30 days later

It has been a month today that Ron went into cardiac arrest ...when things became very uncertain for him and our lives. It is so nice to write this today knowing that he overcame the odds and is still with us today ...to share with him the experience of what went on ...it is a blessing that he cannot recolllect any of it. I am grateful that those fearful moments are behind us and now our focus is on Ron's rehab and getting his body strong enough to hold his weight ...that he may be able to stand on his own and ultimately takes steps. The physical therapist came by today to work with him. She helped him to do leg lifts ...a little different from the ones we were doing. She had him doing pelvic lifts ...he did a good job on these. She then had him sit on the edge of the bed....which I might say...he did this all by himself. He was able to swing his legs over all on his own and lift his torso up to sitting position without my help. It was great to see. He worked on a different type of leg lifts while sitting on the edge of the bed...She really worked him today. He was very tired after they were done. His edema seems to have become worse tonight on his lower extremities ..it has us both a bit concerned. I will have the doctors take a look at them tomorrow. I keep hoping it is simply because is not able to walk therefore not able to redistribute the fluid in his tissue. His kidney is working ...he continues to have good output...so I am not sure what is going on with this. We finally received the results of his echo ....Dr. Copeland indicated that it looks awesome and his ejection fraction is staying steady around 55%. We were very happy to hear this given he is no longer receiving the chemo-like drug Retuxamab anymore...so we were anxious to see how his heart function would be. This is great news. Please continue to keep Ron in prayer that his rehab will move along with great progress. That the Lord will place his hand upon him once again and bring him the muscle strength he needs to walk again real soon. "Wait patiently for the Lord. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the Lord." Psalm 27:14

NEW EMAIL ADDRESS

I still can't figure out what is going on with my yahoo email account. I found a nurse in the ICU who is also a computer geek...He played around with the computer...but we still can't get it to work. I am not sure if it is the wireless service here in the hospital or if it is simply my computer. In the meantime..I have set up another email account through Google. Please give it a try so I can see if it works. The email address is webbsiteaz@gmail.com...
This will also help me to restore all my email addresses. As they are all on my yahoo account.

Thanks....

EMAIL WOES

To those who have sent me emails the past few days...please know that I am having major issues with my yahoo server to pull up my emails. At times I only get a blank screen and when I am able to get an inbox screen...when I go to click on each email receive...I only get an error message stating the server did not download the message. So anything that has come through...I have not been able to read. I apologize. I am not very computer savvy...so once I can find someone to figure out what is going on...I don't know how soon I will be able to retrieve any emails. Your best bet is to call me if you need to reach me or communicate important information to me. I would ask you to please refrain from any "junk" mail...jokes...chain emails...etc...until I can get this matter resolved.....thanks for your understanding.....

HURRY UP AND WAIT

We waited all day for Ron to have his echo done. They did not come to his room until 10 minutes to 5pm. We obviously will not know the results until sometime tomorrow. The wound care nurse came by to take care of Ron's wound on his tailbone...she said it is looking real good from Friday ...as she tried a different type of wound care on Friday. She will check it again on Wednesday to see how it is healing. The renal doctors also came by to take care of the kidney transplant open wound. They continue to reassure us that his wound tissue is very healthy and looks good. The physical therapist also came by today and did a few exercises with Ron...mostly upper body exercises. While they were not much ...they really wore him out. Every day he will increase the number of reps to help increase his strength. He also did some pelvic lifts in bed ...he did one set of 20...which is 5 more than yesterday....slow progress...but progress nonetheless. He is pretty wiped out tonight. I don't know if he will sit on the edge of the bed tonight.

RAINY DAY SUNDAY

We had a rainy day here in Tucson today. A day to stay in doors and sleep....but, not when you spend your days in the hospital. We had a short visit with Thomas today....too bad the time goes by so fast. He also had a visitor today ....Emma...another little friend of his came by to wish him a happy birthday and to bring him a birthday gift. They colored together and gave hugs before she had to leave. It was a nice Sunday visit. We spent a couple of more hours together with Thomas and our in laws ...but before we knew the time had gone by and they had to head back to Goodyear. We gave as many hugs and kisses as we could to Thomas and off they went. Until next weekend.... Ron and I did our usual morning exercises to strengthen his legs and torso. He sat up at the edge of the bed for breakfast and again this evening. His color looks good. Dr. Copeland came by this afternoon. We discussed Ron's situation with the Cytoxin and going to rehab. He thought about changing Ron from Cytoxin to Cellcept....but we reminded him that he had been on cellcept with his first transplant and he was taken off of it because he went into rejection so quickly and changed to the cyclosporine. We told him we were not comfortable removing Ron from the cytoxin because he has actually done well with it since going on it in August. He respected our wishes and said he would leave him on it and would make arrangements to get him the rehab he needs and he will just stay here. I asked him to please do whatever he can to make Ron a priority and he said he would light a fire under someone to get this done. He is scheduled for an echo tomorrow and hopefully someone from the wellness center will show up to work with him. The renal doctors were by to look and his wound and change the dressing...they said despite that there is a bacterial infection ...the tissue looks very good and healthy. We are looking forward to a positive and productive week. I hope everyone had a great weekend. Blessings...... "The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my saviour; my God is my rock, in whom I find protection. He is my shield, the power that saves me, and my place of safety." 2 Samuel 22:2-3

THOMAS TURNS 3!

What a special day we had Saturday...Thomas turned three years old....and it was the first time to see him in two very long weeks! I did not realize just how much I had missed him until I saw him an held him in my arms...the tears just started flowing. I couldn't help myself. I have been so involved with Ron's care...I really did not give myself the time to realize how much I was missing my baby. It is so great to have him here with us to celebrate his special day. And what a celebration it was....I ordered him a cake with the "Cars" theme. We ordered pizza for everyone and had our own little party down in the hospital cafeteria. The doctors gave Ron the "O.K." to leave the floor for the party. We were down there for 2 hours...it was a fun time. My in-laws were there .....Three of Ron's doctors were there...one of the tech's from ICU came by ....Dr. Smith brought her 2 year old daughter and her new born baby ....it was a good time. Thomas really enjoyed all the presents he received...and had to try them all out once were back up in daddy's room. He looks so good. My sister in law has done such a great job with him. He seemed very happy. It is going to be so hard for me to have him leave again. Two days just isn't enough time to get all my hugs and kisses in. Ron had a good day. He is so happy when all the family is here...especially Thomas. I did find out tonight that the renal doctors started him on Cipro...an antibiotic. It seems that the cultures they did on his wound are showing some signs of an infection. I did not get a chance to speak with them today...the orders were written when we were down in the cafeteria. I hope to speak with them tomorrow to get more details. I hope they caught it early and will be easy to treat. The tissue still looks very healthy and pink. We look forward to another fun filled day with Thomas ....making every moment with him count. "23The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives. 24Though they stumble, they will never fall, for the Lord holds them by the hand." Psalm 37:23-24

