It has been a whirlwind since my last post!
Anesthesia does funny things to people.....or so I have been told! Roger finally got his food---oreo cookies by the handful within 2 hours post-op. Whole nuther story for later!
I came home late Christmas Eve so thankful for so many things! I knew Roger was still far from out of the woods and there could be some serious complications involved! Since it was late and nothing was open for food I headed down to the Hospital Cafeteria to get something to take home. I ran into the Anesthesiologist who confirmed that the anesthesia does funky things to people!
When I got home there was the most awful smell in this house. One has to stop and think that with 5 dogs..well, 4 that night...and 3 of those 4 loose in the house that something icky could have happened. My Aunt Charlotte had been taking care of them and letting them out each day so they didn't have to cross their legs......
It was SHELLIE! We have a turtle who is in the basement for the winter. She usually lives out in the back yard in her turtle villa...complete with a pool, filters, ramp to get out and lay eggs in the mulch and a shade mesh cover over part of it.
In the winter she has to come in to the basement because she would freeze to death. She is 10 years old and is almost 12" long. She is a red-eared slider with a personality like a dog. Roger is her primary care giver......he has her pool in the basement (one of those BIG plastic kids pools) along with her ramp, a heat lamp and a UV lamp hanging down from the ceiling and another pool with mulch in it for her to get out and bury herself in.
The smell was coming from her pool because I had turned the filters off to feed her a few DAYS earlier.....OOPS! The water runs thru big Canister filters to clean it and keep it moving. She usually eats in a separate tub to keep her water clean--not with me--I threw food in and ran back upstairs.......It is NOT STINKY ANYMORE--I had to clean it!
So, back to the Roger Chronicles.....I was so exhausted that I collapsed in bed and didn't wake up until 2:00 pm Christmas Day. I had my phone by my head in case something had happened and I was sure Roger would be out of it for awhile. I got up, called his phone immediately which was in his bag.....and then got ready to go to the Hospital.
The Hospital called and said they had GOOD NEWS....he could go home....GOOD NEWS FOR WHO????? He was less than less than 24 hours post-op, has pneumonia and who knows what his body is doing since they have been in there so many times?
I am not sure who was the driving force behind the release.....but, the Dr. managing his care in the hospital was OK with it and the surgeon was called at home and said it was OK for him to go home. They handed me the paperwork when I got there that HE had already signed to be released and said he could go whenever we were ready.
There was a script in there for an antibiotic for the pneumonia and when I asked where in the world I could get it filled on Christmas Day the nurse said--oh, there has got to be something open today...NOT SO MUCH! She said--well, if you fill it first thing in the morning he will have only missed 3 doses by then......WHAT???????????????????????
So, away we went! They tried to wheel him out with just a short sleeved coat on....did I say he has pneumonia? I got out of the car and went running with a coat to put on him to get to the car. GEEZE LOUISE!
He came home.....and Nurse "Lisa" took over....I have had as much medical training as.....well, I have had NONE!
The worse part is that my entire body ached and I knew I was getting sick myself. How in the world was I suppose to take care of Roger when I was sick?
On Friday, I slept...I was so sick I could barely lift my head off of the pillow. We slept on the couch Thursday night and last night. It is a big sectional and is pretty comfy...thank GOD! I had to get up and go to get a room humidifier and his script which took about all of the energy I could muster up.
The girls were coming home today at 3:00 and were expecting to have their "Christmas" here with us....they knew what was going on with Roger......but, when you are 12 and 6...gimme the presents! I had planned on shopping this past week...not so much! by the grace of God, I was able to get it taken care of TODAY before they got here!
When I got back from the store today I had the greatest surprise---Roger had been up and had taken a sponge bath and looked better than he had in 5 days! I don't think I slept that first night--he had so much fluid in his lungs that every time he coughed I had a near panic attack that something was happening!
We are all sitting here on the couch watching NCIS as usual. Rae is chief in charge of Roger's medications.....she was in charge of the 9:00 antibiotic...she just gave him the ROGER--TAKE YOUR MEDICINE NOW!......I MEAN NOW~!
She is also chief in charge of making sure he has his tweezers on him at all times as the Dr. ordered. They are long handled, special tweezers.....to help remove stuff from his airway. He had them both in the bathroom and walked out and Rae asked where they were.....she snapped her fingers at him and said-"UH, NO WAY MISTER....THEY NEED TO BE ON YOU AT ALL TIMES!" "GOT IT?"
We are all smarter than messing with Rae.
Just wanted to make sure I let you all know that he is home.....doing better....and we are so thankful for your thoughts and prayers!
I am so sorry for no update for a few days---I was sick and didn't even have the energy to type-
Love,
Roger, Lisa, Meghan and Raegan
Saturday, December 27, 2008
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Still in the waiting room-7:48 pm
I am still sitting in the waiting room--the board says Roger (well, his number PATIENT 51271) is in recovery.
They have not come to get me yet to let me go back into recovery.
I have not been that scared in a long time! Well, can't remember ever being that scared! A million things go thru your mind--what if he has troubles.....oh, you know--just a million bad things.
