HyperbAllea

As Thomas and I watched the ball drop on New Year’s Eve and the calendar flipped from 2007 to 2008, I couldn’t help but cry. 2007 was one of the hardest years of my life, and I’m so glad to see it go. I lost one grandfather, nearly lost another, and had so much stress from other family situations and life in general. The one bright point in my year was my wedding. I love my husband and I love being married to him. To a certain extent, Thomas is the one who has helped keep me sane for the past year.

I’ve been terribly withdrawn for the past few months, primarily because when I’m upset about something…in this case, my grandfather’s sickness…I don’t much feel like being around people. I have a hard time living life and being sociable when I feel like everything is going wrong. It feels fake. I think I’m back now though. My grandfather has been moved to a rehab facility and is working on being able to do things for himself again. I expect him to be going home within the month.

I have lots of plans for 2008, but I don’t like posting “New Year’s Resolutions” and stuff like that. I’d rather just make some changes and see if people notice. I do like how a new year makes you feel like you can make a clean start. Really that’s why I cried at the new year. I felt like all the bad was over. Now I can put it behind me and move forward. It’s such an unbelievable relief.

Happy New Year, everyone!

It’s been awhile since I updated about my paw paw, and a lot of amazing stuff has happened since I last wrote.

After he had been on the respirator for a few days, they went ahead and did a tracheotomy so he wouldn’t have to have a tube hanging out of his mouth and would be more comfortable. That way they wouldn’t have to keep him sedated.

So he had been on the trach tube for a few weeks, I believe. Thomas and I went to visit him last Friday and he was awake, in good spirits, and trying his best to talk, even though the trach tube prevents any air from reaching his vocal chords. He still made a valiant effort and we were able to somewhat read his lips. He looked so much better than the last time I saw him, and I left feeling very hopeful.

Over the weekend, the pulmonologist started gradually weaning him off the respirator and having him breathe on his own for awhile. He did very well and has not been on the respirator for several days now. He was even able to, with much help, I’m sure, get out of bed and sit in a chair in his room for awhile.

Then today came the biggest thing. They put something on his trach tube that actually allows him to speak…so today I actually spoke to my grandfather on the phone. I nearly burst into tears at the sound of it. Two weeks ago we thought there wasn’t much hope left, and today I spoke to my grandfather on the phone. I am so amazed at all of this. I feel like God is working miracles here and healing my grandfather who, only two weeks ago, wasn’t given much of a chance.

Thank you all for you prayers, and please keep them up. We’re hoping he will be home by Christmas.

I just spent $75 on yarn. If anyone was wondering how my yarn addiction is doing, there’s your answer. I fear I may have just blown the answer to “What is Allea getting me for Christmas?” for many of you as well. I have made more dishcloths in the past year than I can even count. And apparently, I’m still going strong. Also joined a knitting group today. Just a group of women who get together a few times a month to knit and chat. Finally, my mother-in-law is building a site for me to sell my dishcloths, so that will be up soon.

At least I know that if this piano lesson thing doesn’t work out (yeah, right), I have something to fall back on…

Did I mention this is all Kim’s fault?

So if anyone would like to go jewelry shopping (or Christmas shopping) this weekend, I’m having a jewelry party at my house on Saturday at 2PM. Leave me a comment and I’ll email you directions.

You all know that my grandpa’s been in the hospital for about a month now recovering from open heart surgery. Could you guys all prayer really hard for him? He’s not doing so well and the doctors really aren’t holding out a lot of hope for a full recovery. I know God can heal him, and I don’t think he’s finished living yet. Please pray. I really appreciate it.

My grandfather has been making slow, but steady progress over the past few days, and I seem to be making my way out of this depression weirdness. I think I’m going to have a good weekend…

I’m kind of surprised at how down I’ve been for the past week. It’s not like me to be depressed or even to worry that much, but that’s exactly what I’ve been doing since the weekend. It’s kind of sad, really, and I’m rather ashamed of myself because I know better than to behave in this way. I feel like a silly kid whining for attention. I guess I just want someone to ask how I’m doing…or ask how my grandpa is doing…or just tell me they’re praying for him. That’s all.

