Back By Popular Demand

 The leaves are so excited they can't stay on the trees!

We're Baaaack....

So many of you have sent cards or notes telling me how much everyone enjoyed the blog. So as a thank you, I will be updating the Blog on Tuesday nights. Tuesday's is LVAD Clinic day for Dad so this way I can keep everyone updated on his Progress.

Thursday Auntie Judy and Auntie Janet came to visit. Auntie Janet helped me fix my sewing machine so I could sew Dad's new Jammies. They were a bit long but I fixed them up so he can wear them now.  Auntie Judy made Mom and Dad a huge bowl of chicken soup which Dad had a good helping of. He needs to eat to get some strength back and the nurse said to eat more protein.

We had a busy weekend. Auntie Patty came to visit with Dinner and dessert on Friday. She stayed for quite a while which was nice because Mom had someone other than Dad and I to hang out with.

Saturday I visited with Cousin's Mark, Vickie, Nick, Gabby and Gabby's boyfriend Adam. Vickie was so nice to make Dad and us a big fresh fruit salad. I also got to meet their new puppy Bruschi!

He may just be the cutest puppy in the world!

Gabby's boyfriend Adam even fixed my car while I was there. I had a dent in the bumper from a snowbank a few years back. He got under the car and popped out the dent and fixed it just like new!!!

Saturday afternoon A few of my friends and I attended the first ever Canalloween. We Ran the Monster Dash 5K through the canal district in Worcester...In Costume!

                                                                                        

Some of the costumes were so funny and so creative. We had a great time and we can't wait to do it again next year!

Saturday night Brendan and Lilly came over with dinner that Kerry made for us. She is truly amazing. 8 months pregnant, chasing around two kids, one who has been sick and she finds time to make dinner for us! Lilly was very excited to be back at Grammy and Papa's with both Grammy and Papa home together. She even had a sleep over, without Kylie!  

Kylie Joined us in the morning and Grammy read the girls a new book I got for them for Halloween.

Kylie kept Papa's chair occupied while he went out to the kitchen. I guess she thought Papa would like to sit with four babies and not just her :)

The Hurricane proved to be a little nerve racking. Now that Dad is dependent on power we had to be prepared if the power went out. Brendan was great. He came over took out the generator, checked it and then showed Mom and I how to start it. We have 50 hours of battery power but the generator would be necessary if we had a sustained power outage. We are so very lucky that we NEVER lose power. In all the years we have lived here we have only lost power during a storm for a total of 45 minutes. and that was during the Snowtober storm last year. SELCO is an amazing service and we are lucky to have them as our electric providers. It was sad to see all the people who did not have power for so long. Luckily for most of them a power loss is not a life threatening emergency!

Dad had his appointment today at Brigham and Women's. It has been one week since he was discharged. In some ways it seems like it was yesterday and in other ways it seems like eon's ago!  With  the big ole' hurricane Sandy we were not sure what today would bring and if we would be able to make it in to Boston. Luckily it was 61 and sunny this morning making the commute a breeze...no pun intended! Auntie Janet was nice enough to bring Mom and Dad in for the checkup. He did ok. HIs numbers are all where they are suppose to be. He still has the fluid buildup but, it hasn't increased which is good.  He is still very tired and he said today wiped him out. It is probably the longest he has gone without napping. The VNA nurse that we have had this last week has been awesome. Kathleen, she is so knowledgeable and has worked all over in the Boston hospitals. She makes having a home nurse a comfort. Mom is now signed off to do the dressing changes on her own.. yay Mom. So all in all we are creeping along. Slow and steady wins the race. 

My friend Shannon, whose fiance has an LVAD, gave me a great quote. It's for our LVAD family members trying to get well and everyone else anticipating a fast recovery. 

"If all you do is breathe today...it's o.k."

I will leave you with a photo of the surf at Hampton that my cousin Sean sent us today. It's a beautiful site. I wish we could have watched the remains of the storm at the beach today. 

       

Until next week. Keep the prayers, well wishes and warm thoughts coming our way. We still need them :) Thanks to everyone who is making this journey easier for us. We could never have come this far without all of you. 

