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

Finally Broke Out Of The Place!

I am happy to report that Dad is home! His blood levels came back in the normal range and he is home and in his new recliner. Stay tuned for photos in next Tuesday's Blog :)

My cousin Michael Giguere and My Auntie Peggy drove down to Pick up Dad and Mom today. This worked out very well for I had an important date with a 5 year old this morning whom I promised I would be there to watch her get on the bus for the first time.

It was a very special day because it was Adele's first day of Kindergarten!

She was so cute! She was all dressed up and ready to go when I got there. It was not easy getting from here to there this morning. The schools are back in session and the busses and traffic is EVERYWHERE! Another reason why I hate working days! It was worth every second just to get to see her this morning. I managed to hold in my tears with all the Moms, Dads, Grandmoms and Granddads until after Adele was on the bus and she couldn't see us anymore. 

This was us at the bus stop before the bus came. I am one very proud Auntie :)

Dad's Medical supplies came tonight. They were delivered at 8:30 p.m. so he can start his regime in the morning. Six syringes of antibiotics once a day for four weeks. He has a bunch of other med changes to his daily routine but the antibiotics are the only thing he has never done before this visit.

I won't be updating the blog daily anymore now that Dad is home. I will continue to update the blog every Tuesday as I was doing before this visit. I promise to include some good photos too :) Thanks to everyone who has said such kind words about the blog. It shows from the number of viewers how much people care about Dad and how we are all doing as well. We are very blessed to have such wonderful family and friends who look after us.

Thank You to everyone who has sent cards, visited, called, texted, written, e-mailed, baked, cooked, gave Mom and Dad rides and gave me a place to stay when I needed it. Without all of you we never would have made it the last 5 weeks! 

Until Next Tuesday,

Laurie

Another Day

It's now been over a month and Dad is still in the hospital :(

This was a really pretty hydrangea flower I saw at work today. Hydrangeas are Mom and My favorite flowers. This one almost seemed to be stripes of pink and purple. 

Dad's blood levels are still not what they are suppose to be. Until they get close to where they want them, they won't let him go home. So they wait and wait some more. He is pretty frustrated at this point and just wants to get out of there. 

Tomorrow the transplant team is meeting to review his case. No matter what he needs to get his levels all in check before anything.

My parents got a surprise visit from my friend Kristen today :) She lives in the area and had some time so she stopped by to say hello. They were so happy to see her. My Mom told her when she left to walk on the left side of the street so she could see her walk to the T. I told my Mom that was a typical Mom move :)

Well I am going to attempt to sleep. I am attending "Adele's first day of school getting on the bus at the driveway" gathering early in the a.m. photos will follow tomorrow.

Thanks again for all of your generous prayers and positive thoughts. They sure do make the difference when times are rough.

Until Tomorrow,

Laurie

Days upon Days

Thirty Days Hath September, April, June and November, All the Rest Have 31 except for February and Dad's  Hospital Visit, That is The Exception!

Dad woke up today and his hematoma was the size of a baseball. So this means no going home. His Blood is still not where they want it to be and he still has to have an echocardiogram before he can go home. He is hoping for a miraculous transformation overnight so he can come home tomorrow. I think the Doctor is getting his hopes up too soon. If the blood isn't ready it's not ready. I really don't want him to be home for a day only to have to go back.

In other news, He is a hospital celebrity. They have asked his permission to include his case in a case study for a medical journal. My brother Joe and I had the same reaction, "great where do I sign and how much are you taking off my bill!" It has to do with his amazing kidney recovery. They are still improving daily and he is now in the 1's which is AMAZING! He went from renal failure to normal in a month! I think it had a lot to do with mind over matter. As soon as he heard he may need a kidney transplant his body went into overtime repair mode and kicked that renal failure to the curb! Take That!

I am going to ask for a copy of the article then I will print them in mass quantities and he will be available for autographs after the 9 am mass the week it's published. 

Dad and I are having a Disney Trivia playoff. We are doing pretty well. The Disney questions are mixed in with regular questions too. I am still amazed as to how much Dad knows about stuff. He seriously knows all kinds of things about all kinds of stuff. Some of it is completely useless information but make sure he is on your team for trivial pursuit! 

The hematoma is uncomfortable so he had a hard time walking with the IV tonight. He walked with Mom earlier but we did our typical Map my Run workout! We are carving up a storm on that hospital floor!

We didn't walk for as long as we normally do but we still managed to get in 0.26 miles. Better than nothing! 