I called my Mom--she said PRAY!
This place is a ghost town.
I pulled a chair up in front of the monitor and sat and watched it scroll no less than a jillion times. It kept saying PATIENT IN SURGERY.
The surgeon came out long before it was updated...they said that would probably happen.
He came bearing the greatest Christmas gift ever---who knew they could be so excited to get a gift of a USED...and not just a slightly used...I mean REALLY USED and ABUSED pencil eraser and it's metal buddy. Well, me!
He is long from out of the woods...there was a ton of puss in the lung which the surgeon tried to suck out.
Roger has pneumonia (we already knew that part) and will be here thru the weekend at this point so they can keep IV antibiotics in him.
He is going home with a nurse on a mission...that would be ME! You never really know how much you love someone or can't or don't want to be without them until you almost lose them--
NEVER EVER TAKE ANYTHING FOR GRANTED! EVER!
They just called and said I can go back to his room--he is in recovery and will be headed back to his room within the hour.
I am headed to the Chapel--they said they are holding a service for Christmas Eve. Since we missed The Vineyard Christmas Eve service....I am going to go to this one.
I will write more later--
thank you again for the prayers---
Lisa, ROGER and Sweet!
They have not come to get me yet to let me go back into recovery.
I have not been that scared in a long time! Well, can't remember ever being that scared! A million things go thru your mind--what if he has troubles.....oh, you know--just a million bad things.
I called my Mom--she said PRAY!
This place is a ghost town.
I pulled a chair up in front of the monitor and sat and watched it scroll no less than a jillion times. It kept saying PATIENT IN SURGERY.
The surgeon came out long before it was updated...they said that would probably happen.
He came bearing the greatest Christmas gift ever---who knew they could be so excited to get a gift of a USED...and not just a slightly used...I mean REALLY USED and ABUSED pencil eraser and it's metal buddy. Well, me!
He is long from out of the woods...there was a ton of puss in the lung which the surgeon tried to suck out.
Roger has pneumonia (we already knew that part) and will be here thru the weekend at this point so they can keep IV antibiotics in him.
He is going home with a nurse on a mission...that would be ME! You never really know how much you love someone or can't or don't want to be without them until you almost lose them--
NEVER EVER TAKE ANYTHING FOR GRANTED! EVER!
They just called and said I can go back to his room--he is in recovery and will be headed back to his room within the hour.
I am headed to the Chapel--they said they are holding a service for Christmas Eve. Since we missed The Vineyard Christmas Eve service....I am going to go to this one.
I will write more later--
thank you again for the prayers---
Lisa, ROGER and Sweet!
The after the surgeon came e-mail
Here is the e-mail I sent before I switched computers......
THANK YOU!There is power in prayer--I am going to send this and switch to my personal laptop (AT&T pleaseforgive me)
The surgeon was able to remove the eraser---a successful eraser-ectomy!
Roger will be in recovery soon.I am switching computers and will not log back into this e-mail untilFriday morning.
My personal e-mail is gottabeleeve@yahoo.com
Thank you again--I will update the blog from my other computer in a bit!
God Bless You and MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!! Welcome to the world baby Jesus!
THANK YOU!There is power in prayer--I am going to send this and switch to my personal laptop (AT&T pleaseforgive me)
The surgeon was able to remove the eraser---a successful eraser-ectomy!
Roger will be in recovery soon.I am switching computers and will not log back into this e-mail untilFriday morning.
My personal e-mail is gottabeleeve@yahoo.com
Thank you again--I will update the blog from my other computer in a bit!
God Bless You and MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!! Welcome to the world baby Jesus!
After the surgeon talked to Roger
Here is the e-mail I sent requesting prayers for Roger and what the surgeon said---it is not all that he said.....I wanted to just get the jist of it out there and there is some stuff I just shouldn't repeat!
______________________________________________
From: GUNTER, LISA, ATTOPS
Sent: Wednesday, December 24, 2008 6:11 PM
Subject: Prayers are needed NOW for Roger!
I am sending this update to everyone as this is pretty serious.> > I have been updating the blog with what is going on....I have tried to keep the tone "light" to keep a smile on Roger's face.
The surgeon came in to the pre-op (PACU) to talk to Roger prior to taking him back into the OR. Have you ever had the "I am going to throw up--this is really bad" feeling? As he spoke, it was all I could do not to burst into tears!
He pretty much stated it this way---
> > YOU MUST HAVE A SET OF TWEEZERS ON YOU AT ALL TIMES!
> > DO NOT STICK ANYTHING OTHER THAN THOSE TWEEZERS IN YOUR AIRWAR EVER AGAIN!
> > THIS COULD VERY WELL KILL YOU!--this is where the serious--gonna throw up part started!
> > 2 OTHER SURGEONS WILL NOT TOUCH THIS--AND, THERE ARE NOT MANY IN THIS CITY THAT CAN DO THIS! (he was not cocky--just matter of fact!)
> > IF I CANNOT GET THIS FROM YOUR LUNG--YOU WILL LOSE MORE THAN 1/2 OF YOUR LUNG!!!! Ok, we went from the lower lobe to 1/2 of it.
