Day Late Update

This time it's the fault of Michael that the update is many hours late. I was at work when Creig called at 5:30pm Friday. I was at the end of a huge deadline and had to work over a 12 hour shift. I was exhausted when I got home, but I do appologize, I know everyone is looking for this update.


Everyone has arrived home this (Saturday) morning around 8:00am. The doctor told them Friday that they do believe that Connie has Primary Hyper-Parathyroid (PHP), which is what we all thought prior to the trip. The doctors had to run the tests to make sure that PHP was indeed the problem and to make sure it is safe to operate. I think there is one more test to complete when they go back (correct me if I'm wrong).

The plan is to go back there July 14th for that final test and July 15th is when the surgery is scheduled. Right now I would guess that everyone is catching up on sleep. I'm sure they will post more soon.

-Michael

We played a little hooky yesturday Sorry:(

Sorry for not posting yesturday but after all the testing yesturday Mom just wanted to get out of here, so we went to the Mall of America. It was very big but fun, Mom bought a new outfit and other clothes and just like her Grandma, Courtney found some clothes she liked. I of course got some clothes for Cody and Creig got ice cream.

Well enough of the fun stuff. We are up early again this morning and off to do more testing. Today if full of test and meeting with Doctors and Surgens. Our plan is to hear what the Surgen has to say at 4:00pm and then head back to Wisconsin for Courtney and I to catch the ferry back. Mom and Creig will stay over night in Wisconsin and head back here in the morning cause Creig is convienced they are going to tell us they will do surgery Monday.

This place continues to amaze us. The treatment here is A +++++ it is wonderful to be seen within in 10-15 minutes of your appointment greeted with such respect and freindliness it is unreal. All the staff from the surgens down to the janitors are polite and go out of her way to make things nice for you. Mom likes the art work on the wall the scultures in the wide wide hallways and the scenic view of the city from the big windows. It is just fabalous it often makes you forget you are here because someone is sick and needs help. Well, take care and we will post as soon as we know something today.

Test, Test and more Test

Well.... Today was a long tiring day. Mom went for her appointment and they are all leaning towards the parathyroid disease as we all had figured. The doctors here want her to have about 9 different test. Mom has completed three of those today. They are wanting to check the parathyroid again so that is a test she needs. They all ready did a ekg and a chest x-ray.
Because of the increased calcium in her body they want to check her bone density and kidney's. So we are looking at ultra sounds of the kidneys tomorrow and bone density testing along with peeing in that wonderful cup everytime she feels the need for a 24 hour time period. There will also be some blood work to do. As you can tell by the time frame this is going to be just a tad bit longer than we had anticipated. We meet with the surgen Friday at 4:00pm.
This clinic is very nice and I will be honest with gas at $3.83 and a wonderful medical facility I thought of checking the want ads and moving here. Mom did not wait more than 15 minutes for any of the testing today. Everything is done very fast and the doctors were very knowledgeable about you before they meet with you. They take their time and are able to answer all our questions. It truely is impressive and you just wish this kind of facility would be everywhere in the united states but yep thats the social worker in me. Well that is it for me, I am sure Courntey and Creig will also post more later because I am sure I forgot something.

Connie says-

Today's the day.......

First I want to thank God for giving me the great family I have today. Ummmmm.....LOL...... I also cherish the friends I have and the support they have shown.

Your prayers are healing and I am grateful for them.

I am sore today and frankly a little scared for what today brings. I have my initial appointment at 1:45PM Eastern and who knows from there.

Connie

Arrival in Rochester

We arrived at the Best Western Soldier's Field about 7PM eastern time. We're all a little road weary and hungry............so we have ordered room service and don't have any other plans.

The boat ride was very nice- warm and flat so it was smooth. We got a "Stateroom" that had two small beds that allowed us to get a little rest. It made the day much easier!

Our food is here and I am outta' here for now!

Creig

Tuesday Photos

Courtney and Gram on the boat.


Gram on the boat.


Grandpa driving.

The Joy of Hunter

Hunter is doing great and is having a good time visiting TC. Last night about 9pm Lisa, Alex, Mike, Maggie and Hunter all went down to 4 mile beach and went for a walk. She ran right up to the wave and attacked it. The wave won... I think. She loved running and kicking up sand. Maggie was happy to be there too but stayed away from the action. Hunter is a joy to have and she loves playing in the back yard. It's fun to watch how she and Maggie interact - I saw them playing together for the first time at lunch yesterday.

Here is a photo of her this morning having breakfast out on the back porch.

We are off!

It's 5AM Tuesday the 24th and Connie, Vicki, Courtney, and I are excited and heading out the door.

Everyone has pitched in and we certainly appreciate the help and support. We'll keep you updated on what's going on. Alex, take care of my dog!

Creig

Good Morning, Here we come!

Well it is 4:30 and as we rub the sleep from our eyes and tie the loose knots of packing we are looking forward to a bright day. In regards to our trip grandma is feeling good, a little tired, but this early we all are.

The Night before we leave

As the sunsets and we zip up our packs we are all ready to set out for our early drive tomorrow morning. We huddled in the drive way for a quick photo together and are now settling down, so we can wake up on time. Grandma wants to "thank all my friends and family for all of their support."

Starting a Blog for Minnesota Trip

Today is Sunday 6-22-08 at 5:30 and I am setting up this blog to help keep everyone in the loop on the status of my mom's health and the trip to Minnesota. At this point it looks like Connie, Creig, Vicki and Courtney are going.

What the tests indicate so far is that Connie has a problem with her parathyroid. Here is a link to a site that explains what this is and what the doctors do to treat the problem. Here is the link. The trip was planned to Minnesota after we found out there was a 3-4 month wait to have the surgery done in state. The good news is that patients recover very well after surgery, so we are all optimistic. 

We will keep you updated with photos and entries...

talk with you soon.

- Michael