Update #170

The first number on the first machine with the first alarm that I ever understood in the ICU was the oxygen saturation level. Normal, healthy individuals generally have a saturation level of 95% or so. When Sarah and I first arrived at 4:00 a.m., we sat and watched that number climb from 79% (it had started in the twenties when Dave first arrived) to 90%, which is almost within healthy limits. That was the first sign of progress and the first critical step in Dave's recovery.

Before I go any further, Dave is fine and is being monitored closely. With that said, among the multitude of tests that Dave has endured today, his pulmonologist ordered a study of his oxygen saturation level while he sleeps. As a result, now, almost a year later, I'm sitting in a different hospital room almost as late at night (or early in the morning) watching the same number and listening to the same alarm on the same machine. Talk about deja vu. Partially because of his pneumonia and partially because of the damage to his lungs, it turns out that Dave's saturation level drops to the mid-80s when he sleeps. Yikes! We have been working with Dr. Hardin and the insurance company for weeks trying to get approval for our own saturation monitor at the house so we would know when his level was low. This may be the proof we need.

So Dave is not sleeping, I'm not sleeping, and that stupid alarm keeps beeping. The Respiratory Therapist was hoping to hold off on giving him oxygen to preserve the integrity of the study, but he's been running 83% to 85% for ten minutes, so on with the oxygen we go.

The good news, of course, is that unlike a year ago, Dave is awake, happy (well, aside from the lack of sleep) and looking forward to being released in the next few days. I guess, keeping that in perspective, we can probably deal with the annoyance of one alarm.

That being said, please do be praying for Dave's breathing. From the sounds of it, the drop in saturation may mean yet another night in the hospital. Again, so much better than last year, but I think we will both be glad to see our own bed again sometime soon.

Update #169

So at least the hospitals are moving continually closer to home...

Almost immediately after I finished posting the last positive update, Dave woke up and said he was having a hard time breathing. After a call to Dr. Hardin (PCP), we headed to the ER at the new West Chester Medical Center (only 5 minutes from our house), where the nurses informed us that Dave almost certainly had pneumonia. The cultures that came back today confirmed it.

We did spend last night in the hospital and will be here at least one more night until the IV antibiotics kick in completely. Fortunately, this is the nicest hospital room we have experienced yet, and Dr. Weintz - Dave's doctor from Drake - transferred up here when the hospital opened and is Dave's attending while we are here. Dave is also feeeling (and looking) much better this afternoon, and his white blood cell count is dropping back to the normal range, so overall, things are as good as they can be.

We'll keep you posted, but for now, I'm off to help Dave try to take a shower without getting his IV wet. Fun fun!

Be praying for fast healing and that Dave doesn't lose any strength during his time here. More soon!

Update #168

Da boys

Breakfast

Liquid breakfast

Airplane spoon?

Congratulations Todd and Janice!

I didn't even get a one-knee proposal!

Da girls

Da boys

So many updates. Things are getting crazy... For some reason, blogspot's formatting is messed up, so I apologize for the lack of paragraphs.

First, surgery is scheduled for July 8th! Six hour procedure - two hours for the fistula, four for reconstruction - followed by seven to ten days in the hospital and a month of recovery at home. According to Regina (PT), with the way Dave's made progress in the past few months, the surgery shouldn't have even set him back that far.

Speaking of PT, Dave's doing so well that he is getting kicked out! A few more sessions, then we are on our own! We got a gym membership last week (Fitness 19 - $14 per month for both of us!) and have already worked out a couple of times. The only issue - now we have to be self-motivated - AHH!

In other positive news (I think it's actually all good stuff this post), the blob has left the building! Surgery two weeks ago made a HUGE difference, and the purple monstrosity that was overtaking the right side of Dave's face is now only a small scar. Another follow-up in a few weeks, but for now, huge improvement.

Some fun stuff - Dave got to go on his bachelor party a week and a half ago! The first time he was away since he got out of the hospital, and as I'm sure you can see by the pictures, he had a blast. Dave's groomsmen and a bunch of his other friends took him "camping" in a cabin in Indiana with queen size beds, a jacuzzi, and our friend Ben's cooking, which in and of itself means you're living the high life. Not exactly roughing it, but a guys' weekend just the same.

