It's Tuesday, and we're still on the OBX...this almost feels abnormal...
Nate
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Sunday, October 28, 2007
Friday, October 26, 2007
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Taking a Break
> Heading home in a few minutes. Wrapping up week...I've lost track...
> Taking next week off from the back and forth of Durham. We've got TRUNKorTREAT next Wednesday, and we're going to attempt to get all of our packing finished so we can get out of our OBX rental by the end of the month.
> Another day of rain here in Durham...only need about 30 more of days like these to get us out of the seriously dangerous drought that we're in.
> I've been to Starbucks each of the past two days (I'm here right now)...that's incredibly odd as I usually only make about 2 visits per year...but that's what happens when you believe that coffee tastes like dirt and stunts your growth. But, they're giving away free music downloads on iTunes, so I figure the incredibly overpriced (and slighty dirt-tasting) hot chocolate is worth it.
> We had an appointment with the CF docs this morning, and everything is looking good. Here's Tricia in the examining room.
> I have to go pick up Tricia now and head home.
Nate
> Taking next week off from the back and forth of Durham. We've got TRUNKorTREAT next Wednesday, and we're going to attempt to get all of our packing finished so we can get out of our OBX rental by the end of the month.
> Another day of rain here in Durham...only need about 30 more of days like these to get us out of the seriously dangerous drought that we're in.
> I've been to Starbucks each of the past two days (I'm here right now)...that's incredibly odd as I usually only make about 2 visits per year...but that's what happens when you believe that coffee tastes like dirt and stunts your growth. But, they're giving away free music downloads on iTunes, so I figure the incredibly overpriced (and slighty dirt-tasting) hot chocolate is worth it.
> We had an appointment with the CF docs this morning, and everything is looking good. Here's Tricia in the examining room.
> I have to go pick up Tricia now and head home.
Nate
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
The Sky Is Falling
interesting... when I walked outside this morning to go eat breakfast, the sky was making this really loud rumbling sound and there was lots of little drops of water falling all over the place...I seem to recall experiencing these things at some point in my life, but it's really been so long...oh well, I'm sure it will come to me...
Nate
New/Old Friends
We got to hang out with and get to know Jordan and Patience Leino tonight. They are people that Tricia and I went to LU with...I knew them only in passing in a few classes and because we all worked for different ministry teams. We were not close, and I had not really thought of them much in the past few years.
A few months ago, I saw a post on a mutual friend's facebook about praying for baby Isaac Leino...I followed the trail, and it led me to Patience's facebook (whom I recognized) and This Blog.
Long story short, the Leino's are living outside of Raleigh and Jordan is working as a worship pastor at C3 Church. I emailed him and facebooked Patience, and we've been to their church a few times and finally got to hang with them tonight. It is really good to be able to talk to some people our age who have so much in common with us (he and I studied the same and Tricia and Patience studied the same at LU, now we're all involved in the same ministry stuffs, we're both going through some BIG medical/emotional stuff).
Please, take a few minutes to at least scan over some of the posts at their blog. The Leinos' faith gives us great hope for our future, and I think they will encourage you as well.
Nate
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Monday, October 22, 2007
On the Road Again...
We'll be on the road again to Durham in an hour.
We've memorized the morning radio schedule of every radio station between Nags Head and Durham.
We know the location of every gas station and McDonald's (Tricia's choice, not mine).
We know where the cleanest restrooms are.
We know where every rest stop is.
We know which convenient stores sell V-8 (again, Tricia).
We know exactly what time we'll arrive.
Nate
We've memorized the morning radio schedule of every radio station between Nags Head and Durham.
We know the location of every gas station and McDonald's (Tricia's choice, not mine).
We know where the cleanest restrooms are.
We know where every rest stop is.
We know which convenient stores sell V-8 (again, Tricia).
We know exactly what time we'll arrive.
Nate
Saturday, October 20, 2007
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Graduation Day!
Tricia graduated from Physical Therapy today. All that really means is that she's met the minimum requirement and it's now up to the doctors concerning when she'll be placed on the list.
You can send large sums of money to say "Congradulations!"
Nate
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Pics from the Fair
Here are a few pics from our evening at the fair.
Tricia with the animals.
Tricia with the biggest pumpkin in the history of NC. 1178 lbs...
I hate these things...
Nate
Tricia with the animals.
Tricia with the biggest pumpkin in the history of NC. 1178 lbs...
I hate these things...
Nate
Monday, October 15, 2007
Yes!
My new shoes came in today and I took them out for a test run, literally. I wore them over to Terry's birthday party to make everyone jealous...Ramon was the only one who really liked them, but then, he is color blind...
Nate
Nate
New Week
This week will be a little different for us. We're not going up to Durham until Tuesday. We've got a birthday party to attend this evening (my bro-in-law, Terry). Then, we're heading to the state fair sometime Tuesday or Wednesday. And, we'll be coming home early on Thursday morning.
