Updates

William. Here's the latest deal on William: we went to the doctor last week and determined that a.) the inflammation is so bad in some place(s) that all the medicine we have him on thus far cannot fix it and/or b.) the ulceration in his intestines has caused a hole or a fistula (like a mini appendix) to grow and become infected. Neato. So we scheduled a CT scan for Friday, which will determine more specifically what is going on, and then we can plan our attack. If it is inflammation, he will begin IV treatments with a strong anti-inflammatory. If it is infection, he will get antibiotics. If neither of those work after a time (I don't know how long), then we are talking surgery. William was pretending to read during my discussion with the doctor, but he heard that part and was unnerved at best. The doctor was very cool about it and allayed his fears saying that surgery was a long way off, there were so many things we could try before that. Funny, that's not what I heard, but for the time being I'll go along with it.

William has been like a little lamb as he experiences his cramps and gets poked, prodded and tested. Sometimes I wish he would scream and raise Cain. In a way, that would be he was back to his old self. Now, he's just so mature. We talked about it the other day. I said, "William, I'm so proud of you with the way you've been handling this whole thing." He said, "Yes, I think I'm a better person since I've had to go through this. I've had to learn how to live with pain." So, if he hadn't had to live through the pain would he be harder to live with? I think it would be the opposite for me. More pain = more ornery.

Update within the update: We got the results back from his CT scan and they show that everything is normal. That translates to: he is experiencing a very stubborn case of uncomplicated Crohn's. Our best option is to go with the IV medication at this point. Upside: getting off of prednisone, which over the long haul WILL CAUSE bone density loss, slowed growth rate and a host of other complications. Downside: this medication CAN CAUSE cancer in some people. So we are weighing a will cause vs. a can cause. Frankly, a sickening choice.

Paul. Paul is a much better person these last two weeks. I attribute it to three things: 1.) He finally got his Oregon license 2.) He finally got the title registered for car we bought this summer and 3.) He got another round of antibiotics for his chest cold/bronchitis. As I've mentioned in previous blogs, his long term stress level is three times over the danger zone. So, my theory is that he took real steps toward reducing some of his stress by getting these things out of the way.

However, I would like to take a moment to register the fact that life is not fair. That booger waited FOREVER to get his license and title squared away. I half expected them to fine him or call the Sheriff and have him spend the weekend in a cell. But what does he do? He takes a half day off, goes to the DEQ to have the car exhaust tested and is turned away - not because his car failed the test (see previous blogs for my experience), but because it doesn't have to be done until his plates expire. So he goes to the DMV, waltzes into the place, studies the stinking drivers manual during the waiting period, passes the test, and comes away with his driver's license like it was a piece of cake. Ugh! I swear if it had been me, I would still be locked up in a cell and the car would be impounded. (I refused to drive the car until he got it squared away. Twice in Minnesota, I used his car to run a brief errand and was pulled over for expired tabs or headlights being burned out. He drove that car every day and never got stopped - what is up with that?!)

The weather. It is positively balmy here. Like, tropically balmy. It started to rain last week and then a warm front came through. Last night it poured. Today in the paper they called it a "typhoon" and warned that rivers could be flooding. Really? I expected flooding in February, but now? And now I know people who live under bridges. How do they get the flash flood warnings?

I have been curious to see how the house reacts to all the rain. So far, besides feeling like the heat is turning on every five seconds in the morning and the gutters being clogged with leaves, it is holding up just fine. The gutters are an obvious easy fix. The heat, on the other hand... I've been reading up on energy saving steps, and our house is probably in need of most of them. BUT, the good news is: the other day I thought it would be a good idea to see how the chimneys looked so we can have a fire in the fireplace when we are ready. Lo and behold, there was daylight streaming down upon my face as I gazed up at the flue. Duh, duh, DUH!!! I never thought to check the flue until now, so the heat has been going straight up the chimney(s). Check that one off the list...