NO FINAL DECISIONS MADE

Well...it does not look like Ron will be leaving for a rehab facility any time soon. The facility we had decided was the best place for him cannot accept him as a patient because of the chemotherapy drug he takes, Cytoxin. This drug has to be administered here by chemo certified nurses and the cups the pill is brought in has to be placed in a special bag to be disposed of properly. It is a big to do here. The rehab facility is not equipped to administer the drug...We initially advised them we would take care of administering the drug ourselves by just bringing our own prescription...but this is not the only issue. The other problem deals with bodily fluids ...if Ron were to get sick..via vomiting or other things...they would be exposed to the chemo drug in this manner as well...they are not certified to deal with any type of chemo exposure...I am learning that several facilities are like this...they are just not as equipped as larger hospitals are for this type of situation. So, for now it leaves us in limbo. I have made several request given the situation...they simply need to make Ron a high priority with their physical therapist and with the cardiac rehab center here ASAP. I have had to get a bit aggressive in getting my point across in order to get things moving around here. A physical therapist did stop by for a little while today and helped Ron with some exercises to do in bed and while sitting. Ron also sat in the recliner chair today. It was a bit scary getting him from the bed to the chair. I thought he was going to fall...his legs buckled and he was very near to the floor. It took two men ...a very tall ...strong female tech and myself to make sure we got him in the chair and not on the floor. I quickly went for his torso and put all the strength I had in me to make sure he did not fall. Once settled he did a really good job exercising with the bike pedals. He worked them for about 10 minutes. The physical therapist and two other male nursed helped get him back in bed...with direction from the physical therapist ...he was able to make sure the transition back to the bed was much smoother than getting him into the chair. He advised for now...we should just concentrate on sitting Ron on the edge of the bed and working on his leg lifts and balancing himself while he sits up. It is too unsafe to have the nurses try to move him to the chair..they are not fully skilled enough in this area to be moving him in such manner.

I believe I made myself clear today to various doctors and team members what I expect going forward. I am expecting that Ron will be made a high priority going forward where physical therapy and cardiac rehab are concerned ...given everything he has been through...all the time and effort that was given to save his life...it is the least they can do to see that his recovery is a success to the very end.

I ask again for everyone to pray that Ron gets the care and service he needs to be rehabilitated as close to 100% as possible....

In Him.....

"But God is my helper. The Lord keeps me alive!" Psalm 54:4

GOOD NEWS

Another good day with positive results. Ron's creatinin has gone from 2.2 to 1.8 ...almost to normal range of 1.5! The dialysis cath was suppose to come out today...but the P.A. never made it back to Ron's room ...so, my guess is it will come out tomorrow...all the doctors are in agreement that it is ok to take it out. They removed all the remaining staples he had on his sternum and his groin areas....everything looks really good. I sat him up twice in bed today...he sat up much better today...at lunch time he was able to lift himself to a sitting position once I helped bring his legs off the bed and to the floor...he was quite impressed with himself. We did a lot of leg lifts and exercises in bed to stretch his muscles. The doctors will keep him here through the weekend and on Monday they will do another echo to see how the heart is doing before transferring him to a rehab facility. A representative from Kindred Rehab facility ...advised of the care they can offer from medical needs...wound care...and rehab. The goal is to get him ready for extensive rehab that he can do as an outpatient eventually. Several people I have spoken to here at the hospital have advised that this is a very good facility in town...they know people that work there or have been there...and had nothing but positive things to say about it. This made Ron and I feel a lot better about the move. I am also happy that the doctors are not rushing to transfer him out...they are giving it time to make sure he is stable enough to leave. I still do not have all the details as to how this will all play out in terms of the doctors keeping up with his care once we leave here...these are things I will have to sit down with someone from the team to be clear on. Overall...Ron had a good day. He ate well...and enjoyed meeting new friends today from Avondale...a young girl from our church...Sarah...who had a heart transplant back in July ...she was here for her 6mth follow-up...she received very good news. It was a joy to meet her and her parents ....Ron really enjoyed the visit and we both look forward to many more visits with them once we get home. We also had another visit from the hospital's PR Rep. She brought us a nice 8x10 photo that was taken of Ron with his kidney surgeon and his heart surgeon. They will be publishing the photo in the kidney newsletter soon. She also asked Ron if he would be up to meeting with another reporter from a program that airs on channel 9. They will run a whole segment on Ron and his experience to help promote the transplant program for UMC. Of course, Ron was all for it...anything to help promote the program here. The PR rep said after Ron is through with rehab...she will also call the network new stations to see if they want to do a final story on Ron as well once he is up and walking once again. He continues to be the local celebrity . "The Lord is God, shining upon us." Psalm 118:27

NEW DAY ....NEW CHANGES

It was a busy day in our new area...trying to orient nurses with Ron's care and getting used to new routines on this floor. There are 4 patients to 1 nurse....a bit different than when we were in ICU...where the ratio is either 2:1 or 1:1....It takes some getting used to ...or I just end up taking care of whatever Ron needs. The renal doctors were by in the morning...they cleaned and inspected his wound...it is looking good and healing well...but he has at least 2-3 months before it fully heals. They are looking to remove his dialysis cath since he is doing so well on his urine output....he is doing over 2000 cc's per day....they will give it probably one more day and then remove it. He has not had dialysis since Friday. The doctors came by and made early rounds ..they pulled a few staples from Ron's sternum but not all of them...he is still healing from his surgery a week and half ago....They also removed some staples from his groin sites where he had the tubing from the ECMO machine...but again..not all of them. We are little concerned one of the sites may be developing a yeast infection..I thought it strange...but yes, it is possible. They did not seem too concerned about it...there is a special powder they can use to treat it. I guess this is common because his immune system is so suppressed. They removed the pacemaker wires also. That was a bit painful for Ron..but he did well. He still has signs of edema ..but we hope this will continue to improve as long as he continues with such good output. At breakfast time ..I helped him sit up on the side of the bed to eat breakfast ...he did really well. He is at the point where I can help him by myself and he can help push himself up. We did this three times today. He is also able to roll over from side to side while in bed when we need to change his sheets ...this is a big improvement for him...just days ago he was not able to do much of this. The physical therapist came by his room today with a walker to see if he would be able to stand using the walker for support. He gave it his best effort but he could not even pull himself off the bed..they tried to support his arms but he just could not do it. The cardiac transplant team made rounds again in the afternoon...they advised that the physical therapist are recommending Ron go to a rehab facility where he can get the attention he fully needs for physical therapy and rehab. UMC just does not have he resources or staff to give him the attention he needs. If we continue like this ...he will not be walking any time soon and his skin will continue to breakdown. So, a caseworker came by today to go over his needs and advised me of places she will call to see if anyone has availability. Ron will need a place that not only offers rehab but also has a full medical staff for his medical needs. Once I am given some names of places I will run by and tour the locations. They want him to stay in Tucson for a while as he will still need to be seen by his surgeon for some time. We are a bit nervous about the move given that right now we are in a familiar place with nurses and doctors that we are comfortable with and who know us..especially Ron and his needs. The thought of going somewhere completely new makes things a bit scary. I just want to be sure they will care for him well in terms of his cardiac needs...his wounds that are healing and should something happen...will they be able to respond quick enough to help Ron. I don't know the time frame as of yet when this move will take place ...it will all depend on the doctors here and if a facility has an available bed. I ask for every one's prayers that this will be the right move for Ron and that he will be well cared for and safe where ever he is transferred to. I also hope that they will be accepting of me being there with him as I am here. He depends on me so much ...I can't imagine not being able to stay with him to help him as I do. I also ask for continued prayers for our financial needs....that the Lord will continue to provide and see us through this. I had hoped that he would be discharged by February so that our insurance would take effect for living expenses...but until that happens our costs for the apartment are out of pocket expenses.

