Christmas EVE!

 One year ago, today, Kyle and I

were in..... WICHITA!

For an aborted biometrics appointment.

And here we are again.

It would have been awesome to drive

home from here again,

exactly one year later...

but I'll take it WHENEVER we get to leave.

So here is the latest.

This morning we were visited by the

original Trauma doctor who saw us

in ICU.

(Everybody is covering everybody

else for the holidays...)

The 2nd tube they put in yesterday

isn't helping either.

He still has air and gunk in his

lung cavity.

They took a 2nd x-ray about an hour ago,

and depending on the results of that one,

they will likely pull the original tube

this afternoon.

And ... possibly the other tube?

And then watch to see what happens next.

But he is leaning towards pulling the tubes

and allowing his body to naturally 

reabsorb that air and fluid.

He thinks it might be his body's reaction

to having foreign objects in there. (the tubes)

So maybe once they get out of there,

his body will quit trying to protect his lung.

It's just a guess.

But he's a doctor, so I'm thinking it's a

pretty educated guess.

On their way out, the 4th year resident

(wish I had gotten his name... he doesn't

wear a name tag where I can see it though...)

stayed behind for a minute and said that

they had really done everything medically

that they were able to do.

Now he needs to "wow" the PT folks.

The 1st year (Dr Smith) just arrived.

He's here to take out the original tube!

YEA!!!

And then the local bishop (Ellis) and his

family just texted, they are here in the

hospital and would like  to stop in

and sing him some Christmas carols.

** Edit to add - they stopped by and were a

LOVELY family! We had a good visit.

They brought us a beautiful amaryllis 

and a box of chocolate truffles.

 

 

I've never seen one where the bulb in 

encased in wax! It's gorgeous!

OK, back to the regularly scheduled story.....

The 2nd tube is going to stay in for a bit

longer. We will have several more x-rays

over the next hours.

Once they finally remove it, they will 

need to observe for probably another day

and make sure it's going to be ok.

And then they are going to spring us!

The case manager made it sound like we

were going home tomorrow.

The dr says more like Friday or Saturday.

Whatever.

We'll take it!

**************

Ok, it's been several hours.

The Ellis family came and sang for us 

and we had a lovely visit.

As they were arriving, the Occupational

Therapist came by and she and I had

a good chat. She answered all the remaining

questions I had (mostly re: bathing....)

so I feel much better and ready to handle

most everything we have ahead of us.

Then the nurse took us for a terrific walk!

1577 steps all around the cancer ward.

As soon as we got back here, 

some sweet ward members, Vicki and Ken Elliott

stopped by on their way to their daughter's.

She is the ward organist and just the sweetest!

Ken is the ward clerk and we share a birthday!

They just left, and after all the excitement,

Rod is sound asleep.

Ok, I forgot some major stuff.

Let's go back to the nighttime.

It was AWFUL.

Late yesterday they put in the new tube.

About 10:00 we headed off to sleep.

I woke up about 3:30 when Rod accidentally

dropped his urinal thingie (there's a "handle" hole

in the tray table and it just fell right on through!)

Anyhow.

It opened and spilled.

But meanwhile, he was really uncomfortable

at site of the new tube. 

I remembered when he got the first tube,

it was also pretty sore, but a lidocaine patch

seemed to do the trick.

So we got a nurse in here and put one on.

And I went back to sleep.

Unfortunately, he didn't mention that it wasn't

JUST the tube incision that was hurting.

It appears his bed broke.

It's a nifty air mattress system that inflates

and deflates in a wave rhythm to help avoid

bedsores, and the top part quit working.

So his legs were still ok, but from his rear end

up, he was basically laying on a board.

Until I woke up at 6.

Poor guy was in absolute agony.

But "didn't want to wake you". 

(stern talking to......)

We got a nurse in there to look it over and 

order a new bed. She promised it would be there

in about 10 minutes.

25 minutes later.......

(Rod said, I'll give them 25 minutes.

I said, and then what?

He said, I'll give them another 25.)

(He's a card.)

Anyhow, 25 minutes later and still no bed.

So I went out into the hall to see if I could

drum up somebody to help.

Ran into yesterday's nurse, April.

She asked how he was doing, so I told her

about the bed.

