Check out my Halloween gift to Mayo Hospital at www.debsturntoblog.blogspot.com. Dan told everyone he was a munchkin for Halloween (as in Wizard of Oz). It was fun. I did see a funny costume in the store today, a blind referee - black and white striped shirt, dark glasses, and a white cane. Pretty funny.
Plans are still in the works for Dan to be discharged on Tuesday, however a few more blips have come up since yesterday. Dan's bladder is still having a hard time and the doctors ordered several catheterizations a day to empty the bladder, a painful procedure, and he needs to drink at least 4-20oz. bottles of water a day, not to mention his 5-8oz. bottles of Ensure a day.
Dan also now has a urinary track infection and he is on antibiotics (Keflex tablets) and they did an extensive ultrasound today on his kidneys and bladder. Dan is scheduled for a large number of lab tests tomorrow, the liver doctors want to follow up on everything.
We look forward to a visit tomorrow from Dennie and Bev Little, and Ted and Matthew Stout. I've already reserved the activity room in rehab for the visit, we expect lots of rowdy laughter and plenty of craziness with these dear friends from our Mililani ohana, although the Littles recently moved to Las Vegas, they will always be ohana to us. Ted and Matt have been visiting family in Tucson.
What a joy and major surprise it was to have Jane Bishop and Jeri Boland visit us at the hospital yesterday. Jane is with the North American Mission Board in Atlanta and she and Jeri visit Hawaii every year to help with our Wives in Ministry Retreat every April, and they have become dear friends and have faithfully prayed for us at Mayo. They happened to be in town for the weekend and were so thoughtful to spend part of their "girls weekend" visiting us. Thanks, ladies, for the smiles and joy; and thanks, Father, for nudging them to visit us.
How great is our God!
Debbie and Dan
Friday, October 31, 2008
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Thursday, Oct. 30th updates
Our wireless internet connection has been down for a few days, that's why I haven't blogged in a while, but we're up and running again now. Funny, how did we live all those years without a computer and the internet? We are so grateful for these luxuries that enable us to stay connected with our ohana in Hawaii and all over the world.
Great news...looks like Dan will be discharged from the hospital next Tuesday! He will then have outpatient rehab every Tuesday and Thursday, along with regular labs and doctor appointments. We haven't been told when Dan can finally return home to Hawaii, we'll let you know as soon as we know. His outpatient rehabs are scheduled through the 2nd week of December, so maybe by January we'll be home!
Dan is getting stronger and feeling better each day. Rehab keeps him busy almost all day until about 3pm, then he and I go for our "walk" to the healing garden or wherever. One day we sat on the bench outside the hospital door and played a game of guessing the make and model of each car driving by just by looking at the front of each car. Dan loves cars and before transplant would watch Motorweek on tv, read "Car & Driver" magazine, anything to learn more about vehicles, so this game was good for him and fun also. Mentally, Dan is also improving. He has a ways to go, but he is doing so much better, this was probably the hardest thing for me to handle, and I praise God for the healing, slow but steady. By the way, his color is all better (no more "golden boy"), he wants to keep clean shaven so no more beard and mustache - it might take you some time to get used to this new look, but I think he's quite handsome! And he's decided that drinking V-8 juice is better than eating those vegetables! But I have pictures of him eating peas, etc. - I can probably use this to my advantage sometime (wink wink).
Soaring like an eagle,
Debbie and Dan
Great news...looks like Dan will be discharged from the hospital next Tuesday! He will then have outpatient rehab every Tuesday and Thursday, along with regular labs and doctor appointments. We haven't been told when Dan can finally return home to Hawaii, we'll let you know as soon as we know. His outpatient rehabs are scheduled through the 2nd week of December, so maybe by January we'll be home!
Dan is getting stronger and feeling better each day. Rehab keeps him busy almost all day until about 3pm, then he and I go for our "walk" to the healing garden or wherever. One day we sat on the bench outside the hospital door and played a game of guessing the make and model of each car driving by just by looking at the front of each car. Dan loves cars and before transplant would watch Motorweek on tv, read "Car & Driver" magazine, anything to learn more about vehicles, so this game was good for him and fun also. Mentally, Dan is also improving. He has a ways to go, but he is doing so much better, this was probably the hardest thing for me to handle, and I praise God for the healing, slow but steady. By the way, his color is all better (no more "golden boy"), he wants to keep clean shaven so no more beard and mustache - it might take you some time to get used to this new look, but I think he's quite handsome! And he's decided that drinking V-8 juice is better than eating those vegetables! But I have pictures of him eating peas, etc. - I can probably use this to my advantage sometime (wink wink).
Soaring like an eagle,
Debbie and Dan
Friday, October 24, 2008
Friday, October 24th updates
Dan's first 2 days in Rehab sure have been busy.
Mornings start with breakfast group at 7:30am in the activity room. Dan may be the youngest one there and also may be the only transplant patient (for now), and they eat together and enjoy conversation. The rest of the morning is a whirlwind of activity: OT (occupational therapy), PT (physical therapy) in the gym, RT (recreational therapy - yesterday the group played Wheel of Fortune, Dan guessed all the letters even though he couldn't see the board!), and in between he gets visits from the doctors, labs, meds, and ST (speech therapy - they are exercising his throat muscles to help the swallowing, exercising his voice which is still a little raspy probably from various scope procedures, and also cognitive therapy to help the confusion). Lunch is in his room at 12noon, then so far the afternoon is free time except for meds and blood sugar monitoring. Yesterday he had dinner in his room, tonite Dan and I ate dinner together in the cafeteria; the hospital gives a $5.00 gift certificate to use for meals eaten in the cafeteria. Yesterday and today, we spent most of the afternoon outside in the healing garden, walking around the hospital parking lot (actually me walking, pushing Dan in the wheelchair), and in the hospital lobby listening to music, yesterday 2 nurses were there singing and playing on the piano "It is well with my soul", today a retired volunteer was playing showtunes on the piano, Dan particularly enjoyed the medley of songs from Wizard of Oz.
