Wednesday, February 8, 2017
Tuesday, February 7, 2017
Another day
Dear Family and Friends,
Some days are not remarkable at all, today is such a day. Up this morning for a short walk to the park in the mist, thought I might have a walking partner since Art and Connie have parked their beautiful motorhome in my driveway but when I went out this morning no one was up so I walked alone.
Everywhere I turned there was flowing water, last night had incredible rain and winds and the water was still running off over the sidewalks and streets, almost no one was out and only the foolish would be, nasty night, time to be warm and sleeping.
I came back, made oatmeal and banana, took pills, went to work, I would shower later. Art came in and we talked briefly before he and Connie headed out to visit the very sick relative in Sacramento. I settled in to work and eventually Moon said her good mornings. At 2 I left to see a local property for an estate. It was in Bethel Island and it was a great property, water views and recently updated it was great.
Then since next week I go to Texas to see my Moon it was time for a haircut with Amber. Then it was back home to make some soup and settle in to work again, Art and Connie came home and we talked for awhile. Now he has gone to bed and I've just completed an appraisal, now its time for me to go to bed, I did get to talk to my brother, no matter how many times we talk I always enjoy that time.
Moon called as she was driving home from her friends who had made a big meal, she was sleepy but still had to do some cleaning as the yearly inspection is happening tomorrow and she wanted her place to be ready for them, I think she is still working now.
I'm tired, a bit down emotionally, I don't deal well with having no orders to go see, very scary times at the present. Going from buried with work to no work causes alarm. But I know God will help, He always has.
Sending love to all, what a blessing life is and we do have so much to be thankful for.
tim
Some days are not remarkable at all, today is such a day. Up this morning for a short walk to the park in the mist, thought I might have a walking partner since Art and Connie have parked their beautiful motorhome in my driveway but when I went out this morning no one was up so I walked alone.
Everywhere I turned there was flowing water, last night had incredible rain and winds and the water was still running off over the sidewalks and streets, almost no one was out and only the foolish would be, nasty night, time to be warm and sleeping.
I came back, made oatmeal and banana, took pills, went to work, I would shower later. Art came in and we talked briefly before he and Connie headed out to visit the very sick relative in Sacramento. I settled in to work and eventually Moon said her good mornings. At 2 I left to see a local property for an estate. It was in Bethel Island and it was a great property, water views and recently updated it was great.
Then since next week I go to Texas to see my Moon it was time for a haircut with Amber. Then it was back home to make some soup and settle in to work again, Art and Connie came home and we talked for awhile. Now he has gone to bed and I've just completed an appraisal, now its time for me to go to bed, I did get to talk to my brother, no matter how many times we talk I always enjoy that time.
Moon called as she was driving home from her friends who had made a big meal, she was sleepy but still had to do some cleaning as the yearly inspection is happening tomorrow and she wanted her place to be ready for them, I think she is still working now.
I'm tired, a bit down emotionally, I don't deal well with having no orders to go see, very scary times at the present. Going from buried with work to no work causes alarm. But I know God will help, He always has.
Sending love to all, what a blessing life is and we do have so much to be thankful for.
tim
Monday, February 6, 2017
Wreck on the Levee Road
This afternoon as I was driving back home from Stockton the car in front of me suddenly veered to the right, went off the road, struck a tree, had a fireball of flame, kept plowing down the edge of the levee and landed in the canal. No one else was in sight, I was the only one that saw it. I pulled off the road onto the narrow area beside the lane and the downsloping levee. I called 911 and after three tries reached the Highway Patrol, then I turned to helping the young man and woman who was driving. Eventually they figured out how to get to shore by throwing a big speaker box into the water and standing on it.
Soon they were standing with me and told me they did not need the police, they put some papers and a backpack in my trunk as the California Highway Patrol pulled up. Soon it got strange, they had no insurance, they had no driver's license, then the patrol officer told me I was free to go so I left, I gave the two my card and they said they would call me later so they could get their stuff back.
when I got home I looked at the papers, dozens of wet pages with names and credit card information and two checks, uncashed. But the shock came when I saw that one check was made out by my friend and the builder of my home some 30 years ago. I tried to reach him but no answer.