> > IF YOU THINK IT IS HARD TO BREATHE NOW---TRY DOING IT WITH 1/2 OF A LUNG! IT IS NOT GOING TO BE PLEASANT!
> > Again--he was not being cocky--just trying to convey the seriousness of this!
> > YOU WILL MOST LIKELY END UP ON A RESPIRATOR ONE WAY OR ANOTHER AFTER THIS!
> > IT IS VERY POSSIBLE THAT YOU WILL NEVER RECOVER FROM THIS!
> > THERE ARE SERIOUS POSSIBILITIES FROM THIS SURGERY--
> > DEATH, SEPSIS, INFECTION, LOSS OF THE WHOLE LUNG, INFECTION SPREADING> TO YOUR BODY, BLEEDING OUT,
( I had heard about enough now--I was really scared and shaking!!!)
I still am! I am in the surgery waiting room at Riverside...all alone..with the exception of Sweet!
I am scared! Really scared!!!
If he cannot get the eraser out--Roger will be put on a ventilator until Sunday when the Thoracic surgeon will come and remove what he needs to from his lung.
My legs are shaking so bad I can hardly type!
Please say some prayers for Roger and the surgeon!
Lisa
______________________________________________
From: GUNTER, LISA, ATTOPS
Sent: Wednesday, December 24, 2008 6:11 PM
Subject: Prayers are needed NOW for Roger!
I am sending this update to everyone as this is pretty serious.> > I have been updating the blog with what is going on....I have tried to keep the tone "light" to keep a smile on Roger's face.
The surgeon came in to the pre-op (PACU) to talk to Roger prior to taking him back into the OR. Have you ever had the "I am going to throw up--this is really bad" feeling? As he spoke, it was all I could do not to burst into tears!
He pretty much stated it this way---
> > YOU MUST HAVE A SET OF TWEEZERS ON YOU AT ALL TIMES!
> > DO NOT STICK ANYTHING OTHER THAN THOSE TWEEZERS IN YOUR AIRWAR EVER AGAIN!
> > THIS COULD VERY WELL KILL YOU!--this is where the serious--gonna throw up part started!
> > 2 OTHER SURGEONS WILL NOT TOUCH THIS--AND, THERE ARE NOT MANY IN THIS CITY THAT CAN DO THIS! (he was not cocky--just matter of fact!)
> > IF I CANNOT GET THIS FROM YOUR LUNG--YOU WILL LOSE MORE THAN 1/2 OF YOUR LUNG!!!! Ok, we went from the lower lobe to 1/2 of it.
> > IF YOU THINK IT IS HARD TO BREATHE NOW---TRY DOING IT WITH 1/2 OF A LUNG! IT IS NOT GOING TO BE PLEASANT!
> > Again--he was not being cocky--just trying to convey the seriousness of this!
> > YOU WILL MOST LIKELY END UP ON A RESPIRATOR ONE WAY OR ANOTHER AFTER THIS!
> > IT IS VERY POSSIBLE THAT YOU WILL NEVER RECOVER FROM THIS!
> > THERE ARE SERIOUS POSSIBILITIES FROM THIS SURGERY--
> > DEATH, SEPSIS, INFECTION, LOSS OF THE WHOLE LUNG, INFECTION SPREADING> TO YOUR BODY, BLEEDING OUT,
( I had heard about enough now--I was really scared and shaking!!!)
I still am! I am in the surgery waiting room at Riverside...all alone..with the exception of Sweet!
I am scared! Really scared!!!
If he cannot get the eraser out--Roger will be put on a ventilator until Sunday when the Thoracic surgeon will come and remove what he needs to from his lung.
My legs are shaking so bad I can hardly type!
Please say some prayers for Roger and the surgeon!
Lisa
Pre-op closed for Christmas....they moved him to PACU
Even the Pre-op at Riverside closes for Christmas! They came in and said that they were closing the pre-op and were going to move Rog to PACU to wait on the surgeon....so, that is where we are.
He is wrapped up like a burrito in warm blankies since it is so cold in here.
I just had the Nurse go and get moist air for his airway since he has been off of it since we left the room.
No news yet--just waiting on the surgeon to finish the procedure ahead of Rog's so they can get the room ready for Rog.
Say some prayers!
Roger's breathing has become raspy. They already said that he is developing pneumonia in the right lung from this...they have the antibiotics pumping into him and fluids.
The Nurse just came and said that it will be at least 20 minutes because they are getting ready to close on the surgery in progress and then have to turn the room.
I am going to go back to a post I started earlier about how we got here to begin with.
R, L & S
He is wrapped up like a burrito in warm blankies since it is so cold in here.
I just had the Nurse go and get moist air for his airway since he has been off of it since we left the room.
No news yet--just waiting on the surgeon to finish the procedure ahead of Rog's so they can get the room ready for Rog.
Say some prayers!
Roger's breathing has become raspy. They already said that he is developing pneumonia in the right lung from this...they have the antibiotics pumping into him and fluids.
The Nurse just came and said that it will be at least 20 minutes because they are getting ready to close on the surgery in progress and then have to turn the room.
