Homeward Bound!!!

That's right, folks... tomorrow Chuck and I will finally be going home! Apparently the weather in KS has not been favorable for the last few days, so I am praying that we get home safely. We miss our kids sooooo much! We are looking forward to a great holiday season at home w/ the munchkins.

Chuck is doing really well. He had his follow-up w/ the surgeon this morning and all looks good. He still has stitches on his wrist and his abdomen, but he can get them removed (at home) in another week or so. His next surgery is scheduled for 11 January. This is when the docs will do the actual nerve graft. This SHOULD be his final surgery here at WR... then it will be a matter of time for him to heal (i.e. waiting for the nerves to grow).

After all we have endured this year, I have to say I am truly thankful for many things. That fact that Chuck survived is the biggest gift!!! But there are still so many other things we have to be grateful for.... the Grace of God, our children, parents, siblings, extended family, friends near and far... and, of course, for this new "Blog Family" we have now. Who knew that Chuck's babble (I mean wit and charm :) could attract so many people? It's been an absolutely amazing experience... So thank you all who have continued to read our saga as it unfolds, continued to support us through good and not-so-good, and continued to pray for and support the many other troops and families at home and abroad.

May God Bless you all and our Armed Forces!!!

Until next time,
Carren

p.s. Chuck will post again when we get home and he can use his voice software. I don't know how much you'll hear from me b/c I will be going back into "Mom mode" and probably "grad student mode." I will post when I can, but I know you all miss Chuck's posts!!!

Surgery went well...

Me again. Chuck's surgery went well... he is once again sleeping soundly in his room. He went to surgery around 11:35 and was done about 1:30. I saw one of the docs on the surgical team shortly thereafter and he said everything went well. He was in the recovery room (PACU) until about 4:00. He was quite talkative and wide awake when he came up to his room. Then he snarfed (a word my mom always uses) down his dinner... full tummy plus surgery plus meds equals sleepy time!!

I saw Chuck's attending surgeon (Dr. Smith) before Chuck came back from PACU. Dr. Smith said the plan is still for Chuck to be discharged tomorrow to the Mologne House, and he has a follow-up some time next Monday (the 28th). We should be able to go home on the 29th (fingers crossed!!!). Chuck's hand is bandaged so we have yet to see what this "flap" really looks like. Don't know if I will have to play nurse and change bandages for a few days, but I don't mind as long as I don't have to pick his nose again! :)

Right now his nerve graft surgery is scheduled for 11 January. It can be changed if we need to, but at least we know he's on the schedule. Dr. Smith said expect about a 2 week stay (a few days inpatient and then about a week or so outpatient here). Not too bad, considering how long we've been here this time (plus over the summer). It all really depends on how Chuck's pain management goes. Oh.... and I made sure that NONE of his meds were changed after today's surgery!!! Dr. Smith said all the meds are the same, so no need to worry (thank goodness!). Chuck should remain on planet Earth w/ the rest of us...

Thanks for adding my dad to your prayer lists... I appreciate it.

As for SPC Smutz (Tom Miller asked about him), as far as I know he is doing okay. We saw him briefly when he was home on R&R (when Chuck asked you all to pray for him). He is back in Iraq w/ the Aces. We have not had any news of anyone in the Aces being wounded, so that is good. Every now and then we hear from one of the guys. They all miss Chuck (and he misses them), but they are driving on, just like Chuck trained them to do.

That's about all I have for now. We'll continue to keep y'all posted. I hope you all have a blessed Thanksgiving Day!!!

Take care, God Bless you all and our Armed Forces!

Until next time,
Carren

Surgery this afternoon

Well, Chuck is currently sleeping like a baby in his hospital room... he is to go down for surgery around noon. I talked to him earlier this morning on the phone and he was in good spirits. By the time I got to his room he was sound asleep, so I figured I would walk the the beautiful halls of Ward 57 and get on the computer (okay, so the walls aren't so beautiful and they are closing in on me... I'm in denial! ha ha).

