Life is one day at a time

There's a sports cliché that coaches and athletes love.

One day at a time.

"We're just going to take it one day at a time," the coach says about the rest of the season.

Throughout the years, most sportscasters or sportswriters just kind of roll their eyes when they hear it. Sometimes you get that coach or player who says it so much you can basically count on it at some point during each interview.

Sometimes I wonder if the fact that Teresa is a former Division I athlete, and I've been a sportswriter for over half of my life, that the term "one day at a time" really fits us.

When talking about Teresa's health, despite some very positive improvements in the last couple of months, we still live one day at a time. Basically, each day we really don't know what will happen.

A couple of months ago, Teresa hit a bad spell where her temperatures rose to an alarming 104 degrees and doctors told me to prepare for the worst. For the most part, it has appeared that the doctors have gotten a handle of it.

Then early Tuesday her temperature spiked to 102 again. It appears that her prednisone steroid was dropped too much. Doctors have been weening her down from 80 milligrams a day to currently about 18 (9 in the morning and 9 at night). At times it has been too much of a drop for her body to handle and she has gone into an adrenal crisis. Recently, it mistakenly went from 9 to 7 and it happened again.

That mistake could have been more serious but Teresa had the mindset and determination that she would not let it get worse, and it didn't. She's doing better now but that scare is always there.

Her kidney specialists now are worried that the years of steroids might have fried her adrenal glands, which could hurt her kidney function.

Now the infectious disease doctors are saying that she has at least three more months on the antibiotic before they can evaluate her status. A couple of weeks ago, we were thinking it could be late October or in November. So much for handing out candy at Halloween or having Thanksgiving dinner at home. The goal now is to be home for Christmas.

One day at a time.

I often get asked, "So, how are you doing?" in reference to how I am handling things. Often, I just shrug my shoulders and say "OK, I guess"

What am I supposed to say?

There are times when I feel the walls crashing down on me. I watch a television show and laugh and then feel guilty about it.

But all I can do is keep going. I have to.

I have to be strong, both physically and mentally for Teresa's sake. I have to drive every day the 45 miles to work in Cheyenne, then drive home at 1 a.m. When it's my day off, I drive to Denver. That last part isn't a have to; it's a want to.

I told Teresa the other day that I think I know what to tell people when they ask me how I am doing.

I'll just say,"I'm tired."

Simple as that.

But I can't be tired. When she comes home, I have to be here. I have to get the house ready. It needs a lot of work and remodeling just for her to come home and get around. I have to be here to help her physically. I can't if I'm not in good shape. I need to lose weight. My back is killing me. I have to take care of it. I have to get stronger.

I have to and I will. Actually, we will together.

One day at a time.