I am going to go back to a post I started earlier about how we got here to begin with.
R, L & S
In Pre-op....still
We are still in Pre-op. Roger is the only one here. He said they all went home for Christmas:-)
Sweet! is laying on his bed with him.
I figured if I started to type this that someone would come and be ready for him...isn't that the way it always works?
Here is a photo of Roger and Sweet! in the room before they came to get him to bring him down here to pre-op........which one is ha
ppier?
ppier?Here is a photo of Rog and Sweet en route to pre-op.........I left her in the "pokey" so that she didn't bail on the way---didn't think she would....but, who wants to chase a dog thru the Hospital?
And now they are on the bed in pre-op....the surgeon was just starting a procedure when they brought him down here so we knew it would be a bit.
I will start another post to tell you how we even got to this point anyway.......stay tuned!
Roger, Lisa & Sweet!
Roger is headed for the OR
OK--had to digress from my digressing....
They just came in to say they are coming to get Roger to take him to the OR.....
I am going down to pre-op to talk to the surgeon--
They are going to attempt to go in with a bronchoscopy and go thru his airway--
In the event they CANNOT remove the varmit from his lung, they will leave stop the surgery and leave him on a ventilator until the Thoracic surgeon is available which will be FRIDAY--so, he would move to ICU on a ventilator--
TIME FOR PRAYERS FOR A SUCCESSFUL ERASER ECTOMY!
If they can grab it with the scope--he will come back to this room--
Gotta go--
Lisa and Roger....and Sweet!
They just came in to say they are coming to get Roger to take him to the OR.....
I am going down to pre-op to talk to the surgeon--
They are going to attempt to go in with a bronchoscopy and go thru his airway--
In the event they CANNOT remove the varmit from his lung, they will leave stop the surgery and leave him on a ventilator until the Thoracic surgeon is available which will be FRIDAY--so, he would move to ICU on a ventilator--
TIME FOR PRAYERS FOR A SUCCESSFUL ERASER ECTOMY!
If they can grab it with the scope--he will come back to this room--
Gotta go--
Lisa and Roger....and Sweet!
Let's Digress for a moment
Let's digress for a moment so I can bring you up to date to where we are with the Eraser-ectomy---
I am gonna go back in time---
Below is a photo of a person before a laryngectomy is performed:
Last night
I will have to break this into chunks...like Raegan's spelling words......
Here is chunk number 1--it is last night after the breathing treatment!
I left the room and was about to the Emergency Room (Red) parking garage. Riverside is made up of colors---the color of the floor or part of the hospital indicates what it's specialty is. Roger is in ORANGE. When you get off on his floor it says "MEDICAL TELEMETRY". I had to look that up because I had no idea what that meant. It has to do with, ah heck-here is what it is:
telemetry: Cardiology The monitoring of the cardiac rhythm and transmission of signals or data from one electronic unit to another by radio waves using a device that provides real-time measurement of a Pt's EKG for various lengths of time See Multiple parameter telemetry, Real-timetelemetry.
Telemetry–indications
Cardiac dysrhythmia
• Atrial fibrillation or flutter
• SVT–supraventricular tachycardia
• PVC–premature ventricular contraction under treatment
• Ventricular tachycardia or fibrillation
• Bradycardia < 50/min
Heart block–2nd or 3rd degree
Angina
Acute MI–transferred from ICU
Respiratory failure
Hypotension or HTN
Electrolyte imbalance
• Hypokalemia
• Hyperkalemia
• Hypocalcemia
• Hypercalcemia
Syncope
We just went hi-tech there for a second in blogville:-)
Ok, back to the story--
I left and got almost to the parking garage and grabbed for my phone...that was a problem-it was still in Roger's room! I walked all the way back and there he was--his cutest little self-headphones on, (the race car kind that keep the noise out) listening to Michael Hansen in his ear and smiling. He had his hand on my phone so I couldn't just slip in and get it.....
Got home Ok--I didn't realize just how bad the roads are--I drive a Honda Pilot and it just took it all in stride.
When I got home the dogs were pretty happy to see the Momma! My Aunt Charlotte had been there earlier to let them out--thank GOD for her!!!!
I put my car in park, went to get out and it just kept sliding backwards in the driveway....it wouldn't stop. I have been known to leave the car running when I get out (blonde moment) but, come on--this was going backwards. I checked-keys were in my hand and the car was still going backwards. Our driveway slants down hill which is good when it rains...particularly bad when it is icy and really bad on this occassion. There is a Corvette sitting in the driveway under a cover. Roger has 3 Corvettes (don't ask--one is really Raegan's and the other Meghan has claimed). He has the red vette (it's a '93) in the garage because he was detailing it. When I start going back into the office to work he wanted it all spiffy and shiny for me to drive. What a cool guy!
The silver vette ('01) and my favorite of all times, models, styles....(that one is Raegan's-she calls it Corvette Magic" because it does all of these things when you get in it to fit to what you want...steering wheel, seat...it is MAGIC). Well, that one is usually in the garage and got booted out to the driveway while the red '93 (is it funny or sad that we have to call them by year or name?) is in the garage.
