July 2010

July 23/2010

Well...it is with a heavy heart that I say tonight, we have taken a step back. Today, Denis was such a trooper...he tried and tried to work his lungs and clear the fluids himself, to no avail. Early this evening, he requested the tube go back in, as he said, “I have never been so tired in my life and I have no more to give” The doctors agreed the tube would be the best option. They will try the tube for a couple of days, just to give him a break from working so hard. If he is too tired, his body won't heal.

I know at a time like this, you want to say, “I am sorry”. This I know, because as humans, that is what we do. So because I know that you are Sorry, I ask that you NOT say it in writing. Instead, I ask you to turn to a loved one, and tell them, you love them or just give them a hug and say nothing. As for me (and I think, Denis). Just tell us, you are praying (in whatever form you do so) for his lungs to clear themselves of fluids and become strong enough to move on to the road of recovery (whatever that might be). It's all about the power of positive thoughts. The universe will take care of everything else.

July 25,2010

I just spoke with Nicole (his sister) at the hospital Denis is doing OK today. He is still struggling to keep his lungs cleared of fluids. He needed the aid of suction this afternoon. Which is why they had to put the tube back in the first place. Afterwords, they took another x-ray. They said, things look better than a couple of days ago. They want him to sit up at least 15 minutes a day. Today he was able to tolerate 1 hour and 15 minutes. Ya honey, .! In other news, he received a new bed...it's an airbed. It will help with his circulation. That coupled with the nurses changing his position every two hours, we are hopeful that we won't have to deal with any extra complications. In the coming days, the will try to remove his tube again. Again time will tell on that one, if it doesn't work, they won't try the tube again, instead they'll put a tempory tracheotomy. As for visitors...stay tuned. I know everyone is anxious to see him....as he is you., but a very more days is needed.

July 28/10 -

It's been a bitter/sweet day - As you know we have been waiting for the docs to remove the tube from his throat for the past two days (the sweet part). Well, today was the day..! However, (the bitter part), he required a tracheotomy. :-(. For the most part he is breathing on his own, but his cough is still weak. So, because he can't cough, he is unable to clear his lungs without the aid of suction. We are hopeful this is only a temporary aid. Tomorrow is going to be a big day. Two things are expected to happen, first he gets to test drive his own wheel chair and second they (docs) plan is to wean him from the ventalator, SOOOO, that test drive might involve leaving the confines of the ICU room. <crosses fingers>. Even though the tube is gone, it'll be a couple of days before he can talk. I suspect he'll be able to get visitors by the weekend. However, in saying that. He is still in the ICU, so they (nurses) will limit the amount of visitors he gets.

July 29th/10

Last night Denis didn't sleep much, he is finding it hard to get comfortable at times. Having a tracheotomy is a new experience for him. It'll take some time to get use to. As I mentioned yesterday he was going to have a ride in his chair, however he has since develop an infection somewhere. He has also developed a bit of a temp. They sent cultures of his urine and blood, and took a x-ray of his lungs this morning – we r waiting for results. They have also started him on Antibotics. They are going to let him rest today until the antibotics kick in. Tomorrow maybe we'll go for that ride. ;-) Something I forgot to tell you yesterday, we have been asked to part-take in a new study for pain mediation for Spinal Cord Injuries(SCI). Those who have suffered a SCI, will likely suffer (4 out of 10) nerve damage pain, which I understand can be quite painful. The meds are commonly used on SCI patients after the pain starts, which are very effective. However they want to see if giving the pain meds, before it starts the pain even starts can prevent it all together. I am quite excited by that, because I feel that it will help open the doors or other leading edge technology studies and trials, not to mention, he'll be observed VERY closely over the next 18 months. Now for the best part FOLKS..! he moved a finger today...! It's called a flinch. It's a very minor movement, but it was intentional. Go honey..!

July 29/10

Well....folks...

A sentence that starts with a statement like, you know can't be good. Today Denis's heart rate dropped extremely low. So low, they are VERY concerned. This is the second time this has happened, however today's episode resulted in him passing out. He was trying to cough when it happened. As a result, he cause quite a stir in the ICU. So, within the next two days, Denis will be heading to the OR to get himself a Pace Maker....yup, As he put it.....”This is not funny anymore”. FYI – he said it with a smile, still. As per this mornings note: He has an infection, x-rays came back and it looks like it's in the lungs, they tell us this is common. So as soon as the antibotics kick in, they'll get him ready for his pace maker. The doctor described it to us, like this. This sometimes happens to SCI pts. (do you remember what that is?....Spinal Cord Injuries<grin>) There are two signals that are sent to the heart via the nervous system, one tells your heart to speed up and one tells your heart to slow down...between the two of them they balance each other out. In Denis's case, the signal that tells his heart to speed up gets interrupted along the way...a bump in the roadway as she (doc) described. So there is only one signal that says....slow down. The doc says, overtime say a couple of months, this should heal and the signals “should” be normal again. However, we can't afford to wait for several months, the risks of his heart slowing down that much are too great. So inserting a pace maker is our safest option. He doesn't like it when I leave, so I'll be sticking around for a couple more days, then heading home to our boys. I'll write more later.

July 30/10

I came in this morning and Denis was so happy, that he was almost floating off the bed. Two things happened over night that make him smile (aside from my presence) – He finally got a full nights sleep and then when he woke, he was able to breathe. We had a great day together, however it is now 8:15pm and still waiting to hear about the pace maker surgery. They have taken him off food, it's been since this morning. They have him on a waiting list, with no time line in sight. We are not sure how long they make him wait, before they give up for the day and feed the poor guy. And just for the record, he is not happy about getting a pace maker but, like everything else, he is excepting of what is. Such a trooper, Love that guy.!!

July 31/10

This one is a long one <smile> - Just to start with – Today was a good day. Got in this morning, even though Denis didn't get much sleep last night, he was smiling. They stopped feeding him around 6:00am this morning, in preps for his pace maker. FYI – about ½ hour after last nights posts – they said, no OR time and gave him some food, well...what they call food – it's of the liquid kind. Anyways, they were on the money today, he got his pace maker. Everything went well. Denis was awake for the whole thing and he said, it was a breeze. Hardly felt a thing, his words were. “It was kinda cool”. As I stated in my last post, Denis was not thrilled about getting a pace maker, however we have since realize the grave danger than he could be in, without it. Apparently, as we found out today. His heart didn't just slow down, to the point of passing out. It actually stopped. For 9 seconds..! I know..!! OMG. So, now it shouldn't be an issue anymore. The little computer in his chest, will give him a jolt when it drops below 50 beats per minute. ;-) .

I left today shortly after 2:00pm, They were planning to try him in his chair today. It's important that they get him sitting up, as he needs that to help strengthen those breathing muscles Unfortunately he still has a touch of ammonia, so that is not helping his case none. They are also trying him off his ventilator today. I hope that goes well for him. AND <jumping out of my skin>, I am saving the best for last. Before I left today, I had the privilege of seeing My Hunny. lift his own arm, but himself..!. He was laying on his back (in a semi-upright position), with his arm resting on a pillow. He looked at me with those eyes, that says – “check this out” and a grin from ear to ear . He brought his hand upward towards the ceiling and then, lifted his whole arm off the pillow. It was a perfect sight for me to see, and have implanted in my mind all the way home this afternoon. FYI – I arrived home to another wonderful homecoming with my boys and I am armed with the knowledge of what to say and how to help them, thanks to a wonderful counselor at the hospital. We are hopefully Denis will be able to talk next week, if so, the boys and I will be heading up to see DADDY. If you are wondering why I can write so much today..I got a full 8 hours sleep last night...yay.