"2 From the ends of the earth, I cry to you for help when my heart is overwhelmed. Lead me to the towering rock of safety, 3 for you are my safe refuge." Psalm 61: 2-3

IN A NEW ROOM

We are out of ICU! ......We said our goodbye's to all the wonderful nurses there...we hope to see them again ...but not as Ron as a patient...just to visit from here on out. He is settled in in the new room ...they gave us a nice corner . larger room ...we have a great view of the Catalina mountains. Lots of room to be comfortable in. He has his own private bathroom and shower....which I am able to use now. He is currently receiving his IV infusion of the Retuximab...his 4th and final dose. Dr. Copeland came by and said his echo today looked awesome! He said it is practically normal. It is functioning very well. All good news to hear today. Now that he is receiving his last dose of this medication....he will just have to be monitored closely....to make sure there is no further rejection. They cannot give him too much of the medication and wipe out all his b-cells...otherwise he will start developing all types of infections...it is a balancing act when dealing with these medications. We hope to have someone from cardiac rehab up to see him tomorrow...they gave him a quick assessment today to get things going on this. He needs to get stronger ...he needs to start walking again. Ron's new room number is 4832, 4NE. The new phone number is 520-694-2005. But, you can always call on our cell phone, too ...623-570-5539. "27 I am leaving you with a gift-peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don't be troubled or afraid. 28 Remember what I told you: I am going away, but I will come back to you again." John 14: 27-28

WAITING ON A ROOM

We are still in the ICU...there are no beds available yet on the regular floor....and we are told there are still 4 patients ahead of us waiting to move to the other floor as well. If it does not happen today then we will just wait until tomorrow. Everything happens as it should and we will just take it all in stride. He is having another echo done right now. I wanted to make sure this was done early enough before moving him to the other floor. He is still having bouts of nausea and I want to make sure there is no rejection setting in before moving him out of ICU. He will get his 4th and last dose of Rituxamab today...this is the chemo-like drug that keeps the B-cells at bay so as not to cause antibody rejection. He is scheduled to receive this at 1pm today via IV infusion.

ONE MORE NIGHT IN ICU

We did not leave the ICU this evening. We have to wait for an available bed on the regular unit. Hopefully, tomorrow will be the big day. The resident came by to write all the orders for the transfer...so we are hopeful this will happen on Monday. Ron had great urine output today...the most he has ever done in months....2100cc's in one day! The kidneys are definitely working...he has not had dialysis in three days! It doesn't get better than this. The kidney doctors are so excited about this...as long as he continues to show a good amount of output they will hold off on dialysis. If they were to start dialysis again..then the kidneys tend to get lazy and stop working if a machine is going to do the work for them....his creatinin has stayed constant at 2.1....so they are happy with this for now...normal range is 1.5...and if he continues with the output he is doing ...he is surely to reach that normal range very soon....Praise God....the progress continues. Ron did try to stand today...it was for a brief moment...the strength to do this is still not quite there...but every little bit helps...he just has to continue with the exercises he has been given while in bed...and hopefully...that day will come when he can stand and hold his own weight...what a day that will be. We will miss all the nursing staff in the ICU...many have become friends ...who truly care about us and want to see Ron succeed in his recovery...but moving to the regular floor is definitely a step in the right direction....it means he is not sick enough to be in ICU...and that is a great thing! While we are not going to have the one on one attention we have here....we also have many friends on that floor who know us very well and also share in the goal to help and see Ron succeed in getting better sooner rather than later. We are surrounded by great staff here ....they genuinely care about us and Ron and are very compassionate as well as passionate people in the work they do here .....we could not ask for more.

"So, be strong and courageous, all you who put your hope in the Lord."

Psalm 31:24

LEAVING THE ICU

The doctors have made rounds this morning. They removed the other drain tube Ron has had since getting his sternum repaired. His arterial line and central lines have been removed. He has one small IV that is used to administer medication but other than that....all lines are out! They are going to wait another day or two before they remove the temporary pacer wires....just as a precaution. They are also going to wait to remove the staples from the left and right groin area...these are the sites where they removed the ECMO tubing. The doctor does not want to rush to get those out just yet. The staples in his sternum will stay in longer. He is also moving out of ICU....if not today...tomorrow to the regular floor. His urine output has been awesome today...1450cc's so far today....very impressive. We were lucky some days to see 300cc's in a whole day! He has been battling quite a bit of nausea today...we are not sure why. He will have an echo tomorrow ....hopefully, this is not a sign of rejection setting in again. We will keep positive thoughts. His cousins came to visit him today ...he had a very nice visit ...he sat up on the edge of the bed for over an hour....he did so well. We are hoping to get him to stand up this evening....even if just a few seconds...every little bit will help.

40 DAYS AND 40 NIGHTS

It is hard to believe we have spent 40 days and 40 nights here at UMC. At times it seems it has just flown by and then at others...it seems as though we have been here longer. To the staff...it seems like an eternity....but mostly because we have been coming here so many times. Ron was here every 3-4 months last year and in 2006 we were here for four months. So, to them ...it's as if we never left. What a journey this has been for us. As I reflect back on the 40 days and nights....some are a blurr..others are still very vivid in my mind. The moment we received the call at 6am Saturday, Dec. 8th....the excitement...the shock....the anxiety of trying to get everything together to get on the road as quickly as possible.....the anxiety of knowing Ron would be going through another heart surgery....and a kidney, too....the drive to Tucson in the pouring rain and Thomas...taking all this in and being such a good boy through it all. I remember Dr. Copeland telling us Ron was very sick and that his heart was as bad as the one they had just removed. He was in serious rejection once again. The images of having all the doctors in his room trying to keep his heart from failing any further in order to keep his organs from shutting down. The feeling of helplessness .....trying to go very deep into my being to cling to my faith as best as I could in the hopes that God would find HIS way into Ron's room and "fix" everything for me. Reaching out to the doctors whom I put my trust in to help Ron get through this. It was all I had left ....my total faith in God that He would take care of it all. And, he did. Ron improved .....we had a great Christmas....The Lord gave us the best gift of all....Ron's life ..... But...the Lord was not finished with our journey just yet....he had much more work to do through us....Dec. 30th....Ron went into cardiac arrest....and once again I walked up to a room full of doctors and medical staff in Ron's room trying to save his life. It was all so surreal....Here I was again watching my husband unconscious and lifeless.....everyone working so desperately to keep him alive....the doctors coming to me mouthing things I did not want to hear ...it did not look good ...his heart had stopped...we would need to connect him to a heart/lung machine in order to keep him alive and figure out what had caused this and come up with a treatment. My head was spinning ....for a split second, I did not know what to do.....I needed guidance and the Lord brought it to me...through a doctor I fully trusted who assured me this was the best thing for Ron. And, so I agreed to it and signed the consent form for them to start. For five grueling days we sat and watched Ron hooked up to this machine and others that kept him alive while the doctors tried medications to help bring his heart back. Once again...the Lord presented himself with his amazing love and miracles. HE showed us that all things are possible through HIM if we just believe! There were still obstacles to overcome but we knew we could do it...the Lord was with us ...we could do this! Each day Ron has progressed....each day a little closer to full recovery. He endured having his sternum damaged and repaired. He has endured having his kidney transplant site reopened and getting it cleaned and treated twice a day. He has recently endured another surgery to have his permanent pacemaker installed. And through it all...he has managed to keep his sense of humor and his will to keep fighting ...he wants to get out of bed and walk so bad...each morning he strives for that with everything he has. He is up by 7am...ready to sit on the side of his bed and exercise as best he can....just like he did today. He even at his breakfast sitting on the edge of the bed and exercising his legs while he ate. He then went into the cadillac chair for over two hours. We have permission today to go out of the hospital to sit out in the courtyard and get some fresh air! How awesome is that!....Ron still has many milestones to cross...he has already overcome so many. These forty days and nights have had their trials but we have also had some great victories....Praises to our Lord ...who has strengthened us and sustained us during moments that were very tough to go through alone. We are ready to take on the next task of helping Ron fight even harder to regain his strength as he begins to endure the rigorous routines of physical therapy. Thank you for taking this journey with us.....there is much more to come...with the hope it will all be positive from here on out. "12But to all who believed Him and accepted Him, He gave the right to become children of God. 13 They are reborn-not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God." John1: 12-13

