Football season

 Spud is #22, playing fullback

 Bob is the head coach, Jace is an assistant coach

 Spencer is in the middle, with the ball.   Grrrr!

 He got injured, and then decided to go back in and play.

 Spencer is on the ground in this picture, just after being tackled

 The huddle

Isn't he cute tough? 

The end of summer

 One day in August, we went out to the river...

 and showed our bravery by crossing the stream,

 no one could resist splashing in the water

 Hi Mom!

 trying to cross in the current

 whoa!

 Aliysa even came out and joined in the fun after getting home from helping her friend in a face painting booth.

 Brrrr!

 Nature study

We caught a baby snake

Then we warmed up by the fire when Spencer got home from football practice and decided to cook steak, potatoes, carrots and onions in the Dutch oven.  

We will miss the summer!

The Symphony

 We went to a Family Symphony Concert

 Aliysa and her friend, Emily.

 Mallory, Andrew, Jacob, and Zach. I should be a professional photographer (or just stop being too lazy to stand up and get a better angle).  Zach will probably thank me for amazing pictures like that when he grows up. 

 Ariana, Courtney, and Keziah

 Our children's violin & cello teacher and orchestra teacher, Jennifer, plays in the symphony.  She and her husband (who also plays in the symphony) are amazing musicians.

It was a nice evening.  It ended early because it was a family concert.  We got home at 8:30, and I was completely worn out.  But I'm glad we went.

Turning orange

 Lately we've been making lots of carrot juice.  Sometimes, everyone likes to help.  Other times I have to offer rewards for juicing. 

 We've been making & eating a lot of salads

 Here's some of the carrot juice, & carrot/beet/ginger juice

And we make a lot of carrot pulp muffins

This is an important week

I received this message last night from Dr. Jolles (the oncologist in SLC), in response to my e-mail about my level being down to 717.8:

"Be very careful..    This is the usual titer where it starts to rise.  Do not fail to get a weekly titer."

We are fasting and praying today.  I will probably call him this week to see what he means by that - does it usually rise at this point during chemotherapy treatment, or has he seen people try to use natural therapies, and it rises at this point? 

I went to Dr. Orchard (the naturopath) again this week and he didn't change anything about my diet, supplements, etc.  He said everything seemed balanced.

I go in Wednesday morning for my next blood draw.

We're down into the hundreds!

This week's hcg titer was down to 717.8.   I'm a little impatient, and I just want to hear that it is at zero!  But really, I'm so amazed and happy and grateful.

Here's what my diet is like each day:

• 1-2 quarts of carrot juice or carrot/beet/ginger juice
• 2-3 salads that include broccoli, cabbage, sprouts, carrots, beets, fresh ginger, garlic, onions, 1/2 an avocado, and topped with olive oil, Bragg's apple cider vinegar, Himalayan sea salt, and curry powder.  Sometimes I add tomatoes and lettuce too.  
• 2 oz. of fish (wild caught salmon or cod), cooked with lime juice, sea salt, coconut oil, dried dill and garlic powder.
• 1 egg (usually poached)
• 1 smoothie that contains 1/2 an apple, carrot juice, kale leaves, chia seed and frozen mixed berries.  Sometimes a spoonful of coconut oil.  It is sweet enough with those ingredients for me since I haven't had any "sweets" for a couple of months now.  
• I also occasionally eat some sprouted & cooked lentils or beans.  I add garlic powder, cumin, coriander, sea salt etc. to the beans when I cook them.

I am not craving sweets at all.  Not one teeny bit.  But I do have big time cravings for corn chips, tortillas, popcorn, and toast.  I have been very strict about following this diet, but every now and then I've decided to "taste" a chip, a corn tortilla, or a cheddar sesame stick that I'm giving to my kids.  Then I have to lock myself in a room so I don't gobble the whole package in an instant.  Soon I start to feel reasonable again, and think "what am I doing?  This diet is to get rid of cancer!!!"  and I realize that a chip or two is not worth it.

The other day I made homemade pizza for my family, and I honestly cried in the kitchen because I wanted to eat it so much.  So I went upstairs and prayed for strength against something so silly as pizza.  I got up from my prayer and knew that I should go downstairs, eat my salad, and have a couple of bites of pizza.  I got up feeling so much stronger!    

I've also tasted a few different foods when making them for my family, like soup or baked sweet potatoes, but only a few bites here and there. I can tell that we're going to need to "meet in the middle" with our family meals after I'm healed, and I'm working on a menu plan for that.