Once again they did not bring up Dad's protein shake. They always forget. Mom even calls to remind them. It is like on the third Thursday of the month and if it's a full moon they bring it without being told.  I got us both lowfat chocolate milks instead at Au Bon Pain with my swiss chard soup for dinner. The milk had 14 grams of protein in it so at least I felt a little better about it being chocolate :)

A good friend of mine lost her Dad unexpectedly over the weekend. It makes me appreciate everyday we have together even more. 

Dad works harder than anyone I know everyday just to keep going. He is a role model for all of us and If I had one tenth of the strength and willpower he has I would be able to leap tall buildings in a single bound. He has been poked, prodded, cut, sewn, re-cut, re-sewn, stuck, drained, hydrated, biopsied, tested, bruised, stapled, wrapped, taped, stamped, marked, etc. and still he gets up everyday and takes on whatever they throw at him.

Please keep your prayers coming I know they are helping. They are going to do the transplant sooner rather than later from the sounds of it. I think he is working his way on up slowly but surely. So we need some good strong prayers like you all have been doing right along. 

Thank You to everyone for all of your support. We could never do this without all of you.

Until Tomorrow,

Laurie

Numbers

It's amazing how many numbers have to be right in order for Dad to come home!

At least there is never a bad view!

Dad's numbers are still not ideal. The kidney function continues to drop in levels which is fantastic. We are almost in ones! The WBC is at 11 which is only a tad over the norm so they are not too worried about that. It's his red blood cell count they are trying to regulate now. They are trying to come up with the right combo of drugs to get him to where he needs to be. His blood pressure is also not ideal and is a little on the high side. 

Mom went over to see Lilly and company this morning at the new house. Lilly told Mom she got her first birthday card this year. It was from Toys-R-Us. She went on to tell Mom " I got one of these when I was one, and again when I was two, when I was a toddler, and one last year when I turned three and now because I am going to be 4!"  She cracks me up :) She is going to have a outdoor movie for her birthday she said. Usually the Palumbo family outdoor movie nights are a well attended venue :)

Colin and his dismount off the big wheel. "Auntie watch, sometimes when I want to get off, I just do this!"

I spent most of the day with the Gaston's preparing for the arrival of new little Viviann who will be with us in a week or so. Mrs. G and Auntie Janet were there helping too. Mrs. G brought some food for dinner and planted beautiful mums in the yard so it will look nice when they bring little Viviann home. Auntie Janet was already there when I got there and was deep into organizing. We loaded her car with stuff to store, stuff to donate to other kids and stuff to wash. With a washer and dryer going at her house and Tracy's house it makes for a much more efficient laundry day :) She has been helping out as much as she can before our new little family addition arrives. Someone once said "it takes a village to raise a child." In our case it's not a village but our big family. It was fun going through all the old clothes that Colin and Adele wore and remembering when they wore them and how cute things looked. We took out some of Adele's old baby clothes to get ready for Viviann and it was so hard to believe that it was only 5 years ago that she was wearing them! Adele was so little she wore a shirt as a dress when she came home from the hospital!

Back to the "it takes a village" "Uncle Kyle" let Colin and Adele help him wash his truck. It was so clean you can see their reflections in the paint. Adele then said to me "Auntie, one day, when your car is dirty I am going to come to your house and wash it for you!" Kyle says "now really Auntie, how nice is that!"  It was very sweet :)

Colin enjoyed drinking the "snowflakes" falling from the hose!

After leaving the Gaston's I went to pick up Mom and head back into Boston to visit Dad. I stopped at Chipotle first to grab a veggie burrito bowl for dinner. I forgot to eat lunch again. I think it will be best if I set an alarm to remember to eat so I won't get to the point where I am so hungry I could eat a house!

There was no Red Sox game at Fenway today...Instead there was the annual Latino Festival at Fenway. I never thought to look to see if there were other events going on. Luckily We did not hit much traffic. There were a lot of people leaving when we were coming. I was glad we waited to head in later rather than going at Noon. We would have hit all the festival traffic!

Dad true to his Red Sox, watched the Game on the west coast on TV (in his blue sox)

We are really hoping that his numbers improve tomorrow so he can come home. I don't know if it will be tomorrow or if they will keep him until Tuesday which will be exactly one month and a day :( 

The doctor did tell Dad that he was working his way up on the list, given the condition he is in and the struggles he has gone through. I think they are convinced there is no other road to go down other than transplant. 

Keep your finger's crossed that this comes soon so Dad can get his new heart and start living a little bit more normal life than what he has been through in the last year. 