OUT OF SURGERY

All went very well with surgery. Ron's pacemaker is in and he came back wide awake from surgery. The first thing he wanted was a slice of pizza pie. Two of his friends were here to visit him and they stopped and picked one up for him while he was in surgery. He ate a little...I told him he needed to take it slow. His temporary pacer is still attached as well. They will wait at least 24 hours to make sure his permanent one is working fine before removing the temporary one. I hope to get him sitting up on the side of the bed later this evening.

WE'LL TRY THIS AGAIN

Ron is scheduled for surgery at 1:30pm today. Hopefully, no emergencies will delay us this time. He had a very good night...slept straight through. I did, too. We were up just before 7am. He went straight to the cadillac chair and sat up for almost two hours. He was in a great mood today ..giving the tech's a run for their money today. They started him back on lasix via I.V. with the hope that this will also help to get fluid off of him. He had good output last night and again this morning. Hopefully, this will continue for him. I will let you know how surgery goes today. Thanks again for all the thoughts and prayers.

A HARD DAYS WORK

Ron had his dialysis done again today. It really helped and was much needed. His feet and legs were very swollen today ..they managed to get a lot of fluid off today. I hope he gets another treatment again tomorrow. Surgery has been rescheduled for tomorrow but we do not know the time yet. He had a good nap durng dialysis as did I.....it was much needed after our 5am wake up call this morning. He was then ready for a good workout. He sat up at the edge of the bed...he dangled his legs and did leg lifts. He then used the exercise pedals and pedaled like he was trying to get out of here. After he rested for a few minutes he asked for help into the regular chair. The nurses tried to stand him up but he was much too weak. He wanted to try a second time and they did...but it was still too much for him. We told him the fact that he even tried was an incredible attempt...and a great effort. We will just try again tomorrow and every day after until he is able to do it. After this workout ...he went into the cadillac chair and sat there for a good hour. Once he was back in bed ...he was ready for some pain medicine and sleep. So, we shall see what time surgery is tomorrow and I will let everyone know how it goes. Keep the prayers coming ...I can't imagine life without prayer, without our Lord. "May he grant your heart's desires and make all your plans succeed." Psalm 20:4

OFF TO SURGERY...OR MAYBE NOT

Ron was scheduled for surgery first thing this morning. They had us up by 5am and down to the O.R. holding area by 6:15am. They finally took him into the O.R. and had him prep'd to go when his sugeon was called back up to the ICU for an emergency. Another patient was coding and had to get to the O.R. immediately for an assisted device. It was a young girl. Ron had no problem allowing them to bumped him until tomorrow. He is doing fine over all. His edema is still there and so he is getting his dialysis treatement right now. We hope to get some more rehab fitted in to his schedule later today as well. Not a whole lot more to report just yet.

The doctors made rounds again late afternoon. We further discussed the need for a pacemaker for Ron. They exlplained we should not wait longer than Thursday or Friday to have he pacemaker put in. They indicated that Ron is on full support of the outboard pacemaker right now. The leads he has attached to his heart and the outboard pacer have been in for a month now...they are not made to last for a very long time. They are concerned that the leads could wear out in the middle of the night and then they would have to rush him to the O.R. with hopes of getting there in time. Whithout the pacer his heart rate goes down to 30 beats per minute. They also indicated that the problem Ron is now having with the low heart rate is not only due to the heart medication he was on to bring his tachacardia under control...they also believe that there was damage to the synode in his heart (which is what paces the heart) due to the two severe episodes of rejection the heart endured last month. Thus, the chances of his heart rate increasing to a normal rate are unlikely. Given this information...Ron and I decided that it would be best to proceed with the surgical procedure of putting the pacemaker in. And, as Ron thought about the leads possibly giving out in the middle of the night...it made him very uneasy. He felt that he would be up to doing this on Thursday or Friday. We advised the doctors of our decision...so we will wait to see what day they are able to fit him in. We ask for everyone's prayers that this will go well...that Ron will begin to feel even better with the pacemaker and no further complications will arise. Physical therapists came by this afternoon to help him with some leg exercises. He sat along the edge of the bed and did everything they asked of him. He was very tired and his sternum was hurting but he stuck it out and did his exercises. They were very impressed with how much he was able to do. I guess the exercises we have been doing on our own are really helping him. He is so eager to start walking again...he wants to do whatever it takes to make it happen. His edema has increased so we are working to try to get more dialysis treatments in as much as possible. We don't want this to get out of hand because it will then further delay he ability to walk. He was very talkative with everyone that stopped by to see him today. I hope tomorrow brings more good things. "Be merciful to me, O Lord, for I am calling on you constantly. Give me happines, O Lord, for I give myself to you." Psalm 86: 3-4

BACK TO HIMSELF

Ron is definitely feeling more like himself today. He is much more verbal in what he wants and when he wants it...especially his pain medicine. He was very specific on what he wanted for breakfast this morning ...he was very aurnery with the nurses this morning too..... He is in a better mood now ...given that I have returned from running errands for him at Wal-Mart. As I said before....he is getting pretty good at letting me know what he wants...and he wanted a few things today. After breakfast he sent me out to get him some western magazines....some "snacks" (gummy worms) .....and a few other things....It is so nice to see him sitting up in bed reading through a magazine...he has not wanted to do this...or felt up to doing this in such a long time. It is such a good feeing. He sat up in the cadillac chair at 7am this morning....he got a good early start. I know I find myself saying this alot but he is quite amazing! This latest thing the doctors are now discussing wih Ron's case is that now he may be needing another pace maker...yes, another one. Ron just can't seem to escape them. Prior to his first transplant Ron had a diffibrillator/pacemaker...then after his first transplant...his heart rate always ran low...so he left here with a pacemaker. This time around...because they had to give him so much medication to keep his heart rate down when he was having so much tachacardia...(elevated heart rate)....this medicine lingers in your system for a very long time...months...so now, his heart rate has decreased more than what we would like to see in a transplant patient. The lowest they took him this morning was 56...it could have gone lower but they did not want to chance it. He is still on an outboard pacemaker to keep him at a rate of 99 -100 beats per minute. They wanted to take him to surgery today to put the pacemaker in...but Ron and I advised them we were not ready to do this. He is still hurting so much from the surgery he just had on Friday for his sternum......We just want to give him time to heal from this....and wait to see if his heart rate gets back to normal range on it's own...it's a long shot....but Ron has managed to beat the odds more than once..so why not wait and see....it can't hurt. We will just continue to speak to the Lord and ask for his guidance and grace to do what he sees to be right for Ron ...if anyone can continue to heal his heart it is HIM. Ron is fine with the fact that he may need a pacemaker. As he sees it...he came with one...he has no problem leaving with one. He has been through the worst of it....this is minor given everything he has overcome. He is almost done with his dialysis treatment today. I asked the doctors to work on getting more fluid off of him as he had very puffy feet today. We had planned on having him excercise on some foot pedals last night while he sat on the edge of the bed but is feet were too fat to fit in the pedals. I told the doctors to work a little hard to add longer time to his dialysis treatments. They started to today...however they gave him pain medicine just before starting dialysis...this tends to drop his blood pressure...and when his blood pressure gets too low...they cannot pull much fluid off of him...so we are not getting as much off as we would have liked. Now, I need to work on getting them better coordinated with the time he gets his pain meds vs when he will get dialysis..just some needed improvement on coordination and communication. Hopefully, physical therapy will be here today...they have put in several request for a PT consult ...but we continue to wait on this. In the meantime..I continue to help Ron exercise his legs and arms to get some strength in them and keep his joints from tightening up more than they already have.

