sept. 30

So, more fun today. Fun is good right? I guess it depends on your idea of fun? Going back up to IMC is NOT our idea of fun, but oh well. Phone call this morning from the Dr. himself confirmed that not only does he have the abscesses, yes (es), as in more than one, but they are hoping they are connected and can all be drained as one, but also, the cultures on the Hickman IV line were positive. We get to go get the Hickman removed and a PICC put back in for awhile. Hopefully we can replace the Hickman later. It is so much better than a PICC line. Anyway, off we go.
Lisa

. . .Sept. 29

well, ok, I made it 8 days without blogging.

Our day started with a temperature of 101, and got worse from there. We headed to Salt Lake for a post-op appt. at 10, and just barely got home at 6. We apent the day doing a bunch of blood work, cultures on the IV lines, a CT scan, which showed another abscess, and the insertion of a JP drain. It was not a fun day for Brent, and we are a bit discouraged at this setback. Sometimes we just have a hard time wondering why things just can't be easy at least sometimes.

On a happy note, Michelle got her job today at the hospital in Cedar City. :) yay Michelle! Can't wait for you to come home in 3 days! :)

Lisa

Monday, Sept. 21

So, our thoughts when first creating this blog were in hopes of keeping everyone up to date on Brent's progress post-surgery. As you know, Brent does not have a great post-op reputation, spending weeks/months in the hospital at a time, with every complication occurring that could possibly occur. Because we are so conditioned to this scenario, I guess we were thinking the same would happen again.

Through the grace of God, luck, Karma, extreme faith and prayers of all of you, or whatever you want to credit it to, Brent is doing amazingly well. He had a great weekend, taking walks, visiting with friends and neighbors, and trying a few new foods beyond clear liquids (his yummy soup, yogurt, a few crackers.) His fluid is dissipating slowly but surely, and his energy levels are good. So, basically, we expected the worse, and pretty much got the best. We really don't know how to handle this. :) He really does deserve it though. We accept any break we can get, and know that it is a huge blessing that we are so very thankful for. I keep telling him to just take the blessings and run!

Ok, I will admit that maybe it has been kind of fun being a blogger, but I don't think there is much to blog about every day anymore. This is to let you know that I will post anything monumental, or if anything changes in his condition. If you don't see anything, you know that everything is still going well, and feel free to call or visit, as he gets more bored as the days go by.

Once again, we are extremely thankful for the love, food, prayers, fasting, phone calls, good thoughts, visits, a good surgeon, wonderful family, and the best friends in the world. Couldn't do all this without all of you by our sides.

Lisa & Brent

doing good

Brent is feeling pretty good today. Been awake most of the day. I, on the other hand, keep falling asleep while on duty. :( Not sure what that is all about. Oh well. He is up to visitors, so if you would like to stop by, just let me know. Hoping for a great weekend with some walks up and down the street.
lisa

(home # 801-373-7754)
(cell # 801-372-8467)

sleeeeep

So I think that Brent likes being at home. I also think he likes not being poked with needles all night and all day. I think he appreciates that I don't come into the bedroom and turn the lights on at 2 a.m. He slept last night. I know cuz I heard him snoring several times. :) He has pretty much been asleep most of the morning, which is good. Some things we DO miss from the hospital . . . bars on the side of the bed to help him get up and out, the big flat screen tv with cable, and . . . the mint brownies in the cafeteria. :) ok, that one was just me since he can't eat them, but they were to die for. In other words, I think that being home beats being in the hospital on all levels. Hopefully we will see more healing and more strength returned to his body. He's pretty weak and pretty sore and can't do much, but if you want to visit just let me know. He can sit in the recliner and chat.
lisa

Home Sweet Home

Just got Brent home. He's resting in bed, so probably no visitors tonight. Just call if you want to visit and I'll ask if he's up to it. I'm always nervous when he comes home. There's no call button on the side of the bed to call the nurse. :) And my own cute personal nurse is down in Cedar City studying her guts out. (love you Michelle!!!)

lisa

going home

Just a quick update - we should be going home sometime today. So, watch the blog for details about when and visitors at home, etc..

still riding the roller coaster up.

So, Brent is still doing well today. :) The ultrasound on his leg was clear, so we know there are no clots. We are just waiting for the fluid to go away. He did get rid of the pain pump yesterday and also the oxygen. They are readjusting his TPN so that we can get back on our schedule that we do at home. They do a 24 hour infusion, and we only do 10 at home. He's trying to get readjusted to the oral pain meds. Dr. Price said this morning that he could possibly come home in a couple of days. :) :) :) They are not going to trust the dieticians here to bring him what he needs, so I have permission to bring whatever he wants from home. He's still doing liquids, but could do full liquids when he gets ready, which would be his yogurts and soups from home. He's in pretty good spirits, and some friends from work should be here any moment. As always, we thank you profusely for your help, prayers, and good thoughts.
lisa