I will update the blog later today after Chuck's surgery. I'm sure everything will go well, his surgeon is really awesome. And, despite the timing of the surgery, Chuck COULD be discharged as early as Tuesday. BUT.... we have to stick around until next Monday for a follow-up before we can go home. At least, that is what we last heard.... subject to change w/o notification, as always w/ the Army! As for Turkey Day, we are planning to go to a friend's house that day (Thanks Kevin and Becki), so we will not be forlorn in the hospital or Mologne House on Thanksgiving. Of course we'd rather be at home w/ the kids, but I know they are going to have a big day w/ Alice and other families on our street... they'll probably eat and play and pass out!

One final note for now... I have a prayer request for my dad. I know you all pray for so many all the time, but this is definitely another one I would like you all to add. My dad's name is Scott. He is having some health issues that still have not been "all figured out." He is not hospitalized or anything, but really could use some prayers. My siblings and I worry about him and he is so stubborn about his health that I am afraid he won't get the proper care or tests done soon. My step-mother is doing her best to get him to the doctors and such, but he is really stubborn! I don't want to go into details in order to protect his privacy, but I just ask that you add one more name to your list, if you would be so kind.

I'll post more later...

God Bless you all and our Armed Forces!

Until next time,
Carren

Can't think of a good title...

This week has been rather quiet, so I haven't had much to post about. Chuck is doing pretty well... very tired most of the time. He's still on planet Earth, which is good! We've had days where he slept a lot, and days where he was up for most of the day, but we just kinda hung out and watched TV, chatted, etc. Today he is tired... sleeping like a baby in his room. I keep myself busy most of the time, but some days it feels like the walls of WR are closing in. I can only imagine what Chuck (and other patients) must feel being in here 24/7 for weeks and months at a time! We've had a few visitors since we've been here, but Chuck is usually sleeping so if I am here I chat w/ them a little ( a few Generals and Congressman have stopped by).

This trip has taught me even more about being an advocate for Chuck. Last time we were here I was still new to all of this stuff and just flew by the seat of my pants. But this time I have a much better handle on Chuck's rights as a patient, as well as my rights as his wife/family member. I know many of you have written about a loved one who was hospitalized and the struggles you experienced. This is more for those who have not been through that sort of thing (and I pray you never will). STICK TO YOUR GUNS!!!!!!! You know your loved one better than any doctor or nurse, etc. Patient advocacy is so important, especially when someone you love is lying in the hospital bed. If you think something is wrong, or you don't feel comfortable w/ something the doctor or nurse has done or told you... speak up!!! No one is perfect... mistakes can be made, and unless the family speaks up there could be serious complications.

I don't want to put a negative spin on hositals, doctors, nurses, etc. Chuck has an awesome surgeon and has had great nurses, but they don't spend every day w/ him and don't see the things I see when I am w/ him. That said... my little escapade last week is proof that if you stay strong and be persistant, it will pay off in the end. Is it easy, hell no! Is it necessary, sometimes it is.

Okay... rant is over. I feel better. I've been thinking a lot about last week so I just wanted to share what was milling in my mind. I hope Chuck will be up to posting again soon. I know his last post was rather disturbing, but he is okay and is not obsessing about what happened. There is a whole world of emotions going through him and he is doing his best to deal w/ them.... as am I. Thank you for understanding and allowing us both to post what we feel and not judge us if you do not agree w/ what you are reading. I enjoy posting myself... it's a great outlet. I am not usually an open book like I have been w/ Chuck's ordeal, but it definitely helps.

Y'all have a great weekend! I will keep you updated. Chuck has surgery on Monday. Please continue to keep him in your prayers.

Take care, God Bless you all and our Armed Forces!

Until next time,
Carren

Laid back weekend... FINALLY

I don't have much to report right now b/c we actually had a very laid back weekend! No major issues or problems arose and Chuck and I finally got some mental (and physical) rest. I even got to take a few naps!!!

