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

Snow Day in Texas

 There isn't too much for me to update... We had bad weather start Wednesday evening and we were not able to leave the house until yesterday! Maddy LOVED getting out in the 2 inches of ice/snow we had! She has now experienced snow the last two years after never having seen it for the first 6 years of her life! We are definitely not cold weather people as we only lasted about 10 minutes at a time, but long enough to have fun. We are glad it is gone and we are back to our Texas weather this week with temps expected in the 60's and 70's!

I had an appointment with a rheumatologist this week who has concerns about my other knee and hips. I also had a physical therapy evaluation with a special physical therapist at the orthopedic surgeons office. He was excellent and luckily did not aggravate my knee any worse than its typical unhappiness. I have follow-ups with both doctors this month to figure out next plans.

Maddy has her hearing aid fitting on Wednesday. We are all hopeful this is going to be a turning point for her because she is really struggling with confidence right now. She only got to ride on Tuesday this past week. She can't wait to get back to the barn this week! Last night she got to have a sleepover at Mimi and PopPop's which she was so excited about. She loves having them so close and getting her time with them!

Alex continues to do well which is so good to see!

I have two main prayer requests. One is for Maddy to believe in herself and see how amazing she is. The second is for peace for me. Finances are what cause me the highest level of stress and our medical bills in January have been astronomical between Maddy, Bruce's testing, and my appointments and testing. As always I also ask that you pray for Alex's continued good health.

Thank you,

Ali

Busy as Always

 This has been a crazy few weeks with some not so great news medically, but so many blessings in other areas. I am a little run down as I try to stay on top of everything usually at the detriment of caring for myself. I am trying to do better, but...

Let me start with the quick medical update. Maddy is having headaches almost daily. We are continuing to monitor these and are due to give the neurologist a report in a few weeks to determine next steps. She is also scheduled for her brain MRI on February 24th. 

After two and a half weeks of attempting auditory therapy communication between myself and the audiologist it was determined that Maddy needs Hearing Aids.  The audiologist told me she was pretty sure this was going to be the outcome, but likes to try the therapy first. Maddy is TOTALLY fine with this as the therapy was devastating for her. She has chosen which color she wants and we have an appointment February 9th for her fitting. 

We are still waiting on results from Bruce's Kidney MRI. I have been out of my Camp Gladiator workouts since the beginning of November because my knee started really bothering me. I tried just resting in hopes that I could get back to it. But it became clear that wouldn't work as my knee continued to bother me when walking long distances, walking up and down stairs and driving. I saw my PCP in early December and she started me on an anti inflammatory and started PT.  Unfortunately, one day at PT set me back a week with increased pain and limping. At that point we decided I needed to see an orthopedic. I have seen the orthopedic, had x-rays and an MRI and unfortunately the report was not good. I have severe arthritis and basically no cartilage left in my Right knee. I can never go back to boot camp style workouts or I will need a full knee replacement within two years. I also need a surgery to clean up what cartilage is in there because it has some areas that are snagging every time I bend my knee. I am disappointed because I will miss my community and 5 AM crew. I am also trying to figure out when and how I can manage surgery and take care of the kids. The good news is Alex continues to do GREAT medically. Which is a huge blessing.

On to the fun stuff...more and more I feel like my entire life revolves around horses, but if I'm being honest, its a pretty fun way to spend my days! We had the opportunity to go hear two motivational speakers on the 15th. One was Coach Sherry Winn and the other was Amberley Snyder. They were both amazing and had awesome stories of inspiration to share. Alex made a real connection with Coach Winn and has actually had some communication with her. Maddy knew Amberley's story and loved meeting her in person.  (If you aren't familiar watch Walk, Ride, Rodeo on Netflix). 

Alex with Coach Winn

The kids with Amberley Snyder

Maddy continues to ride multiple times a week and is gaining confidence and skills on a regular basis. She is currently riding two horses, Gabby and Blue. She loves them dearly and they are teaching her so much. No matter how hard the day has been, time with her horses brings out a smile every time. I am so grateful for the Sanctuary that Victory Therapy Center is for her. 

Maddy riding Blue

Maddy with Gabby

Maddy riding Gabby

Maddy riding Blue

On top of riding we had a few other events at VTC this past week. Tammi, Maddy's beloved coach received a promotion. Her coworker wanted to redo her office as a surprise and asked us to help. Maddy had a ball painting and decorating!

We also had an awards ceremony for the Virtual Show we had competed in back in November. Maddy did really well with one first place and two second place ribbons as well as her first high point award as Reserve Champion for her division!

These two always cheer each other on!

Besides Riding, Maddy continues to LOVE school and her ballet and art lessons with Ms. Joli. She was also blessed  this week with a Keyboard as we have been told that playing piano would be good for her auditory issues.

Heading to School

Yoga Warmup is her favorite

One last update...many of you knew that Mia hurt herself and it looked like she was going to need surgery. She has been on medication and surprisingly is no longer limping and is back to her playful self. We are not sure whether we will need the surgery in the future, but for now she is doing well and it is off the table!

Sorry that was so long!! I am so grateful for the amazing people in our lives who pour so much love into my children and have helped shape them into the happy, resilient kids they are.  Please pray for Maddy as she struggles to come to terms with all she is dealing with medically. Pray for Alex's continued good health and stability. pray for rest for me and peace as I struggle to not the stress of medical and financial strain get to me. Thank you for always being there for our family!

Ali