Thanks again for all your thoughts prayers and wishes. It takes a village to get a new heart too and we certainly have one hell of a support village!

Until Tomorrow,

Laurie

OUTSIDE :)

Today we got to bring Dad outside into the fresh air!

This is the first time in 28 Days That Dad has been outside!

Today Dad's Nurse Michelle was going to take him outside. She brought up a wheelchair from downstairs and hooked up an IV pole and everything. Unfortunately the patient in the room next door had a few problems so she couldn't take him. She offered to call the Doctor on call to see if it would be ok for Mom and I to take him outside and around the hospital. The Doc gave the Ok so...START THE CAR! We didn't want to give them a minute to change their minds!

First we took Dad all through the parts of the hospital that we always visit but he hasn't seen. Especially my favorite place...The gift shop! 

True to my friendly neighborhood gift shop rules they always have something new. This gem of a book was new today. I don't know what is more disturbing, the fact that they are selling this in the gift shop or that over 200,000 copies have been sold!

The weather today was absolutely beautiful! I went for a two mile run and felt pretty much like I had been hit by a truck when I stopped but hey it's .5 miles more than my last run. Not moving fast, just moving!

Dad and I did our traditional hallway workout. Today he did a record 16 minutes and 7 seconds! He went 0.32 miles. He is to walking as I am to running right now, not moving fast but we are moving and thats all that counts!

While we were outside Dad asked if McDonald's was close enough for me to walk to. It was so he asked for his favorite "a strawberry shake" Nothing like sitting out on a summer day in the sun sipping a strawberry shake. 

After a while we went back inside to walk around again. Unfortunately his IV pole wasn't plugged in in the room so we only had an hour of charge left when we left the room. We over extended our stay and the IV started beeping and wouldn't stop. We even stopped to plug in in the lobby but it didn't stop so Dad and I raced back to the room and Mom carried all the stuff so we could race back fast. We made it up and to the nurses station in about two and a half minutes from a quarter of a mile away! I was pushing as fast as I could and the elevator was waiting for us when we got there ( which was a nice bonus ) I felt like I was in a drag racing video game dodging people along the way. The nurse came and shut off the alarm and plugged him in and the alarm went off for good. I wish the plug we used had fixed it so we could have stayed out longer. At least it was a change of scenery for Dad!

His blood levels are not where they want them to be yet and his blood pressure is still on the high end. Until they get all of this under control he will be staying. We hoped this weekend he would be home, I guess his system had other plans for him.

I brought Mom back for a little R and R and she will at least get to sleep in her own bed tonight. I am probably going to head back into Boston tomorrow night just so he isn't by himself all day and night. It's pretty boring with no one there to hang out with. 

I brought him up my old Nintendo DS so he could play some games on it. I happened to find a really inexpensive jeopardy game for it so I bought that for him last night and brought it up today. He managed to win his very first game! 

A big thank you to everyone who is helping out we never could spend this much time away from home if it were not for people like yourselves who are helping us out. The Rides, Taking Mom Out, Visiting Dad, Phone Calls, Cards, Food, Letters, Masses Said, E-mails, Text Messages are really what gets is through everyday. Knowing we have such a caring group of family and friends is wonderful!

Until Tomorrow,

Laurie

TGIF

Friday and that means last day of work for the week :)

Dad had an ok day. Basically they are just trying to get his blood levels regulated. It is taking a while, a lot longer than we thought and a lot longer than Dad thought he would have to stay. 

Auntie Peggy and Auntie Janet went in to rescue Mom with some lunch and fresh air. They have been great with visiting and making sure Mom gets to vent and get out even if its just for a few hours. I thought maybe she would come home with them and then head in with me tomorrow but she decided to stay.

I had a pretty busy day at work today. At least today was only one job!

Today I cleaned out the Media closets in a few of our event rooms. I found this little gem that soemone left behind from the last conference. Now that would be an interesting conversation!

I should have taken a before photo so you would know how disastrous this closet looked before my organization.

After work I made plans with my friend Crystal to do some much needed shopping. We went to Natick and I got some great things. I bought a ton of stuff for the kids for their birthday's and Christmas. I managed to find another set of "days of the week" socks for Lilly. My Auntie Phyllis Ann gave her some for Christmas last year. She wears them all the time. This way Kerry won't have to wash as often :)

We ate at P.F. Chang's which happens to be our favorite restaurant in the mall. The food is so good and we were both VERY hungry!

This is Crystal posing for a photo op in the scary hallway we got lost in looking for the exit to the garage!

