One less tube!

Sorry I didn't update yesterday. It was a very busy day and today is very similar. I can tell the Christmas holidays are getting close.

They took out the NG tube (the hose, as my dad calls it) this afternoon. This tube went up his nose and to his stomach. He is very glad to get it out. He is hopeful to go home tomorrow. No doctor has mentioned that, so we shall see. The last I heard from a doctor was it would be Saturday or Sunday. We shall see!

I will try to keep you posted. Also, remember, if you subscribe to my blog, feedburner only mails out once a day. If I post more than once or after the one time mail out has happened, you may not get it until the next day. I suggest getting on Google Reader. I follow several blogs (when I have time to read them, which has been A WHILE). You can check Google Reader to see if any of the blogs you are following or are subscribed to have been updated. Just a suggestion. GR updates constantly throughout the day.

Reagan has her 2nd piano recital tomorrow night, so say a prayer that "Jolly Old Saint Nicholas" and "Away in a Manger" go well.
I have big hopes of getting back into blogging, but for now, I am too busy living and keeping up with these kiddos! :) (and loving it!)

Thanks for all the prayers and encouragement! Much love to each of you!

Out of surgery

Dad is out of surgery. Everything went well. He will be able to go home once his bowels move. :) I assume that will be at least by tomorrow.

I understand better what happened. When he picked up his big deer that he killed in TX, the strain allowed a part of his bowel to slip into the hole where the intestine is sticking out. The surgeon was able to get the bowel back into position and he tightened the hole a bit.

I did not realize that it had happened at that moment.

The surgeon wants him to heal completely from this before they do the reversal. It may set him back a month or two. It will be wait and see.

Thanks for the prayers! Much love!

Dad is in the hospital

He is fine. (I'll start it off the way mom told me over the phone. The way we have to preface all calls of this nature!)

Dad has a hernia near the stoma (where his intestine comes out of his belly) that we have known about for a few weeks. He saw the doctor about it and he said they would repair it when they did the reversal surgery in January. He ordered a scan of his intestines with barium which they did yesterday. (In preparation for the reversal surgery, I think. Maybe to check on the hernia too.) Last night he noticed he had no output in his bag. Late last night he began to get uncomfortable. They called the dr. He said he'd see him this morning. At 2am Dad's blood pressure had gone up and he was very uncomfortable, so they went to the ER. The hernia has caused a blockage in his intestine and they are going surgically repair the hernia this morning.

He will go back for surgery at about 10:30 this morning (Tues, Nov 30). I will keep you posted.

Please pray for wisdom for the doctors, for pain management for dad, and for rest for both mom and dad. They stayed up all night last night.

"God is our refuge and strength, a helper who is always found in times of trouble." Psalm 46:1

Much love and thanks!

First Day of 5th grade and 1st grade!

After much prayer, I decided to enroll the kids in a private classical Christian school. They did great this morning! This was a huge decision for me. One of the biggest since Dustin's death. Prayers are greatly appreciated as we all adjust to the new school, uniforms, new expectations, new schedule and uniforms! :)

Riley's comment on his uniform: Well, I look like a dork, but at least everyone else will look like a dork too! :)

Reagan's comment on her uniform: I am not much on this plain white shirt.

(She would love to add some sparkle or at least some color! )

Not a big fan of this picture of me, but it captures the moment! :)

Busy Busy Bees

We have been busy little bees lately, so I apologize for the lapse in blog posts.

Dad is recovering well. He is walking without the walker quite a bit. He has had a few spots open up on his belly incision, but we were told this can happen and to "watch them". The family physician has told him to wait on physical therapy for now to give the spots time to heal. No straining. Does lifting the batteries out of his F250 count? Just curious.

We went out to see Grandma and Granddad (Dustin's parents) for the 4th of July. I will post pictures soon, but I must go to bed now. Glad to be home! Glad Dad is on the mend too.

Thanks for all your prayers and support!

First Things First

Dad looked forward to going to the nursing home to see his Mama! She is doing well!

Then some business to take care of with his trusty assistant (Allyn) close by...

