2013 Off To A Rocky Start

Hello my friends! I hope everyone is having a wonderful 2013 so far! The reason I haven't posted in a while is because my new year has been quite challenging thus far....

First, my Grandpa has been quite sick & was hospitalized with pneumonia earlier this month. He is doing okay now but I'm having to face the reality that he probably won't be with us too much longer, due to a number of other health issues.

Secondly, my husband went in for a routine check up & was found to have issues with his carotid artery being partially blocked. We have since found out that surgery is not necessary, but we do have to watch it carefully. Of course, this gave us quite a scare, but the silver lining is that it got him to quit smoking! This is a huge deal & I'm so proud of him for finally doing it.

And last but certainly not least, my eldest child (I consider my dogs my children), Lexi was found to have a huge mass in her liver. Some routine bloodwork indicated a problem in her liver, so her vet did an ultrasound, which revealed a tumor the size of a grapefruit. We took her to see a specialist/surgeon, who believes the tumor is most likely not cancerous, which is great, but he also says the probability of removing it is pretty low. So, our next step is to do a CT scan, which will tell him whether or not it is operable/removable. If he believes he can remove all or part of it safely, then he will proceed to surgery immediately after the scan. However, if it's not removable or too risky to attempt, then there will be no surgery. In that case, he says it will probably take about 6-8 months for her to become symptomatic & eventually succumb to the effects of the tumor. At some point we would then have to make decisions about quality of life & ultimately put her to sleep when the symptoms become unbearable.

Her CT scan & possible surgery will be taking place this coming Tuesday, the 29th. I'm trying to just focus on this next step & not be discouraged by the odds. I try my best not to think about the worst case because I know she senses it when I do. I don't want to get ahead of myself & get upset over what may or may not be the outcome, because I know God has a plan & that's what's meant to be. However, that's all very easily said but not so easy to do. I'm so scared & she has been my best friend & guardian angel for over 12 years & the thought of losing her or having to watch her suffer is unbearable. We have been praying constantly & I would graciously welcome anyone's prayers, as I really do believe in the power of prayer.

Obviously, this will be consuming my life, at least until we know what we're faced with. I haven't had much time or inclination to do much crafting lately, but I'm not going anywhere! I love crafting too much to ever give it up & I absolutely love blogging. I just wanted to check in & let you know that I will continue to blog & create, but I'm just not sure what my time frame will be. I hope to catch up on all of your blogs as well, when time & energy permits, because I know I'm missing out on some fabulous projects from y'all! Anyway, thank you for taking the time to read/listen & please don't give up on me!

Big hugs to all,
Diana :)

Lexi Annmarie (June 2009)