The emotions are the hardest thing.  One minute I'm fine, the next I'm in tears.  I cry a lot.  My energy level changes from moment to moment, and I'm always trying to judge whether I'm exhausted, drained, scared, worried or just plain lazy.  I don't like having this on my mind all the time, but yet I need to focus on doing everything I can to get better. 

Sometimes I just want life to go on hold while I get better, but Bob still has work, we still have church callings, dirty diapers, dishes, laundry, grocery shopping, doctor appointments, meals that need to be made, arranging rides for my kids to violin, cello, piano, seminary, iFamily classes, ballet, ballroom, science, Spanish, gymnastics, and other little details of life like the other day:  looking for a cub scout shirt, sending my children to buy and pick up 500 lbs of potatoes, home school, a spilled bucket of paint, a bathroom that needs deep cleaning, etc. etc.   Juicing the carrots takes a good long time (and I'm tired of juicing carrots).  Measuring out my supplements and preparing my meals takes time.  And I'm also supposed to be getting some exercise, spending time in the sun, etc.

So, some people might wonder, why don't I just go do the chemo?  Why take so many weeks to get the hcg to drop to zero, especially when I could probably get it to zero in just one week with conventional treatment?

I know I'll have a longer post on this later, but it comes down to this:  today I felt a strong gratitude for this whole experience - the ups and the downs, and the lessons I've learned.  I've been losing weight and getting healthier, my skin is clear, my hair is healthy, I'm learning self control, I'm eating the way I've always really wanted to eat consistently.  I am able to think clearly.  My prayers have been deeper and more heartfelt through the trials this year than they've ever been.  My family is learning to serve, because I just can't do it all, and I can't even try some days. 

I could go and have doctors inject a poisonous substance into my body.  It would make my hair brittle and dry, make me have sores in my mouth, cause me to have fuzzy thinking, and possibly cause a more serious cancer later.  I've prayed about that.  Some weeks I've been so tired of all this that I've almost called the doctor to have him schedule treatment.  I've even prayed if I should send my children to school for a while (the answer was 'no', they are still learning the things that God wants them to, even if our school is far from perfect)

Through my prayers, I've been led slowly and surely on the path that I've taken.  I now completely understand why people choose conventional treatment, and I'm thankful that it has worked for some of them.  I'm grateful for the alternative treatments that are also available.  I've developed a gratitude for the foods, vitamins, herbs, etc. that God has prepared that can assist in healing.  I don't know if I'll be healed completely through natural means, but even if I'm not, I'm grateful.  

She was listening!

I love general conference weekend.  We put our couches in a semi-circle in front of the T.V., and watch all eight hours with our children.  Bob gives out treats after each talk to whoever listened reverently.  The whole family looks forward to it.

I never know how much the little ones are listening, but I found out today that they must be.  Abby was in the bathroom, and I heard her loudly proclaiming several times:  "I'm a Mormon!  I know it!  I live it! I love it!"  I was pretty impressed that she could remember it just right after only listening to that talk once.  I think she was even mimicking Sister Dibb's voice a bit.

As I heard her say those words, I felt the spirit touch my heart and I knew once again that "this is the true church".  Thanks, Abby for helping me have a testimony-building experience that day.

Reading in the home

“It is within our power to guide our youth in their reading and to cultivate in their hearts a desire for good books. It is most unfortunate where a person is not possessed with the desire for good reading. The reading habit, like charity, should begin at home. It is the duty of every parent to provide in his home a library of suitable books to be at the service of the family. The library need not be large, nor the books of the most expensive binding, but there should be a well chosen variety of the most select that can be obtained.
Children should be encouraged in the home to read and be instructed in the value of good books and how to discriminate between the good and the bad in literature.”

   (Joseph Fielding Smith, Doctrines of Salvation, Vol. 3, pp. 203-4).

"Make your home a “real” learning center. A learning center is more than a collection of books and pencils and desks. It is a place where truth is cherished, honest inquiry encouraged, and uplifting dialogue exchanged in a congenial atmosphere. Some consider the teaching in the home complete if family home evening is held routinely. Actually, family home evening is only a part of the teaching that needs to take place if learning is to become centered in the home. Some very important teaching occurs when family members discuss a Sunday School lesson around the dinner table, when parents assist a child in preparing a talk or fulfilling an assignment, when someone seizes an opportunity to teach a spontaneous, practical lesson, and when all within the household take delight in reading a good book in some quiet corner." (Carlos E. Asay)

A successful week

This week we are down to 1704!

