such small hands

I'm Home

Almost my first 24 hours out of the hospital. Already. Surgery was six days ago. I am doing very well. The kidney is functioning well as my creatinine continues to drop, getting closer to the normal range. I'm still in some pain from the surgery and I tire very easily, so it will be a few days before I'm feeling up to sitting at the computer and writing the whole story. And it is practically a full-time job just doing the after-care, learning about my new medicines, how and when to take them. Monitoring vital signs and weight. I will be seen in the transplant clinic for follow-up care a couple times a week for the first month. Then it will gradually become less frequent.

Your prayers ... what can I say? We were aware every minute that we were being completely supported by the prayers of the people of God. He has provided exceeding abundantly beyond all we ask or think.

And Randy McRoberts ... I enjoyed your comment. But Randy. Have I been with you so long, and still you don't know me? Did you think I would actually wait until summer to have ice cream? I had ice cream --- chocolate --- a couple time while I was still in the hospital. While it seems at times that my stomach and I are not on speaking terms, I am gradually finding what settles well. And I expect it will get better as I get on lower doses of medications and my body learns to tolerate them.

update

Everything is going well. She may be coming home as early as Monday

It Happened

Lee Anne received a kydney transplant this past Wednesday. I will let her fill you in on the details when she gets back. She should be released in the middle of next week. She is doing extremely well and was released from icu earlier Today. I will print any blog comments and take them to her in the hospital.

her husband

kmm

yipppeeeeeee

Food Finds

Following the hemodialysis diet means giving up entirely — or nearly so — some of our most favorite foods. From time to time, I find good substitutes that help me live under the dietary guidelines more comfortably.

Golden Oreos
At first, I was skeptical of these. A purist friend of mine even went so far as to revile Golden Oreos as a kind of heresy, an upsetting of the natural order of things for Oreos to be made in any flavor other than chocolate. But for those of us who must forgo chocolate, Golden Oreos are a good substitute.

They have a rich, toasty, vanilla flavor. Plus, they provide all the same Oreo benefits of being delicious when dunked in your beverage of choice. The crème filling is the same as traditional Oreos, so those who prefer to screw apart the layers, lick out the filling and then eat the cookie will likewise be pleased.

Honeycrisp Apples
Apples probably have the lowest potassium content of any fruit, which makes them extremely dialysis-friendly. They have the added plus of insoluble fiber, which we need since whole grains are off the diet.

As much as I like applesauce and other forms of cooked apples, I’ve never been much for eating apples out of hand. Too many bad experiences with dry, mealy, blah-tasting apples. Until I met the honeycrisp.

As the names suggests, honeycrisp apples are unfailingly sweet, juicy and crunchy: really all an apple lover could ask for.

Have you discovered any foods that make living on the dialysis diet somewhat more bearable? If so, please share them in the comments.

Epiphany Sunday

What did you hear from the pulpit yesterday, on Epiphany Sunday?

I have probably heard and, on a few occasions, given Epiphany messages based on the story in Matthew of the visit of wise men from the east to the child Jesus. But I have never seen in the Scripture the point brought out by Pastor Schultz on Sunday.

Notice in Matthew 2:1 that the wise men were led to Jerusalem. The star they had been following didn’t lead them directly to Jesus, but left them a few miles away. They needed more than the experience of the star. They ask, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews?” Herod and all Jerusalem are unsettled. Herod calls together the chief priests and the scribes — people who should know more about predictions of a coming king of the Jews than anyone else. They search the Scriptures and find the answer, “But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will be the shepherd of my people Israel.”

The wise men needed the guidance of God’s Word to finally lead them to Christ. When they followed the Word, then the star reappeared, reinforcing by experience what they had heard spoken to them in the Word. And like them, we need the guidance of the Scriptures to find Christ in our daily lives. Experience can only take us so far, and then we need God’s Word to point the way.

I just thought that was really neat.

New Music

Spent part of my iTunes gift card (Christmas present from Ken) on the new album “Raising Sand” by Robert Plant and Alison Krauss. This unlikely collaboration produced some amazing duets. All of the songs are good, but I especially like “Killing the Blues” and “Gone Gone Gone.”

Plant tones down the high-pitched wailing that was the trademark of the Led Zepplin lead vocalist. He and Krauss blend as if they were brother and sister separated at birth. While Krauss is best known for her bluegrass and Plant for heavy metal, they’ve come together by their mutual love for other forms of roots music. Considering how heavily Led Zeppelin was influenced by American blues (“When the Levee Breaks,” “Dazed and Confused”), perhaps Plant’s work here is not all that surprising.

Fans of both artists will be pleased to discover something totally new here. In “Raising Sand,” the whole is definitely greater than the sum of its parts.

Year-End Fun

Ken and I celebrated New Year’s Eve in our own way. We spent the day as if we were on vacation at home. After taking care of the mundane grocery shopping, we went out for lunch at the Rainforest Café. Sure, the place is geared toward the kiddies, but it’s lively and fun, sort of like a little piece of Disney World. Indeed, one of the previous times we’ve eaten in a Rainforest Café was at Animal Kingdom.

After lunch we headed over to Mulligan’s, our area’s only indoor driving range. We were both excited to practice what we’ve been learning from Thomas, and see the results. It’s one thing to see statistics of ball flight on a computer, and quite another to watch your ball soar into the air and hit the back wall of the dome at 100 yards.

Ken hit very consistently, especially with his 3 iron-hybrid. Since I have a new set of clubs, I was trying out several things. I had some trouble with the driver, but I did very well with my 3 wood and the 4 iron-hybrid. We went through a large bucket, over 100 balls. We left agreeing on two things: 1) Thomas is SO worth it, and 2) we want to come back to the driving range again real soon, especially before our vacation the first week of March.

From the driving range, we headed over to the Palace for the afternoon Pistons game against Milwaukee. The Bucks played like they were semi-comatose and the Pistons blew them away by 45 points. Still, a Pistons game is always a fun time and we especially enjoyed watching the younger players like Rodney Stuckey, Aaron Afflalo and Jason Maxiell get in lots of minutes.

We hung out at home for the rest of the evening, watching a couple episodes of “Picket Fences” on DVD before I crashed about 10 p.m.

I guess after seeing in over 50 new years by now, it’s really not a big deal any more. And January 1 dawns a day much like any other. We had some snow overnight; the trees are frosted and beautiful. I’d like to take some pictures. I’ll also spend some time today cleaning out the desk and boxing up papers for the 2007 income taxes. But the routine is relentless: I have dialysis tonight, and tomorrow will return to work.

God’s blessings on you and yours in 2008. May we all come to know the riches of His grace even more fully.