Friday, April 19, 2013
Heading home
I just got a call from Mom that Dad has been discharged and is heading home. Thank you all for your prayers.
Wednesday, April 17, 2013
"Groenac" the Magnificent returns.....
Dear Family and friends
When I came in today, Gary was sitting in a chair and told me he had had a bad night last night -- he had vomited and had to have the GI nasal tube put back in. He's dealing with Ileus which is a type of bowel obstruction even though there is nothing blocking them. This keeps him from digesting food and removing waste from his body but seems to be quite normal with this surgery. He is still allowed only 1 cup of ice each 8 hour shift, much to his disappointment. He did do a lot of walking today -- quite a few laps as well as pacing his room before I came and 6 laps while I was there and then 2 laps later on. They also took x-rays again of the back of his abdomen. Before I left this evening, they disconnected the GI nasal tube although they left it in so that in case he still has trouble tonight, they wouldn't have to reinsert it again.
Gary mentioned that even though he has been in a lot of discomfort, the tradeoff is, he noticed he hasn't had any insulin reactions. This is the first time since the transplant that he's mentioned anything about changes that he's noticed. Yesterday I noticed that his ankles had lost their swelling and today I noticed that some of the swelling has left his face although he's added a new version of swelling -- I may find out what my husband looks like with a beard since his facial hair is really growing, and at this point, he can't use a razor -- he even tried to do some beard growth comparison with our friend who came to visit him today.
I've decided that God's got a sense of humor. If I didn't know better, I'd say that the transplant staff read my blog post of frustration that I wrote last night. Gary told me this morning that two student nurses came in yesterday afternoon after I had left, and they told him that they would be meeting with us today and going over some of the after transplantation care. Since I didn't write it until last night, it couldn't have been because they read it. I think God was telling me to be patient, to trust Him, and that He would provide the information in His time when I needed it not when I felt we needed it. Today was a great day of learning, although there is still much more to learn. We met those nurses that had been to his room yesterday afternoon and talked with them, met with the transplant pharmacist and started learning about the medications Gary will be taking when he comes home from the hospital. We also talked with several of his residents and doctors. His nurse was also very good about teaching him as she gave him his medications and other information throughout the day as well. The Doctor in charge of the nursing staff also came by and talked with us for a bit and also asked about our experiences so I was able to We still have lots to learn, but I do feel better then I did yesterday afternoon. The unit didn't seem quite as busy today as it has been the past couple days. I'm learning to be more specific with my questions and if I don't understand something, I'm getting better at asking them to repeat what they've said or to spell it if it's something I'm not familiar with so that I can also look it up later on Web MD.
He was excited to tell me that the nurse he had today might have a baby on his birthday. When she came into Gary's room shortly after I arrived this morning, he said to her, "I told my wife that 55 years ago my Mom was in the same shape as you." For those of you who know Gary, that was not a surprising way for him to phrase it, but she was a bit puzzled, so I explained that Gary was born on the same date 55 years ago as her due date, May 8. It is nice seeing some of his sense of humor coming back. He also said he had a new "groenac" joke (think back to Johnny Carson's Carnac the Magnificent or our church's Talent Show many years ago) -- the answer is: The home of the LA Lakers, The home of the LA Kings, and Gary's abdomen. The question is: Name three places called Staple Center.
Overall, today was a better day then yesterday even with the minor setback. I know there will be other frustrating times, but I'll have to remind my self that everything in the Lord's time, that He is walking with us on this journey -- patience and trusting Him, something I keep having to work on.
Thank you so much for your continued thoughts and prayers for Gary and for all of us. They are truly appreciated and felt.
Love,
Nelly and the rest of the Groenewold family
Let us then approach God's throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. Hebrews 4:16
When I came in today, Gary was sitting in a chair and told me he had had a bad night last night -- he had vomited and had to have the GI nasal tube put back in. He's dealing with Ileus which is a type of bowel obstruction even though there is nothing blocking them. This keeps him from digesting food and removing waste from his body but seems to be quite normal with this surgery. He is still allowed only 1 cup of ice each 8 hour shift, much to his disappointment. He did do a lot of walking today -- quite a few laps as well as pacing his room before I came and 6 laps while I was there and then 2 laps later on. They also took x-rays again of the back of his abdomen. Before I left this evening, they disconnected the GI nasal tube although they left it in so that in case he still has trouble tonight, they wouldn't have to reinsert it again.
