Today I feel like the man in the parable of the lame man found in John 5.  Last Friday included a biopsy in Wausau by the Vascular Surgeon to test the severity of the Lupus presence in the foot and to determine the extent of infection presence.  We are suppose to get the results this Friday morning but will have to wait and see what actually happens.  The hope is that I can get in to see the Rhumatologist sooner than the scheduled July 23 appointment but haven’t heard anything as to whether or not that is actually going to happen or not.

I was also told last Friday that I should avoid being on my foot at all cost.  Being in the kitchen makes that nearly impossible so he advised me to find jobs at camp that allowed me to stay off my feet until the Lupus and the foot is addressed.  So I have been reassigned to various other places around camp which allow for me to do that including answering the phones, planning some activities and writing up menu’s for the kitchen.  The goal is to get the foot healed and so as I type this update, I have been working the afternoon on menu’s from home, accomplishing much but feeling useless and just like the lame man must have felt. 

Today’s consultation with the vascular surgeon in Wausau was extremely helpful and informative.  It isn’t 100% official but all the preliminary test’s which have come back point to Lupus being the cause of the problems with my foot over the last couple of months.  My knowledge of Lupus is pretty minimal and still trying to wrap my mind around what it could mean for the future but for now, we are merely trying to gain as much information as possible.  Unfortunately it wasn’t diagnosed sooner as it is quite a waiting list to get into the new specialist, the Rheumatologist to search out why all of sudden I am testing positive for Lupus and why it is affecting my body in the way that it is.  It does give some explanation for why it has taken so long to get things to heal and for the antibiotic’s to not be affective.  Our goal at this point is to get going on the necessary treatment plan to alleviate the pain and infection as well as to begin to learn to control the possibilities of flare ups of the disease. 

This Friday they are also going to do a Punch Biopsy on my foot to try and rule out vaculitis as well as a couple of other things which could be possibly hindering the foot from healing.  You can be praying for us as we are attempting to get into a Rhuematologist before the now scheduled appointment of July 23.  You can also pray for wisdom for the doctors to give us the best course of action for treatment and that my body reacts positively to those treatments. 

Many of you are aware and have been praying for the Huffman’s as it relates to an infection Matt has been working through for a while.  For those of you who are not aware, this is the much shortened version. 

Since March, Matt has been in to see a couple doctors trying to figure out why he keeps getting an infection in his foot.  It seems to go away and comes back almost worse than it was before.  Pretty early on they eliminated the possibility of diabetes as well as a slew of other things.  First, it was on his ankle, then his toe and apparently now is developing on the side of his foot.  Through it all, we have discovered he is allergic to Neosporin and Sulfa Based Antibiotics, as well as most adhesives in medical tape or bandages.  Unfortunately we had to learn that one the hard way. 
  He has been in to the Bone and Joint Clinic to rule out a broken bone, an Orthopedic Surgeon to try and rule out a bone infection and now a Vascular Surgeon to hopefully now get some answers.  The week before we left for Michigan for vacation, he was in to have a CT Scan (since insurance wouldn’t cover the MRI) and yesterday he had a series of ultrasounds done from his hips to the tips of toes.  We are praying that the results and the consultation he has with the Aspirus Specialist tomorrow (Wednesday June 20, 2012) provides the answers we have long been searching for and there is a treatment that can provide quick relief and help to the ongoing nature of what has been happening. 
  Matt will tell you that this has been an entirely strange situation to go through primarily because of the disabling nature of all of it. He has had to miss the last several weeks of work due to the inflammation and pain the infection has caused. As a workaholic by nature, getting him to take time off for much of anything is impossible but when you are told you can’t be on your feet and resting, it is even worse.  For him knowing that someone else is having to work harder because he isn’t able to do something himself is even worse.  He has also been on antibiotics for much of the last two and half months and hoping to not have to be on any soon.  Having to eat a lot of yogurt and take a Probiotic twice a day isn’t a thrill either.  Regardless we know that God is in control of everything we do, every circumstance we experience and every person we come in contact with and though we may not understand it all the time when it happens, we take comfort in knowing there is a greater good to happen as a result.  We may never understand why He chooses to teach us something in the manner by which He chooses to teach us; or allow us to experience a struggle/hardship in such a manner.  We will some day be able to look back and see how we grew, how we can encourage someone else or how we can minister to someone else more effectively because we have the history already in place to work off of. 

It’s been a while (um….forever) since we have taken the time to update this blog. Some of it has had to do with faulty computers, some of it to do with busy schedules, and some of it to do with us just not being big computer people.  But here I am, updating, for those faithful few who still check this site out every once in a while (and are dissappointed every time).  Well, no longer shall you be dissappointed.

I’ll do my best to catch you up on life at our house. Most recently we have been just enjoying summer.  My next few updates may go back and get you all caught up, but for now I’ll tell you about this week.  This week has been vacation for us. We are spending a week in Michgan with Matt’s family.  It’s always nice to get away for a little while before the craziness of summer hits. Especially this year, with Matt and Simon just being done with school, it’s nice to get away for a while.

This week Matt took the boys to a their first ball game.  They enjoy some of the entertainment, and getting run around the bases at the end of the game.  Depsite Hudson wanting to be done after the second inning, all the hot dogs, nachos, and cotton candy kept them occupied.

A few hot days sent us to the beach.  It doesn’t matter where we are, if the kids get to spend time playing in the water they are happy.  So we hit the dollar store and got all the sand toys the kids could want and packed a picinic lunch. After slathering in sunscreen they played for hours!

And being June it is strawberry season.  So Matt and I spent an afternoon making strawberry jam and strawberry pies!  So sweet and so delicious!

We hope you all are having a great summer!  Hope to update you again soon!

Well the reality is, we didn’t go anywhere, its where God has been taking us.  In a much different direction than we had ever expected.  Most people by now know that Matt has gone back to school starting the Monday before Labor Day weekend.  Most people don’t realize he has gone back to Culinary Arts school in Appleton, Wisconsin.  The goal is to complete the Culinary Arts degree at Fox Valley Technical College in Appleton, Wisconsin.  He is doing the Accelerated Program, which means he has class on Mondays and Wednesday’s from 3:30-9:30 p.m.  and takes a class online each semester.  The program is designed for students who also work full time.  Perfect for Matt to be able to go to school and continue to work at camp.
He leaves for Appleton on Monday mornings and returns late on Wednesday nights.  it has been an adjustment for him to be gone but we are slowly getting into the routine of the weekly schedule.  Julie’s Aunt and Uncle in Appleton has graciously opened their home for Matt to have a place to stay while he is down at school.  This has been a real answer to prayer to help save on expenses.