It is a good thing that a) Corvette Magic has a cover on it and B) that it is silver JUST LIKE THE PILOT! It was about to become one with the PILOT with the ice situation.
Got the Pilot stopped and then when I got out about fell on my rear. I made it to the house and let the dogs out one by one so they didn't wipe out on the deck.
I had talked to Meghan about 8:30 and she and her step-mom, Heather had gone to get Meg's hair cut. They could barely walk to the car because of the ice...so, when we were done talking I asked her to call me when they got home to know they had made it home safely.
The dogs were whack-o's. All 5 of them! Maniacs! I had to eat and so did they and Believe! (the Frenchie puppy) acted like she hadn't eaten in months. (that was the theme of the day-FEED ME!)
I decided to use her energy and train her to jump up into my arms on command. I put a french fry in my mouth and patted my bent knees and said "SPRING" and up she came-onto my knees and into my arms. She is a pretty smart Pig (she's really a dog--but we call her the PIG) and she learns stuff really quickly.
I ate, and then went out the front door to get the Therapy Dog tag for Sweet!'s collar from my car so I could put it on her to bring her with me today. She also needed a bath so she wasn't a stinky Therapy Dog....YUK!
I opened the front door and never had a chance.....out I went with authority....had I learned from Meghan's fall earlier in the week on the ice I would have known that the first step is a killer! And it was....I hit the porch, the sidewalk and out into the grass in one fall. I landed on my knee--the left knee that has had surgery avoided successfully for 3 years....and on my wrist and head. I laid there and assessed body parts and thought--well crap-if I hurt myself and call the squad, they are going to have to take me to St. Ann's---I made it home without incident and now I have done it!
My knee has a huge lump--but no Dr. needed...wasn't going to the ER unless there was blood or a broken bone.
No call from Meghan...eventhough I had called her a jillion times...after talking to her Dad and knowing they were safe I decided to give Sweet! a bath so I could go to bed.
At this point it was 2:00 am. She is really great to do anything with (for me, anyway) and I bathed her and took her into our bathroom to blow her dry with a hairdryer. She hates the big grooming dryer--it scares the Princess....so, I was trying to be nice! After I was 1/2 way done and noticed a smell on her....and taking her back to the tub and washing her again, the Momma's sympathy for the whole scared of the big dryer thing was LONG GONE! I went to the garage-grabbed the big dryer and brought it up to the bathroom and used it....she just shook like a fraidy cat!
Dilemma has a different hate for the big dryer--it makes a loud noise, it blows air on her and it must die......I used to blow it at her and tell her to "skit it" and let her bite it---(note to me-that was really stupid!) I was sitting on the floor, drying Sweet!, trying to keep Dilemma from eating the dryer hose and then comes the PIG--whenever I dry her or get out of the shower I play with her with the towel and play tug with her....she decided to play tug with the towel that was under Sweet! I felt like the washer/dryer scene from one of my favorite movies "MR. MOM" when Michael Keaton is fighting them both in the basement and it is a losing battle.
I JUST WANTED TO GO TO BED!
And I did...much later than 2:00 am!
Here is chunk number 1--it is last night after the breathing treatment!
I left the room and was about to the Emergency Room (Red) parking garage. Riverside is made up of colors---the color of the floor or part of the hospital indicates what it's specialty is. Roger is in ORANGE. When you get off on his floor it says "MEDICAL TELEMETRY". I had to look that up because I had no idea what that meant. It has to do with, ah heck-here is what it is:
telemetry: Cardiology The monitoring of the cardiac rhythm and transmission of signals or data from one electronic unit to another by radio waves using a device that provides real-time measurement of a Pt's EKG for various lengths of time See Multiple parameter telemetry, Real-timetelemetry.
Telemetry–indications
Cardiac dysrhythmia
• Atrial fibrillation or flutter
• SVT–supraventricular tachycardia
• PVC–premature ventricular contraction under treatment
• Ventricular tachycardia or fibrillation
• Bradycardia < 50/min
Heart block–2nd or 3rd degree
Angina
Acute MI–transferred from ICU
Respiratory failure
Hypotension or HTN
Electrolyte imbalance
• Hypokalemia
• Hyperkalemia
• Hypocalcemia
• Hypercalcemia
Syncope
We just went hi-tech there for a second in blogville:-)
Ok, back to the story--
I left and got almost to the parking garage and grabbed for my phone...that was a problem-it was still in Roger's room! I walked all the way back and there he was--his cutest little self-headphones on, (the race car kind that keep the noise out) listening to Michael Hansen in his ear and smiling. He had his hand on my phone so I couldn't just slip in and get it.....
Got home Ok--I didn't realize just how bad the roads are--I drive a Honda Pilot and it just took it all in stride.
When I got home the dogs were pretty happy to see the Momma! My Aunt Charlotte had been there earlier to let them out--thank GOD for her!!!!