This evening the lady driver of the car called to see if I could drop off their stuff at a hotel room in Stockton. Before I left I took some photo copies of some of the papers including the checks.
At the hotel I returned papers, was invited in for pizza, I declined. I think I happened upon a ring of thieves.
Later I was able to speak to my builder friend who had written the check. He said someone had broken a window out of on of his workers pickups and stolen tools and papers including that check.
How amazing that I happened to witness the accident, they left the check in my trunk, I was able to photocopy it and this evening before the knew the details I had returned all the papers to them in a hotel room in Stockton.
Now the Highway Patrol knows the details, the hotel room and perhaps is taking action. I don't know but I know its been a very interesting afternoon for sure.
Once again tonight its raining and the phone just rang, it was Connie, my friend who is married to Art and they are driving to my home to park in my driveway this evening in their motorhome. Connie's sister is recently married to a very sweet man who is in the battle of his life with cancer, he is up in Davis Medical Center and they will leave the motorhome here and drive up to spend the day with their loved ones. They are about 80 miles away yet so won't get it for awhile on this rainy nasty night.
I'm sipping hot chocolate and going to complete a report before I give up for the night.
Sending love to all, life has many boring days and then some very interesting ones too. God bless you all.
Tim
Sunday, February 5, 2017
Sunday evening, the world watches Super Bowl in Houston
Good evening friends and family,
As I write I can hear the tapping sounds of rain drops falling on my window AC in the office, yes once again we are having rain and I have mixed feelings about it. I know we need it and we are thankful yet its no fun to measure a house in the rain, my page that I write down the details gets wet and the ink lines run a bit, usually I can get under the eves to write down numbers and mainly keep the sheet sort of dry but it often looks like a rare parchment by the time I'm back to the office, yet we always get the job done.
This morning I woke late, was dreaming about my precious friend in Houston when series of texts came in, she was up early, preparing to attend church, was very tired and sleepy and would call later, that was good news, I feel good when we both get a chance to attend worship services and take time to pray for God's help in our troubled lives. Later she texted to say she was having lunch with her girl friends and even later she had been invited to a girl friend's house where they were preparing a mini feast together. I relax when Moon goes there, it s warm caring group of women and the food they prepare is always something she enjoys.
I drove to Stockton to see a property and then called about seeing another property, the order just came in Friday afternoon, they were glad to let me inspect so I drove across Stockton and inspected a highly updated home, just about everything was replaced and nearly new, during the week its a day care for 14 busy children so seeing it on Sunday was better, glad it worked out.
Then Keanna texted me as I drove the levee road back home to see if I had time to take her to lunch, when a grandchild calls, yes I do have time so we went to BJ's and then shopping for awhile. There is a common trait with Nan, Nikki and now Keanna and Kallie, they like to shop and seem to really enjoy the process, Target yielded some kitty litter I needed, some vegefood, some low fat Starbucks Mochas for a lower price than Safeway, like 2 dollar less per each four pack, Keanna found many items she wanted and eventually we left the store.
Once I reached home I took time to try to start the motorhome, the battery was low so I folded up a tarp, folded up rope and plugged the RV into electrical power to top off the batteries. Now I'm at my desk, having eaten soup and am sipping a hot chocolate, so good! And yes I'm working, preparing for tomorrow, to see houses and generate income. I'm also waiting to hear from Moon, been waiting for her call all day but right now she spends a lot of hours talking to Crystal, its a critical time for her and Moon has advice that seems to help a lot. I'm not about to get in the way of a mom spending time with her daughter, nothing I have to say is that important.
I'm avoiding the super bowl, even if I don't care who wins I still get upset it seems with the calls or the momentum of the game. I guess I wanted New England to win and I'm afraid at this point they will not win, it does not effect my life in any way, I have no money on the game, would never bet on a sports event so why do I get so uptight watching a game? Have no idea but getting work completed is much more important, especially this week, why? well next Sunday I fly out of Oakland early in the morning to arrive in Houston at 1:30 for 4 days with my very special friend. I want to be ready, packed and there on time at the airport on Sunday and that involved what I do each day between now and then.
