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

"The Beans" As They Call Them In The Biz

Today Dad had the kidney biopsy he had been waiting for.

This is Dad's IV Pole. He has a photo of the girls taped to it, a reminder of home and that he will be home again soon.

I drove in today after work. The last thing I asked my boss before I left..."hey Ted, is there a Red Sox game today?" Oh yeah, Sox and Yankees, why? Oh...right, you better get going the game starts at 7:05! So I got going cruised right in no problem until I got off at the Fenway exit...OMG it took 26 minutes to go maybe a quarter of a mile. It was nuts...people in the street looking to buy tickets "Hey Buddy get out of the way! some of us have places we need to go!" I screamed as I drove past the idiot who jumped out in from of my car and the car next to me! My windows were closed so he probably didn't hear me say that and a few other choice phrases to unkind to post. 

Dad had the biopsy today. It wasn't at 12 like they said because he had breakfast. They told him he could...so he did. When the renal team came in they told him he needed to fast so they pushed the procedure up until 2. Well we all know how that goes, he didn't go until way after that. When I got there at 5:30 he was just getting back to the room. He looked good. Color was good and he said it wasn't bad at all. He did say the positioning was uncomfortable because he had to lay on his right side with his arm above his head for a long time. He was suppose to have the Mini Hickman port put in at the same time as well but Dad and the doctors decided to push it off. He had had enough for one day.

We won't get the results of the tests back for at least 4 days and it is the dreaded weekend so things do not happen fast on the weekends :(

Dad couldn't drink for two hours and couldn't eat for 6 so to pass the time we played "Smart Ass" the game we started yesterday. 

Mom tried to take a picture of us playing the game but either Dad or I were not in the picture. So I took this one myself. What you don't know is the conversation going on behind me,...Mom: Do you want me to pull the TV down so you can see the game better?...Dad: yeah when they start winnin I will let ya know so you can pull it down. 

I decided to play the Smart Ass game like a Smart Ass so I came up with a new rule

Everytime Dad answered a question right I took off one of the "asses" (in his defense this was the beginning of the game, he did manage to clear all of the "asses" by the end of the game)

The good news was his kidney function numbers did improve ever so slightly and that is a great thing. As long as they are making progress that is ok by me. Slow and steady win the race. 

Monday he will have the Mini Hickman port put in and that will allow the visiting nurse to be able to administer the IV antibiotics at home once he comes home. Like his doctor said we don't mean to make you a prisoner of the hospital but we want to make sure everything is in check so you can continue with the home therapy. 

I kidnapped Mom and brought her home for a few nights. She needs to get some rest and just be able to be outside in the nice weather. It will be good for her. I wish Dad could get a weekend pass too and that we could take him back on Monday instead of having to stay there :( Hopefully he won't be there much longer and we won't have to worry about going back and forth. 

Thanks to everyone who continues to support us on this journey to better health. I am very thankful for everything we have been offered and that we have received. We could not do this if it weren't for the support of our family and friends. Thanks especially to those who keep thinking of Mom too. I feel like she is just as much a patient as Dad for she has been there as long as he has (minus all the rotten poking and prodding of course) The cards, lunches, visits, phone calls, e-mails, facebook posts etc have made it easier for her to cope with all of this. I know if she could blog she would thank you herself, so I will thank everyone for her as well. 

We have come a long way in the last three weeks! Hopefully now Dad will feel stronger and better than ever when he gets home!

Until Tomorrow,

Laurie

Day After Hump Day

Another Day Another Thing Wrong :(

Today when I went in to visit Dad. We all had to wear these really neat yellow gowns because they were afraid Dad may have contracted a new type of bug. Luckily after the tests all came back negative we were told we could take them off :)

Auntie Janet and Uncle Jimmy came to visit and they looked smashing in yellow :)

Dad's friend Ernie came by today to visit too. It was so nice of him to stop in. Unfortunately I was on my way out to go to work when he came so I didn't get to chat with them. I was glad Ernie came though so Dad wasn't alone waiting for Mom and Auntie to come back. 

Auntie Janet took Mom out to lunch for a much needed break. It was so nice out today. They went for a walk outside. I didn't get to see them before they left so I hope they got a good walk and lunch in. 

Mom is going to try to come home with me tomorrow night. She needs another good nights sleep. 

While Mom was out Dad and I played the game "Smart Ass" It's a fun game with categories of "Who Am I", "Where Am I" and "What Am I". The tie breaker cards are called "Hard Ass". It's a trivia type game where each word has 10 clues that you read to give you hints as to who, what or where. When you play in a group you have to answer before the other players as soon as you know the answer. Dad and I just played by reading and trying to guess in the least number of clues given.

Dad had to have an IV change. I helped the IV Nurse. Due to the amount of blood he loses when stuck with a needle or an old IV comes out, it gets pretty messy pretty quick. This one was no exception. She was a really nice nurse and we were saying how in order for her to do all of that herself she would have to grow six more arms and legs! I told her maybe next time she could use her feet too. She Laughed :)

Dad is scheduled for a kidney biopsy tomorrow. What we are hoping is that the biopsy shows improvement in his kidneys and that they can get better. If not we are onto plan B. Possible Dialysis later on and listed for a kidney transplant as well. Please pray that they find the kidneys to be in ok condition thus eliminating the need for that transplant as well. Thus far all of your thoughts and prayers have been wonderful and they have gotten him though the tough road he has traveled so far. 