We're going out for breakfast in a few minutes, and then I'm going to get some work done at church before spending the rest of my day packing. :)
Maybe my shoes will come in today...
Nate
We're going out for breakfast in a few minutes, and then I'm going to get some work done at church before spending the rest of my day packing. :)
Maybe my shoes will come in today...
Nate
Saturday, October 13, 2007
Saturday Night
> My new shoes haven't come in yet...I'm pretty sure I would have run like 11 miles today...
> Tricia and I participated in the 1st Annual Vintage Ping Pong Tournament this evening. Neither of us made it very far, but it was fun.
> Next week mayb be a short week for us...we mayb not make it up to Durham until Tuesday, and we may have to come home early...throw in a day at the state fair, and we may only get 2 days of PT in.
> We're going to get some packing done tomorrow. Feel free to join us.
> I love baseball in October!
> I love that the Skins could be in first place tomorrow afternoon!
> I love that the eagles are really bad!
> I love that my wife is smokin' hot!
Nate
> Tricia and I participated in the 1st Annual Vintage Ping Pong Tournament this evening. Neither of us made it very far, but it was fun.
> Next week mayb be a short week for us...we mayb not make it up to Durham until Tuesday, and we may have to come home early...throw in a day at the state fair, and we may only get 2 days of PT in.
> We're going to get some packing done tomorrow. Feel free to join us.
> I love baseball in October!
> I love that the Skins could be in first place tomorrow afternoon!
> I love that the eagles are really bad!
> I love that my wife is smokin' hot!
Nate
Thursday, October 11, 2007
That's A Wrap
> Today wraps week 6 of PT. Tricia should "graduate" next week, meaning she's completed the 23 days required minimum of PT. But, it's up to the doctors and God when she'll be activated.
> It finally feels like fall is here...that's me below in downtown 5 minutes ago with my hooded sweatshirt on.
> The NC State Fair begins tomorrow...we're taking a day off from PT and going all day next week. Tricia's super excited, especially since her only similar experience has been the NJ fair (I did not realize produce and small farm animals could survive in that kind of environment)
> We saw a cat this morning that looked like Ralphie, and I thought Tricia was going to cry...thanks dad and Sue for checking on him this week!
> Maybe my sweet new shoes will come in before Monday!
Nate
> It finally feels like fall is here...that's me below in downtown 5 minutes ago with my hooded sweatshirt on.
> The NC State Fair begins tomorrow...we're taking a day off from PT and going all day next week. Tricia's super excited, especially since her only similar experience has been the NJ fair (I did not realize produce and small farm animals could survive in that kind of environment)
> We saw a cat this morning that looked like Ralphie, and I thought Tricia was going to cry...thanks dad and Sue for checking on him this week!
> Maybe my sweet new shoes will come in before Monday!
Nate
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Transplant School Part 2
I attended my second class of transplant school today. Here are some observations and facts.
> About 7 people have received their new lungs in the past few weeks. They say that these things happen in spurts...a few months with just a few, and a few weeks with several.
> Learned more than I ever wanted to know about the surgery and immediate recovery...I'd write more if this blog wasn't PG rated... Just pray you NEVER have to have a lung transplant...it's basically equivalent to surviving the most severe blunt-force trama car crash you can imagine.
> Duke seems to have NO idea what they're doing...they're short-staffed, they've recently gone to a "business style" with their transplant proceedures, lots of miscommunication, etc. It's very comforting..........
> Tricia is most definitely the youngest patient in the room the past two weeks...by 40 + years, at least.
> There are four (depending on who you ask) stages of transplant prep: Evaluation, Candidate, Listed, Activated. Technically, Tricia is still only a candidate.
That's all for now.
Nate
> About 7 people have received their new lungs in the past few weeks. They say that these things happen in spurts...a few months with just a few, and a few weeks with several.
> Learned more than I ever wanted to know about the surgery and immediate recovery...I'd write more if this blog wasn't PG rated... Just pray you NEVER have to have a lung transplant...it's basically equivalent to surviving the most severe blunt-force trama car crash you can imagine.
> Duke seems to have NO idea what they're doing...they're short-staffed, they've recently gone to a "business style" with their transplant proceedures, lots of miscommunication, etc. It's very comforting..........
> Tricia is most definitely the youngest patient in the room the past two weeks...by 40 + years, at least.
> There are four (depending on who you ask) stages of transplant prep: Evaluation, Candidate, Listed, Activated. Technically, Tricia is still only a candidate.
That's all for now.
Nate
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
My New Orange Shoes
I bought some new running shoes tonight...my wife's muscles are getting bigger than mine from all of this PT...
Nate
ToT Update
I picked up Meka's costume for ToT today. Here's a hint...she'll have her own theme song... :)
I'm still working on mine.
Nate
I'm still working on mine.
Nate
Monday, October 8, 2007
Week 5
We're back in Durham beginning week 5 (I think...) of PT.
Going to hang out at Tricia's favorite...Barnes and Nobles this evening...
Nate
Going to hang out at Tricia's favorite...Barnes and Nobles this evening...