So now its back to work and yes I'll go check on the game again, should be over by now.
Love to each and every one of you,
Tim
Saturday, February 4, 2017
Living life, such a privilege and honor
So today is my Sabbath, but how I keep my Sabbath is different than in the past. Example!
I woke this morning, crawled painfully out of bed, dressed and took a short walk to the nearby park, every step evoked pain, its just the way it is after the Ablation procedure with Dr. Han. My legs are still black and blue and the fronts of my legs hurt from knee to thigh and on the right lower leg just above the ankle, my shin hurts with every step and my ankle is black and blue on its side, just on the right foot, can I explain all of this? Not a chance but I'm determined to keep walking until I'm normal again.
At 9:10 I caught up with Kallie and Nikki where Kallie and her basketball team were playing another team. No they did not excel over the other team, I think the final score was 7 to 38 or something like that but the girls enjoyed playing, the coaches are very faithful and its a good experience. Kallie knew I was there and I enjoyed the time watching and witnessing family in action. Nikki had brought doughnuts for the team and others enjoyed them too, Nikki, having just lost over 100 pounds did not have a doughnut!
It was time to drive to Tracy to church, I caught a coffee at Starbucks and let it be real this time hoping to wake up, I did. At church I shot a photo and texted it to Moon, told her I was praying for her, her daughter Crystal who is performing this weekend, her mom and dad and us. She texted back her thanks. Our pastor just does an excellent job of communicating and giving us the word from our loving Father. I think he and his wife are doing a great job and I appreciate the worship hour, it was fun to sit near the Ahns and see the little girls in action during church, great family, blessed to know them.
After church it was vegeburger at Burger King along with salad and a drink, then it was drive back home. While the weather was so calm and sun shining I retrieved the ladder, extended it the full 12 feet and scurried up onto the motorhome roof where I installed the new AC fiberglass cover I had picked up yesterday from Manteca Camper and RV store. 4 screws later and with Ray handing things up to me the cover is safely installed and once my feet hit the pavement I felt better, being on the top of the motorhome with hurting legs and decreased mobility was not fun but the job is done now.
Then it was time to pick up Kallie since she was about to be alone for the afternoon, the other three all had places to be. We eventually drove over to Concord and had dinner at the Old Spaghetti Factory and while we waited the 45 minutes to be seated we worked the 1/2 price book store next door, Kallie searched carefully and selected a few things and then our table was ready. The food was great and we had a delightful time.
Then I drove back to Discovery Bay, spent some time relaxing with Steve who was now home and Kallie headed for bed.
Getting to spend quality time with a grandchild is a huge gift of meaning, joy, excitement and privilege. I have 4 bright, energetic, delightful grandchildren and that is why I am rich and blessed. Moon has taught me a great deal about valuing family, about thanking God for special moments with these unique individuals. She is so right, they are precious.
Now I'm off to bed, since the open heart surgery in August and the Ablation procedure two weeks ago I really need to rest up at night. I'm thankful to sleep and dream pleasant dreams.
I hope your weekend is progressing nicely, tomorrow is the Super Bowl, I'll check in from time to time to see the score, I just never feel like I have the time to sit for several hours watching a game. I'm happy for those who enjoy the day, the hype, the fun, its great for them but I would prefer to spend the afternoon with Moon or family.
Good night, it was so great to see friends at the Tracy Seventh-day Adventist Church today, spending time with these very special people reminds me that life is more than working all the time.
Love to all
Tim
I woke this morning, crawled painfully out of bed, dressed and took a short walk to the nearby park, every step evoked pain, its just the way it is after the Ablation procedure with Dr. Han. My legs are still black and blue and the fronts of my legs hurt from knee to thigh and on the right lower leg just above the ankle, my shin hurts with every step and my ankle is black and blue on its side, just on the right foot, can I explain all of this? Not a chance but I'm determined to keep walking until I'm normal again.
At 9:10 I caught up with Kallie and Nikki where Kallie and her basketball team were playing another team. No they did not excel over the other team, I think the final score was 7 to 38 or something like that but the girls enjoyed playing, the coaches are very faithful and its a good experience. Kallie knew I was there and I enjoyed the time watching and witnessing family in action. Nikki had brought doughnuts for the team and others enjoyed them too, Nikki, having just lost over 100 pounds did not have a doughnut!
