Hello from the farm!

Hi there.
Well, we just got back from our Saskatoon run and Stan was able to see the new physical therapist yesterday. She has had a lot of experience with shoulder mobilty and also with skin grafts! That is interesting because up until now, Stan hasn't been told anything about improving the quality of the skin graft site with stretching excersises and massage. We have another appointment next week. This appointment was basically assessment and adding a few new exercises to the existing list. We will need to decide if we can work it out to see her only once a month and Stan just do a great job of strength training on his own in between. With family and especially with new babies in Saskatoon, once a month sounds like a reasonable plan to me! There may be a possibilty after a few months of checking in with a physio closer to home but for now, they need us to keep on the city files incase we need follow up appointments with specialists in Saskatoon.

Stan is out working some sloughs with the disker and I smell of smoke from a few hours of clearing off my garden. Life seems to be returning to normal on the Bell farm.
Love, Stan and Maxine :-)

The "Friday Report"

Well, I think as our life becomes more normal, we have become boring and the blog may have served it's purpose. This finds us back at home until NEXT Friday's appointment with the new orthopedic pyhsical therapist at University Hospital. Stan will have blood work done at our home hospital on occasion and have various appointments as follow up over the next several months. The great news is that we are now at "home base" with weekly trips for an unknown length of time until we can get set up with physical therapy nearby as well. For now, we will enjoy checking in on our family and new granddaughter in Saskatoon. Melissa and Robert's baby is due the end of December and we will be making trips to Saskatoon for that reason, too! Life is good, we are happy with all the good things happening lately. If you are missing us, feel free to contact us personally by email and we'll give you an update. Reach us at maxineandstan@gmail.com I will post from time to time but probably not on a regular basis. Thanks for your ongoing encouragement and anniversary wishes, too!! You have been very appreciated!!! Love, Stan and Maxine :-)

Home was good :-)

We're back in Saskatoon for a couple of days after 5 nights at home! Stan was glad to be back doing some farm work and is inspired to keep getting toughened up so he can go home and have the stamina to do more.
We were back into S'toon by 11:30 am for day surgery to have the permcath removed. "Day" surgery is so named because that's how long it takes to get admitted and lay around until he had his 15 minute time in the operating room. We left hospital and went for supper about 7pm. The nurses were telling him that they see a lot of lines going in, but very few coming OUT so they were very happy for him. Today and tomorrow are pyshyical therapy appointments and they we're off to the farm again. The driving may get "old" before long, but for now it feels like the right thing to do.
Today is our 32nd Wedding Anniversary. I realized it could have been a very sad day for me, but instead I feel VERY blessed that we are together and will celebrate with our family. You have a great day, too!!

"In Gratitude We Celebrate... the joy the season brings
and the lives that overflow with an abundant of all good things,
And we give thanks for each day entrusted in our care,
For the love of family and friends and the blessing we have to share."

Pictures?

Here is Linaya on Grandpa's lap before we left Saskatoon this afternoon. They seem to get along fine!!
And I can't resist showing you Linaya wrapped in her quilt just before they headed out the door after supper last night! I couldn't WAIT to see who I had made if for and now I know. I really like being Grandma :-)

Headed Home for the Weekend

The time has come to stretch our wings and head to the farm for a few days. Hopefully, we will stay there until Tues and head back for Wed thru Friday appointments. We'll see how this works for us as Stan really wants to get back to some of his farm business at home and at the same time, take advantage of the appointments and facilities here in Saskatoon that are available to us. It is exciting to think we have progressed this far. There was a time that it was "someday". God is good. We're looking forward to the next steps. Take care!