He also gave me instructions to marinate the deer meat that started to thaw in my freezer when the garage outlets decided to quit working for a while a few days ago. (I quickly moved it to the fridge.) It is from the deer that Riley killed. I must love my dad a lot to touch that deer meat. He said Riley is going to cook it in the smoker tomorrow. Oh boy, can't wait to see how that goes! :)

We are almost packed for our visit to my in-laws (we leave on Friday), so we can have a relaxed fun filled day at Granny and Paw Paw's tomorrow.

Big Al's Big Day

Daddy gets to go home today! Allyn has come in town to help with the big move. We are planning on going out to Mom and Dad's tomorrow and spend the day! Looking forward to it! :)

Headed to the House

When my dad was ready to leave and head home, he would say, "Belinda," and signal to her by putting his finger tips together to look like a roof. It was his not-so-"secret code" for "let's head to the house." (BTW, Dustin quickly caught on to that and said he would use it for us, but it always seemed I was the one doing the signaling in our relationship. Ha! ) Well, Dad isn't even trying to conceal his desire to get home... no signaling. He is stating it loud and clear and who could blame him? We are ready for him to be home too.

There has been talk of him going home Wed or Thurs. We leave Fri for my in-laws, so I am hoping for either of those days. We would love to see Paw Paw at home before we leave!

Thanks again for all your prayers and support.

But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. Isaiah 40 :31

12 years ago today....

12 years ago today, I said "I do" to the man of my dreams. I miss you so much, Babe! Check out that smile on my face. I don't think it could have gotten any bigger. :D


I have probably shared this before, but it was Dustin's responsibility to get something for people to throw at us as we were leaving. He chose red balls that said "Wendy and Dustin June 27, 1998." Of course, my cousin, Chris, and my sister realized that they held water... We each got hit by at least one. Good times!

This picture was probably an accident, but I love our hands. (By the way, when I said I liked our hands in the picture, Riley said, "and Daddy's rear end!")

Steak and Potato Man

The kids and I delivered Outback Steakhouse dinners to Dad and Mom tonight. It was so good to see Dad enjoy his food! He is doing very well. He went for a walk (with a walker) down the hallway today! Go PawPaw! Reagan rode in Dad's lap in the wheelchair and Riley "drove" them all over the 6th floor. Then they climbed in his hospital bed (while Dad was sitting in his wheelchair) and we all watched America's Funniest Home Videos. All in all it was a good night. :)

Thanks for your prayers and support!

To the Rehab Floor and Beyond!

Dad is moving to the rehab floor right now. After much confusion and paperwork, the hospital staff and insurance company got it done. There are varying opinions on how long he will be in rehab for physical therapy (4 or 5 days to up to a week).

Also, they tested his stool for C-Diff and it came back negative - as it should be at this point! The best part of that is no more blue plastic gowns and gloves when we visit!

Praise God from Whom all blessings flow!

Thank you so much for your prayers and support.

Look who's walking....

No more ICU!

I was able to sneak the roses by Mom and got them to Dad to give to Mom for their 42nd wedding anniversary. How precious! I do hate that they had to spend their special day in the ICU, but Dad is now resting in a regular room tonight!

He had a great physical therapy session. Mom and I stayed in the room to cheer him on. He did great! They are going to get him to take some steps tomorrow.

I looked at Dad in the eyes and said: I am ready for those tubes to come out!
Dad: ME TOO!
Me (jokingly): Who do I need to talk to?
Mom: Dr. W makes that final call.

About 30 minutes later, Dr. W walks in...
Dad: Well, HELLO THERE! Wendy wants to talk to you! (pointing at me)

I loved it! :)

He did order the NG tube out and the central line out! Dad is free of a few more "cords" as he calls them. The Foley catheter should come out tomorrow (too much info?). Then he will be left with the Picc line and maybe oxygen? They may have taken him off the oxygen (nostril tube thing) already today. I am not sure.

Reagan is keeping me busy this week. It is my own fault. I scheduled her for a morning camp and an afternoon art camp, so she is a busy girl! She is enjoying both thoroughly! Riley is hanging with me mostly. I think he has missed me during all this time I have spent at the hospital. All in all they are hanging in there. We will have lights out at 8pm (in ten minutes) tonight. We are all tired.

