Returning to a Schedule... Sorrow and Joy

I know I haven't posted an entry since Monday, but this has been a week filled with unexpected events... happy and sad.

Thanks to the help of many good friends, I have been able to spend 5 or 6 hours at my job each day this week at Saint Louis University. While I was at the university, Nancy was in the loving and capable hands of Sue and Owen DeBoer, Janny Hazeloop, Sue Valentine, and Carol Kolar. On Tuesday afternoon, I received the sad news from a co-worker, Joe Baldassare, that my former mentor, long time co-investigator and good friend, Dr. Andrew Lonigro, passed away after a long battle with complications of diabetes.

Andy Lonigro was the reason Nancy and I moved to St. Louis. After receiving my Master's degree at the University of Wisconsin in 1974, I was hired to teach biology in a Community College in the Chicago area. Shortly before I was to begin this teaching job, I received a letter informing me that an unexpected budget cut nullified my contract. I started working as a biomedical research technician for Andy Lonigro -- just until I could secure another teaching position. Well, that never happened. I loved doing research with Andy and came to St. Louis with him when he took a position in the Department of Medicine at Saint Louis University in 1976. After receiving my PhD degree under Dr. Lonigro's mentorship in 1985, I became a faculty member in the Department of Pharmacology and a co-investigator with Andy Lonigro at Saint Louis University where I remain today. It is always sad to attend the funeral of a respected colleague and good friend, knowing that I will no longer have the opportunity to enjoy his company or to discuss a research topic of mutual interest. However, when it is your mentor, it is especially sorrowful. Andy, I will miss you.

Also on Tuesday Kelly, our youngest child, who is planning to marry her fiance, Doug, in June of 2008, told me that she wanted to have her mom at her wedding -- so she wanted to get married now, in a private ceremony at our home with the immediate family members present. She and Doug wanted this so Nancy could participate in the wedding and Kelly could have both of her parents at her wedding, just like her brother and sister did. What could I say? I was touched that Kelly cared that much for her mom that she was willing to change everything to include Nancy in her wedding. I tried to be supportive, although both Kelly and Doug seemed to be entering into this now for only that reason. They are both still students at Missouri State University until December of this year. Becoming a married couple at this time would change their dependent status on our insurance, change their financial aid status and require a new approach to their future. Neither Kelly nor Doug were quite prepared for that.

Our associate pastor, Rev. Janet Pillman, gave us an alternative option that offered something for everyone -- a commitment ceremony. Nancy could participate in the ceremony, Kelly and Doug could both have both of their parents participating and they could maintain their same student status and we could still plan the actual marriage and wedding celebration for next June, to include extended family and friends so dear to us. Sue Valentine and Carol Kolar, Kelly's godmother, were at our home when Kelly described their plan. Sue and Carol were also touched by their concern for Nancy and offered to help Kelly & Doug plan the event.

Also this week, Kelly took her future mother-in-law, Jan Richter, her godmother, Carol Kolar, her sisters and her maid of honor, Adriane Tilton on a wedding dress shopping outing. She didn't find the dress she wanted, but she brought back a VHS tape of the whole event for Nancy to enjoy, and enjoy it she did! Nancy may be confined to a hospital bed in our living room, dependent on IV solutions and NG-tube suction for maintaining her life, but she still enjoys true "quality of life" everyday. Nancy has tried the red-white-and blue bomb pops, Crayola pops and a variety of others...loved them all. And, cricket got her first "grooming" this week. I added two photos of her after the grooming. In the picture on the left Cricket is playing with her favorite new toy -- given to her by Jennie and Scott Iverson. Cricket was afraid of the toy at first because the squeak it makes was too loud for her? But now, she brings it to everyone to hold while she pulls on it and bites at the squeaker.

However, a serious concern for me was that Nancy had been experiencing greater thirst as the week progressed. I was concerned enough about it to describe the excessive thirst, infrequent urination and progressive weakness that Nancy was experiencing when I talked to her nurse on Wednesday. When Nancy's hospice nurse, Janet, took Nancy's blood pressure today, it was only about 70/50 mm Hg, way below normal. Coupled with Nancy's weak and rapid pulse, the other symptoms indicated dehydration, even on the IV solutions. Janet called Nancy's physician and soon Nancy was getting a rapid infusion of 500 ml IV saline solution. Nancy is now on 25% more fluid per hour than she was getting before and after a few hours of that, it seems that her thirst is getting a little less intense. Now we will keep track of the symptoms and see how Nancy does over the next few days. Without regular lab tests, this home health care thing becomes a little of a guessing game, but it is still great to have Nancy at home. Thank you hospice.