Okay...so it has been quite some time

I have no spare time whatsoever since I went back to work. Plus now that Daley is in school and the church choir and bible study we are even busier. So here is an update on everyone.

Danny is doing great. He has decided to have his reconnect surgery in June. The surgeon said he's all for doing it in March (Spring Break), but Danny doesn't want to take the time off. The surgeon said that waiting a full year will greatly decrease his chances of any sort of complication. So another six months of the colostomy it is.

Daley is doing great! She's growing so very fast. She lost her first tooth in September and lost her second one last week. Just yesterday she decided she was going to ride her bike without training wheels and she did it! We took her training wheels off of her little bike a long time ago when she got a new bike. Every now and then she'd try to ride it, but would get scared and give up. We didn't push her and knew it would happen in her own time. Yesterday is just happened and today she was riding around the cul-de-sac like an old pro.

She's doing very well in school too. Daley's in kindergarten and learning how to spell and read. At home she's already started learning multiplication, and not just memorizing flash cards. She actually understands the concept.

Daley had her first opportunity to sing at church two weeks ago. The children's choir sang one song at the beginning of the service. She did so very well and took it quite seriously. Here's a picture after she got home and was able to be her silly self again.

Laura is doing great as well. She's talking up a storm. She's almost 2 and a half and she's started using the potty. Just like her sister she's starting out with the number twos! According to our pediatrician that is backwards. He says that most kids will tinkle on the potty before they do anything else. Laura is very proud of her accomplishment though.

We took the girls to the Bee Movie last weekend and in the middle Laura told me she had to potty. We ran out (even though she's still wearing diapers) and made a visit to the potty. Upon our return to the movie she announced to her Daddy and the rest of the theater that she "poo-pooed on the potty at the Bee Movie!!"

We kicked off the Christmas Season by going to the Thanksgiving Day Parade in Houston. The girls had a blast even though it was very chilly. Jennifer, Larry, Wesley, and my mother all joined us for the excitement. Here's Daley with a picture of her favorite animals.

And I know I'm a little late for the Halloween posts, but the girls looked just too cute to pass up sharing the pictures. Daley was Kimberly, the Pink PowerRanger, again this year. She was also Kimberly two years ago, but in a smaller costume. Laura was a pretty kitty who loved to MEEEEOOOW!We had some photos done recently and were very pleased with the outcome even though our toddler decided to throw a fit a few minutes into the session. Here is a link for the pictures. I'm not sure how long they will be on her site, but hopefully you can view them. http://www.kristiemillsphotography.com/kelley/

Until next time...

My sweet Daley

Tonight Daley and I read a book called "The Crippled Lamb" by Max Lucado. It was given to us by Jennifer about a year ago with a ton of other books. We never got around to reading it. Today as we were going through our books to gather some for a drive at Daley's school I noticed this book. Danny has a daily inspirational book by the same author given to him by JoAnn. So I decided this would be our nighttime book this evening. Half way through the book my sweet baby girl was crying telling me that she was so sad for the lamb. As we got toward the end I was crying as well. As we found out that the lamb was sharing the stable with baby Jesus we were both crying tears of joy. It was an amazing moment for my daughter and I. I was truly overwhelmed by her compassion.

Moving on because I'm crying again. We had a wonderful weekend. Here are some pictures from our fun filled weekend. We went to the zoo, rode the train, rode paddle boats, and played around outside.

This is on the paddle boat. Laura has bread in her hands to feed the ducks, but I guess she got a little hungry.

Me and the girls at the zoo.

Time to paint pumpkins!!

A free moment

I always make sure I spend a few minutes on the computer every Sunday night to check out the PostSecret website. I just love reading the new postcards each week. If you don't know what I'm talking about you should check it out http://postsecret.blogspot.com/ . It is updated every Sunday. So I figured I should also update my blog at least every Sunday if not more.

I don't have many free moments anymore now that I am back in the classroom. I got a teaching job at Ross Sterling Middle School in Humble ISD. I'm teaching Keyboarding and Career Investigations and thoroughly enjoying being back in the classroom. Both kids have adjusted very well to the change and we make the most out of our evenings and weekends. I actually took off last Thursday for an appointment and was able to go to Daley's school to have lunch with her. It was so fun to see her in her own little environment. She showed me the lunch line, where the teachers ate, where they throw the trash, and the recess playground. She is loving Kindergarten. She also lost her first tooth a couple of weeks ago and was very excited when the tooth fairy came to visit.

Danny is doing great. He's been back to work since the school year started and is busier than ever. He has a colonoscopy this week and hopefully everything will look good and he can schedule the reconnect surgery for around Thanksgiving. We were both terrified at the thought of him having a colostomy before his original surgery. The truth is...it isn't such a bad alternative. He isn't sick anymore and has absolutely no restrictions. He went swimming over the summer, takes showers, wears all of the same clothes, eats/drinks anything he wants, can workout (although he really doesn't), and lives life just as he did before he got sick. My point is this--If you ever know someone being faced with this possibility urge them to contact someone who has or has had an ostomy. All of the information we received in the hospital was from doctors and nurses who never had this procedure. Right before surgery we did speak with the husband of a young lady that had a temporary ostomy. It was her information and books that ultimately put our minds at ease enough to agree to the surgery.

Enough of that...Laura is growing like a weed! I'm starting to buy winter stuff for her in a 4T. She just turned 2 in July, but is currently outgrowing 3T clothes. She's talking very well and has started riding a little Radio Flyer bicycle with training wheels. Daley is busy with Kindergarten and goes to church choir and bible study each week.

I have actually just joined a bible study that I absolutely love! It is Loved by God by Liz Curtis Higgs. This woman is hilarious! We have book work each week then meet to discuss what we've read and discovered. We then watch a DVD segment by Liz and laugh the entire time. Check out her website http://www.lizcurtishiggs.com/ and be sure to click the Who is Liz link. Being a former bad girl herself she's written books about bad girls of the bible. I haven't read any yet, but as soon as I finish up this bible study I'm going to start reading some of her books.

Until next time...

So much to say

Danny has only been home from the hospital for about a month now, but it really seems longer. We have done so much since he's been home and spent so much time together. It has been absolutely wonderful! About 2 weeks after he came home we had to redo Laura's room. Daley stayed in her crib until she was 2 1/2 years old, but Laura wasn't even 2 yet and was getting to the point where she would wake up in the middle of the night because she was sideways in her crib and running out of room. So we decided it was time for a big girl bed. With the help of my mother-in-law I painted her room and we put her bed together, hung curtains, and changed everything one Sunday afternoon. She really loves her room now and is sleeping well.

Laura turned 2 on July 28th. This was the day of her 2-year-old check up with our pediatrician. The smile on her face is a little puckered up. She wouldn't say cheese when I was trying to take her pic so I told her to say cock a doodle doo. Our big girl is healthy and happy! She's 33 pounds and 36 inches tall. We are pretty sure she's going to be tall like her Daddy. I brought my camera with us that day because we were going to Incredible Pizza after her Dr. appt and snapped this great shot of Daddy and his girls.

Then it was Laura's birthday!! We had her party at McDonald's and had a great time. She was so happy to be 2 years old. For several days after her birthday every time she got in trouble for something she'd say "Laura 2!". She said it like she could not possibly be in trouble anymore because she was 2 years old.

Then it was time for a special day with Daley. My big girl who is starting kindergarten this year. We started off by going to the Potter's Wheel where Daley could pick out any piece of pottery and then paint it. Big surprise she picked out a horse! She did a beautiful job of painting a pink and purple horse. We had to leave it there to be fired and will actually pick it up tomorrow.

