April 11 – May 11. A lot can happen in a month

It’s been exactly a month today that my impressive creatinine levels were revealed for all to see. Here’s what the timeline looks like so far:

Thurs April 11. 5:30pm – Cramps after work. Jo finds me nearly passed out in the garage.

Thurs April 11. 7:30pm – E.D at Batemans Bay. No symptoms, but levels over 1000.

Thurs April 11. 11:30pm – Ambulance to Canberra Hospital

Fri April 12. 2:30am – Bloods, MRI, scans, ward. Canberra Hospital.

Fri April 12.8:30am – See Renal Specialist in Hospital. Dr Alice & Team.

Fri April 12. All Day – See Renal Dietician, Nurse, Team.

Sat April 13. 2:30pm – Discharge Canberra Hospital.

Sun April 14. Combined Churches Palm Sunday Service

Sun April 14. 1:30pm – Matt Lesmana. Lunch at Milton.

Tue April 16. Sydney – Lunch with family at St Marys. Told Sana after Bandy. Mascot to hotel and Thai for dinner. Terrible cramps again at night in our hotel.

Wed April 17. All Day Travel in car Sydney to Batemans Bay– Pick up Jeremy & Bernice. Lunch at Kiama. Travel back to the Bay.

Thur April 18. 9:30am – New GP. Mark Ashton. Blood test. Drive to Canberra.

Thur April 18. 2:30pm – Specialist appointment. Dr Nick Hunt. New medications from Canberra. Pick up Liv. Lose my AirPods. Drive back to the Bay. Call from Dr Langley about blood results.

Fri April 19. GOOD FRIDAY – EASTER WEEKEND

Mon April 22. Jo travel W.A – Fly out of Canberra. Drove with Liv.

Wed April 24. 8am – Meet Robyn Renal Outreach Moruya.

Wed April 24. 11am – Sister Carmel. FaceTime Spiritual Direction.

Wed April 24. 2:30pm – GP Mark Ashton.

Thur April 25. ANZAC DAY – Road trip with the boys to watch End Game in Canberra. Yarralumla for lunch. Liv watch ‘Us’. Car lights out.

Fri April 26. JO BACK WA – Drive back to Bay. Swap cars. Drive back to Canberra. Pick up Jo from airport. Dinner at Red Rooster.

Sat April 27. Jeremy & Bernice to Kiama. Ulladulla First time back

Sun April 28. Cross Central First Sunday back. Preach Ps 150

Mon April 29. Meet Robyn Moruya with Jo.

Tue April 30. 2:30pm – Phone call from Robyn. Canberra want me in tomorrow 10am. Beard shaved after 2.5 years. YouTube channel started to document journey.

Wed May 1 . Canberra hospital – Jo’s with me. Renal team trying to fast track PD

Thur May 2. Canberra hospital – Still figuring out.

Fri May 3. Discharge – A plan slowly emerges. Tunnel line on Wed. Meet GenSurgen on Friday.

Sat May 4. Girls Netball – Grace first game. Tomorrow Grace goes to Wagga.

Sun May 5. Roy B preach at Cross Central – Grace at Wagga

Mon May 6. 9:30am Blood test – Surfside, ordered from Canberra hospital when discharged. Nic coffee catch up 10am. Time with Jo. GP appointment 2:30pm. Coffee catch up Roy 3pm. Coffee catch up Mark 4pm. EPIC DAY!!

Wed May 8. 4:30am Leave for Canberra – Day surgery. Tunnel line. Then jail break. Back home 5:30pm.

Thur May 9. 8:30am First Dialysis– Meet Linda. Janelle did my treatment.

Fri May 10. 8am Leave for Canberra – Appointment with Surgeon General. No contradiction for surgery. Lunch with Liv. Met Liam. Movie night with girls at home. Gracie Set fire alarm at school. Bit of a melt down with mum on couch late night.

Sat May 11. 8:30am Second Dialysis – Chris did it. Changed dressing. A bit clumsy. Lovely lady who became a nurse later in life. Sagaga and Mama surprise visit . Renal problems told to family. All good. Liv on the way down, gig with Gracie and Pretty People. Mother’s Day tomorrow.

And this is where we find ourselves, starting from April 11 ending at May 11. And the journey continues.

And It’s In

It’s Wednesday May 8. 2019. Tepa James, my nephew, is 17 today and his uncle, Tepa Junior has a tunnel line in ready for dialysis. Let home 4:40am this morning, got to Canberra 6:30. Operation happened round 9:00am. Doctor took 12 minutes, and I’m now in the day ward waiting to be discharged. There are so many different noises in this place.

I’ve seen Irene the community nurse, and I couldn’t properly understand all her explanation because of her accent. I have to deliver this box of filters to Moruya.

Do not only have I got a tunnel line. Now I’m a Renal delivery man.

The nurse just came back and checked my dressing because I was ‘oozing’… I felt like I was ‘leaking’… but it seems better now. Doctor came back and checked giving the all clear. Here’s basically the procedure I’ve just had 4 hours ago.

And now waiting to get dressed and get out of here. First dialysis session tomorrow in Moruya 8:30am.

Friend Old Friend its 4:30am

Woke up this morning and I’m still in hospital. This is getting to be permanent condition. I spoke to all my daughters last night before going to sleep. It’s cutting me up inside that these kidneys of mine are impacting on those I love, and my treatment is still to come which will continue to affect the ones I love.

