Happy Thanksgiving!

At this time of year I am extremely thankful to all of you for your thoughts, prayers, and fasting. I am at peace with my health and look forward to living the next chapter of my life. But, I'm so happy to be feeling better than I was several weeks ago when all I was doing was laying down on the couch, in bed, or in the hospital.

This time of year is very meaningful to all of us and I am happy to have most of my family in town to help them enjoy my favorite meal; Cooked Turkey wings or legs, Mashed Potatoes, Gravy, Stuffing, Veggies, and Pumpkin Pie.

God is so good to us even if we are going through difficult times. Incidentally, I was able to go to my Church this past weekend. After not attending for several months I forgot how special the feeling is when I go there. The warmth of people who love God and their love and friendship for each other is something I wish everyone could enjoy. I know God loves us and we can feel that peace from Him during our trials if we work within ourselves to let Him in. From my experience it's expressing and focusing on our pure gratitude and thanksgiving of all the things in our lives regardless of our difficult circumstances that brings His love.

My Health is Steady | 90 days on the List

My health has been steady the past two weeks since the heart cath. And I realized I've been on the "waiting list" since August 20th. That's somewhere around 90 days. I'm sure I've got 90 to go or more until I get a call. There's no doubt this holiday season will be very special for our family.

I found something fun on NOVA's website. Now you can perform your very own Heart Transplant in 19 steps. Of course, my operation will be extremely more complicated that this normal procedure. But, good luck! CLICK HERE
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Also, sitting at home I have had a lot of time to reflect. And I remembered a video I've shown at my concerts that comprises some old film footage of me as a child with my sisters and little brother. Very Nostalgic. The tune is called Sacred Nature II from my Faithful album. My family has always been the rock of my life. They continue to sacrifice their time and energy to help my wife and I with our daughter and countless other things. I wish everyone could have this comfort in his or her lives.


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Cabin Fever. . .

Anyone ever felt this?

Cabin fever

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article is about the psychological condition. For other uses, see Cabin fever (disambiguation).

Cabin fever is a slang term for a claustrophobic reaction that takes place when a person or group is isolated and/or shut in, for an extended period. Symptoms include restlessness, irritability, forgetfulness, and excessive sleeping.^[1]

The origin of the term is unknown, but was first recorded in 1918.^[2] The term may originate from the United States during the time when settlers would be snowed into their log cabins in winter and would have to wait for the spring thaw in order to travel to town.^[3] The phrase may also be associated with ocean-crossing sailing ships in which passengers had to endure weeks and months of slow travel while living in cabins below deck.

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I have cabin fever... like a person stuck on an island...I am able to move around the house but it's hard going anywhere. I spend my day listening to music, sleeping, listening to my daughter play (which is my favorite part of the day), watching The Price is Right and 24 hour news, reading the Book of Mormon, and watching the clock...

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Getting Out!

I was finally able to get out and do something other than travel to a hospital which felt really good. I went and voted early and then hit the drive through of "Crown Burger" with a friend. In addition, I went with my wife and daughter to my sister's home so Eden could trick or treat with her cousins. For a little girl who is always wearing princess dress ups she wanted to go as a spider. It was cute.

I saw my cardiologist Angela Yetman today and things looked stable. I'm giving myself lovanox shots twice a day to help me absorb protein.

I'm wearing oxygen 24/7 at 3 liters and I carry around the milrinone medication pumping into my arm through my picc line (there are 2 pictures to the right of the picc).

It is difficult to shower. But, I am grateful that these things are giving me more time while we wait for my heart.

Incidentally, I was moved up on the list to a status 1B. What does that mean? You're either a status 7, status 2, status 1B, or status 1A (I guess because they can't count from 1 to 4). To my understanding, and I might be wrong, a 7 is a person who has a hard time qualifying for a heart because of other disease, infection, weight, and more. A 2 is a person who needs a heart but they're at home and able to go to work or they are somewhat stable at home. A 1-B is in and out of the hospital, receiving medication through a picc full time, and other difficult issues. The 1-A's are in the hospital and don't have vey long. So, it certainly is an unusual situation because there are plenty of people who need a transplant of some kind. There is a great web-site with data about the list and those waiting or donating. CLICK HERE