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!