As far as Chuck's previous post goes... Chuck really needed to vent what was going on in his mind and that is why he posted about it. Y'all have no idea what it was like seeing him struggle w/ what happened. Some of you made comments about "just get over it..." Well, it was still very raw in his mind and he had been through quite an ordeal w/ his meds that week, and this was the straw that broke the camel's back. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, and I am fine w/ that. But don't judge someone who has the courage to tell the world (through his blog) what he is experiencing. I think it took a lot of guts for Chuck to post about that experience and he IS, in fact, dealing w/ what happened. Just needed to throw that out there...

In other news, Chuck and I have a new nephew! Chuck's sister Adessa had the baby on Thursday. His name is Gavin and he was 20 1/2 in. and over 9 pounds. Mom and baby are doing well. We now have 4 nephews and 1 niece (plus our own two kids, of course).

We still don't know when Chuck will be discharged from the hospital. The infection he had is healing very well, but he still has a few more doses of antibiotics. The surgery for "removing his wrist from his abdomen" is scheduled for next Monday, 21 November. I know we have to stay a few days after that, at least. Being home for Thanksgiving does not look like an option for us at this point, but we SHOULD be home by the end of the month. At least we'll be home for Christmas!!!

I need to get back to Chuck... just wanted to give a quick update. I hope you all are doing well and enjoyed your weekend. Thanks again for everything you do for us and other wounded troops and their families!

God Bless you all and our Armed Forces!

Until next time,
Carren

A-rabs, Thanatopsis, and Veterans Day

Yesterday I had the distinct honor of learning exactly what animals in any zoo feel like every day. As I lay in my bed here at Walter wonderful, my wife by my side, I watched as a pack of Arabs went walking by. Now, they weren't wearing their man-dresses, they dressed Western, which meant that they were dressed in business suits. Very well-made business suits at that. After they walked by my room, I went out in the hall the talked to the MP and DC cop who escorted them. I asked who they were, and the reply given instantly made my blood boil.
I was told that it was the Iraqi Deputy prime minister and his entourage.

Now, my blood didn't boil because they were simply on the floor. Thing is, they weren't here to shake hands with soldiers and thank them for their service in Iraq... or more importantly for their service to Iraq. No, this pack of goons just walked by, gawking into the rooms of soldiers who just lay on their beds, trying to heal. Some were with their families like me, others were suffering alone. But everyone that they saw had one thing in common—they’d all been injured in the war on terror. I would've understood, if they were here to meet with the soldiers, to say thank you for your efforts to free my country, to show some offering of respect. But all they did was walk down the halls and gawk.

This time Iraq didn't take anything tangible from me, it didn't take my command, it didn't take my blood or my bones. This time Iraq took one thing that I have always had... this time it took my dignity. I know that these men were foreign dignitaries. I argue that their presence here is an insult to every soldier. This place... this place of honor, is ours and ours alone. It's not here for them to see. Neither is Arlington Cemetery. If the State Department is out of places to send them, send them to fucking Disneyland. Or, better yet, send them back home.

This place, this sacred place, is the place where we put our wounded... our injured soldiers. Here is a place that should be visited by Americans to pay homage, a place to be visited by representatives from our government to pay respects, a place where our leaders come to motivate soldiers and give them the rarest of opportunities... to talk to a general or cabinet member, or even the president one-on-one.
If our dead are placed upon the altar of freedom, then this place surely lies at the foot of that altar. This place, just like Bethesda, Brooke Army Medical Center, and every other military hospital, these places are all hallowed ground.