Gary mentioned that even though he has been in a lot of discomfort, the tradeoff is, he noticed he hasn't had any insulin reactions. This is the first time since the transplant that he's mentioned anything about changes that he's noticed. Yesterday I noticed that his ankles had lost their swelling and today I noticed that some of the swelling has left his face although he's added a new version of swelling -- I may find out what my husband looks like with a beard since his facial hair is really growing, and at this point, he can't use a razor -- he even tried to do some beard growth comparison with our friend who came to visit him today.
I've decided that God's got a sense of humor. If I didn't know better, I'd say that the transplant staff read my blog post of frustration that I wrote last night. Gary told me this morning that two student nurses came in yesterday afternoon after I had left, and they told him that they would be meeting with us today and going over some of the after transplantation care. Since I didn't write it until last night, it couldn't have been because they read it. I think God was telling me to be patient, to trust Him, and that He would provide the information in His time when I needed it not when I felt we needed it. Today was a great day of learning, although there is still much more to learn. We met those nurses that had been to his room yesterday afternoon and talked with them, met with the transplant pharmacist and started learning about the medications Gary will be taking when he comes home from the hospital. We also talked with several of his residents and doctors. His nurse was also very good about teaching him as she gave him his medications and other information throughout the day as well. The Doctor in charge of the nursing staff also came by and talked with us for a bit and also asked about our experiences so I was able to We still have lots to learn, but I do feel better then I did yesterday afternoon. The unit didn't seem quite as busy today as it has been the past couple days. I'm learning to be more specific with my questions and if I don't understand something, I'm getting better at asking them to repeat what they've said or to spell it if it's something I'm not familiar with so that I can also look it up later on Web MD.
He was excited to tell me that the nurse he had today might have a baby on his birthday. When she came into Gary's room shortly after I arrived this morning, he said to her, "I told my wife that 55 years ago my Mom was in the same shape as you." For those of you who know Gary, that was not a surprising way for him to phrase it, but she was a bit puzzled, so I explained that Gary was born on the same date 55 years ago as her due date, May 8. It is nice seeing some of his sense of humor coming back. He also said he had a new "groenac" joke (think back to Johnny Carson's Carnac the Magnificent or our church's Talent Show many years ago) -- the answer is: The home of the LA Lakers, The home of the LA Kings, and Gary's abdomen. The question is: Name three places called Staple Center.
Overall, today was a better day then yesterday even with the minor setback. I know there will be other frustrating times, but I'll have to remind my self that everything in the Lord's time, that He is walking with us on this journey -- patience and trusting Him, something I keep having to work on.
Thank you so much for your continued thoughts and prayers for Gary and for all of us. They are truly appreciated and felt.
Love,
Nelly and the rest of the Groenewold family
Let us then approach God's throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. Hebrews 4:16
Tuesday, April 16, 2013
Free to Move
Dear family and friends,
This morning as I was walking down the hallway to Gary's room, I could see that his bed was empty and the sheets all off, so thought that he must be sitting in his chair. As I got close, Gary came walking towards me, by himself with the walker, minus his GI tube, catheter, and IV pole. What a wonderful surprise! Much to his dismay, although he is very relieved to be rid of most of the added attachments, he's still limited to 1 cup of ice for each 8 hour shift. They took an ultrasound of his new pancreas and kidney. They said it would take about 20 minutes and that his room would be very dark. I went to grab a cup of coffee and when I came back to the room, he was fast asleep -- I'm glad that it must not have been too painful of an experience. I can tell that his pain level is considerably better then it has been. Today was the first day that he started receiving some of his medication in pill form. That made him happier, because he was given some water to take them with. I can tell he's getting better because he's getting antsy. He even read the sports section of the paper today and I tried to distract him for awhile by having him help with the crossword puzzle although he quickly lost interest and has a hard time finding what he would like to watch on TV (all 3 are things he normally enjoys doing). We also reread some of the information about kidney and pancreas transplants that we had been given when we met with the transplant team our first time the beginning of June 2013. Not expecting that the wait (he was listed the end of August 2013) would only be 7 1/2 months rather then the 2 years we had anticipated although hoping for sooner then 2 years, and with other things going on in our lives, we had only read it the one time in June. We are slowly finding out what changes and restrictions we will encounter. When I left, this afternoon, he was going to be laying down again, and as soon as the last IV bag was empty, they would be taking out his central line and putting a new IV line in his arm. From my understanding from one or his resident doctors, if all continues to go well, they will probably start him on a liquid diet tomorrow. The resident doctor also said that he is really doing well -- that he's on the fast track, part of it may be because he thankfully has never had to be on dialysis and part of it may also be the good match of organs he received. Some requests for prayer and Thanksgiving include:
1. Thanksgiving for how well Gary is doing already. That has been very encouraging to see.
2. Thanksgiving for family, friends and our church family and many people we don't even know who are praying for us. I often wonder what people do without the Lord, their family, their friends, and their church family.
3. Continued prayer for the family who gave Gary and us this wonderful gift.
4. Patience for me as I have been getting frustrated feeling that we are not getting all the knowledge and training we need. Sometimes it feels like it is 2nd nature to the staff and that they forget it is totally new to us. At times there also are communication barriers which don't help.
5. I want to there when any training occurs, but, no one seems to know when things will happen. Wisdom to know when I should be by Gary and when I should be at home taking care of myself and spending time with Peter, Andrew, and Stephanie.
6. Patience for Gary when he's uncomfortable, in pain, tired, and thirsty and patience for me in supporting him.
Thank you for your continued thoughts and prayers.
Love,
Nelly and family
This morning as I was walking down the hallway to Gary's room, I could see that his bed was empty and the sheets all off, so thought that he must be sitting in his chair. As I got close, Gary came walking towards me, by himself with the walker, minus his GI tube, catheter, and IV pole. What a wonderful surprise! Much to his dismay, although he is very relieved to be rid of most of the added attachments, he's still limited to 1 cup of ice for each 8 hour shift. They took an ultrasound of his new pancreas and kidney. They said it would take about 20 minutes and that his room would be very dark. I went to grab a cup of coffee and when I came back to the room, he was fast asleep -- I'm glad that it must not have been too painful of an experience. I can tell that his pain level is considerably better then it has been. Today was the first day that he started receiving some of his medication in pill form. That made him happier, because he was given some water to take them with. I can tell he's getting better because he's getting antsy. He even read the sports section of the paper today and I tried to distract him for awhile by having him help with the crossword puzzle although he quickly lost interest and has a hard time finding what he would like to watch on TV (all 3 are things he normally enjoys doing). We also reread some of the information about kidney and pancreas transplants that we had been given when we met with the transplant team our first time the beginning of June 2013. Not expecting that the wait (he was listed the end of August 2013) would only be 7 1/2 months rather then the 2 years we had anticipated although hoping for sooner then 2 years, and with other things going on in our lives, we had only read it the one time in June. We are slowly finding out what changes and restrictions we will encounter. When I left, this afternoon, he was going to be laying down again, and as soon as the last IV bag was empty, they would be taking out his central line and putting a new IV line in his arm. From my understanding from one or his resident doctors, if all continues to go well, they will probably start him on a liquid diet tomorrow. The resident doctor also said that he is really doing well -- that he's on the fast track, part of it may be because he thankfully has never had to be on dialysis and part of it may also be the good match of organs he received. Some requests for prayer and Thanksgiving include:
1. Thanksgiving for how well Gary is doing already. That has been very encouraging to see.
2. Thanksgiving for family, friends and our church family and many people we don't even know who are praying for us. I often wonder what people do without the Lord, their family, their friends, and their church family.
3. Continued prayer for the family who gave Gary and us this wonderful gift.
4. Patience for me as I have been getting frustrated feeling that we are not getting all the knowledge and training we need. Sometimes it feels like it is 2nd nature to the staff and that they forget it is totally new to us. At times there also are communication barriers which don't help.
5. I want to there when any training occurs, but, no one seems to know when things will happen. Wisdom to know when I should be by Gary and when I should be at home taking care of myself and spending time with Peter, Andrew, and Stephanie.
