First a Card...

Without all my usual chatter, I have a card to share. It's a pretty QACAS one. Playing along with the current challenge at City Crafters, where we're to use black, white and gold as an accent.

My interpretation looks like this:

One Studio Calico Stamp set, using the little dots, one Studio Calico 'celebrate' die, and a couple of scraps; gold glitter and black. EZPZ, and I like the way this turned out. 

Now. I've got some 'splaining to do, so if you want to skip this next part, feel free. I haven't been crafting, posting or commenting very much as of late. Wasn't sure how much to share, wasn't sure how to say what I wanted to say, and wasn't sure you'd want to hear. And I spent a little time reeling with total brain shut down, too. But I'm going to give this a go, and see what falls out of my brain and onto the keyboard. Some of you know that my DH is a few (20) years older than me, and I'm no spring chicken. Overall, he's in decent health. Not great, not good, but decent. Took him to a new doctor a few weeks ago. She sent him for lab work (all wonderfully normal), and two CT scans; one of his brain, and one of his lower abdomen and legs. I expected something to show on his legs, so wasn't surprised to find narrowing of his distal femoral arteries in both legs (just above his knees).  Our youngest son, a Family Practice physician said we should leave them alone if he can tolerate the coldness, as he doesn't have any pain. The Vascular Surgeon we went to said to readdress this after he gets the other thing looked at/taken care of. His narrowed arteries are serious, but not acute, and not life or limb threatening. But it's the other thing that tossed me around like a rag doll in a tornado. For his sake, I had to pretend normalcy, but inside I was functioning in a fog. Thankfully, that stage has passed. Next moth, we go see a Neuroscience Team at Froedtert Hospital in Milwaukee for a consultation and to schedule final diagnosis testing. There's a real possibility that DH has a condition called Normal Pressure Hydrocephaly (NPH). I'll let you google that, but it affects several aspects of a person, and if left untreated, well, there's only one outcome... There is treatment, however. It's placement of a shunt in his brain. Having worked as a Surgical Technologist, I know what that is, and how the procedure works. "Minor" brain surgery. 

Meanwhile, I stick close to him. His fall-risk has greatly increased as his gait has substantially worsened in the last few months (a symptom of NPH). And we wait. Full of questions. More full of prayers. Hoping that if his final diagnosis is NPH, that he's a candidate for the shunt. His regular doc, and the radiologist seem to think that's what he's got, but we have to wait for the Neuroscience team's diagnosis. It's going to be a long year. And I don't know if I'll have time or energy to be anything other than a caregiver. Did that sound selfish, or self-pitying? Hope not, that's not what I'm trying to convey. I'm fully equipped, and absolutely willing to care for my beloved in all things. But I may not be able to enjoy crafting and such. As I'm sure you'd agree, my priorities must be elsewhere. I will try to get in here when I can, and visit you all when I can, but it may all be very sporadic. So that's what's been keeping me busy. We're okay; trusting in God's promises to be with us, and to keep us. Since I've taken up a good deal of your time, I'll stop now. Feel free to email me with any questions, and I'll do my best to get back to you. Thanks for listening, and Happy Dances everyone.