Dan's favorite part of today was a visit from Amy and Swen. They walked with us to the healing garden, with me pushing Dan in his wheelchair next to Amy pushing Swen in his stroller, Dan and Swen held hands and did fist bumps in the hallways. We got to our favorite bench in the garden, under a shade tree opposite the waterfall and Swen sat on Dan's lap for quite a while goofing around with his grampa. It was an emotional time for Dan, and another one of those "kisses from God". My turn to be emotional will be tomorrow when I have to say aloha to the kids, they return to Yuma Saturday morning. We really enjoyed another special visit this evening in the garden, Debbie and Tim came by. Tim is turning 17 on Sunday and what a fine young man he is becoming, his dad would be extremely proud of him and I'm sure he is, as well as the rest of his family.
Weekends will be less activity, Dan has OT at 9:15am and PT at 2:15pm, both for 45 minutes. I'm sure afterwards we'll be back walking around outside, Dan loves being out of the room and it is really nice out now, today it was in the high 80s.
It really is "well with our souls",
Debbie and Dan
Mornings start with breakfast group at 7:30am in the activity room. Dan may be the youngest one there and also may be the only transplant patient (for now), and they eat together and enjoy conversation. The rest of the morning is a whirlwind of activity: OT (occupational therapy), PT (physical therapy) in the gym, RT (recreational therapy - yesterday the group played Wheel of Fortune, Dan guessed all the letters even though he couldn't see the board!), and in between he gets visits from the doctors, labs, meds, and ST (speech therapy - they are exercising his throat muscles to help the swallowing, exercising his voice which is still a little raspy probably from various scope procedures, and also cognitive therapy to help the confusion). Lunch is in his room at 12noon, then so far the afternoon is free time except for meds and blood sugar monitoring. Yesterday he had dinner in his room, tonite Dan and I ate dinner together in the cafeteria; the hospital gives a $5.00 gift certificate to use for meals eaten in the cafeteria. Yesterday and today, we spent most of the afternoon outside in the healing garden, walking around the hospital parking lot (actually me walking, pushing Dan in the wheelchair), and in the hospital lobby listening to music, yesterday 2 nurses were there singing and playing on the piano "It is well with my soul", today a retired volunteer was playing showtunes on the piano, Dan particularly enjoyed the medley of songs from Wizard of Oz.
Dan's favorite part of today was a visit from Amy and Swen. They walked with us to the healing garden, with me pushing Dan in his wheelchair next to Amy pushing Swen in his stroller, Dan and Swen held hands and did fist bumps in the hallways. We got to our favorite bench in the garden, under a shade tree opposite the waterfall and Swen sat on Dan's lap for quite a while goofing around with his grampa. It was an emotional time for Dan, and another one of those "kisses from God". My turn to be emotional will be tomorrow when I have to say aloha to the kids, they return to Yuma Saturday morning. We really enjoyed another special visit this evening in the garden, Debbie and Tim came by. Tim is turning 17 on Sunday and what a fine young man he is becoming, his dad would be extremely proud of him and I'm sure he is, as well as the rest of his family.
Weekends will be less activity, Dan has OT at 9:15am and PT at 2:15pm, both for 45 minutes. I'm sure afterwards we'll be back walking around outside, Dan loves being out of the room and it is really nice out now, today it was in the high 80s.
It really is "well with our souls",
Debbie and Dan
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Rehab!
Thanks again for praying, Dan moved to rehab today. It was a little bittersweet to leave 3West, we know all the nurses and workers and we will really miss them, they've become like family to us. It seemed like all the nurses came by to say goodbye to Dan with lots of hugs and congratulations. They even took his picture as they were wheeling him out, they told Dan to give a thumbs up, but Dan said "that's not how we do it in Hawaii" and gave them a shaka.
Rehab isn't far away, it's on 3East. His room looks the same as on 3West. They have the gym that Dan has already used and will continue to do so. Past the gym and 3 patient rooms is a big open area, the nurses' station is there, a big wall chart which will show each patient's daily schedule (there are 7 patients in rehab at a time), then there are 4 patient rooms on the right, Dan's room is in this group. And right in the middle of this large open area (and outside Dan's door) is, of all things, a full size car. The patients will learn how to safely get in and out of a vehicle. Down the hall on the left of this big room are other patient rooms not with rehab, a doorway leading out to a lanai (patio) with tables and chairs, and at the very end of the hall is the rehab activity room which has a long table and chairs where the patients eat breakfast together, there's a piano, a large screen tv, a computer, a kitchenette.
Dan's schedule for his first full day in rehab tomorrow wasn't posted this afternoon, so I'll blog more about this tomorrow. Dan's a little nervous but really looking forward to it, and seems to have a renewed hope for the future. Praise the Lord!
By the way, more answered prayer. They did remove the nasal packing early this morning and Dan said it wasn't that bad and no bleeding, and he loves to be able to breathe and taste food again. They also removed the catheter, but they put another one back in tonight, his bladder is going to need some time to adjust since he's had one for 8 weeks now. And Swen's cold is much better today. All in all, a pretty good day.