Last week my hcg didn't drop much.  All last week, I felt tired, drained, just yucky.  I was really worried that the hcg was rising, and felt that my diet might be too limiting.  I had been promised in a blessing that I would know when it was time to make changes to my diet.  So, I went to see Dr. Gary Orchard, a naturopathic physician in Idaho Falls.

He was able to test what my body really needed with diet and supplements.  He took me off of over half of all the supplements I was taking.  He said they were all good things, but some were interfering with each other, and some were for the same thing, so my body was working hard to get rid of the extra ones that it didn't need.  He said it would simplify my life and I would have more energy just being on the ones I need.  He also added in one new supplement. 

He tested my diet and said that my body was beginning to suffer for lack of nutrition.  (This is what I had expected).  Even though I felt much better when I began the carrot juice fast, just eating salads and drinking carrot juice wasn't a complete enough diet.  I felt that I needed more, but I was so scared to add anything in.  I didn't want to feed the cancer or help it to grow in any way.  He said that my body was starting to use up some muscle, and that is one reason I have been feeling so tired and lethargic.  He said to continue with what I have been doing, but add in some beans, 1 egg a day and 2 oz. of fish a day plus berries, lots of kale, and one apple per day. 

I was so excited to eat the 2 oz of fish the first night with my salad, it was heavenly. 

He also gave me a chiropractic adjustment which has made my whole body feel different and better.  One back problem that I've had for over a year was gone immediately.

Within one day, I noticed that I had so much more energy!  Today it has been so noticeable.   It is a night and day difference from last week.

I put off taking my blood test on Tuesday, because I wanted to make these changes.  So, I went in this morning, and my hcg level is at 1704 (last week was 3336.5)  Yeay!

Tonight we finished helping Bob re-clean all the units in our four-plex.  The numerous leaks have been fixed, everything is cleaned up, the walls are re-patched and painted, and now Bob is just working to put new faucets, etc. on.  We have some tenants moving in within the next few days.  Life is looking good.  

A New Favorite Quote

"Let me ask you something. If someone prays for patience, you think God gives them patience? Or does he give them the opportunity to be patient? If he prayed for courage, does God give him courage, or does he give him opportunities to be courageous? If someone prayed for the family to be closer, do you think God zaps them with warm fuzzy feelings, or does he give them opportunities to love each other?"

-A quote by Morgan Freeman from the movie "Evan Almighty"

It's raining...it's pouring....

Last Saturday Bob started the day out by coaching Spencer's sixth grade football team.  They lost - 46 to 0.  Argh.

Then he went to the four-plex he has been renovating.  He worked on a few last repairs required from an inspection, and turned the water on to the units.  We were so excited to finish this four plex and get it rented!  After a minute, he realized that something was wrong.  Both upstairs units had burst water pipes, that were flooding into both downstairs units.  So, instead of renting the apartments this week, he is cutting holes in newly painted walls and ceilings, replacing pipes, repairing leaks, and finding new leaks.  Double argh.

After cleaning up the flood mess, he decided to do something fun - watch the BYU-Utah game with our kids.  BYU lost, even with several miraculous chances.  Argh. Argh. Argh.

And last night, our tenants in the tri-plex in Idaho Falls called to say that there was water flooding down the walls from an upstairs unit into their apartment....

bhcg update

This week was 3336.5.  Not a huge decrease, but it is still moving in the right direction.  I'm trying to think of what I may have done differently.  I ran out of a few supplements, but I'm back on them now.   We'll see what next week brings.

This Week's Result

The hcg level dropped again - It is 3665.2 (last week was 5156). 

So relieved!!!

Good news!!!  I took a blood test this morning, and amazingly they had my results by this evening.
the hcg level decreased from 9203 to 5156.  

Now, if you don't mind me rambling for a journal entry....

Last week I really figured out a lot of things for my health, and added 4 new supplements (Dr. Christopher's blood purifying formula, Essaic tea, barley green powder, and Beta Glucan). I've also added beets & ginger to the carrot juice. I had kind friends who gave me "energy healing" sessions,  foot massages, and foot zoning.  I've was able to lay out in the sun for vitamin D almost every day, and our home school group and other friends and family fasted and prayed for me on Sunday.  Everyone is so kind!  I feel so very blessed.

So, last week I felt great, but then I started having some pain & bleeding on Sunday that worried me.  My determination faltered a little bit.

I was eager to get my blood test yesterday, but my doctor's office was closed for Labor day. I was restless and antsy.  So, I worried a lot.  Monday morning I woke up feeling weird and achy at 4:00 in the morning and couldn't go back to sleep.  I was tired and emotional.  I tried going on a walk, but felt too tired. 