Laurie

HOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Welcome Home

I made a little welcome home sign for Dad/Papa

We are finally HOME! I say finally because we almost did not come home today. Brendan and I were busy this morning doing a few last minute things before Dad and Mom came home. I emptied the dishwasher, and vacuumed. Brendan installed one last plug and relocated "Chippy" the Chipmunk, he caught in the "have a heart" trap last night! We bid "Chippy" happy trails and were on our way

When we got to the hospital, Brendan and I grabbed a wheel chair from the holding area, in hopes of speeding up the transport process. Unfortunately, when we got to the room Dad was dressed and ready, but not to go. He had just had his last echocardiogram. It showed a fluid bulid up in the empty areas around the heart. They were talking about doing another surgery to put in a drain!!! Needless to say, this was not what we expected. So the IV nurse came in, put in a new port, and we hunkered back down expecting to stay :( Within two hours the whole outlook changed...for the better! The Dr. said he just wanted Dad to make sure he watched his numbers for the rest of the week and the weekend, then come back to clinic next Tuesday!................START THE CAR!

It took a few more hours to get everything re-established and a few trips to the car! Thank God, again Gabby was there to help us. Brendan was saying we looked like a commercial. Gabby still had her white coat on helping us with all of our stuff. "Here at Brigham and Women's we help our patients every step of the way. We even act as sherpas, helping patients and families shlep all of their stuff to the car." I have to admit, it was pretty funny trying to carry everything out efficiently.

Nurse Kerri went over all of the home instructions with us and medications. She also had Dad sign on the dotted line to seal the deal!

I told Dad to wave bub-bye to his room. He was more than ready to say bye to good ole' room 705

We stopped in the hallway to say goodbye to some of our favorite floor 7 nurses. Everyone is all smiles for the camera here, knowing we are finally headed home!

WE ARE FINALLY HOME!!!!!!!!!

It took a while to get all of Dad's equipment set up in the house and get somewhat organized.

Mom went to Walgreen's to fill all the new prescriptions. Brendan and I set up most of the stuff at home then Brendan went to grab some PIZZA from Napoli. Dad Finally got to have the pizza he asked for a week and a half ago, one day after surgery!

We are very happy to be home. I will probably not update the blog everyday. I will do an entry at least once a week for a while. I will continue to add things from time to time to keep everyone updated on any changes so don't forget visit the site once in a while.

I can not say it enough. I know I probably sound like a broken record, but, I will keep saying it. Thank you all so very much from the bottom of our hearts. All of your support is what got us home today. No matter how bad it got, you were all there to help us though the rough patches, and laugh with us when we could laugh again. Thank you for all of your prayers, well wishes, cards, gifts, calls, e-mails, blog comments, text messages, mail, visits, rides, snacks, meals, hospitality and most of all for your love and support.

Until The Next Update,

Laurie, Dad and Family

Dress For Success...Discharge Eve

2 Weeks and 5 Days

This is a colorful mural print that is almost the size of a wall. It hangs in the Shipiro Family Center where we all waited 2 weeks and 5 days ago for Dad to get out of surgery.

Today Dad had a VERY busy day. He got up and got dressed in real clothes for the first time in a month! I guess he was kind of getting sick of the hospital blue johnny attire. Actually they wanted him to get up and get dressed on his own. PT signed off on him and said he could do his PT stuff with Mom now.

Dad is doing much better as far as pain today. Mom said he was hardly any pain at all today :) He even went for 3 walks!!! I think the anticipation of coming home is probably a good motivator. It is hard to believe that a month ago is the last time Dad was home. It will be great to have Dad and Mom back home soon.

Brendan and I are going to pick them up tomorrow. I think we may need to bring a radio flyer to get all of the stuff to the car! It's amazing how much stuff you can accumulate in a month, and that's not including the medical equipment.

Dad needs to have one more echocardiogram tomorrow morning before they can clear him for discharge. Everyone cross your fingers that this comes back A-O.K. ! They don't see a reason that it wouldn't, it's just procedure to do one before you can leave.

Tomorrow's blog will be written from home with everyone at home :) That will be a great feeling!

Thank you all again for everything you have done and continue to do for us. We could not be more thankful for all of the support!

Until Tomorrow,

Laurie

Get Well Real Soon... and Happy Birthday Joey

Dad is trying very hard to get well soon...if only it were as easy to do as it is to say.