Aloha from the desert,
Debbie and Dan
Rehab isn't far away, it's on 3East. His room looks the same as on 3West. They have the gym that Dan has already used and will continue to do so. Past the gym and 3 patient rooms is a big open area, the nurses' station is there, a big wall chart which will show each patient's daily schedule (there are 7 patients in rehab at a time), then there are 4 patient rooms on the right, Dan's room is in this group. And right in the middle of this large open area (and outside Dan's door) is, of all things, a full size car. The patients will learn how to safely get in and out of a vehicle. Down the hall on the left of this big room are other patient rooms not with rehab, a doorway leading out to a lanai (patio) with tables and chairs, and at the very end of the hall is the rehab activity room which has a long table and chairs where the patients eat breakfast together, there's a piano, a large screen tv, a computer, a kitchenette.
Dan's schedule for his first full day in rehab tomorrow wasn't posted this afternoon, so I'll blog more about this tomorrow. Dan's a little nervous but really looking forward to it, and seems to have a renewed hope for the future. Praise the Lord!
By the way, more answered prayer. They did remove the nasal packing early this morning and Dan said it wasn't that bad and no bleeding, and he loves to be able to breathe and taste food again. They also removed the catheter, but they put another one back in tonight, his bladder is going to need some time to adjust since he's had one for 8 weeks now. And Swen's cold is much better today. All in all, a pretty good day.
Aloha from the desert,
Debbie and Dan
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
More Answered Prayer!
Dan had his procedures today and they found no bleeding, no ulcers, no anything. They decided the passing blood must be from the nosebleed or the old red blood cells passing. He recovered well from the scopes and then enjoyed a big dinner: lasagne, breadstick, salad, spice cake, iced tea, protein shake, and milk. The ENT doctor will probably remove the nasal packing tomorrow, wish they could have done it today while he was under anesthesia, but they felt it needs one more day to be sure it doesn't start bleeding again. His INR count is up, meaning his blood is clotting well, so hopefully this will be an uneventful procedure without much pain.
So we look forward to moving to Rehab sometime this week! Thank you so much for your prayers.
God also answered our prayers - Dan is doing so well mentally. This came about right when the "mother of all nose bleeds" happened. Not sure why these two happened together, but isn't it just like God to answer our prayers in ways we never could imagine? And he has hope again, now that he knows he is going to Rehab and will be discharged from the hospital soon.
"Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again—my Savior and my God!" (Psalm 42-5-6a NLT),
Debbie and Dan
So we look forward to moving to Rehab sometime this week! Thank you so much for your prayers.
God also answered our prayers - Dan is doing so well mentally. This came about right when the "mother of all nose bleeds" happened. Not sure why these two happened together, but isn't it just like God to answer our prayers in ways we never could imagine? And he has hope again, now that he knows he is going to Rehab and will be discharged from the hospital soon.
"Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again—my Savior and my God!" (Psalm 42-5-6a NLT),
Debbie and Dan
Monday, October 20, 2008
Answered Prayer and More Tests
Dan received 2 more units of blood today and is still passing blood, so tomorrow they will do a colonoscopy and an upper GI series (or as Dan says "scopes at both ends"). The doctors have a few theories:
* Red blood cells live about 120 days, then your spleen recycles them to make new ones. Since Dan had his spleen removed, his new liver excretes them out of the body, and since he's received many transfusions at Mayo, this may be the reason for the bleeding. OR...
* Months before his transplant, Mayo discovered a stomach ulcer. They thought it was "cured", but the doctors wonder if it flared up and may be causing Dan's bleeding. The tests tomorrow will show if this is it, or if there is anything else going on.
The ENT doctor is also planning on removing that awful nasal packing after the scope procedures and hopefully while Dan is still under anesthetic (one of the nurses told us today she had that done and removing it was more painful than inserting it).
And now for the answered prayer. The Rehab doctor visited this afternoon, spoke with us both and said if all goes well with the procedures tomorrow and after Dan recovers, he can move to Rehab! So by end of the week, he should be there. And, the doctor said he'd probably be there only 5-10 days and then they might discharge him from the hospital! Yippee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
So, prayer warriors, here are more requests:
* For the scope procedures tomorrow and for quick recovery.
* For the nasal packing removal - no bleeding or pain.
* For Dan's heart rhythm to stay regular, it went afib again but is back regular now.
* For rehab to work out as planned.
* For Swen, he has a cold (he's still the cutest 15-month old on the planet)...and for the rest of us to stay healthy.
Gratefully,
Debbie and Dan
* Red blood cells live about 120 days, then your spleen recycles them to make new ones. Since Dan had his spleen removed, his new liver excretes them out of the body, and since he's received many transfusions at Mayo, this may be the reason for the bleeding. OR...
* Months before his transplant, Mayo discovered a stomach ulcer. They thought it was "cured", but the doctors wonder if it flared up and may be causing Dan's bleeding. The tests tomorrow will show if this is it, or if there is anything else going on.
The ENT doctor is also planning on removing that awful nasal packing after the scope procedures and hopefully while Dan is still under anesthetic (one of the nurses told us today she had that done and removing it was more painful than inserting it).
And now for the answered prayer. The Rehab doctor visited this afternoon, spoke with us both and said if all goes well with the procedures tomorrow and after Dan recovers, he can move to Rehab! So by end of the week, he should be there. And, the doctor said he'd probably be there only 5-10 days and then they might discharge him from the hospital! Yippee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
So, prayer warriors, here are more requests:
* For the scope procedures tomorrow and for quick recovery.
* For the nasal packing removal - no bleeding or pain.
* For Dan's heart rhythm to stay regular, it went afib again but is back regular now.
