Where do the weeks go?

 I am not sure how the weeks fly by so quickly! I am pretty sure they get caught up in the whirlwind of doctors appointments, therapy, school and horseback riding! I think I will update person by person as it may be easier than trying to piece together what we have done! 

Alex continues to do really well. He loves his forensics classes and is also doing well in psychology and business math. We are in the process of scheduling appointments with two local colleges to tour and ask some questions. He had an eye doctor appointment and had a slight change in his prescription so we need to go pick out some new glasses and also had a pulmonology appointment where everything remains status quo. What an incredible blessing it has been for us to have Alex feeling so well and be medically stable.

My Maddy Moo has been keeping me on my toes. Her schedule is crazy and we continue to work through some medical issues with her. Shortly after my last update we picked up her new hearing aids. She has done phenomenal with them. She is able to put them in and take them out and has not once complained. She is hearing well and acting as if she has had them forever. We had our one week follow-up and the audiologist is very happy with how she is doing. Our next follow-up is not until July. We did labs and they show that Maddy is still not getting enough fluids. Unfortunately this has been a lot harder to accomplish than we had hoped. She does not feel thirsty and any time we try and "push fluids" whether orally or through her tube she feels extremely nauseous. I am unsure of what the solution is at this point. Our other issue is headaches. She has been struggling with headaches for quite some time. After seeing the neurologist she had asked us to try a few things before prescribing a medication. However, this past week she had a migraine that lasted 4 days and we could not break. The neurologist was awesome at prescribing something to break it and we have now started on a daily preventative in hopes of having less headaches. (She was averaging about 4 a week!) With all the struggles she has had medically, I remain so very grateful for her therapeutic riding and hippo therapy which allows her to spend multiple days at the barn. No matter how hard her day has been or how bad she feels she comes alive when she is on the back of one of her horses. The staff, the volunteers, the horses and her friends provide the love and fun that keep her pushing through. I am also so very glad that we made the decision to send Maddy to Trinity Prep. Each week I reminded that it is the perfect setting for her. From the schedule to the small class sizes to the faith based learning to the kindness of her teacher and classmates. It is absolutely perfect for her and she is so happy to be a Trinity Prep Knight!

Bruce finally saw his urologist and got the results on his Kidney MRI. Luckily the spot on his kidney is stable and there is no need for further treatment at this time. He sees his Oncologist again in May. 

I am hanging in there, but it has been a rough start to the year for me. It has been a hard adjustment to not be able to workout. My knee continues to bother me. I have had multiple appointments and meet back with the orthopedic surgeon next week. We will be scheduling surgery. In the meantime, I am just trying to keep my head above water between the kids schooling, extra curriculars, appointments and financial stress.

Overall, we are so grateful for you, our village who keep us smiling and remembering that we are loved. 

We ask for prayers for Alex's continued health, for Maddy' new med to work and for us to figure out a way to get more fluids in, for Bruce to stay healthy and for my knee and peace over financial stress so I can rest!

Ali