Wednesday, January 31, 2018

Country, Home, and Update on Summer....

On Monday we packed up our things, closed up the camper and headed home.


It was time but I am always a little bit sad when we leave.
I snapped a few last country scenes on our way.


Louis Dean stopped the truck so I could take a pic of the purple flowers that were along side the road.
I swear they weren't there on Thursday.
Spring is coming.


This was last year's cotton field and I see a few cotton stems that have hung on.
Guess I missed one or two.

We stopped for a late lunch at the Lone Star Cafe in Hillsboro.


I've been saving scrap wood from building our new room so I could make a Texas flag like this one.
Perhaps a smaller version!
Louis Dean uses most of every piece of wood so I don't have all that many scraps.


We got home about 5:00 Monday afternoon.
I unlocked the door and came in to the house decorated just as if it were Christmas Eve!
So I went around and turned all the lights on and decided we would enjoy it all for one last evening.
Louis Dean unloaded and I unpacked and put things up.
I cleaned the fridge before adding the perishables we'd brought back from the camper.
While I did this, LD was soaking in a hot tub. He loves baths and he only took showers at the ranch.
He was in there soaking for over an hour!
Then I fixed a pot of hot tea and we settled down in the den to watch a little TV.

It was nice to wake up Tuesday morning in the big bedroom with Louis Dean bringing me a cup of coffee. Summer had an 11:15 doctor appointment here in Irving so I was dressed and ready when she picked me up on her way.
We got the results of her recent myelogram and the results were negative - which is a good thing.
Except it doesn't help in diagnosing her pain.
The doctor said there was nothing more he could do and recommended she see her rheumatologist - with whom she had an appointment with for the very next day - and request the doctor do a blood test for Polymyalgia Rheumatica - which would explain her pain. Perhaps.
Summer was in tears as she had been hoping this visit would mean a diagnosis and treatment plan.
The doctor was kind and sorry he couldn't help her.
She held it together until we got outside his office and then she just leaned up against the wall and sobbed. We had made a few plans for the day but she was in such bad shape all we could do was go home. 
Since I was driving her car, I had left my keys at home and Louis Dean's truck was gone when we arrived. I went next door to Stephanie's and use her key to let ourselves in and I put Summer to bed in the guest room. I took the key back to Stephanie and told her what was going on. I admit, I was in tears. It's just so hard to watch your child suffer. It doesn't matter if they are young or grown. If they hurt - you hurt. Good  friends and neighbors react the same way. Stephanie dropped what she was doing and came over and helped me take Christmas down from the den. She is a true friend.

I admit, I didn't realize how overwhelming coming home to a Christmas house would be.
I won't be doing that again. Once the den was cleared out, I felt so much better.
Stephanie also brought over home made cookie dough and parchment paper. They were all ready to bake. AND she gave me a chicken pasta casserole from her freezer all ready to pop into the oven - which I did. It was delicious!!!
She was prepared to work all afternoon but I insisted one room a day was enough!

Summer woke up and she and Louis Dean watch The Alamo with John Wayne while I cleaned in the den. Poor Louis Dean. He thought I was going to be gone all day and he would have the den all to himself. He was going to have a John Wayne marathon. Bless his heart. He made the best of it because, after the movie was over, he went to his music room and practiced for hours while we watched a few episodes of Fixer Upper.
I asked Summer to spend the night and I would take her to Rowlett for her appointment with the rheumatologist.

This morning I was about to have my first cup of coffee when I got a text from Stephanie.....



She is such a blessing to me!
 She took all the ornaments and garlands off the tree and by the time she left the living room was done except for Louis Dean taking the lights off the tree and taking the tree out!
Whew! It's getting done! I hope to have the kitchen done tomorrow and the dining room the next day.
I'm going to clean the house and leave it blank for awhile.

Summer and I left for Rowlett this afternoon and met with her doctor.
I liked her. She was straight to the point and read the note requesting lab work testing for PMR.
"Sure! We can do that. But what you have is fibromyalgia."
She then proceeded to press all the fibromyalgia points and with each one, Summer was winching in pain and by the time the doctor had touched them all - one by one - Summer was in tears.
Bottom line - the doctor says all of Summer's pain is from the fibromyalgia.
She was totally honest in saying she didn't think Summer would be better any time soon.
She has done everything for her that she can do and recommended Summer find a pain management doctor......which she said would not be easy to do, due to the fact she has been prescribed so many pain killers over the past year and a half. Seems not only the government putting restrictions on pain medicine but so are the insurance companies.
I understand. I do.
Summer has had as good an attitude as it would be possible to have.
I'm so proud of her!
We are praying and trusting God.
 For God to show Summer what to do. Where to go.
How to cope.