* For rehab to work out as planned.
* For Swen, he has a cold (he's still the cutest 15-month old on the planet)...and for the rest of us to stay healthy.
Gratefully,
Debbie and Dan
Saturday, October 18, 2008
The mother of all nose bleeds
Remember that bleeding episode I blogged about on Tuesday? Well...
Yesterday (Friday), he had a nose bleed around 6:30pm that lasted until 7:00am this morning (Saturday). And not just your regular, garden-variety nose bleed, this one was the mother of all nose bleeds. Our night nurse, Mary, sure earned her salary last night with us, I think she was helping Dan with something at least every hour and sometimes several times an hour. She packed his nose with what she called a "nose sling" - a 2x2 gauze pad rolled up in each nostril, then a thick strip of gauze covering his nostrils from cheek to cheek and taped firmly on his face. She replaced this several times in the night along with applying an ice bag on Dan's face, and when she wasn't doing this she was helping Dan clear his throat and lungs from the blood draining down his throat. And as if this wasn't enough, he had bleeding episodes from the other end about every hour from midnight till 7:30am. Sorry for being so graphic, this is probably more info than you wanted to know! I don't stay with Dan overnight anymore, but I did last night.
This morning, the ENT (ears, nose & throat) doctor checked Dan and determined he needed posterior nasal packing, a painful procedure but it stopped the bleeding. The packing remains in for about 5 days, and praise God for pain meds to endure this. Dan also needed another transfusion, 2 units, due to losing all that blood. The doctors are monitoring the blood in the stool, thinking it is from the blood that drained into his stomach or possibly internal hemmoroids.
The interesting thing is during all these adventures, Dan was more mentally clear and has continued to be. Go figure. Despite the low blood count, Dan's other labs are excellent and his liver and other organs continue to work well, Dan continues to gain physical strength as well.
Prayer request: Dan will be re-evaluated for entering rehab this Monday and we pray this goofy bleeding episode won't keep him out of the program. Dan is getting discouraged that he hasn't "been allowed" to enter rehab, though the PTs take him to the rehab gym for a little exercise, but we want him to move to those rooms and be in the entire program. There is an opening now and it would be fabulous if Dan could get it, but he needs approval from the head of Rehab. We'd appreciate your prayers for this. Thanks!
Debbie and Dan
Yesterday (Friday), he had a nose bleed around 6:30pm that lasted until 7:00am this morning (Saturday). And not just your regular, garden-variety nose bleed, this one was the mother of all nose bleeds. Our night nurse, Mary, sure earned her salary last night with us, I think she was helping Dan with something at least every hour and sometimes several times an hour. She packed his nose with what she called a "nose sling" - a 2x2 gauze pad rolled up in each nostril, then a thick strip of gauze covering his nostrils from cheek to cheek and taped firmly on his face. She replaced this several times in the night along with applying an ice bag on Dan's face, and when she wasn't doing this she was helping Dan clear his throat and lungs from the blood draining down his throat. And as if this wasn't enough, he had bleeding episodes from the other end about every hour from midnight till 7:30am. Sorry for being so graphic, this is probably more info than you wanted to know! I don't stay with Dan overnight anymore, but I did last night.
This morning, the ENT (ears, nose & throat) doctor checked Dan and determined he needed posterior nasal packing, a painful procedure but it stopped the bleeding. The packing remains in for about 5 days, and praise God for pain meds to endure this. Dan also needed another transfusion, 2 units, due to losing all that blood. The doctors are monitoring the blood in the stool, thinking it is from the blood that drained into his stomach or possibly internal hemmoroids.
The interesting thing is during all these adventures, Dan was more mentally clear and has continued to be. Go figure. Despite the low blood count, Dan's other labs are excellent and his liver and other organs continue to work well, Dan continues to gain physical strength as well.
Prayer request: Dan will be re-evaluated for entering rehab this Monday and we pray this goofy bleeding episode won't keep him out of the program. Dan is getting discouraged that he hasn't "been allowed" to enter rehab, though the PTs take him to the rehab gym for a little exercise, but we want him to move to those rooms and be in the entire program. There is an opening now and it would be fabulous if Dan could get it, but he needs approval from the head of Rehab. We'd appreciate your prayers for this. Thanks!
Debbie and Dan
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Thursday, Oct. 17th updates
Praise God, Dan hasn't passed out again, so the adustment to his heart and blood thinner meds must have done the trick. FYI, VP Dick Cheney was treated yesterday for afib and received the cardiac ablation procedure - this is what Dan has and the treatment I blogged about on Tuesday - you can read about it at www.honoluluadvertiser.com and search back issues for Wednesday, October 16 (or just google it) - pretty good info on afib and cardiac ablation which the article calls "electric shock".
Today's good news: Dan went to the rehab gym again and rode for 10 minutes on the NuStep Recumbent Cross Trainer, reminds me of a sitting down Nordic Track, it exercises both arms and legs. Dan then walked with the parallel bars, he walked forward then backward then side steps. A very good day's workout. The PTs said they notice a difference in just the past few days. More good news: we enjoyed visits today from Nancy Norwood, pastor's wife from First Southern Scottsdale; Sean Lathrop, director of Next Generation Ministries at my workplace-Hawaii Pacific Baptist Convention; and Vicki McDermott, a professional jazz singer and also a pastor's wife who visits Mayo Hospital to sing for patients. And praise God for Dan's sister Debbie getting to visit during the week while she's on fall break from school, and of course I am grateful for Dan's folks being here every day, they are the best.
