We're on for NC!!!

Mom specifically asked Dad's surgeon if he could go to NC and he gave the go-ahead! We've been keeping our fingers crossed- I'm so happy it's working out! Dad is feeling much much better, looks great and has good energy and strength. We've been telling him that we've got our own medical staff when we get there :-) so what's the worry?

On our end, packing hasn't even been on the agenda. I think we'll be hitting crunch time again this year, going to bed WAY too late before we leave at 5 am Thursday. I'm tired just thinking about it!

progress, progress, progress

The PIC line is OUT! Dad had his last infusion of antibiotics this morning. The nurse came this evening, took out the IV and that's that. He has appointments with both surgeons this week- Thursday and Friday. We're keeping our fingers crossed that he will be going to NC with us!

wednesday update

Well, being home isn't as easy as we'd hoped. Dad's feeling pretty lousy, likely from the super strong antibiotics he's on. He's very sluggish & feeling "off." Mom & Siobhan's trip upstate is re-cancelled. Siobhan handled it with maturity and grace that was wonderfully surprising! She and Arlie will have a special weekend full of movies, ice cream, book stores, a sleep over and even watching SpongeBob! not all was lost :)

Back to Dad- the antibiotics are 2x a day for another week. we'll just keep taking it day by day....

he's home!!!

I saw him for about 30 seconds, but he looks pretty good. MUCH stronger than the last time he came home from the hospital. The trip home took a lot out of him- the car always does. So, he went straight upstairs to nap.

All of his supplies were delivered this afternoon and a nurse is coming later to train Mom (and me) how to administer his medication in the PIC line. The timing may not work for me, so Mom will train me tomorrow.

At this point, it looks like Mom and Siobhan will be able to go upstate for their much-needed and long-planned getaway with the Special Olympics crew. Siobhan "can picture it" in her head- she really enjoys it up there. I'll be on PIC line duty but I may call a few nurse friends, just in case.

I'll try to get a picture tonight.....

monday evening.....

So, he's closer to coming home.... dad was in x-ray all day but somehow they ran out of time to do the echocardiogram. So, they say that it'll be done at 8:30 tomorrow morning. We'll see.... He's supposed to come home tomorrow. Visiting Nurse services called today & seemed a bit out of date. So, Mom got them more up to speed and hopefully he'll get the services he needs!

Mom will head in at her regular time tomorrow (visiting hours start at 11) so I should know more by lunchtime.

Have a great night!

sunday update- looking pretty good....

I went in to see Dad today. He looks really good. He got his drains removed and is moving around much more easily. If all goes well, he could come home as early as tomorrow (doubtful) or Tuesday (more likely). We're hoping he qualifies for visiting nurse services for wound care (not like last time, just the wounds from the drains & incisions). He is likely to be coming home with a PIC line for his IV antibiotics. A nurse is the best person to handle the care of the PIC line, and Mom is scheduled to go away on a big, annual Special Olympics trip upstate on Friday. One day at a time, right?

Happy thoughts, happy thoughts.... :)

saturday morning....

Hi everyone. Sorry no update yesterday. Siobhan had a luau in the afternoon that turned into a marathon beach day. It was great but we came home totally wiped out!

I spoke to Dad yesterday and may go see him today. He saw the infectious disease doctor yesterday who does not think the MRSA has colonized. So, IV antibiotics continue as does the isolation room for now.

They are having trouble getting a good vein for his IV, and Thursday night it leaked into his arm. He was going for a scan yesterday to make sure there was no clot.

Soft food is going well and he sounds very up and much stronger. He's watching tv, more chatty and wants the little DVD player so he can catch up on his Netflix. All good signs. We're hoping he'll be home sometime this week.

Tonight is the big, annual Special Olympics fundraiser/Tribute to the Wounded Warriors. It's a huge block party and tons of fun. We're very much hoping for the rain to hold off!

lots & lots going on

So, first of all, dad's doing very well. He's graduated from nothing by mouth, to liquid diet, to soft diet! He's feeling stronger and his doctor is very optimistic. If all goes well (knock knock) he may be home "in a few days." All fingers are crossed!

This is after I asked him to look "remotely happy." I think he nailed it.





Today, she had camp, then her friend Shaunny came over for a swim. As Siobhan jumped into the pool, she hit her face on a toy which knocked her already loose top tooth that much looser. After the pool drama, the girls got ready for the Wounded Warriors' welcome to Rockaway. Bob's sister Carolyn came to spend some quality time too- lots going on in the Kalfur house today.


So then, at bedtime tonight, she was playing with the tooth a bit and started gushing blood (no exaggeration- it was like a crime scene in our bathroom!). She actually let me pull the tooth the rest of the way out! This is big. This is the big kid tooth- the one that changes their face and their smile. She's so relieved now that it's out.

It's almost 10:00 and she's finally asleep. Hopefully she'll sleep nice & long in the morning. Her Aunt Carolyn is here for a sleep over, so maybe they'll sleep in together.



Sorry this post is so late- my computer was being a bit grumpy. Good night to all!

and the verdict is.....

MRSA! He'll be on 2 weeks of IV antibiotics. At this point, there's no knowing if that'll be in- or out-patient. The good news is, he's feeling good and stronger, he's been up walking around, and his spirits are good. So, you win some, you lose some, I guess.

here's a link for more info:

http://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/understanding-mrsa-methicillin-resistant-staphylococcus-aureus

wednesday morning update

Good morning! I talked to Dad this morning and he sounded pretty good. He has a TV now, and was watching his favorite hospital show- Cash Cab. It's what got him through some of the tougher times in Baltimore, so it's nice that he is still enjoying it.

