Now For a Little R & R (Rest and Reuperation)

Now you know why I'm Matt In The Middle and not Matt In The South

The Cha Cha updates will be slowing down but the blog will go on as usual. Cha Cha updates will continue but they will not be two or more times a day for now. I will just update about her when I write the blog, pretty much, daily. I think another load of Dirty Laundry Podcast will be recorded soon too. I will let her decide when she is ready. All it really requires on her part is to sit and talk to me for an hour; pretty much torture. I would bet dollars to donuts that we talk a lot about the last couple of weeks' escapades when we do record a new show. When I was young people always said "dollars to donuts" but I don't really understand what that means. Does the "donut" mean a literal donut or a zero? You know, like a "a big fat donut?" I understand that dollars are valuable and donuts aren't as valuable - is that what they meant? Then there's the goose egg...

So, Cha Cha is home. Over the next couple of weeks we had to see many different specialists. I am not sure what-all specialist we have have to see but Cha Cha was given a whole packet of people she needs to contact. She also needs to get the stent removed, eventually. They told us that we could either go to someone closer to us or we could go back to Northwestern. Cha Cha and I both said, in unison, "we will be coming back here." Many people told us that we should go to Northwestern all along but we thought we were fine. How wrong we were. Kishwaukee Community Hospital was the second best because, as soon as they saw they were out of their league and this was a bigger deal than they could handle they got her in an ambulance and shipped her out. It is so nice to have her sleeping upstairs in her own bed with no pain (she does have some pain meds though). 

I am so tired I can barely remember what else. I will probably have to tell you more about that tomorrow. I am so happy that I am off work until December 1st. I know, if I need to, I can file for an extension for more FMLA; I really sure hope it is not needed. I want Cha Cha at 100% again.

I must say that this whole thing has been life-changing. We have gone through issues with complications from her Crohn's Disease for the better part of the 30 years we have been together but this was different. This time she almost died. I seriously believe she almost died a couple of times over the past week. I cannot believe it is only 1957; it feels like it's 3AM (I must be lonely). I have always loved that song. I think I want to go to more concerts. Sorry, it's like I have blogging Tourette Syndrome or something. (I think the last big concert we went to was Matchbox Twenty and the Goo Goo Dolls at Ravinia with MADYM and Derek). That was a really good time. I am listening to that video I linked  up there for the third time right now. Can you tell I am tired? There was not even a segue between the life-changing talk / Cha Cha almost dying and talk about the concert we went to. 

I already told you about the cruise / trip that we are going to go on - we just have to figure out when and where we are going to go. My guess is it will be the Bahamas but, quite possible, a European river cruise. For some reason I want to see where I was born (Heidelberg, Germany). What is that about? Why do we feel the need/want to see where we were born? I am going to work on one of the many story ideas I have for novels (maybe I will work on it on the cruise ship or a beach?) I have extensive notes I have made for three or four different stories. Maybe I can combine them and be done already. Something always gets in the way of things but that is going to change. I am not going to sweat the small stuff anymore. We are both going to get healthy again. We are going to win the lottery (still trying to figure out how to accomplish that one)... 

See why I want to visit the motherland?

When we came home from the hospital it was like Cha Cha was returning from war or something. Kevin from across the street was on his porch clapping and waving. Lisa from across the street came out of her house and welcomed us home. There were balloons flying from our mailbox. Cha Cha is so popular and well-liked. I had a difficult time trying to keep-up trying to keep everybody informed which is why I turned the blog into Cha Cha Watch 2014. People from all walks of her and my lives wanted to know all about Cha Cha. You all were a huge part of her recovery. Thank you sooooo much. I still want to know how Kevin knew we were turning into the cul-de-sac. Was he on his porch for hours just waiting? Were we on radar like Santa Claus is every Christmas Eve? 

Wow, this got long quickly (TWSS). I have lots more to talk about Cha Cha and lots more to talk about the life-changing thing. I am too tired to keep blogging. I will blog more in the morning. Thanks a lot for stopping by; I really appreciate you. Sleep tight (not the drunk kind of tight). TTTT,,,MITM (out but quite a bit less stressed), Speaking of stress, now that this situation is better, both Fabio and I are getting sick. HA, that makes me sick and tired, TA!

