Appt Went Well, More Tests to Follow

Maggie’s appt in Denver went well. Over the next couple of months, Maggie will be taking a series of neuropsych tests, which will help shed some light on her learning challenges and the impact of her seizures coming from the right frontal lobe and insula. In addition, Maggie’s doctor wants to begin bringing in some other specialists ( genetic testing, rheumatologist, etc) to see if we are dealing with more than one problem, rather than just being a neurological / brain issue.

Her doctors are also looking closer at the inter-ictal spect test done in December. Their initial impressions are that the findings correlate closely with many of the symptoms that Maggie has.

Dr. Appointments and the Inauguration

Today finds us making our way to Denver for Maggie’s doctor’s appointment. Unfortunately, the inauguration will be occurring while we will be on I-25. Being the gadget-kind-of-guy that I am, though, we won’t miss a beat.

I’ll have my Tablet PC plugged in to a power inverter for continual power. I’ll have the tablet connected to the internet via my Verizon EVDO modem, which will allow us to watch the live stream of the inauguration from pic2009.org, the kids not missing any of this fascinating part of history, watching it all from the comfy confines of our van halfway to Denver on I-25 – I love technology!

There is Nothing Like a Good Chair

In the corner of our living room used to sit this blue and white checkered straight-back chair. To call this chair thread-bare would be kind.

It was where Kathi nursed two of our babies. It was where Maggie would spend most of her day, curled up and shaking, vomiting, or just sleeping. It was where I would sit and hold Dax while we watched football together.  We would read to the kids in that chair. I would often be in that chair at 2 or 3 o’clock in the morning plugging away on my computer trying to catch up on work. It was where we would pray. It was where we would pick up our bible, only to give up. Zoe and Anna Kathryn would sit in the chair together, often just holding each other. That chair soaked up a lot tears, pills, milk, throw-up, pepperoni pizza, spilled coffee, and a beer here or there.  That checkered chair was well-loved, but it also loved well.

Good chairs do that – they don’t talk back, they don’t tell secrets, they don’t offer advice, they don’t require anything – they just open themselves up and invite you to sit back.

It’s Been a Little Quiet, Rob – What’s Going On?

Over the past several days, I’ve had several questions about why the website has been so quiet, why I have not been writing much, etc. There are several reasons

First of all, I’ve needed to hole myself up to get some projects wrapped up. I’ve been working like a mad man since returning home from St. Louis to catch up on work. Having just returned from CES ( a big gadget show ) and with my plate clearing up a little, the 70 – 80 hour work weeks should be slowing down.

Second, I’ve been struggling with how to put to words what Kathi and I have been going through. The best way I can describe it is intense grief. It comes with anxiety, anger, worry, lack of sleep, and processing through the intense stress that August – October brought. We are talking with folks, talking with each other, talking with the kids, and working through it the best we can.  As I can get the words out, I’ll share them here in an open and honest way.

Third, Maggie is much more stable than before. By stable, we mean she is staying out of the hospital and her seizures are much more controlled than before. However, she is still having them, struggling with learning, and very busy with therapies.

We’ve had to cut out a tremendous amount of activities (things we enjoy like TaeKwonDo) in order to concentrate on the most important things – that is maintaining as stress-free of a life as possible. I’m working through cutting other things in business that will help filter that down to our family, too.