Yard and Garden

Andrew made me some flower boxes for the shed windows out of reclaimed wood (found floating in Lake Huron a couple summers ago). We've also got a pair of nesting cardinals. Overall the yard is stunning and as a gift to Andrew I had it officially certified as a National Wildlife Certified Habitat  An usual colored Luna moth showed up one evening and everything else is just amazing

Iris

Lilac Haven

 Prairie Garden (early spring)

Brood comb making in progress

Colombine 

Green Dragon

  

Virginia bluebells

Wild Indigo

Sunset

Side garden

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Heirloom poppies

Yellow bud

Rhododendron 

Red bud

Wild ginger

Ohio buckeye

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Luna moth

Lily of the Valley-original rootstock from my grandma.

Daisy's magnolia

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Sunshine Daydream Rose

My new Sunshine Daydream yellow rose that Andrew planted for our 16th anniversary.

The first rose to win AARS honors with no-spray cultivation, this stunning grandiflora offers waves of bloom. Each flowering stem bears up to eight 3½-inch blooms of soft butter-yellow that matures to a rich shade of cream over time. Superb disease resistance keeps the glossy dark green foliage healthy-2012

Surgery

My surgery was today.  It was scheduled for noon. I think we started at 1 and were done by 2:30. The nurse rousted me about and told me to get moving so they could get me out. That was about 4 ish based on my perception being as though I was still in a drug induced stupor. I do know it is a 20 minute drive from the hospital to home and we got home at 5 pm. Not very pretty but worth the effort. My parathyroid hormone level dropped from 177 to 22 during surgery. Normal range = 2.0-89.0. I was off the chart.

Brain Surgery

My brother had brain surgery today. His condition, probably 20 years in the making was recently discovered and we just met with the surgeon on the 14th so they moved this along quickly. He is doing fine and is expected to make a full recovery with no additional medication needed. Please keep him in your prayers. He had the best neurosurgeon at OSU medical hospital.

A Moment to Relax

The calm before the storm of upcoming medical issues.  Out to Battelle Darby for an afternoon of relaxation before the upcoming week of surgeries....

Howard T with recommended reading for me

Woodland warriors

Showy orchis

Knotty Pine Times

Fun time catching up with my very good high school friend Ron who I met for dinner on his way though Columbus from Dewey Beach Delaware to visit our home town in south central Ohio. Haven't seen each other for 20 years.  Feel compelled to mention that his rustic home in the great state of Delaware is called the Knotty Pine and he is a collector of all things Knotty Pine. Of course he went home with a tee shirt and a case of glassware that he bought from them. 

Parathyroidectomy

As you may recall I was to have thumb joint replacement on May 6th. I have had a high level of calcium in my blood since 2010. With my pre-op blood-work my doctor ordered a special test for my parathyroid (note: not thyroid-they are two entirely different glands)hormone level and it came back at twice the normal level. I also tested low for vitamin D. These together are classic indicators for hyperparathyroidism. I went to an endocrinologist on Monday, I have diagnostic exams at Riverside tomorrow and I see a surgeon on Friday. The only cause for hyperparathyroidism is a tumor or tumors (typically benign) on the parathyroid gland. The parathyroid gland is situated around the thyroid gland but they are not related and produce totally different hormones. The parathyroid regulates calcium. Hyperparathyroidism causes the body to leach calcium from the bones making one prone to osteoporosis. It also saturates the blood stream with calcium which can cause kidney stones/failure and a build up of calcium in the heart chambers. It is surprisingly common and occurs mostly in women around 50. Sometimes the tumor doesn't show on the diagnostics but they know it is there because of the blood indicators. I have a tentative surgery date of May 21. Symptoms are memory loss, exhaustion. I have had both symptoms for about 6 months and I couldn't figure out what was wrong. I have also had migraines and other unexplained aches and pains for a few years. It is likely that the hyperparathyroidism is responsible for this as well. My orthopedic surgeon and the anesthesiologist for my hand surgery would not allow me to have that surgery until after the hyperparathyroidism is under control so it is postponed until July. I asked the endocrinologist if this condition is hereditary and she said it can be. So if you aren't feeling -great or haven't had a doctor's appointment in years make on to

get a physical-have blood work done-ask to see the blood work and if anything on the blood work results is out of the normal range (it should tell you on the paperwork what that range is) ask your doctor what it means and if they don't answer you to your satisfaction look it up on the internet. If I had paid better attention I could have had this taken care of in 2010 and not had to suffer with the effects that at times made me question my sanity.