Outta Here? That's What Doogie Says

I am back at Northwestern Hospital. Doogie Howser just came in to see how Cha Cha is doing. He was one of the radiologists during her procedure here. He seriously looked like he is about 17-years-old. They still have not told her whether or not she is going home today. Everybody who has come in here seems very pleased with her progress and... now she is on the phone with the doctor... hey, she is released. Now we have to wait for the discharge team (that doesn't sound very pleasant) to come and tell us what we do next. I sure hope we get out of here because, when I was driving home last night, they were setting up those metal bleachers along Michigan Avenue for the Magnificent Mile Lights Festival that is two blocks from here tonight. We will have to come back and meet with the liver specialists and she will have to have her stent removed. That is why my FMLA is approved until the last day of this month. It will be nice to not be driving here and back alone - Cha Cha is a great co-pilot. Doogie (his white coat read Dr. Brian something - it was long and started with a D. and it was long but it was stitched in cursive ) reaffirmed that all of the problems we have had for the past month were because they nicked the her liver and caused internal bleeding. From all of the medical dramas (Medical Center, Emergency!, M.A.S.H., Marcus Welby M.D...) that we watched as kids because "back in my day we only had three channels and we watched whatever was on..." I learned that internal bleeding was a terrible thing. I now know that a stabbed liver is a bad thing too.

We were also told that Cha Cha definitely had/has autoimmune hepatitis. That is not the bad one if there is such a thing as not having bad hepatitis. I told her, when we were serving together in Vietnam that she shouldn't trust those rust needle tattoos she got in Hanoi but she didn't listen. Not that I told her so but...

She is in the shower here in the bathroom of Room 1552 (her address for the past three or four days). If she gets out soon I may only have to pay $12 for parking or, at least, something less than the $44 last night. Today the parking garage was not as busy and I got to park on the 6th level which is Bing Crosby. So, I have been on Barbra Streisand, Billie Holliday, Louis Armstrong and now Bing. Maybe when we come back for her other things over the next few weeks we can park on a new musician/musical acts.

Cha Cha sent me down to the first floor of the mallportlibraratoriumcenter (ot whatever it is) to Starbuck's to get her a "non-fat, no whip, venti, Chai Tea Latte." While in the elevator I typed it into the "notes APP" on my phone because I knew I would have forgotten one on those things before I got there. So, I stepped right up and read it from my phone telling the barista dude that I am not a coffee drinker so I have to read it to get it right. He then told me that the Chai Tea Latte doesn't have whip. I asked, "what is whip? does that mean that it is whipped with a blender or something?" He told me that it just means whipped cream. I am not near as whip hip as I thought I was. But, I got it back here and it was what she wanted. She let me taste it and it tastes like a cinnamon bun.

If we every do get out of here I will not miss all of the sirens all the time. Well, until I get back to work and hear sirens all the time. The ambulance ER drop-off must be just 14 floors right below Cha Cha's window. Cha Cha just told me that when she arrived here in the ambulance and got taken into the ER (I don't have to tell you that ER is Emergency Room do I? Opps I guess I just did) she kept her eyes closed tightly because she knew there some bad things going-on in there.

It is 1157 now and I will wrap-up and, hopefully, will blog from home nest time. Have a great rest of your day and night. I will be blogging from my personal hospital recovery room in Dekalb. Thank you, again for everything you have done, said, texted, posted, prayed about... We really appreciate you very much. TTTlater today...MITM (out) TA!

90%, of Recovery is Half Mental

It was nice sleeping in my own bed last night. I slept fairly well and got about six hours of sleep. I think Jeff (our Border Collie if you are unfamiliar) is a little lonely. Just like me, Cha Cha is his favorite person. Jeff slept in the bed with me. He's not too bad. Occasionally, he'd lie across my chest and I would pet him and then turn on my side and he'd lie back down.

No MATTer what our homes are: house, apartment, car, refrigerator box, mansion, boat, airport, hotel, hospital... there is no place like home; L. Frank Baum knew what he was talking about when he made that the main theme of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Incidentally, he wrote the The Wonderful Wizard of Oz in the same city that Cha Cha is right now. He wrote the story in the Humboldt Park neighborhood of Chicago. There have been a lot of great and/or well-known writers who have come out of the Chicagoland area (Baum was not "from" Chicago but lived here when he wrote one of the most famous stories of all time): Edgar Rice Burroughs, Matt In The Middle, Roger Ebert, Michael Crichton, John Chancellor, Ann Landers, Carl Sandburg, Gary Gygax, Ernest Hemingway, Mike Royko, Ben Hecht Ray Bradbury, Larry Gelbart...