The graffiti (Tuff Shit) on the wall in the hallway was comical. 

We went to Target after to purchase a few movies. Mom said we needed a few new movies for the kids to watch I ended up getting 8 of them for $40.00! They were $5.00 each and great movies too. Annie, The Lorax ( which we all know they love ) , Horton Hears A Who, Under Sea Adventure, The Little Rascals, Dennis the Menace, The Ant Bully, and Anastasia. They love to watch one movie a day. This will mix it up a bit and you can't buy even one movie ticket for $5.00 each so this I thought was a great bargain!

Yesterday Dad received his D23 Magazine in the mail. I am going to bring it to him to read tomorrow. D23 is a Disney fan club. Joey bought him a subscription for Christmas last year and he loves it. The magazines are so cool and you get little gifts throughout the year too. This is the fall issue, so it came with...

...a super cool Hatbox Ghost Magnet from the Haunted Mansion! 

Well it's about time for me to turn in. Thanks to everyone for all of your unending support. I am looking forward to the day when I can report that Dad is coming home. Let's all pray that comes VERY soon.

Until Tomorrow,

Laurie

I DID IT!

I Managed To Drive To AND From Boston With NO TRAFFIC!!!

This morning Mom told me they had Huntington Ave. all blocked off and that there was a bomb threat!  There is never a dull moment in my family!

Just yesterday Mom said she could see smoke across the skyline. That just happened to be a 5 alarm fire at a church in Southie! 

I had a busy day worked both jobs today and then drove in to visit. I could tell Dad was kind of bummed out because he knows he isn't going home tomorrow, in fact he may be there for another 3 or 4 days. 

I got there and went to use the bathroom in his room. I asked if he or my Mom had taken a shower. They both said no. I asked why the floor was wet. Neither one of them knew. The nurse came in a while later. Evidently Dad's Heparin IV came out and he didn't know it. When she commented that maybe it was when he got up to use the bathroom that's when it dawned on me why the floor was wet! It was Heparin, not water! Unfortunately this set him back a few hours which no one was happy about. 

I went to the cafe to get my gluten free chocolate cupcake that I am addicted to and happened to swing by the gift shop, it was closed so I window shopped.

This cute little M.D. outfit was just so adorable. It even said Baby m.d. on the pocket :)

They had some new balloons too. I mean who would not love a lady bug with three pairs of Chucks on her feet!

This Weiner dog balloon reminded me of a little Weiner dog that belonged to my cousins. Her name was Daisy. She was so cute and I use to love to watch her walk. 

After perusing the gift shop windows for a few minutes I headed back up to the room. I got to the hall and Mom and Dad were walking

This was the route. Because he had been waiting for an hour and a half for someone to come and draw blood we couldn't take the chance of missing the lab people if they came. This was the route. You can see the two lines where we left Dad's room and went back to his room, the rest were all the same back and forth in the hallway. He did manage to walk for 14 minutes and he did 0.29 miles. He was a little slower than a few days ago but he didn't sleep that much last night so he was pretty tired.

Walking up and down there are screens in the hallway that show you everyone on the floors heart rates. Well one guy had his heart rate up to 144 at one point which is ridiculously high! I said my Gosh look at all the lines on his reading they were all close together and they are orange so they reminded me of hay. Dad says "yeah, I've done that." 

Been there done that bought the T-Shirt!

Dad got a funny card today from his friend Joanne.

Why this is funny is that Dad happened to pick up a new profession this past spring. Crime fighting. In the course of two weeks he was able to catch a wallet thief and have someone removed from the area that was bothering people in Human Services. You just never know with Dad! This card with it's edits was just perfect!

Thanks to everyone who has sent cards. They are really adding a huge cheer element to his room. He definitely has the most cards of anyone on his floor! He is also the healthiest. He was the only one up walking around at 9:00 at night. Everyone else was in bed with the lights off! Most of the people in his ward are older but there are a few who are younger with new LVAD's of their own. The new people have the smaller controller which is what I was hoping they were going to give Dad! I brought in all of his equipment from home earlier this week so it could be serviced and undergo it's yearly maintenance testing. I was glad they were able to do it so Mom and Dad didn't have to lug it all to the clinic another time to have it checked out. So at least that worked out in his favor! 

The cards look so cool all lined up together :)

This by hook or by crook will be Dad's last weekend in. Even if he has to leave and God forbid go back, next weekend is Lilly's 4th birthday and I know he will do everything he can to get home for that! I will do whatever I can to get him there!