Last night I woke up in the night, worried that the cancer was spreading and that I'd made a mistake trying to do natural therapies.  But when I prayed, I felt better. 

I got up early this morning, went in right when my doctor's office opened for the blood test, and asked them if they could put a note on my file to call me as soon as the results were in. 

This was a rough day.  Other times, I've really been able to turn my worries over to Heavenly Father.  When I do that, I feel so much peace.  But today I just worried.  I knew everyone had been praying for me, and I didn't want to let them down.  I thought a lot about having to do chemotherapy.  I cleaned out the garage and washed and detailed two of our vehicles because I just wanted the whole house to be clean if I had to go do chemotherapy.  And today I felt so hungry...I just want a piece of toast! I can honestly say that carrot juice with occasional salads (and tons of supplements) has not been hard up to this point.  But today I felt ready to give up.  I think I was tired.  All my older children were gone this morning, and I went out front with the little ones, laid on the lawn, and fell asleep in the sun. 

I'm so glad the nurse called tonight, instead of waiting until tomorrow morning.  When she called with the result (after hours), my eyes filled with tears of joy. 

Thank you everyone for your prayers and kindness.  Things are going well!  I am determined to continue!  I can do this... and it's working!

Juggling

So, in order to rest and get better, I've cut out lots of things from our schedule.  I've cancelled classes and activities galore.  Yet tonight, when we went over our school year schedule, here were some of the activities (outside of our own home school) that we needed to add to our schedule.

Seminary (Jace and Courtney, Bob teaching early morning)
Violin & Cello lessons
Baptisms at the temple
iFamily (Writing, Theater, Shakespeare, Orchestra, P.E., Cooking, etc.)
Ballet
Piano Lessons
Ballroom
Science
Spanish
Gymnastics
Cub Scouts
11 year old scouts
Activity Days
YM/YW activities

Hmph.  This still seems like so much!  But when I look at each individual child's activities, it really isn't that much.  Thank goodness that Aliysa has her license and we have an old beat up car that gets good gas mileage.  

I'm sure you all can relate...life is busy!  But I'm so glad that there are so many worthwhile activities to be involved in.   How do you juggle your busy family life?

The Latest

Dr. Christopher Jolles

 Yesterday we met with Dr. Christopher Jolles.  He was called into emergency surgery, so we waited 3 hrs. for him to get back into the office. Our meeting went as well as possible, he is such a kind doctor.

• My CT scan was clear.  He looked over the results and said "this is very good news".  This means the cancer has not spread from the uterus, as he had expected it would have.
• My hcg levels went down again - to 8,000ish.  Through natural therapies, and lots of prayers and fasting, we have gotten it to go from 18,000 to 8,000 in 10 days.  This gives us a lot of hope.
• The fact that I had a miscarriage in January is a good sign, statistics show that the tumor will be less resistant to treatment than if it had occurred after a normal pregnancy.  

He sat down and outlined a treatment plan for now, and the future (for after future pregnancies, etc.)
I was feeling so drained, tired, and emotional that I didn't ask any questions.

Bob knew the question I was dying to ask, so he commented on the fact that we've been able to have the hcg levels decrease two weeks in a row, and asked how long we could try natural therapies to get the hcg levels to zero.  Dr. Jolles said he would be all right with two weeks (not his first recommendation, but it would not pose a big risk).  Then he looked me in the eyes and said very seriously, "but don't let it go for three weeks." 

This is the fastest growing type of cancer of any.  It is also the most easily affected by treatment.

Carrot juice

So, we have two weeks.  If it isn't at zero, we will go ahead with chemotherapy.  I have lots of decisions to make.

We know that the prayers of friends and family has helped so much.  We feel the strength of your prayers.  Thank you, everyone!

Yesterday Bob and I met with Dr. Christopher Jolles, a gynecological oncologist in Utah.  We drove down together and had a fun time talking on the way.  My parents treated us to lunch at Whole Foods in Salt Lake, where I enjoyed eating a salad.  It was nice after only having carrot juice for days now.  I ate too much, but luckily, it was salad.


We enjoyed visiting with my parents, my sister Lisa, Bet and Britt, and Nan and her kids.  Lisa almost couldn't get away from work, but when I texted her to say "that's okay, I know sometimes work is more important than your sister who has cancer", she decided to come!  :)  [Love you, Lisa!]