Today is My brother Joe's 27th birthday. Dad, Mom, Brendan, Kerry and the kids were able to Facetime with him on the iPad, to wish him a happy birthday. For those of you who do not know what Facetime is; it is a live video that allows Joe and Lauren to see all of us and vice versa. It is a great feature that the iPad has. We have really utilized the iPad throughout this whole journey. When I wished Joe a happy birthday later today, he told me Kylie took over the Facetime from everyone. She just wanted to see Joe and Lauren's dog "Biggie" !  She loves puppy's and babies. I can't wait until she meets her new baby sister in a few months :)

Dad had a lot of visitors today which was great!  Brendan, Kerry, Lilly, Kylie, Auntie Peggy, Cousin Jean, and some of "the guys" came up to visit too. 

Mom said he did great staying awake while everyone was there so he could enjoy their company.

Dad was in a lot of pain earlier today. He said he think he slept wrong, so the area around the pump was extremely sore. He tried to get by without any pain medication but the Tylenol they gave him did not do anything for the pain ( no surprise there ) so he took a little to be more comfortable. They called the doctor and he said there was fluid building up again at the site but they were not very concerned because they said it should absorb on it's own.

He did feel better this afternoon and tonight. Mom said he even went for a little walk tonight! 

I am looking forward to the day when the pain no longer plagues him and he can have a regular day. 

Last night, when I got home, there was a surprise on the counter that Brendan dropped off. Our friends the Mastro's put together a whole basket of Italian goodies for Dad. They brought it to the fire station for Brendan to bring home for Dad. I can't wait for him to come home and enjoy the yummy treats. 

We are still crossing our fingers for Tuesday as discharge day. So only tonight and tomorrow night and then everyone will be home :) 

These are a few of the cards on Dad's shelf at the hospital. He has received so many wonderful cards. They are so great to read, and definitely lift his spirits. We have to admit some of our favorites are the homemade ones from all of the kids. His youngest nephew Mason, 8 months, even included his footprint in the card he made! 

Thank you all for everything!  Your thoughts, prayers, calls, visits, e-mails, blog-comments, cards, gifts,  snacks, meals, hospitality, rides and well wishes are greatly appreciated. We could never do all of this without all of our friends and family!

Until Tomorrow,

Laurie

Ladies And Gentlemen We Have A Date!

TUESDAY IT IS    :0)

Today was very busy...for Mom and I at least. Dad was VERY tired and he decided to catch up on some rest. They had him go down to X-Ray to do a last chest x-ray before discharge. At least it is a step in the right direction. While he was in x-ray Mom and I went EXPLORING!

The hospital has so many hallways, balconies, and really neat stuff that we never saw before. I took this photo standing on a balcony much like the one across the room in this photo. Lilly would have thought this was so cool! Very Princess like, I must say!

Next, we ventured to the Cafe for a cup of coffee. The have gourds at the door, ( by the way...I mean gourds not guards, no autocorrect needed ) that look like swans!

After coffee and a quick trip to the gift shop, where I bought Mom and Dad a few gifts, Mom and I went  for a walk around the neighborhood. We went to the Pan Mass Challenge Plaza to see the display. Then we "walked" The Pan Mass Challenge!        (well in spirit ) My Cousin Michael and Uncle Ruedi participated in the Pan Mass Challenge a number of times. Their rides raised money for Cancer Research! If it weren't for people like them medical research would be at a stand still.

When we finished the "walk", we went back inside so Mom could practice with the LVAD training kit. Colleen, the LVAD nurse, gave us the kit for the weekend to practice with. I have it down pretty well. I am confident that I can handle LVAD care and emergency situations. Mom just needed a little extra practice. We headed into the family room to run through the steps, and practice setting up the spare controller and batteries. This is in case we ever needed to change out the system controller due to malfunction. I am confident in this equipment and I do not think we will have any issues, but, it is good to be prepared.

Physical therapy came in and made Dad do the 6 Minute timed walk. What this means is how far can he walk in 6 minutes, without stopping. Well I am happy to report that Dad walked 1,000 feet in 6 minutes, so almost a quarter of a mile! He was out of breath toward the end of the walk, but, PT expected this and was not concerned. They said they didn't want to chat during the walk. They wanted him to save his breath for walking, not talking, during the PT session. She talked to us for a bit afterward and seemed thrilled with his progress. Not bad for two weeks and two days after surgery! After he walked, he was rewarded with a grilled cheese sandwich and some watermelon.  :)

After Mom and I practiced on our own, we had another training session with the Nurse. She went over numbers, emergency steps and walked Mom through the set up and break down process once more. She reviewed all of the household things Brendan and I have been doing in preparation for Dad coming home. She seemed pleased with our progress, and confident that the home was in better than average shape for release.  We have all of our check list items checked off already! I took my written portion of the LVAD test today. I passed the practical part yesterday when I demonstrated how to change out the controller and then change over to the power module. The night nurse last night, went through dressing changes and sterile procedures with me. After the stitches come out this will be easier for us to take care of on our own. For the first two weeks, we will have a visiting nurse.