The roller coaster is heading up today. :)

Brent finally had a good night with a normal heart rate this morning! Yay! They are going to try to get him off the pain pump today and start on oral elixirs for pain, which also means that he can get rid of the oxygen too. They are still working on the fluid issue, but this is a good way to start the day. :) Here's hoping for more good things today. The roller-coaster is up today. Thanks, once again, for your continued prayers and good thoughts that are being sent his way. Your support is overwhelming, but very much appreciated.
Lisa

saturday

Brent had a pretty good day today. Lots of walks in the halls, few sips of broth and a little bit of Italian Ice. He loved his visitors, watched a good but boring BYU game and spent quality time with his wife. ;) Quality time being me sitting in the chair reading and him in the bed dozing on and off while watching BYU score every two minutes.

His pain has lessened where the abscess was but the heart rate keeps spiking. They still think it is the fluid causing it. Not much new today. I'm tired and going to bed. :)

Oh, here's the question of the day: If you are driving home after a long day at the hospital, and your ecclesiastical leader (namely, my Bishop) is driving right behind you on the freeway, do you go the speed limit or drive like you normally drive (with a lead foot)??? :)

TGIF

Well, they just wheeled Brent back in. He was gone for 3 hours! Yikes. They drained the abscess but did not put in a continuous drain. Not sure why. He said they will analyze the fluid and then decide on further treatment. They didn't put him out, just gave him versed (sp?). Hopefully this alleviates the high white count and pain. :) Now, if we can just get rid of the fluid throughout the rest of his body maybe his heart rate would go back down. Here's hoping for a quiet weekend.
Lisa

CT

Well, the CT showed a possible small abscess near the liver, which would explain the pain and the white count. Tomorrow they will either decide to drain it manually, put a drain in, or treat it only with antibiotics. I have decided that my new 4 letter word is now a 7 letter word . . . abscess.

Our Bishop was just here (cuz I panic really easily and called him hoping he was still at work in SLC) and gave Brent another blessing. At least "I" feel better now. :)

Faith is a funny thing. It seems I have lots when things are going well, but the first sign of trouble and I cave. Doubt sets in and I'm an emotional wimp. Why is that? Gotta love life huh?

Thursday

Well, Brent's not having a good day today. Setbacks really get us down. His white count is up, his heart rate is staying elevated, and he basically just feels like crap. Nobody knows why, so they are doing another CT as I type. This one is an abdominal CT to see if anything is wrong with the surgical area. Hopefully we will get answers soon, but probably not until tomorrow, as I'm sure the Dr's are gone by now. Anyway, that's it for today.
Lisa

just realized this post is pretty depressing. Sorry. Some days are just that way. Emotions are a wonderful thing. :)

Wednesday

Brent wanted me to post, but I wasn't really sure there was anything to post. It's pretty much the same as yesterday. We are still waiting to see if the wound vac comes off or not. Should be soon . . . we hope. We've learned that hospital time is not in the same realm as our time. :)

After I left last night he got up and walked 3 laps of the floor which is 3/10 of a mile. Yay! We had just walked 2 laps before I left.

Today he's having a harder time all around. Frustration and little annoyances have set in, like perhaps the small children visiting grandma next door who were running through the hallways screaming and banging on doors at 2 in the morning. HELLO. Sometimes you've just got to wonder.

The CT from yesterday showed fluid in the lungs, which is normal with the 10+ lbs. of fluid he is carrying around right now. The accelerated heart rate they believe is due to that and the normal process of just trying to balance everything out post-op.

They did just give the go ahead for some Gatorade w/salt! (those of you unfamiliar with Brent's rehydration system, don't worry, this is normal) So, he can start sipping on that today.

Other than that, it's just a sit and wait game. We like games. We are just hoping for ladders to climb instead of chutes to slide down. :) Ok, maybe I DO need more sleep, that was pretty cheesy. Oh well. At least I'm not loopy.

Lisa

another day in the life of Brent.

Today's been an ok day. His electrolites are screwed up again, so they are trying to figure all that out. It makes his heart rate irregular, so they just did a CT to make sure nothing is wrong. It is most likely due to dehydration, and they have up-ed the amount of fluids going in the IV. They got his hopes up of taking the wound vac off today and steri-stripping the huge incision closed, but decided to wait until tomorrow. :( Oh well. Other than that, he has been up walking today and sitting on the couch in his room watching a movie. Is there such a thing as cuddle time on a hospital couch? Yeah, well, whatever.

Here's hoping for a positive CT and no wound vac tomorrow. :)

Lisa

good day

Today was a good day for Brent. He was able to get up and walk twice. Wound care was loads of fun for him too . . . NOT! That's always really painful. Thanks to those who have visited. He enjoys visits even though he might fade in and out. :0)

I'm not that loopy (yes I am)

Lisa says I'm loopy....kids say I'm loopy.....nurses probably would too. But, I FINALLY can move my legs to the point that walking is a possibility. Typing is going to be problem though, I'm a touch typist and I have a O2 sensor on my right index finger looks like something from ET. And every so often I drift off with my finger still pressing a key. So, if you see something strange in a post from me, I wouldn't worry too much. And my attention span isn't really up to ..................................SQUIRREL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Thanks for all your faith and prayers in our behalf.