It was after 5:00 when we left the doctor's office.
We decided to go to Chili's and think things over.
Kind of let Summer absorb the news.
She called Sabrina and by looking at Summer you would never suspect how she suffers.



We watched the beautiful moon tonight as we crossed Lake Ray Hubbard and pulled off on the other side to take this picture. It comforted our hearts.


Look at that smile!


And look at Sweet Dexter!
Summer brought him that collar back from NYC for him.
This is Sherry's dog. Summer rents a room here at Sherry's house and I am here spending the night before I take Summer back home with me for the rest of the week.


I got to see some of Sherry's beautiful Christmas decorations.
She is taking hers down now, too.
I'm going to take the decorations down from Summer's bedroom tomorrow before we leave.
It's time.


But tonight we are sitting up in bed and watching The Ladies in Lavender.


20 comments:

Ginny Hartzler said...

Oh no...what a very hard two days Summer has had! She is a strong woman, but enough is enough, bless her heart. I will continue to pray for her. I know she is so glad to be with her mom right now. When we are having a bad time, we all want our mom.

Kathy said...

I am sitting here in tears for Summer. I know what it is to be in constant pain and to hear there is no relief in sight is hard. I continue to pray for her. I'm glad she will be with you for the week. I think that will be good for both of you. Louis Dean is a gem to give up his John Wayne marathon. (But if I were there I'd be watching John Wayne with him!) You are making great progress on undecorating your home. It will be done before you know it.

Carol said...

I truly feel for your daughter. My oldest daughter has chronic neurological Lyme disease and suffers a lot with pain and other symptoms and it is very hard as a parent to watch them and not be able to fix it.

Anonymous said...

oh my gosh, my heart goes out to you all, what a blow but I can sense her relief to have a diagnosis, a tough road to hoe for sure but she has a great support in you and your wonderful man,, I keep you all in my prayers,, thats a gem of a neighbor you have as well!!

Arlene G said...

So sorry that Summer cannot find relief but at least having a diagnosis is a step in the right direction. I was hoping it was something that could be fixed by surgery etc so I know you are both discouraged. Praying Summer can find someone to help her manage the pain. Your neighbor is a GEM....I always say putting up the Christmas things is much more fun than taking them down. Like you, I plan to do a good cleaning this weekend. We are having some painting done so I have to really clean baseboards etc. But we are going to Grimmwood next week. Hurray.

Susie said...

Linda, I am praying for summer. There are many new ways to deal with fibro pain than meds. My daughter has a bit of this. My neighbor girl does too. Tell Summer to research, because it can be scary.
What a sweet neighbor you have . Those loving kinds are rare. It had to help with her taking things down while you helped Summer.
Take care of yourself too . Yes, being a mom is a lifetime career. We worry for our children more than they do themselves. Blessings to all of you, love, xoxo, Susie

NanaDiana said...

Poor Summer to go all this time without the diagnosis. Fibro is such a tricky disease and doesn't show up on any blood tests but it does have a lot of markers. I missed several of the 'markers' so what I have is reactive arthritis which is very similar---except mine can go into remission for long periods of time.

It may take a while for the meds to work for Summer but they WILL work--it just takes time--and once they work her life will be a lot more manageable. Not sure if you know there is an online support group-here is the link to it: http://www.livingwithfibro.org/

I am glad you have a great neighbor helping you to take Christmas down! That is fantastic! I hear you about coming home to a job that needs to be done- I like to come home to a clean slate.

Have a blessed day and I will be praying for Summer AND you, too. xo Diana

Deanna Rabe - Creekside Cottage Blog said...

Thanking God for a diagnosis but praying for her pain to quickly be managed. Perhaps there are some essential oils and supplements that could work together with her pain meds?

Glad, too, for your sweet neighbor! You are emotionally overwhelmed for Summer and that makes everything else overwhelming! So I’m praying for you, too!

I'm mostly known as 'MA' said...