After that we joined our neighbors at Chick-Fila for lunch and play time. I then decided that Daley needed a hair cut. I've usually just trimmed it at home, but thought she needed a good cut before she started school. Daley then informed me that she wanted short hair. So that is what she got and I love it! Fortunately she loves it too!

This last weekend we took a trip with Danny's mom to see his grandmother and Aunt in Corsicana and his Aunt and Uncle in Wills Point. We all had a wonderful time. The kids were pretty well behaved and Laura slept well considering she's only slept at home since she moved to a big girl bed. This is Laura and her great-grandmother a.k.a. Meemaw. We stayed in a hotel in Corsicana and this was the first time the girls had slept in the same bed. It went pretty smoothly. Daley fell asleep right away and Laura tried to play her for a few minutes. After I reminded Laura that it was night-night time she settled down and put herself to sleep.



We then headed to Wills Point the next day for a day in the country. The girls loved being outside surrounded by nature...cows, a dog, GIANT SPIDERS! I have never seen such huge spiders and they were everywhere in the pasture. I would have taken a picture, but I was too scared to get that close. Aunt Jen calls them Charlotte spiders because they are like the one in Charlotte's Web. That really doesn't make them any cuter.

We came home yesterday and the girls were worn out after a great weekend with family.

Whewwww. That was a long blog. Consider yourself updated! We have a very busy couple of weeks ahead of us as well. I'll keep everyone posted.

An Update

I just wanted to let everyone know how I was doing since my last post. I have increased the amount of physical activity and Kelley has made sure that I do more around the house (to help me build strength of course). We have started going to the gym again. The first time I went was last week and I did 10 minutes on the bike and worked out on the machines. It felt good to work out again although it was a little discouraging with the amount of weight I was lifting. I am under the physical therapist's orders to work out with minimum weight and as many "reps" as I can. So far I am following orders.

I have had all of my follow up visits to the doctors that required them and everything is great. My blood test results were perfect and it seems that my body is functioning like it is suppose to. All three of the doctors that I saw were impressed with my condition, so I took that as a compliment.

I still see everyday what God has given me. The amount of family time that Kelley and I have had the last three weeks with each other and with our girls has been a wonderful blessing. I could not be any happier and it is because of my family, all of my friends and neighbors, my church family, my colleagues, and of course... God.

The kids are snoozing

It is 7:30 Saturday morning and both children are still sleeping. It is so very quiet and peaceful. Danny is at a men's breakfast at our church and I'm using this time to drink my coffee and catch up on paperwork. Obviously I'm taking a quick break to update our blog though! Things are wonderful. We've had a few bumps this last week, but nothing to get upset about. Danny's recovery is going very well. He had a follow up visit with the infectious disease doc (you know...the one that tried to kill him with Vancomycin) last week after his PICC line was removed and she released him from care. She said everything is wonderful and she hopes to never see him again. She was joking, but we are not. We'll never go to her again after her poor judgement in care. I really had to beg Danny to follow up with her because I felt it wouldn't be a good idea to follow up with a new doctor after everything that has happened.

Danny had a toothache last week, but fortunately has a very dear friend who is a dentist. Danny never wanted to have him work on his teeth thinking it would be too weird, but after all that he has been through in the last couple of months he needed to go to someone he trusted. Pierre was able to fix the problem and hopefully avoid a root canal. Danny will have to follow up in a couple of weeks and have a permanent filling put in the area.

Danny also ran out of contacts and couldn't get a refill without an eye exam so he went to the optometrist yesterday. He's just getting a complete overhaul this summer. He still has two more follow up doctor visits next week and hopefully he'll be done until his next surgery in the fall.

I resigned from my position at the hospital this last week. They weren't going to approve a leave of absence anyway and my family doesn't need me working at night anymore. Next week I'm going to start signing up with temp agencies and try to work a few days a week.

I prayed so much in the hospital for Danny's emotional and spiritual health. I was so afraid that he wouldn't recover in those areas and would struggle returning to his normal life. My prayers were answered. He's doing so well. He went to choir practice last Tuesday and then the men's breakfast this morning. We've gone to two birthday parties as a family since he's been home. We are going to a colostomy support group next week. He's back to his happy, optimistic, joking self. He's also doing very well with the children. He's back to wrestling with them on the floor-of course they both know they can't jump on Daddy's tummy. He helps me bathe them and put them to bed. I'm just so thankful for God's love and grace.

For my Birthday

Tomorrow is my 32nd birthday. It is also the last day of my IV medication. I get to have my PICC line out for my birthday. I know that doesn't sound like much, but I am really excited to get rid of this thing. Tomorrow is also the one week anniversary of my return home. I have done everything possible to get back into a normal (or at least my old) routine. Church today was wonderful... not only was there another great message, but so many wonderful people made me feel blessed by just being happy that I was there.

For an update on my condition I want to let everyone know that with the exception of a little bit of fatigue I feel great. I have increased that amount of exercise and activity each day that I have been home and I feel that I am getting stronger daily. I still have some trouble standing for long periods of time and the first few steps after I have sat for a while are sometimes challenging. Other than that I feel as healthy as I ever have. I am pushing myself, but not too hard. I am letting my body dictate how much I do on a daily basis, which seems to more than I expected.

Once again, I must thank everyone that has supported my family and I through this process. On my last blog I forgot to thank my colleagues at Tomball High School that stepped up for me in a big way at the end of the school year. I also want to thank my team and department for sending all of the cards, emails, and gifts. Most of all I would like to thank them for the many visits. I know I blogged it before, but those things meant the world to me.

On my last blog I tried very hard to refrain from mentioning people by name because I knew that I would forget someone. I can no longer deny credit where it is due. I must mention just a few names of people that supported my family in such a way that we could never properly thank them. Before I do please know that everyone involved in my life through this ordeal from long time friends and family to church family, to work friends, to my neighbors had a HUGE impact on me and my family no matter how big or small their contribution was. I will never be able to properly thank everyone, but I am going to attempt it.

With all of that being said I need to thank Cathy Bellon (my team leader at Tomball) who took over my end of year grades, which is a giant task. Many of my colleagues administered final exams and stepped up for me and I want to thank all of you. Besides my Mom and my Mother-in-law there were two other people that dropped whatever they were doing and came to Kelley's aid as far as watching our girls or just being there for Kelley. Thank you Jennifer and Larry Spell for always being there. We always introduce you as our friends, but we consider you family. I also would like to thank Jo Ann Johnson for never being more than a phone call away and doing whatever needed to be done. Jo Ann came to watch the girls, took them to fun places, and stayed with Kelley (along with Jennifer and Arlin) throughout my six hour surgery. To the names I have mentioned and to all the other people that cared so much I want to once again thank you for making me a blessed man.

Back to normal

Life is back to normal for the most part. Actually it is better than normal. We are having a lot of needed family time. A nurse comes by the house each day to run anti fungal medicine in Danny's PICC line, but otherwise we aren't even thinking about medical issues. Danny got a haircut the other day and even drove the van when we snuck off to a movie. My mom had the kids and we went and saw Fantastic Four 2. It was enjoyable and important to Danny to feel like his old self again.

The 4th of July was great. We were outside from about 4pm to 10pm. With the exception of running in for dinner. Danny spent most of the time in a chair, but got to enjoy watching his daughters having a blast and visiting with all of his neighbors. We live in a cul-de-sac filled with small children and great neighbors. The men set off massive amounts of fireworks and the kids enjoyed all of the noise and bright lights. We also get to see Splashtown's firework show from our cul-de-sac which is always a beautiful sight.

Here is picture of Laura with piggy tails. She'll be 2 on July 28th and is just now getting enough hair to play with!

As mentioned in one of Jennifer's blogs...my girls are definitely country girls. I bought them matching pink boots that were on clearance at Target (I love clearance buys!) and thought they were so cute that I had to buy coordinating outfits to match. Aren't they adorable!

