Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Day 5....

Well today was a pretty good day.  Went to work for a full day and got to eat lunch with my wife.  Got to talk to more people about what is going on in my life.  Wasn't nervous like I was last night telling the band at Church.  Not sure why I got so nervous telling them last night.  I had 3 of the "episodes" today so I started taking the anti-seizure medication that the doctor prescribed to me.  He said that he believes that those episodes are actually seizures.  So it is not looking good for riding the motorcycle this year.  I will see how I do on the medicine and if it actually works.  It had been since Friday that I had the last "episode". 
Last night was very touching.  I got messages and emails from tons of people but one was very special to me.  My youngest son Grant sent me an email before he went to bed and it said 4 simple but powerful words "i love you daddy"  He is so special.  Well tomorrow is another appointment, this time at a specialist at Wake Forest. Please pray that this doctor will be prepared by  God and will be guided to an answer to remove this tumor.
** Just got a call from a Doctor at Duke that was through another movement of God.  Through a very kind gentleman that I have never met I received a contact for a highly regarded doctor at Duke.  He had already been told my story and he told me the things he needs to get things rolling at Duke as well.  God is Awesome!***
Now to spend some more time with my wife.

Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Day 4

Well today has been another great day.  but before I get to that I just want to share some things that I didn't share about the weekend.  On Saturday we went to some friends of ours to tell them in person the news.  The next morning Vickie and Demus went to our old church that we met them at and is where we were married.  Well Vickie went to Sunday school the next morning and shared with her class.  After class, a friend of hers that cannot be there often since she is a nurse, talked to Vickie and told her she would like to help.  She said that she knew a Neurosurgeon that was on call on Sunday and could look at my MRI  on Sunday and see what he thinks.  Well Vickie called  me Sunday afternoon and gave me her phone number...which I didn't call that day.  The next morning I went to work to start letting everyone know there and also asked Kara to call the Nurse Misty and talk with her.  Well they talked a couple of times back and forth.  Next thing I know I got a message on my cell phone and she had called to tell me at 9:50 that if I could be at the Doctors office on N Church St. in Greensboro, at 10:30 he could see me.  So I hopped in the car in High Point and took off.  Kara made it there shortly before me and started checking in for me.  The ladies at the counter were puzzled at where I had come from since Friday I was not on the books.  So once all the paperwork was done, I was seen by the doctor.  He started off by saying that he had reviewed my MRI on Sunday for several hours.  So while he was reviewing them on Sunday, I didn't even know of him or that I would even be seeing him...God worked so quick just to get the ball rolling and get me seen by a Doctor on Monday after just finding this out on Friday.  And this was just one of the Amazing things He did on Monday.  Again I am just an average Joe going through an Amazing experience that God planned long before I was even born.  I will share more stories like this as I can.  Going to snuggle with the wife now.  Please, please pray for me and tell your friends...tell them to pray for me too and tell their friends.

Monday, February 27, 2012

Day 3.....

Day Three..
     Well today is day three after having my life changed completely around.  On February 24, 2012 I had an MRI done at Randolph Hospital in Asheboro, NC.  It was scheduled at 8:45 and lasted about 30 minutes.  My wife Kara and I left from there and drove the 10 minutes to our house where I was going to drop her off and head into work.  Just before I was going to leave my Primary Physician's office called and said they already had the results back and wanted me to come in at 1:30.  Of course I asked if I could come in right then but they said they could not get me in until after lunch.  In the back of my mind I was thinking that he just wanted to let me know everything is OK so I didn't have to worry for the weekend.  So I left and went to work and worked for a little while, came home and got Kara and then proceeded to the doctor.  We got in and they walked us back to the back to a room and the doctor came in.  Dr. Slatosky sat down beside me and quietly started to tell me the report didn't come back clear and it showed I had a brain tumor.  I was not going to look at Kara but watching the Doc, he was visibly shaken and on the verge of tears.  I felt like I needed to hug him.  I finally looked at Kara and she had of course been crying the whole time.  We left and went straight to the first person I wanted to tell, my pastor, Dean Pollard.  He listened to us and prayed with us for a while until it was time to go and get our children from school.  It was hard to imagine that all of this had just started a week ago, when I started having strange symptoms, in the same order each time.  First I would feel a little strange, then I would taste a food that I had not had in 25 years at least, when I had done Nutri-system out of High school.  It was one of their meals that was Chicken catchatori (sp) that was absolutely nasty.  But it was like someone shoved a spoon of it in my mouth.  Then the next thing that would happen would be it would be like I was looking through someone else eyes.  Then it would go away.  The next day it did not do it, but the following day it did it while playing bass guitar during a service at church as well as other times that day.  This happened until Wednesday when it actually happened where I could ask someone (My wife) to look at me and see if something visible was going on. She noticed that my eyes dilated and my head was vibrating or shaking.  So the next day I laid out of work and went to the doctor.  
     The weekend was hard telling family and friends.  I didn't want anyone I know to find out by the ole rumor mill so we tried to tell all we could in person. There are still many I need to tell, and hope to get the rest tomorrow.  At this point though, my priorities have changed for everything.  Whatever I do, where ever I go, I am going to praise my God and my Savior, for giving me that moment, that hour, that day.  I am not one that will stand on a street corner and thump a bible. But in everything that does happen to me that I can point to Jesus and say He did it...I will without reservation. I see one benefit to this already.  None of us are promised one second on this earth...and we waste so much time on things that don't matter.  I have been lucky enough to be reminded of this and still have the opportunity to make what time I have count...and I will do that with every ounce of my body.  Those that read this that do not know me, I am an every man.  There is no one thing about me that stands out.  I can be in a room with others, and people will forget I was there.  I can carry on a conversation with someone and they forget it was me.  I am not complaining, but I want you to get the point that my life could be anyone's..  including yours. Now watch and see what happens in this one man's ordinary life.