Well, if you are checking the blog then you probably heard that Brent is back in the hospital. Ugh.

He started feeling bad yesterday, with more pain, but no fever. He also had a strange patch of bright red skin about 8" wide. His blood work yesterday was off the charts. Great. We already had an appt with the surgeon today to get the staples out, so didnt panic. After looking at a bubble on the incision and the red spot and looking at the blood work, dr. Price had us go down for a CT scan. The scan showed four large abscesses that are hopefully connected. They admitted him to the hospital . . . Were welcomed back to the 10th floor . . . And here we sit.

Brent is sporting a new drain and is getting IV antibiotics. They will monitor the drain output and pray that all four abscesses will drain.

Thats all we know. We cant figure out why he did not have a fever with all of that infection. Bizarre. But then nothing about Brent's medical mess is normal. Oh well.

So far so good here at home. We had an enjoyable Thanksgiving with just us and Brenda and Robbi. They even cooked the turkey, dressing and veggies. Woo hoo! I told them I could get used to that. I didn't have a whole lot to do. Brent couldn't share in the feast, but shared in the company. It is our family tradition to go to a movie on Thanksgiving, so the kids and Brenda and Robbi went to see the new Muppets movie. I stayed home with Brent. We'll catch it when it comes out on DVD.

Brent is still in a lot of pain, and it's difficult to find a comfortable spot to sit/lay in. We wish we had one of those beds that moves up or down so he could get comfy. Some days are better than others. Yesterday he slept most of the day.

Tuesday we go back to see the surgeon to get the staples out. Ouch. He will definitely be under the influence on Tuesday.

Other than that, we just sit and wait. No major setbacks or complications, for which we are thankful for.

We hope that you, too, had a great Thanksgiving weekend. Thank you for checking up on us.

Lisa

I hesitated posting anything until it really truly came to pass. Brent is home! Woo-hoo! We just got home from the hospital. He has set a new record for time (not) spent in the hospital. This kind of has us freaked out, and more than a little scared. We honestly don't quite know what to think. We have had our share of miracles, and acknowledge them, but are still finding ourselves being skeptical. We have usually had to deal with several awful setbacks and complications that extend his hospital stays weeks or months. Only being in for 9 days is just plain weird.

So, we are back home, with me asking him every few seconds if he is ok, and him getting sick of me asking him every few seconds if he is ok. :)

Our Thanksgiving is complete.

Thank you for sharing your thoughts and prayers in our behalf.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving with your families.

Well, Brent is doing well today. They are still trying to figure out the whole pain management. The pump is gone again, and they are trying to figure out what works for him so he can come home. That is the only thing barring him from coming home. His IV line blocked today, but the activace (I think that's what it's called) worked to clear the line. I find it ironic that the only time he really has problems with his line is when he is in the hospital. I think he takes better care of it when he is home and in charge of the maintenance of it.

He has no more drains or tubes, and I think they are taking some staples out tomorrow. I'm not going to say it, but you might want to check in tomorrow. ;)

Today was a much better day than yesterday. It's amazing the difference managing your pain can make. We walked twice today while I was there, 3 laps each time, which is the most he has done so far. Here's hoping for a restful night and another good day tomorrow.

Yesterday brought lots of changes. They removed Brent's 2nd drain, disconnected the PCA (pain pump), and switched to oral pain meds, changed his diet to being able to have small sips, and changed the TPN length of time to try to ween back to our home schedule (24 hr. continuous TPN to 12 hr. TPN) I tend to get pretty nervous when they change more than one variable at a time. It seems as though they are rushing things.

By removing the PCA, they really screwed up his pain level. He couldn't even go walking yesterday because he was in too much pain. Last night they reconnected the PCA. Pain is something you have to stay on top of if you want to continue healing.

I understand that they would like to get him home for Thanksgiving, but I would rather he be in the hospital if he needs to be, than at home worrying about if we will have to drive up to the ER at any given minute.

I guess we will see what today brings.

Sorry about the lack of posts. Brent is just kind of holding steady. He is minus one of the two drains today, and minus one tube. Woo-hoo! So far so good. Blood pressure is back to normal. Still in pain and tired, but that is to be expected. He enjoyed a visit from his boss yesterday. If you would like to visit, please just let me know and I will tell you if it is a good time. (801-372-8467). Obviously, if you have any hint of illness, please just wait.

So thankful for friends and neighbors. Came home from the hospital last night expecting to rake the front yard yet again, but it was beautifully mowed and cleaned up. Thanks. David has been home sick for the past three days, and appreciates the meals brought in. We all have benefited from your good thoughts, faith and prayers. Keep them coming . . . Maybe he will be home by Thanksgiving. ;)

I am going to leave the hospital before the storm hits tonight. We will see what tomorrow brings.