6. Patience for Gary when he's uncomfortable, in pain, tired, and thirsty and patience for me in supporting him.
Thank you for your continued thoughts and prayers.
Love,
Nelly and family
Monday, April 15, 2013
Ice Chips are better than nothing
Dear family and friends,
Each day we see improvement in Gary. Today he looks much better and is talking more as well as wearing his glasses (he hadn't wanted them before this). At the moment he is napping but he's already walked, had several visitors (thank you men for coming and also for my cup of coffee) and has been awake for quite awhile (compared to how little he has been awake since surgery). By the time we got to visit him on Sunday, his temperature was gone and they had had him up and walking with a walker once around the nurses station (he took another walk around the nurses station with us when we came). They also have gradually been building up the amount of time he spends in a chair and between the walking and the chair he becomes quite exhausted. He still has a lot of pain, but it has been overall decreasing which is good since he doesn't enjoy the "dreams" that come as an after effect from some of the pain medication. They had to reposition the GI tube through his nose this morning because of the pain that he has every time they put some of his medicines down it -- some go through IVs and some through the tube. We've also seen lots of progress with his "breathing exercise" and he has gotten much better at it although he'd much rather NOT do it at all.
He's very thirsty and tries to bribe his way into getting more ice chips although at the moment he is allowed one small Styrofoam cup of ice chips every 8 hours and they give him half at a time so that it's spread out a bit. Now that he can feed it to himself, it disappears much faster. When his ice is gone, we can only sponge his mouth. They can't give him more until more of the gas from anesthesia leaves his body. This morning when taking a walk, he decided to walk 2 laps around the nurses station instead of one, and tried to talk the nurse into a 3rd lap if he could get some ice chips. She wouldn't agree to that. She had already been teasing him that he took the 2nd lap to impress the 2 men who were waiting to visit with him. So, if he asks you for ice find out from us or his nurse first, to see if he's allowed any. They are hoping to take out the GI tube tomorrow so maybe then he will be able to have more.
Today I've had fun talking to some of his Doctor's (usually the nurse) and hearing their excitement at the "special gift" Gary (and we) have received. None of them are on UIC staff and one of them he was supposed to see this coming Wednesday, so we needed to cancel that appointment. Not really sure what will be happening in the future Doctor wise, but I'm sure we'll find that out as we go along. I already know that a lot of his medications will change, so when I refilled our pill boxes for the week, I didn't even bother with his, since at the moment, we don't know what he'll be taking. When the pharmacy called us that his prescriptions were ready, we asked them to put them on hold, because we don't know if he'll even need those particular ones -- I can handle those kinds of changes. I've also realized that I can probably take down all the sheets of papers I have hanging in my kitchen cupboards right now with what he can and can't eat, what has high potassium and phosphurus and what doesn't, how much can he have or not of certain foods, etc., etc., but those are changes we look "forward" to and will be learning as we go, I'm sure and we'll have time to do that then.
I'm here by myself today. Peter brought me on his way to work and will come here after work -- it's not exactly on his way since the hospital is in Chicago and he works in Wheaton, but we weren't sure how the parking would be on a week day and walking long distances is still hard for me as well as carrying along anything I may need. This way, too, Andrew and Stephanie had a vehicle to go to and from school and no one has to worry about picking them up after their practices especially since they both felt they feel that they will probably have too much homework to come up tonight. We'll evaluate each day as we go. The Transplant ICU floor here at UIC has been quite busy since we've come (I think I heard 3 transplants yesterday and 2 already today -- and they're running out of room) but we've found the staff to be very good, caring, and friendly (Gary may not always agree when they make him move, work, or give him medication, and not give him ice cubes).
He's awake again and his new nurse helped him into the chair, and of course, gave him his next 1/2 cup of ice.
To clarify what hospital Gary is in, he's at UIC (University of Illinois-Chicago) on Taylor street and is on the Intensive Care Transplant floor. Thank you again for all of your thoughts and prayers. They are very much appreciated. We thank the Lord for how well Gary is doing so far. Some specific things you can pray for is that the pain will continue to diminish and that the thirst and dry mouth won't be so hard for him.