This is a pic from our driveway on the 4th. This is Danny (you can really see the weight he has lost), my mom Pat, and Laura.

Here are some pics of the girls with sparklers. I was a nervous wreck, but they had a great time. Their favorite part of the evening had to be the smoke bombs. The guys would light several at a time and roll them into the street. For those of you that don't know about these things...they spark then start smoking and turn all kinds of colors. The kiddos LOVED chasing them and then standing in the cloud of colored smoke.

New email address

I sent many of you an email letting you know we've changed our email address. For those of you that didn't receive that message our new email is fourcrafts@att.net

We had Roadrunner through Time Warner Cable and the service was great! However, it is pretty expensive and they are changing to Comcast. We figured we'd have to change our email anyway so we went with AT&T DSL and we are satisfied with the speed and saving $20 a month!

Home Sweet Home!

I am finally out of the hospital and back where I belong. I have many things to say to everyone so feel free to skim through the blog.

The one major realization that I learned during my 49 days in the hospital is that I am truly a blessed man. This blog is written to send out some thanks (in no particular order) and while you read you will realize (as I did) that I am a blessed man.

I first need to get this off of my chest. I would not be half the man I am today without my wife, and there is no way that I would have made it through this ordeal without her. She has done everything imaginable to make sure that I am not stressed out at the hospital, she has been my biggest advocate on all things, and has been an amazing mother to my children. My daughters have had some adjustments through this period, but it was their mother that made sure that they were taken care of.

I also want to thank my mom and my mother-in-law for stepping in and putting their lives on hold so easily to watch the kids so that Kelley could be with me when she needed to be. There are others that came to watch the kids at a moments notice and for that I thank you.

I want to also mention my neighbors. Because of them (and our church) my freezer is stocked full of food, my lawn looks perfect, and odd things around the house that Kelley could not do were taken care of. Thank you guys.

I'll move on know to the rest of my family and friends. I received (while in the hospital) so many gifts, cards, emails, etc from people that live all over the country. I received get well wishes from Pennsylvania to Arizona. It is amazing how many wonderful people that care and I can't say enough how much those things brightened my hospital stay. Thank you so much. I am truly blessed with wonderful friends and loved ones even if I don't get to see them often.

Next I want to talk about something a little different. My church congregation has taken many forms during my stay. I was truly overwhelmed by the support that my church family gave. From the visits by the pastors with communion to the prayer quilt that I received with the thousands of prayer knots tied in it just for me. Kelley and I are so lucky to have a church that really does believe that its congregation is a family and we are blessed to be a part of that family. Thank you Lord of Life.

Many of you (and I do mean many of you) took time out of your lives to visit me in the hospital. Some of you visited when I was in an "ok" situation and some visited when I was really sick. Those visits meant the world to me because each time it made me realize that God has given me so much and that he now is showing me first hand how many blessings I have in just the number of people that care about my welfare. I will never be able to thank you all for those visits, they meant so much.

Finally I want to give the glory of all this to God. Many people asked me during my stay how I was doing mentally, but I always told them that God is keeping me in good spirits by showing how many blessings I have. I had some real bad days in the hospital and there is no doubt that I was really sick, but at no time did I feel left or forsaken. Thank you to all you that did so much for me and my family. It is because of all of you that I am a blessed man.

Thanks be to God

That is what my pastor said when I told her Danny was coming home today. Thanks be to God for bringing my husband home.

He is home with his PICC line in place. He'll have to receive IV anti fungal for the next 7 days. It was a disappointment, but one we can live with. The girls are so happy. I figured they would be all over him and forget about me, but they've been so very loving to both of us. I've been home off and on during all of this, but my mind has always been on him and his condition. I guess they could always sense that. Tonight the girls got both of their parents back and they are absolutely delighted.

He will still have weeks of home health care and several follow up visits with doctors. We never really thought about all of that. We figured he'd be home and done for a couple of months until his next surgery.

I have to say that although this ordeal has been a nightmare, I made it through this without losing my mind. I am so blessed to have such wonderful people in my life. We've had such support from our congregation, our family, our neighbors, and our friends. Every little thing has helped me stay emotionally strong and faithful. Each card he received, all of the e-greetings and emails, the phone calls, the meals people sent, the babysitters, the gift cards...and the list goes on and on. Thank you all so much for your support, love, and prayers.

A sigh of relief

I have to make this a quick blog because Daley is patiently waiting for me to read a chapter from her Magic Treehouse book. Everything is looking great and we really think he'll be home Monday or Tuesday. All the docs have signed off on him except for the infectious disease one still treating him for yeast in his blood. When the kidney doc signed off she said "just so you know you ARE allergic to Vancomycin. The 20 minutes that ran through your body caused kidney failure. Any more and you would have needed dialysis. Don't ever allow a physician to give you this again." Good information to know.

Anyway, the surgeon came by today and took his staples out. Tomorrow his admitting physician and ID doc will fight about him going home on IV antifungal antibiotics. I believe the admitting physician will win and he will go home with oral medications. So hopefully my husband will come home soon and we can get back to our life.

Do you want the good news or the great news?

That was basically what the surgeon had to say when he came to visit Danny this evening.

Yesterday Danny was feeling okay, but was still running a low grade fever. He got a blood transfusion yesterday and that has seemed to help his energy level. Today started out a little rocky when the nurses woke him up out of a sound sleep to tell him the surgeon ordered another CT scan. The bad part about this test is the contrast he has to drink to light up his belly. He's had 6 or 7 of these tests and has thrown up the contrast every time but once. So he got out of bed and prepared himself to drink it. Apparently this stuff really woke up his bowels. They started moving and he was instantly sick at his stomach. So he said forget it and got back into bed. Apparently he had drank enough because they were able to complete the test. So when the surgeon got the results he came to visit Danny. He said that Danny's belly couldn't possibly look better! Everything from the surgery looks great and he even removed 1 of the 2 surgical drains. He said he'd probably remove the other one tomorrow. He also put Danny on a soft bland diet. He told him to take it very slow since his stomach is probably the size of a raisin, but that it was time to start getting food back into his system. We also found out the cause of his fever is due to yeast in his blood. This is mostly to due with the fact that he's been on antibiotics for so long. He will have to complete a 14 day dose of IV anti fungal antibiotics to cure this. So when he gets discharged he'll have to go home with his PICC line and have a nurse come by each day to administer the medicine. During the late afternoon and into the evening he was feeling great. He took 2 strolls up to the 5th floor where he was prior to surgery to visit his old nurses. He ate a little dinner and listened to the Astros game. He even borrowed his mom's laptop and read all of my blogs...that was kinda weird.

Things are really beginning to look up.

I had a job interview today with the principal of Nimitz 9th grade campus in Aldine ISD. I've been out of education for 3 years to stay at home with the kids and have been applying at 6 districts since January of this year. I was ready to go back to work before all of this happened, but now I really need to. I'm certified to teach 6-12 business education classes and there just aren't that many openings in my field. If I taught math I'm sure I would have a contract by now. The interview went really well and the principal asked me to set up an initial interview with HR just in case I'm selected. That interview is next Tuesday. I'm praying for a job offer soon. I just want the security of knowing I have a job for next school year.

Check out Jennifer's link on my blog page. She kept the girls last weekend and posted some really cute pics of her son and my girls.