All in all we are ready for Dad to come home! Our goal was to have him home by his birthday. His goal is to get out of there asap! So I guess we both win :)

Thanks everyone again for all of your cards, gifts, calls, visits, food, hospitality, rides, company, prayers and well wishes. We have a lot of people on our side which makes us one lucky family. 

Tonight I will leave you with a sunset photo I took out Dad's window. I call it, 

"Moon Over Mission Hill"

Until Tomorrow,

Laurie

We have a DATE :)

Rain Rain Rain Rain Rain Rain Rain Rain Rain Rain Rain Rain Rain Rain Rain Rain Rain 

Today Mom and I came back to the hospital for our class. It was raining cats and dogs and there was NO WHERE to park! Valet was full. Instead of telling you they are full they make you wait 20 minutes to pull into valet...then they tell you! I then drove to the garage where there was limited parking so I ended up on the roof. Mom sent me a text that Gabby was parked in the garage and could switch places with me. Due to the awesome feature on the iPhone called autocorrect this is the text I got:

So I guess Gabby and I should trade shoes or something!

After Mom and I took our VAD class with Colleen. I tried on a few more carry options to carry the equipment around.

Cousin Patrick Visited with us tonight. We all had dinner together, we also smelled of Garlic...nothing wrong with that...it's Italian Gold!

Patrick and I stopped by our friendly neighborhood gift shop to peruse the new Christmas displays.

They have some really nice stuff...lol

I was going to stay with my cousins tonight but poor Megan has an awful cold. I hope she is feeling better soon. I didn't want to risk getting sick right before Dad is coming home. They are telling us that they hope he is able to get home by Tuesday of next week!!!!!! WOOOHOOOO

Dad said he is more than ready to go home. Patrick even inspired Dad to go for a walk!

Keep the prayers coming that we make it out of here on Tuesday and that Dad continues to make great strides :)

Thank You all so very much for all of your love, support, visits, calls, cards, concerns, hospitality, snacks, laughs, and most of all prayers. We appreciate everything you all have done for us.

Until Tomorrow,

Laurie :)

Two weeks in...oh and the Tiger's sweep the Yankees!

Almost there, just a few days and few steps more

Today marked the two week milestone since surgery day. Dad is still working on getting some strength back and walking about. Brendan and I are still working on the lawn and house. I muscled up the John Deere tractor yesterday and took her for a spin around the lawn. The only trouble was the grass was so long due to not cutting it in three weeks I had to rake the remainder of the grass today. Brendan worked on installing another plug and finishing up the upstairs outlet. He then broke out the outdoor fireplace and filled it to the gills with wood debris to get rid of it.

I talked to our neighbor Karen for a bit and she was asking how everything was going. I told her hopefully NEXT WEEK, they are going to let Dad come home.

I bought a few Halloween window decorations for the kids today. Lilly and Kylie thought they were fun to play with.

Tomorrow, Mom and I have more training so we are heading back in after Zumba in the morning.

Cross your fingers that Tuesday he is able to come home and that will be exactly one month from where this journey began!

Thanks everyone for absolutely EVERYTHING you have done for us. We all really appreciate all the extra effort everyone has made on our behalf.

Until Tomorrow,

Laurie

P.S. Yankees are not going to the world series...had to add that in!

The Duck Says It All

Donald is Sporting a New Pin

Dad got this Pin last year on his 65th birthday. Who knew then that Dad would be fighting yet again for a chance at a quality lifestyle. Well he has proved this message time and again and now Donald will be wearing this pin as a daily reminder of his victorious journey!

Dad walked around today again. After doing a bit too much he was dizzy so he took a break. I think he needs to realize we don't have to start training for a marathon just yet. :) We will be happy with walking through the front door at home.

Mom went back this morning early and met with the VAD nurse for a class on the LVAD shower bag. We have another couple classes on Friday and then hopefully a test! I think we are more than ready for the test!

