Starting to feel a little cooped up!

See the bird flying high on the wall – just about to fly into the blue sky? That’s Daddy – he’s just about ready to break out of here and run. Cooped up can be a great motivator.

This is a shot of the magnificent wide open sky at Lake Powell this past October when we were out there. I think that Daddy is ready for some of the wide-open sky out in Albuquerque.

This new place is v e r y did I say v…e…r…y slow paced! One nurse came in today and was shocked that Daddy is in his pj’s and robe.  Wait ‘til he’s up and dressed. They’ll wonder who he’s visiting.

Seriously though, we are so blessed because most of the other patients in this hospital are not nearly as mobile as Daddy. We are so grateful for the prayers of everyone on Daddy and Mama's behalf, we know that they make a difference. 

Dr. Casar came by at mid-day today and said that Daddy’s X-ray from last week looks really good. They continue to monitor the fluid or lack of – around his lungs. The hope is that with the stronger heart from the bypass that his heart will get stronger each day.

Most days now Daddy is up and walking at least five times and sits in a chair most of the time. If he’s not too cranky then we let him take a nap.

The next step from here will probably be to go to son Kenneth’s house and have in-home physical therapy or outpatient therapy. We should know more by the end of the week. I think it will be sometime between Friday and Monday when he is released. Then – from there Mama and Daddy will go home to Albuquerque and have some more physical therapy and then – he won’t need it any more!! 

It’s supposed to get cold here in the next couple of days. We aren’t used to cold winters down here close to the Gulf Coast. Usually it’s already spring by now! So I’m leaving you will a photo of one of our nightly fires from last October at Lake Powell. Hope it warms you up like your love and prayers warm our family.

With love, Laura

         Stan, Carol, Stacie, Kathryn, and Kenneth

A little progress report for you today

My last update was Thursday, February 11^th.  On Friday the 12^th Daddy was good to go to get the fluid drained from one lung and then on Saturday he got the other lung drained.

When he came back from the first one he already had great relief and could breath much better. Then on Saturday it was again much easier to breathe!

One of the things that I’ve learned during my time spent at the hospital watching the activity of the doctors and nurses, is that there is a great deal of trial and error with the treatment (of course it is educated trial and error). One of the things that happened with Daddy is that they had been treating him with medicines to get the fluid off of his lungs and then when it was suddenly gone the result was that his blood pressure dropped dramatically. So we spend Saturday and Sunday working to get his blood pressure back up to normal.

This is what Daddy looks like when his blood pressure is too low! Well, not quite – his eyes weren’t open. Absolutely no energy – and very, very sleepy the whole day. Today it’s back up and he has already gotten up and walked a couple of times, so we are indeed making good progress.

All of the incisions are healing great. The doctors and nurses here at St. Luke’s are fantastic. I come in with a list of questions every morning and they listen to each one and address it with care.

Dr. Casar, the pulmonologist here and the follow up doctor for Dr. Coselli the surgeon, is wonderful and tells me that Daddy is making good progress. So we feel that we are in great hands.

Please continue your prayers, they are felt and so deeply appreciated by Daddy and our family.

With love, Laura

We are still hanging out at the hospital

Well, I know I’ve been a little remiss about updating you all. It's been a little busy around this joint! I’ll briefly bring you up to date.

Daddy is still here at St. Luke's because he has some lung congestion. He has three things. First he has pulmonary edema that they are treating with medicine; second he has some COPD that they are also treating with medicine; finally he has some fluid building up in the sac around his lungs. He’s having some difficulty getting his breath, but not all the time. The medicines are helping most of the time.

He’s going to have the needle aspiration procedure again to drain one lung and then the other one the next day. Most likely this will happen between Friday and Sunday sometime.

Other news is that he’s getting more physical therapy and getting a little stronger each day. He is walking about three times a day and that makes everyone so happy. Who knew walking could put such a giggle in everyone!

I want to let you all know that when I get an email or comment on this blog, I print them out when I’m at home and take them to him to read. He and Mama really appreciate all of your love and prayers.

love, Laura

Tough day but Moving in a good direction

Thank you all so much for your kind words and prayers for Daddy and for Mama. We have felt  them and fell so blessed. 

This is what Daddy is looking like these days. He’s doing whatever it takes to make this work!! By the way this is Stubbie our friendly and very cute backyard squirrel. She thinks she is a bird most days though.

Daddy had his most physically active day so far. He was up walking three times today, as well as doing some chair exercises. He is practicing his "getting in and out" of chairs faithfully. How about any of you? Practicing??? Better get to doing them -- turns out to be very important.

He is being treated for his pulmonary edema with breathing treatments every four hours. They have really helped open his airways in his lungs. He’s breathing much better and not wheezing.

He watched the Super Bowl yesterday and rooted for the underdog who won! His favorite commercial was the Betty White one, of course.

I want to let you know that any emails that you have sent to me, I take to the hospital and we read them to Daddy. He is so grateful for all of his friends and family.

So - on to a new day tomorrow.

love, Laura

Saturday a tough day

Daddy had a little bit of a tough day yesterday. More pain and discomfort. He very quickly developed pulmonary edema, but the doctors got on it pretty quickly and he's doing better today.
I'm on a slow computer at the hospital - so no picture today.

Please keep Daddy/Stan in your prayers.

Love,
Laura

It's a Good Thing

Stan and Carol’s daughter Kathryn stayed at the hospital most of the day today and had a lot of exciting progress to report for Daddy!

