The reasons for the quiet.

To those of you who are my Facebook friends and who have not had replies to messages, or those who have for the past month or so have gotten fed up of our lack of posting on the blog, or those who I said I would call two weeks ago (Jeremy Ross), I apologise and do fully intend to be communicative again! However, there has been some stuff going on here which has somewhat distracted me, and indeed has dominated my life over the past few weeks and months.

First, there is the on-going saga of getting a Fiancee visa. Since I last posted I have been down to London for a medical, and have submitted the last piece of paper work to the US Embassy (for an expanded version of events, look here.). This whole process gets no less stressful, and the concern that I may have done something stupid on the forms, and/or that my medical would show up some unknown disease has never been far from my mind over the past few weeks. These wheels grind slowly, but not slowly enough to forget about.

Anyway, that should hopefully be resolved soon. I am just now awaiting word from the US Embassy to tell my when the appointment is for my interview! The concern is still there, but I think its fair to say that Sara and I are both pretty excited about being so close. We wont be able to set a date until I have the Visa in my hand, but we will post the date as soon as we know it!

However, there has been a second major thing going on, namely the issue of my father's health. In the last post I mentioned that he has was in hospital and that the doctors still did not know what was causing the problem. Well, he has been tested for pretty much everything. He was tested for CJD, he was tested for an infection in the brain, he was tested for dementia, he was even tested for a thing called Whipple's Disease which less that 1000 people ever have been diagnosed with. Well, the final test came back yesterday, and it was the same old story - it was normal. My mum and I spoke to the neurologist yesterday afternoon, and he told us that we have come to the end of the line, and that there was no more tests to be done. Ultimately they dont know why my dad has become like he is, but he did say that one brain scan has shown something and that that, combined with my dad's symptoms, makes it most likely that he has Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (to find out more about this go to www.psp.org). He is not a classic case, but it is most likely what has caused his decline over the past 18 months.

PSP is not treatable, and so my dad is being transfered from Ninewells Hospital, the teaching hospital in Dundee, to Arbroath Infirmary, which is a smaller hospital closer to Carnoustie, where his care needs will be assessed. It is likely that my dad will just continue to decline at the same rate he has over the past few months.

Its not the result we were hoping, and praying for, but at least now the constant waiting for test results, and the constant uncertainty as to what to expect or think is over. We can begin to deal with the situation as it is. I really do appreciate all who have prayed, and continue to pray, for us. It has been a pretty tough few weeks and months.

So, thats the reasons for the quiet.