1 step forward, 2 steps back

Since Danny no longer had the NG tube I decided I needed to sleep at home Monday night. I had been at the hospital since Thursday. So he calls me at 7:45 this morning and tells me he had a horrible night. Danny has been running a low fever (around 101) for the last two days. Not often and it didn't make him feel bad. So the ID (infectious disease) doc was in yesterday morning and said that if he spiked another fever over 101 again she'd start looking at her "smoking guns". This would be the PICC line, the surgical site, his blood, and his urine. She really believed the fever was coming from the PICC line and would order it out if he spiked a fever again. She also informed us she had jury duty Tuesday so would have a partner covering for her. The partner came in at midnight last night to do his rounds for Tuesday b/c his wife was on another floor having a baby. Well Danny had spiked another fever of 101.2 on Monday. The ID doc saw that and decided to order Vancomycin. So they hung a bag at 12:30 am today.

For those of you that have been following our nightmare...it was pretty much understood that he was having allergic reactions to this drug and another antibiotic about 20 days ago. The surgeon at the time believed his fevers and violent shaking were due to antibiotics and fought the other docs to take him off. She won and within 24 hours he was better. So again all of the docs agreed he was having allergic reactions to Vancomycin or Merripenum (sp?).

So they bring in the Vanc and Danny asked what they were hanging. The nurse said the covering ID doc ordered Vanc. Danny immediately said that he was allergic. The nurse called the pharmacy and nobody had any record that he was "officially" allergic to Vanc. It was the middle of the night and Danny said fine..whatever..just let me go to sleep. 20 minutes after hanging the antibiotic he was violently shaking. The shakes were even worse and because of his incision so was the pain. He called the nurse who immediately unhooked the drug. Within 4 hours he was running over a 104 fever. It eventually went up to 105. So he fought the shakes, fever, and nausea all night over 20 minutes of Vancomycin. I get to the hospital at 8:30 and am fit to be tied. I was honestly in a fit of rage. How could some doc that has seen him maybe 3 times in the last 42 days order him an antibiotic without referring to his chart?? So I had the case manager up there asking her what the hell I can do and explaining that this hospital was going to wind up killing him! I also wanted to file a complaint against this doc and was seriously considering consulting a lawyer so I called my rep in patient relations. While I'm on the phone with her crying and screaming the case manager walks up to tell me that his regular ID doc had actually ordered the Vanc. I was blown away. I honestly didn't believe her. How could a physician that has been on his case since day 1 and knew everything he's been through and admitted that it must have been the antibiotics making him so sick a while back--how could she have written for this drug?

So the patient relations rep told me to stay there and she'd be right up. We got the paperwork filled out so I could review his chart. She sat in that room with me for an hour while I read all of the orders from the last week. Sure enough Dr. Yancy, the ID doc, wrote in her progress notes that if fever spiked she'd remove the PICC and add 2 antibiotics including Vancomycin. She made a poor decision and didn't even tell us she was considering this. I can't wait to see her tomorrow.

So about an hour after I got there this morning his kidney doc came in. She is such a sweet and caring doctor. She listened to me go over what had happened through the night and said "bleep bleep! These doctors are making all of us look stupid!" Of course at the time she thought she was talking about the covering physician. I can't wait to see her reaction when she finds out it was Yancy. She went on to say that all the docs assumed he was allergic and it was in his chart--she wrote it herself. She removed the PICC line which is still believed to be the source of the 101 fever and made sure the nurses were on top of things to get his fever under control.

Then we were told that Dr. Newton had been called and he wanted another IV line immediately to get fluids in Danny. They put the order in and radiology said it would be close to 3 before they could fit him in for another PICC. It was around 10 am at this point. So they call an ICU nurse to try to get a regular IV in him temporarily until he could get a PICC. His left hand was swollen from the IV they used during surgery so she could only stick the right hand. She found a few veins and tried to stick him. He wasn't even bleeding. The nurse was blown away and said she didn't feel comfortable doing the IV while he was running a 105 fever. So the nurses said well we will have to wait. Again we anticipated this would be 5 hours so once again I went into a fit of rage. I told the nurses-about 5 involved in his care at this point-that Dr. Newton wanted him to have fluids immediately and they needed to get the orders for the PICC line changed to STAT. Of course they argued saying that radiology had procedures scheduled and couldn't get him in. Hence the word STAT!!!!!!!!! I stopped arguing with her and said just do it. Call a doctor, any doctor and get the orders changed to stat. They were up to get him within about an hour.

So around noon they had another PICC line in him and we could tell his fever was coming down. Dr. Newton was at the nurses station when we got back up to the room and assured us that this wasn't a set back and that everything would be fine. He put Danny on a clear liquid diet and by about 2pm Danny's fever was gone. Except for exhaustion he was feeling okay again. I also explained to the nurses that we want literature on anything they give him. Additionally, Danny will question anything new they give him. He will ask what is it, what is it for, and who ordered it. If it wasn't ordered by Dr. Newton-the surgeon/specialist or by Dr. Kraish-kidney doctor who we just love, the nurses will have to get the drug approved by 1 of those 2 doctors. I told Danny if it is in the middle of the night or he is just too tired to question it then pick up your cell phone, call me, and put the nurse on the phone. There will be no more mistakes or chances taken with his care anymore.

Danny is feeling better now. He took a big nap this afternoon and still walked this evening. When I left around 8:30 tonight he was watching TV and sipping on water. It was a minor set back that he has already overcome. I just wish I could get over it!

Finally!

The tube is out!!! Dr. Newton removed the NG tube around lunch time today. Danny immediately brushed his teeth and ate an ice chip. He's still not on any diet yet-ice chips only, but he feels great. He's going to take a shower in a little while and has already walked twice today. He's had a low grade fever a few times, but the doc says it is to be expected and we shouldn't worry about it. Danny will be up for visitors probably tomorrow. He's in a different room now so just stop by the front desk for the room number.

A slow road

Today is day 2 after surgery and he just took his first walk. His sitting in a chair in his room trying to watch the Astros right now, but is clearly uncomfortable. The important thing is that he is out of bed. The nurses are very worried about pneumonia and blood clots. The surgeon is pushing him to walk to get his bowels to wake up. Normally we would be chatting, but he still has his NG tube in and refuses to speak. The tube goes into his nose, down the back of his throat and into his tummy. It sucks out any air and gastric fluid. Normally our bodies pass all of this but since his tummy is sleeping it is important to get this out before it builds up and causes pressure. We are praying that the tube comes out tomorrow. It is so terribly uncomfortable for him. He's sat up twice since surgery and has sat in a chair for about an hour 2 times as well. Again he just completed his first short walk around the nurses' station. He's supposed to do it at least 2 more times today.

Although his surgery went very well and recovery is going well from the physicians point of view, he's really not doing that well. I don't think he was fully prepared to feel the way he does. He's not saying much but he really has a very sad look on his face. I almost feel like he's saying "why did you let them do this to me?" every time he looks at me. It is truly breaking my heart. I'm afraid if the doc refuses to pull that tube out tomorrow I may have to do it myself! The day after surgery the nurse realized it wasn't sucking anything out because of a clog or improper location. After an X-ray the surgeon just happened to be in the room and decided to fix it himself. So he's tugging and pulling on this tube and Danny is just begging him "please doc just take it out" and of course he refuses claiming it is for his own good. I had to leave the room...I simply could not take it. I'm really hoping one of the surgeons' partners does rounds tomorrow and maybe I can talk that physician into taking it out. I realize the bowels have to be working before they are "comfortable" taking it out, but they don't understand that Danny would be a lot more motivated to move and walk without the tube. UGGGHHHHH

I've stayed up here for the last 2 nights and plan to stay again tonight. I'm not leaving him alone until the tube is out. Today I left for a couple of hours to go home and shower while his mother stayed with him. Some flaming idiot calling himself a physician came to check on Danny and without even looking under his gown started pushing on his belly and incision. This was a physician covering for his admitting doctor, but certainly he could have read in his chart that he just had surgery. The other docs have been feeling his belly, but they always pull up his gown so they don't stick their fingers right through the incision.