I wasn't able to visit today due to my crazy schedule. I am looking forward to walking with Dad on Friday. I will be sure to wear my walking shoes :)

Thanks again everyone for all of your kind words, thoughts, prayers, love, calls, visits, rides, hospitality, cards, gifts, snacks and comfort.  We are so very lucky to have all of you behind us on this journey.

Until tomorrow,

Laurie

No Lines...No Waiting!!!

Today is a BIG milestone in Dad's journey. He is IV Free!!!!!!!!!!!!

Dad talking with one of the Doctors. Donald Duck from Lilly and Kylie is taking a rest on his side table :)

Dad made a huge jump in progress today. The last IV line was removed! He can now go for a walk without his friend the IV pole, which he was not sad to say goodbye to.

Auntie Janet came in today. She visited and kidnapped Mom to take her home for a rest and to regroup for a day.

Dad went for a few walks before Mom left. Mom said it was great to not have the pole to worry about.

Brendan and I have a few more home improvements to make before the week is over but we got the hardest parts done.

I guess there was an earthquake today in Maine. It measured 4.6 and was reported to be felt all through New England. I sure didn't feel it and Dad said they didn't feel in in Boston either. Thank God for small  favors. That's all we would have needed, an October Earthquake this year instead of the October Blizzard like last year.  One good thing is that we never lose power. Now it is more critical than ever to keep this streak up. We will be relying on power to keep everything charged and in working order to make things easier for Dad.

We are looking forward to the day they say he can go home. Mom and I have another class on Friday. We will be going over wound care and all the ins and outs of driveline care.

I bought an ironing board today to use for a dressing change station. This was suggested to me by a friend I made on-line through an LVAD site. She has been a constant source of information, reassurance, support and hope. She has convinced me that life with the LVAD is better than life without it. Thanks Shannon!

Thanks again everyone for everything! I am looking forward to the day I can type that Dad is coming home.

Laurie

One Step..Two Steps...Two Walks!

We Walk

If you look into the distance of this photo, the little Spire poking out over the trees is Rapunzel's Tower...according to Lilly. Lilly is the expert on Rapunzel, her tower, and the Disney movie Tangled! Everytime they come to the hospital she looks for it out the window of the elevator lobby. 

So I talked with Mom a few times today. Dad was able to get up and walk twice today! They have to give him pain meds to make it comfortable enough for him to even move, then they make him walk. 

Another great step is that he came off the Milronone! This is the drug he had been taking for the last four months via constant IV infusion. They decided his echocardiogram looked good enough to take him off of it. So now he is down to ONE IV!!! This is truly amazing seeing that a week and four days ago he had 5 banks of four IV's each! Everyday more and more stuff was coming off and today we are at only one line!

I couldn't make it in today because I had class and work. I also went to the Y for the first time in two weeks. It was great to see all my friends there, and felt good to be back. 

The days keep passing by quickly and we are already taking midterms at Assumption!

Well sorry today there is not too much to report. I guess this is good and bad. I would like to report that things are progressing at lightning speed but I am afraid it is not the case. Remember slow and steady WINS the race. So we will continue down the path of slow and steady and keep hoping for the best. 

I say it at the end of every blog but it's just so you all know how important all of your calls, prayers, well wishes, cards, gifts, food, books, support, rides, company, hospitality, and love mean to us. We truly have a strong support system that has carried us through thus far. Thank You all for everything.

Laurie

No Pain...No Gain...Maybe not!

Dad finally walked today with no pain!!!!!!

I guess you could say this has been our mantra since last Thursday. Thursday was one week since surgery and it seemed like instead of progressing further, Dad was hitting a plateau on his progress. But, like he says one day at a time is the best way to look at it. We are really celebrating even the small goals now. Mom sent me a text this afternoon that said "Finally walked with no pain after meds" Well that is amazing progress from even yesterday afternoon when we were there until today...Go Dad!!!

Lilly Danced and Sang in Grammy's Full length mirror.
 By the way, the outfit is a dress over her regular clothes!

Kylie practiced Trick-Or-Treating with her sippy cup !

Brendan, Kerry and the girls came over today to help me out with some household stuff that needs to be done before Dad comes home. So while Brendan and I fought with some wires, moved a bunch of stuff in the attic, moved furniture in Mom and Dad's room...moved it back, went from the cellar to the attic 4 or 5 times and Bren put in a new plug...The girls entertained us.

The kids have adapted pretty well to the crazy life we have been living this last month. Their giggles and smiles go a long way when you are having a bad day.