Love,
Nelly
Each day we see improvement in Gary. Today he looks much better and is talking more as well as wearing his glasses (he hadn't wanted them before this). At the moment he is napping but he's already walked, had several visitors (thank you men for coming and also for my cup of coffee) and has been awake for quite awhile (compared to how little he has been awake since surgery). By the time we got to visit him on Sunday, his temperature was gone and they had had him up and walking with a walker once around the nurses station (he took another walk around the nurses station with us when we came). They also have gradually been building up the amount of time he spends in a chair and between the walking and the chair he becomes quite exhausted. He still has a lot of pain, but it has been overall decreasing which is good since he doesn't enjoy the "dreams" that come as an after effect from some of the pain medication. They had to reposition the GI tube through his nose this morning because of the pain that he has every time they put some of his medicines down it -- some go through IVs and some through the tube. We've also seen lots of progress with his "breathing exercise" and he has gotten much better at it although he'd much rather NOT do it at all.
He's very thirsty and tries to bribe his way into getting more ice chips although at the moment he is allowed one small Styrofoam cup of ice chips every 8 hours and they give him half at a time so that it's spread out a bit. Now that he can feed it to himself, it disappears much faster. When his ice is gone, we can only sponge his mouth. They can't give him more until more of the gas from anesthesia leaves his body. This morning when taking a walk, he decided to walk 2 laps around the nurses station instead of one, and tried to talk the nurse into a 3rd lap if he could get some ice chips. She wouldn't agree to that. She had already been teasing him that he took the 2nd lap to impress the 2 men who were waiting to visit with him. So, if he asks you for ice find out from us or his nurse first, to see if he's allowed any. They are hoping to take out the GI tube tomorrow so maybe then he will be able to have more.
Today I've had fun talking to some of his Doctor's (usually the nurse) and hearing their excitement at the "special gift" Gary (and we) have received. None of them are on UIC staff and one of them he was supposed to see this coming Wednesday, so we needed to cancel that appointment. Not really sure what will be happening in the future Doctor wise, but I'm sure we'll find that out as we go along. I already know that a lot of his medications will change, so when I refilled our pill boxes for the week, I didn't even bother with his, since at the moment, we don't know what he'll be taking. When the pharmacy called us that his prescriptions were ready, we asked them to put them on hold, because we don't know if he'll even need those particular ones -- I can handle those kinds of changes. I've also realized that I can probably take down all the sheets of papers I have hanging in my kitchen cupboards right now with what he can and can't eat, what has high potassium and phosphurus and what doesn't, how much can he have or not of certain foods, etc., etc., but those are changes we look "forward" to and will be learning as we go, I'm sure and we'll have time to do that then.
I'm here by myself today. Peter brought me on his way to work and will come here after work -- it's not exactly on his way since the hospital is in Chicago and he works in Wheaton, but we weren't sure how the parking would be on a week day and walking long distances is still hard for me as well as carrying along anything I may need. This way, too, Andrew and Stephanie had a vehicle to go to and from school and no one has to worry about picking them up after their practices especially since they both felt they feel that they will probably have too much homework to come up tonight. We'll evaluate each day as we go. The Transplant ICU floor here at UIC has been quite busy since we've come (I think I heard 3 transplants yesterday and 2 already today -- and they're running out of room) but we've found the staff to be very good, caring, and friendly (Gary may not always agree when they make him move, work, or give him medication, and not give him ice cubes).
He's awake again and his new nurse helped him into the chair, and of course, gave him his next 1/2 cup of ice.
To clarify what hospital Gary is in, he's at UIC (University of Illinois-Chicago) on Taylor street and is on the Intensive Care Transplant floor. Thank you again for all of your thoughts and prayers. They are very much appreciated. We thank the Lord for how well Gary is doing so far. Some specific things you can pray for is that the pain will continue to diminish and that the thirst and dry mouth won't be so hard for him.
Love,
Nelly
Sunday, April 14, 2013
Emotional Ride
Dear Family and Friends,
I was a bit discouraged last night when I left Gary to come home, because he was in a lot of pain, still nauseous, and was running a temperature. The nurse wasn't too concerned and said this is common, but I as his wife, worried. I know he's where he needs to be and I know I need to look at all the positive, but I feel so bad for him. Knowing how painful some of my surgeries were, I'm guessing his pain is probably even more from where he was cut to add his new kidney and pancreas.