I'm sure everyone can tell by my tone I'm running low on fuel and patience.

I've had some calls about visiting. For now I'd say no. He can't comfortably speak right now and is just trying to sleep as much as possible. I'm sure he'll be up for visits in a few days and I'll keep everyone posted.

He's recovering

Surgery lasted for 5 1/2 hours. The results were good, but the surgery itself was pretty brutal to his body. The docs were able to get in his tummy and clean all of the infection out. They were also able to remove the bad, or the area with diverticulitis, part of the colon. During all of this his intestines and other organs were moved around quite a bit. He'll be very sore for several days. After actually getting inside of his belly Dr. Newton agreed that decision for surgery was the right one. He's very uncomfortable right now. He has a NG tube in his nose and throat to remove gastric fluids from his tummy. The tube makes it difficult to talk and hurts his throat. He's trying to manage his pain and get some sleep, but they want him to start moving and trying to sit up. We will see how that goes. He'd be more willing to do that if he didn't have the tube in his throat.

Surgery is going well so far

They took him into the operating room around 3 pm. We've had a few updates since it began and things are going fine so far. Now we are just waiting for the procedure to be completed. I'll keep everyone posted.

Thursday

Surgery is scheduled for Thursday. We won't know what time until late Wednesday night. We are both ready to do something proactive, but now that there is actually a date set Danny is somewhat aprehensive. Please keep us in your prayers.

Surgery it is

Danny has made his final decision to have surgery. We met with the specialist, Dr. Newton, today and should know by tomorrow when he'll be able to do it. He's going to try to get him in this week. Dr. Newton gave us basically three possibilities. Of course it could be something very different once he gets in there and sees what is actually going on.

Best case-He opens Danny up and everything looks great. He'll clean the abscess, remove the part of the colon with diverticuli, remove the fistula, and reconnect the colon. This is not likely to be the case.

Second scenario-He opens him up and does everything the same except he can't reconnect the colon yet because it isn't healthy enough. Then he would have a colostomy and surgery again in a couple of months to reverse the colostomy. This is what we are thinking will actually happen.

Third scenario-He opens Danny up and things are still inflamed, swollen, and stuck together. In this case he'll clean out the abscess, but won't risk cutting out the bad part of his colon for fear of tearing another part of the colon. Danny would then have a colostomy and possibly a drain tube in the bottom part of the colon until everything dries up--maybe a couple of weeks. Then he'd still have surgery again in a couple of months to reverse the colostomy.

We are praying for the first scenario, but hoping for nothing worse than the second scenario. Any way that it goes Danny should feel better once the abscess is out of his body.

I've been sick for the last five days and finally went to the doctor. I actually went to Dr. Billal--Danny's admitting physician. We've never had a family doctor for Danny and I and we both have liked her since she's been treating him. She understands that I CANT be sick right now so she gave me a prescription, several samples of decongestants, and a shot. Hopefully my sinus infection will clear up quickly. I'm also taking Vitamin C tablets and a B complex drop to help give my immune system a boost.

Daley is in VBS again this week. She went to Resurrection last year for VBS with our neighbors and wanted to go to both this year. It is the same theme, but she still had a great time today. I think her and my mom are going to see Ratatouille tomorrow.

Laura is doing great. She stayed home with my mother today because I had spent the night at the hospital to be there when the specialist came in. I asked her this evening if she wanted to stay home with Nana or go to school tomorrow. Her response "Waura cool". That means Laura wants to go to school. As much as I am struggling with my decision of putting her in day care at least she really seems to love it. She also made Daddy some fantastic Father's Day pictures with her little hands while she was there last week.

He's still doing pretty well

Everything was the same again today. Still feeling better. He's still fighting mild nausea and a very low-grade fever. Usually no more than 99.5. He now says that he'll make his decision about surgery tomorrow.

Happy Father's Day to all of the dads out there. He's seen the girls 2 days in a row now and I'm sure we will spend some time with him on Father's Day as well. Many people have asked how much weight he's lost--35 pounds so far. My mother told me that her mother used to get on to her about being too thin. My grandmother would tell her that she should keep a few extra pounds on in case she ever got sick. She was certainly right. He had a few extra pounds he wanted to lose, but still that is a lot of weight to lose in just over 30 days.

I can't sleep tonight for some reason. I've been on the computer listening to music for the last 2 hours.

Not much to report today

Today was about the same as yesterday. Danny got out of bed a bit more today. He had 2 sessions with the physical therapist and then was told to get out of bed to sit at least 3 times a day for an hour each time. He met that goal today! He spoke with the specialist again this evening and unfortunately I wasn't there again to meet the physician. Danny told me he'd make a decision on Monday whether to have surgery now or not.

A few people have asked about visiting. He's up for it and certainly enjoys visitors. Anytime during the day is fine. Usually if I'm up there when somebody comes I'll leave and use the opportunity to catch up on some work in my office.

Here are a few pictures we took the day of Daley's end of the year program at Kids of the Kingdom. This was the middle of May. Danny will most certainly look different the next time he allows me to take a picture.

VBS at Lord of Life ended this week with a "ho-down". Not really sure how to spell that, but it was a blast. The kids sang all of the songs they learned this week and it ended with ice cream sundaes. Here is a video of Daley singing

He may have surgery

We are not 100% certain yet, but the specialist said everything that the surgeon has been saying. Danny really likes Dr. Newton, but he didn't have much to add. This is really a good thing though. I'd be very concerned about his care if Dr. Newton said that the current physicians were doing many things wrong. He did say that if Danny waited to have elective surgery for diverticulosis 2 months down the road he'd like him to keep the drain tube in for the entire time. None of the other physicians had said that. That way any infection that accumulates would not cause a problem. So then our discussion was should he live with a painful drain tube for 2 months or a temporary colostomy for 2 months.

Then his current surgeon came in and explained that if somebody were to bump into his colostomy it wouldn't hurt, but the drain tube is incredibly painful even when his gown brushes up against it. He saw the current surgeon after he saw the specialist today. After talking with the surgeon this evening he has a few more questions for the specialist. Depending on how that goes I think he'll either have surgery on Saturday or on Tuesday. He wants to get home as soon as possible and we all feel that surgery is the only way for that to happen. His surgeon is out of town until Tuesday. She's been on the case since day 1 and we both really like her and are confident in her decisions. We don't really know Dr. Newton, but he does specialize in this area and we've heard great things about him. So if Danny feels confident after discussing the additional questions tomorrow he may just say do it now. If Danny has any doubt we will wait until Tuesday and have the specialist do the surgery with his current surgeon assisting or possibly the other way around. His current surgeon (Dr. Mossadegh) said that Dr. Newton is one of the best in his field and that she is not at all upset that we called him in. She assured us that it is always wise to have another opinion especially after so long in the hospital. She said that it is completely up to us who does the surgery. She even said that she could assist him if we'd like or just be in the room for the surgery. Or we could just have him do it or have her do it with or without his assistance. This was a big issue for us. We both think Dr. Mossadegh is a fantastic physician and we were really struggling with calling in a specialist and possibly having her leave the case. She put all of our worries at ease. Personally I'd like her assisting with the surgery just because she is so familiar with his case. She's the doctor that spent so much time reviewing his chart with us and figured out that the antibiotics were making him sick. Honestly, we've become emotionally attached to her. Her input and presence each evening is very reassuring to both of us.

I hope all of this makes sense. I know I tend to ramble on, but it is almost 11 and my mind isn't working too well. The time stamp on my blogs are wrong because I haven't fixed my computer since the time change...oh well.