Mary and Bob Shepard came up today to visit with Mom and Dad. They were happy to see them and it was nice that they were able to swing by and hang out with them for a while.

Cousin Vickie brought us over some goodies and gifts from their trip. One of the gifts for the girls were Mickey Mouse shaped goldfish crackers and from the looks of the almost empty container... I think they were a hit :)

So we move onward and upward from here. Everyday brings more strength we hope.

We are so lucky to have so many family and friends looking out for us and taking care of us. We can't thank all of you enough. There will never be enough days in the week to thank you for everything you have done and continue to do for us. We are truly blessed!

Until Tomorrow,

Laurie

Autumn Is In The Air

Autumn is in the Air

Today the Shrewsbury Fire Department had their open house. I went with Brendan, Kerry and the girls to check out the festivities before we all headed into Boston to visit Dad and Mom ( aka Papa and Grammy )

Lilly made all of us gifts and cards and as an extra special surprise she made me brownies which she suggested that I should share with her :) They were very yummy!!! Grammy and I got beautiful bracelets...which I showed all of my friends at me 20 year Shrewsbury HS Class Reunion tonight. Lilly made Papa a really cool key chain with pretty beads and a fire truck on it too! She also gave him a stuffed Donald Duck to sleep with :)

After we opened all of our gifts we watched...you guessed it... THE LORAX AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Papa suggested that Lilly ask Santa for the Lorax for Christmas so she could watch it at home, but, the rest of us agreed that Santa does not make THE LORAX!

So Dad can get up and sit in the chair but to do so causes a lot of pain. Then he has to take pain meds to feel comfortable again until he gets up to get back to the bed then it starts the pain cycle all over again :( The doctors came in today and decided that today's echocardiogram showed that his fluid has decreased since yesterday thus alleviating any need to the drainage procedure!!! THANK GOD! The last thing he needs is another surgery and another incision.

They are still tweaking his meds and they won't take him off of some of them until the fluid goes away completely. I am hoping this happens soon.

Dad is still in pretty good spirits despite all that is going on. He was very excited to see Lilly today. Kylie still has a cold so she couldn't go to see Papa yet.  We are hoping she is feeling better soon too. Lilly and I walked down to the Cafe to get Papa some watermelon which is the only thing he is still craving and really the only thing he ate for lunch today. His appetite is not very good. The watermelon is cold and soothing on his still sore throat.

Tomorrow is a new day and hopefully one that brings a little more healing and a little less pain. Tonight was my 20 year high school reunion. We were the graduating class of 1992 and ironically our 20 year reunion was held at 92 Shrewsbury Street. When we pointed it out to the organizer she did not even realize that it was 92 Shrewsbury St. I have been friends with these girls almost my whole life. From Kindergarden and first grade to meeting one in 5th grade. We are all still friends and all still really close! These girls are then best! They truly are the "three best friends that anyone could have!"

Thank you all for all of your care, concern, thoughts, prayers, emails, cards, visits, calls, gifts, rides, company, food, hospitality and for keeping an eye on the rest of us while Dad continues to heal. You are truly the wind behind our sail and we could not move forward without all of you.

Until tomorrow, goodnight.

Laurie

Hearts all over

Hearts

I guess you can say that in dealing with Dad's heart condition we have become heart obsessed. Someone in the house subliminally even bought toilet paper with heart designs!

Today was a bit of a setback. Dad has developed a fluid collection on the right side of his heart. They say this is normal. Often people develop fluid in places where there is a space for it to collect. The trouble is, if the fluid does not get reabsorbed it has to be drained manually...which is not fun :(

Dad is still in a lot of pain. They stopped PT all together until they can figure out how to deal with this fluid. He had a CAT scan at 2:00 this morning which showed the fluid buildup. That combined with the echocardiogram gave them the full picture. I feel so badly that he has come so far so fast and something like this is what is bothering him.

Dr. Burke came in today and said he lost the record for being discharged two weeks after surgery since they expect him to be in at least another week.

Mom and I had training today and Colleen, the LVAD N.P. is a great teacher. I think we are pretty prepared. I keep putting the components on and taking them off, switching their positions and ways to carry them. I am trying to come up with the easiest way for Dad to carry around his shiny new equipment.

They really put you at ease during the classes. It is better than just watching the video which did little more than freak us out! The Nurse last week told us, when connecting everything remember that no matter what you have 4 minutes, so take your time connecting, and do it right.