Thanks to all who continue to ask how Dad is doing. Thanks for calling to see if we need anything. If you have too much going on yourselves you never hesitate to ask if we need anything and offer to help. We have a very supportive group of giving family and friends who give of themselves to us everyday. Whether it be a prayer you say, card you send, call you make, visit you pay, no matter how big or small it is the cumulative effect that makes it all overwhelming and we are so happy to have all of you along the way with us on this journey to health and a new heart. 

The best news is Dad was re-listed today on the transplant list he is no longer off the list due to infection! Thank God for that! Now lets get him a new healthy heart :)

Until Tomorrow,

Laurie

Trying To Balance

Dad is doing better today. In less pain and no surgery needed on the hematoma!

I worked today and have to work at an incredibly early hour tomorrow so I didn't drive into Boston after work. I had intentions of going for a run but I ended up hanging out with my neighbor Karen and talking for a while. She is so nice and is always asking how Dad is progressing and if Mom needs anything :) 

I talked to Mom this morning and she said Dad was feeling better than he did yesterday. He even got up and went for a walk. That was something he could not do yesterday! I called Dad when I got home tonight and he sounded pretty good. He said they told him the hematoma was smaller than it was yesterday meaning it is not bleeding and continuing to grow, a good sign. They reapplied another pressure dressing to try and speed up some of the re-absorption, they told him there was dried blood and that he most likely would have a small lump there. He said "that's ok I had a big lump there before" I told him that stinks and he said it was really no big deal. I think he doesn't care what he has to deal with as long as they let him go home. 

Mom and Dad had IV antibiotic administration class today. It turns out there are 6 syringes that have the antibiotic in them. He has to administer them one ever minute for six minutes. A lot faster than he though. We thought it would be a regular IV drip. This seems much easier! They are still going to send a visiting nurse so at least if we have questions they will be able to help.

He still has to be taken off the Heparin and put on the Coumadin. Now today is Wednesday, let's say Thursday because that will be a full day. If they start the process tomorrow they said it could take up to 4 days to regulate it. That would mean another weekend and a very mad everyone. If they make Dad stay this weekend I am going to bring him this sign to wear around his neck!

It certainly has been a long month. The summer is almost over and I am pretty sure I missed almost the whole thing! Summer is my favorite season and this year the summer went by way to fast and we didn't have enough time to enjoy it. Maybe mother nature will heed warning to this and bless us with a mild winter!!!!

Thanks to everyone who has called, visited, written, texted, e-mailed, sent gifts, given rides, taken Mom out, and kept up with the blog. We are truly blessed to have such a wonderful support system.

Until Tomorrow,

Laurie

Possible Hematoma :{

 Today I started my day going to my sports med therapy appointment... in traffic.

 Traffic Take 1

I worked days today. I called Mom at noon to see if Dad had had his pic line put in yet. She said they had just come in to do it. I was done in the room and then an x-ray was done to see if it was in the right place. Thank God for small favors it was. Yesterday a doctor came in to check the site where the D-fib was removed. They took off the bandage and poked around. By last night he was in agony, enough to actually ask for pain meds which he NEVER does. Today his doctor came in and said there is a possibility that a hematoma could have formed in the pocket. He wanted another pressure bandage applied and wanted it watched. It took all day...literally all day before they came in and put the bandage on. He is pretty uncomfortable :( In fact I think this is the worst pain he has had since being there. The other bad news is they won't start his switch to Coumadin until they are sure they don't have to do anything at the possible hematoma site. So another delay, another day!

Traffic Take 2

 I drove home after work to pick up Dad's home equipment to bring into the hospital for it's yearly inspection. Oh yeah...in traffic!

Traffic Take 3

 I picked up all of the stuff packed it into a huge rolling suitcase and started my commute into B&W...in traffic

When I got to the garage to park. I parked next to these guys. Two Lassie Dogs left in a Jeep. There were still there when I went out! The Jeep is open! The popped their heads up looked around then laid back down. I felt pretty bad for them :(

Our neighbor Janet came to visit tonight. It was great to see her. She was able to see the helicopter take off from the building next door. We have been trying to get the kids to see this too but they haven't seen it yet.

It was so nice of Janet to come after work. It's kind of a long commute but she said she didn't mind. I walked her back to her car after to make sure she was all set with the garage and directions. We have been doing it for so long you take for granted that sometimes it can be tricky. 

On my way back to Dad's room I noticed all the hospital employees waiting for the bus. They looked like SMURFS in their blue scrubs!

