It's Been A Year

Today is the one-year anniversary of Dave's bypass surgery and the start of his health journey.  It's an obvious day to reflect back on where we've been, where things stand today, and the outlook for the future.

As this day approached, I talked with Jan about what we could do as a family to turn this milestone into a day of celebration.  We have a lot to be thankful for, and we have always chosen to look at the sunny side and to look for the silver linings in the clouds.  The other things happen, we react to them, and we do our best to let them go right past us.  To do anything less would be to ignore the wonders of life and the gifts that appear in everyday living.  This day, more than most in our lives, gives us the opportunity to do that.  We haven't decided yet how to incorporate this date into our family traditions, but it certainly has many possibilities.  It's a year that we've had Dave with us that is against all of the odds, and so it marks the start of another era for our family.

The greatest joy of the past month is the huge improvement in Dave's recovery.  For months, we have watched with microscopes for small signs of improvement, and taken encouragement from them.  So we were not expecting to see such huge steps of improvement coming so quickly together.  In spite of his recent two hospitalizations, Dave appears to be well on the road to recovery.  He's awake nearly the whole day.  He's talking a lot, speaking in sentences, and even starting conversations.  He's bored of his bed in the living room, and as always, he wants to be up and walking.  With these recent changes, his personality is back in full force. 

There is still a road before us.  We have no idea what pace his recovery will continue to take, but we know he is determined to recover.  We also know that unexpected hiccups can occur at any time, but we have also watched him endure these times and return to making progress over time.  We can only hope that his strength and determination continue to serve him as we travel this road with him.

I would wish that no one else ever had to go through the kind of challenges Dave and the family have been through.  But illness is a part of life, and family is at the heart of each person's daily living.  So instead of wishing for something impossible, I would wish for everyone facing these challenges the best of the compassion we have received from our family, friends, and caregivers in abundance.  I would also wish for dedicated caregivers, people who love their work and strive to find solutions for every challenge and ways around every obstacle.  We have been fortunate to have plenty of both coming into our lives in the last year, and we wouldn't be here today without it.

When life throughs a curve ball, we are given a chance to re-evaluate our individual goals and patterns of decisions.  Everyone reacts to changes and challenges in a different way, and we all incorporate grieving into living in personal ways.  I think of my nieces and nephews and the challenges to their young hearts and minds as they have watched this year play out.  I see the decisive actions of my siblings and Mom, and I hear their honest words as we work together on the day's events.  And I see the amazing contributions made by friends, especially those of you reading this, and I'm overwhelmed with gratitude.  No small act goes unnoticed in our world.  We may not have stopped to thank you, but we have noticed your gifts.  So let me take this opportunity to thank you for taking this journey with us.  You've made it a bit easier for us. 

The future is always uncertain, but we are grateful to be facing it surrounded by our family and friends.  And we look forward to measuring and reporting Dave's progress in the days and weeks to come.
  ¶ 4:21 PM

Dave is Home

I'm sorry that I'm so late in posting this news.
 
Dave came home on Tuesday afternoon from Miami Valley.  His original antibiotic was exchanges for a new one that he must take for an additional 10 days.  He is also on anti-seizure medication for a year, just in case.  But except for these small changes, he is doing just as well as he was before this episode started almost a week ago.

Give Jan a few days to get the schedule back in synch before you visit.  But by the weekend, visitors will be welcome again.  The days are so full of caregivers that it is best that you plan to arrive after 4 pm.  If you have an unusual situation, call Jan and see if you can come at an earlier time.  She will do her best to accomodate all of Dave's friends.