The best part of home last night was the shower I took before bed. It is funny how we can take the simple things for granted. That is why sometimes people take me for granted I think.

I spoke (actually the more intimate form of communication - texted) Cha Cha and the nurses tell her that the roads are very icy. It is rainy (moisture) and a bit foggy (moisture) and cold so it makes sense that there would be ice on the roads. Fortunately, to get to Cha Cha I am mainly on 290/88 and then take The Magnificent Mile (Michigan Avenue) all the way to her hospital (save for getting to the tollway and the two blocks from Michigan Avenue to the hospital. The tollway is almost always one of the first things salted so I will be fine. I will probably wait and leave here at 0830 or so. We are still 90% certain she will be getting out of the hospital today. We will have to go back sometime later within the week for her to get her stent out. We already told them that want to go back to Northwestern to get that done. We don't really trust our horse doctors much anymore.

The Magnificent Mile when I left The Magnificent Cha Cha last night

I am pretty sure that I will take tonight off work again (I am approved to take off work via my "continuous FMLA" to help Cha Cha at home and, as it turns out I fear, for me to get better too) and maybe the rest of the month. Once she started feeling better it was like someone slapped me in the face with a shovel; I have flu-like symptoms and am exhausted. Adrenaline is an amazing thing. We can go non-stop but, once the fight-or-flight instinct is no longer a requirement, we eventually crash. Before you start thinking, "you need to eat" as I have heard quite a bit over the past couple of weeks, I just had two mozzarella cheese sticks and some cracked pepper turkey breast. Jeff helped me a little.

Last night, as I left the hospital for the parking garage across the skyway bridge deal, I wondered how much the parking would be. The previous night it had been reduced from $52 to $24 because I was visiting a patient and got the parking ticket validated or whatever they did to it. The $52 amount is charged if you are parked between seven and 24 hours. So, since I was parked for about 34 hours I was curious how bad they would rape me. It was $48. So, just to park we have paid $68 and whatever I have to pay today. That seems kind of like ambulance chasing to me (pun intended).

I still have lots of notes from my travels but I just felt like clearing my mind here this morning. Those notes will come when Cha Cha is home (hopefully very, very soon). I am gonna take another shower and head east. Thanks a lot for continuing to think about Cha Cha - she still needs out positive energy. Even though the big, bad parts appear to be over for now she still has lots of healing and a few more procedures to endure.You have been a HUGE part in her recovery. Ninety percent of recovery is half mental. Sincerely, thank you all of you for everything. MITM (out and hopefully home with Cha Cha very soon) TA!

Taking a Stroll on the 15th Floor

Don't tell Cha Cha but he died here at 50 years old

Cha Cha is doing very well. She ate real food for lunch and is doing good. It is 1703 now so dinner may be coming for her soon. The guy who is doing her vitals now just stopped-by. His name is Marcell (even though spell-check is giving me the red squiggles it is spelled correctly because he wrote it on the big wipe-board at the foot of Cha Cha's bed. Anyway, we started talking because he is shy just like Cha Cha and I are. Some how Bernie Mac came up and we found out that he died right here in this room (I swear that come up in our discussion). Maybe we could do the podcast here tomorrow and see if we can get his voice on the show. Cha Cha thinks the hospital would not like us recording Dirty Laundry Podcast here. Why? Marcell went on to tell us all of the people he has met in the 18 months here has been there. He has met Mayor Rahm Emanuel. It sounds like the Secret Service comes and does sweeps occasionally since POTUS comes to town every now and then since his home is here. He talked about some baseball player that used to be a Chicago Cub and "played shortstop" but Marcell is not a baseball fan and then said, "his nickname is Mr. Cub." I said, "you mean Ernie Banks?" Marcell said, "yeah, that's his name." He named some other people that I didn't know (rappers...). It makes sense since this is a big city so I suppose there have been lots of people we all know here. I wonder if the Secret Service gets to use the staff elevators and ride with doctors like I get to because I do what ever the hell I want to do. Thanks Obama!