Luckily, I had an Army chaplain with me when I found out who they were. This chaplain was no REMF. His time in Iraq, he spent almost every day outside the wire. Pretty brave, considering that he couldn't carry a weapon on those missions, and if he were captured by the enemy he would most certainly be put in front of a black shroud and had his head lopped off. He defended their presence here. Both of us had seen Iraqi medical centers, and he explained that maybe they were here to see how a hospital should be... what it should look like... what sanitary conditions are. Maybe their tour guide intended to show them the number of brave Americans who were badly wounded fighting for them, for their new government, and how injuries that would've been terminal in Iraq were treatable in America. I listened to what he said through tears of anger and rage. His time to leave came along, I was glad to see in him depart. I'll not be confiding in him--ever. He may have spent a year in Iraq or even two, but he doesn't get it and never will.

I'd spent the day before this one nearly dying. Apparently, most of my meds were not well-adjusted, and they did things like suppress my breathing. Although I was very relaxed, I was only taking about five breaths per minute. Try that—try that for a sustained two minutes. One complete breath, one inhalation and one exhalation every 12 1/2 seconds, for two minutes. I don't know how long I was breathing like this, but it was longer than two minutes before anyone noticed. I was put on so many different types of drugs I didn't recognize my own wife. My beloved, my darling wife, who has been with me through thick and thin, and definitely in sickness and health. She stood by my side, and I by hers for the last nine years. And I couldn't tell you who she was—I lost a whole day—and she was the one who knew that something was wrong and rounded up enough doctors to figure it out and make things right. I now take a third of the meds that I was taking then, and my pain is mostly subsided; it's still there, but it is bearable.

The man she called when she couldn't get anyone else to listen sent a doctor because he could not be there himself. That doctor reviewed my meds with her, with my PA, and with my doctors that he could round up and they made serious adjustments. That man saved my life, but it was Carren's tenacity, her unwillingness to give in, that truly saved me.

The doctor that she originally called for help when she couldn't find anyone to listen to her was now in my room. He's a psychiatrist, and he has also been to Iraq. Now, as I lay in bed in rage—enraged to the point that if I had the ability I would've killed—this man was trying to calmly talk me down from this rage. I know what he was doing, but I was having none of it. Those men did not belong here. There are plenty of places in Washington, DC that they should have been taken. Notably, to the National Archives where they could see our Declaration of Independence, and our United States Constitution. They could have been taken to the Washington Memorial, the Jefferson Memorial, the Lincoln Memorial. They could have been taken to the memorials for the First Infantry Division, the memorials for World War I, World War II, Korea, and Vietnam. They could've spent a day or two with the Congress. They could have even gone to the United Nations in New York City to see the place where they sold all their oil to. Instead, they were brought here. To this place, this hallowed ground, where men lie broken, their bodies torn asunder—victims of their enemies IED's, RPG's, and mortars. Again, and I can't emphasize this enough, they were not here to honor us. They did not stop to talk, to shake hands, to share tea. They were here to gawk like children at the zoo.

And I was robbed of my dignity.

It is Veterans' Day. Walter Reed is a ghost town. Where are all the generals, politicians, the dignitaries, socialites, superstars, and athletes? I wish they'd stop coming in here to assuage their consciences by pressing flesh and saying how proud they are of our sacrifices. It's put up or shut up day, a day set aside to honor veterans. A federal holiday...which means that most people, especially federal employees... don't work today. Where are they? I guess they're somewhere behind me, somewhere behind the wall, basking in the security and safety.
Enjoy it. And if I have just one wish today, the son of a bitch at the State Department who approved those ass-hats to come on my ward and gawk at me, will be found smothered… no, make that half-smothered underneath the three day old corpse of a crack whore (with AIDS), wearing a strap-on-dildo (on his forehead, so you know what position he's in.) Not there long enough to die, just long enough for the maggots to grow, for rigor to both set and leave. And I hope his screams are heard and his rescue made during the Macy's Day parade. Not just during, but on the parade route itself. For all to see. That would be justice.


--Chuck

Excitement and fear... all in one day

Hello All! I want to tell you about our last few days. Wednesday was one of the coolest and scariest days of my life.