Today's challenges: Actually beginning Wednesday evening. Dan coughed up some blood and also passed some blood in the stool. Doctors are watching this closely, they do not think it is an active bleeder but old blood, and they suspect all the blood thinner he has been getting has something to do with it. His labs show his blood count stable, if this number had decreased that could indicate internal bleeding. They decreased the coumadin hoping this will take care of it. Again, the doctors do not want to stop his PT exercises and are keeping close watch of this.
Things change so quickly and we never know what to expect each day, and it's pretty unnerving. God reminded me of this promise today, I really like it in The Message version: "Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don't get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes." (Matthew 6:34 The Message)
Aloha from the desert,
Debbie and Dan
Today's good news: Dan went to the rehab gym again and rode for 10 minutes on the NuStep Recumbent Cross Trainer, reminds me of a sitting down Nordic Track, it exercises both arms and legs. Dan then walked with the parallel bars, he walked forward then backward then side steps. A very good day's workout. The PTs said they notice a difference in just the past few days. More good news: we enjoyed visits today from Nancy Norwood, pastor's wife from First Southern Scottsdale; Sean Lathrop, director of Next Generation Ministries at my workplace-Hawaii Pacific Baptist Convention; and Vicki McDermott, a professional jazz singer and also a pastor's wife who visits Mayo Hospital to sing for patients. And praise God for Dan's sister Debbie getting to visit during the week while she's on fall break from school, and of course I am grateful for Dan's folks being here every day, they are the best.
Today's challenges: Actually beginning Wednesday evening. Dan coughed up some blood and also passed some blood in the stool. Doctors are watching this closely, they do not think it is an active bleeder but old blood, and they suspect all the blood thinner he has been getting has something to do with it. His labs show his blood count stable, if this number had decreased that could indicate internal bleeding. They decreased the coumadin hoping this will take care of it. Again, the doctors do not want to stop his PT exercises and are keeping close watch of this.
Things change so quickly and we never know what to expect each day, and it's pretty unnerving. God reminded me of this promise today, I really like it in The Message version: "Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don't get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes." (Matthew 6:34 The Message)
Aloha from the desert,
Debbie and Dan
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Tuesday, Oct. 14th updates
Dan is making so much progress and getting stronger each day, so it was a surprise to everyone that his heart went back into afib and when the OT tried to get him to stand up, he passed out 3 times. They got him back to bed and comfortable, and the transplant team and cardiologists examined him, they ordered an EKG and ABG (arterial blood gas test -- hope you're googling all these medical terms). The doctors are unsure why he passed out, but they think it's because Dan's body being so weak it is unable to tolerate the afib. They increased his beta blocker med (Coreg) and his heart returned to sinus rhythm this evening - yay! There is a good possibility Dan will need to have a heart procedure called a Cardiac Ablation in the future, that will correct the afib problem, but they don't want to do this now since Dan is still weak and recovering from the 4 other surgeries he's had in the past 2 months. Dan's uncle had afib and underwent Cardiac Ablation with great results.
Despite being in afib or abnormal heart rhythm, the doctors asked PT to come back this afternoon to try to get him up again for therapy, and this time he did not pass out. They took it slow, and Dan was able to walk with a walker and the PTs' help, then sit in a wheelchair and go for the first time to the Rehab area and work out in their gym. He loved it! He lifted light weights, played "dodgeball" with the therapist using an exercise ball, and other activities. He also fed himself all 3 meals today for the first time. The Rehab doctor did another eval to see if Dan is ready for moving over to Rehab full time, he thinks when Dan's heart is more stable and when there is an opening (they only have room for 7 patients at a time), Dan will be next, possibly the end of this week. Yippee!
God sure is the "Alpha and the Omega" (Rev. 22:13 NIV) - He knows the end from the beginning, rather He knows why things happen before they happen, in this case, when we couldn't figure out why in the world the doctors moved Dan to the 7th floor on Sunday and then back to the 3rd floor Intermediate Care on Monday, God knew Dan would pass out 3 times on Tuesday (today) and all the caregivers on the 3rd floor know us very well now and were right there on hand to provide the best care for Dan. If we were still on the 7th floor (no transplant nurses and a non-lifting floor, meaning they might not have been able to lift Dan back up to bed), who knows what might have happened.... so if your circumstances make no sense to you, think about Dan's episode today, and remember God is your "Alpha and Omega".
Loving God's amazing grace,
Debbie and Dan
Despite being in afib or abnormal heart rhythm, the doctors asked PT to come back this afternoon to try to get him up again for therapy, and this time he did not pass out. They took it slow, and Dan was able to walk with a walker and the PTs' help, then sit in a wheelchair and go for the first time to the Rehab area and work out in their gym. He loved it! He lifted light weights, played "dodgeball" with the therapist using an exercise ball, and other activities. He also fed himself all 3 meals today for the first time. The Rehab doctor did another eval to see if Dan is ready for moving over to Rehab full time, he thinks when Dan's heart is more stable and when there is an opening (they only have room for 7 patients at a time), Dan will be next, possibly the end of this week. Yippee!
God sure is the "Alpha and the Omega" (Rev. 22:13 NIV) - He knows the end from the beginning, rather He knows why things happen before they happen, in this case, when we couldn't figure out why in the world the doctors moved Dan to the 7th floor on Sunday and then back to the 3rd floor Intermediate Care on Monday, God knew Dan would pass out 3 times on Tuesday (today) and all the caregivers on the 3rd floor know us very well now and were right there on hand to provide the best care for Dan. If we were still on the 7th floor (no transplant nurses and a non-lifting floor, meaning they might not have been able to lift Dan back up to bed), who knows what might have happened.... so if your circumstances make no sense to you, think about Dan's episode today, and remember God is your "Alpha and Omega".