Dad is low on Iron. They had to make sure the PIC line was in properly then they wanted to try to administer the iron through the line to ensure it is working properly. This line he will go home with and it is how he will receive his IV antibiotics. His nurse's name was Lauri. Not Laurie! Nevertheless it was confusing when someone called her or asked her a question. I usually answered too :)

It was a Blue Moon tonight. The Blue Moon refers to the second full moon in a calendar month. It was awesome to see over Francis Street.

As the sky became darker the Moon seemed to glow brighter.

Dad's card collection seems to be the best on the floor that I have seen thus far. It is so nice to look out and see all the cards that decorate his windowsills.

A side note:

Yesterday I mentioned the "Worcesterland" Art Show:

“WORCESTERLAND” Opening Reception

Tue, Aug 20, 2013 starting at 4:00 PM - 8:00 PM 

The Worcester Plein Air Painting Group presents their work. 

On Tuesday, August 20, Assumption College will host an opening reception for “WORCESTERLAND “an Art in IT exhibition featuring the works of The Worcester Plein Air Painting Group. The reception will be held on the second floor of Assumption’s Information Technology Center and begin at 4:00 pm. The exhibition will run from August 19-September 27.

Featured artists for “WORCESTERLAND” include Jean Murphy, Sid Solomon, Gerard Blouin, Sam Lalos, Michel Merle, Emilie Astell, Bob Duffy, and Bob Aiello. For more information call 508-767-7095 or email dthistle@assumption.edu. 

Today I had the opportunity to attend the opening reception for this wonderful exhibit.

We were able to meet some of the artists and speak with them. I spoke to artist Sid Solomon for a while. If you see Sid, you would guess him to be in his 60's. Truth be told he is turning 80! The painting below is of the old Millbury Street Fire Station. I asked him about the woman walking her dog in the photo. I asked if the woman was indeed real. He said the woman in the photo was painted from memory of a woman in a large purple dress in the similar style to the one depicted in his painting. She was walking through the neighborhood all dressed up walking a little dog. He found her so interesting he put her in this painting. He mentioned that this was his fourth painting of the Millbury St. Fire Station and that a painting he sold at his last show was to a relative of a firefighter who served at the Millbury Station. Sid also mentioned that they just had a reception at the station not to long ago. They are going to renovate the building. He was invited to the announcement and celebration because of his paintings an the preservation he allowed through art.

"Millbury St. Station" Sid Solomon

If anyone is in the area it's worth a look. The reception was very nice today and there were more people there than I expected. I though because it was still summer that it would be a small turnout. I am glad I was wrong. :)

Thanks again to everyone who has commented, written, visited and read the blog. It's nice to hear how people enjoy reading it. It is great for me to write it and keep a record of how Dad is progressing and just how far we have come!

As always thank you all for your unending support. Thank you for taking time out of your days to help out Dad and our family for no matter how small a period of time it makes a HUGE impact. We can never thank all of you enough, for thank you is much to small a word for all the kindness we have been given.

Until Tomorrow,

Laurie

P.S. I hit construction traffic on my way home from Boston too just in case you were wondering :) It was too dark to take a photo!

Going Down...Which is all Good

All of the levels that should be going down are going down and all those that should stay the same are!

At Assumption, for the next month, we are having a celebrate Worcester art exhibit. This is one of the amazing paintings that was painted by an artist known only as R. Duffy. The exhibit really makes Worcester look beautiful in living technicolor.

I did not get into Boston today. I had to work days and then wait for the guy to come to clean the spot the new chair came with. The window they give you...between 3-5? They made it by the skin of their teeth! The good news is the stain is out!

Brendan, Kerry and the kids went to visit today. I know Dad and Mom must have been very excited to see them. We haven't seen them in a week because they were on vacation. They did stop by our house on the way home so I got to see them for a second and discuss fudge making plans with Lilly for her birthday. ( SHE LOVES CHOCOLATE! ) She's a kid after my own heart :)

Dad was suppose to have a port put in today...guess what...he didn't! Are you surprised? I said to him why don't you just plan on them never doing any procedure the day or time they are going to do it. It will be much easier to plan around. That way if they do offer to do the procedure the day they scheduled it will be a totally unexpected pleasant surprise.

The good news is all of Dad's levels are dropping and in a good way. His kidney function numbers are improving no matter how slow they are still improving. His WBC Count is at 11 so we are almost exactly in normal range 6-10. Much better than the 20 of last week!

