The Final Post

I’ve started, stopped, rehashed, rewritten and deleted this post for three months. Unbelievably, it has turned into the most difficult of the series. Difficult in the sense that this will be the last entry of what turned into a love story. Difficult in the sense that I feel a need to bring some closure.

It’s been pointed out by faithful readers that the author of this blog has some kind of “crush” on Clara. Um, okay, yes, ‘tis true, I have a “thing” for her… I adore her. You see, the sharing and surviving of this experience has transfigured our union in a way that is hard to express. The bond is deeper and stronger than it’s ever been. Even as I write this post, 500 miles away from home, my soul aches to be with hers. I pray that you experience the same bond and longing for your spouse. I also pray that you know, or will come to know, God’s ultimate love story and longing for your soul. It was only through immeasurable pain and suffering that Jesus can claim His bride.

By now, most readers have long forgotten about this blog. None, however, have forgotten Clara. It seems almost daily someone asks how she’s doing. I have to say; Clara is doing great! She enjoys these days with her husband, children and friends with more intensity, energy and enthusiasm than she has in a very, very long time. We still don’t know if she has experienced life-long healing (I pray daily that she does). But we don’t have time to fear the unknown; each day that God gives, she lives to the maximum.

I can never comprehend the deep despair, confusion and anger caused by the failure of medicine. But I do understand that God is in control and He has already used Clara’s struggle for His ultimate good. Although none of us can comprehend the full extent God’s awesome purpose, He has already forged and strengthened relationships and rallied a community of believers. I pray that somehow you have been touched.

Oh, I almost forgot. The bills are all paid! I don’t exactly understand the how or why. We went from owing $115,000 one day, to zero the next. All I know is that God provided just what we needed to pay every single medical bill. Between the donations given by friends and family and our final insurance settlement, we’re paid. Done. Holy smokes… talk about a lesson in the faith that God will provide. Holy smokes.

Take care, good friends. -TP

Big News is Coming

Clara is feeling pretty good these days. The frequency of her Chiari headaches has much diminished. She has had a few episodes, but all are attributed to pressure applied to her head and neck, such as therapy. Obviously we do everything we can to avoid such manipulation. We pray that as she continues to rest, heal and recover that all Chiari headaches will vanish, entirely.

For those that contributed to the Friends of Clara fund raising efforts, big news is coming. I have very exciting news… no, scratch that… I have unbelievable news of God’s awesome faithfulness.

It’ll take me some time to adequately summarize the events. So… tune in tomorrow.

-TP

It’s Not That I Lied

I really have intended to blog the last few days. I underestimated though how tired we both would be. I’m not sure what my excuse is, but many of Clara’s medications cause drowsiness. Multiply “drowsy” by three or four meds and you get “downright exhausted.” It doesn’t help that I have to wake her up 3 or 4 times through the night and into the morning to administer medication. Oh, and she had brain surgery too. That makes me a pansy.

So, what’s going on with Clara now? What is she doing? How’s she doing?

Like I mentioned, she’s very sleepy. She is asleep more than she’s awake. She does seem to be in less pain and feeling better, for longer periods of time. Waking hours are spent in a chair, interacting with the daughters and talking with Dixie. At this point, Clara can bear only small amounts of television, reading, computing and phone calls. I don’t know how she does it. If I’m not doing one of those things, I’ll go downright stir crazy.

We continue to work on stretching her neck muscles. I’m actually watching her stretch right now (and you know that she’s easy on the eyes). I think we’ve made some improvement in her range of motion on our own, but the docs have ordered physical therapy and massage therapy. It’ll be good to have a pro take her muscle recovery to the next level.

Overall, it seems like Clara continues to make a little more progress each day. She’s still on the painkillers, but she’s easing back on the rescue medication. That’s a praise.

How about the surgery, was it successful, can Clara tell if it worked yet?

The surgeon did classify the results as highly satisfactory. He measured the post-surgical CSF flow to be in the upper limits of normal. That’s all very well and good, but the proof is in the fat-free pudding.

It’s still too early to tell if the pain she’s now dealing with is from Chiari or from the surgery. The bottom line is that her skull is still in the process of healing. The area is likely to be inflamed and irritated, which could cause Chiari-type headaches. It could take many more weeks or months to know for sure.

What happens now?

Clara heals, we wait, we pray. We’ll be back at the Institute in nine months for evaluation. I’m praying that the issues in her spine are divinely healed and that we avoid further surgery.

I suppose I’ll continue to blog, especially while Clara’s interaction with “her public” is limited.