Loving God's amazing grace,
Debbie and Dan
Monday, October 13, 2008
Monday, Oct. 13th updates
Dan is now on the 7th floor at Mayo. It's not rehab, but they have more equipment etc. including lifts and slings enabling nurses to get Dan up and in a chair. The chair sling doesn't work that well since Dan is so big. Here's what it reminds me of:
The 7th floor is a relatively new addition to Mayo, and it is nice and spacious, we call it "the penthouse". Dan moved in yesterday. It was a difficult day yesterday, as the doctors decided to also remove his catheter before moving to the new floor. Getting the catheter out after about 45 days is a good thing, however, the nurses on the new floor are not familiar with us like the 3rd floor where he was, the 7th floor does not usually take transplant patients, and the day nurse was not very responsive. By the time I got home Sunday night and after processing the disastrous afternoon and evening with Dan's folks, I went right back to the hospital and was able to speak with the transplant PA on duty (Mark Burns, one of our favorites) and the lead nurse on the 7th floor. On the drive back, I prayed God would fix everything that needed fixing, and also hold my tongue so I could be forthright with my complaints in kindness and not exploding in rage like I felt. And God heard my cry. By the time I got back, the night nurse had taken care of the immediate needs already, Dan was comfortable and stable, and peace filled the room. Mark Burns came up to visit and explained why things happened the way they did. And the team leader for the night nurses came in to hear my story, thankfully by that time I was in more control and was able to share my concerns, and within minutes several other needs were met. I decided to stay the night to be sure Dan was cared for well, and he was. Dan's folks are there for the morning and I came home to update the blog and catch a nap before returning to the hospital this afternoon.
By the way, Dan has been exercising like crazy the past few days, on a tilt board standing at 30 degrees and doing squats (up to 3 reps of 15) and doing arm exercises with a weighted pole. He's able to stand straight up now and we hope PT will get him walking again. I am also hopeful to take Dan outside again in the wheelchair, with no more IV's connected, it will be much easier and we can stay out longer. The weather turned cool the past few days, highs now in the 70s, so what a beautiful time to be outside enjoying Mayo's healing garden.
God is sure good,
Debbie and Dan
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Another great day, Thurs. Oct. 9
After a great day yesterday and being warned by the nurses that their could be setbacks, we were not sure what today would hold. We are thankful that today was another good day. Today, the PT and OT folks brought in a tilt table to get Dan standing up straighter (google "tilt table" and pick a website to see what these tables look like). We took 2 walks today outside but had to cut both short due to the IV stand beeping again. We figured out how to do these walks with just me and Dan - the handle on the IV stand encircles the entire stand and it's at Dan's arm height, so his "job" is to hold the handle while I push the wheelchair. This works well except for getting in and out of his room and the elevator. The doctors also confirmed everything is working well - labs ok, new liver working great, other organs seem to be in sync - so now we work on getting stronger and continuing eating well. And the hope continues that the more active Dan gets, the more his mental state will get normal (ok, those of you who know Dan well are saying "normal?")
Aloha from the desert,
Debbie and Dan
Aloha from the desert,
Debbie and Dan
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Rejoicing today - Wed. Oct. 8
God sure did answer my prayer requests quickly! Miracles happened today.
Dan's folks asked the doctor if Dan's bed could be changed back to a regular bed and she said yes! Much better for his breathing and much better for him to regain muscle strength.
God provided Philip as Dan's nurse today (and tomorrow). We've had him a while back also. Philip has a wonderful attitude and way with Dan and Dan responds to him so well.
The plan beginning today is for Dan to sit up in a chair most of the day for as long as he can tolerate and to eat all meals sitting in a chair. He did this today! We still help him with eating, but he was able to eat a little on his own today.
And the highlight of the day...Dan and I took a "walk" outside the hospital! Actually, Dan was in a wheelchair, I pushed the chair, and Fred (more about him below) pushed the IV stand. It was a short trip, but Dan really enjoyed it. We visited the hospital's 'healing garden' - a lovely place with desert plants and flowers and a stone wall waterfall. All donated by individuals, it really is a beautiful place, and the temp is finally in the 90s so it was comfortable. We can take these "walks" several times a day if we want. After all the activity today, Dan was pretty tired, in fact went to bed asleep around 7:30pm. He should sleep well tonite.
Who's Fred, you ask? He is a hospital volunteer, retired, and the first liver transplant patient Mayo Hospital in Phoenix performed 9 years ago, in fact he had the same surgeon Dan had, Dr. Mulligan (golfers dream name). Fred is in great health and now volunteers at the hospital and enjoys visiting other liver transplant patients like Dan. Fred loves to talk and share his story, I call him our hero, he is very inspiring.
AND, with all this activity today, Dan's heart rate and blood pressure stayed pretty normal!
Dan's mental state today was better, Dan's nurse Philip warned us that things may go up and down, so we pray God "renews a right spirit" in Dan (Ps. 51:10 KJV), that God will give Dan "the mind of Christ" (1 Cor. 2:16 NIV), and that God will fix his thoughts on what is true (Philippians 4:8 NLT). If you've never prayed Scripture for people, this is one way to do so. Give it a try!
He Nani No (How Great Thou Art),
Debbie
Dan's folks asked the doctor if Dan's bed could be changed back to a regular bed and she said yes! Much better for his breathing and much better for him to regain muscle strength.
God provided Philip as Dan's nurse today (and tomorrow). We've had him a while back also. Philip has a wonderful attitude and way with Dan and Dan responds to him so well.