  ¶ 4:05 PM

Dave Remaining at Miami Valley
 
The infectious diseases doctor has decided that Dave should remain at Miami Valley through Monday.  They are going to watch to make sure he is doing ok on the anti-seizure medication.  On Monday, this doctor will examine Dave's surgery wound to make sure that his healing won't be impaired by cutting off the antibiotic early.
  ¶ 2:03 PM

Dave Scheduled to Come Home Saturday
 
We got really good news from Dave's doctors this morning.  I've mentioned the antibioitic that he has been taking thorugh an IV for his wound.  It was prescribed by the infectious diseases people at Miami Valley for after his surgery.  One of the side effects of this drug is seizures.  After doing a CT scan and vascular scans, and a short list of other things, Dave's doctor has concluded that the seizure was from the antibiotic.  And after discussing the situation with the infectious diseases people, they have decided to end his antibiotics early.
 
As part of what they have done in checking Dave out, they also found the start of a potential problem in the wound healing, and have made changes to his wound care regimen that will clear up the existing problem and prevent it from getting any worse.
 
Dave is scheduled to return home on Saturday.  We will update you when he arrives back at home.
  ¶ 11:34 AM

Dave Back in Miami Valley 
 
Thursday afternoon, Dave had a seizure and Jan called 911.  They took Dave to the ER at Miami Valley, where he was evaluated thoroughly.  Apparently, seizures are common for stroke victims.  About the time they were going to send him home, Dave had another seizure.  They admitted him and will be observing him.  We don't know how long he will be staying.
 
Before this event, Dave had been doing amazingly well.  He's talking in whole sentences and even starts conversations.  His caregivers have all commented about the dramatic change in him.  Today, he had asked for a special lunch--a ground sirloin patty with a thin slice of onion, with mayonnaise on a bun.  We have enjoyed his enjoyment of the new variety of foods he has requested over the last two weeks.
 
We'll let you know when we know more about his condition and when he is coming home.
 
By the way, I've posted an earlier message on the website that I didn't distribute through email.  I've been trying to be considerate of your time, especially those of you who subscribe at work.  If you haven't heard from us in a week, you might want to check the website for an undistributed message. 
  ¶ 11:03 PM

Big Improvement This Week

I love when I have such good news to report. In the last week, Dave has made a big improvement in his speaking and eating. He's been speaking in full sentences, carrying on long conversations, and asking for his favorite foods. Today, Dave ate a cup of pudding and has asked for scrambled eggs for dinner. In addition, he's been awake most of every day. He had been sleeping most of every day since his surgery.

Dr. Fox, his surgeon, told the family that Dave has been spending a lot of his energy in recent weeks reacting to his wound, dealing with the pain and with the healing effort. He told us that once Dave starts to recover, that he will have a great deal more energy available for daily living. This seems to be coming true now. The nurses who care for his wound say that the wound is healing smoothly and quickly. It will still be many weeks before it heals completely, but the progress so far is very good.

The healing seems to be providing Dave with more energy, and he also seems to have taken another big step in his stroke recovery. This week, he resumed physical therapy with Doug and speech therapy with Heather. Doug was pleased to see that Dave hasn't lost much in the weeks he has been without PT. But Heather was shocked when she saw the big improvements in Dave's speech, facial movements, and eating -- especially since he hasn't had any speech therapy for almost a month. She said that the improvements since his last session are dramatic.

As part of his post-op recovery, Dave is on an antibiotic regimen for a month and is seen by a nurse every day to monitor his wound healing progress. I've told you about this amazing Vac-Pack technology that is applying vacuum pressure to his wound. This process encourages rapid healing, and heals from the inside out. A special tape holds the vac in place, and the pump provides constant feedback about how well it is working. When the seal is broken, we only have 2 hours to restore the seal or a nurse has to visit to replace the entire dressing. Most of the time, Jan has been able to restore the seal, but we have had to call for an emergency visit. The wound is in a difficult spot near Dave's tail bone, so daily movements pull on the seal, making it a challenge to keep the seal.

This additional level of care makes the days a bit more hectic for Jan and Dave until the wound heals and the antibiotic series ends. But the added joy of really being able to hold full conversations with Dave outweighs any additional challenges in the daily routine.  ¶ 4:01 PM