Ethan’s Journey

​I got the call confirming the appointment for Ethan’s heat biopsy on Wednesday. He does these without anesthesia which I feel he has the right to brag about. I had a difficult person I was working with today. You know that person that is just terrible at doing anything in a timely manner. She gave bare minimum answers, seemed dismissive even though she came to ME for help and didn’t answer my questions that were posed to help HER. I could tell she was a C-Section baby by the way she avoided labor! Luckily with extreme forward facing patience (not inner patience) we FINALLY began to work through it so I could help her. Ugh! Why do people make things so hard? Help me……help you! All of my patience had worn out by the time Paul got home. We were sitting on the couch when he asked me if we had a label maker. I wondered what project he needed the label maker for. “Do we have a label maker?” He asked “What for?” I asked “To make a label.” He said. My face……… I called him a bad name. Ahhhhh t...

​It is easier to leave camp on a dreary day. It was quite misty when we left. I got on the road early with Paul not too far behind. Ethan was in the garage when I got home puttering doing man stuff. Soon after, around 2:30, he was sitting on the couch with Jiminy and he fell asleep.  This is what kidney disease looks like behind the scenes. He often needs to nap on weekends to catch up with the week days he is working. In his wadded up blanket he was embracing was a little tiny pup sleeping happily with him. Jiminy sure does get so excited to see Ethan. Ethan selflessly tells me to bring Jiminy camping because he knows Jiminy will have fun with the other dogs. I send him pictures of what Jiminy is doing throughout his time away from Ethan. I did some much needed cleaning and laundry. Things just need to be wiped down and dusted. I even cleaned out the “fart fans” in both bathrooms. They get dusty and gross.  I went through two drawers and have some donations to drop off. Littl...

​we slept in this morning. The camper was 57 degrees. Yikes. We were luckily draped in blankets and were toasty warm sleeping. It was overcast this morning but the day perked up as the time passed.  We decided it may be a little chilly taking out the jet ski’s so we road on the neighbor’s boat over to Walmart beach. The sun graced us with its presence on a pristine lake. The ride was a little chilly but I brought a blanket. We had a meeting of the shoreline, kinda like a last hoorah for the summer. Next weekend we are having a lobster bake shoreline party. Next weekend will be my last weekend up for 2026.  Why is summer so short? We spent a few hours at the beach. We had good chats with the neighbors and shared some laughs.  When we got back I took the dogs for a decent walk. I came across a monarch. We befriended each other. Such a gift for me as I always admire their beautiful colors and markings. I moved it to a tree so it could be safe as I continued my walk. We conti...

​Paul and I have mastered working from “home” at camp. He has the back area or “garage” of the camper and the rest is free for me. I was able to sit outside most of the day. Bliss! At one point all the dogs were out. 3 sun bathing and Jiminy trotting around doing dog things for an extended period of time. The sunshine was helpful.jiminy was helping me work but was promptly fired by sleeping on the job. We went out to dinner at one of the favorite local places and sat out on the deck to eat. The deck overlooks Chaumont Bay. One of the bright sides is that after labor day the traffic of vacationers subsides. There is no wait for tables and always yddeck seating available. When we got back from dinner, it was chilly. Paul and I built a fire and hoped to stay warm. The fire was very warm and I had a blanket. I rotated through all the dogs and gave them time to snuggle with Mom. Ferguson was by far the best snuggler tonight. He wasn’t fidgety like the others. He stayed out until we closed d...

​is anyone else FEELING the days getting shorter and how that changes your sleep requirements? Summer, my favorite season, has slipped through my fingers. BOO!!!!!! I didn’t set an alarm this morning because I didn’t need to. I slept in almost an hour and a half. My body must have needed it but the days getting shorter does not help. I am hardwired to be awake during light and sleeping during dark. I would fail in Alaska.  I was packing my car up for camp. Moe got very excited. However, I wasn’t ready to leave. When I called him to go into the house he was very disappointed in me. He peered at me from around the corner of the house with disgust! He begrudgingly came in the house and laid on his bed pouting! When it was time to go, he rode shotgun (his choice). He navigated me to the lake! Dogs are funny. We stopped for gas mid trip and saw an Amish horse and buggy. He was going nuts in the car watching the horse closely! We made it to camp. Time for sleep!

​I waited the full 48 hours for a MyChart response from the kidney team regarding a kidney biopsy. I then called and spoke with a nice lady who is going to elevate my question regarding rejection to the doctor. I am trying to give the benefit of the doubt as she was out of the office last week. We all know the punishment of being out of the office and coming back to a pile of work waiting for us. The doctor called fairly quickly. We made a plan for Ethan. He will get his heart biopsy. If the comes back as there is rejection, Ethan will be treated and we will not do the kidney biopsy. Even if the kidney is also in rejection the treatment for the heart will also treat the kidney. If the heart biopsy comes back negative we will move forward with the kidney biopsy. I am satisfied with this solution. I think it is the most non-invasive solution to support Ethan and his health. So now we wait until next week to see what the verdict is.  Ethan has noticed he is having episodes of feeling ...