SLOW PROGRESS BEGINS

Ron sat up on the side of the bed last night for 15 minutes. This is the first time since he coded back on 12/30/07. He was very weak...but he did well. This morning we got him up first thing. He said it was easier today than yesterday to sit up. I was pleased to hear him say this. He did a few leg lifts while he sat on the edge of the bed and some arm lifts with my help. We are hoping to get him some exercise pedals that he can use while he is sitting to help increase his leg strength and also get some cardio exercise as well. He is almost done with his dialysis this morning...he says he is ready for lunch. Another sign of good things to come. We will try to sit him up again throughout the day....the more repetitions the better. He is down to one IV drip...they removed most of them yesterday and transitioned him back to oral medication. He will come off the duboutamin today. He is still being paced ...they tried to see what he heart would do without it today...but it was still at a slow rate of 56 beats per minute. They tell me it can takes weeks before the amiodorone drug will come out of his system..this was the medication they were using on him when they needed to slow his heart rate previously. So we just need to give it time to get this all out of his system...and hopefully, his heart will return to a normal heart rate. The good thing is though.....he is in norma sinus rythm. Praise God for that!

A SPECIAL LETTER

This is a special blog for our niece, Amanda: We loved the inspiring letter you wrote to your Uncle Buck ( who most of us know as "Ron" or "Lonny").... I read it outloud to him....he loved it very much and it brought tears to his eyes as well as mine. You are very special to us. You are growing up to be a beautiful young lady from the inside out! Thanks for all the help you have given your parents with Thomas. We really appreciate it! You are a very good cousin to him. All three of us love you very, very much! We are blessed to have you as a niece. "Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from him." Psalm 127:3

A BETTER NIGHT

Ron had a much better night last night. They gave him something to help him sleep...it worked! We both slept very well. This morning was the first time he ate ALL of his breakfast and his protein supplement as well. He seemed in better spirits this morning. The pain is still there but not as severe as in days past. It was not as uncomfortable moving from the bed to the chair this morning. After breakfast I gave him another good shave. He looks really good. We kept the mustache this time. He is getting a breathing treatment now.....albuterol. They removed his foley today...this should make things a bit more comfortable for him. He is still showing signs of decent urine output. His wounds were cleaned and treated today...the doctor says they are looking better. We hope for a quiet Sunday and that the Cowboys beat the Giants!

ARE YOU AN ORGAN DONOR?

Our survey results are in for our poll....Are you an organ donor?....Of the 16 individuals who voted...9 answered "yes" to being an organ donor and 7 answered "no" to being an organ donor. That equates to 56% of those who voted as being organ donors and 43% as not being organ donors. Given our experience these past two years....I cannot stress enough the importance of becoming an organ donor....the lives that can be changed by the one incredible gift another human being can give to someone ....it is priceless. We have been fortunate not once but twice by two different individuals ....Ron is still with us today because two people gave unselfishly of themselves so that Ron and many others could be given a second chance at life. He is living proof why organ donation is so important to so many people. As so many of you have walked this journey with us...you know all too well the impact organ donation has been for us....wouldn't you want to be a positive impact on someone else's life just as it has been for us!? There is no greater gift! Become an organ donor. If you live in Arizona ...you can log on to http://www.azdonorregistry.org/ or if you would like a form mailed to you ...ask for a form by calling 800-943-6667. Some facts to consider to help you in deciding if you want to become an organ donor: * Every 11 minutes a name is added to the national transplant waiting list. * An average of 18 people die each day while waiting for organs. * Data obtained through the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) www.unos.org

DONATE LIFE

A PAINFUL NIGHT

It was a challenging night for Ron...the pain kept him up all night. Even with the morphine drip ....the pain was more than he could sleep through. They have added percocet along with the morphine early this morning. However, the doctors were in cleaning and checking the kidney transplant wound....which was also very uncomfortable for him. The wound looked a little bit better ....the fluid that was draining from it is clear...which is a good sign there is no further infection further down. We are hopeful it will heal well. He is still extremely tender along the sternum area. We hope in a few days this will start to subside. He ate his breakfast well this morning ... a nice omelet with lots of protein. He also drank an ensure with his protein supplement...he seemed to tolerate it well. The renal doctor mentioned we really need to get him to take in as much nourishment as possible to help with the healing process. He is doing his very best to do this. He is finally sleeping ....I think the additional pain medicine is giving him a little bit of comfort. They are setting up his dialysis machine to get him started on another treatment. He seems to sleep fine through this. Hopefully, later today we can get him up in the chair again. The night nurses did a good job cleaning and treating the wound he has on his tailbone. This developed early on from his bedpan. When he coded initially, he was on the bedpan and when they did compressions on him for 1/2 an hour...the bedpan was still underneath....causing alot of bruising. Since he has been in bed so long ...it has caused the area to break down....in order to avoid any infection ...they have to keep the area clean and patched up....but it also helps to keep him off of it as much as possible...so the more frequent we can get him in and out of bed into a chair ...the quicker it will heal. He is getting a short run of dialysis today...only 2 hours...so hopefully, we can get him cleaned up and in a chair shortly thereafter. He is still being paced....the doctors want the heart medication he had been on to slow his heart rate to be completely out of his system before removing the pacer all together. Without the pacer his heart rate goes down to about 56 on his own. I think they would like to see him stay in the 80-90 range without the pacer. All in good time......

ALLS WELL THAT ENDS WELL

Ron returned from surgery with a lot of pain. He said this pain was far worse than any other pain he has experienced. I guess it would be severe given this is the fourth time having his sternum worked on. But, they set him up with a morphine PCA..which allows him to press a button every 6 minutes to get a hit of morphine. He is taking full advantage of this while he can. I told him he may as well so he can get a good night's sleep. It turns out that the repair to the sternum was not as extensive as they thought it would be. They managed to clean out some of the dead tissue and restaple everything together. They ended up doing the cardiocversion after all...shocked the heart back into normal sinus rythm...this time it worked. They also did another esophageal echo to check how the heart was doing. They said it read at 45-55 this time...lower than what the last echo showed. Hopefully, the new medication he is due to take again on Monday may help to increase the rate agan. We will have to wait and see. He is being paced with an outboard pacemaker just to give the heart time to readjust after surgery. His blood pressure looked great today and he is showing signs of more urine output. After surgery ...they had a wound care nurse come by to look at his open wound where they had done his kidney transplant. She did a good job working on it. Tomorrow the renal doctors will be back in ...they will use silver nitrate to help stop the bleeding in some areas. The wound care nurse will then return to treat the area as they did today. This should be a daily thing if I understood them correctly. My hope is that his diabetes and the fact that he is immunosuppressed will not complicate things much. While this has been an incredible rollercoaster ride for us...Ron and I agree we could not imagine taking this ride with anyone else. It was a ride specially made for us...and we plan to see it through together. We know the Lord continues to be with us and will do so for the long haul.