She said, Well, that's ridiculous.

Walked across the hall, grabbed an empty

bed and dragged it on over.

Within 10 minutes we had him out of the

old bed, into a new one with all fresh linens,

and we were back in business.

(I made sure to visit with the floor manager,

since April is also the charge nurse, and told

her the story and made sure they were aware of

how she went well above and beyond.)

However, that meant he got NO sleep last night.

After a good breakfast of yogurt, bacon, and

some fresh cantaloupe and grapes, he did

get about an hour snooze before all the other 

stuff I've already told you about.

I know, this is VERY convoluted, but

it's been a DAY y'all!

Somewhere in there.... I think while he was

taking that nap I just mentioned, I snuck

out and did WalMart (on Christmas Eve! I know!)

Actually, it was no big deal.

I took surface streets, very little traffic,

and pulled right into a parking spot.

I already knew what I needed and where to 

find it, so I bought us a new foam pad

to put on our bed under the sheets,

a new cane (for when he is ready to graduate....

next week????? lol), a bath chair with a 

back (PT required that), and a large wedge

pillow to put under his back and head at night.

So we are all set!!!

When I came back in the hospital, I had to check

in with security, and asked about the possibility

of a midnight mass at that beautiful cathedral.

I guess they did a noon one, so I missed it.

I thought that would be a lovely way to

celebrate Christmas.

Ok, I think we are caught up.

But it's only 5:30.

So who knows what else is in store.

Meanwhile...

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVE!

Merry Christmas Eve Eve

 From the land of

WHAT THE HECK?????

Hahahahahaha.

Every time I sat down to update for today

there was a game plan change.

We aren't done, but here we go anyway.

Let's see.

This morning at o-dark-thirty,

our 4th year surgical resident came in

and told us they were very happy

with how the procedure went yesterday

and nooooooowwww... the plan was....

pull the tube Wed and send us HOME.

(Like, no rehab...)

We've had so many doctors and nurses...

It was grand central station in here until

about 9:00 when I called Mom, and they

were still coming!

I believe we also had a chest x-ray early

this morning.

Pretty sure.

** side note: I had the BEST sleep last night!

Turned off the lights at 10:00 last night

and, although I was "aware" when people

came in, I only woke up enough to be aware

and then right back to sleep.

I didn't actually wake up, wake up, until

about 6:00 this morning.

It was AWESOME!

And now I'm ready for a NAP!

Ok, back to the main story.

OH! AND then Dr. Nold and his team came

by about 8:00 and echoed the resident,

and told us we had permission to take his

tube OFF suction long enough to take walks

throughout the day! (Originally it was 

100% suction for 48 hours, no breaks...)

So that was exciting!!!

Somebody, darn if I remember who, said since

we were likely going home tomorrow and it

would be "just us" I had permission to take him

to the bathroom if I wanted. 

He still has to wear his brace, etc, but at least

we don't have to wait for a nurse.

That's nice!

They gave him some more laxatives last night

and this morning, so... waiting isn't really 

a thing we wanted to have to do.

We did a bathroom run and then

he chose to sit in his chair for a bit.

We experimented with a few things and

finally figured out a way to make it

kind of comfortable.

Then PT Donna came by to take us out and about.

He already had on his shorts (YEA) and she

let us take off his hospital gown and 

PUT ON A SHIRT!

Like a REAL, flannel, button up the front,

SHIRT!

It's the little things, people!

We still had to put on his brace, and hang a

yellow gown like a cape, as an indication that

a) patient

b) fall risk

Put on his cool spiderman slippers and away we went!

I mentioned that we were a little nervous about

navigating the 2 stairs into / out of our house.

So she took us on a field trip to a stairwell!

She taught him how to go up and down

the stairs safely and he did it TWICE.

(over achiever)

Turn so you are facing the railing, and

just side step up or down.

It was easy!

Knowledge is POWER.

She is a darling lady.

(even if this was the one moment

she was not smiling.... lol.)

She was actually getting ready to

dash out of the picture...

After she left, lunch arrived and he

ate the WHOLE thing.

Another tuna fish sandwich, a little bowl

of fresh strawberries, and I went down to

the cafeteria and got him a big ol'

chocolate milk!

