Life Update (i.e. Where Have I Been?)

Hello, all!

I do still really want to get back into the swing of posting here. 

In fact, I have completed the last two months of the Honey Do Challenge from SJ Designs Jewelry... I just haven't had time to post pictures. I completed last month's Pretty Palettes challenge... I just haven't had the time to post pictures. 

I have even been working on my personal Clean Off My Beading Table Challenge... but, I'm sure you sense a theme: I just haven't had the time to post pictures.

So, what have I been doing?

Getting my bathroom remodeled, for one. Getting the front porch and the room beneath it waterproofed. Getting the large gash in my kitchen wall patched up.

And taking care of my husband.

View from the hospital room after his Friday surgery,
up at Wexner Medical Center, OSU.

He's had more doctors' appointments than I can count. He's had multiple outpatient procedures done, some close by and some at Wexner Medical Center (OSU) in Columbus--an hour and a half away.

And just this last Friday, he had a 9.5 hour surgery. In Columbus.

The specialists at OSU are working on fixing the massive AVM he has in his leg/groin--but it will take at least another two such surgeries to complete the task. They're essentially having to rebuild a section of his vascular system, on the main vein in his leg. They got a lot done this surgery, but there is so so much more left to do.

Medical explanation time! 

What is an AVM? It stands for arteriovenous malformation, which is essentially an abnormal tangle of blood vessels connecting arteries and veins. This disrupts normal blood flow and oxygen circulation. In my husband's case, it is huge... AVMs are usually less about 2 cm, but his is at least 10 cm. The vein in his left leg is swollen to 5 times the size of the one in his right leg. 

This has caused high output heart failure--his poor heart is having the blood returned to it at a much higher volume/pressure than it is built to handle. It has also impacted his left kidney--one of the bogus blood vessels leads to his kidney--flooding it with blood and causing hematuria.  

Essentially: YIKES. But modern medicine is pretty amazing, and God is even more amazing, and we are making progress to getting him back to healthy. His case is just so unique, and every doctor he's seen has been amazed and perplexed by the expansiveness of the problem--apparently I married a medical unicorn!

So... yeah. That's what I've been up to. Progress is being made, steps forward are being taken... and eventually I will be back to posting pictures of pretty jewelry. In the meantime, I'm just putting one foot in front of the other!

I really appreciate you taking the time to stop by my little blog, and reading through what's been going on. I am incredibly grateful, and hope you all have wonderful days.

Thank you so much for stopping by!