Then, this past weekend - a lot of firsts over the last few weeks - we took our first post-hospital road trip to Chicago for our friends' wedding. Five hours in the car each way, an architectural boat tour of the city, lunch with one of my bridesmaids Heidi and her husband Ray (who, by the way, is getting ready to start his medical residency and is fascinated by Dave and his accident), deep dish pizza and Yatzee with my dad's college roommate and his wife, and of course Todd and Janice's wedding. A whirlwind of a weekend, but well worth it. Dave walked, danced and survived a very long drive with no major bumps.

And, on top of everything else, our Wedding Celebration is only ten days away! The chaos starts this Saturday when my sister gets to town and doesn't stop for over a week. We're in the midst of pre-wedding chaos - flowers, DJs, caterers, fittings - but we're loving every minute of it.

Sorry for the long pause without updates - I was thoroughly reprimanded by our friend Randee at the wedding - but I hope this helps! Can't wait to see you all next weekend!

Update #167

Someone asked me a few weeks ago at what point Dave and I would stop updating the blog, when we would feel the need to cut people off from reading every detail of his life. We're still not sure when that day will come - maybe after the surgery in June - but I promise that whenever it does, I'll make sure to wean you gradually so the withdrawals aren't too terrible.

On that note, two and a half weeks with no update doesn't mean that there is nothing noteworthy to say; it just means that things have been SO busy, I haven't had time to crash in front of my laptop and put two (or 202) coherent sentences together. Finally, it's Saturday morning, Dave's asleep, Baza's attacking a banana (literally - I gave him a bite of my banana, and he's growling at it), youth ministry for tomorrow is ready, and we have no appointments till Monday. I should be able to get through an update before things get crazy again.

Something that I forgot to mention in the last update: Dave's visit to the Pulmonologist confirmed the pulmonary hypertension and resulted in a Pulmonary Function Test that told us Dave is at approximately 50% lung capacity for an average guy his age. The good news, though, is that lungs can take up to 18 months to heal, so there may still be some significant improvement over the next few months. The next surgery, which will include inserting some supportive tissue into his abdomen to replace is lost ribs and abdominal muscles, should also assist in improving lung function.

To get all of the bad news out of the way early, the blob has spoken, and the message isn't good. Two weeks ago, our visit to Dr. Cepela (Opthalmic Plastic Surgeon) brought a peek of light at the end of the tunnel when he said that the blob was improving. This past Thursday, however, the blob fought back and won. Dave is scheduled for surgery to incise it and scrape out the inflamed tissue on Monday, May 11th at 2:30 p.m. Aren't you jealous? :-) Because the location of the blob, numbing the area is out of the question, so Dave will (thankfully) be sleeping through the 30-minute procedure.

Onto the postive!

Dave is off his cane at home! He can walk around the house hands free, and it is amazing to watch! For the first few days, he looked like a toddler Godzilla (we'll see how often he reads this page by how soon he gets mad at me for that comment), but now, he is getting stronger and walking almost completely like he used to! He still tires quickly, and we still bring his cane when we are out, but no more wheelchair, no more crutches, and sometimes no more cane!

Dave is doing so well at PT, in fact, that Regina says she may have to discontinue him from her service and send us to a gym to work out like "normal people." We're working on choosing a gym and setting up an exercise program and could be on our own in the next two weeks!

Possibly the best indicator of Dave's progress: he's wearing his earrings again! For a while in the hospital, he said that he didn't think he would ever wear them again, but they're back. And for those of you who offered to contribute to the Dave repiercing fund, you'll be happy to know that the holes are still there, and he is regauging them back to their original size as I type.

So that's it in a very large nutshell. 35 days till the Wedding Celebration, and, if this post is any indication, Dave should be blinging, walking and even dancing the way that he was one year before. Looking forward to it!

Prayer requests:

For the surgery on May 11th, that we will finally conquer the blob.
For continued strength improvement and no more infections.
For my girl Liz who has approximately one month of quiet and calm before she starts what could be the worst chemo she has experienced yet.

Love you all! Looking forward to seeing you on June 6th! For anyone coming out for the Celebration, visit http://kendahlanddave.wordpress.com for all the details!