How it all happened

We have been tossing around the idea of downsizing for a while. Of course, we didn't want to leave our little piece of heaven, so we just tossed. Then Annelle got sick. 

Last year, last summer, we picked the idea back up. There was healing still going on, so it didn't get too much discussion time. Lots of healing, lots of time just enjoying our lives being back to a comfortable place. Fall came and we were still just living. 

In December we began the real process of identifying our goals, needs, and wants. It seemed like a good time to think about putting the house on the market in the spring. We'd have time to do a few things we still wanted to do to take it into the 21st century, do a little (ha!) painting and look for a new place.

One of Annelle's hobbies is house hunting online. Like a lot. That's how we found Four Rivers before we even moved to Maine. So we were familiar with what was out there. We went to lots of Open Houses. We looked and looked. There was one Condo in Scarborough we would have made an offer on, but we weren't absolutely ready and it was sold. 

Then we happened on an Open House at a little Condo off Forest Ave. Not too far out- I didn't want to be way out that busy road. This one was in a cute neighborhood, walkable to many eating, shopping and grocery locations, as well as USM. It checked all our "must-haves" (2 bedrooms and 1 1/2 baths, at least.) No garage, but..... We knew there would be some sacrifices.  There are updates we will absolutely make, but it was move-in ready and looked perfect. We saw it again the next day and made an offer. Accepted! Closing date March 27.

At some point in January we had decided to get a jump on the spring sales and go on the market in February. We weren't sure if it was really a good idea, then all the snow came and we got very nervous, but it worked out. Not a lot of inventory at this time of year worked in our favor.

Our house went on the market a week later on Feb. 19th. The Open House was that Sunday following.

60 people attended. The next day we had accepted an offer. Whirlwind. Because they would be gone the week before Easter the buyers wanted to close Apr. 6. Nice. That gives us this week to get Four Rivers clean and move the final small things. Annelle is off this week and, so far, I've been able to be off today (Monday) and tomorrow. Because my schedule was already out I've had to just see if census would allow me off. 

So that's the synopsis. We are unpacking and attempting to make a livable space. We have divested ourselves of so much furniture and still need to let a few more things go. The basement will be a final frontier for sure! Poor little Jack has been under the bed covers for the last 36 hours, coming out once to have a bite of food and use the litter box. But our little family is home in Portland now, looking forward to Spring (it's snowing as I'm writing this on March 30!!!!) and summer walks along Back Cove two blocks away. 

News from Four Rivers 2015

I'm thinking the blog is my way of getting a handle on new things, and new things are happening.  After the TTP ordeal we have had many discussions about life, liberty and the pursuit of the future which have led us to our next adventure.

Our beautiful, much loved, too-big house is under contract to be sold and we are moving into a condo in Portland! It's half the size of this house and we are excited to be simplifying and living closer to everything Portland has to offer.  It's in a walking neighborhood, very close to Back Cove (part of Casco Bay) where there is a walking/running trail that is well travelled in all seasons. There is a
 known and loved brewpub practically in our back yard. We will have NO SNOW TO SHOVEL!

The divesting of "stuff" is sobering. I've not felt attached to many of the things that are being sold or given away. But they are things that have been a part of our lives almost since our lives have been connected.  Some things I have emotional ties with, that won't work in the new space, are difficult to let  go. Yeah.

We are looking forward to making the space our own, spending more time exploring the city, exploring Maine and just chilling with friends far and near. I believe there will be more news to come when it all comes together.

Spoiler alert: This was 2014. Blink of an eye

Winter is in full swing here in February. We got 9 inches of snow the other day (roads were actually pretty bad) and are expecting some small snowstorms this weekend and later next week. It looks beautiful on the marsh.

The last 4 weeks, however, have been a blur. On Sunday night, January 19th, after a week of moderate nausea, vomiting and malaise, Annelle had an episode of slurred speech. It didn't last long, but it was absolutely out of the ordinary. I told her I was calling 911 and she came out of it, back to normal. Needless to say, I still took her to the Emergency Department at Mercy.

They did a head scan and determined there wasn't any bleeding. Good. They did lab work. When the nurse came back he said she was severely anemic and her platelets (blood clotting helpers) were dangerously low. I was shocked. Where, when did this happen??

Over the course of the next 24 hours a diagnosis was reached. TTP. A microclotting disease that can cause multisystem failures. Probably (though nobody really can say) manifested from the GI bug she had the previous week. Something that triggered an autoimmune response, causing proteins in her blood to slice up her red blood cells. The treatment is a plasma exchange (plasmapheresis) that we don't do at a hospital as small as Mercy. She would have to be transferred to the Maine Medical Center up the street for that.

Monday night, Jan. 20th, she was taken by ambulance to MMC. Neither of us had had much sleep in the previous 24 hours and she was very tired. As MMC is a teaching hospital, she had a team of care-givers who met her in her room to admit her and get her history. She was so "tired" I had to answer most of the questions. I didn't realize at that time that she was going downhill.

At 4:30 in the morning they took her down to the dialysis unit to get access to her venous system to start the pheresis. As sometimes happens, they were unable to gain access. They brought her back to the room, planning to take her to the radiology department later in the morning to gain access with the help of x-ray and ultrasound.

We both slept. They took her down and put a tunneled catheter into a vein in her upper chest that could be used for long-term treatment. After she had recovered a while and had to go to the bathroom, Katie, her CNA, and I got her up. We had to give her specific directions to lift her feet so she could walk. We had to help her sit as she couldn't comprehend instructions.

After she was finished she stood up and lost consciousness. I pulled the emergency cord and several people helped get her back to bed. The Rapid Response team came and assessed her. She went back down to CT for a head scan. Negative.

When she returned to the room she was pretty out of it. They decided to take her immediately to the dialysis unit to start the pheresis. Because I couldn't accompany her there, I went home for a while. On the way, she vomited. They were concerned enough about her status they transferred her to ICU and did the treatment there, where she remained for 3 days.

When I came in the next morning she was not responding to commands. She wasn't focusing. I had a feeling she knew I was there but I wasn't sure. They did another pheresis. Dr. Grimface said "this is serious" and "it's going to be a long road." One of the interns shared some depressing statistics. They wanted her Advanced Directive on the chart. I again went home that night because they wouldn't let me stay with her in the ICU.

Wednesday, Jan 29th, when I came into the ICU and started talking with the nurse, she turned her head in my direction. I knew she knew I was there. Throughout that day, slowly, she started to come around. She couldn't speak at first but was able to nod or shake her head. By the time I left at 8 that night she actually smiled a little smile.

So imagine my surprise when the phone rang on thursday morning as I was getting out of the shower and it was Annelle! She sounded weak but good. She wanted a Coke. I hightailed it to MMC with Coke in hand and was greeted by one awake Annelle. I was amazed. Things were looking up.

The next 2 days she got better and better. Dr. Grimface was absolutely bowled over when he saw her and she was speaking sensibly. In fact, all her caregivers were amazed.



I never finished the above post. Too much at the time. It's one year later now, after rehab and healing. She's back to herself. In fact, today is the 1 year anniversary of the day she returned to work.