Why it was cool:
I finally got the chance to help promote Valour-IT! I felt very honored to be the one to go on TV (and yes, I WAS nervous) to talk about Valour-IT and help spread the word. I felt awkward at first b/c out of all of the Soldiers Angels and Valour-IT folks out there, I was the one to go on TV. I know Chuck wanted to do it himself, but I also know that he is very proud of me and very grateful that 1. we had the chance to do it, and 2. that I was the one standing in for him. I can not thank all of you enough for anything and everything you have done to help this project. To see this project bloom like it has is just amazing! Beth, Patti, Blackfive, and everyone else involved... Y'ALL ROCK!!!!! Words really can not describe just how Chuck and I feel about all of this. We are speechless (and that NEVER happens for either one of us... just ask our families! :)

Why Wednesday was so scary (I will try to make this short but thorough to give you the whole picture of what happened):
I got to Chuck's room about 10 am. He told me about a dream he had, but he thought it was reality. I told him he was dreaming and that it didn't happen, but I could not convince him that he did not "raid another soldier's room w/ two Agents at Walter Reed." Yep, that's what he told me and he insisted it really happened. Why, b/c he was heavily medicated and on another planet! Shorlty after that conversation, Chuck didn't know who I was. He asked me if I was an Agent or still an Agent in Training. I told him I was his wife... he then said, "I KNOW!!! Are you an Agent or still and Agent in Training?!?!?" I again told him I was his wife Carren and that I was not an Agent. I told him where he was and that he had been dreaming. His eyes were closed the whole time this went on, but he was dead-set that he was NOT dreaming.... then he fell asleep.

I was scared to death! I ran down to pain management (the idiots responsible for over-medicating him), but they were no help. I was in tears and doing my best to stay composed and they said they couldn't see him w/o a consult from his doctor. I was sooooo pissed!!! I went back to Chuck's ward and asked them to page his doctor, who was in surgery. His PA was in a class and I was at a loss. I had to go to the interview at MSNBC and I couldn't stay w/ him. I asked a trusted tech to keep an eye on him until I got back.... I went to the interview.

When I came back Chuck was still in a drugged state, asleep. Looooong story short.... I went through hell and back again to get someone to help me. I KNEW he was over-medicated and had been trying to get someone to help me since Monday. It was the last straw for me when Chuck and I tried to have a conversation, but he couldn't get his thoughts together to even spit out a sentence. He got very upset and started crying. I was okay for a little while, comforting him and just talking to him, until I opened my big mouth and told him I was scared b/c he didn't know who I was that morning. That scared the crap out of him and the crying and fear escalated. I finally called Psychiatry and DEMANDED that someone come see him RIGHT NOW!!! A psychiatrist came in about 10 minutes later. I told him everything that had been happening over the last few days and that I thought he was over-medicated and I needed SOMEone to change his meds.

FINALLY someone listened to me!!!!!!!!!! The psychiatrist looked at Chuck's meds and said he was definitely over-medicated. We discussed what should be changed and the Doc and I were on the same page. Chuck's PA showed up after her class and me, the Psychiatrist, and the PA put our heads together and made changes to his meds....

Thursday.... Chuck was back on planet Earth! THANK GOD!!!!!!

I am not looking for sympathy or anything like that by sharing what happened. It was an experience I never want again and you all have been part of this "story" for so long that I wanted to tell you what happened. I thank you all for EVERYthing!!!!!!!!! I think Chuck is going to try to post again soon now that he can focus more and keep his thoughts in order. I know you all miss hearing from him...

Take care, God Bless you all and our Armed Forces!

Until next time,
Carren

Publicity Stunt

Mkay... I dragged my drugged and temporarily one-handed body out of the hospital bed to tell ya'll about something most important.

Carren is gonna be on national TV (and live national TV at that) to let everyone know about Project Valour-IT. She will represent me (the nerd who thought of this project), and the many people who have made this project a success.