Thanks so much for the continued prayers and messages of support. -TP

Day 12: Home, Finally

Okay, which one of y’all prayed for the weather to clear for our flight today? C’mon, speak up. I wanna know, ’cause we need more warriors like you. I checked the weather yesterday… rain and thunderstorms were the forecast for all three cities… New York, Dallas and Austin. We left New York under sunny skies and arrived in Dallas with only partly cloudy skies. Our final leg to Austin was little bumpy, but short. We landed just minutes before a thunder storm practically shut down the Austin airport. A path was cleared just enough to get us on the ground. Clara made it; very tired, but with very little pain. Thank God!

We deplaned and were soon met by Ms. Wheelchair Driver. Ms. Wheelchair Driver wheeled us toward baggage claim. No sooner had we cleared the last corner of the terminal exit, we saw a big, red man with a cardboard sign that read; “PetersoN.” It was Brian. Our friends Brian, Sherri and Elizabeth had come to greet us, pick us up, and apparently wait for our luggage. You see, just as we arrived at baggage claim, the thunderstorm hit. And thunderstorms, evidently pose a risk to airport personnel, what with the lightning and all. Baggage claim was shut down. Brian and Sherri offered to wait for our luggage while Elizabeth took us home. Who knew they’d be there, waiting for our luggage… for nearly two hours? Eventually, the luggage was retrieved, although soaking wet and, uh… ripped.

Hand-crafted sign. Pic taken just seconds before a downpour.

We arrived home to find a banner — hand crafted by our sweet girls — posted proudly for the whole neighborhood to see. Inside we found dinner… thanks Mrs. Blome… and lots of goodies and treats, left behind by the afore mentioned friends.

During this awful, excellent adventure, God has provided for every little detail. I mean dee-tails, from getting us to New York, to professional massages, right down to home-delivered luggage. Not only that, but He has blessed us with all of y’all… the stinkin’ awesomest of friends.

Clara’s sleeping, I’m thinking about doing the same. I think I’ll blog again tomorrow. -TP

Day 12: Gating at the Wait

So, all the hassle, dealing on the phone with the American Airlines Special Assistance people… totally worth it.

When we pulled up to the curb, there was a wheelchair waiting. The curb-side folks speedily checked-in our baggage. We were whisked to the security, bypassing a hundred people in the screening line. Our items were pushed to the front of the x-ray machine. Clara was deposited in a fairly comfortable chair. The special assistance easily saved us 45 minutes, not mention, it may have saved Clara a headache. We now wait for boarding. I’m told we’ll get to pre-board too. Very cool.

See y’all soon. -TP

Day 12: Flight Status – Delayed

God’s timing is perfect; American Airlines’ timing is not. Our flight out of New York is delayed by an hour. That’s no problem at all, because we checked the flight status before check-out. Clara is taking the extra time to snooze. I left to get her coffee and returned to find her crashed. She’s gonna need the extra rest today. God’s timing is perfect.

Today, we travel. -TP

1 Peter 1:18-21 (The Message)
Your life is a journey you must travel with a deep consciousness of God. It cost God plenty to get you out of that dead-end, empty-headed life you grew up in. He paid with Christ’s sacred blood, you know. He died like an unblemished, sacrificial lamb. And this was no afterthought. Even though it has only lately—at the end of the ages—become public knowledge, God always knew he was going to do this for you. It’s because of this sacrificed Messiah, whom God then raised from the dead and glorified, that you trust God, that you know you have a future in God.

Day 11: Party Time

W Hotel, Times Square.

To celebrate our last night in New York, we’re gonna catch the LIRR to Penn station, catch the subway to Times Square, check into the W Hotel for the night and catch dinner at a 5-star restaurant.

Yeah, no.

Clara was REALLY tired after our appointment. She slept for a couple hours. She’s just now up, kinda groggy from the last dose of pain medi. We’ll start thinking about where we’re gonna order-in from. Can’t decide between Asian, Italian, American grill, etc. It seems like it’s always about the food with me. You’ve seen me, right?