He's still feeling pretty good today. Physical therapy is wearing him out though. Just the little bit of exercises and walking leaves him exhausted. He has a fantastic nurse this evening so I'm sure he will get some rest tonight. His nurse last night was new to the hospital and couldn't figure out how to program his two IV pumps so they kept going off all night. Then when he finally got to sleep after all of that the PCA came in to take his vitals. He was rather frustrated this morning when I called and woke him around 9.

Again, thanks to everyone for all of the cards, emails, e-greetings, and visits as well as the support and prayers.

Today was a good day

Danny was feeling pretty good today. He's been on the IV nutrition for 2 days now and I really think it is making him feel better. This is also his second day back on an antibiotic and he didn't run any fever today. He's starting to get up and move again as well. Physical therapy has finally realized (after quite a bit of fussing from me) that he does need assistance getting his strength back. I asked them to come walk with him a couple of times each day. One lady told me that they are here to help people who can't walk on their own. I explained that he couldn't for fear of fainting again. Anyway after going back and forth with her she took him for a walk and made him do some activities in the hallway. I'm not sure what happened, but she came back with him just as sweet as she could be. Apparently his legs began to shake and she realized how weak he is after laying in a hospital bed for 30 days. They will work with him twice a day now by walking and doing various activities.

We've also asked Dr. Newton to join Danny's physicians. He is a colon/rectal specialist who works closely with Dr. Butts--no comments please!! :) Dr. Butts is one of the top colon/rectal surgeons in the area. Even Danny's primary physician cracked up when I mentioned his name. Anyway, Dr. Newton will be in tomorrow to review the case and give his opinion. I'm hoping to make a decision this week on Danny's care. Either he keeps the drain tube, IV antibiotics, and IV nutrition and comes home to recover or he has surgery. I'm fine with him coming home with all of that. At least he'd be able to watch the Astros and kiss his girls goodnight each day. If Dr. Newton says he can do surgery and believes there is at least a 50% chance he wouldn't need a temporary colostomy--Danny said he'd have surgery tomorrow. So we will see. Hopefully we will have a plan by the end of the week.

I've been really worried about Danny's depression, but today was a great day. He had several visitors and me there off and on so he didn't get a chance to start thinking about everything. He saw Laura today for the first time in about a week. It was bittersweet for him. It was great to see her, but he couldn't believe how much she's changed over the last couple of weeks. He says she's gotten taller. She's also talking a lot more since she started day care. So far she hasn't cried when I drop her off-knock, knock, on wood. She really seems to love it. Daley is enjoying VBS as well. She went to Kirsten's house today to swim after VBS and had a great time. She couldn't believe that they had a pool filled with ocean water! Apparently their pool has a salt-water system and Daley thought that was very cool.

Everyone asks how I am doing. I'm making it is all I can say. I have so many wonderful people around me helping with anything they can. All I want is for someone to promise me that he will come home to his family. I don't care when and I don't care in what condition. Even if he has to have a colostomy for the rest of his life. I just want to know that he will come home. That is my struggle each day. We've been married for 12 years and have accomplished so many things together. We grew up together and made our own life exactly the way we wanted it. I depend on him so much emotionally. He's such a better person and a better parent than I am and I've always fed off of his positive attitude, fun-loving personality, and compassion. I just don't feel like myself without him home. I'm doing what I can each day to make it through all of this for my children and to make him proud.

Yet another complication...

Well the fever has returned, but so has his good mood. He is back to his normal state of mind once again. Visitors are certainly welcome now that he isn't sleeping the day away.

His drain tube was starting to produce an odor today and I felt like it needed to be checked out. Sure enough something else showed up. A fistula has formed from the abscess to the bottom part of the colon. Fistulas are pretty common when it comes to an abscess. It is a small tube of tissue that wants to attach to something else in the body...the bladder, uterus, appendix...whatever. The radiologist and surgeon believes it will dry up and close off itself with him on a liquid diet. So he will now be given nourishment through his IV and only allowed a clear liquid diet. He is also being put back on one mild antibiotic. Not four super strong ones like before. I'm also calling in a gastro surgeon to consult on the case. We are trying to avoid surgery, but I think a fresh pair of eyes will help in his case. Especially one that specializes in colon issues.

Again, please feel free to visit. He needs all the motivation and friendly faces he can get right now.

Also, if anyone in the Spring or Woodlands area knows of a good, honest housekeeper please forward the contact information. I'm trying to keep up with things, but my home is becoming quite dirty.

He received a prayer quilt from Lord of Life today and it is absolutely beautiful. It brings us such a peaceful feeling to look at all of the knots and think about how many people care about our family. Thank you all so very much.

He's still improving

It is day 26 of his hospitalization. Today was better. His WBC is up to 2.8. He'll be off of isolation tomorrow. He can have visitors again, but no sick people and no children. If you do visit please be sure to wash your hands well upon entering his room.

He met with physical therapy today and started walking again. He walked twice and did some exercises in his room. His spirits are getting better and he understands it is now up to him to get better. He won't improve by just lying in bed. He has to push himself to move around and eat as much as possible. The drain is starting to drain less so I'm hoping they will do a CT scan early next week and remove the drain. If that happens he should be home sometime next week.

I'm hoping I'll get to see him tomorrow. I left around 3 today because I'm starting to feel bad. I've got a sore throat and stuffy nose. Hopefully an allergy pill will knock out whatever it is that I'm feeling.

Thanks to everyone for all of the help, support, and prayers. Hopefully this nightmare will soon be over.

I'm not getting my hopes up, but...

Things were better today. Yesterday was his first day off of the antibiotics. His white blood count (WBC) had gone as low as 1.3 and rose to 1.5 yesterday. A low WBC is apparently as dangerous as a high one. Without enough white blood cells your body can't fight infection. His kidney levels and several others things improved slightly as well. He looked terrible though yesterday. He slept most of the day and when he did wake up he was exhausted. So much so that his speech was slurred. Everytime he got out of bed he became faint and had the cold sweats and light-headed feeling. He did not run fever yesterday or have the chills.

Today his kidney levels were in the normal range and his WBC reached 2.0. Normal is 4.8 to about 9. It is baby steps, but even the ID doctor is saying the surgeon may have been right. Again no fever or chills today and the cold sweats were less. He did sleep most of the day again. The docs are saying that his body is just wore out from the fight against the antibiotics for the last five days. I went back up to the hospital around 6:30 this evening and brought him Taco Bell. The surgeon was trying to give him a pep talk and told him if he didn't want to eat the hospital food maybe I could bring him a treat...like Taco Bell. His face lit up because he loves that mess. So he ate 1 1/2 soft tacos and really enjoyed them. After that we washed him up and changed his bed. For those of you that have seen him recently we also shaved that horrible mustache and beard off as well! Then he sat up in bed the rest of the evening drinking apple juice and eating crackers. I really think things are heading in the right direction. They are still running more cultures on his blood to make sure no other infections pop up.

They also put a PICC line in him this week. This is an IV line that goes into a deep vein in his arm. They can give him any meds through this line and draw blood from there as well. He will also see a nutritionist and work with physical therapy tomorrow. He needs to start building up his strength again.

Laura went to visit her new school yesterday and seemed to like the place. She will start Monday for a few hours each day. Daley is going to VBS next week at LOL. It will be a nice break for both children. Also, our anniversay is on Sunday. I don't know what calendar I was looking at before. He will be in the hospital, but hopefully he will still be improving.

We will see what his WBC looks like tomorrow. Maybe he can start having visitors again on Sunday.

A quick update

We just found out this morning that he is now on reverse isolation. He's not on any antibiotics so his visitors need to be limited and I'll have to take special precautions not to pass any germs to him. So please don't visit for the next few days. I'll update everyone when this changes.

I was wrong...

