It's so good to be able to post this from the comfort of my house. Tim and I are finally home, and he continues to heal and progress at lightning speed. He is adjusting to the volume level with his two boys running around him like hurricanes, but it's such an amazing sound it's hard to complain. They boys are having a bit of a time trying to stay off their daddy, but they are all smiles!!
Tim wanted me to tell you all that he is so grateful for all of your thoughts and prayers, and know that they truly helped in this process.
We are hopeful that with a few more days of rest and healing, he will begin to feel better and better, and that our follow up appointments will continue to bring good news. I will update this with news from those appointments probably later this week or early next. Hope everyone has a great week, and thanks again for your support.... so blessed!!
Monday, January 26, 2009
Friday, January 23, 2009
"We're OUT!!!"
There it is... the title I've been waiting for!!
Yippeeeeee - We were discharged from St. Mary's late this morning and are settled in to the Hampton Inn in Rochester for the night. Tim was not up to driving quite yet, so we're going to get him a good night's sleep and head for Des Moines tomorrow. We figure 3 hours will be just about the limit of how much time he can take in the car, so we're breaking the trip up to two days (at the least) barring any set backs.
As for how he's feeling... let's just say Amen for pain pills. He's really continuing to progress at lightning speed, and surpassing every goal we seem to set for him. I look forward to getting him home and into his own bed, and then just more rest, walking, and meds. Seeing how he lost more than half of his own blood during the operation, at this point he's got a long road to getting his body back to "normal" but is off to a running start.
I'm hoping to post on Sunday night with news that we're home!!
Yippeeeeee - We were discharged from St. Mary's late this morning and are settled in to the Hampton Inn in Rochester for the night. Tim was not up to driving quite yet, so we're going to get him a good night's sleep and head for Des Moines tomorrow. We figure 3 hours will be just about the limit of how much time he can take in the car, so we're breaking the trip up to two days (at the least) barring any set backs.
As for how he's feeling... let's just say Amen for pain pills. He's really continuing to progress at lightning speed, and surpassing every goal we seem to set for him. I look forward to getting him home and into his own bed, and then just more rest, walking, and meds. Seeing how he lost more than half of his own blood during the operation, at this point he's got a long road to getting his body back to "normal" but is off to a running start.
I'm hoping to post on Sunday night with news that we're home!!
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Out of ICU
Good Evening, and a good one it is. I'm hanging out here next to my wonderful husband as he eats cream of chicken soup, orange jello (for the second time today) and vanilla ice cream :)
He's moved out of ICU and on to the fifth floor of St. Mary's. His general surgery resident was just by a bit a go and is impressed with his progress. I'm completely amazed at how quickly his incision is healing this time and am so pleased they used sutures that dissolve on their own and have proven to be a much better prospect than getting the staples pulled!!
They are now only concerned with his lungs and some fluid they found in the lower lobes while doing a chest x-ray this morning. But the best cure for that is gravity, so we've been walking a lot and working on a breathing machine they give him to use ten times an hour.
Overall, his recovery is moving along way more quickly than I ever expected, and at this rate, we'll be outta here by the weekend. They've asked us to stay in Rochester at least one night after we get discharged to make sure he tolerates the outside world OK :)
At this point, it seems to be downhill ride and I'm just coasting along right beside him cheering him on along the way!! I can't say enough about how your support has helped us both throughout this entire process, and I am overwhelmed at just how blessed we are!!
I can't wait for the post that's titled "We're out"
He's moved out of ICU and on to the fifth floor of St. Mary's. His general surgery resident was just by a bit a go and is impressed with his progress. I'm completely amazed at how quickly his incision is healing this time and am so pleased they used sutures that dissolve on their own and have proven to be a much better prospect than getting the staples pulled!!
They are now only concerned with his lungs and some fluid they found in the lower lobes while doing a chest x-ray this morning. But the best cure for that is gravity, so we've been walking a lot and working on a breathing machine they give him to use ten times an hour.
Overall, his recovery is moving along way more quickly than I ever expected, and at this rate, we'll be outta here by the weekend. They've asked us to stay in Rochester at least one night after we get discharged to make sure he tolerates the outside world OK :)
At this point, it seems to be downhill ride and I'm just coasting along right beside him cheering him on along the way!! I can't say enough about how your support has helped us both throughout this entire process, and I am overwhelmed at just how blessed we are!!
I can't wait for the post that's titled "We're out"
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Amazing progress
Good Morning,
It's taken me a while to get a new post going because when I got to the hospital at just after 6:00 this morning, they were getting ready to remove the breathing tube and get things going. After waiting for what seemed like an eternity for the respiratory doctor to "sign off" the nurse made a decision to go ahead and extubate him. Since then he's stepped down from the oxygen mask to the nasal tubes and has been switched over to an as needed pain button instead of the continual infusion. He's also, amazingly enough, been out of his bed and seated in a chair. It's so much more than I ever expected, and a phenomenal sign of how his recovery is going to progress.