Reagan funny: A boy in my class said he is six and three-quarters. I am six and three pennies!

More Improvements

Today brought more improvements. Daddy can now talk clearly.


**I interrupt this post to tell you that it is 5:59am on June 22 and my Daddy just called me from his cell phone! Today is my parents 42nd wedding anniversary and my dad said,"I need you to take care of this anniversary business. Get..." I won't post what in case Mom reads this before I get it! :) I love it!!!**


Dad still has the Picc line, the central line, the NG tube and the catheter, but probably the first three will come out very soon. He had applesauce and graham crackers yesterday afternoon. Then he was approved for even more soft foods last night.


I was there for physical therapy. He sat on the edge of the bed and put his feet on the floor. She then had him do different exercises from the side of the bed. That wore him out so he took a good nap.


He is on breathing treatments to help with some congestion. They took out the staples from the hip surgery.


We let Tyler and Riley come back separately and stand at the door and talk to Paw Paw. I know that was good for them and for Dad. I can't wait for him to see Reagan. She was at Summer Show Off camp. Mr. and Mrs. S left today. Thank you so much for all your prayers and support, Mr. and Mrs. S! You are tremendous support to my mom and such an encouragement to my dad. I told Daddy about all the visitors he had, especially around the time of the surgery. He is very grateful for all who visited and for all the prayers. Thank you!


It is so good to have my Daddy back. He is not agitated. He is motivated! He asked when he could "get outta here." I said, "When you can walk and are back to 100%." He said, "I believe I can do that now." That's the attitude we need!


There was still talk of getting him to a normal room some time today, so we'll see. Unfortunately, the blue plastic gowns will go with us to the regular room. I am not sure when we'll be able to stop wearing those. They are also talking about eventually moving him to the rehabilitation floor as well.

3 doctors have called him a miracle. Thanks to the Great Physician!

Off to get ready to take care of the "anniversary business!"

On Father's Day!

Daddy was taken off the vent about 11! He is no longer sedated, but he is still sleepy. He cried when Holly and I walked in together, which made us cry (which made the nurse cry)! They are happy tears, though. He had a lot of questions (we got him a pen and paper b/c he can't talk well b/c sore throat from ventilator.) like 'what month is it?' and 'how long was I under?' He had Holly and me lean down and he whispered "R - E - S - T." I said, "Go ahead and rest." He shook his head and pointed at us! I laughed and told him I was plenty rested! From his hospital bed, he is telling me to rest! Very typical.

All the grandkids made Father's Day cards for him, and I hung them up in his room. Again tears. I know he can't wait to see the younger 3 (Tyler, Riley and Reagan are too young to go back to see him.) I can't wait to get up there again to see him.

All of his numbers look good. White blood cell count, blood pressure, heart rate...

We are all over-joyed at his improvement! Thank you so much for all your prayers and support! We love you!

Praise be to God, who has not rejected my prayer or withheld his love from me! Psalm 66:20

Good morning

The good news continues.......while Wendy was not available for blogging today, she has called on her mom (Belinda) and niece (Allyn) to keep friends, family and all faithful prayer warriors updated: I just spoke with the pulmonary dr and he confirmed that Al is basically breathing without the aid of the ventilator. If all goes well they will take out the vent tube tomorrow! The blood pressure and heart rate have stabilized and the doctor is backing down on one of those blood pressure medications. The white blood count continues to improve and has now dropped to approximately 8,400. He is still sedated--awaiting removal of the vent tube. The feeding tube (liquid T-bones) has produced some good bowel sounds which means bowels are functioning. I could go on and on but just know that it is all positive and that your prayers are appreciated. This definitely registers as a "miracle" on the charts. Please join our family as we praise God and grin ear to ear!

Love to all..........Belinda and Allyn

Ventilator may come out tomorrow...