Today was a bad day. Danny called this morning to let me know that he was on his couch enjoying his french toast for breakfast when he decided his sheets needed to be changed. He strolled out of his room to the nurse's station to make his request. On his way back he felt light headed and remembered that I told him to immediately sit down if he ever had that feeling again. He was sitting down and his bottom reached the ground when he fainted again. He was in the hallway so the nurses rushed over and even a neurologist that was on the floor making rounds. They took his blood pressure and it was very low. They took it again a few minutes later and it was normal. They checked his blood sugar levels and did some sort of EKG on him. The neurologist ordered that he be hooked up to a heart monitor and the lab people came in to draw blood. All that being said we still don't know what caused this.

I've basically been crying all day. I guess everything is catching up to me and it all flooded out over the course of the day. I've also decided to put Laura in day care which has upset me. I planned on doing this in August when I went back to work anyway, but I guess I wasn't ready for it now. I'm hoping to get a teaching job for the fall, but so far I haven't had any calls. Whether it is a business position or teaching position I must go back to work full-time very soon. I found a day care close to home and I went for a visit today. I really liked the facility and didn't have any reservations at all. That helped ease my emotions over this decision. She will start Monday for a few hours each day. I just can't entertain her right now and it is difficult to come and go when she needs a nap at a certain time each day. Daley is a lot easier to take to the hospital and also much easier to find a sitter for on short notice. Laura won't be 2 until July and still needs a crib for naps which means I can't just take her to somebody's home in most cases.

Besides fainting Danny isn't doing as well as I thought either. His temp tonight was 103.1 and he had a hard time breaking it. The CT scan on his belly came back as improving once again. The docs are puzzled. We are still waiting on the results from the cultures. The infectious disease doc and kidney doc both said that they are very concerned and that he needs the surgery. The surgeon has a different approach...

She wants him off of all antibiotics for 24-48 hours. She came in with this idea and had already called the infectious disease doc. The ID doc said okay except for the vancomycin (sp?). The surgeon got his chart and sat in the room with us for over an hour. Tracking all his meds and when the problems started up again. She then took out her computer and started looking up side effects for all of his drugs. Vancomycin had the following for COMMON (not rare) reactions: fever, chills, nausea, dizziness, and a few others. She then called the ID doc again and said that she wanted to take him off of everything, and that we agreed, and that she would take full responsibility for the decision. We discussed risks and all of that, but figured that he couldn't get much worse than he is now. He was allergic to many, many things as a small child including several medications. He did outgrow them, but it seems reasonable that this could be an allergic reaction since his been on antibiotics for 23 days. They are going to monitor him closely and hopefully avoid surgery at this time. I've read a little about "drug fever" tonight on the internet and it does make sense. I'm praying that this is our answer.

A sense of peace

I truly believe that things are getting better. Danny's fever this evening was only 100.5 and quickly went away without Tylenol. The fluid draining from his tube seems to be looking better. I won't get into the nasty details, but it doesn't look quite so unhealthy. Not much news for today. One of the doctors ordered another CT scan today, but again we won't know the results until tomorrow. This is his 6th scan and the first time he was actually able to drink all of the contrast (dye used for the scan) without quitting or throwing up. I was so very proud of him. He's really struggled with this before. He struggled this time, but with patience and lots of prayer he got through it. The doctors have finally done what I've been asking them to do for the last two days. They are running cultures on his stool, urine, blood, and fluid from the drain. There just has to be a new infection somewhere for him to start running fever again. He ran a fever when he first came into the ER and then for 1 or 2 days after that. Then he was fine for probably 10-12 days. Then came the intense fever again. I'm not a medical person, but I kept saying that there must be a new infection. I'll pray that the results of today's test are clear to the doctors.

He's very emotional today. He misses his children. He's full of gratitude for me always being there for him, which I appreciate, but I try to explain that I signed up for this many years ago and I'm happy to do anything I can for him. Everytime I tell him about a phone call or email I received or what someone has done for us he becomes overwhelmed with gratitude. Through these trying times God is really showing us how truly blessed we are to have such amazing people in our lives. Thank you so much for all of the comments, emails, phone calls, and cards. I've read all of the comments and emails. Sorry I don't always have time to get back to everyone, but I truly appreciate all of the thoughts and prayers.

All of this information is very confusing, but to clear his diagnosis up for everyone--he still has diverticulitis. Even after everything gets better he will have diverticulosis or little bubbles in some part of his colon. He will have to watch his diet and avoid seeds and popcorn as well as increase his fiber intake. About 4 weeks after he is discharged he will have a colonoscopy to determine how much of his colon has the divertculi. We will probably then elect to have surgery to remove a small part of his colon with the bubbles. If he doesn't have the surgery he will risk getting an infection again. We will research it further and get a few more opinions before that, but it is a great posibility that he will have surgery this summer. They could do the surgery now, but it is much more risky becomes everything is irritated and inflamed. He would also very likely have to have a colostomy for a couple of months and then have surgery again to remove the colostomy. That is why it is taking so long for him to get over this. They are trying to treat it and avoid surgery at this time. His surgeon said that at any time we are tired of the course we are on he could elect surgery to remove the abscess and repair the colon. We are not ready for that yet so he may be in the hospital for several more days or weeks.

Monopoly!

I just got home and it is 10:30. I came in tired and sad and read Mandy's comment. It instantly brought a smile to my face. I will bring Monopoly up to the hospital and have some fun. Her comment made me think that there is a silver lining to all of this. Quality time with my husband. I've been working evenings for the last year and between work and the kids we don't get as much time together as we would both like. Now each day we get several hours with just the two of us. Thank you Mandy for reminding me of such good times and making me see the bright side of this situation.

Well we got the results of the CT scan. As far as the belly and abscess things are looking fine. The abscess has decreased in size and they don't see any other problems. His white blood count is still in the normal range as well. He is still running a fever off and on. Tonight around 8 he felt it coming on and they took his temp. It was 102.2. Thirty minutes later it was 102.8. The doctors don't seem that concerned with the fever issue. They say that he is on the best antibiotics around and they will begin to help whatever infection his body is trying to fight off. So for now we are just staying the course! For those of you that have asked about visiting-he is up for it again. He just had a few rough days. The visits are wonderful for him especially when I can't be there. It takes his mind off of things and gives him comfort.

Next Tuesday, June 10th, will be our 12 year wedding anniversary. I really hope he is home by then.

Tomorrow will be day 21

Danny is still in the hospital. Things were going very well and we were sure he'd go home Friday with the drain tube in place. Then Thursday evening he began running a fever. Friday the fever continued so we began to look at the drain tube. It was not suctioning properly and by Saturday the nurses realized part of the tube had a crack in it. They finally repaired the drain tube, but we think it wasn't working for 2 days. This means the infection was building up inside of him once again. The fever has continued in a 5-6 hour cycle. He gets the chills first then comes the fever along with a horrible headache. He takes Tylenol and eventually the fever breaks. He's usually good for a couple of hours before the cycle begins again. The fever has been 101 to 102.5. The pressure and nasuea (don't know if that is spelled right...my mind is shot) have also returned. He basically has all the symptoms he had when we first took him to the ER...except for vomitting. Fortunately he has not done that again. Finally his kidney doctor said that she was worried this morning (Sunday) and ordered another CT scan. Yes he now has a kidney doctor because his creatin (sp?) levels are elevated due to the medications and infection. They finally did the CT scan this evening, but we won't have any results until the morning.

Friday or Saturday the kidney doctor also realized that he had an infected IV line. She thought that this could cause the fever as well. They did an ultrasound on his arm to check for blood clots, but he didn't have any. One less worry. They are having a terrible time keeping an IV in him or drawing blood. Basically all of his veins are shot.