"So be strong and courageous, all you who put your hope in the Lord!" Psalm 31:24

OFF TO SURGERY

Ron went into surgery at 1pm today. Surgery should run about an hour and a half. He seemed very calm going into surgery and felt well. He seemed to have a good night's sleep. The usual back pain was his only issue today. I don't remember if I mentioned in my last blog that they had to open the incision where his kidney transplant was done. There was a small opening which showed signs of infection...so as not to let it spread...they had to open the area and clean it out. I had a chance to look at it with the doctors today ...they claim it looked better than yesterday. I guess I have to take their word for it ..since I did not see it yesterday. They will not close it back up because they want it to heal from the inside out. If they close it up ..it could cause furher infection to occur. My big concern is that Ron is diabetic and he is immunosuppressed. This can cause the healing process to take longer. There is the possibility that a wound vac may be used to help the healing process move along faster. We will need to wait and see what they decide. I have just been informed by his nurse that he is out of surgery and has been removed from the ventilator. He should be back in his room within the hour. All went well. They did not have to completely rewire the sternum...the damage was not as bad as they anticipated it to be. They did have to remove some dead tissue ...but were able to close the area up well and restaple things. They ran another echo on his while he was down their ...his function is not as high as it was a few days ago. It is running more in the 40-50 range right now. But, we will be hopeful that it will come back up again. They did do the cardioversion on him and were able to bring his heart back to a normal sinus rythm. All positive news to me. Thanks again for all the good ...good thoughts and the prayers

And so our day comes to an end. Ron did fairly well today. Still sore from being in bed so long. After returning from his renal gram he was pretty tired. His nurse cleaned him up and cleaned his incisions, took care of meds and then he wanted to take a nap. I let him sleep for three hours and woke him around 1pm. He needed to eat some lunch and also get out of bed and into the cadillac chair. He stayed in the chair for about an hour and a half. He did not eat much today ....so I had him drink some ensures along with the feeding tube feedings he is getting. He sat up in bed this evening and ate a half slice of pizza. He still was not very hungry tonight. I did not push it too much since he does still have the feeding tube. We watched the republican presidential debates on TV. It was entertaining.......He is sleeping now...the nurse gave him something for pain. His surgery is scheduled for 1 or 1:30pm tomorrow give or take ....of course this all could change if an emergency surgery comes up or other surgeries are completed early. It will more than likely be a "wait and see" kind of day. He is ready though to get it done and put it behind him. This will just put him one step closer to focusing only on rehab and getting stronger. Please pray for a successful surgery. My best to everyone.

A RESTFUL DAY

Ron had his renal gram early this morning. Nice to get it out of the way early...now he has the rest of the day to himself....or something like that....
He woke me up at 7am...he wanted to exercise his legs. He did so good. All I really had to do was support them up for his...he did all the bending pretty much on his own. He is so remarkable.
The renal doctors came by to see him...they were looking at his incision from the kidney transplant and noticed there was a small opening in it. They had to open the incision some to get a better look at it. They say it will need to stay open to heal on it's own. They will still keep it covered with dressings but it should heal fine. Fortunately, he has been on an antibiotic already to keep his sternum from getting infected.
No dialysis today. His cardiac pressures are doing well today and his electrolytes are in normal range...they will give him a break today.
He is still scheduled for surgery tomorrow to repair his sternum but I have not been told of the time just yet.
They also plan to cardioconvert him while in surgery...this is when they shock his heart to bring it back to normal sinus rhythm. Right now he is still in atrial fibrillation. It makes me a bit uncomfortable when they do this...but I trust in the Lord to be there with him. So, with no dialysis today and no surgery today...we hope for a nice restful day.

OH MY ACHING BACK

Ron struggled quite a bit with his lower back pain today. On top of everything else, Ron suffers from two herniated discs. With the amount of time he has had to spend in bed ...it has started to take it's toll. His nurse today is really staying on top of keeping him very comfortable alternating certain pain medication. He was just very uncomfortable yesterday. He had dialysis for three hours yesterday but they were only able to get a little over a liter off because his blood pressure would not cooperate. So, they are preping his machine now for another round of dialysis again today. The doctors have confirmed as of early this morning he will have surgery on Friday to repair his sternum. I do not know what time of day it will be scheduled for as of yet and we will not know how extensive the repair will be until the doctors get in to see exactly what they are dealing with. It is quite possible I may not find out the time this will take place until that day or possibly the evening before. He had a bout of nausea and vomiting last night....not quite sure where this came from ..fortunately it was short lived and they have started to give him something to remedy the nausea before it gets worse.
Because Ron has been in bed so long they have had to bring an outside vendor in to fit him for some special boots that he can wear while in bed.
This helps to correct and/or prevent what is known as "dropped foot"...very common in people who are immobile for a long period of time. His feet were also starting to turn in which could create a big problem when he needs to start walking again. The boots will help with all this until he can get stronger to walk. Once he is at the point of getting out of bed to walk and stand...he will then be fitted for special braces and shoes to use until he fully regains his strength. From the standpoint of rehabilitation ....Ron will have his work cut out for him....but I have no doubt he is going to succeed and persevere in this area....given the fight and the determination he has within....he will do very well. It is incredilbe the atrophy he has in his muscles from being in bed so long. I see bones on Ron's body I have never seen before...up along his shoulders and shoulder blades and along the shins of his legs....It amazes me how quickly the body weakens without exercise of any kind. He is still very weak. But, I am hopeful each week will show signs of strengthening and progress.
I continue to receive such wonderful responses from so many people extending their help in prayer ....I am in awe of the work the Lord is doing through so many. Ron and I talked about this yesterday and we both agreed we are so fortunate and so blessed by the God's grace in all of you.
I finally decided to go ahead and get a furnished apartment yesterday. I had been putting it off because our insurance does not cover lodging until Ron is discharged. But, given that so many apartments are booked until the end of March...I did not want to take the chance of not finding something once Ron was discharged. This place was truly brought to us by God. The leasing person I spoke to on Saturday was very touched by our situation and wanted to do whatever she could to help us out. She and another co-worker brainstormed and reviewed the units they had available and came up with a 2 br 2bth unit for us...fully furnished. They waived the security deposit for me and I only had to pay $40 for the application fee. They offered to put in brand new carpet and vinyle flooring for us knowing how important this was for a transplant patient. They made sure we had a downstairs unit for him. They will have the apartment ready for move in this Friday! Is that awesome or what!!?
When you given thanks to the Lord today...please given an extra thanks for Terry and Rhonda at Park Place Apartments. They are women with very big hearts!
I also received a call from Terry this morning to confirm the flooring was being done today and the cable guy would be there on Friday....they were also able to accomodate us with a king size bed in the master bedroom because they want to make sure Ron is extra comfortable when he gets out of the hospital. She also said it was a very good thing we signed everything yesterday because they just raised the price on the unit we are staying in by $700 dollars. Yet, again....God watching over us! The Lord never ceases to amaze me. He has shown himself time and time again .....I pray that everyone reading this will have an opportunity to experience HIS presence as we have ...there is no greater moment than this. He is never failing....he keeps his promises ....he showes his love in so many ways.
To those of you who have found inspiration through our journey ....I thank God. It was some time ago that I asked God to use me in such a way to glorify him ....and I now believe he is using me now through this experience to make him known to many who have not known him or have not experience his presence and his grace. I am living proof to you today that HE does exist! HE is real and our God truly reigns! Be faithful, believe ...call upon HIM..he wants you to....HE is waiting for you to draw him into your hearts ...let him amaze you as he has amazed me. I assure you once you allow this to happen in your life.....change will come and with that change will come a peace you can only experience with God's grace.