She is going to be on "Connected coast to coast" a show run by MSNBC. Don't know how long she'll be on, but for the love of god, please tune in, put your hands on the top of your TV, and talk to Jebus when the show is over. The show runs from 1200-1300 (noon to one fer ya civlians out there)(and that's eastern time) My beloved is supposed to be on around 1240, but I will rest assured that her looks, personality, and general charm will either get her on early, or the show will go into extra rounds like Rocky and the Big Ruskie in Rocky IV.

Here's how you can help. Send this to every one you know, post it on your blog, get them to post it on theirs. One side will say it's a failure of the gummint to not prvide this for the soldiers, others just see it as a way to help our brothers and sisters who have fallen but will be getting up. However they spin it, just get the word out.

There's less than 18 hours to game time, so let's get our blog on!

--Chuck

p.s. I met the Secrtary of the Army a few days ago. I don't remember most of our conversation (because pain killers do that to you, espcially at the level I'm taking them...think chevy chase (or was it Dan Akroyd?) in "Modern Problems". But I brought two things to his attention: 1. It's stupid and a waste of manpower to hold a medical review board for a guy who's lost a finger 2. I pitched Valour-IT to him. He thinks it's a great idea. He was pressed for time, so his aide took the info sheets we gave him and gave us his card...and told us to call if we don't hear anything about it in two weeks!


Cross post the hell out of this.

Still here...

Hello out there! We are still here... it's been kinda weird the last few days and I have had some computer/internet issues so I have not been able to post. My mom was also here over the weekend and we had a good visit. It was great to have some family here for a few days (Thanks, Mom! I love ya!).

As for Chuck... it's been a whirlwind again. They changed some meds last Thursday and he has been a zombie ever since. It's hard to explain... let's just say he sleeps A LOT and when he is awake he is barely conscious of what is going on around him. It's hard seeing him like this. I have talked to a number of people about his meds and the fact that I think he is over-medicated and some changes need to be made. Hopefully in the next 24 hours the docs will make some changes so I can get Chuck back. He's really not himself and it's hard to watch him go through this and feel so out of it. I know he'll be okay in the end.... I really do know that. But it doesn't make the current situation any easier.

He was supposed to be discharged yesterday (originally), but he has an infection and has to stay in the hospital a few more days. His surgical sights are not infected (thank goodness!). One of the donor sights from his skin grafts (from our "summer vacation" here at WR) is infected (on his left thigh). The docs don't know exactly what the infection is so they have him on two very strong antibiotics. Gotta love it!

Other than all of that, things are peachy! :)

We are both still astounded and giddy as kids on Christmas about Valour-IT and what you all have done to support it. This is absolutely amazing and Chuck and I are so grateful to those of you who are "running the show" (Beth), as well as those who have donated. I think it's a great thing and will continue to become even greater! But w/o all of you, it would not be what it is today. So thank you!

Gotta get back to Chuck's room and see how he's doing. I will try to keep up the posting so y'all don't worry about us. Thanks again for the prayers and cards and phone calls, etc.

Take care, God bless you all and our Armed Forces!

Until next time,
Carren

p.s. SGT Allen... when I get a chance I will get in touch w/ you at the Mologne House. Cool?

I said I had more to post...

The news from our end about Valour-IT is this:

We met the Secretary of the Army, Dr. Fran Harvey, today. He was a very nice man and happens to be a fellow Pennsylvanian!!! Not sure if he's Steeler fan, though... forgot to ask. Anyway, Chuck told him about V-IT and I printed off some info from the Soldier's Angels website. He seemed impressed with the project and Chuck told him, "I think either the Army or the Department of Defense should support this project." Dr. Harvey said he would look into it further and took the info I gave him. After Dr. Harvey left the room his Aide de Camp gave me his card (he's an Army Major) and told me if we didn't hear anything in two weeks I was to contact him. So guess what.... in 14 days I will be contacting him if no one (i.e. Me and Chuck and/or Soldier's Angels) don't hear something. Who knows where this could lead V-IT!!!!