After that, we needed naps!

And then Mark, our awesome nurse de jour

came in with news.

The tube we have in his chest just isn't cutting it.

So, we are heading down to CT to put in

a 2nd tube. This one is more pencil diameter.

(The original is bigger around than my thumb...)

So... here came transport.

They slid him onto a different bed (ouch)

and we headed down to first floor.

As always the folks were super nice and

very happy to explain what was coming next.

They took a scan and then she showed

us where there is still some air and

some fluid in his cavity.

The goal was to put in a 2nd tube, but after

seeing the scan the head dude said he wanted

to put in TWO more tubes. One in the top

and one kind of in the middle.

Since he just ate lunch, they couldn't

sedate him, but said they would numb as 

best they could and try to be gentle.

Sent me out to a waiting room and 

before I knew it (probably 25 minutes)

(I'm reading another book...)

out came one of the docs to explain that

they ended up only needing 1 tube.

Almost all the air was already out and

the fluid was draining nicely.

They also contacted the trauma doc and

basically told him to come get his giant

tube since it was mostly just in the way.

(hahaha)

Rod said he didn't feel any pain at all.

(Except when they transferred him

to another bed, and then back to the

transport bed, and then back onto his

bed here in the room...)

That really hurts him.

But as soon as it's over, he's fine.

Now, he is on total 100% flat,

bed rest for 2 hours.

(He's asleep again.)

And then?

Goodness only knows.

I have no idea what comes next.

Surprise me.

Like I've said before, I'll believe we

are heading home when we are 

actually IN the car and driving away.

Until then, I'm keeping my expectations

low and just going for the ride.

But in the meantime, everyone is so kind

and doing the very best they can for the

very best possible outcome.

And after PT Donna's visit today,

when we DO get home, I know we can

handle it!

So..........

I'll leave you here.

Not knowing.

Cuz we don't either.

But there "may" be an update later.

We'll see.

Merry Christmas Eve Eve Y'all!

Monday Afternoon Update.....

Woo hoo!

BONUS POST!

When we last left you,

Rod was marinating.

I discovered a book of word searches

in the bag of goodies the ER gave us.

We got all done flipping up over and

over and up and down.

Then, while he was still medicated

and sleeping, I took a SHOWER.

Our amazing nurse, April, brought

me a goodie bag with SHAMPOO!

(And I have some amazing soap Soni

gave me when we were in Tucson.)

Everything feels better after you get 

to wash your hair after eleven days!

(I just realized, the last time I washed

it was the same day I CUT it! And just

hours later.... here we were!)

Anyhow.

Our case manager, Katherine, came in

and gave us the news that Hays reached

out to her and said if we could get there

tomorrow (Tuesday) they would be happy

to have us.

Otherwise, Sunday would be the earliest.

And since we are locked in here until

Wednesday, that's not going to happen.

Plan B: would be to see how it looks

on Wednesday and transfer to a rehab

here in Wichita.

Pro: possibly 3 hours PT daily.

Con: loading him in and out of the car

which means heavy sedation and pain,

also I can't stay with him and night is

hardest for him still... he is still waking

very disoriented, thinking we are on a

boat, and if he can't see me, he panics,

even if I'm just over on my couch but

he can't tell I'm there...

Plan C: would be to stay where we are

and see what the weekend brings.

Pro: no transporting, less pain, less 

trauma from another new environment,

and time for him to continue to heal and

improve where he knows where he is.

Con: less PT.

We discussed it, and we are sticking with

what we know. Plus, staying here, we will

be in-house and the surgeon can come to US

instead of us coming to his clinic for our

2-week check-up. (She is going to reach out

to him and arrange that for us...)

So.......

The hospitalist Dr. Kern (lovely lady)

just came in to discuss our options,

She was very sad for us.

And quite amazed at our positive 

attitudes. (I reminded her she

JUST heard and we've had an

hour or so to marinate...)

So.

He is awake now.

And has found all his words except 

EGG.

He's having a hard time with that one.

After his breathing treatment (now) we are

going to try to find a nurse and go for a walk.

And then maybe I'll give him a sponge bath.

I can't be the only one who feels great.

All in all, it's been a busy, eventful day with

some set-backs, but we are fine with it.