His nurse today is an amazing gal who is of an aggressive mindset, that can only mean good things for Tim. Not to mention a bit of a smart alick whose dished it right back when Tim's smart tongue has revealed itself :) I could not ask for more at this point and am so excited for what today is going to bring.
We look forward to moving from the ICU floor, and when that happens, I'll post again!!
GOD BLESS every one of you for your thoughts and prayers, I cannot express to you my appreciation and sense of comfort that I feel knowing we are blessed with and surrounded by such amazing friends and family.
It's taken me a while to get a new post going because when I got to the hospital at just after 6:00 this morning, they were getting ready to remove the breathing tube and get things going. After waiting for what seemed like an eternity for the respiratory doctor to "sign off" the nurse made a decision to go ahead and extubate him. Since then he's stepped down from the oxygen mask to the nasal tubes and has been switched over to an as needed pain button instead of the continual infusion. He's also, amazingly enough, been out of his bed and seated in a chair. It's so much more than I ever expected, and a phenomenal sign of how his recovery is going to progress.
His nurse today is an amazing gal who is of an aggressive mindset, that can only mean good things for Tim. Not to mention a bit of a smart alick whose dished it right back when Tim's smart tongue has revealed itself :) I could not ask for more at this point and am so excited for what today is going to bring.
We look forward to moving from the ICU floor, and when that happens, I'll post again!!
GOD BLESS every one of you for your thoughts and prayers, I cannot express to you my appreciation and sense of comfort that I feel knowing we are blessed with and surrounded by such amazing friends and family.
Monday, January 19, 2009
More news from the ICU
Hi All...
It's now about 8:00 pm and it's been a pretty long day. I'm sitting along side Tim's bed in the ICU but am thrilled that a member of the Neurosurgeon's team was by a while ago and gave Tim a great review. He has full function of his legs and all of his nerves check out. He is not in any pain and will remain here tonight and into the morning tomorrow. I am hopeful that he will do well enough tonight that the breathing tube can be removed and we can be upgraded to a non-ICU room where he can be brought out of sedation so I can see the smile on his face when he truly knows he is tumor free!!
Your prayers have and continue to be a blessing to me. I'm sure they have played a major role in the overall success that today has been. Please continue to pray that his body heals and we can move on down this road more tomorrow.
I'll continue to update as his status changes.
It's now about 8:00 pm and it's been a pretty long day. I'm sitting along side Tim's bed in the ICU but am thrilled that a member of the Neurosurgeon's team was by a while ago and gave Tim a great review. He has full function of his legs and all of his nerves check out. He is not in any pain and will remain here tonight and into the morning tomorrow. I am hopeful that he will do well enough tonight that the breathing tube can be removed and we can be upgraded to a non-ICU room where he can be brought out of sedation so I can see the smile on his face when he truly knows he is tumor free!!
Your prayers have and continue to be a blessing to me. I'm sure they have played a major role in the overall success that today has been. Please continue to pray that his body heals and we can move on down this road more tomorrow.
I'll continue to update as his status changes.
Recovering in ICU
Tim is out of surgery, has been to x-ray to make sure nothing was left behind :), and is on his way to ICU for the night. He will have a breathing tube in until at least tomorrow morning, and while that is in tact he will remain sedated. His uncle said he's never fully coherent anyway :)
I am looking forward to seeing him after they've got him settled in his room and will post again with more details after I've spent a few minutes with him.
I am looking forward to seeing him after they've got him settled in his room and will post again with more details after I've spent a few minutes with him.
IT'S OUT!!
Just a quick update. We were informed that the incision was made at 11:18 and our communicator called a bit ago to tell us.... IT'S OUT!! We know that the positive side to that is less time in surgery and under anesthetic means much quicker and easier recovery for Tim.
Not much more to say at this time except...
IT'S OUT and those are probably the most relieving and amazing words I've heard in a very long time!! I'll send more when I get more, but continue to pray for his healing.
Not much more to say at this time except...
IT'S OUT and those are probably the most relieving and amazing words I've heard in a very long time!! I'll send more when I get more, but continue to pray for his healing.
FINALLY
That seems to be the best way to describe my mindset at the present time. We are finally here and he's been admitted, dressed in the lovely gowns and wheeled off to the preop area. We are in a family waiting room that is full of a lot of families going through the very same thing. I am sitting with Mary and Deb Rutledge (Tim's cousin) and across from us is an automatically updating board that will continually show his status as he's called to the OR, enters the OR, starts the procedure etc. It's really nice to have that immediate feedback on his status. After he is assigned a room in the hospital, we will be allowed to go there and remain until he finishes in recovery. After we leave this floor, we will no longer have the benefit of the update board, but we have a "communicator" that will be giving us updates from the surgery room every 2 hours.