I put my car in park, went to get out and it just kept sliding backwards in the driveway....it wouldn't stop. I have been known to leave the car running when I get out (blonde moment) but, come on--this was going backwards. I checked-keys were in my hand and the car was still going backwards. Our driveway slants down hill which is good when it rains...particularly bad when it is icy and really bad on this occassion. There is a Corvette sitting in the driveway under a cover. Roger has 3 Corvettes (don't ask--one is really Raegan's and the other Meghan has claimed). He has the red vette (it's a '93) in the garage because he was detailing it. When I start going back into the office to work he wanted it all spiffy and shiny for me to drive. What a cool guy!
The silver vette ('01) and my favorite of all times, models, styles....(that one is Raegan's-she calls it Corvette Magic" because it does all of these things when you get in it to fit to what you want...steering wheel, seat...it is MAGIC). Well, that one is usually in the garage and got booted out to the driveway while the red '93 (is it funny or sad that we have to call them by year or name?) is in the garage.
It is a good thing that a) Corvette Magic has a cover on it and B) that it is silver JUST LIKE THE PILOT! It was about to become one with the PILOT with the ice situation.
Got the Pilot stopped and then when I got out about fell on my rear. I made it to the house and let the dogs out one by one so they didn't wipe out on the deck.
I had talked to Meghan about 8:30 and she and her step-mom, Heather had gone to get Meg's hair cut. They could barely walk to the car because of the ice...so, when we were done talking I asked her to call me when they got home to know they had made it home safely.
The dogs were whack-o's. All 5 of them! Maniacs! I had to eat and so did they and Believe! (the Frenchie puppy) acted like she hadn't eaten in months. (that was the theme of the day-FEED ME!)
I decided to use her energy and train her to jump up into my arms on command. I put a french fry in my mouth and patted my bent knees and said "SPRING" and up she came-onto my knees and into my arms. She is a pretty smart Pig (she's really a dog--but we call her the PIG) and she learns stuff really quickly.
I ate, and then went out the front door to get the Therapy Dog tag for Sweet!'s collar from my car so I could put it on her to bring her with me today. She also needed a bath so she wasn't a stinky Therapy Dog....YUK!
I opened the front door and never had a chance.....out I went with authority....had I learned from Meghan's fall earlier in the week on the ice I would have known that the first step is a killer! And it was....I hit the porch, the sidewalk and out into the grass in one fall. I landed on my knee--the left knee that has had surgery avoided successfully for 3 years....and on my wrist and head. I laid there and assessed body parts and thought--well crap-if I hurt myself and call the squad, they are going to have to take me to St. Ann's---I made it home without incident and now I have done it!
My knee has a huge lump--but no Dr. needed...wasn't going to the ER unless there was blood or a broken bone.
No call from Meghan...eventhough I had called her a jillion times...after talking to her Dad and knowing they were safe I decided to give Sweet! a bath so I could go to bed.
At this point it was 2:00 am. She is really great to do anything with (for me, anyway) and I bathed her and took her into our bathroom to blow her dry with a hairdryer. She hates the big grooming dryer--it scares the Princess....so, I was trying to be nice! After I was 1/2 way done and noticed a smell on her....and taking her back to the tub and washing her again, the Momma's sympathy for the whole scared of the big dryer thing was LONG GONE! I went to the garage-grabbed the big dryer and brought it up to the bathroom and used it....she just shook like a fraidy cat!
Dilemma has a different hate for the big dryer--it makes a loud noise, it blows air on her and it must die......I used to blow it at her and tell her to "skit it" and let her bite it---(note to me-that was really stupid!) I was sitting on the floor, drying Sweet!, trying to keep Dilemma from eating the dryer hose and then comes the PIG--whenever I dry her or get out of the shower I play with her with the towel and play tug with her....she decided to play tug with the towel that was under Sweet! I felt like the washer/dryer scene from one of my favorite movies "MR. MOM" when Michael Keaton is fighting them both in the basement and it is a losing battle.
I JUST WANTED TO GO TO BED!
And I did...much later than 2:00 am!
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
9:00 Rog update
It is almost 9:00 pm.
Roger is even more HUNGRY than before:-(
The nursing staff changed shifts---he has the same RN that he did last night. Alyssa is her name and she is wise to the food for Roger game! She was able to give him Dilaudid for his headache. He is a coffee drinker...a lot of coffee! He has not had any caffiene (sp) since Saturday morning. Imagine stopping cold turkey! I am really thankful he is NOT a smoker.....We would be in a world of hurt!
Roger used the word "KA-FUFFLE" to describe what happened with his roommate last night. He was talking to his nurse and they were talking about not being able to sleep...he said--"well, with the ka-fuffle going on in the middle of the night, who could have slept?" Ka-fuffle is a funny word that was used to describe a move on the dog agility course that went wrong and got really screwed up....my dear friend Chris Parker will love it---we had a whole agility dictionary--we will see how many of the words Roger will use to describe what is happening!
Mark tried to convince his wife that I was going for McDonalds for him...he was not the least bit concerned about my Roger's stomach--just his own! Rest assured, there will be no Mc D's for either of them!