My second eldest daughter Grace is truly amazing!! She has worked hard and gotten a great report from school, is school captain and works 2 jobs as well as plays incredible piano, is a maths genius and is so mature for her age. Gracie is ‘my dude’, and I sometimes worry that she feels ‘forgotten’ because she’s the middle daughter. Before coming up to hospital we shed some silent tears together. Gracie is going on a school excursion this morning and none of her parents are there to see her off. I’m sorry Gracie May, I’m praying you have a great time today. Mum will be there this afternoon.

Lizzie, our youngest, is a character full of life and creativity. Because she has two older sisters and her gymnastic friends are older, she has grown up a lot quicker then our other two. She has a quick wit and has learned so many ‘street smarts’ from her sisters. Lizzie was diagnosed with dyslexia 4 years ago and struggled a bit more than her sisters at school. But she is just as intelligent, exceeds in her physical fitness, is a lot more coordinated and stronger than the other two, because of her gymnastics. Lizzie will go to school again this morning without her mum or dad there. I’m sorry Lizzie. I know you don’t like talking about what I’m going through, but it’s going to be okay.

Our eldest daughter is in second year uni. Is enjoying her life living away from home, studying music, being a Muso and living that bass played life. Gigging Jazz sessions, working and studying is her life and even though she’s bursting at the seems busy, she’s loving what she does and doing what she loves. I hear now she’s wearing some window cleaners jumper… this could be interesting meeting her new ‘Ranga’. Olivia has flown the nest, and seems to be doing well and finding her place in the world. It’s a hard time in between adulthood and adolescents, but Liv is handling the task ahead with maturity and poise. She’s doing well.

My wife, Joanne, is my best friend. Closest confident. Soul mate and lover. Mother of my children and keeper if my secrets. Her love for me is unwavering and her strength and resilience is inspiring. We are journeying into this unknown together, and having her by my side is best thing and the hardest thing. It’s so good because she holds my hand and heart. It’s so hard because I don’t like seeing her worry about me. But it’s real. Our love is real and thus kidney disease is real. So it’s 5:13am and I’m in a hospital ward and Jo’s on a uni lodge floor and its dark and we don’t know what today holds.

I still haven’t told my mother, uncle, brother or other 3 sisters. I told my youngest sister, but when the others find out they are gonna want to ‘over care’ for me. So I’m going to have to time the telling of my situation.

I suppose the reason for this blog and my YouTube channel, is to document for my family my journey and my thoughts along the way. Hopefully my girls and my wife will find these writings, and in the future, if the zombie apocalypse happens, my grand kids and great grandkids can get on the internet once Skynet has been defeated and read about ‘Big Chiefs’ early morning ramblings.

Dear God. I pray for Jo, Olivia, Grace and Lizzie. Be with each one of them today. Through this whole situation, help us all to stay grounded in You and stay closer together. Thank you for the treatments available in this country. I commit my family my life and my all into your hands. Lead, guide, protect and provide for us I pray. Amen

The Many Faces Of God

So I’m in hospital because the doctors were not happy with my numbers. I got a phone call yesterday to say come up to Canberra in the morning. Looking back over my medical history, this is usually how it’s happened. I don’t see doctors for a long time, and then when I nearly collapse, I get rushed up the next day. So here’s what’s different this time.

1. From when I got rushed up a couple of weeks ago, it was rush rush, and then slow slow. This was because my numbers were so bad, but then my symptoms was barely zero.

2. I walked onto the ward yesterday with my pyjamas in my bag and just went to my bed on the ward. It felt more like I was checking in to a day spa then getting rushed into hospital with serious kidney failure.

3. On the drive up I had this thought. It is very interesting the timing of all this caper. I first came up the weekend of our Combined Churches Service, which meant we had no normal Sunday service… then I’m up here now and the elders are all preaching for the next 3 Sunday’s because I would have been in Poland, but now I’m in hospital. It made me think “Dialysis is not a ‘sentence’, it is just a ‘setback’, which is a ‘set up’ for a ‘comeback’.’ – Don’t get me wrong, I’m still freaking out with things sticking out of my body and different fluids going in… but the framework is changing. I’m starting to get my head around it.

So here’s what this post is about. It’s about the many faces of God. My youngest daughter set me a Snapchat first thing this morning offering me her kidney.

My wife is getting me some new pyjamas and my other daughters messaged me their love and prayers. These are all the faces of God.

Pathology came this morning, and catering brought me muesli, so I’ve had blood tests and breakfast before I even got out of bed. These people showed me the faces of God.

The nurses overnight have been doing my observations, giving me medication and checking on me. The doctors made their rounds this morning and updated me on what they have planned for me in consultation with the Renal team. They are the faces of God.

I met Johnny who is in the bed next to me. He is 70 years old and had had a kidney transplant in for the last 16 years. He is a real character and loves to talk. He’s the first person I’ve met with a kidney transplant and his story has helped me to process what’s going on with me. He is the face of God.

I believe in all the omni’s of God. I believe He is love. I believe in His Trinitarian nature and I believe in His perfection and grace. I believe He uses each of us in our own little silly ways to reveal How beautiful and unparalleled He is.

Where will I see the face of God Today?

How will I reflect the face of God Today?