You are my God, and I will praise you! You are my God, and I will exalt you! Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever.
Psalm 118: 28-29

AN ACCOMPLISHED DAY

The final results came in on Ron's echo...his ejection fraction...the amount of blood that is pumped from his ventricles is at 60-65%...it is practically normal.
We are very pleased with the results.
All went well with the anti-rejection drug administered today. He seemed to tolerate it very well. Dialysis was very successful as well..they were able to pull 3 1/2 liters of fluid. His blood pressure did very well during the process. His nurse and I gave him a really good bath today after dialysis. He then sat in the cadillac chair again today before dinner. As he did ...I gave him a really good shave. He had become quite scruffy...so I shaved his head...for those who don't personally know Ron...he prefers the bald look. It's a great look for him. It is nice, clean and smooth. I shaved his beard and his mustache. He looks great! He cleans up so nicely. After about an hour and a half..he was ready to get back in bed. Dinner came and he just tasted a couple of things. I think he was still full from everything he ate at lunch. We watched a couple of shows on TV together and we talked a bit more about the weeks before. He is asleep now and I will soon follow.

Therefore, let all the godly pray to you while there is still time, that they may not drown in the floodwaters of judgment. For you are my hiding place, you protect me from trouble. You surround me with songs of victory. Psalm 32:6-7

AHHHH ..LUNCH!

Ron was finally able to have lunch. He had to wait for his dialysis treatment to end before he could eat. I ordered pizza and wings for the nursing staff today and he wanted to know if the "pie" had been delivered yet. So, once it arrived, I saved him a slice of cheese pizza so that he could have after dialysis. He really enjoyed it. He did a great job with swallowing and it set well in his stomach. Shortly thereafter, his lunch tray arrived. He ate crispy baked fish and mashed potoatoes with gravy. He ate very well. He also had a ginger-ale. The best part was eating his cousin's homemade chocolate chip cookie...with milk. They have started administering the new anti-rejection drug he received last week. It is administered as an infusion via IV. This will run for a while. He is sleeping now. They gave him percocet and benadryl while he receives the drug. It is to help with any affects he may have from the drug. Given that he was totally sedated the first time he received it...we really do not know how he will respond to it. So far...he feels fine.
The rest of his day should be relatively quiet. He may sit up in a chair later tonight.

CAN I EAT, YET?

Ron passed his swallow test. He will be able to start eating small amounts of food today...light liquids and very soft food. He is excited about this. If he can maintain his calorie intake ..hopefully, the feeding tube can come out very soon.
He is getting ready to have an echo done. We hope to have the results after lunch.
They will start hemodialysis today as well. He will also continue on his antibiotics until his sternum is repaired. Still no word on when this will be done. They are just taking things one step at a time. He seems even more alert today. Seveal nurses came in today that were gone all weekend and had not seen him since he went to the 6th floor. They came in to share with him everything that happened a week ago Sunday. Everyone was so excited to see him awake! He said it was so nice to see everyone, too. He takes in everything everyone shares with him because he still just does not remember anything.

A NEW WEEK AHEAD

11:07pm

As our weekend comes to an end...I look forward to what the week ahead will bring us. I have just good feelings of things to come. I know each day Ron will get stronger and his energy level is sure to increase.

He was much more alert today and stayed awake most of the day. He even asked the nurse to set him in the cadillac chair for a while. I am so proud of him. He even wanted to eat today. He had me ask his doctor if he could have his swallow evaluation today so he could have some home made cookies his cousin brought to him today. No such luck....the technicians who do the evaluation are only here Monday through Friday...normal business hours. He was a bit bummed about it ...but I was just so tickled that he actually has an appetite. I think it is just great.
I asked him to be patient..Monday will be here soon ...he will have his evaluation..pass it with flying colors...and he can have all the cookies he wants!

Ron's legs are very sore from being in bed so long. He asked me to help him bend them and exercise them for him. We did this several times throughout the day....he seemed to get some relief from this.

He is sleeping now...the nurse gave him some pain medication for his back primarily. I look forward to the day he can get up and start walking laps around the unit. What a great day this will be.

But I am trusting you, O Lord, saying, "You are my God!" Psalm 31:14

BREATHING ON HIS OWN

The ventilator was removed yesterday evening. Ron is breathing very well on his own. He was very happy to have this removed. I had entered a blog last night but I must not have saved it and somehow was deleted. He had a good night. He spoke to everyone from time to time...but kept going back to sleep. He said he felt like a train wreck. He looks great though. His cheeks are nice and pink. The doctors came in and used their portable echo machine to get an idea of what his heart is doing. He is at 60% function right now. Pretty darn close to normal.
He is on antibiotics to keep any possible infections at bay...given the two incisions that had to be done on each leg where the tubing was placed for the heart/lung machine. Also, they have not repaired his sternum yet. They were waiting to give him some time.

He has slept most of today. He was just really wiped out. He woke up early this morning with a slight fever. It worried me some ..but as I have come accustomed to do...is give it to God...pray about it and let him handle it. The fever came down and he just rested the remainder of the day.
He was very alert this evening after his long siesta today. He asked me a lot of questions as to how long he has been here. He does not remember anything of the weeks' events. He wanted me to explain to him what an ECMO machine was and how long he was on it. He does not remember anything after his first incident when he came out of surgery and he does not remember us celebrating Christmas. He thought he had missed Christmas. He does not remember the interview we did with the newspaper reporter. I don't know if this is temporary or if this has anything to do with how long he had been down after cardiac arrest. Only time will tell. He does not remember talking to me on the phone the half hour before going into cardiac arrest.
He keeps asking questions throughout the night. He said it is really bothering him that he cannot remember anything. I told him just to give it time. He has had a very rough week...it will just take time. He is being fed through a feeding tube right now...they plan to do a swallow test on Monday to make sure he can start drinking and eating on his own. I look forward to seeing his progress in the days to come. He asked the nurse to sit him upright so as to feel he was sitting in a chair this evening. I thought that was a really good sign.
Blessings to everyone. I was happy with our day. Ron is still with us. How great ....how great ....is our GOD!...We all have seen....how great is our GOD!