A wonderful weekend

Hi there. We were able to see a LOT of people in a short time while we were in Regina. Many of you are the same people who read our blog often and have been keeping us both in your prayers. It was so encouraging to be with you.
Stan had his first appointment with the occupational therapist today and she says there is no improvement she could make on what our present physical therapist has in place so that will be one less appointment with her. Our next goal will be to work towards being in Saskatoon a couple of days a week and home for several. We can't cut loose from Saskatoon until we have followup to the therapy near home or at least a comfortable distance for day trips. See! We're making progress. We still are hearing the same words "it takes time" from all connected to the medical profession and we are doing our best to stay patient at the same time pressing on.
We have been seeing little Linaya almost every day since she has been born and we just love her!! What a special blessing to us all. The Taylor family is doing great!
We hope you all had a wonderful weekend of being thankful too. Love, Stan and Maxine

Off to Regina

Well, we're off to Regina for a couple of days for Lectureship at Western Christian College. Roy, Monica and Linaya are to head home today. They will be keeping their blog updated with baby news. It is a happy time for us and it is easy to be Thankful this Thanksgiving weekend!
Love from Stan and Maxine

More pics

It's a Girl !!

Linaya Grace Taylor was born October 5th at 9:05 PM
6lbs 11 oz
Roy, Monica and Linaya are all doing great! There will be more pictures for sure, but one of my very favorites is the last one of Stan's hand on Linaya's chest. What a blessing that God allowed such a joy of seeing Grandpa and Linaya together just like we all wanted to see. We haven't got to hold her yet as it was getting late and she needed to eat and bond with Mom and Dad first.
Nancy Taylor, Melissa and Robert and Stan and I were awaiting Linaya's birth together. What an excited bunch!! We'll post more pictures with them next time, the computer guy (Robert) went to bed and I can only do picture on my farm computer :-(
God is good. We have welcomed a beautiful little girl into the family.

Update from Saskatoon

Hi there, Well, Stan isn't carrying the annoying bag around anymore! The plastic surgeon was very impressed with the progress of three weeks and has removed the vaccu-bandage. Now Stan is feeling free from using the walker to carry the weight of the pump during walks! and it is so much nicer not to be connected to something and looking out for the hose etc. So much better!! The bandages are also not as big as they used to be which means minimum time for changes and maybe just us instead of Homecare very soon. We have another appointment with the surgeon in three weeks and hopefully it will be completely healed by then.

The second specialist (Physiatrist) put Stan through his paces with electric stim tests and needles (ouch) to check out the nerves in his right arm and left foot. Melissa took time off work to be there to observe. He has slow improvement and that seems to be the way the time line goes in this case. We will just "keep on keepin'on" with the physical therapy and wait for the mending to happen. It looks like the arm vertical movement will be limited but hopefully strenghtening will still make it very useful with more strength in some positions than others.

We hope to take in some of Lectureship in Regina this weekend. This decison may be influenced by Monica and the grandbaby. Her due date had been last Friday so any time now may be "baby time". Please keep her in your prayers.
Love from Stan and Maxine

What a beautiful day!!

Hello from sunny Saskatoon! This has become the "Friday Report" as most of the appointments happen at the end of the week. Again, the bandage is working amazingly well. We see the plastic surgeon on Tues. am to decide how much longer Stan will need it and to discuss if further surgery will be necessary to free up tightened muscles under Stan's arm. We also see a second specialist on Tues. afternoon to do a nerve assessment along his arm to see what shape the nerves are in. The kidneys are still improving and are at about 47% now. Remember from previous conversation that less than 10% required dialysis. We are still waiting news of when they will remove the permcath from Stan's
chest. We are still captive to appointments whenever we get calls and are grateful to be in the system already which seems to open doors to getting to see the specialists as needed and allow continuing physical therapy. The weather has really been beautiful the last few days and the walks in the fall colors has really lifted our spirits. Stan is back in the drivers seat! and has been doing a lot of the driving around the city this week. Monica has had time to spend with us as she waits for baby's arrival. We are all doing well, and share impatience for different reasons!
God bless. Love, Stan and Maxine :-)

and it's Friday!

Another week has gone by! Stan has had a good week and this afternoon Monica joined us for a 2 km walk, about mile! There has been some pain in his shoulder as it is not completely healed and Stan still pushes himself a little further.... trying to get that extra stretch and strength back. He is encouraged to not work as hard at it until the healing is complete. Physical therapy is still a good thing and they are trying to fit him into a longer time slot for the "pulleys" which means the gym. We have been out and about a little more, more than just appointments!