The plan beginning today is for Dan to sit up in a chair most of the day for as long as he can tolerate and to eat all meals sitting in a chair. He did this today! We still help him with eating, but he was able to eat a little on his own today.
And the highlight of the day...Dan and I took a "walk" outside the hospital! Actually, Dan was in a wheelchair, I pushed the chair, and Fred (more about him below) pushed the IV stand. It was a short trip, but Dan really enjoyed it. We visited the hospital's 'healing garden' - a lovely place with desert plants and flowers and a stone wall waterfall. All donated by individuals, it really is a beautiful place, and the temp is finally in the 90s so it was comfortable. We can take these "walks" several times a day if we want. After all the activity today, Dan was pretty tired, in fact went to bed asleep around 7:30pm. He should sleep well tonite.
Who's Fred, you ask? He is a hospital volunteer, retired, and the first liver transplant patient Mayo Hospital in Phoenix performed 9 years ago, in fact he had the same surgeon Dan had, Dr. Mulligan (golfers dream name). Fred is in great health and now volunteers at the hospital and enjoys visiting other liver transplant patients like Dan. Fred loves to talk and share his story, I call him our hero, he is very inspiring.
AND, with all this activity today, Dan's heart rate and blood pressure stayed pretty normal!
Dan's mental state today was better, Dan's nurse Philip warned us that things may go up and down, so we pray God "renews a right spirit" in Dan (Ps. 51:10 KJV), that God will give Dan "the mind of Christ" (1 Cor. 2:16 NIV), and that God will fix his thoughts on what is true (Philippians 4:8 NLT). If you've never prayed Scripture for people, this is one way to do so. Give it a try!
He Nani No (How Great Thou Art),
Debbie
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Tuesday, Oct. 7th updates
Dan moved to another room today, from Intermediate Care to a regular room. Not as many high tech gizmos in the room but a few of the same nurses. They took out his arterial line so all he has now is his picc line for IV meds, oxygen nose tube thing, and the catheter. His labs look good, his liver is doing well, his heart is still in sinus rhythm, and his blood pressure is staying normal. Now the hard work of getting out of bed and walking and exercising begins. He's in an air bed that sort of sucks him in like a hammock, it's supposed to be easier on his skin and pressure points since he's been in bed so long now. However, it also makes it harder for him to scoot up in bed to catch his breath, or to even want to get up at all. Dan's folks and I would like to see him go back to a regular patient bed like he had in the beginning.
Specific prayer requests today:
* Pray that the doctors etc. will be open to moving Dan back to the regular bed.
* Pray for Dan's mental state. We don't know if it's the meds he's on or the air bed or what, but he is still quite confused and is trying to give up trying to get out of bed or do anything he used to do like reading, he won't even move his arms to try to eat, he says he can't and his folks and I are still feeding him his meals. The doctors mentioned that if this doesn't change, at some point he might need to be moved to another facility like a nursing home, and our hearts hurt. He had been doing so well, even bragging about the laps he was taking around the floor, now he doesn't seem to want to try anymore.
* Pray for stamina, health and patience for us as we minister to Dan's needs, also for the hospital staff working with Dan.
Sorry to paint such a dismal picture, it's a tough time right now, and I figure it's better to be honest and ask for your continued prayers.
Mahalo (thanks),
Debbie
Specific prayer requests today:
* Pray that the doctors etc. will be open to moving Dan back to the regular bed.
* Pray for Dan's mental state. We don't know if it's the meds he's on or the air bed or what, but he is still quite confused and is trying to give up trying to get out of bed or do anything he used to do like reading, he won't even move his arms to try to eat, he says he can't and his folks and I are still feeding him his meals. The doctors mentioned that if this doesn't change, at some point he might need to be moved to another facility like a nursing home, and our hearts hurt. He had been doing so well, even bragging about the laps he was taking around the floor, now he doesn't seem to want to try anymore.
* Pray for stamina, health and patience for us as we minister to Dan's needs, also for the hospital staff working with Dan.
Sorry to paint such a dismal picture, it's a tough time right now, and I figure it's better to be honest and ask for your continued prayers.
Mahalo (thanks),
Debbie
Friday, October 3, 2008
Praising God today, Friday Oct. 3rd
We are praising God for many improvements today!
* The aggressive treatments for getting rid of the fluids are working, Dan's lungs sound clearer and his swelling is better, also his labs look good.
* Dan's hemoglobin level is over 11 now, higher than it's been in a long time.
* The doctors changed his heart meds AGAIN, this time giving him the super strong Amiodarone by IV along with Heparin by IV, a blood thinner that also flushes the IV lines to prevent clots. This worked, and his heart returned to "sinus" rhythm today, meaning it is beating normally! And, today's EKG reading is the same as Dan's EKG before transplant! I was dancing in Dan's hospital room today!
* Dan is eating like crazy and drinking about 5 cans of Glucerna (a protein shake) a day, and yesterday's calorie count was 2,400...so no feeding tube yet. Because he is using up so many calories in healing, he may yet need the feeding tube at nights only, we'll see.
* The central IV line in his neck was removed today, always a good thing to get these out.
Wonderful things Dan said today that I have to brag about:
* When the night nurse, Ashley, came in tonight and did the usual asking him questions like what is your name, do you know where you are, then she asked if he knew my name and get this - he answered "gorgeous".
* The head day nurse came to visit this afternoon and asked how we were doing. After catching up on all the clinical info, I mentioned that we were still fighting to get better, and Dan said "no" - I asked him what he meant and he said "we're not fighting, we're winning". Made both the nurse and me a little misty eyed, and very blessed.