It was time to drive to Tracy to church, I caught a coffee at Starbucks and let it be real this time hoping to wake up, I did. At church I shot a photo and texted it to Moon, told her I was praying for her, her daughter Crystal who is performing this weekend, her mom and dad and us. She texted back her thanks. Our pastor just does an excellent job of communicating and giving us the word from our loving Father. I think he and his wife are doing a great job and I appreciate the worship hour, it was fun to sit near the Ahns and see the little girls in action during church, great family, blessed to know them.
After church it was vegeburger at Burger King along with salad and a drink, then it was drive back home. While the weather was so calm and sun shining I retrieved the ladder, extended it the full 12 feet and scurried up onto the motorhome roof where I installed the new AC fiberglass cover I had picked up yesterday from Manteca Camper and RV store. 4 screws later and with Ray handing things up to me the cover is safely installed and once my feet hit the pavement I felt better, being on the top of the motorhome with hurting legs and decreased mobility was not fun but the job is done now.
Then it was time to pick up Kallie since she was about to be alone for the afternoon, the other three all had places to be. We eventually drove over to Concord and had dinner at the Old Spaghetti Factory and while we waited the 45 minutes to be seated we worked the 1/2 price book store next door, Kallie searched carefully and selected a few things and then our table was ready. The food was great and we had a delightful time.
Then I drove back to Discovery Bay, spent some time relaxing with Steve who was now home and Kallie headed for bed.
Getting to spend quality time with a grandchild is a huge gift of meaning, joy, excitement and privilege. I have 4 bright, energetic, delightful grandchildren and that is why I am rich and blessed. Moon has taught me a great deal about valuing family, about thanking God for special moments with these unique individuals. She is so right, they are precious.
Now I'm off to bed, since the open heart surgery in August and the Ablation procedure two weeks ago I really need to rest up at night. I'm thankful to sleep and dream pleasant dreams.
I hope your weekend is progressing nicely, tomorrow is the Super Bowl, I'll check in from time to time to see the score, I just never feel like I have the time to sit for several hours watching a game. I'm happy for those who enjoy the day, the hype, the fun, its great for them but I would prefer to spend the afternoon with Moon or family.
Good night, it was so great to see friends at the Tracy Seventh-day Adventist Church today, spending time with these very special people reminds me that life is more than working all the time.
Love to all
Tim
Friday, February 3, 2017
So its Friday evening
Dear Family and Friends,
Just home out of very slow traffic from Oakland. In Oakland at 3 pm I pulled up in front of a little house, I had been warned that the occupant was hostile so I slowly trudged up to the front door with my ladder in tow, the purchase was with a FHA loan so an inspection of the attic was required.
Yes, the man answering the door was abrupt and not happy. So what approach was the right one, silent treatment, forceful and rude, kind and thoughtful?
First I measured around the outside, did not take long, it was raining lightly, not enough for a coat but chilly. then I knocked again and entered. I mostly listened. This young man had lived in the house with his grandfather at times, the grandfather had been there 35 years. Others in the family wanted the money selling the house would bring, our young man felt betrayed by family.
It was quickly established, he worked long hours, was hoping to start his life over in this little family house and now it was not to be. I listened and he warmed, I learned a lot, we shared observations about the women in our lives, he has a girl friend too and a 17 year old son. Since it was a little house it did not take me long to finish my inspection, he was a friend and friendly as I left.
Confession, this morning when I was asking God for His blessing, safety, health and praying for Moon and her family too I stopped and simply said, God if there is anything I can help with today let me know. I think my visit to this little home in Oakland was that appointment and I felt good as I drove away to shoot comp photos and then enter the freeway to deal with traffic all the way home.