She will definitely have to have the stent removed but they are going to keep an eye on her blood count all night tonight and then make the decision in the morning. I will head home tonight and come back in the morning. My guess is she will not going to come home too early. With my FMLA being approved until the end of the month I know I will continue to use some of my vacation days to take care of Cha Cha and getting myself back to normal. Now that I am not in charge of Cha Cha's health monitoring I will be sick and exhausted. I have been parked in the lot across the street for over 24 hours. I am curious how much the bill will be for this one. When I got here yesterday morning I had to drive all the way to the top (Louis Armstrong) but that was literally on the top and it was outside so I went down to Billie Holliday so, if it snowed, I would not have to clear off the snow.

Two of the greats have watched over my car for about 20 hours

Cha Cha told me that, while she was out with the morphine one of the many times, she dreamt about bubbles and cake. She also said she had a dream about her Great Grandma Rich. I never met her because she was gone before Cha Cha and I met. Morphine should be legalized.

I am gonna end. I still have lots of notes about non-medical-related items that I have been thing about and maybe I will finally get to some of that stuff tomorrow. I may take a little nap before I leave here. I am planning on heading back about 2100. The traffic should be died-down by then. Thanks a lot for stopping-by. If you are new to the blog because of Cha Cha's health reporting I hope you stick around after she gets her parole. I hope you have a great night. Thanks again for all all of your thoughts and encouragement and prayers and meditating for Cha Cha and I. I don't know if I would have made it without you. TTTT...MITM (out) TA!

Chameleon in the Middle

I can get anywhere, anytime - I'm a chameleon 

Before I forget for the tenth time, I will let you know about my escapade of finding Cha Cha's room after the ambulance brought her here and I came later I think that was Wednesday. Remember, this place is hugemongous (it's not just huge and it's not just humongous) which is why I coined the term airmallportspital in one of Wednesday's blogs. Anyway, I walked-in and had no idea where to go so I just went anyway. I have always known that if you look like you are supposed to be somewhere nobody will question that you do belong there. So, I got in a Staff Elevator on the second floor of the hospital. There were only 13 buttons of floors I could choose from. Of course, I chose 13. When I arrived on 13 I found a different elevator and traveled up the next two floors. The stairs required me to have to use a Prox Card but, since I was just pretending to be staff, I did not have one of those. I did see one later on someone's coat and, had I been so inclined, I could have me one of those now. I guess I do sort of this thing for a living so??? I didn't learn until I went back down to eat that I was probably the best mole/spy this hospital has ever not seen. They give the card out on the first floor and the second floor and there is someone at a desk by the elevators on all other 13 floors to make sure you have your badge yet, I made it to Cha Cha's room without contact with one person. My services are for hire if you need my very special set of skills.

It is now 1102 and Cha Cha is sleeping very well. Of course, they keep coming in and checking on her (vitals, weight, turn off the beeping IV...). Supposedly, rest and apples are the best medicines but she doesn't get much of either. She is better than I am - I would say that I was in pain so I could get some more morphine just to sleep. She is in a bit of discomfort but, compared to what she has endured over the last two weeks, this is nothing apparently. The last time she had pain medicine was 2255 last night. We still haven't heard when she will be getting her stent out. I hope they give us some warning so, if we are going to leave today and come back later, I would like to start getting her stuff together; that is what a good PA does. We don't have much here but I need a task. I noticed last night, when I wasn't on-duty as Cha Cha's consigliere (though I am always on call), I was getting really tired and I was feeling a bit run-down. I will probably be sick for awhile after we are done with this ordeal. Maybe I will be using all of my "continuous FMLA" through November 30th just for me to get well. I will have a lot of the last part of December off too because we go down to minimum staffing and my seniority that I will probably be above the Mendoza Line and will be able to be off.

Don't tell Cha Cha but I think I am going to throw down a couple of duckets for tickets to I Love Lucy On Stage. When I was getting her stuff at Marshall's and Walgreen's yesterday, while she was in surgery, I walked-by the Bank of America Theater and saw that it is playing there. She was always a big fan of Lucy and I know she would like this. I am off Friday nights and I see they have tickets available for one of the Friday nights while the show is here.  I would go now but I know as soon as I do the doctors will walk-in and I will be gone.

Mum's the word!

Maybe I will take a nap in this chair. It only partially reclines because people were stupid and couldn't figure out how to use the recliners so they had the foot parts that are supposed to go up incapacitated. Who doesn't know how a recliner works. I got the story though. If you need intel or to be snuck into someplace just let me know. If Cha Cha were more daring we'f be able to get into I Love Lucy for free dressed as dancers at the Tropicana (I assume they will have scenes there); maybe I should do my homework first. Prep is about 80% in my line of work.

