It's been a bit since the Reisner 5 updated on here! So we will let you tune into our episodes that could fit all the good old classic soap operas of the 80's and 90's:  "Young and the Restless", "Days of our Lives", "All my Children", "One Live to Life", "General Hospital", etc. Last summer, for sure would mainly fall under "General Hospital"! Claire is nannying this summer and I told her how I would watch a family whose mom was a nurse and dad was a farmer and he would come in at lunch time and we would turn on "All My Children." Living where I grew up, we did not have cable or satellite (we got one when I was a junior in high school) so only had the basic channels to watch and that was what was on during the day.

We had a lot of "anniversaries" this spring, such as flight to Iowa City, surgery, starting of treatment, etc. The kids and I went over spring break to visit my parents down in Florida (if you want to see Abe live his best life it is there, he just mentioned to me last night he misses Florida, AKA the fishing) and we thought about how the previous year our world was going to get rocked, but overall didn't feel like it was going to repeat itself.  Life has a funny way of making you keep moving and doesn't really let you stop and reflect too often.  The girls would get "one year ago flashbacks on snap" that might bring it back up, but overall the spring kept us busy with the "Young and the Restless" so our minds were elsewhere.

Ben had test/scans this May and currently everything looks good. His radiologist (Dr. Sheybani) ordered some test that weren't the usual scans for him. We talked about how he is a unique case and there isn't a "normal" scanning protocol they are following as well as outweighing the pros and cons of continued test on his body. She said she will get scans of his brain the next time (around August), but those can be hard to read because of the scar tissue from radiation and surgery. But she was thrilled and happy to see us!  We laugh and smile with her and pretty sure we are her favorites;) She is small, tiny, but mighty and was very intimidating the first time we met yet, we have broken through those walls and now she comes in smiling and ready to laugh with us.  I told her last year at this time he was hospitalized from treatments and we were coming in through the "back" doors so this was way better!  Ben told me to not ask her for a job again!!!! HA! I think we would make a great team and maybe time will tell. He had a blood draw the following day he met with Sheybani and he graduated from oncology! They are fine with radiology heading his case (I think they know who I prefer) and he can move on from there. This past Friday he went to his Iowa City ENT who is our man (Dr. Walsh his ENT surgeon and the first one to talk to me after surgery). He did his scope and things look good from there. Ben's allergies are bad so he gave him some stuff to try to hopefully ease those. He is back to playing golf twice a week, but thinks he is playing "awful."  He took a year off AND his body structure has changed, he might just have to start playing that old man game, but in all reality awful for him is pretty darn good for the rest of us. Overall Ben is doing pretty good, he is still way more tired than before, but not sure that will every go away....

With our other medical diagnosis, you might be wondering how Claire is doing.?She has been doing a lot better since the beginning and does not have those terrible headaches as often as she used to. She had a within normal A1C (5.7) at her last check-up so we felt good about that. This summer with her being active as a nanny we notice her numbers stay in range a lot more and is more insulin sensitive. It is constant changing of dosages, analyzing numbers, corrections, etc. As you can imagine her mom has researched and follows some top diabetic coaches, so using that knowledge to help us make it as "normal" as possible.  Claire will be officially diagnosed for 6 months on June 8th, we will then have the doctor put in the order for the pump, which she is excited about, but with that comes new learning and changing of dosages, etc. This has been Claire's "event" that has pointed her in a possible career path as she has talked about wanting to be a pediatric diabetes educator, which I think she would be amazing at and for the kids to see her wearing the technology and knowing how they feel would be completely invaluable, so much to her surprise she is looking to most likely attending Iowa.  We went on a college visit (we know the hospital side well...and she has been on the campus when my niece attended there and has been to a game) and she loved the dorm food and didn't know why people wouldn't want to live there!  I told her I felt the same, I would love to come down and have all those choices at my finger tips and not think of cooking!!!!  She even bought an Iowa sweatshirt, now that is 1 is hard to compete with her 25 ISU clothing pieces, but hey it's a start.  She went on a college visit to Iowa State as well, but again we have been up there since they were born so maybe didn't feel as "special" as she thought. Claire keeps shining bright and powering through, yes she has asked to quit "diabetes" many times and sometimes will say things, but overall keeps her head up.  

Brynn is working this summer at the pool in the concessions and is excited to have that social piece and money (she knew having her sister gone all day nannying was not going to be fun so wanted to make sure she got a job)!  It is perfect since it is so close and she can walk.  She did pass driver's ed (yep we were all amazed) and will get her school permit for next year. Some of you know, but many do not, Brynn has had her own medical issues. In February 2020 (right before covid shut down) we took her to the ER, they said it was the stomach flu, well that was incorrect because about a month later she starting having pain and vomiting, and then the next month.  We were in shut down during that time, so doctoring was all virtual and we could not get in for testing. June of that year we got in for some test and they found that she had a blockage in her ureter. Long story short that blockage was a kidney stone lodged in there, which then led to a damaged ureter, surgery and MORE kidney stones.  2020/2021 were tough for her.  Because of all these things we have regular follow ups with a nephrologist and urologist. Brynn has reoccurring pain in her back on the side that she had the ureter fixed. The urologist said there is a slight area that does get smaller so is going to go back in on July 10th to see if we can get it fixed again.  Guess when we made this decision to go back in???? December and the earliest we could get in at Iowa City for this surgery is July....it's about the robot and OR needed. So praying this eases her pain and she doesn't have those flare ups again.

Abe, well he is doing what he loves and you guess it, fishing, but also pretty much gets me 1:1 this summer with the girls working.  So golf (he outdrove me today by a foot...I knew it was coming, but still....), fishing, pool, lakes, creeks, and all things he loves. We are excited for a "normal" summer for sure as it is our favorite. 

You might also be wondering what about Jill's job with the AEA (if your in Iowa you may have been following), well legislation cut 30 million to the AEA and are restructuring us.  Do I still have a job? Yes , I do (many of other AEA employees were not as lucky or chose to leave now as we aren't sure what the future holds) Is it the same workload? Time will tell as I will be spread across more teachers to work with, but some of our "work" might look different then in the past, you might think no big deal, but really this gets put back on teachers who are already overworked and underpaid....maybe this will turn out "ok" we don't know and with my anthem of "Fear is a Liar" we just keep moving forward OR maybe finally Sheybani will ask me to be her assistant;) I was listening to a podcast (a diabetic related one) and one of the guest said he was a doer and not a "feeler." and I identified as that.  I know I "do" to help myself feel more  in control of things that are out of my control, but have not "felt", which has served me to be a strong advocate, but also has made me tired...

Life isn't perfect and can be like a soap opera where once they are blind, but then there is a Christmas miracle and they can see again, but then the next year they are in a coma, or come back as a totally different character, I mean in reality we are not the same.  Each of us have not been through all of this unscathed. For example, while on the  Iowa college visit when I hear the helicopters come in and it takes me back to that day or when I got my blood drawn for my physical, Abe asks "Are they checking you for cancer?" I mean it sucks that even crossed his mind.  Another school year has come and gone and with it came celebrations and pain and heartache. My kids not only learned in the classroom, but learned tough lessons with losing a friend who didn't get to celebrate being done with school, getting a life changing diagnosis, and life just isn't always fair.  But with that they have become more amazing than before. 

The Reisner 5 soap opera is still airing everyday and for that we are thankful! Here is to summer and clean scans!

Lots of love,

The Reisner 5