They are not letting him eat because they could take him to the OR early in the am. No one seems to know that little bitty detail of a time for the surgery. I am thankful that they have done all of the tests they have today to see what the ramifications will be in they do have to remove part of the lung. I would rather have it that way than what it was with the surgeon at St. Ann's. He would have had the lung itself removed by now and making Roger feel bad for having had to do it. Oh well, that is in the past! We are in a good place with good surgeons and a good staff here at Riverside!
I need to go home shortly. I have 5 dogs waiting for me at home and Sweet! is probably beside herself without the Pappa! The roads are really icy here so I hope I make it in one piece:-) We don't need 2 of us in the hospital! My luck, they would take me to St. Ann's and then I would have to coordinate the move to get over here all by myself! That would stink!
No cookies for the cookie man......I did tell him the cup of ice chips they brought was cookie flavored--he wasn't buying it for a second!
I will be back early just in case they do take him to the OR at the crack of dawn. I am able to work sitting here and get things done just like I was sitting in my office! Well, with a few interruptions here and there.....
Thank you all again for all of the kind words and prayers!
Oh wait-the respiratory nurse is here to do a breathing treatment--I will stay till they are done!
Roger is even more HUNGRY than before:-(
The nursing staff changed shifts---he has the same RN that he did last night. Alyssa is her name and she is wise to the food for Roger game! She was able to give him Dilaudid for his headache. He is a coffee drinker...a lot of coffee! He has not had any caffiene (sp) since Saturday morning. Imagine stopping cold turkey! I am really thankful he is NOT a smoker.....We would be in a world of hurt!
Roger used the word "KA-FUFFLE" to describe what happened with his roommate last night. He was talking to his nurse and they were talking about not being able to sleep...he said--"well, with the ka-fuffle going on in the middle of the night, who could have slept?" Ka-fuffle is a funny word that was used to describe a move on the dog agility course that went wrong and got really screwed up....my dear friend Chris Parker will love it---we had a whole agility dictionary--we will see how many of the words Roger will use to describe what is happening!
Mark tried to convince his wife that I was going for McDonalds for him...he was not the least bit concerned about my Roger's stomach--just his own! Rest assured, there will be no Mc D's for either of them!
They are not letting him eat because they could take him to the OR early in the am. No one seems to know that little bitty detail of a time for the surgery. I am thankful that they have done all of the tests they have today to see what the ramifications will be in they do have to remove part of the lung. I would rather have it that way than what it was with the surgeon at St. Ann's. He would have had the lung itself removed by now and making Roger feel bad for having had to do it. Oh well, that is in the past! We are in a good place with good surgeons and a good staff here at Riverside!
I need to go home shortly. I have 5 dogs waiting for me at home and Sweet! is probably beside herself without the Pappa! The roads are really icy here so I hope I make it in one piece:-) We don't need 2 of us in the hospital! My luck, they would take me to St. Ann's and then I would have to coordinate the move to get over here all by myself! That would stink!
No cookies for the cookie man......I did tell him the cup of ice chips they brought was cookie flavored--he wasn't buying it for a second!
I will be back early just in case they do take him to the OR at the crack of dawn. I am able to work sitting here and get things done just like I was sitting in my office! Well, with a few interruptions here and there.....
Thank you all again for all of the kind words and prayers!
Oh wait-the respiratory nurse is here to do a breathing treatment--I will stay till they are done!
Update 5:15 pm 12-23-08
It just seemed easier to write to a blog then it did to bombard everyone's e-mail.
Since the last post.....first NO FOOD for the boy!
His roommate is not able to eat anything and he keeps using the Nurse's call button to try and have someone feed him. Mr. 7019 B is really Mark...so, out of respect I will most certainly call him by name.
Mark has Huntington's Disease along with the beginning stages of Alzheimer's. He has gotten progressively worse over the last 30 days according to his wife. They are not able to allow him to have any food or drink because his muscles will not allow him to swallow and he will put the fluid or food directly in to his lungs. Since Roger has been where Mark is....not able to swallow--having to teach himself to keep food and liquid in the right place and out of his lungs, he was able to spend some time with Mark's wife and tell her all about the feeding tube that they want to put in him.
He has pushed the nurse call button no less than 10 times in the last 2 minutes and they have to call in here to make sure he is ok. They have gotten to the point that they just say "Mark do you need help?" He really can't answer them as his speech is so taken over by the disease that he is not able to form words.
They have him cuffed to the bed and strapped down to keep him from getting up and from ripping the catheter out. They had to put that in last night because he wanted to get up every 5 minutes to use the restroom.
NO--this IS NOT ROGER--it is his roommate Mark!!!!
OK, time to get up-the respiratory dude is here to give Roger a breathing treatment.
I started this at 5:15--it is now 5:46 and I have spent the last 1/2 hour talking to Mark. He has tried to tell the Nurse that I am going to McDonald's for him since they won't feed him anything...I told him that I am not eating in here out of sympathy for both of them--he said, "Doesn't look like you've missed any meals--I'm shrinking away to nothing here!"
OK-note to me---NOTHING for him:-))))) Just kidding. We talked about his family and his work and his kids and his dog (that's a surprise, huh?)
I told him I would be bringing Sweet! (Roger's dog) in with me tomorrow and he could spend some time with her. She is a Therapy Dog and is coming with me whether they like it or not! It will be good for both Roger and Mark!
