Well, dad didn’t have the tracheotomy until today....I guess he was waiting on the Pope to have his. Hmmmm, my father and the Holy Father, I know there is a sign there, not sure if it’s good or bad, but a sign none the less. I did not go to the hospital today, but both Mom and Keitha said he looked much better without the tubes in his mouth. His liver and kidneys are still having trouble, but they will now be able to get him up in a chair and stuff, so hopefully his body will start to kick into gear.
I am really worried about Mom, as she got too stressed out yesterday and Keitha had to run her down to the emergency room because her blood pressure had shot up. Dad’s cardiologist checked her out and gave her some medicine, so she is doing fine now.
Now, I must be a little selfish at this time, since you all have been praying for us and they have been working! Three days after dad went into the hospital, I found out that I would be losing my job. It was confirmed today that I have 2 weeks left. So, I have been job hunting in the midst off all this mess. I am looking to get out of the radio business and try to get somewhat of a normal life. Again, I know this is selfish, but if you could add me to your prayers, I would be so grateful. This whole experience has been so surreal that I know the hand of God is in the middle of this, and we will get through. I just thank all of you again for everything!!
Thursday, February 24, 2005
Tuesday, February 22, 2005
Dad
Dad had a decent weekend. He was lucid during the 9am visits, squeezing hands, wiggling toes, and nodding in understanding, but then would become so agitated that they would have to sedate him for the rest of the day. He had dialysis on Saturday and again yesterday. Please pray for his kidneys, as they are struggling to work. He is now only on insulin and liquid nutrition with a little sedative thrown in. The doctors say that other than his kidneys, his other functions have begun to normalize. His heart is doing great too. Today around 10am, they are going to get him off the ventilator and trake him...finally! This should help him concentrate on getting better and stop struggling to get the tube out of his mouth. Again, the doctors and nurses say that once he has that in, they can get him up in a chair and what-not.
Like I said earlier, please pray for his kidneys and for him to have a successfully surgery this morning! We love you all!
Like I said earlier, please pray for his kidneys and for him to have a successfully surgery this morning! We love you all!
Thursday, February 17, 2005
Dad
The doctors decided yesterday to start Dad on some dialysis, not because his kidneys aren’t working, but because they aren’t cleaning well, if that makes any sense. His blood pressure dropped very low, but he managed to tolerate the procedure and today, it seemed to help him a bit. They skipped today and will do another tomorrow. He is doing well breathing on his own, so they think they are going to take him off the vent again tomorrow and see how he does. If for some reason he struggles again, they will trake him.
We had a bit of a rough day today, mainly due to an uncooperative nurse, and the fact that his nutrition has kicked him, and he is constantly soiling himself, so much, they can’t keep him clean, which is very hard for us to see, as you can imagine. Keitha and I ended up slapping on some gloves and cleaning him ourselves, much to the surprise of the staff. But hey, sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do, or as Forest Gump would say, Shit Happens.
At 3, we got a shift change, and according to Keitha, we got one of the best nurses in the world. She really talked to Mom and I, and shot it to us straight that she didn’t think he was in “dying” mode, that he was in recovery, but, it was going to be a LONG process and we needed to get our rest before they move him into a regular room and begin some physical therapy. Mom really needed someone to tell her it was okay not to stay all day long and me too. She told us she thinks his being non-communicative is a temporary thing, and that he just needed some time. Wade and the older kids will be here tomorrow, so Mom will have a much needed man to lean on for the weekend.
Please continue your prayers for us.....they are working!! and I thank everyone who has contacted us, visited, brought food, etc. You all are truly a blessing to us during this time. Butch is going to have to cook a helluva lot of barbecue to pay you all back!!
We had a bit of a rough day today, mainly due to an uncooperative nurse, and the fact that his nutrition has kicked him, and he is constantly soiling himself, so much, they can’t keep him clean, which is very hard for us to see, as you can imagine. Keitha and I ended up slapping on some gloves and cleaning him ourselves, much to the surprise of the staff. But hey, sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do, or as Forest Gump would say, Shit Happens.
At 3, we got a shift change, and according to Keitha, we got one of the best nurses in the world. She really talked to Mom and I, and shot it to us straight that she didn’t think he was in “dying” mode, that he was in recovery, but, it was going to be a LONG process and we needed to get our rest before they move him into a regular room and begin some physical therapy. Mom really needed someone to tell her it was okay not to stay all day long and me too. She told us she thinks his being non-communicative is a temporary thing, and that he just needed some time. Wade and the older kids will be here tomorrow, so Mom will have a much needed man to lean on for the weekend.
Please continue your prayers for us.....they are working!! and I thank everyone who has contacted us, visited, brought food, etc. You all are truly a blessing to us during this time. Butch is going to have to cook a helluva lot of barbecue to pay you all back!!
Wednesday, February 16, 2005
Dad
Hi all!