Moon taught me that yesterday was a day when all Asian people wish each other happy birthday even though it is not their real birthday. Its a part of the New Years celebration. This evening she was going to friends for dinner and to celebrate birthday party, not sure if real or part of the New Years ongoing celebrations. Crystal, her 20 year old daughter was performing this weekend again with her beautiful and gentle voice. Moon wants to be home with her family so much right now, last year she was here with me. Every day we wait for a letter from immigration which will invite her to one last interview with officials and then she can fly home to Singapore. We have waited over a year for this final step and she is just bidding her time in Houston waiting to take the next steps.
Today was a day of doing needed chores, first I shot comparable photos in French Camp, the to a Staples for toner for the very busy office printer and to turn in 5 used cartridges for a small refund. Then it was to Manteca Camper and RV to pick up the cover for the AC system in the motorhome. The high winds has blown the fiberglass cover off and shattered it the night I was in the hospital after the heart Ablation, LeAnn, my faithful neighbor called to tell me that it was in many pieces so now I have it, just how to get it up on the motorhome without me falling off. I move so slowly right now and have such pain in my legs that are still bruised from the heart procedure. Not really fun to live right now.
Work is extremely slow right now, hardly any orders and I'm so thankful for a company called United States Appraisals, without them I would be out of work. After a year of turning down many orders every day now any order is such welcome news.
I've been invited to go to Kallie's basketball game at 9 in the morning and then care for Keanna in the afternoon, its a huge blessing to be so near my precious family. Moon always reminds me to be thankful my family is so near. She is very right.
Thankful for another week, for work, food, warm house and the people that make life real, enjoy texts and visits with my family, with Art and with Jerry my brother who lives in snow country.
My hope is that you have a good, solid, caring weekend, love while you can, say good words while you can speak them, be kind and gracious.
All my love
Tim
Just home out of very slow traffic from Oakland. In Oakland at 3 pm I pulled up in front of a little house, I had been warned that the occupant was hostile so I slowly trudged up to the front door with my ladder in tow, the purchase was with a FHA loan so an inspection of the attic was required.
Yes, the man answering the door was abrupt and not happy. So what approach was the right one, silent treatment, forceful and rude, kind and thoughtful?
First I measured around the outside, did not take long, it was raining lightly, not enough for a coat but chilly. then I knocked again and entered. I mostly listened. This young man had lived in the house with his grandfather at times, the grandfather had been there 35 years. Others in the family wanted the money selling the house would bring, our young man felt betrayed by family.
It was quickly established, he worked long hours, was hoping to start his life over in this little family house and now it was not to be. I listened and he warmed, I learned a lot, we shared observations about the women in our lives, he has a girl friend too and a 17 year old son. Since it was a little house it did not take me long to finish my inspection, he was a friend and friendly as I left.
Confession, this morning when I was asking God for His blessing, safety, health and praying for Moon and her family too I stopped and simply said, God if there is anything I can help with today let me know. I think my visit to this little home in Oakland was that appointment and I felt good as I drove away to shoot comp photos and then enter the freeway to deal with traffic all the way home.
Moon taught me that yesterday was a day when all Asian people wish each other happy birthday even though it is not their real birthday. Its a part of the New Years celebration. This evening she was going to friends for dinner and to celebrate birthday party, not sure if real or part of the New Years ongoing celebrations. Crystal, her 20 year old daughter was performing this weekend again with her beautiful and gentle voice. Moon wants to be home with her family so much right now, last year she was here with me. Every day we wait for a letter from immigration which will invite her to one last interview with officials and then she can fly home to Singapore. We have waited over a year for this final step and she is just bidding her time in Houston waiting to take the next steps.
Today was a day of doing needed chores, first I shot comparable photos in French Camp, the to a Staples for toner for the very busy office printer and to turn in 5 used cartridges for a small refund. Then it was to Manteca Camper and RV to pick up the cover for the AC system in the motorhome. The high winds has blown the fiberglass cover off and shattered it the night I was in the hospital after the heart Ablation, LeAnn, my faithful neighbor called to tell me that it was in many pieces so now I have it, just how to get it up on the motorhome without me falling off. I move so slowly right now and have such pain in my legs that are still bruised from the heart procedure. Not really fun to live right now.
Work is extremely slow right now, hardly any orders and I'm so thankful for a company called United States Appraisals, without them I would be out of work. After a year of turning down many orders every day now any order is such welcome news.
