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.
Saturday, July 21, 2007
Saturday, July 14, 2007
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.
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.
Sunday, July 8, 2007
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.
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.
Friday, July 6, 2007
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.
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.
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!
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!
Tuesday, July 3, 2007
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.
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.
Monday, July 2, 2007
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.
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.
Sunday, July 1, 2007
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.
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.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)