This first week of the new year has been a very busy one and filled with lots of news.
The GOOD NEWS first! We learned that we are expecting our first grandchild in September!!! Now we have a BIG decision - can we face coming back here before the baby is born???
The bad news is that I have been sent to bed with CHF and pneumonia again. The doctor (Dutch this time) said my lungs were a swimming pool. I was not surprised as I have been listening to each labored breath for a week, but have been too busy with grading finals to go to the doctor.
Another bad news is that the mother of a student, Elizabeth, that we are extremely close to and who calls herself our daughter, died this week after a long bout with cancer. We have been so very sad for her and wish we could be there to help her, but she lives two days train ride across China from here.
The ? news is that the good news makes it much more important for our daughter to be checked soon for HCM. We think that it is likely that she has it as she seems to have had symptoms for some years. Please remember her and her husband as their financial situation is not great and we are in less of a position to help them than we would be if we were in the US making US wages, especially since our medical insurance just doubled as of Jan 1.
Another ? news is that the doctor told me that my chest x-ray today showed that my heart was larger than normal and somehow skewed (I did not understand how). That surprised him because my X-ray this past March at the same clinic showed a normal sized heart and really surprised me since this summer the echocardiological technician told me that my heart was much smaller than normal, which was her explanation as to why my rather small septum could cause such a large gradient under stress.
I know I have been rather quiet, for me at least, lately, but maybe this will give you some idea of why.
Thanks for any advice or suggestions and especially for your prayers and thoughts!
Rhoda
The GOOD NEWS first! We learned that we are expecting our first grandchild in September!!! Now we have a BIG decision - can we face coming back here before the baby is born???
The bad news is that I have been sent to bed with CHF and pneumonia again. The doctor (Dutch this time) said my lungs were a swimming pool. I was not surprised as I have been listening to each labored breath for a week, but have been too busy with grading finals to go to the doctor.
Another bad news is that the mother of a student, Elizabeth, that we are extremely close to and who calls herself our daughter, died this week after a long bout with cancer. We have been so very sad for her and wish we could be there to help her, but she lives two days train ride across China from here.
The ? news is that the good news makes it much more important for our daughter to be checked soon for HCM. We think that it is likely that she has it as she seems to have had symptoms for some years. Please remember her and her husband as their financial situation is not great and we are in less of a position to help them than we would be if we were in the US making US wages, especially since our medical insurance just doubled as of Jan 1.
Another ? news is that the doctor told me that my chest x-ray today showed that my heart was larger than normal and somehow skewed (I did not understand how). That surprised him because my X-ray this past March at the same clinic showed a normal sized heart and really surprised me since this summer the echocardiological technician told me that my heart was much smaller than normal, which was her explanation as to why my rather small septum could cause such a large gradient under stress.
I know I have been rather quiet, for me at least, lately, but maybe this will give you some idea of why.
Thanks for any advice or suggestions and especially for your prayers and thoughts!
Rhoda
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