So--Roger is STILL HUNGRY!
And, to make it worse...the RN just came in and said that the surgery is a no go for tonight because they are still working on the CT scan results and the breathing test results for all of the Doctor's to review.
A really great thing is that the Thoracic Surgeon does NOT want to remove the lower lobe of the lung unless there is no other option in any way! He will be in the OR tomorrow when they operate so that in the event they can't get the little varmit out of the lung that he can take over.
God really works in amazing ways---ya never know the reason for anything! You just have to trust!
So far, Roger has been able to help his roommate and his wife with some advice to deal with the decisions they have to make regarding how to proceed with Mark's care, I have lost my debit card at the gas station, gotten home and put a stop on it and then ended up finding it face down back at the gas station at midnight, the dogs have not killed one another with no one home, the girls are having a blast with their Dad and his wife and her kids........
No surgery this evening...no food for the boy....no happiness with the whole food situation in all of room 7019:-( I can eat! I suppose it would be rude to bring a pizza in here! So I will just starve along with these 2 houligans!
One thing I noticed when talking to Mark is that his brain is pretty cognitive. His speech is impacted to the point that you can barely understand him withotu paying close attention to each breath he takes and his muscle control is none...he showed what little muscles he has over his tooter when I was talking to him....I said, Better out than in!
I am going to stay here until they kick me out! Aunt Charlotte is taking care of the 4 legged gang and the roads are really bad right now.
Merry Christmas to everyone...hug your loved ones!
I would rather be here sitting next to Roger under any condition than I would to be without him!
More later!
Rog and Lisa
Since the last post.....first NO FOOD for the boy!
His roommate is not able to eat anything and he keeps using the Nurse's call button to try and have someone feed him. Mr. 7019 B is really Mark...so, out of respect I will most certainly call him by name.
Mark has Huntington's Disease along with the beginning stages of Alzheimer's. He has gotten progressively worse over the last 30 days according to his wife. They are not able to allow him to have any food or drink because his muscles will not allow him to swallow and he will put the fluid or food directly in to his lungs. Since Roger has been where Mark is....not able to swallow--having to teach himself to keep food and liquid in the right place and out of his lungs, he was able to spend some time with Mark's wife and tell her all about the feeding tube that they want to put in him.
He has pushed the nurse call button no less than 10 times in the last 2 minutes and they have to call in here to make sure he is ok. They have gotten to the point that they just say "Mark do you need help?" He really can't answer them as his speech is so taken over by the disease that he is not able to form words.
They have him cuffed to the bed and strapped down to keep him from getting up and from ripping the catheter out. They had to put that in last night because he wanted to get up every 5 minutes to use the restroom.
NO--this IS NOT ROGER--it is his roommate Mark!!!!
OK, time to get up-the respiratory dude is here to give Roger a breathing treatment.
I started this at 5:15--it is now 5:46 and I have spent the last 1/2 hour talking to Mark. He has tried to tell the Nurse that I am going to McDonald's for him since they won't feed him anything...I told him that I am not eating in here out of sympathy for both of them--he said, "Doesn't look like you've missed any meals--I'm shrinking away to nothing here!"
OK-note to me---NOTHING for him:-))))) Just kidding. We talked about his family and his work and his kids and his dog (that's a surprise, huh?)
I told him I would be bringing Sweet! (Roger's dog) in with me tomorrow and he could spend some time with her. She is a Therapy Dog and is coming with me whether they like it or not! It will be good for both Roger and Mark!
So--Roger is STILL HUNGRY!
And, to make it worse...the RN just came in and said that the surgery is a no go for tonight because they are still working on the CT scan results and the breathing test results for all of the Doctor's to review.
A really great thing is that the Thoracic Surgeon does NOT want to remove the lower lobe of the lung unless there is no other option in any way! He will be in the OR tomorrow when they operate so that in the event they can't get the little varmit out of the lung that he can take over.
God really works in amazing ways---ya never know the reason for anything! You just have to trust!
So far, Roger has been able to help his roommate and his wife with some advice to deal with the decisions they have to make regarding how to proceed with Mark's care, I have lost my debit card at the gas station, gotten home and put a stop on it and then ended up finding it face down back at the gas station at midnight, the dogs have not killed one another with no one home, the girls are having a blast with their Dad and his wife and her kids........
No surgery this evening...no food for the boy....no happiness with the whole food situation in all of room 7019:-( I can eat! I suppose it would be rude to bring a pizza in here! So I will just starve along with these 2 houligans!
One thing I noticed when talking to Mark is that his brain is pretty cognitive. His speech is impacted to the point that you can barely understand him withotu paying close attention to each breath he takes and his muscle control is none...he showed what little muscles he has over his tooter when I was talking to him....I said, Better out than in!
I am going to stay here until they kick me out! Aunt Charlotte is taking care of the 4 legged gang and the roads are really bad right now.
Merry Christmas to everyone...hug your loved ones!
I would rather be here sitting next to Roger under any condition than I would to be without him!
More later!
Rog and Lisa
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