Brent

loopy :)

Brent is loving his new pain pump. He freely admits that it makes him a bit loopy. :) (we'll see if he has a rebuttal.)

On a different note . . . he DID get up and take a short walk tonight! Yay Brent! It's hard with everything that he is attached to, but he did it. We love all the little milestones towards recovery.

Good day.

Brent is doing really well today. We got him up into a chair for the first time. His right leg is still wanting to be dead, but they are taking the epidural out today, so that will help. :) He'll just have a normal pain pump now that goes directly into the IV. His spirits are good and is ready for visitors.

Thanks to everyone for the wonderful meals for the kids and I. It has been wonderful. I told the R.S. that we have enough food for a week! Thanks.

Lisa

It's a rainy day, go visit Brent. :)

Brent just texted me and was excited that the NG tube was pulled this morning. Yay! Now he can talk beyond a whisper. He said that he is up to a few visitors today, so if you feel like making the trek up to Murray, he is at IMC in room 1018. Take the 53rd South exit, go east, and then take the second left. You can't miss it. The rooms are in the tallest building (patient tower).

Because of the misplacement of the spinal epidural, he still can't feel one of his legs, therefore, he hasn't been able to get up and walk yet. Hopefully today.

If you do want to go up and visit, feel free to call me to see if it is a good time. Since this is a public access blog, I'm not going to list my cell #, but it's on my message machine at home, or the kids can give it to you. :)

Have a great Labor Day weekend.
Lisa

doing well

After a night of no sleep, Brent is doing really well. He looks good, and as his sister just said, you look like you normally do two weeks after surgery, not one day. :)

So, just to make a few medical corrections from yesterday . . . This morning Dr. Price said that Brent actually had another fistula that had formed, and had we waited any longer it would have surfaced through the abdomen. That would have been bad. He also said that he didn't take hardly anything from the small intestine, but the 6 cm. that he did take were where the large/small connect, and he took it from the large. He will get a wound vac today, but they are hoping to be able to close him up before he goes home. That would be awesome.

They hope to get him up and walking today. I'm going home to take a nap. :)

No visitors yet please. Thanks.

we have a patient!

Well, approximately 11 1/2 hours after we arrived this morning, Brent is finally in his room. He spent over 4 hours in recovery because the pain epidural has been placed too low. He is in a lot of pain but they are working on it. He is in a normal room, and that alone has brought tears of joy. No ICU. We know and acknowledge that many prayers have been answered today. It's been a long day.

Waiting. . .

So apparently they are having trouble with the control of pain. He hasn't come out of recovery yet. They said they need to reposition the epidural. Really? I just want to see him to make sure he is ok. He's been out of surgery for 3 hours . . .arghhh.

He's out!

Brent is out of surgery and all went really well. Dr. Price was able to take a minimal amount of small intestine, and no large intestine. There was a large fistula attached to the abdominal wall and colon which he removed, and also removed the abscessed area in the small intestine. He will not wake up in ICU, which will make him very happy. He will have to have a wound vac again, but we can do that. Dr. Price said that he will check the wound in about 5 days and he may be able to sew it up and then he wouldn't need the wound vac anymore. He was very surprised that it was so quick, and so were we.He is in recovery right now so we haven't actually seen him yet. Thanks again for the prayers and thoughts. They really do work. :)
Lisa

finally . . .

Well, after wondering if they really were going to do the surgery today, Brent went in at about 1:00. The blood work they did this morning was not good. His INR (blood clotting test) was too high. The surgeon could not do the surgery with the level that high or he would risk bleeding out. They re-did the tests, (the first time was not done correctly) and after two more hours they got the results and it was good. We got a little worried when he said he couldn't do the surgery today.(but just a little worried, because we still felt calm and knew that we were in the right hands.) The plan was to give him vitamin K for two weeks and then retest him to see if the clotting factor had changed. Fortunately, the tests came back much lower. So, we probably won't hear anything for another few hours. Thanks for the many prayers and good thoughts being sent his way.
Lisa

"rip out room"

Ok so Brent wants to know where the quote "rip out room" came from. He thinks it is from Fanzie on Happy Days but isn't sure. Anyone know? There may be a treat for the winner.

Today's the day

All,

Lisa gave me permission to post on her blog - I wanted the ability to post rebuttals when she describes my goofy behavior while on drugs - fun stuff.

We have to be at the hospital at 9 this morning. Don't know exactly when I hit the "rip-out-room" but I'd expect it will be a couple hours after that.


Thanks for all you faith and prayers.

Brent (aka - noGuts)