Okay, I am just rambling now. I will blog again later today/tonight either with news about Sleeping Cha Cha or just some notes from my many pages of blog note. One day we will be getting back to Dirty Laundry Podcast I hope. TTT?...MITM (out)... maybe I will just take that nap. TA!

And the Medical Blog Goes On

Why is the ambulance inside? Damn Fisher Price hospital staff

It is 0501 and Cha Cha and I are both awake. She is in a little pain discomfort but she has not had any morphine since 2255 and she is going to try, for now at least, to go without it. We still do not have word if they have room for her at the inn (surgery) or she will have to wait until tomorrow (Saturday). I was extremely tired last night so I stayed here at the hospital. Cha Cha told me to go get a hotel (there is even a Doubletree about two blocks from here where we stayed with the kids one summer when we came down for a weekend) but I didn't want to because if I am gonna stay down here I gotta be with my baby. So, I slept on this couchy thing that was really uncomfortable. Picture a prison cot (still better than her previous hospital - KCH was nice though but that was close to home where I could be back in five minutes). I would rather have a backache and be sleepy than sit through that traffic again. Jill's former boss lives near here and she offered me a room for as many nights as I wanted/needed but I have a problem feeling like I am an imposition. I know that is silly and, when we do similar things for people, I do not feel like they're imposing so I am not sure where that comes from in me. I know it even makes people feel good that they could help but I would rather risk falling asleep at the wheel or having a backache for a week than impose on someone - I have problems.

I was just in the bathroom and I saw myself in the mirror. I don't have any disillusion that I am a good-looking guy but I look worse than usual. I have bags under my red eyes and I just look tired.

Last night and tonight are my normal weekend nights off. Then, tomorrow night, I may or may not go to work depending on whether she is out of here Saturday or Sunday. I may take Saturday night off even if she gets out on Saturday because most places don't discharge you early but maybe Northwestern is different. They actually had Jill in surgery yesterday before I even got here. Most hospitals we have been to don't do anything until afternoon. Many people said this hospital is not like any other hospital and now we know what they are talking about. If I need to go the the ER I may even tough-it-out and get driven here. I could deal with the pain for a little longer to get better quicker. Since she is doing better and not in pain I really hope that they keep her here until Sunday. I could use one day to get caught-up on my rest for one night.

T.J., Luca, Hondo, Deacon and Street

Another thing we like about this hospital is that they have Starz and Encore on the television. Really, entertainment to keep the patients' minds off of their pain? What a novel approach. We just got done watching S.W.A.T.. It is a fun movie (kind of like comfort food for we MIDDLES). At the end the truck driver looked like Hondo (not the new Samuel L. Jackson but the old Steve Forrest from the television series). I had to IMDB is and yes, it was Steve Forrest. I did some more digging and discovered that S.W.A.T. was only on from 1975-1976. That was a huge surprise to me. We played S.W.A.T. as kids all the time and it was on for only one season. Now I have to check how long Emergency! and Adam-12 were on, Emergency! from 1972-1979 and Adam-12 from 1968-1975.

Cha Cha is sleeping again which makes me happy. Not that I do not like her company but she has fought so hard for a couple of weeks (actually off-and-on for 30 or so years) and she will still need her strength to get well. Her guts probably look like that stuff you pull out of a pumpkin before you carve it. We sure had an emotional reunion when she got back from surgery yesterday. It was like one of those movie romance movie ones. Now she is sleeping and I am just watching her sleep - it is such a relief that she is relatively pain-free. I just checked my work emails and I see that my FMLA (Family Medical Leave Act) has been approved for "continuous" coverage until 11/30/14. So, I guess I am off until the end of the month so I can help Cha Cha when she gets home. She will definitely need the help. She is still very weak and won't be able to do much.

A fistula - not THE fistula

Two different doctors just came in (one about what is going on and one about what went on in the operating room yesterday). It was confirmed that there was a fistula that was caused by the liver biopsy a couple of weeks ago. They still have to remove the stent and they are waiting to see how today goes with their current schedule and she may be able to be fit in today or tomorrow or she may be sent home and have to have the stent removed somewhere else or here later (maybe next week). I told the doctor that if we have to have it done later it would definitely be done here. The doctor also said that the fistula that caused all of this problem was undoubtedly caused by the liver biopsy fiasco (I paraphrased with the fiasco part). So, right now, she is back on nothing by mouth - not even ice chips - until they know if they will be working on her again today.