I've been invited to go to Kallie's basketball game at 9 in the morning and then care for Keanna in the afternoon, its a huge blessing to be so near my precious family. Moon always reminds me to be thankful my family is so near. She is very right.
Thankful for another week, for work, food, warm house and the people that make life real, enjoy texts and visits with my family, with Art and with Jerry my brother who lives in snow country.
My hope is that you have a good, solid, caring weekend, love while you can, say good words while you can speak them, be kind and gracious.
All my love
Tim
Thursday, February 2, 2017
I'm back, God is so good to us my family and friends
Dear Family, Friends,
Its Thursday evening the 2nd of February and after wading through pages of Google help I finally managed to find the right page, discover that the email address for this blog is one I have forgotten, mustards@jps.net. Then they helped me reset the password and here I am finally, I've tried over and over without success, thought I might never be able to blog again but I asked God help me tonight, I really enjoy this connection with some very precious people, friends and family for many years.
On Sunday I'll fly to Houston and spend 4 magic days with the woman I love. Moon has been very busy with her precious 20 year old daughter Crystal who is in Singapore and this week was featured on TV, she sings, is a 6 foot tall beautiful woman and is a really good girl, Moon spends hours with her on face time audio, a very inexpensive way to spend hours with someone in Singapore. Moon really cares for her family there and talks to her mom every night for at least an hour, a dear lady who has spent the entire day at the hospital with Moon's dad, he's been there for over a year now with multiple health issues, mom is so faithful to him and Moon is her sounding board, a safe person that she can share her fears and joys.
Moon and I will celebrate Chinese New Years and I'll be there on Valentines day too, will be fun to see her instead of just talk, we talk and text every day and share our day, try to take care of each other from a distance as well as we can.
I'm recovering from a heart Ablation procedure on the 18th of January. I am very fortunate to have found Dr. Han who is with Kaiser and operates in the Santa Clara facility. Ray, neighbor, took me there that morning, a Wednesday in driving rain and I waited for over 2 hours for the process to start, its like that with hearts, if someone has a severe problem, they deal with it and then do the routine work. I was taken in, prepped and told what could happen and what they hoped would happen. Incredible team! Jason was with me for the day, once I was taken away hours passed quickly, they inserted 5 lines into my arteries successfully and then moved to my heart, Dr. Han was able to make my heart go into A-fib and then moved quickly to burn various spots where the heart was misbehaving, shorting out, then she was able to make my heart do flutter, another issue and she then proceeded to burn many spots in my heart and arteries until the flutter was dealt with. she took as extra hour and a half but feels very confident that she was able to solve both A-fib and Flutter, so far I've had neither and its been two weeks.
The downside: I was ordered to lie perfectly still, not lift my head, not move after I woke up, the pain was intense and after going through open heart surgery in August I know a little bit about pain. I had to lie still for 6 hours until continual blood testing achieved a 170, not sure if that is blood thickness or blood sugar or something else. Finally the number was 162 and they moved to the next step.
They call it removing the sheets, they told me it would hurt like hell, they were not kidding. They removed the lines that were inserted in my arteries in my groin area, they would put enormous pressure on me, they said they were putting their entire body weight on what felt like a flat square which they were pulling out of me, pain like I've never known was the result, then they said the last two would be the worst and the girls said, this is like childbirth, wow, I can see why Nan did not want more kids! Intense pressure and pain engulfed me but eventually it was over and I was alone.
At 2 am a guy came with food and fed me, great food and very kind attention, it was a welcome moment.
The front of my legs and body is so bruised, I have solid black and blue to my knees and now two weeks later every time I stand up the front of the legs hurt and burn and one shin feels like a horse kicked it but I am better. I did see two house the next day, Friday but I moved very slowly due to intense pain.
Work has nearly stopped due to the raise in interest rates. So far this year I've logged in 36 orders and last fall I was seeing them at a rate of about 5 to 10 orders per day. But I'm so tired after this latest heart episode that I need lots of sleep every night and naps during the day. Still I'm so thankful for God's leading and blessing, I enjoy my time with Moon even if it is long distance, I love meeting homeowners and seeing their homes, every check that comes in the mail is a little thrill and I'm thankful for a warm home, food, an incredible family and great friends, a brother who calls me every night and a life that is busy and interesting.
