Friday, April 06, 2018

The Week in Review

Parkinsons Update
We visited the neurologist in Anchorage again this week. He is continuing to lower Michael off the med we really dislike. The hope is  he'll have less waves of sleep attacks as he goes off this....and that he will be able to sleep at night. He added an element to the Sinemet which will hopefully help with the extreme dizziness and nausea Michael experiences on some days. Michael has been unhappy with his gait. The doc suggested a referral to see a physical therapist who specializes in parkies (PD patients). He also put in a referral for a neurological/cognitive evaluation.   On the one hand it is discouraging to think our schedule is NOT going to slow up with new evaluations and therapies. On the other hand, it is wonderful if the VA will approve some of these therapies. It's all about quality of life, and slowing down the progression of the disease. We honestly believe he had this years before it was diagnosed; thus the seemingly frequent new symptoms. I think we're leveling off now.  Michael is experiencing some involuntary muscle movements - and we don't like it at all, though we have kept our sense of humor.  We continue to pray for healing, and yet, we feel we've left it in His hands, "Your will be done."  We seek to move ahead with courage and joy. 

Gather 
We kicked off our ladies Bible study at our local church. I'm excited to see what God will do in our midst as we gather together in His presence.....I'm expecting great things. 

Projects
Michael has been building a shelf for the downstairs office. Now that his office is no longer housed at a chapel - we need to do something MAJOR to make everything for school, women's ministry and Michael's studies fit into the house. LOL  These shelves will go a long way towards organization.

I took advantage of a day without appointments to make ham stock and then to can ham/potato/corn/bean soup. It was yummy. Yes, I DID decide to have a bowl. 

I wish I'd been thinking when asparagus was on sale last week. The produce man told me it wouldn't be good frozen....so I raw packed what I had left over. I like it best lightly steamed or roasted....but this will be better than nothing in the winter. 

The kids are pushing hard to finish up our school year by 1 May. Alex seems to enjoy biology. 

I continue to fuss with seeds. Do you see the ONE sprout of mint in this pot? One!!!!
Right edge - middle
Family
We've enjoyed walks, games, watching movies, eating together. Family is a good thing. 
Michael rolled 6 5s in Farkle - can you spot them all? 

Alaska
We continue to enjoy this beautiful state and the change of the season. The photo below was taken in our yard at 8:50 PM.

We found the band of clouds interesting on the mountain. It seemed to be right where we live. 

It's been a really busy week.  Not only have we done the above, but we've made quite  a bit of admin progress in a variety of areas. Today, Stacia and I are hanging out at home and taking care of projects around here.  Michael and the boys started the day with men's group. Alex, went for a nice long walk. Nolan and Michael met at Josiah and Jamin's apartment and went to Anchorage for a sportsman fair or some such thing.