Aside from that, Chuck's Battalion Commander, LTC Hall, came to see him today. LTC Hall is home on R&R and came to DC for who-knows-what, and also to see Chuck and Joe Beimfohr (another soldier from the BN who was injured this summer - Joe is doing great, by the way, and I was very happy to see him again. He lost both of his legs and now has two prosthetics and is getting around well). LTC Hall stayed for about two hours. Lots of conversations went on in those two hours, and I think it was good for all involved to see one another again.

We are still looking into getting Chuck some internet access. He wants to post soooo badly! I told him I am keeping you all updated, but I know he misses doing this himself. The docs changed some of his meds this evening, so I don't know what tomorrow will be like for him. Overall he had a good day. He didn't sleep at all today (after about 10:30 am) b/c there was so much going on. I left a little after 8 pm and he was still awake. I know I'm exhausted from today, I can't imagine how he stayed awake so long!

My mom is coming to visit tomorrow through Monday, which I am very excited about. It will be nice to have family here for a few days and break the monotony.... not that the days are boring, but I think you know what I mean.

Okay... I'm done for tonight. Thank you all again for everything.... I could never say that enough!!!

Take care, God Bless you all and our Armed Forces!

Until next time,
Carren

Y'ALL ROCK!!!

What a day this has been. I'll explain more later, but I want to thank you all for a number of things.

First, thanks for the many words of encouragement in the comments. I DO know that things will get better... sometimes we all need a little "fall" in order to pick up and move forward with more strength. That strength comes from God's grace and the prayers and words of all of you out there who take the time to read this blog and do all of the amazing things you do for us and others. You all are true Americans and the patriotism that you all have echos throughout this blog and I am sure wherever you all are. So I thank you all... and Chuck does too.

Second, the Valour-IT competition just blows my mind! I found out about it last night (thanks, Bill Faith, for commenting about it). I talked w/ Patti and Beth from Soldier's Angels today and they gave me some more info too. Chuck knows what is going on and is thrilled. We are so happy that this dream of Chuck's is coming alive so quickly. If he could jump up and down he probably would.... but if he did all of his machines would start beeping, which is really annoying :) I have more to tell about V-IT from our end, but I will post about that later.

Third, today has been a very busy, but very good day. As always, one bad day amongst some good days hasn't stopped us yet!

I'll post more tonight. We love you all and thank you so much for all that you do!

Take care, God Bless you all and our Armed Forces.

Until next time,
Carren

Short post...

Another long day at the hospital. I think I woke up on the wrong side of the bed and it just snowballed from there. Chuck and I were not communicating well and it was very intense all day. I came to the realization that this go round is not easier than last time, as I had somehow convinced myself that it would be. A lot of it is deja vu, which is not real cool. By the time I left Chuck's room tonight we were okay and I told him "Tomorrow is another day and we can start over." Meaning that we didn't need to apologize all over the place about today b/c we both know it was not a good day and we can make tomorrow a better day. Alice helped me realize a lot of this when I talked to her before leaving Chuck's room (thanks, Mom!). This is just tough, and it sucks, and I wish that Chuck had his life back the way it was, as w/ the whole family. BUT, this is our life now and I know I can't turn back time and change anything. But sometimes that is a hard thing to swallow, ya know?

As far as Chuck's surgical sights go, they are healing well. The doc checked them out again today and said everything looked good. We are hoping and praying that we are home by Thanksgiving.

As the title says, a short post, b/c I am worn out. I don't have much to update anyway, other than what I have written. Sooooo.... thank you all again for your prayers, cards, letters, comments on the blog, etc. We are blessed to have so many people w/ us through all of this "stuff."

Take care, God Bless you all and our Armed Forces!

Until next time,
Carren