He's very anxious and so am I. A few of the nurses are upsetting me. I don't feel like they take his symptoms seriously enough. Some aren't following infection control practices like they should. Today a nurse put his IV in him without wearing gloves. Another was draining his drain tube and didn't carefully contain the bacteria filled liquid! My nerves are shot as well and I'm sure I'm over reacting with the nurses just a little, but 20 days is a long time for someone to be in the hospital. I'm just trying to prevent any additionaly complications. I'm also staying on him about drinking his Boost (nutritional drink) and walking as much as possible. He gets irritated, but I know these things will help him get better.

The girls are doing okay. They sure miss their daddy though. They have been fortunate enough to have some very loving people help take care of them while I'm at the hospital. Again, I'd be worse than I am if it weren't for our friends, our wonderful church members, our family, our neighbors, and Danny's co-workers.

Please keep us all in your thoughts and prayers.

He's still in the hospital

Today is day 16 without my husband at home. Last Thursday he had a CT scan that showed a very large abscess on his colon. His colon has a microscopic hole in it which was leaking infection into his abdomen. To protect the infection from spreading an abscess formed outside of his colon. They inserted a drain tube through his stomach near his belly button and left it to drain until Tuesday. On Tuesday he had another scan and we really thought they would take it out and he would come home. The radiologist still saw quite a bit of infection so he took the other tube out and inserted a larger drain tube in to the abscess. Much more painful than the first time according to Danny. This was yesterday so Danny was down and out the whole day. He's better today and up walking again. He's on a soft bland diet and slowly regaining energy.

Over the weekend he decided he needed a shower. He couldn't get his IV or the drain tube wet so he stood right outside of the shower and we washed him up. Towards the end when I was changing his gown he said he was lightheaded. I told him to hold on because I was taking off the drain tube and putting it on his new gown. He said then that he was going to faint. I told him to sit down, but it was too late. His eyes rolled back in his head and he just fainted! I've never seen anything like it. I tried to hold him, but couldn't and he fell into the shower and hit his elbow and head. He was completely out of it for about 2 minutes. Then he just snapped out of it and was coherent. Scared me to death! He wasn't injured and the nurses just think it was the steam and medicine in his system.

The doctors think he will be able to come home Friday...with the drain tube in place. They want to keep it in for 7-10 days, but feel by Friday he'll be strong enough to come home. I was a little hesitant about that at first, but I think we can handle it. I will have to empty it and record the amount as well as monitor his temperature.

This has been a roller coaster for our family. I could not have made it this long without the support from our family, our friends, and our church. Thank God for those people.

Please continue to pray for his recovery.

Update on Danny

Danny is still in the hospital and will likely remain there until at least this weekend. The docs changed their diagnosis after a second CT scan. He now has diverticulitis (sp?). Diverticulosis is a condition he's probably had for 5 or more years. The colon is strained and forms little bubbles that bulge out of the colon. If food or waste becomes trapped in one of these bubbles it will become infected...thus becoming diverticulitis. Anyway, he has a bad infection and a microscopic hole in his colon. To avoid emergency surgery he is being pumped full of very strong antibiotics. Please pray for him to overcome this without surgery. Surgery on an inflamed and infected colon can be very risky.

His spirits are getting better. He was becoming very depressed and not wanting to walk or bathe or talk or watch TV. The docs finally allowed him to have a liquid diet and I think that has helped him. For 5 days he was only allowed ice chips. He now has more energy and is walking more, which will also help his recovery. He actually watched some movies yesterday and today. Yesterday morning I asked him if he wanted to come down to my office later to watch the Astros' game on the internet (he's in the hospital where I work). He said no and I said that I would get him a radio to listen to it instead. He snapped at me and said he didn't care about baseball. Well that broke my heart because anybody that knows him knows he LOVES baseball. Later that evening he asked me to get him a radio because he would like to listen to the games. That was a huge improvement. Too bad the Astros lost 14 to 1 I think!

If you would like to send him a message go to memorialhermann.org and click on the e-greetings link on the bottom right hand side. The location is in the Woodlands and the room number is 5251.

Please keep us all in your prayers. I'm making it, but Daley and Laura are having a hard time dealing with him away from home and me coming and going like crazy. They seem to start getting upset as soon as they hear someone knocking at the door. They know it will be a sitter and that means mommy is leaving yet again. They really both miss their daddy terribly. Maybe it wouldn't be so hard if they didn't have such a wonderful and involved father. I work every evening so they are home with him every night and they are certainly missing that time together.

Please pray for Danny

My husband, the love of my life, is in the hospital right now and needs everyone to pray for a speedy recovery. We've been told he has colitis, but really don't understand what that is and why it would cause such a long stay in the hospital. Monday afternoon he came home from work feeling "yucky". That evening he began running fever and running to the restroom. After about 12 hours of all of that stuff he was in terrible pain. We decided it was best to go to the ER. After 8 hours of misery in the ER and after a x-ray and CT scan, they told him he had colitis or inflamation of the colon. The best way to treat this was IV antibiotics and pain medicine in the hospital. Originally they said 48-72 hours, but now the docs are saying he may not go home until the weekend or later. He's not really improving either. He still has severe nausea and pain. They are changing the antibiotic to one that isn't quite so strong believing that the antibiotic could be causing the nausea. They are also doing another x-ray on his tummy to make sure everything still looks okay. Fortunately, the girls have 2 wonderful grandmothers that live very close so I'm able to spend the night with him and part of the day.

Added frustration...Laura started running a fever today. Ibuprofen hasn't worked yet either.

Please keep Danny in your prayers.

Good, Bad, or Laura?

Danny took a day off this week so I could go to an appointment. Daley was at school that day and Danny spent the morning taking care of Laura. When I got home I asked Laura if she had been a good girl. She immediately said bad, but that is only because she says the opposite of what I say when discussing her behavior. So I asked Danny was she good or bad today. He just looked at me so I said "well was she good or bad or was she just Laura?". He began laughing and said "Yes...she was just Laura". If you know her well you will understand. She is such a comedian...just like her father I might add. She is a loving baby as well, but a little prankster. Her favorite thing to do right now is to pretend she's going to kiss us and instead head butt us. She especially likes to do this to her Nana. Before this she would go in for a kiss and give us a juicy raspberry instead.

This afternoon I left Daley and Laura in the living room after lunch while I went to put my make up on. When I returned (maybe 5 mins) Laura was sitting at the table eating a pear and a nectarine. She had crawled up on the table and got both pieces of fruit out of the bowl. After some pictures I cut them both up for her to eat. I had to because they both had little bite marks all over them. What a stinker!

Daley's grandma and grandpa gave her money for her birthday this year. She decided she was ready for a new bike. It is a pretty big bike, but she's getting more comfortable on it. It will be a while before we can start teaching her to ride without training wheels because of the height, but that's okay. I'm in no rush for her to grow up.

Here is a picture of Daley when she was about Laura's age-19 months. What a cutie!

This a picture of Daley around 2 and a half.

Here is a picture of Danny. Now you see where the girls get their good looks!

Daley's 5th Birthday

Daley turned 5 on March 4th. We had a wonderful party at a park in The Woodlands. I can't believe how big she is getting. I feel like this birthday was a real milestone. She's no longer a toddler and she won't be a preschooler much longer. She's just going to be a kid now. I'm sure that doesn't make any sense, but birthdays tend to be emotional for me.

Here are some pictures from the party.

Daley and Wesley digging into the cake

Present time!

Laura giving the horse a kiss and hug

Laura taking a swing at the pinata

Lindsay and Erika are 2 girls that volunteer at the hospital. They've taken Daley ice skating before and Erika has babysat for us. Daley invited them to her party and they used their artistic talents to paint faces at the party. They did a wonderful job and the kids really loved it!