It is so wonderful you have such a good friend. Taking Christmas down and putting it away is a big job. It took me the better part of a week to get it done. So sorry your daughters diagnosis was not so good. She does look so healthy and that smile of hers is fantastic. Hopefully there will be ways she can successfully manage that pain. May today be better than yesterday!

Jackie See said...

I’m so sorry to hear Summer is in such pain, I also have fibromyalgia and know how it can change our lives. I keep a journal and try to track patterns or triggers. My pain doctor is a big help, I have muscle relaxers I can take if the pain becomes unbearable. Tai chi and quiet prayer in the morning has also given me more good days than bad. Fibromyalgia has also been a blessing. I used to run, work, play and be busy constantly. Fibromyalgia slowed me down, made me stop and rest. At first, I was deeply depressed over not being able to work full time, this was my biggest hurdle along this journey. Now, a few years later, I can look back and see how blessed I am. Prayers for Summer, to find relief from her pain, and for her to find her new path in this fibromyalgia journey.

Changes in the wind said...

I have a friend who suffered with fibromyalgia too and was on a lot of pain killers which had her all messed up. She recently began using medical marijuana and is so much better and not dealing with all the side effects. I was surprised to learn that it can be used in many different forms and not just smoked. It is legal here in Arizona don't know the status there in Texas.

MimiG said...

Oh my, prayers for Summer.. I have heard that Tai Chi for Arthritis helps those with Fibromyalgia. I use it for my RA and it does give some relief. The positive - she now knows what the issue is. A first step can be a milestone in itself. Asking God to provide her with clarity and relief.

Debby said...

I'm so sorry for Summer's pain. I'd have her find support groups and see how others with this deal with the pain. Good suggestions in these comments. Constant pain is difficult. She has the best smile but I can see the pain in her eyes. It's so wonderful that she has you.
Your neighbor is a sweetie. I cut way back on decorating when we moved. I don't like taking it all down.
Many hugs and prayers heading your way.
❤️

Linda @ A La Carte said...

My heart goes out to you and Summer. I know the unknown is so scary but a diagnosis with no cure is also so hard. Know I'm praying and lifting you both up to God. Hugs!

Vee said...

So glad it is not polymyalgia rhematica. I presume they took the tests and ruled that out. Something terrible happened to our medical knowledge in the past decade...so troubling. Now everyone goes straight to medical marijuana, which makes such foggy people...I have two of them in my extended family and, honestly, it is difficult to have a coherent conversation with them. Glad that Summer has her focus in the right place. This is such a silly suggestion perhaps, but I appreciate essential oils so much for pain relief.

Cheapchick said...

If Summer truly does just have fibromyalgia it is one of the worst cases I have seen...both Mom and I have it and don't have nearly that kind of pain. We no longer use prescribed medicine for it as frankly a lot of the drugs they give you are worse than the disease itself. Walking 10,000 steps a day has made a big difference in my health. I wonder if it is still Fibro plus something else...Has Summer ever seen a naturopath? Maybe they could help her where regular medicine has not

Beth said...

Linda, You have gotten many tips to share with Summer. I have one other idea and that is acupuncture. It helped me greatly with knee pain - totally gone after a few treatments plus it is relaxing so decreases stress too. I have Summer on my prayer list.

Wanda said...

Oh what a time Summer is having. My heart breaks for her and seeing your child hurting is the worst. When our Jill had her horrendous car accident and spent a month in intensive care, and another 9 mo in the hospital...surgery after surgery (Skin crafts)....my heart broke every day, but we kept smiling, living, and believing God had a plan. And he did. Jill is now 47 and has a beautiful son almost 5...our miracle baby. So I'm praying God will be close to Summer and ease her pain, and continue to give her that wonderful attitude we see from her faith. Love you Linda.

Tammijo said...

No disrespects but not alll medical mj users are "foggy people"... I personally Im a medical mj user for my ptsd complex ptsd tbi and serve anxiety... I was on every bigh pharm med to help cope nothing worked i was a walking zombie couldnt work etc.. 4 years ago after all kinds of research i choose medical mj... I slowly took one big pharm off my list... I work 60 plus hrs a week take care of a elderly man and dont have foggy feeling im alive on medical mj i was dieing on big pharm meds. Im not pushing medical mj just giving a differen perspective of it.

Carole said...

Linda, I can't wait to see pics of your house when it is blank! Cheers