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DustyMark's Journey 4 Comments

November 18th

Days blur quickly.

The machine hums..almost always.

There’s rarely a day without and appointment or a pressing issue.

My dog won’t obey at all and I want to rehome him. Cora won’t let me (I’m half kidding)

Mark can’t get a break.

He is in so much pain. So much pain. Today radiating down his left leg. Very siatic.

I promised you a chuckle so here it is. Monday night Mark’s back starting cramping. Perhaps from wearing the brace…perhaps not. But it was either way. Getting out of bed is even more of a struggle as he needs to twist and the twist makes him cramp! I heard him groan and yell out in the middle of the night and I performed what I think probably looked very Chuck Norris…or maybe Jason Bourne….or Jennifer Garner in Alias. I sprung from my side iof the bed into a standing position on the other side (ha 46 doesn’t have anything on me…yet!) to grab Mark’s hip to help stabilize him so he could stand up. He was really struggling. So once he had his bearings I said “wait!…stay here, I’ll get your urinal”. So I jogged out of the room toward the kitchen and totally passed out. Totally. I smashed my body into the half opened stairwell door and it slammed it shut. Mark heard the noise but really couldn’t come to help nor could he see in the dark. He tried to assist and was asking me questions to make sure I was okay. I was very groggy and sweaty and nauseous. He tried to open the door to call for Hatcher but I slammed into it so hard it was stuck and he couldn’t open it. He knocked on the door and called Hatcher’s name. Hatcher came down and got me a cold rag and a bowl and I heard him discussing with Mark my symptoms (he completed First Aid and CPR this last year) but I assured him I just passed out. The not so funny part and realization was that if Mark and I were alone, and something happened to me. We aren’t sure what we would do. If I had slammed my head, Aly would have had to drive me for stitches! (that could be dangerous as well)

(Alyeska wants to say hi!!:))

Today I have a bruise on my shoulder and my knee to prove it and it feels like my hip got jammed up into my lower extremities.

We really feel like we lost so much time last week especially when trying to finish a remodel!! Yesterday we closed on our house. That was good…and a little weird. We still kind of feel like we are floating through these big events that normally we would run out and celebrate. Mark needed to get home as his back just hurt so bad so there was no celebration dinner or anything. We had a whole crew at the Newaygo house though. Almost the entire basement was sheetrocked and the upstairs was almost all trimmed out. We are still staying on the timeline but cutting it close. If we did not have friends and connections and volunteers, we would be up a creek!

Today was a super long day. After dialysis we went to the bank, then to Harbor Frieght for some tarps. This is one of Marks favorite stores. He likes to buy all the junk there…I kept him at bay but for $2.99 he was able to get a contraption that reaches for things. I think it will come in handy. We meandored over the the nueorsugeons office and met with Dr. Vogel. He reviewed the MRI images as we got to see them for the first time as well. His fractured vertebre looks bad. It looks like 1/4 of it is missing! He suggested that he get it “painted” to help support it from the inside. ( a special cement is inserted/injected) Its an ouptatient surgery and as long as the oncologist thinks its okay he can do it. We aren’t sure that it will take away some pain or all of it. I guess we will have to wait and see. After that we went off to the urologist to see about the stent. The nephralogist said that those aren’t suppose to stay in longer than 3 months but the urologist has not been in contact with us at all. When we saw the doctor he agreed it needed to come out and that he would do it right then! They got their tools: One resembled a short fishing rod with a water tube connected…one was a wire with a claw at the end. Just a little numbing injection and they went to work. The fishing pole had a scope so he could see and with the help of his assistant the wire was inserted into the pole and the stent was fished out of the bladder. Super weird. The urologist told us his urine is sometimes called “dummy urine”. Your kidney is peeing but its not filtering or doing any of its other jobs like managing elecrolytes and making epogen. It was a bit of a damper but we still are glad he is peeing.

Man, appointments exhaust you!!! My body aches from playing football with the wall and door and my head hurt from almost no water intake. We just came home and collapsed. Well, that isn’t true. I had to take out the SAK, prime a new PAK and make a new SAK for tomorrow. Fridays are my favorite because then it’s Saturday and we dont have to dialyze. Also, no appointments so I’ll make Cora’s late birthday pumpkin rolls and then go tile at the house if Mark feels okay.

Comments 4

  1. Dios te siga dando mucha fortaleza. Eres una gran mujer y sabemos que Dios está con ustedes y nunca les va a abandonar.
    Tal ves no lo crean pero les amamos mucho y les extrañamos.
    Estamos orando mucho por ustedes. Por favor dale a Mark un gran abrazo de mi parte.

  2. My son Ben had the bone cement put in his back. It sounds like that is what Mark might have done.
    It has helped him. I hope that it helps Mark also. We are praying for you guys.

  3. I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry as you were describing you encounter with the wall/door. So I did both! 😂😢. Your story is bringing back many memories of a time we were selling a house. We had just closed and we’re about to sign on a new house when I got really sick and ended up in the hospital for 3 months having whipple surgery on my pancreas for a cancerous tumor. My friends and family moved my family and belongings out of the old and into the new house. Very humbling. Thank God for them always! Thank you for all the updates. We continue prayers daily!! ❤️❤️

  4. O my goodness. So so sorry that you guys are going through all the storms. But I’m glad god is in control. Even though it’s funny but not funny for you guys. Sounds like you guys would be a hoot to live with. Never a dull moment 🤣. Love you guys and praying for healing for both of you🙏🏻🙏🏻

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