I've missed being able to blog, thank you for asking where I went and now I can say, I'm back.
Love to all
Tim
Its Thursday evening the 2nd of February and after wading through pages of Google help I finally managed to find the right page, discover that the email address for this blog is one I have forgotten, mustards@jps.net. Then they helped me reset the password and here I am finally, I've tried over and over without success, thought I might never be able to blog again but I asked God help me tonight, I really enjoy this connection with some very precious people, friends and family for many years.
On Sunday I'll fly to Houston and spend 4 magic days with the woman I love. Moon has been very busy with her precious 20 year old daughter Crystal who is in Singapore and this week was featured on TV, she sings, is a 6 foot tall beautiful woman and is a really good girl, Moon spends hours with her on face time audio, a very inexpensive way to spend hours with someone in Singapore. Moon really cares for her family there and talks to her mom every night for at least an hour, a dear lady who has spent the entire day at the hospital with Moon's dad, he's been there for over a year now with multiple health issues, mom is so faithful to him and Moon is her sounding board, a safe person that she can share her fears and joys.
Moon and I will celebrate Chinese New Years and I'll be there on Valentines day too, will be fun to see her instead of just talk, we talk and text every day and share our day, try to take care of each other from a distance as well as we can.
I'm recovering from a heart Ablation procedure on the 18th of January. I am very fortunate to have found Dr. Han who is with Kaiser and operates in the Santa Clara facility. Ray, neighbor, took me there that morning, a Wednesday in driving rain and I waited for over 2 hours for the process to start, its like that with hearts, if someone has a severe problem, they deal with it and then do the routine work. I was taken in, prepped and told what could happen and what they hoped would happen. Incredible team! Jason was with me for the day, once I was taken away hours passed quickly, they inserted 5 lines into my arteries successfully and then moved to my heart, Dr. Han was able to make my heart go into A-fib and then moved quickly to burn various spots where the heart was misbehaving, shorting out, then she was able to make my heart do flutter, another issue and she then proceeded to burn many spots in my heart and arteries until the flutter was dealt with. she took as extra hour and a half but feels very confident that she was able to solve both A-fib and Flutter, so far I've had neither and its been two weeks.
The downside: I was ordered to lie perfectly still, not lift my head, not move after I woke up, the pain was intense and after going through open heart surgery in August I know a little bit about pain. I had to lie still for 6 hours until continual blood testing achieved a 170, not sure if that is blood thickness or blood sugar or something else. Finally the number was 162 and they moved to the next step.
They call it removing the sheets, they told me it would hurt like hell, they were not kidding. They removed the lines that were inserted in my arteries in my groin area, they would put enormous pressure on me, they said they were putting their entire body weight on what felt like a flat square which they were pulling out of me, pain like I've never known was the result, then they said the last two would be the worst and the girls said, this is like childbirth, wow, I can see why Nan did not want more kids! Intense pressure and pain engulfed me but eventually it was over and I was alone.
At 2 am a guy came with food and fed me, great food and very kind attention, it was a welcome moment.
The front of my legs and body is so bruised, I have solid black and blue to my knees and now two weeks later every time I stand up the front of the legs hurt and burn and one shin feels like a horse kicked it but I am better. I did see two house the next day, Friday but I moved very slowly due to intense pain.
Work has nearly stopped due to the raise in interest rates. So far this year I've logged in 36 orders and last fall I was seeing them at a rate of about 5 to 10 orders per day. But I'm so tired after this latest heart episode that I need lots of sleep every night and naps during the day. Still I'm so thankful for God's leading and blessing, I enjoy my time with Moon even if it is long distance, I love meeting homeowners and seeing their homes, every check that comes in the mail is a little thrill and I'm thankful for a warm home, food, an incredible family and great friends, a brother who calls me every night and a life that is busy and interesting.
I've missed being able to blog, thank you for asking where I went and now I can say, I'm back.
Love to all
Tim
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)