Nate
Saturday, October 6, 2007
Friday, October 5, 2007
Thursday, October 4, 2007
October
> The Cubs lost yesterday, but the Sox won and the phillies lost, so it was a good day overall.
> Tricia is finishing up her week of PT today...we're headed home around 3:30. We're going to stop at 9th St. in downtown Durham to get some lunch/dinner...there are some cool places to eat.
> The Durham/Raleigh area is in a major drought...they're down to like 50% in their reservoirs. Lucky for them I only shower once a week here...
> I'm hoping we can go see some excellent basketball in a few months at UNC and Duke.
> We're going to try to get some more packing done this weekend.
That's all for now.
Nate
New Baby!
Just thought I'd let you know that Tricia and I have a new niece! Leah Suzanne (yes, named after Tricia) is here.
And, I've been watching baseball for the past 9 hours...
Nate
And, I've been watching baseball for the past 9 hours...
Nate
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
Transplant School Part 1
I attended my first "class" of "transplant school" today with Tricia. It's basically a discussion group led by one of the transplant social workers. Here's a few observations:
> There are a lot of transplant patients waiting for their new lungs who are very angry and frustrated with the health care system and transplant procedures and cost that are in place in our country.
> Amazingly to me, based on the questions that were being asked, most of these transplant patients seem to know very little about everything involved with their transplant journey. We've been provided with a ton of info since our journey began a few months ago and feel very confident with knowing what is going on.
> Moral responsibility is HUGE. Most transplant patients are not in this boat because of an unavoidable illness but because of their own poor choices... Abuse your body (alcohol, smoking, obesity, sex) and you're either basically shooting yourself in the foot should you need a transplant later in life or stealing the opportunity to be a good donor and be a blessing to somebody else when you do pass away...
> The biggest fear among those on the list seems to be that they will die before ever getting the call...
> All transplantation issues, in my opinion, basically come down to a supply/demand problem. There is a HUGE demand and a very small supply because most people don't ever give organ donation a second thought. Health care cost, UNOS policies, etc. would become either secondary or non-factors if every patient had the assurance of receiving a transplant in a short period of time.
That's all for now.
Nate
> There are a lot of transplant patients waiting for their new lungs who are very angry and frustrated with the health care system and transplant procedures and cost that are in place in our country.
> Amazingly to me, based on the questions that were being asked, most of these transplant patients seem to know very little about everything involved with their transplant journey. We've been provided with a ton of info since our journey began a few months ago and feel very confident with knowing what is going on.
> Moral responsibility is HUGE. Most transplant patients are not in this boat because of an unavoidable illness but because of their own poor choices... Abuse your body (alcohol, smoking, obesity, sex) and you're either basically shooting yourself in the foot should you need a transplant later in life or stealing the opportunity to be a good donor and be a blessing to somebody else when you do pass away...
> The biggest fear among those on the list seems to be that they will die before ever getting the call...
> All transplantation issues, in my opinion, basically come down to a supply/demand problem. There is a HUGE demand and a very small supply because most people don't ever give organ donation a second thought. Health care cost, UNOS policies, etc. would become either secondary or non-factors if every patient had the assurance of receiving a transplant in a short period of time.
That's all for now.
Nate
Halloween?
Meka and I went shopping today, looking for TrunkOrTreat constumes...what do you think?
Nate
Nate
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
Late Night Thoughts (having little to do with CF)
I have nowhere else to write about these things, so this is the place...
> I love October ONLY for baseball. I hate it because summer is long gone and a long, stupid winter is ahead.
> Speaking of baseball, the tie-breaker last night between the Rockies and Padres was one of the best games ever...too bad I fell asleep in the top of the 13th...
> Law & Order: SVU tonight was the best ever as well. It kinda freaked me out for some reason. I am addicted to SVU and L&O reruns on TNT and USA. I HATE Criminal Intent...
> I much prefer to have Meka with us up here. She keeps me company while Tricia is doing transplant stuff.
> I am a Cubs fan this October!
> I hope the phillies get swept.
Goodnight.
Nate
> I love October ONLY for baseball. I hate it because summer is long gone and a long, stupid winter is ahead.
> Speaking of baseball, the tie-breaker last night between the Rockies and Padres was one of the best games ever...too bad I fell asleep in the top of the 13th...
> Law & Order: SVU tonight was the best ever as well. It kinda freaked me out for some reason. I am addicted to SVU and L&O reruns on TNT and USA. I HATE Criminal Intent...
> I much prefer to have Meka with us up here. She keeps me company while Tricia is doing transplant stuff.
> I am a Cubs fan this October!
> I hope the phillies get swept.
Goodnight.
Nate
Fun Video!
This is most excellent. Tricia doesn't get it, but that's cause she's not a guy or a musician. If you don't get it either, that's OK. I love it!
Nate
Nate
Waiting
We're hanging out in the Duke clinics this morning while Tricia gets some lab work done.
Nate
Nate