I am hoping they will send Dad home this weekend but I don't want to hold my breath. A lot of things have to fall into place for that to happen. He has to come off of the Heparin and go back on Coumadin. When his level reaches where they want it he can go home. That could take two days or it could take four days. Tomorrow doesn't really count because he has to be off of everything to be able to have the port procedure done.  After that he can start the switching. They are suppose to have an infectious disease appointment Wednesday. This was made for him the week he came in thinking he would have been home by now. Because it is in another section of the hospital ( an actual different building ) unless they come to his room they will have to cancel the appt. I don't know why they can't send the doctor to Dad. It's not like he is going anywhere fast. I wish he could just go outside for a while even and enjoy the fresh air and sunshine.  When he gets home we will just have to put him in a screen tent to protect him from "skeeters" and he can have all the fresh air he wants. 

It's 11 days until Lilly's 4th Birthday. Let's hope he will be home to help celebrate. It's hard to believe it's been 4 years since not only Lilly was born but that Dad has been on the transplant list. Lilly was only 4 months old when he was listed and our journey in Boston began. 

Mom and Dad saw an old friend last week. Carol Flavel who was the VAD nurse co-ordinator. Basically she was the brains of Dad's care until the LVAD surgery. She saw Dad all the way through to the surgery...and then she retired! She has been traveling all over the world! She was at the hospital visiting a few friends and she saw Dad's name on the list so she came up to say hi. I wish I were there to see her too. She was so knowledgeable and so friendly but she knew how to get things done and get them done right and fast! We miss her!!!

The blog continues to receive almost 200 hits daily which is still amazing to me.  It's very hard to call 200 people but very easy for 200 people to log onto the blog to get daily updates and for that I am happy. We are so blessed with family and friends and I know everyone has been there right along with us on this journey. 

Thanks again for all that you do. You have been and continue to be our strength.

Until Tomorrow,

Laurie

Possibly Another Week

Today when we were talking with the doctors and nurses from the sounds of it Dad may be in through this whole week too :(

Mom and I did stuff around the house this morning and I was fortunate enough to have my friend Cherie come over to run with me. It was my first mile and a half since my back fracture! I was SO excited to be able to run. She was a huge help and we talked through the whole run which helped keep my mind off of the fact that I was running! I felt really great after too which was the best part.

We headed into Boston early to avoid any possible type of Fenway traffic possible since their was not only a game tonight against the Yankees but AROD was back and it was sure to be an interesting game ( which it is as I type! )

Dad was a little bummed out because they are going to have to keep him longer than he originally thought. They still have not decided which IV port they are going to put in and because of that it may take another day. He also has to have 4 days to get off the heparin and back on the coumadin (blood thinners) so I think we are looking at another week in unfortunately.

Dad was feeling pretty good today. When we got there he was watching the Pixar marathon on ABC family.

 He is watching a Bug's Life here :)

While watching a Bug's Life Dad and I played some Disney trivia on the Disney Trivial Pursuit game I brought. He does really good with Trivia! I guessed some good ones but he is a plethora of information which makes him a wiz at trivia!

After Trivia and before Toy Story started we went for our first walk.

This was Dad's nurse Michelle. She was so nice and a great nurse. As he was walking the hallways everyone kept commenting on how great he looked to which he replied " Good, tell my doctor!" He def wants out of there in the worst way. Michelle was going to see if there was any possible way she could take him outside today just to get some fresh air. I don't think it was possible because Dad wasn't her only patient :( He walked for 14 minutes up and down the halls!

We learned from a tech that this is a new research facility that they are building in what use to be a parking lot. Eventually they will have a bridge from the building Dad is in to the new building. Very impressive!

We went back to the room and when we looked at the cards all along the windowsill Mom commented that Lilly was right her card  "is the most sparkly card" and Papa loves it! He loves all of his cards. We have them lined up all along the window sills in his room so he can see them. 

We watched Toy Story had a snack then Dad took a little snooze while Mom and I played Scrabble. His dinner came about an hour an a half after I called for it but at least it came!

After dinner and before the game started I suggested we go for another walk.

Dad and I walked for 11 minutes and 15 seconds. This time I used the App on my phone called Map my run to see just how far we were going and what our estimated pace was. I said "Dad we are going about a mile a half hour"..."well then slow down", he says :) Still joking so thats a good sign!

At end of the other hall you could see the awesome sunset over the city. It was so colorful tonight. Each time we passed the window it looked better and better.