A few people have wondered what natural therapies I have been trying, so I will answer that. Basically we want to be doing all we can that will not do harm.  I have been taking vitamin B17 (laetrile), in the form of apricot pits.  There is a book entitled "World Without Cancer" that talks about laetrile being effective against cancer.  Bob used this with great success years ago when he had a fast growing tumor on his ear.  The pits are extremely bitter, but if they do kill cancer cells, I can handle a little bitterness.  I have not tried following them with chocolate chip cookies like my Father in Law did when he had cancer.  Maybe that is the secret to success?

I have also been juicing carrots and doing a juice fast.  I have been surprised how good I've felt since doing this.  As long as I take the carrot juice with supplements, I am not hungry.  So, I take Turmeric, an enzyme supplement, Standard Processes multi-vitamin, vitamin d, vitamin k, iodine, and calcium supplements, along with some herbal supplements (lower bowel herbs and herbal calcium), and slippery elm and coconut oil.  When I started this, my symptoms- cramping, etc. disappeared within 2 days, and my hcg dropped.  It is also important to have adequate zinc and enzymes for the laetrile to do its job.

Dr Jolles was very nice to talk to, was amazingly respectful of the natural treatments that we have been doing and told me to continue with them, but to make sure I am not taking excess folic acid (this type of cancer requires folic acid to survive).  He was aware of laetrile as a cancer therapy, and asked us a few questions about it.  He answered all of our questions in great detail and told us more of what to expect. 

Dr. Jolles is one of the most experienced in dealing with this type of cancer.  It was the first cancer to be killed by chemotherapy drugs, back in the 1950s.  It has been studied almost more than any other cancer.  There are very few deaths from this kind of cancer, when the proper protocol is followed. 

One interesting fact, he said it was good news that I had a miscarriage in January.  An abnormal pregnancy before a molar pregnancy usually means the cancer will be less resistant to chemotherapy.  Especially since  they were so close.  A molar pregnancy right after a healthy pregnancy isn't as easy to cure.  They don't know why this is.

If I do get the chemotherapy treatment, it is not a simple "shot", as my doctor here had described.  Rather, "one treatment" consists of one week (Monday through Friday), of i.v. chemotherapy treatments with one type of medicine, then another week, Monday through Friday, of a second type of medicine. 

After they get the hcg numbers to drop to 0, then they will do three more rounds/treatments.  So, the minimum would be 8 weeks of i.v. chemotherapy.  The side effects are minimal, but not fun:  sores in your mouth and throat (with possible hospitalization for this), sensitivity to light, etc.

He gave me an exam, a prescription, and orders for more blood tests (blood count, hcg, and a liver function test), and ct scans of my brain, lungs, pelvis, etc.

I asked him what the risks would be if we continued with the natural therapies that we have been doing (instead of starting right into chemotherapy).  He said we would discuss that after we see the ct scans. If the cancer has spread or there are tumors, I don't think he'll want me to consider that.

He wanted the ct scan right away, so his secretary scheduled one with the hospital in Riverton.   I got to end the carrot juice fast in a hurry with a huge sugary crystal light drink in preparation for the ct scan, then have my body injected with dye for the scan.  The ct scan was an interesting experience. 

By the time we were done with the ct scans and blood tests, it was after 10pm.  We stopped at Wal-Mart to grab a few things, and found out that the "Hunger Games" dvd was being released that night.  There was a party going on at Wal-Mart with lots of customers dressed up in wild costumes, standing in line to get the dvd.  Crazy. 

We got home and crashed into bed around 3am. 

The range of emotions and thoughts from all of this is impossible to explain.  I just want to be led to make the best decision.  And at heart, I just want to do things in an all-natural way.  But, I don't want to die of cancer, either.  Mostly, I just want to be done with this, and get to focus on real life instead. 
 
We go back to meet with Dr. Jolles on Monday to discuss the results of these tests.  He doesn't want to do it over the phone.  So, we get to have another quick trip. 

Motherhood

I read a beautiful blog post about motherhood today.  You can read it here.  It is full of wonderful quotes about our influence and roles as mothers. 

Our Family Doctor

Yesterday morning, Bob started wheezing again and not feeling good, noise was bothering him (not a good thing around here), etc.  He was trying to go to work, but just couldn't.  I was getting worried, so I researched his symptoms, and wondered if he might be developing asthma. 

So, he went to see our doctor, Jim Brook .  He is an amazing doctor and our good friend, who practices "free market medicine".  Within 3 minutes he had diagnosed a severe sinus infection, and given him 2 prescriptions (antibiotic and steroid).  By yesterday evening, Bob was feeling better than he has for days.  Today he is feeling even better.  Our doctor was surprised that the ER didn't diagnose a sinus infection from his symptoms.  His airway really was closing off. 