(Dr. Kern even suggested that once the chest

tube is FINALLY out, with his work, 

he could improve so

much in the next week we might be able to

skip the whole inpatient rehab thing and go

right to home health or just out patient PT

at the WaKeeney hospital!)

That would be awesome!

Lots of options.

And lots of opportunities.

And lots of pages in that word search book.

(He's really having fun! I was kind of surprised!)

Oh hey!

Check out our cute slippers!

Soft, cushy, WARM, and good sticky

bottoms - perfect for walking.

(His are spider man - so if he is EVER on 

a roof again {not happening} he can

stick like a spider!)

Rotisserie Chicken

 After a good night's sleep,

the doctors came in this morning

and weren't happy with his left lung.

It's just not re-inflating like it should.

So...

We are trying something new and different.

They pulled and cleaned his chest tube.

Then they numbed him and filled

his lung cavity with... basically corn syrup.

A HEAVY sugar syrup.

And then a bunch of medicine.

Now, every 15 minutes he gets turned.

So lay flat on your back,

then lay on your right side,

then lay on your left side.

15 minutes each side.

Then we tipped his head up and

did the back, right and left sides.

They warned it would be very uncomfortable.

So the nurse loaded him up a syringe with

a little injectable tramadol.

He's MUCH more comfortable now.

(sound asleep)

Next we will lay him flat and then tip

the entire bed so his head is lower

and do the back, right, left thing again.

And then switch his tube back to suction

and watch it for 48 hours.

Then, on Wednesday, we will take another

x-ray.

And it will be PERFECT.

And they will send us to Hays.

(Or it won't, and they will put us on the

back burner over the holiday and see us

again next Monday....)

Meanwhile, he can't unhook from suction,

even just for a bathroom trip, so the nurse

is looking for a portable suction unit so

he will still be able to get out of bed

and walk the halls.

The PT ladies were in this morning and 

gave him the OK to put on CLOTHES

for his hall walks.

He still has to wear a yellow gown like

a batman cape to identify him as a 

fall risk patient.

But CLOTHES!!!

He has sweat pants and a flannel shirt

he is anxious to put on!

So... prayer warriors... (you probably already

got the morning update text...) we are

praying HARD for a Christmas Eve miracle.

We basically live in a Hallmark town,

so a typical Hallmark Christmas Eve 

miracle isn't unexpected, right?

Thank you everybody for your love,

prayers and support!

It means the world to us!!!

One Step Forward.....

 You know the drill...

This morning we met with the Trauma doc.

He said the x-rays were looking good.

Took us off suction on the chest tube.

Ordered a second x-ray for this afternoon.

Based on the outcome, the tube should

come out in the evening with a

transfer to rehab on Monday.

So... we took a NICE long walk.

Down to the family lounge and on in,

so he could look out the window

and see the cathedral out there.

It's so beautiful!

And then into the cancer ward to check

out their pretty Christmas tree.

And then back to his room for a nap.

After a bit, we got him out of bed

and he wandered into the bathroom.

Then into his chair for a bit,

but that wore him out so instead of 

another walk, he went back to bed.

About an hour ago, they came and

did the afternoon x-ray.

Followed by our nurse who got to

come give us the news.

It's gotten worse, not better.

So... back on suction.

With no idea what comes next.

It WILL heal, but taking a little

longer than anybody hoped.

I'm hoping to meet with the doctor

again (but who knows when that 

will actually happen...) so we can

see if there is anything we can do

that we aren't already.

Or do we just have to wait until his

body decides its time to heal.

We are both disappointed.

But we will rally.

Just one of the many inspirational pieces

of wall art throughout the halls we walked.

We will continue to have faith that

he will move forward and we will

not have to send out 

"change of address" cards.

Prayers.

A Very Full Saturday!

 Wow.

What a day.

One of those where you look back and think,

was that TODAY?

You know, a week ago this morning...

(I say that to my students

ALL. THE. TIME.)

We had a relatively good sleep.

Interrupted every 2 hours

but good deep sleep between.

The x-ray tech and the 1st year

surgery resident showed up at

the same time this morning.

(5:30 am. Seriously?)

He hung around long enough to

take a peak at the x-ray and

said "I'm NOT the radiologist,

but this looks pretty good to me!"