Still waiting on test results on the infection. Dad says his doctor isn't very concerned. I'm hoping that's true and it's a good sign.

Again, he's in room 808- sorry for the mix up. I had written it down wrong initially and just kept going with the wrong number.

Dad would like everyone to know that "things are moving along." I'll let you fill in the blanks. We try to keep the blog G rated :)

Have a great day!

Monica

oops!

sorry, it's room 808!

ugh. setback time

So, Dad's got an infection. Sounds fine, right? Except for the fact that he tests positive for staph infection EVERYWHERE- urine, blood, sputum. He's been moved to an isolation room since they don't know what type of staph and are waiting to find out if it's MRSA. Not what anyone wants to hear.

His room is now 802. it's got 2 broken tv's and a phone it took all day to get working. Mom came home fried today. Hopefully she'll be rejuvenated tomorrow- she and Siobhan are going to see Mamma Mia on Broadway.

I'll call Dad in a bit, but according to Mom, his spirits are good and he's actually getting bored. Unfortunately, today was the first day he actually wanted to watch tv. Murphy's Law and all....

I'll keep updating as I know anything....

Monica

monday update

A few setbacks today, nothing major but a bit frustrating. Dad is back to NPO (nothing by mouth) status because he is not able to keep any liquids down. The doctor said he has a "lazy bowel"- sounds very clinical, no? They basically need to take it slowly and not push his system too much.

He also has an infection so he has started antibiotics. No fever today, which is good, so hopefully the infection is being caught early enough.

His spirits are good and he's feeling ok. We're trying to convince him to get "ahead of the pain" and use the pain meds before doing things like getting out of bed or going walking. It's hard to convince him, though.

On a quick Siobhan note, missypoo started camp for the first time today and it was a rousing success. We're lucky enough to have a camp run by the Rockaway Artist's Alliance, so it's very creative in focus. She can opt out of activities (you know, like anything that involves a ball) and choose to "read, write or rest." It's perfect for her!

I'll update again tomorrow!

sunday update

I saw Dad today. (picture tomorrow). He's had a bumpier day today. He got up and walked, and was pretty chipper. He tried some broth at lunch but was unable to keep it down. He also developed a slight fever. They have drawn blood to make sure nothing major is going on. The fever went away on its own, which is a good sign. Now we're hoping he can keep some liquids down.

The exciting news is that Dad is "making an emotional break" from his books and games. He gave a detailed list of instructions of which books go first, how to sell them, etc...... Not shockingly, we're VERY excited about this development. Bob and I are going to get moving on this project ASAP :)

Hopefully, I'll get to post good reports of his adventures in liquid diet tomorrow!

Happy 4th of July!

I spoke with Dad earlier. He sounds pretty good! He needed another unit of blood- that should've happened sometime today. But his energy and spirits were up. He was up in a chair for a short while yesterday, and today he had already gotten up and walking when I talked to him. That was planned to happen a few times throughout the day.

He's already got the NG tube out and if walking proves successful, he'll get the catheter out. Then there are 3 drains. I know Dad kept track of all the tubes on his last visit & marked his progress by the decline of tubing. So at this point, he's got an IV, 3 drains and a catheter. Hopefully that number will be reduced by tomorrow.

We'll head into NYC tomorrow to visit him before seeing Ben for his 2nd birthday party :) We aren't sure if Siobhan can (or should) visit him. We'll play that by ear. If she's allowed, we'll see what Dad says. I know Siobhan is fine either way (and Dad prefers as few visitors as possible!)

If all goes well, he could be home later in the week. Hard to say at this point- Mom said they're not discussing it yet. But the original plan was a week to 10 days of hospitalization. Amazingly, it's twice as long as his open heart surgery!

I hope everyone has a great 4th of July! We're less than a month from our NC trip!!!!

Monica

Good Day

Dad's doing much better today. He received two units of blood and he now has a lot more color and energy. His NG tube was removed and there are plans to get him out of bed this afternoon.

Mom bought him some civil war magazines and he's skimming through them choosing articles to read later.

thursday night update

I spoke to Mom a little while ago. It was a long day. Dad's foggy from the anesthesia, which makes it too difficult to read, so that's always frustrating. He's quite pale and may need a transfusion.

He got a room mid-afternoon- #822. I'd wait another day or so before calling him directly. Moving is tough because of the extent of the surgery, so he's not likely to answer the phone. Hopefully the next 24 hours will bring some more relief.

Thursday afternoon update

Hi everyone. Just spoke to Mom. Dad is doing well. He's still in the recovery room because they didn't have a bed for him last night. He should have a room soon.

Not surprisingly, he had pretty extensive damage. There is a chance that the reversal of the colostomy will not last. That's a bridge to cross if and when we get there. Otherwise, everything else went well.

I'll let you all know when he gets a room.

Monica

He's out!

I don't have many more details than that :)  Both procedures went well, and he had no complications.  We'll know more tomorrow, possibly in the morning.  Mom is going to stay at Chateau Berkery (a million thank you's to Aunt Annie and Uncle Joe!) starting tomorrow.  

I'll continue to update as I learn anything.

Monica

It has begun.

Dad went in at 12:00- only 1/2 hour late. Not too bad in the grand scheme of things. Mom said that they saw every doctor, anesthesiologist, etc. before he went in. It'll be long- 6-8 hours, so no news for a while.....

He's on his way....

Siobhan and I got up this morning just in time to say "good luck" to Dad. No word from mom as of yet- he's still scheduled for 11:30 as far as we know. We're hoping he has a better experience than our good friend Jon who waited over 9 hours for an OR to open up yesterday for his spinal surgery. If you have a few extra prayers to spare, Jon could use a few too :)

I'll update as soon as I know anything.

Monica