I think Bob is feeling less jealous now that he got to go to the hospital, doctor, and to Wal-Mart to drive on the cart.  I'll try to not have too many more doctor visits, or who knows what else he will try. 

The man who is rarely sick...

Bob has been improving for a few days, but he still was really weak and not feeling well.  We realized that he had been badly dehydrated.  Yesterday, he got up in the morning to try to drive with Aliysa and Jace to Utah for his Nephew Brent's wedding.  But he just didn't have the strength and he felt dizzy and faint.  I'm so glad he decided to stay home.  Aliysa and Jace went on their own.

Last night I went to the store to buy carrots for juicing and a couple more nutritional supplements.  Bob wanted to come with, but just couldn't get out of bed.  When I got home, he did not look well.  He informed me that he was having difficulty breathing.  I wish I would have taken him to the hospital right then (well, I really wish I had a few days ago when he was so sick).  He wanted a priesthood blessing, so I started trying to find someone.  Family members and our home teachers were not home, and everything was taking so long, and I was going much slower than I should have.  Bob was walking in circles in the front yard, because if he sat or laid down, he couldn't breathe.  He was agitated, and kept trying to do things like repair the fence around our garden.  I finally thought to call one of our kind neighbors, and he said he would come over.

Before he got here, Bob poked his head in the front door and told me to pull the van out of the garage.  I realized that he was really having a hard time.  I've never seen him like this.  I told the kids that we were leaving, grabbed my purse, and headed out.  I didn't realize it yet, but Bob was hyperventilating at this point.  Our friend showed up and he and our other friend gave Bob a blessing.  It was short, but filled me with peace as Bob was told that he would be healed.

We drove off and I sped to the hospital.  Bob kept telling me to speed faster.  He called 911 on the way to tell them we were speeding and we didn't want to be pulled over because he couldn't breathe.  They told him that they couldn't give him permission to speed, but they could send an ambulance.  Bob said we weren't going to stop.  Then they transferred his call to the hospital, and Bob again had to try to explain what was going on, all while gasping for breath.  That person didn't know what to do, so they transferred his call again.  The person on the other line didn't know why this call was coming in, so Bob had to try to explain the whole situation again. It was absurd.

I was trying to get him to give me the phone, but he wanted me to focus on driving. No one could understand what he was trying to tell them, and this call ended with them saying they couldn't really help him over the phone, but they would see him when he got to the emergency room, and they hung up on him because he was getting a little worked up.  Poor man, he was worried that he was dying and no one would listen.

Bob's brother in law, Dan, was working as a paramedic that night, and we are SO grateful that he offered to meet us at the hospital, because Bob was (in Dan's words) "done" at that point.  He didn't bother even talking to the check-in person.  He gasped "I'm going in there...because that is where they take care of people" and he headed back into the emergency room.  People were asking him to sit down in a wheelchair, but he was having none of it.  At this point Dan walked up and saw how Bob looked, and he grabbed one of Bob's arms, and another nurse grabbed Bob's other arm, and Bob basically collapsed just as they got him.  It was scary.  I checked in, signed papers, went back out to park the van, and headed in to check on Bob.

He was still gasping, and wouldn't stop talking.  (He says it helped him to breathe, but I just wanted to see him resting and breathing deeply.  I don't think he could breathe deeply at that point though).   They gave him an i.v., oxygen, some medication to calm down, and took a chest x-ray, etc...

The medication took a little while to kick in, so he had time to give the person he had talked to on the phone a hard time.  I don't think Bob was his favorite patient that evening, nor was he Bob's favorite person.  But everyone took good care of him, and after midnight they sent him home with a glass of orange juice, a pill in case he started having breathing problems again, and a diagnosis of dehydration and hyperventilation.

 We stopped at Wal-Mart to get juice for Bob.  He insisted on coming in with me (I don't think this man knows how to rest). He got to ride one of the nifty carts. 

 We got home to find that Courtney had done a wonderful job babysitting (Aliysa and Jace are in Utah).  The house was clean, and all the kids were having a slumber party in the family room.  I picked up Taycie, who was cuddled next to Courtney, put her in her crib, and we collapsed into bed at 2am.  Bob is doing better this morning, it is so nice to see him doing well, and his personality coming back. 

Well, geesh.  We'll see what else we can do for excitement before this year is up.