the plate is a hint |
We weren't sure how to prepare these and the man at the meat counter was extremely vauge. So we marinated them in blah blah blah, I'm pretty sure you don't care how we cooked them, you just want to know what the heck they are. They are swordfish steaks. We grilled them and they were great. If you want the recipie, don't ask the man at the meat counter.
Here is a pic of the whole meal..
Robyn opted for half a steak |
We also had lemondrop honeydew mellon in our fruit salad. We live on the edge.
Tuesday night I had to tend bar. I switched Wednesday for Tuesday because Canyon had surgery Wednesday morning. So I was anxious to close and get home because we had to be at the hospital at 5:30 in the morning. I got home around 11 and Canyon was still up. I thought he may be unable to sleep so I sat down and asked if he wanted to talk. I found out that he was just messing around on his laptop, ordering new shoes that he designed. I told him to get to bed. Then I did the same.
The 4:30 alarm came all too soon. We all got showered and dressed, loaded all the necessities we would need for an overnight stay at the hospital and pointed the family truckster in that direction. When we arrived, we said a prayer and then we went in.
These next two photos may be kind of graphic, but they will help explain the surgery.
First, a little history. Canyon, out of the blue one day, had terrible cramps and went into the bathroom. After a few moments he hollered to Robyn that we may need to go to the hospital. He had filled the toilet with blood. After we arrived at the emergency ward we found out that he had lost a unit of blood. But they couldn't find a reason for it. He didn't have another episode after that. We went home with no answers.
Many months later, maybe even more than a year, it happened again. Not quite as much blood loss but enough to make us rush to the hospital. All the tests showed nothing. Finally the doc ordered a Meckel test. Canyon ingested some nuclear medecin that is attracted to stomach lining. A Meckel is a growth on the side of the small intestine that is actually a mini-stomach. It releases gastric acid into the intestine and causes bleeding ulcers. It could eat all the way through the intestine wall, leading to major complications and even death. The test came back positive. We at last had an answer. Here is a x-ray of a Meckel test I found online...
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red arrow indicates Meckel |
The solution was to surgicaly remove the Meckel. This next photo I got online also. It shows a Meckel attached to the intestine. It gives you an idea what the surgeon was looking for.
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looks a little like Mick Jagger's lips |
Robyn and I went to the waiting room at 7. We were informed around 8 that Canyon was just beginning his surgery and it would take about an hour. At just a bit after 9 the surgeon came into the waiting room, and I noticed he had a rather dumb-founded look on his face. He informed us that he couldn't find any sign of a Meckel. What? He said that really with Meckel's diverticulum they were just chasing shadows. (If you look at the x-ray photo you can kind of get an idea of what he meant.)
However, he said in Canyon's case the x-ray was one of the most certain he had ever seen. He was absolutly sure it was there. He told us he scanned the entire lower intestine four times (They never do that) looking for it and found nothing. As a matter of fact he said that all Canyon's guts were in great shape. I asked what's next? He said he didn't know. He will confer with the doctor that performed the Meckel test and see what he thinks. I suggested another Meckel test. Right now it is a wait and see game.
So we went up to see Canyon in the recovery room. He was very busy as you can see..
Video conference call? |
The nurses said he could go home that day if he could drink and then eat with no problems. Well drinking was no problem because he hadn't had anything to drink in almost 12 hours. Then he wanted food, so we went to the cafeteria to get something healthy for him.
It has to be good for you, it's hospital food |
He had no problem with his food, and he was able to walk the hallways.
We came to the conclusion that the show Scrubs wasn't very realistic because there was virtually no one roaming the halls.
So a nurse came in and said the doctor had cleared him to go home so she would get the paperwork done and we could leave in 15 minutes. We started getting everything packed up and about 10 minutes later, the fire alarm went off. We were told there was a fire in radiology on the first floor. We were on the third floor. The Griswalds strike again. When the alarm was finally canceled (an hour later) we were dismissed.
Robyn and I talked about the vanishing Meckel. I suggested that maybe it was a God thing. Robyn disagreed saying why would he leave us wondering about Canyon's ailment. So I did some research. Meckels don't disappear. Either you have it for life or it is removed, that's it. So I thought to myself, sometimes we pray for God to heal our loved ones, especially when it is very serious, like cancer or A.L.S. More often than not we don't get the answer we were looking for. In this case something unexplainable happened and we keep looking for answers. I have decided to call it a miracle. Maybe another answer will present itself, but for me it is a prayer answered. All the glory to God.
Canyon is healing nicely.
I will blog again soon, just wanted to let everyone know what was going on.
Peace
Dan