And that's not all...

Andy began wondering if there wasn’t more going on than just the Alzheimer’s.  He was having significant tremors in his right hand, causing atrocious hand writing (yes, uglier than usual – ha, ha).  Then his teeth started chattering, and his legs were weak and shaky.  A friend thought he had Parkinson’s symptoms and we should get it checked out.

So I called his neuropsychologist and told him the symptoms Andy was having.  He said to make an appointment which we did.  When we got in to see him and he got checked, the doctor told us it was very good we came in.  He wanted us to make an appointment at Cooper Hospital for a DaT scan which is a fairly new test, only around for 6 months and in New Jersey, only available at Cooper.  The DaT scan shows conclusively whether a person has Parkinson’s or not. 

Well, last Tuesday, we were scheduled for this test.  We had to be at Cooper by 8:30 am.  Andy had to drink a liquid then wait an hour.  After the hour, he was free to go but had to be back at the hospital by 1:30 for the scan.  This was an interesting test because while having the scan, he was supposed to lie perfectly still.  For someone who has tremors, that is next to impossible.  So of course he moved in the first hour, and they had to re-do the test.  Fortunately, the test was ok the second time around.  And we were given the ok to go home.

Then we had to wait till Friday for our followup with the doctor to hear the results.  We were told Andy not only has Alzheimer’s, he also has Parkinson’s.  So now what?  The doctor told us the U of Penn is doing a Parkinson’s study and if we wanted to, we could see if we could get in.  So we’re in process of seeing if we qualify for that and if there are still openings.

After we got over the shock of Friday’s news, we enjoyed the rest of the weekend.

On Saturday friends of ours picked us up and we drove up to Washington’s Crossing to hike along the Delaware Canal.  It was a delightful fall day.  The sun was shining and it wasn’t too cold.  Believe it or not, we hiked 2 miles up and 2 miles back.  I couldn’t believe Andy was doing so well.  A couple of weeks ago, he couldn’t even go 1 mile without taking some time to rest because of the weakness and shakiness in his legs.

After our hike, we stopped for lunch.  It was a “dive” of a restaurant but the food was delicious.  We sat at a table near a window that rattled and shook every time the front door was opened.  It rattled and banged so much, it felt like it was going to fall over on us.  It was scary enough that we moved to a different table!  Oh, the memories we made!

On Sunday morning, we got a call from this same couple who said they had tickets to see the play, Pride and Prejudice, at the BristolTheater.  They had bought 4 tickets for themselves and their daughter and son-in-law.  We had been telling them the day before how much we love that story, so when their daughter called to say she had sick kids and couldn’t go, they thought of us.  What a treat!  It was a delightful play and we enjoyed it immensely.

I've been thinking about Job and his wife.  We've always been pretty critical of her because of her advice to Job.  But now that my own husband is suffering, I can understand her frustration.  I still don't think she was right, but I can understand.  I don't like to see Andy suffer, either, but I prefer Job's response then, ("the Lord gives, the Lord takes away, blessed be the name of the Lord"), as well as later in chapter 13 ("though He slay me, yet will I hope in Him").  

I am also inspired and encouraged by the response Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego gave to King Nebuchadnezzar when they were ordered to bow down to the image.  They told him:  "If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king.  But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up."  

I hope and pray that I would have that same resolve and courage in the face of overwhelming circumstances. No matter how much hardship comes my way, I want to trust that God can save me from it.  But even if He doesn't, I will continue to trust Him.