ANOTHER STEP FORWARD

( I found the blog entry I thought I deleted..it was still in "draft" form) Ron has been off the ventilator now for approximately one hour and is doing very well. It was a quiet day for the most part...they kept him very calm so as not to fight the ventilator until the right time to remove it. He spoke to us a little bit...he said he was tired. He is resting now again. Dr. Copeland asked him how he was doing...and he replied "I can't complain". He was happy to see everyone. Everyone that has stopped by his room ...nurses that were off when everything happened and heard later after the fact are in total amazement and much delight to see him back. It has been a good day...a step forward in the right direction. We are pleased and very grateful. For everything comes from him and exists by his power and is intended for his glory. All glory to him forever! Amen. Romans 11:36

FAREWELL TO A FRIEND

1:37am I am still up ...keeping an eye on Ron tonight. He is finally resting peacefully. He was very restless and agitated most of the evening as he would come in and out of sedation. He had a lot of gagging reflexes tonight with the intubation tube. Hopefully, it will come out tomorrow. The doctors just want to be very certain that his lungs are strong enough. His heart rate and blood pressure look great. I recently found out that my girlfriend Cheryl lost her fight to recovering from the Chemotherapy reaction she had. Cheryl also took a very sharp turn for the worse last Sunday and unfortunately she was unable to recover from it. She was called home to the Lord at 1:50pm on Thursday. I ask for everyone's prayers as you read this for her husband, Rick Britton and her son Sean Britton. They have lost a beautiful wife and mother. To my friend....Cheryl Lee Britton : 8/19/63-01/03/08.....may the angels surround you with love .....praise God ...you are free....you are home!

Psalm 23:1-6

The LORD is my shepherd; I have all that I need. He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams. He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name. Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me. You prepare a feast for me in the presence of my enemies. You honor me by anointing my head with oil. My cup overflows with blessings. Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will live in the house of the LORD forever.

1:25pm
Ron is out of surgery. Dr. Copeland said everything went very well. The repair to the left leg took a bit longer but all went very well. He said Ron's heart function is very good and his blood pressure is good as well as his cardiac pressures. He is still on the ventilator...they will slowly wean him off as he comes out of sedation and is awake enough to breath on his own.

Thank you for all the prayers and all the phone calls and messages that have been left for us. All the doctors and nurses have said they want to know everyone that is praying for Ron because they want them in their corner, too!

Blessings.....what a great year this is turning out to be......

Surgery

Ron went into surgery at approx 10am...
He had a very good night. His blood pressure stayed very steady throughout the night and they had time to work on getting his lungs strong to be ready for surgery this morning. His nurses were very optomistic he was going to have a very good surgery and outcome. I will keep you posted throughout the day. Thank you for all the words of encouragement...the love and the deserving praises to our Loving Lord.

MIRACLES DO HAPPEN

God is great! The Lord has truly given us our miracle today. The echo was done at 3pm today and it was beautiful! They lowered the ECMO machine one level at a time and each time his heart just kept on pumping ...better than it's ever pumped before. The doctors were so amazed and ecstatic. They said this was a totally different heart from two days ago. From their standpoint the medicine worked...it is a miracle drug. But, I say God has worked...He has worked his miracles on my Ron! He not only gave him a functioning heart ...he made it even better than it was when he came out of his transplant surgery. He is at normal heart function. The plan now is to remove the heart / lung device tonight....but Dr. Copeland just came by and said the soonest they would be able to take him into surgery would be 8pm and he would be stretching his team too far....the best plan at this point is to wait until the morning... Dr. Copeland will do the sugery himself to remove the device. It should take place sometime tomorrow around 10 or 11am. We have truly witnessed a miracle here today....and I am so honored to praise our God for this ....his love and mercy are truly unfailing! "My life is an example to many, because you have been my strength and protection. That is why I can never stop praising you; I declare your glory all day long." Psalm 71: 7-8

ANOTHER DAY OF HOPE

9:29am Ron had another good night. His blood pressure stayed steady and he tolerated more fluid to be removed from the dialysis machine. I was able to get a full nights rest as well. I am feeling a little bit better today. My throat is not as sore and the ear ache has subsided. Dr. Copeland was in this morning around 8am. He was very impressed with Ron's pulse pressure...he said it was amazing. I took this as a really good sign. Earlier the doctors had said we would probably wait until Saturday to run the echo again...but Copeland said since his pulse pressure looked good he wanted to do the echo today. It is scheduled for 1pm. Ron has been alert again this morning. As the doctors would come in ...I would let him know and he would raise his hand and turn his head to see them and shake their hands. Everyone was so amazed at his response. One of the nurses he has today had not seen him since the first day he came to this floor. When she spoke to him this morning to introduce herself, he immediately tried to raise his head to look at her....she was surprisingly shocked how well he was doing in just a matter of a few days. My husband is amazing... I will be sure to blog later today to advise the outcome of the echo....we pray for great results. P.S. To my PVC family....I started reading the one year bible yesterday.....I read it outloud at Ron's bedside so that we could enjoy it together. I think he liked it. We will read again today. I sure do miss being around everyone....I can't wait to return back to Goodyear and be apart of our great Route 66 journey together.....In HIM..... Thank you all for the continued prayers and love.....Mary

A DAY WITH FAMILY AND FRIENDS

Ron was quite amazing today. After posting the morning blog I spent a lot of time talking to him and he was incredibly responsive to me today. I spoke to Thomas on the phone and asked if he wanted to say hello to his dad...he said yes...I put the phone next to Ron's ear and Thomas said "I love you dad"...and Ron opened his eyes and mouthed the words..." I love you, too". It was such a joy to see this happening. He recognized his baby's voice and understood what was going on. A girlfriend of mine called...and said to tell him hello...I did while we were on the phone and he lifted his arm and waved ...his way of saying hello back to her. He just amazed me all day. He had a lot of visitors today. His younger brother flew in from Iowa and my sister flew in from New York. Several cousins came in from Phoenix as did family friends...A few at a time would come in to see him and say hello...he would recognize voices and hold out his hand to everyone that came by his bedside. I knew it just made him so happy to hear and see everyone visiting today...I know it also made everyone feel so good to see him having such a good day as well. He would get so excited to see everyone he would literally try to lift his head to see who was at his bedside. Tomorrow will be another challenging day for the family and myself. They plan to do another esophageal echo and run the same test as before by weaning him off the heart/lung machine to see how the heart responds. Dr. Smith explained to me today that if the antirejection drug is going to work they should see something within 48 hours of administering. They started the drug yesterday. She advised if they still do not see any heart function ...she will have to sit down with Dr. Copeland and hash out the possibility of putting in another cardio west device...the same artificial heart he was on before. She does not want to keep him on the ECMO machine very long as this device is not made for longterm use. However, the question remains as to how much more Ron and his body can tolerate. And, if he is even able to withstand another surgery...and even if he does make it through the surgery...the problem still remains that his body just continues to reject the organs given to him. They would have to find a stellar match for him, cellular, as well as antibody, humeral ....everything....I don't know how realistic that can be. Dr. Smith is so determined to do whatever she can to save him....but I honestly believe at this point...it is truly up to God and Ron .... I found myself to be more at peace today. I don't know if it was because Ron was so alert ...or because the Lord just came to me and brought the peace to me....maybe it was both. My heart truly aches for Ron. He has been through so much for so long. He was so close to moving out of ICU. The doctors had already talked about transfering him to the step down unit on Monday. He was progressing so well ...I just don't understand. But in times when we don't understand are the times we must truly lean on the Lord because he is all knowning and trust in him completely. All I can do right now is be there for Ron...when he is awake I am by his side assuring him that I am here for him and I am not going anywhere. I encourage him and reassure him as best I can. He seems comfortable ..as best as anyone can be in his situation. I always ask him if he has pain and if he is OK. He lets me know with a nod all the time. I pray for miracles now ...if that is what God feels is best for Ron. Most importantly....prayer for strength and guidance for what is to come ahead. "Be my rock of protection, a fortress where I will be safe. You are my rock and my fortress. For the honor of your name, lead me out of this danger." Psalm 31: 2-3