Wednesday, April 15, 2015

Things can change in the blink of an eye.

Life can sure change in a flash. Thursday morning, actually Holy Thursday, we headed to our daughter and family that live in Cedar Falls. The day started out as a normal road trip day. Plan was to spend Holy Thursday and Good Friday with the family, attending services together. Got there in time for lunch. Then we headed out to tour Amish country. Fun after noon. By church time, hubby said he was a bit tired and would stay home and rest. We figured all the walking just worn him out. Friday morning he got up feeling terrible. But as the day worn on he seemed to be better. He even went to Good Friday services. Saturday morning he barely could get dressed. We headed to Bondurant where all the family was going to celebrate Easter together. Hubby was feeling better, eating, and teasing the grandkids and just being himself. But by 10 that evening we were on our way to the ER in West Des Moines. After 5 hours, 3 in the morning, we left with no reason for the terrible pain and shortness of breath. Hubby was fit to be tied. He wasn’t able to make it church Easter Sunday, so we went without him to Mass. One grandson was going to a later service so he sat with grandpa.  We made it home and he had a horrible night. I got up around 7, on Monday, took one look at him and send “let’s go” and we headed to the ER, 20 minutes away. Within 45 minutes, the Doctor (actually his Dr. was the on call Dr.) had diagnosed the problem. Two blood clots in the artery to his lung.  After further tests, a blood clot was found in the calf of his right leg. The two in the lung had broken off from that one. After four days in the hospital, he was allowed to come home. He is on a blood thinner and is still on the weak side. But the pain is gone and the cough that goes with the clot is much better.

After two weeks of our normal routine be turned upside down, you learn to appreciate your blessings even more. Our daughters were wonderful. They tagged team to make sure one of them was with us every day, traveling many miles to do so. Another was here yesterday to go with us to his first check up since he was dismissed from the hospital. All seems okay with him, doesn’t have to go back for a month. With time, his strength should get back to normal. And hopefully our lives.

Lesson learned; don’t take for granted anything, anyone or any day. Tell your loved ones how much you love them every chance you get. You never know when things can change in the blink of an eye.

Thank God for all your blessings every day.

Rose