The chest tube is still in.

And, to the best of my knowledge,

is still on suction.

Nobody else came by today regarding that.

So... maybe tomorrow?

Then the nurse came in and we asked

if she would be interested in taking

us for a walk after hooking up his

new calcium drip.

She said let's do it before!

So we strapped into his fancy

turtle shell and off we went.

Rod and his favorite (so far) nurse,

Daphne.

She was AMAZING.

Listened to him tell his entire story.

And asked questions and encouraged him

to tell more and more.

They are busy.

They don't have time to stand and chat.

But she made time.

She was the SWEETEST.

In true Buffaloe style, they had to go 

further than the day before.

You can't even SEE them all the way

down there at the VEEEERY end of the hall.

Trust me, they are there....

After some challenging math,

(converting his steps into feet, into yards,

into miles)

we are pretty sure he did 1/4 mile.

She even posed for a selfie!

And then she brought him a self-cleaning

shampoo cap for his 9 days since

shampooing hair.

It was pretty nifty, looks and feel better

and even smells nice!

(For future reference...)

Room service brought him a hamburger

and roasted potatoes and 

HE ATE HALF!

All that exercise is GOOD!

And then..... a serious NAP.

After a bit, today's Physical Therapy lady

showed up and gave me some excellent

tips for his turtle shell.

And then we hit the road again.

Once again, you gotta do MORE than before,

so back allllllll the way down the hall,

then to the room, but instead of turning

into the room, he just kept on going,

into the cancer ward at the other

end of the hall.

All - in - all we think we did about

1/3 mile on that one!

(No picture this time, I was handling

the IV pole... not enough hands...)

Another good nap.

And while he was sleeping, I slipped out

to WalMart to get some essentials.

You know.

Dry shampoo.

The cap thing was nifty, but left his

hair still kind of greasy feeling...

Socks to go in his shoes.

Undies.

And some fun slippers!

I'll take pictures tomorrow on our walk.

I also got some Arnica gel.

His knees have been aching at night

and the staff want to give him major

pain killers. I'd like to save the big guns

for big issues. (Like a 3 hour drive home?)

So instead we've been putting arnica

on them and that seems to help.

Once I got back, we had a nice visit

with the doctor in charge of medicine

(like ... drugs...)

and we talked about the possibility of

... medicating... him BEFORE the trip.

She said ABSOLUTELY!

And she might just tuck an extra one

in his pocket...

 (I'm sure she was joking.)

(maybe)

He took another nap and I ran back

out to the car because I left my phone

charger out there and wanted to get it.

This is such a cool old hospital.

This is part of the LOONG hall heading

down to the parking garage.

All those cases are filled with

historical medical stuff.

It's fascinating!

Back up to find Rod awake and HUNGRY!

So I went down to the cafe and got him

a slice of PIZZA! He didn't eat much,

but at least he ATE!

(And I was also starving, after just

not being hungry all week... I had

a cheeseburger and onion rings...)

YUM.

There is this really beautiful, old Catholic

cathedral that it looks like they built the

hospital around. It's hiding in the court yard.

If you didn't know it was there,

you wouldn't know it was there.

Some stunning stained glass!

Absolutely gorgeous at night!

All the wall art is beautiful,

but this one is directly outside the ICU door.

It brought me such peace!

I still tear up when I look at it.

It was such a frightening time and experience

and just that reminder every time I went

out those doors that we are being watched over.

Both by God and by trained professionals

who have devoted their lives to saving others.

The first night here, (Friday) I was in the

little lounge just inside ICU, with my computer,

welcoming each student as they logged on for

the evening review class and explaining that

I was cancelling class.

There were a few I just said I was cancelling,

but there are a couple who have been with me

for some time and we have a relationship.

For those, I gave them a little of the story.

A woman and man came in and sat for a bit.

As they got up to leave,

she apologized, said she didn't mean to listen in,

but felt I could benefit from a gift.

She pulled this out of her pocket and

handed it to me.

It's been in my pocket ever since.

Kind of like Grandpa's red marble.

This has been an experience.

Not one I would like to repeat.

But there have been so many learning 

and growing moments.

I am grateful.