Knowing that I am a very emotional person, I was very proud of myself that Gary didn't see me upset last night and the tears didn't start until we were on our way back to the car. We've already found that it is good for us to go home to sleep since the chairs are not sleep conducive and I, too, have to watch my health and sleep is something that I need and am not great at doing, i.e. getting restful sleep because of some of my health issues is very hard. Peter, Bradley, Laura, Andrew, and Stephanie have all been so supportive and helpful. God sure has blessed Gary and I with wonderful children!!!
He still is not allowed to have anything to drink or eat -- everything has to come in through a tube in his nose that goes directly to his stomach or through one of several IVs. Having to sleep with his C-Pap machine on top of that, makes his mouth even drier. Yesterday we were able to wipe a wet sponge on a stick in his mouth when he wanted it, but he's not allowed to drink water or have ice chips. The newest change that we as his family have noticed is his wonderful blood glucose readings. I don't recall them ever being this great and this steady. The goal is to have them under 150 and his have been staying between 110 and 130, I think. They have been checking his blood glucose every hour so he still is having the finger pricks.
This morning I called to see how he was doing, and they said that they had walked him around the unit already -- WOW! He's going to be one tired person today. I also understood from her that they had him in a chair for a couple hours during the night. Yesterday they had him in the chair when we came in the morning for a couple hours. Movement seems to be quite painful so I know when he moved back to the bed, it really hurt, but it looked like the nurse made him do a lot of the work with Peter and Andrew standing by Gary and her if needed.
He doesn't like using his breathing exerciser -- taking deep breaths and blowing out. Quite painful and hard for him to do. Yesterday the nurse had him try breathing while holding a pillow over his incision. They also had his bed shake for quite a while that is supposed to help his lungs from behind -- I told him to imagine he was on a trip riding on a very bumpy road with in a very bumpy van, but he didn't think that was too funny. We had seen the person in the room next to Gary in a shaking bed, and in my mind I wondered if something was wrong with the bed, but apparently not. These things are all done to help prevent pneumonia.
The nursing staff has been wonderful. I chuckle, they all struggle with pronouncing our name, and we struggle with pronouncing a lot of theirs or understanding sometimes what is being said so I often repeat back to them what I think I've heard to make sure I'm hearing correctly. I don't think I've ever seen so many wall hand sanitizers around -- I think Bradley said he counted 24 on his way out one time and stopped and used each one. I have to say I appreciate that everyone uses them and uses them frequently. The other thing I've been amazed at is how many boxes of gloves they must go through. They can be working with Gary and change their gloves for each thing they do with him it seems. In case you didn't know, Gary is in the Transplant Intensive Care Unit.
We are so thankful and have often thought and prayed for the donor's family. I had already been praying for the family of whomever Gary's donor might be since he had been placed on the transplant list middle to end of August, but it really has hit me since the phone call we got on Thursday that now there is a very specific family that we are praying for even if we don't know who. So, please continue to keep that family in your prayers too. What a gift they have given Gary and us.
What a week. Sure didn't expect this all to be happening a week ago. It was quite a shock receiving a phone call on Thursday (which today seems a long time ago) that our lives were going to really be changing. The last few days have been quite a rollercoaster ride of emotions and a lot of "hurry up and wait", but through it all, we have felt the Lord with us. We are so thankful to you for your thoughts and prayers. It's been so encouraging seeing your messages to us on facebook and e-mails as well as telephone calls. I apologize though if I haven't been to good at corresponding -- be patient with me. I don't know what people do without the Lord, their families, their friends, and their church.
Love,
Nelly
I was a bit discouraged last night when I left Gary to come home, because he was in a lot of pain, still nauseous, and was running a temperature. The nurse wasn't too concerned and said this is common, but I as his wife, worried. I know he's where he needs to be and I know I need to look at all the positive, but I feel so bad for him. Knowing how painful some of my surgeries were, I'm guessing his pain is probably even more from where he was cut to add his new kidney and pancreas.