All the dr.s are saying that Dad is slowly progressing. The lung dr. said that they will take the vent out tomorrow and if he can handle it, leave it out! With the vent out, they will stop the sedation and they said he will likely be agitated and uncomfortable. That part makes me sad. I don't like seeing my dad agitated or uncomfortable! No one wants a loved one to hurt or be upset.

His white blood cell count is down to 13K also! :)

He handled the nutrition down the NG tube just fine and it exited him thru the ileostomy bag. And Allyn asked the dr if the bag would inflate if he toots and the dr said yes! :)

I think that is all for now.

A little better every day....

Daddy's white blood count is 17,000 (normal is 4-10K), so he is getting there. He is still swollen and sedated, but the GI surgeon has ordered up some T-bone steak and Barq's root beer to be pureed and sent down his NG tube. Well, maybe not steak and root beer, but he is going to be fed down the NG tube. He believes that his intestines are ready! :) His blood pressure is better and they are even able to decrease the blood pressure medicine. The lung dr is again dialing back the ventilator as well!

You Would Have Been Invited

There would have been a party this weekend. You would have been invited. His family would have come. We ALL would have given him a hard time, and he would have loved it!

Today would have been Dustin's 40th birthday.

What can I say? The man loved a good get-together. I would not have been able to surprise him. I tried that at 30. At one time he told me that we should have one couple over for dinner one night every weekend. It was one of the first things I noticed about him. He could work a crowd and make everyone know he was glad they were there.

I miss him terribly!

Please pray for his parents especially today. I know that this has to be such a hard day for them. Please pray for the comfort that only God can provide.

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Phil 4:4-7

Nutrition

Daddy is still holding his own. The surgeon ordered nutrition to be fed thru his NG tube. He thinks that he can tolerate it.

When Mom went in this morning, he opened his eyes wide she said. The nurse said, "Oh, I see he's going to open his eyes for you."

This recuperating is obviously slow go, but it is happening.

We tried to have a normal night last night. I cooked dinner and then took Riley, Reagan, Tyler and Jenna to the pool. We stayed till the sun went down. It was a nice afternoon/evening. The kids went to sleep quickly, which was another goal of mine! :) I did too. I did get up at six. A mountain of laundry awaits... it is clean, just got to fold. Eight people use a lot of towels! I do enjoy having a house full of people, I have to admit. That's one thing I loved about Dustin... his ability to be a good host! Going to do a separate post about Dustin now... Love you all!

Hangin' In There

Well, we have seen the surgeon, the lung dr, the GI dr., and the infectious disease dr. so far today. Mom may have seen the heart dr. I am not sure. They all say the same things. Our big concern is getting his blood pressure up and steady. So all you prayer warriors, that is our prayer.

His white blood cell count is down some. Lung x-ray looks better than yesterday. He is swollen all over, but that is from not moving and from all the oxygen from the vent. They have dialed back the oxygen a bit on the vent. He will squeeze my hand and nod his head in response to questions and such. Kidneys functioning ok.

I forgot to say that the ortho surgeon and his physicians assistant came by last night. They have been checking on him often. The PA said, "You know, our part of this (the hip) is the least of his worries. I told the nurse - hip incision looks GREAT!" (giving a big thumbs up) We all need a little comic relief.

Allyn is good at that too. Dad will have an ileostomy (a bag for intestinal waste). Allyn asked, "So when he toots, will the bag inflate?"

So we are hanging in there. My kids are doing fine. They are enjoying spending time with friends. Today they have a sitter. We miss each other, but we are managing. Looking forward to the day they can see PawPaw again!

Out of my distress I called on the LORD; the Lord answered me and set me free. The LORD is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me? The LORD is on my side as my helper; I shall look in triumph on those who hate me. Psalm 118:1-7

Holding His Own

I am all settled in for the night on my air mattress bed (thanks to Amy R). There are 3 other ladies spending the night.

Daddy's condition has not changed a whole lot today. He is still on the ventilator. It is not breathing for him completely, he is breathing beyond where it is set (for lack of a better way to put it).

The surgeon came by at least twice today. It may have even been 3 times. He said Dad is "holding his own."

His heart rate and blood pressure have been the main concerns today, I believe. They have him on a schedule to try to get the heart rate down and the blood pressure up.