God bless you as you win your daily battles,
Debbie and Dan
* The aggressive treatments for getting rid of the fluids are working, Dan's lungs sound clearer and his swelling is better, also his labs look good.
* Dan's hemoglobin level is over 11 now, higher than it's been in a long time.
* The doctors changed his heart meds AGAIN, this time giving him the super strong Amiodarone by IV along with Heparin by IV, a blood thinner that also flushes the IV lines to prevent clots. This worked, and his heart returned to "sinus" rhythm today, meaning it is beating normally! And, today's EKG reading is the same as Dan's EKG before transplant! I was dancing in Dan's hospital room today!
* Dan is eating like crazy and drinking about 5 cans of Glucerna (a protein shake) a day, and yesterday's calorie count was 2,400...so no feeding tube yet. Because he is using up so many calories in healing, he may yet need the feeding tube at nights only, we'll see.
* The central IV line in his neck was removed today, always a good thing to get these out.
Wonderful things Dan said today that I have to brag about:
* When the night nurse, Ashley, came in tonight and did the usual asking him questions like what is your name, do you know where you are, then she asked if he knew my name and get this - he answered "gorgeous".
* The head day nurse came to visit this afternoon and asked how we were doing. After catching up on all the clinical info, I mentioned that we were still fighting to get better, and Dan said "no" - I asked him what he meant and he said "we're not fighting, we're winning". Made both the nurse and me a little misty eyed, and very blessed.
God bless you as you win your daily battles,
Debbie and Dan
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Wednesday, October 1st
It's October already! Yes, we're still here in Phoenix, yes, Dan is still in Mayo Hospital. The past few days have been very busy. Many teams of doctors from liver transplant, cardiology, respiratory, and kidneys have been to see Dan the past few days, sometimes as many as 15 people in the room at one time. Dan has had a hard time breathing the past few days and his heart rate has been irregular and sometimes afib again, so the team approach seemed needed. It was a little stressful for the family, we don't understand half of what they are saying, but thankfully someone translates "medical-eze" into English for us.
The consensus is a process using medications to aggressively go after the fluid that the kidneys are not getting out, which affects Dan's breathing and heart. They started a different diuretic called Bumex, that got things started. Today, he got a huge dose of albumin which will force the fluid residing in the tissues back into the vascular system, then he got a huge dose of lasex to get the kidneys to process the fluid out. The extra diuretics have also loosened up fluid in his lungs and he is coughing like crazy which they encourage. They monitor his potassium regularly since a loss of liquid will mean a loss in potassium which could affect the heart, and so far his potassium is normal. Respiratory therapy is also ordering a breathing treatment, the kind some use for asthma, in hopes of loosing up more fluid in his lungs. They also drained about 1 liter of fluid yesterday from the outside of his lungs (thorocentesis).
As they work hard to get all his organs working well again, amazingly his new liver is working "beautifully" according to the doctors. I need to keep remembering this and this amazing gift from the parents of a 19 year old boy. I pray God will keep reminding us of this when the road to recovery is long and frustrating.
We enjoyed a visit today from Alan and Carol Ann Watanabe visiting from Hawaii and we look forward to seeing them again on Saturday along with their daughter Cathy. God sent them at just the right time, we laughed and prayed together, and were encouraged in our faith. God takes care of our every need, but sometimes He knows we need a hug or a laugh, so he sends His people. I wonder how many times in the past that someone popped into my mind, someone maybe in the hospital, someone sick, or someone I hadn't thought about in a long time, I wonder if was God prompting me to meet a need for Him! This really changes how we can think about visiting or calling someone, or writing a letter or card... instead of an interruption to our schedule, maybe it's an invitation and opportunity to be God's arms or laughter, to someone praying just for that need. Things that make you go "hmmm....".
Aloha from the desert,
Debbie and Dan
The consensus is a process using medications to aggressively go after the fluid that the kidneys are not getting out, which affects Dan's breathing and heart. They started a different diuretic called Bumex, that got things started. Today, he got a huge dose of albumin which will force the fluid residing in the tissues back into the vascular system, then he got a huge dose of lasex to get the kidneys to process the fluid out. The extra diuretics have also loosened up fluid in his lungs and he is coughing like crazy which they encourage. They monitor his potassium regularly since a loss of liquid will mean a loss in potassium which could affect the heart, and so far his potassium is normal. Respiratory therapy is also ordering a breathing treatment, the kind some use for asthma, in hopes of loosing up more fluid in his lungs. They also drained about 1 liter of fluid yesterday from the outside of his lungs (thorocentesis).
As they work hard to get all his organs working well again, amazingly his new liver is working "beautifully" according to the doctors. I need to keep remembering this and this amazing gift from the parents of a 19 year old boy. I pray God will keep reminding us of this when the road to recovery is long and frustrating.
We enjoyed a visit today from Alan and Carol Ann Watanabe visiting from Hawaii and we look forward to seeing them again on Saturday along with their daughter Cathy. God sent them at just the right time, we laughed and prayed together, and were encouraged in our faith. God takes care of our every need, but sometimes He knows we need a hug or a laugh, so he sends His people. I wonder how many times in the past that someone popped into my mind, someone maybe in the hospital, someone sick, or someone I hadn't thought about in a long time, I wonder if was God prompting me to meet a need for Him! This really changes how we can think about visiting or calling someone, or writing a letter or card... instead of an interruption to our schedule, maybe it's an invitation and opportunity to be God's arms or laughter, to someone praying just for that need. Things that make you go "hmmm....".
Aloha from the desert,
Debbie and Dan
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