Knowing that I am a very emotional person, I was very proud of myself that Gary didn't see me upset last night and the tears didn't start until we were on our way back to the car. We've already found that it is good for us to go home to sleep since the chairs are not sleep conducive and I, too, have to watch my health and sleep is something that I need and am not great at doing, i.e. getting restful sleep because of some of my health issues is very hard. Peter, Bradley, Laura, Andrew, and Stephanie have all been so supportive and helpful. God sure has blessed Gary and I with wonderful children!!!
He still is not allowed to have anything to drink or eat -- everything has to come in through a tube in his nose that goes directly to his stomach or through one of several IVs. Having to sleep with his C-Pap machine on top of that, makes his mouth even drier. Yesterday we were able to wipe a wet sponge on a stick in his mouth when he wanted it, but he's not allowed to drink water or have ice chips. The newest change that we as his family have noticed is his wonderful blood glucose readings. I don't recall them ever being this great and this steady. The goal is to have them under 150 and his have been staying between 110 and 130, I think. They have been checking his blood glucose every hour so he still is having the finger pricks.
This morning I called to see how he was doing, and they said that they had walked him around the unit already -- WOW! He's going to be one tired person today. I also understood from her that they had him in a chair for a couple hours during the night. Yesterday they had him in the chair when we came in the morning for a couple hours. Movement seems to be quite painful so I know when he moved back to the bed, it really hurt, but it looked like the nurse made him do a lot of the work with Peter and Andrew standing by Gary and her if needed.
He doesn't like using his breathing exerciser -- taking deep breaths and blowing out. Quite painful and hard for him to do. Yesterday the nurse had him try breathing while holding a pillow over his incision. They also had his bed shake for quite a while that is supposed to help his lungs from behind -- I told him to imagine he was on a trip riding on a very bumpy road with in a very bumpy van, but he didn't think that was too funny. We had seen the person in the room next to Gary in a shaking bed, and in my mind I wondered if something was wrong with the bed, but apparently not. These things are all done to help prevent pneumonia.
The nursing staff has been wonderful. I chuckle, they all struggle with pronouncing our name, and we struggle with pronouncing a lot of theirs or understanding sometimes what is being said so I often repeat back to them what I think I've heard to make sure I'm hearing correctly. I don't think I've ever seen so many wall hand sanitizers around -- I think Bradley said he counted 24 on his way out one time and stopped and used each one. I have to say I appreciate that everyone uses them and uses them frequently. The other thing I've been amazed at is how many boxes of gloves they must go through. They can be working with Gary and change their gloves for each thing they do with him it seems. In case you didn't know, Gary is in the Transplant Intensive Care Unit.
We are so thankful and have often thought and prayed for the donor's family. I had already been praying for the family of whomever Gary's donor might be since he had been placed on the transplant list middle to end of August, but it really has hit me since the phone call we got on Thursday that now there is a very specific family that we are praying for even if we don't know who. So, please continue to keep that family in your prayers too. What a gift they have given Gary and us.
What a week. Sure didn't expect this all to be happening a week ago. It was quite a shock receiving a phone call on Thursday (which today seems a long time ago) that our lives were going to really be changing. The last few days have been quite a rollercoaster ride of emotions and a lot of "hurry up and wait", but through it all, we have felt the Lord with us. We are so thankful to you for your thoughts and prayers. It's been so encouraging seeing your messages to us on facebook and e-mails as well as telephone calls. I apologize though if I haven't been to good at corresponding -- be patient with me. I don't know what people do without the Lord, their families, their friends, and their church.
Love,
Nelly
Taz
As some of you know, Dad likes to call Brad, "Taz." These two pictures he would get a kick out of, so they are for him. Enjoy!
Saturday Night and Sunday Morning
When Mom, Peter, Stephanie, and Andrew left last night dad was running a slight fever, which seemed a bit alarming to us. The nurse was very reassuring telling them that they would continue to monitor him. Laura did some research and found that it is very common for the body to reject transplants at least a little. This morning when she called in, they said that he had sat in a chair for a few hours, as well as walked a lap around the floor, which was great to hear. We do not have any update on if he has a fever, the Dr. will be calling my mom at some point to update her on that. Thank you all for your prayers and support.
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