Auntie Madaline and Uncle Ruedi came up to visit today. They have been awesome throughout our ordeal. Not just these last few weeks, but really the last two years. They have been driving Mom and Dad back and forth to Boston whenever they needed to go in. We had dinner in the cafe while Dad and Mom had dinner in the room and Dad rested a bit.

My ride home tonight was about an hour an 10 minutes less than my ride home yesterday! That's what no construction on the weekend will bring you!

We are heading back in tomorrow this time with the kids so Dad can see them. He hasn't seen them in a  week. I talked to Lilly on the phone tonight and she is looking forward to going to see Papa at the hospital and riding the "Xcalators" as she calls them. I guess it's a good thing that she has a positive view of the hospital.

Thanks again everyone for all the well wishes, prayers, cards, visits, snacks, calls, e-mails, drawings, rides, hospitality and company we appreciate everything.

Laurie

*P.S. please pray for the fluid to be re absorbed so Dad can avoid another procedure *

Winter and Construction!

Massachusetts has two seasons...WINTER and CONSTRUCTION!!! In the winter the roads are bad due to ice and snow and when the roads are not bad due to weather they rip them up!

Fall Flowers

Today I drove in to visit Dad. The ride in was uneventful just a tiny bit of traffic at the tolls but other than that the parking garage was my biggest hangup. Coming back...totally different story. left at 2:09 got to work at 4:00! So I am typing this very late because I stayed late to make up the time I lost earlier.

Dad was very tired today he tried walking a little this morning but was in so much pain they made him stop. The odd thing is it isn't the surgical site that is bothering him the most it is where they pulled the chest tubes. He had an eco-cardiogram today in the room and we haven't heard back from them yet.

I brought up a bunch of bags and a vest for Dad to see what will be the most comfortable way to carry his equipment. On me the stuff looks ridiculous! I am trying on extra large gear on an extra small person which equals...not able to see if the stuff is comfortable.

A few people have asked about cards so I am including information from the hospital web site:

How should I address mail or deliveries to BWH patients?— Address them to:  
   (Patient’s first and last name) 
   (Room number ... If you don't know the room, call 617-732-5164) (Dad's Room number is 705)
   Brigham and Women's Hospital
   75 Francis Street   Boston, MA 02115

So I am doing some laundry for Mom and heading back in the morning. Tomorrow we have a Patient Discharge Class at 11:00 a.m. followed by an LVAD refresher class at 1:00.  I am looking forward to everyone coming home for good soon. 

Thanks as always for all of your love, thoughts, prayers, well wishes, calls, cards, meals, rides, hospitality, company etc. All of our friends and family are making this journey with us and we could not do it without all of you!

More tomorrow,

Laurie

Step Down Day :)

STEP DOWN :)

Today is step down day. So basically that means Dad was able to be moved the surgical stepdown unit. This unit it is one step lower than Intensive Care. Instead of a 1 to 1 patient / nurse ratio it is a 1 to 2.

It is the first day I haven't been at Brigham and Women's in two weeks. I called a bunch of times today to see how Dad was progressing. All the tubes and ties are gone!!! I can't believe it. Not even a week out of surgery and he is IV and cath free!

Mom said he was in a lot of pain after they got him up to walk. I wish there was an easier way for him to walk without the controller and batteries pulling on the incision.

The Aunts ( Auntie Janet and Auntie Peggy ) are taking Mom to a hotel tonight so she can get a good night sleep. They will spend the night and all head back to the hospital in the morning.

I am planning on heading in to the city in the morning. I am hoping to spend the majority of the day there before having to go to work.

I have to give a shout out to Mary Clare who stayed at the hospital last night until well past 8:00 to fill in all of my Insurance paper work to get a refund for my trip. She was awesome! She could have left everything until later but she wanted to get it done for me before the deadline on Friday. The people at this hospital are truly amazing.

Today is Gabby's Birthday and she went home yesterday. I am hoping she has a great birthday, she deserves it!

I will leave you with a picture I took yesterday. They are selling all kinds of organ's now in the gift shop, Including a Prostate for $15.95! Seriously, if you had a body part removed you probably do not want a stuffed reminder of it!!!

Thanks everyone again for all of your love, support, cards, letters, calls, food, time, rides, hospitality, visits, and prayers. We really appreciate everything you all have done.

300 Popsicles Please !!!

When Dad typed to ask if he could have a popsicle when the tube came out, the nurse said "yes". He then typed, 300???