A Little TOO Optomistic

 Our surgeon came in this morning

and apologized about a million times

for making promises he couldn't keep.

We totally understand.

You sometimes step forward 

and you sometimes step backward.

But it's not a problem, really.

Because waiting for his chest tube

to finish its job has also allowed a little

time for us to clear up his digestion issues.

His belly was bloated, uncomfortable,

and he was sure he would never feel better.

And now, we can't seem to turn it off.

Hahahaha.

Glad he's in a bed, with handy nurses

who are "happy" to make him comfortable

as many times as it takes.

Instead of in our car on a 3-hour drive.

Even when it looks like a set-back,

Heavenly Father has a plan.

We just have to be patient and go for the ride.

Speaking of steps...

Helloooooooooo.

Is that YOU waaaaaay down there?

The PT and OT (and intern) took him for

"a little walk".

I walked it later, using his step-sizes.

THREE HUNDRED AND TWELVE STEPS!

Yesterday when he was walking,

it was mostly an old man shuffle.

Today he was taking actual steps.

I am so proud of him!

Getting up out of bed or off his chair

is going SO well!

His arms and legs are regaining strength

and remembering their jobs.

Getting back into bed isn't fun.

There's just no way to go from sitting

to laying down without violating some

aspect of the good ol' BLT.

(No Bending, Lifting, Twisting)

It's more of a side flop.

Which is super fun with 12 broken ribs.

Pain shoots from 0 to 100.

But it's over quickly.

As soon as he's laying flat again,

he's back to very low pain levels.

All he needs is a kiss and a sip of water.

We were hoping to go for a walk while

the plumbing seems to be cooperating,

but they hooked him to a new IV (after

bringing in the specialist because they couldn't

find any more veins... yesterday they even

brought in a "fish finder / vein finder" thing...)

The IV guy brought in an ultrasound but

didn't need it.

Anyhow... 2 hours on a calcium glycinate (?)

drip and THEN he can go for a walk.

Anyhow.

They are now saying after looking at his

dawn x-ray today (hello... SLEEPING HERE!)

that there's still some gunk in there and

although his lung looks better, it's

still slightly collapsed. Taking a little

extra time to fill in all the little holes.

So another day on the chest tube on suction mode.

But rehab facilities don't take new patients

on the weekends, so it will be at least

Monday before we transfer.

I'm not happy, but not sad either.

I really want to be in Hays and closer

to home and family (real and ward),

but there is something to be said for being

here with doctors and nurses, even when

they want to take blood and do x-rays

at the most ridiculous hours.

The days are long and boring.

But today he discovered the Hallmark

channel on his TV. 

So things are looking up.

Cautiously Optimistic....

 Only because of conflicting information

from the various medical staff.....

We had the surgeon in earlier.

We are taking the chest tube out

today and have been approved for

HaysMed Rehab (30 miles from home)

as early as tomorrow!

Then the resident came in and said

his chest tube was situated wonky

(they just did another CT scan...)

and he was here to reposition it a bit.

I asked if they were taking it out today.

Nope.

Possibly tomorrow.

Ok....... either way, it's coming OUT.

And, according to all my medical friends

(nearly half the ward works at HaysMed

in some capacity or other...)

getting the chest tube out will take care

of the majority of his pain.

Which is awesome, because he isn't in any.

But it IS uncomfortable having it 

hanging out of his body.

I just reached out to the local Bishop.

He is arranging for someone to bring him

some sweatpants and a zippered hoodie

for the trip HOME.

(The ER gave us a goodie bag including a

$20 Walmart gift card, so I told him we would

just give it to whomever brings the clothes.)

Their ward shouldn't need to pay for this.

We were just looking at the clock.

It has been almost EXACTLY one week

since the accident.

I'm AMAZED at the progress he has made.

MY view from his window.

Unfortunately, his bed is at the wrong angle,

so he can only see the side of the building.

But at least we are getting a little natural light

which is helping reset his circadian rhythm.

He was all messed up between day and night.

He has a LOT of stuff.

The big black thing in the chair is his

fancy chest protector.

Anyhow.

We are still praying constantly and

expecting the best possible outcome.

And who knows...

he might just get to sing...

"I'll be HOME for Christmas!"

(I'll count Hays as home if I have to!)