Since the last e-mail, dad has been put back on the vent, and they may end up “traiking” him so he can have the opportunity to talk and get out of the bed. His kidneys are still iffy....he is teetering on the line of dialysis, something we have all been praying not to happen. He has been running a very high fever and they have been trying to find the source, and yesterday, they believe they found it in one of his IV lines. He is still not responsive, however, yesterday, he was opening his eyes more, just not focusing. They did a EEG and CAT scan on his brain and say that they came back clear, so the only reason he is not communicative yet is believed to be metabolic. He is still in critical condition, but has not gotten any worse, which is good.
For those of you who have emailed and called, I am so sorry I have not gotten back to you....we have to keep our cell phones off in the area, and so I’m not getting the messages until around 8 when I am climbing into bed. Many of you have asked what you can do....again, just pray. We are trying to limit his visitors at the hospital because he is becoming more and more agitated. Mom, Keitha and my 4-year old nephew Sam are at the house, and have also asked for no visitors, since they stay at the hospital 12 hours or more, but you are more than welcome to drop off some food if you like. We found a great daycare that has allowed Sam to come for the time being, so that has been a big help. Keitha is a nurse, so we like to keep her in the room so she can translate to us what is happening.
I will continue to send out these updates for everyone and Mom is also putting this information on their answering machine at home. You are more than welcome to forward this to anyone I may have forgotten or who wants to know.
Again, thanks to you all for being there!
Wen
Since the last e-mail, dad has been put back on the vent, and they may end up “traiking” him so he can have the opportunity to talk and get out of the bed. His kidneys are still iffy....he is teetering on the line of dialysis, something we have all been praying not to happen. He has been running a very high fever and they have been trying to find the source, and yesterday, they believe they found it in one of his IV lines. He is still not responsive, however, yesterday, he was opening his eyes more, just not focusing. They did a EEG and CAT scan on his brain and say that they came back clear, so the only reason he is not communicative yet is believed to be metabolic. He is still in critical condition, but has not gotten any worse, which is good.
For those of you who have emailed and called, I am so sorry I have not gotten back to you....we have to keep our cell phones off in the area, and so I’m not getting the messages until around 8 when I am climbing into bed. Many of you have asked what you can do....again, just pray. We are trying to limit his visitors at the hospital because he is becoming more and more agitated. Mom, Keitha and my 4-year old nephew Sam are at the house, and have also asked for no visitors, since they stay at the hospital 12 hours or more, but you are more than welcome to drop off some food if you like. We found a great daycare that has allowed Sam to come for the time being, so that has been a big help. Keitha is a nurse, so we like to keep her in the room so she can translate to us what is happening.
I will continue to send out these updates for everyone and Mom is also putting this information on their answering machine at home. You are more than welcome to forward this to anyone I may have forgotten or who wants to know.
Again, thanks to you all for being there!
Wen
Monday, February 14, 2005
Update on Dad
Hey all!
Here is the update on Dad.
Sunday night, he had a ruptured abdominal aortic aneurism with a 6 hour surgery to repair that. Only 5% survive something like this, so he is nothing short of a miracle. His was so low, that during the surgery, they had to clamp off his kidneys for 20 minutes, so he has been battling kidney failure for the past week. He took in 25 units of blood and about 30 of platelets. He is also experiencing some liver problems, and diabetes (which he was unaware of). He has been in a drug induced coma for the week, but his vitals finally stabilized on Friday, so they have since weaned him off of that. He was taken off his vent on Saturday and is breathing on his own. The bad news is, he is not responsive at this time. He did communicate with Mom and the nurses immediately after his surgery, but due to the loss of blood, there is some fear about his mental status.
I am leaving work everyday and heading to the hospital. I will try to keep everyone up to date as best as I can. Those of you in town are more than welcome to come see him, he is in the CVICU at Baptist East, room 2918, with structured visiting hours at 9a, 11a, 1p, 3p, 5p and 9p for 30 minutes.
I ask that you please pray for his mental status and for mom, who is really having a rough time. He is expected to be in the hospital for at least a month.
I love you all and I know that Dad would say the same if he could!!
Wen
Here is the update on Dad.
Sunday night, he had a ruptured abdominal aortic aneurism with a 6 hour surgery to repair that. Only 5% survive something like this, so he is nothing short of a miracle. His was so low, that during the surgery, they had to clamp off his kidneys for 20 minutes, so he has been battling kidney failure for the past week. He took in 25 units of blood and about 30 of platelets. He is also experiencing some liver problems, and diabetes (which he was unaware of). He has been in a drug induced coma for the week, but his vitals finally stabilized on Friday, so they have since weaned him off of that. He was taken off his vent on Saturday and is breathing on his own. The bad news is, he is not responsive at this time. He did communicate with Mom and the nurses immediately after his surgery, but due to the loss of blood, there is some fear about his mental status.
I am leaving work everyday and heading to the hospital. I will try to keep everyone up to date as best as I can. Those of you in town are more than welcome to come see him, he is in the CVICU at Baptist East, room 2918, with structured visiting hours at 9a, 11a, 1p, 3p, 5p and 9p for 30 minutes.
I ask that you please pray for his mental status and for mom, who is really having a rough time. He is expected to be in the hospital for at least a month.
I love you all and I know that Dad would say the same if he could!!
Wen
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