Today Dad had his swallow video scan, which turned out ok. Basically he has nothing more than a whole bunch of swelling. They said he could eat and drink!!! He was very excited. When Mom and I saw him after the test he had already drank a can of ginger ale and was asking for his popsicle!

PT came in today to get him up and moving. Dad kept hinting that he wanted watermelon. While he was doing PT Mom and I ran down to the eating area and grabbed him some watermelon. He was very happy to get it, and when I asked how it was he said, "It was like a steak!"He had been craving it all day.

Lilly and Brendan came up to visit. Lilly and I read some books while Brendan visited with Dad.

Then Lilly and I played with her letter flash cards. She's doing great, knows all the letters and things that start with them.

After PT, Dad said he was pretty sore. I guess the controller in the belt pulls pretty tight when it is on the incision. It is a pretty big cut that will take a while to heal completely, but, it looks great and so does he. He still has the nasty cough that has been plaguing him for the last three weeks. I can't wait until that goes away. You can see how much it hurts when he coughs so I am looking forward to the no coughing days ahead!

I am home tonight for the first time in almost 10 days and it feels weird. I will miss waking up tomorrow and having breakfast with Megan, Brian and Charlotte. Charlotte's little smile can make anyone's day better :) I hope they know how grateful I am for letting me stay with them.

Thanks again to everyone who has helped us, is praying for us, visiting us, sending cards and doing everything they can. You have made all the difference.

Love and Prayers,

Laurie

Sitting Up Today!!!

Dad had a good night last night, aside from dreaming about people who were not in the room! Needless to say he is not loving the pain meds. I said, I would rather be loopy than in pain.

Today held many milestones. First, Dad was able to get the last two chest tubes out so now there are none! Janet was our nurse again today. We love Janet!!! We were lucky because she picked up an overtime shift, so she was able to be with us again.

After their lunch break, PT and Janet were able to get Dad up on the scale made him take a few steps. They were able to get him sitting up in a chair! This was great. The doctors are still impressed and amazed at his progress. They can't believe he is doing as well as he is only 4 full days after major surgery.

Right now the biggest issue seems to be the swelling and bruising around his mouth, tongue and throat from the vent tube. When he tries to swallow a little bit of water, it triggers a coughing fit which plays with his blood pressure and O2 stats. They are putting him on an anti-coughing regimen and sending him down for a video swallow first thing in the morning. Speech and Swallow specialists were not in today due to the holiday. Janet found out one was in on the 8th floor to see a patient. She was able to get in touch with them and bribed them with a candy bar so they came down to see Dad.

I stayed at Megan and Brian's last night and was able to have breakfast with them and Charlotte which was nice. Charlotte and I also played with some cool bristle blocks and had a tea party in her playroom.  She is so cute and I loved being able to spend some time with them today. Megan and Charlotte drove me into the city and dropped me off so I could visit with Dad.

Auntie Janet came to visit today and she was having coffee with Mom when I got there so the nurses could turn Dad and take out some more tubes and meds. Auntie Janet brought me a treat, of the rice crispie variety :) I was very excited.

Boston was bustling this afternoon. For being a holiday we couldn't figure out why. We turned on the news and a few people in the waiting room told us two green line trains had crashed. Well it turned out that it was right at the top of the street so Mom and I took a walk down. It didn't look like very much but from the sky view on the news you could see the derailment and the damage the trains had. A few people were injured but no fatalities or serious injuries thank goodness.

You can see three of the five helicopters in the upper right corner of this photo. They were everywhere!

John came up around 6:30 ish and visited with us for a while. We gave him an LVAD book to bring back to the Fire Station because as it turns out there are a few people in the area who already have LVADs!!! So Dad isn't the first.

Gabby came up to visit. She is so faithful to us! She never ever comes to the hospital without stopping by no matter what day or how busy she is. She always comes in to "say hi to Uncle Mike" and visit with us.

Tomorrow is a new day. Hopefully Dad can get the swallow test out of the way and they can figure out  what is stopping him from swallowing. He is hungry now and very anxious to drink water and ice. Janet was so nice she got a box of popsicles and put Dad's name on them so no one else would eat them so he will have some as soon as he is ready.

Thanks again everyone for all your thoughts, prayers, well wishes, hospitality, meals, rides, company, cards, calls, gifts and for being the best group of family and friends a person could ever have!

Laurie