Do NOT tell Daddy, but this is kind of what he’s looking like. Kind of like a baby heron learning to get up and walk around. A little bit of a shocked look on his face! But just like this little heron, pretty soon he’ll be up running the halls and the nurses will be wishing he were just a little less mobile! 

Say “just a little less moe-bile” with a southern accent – it sounds really cool. Just about anything you say with a southern accent sounds pretty cool. Y’all have probably noticed how Daddy can put on a thick southern accent when he wants to. (Don’t tell him I said that either!)

He got out of bed today a couple of times today and walked over to his chair. The more he sits up the better it is. He took a couple of short naps. He got to eat solid food!

The physical therapist came in and did an assessment of where he is now and what he needs to be doing. She helped him with some exercises and showed him how to get up out of the bed and out of a chair. Apparently we are all doing it wrong. Never use your arms, only your legs. Who knew?

It’s important that he not use his upper body for anything, only legs. You can imagine that big old incision in his chest and what using his arms for things would feel like and might cause happen.

The physical therapist had him walk just a little bit today. And each day it will increase a little more.

You can’t imagine how wonderful it is to see him up. This time 17 years ago, he wasn’t even close to this far along. We may have to get a lock for the door if he gets too sure of himself. He’ll just walk out and find a ride to the airport if we’re not careful. 

 

This is what the spirometer looks like. This is what he sucks many, many times a day to make sure that his lungs stay clear from the surgery. It also helps him build up strength and keep infections away. It’s a good thing. 

Kathryn got to see the surgeon today, Dr. Coselli. That was such a relief. We have only been talking to nurses or doctors we didn't know, but Dr. Coselli was able to answer many of our questions about the surgery and the plan for treatment.

We are grateful for each new day, and appreciate the friends and family who love and pray for us.

love, Laura

Anniversary Day

Wow, today was Daddy's 17-year anniversary for getting his mechanical heart valve - February 4, 1993. Here he is in the hospital again with open-heart surgery - a little different this time. The valve was still good - so they didn't replace it. 

He's tired, but good. He's doing his breathing spirometer and beginning to get up and sit in a chair for short periods of time. 

May he'll walk tomorrow - we'll see! They get you going a lot faster than they used to.
     

This is going to be Daddy when they try to get him up walking! He'll be holding onto the bed rails with all his might!!! He’s such a rascal! ;-)

love, Laura

Third Day!

Well, heart surgery is light years ahead of where it was 17 years ago! Daddy was already moved to a room today. When he had his valve replaced in 1993 - he was still flat on his back and pretty much out of  it. He didn't get moved to a room for many, many days after surgery.

He's already been sitting up in a chair since yesterday. He's had some of his tubes removed and pain medicine given. He's fussed at the nurses and then told them they were angels!  They will have him up and walking soon. That's going to be the really tough part.

He is in pain, but the medicine is mostly controlling it.

The most important thing is that he's very, very happy. He knows there's pain involved in the recovery, but you know Stan - he's a fighter!

Our family loves you all and your support and prayers.

love, Laura

February 1st - Surgery Day

Mama and Daddy got to St. Luke’s this morning at about 5:40 and when they got upstairs the nurses took him right into a room.  The four of us kids and Mama got to visit with him in his room and give him encouragement and love.  Then at about 8:00AM they took him into surgery.

We all settled into the CardioVascular waiting room where a nurse comes in every 1½ hours and gives an updated report of what is going on with each patient. At 9:15 she said he was asleep and they were beginning the surgery preparation.

At 10:40AM they had opened up Daddy's chest and were getting ready to put him on the heart/lung bypass machine. She told us that they were going to do the Dacron aortic sleeve and then one bypass. No new valve.

At the 1:40 visit they came in and said that they were in the "drying up" phase - stopping the blood flow, etc. and then would wire him closed, and then close the muscle and tissue.

At 3:20 the nurse told us that he is in ICU Recovery and we would be able to see him in just a little while. Boy were we happy to hear that!

It took a little while but they took us back to see Daddy at 4:05PM. We got to visit with Dr. Oliveira his Cardiologist (the surgeon is Dr. Coselli). Dr. Oliveira had asked me to email him when Daddy was just about finished. He said that the surgery was around 6 hours long. He said that Daddy was not bleeding (as of 4PM) and that he was sedated. Daddy had the Dacron aortic graft put in, no new valve, and a SVG bypass to the left side of his heart. They did not use the mammary artery. The SVG is the saphenous vein from his left leg and the ‘G’ stands for graft once they use it in his heart for the bypass.

We got to see Daddy for just a few minutes and left to go back to the waiting room. He was asleep and on pain meds, and of course had a breathing tube in his throat. They will most likely take it out in the morning around 7-8AM.

We got to go back in at 5:15PM and learned that after our 4:05 visit was over, they woke Daddy up and had him wiggle his fingers and toes. He was in some pain so they gave him some more pain medicine. There were specialized pacemaker technicians at his bedside “interrogating” or checking on his pacemaker to see how it came through surgery. Because of all of the electrical activity during surgery, they are trained to make sure that it is still functioning properly.

The nurse said that Dr. Casar (Dr. Coselli’s eyes and ears in ICU) would see daddy in the morning and decide what course to take after the night is over. He will assess how Daddy is and decide when to take out the breathing tube and when to wake him up. The nurses were thinking that it would probably still be around 11AM. 

The nurse suggested that we come back in the morning for the 10AM visit and we will be able to find out more about the plan for Daddy’s recovery. At this time they think that he will be in ICU for up to four days, then possibly another six or so in recovery.

That’s what we know so far. Thank you so very much for your emails and encouraging words of faith and love.

Laura