Everyone we come into contact with here, the admissions clerk, the intake nurse, etc. are impressed with the team of doctors that will be operating on Tim today. We've heard numerous comments on their level of expertise, amount of experience and just the general feeling of being in the best care possible. It's reasurring :)
I will try to get updates as we get new information, but will definitely post after the surgery is over and I am looking at Tim's "beautiful blues". Thanks so much for you prayers, just knowing you are all thinking of him is a major comfort to me!!
Everyone we come into contact with here, the admissions clerk, the intake nurse, etc. are impressed with the team of doctors that will be operating on Tim today. We've heard numerous comments on their level of expertise, amount of experience and just the general feeling of being in the best care possible. It's reasurring :)
I will try to get updates as we get new information, but will definitely post after the surgery is over and I am looking at Tim's "beautiful blues". Thanks so much for you prayers, just knowing you are all thinking of him is a major comfort to me!!
Friday, January 16, 2009
Day 2 and 2 more Doctors
It's Friday night, and we now have a face associated with all 4 members of Tim's surgical team, after meeting the Urology and Vascular surgeons earlier this afternoon. During both consultations, we heard more of the same information and answered many of the same questions we were asked on Thursday. It seems that all 4 surgeons are concerned with the proximity of the tumor to vital veins, nerves and organs but are confident they can remove all or a major portion of it without long-term affects to any of these.
So the current plan is to call in Sunday night and at that time we will know the exact time we need to be at Saint Mary's Hospital for surgery. We have been told that best case scenario would be 4 - 6 hour surgery, but I'm banking on around a minimum of 8 hours in the operating room. I will be getting updates every 2 hours on the progress and am thankful for the level of care and concern we have experienced throughout our stay here at Mayo.
I have convinced Tim to make a short trip to the Mall of America tomorrow and am looking forward to some time outside Rochester and "all of these sick people" as he so eloquently put it yesterday while waiting to have his MRI.
I will post an update after we get things started on Monday, and thank you for keeping him in your prayers. I know he is in the best hands and am confident surgery will go well.
So the current plan is to call in Sunday night and at that time we will know the exact time we need to be at Saint Mary's Hospital for surgery. We have been told that best case scenario would be 4 - 6 hour surgery, but I'm banking on around a minimum of 8 hours in the operating room. I will be getting updates every 2 hours on the progress and am thankful for the level of care and concern we have experienced throughout our stay here at Mayo.
I have convinced Tim to make a short trip to the Mall of America tomorrow and am looking forward to some time outside Rochester and "all of these sick people" as he so eloquently put it yesterday while waiting to have his MRI.
I will post an update after we get things started on Monday, and thank you for keeping him in your prayers. I know he is in the best hands and am confident surgery will go well.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Day 1 of testing in the books
Hi all...
We are back at the hotel after a day that began at 6:20 AM with a frigid walk (even through the skywalks) to Tim's first test. He's had blood work, a chest x-ray and an MRI all before lunch :)
We then spent much of the afternoon meeting with 2 of the 4 members of Tim's surgical team. Our first meeting was with the General Surgeon, a woman originally from Germany who put us all at ease from the start. We were very impressed with her and got a lot of questions answered about the surgery and what to expect. We went through the risks and potential outcomes and feel like most of our initial concerns were addressed quite clearly. She did alert us of the possibility that Tim may have to recover in ICU and would remain there if complications arose.
Our second visit was with the Neurologist, Dr. Spinner, who despite being a Duke grad, assured us that he was going to do his best to protect Tim's nerves. He couldn't, however, promise us Tim's golf handicap would go down following surgery. He made it clear that it was going to be a surgery that he felt was going to take most of the day on Monday, but that they would take their time and remove the tumor to the best of their ability.
We have 2 more consultations tomorrow, with the Urology and Vascular surgeons, and are anxious to hear their opinions on the surgery.
We are back at the hotel after a day that began at 6:20 AM with a frigid walk (even through the skywalks) to Tim's first test. He's had blood work, a chest x-ray and an MRI all before lunch :)
We then spent much of the afternoon meeting with 2 of the 4 members of Tim's surgical team. Our first meeting was with the General Surgeon, a woman originally from Germany who put us all at ease from the start. We were very impressed with her and got a lot of questions answered about the surgery and what to expect. We went through the risks and potential outcomes and feel like most of our initial concerns were addressed quite clearly. She did alert us of the possibility that Tim may have to recover in ICU and would remain there if complications arose.
Our second visit was with the Neurologist, Dr. Spinner, who despite being a Duke grad, assured us that he was going to do his best to protect Tim's nerves. He couldn't, however, promise us Tim's golf handicap would go down following surgery. He made it clear that it was going to be a surgery that he felt was going to take most of the day on Monday, but that they would take their time and remove the tumor to the best of their ability.
We have 2 more consultations tomorrow, with the Urology and Vascular surgeons, and are anxious to hear their opinions on the surgery.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Rochester is REALLY cold!
It's Wednesday evening and we are warm and cozy in our hotel room, despite the frigid temperatures outside. We will begin the Mayo process tomorrow morning at 6:45 AM with a full day of testing and consultations, and hope to have some questions answered.
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