Lisa

Brent had a pretty good day today. He got up and walked twice while I was there. It's just a waiting game to see if things will heal correctly. Thanks for your thoughts and prayers. We really have felt buoyed up and strengthened.
lisa

Not a whole lot to update. Brent is just trying to recover. As he puts it, "it feels like someone took a mixer to my insides."

He's been fighting some low blood pressure issues that they are trying to resolve with more IV fluids. He did get up once this afternoon to go for a short walk. He's extremely tired, understandably, and is not up to having visitors yet. You can email him.

I left the hospital at about 4 tonight, and Brenda is going to stay with him for a while tonight. I hate not being there, but also need to be home. Hopefully we both can get some sleep tonight.

thanks for checking.

lisa

I can't remember what I put in the last post...oh well. We are in a normal room but on a different floor than we usually are on. Apparently our frequent flyer miles don't carry over from floor to floor cuz we are in a normal room, not one of the big corner rooms. Oh well. It really is fine. We miss our nurses and aides on the 11th floor.

Brent decided to give us a little scare after getting up to the room. He decided that breathing was optional. Brenda and I had to keep tapping him or telling him to breathe. I think he got a little annoyed with us. They are pretty sure it was just a combination of too much anesthesia and the pain meds right after surgery. He is breathing fine now. It took lots of threats of having to go to the ICU.

Brent is not up to having visitors yet. We will see how tomorrow goes. I will stay here tonight. The girls needed to go back to Cedar City and Logan, but Joseph is staying at the house with David.

Thanks again for your thoughts and prayers. We both have felt strengthened today. We are especially thankful for Dr. Price and his willingness to be our surgeon, and for his skills and knowledge and compassion.

Hoping to get some rest tonight.

Well, after 6 hrs of surgery, Brent is finally out. Yay! And no ICU! Yay! I was all ready to pitch a fit if he was sent to ICU and got the nurse from hell again.

Dr. Price actually expected the surgery to take longer once he got inside and saw the mess. He removed the 2 fistulas, but in the process had to take a foot of the sigmoid colon (lg. Intestine). and about 2" of the small intestine. Not sure what all that will mean in the long run. He has 2 drains in, and the incision is partially closed.

He is still in recovery.

Thanks for your continual prayers and thoughts.

Once he gets to his room I think I will take a nap.

lisa

Sorry, nothing to report. Just talked to the nurse and they say it will still be awhile. Things were more complicated than expected. Yippee.

They just took Brent back for surgery. We've already played the "hurry-up-and-wait" game, and the "Why-did-I-take-the-time-to-fill-out-everything-online-if-I-had-to-do-it-all-over-again?" game. Oh well, at least we are finally here, and things are starting to move.

I don't expect to hear anything for quite awhile. He was very calm and positive. Here's hoping things stay calm. Thanks for the many thoughts and prayers.

Lisa

BRENT: "Well, I got the phone call telling us what time the surgery is."
ME: "Oh? When?"
BRENT: "5:30"
ME: "A.M.?!?!?!?!"

Yep, well at least there won't be any traffic on the freeway on our way to Salt Lake. Ugh.

So, approximately 33 hrs from now we will be sitting at Intermountain Medical Center, nervously waiting.

Thank you for your thoughts and prayers in our behalf. We are feeling the stress level rise in our home. We've had a month to prepare, but now feel like we haven't prepared at all. Oh well, ready or not, here it comes.

I will keep the blog updated as the news comes. We anticipate a quite long surgery. Thanks for hanging in there with us. We're off on another journey.

Not much happening. Just trying to prepare for the 14th. For the past 4 weeks Brent has gone in for 3 hour infusions of iron. He was slightly anemic, and they want him as healthy as possible before the surgery.

IV antibiotics ended a week and half ago, but the fevers came back on Wednesday night, so now he's back on them again until surgery.

I've decided that "waiting" for surgery, as opposed to the past few emergency surgeries, can be good and bad. We've been able to get things done around the house before winter. The fear and anticipation is now setting in, with one week left, and that part really sucks. It's not like we haven't been through this 12 other times, but, unfortunately it does not get any easier. I think it actually gets harder, because we know what is coming. We find ourselves less patient with the medical people and the policies and procedures.

Well, here's hoping for a good week. It will be a busy week, which is good. Shalee, our unofficial 3rd daughter, is going through the temple this week, and will be sealed to her husband and son. SOOO excited for that. :) It's also our turn to host FHE with our group of friends from High School. Yay!

This weekend is Fast Sunday, so for those of you who are LDS, and who would like to participate, throw in an extra prayer for Brent. We truly do appreciate all of the love and support we get from all of you.

lisa