I have been busy this week finishing off Monica's baby quilt. Today we both worked on quilting a project that my Mom, Grace, had started and planned to give to Monica. That was fun for us both to make the project "tri-generational" Next I will pick fabric to start on a special quilt for Melissa's baby. This is a nice place to be with the babies on their way!
We miss home, but progress is still being made here and we still need the medical connections is Saskatoon. 'Til next time, Stan and Maxine :-)

The Sun Shines!

Good morning
The sun shines again in Saskatoon and it feels much better. There is also "frost on the pumpkin" as the radio just said -2 degrees. We look forward to outdoors again. That vacuum bandage is definitely doing what it is meant to do as the wound under Stan's arm is now about 2 centimeters deep (half of what it had been on Friday!) Another gain and another day closer to home. Have a great day, Stan and Maxine

Family

Making progress!!

This was a good result day, too. Stan's kidneys are now operating at 43% which is still good progress in the direction we want to go. He has had medication cut down and another pill discontinued. The "permcath" (tubing to connect dialysis) will be removed as soon as the surgeon is available to do it. Translation: not more dialysis. Hurray!! The bandage was just changed again on the underarm wound. We have had problems with the vacuum seal releasing and hope that is remedied. The results are so encouraging as the wound has already closed up about half the depth of what they started with. Stan is not enjoying hauling the vacuum pack around and constantly disconnecting and reconnecting it from the power source. It weighs at least 4 pounds (which may not be extreme to those of us who have carried diaper bags or purses! Physical therapy is going well, They have wonderful equipment at City Hospital and helpful people. We have done some indoor walking as it has rained up here for the last few days. I actually bought an umbrella.

Today was Monica's last day of work before her baby is born. We are so excited for Monica and Roy. Please add her to your prayer list for the safe arrival of their baby. Thanks to all who have sent comments. We enjoy hearing from you. Love, Stan and Maxine

Elford Bell and kids

Stan, Karen, Elford, Gerry, and Warren
Picture taken last Sunday.

Bandage in place

This was the day the day that Stan got his new bandage. The doctor said to make an appointment with him for three weeks from now and Stan negotiated for 2 1/2. Homecare will let him know if it is healing sooner than that. Every couple of days it will still be changed and measured for depth of the wound, but I am so excited that we have this valuable resource available to us. Stan is hospital overnight and if all is well, he will be discharged after breakfast and off to his physio appointment at 11 am. Greetings to you all. Your love and support is a valuable addition to the healing that continues. God continues to bless us.
Love, Stan and Maxine

I was telling Melissa that this blog is like a modern day "message in a bottle" and we have no idea where it has "washed up" Any of you want to confess where you are that would surprise us?????

Combining Pictures

Home for the Weekend!!

The big news this time is that we were home to Gravelbourg and the farm on the weekend! We arranged to have the bandages changed at our own St Joseph's hospital and were able to attend church at our home congregation. Stan surprised them all by walking up to the front unassisted and was able to say his thankyous in person to everyone. It was wonderful to be with you all there!
It is bittersweet to go back to the farm and see that things have progressed as they should without us. My garden gave us a few treats to bring back to the city and did well at supplying some veggies for the harvest effort. The crops had done beyond our expectations and Stan was able to ride on his combine for about an hour. Monday was damp and the Canada Food Grain Bank Project harvest was postponed. We would have enjoyed seeing a bit of that as well, maybe next year.
We are off to the hospital appointment tomorrow with the plastic surgeon to have the vacuum bandage put on to speed the healing under Stan's arm.. The difference from two months down to possibly two weeks.
We look at our return to Saskatoon positively as a return to progress as he gets stronger and accepts the help he needs in his recovery.
Love, Stan and Maxine

Another Door Opened!

Well, we had a busy day. We got our phone call this morning to show up at City Hospital to begin physical therapy! This was only about an hour after we had talked to other physio facilities that told us the waiting lists were long and that we could be waiting from 6 to 8 weeks. Once again, we have a wonderful person to work with who took us on today because she had cancellations in the department where she usually works. I refuse to believe in coincedence anymore! God is good.