It looks like I will be blogging from here at least for another day. Thank you everyone for all of your love and support. Even just your reading the blog has helped me because, knowing that so many people are reading it because of their love of Jill and I, has given me something to do to occupy my time and not fret so much. So, I will let you know what we know when we know it. In the meantime - be well! TTTLater Today...MITM (out). TA! The main doctor just walked-in (later tater)

Where's Cha Cha?

It is 1134 and the love of my life is somewhere in this humongous building surrounded by strangers getting a blood transfusion due to the surgery she had been having this morning. It is such a helpless feeling. I know everything will be alright but, in the meantime, I just have to sit and wait. I thought that this whole ordeal had been going-on for a week but, as Splenda pointed-out, it has been two weeks ago today that the fuse was lit for this (insert whatever word you find fitting here).

Lots of people are worrying about me but please do not. I am fine. Use whatever positive energy that you have and aim it at Cha Cha (prayers, juju, thoughts...).

It has been about two or three hours since I wrote those two paragraphs up there because Cha Cha came back and I have been helping and hugging and smooching with her. She seems great. She has a bit of pain in her back (more like stiffness) and is getting some medication for that.

She did not have the transfusion after-all. I think the nurse thought that, since she told me that, but they were doing an angioplasty. I know a lot about what that is now but I will not bore you with something that you can Google. So, later they will probably have to do a blood transfusion but it sounds like that will be done right here in her room if necessary.

Baby Cha Chica seems to have been pulled from the well

She just hit the nurse's call button to try to get some pain medicine. Her back is hurting a bit and there is some discomfort up by her liver area again. She had some medicine at 1345 and she can only have it every two hours. Nobody ever told us how often she could have it but now we know. It is morphine again. I think they are getting tired of my "help" which means I am doing my duty. When they transferred Cha Cha from the operating room bed to her room bed here the pad she was lying on was clogging-up the whole deal and they needed my help to hold the pad. I am going to continue to do what I think is right. I rarely overstep my bounds. I came close on November 6th but I restrained myself right on the edge of the precipice. If you need to catch-up on all of this nonsense I would start with that day, or maybe a day or two before. Get you popcorn and favorite beverage ready first.

The doctor and nurse were just in (1400ish). It sounds like Cha Cha's blood is starting to look better and maybe no transfusion. The blood is regenerating itself like it is supposed to do. We are always ready for whatever curve ball could come but it looks like all of the good vibes from you have helped - THANK YOU!!! They still want to take out the stent and it looks like they have lots of things scheduled in the O.R. so that may not be until Saturday. The doctor will advise us on that later. Cha Cha has become like Baby Jessica (that little girl who fell down the well and was there for almost three days when we MIDDLES were younger). Everybody rallied around her, just like you did with Baby Cha Chicca, and it appears that she has been pulled from her well too.

Prepare Cha Cha with 3-in-1 oil, gauze pads & I will need 10 quarts of antifreeze...

A lot of people have been talking about how we should lawyer-up and the like. We are not people who typically think about or do that sort of thing. We will see what kind of bills we get and what the insurance company is going to do but, I agree we should not see any bills. It's like you take your plane (Cha Cha) in for a tune-up and Gordon Liddy tells you,"hey, you need a Fetzer valve..." But, when they replace the Fetzer valve your Ipswitch clamp goes out and you have to go somewhere else to get that fixed. The first plane mechanic would, in most cases if he was incapable or equipped to fix it, pay for that repair. We shall see what happens. Talk about creating your own business.

Tomorrow I think (and hope) I will be able to get back to writing about everything MIDDLE in America. I have a feeling, because of Cha Cha's huge fan club, I may have some new followers to the blog. That would be great; the more people I can make smile or think once in awhile the more that I will smile and think too. I will probably still have quite a few doctor things to blog about before we get out of here though too I imagine. Maybe I can start crossing-off some of the many notes I have in my notebooks too in a day or two. Thanks a lot for helping Cha Cha and I through this difficult journey so far - you were all a tremendous help. Whatever does not kill us makes us stronger! TTTT...MITM (relieved a bit and out) TA!