I’ve got butterfly-tummy. Little nervous about tomorrow, but we need to go home. I am going nuts in this hotel room. Laters. -TP

I crumble at Your kiss and grace
I’m a weakling in the dust
Teach me how to cling to You
With all my life and all my love

Father come to me, hold me up ’cause I can barely stand
My strength is gone and my breath is short, I can’t reach out my hands
But my heart is set on a pilgrimage to heaven’s own bright King
So in faltering or victory I will always sing

And on the road to beautiful
My seasons always change
But my life is spent on loving You
To know You in Your power and pain

Father come to me, hold me up ’cause I can barely stand
My strength is gone and my breath is short, I can’t reach out my hands
But my heart is set on a pilgrimage to heaven’s own bright King
So in faltering or victory I will always sing

You’re my portion in this life
You’re my strength now in my fight
And to You I pledge my heart
In the pain and in the dark I’ll love You
I’ll love You, I’ll love You

I’ll love You…

Father come to me, hold me up ’cause I can barely stand
My strength is gone and my breath is short, I can’t reach out my hands
But my heart is set on a pilgrimage to heaven’s own bright King
So in faltering or victory I will always sing

And my heart is set on a pilgrimage to heaven’s own bright King
So in faltering or victory I will always sing

I love You
I love You
I love You

- Charlie Hall
On the Road to Beautiful

Day 11: Cleared for Take-off

We just returned from the Institute; the final stitch has been removed, the incision has been evaluated and cleared. We have the medical release — it has been faxed to the airline — we are cleared to leave tomorrow.

I kinda thought there would be champagne, confetti, balloons… or at least a cheer from the staff. It was a bit anticlimactic, but relieving nonetheless. We are so ready to go home.

Clara is pooped; it was a tough morning. She’s now relaxing in bed. It makes me wonder how she’s going to do tomorrow. I don’t know if her head can handle delays and a rocky airplane. I pray that she’ll have the strength for the big travel day. Praying for good weather and smooth skies.

Blog at ya later. -TP

Day 10: Thursday Wrap-up

Okay, okay… we’ve heard from the Clara’s Blog devotees. Apologies for yet another day of weak blogging. Clara’s favorite male nurse was kept quite busy; dispensing medications, changing bandages, assisting bathing, administering pain and feeding. He also had to put in a few hours for the office. Not much time was left for blogging.

As mentioned in the first post of the day, Clara enjoyed an exceptional morning. She celebrated the triumph with a two-hour, big-girl nappy nap. After the beauty arose from slumber, she spent the afternoon listening to the rain and enjoying the company of her husband. The couple feasted on an acceptable, although somewhat disappointing Asian banquet. They then retired, each to their own double-bed, for an evening of rooting for the USA Olympic teams, interrupted only by an occasional flip to Fox News.

Here’s the tally for the day, for those who are of interest… that’s you, Brian:

• Everything bagel with vegetable cream cheese spread
• Berry stella (This may replace the apricot energy cookie as my favorite s-bucks pastry)
• Venti coffee with cream, no sugar
• Grande, skim, mocha latte, no whip
• Orange juice
• Avocado salad with orange-ginger vinaigrette
• Cup hot and sour soup
• Cup wonton soup
• Chicken teriyaki with vegetables
• Steak teriyaki with vegetables

Yep, I’m getting stir crazy. I’m sure you don’t really care what we ate today.

We’ve resisted the urge to count down the days before our return, but I can’t help to think that we’ll be home in just two days. I can’t tell though if we’ve been here for a week or a month… it’s been the longest blur of our lives.

Tomorrow, Clara visits the Institute for her last appointment of the trip. Barring any unforeseen issues, we expect the day to culminate with cheers and high fives. I’ll post the results.

Good morning, and in case I don’t see ya, good afternoon, good evening, and good night!

Peace. -TP

Day 10: Feelin’ Fine

Clara says this is the first day that she feels “normal.” From where I sit, she is starting to hold her head more naturally — it doesn’t appear as stiff — I think it is starting to loosen up. We finally ditched the goofy “instant” heat packs. Nowhere near “instant,” they just weren’t giving enough heat to get deep into her muscles. I picked up an electric heating pad on my daily run to CVS; I think we’re on to something now.

A Coke and a smile.

We went for a lovely stroll around the halls this morning, just shooting the breeze. It was so nice, we both enjoyed the easy conversation. Her step is improving; her huge stride is beginning to show signs of return; my stubby legs are starting to have a hard time keeping up. She’s a little tired from the walk. We’re just chillin’, waiting for housekeeping. Clara is talking to Kathryn and Vicky P., sippin’ Coca-Cola. We’re feelin’ fine. -TP

I waited patiently for the Lord
He inclined and heard my cry
He brought me up out of the pit
Out of the miry clay

I will sing, sing a new song
I will sing, sing a new song

He set my feet upon a rock
And made my footsteps firm
Many will see
Many will see and fear

I will sing, sing a new song
I will sing, sing a new song

-Bono
Based on Psalm 40