Trache Change!

Hi Everyone!

How's everybody been? Busy, huh? So much to do and not enough hours in the day, right? Just wanted to write a little bit and tell you about changing my trache out last weekend! I have to change out the entire trache thing once a month! The "collar" that goes around the back of my neck, gets changed out once a week by Mark and I can do the gauze sponge that goes in the front by myself and I do that twice a day! Since I sleep w/a mist cup over the trache area that is attached to a hose going to a humidifier, the gauze sponge up front tends to be wet in the morning. I am so lucky my neighbor and friend Terry Serna lives 2 houses over - she is a respiratory technician and she comes over to change out my trache for me! Glad she did and that we didn't let Mark do it on his own, because we had a little bit of trouble! The skin is closing in around the trache area and when I had ordered a replacement trache from the supply company, we got the wrong size! It was too big and Terry was having a hard time getting it in there! Yikes! Fortunately, we had my original one sanitized and put away in a brand new tupperware container, so we used that! We'll have to see what size they use when I go to CO next week for my procedure! Hopeing all will go well - the insurance is saying I've reached the million dollar mark - so we have to assure them again that there is NO ONE ELSE able to help except Dr. Yakes, so they need to pay him!

I was off work on Monday and ended up having a bad bleed from inside my mouth! Luckily Mark came home for lunch and came in about 5 minutes after the bleed started! It lasted almost an hour! Hopefully Dr. Yakes can put an end to anything like that happening again! You know, when things like that happen - it is so discouraging! My Mom is always telling me how brave I am, as are other people - but I'm really not. I'm angry about all of this @ times - tired of dealing with everything! Seems I'm always having to find a way to cope w/some problem I'm having because of the avm! Now I'm sleeping w/my bed wetting alarm again in case I bleed during the night from my mouth! Gotta make sure it doesn't get in the way of the mist cup though! Plus of course I have drainage coming out my ear and scabbing inside and around it - ugh! I have to work w/the therabite again because I can't open my mouth very wide, but I had gotten away from it from trying to deal w/all the trache stuff! Agh! We look forward to these trips to CO because we know we are in good hands up there! Poor Mark can finally rest knowing Dr. Yakes and the P.A.'s are taking good care of me!

I just have to say that I am so very blessed to have such an awesome husband that takes care of our household while I can't hold up my end of the deal! After a long day @ work, neither of us feels like doing much, but Mark fixes dinner and most times cleans the kitchen too! Plus, Mark makes sure Hanz has everything he needs, from replacing his pads, to getting any meds, haircut, his nails filed! I just make sure Hanz gets lots of love and is fed!

I would also like to add that after having that bleed, some family members stepped up right away offering to donate blood for me! From my brother-in-law Jim Schuman, to my nephew Davis Fossum! I have an incredible support team backing me up!

How is Hanz the Magnificent you ask? Well, Mark had taken Hanz in to the City Vet. and one of the ladies that worked there was telling Mark that she thought Hanz was so special and cute, she just wanted to take him home with her! Oh, Mark told her she'd have a fight on her hands on that one with his wife! My baby! I miss him all day while I'm @ work! We've been having decent weather the past few days, so we have been taking Hanz for a walk! You should see him just strutting - so happy his mommy and daddy are taking him walking! Yesterday, we walked past a lady sitting on her porch and she just had to get up and come pet Hanz! He gets so many compliments on how adorable he is!

Anyway, here are some photos - the one of Mark and I is from New Years Eve and Marks 50th Birthday! My Uncle Luis and Aunt Betty were in town from Nebraska celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary - married the same day and year that Mark was born!

As always, we thank all of you for your prayer, love and support!

Love to everyone!

Mark & Cyndi