When I went in to see him just before settling in, I just stood there taking in the picture. All those tubes, IVs, and monitors. Overwhelming. He now has a central line in addition to the PICC line, catheter, tube for backside (no clue the name of it), NG tube up the nose, and ventilator down the throat. Unbelievable. So much stuff keeping my Daddy alive. Holly and I counted up his dr.s today... seven.

Wow.

So much more I want to say, but it is 11:37, past time for me to go to bed. Good night.

Trusting in my Lord and Savior....

I got to see Daddy this morning. He is sedated still and will be on the ventilator for a few days. His blood pressure was low, but they are working on that.

I can't remember if I posted that the Dr.s were not convinced that his blood was really infected. There were 6 blood samples and only one 'grew" indicating infection. They said that it may have just been a contaminated sample.

Hopefully Mom will go to my house and take a nap. She got about 2 hours sleep last night.

I think that is about all. I will keep updating here and on facebook. Thanks, ya'll for all the prayers and support! I am so blessed!

Good News!

Daddy had a good night and this morning the surgeon said, "All is good." I got to see Daddy after surgery last night and I was never happier to see my Daddy. His belly has already gone down (obviously - they took out his colon!) He was on the "Michael Jackson" drug propofol. Leave it to my sister to remind me of that fact. He did nod his head to a few questions too. Such good news. God is so good.

Many more stories to tell about this whole ordeal... but now I need a shower and anyone anywhere near me would agree!

Who among the gods is like you, O LORD ? Who is like you— majestic in holiness, awesome in glory, working wonders? Exodus 15:11

He made it thru surgery

Haven't talked to Dr. yet. will post again very soon. they are closing him up now.

praise GOD!!!!!!!!!!

posting from jenna's phone so sorry can only do titles ... weird but keeping me occupied

in surgery

Surgery today at 5 or 6

Daddy will have surgery to remove his colon between 5 and 6 today. This is a very risky surgery but without it he could die. The surgeon tells it like it is.

They are putting in a ventilator now and making other preparations for surgery.

Pray. Pray. Pray.

Not Very Encouraging

The GI Dr. and the GI surgeon have come by this morning. Neither have seen him since Friday. They agree that he is worse. He is not talking anymore. They think it is b.c he is short of breath. Shallow breaths... He can communicate though. Here is the check list:



Abdomen/intestines: GI dr. has ordered X ray and CAT scan. X ray is already done. GI Dr and GI surgeon both said surgery IS still a possibility!


Heart: Rate is still acceptable!

Blood Pressure: acceptable

Kidneys: acceptable

Infection: still treating C-Diff; treating sepsis with vancamicin iv... Infectious disease dr. said last night that he was not positive that Daddy is septic, but treating anyway. Could be a false positive. Of course, the surgeon said that he didn't need surgery. Things change. Sometimes I feel like they are guessing. Also, he said that the infection in his blood is staph.... that c-diff does not go into the blood. Of course the internet says it does... They are doing further testing to determine what exactly it is.

White count is high(38,000)

Temp: better

Lungs: Trouble breathing, not talking. concentrating on breathing.

Hip: fine

Mental: Still in there. He can communicate with hands and nodding. cried when he saw mom first thing this morning.

We are all scared, but we trust in the Great Physician! A therapist (PT or OT?? or something) came by and prayed with us this morning and told us her testimonial about her daughter... God is so good. He places just the right person in just the right place at just the right time. Over and over and over again. He is present here with me and my family and with my Daddy.

My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth. Ps 121:2

Check List

No big change today... I am a list maker, so maybe I will start a list to give updates:

abdomen swelling/intestines: same to me but Dr.s say it looks a little better

heart: heart rate is still high, taking med to regulate, may take days to take effect

blood pressure: ok

kidneys: ok for now but watching closely

infection: It is in his blood, septic. This is serious but he can get through it. Treating with antibiotic.

lungs: He does have fluid on his lungs. He is wheezing. He has had at least two albuterol treatments.

hip: absolutely fine

mental status/ attitude: better!