But then it occurs to me that not many people really knew he was having surgery until after the fact, and I haven’t tried to call anyone and tell them what’s going on.

I just want to snap out of this funk soon. I hate feeling this way.

Sidenote: To those of you who have expressed concern, I really appreciate it and it means a lot. I’m not trying to get attention or sympathy here, just trying to get everything out…get over myself, ya know?

I cannot believe the rollercoaster ride that the past few days have been. As I wrote in my previous post, my grandfather had open heart surgery last Wednesday. He had a valve in his heart replaced with a pig’s valve, which is beyond my comprehension. When I wrote the post on Friday he was doing well…

Thomas and I drove to Charlotte on Saturday morning. I got to go in to see my Paw Paw that afternoon, and aside from the fact that he had a giant wound running down the middle of his chest and various tubes and monitors attached to him, he seemed to be doing fairly well considering his chest had been sliced open three days earlier. He was having a little trouble breathing though, and had extra fluid in his lungs, around his heart, and throughout his body tissue.

Overnight on Saturday they decided to take away his plain oxygen mask and put him on another machine that would instead push air in, opening the airways and increasing his oxygen. His oxygen continued to decrease throughout the day Sunday, and by the evening they decided to put him back on the respirator, which meant he would have to be sedated. We went home scared and discouraged, not knowing what the next morning’s visit would bring.

On Monday morning, he was stabilized on the respirator, but was completely unresponsive when we went in to visit him because of the sedative. On Tuesday they decided to start weaning him off of the respirator and the sedative. I had to leave on Tuesday afternoon, which was so hard. Tuesday evening he was moved into his own room, and today he’s off the respirator and doing a little better without it than he was last time.

I can’t imagine the pain and discomfort he has been through this past week. He’s so discouraged right now and doesn’t feel like he’ll ever get better. I’ve heard that heart surgery can really mess with a person’s emotions, and I think that’s what’s happening to my Paw Paw right now. Please pray that he would be encouraged and comforted, and that he will keep heading in the right direction in his recovery.

Tuesday was Thomas’ birthday. I took him to The Melting Pot per his request for a delicious dinner. We emerged nearly three hours later stuffed and happy.

Wednesday my grandfather went in for open heart surgery to have a valve replaced. The surgery was a success and he’s been doing well, but he still has a long way to go to full recovery. Please keep him in your prayers. Thomas and I are leaving in the morning to drive to Charlotte and visit him for the weekend.

Thursday I made a hilarious JibJab video that I’m dying to post. I need to wait until I get the stars’ permission though.

Today I got a lot of stuff done. Laundry, dishes, sorting a laundry basket full of old papers, photographing dishcloths (yes, I realize this sounds incredibly strange). Still need to fold some laundry and pack some clothes for our trip to Charlotte.

I’ve had lots of ideas for posts this week, but just haven’t had the time to sit down and write them. I really want to be a good little blogger though. Encouragement, anybody?

In what now seems to be an annual occurrence in the Cary/Apex area (remember last year’s giant chemical fire that required the evacuation of over 10,000 people in Apex?), yesterday we had another towering inferno in our little suburban paradise. Apparently, the road construction crew was drilling and hit a gas line, cause a continuous giant fireball in one of Cary’s busiest intersections (Tryon and Kildaire Farm). My mom’s office building just happens to be in that intersection (it’s the 2-story rectangular building you can sometimes see diagonally across the intersection in the video), so she saw all the action first hand. In fact, a lady who works for another business in her building was driving through the intersection at the time and happened to throw a cigarette out the window at pretty much the same time as the fireball was ignited. For a moment she actually thought she caused the explosion. Of course, she didn’t, but I bet she thinks twice the next time she tosses out a cigarette butt.

I do think it’s kind of funny that last year’s explosion was almost exactly a year ago (Oct. 5, 2006). Makes me wonder what’s going to happen next fall…

Oh yeah…and no one was hurt.