Long Time No See

Sorry that I have abandoned updating this blog. Life got busy and this blog fell off my priority list. I am not sure that I will pick this up again but for some reason I am in the mood to blog tonight so here it is.

So much of my previous entries have been about my health. The latest update on that is that my liver has completely grown back and appears to be completely healthy. My gall bladder is gone and for the most part I don't think that my body misses it though my stomach at times might disagree. However, life would be too simple if I ended there. I had a 7 inch incision on my abdomen from the liver surgery and sometime last summer I discovered that I had developed a hernia in my abdomen. This showed up when I stood up and my stomach had a small bulge that didn't match the rest of my profile. Also when sitting up from a laying position this bulge sticks out quite a bit. Well I am finally going to have surgery to correct this next Tuesday at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago. I figured that it was best to have my liver surgeon repair this since I was already seeing her for periodic checkups. Hopefully this will prove to be a good decision.

The other health issue that I have learned about is a heart irregularity called "Atrial Fibrillation" that I was diagnosed with last fall. It took some time to get the right medications to control this but as of right now this seems to be under control. For whatever reason my body has been experiencing one strange thing after another for the past 3 years. I am hoping that this will soon be in the past. It isn't that I hate hospitals but I am just starting to get tired of spending so much time in them. As always I am super thankful for medical insurance.

One of my very first blog entries a couple of years ago was about my trips to Oklahoma to watch the state high school basketball tournament. This is a long drive (750 miles) but one that I make each year by myself for an event that I really love. This year however, this will be happening 2 weeks after my hernia surgery. Because of this (and due to a generous offer from my sister to let me use her car while I am in town) I am going to fly down for the tournament and avoid the 12 hour car drive. It has been awhile since I have flown anywhere but it should make this fun trip even more enjoyable without the long drive. If I did the math right the cost to get there will be $300 instead of $150 in gas (not to mention wear/tear on the car).

One other thing that has happened in my life recently was the tragic loss of my brother-in-law in a fatal oil field accident last month. Richard had been part of our family for 32 years so he was much more a "brother" than an "in-law". The entire thing continues to be surreal but unfortunately it is very real. Rest in Peace Richard.