Mom is staying again for the week and the rest of us will just go back and forth to visit. Thanks so much for all of the kind words, cards, gifts, calls, texts, emails, visits, food, masses said for Dad, the list goes on and on. I can't imagine how difficult this would be without our family and friends. Yesterday the blog had 197 hits. That is the largest amount so far. The fact that 197 people care enough to check up on Dad's progress and see how he is doing is a testament to the guy he is!  I am pretty lucky to have such an amazing Dad and Mom too. I am pretty sure Dad would not be doing half as well if it weren't for my Mom and all of her support. I try to be there as much as I can and my brother's do too but Mom has been there everyday since this whole thing started! 

Here's to the weekend being over and the new week starting where things will happen faster than on the weekend. Let's get this week over and move things along so he can continue to improve even more on his numbers and go home!

Until Tomorrow,

Laurie

GREAT NEWS!!!!

No New Kidneys Needed!

Dad did not start the day off well. He was suppose to go down for a CAT scan at 3 a.m.  but they didn't take him down until 6 a.m. so he was up all night. He didn't have the best nurse either :( 

At 10:00 a.m. Dad called to let us know the team of doctors had met and the doctor that came in said his preliminary kidney biopsy looks great. No swelling, output is good and they won't get the official results back until Monday or Tuesday but things looked great so far. That was a huge relief!!!  They also said they saw very little infection if at all! At last some good news!

Today was a pretty good day for Mom and I. I got to go to my little cousin Angelo's 5th birthday party! He was so cute!

He did his best to blow out all the candles on the first try! Ah to be 5 again :)

 We moved onto the pinata after and the kids were thrilled with all the treats inside. The were just so cute to watch trying to break it open. The "big" kids had to step in and give it a little "TAP" to move things along :)

This is my Uncle Joe and Auntie Margaret. Otherwise known as Papper and Mammer. They are my oldest relatives at 96 and 92! My Uncle is truly amazing, aside from having a little bit of a hearing issue he is healthy as a horse. He beat cancer in his late 80's and is going strong! I hope I am like him when I grow up. Mammer is my Grandmother's sister ( my father's mother ). She is the last member of my grandmother's siblings. They are so cute and often make us giggle when they banter with each other back and forth. 

These two guys are my cousins Paul and Michael. They are the older brothers I never had. Michael edited every paper I ever wrote in college and did his best to tutor me in math too. Paul taught self defense and karate. He made sure I took his self defense courses so I would be ready if ever attacked on campus. I never could have survived college without either one of them :)

After the party I drove Mammer and Papper home. We had a nice ride back to North Brookfield. I put on a Big Band radio station on Pandora Radio so they could listen to the music they liked on the ride. They always ask how Dad is and if he is eating enough. I think it's a gene in the Italian heritage...its the "genus mangia", it makes sure you feed your families at least 8 times a day plus snacks. I have to say we never ever left their house hungry! Even if you flat out refused to eat you left with a Orange in your hand or a container of Escarole and beans for dinner at work. 

We are pretty fortunate to not only have so much family but family we actually love to spend time with. I love going to family gatherings and seeing everyone! 

Uncle Jimmy Camyre took out the "Aunts" for dinner tonight at Pleasant Valley. They had a great time and I was glad Mom got out and about. 

I decided to get started on my sewing project. My Auntie Phyllis Ann, when she came to visit a few weeks ago, taught me how to make pillowcases. My friend Robyn's Mom, our friend Donna, decided that it would be nice if we all made pillowcases to donate to the Be Like Brit orphanage in Haiti. When she researched it and contacted the people she found out they already had 300 donated pillowcases. Instead we are donating them to Sherry's House ( Why Me ) for kids who are undergoing cancer treatments at UMASS. 

My Aunt sent me lots of really cute material which I made into these pillowcases. I think we will have some happy kids :)

While I was sewing the doorbell rang. It was our friends the Ryan's who stopped by while out for a walk. They brought cards for Dad, Mom and Me. They were so very sweet to come by and to think of us! They gave me a gift that will be extremely useful for my rides into Boston. 

As I said before I cannot express enough how thankful we are to have such wonderful friends and family who get us through each and everyday with their support! They have been there in the bad times, worse than bad times and in the good times to help us celebrate even the smallest of victories! 

When I talked to Dad tonight he sounded great. He was in good spirits. He was watching the Red Sox game and they were winning! THEY BEAT THE YANKEES!!! WOOHOO.

He said he had a good nurse so that is very relieving too. I told him to work on his trivia because I was going to win at "Bad Ass" if he didn't get studying! Mom and I are going to head back in tomorrow. 

If all goes well maybe Dad will be home for next weekend and this will be the last weekend he has to spend there. 

Thanks again to everyone we could not do this without you!

Until Tomorrow,

Laurie