case scenario including parts. This was nearly $2K less than the dealership quoted us. Even if the Ford corporation paid for parts, our out of pocket expense was going to be more than the whole fix with an independent. 

I called the dealership to tell them that the vehicle was going to be towed out and see if we owed them anything. 

In true dealership fashion, I was told that they service manager had to speak to his boss, but he wanted to see if he could match the price. 

He called me the next morning and, after confirming the independent shop was going to use Ford parts, asked if they could do the job if they matched the price. I told them yes, as long as they would guarantee that it wouldn't cost more than $3,800. 

They said yes. 

I'd won...sort of. 

I freaking hate this BS. 

I've had a LOT of jobs in my lifetime. Not the least of which was working in the service department in dealerships. 

I know the game. I play the game well. I hate the game. 

And, I despise feeling as if I was being screwed. 

We were definitely getting screwed. 

I hate having to do it but am grateful for the experience that gives me the know-how to get it done. 

The car is repaired, Ford Motor company paid for part of the repairs and the rest cost us less than $2K out of pocket. 

On the medical expense side of things, I have applied for grants and copay assistance programs. I'm happy to report that $75 of each chemo/infusion double billing is being paid for by the makers of the Kanjinti (generic Herceptin) that I've been receiving. This cut my bill to Penn Medicine by almost half! 

I am still sorting through bills but things don't feel as horrible as they did couple of months ago. 

Hubby and I got each other Covid for Christmas. 

Christmas and New Year's were spent sleeping. In fact, most of the past three weeks have been spent sleeping, when we weren’t coughing. 

 

The cough has been terrible. I couldn’t talk for days. Just the thought of speaking would incite a 10-minute coughing fit that would leave me wiped out. 

Slowly but surely, we’re getting better but it’s taking a lot of time. 

When Covid hit and the world shut down we thought 2020 was the worst year ever. 2021 was like, "Hold my beer!"

This past year has sucked, but you know what? 

I am alive, we’re getting healthy, I never have to wear a bra again and I didn't have to shave for a whole freaking summer!

I am thankful for early intervention and amazing medical professionals. Grateful to friends and family who helped us and blessed by God with a positive attitude, sense of humor and a strength that helped me get through the mess that was 2021! 

I can do all this through him who gives me strength. ~ Phillipians 4:13