Dad was a little disappointed because he thought he would be home by Saturday. Not likely says Dr. Lakthawala. I really like him and the doctor that works with him. I wish I could remember her name but the other doctor, is from Ireland and she has a great accent! Dr. Lakthawala jokes and kids around with Dad all the time. He takes the time to sit with us and answer any questions and concerns we may have and you never feel like he is rushing to get to the next patient, you have his undivided attention. Smart and a good bedside manner equals a great doctor in my book...or blog :)

The ride in today wasn't bad, not a lot of traffic. The ride home was different. It wasn't that traffic was bad on the Pike it was getting to the Pike and after getting off the Pike the 17 RED LIGHTS I had to wait at to get to work! Seriously I counted them and there were 17!!!  RIDICULOUS! 

Today we saw on the news that they are going to change the tolls on the Pike to the ones that you can go the speed limit and go through. The first test one will be ready in April. If Boston can do that to make things more efficient maybe Worcester should rethink their traffic light situation!

Thanks to everyone who continues to keep Dad in their thoughts and prayers. If you would like to send Dad a card: Address them to:

   Michael Palumbo

   Room 701 Shapiro 

   Brigham and Women's Hospital

                                                                     75 Francis Street   

                                                                    Boston, MA 02115 

Until Tomorrow,

Laurie

P.S. The Blog has reached a record high of 126 views yesterday, Now that's support! :)

Happier Than A Camel on Wednesday

                                                  WBC Count Down to 13!!! WOOHOO

Depending the way you look at it today 13 was Dad's lucky number. His WBC on Friday was a 9 then it doubled to 20! After he had the Defib out Monday it was 16...Tuesday it went back to 19 :(

Today, he wasn't starved and he didn't have any tests or procedures so his body seemed to like that and pumped out a 13 for his WBC Count. Again normal is between 6-10 but coming back from an infection like the one Dad has a 13 is great for today! Now they just need to keep movin' on down instead of movin' on up and we will be happy :)

Dad was very happy today. Bob D'Angelillo, a classmate of his from New Jersey came up to see him! Bob and his son traveled from New Jersey to attend services for one of their other classmates. They wanted to make sure they stopped by to see Dad too :) It was very nice of them to visit and I know it made Dad's day!

I didn't visit today because I had to wait for Dad's new surprise chair to come. 

I had the "window" of four hours so

 I waited, did laundry, sewed Dad's new vest to make it fit right, vacuumed where the old chair was, moved all the cars out of the driveway so they could get the truck in, made my dinner to take to work and ate breakfast. 

The best part...they took the old one! The guy said they don't normally take them but if I was stuck,        (buddy you have no idea how stuck I am with a broken back!) and really needed it gone they could drop it by the dump for $20.00. SOLD! That was the best $20.00 I ever spent! They even picked it up and carried it out to the truck themselves. Phew that's a huge check off my list of things to do this week. 

The kidney biopsy is still scheduled for Friday. Hopefully his kidneys will cooperate and get better so they won't have to think about a kidney transplant as well. If they get better we will all be:

Happier Than A CAMEL ON WEDNESDAY

Thanks to everyone keeping up with the blog. We had 102 people check in one day last week. I am very happy that people are finding it easy to use and it's much easier than calling 102 people. Dad has so many friends and family who are concerned for him. The blog is the best way to keep everyone up to date on his progress. 

Thanks again for everything you have done for Dad and the rest of our family. We draw our strength from your support and we couldn't endure the tough days without you. I am going to visit tomorrow morning so I will be posting the latest update tomorrow.

Until Tomorrow,

Laurie

Hours of Waiting

If you added up the number of hours you have waited for something in your life how many hours would that be?

On average a person spends an estimated 45 to 62 minutes waiting everyday. This works out to about 3.35 years in a 78-year life. 

The person who came up with the above mentioned statistic has obviously never been a hospital patient or a family member of a patient!

It was a pretty gray day in Boston

Today Dad spent almost the whole day waiting for them to do a kidney biopsy. At 4:30, after they made him starve all day they came in to let him know they would do it Friday instead!  No wonder all of his levels are off!

WBC Count has gone back up :(  

I am thinking if you starve a person as often as they have in the past two weeks how can any numbers be where they are suppose to be!

I asked Dad how he felt when I got there and he said "Alright"  but he slept for pretty much my whole visit and then I had to leave to go to work. Mom and I played Scrabble to pass the time. I don't know how she stays there all day while he is sleeping. 

Card Collection

Dad has some of today's cards lined up on the windowsill. They are so cute to look at and I know he loves to see them. They brighten up the room too. Not as much as...

...this guy would...but they brighten it up none the less ( this is a picture I found on-line and I cannot take credit. It looks like Pascal from one of the girls favorite movies, Tangled )

Dad's Kidney's seem to be at a plateau. I am hoping that by waiting until Friday now that they jump into action on their own eliminating the need for the biopsy all together! ( PRAY )

Sorry, I don't have much news today. Things are pretty much the same. He needs to get the WBC Count down and the kidneys either need to recover, be treated or a transplant decision will have to be made on them before they will let him leave. 

Kerry and the girls got me flowers and a Starbucks Card for helping them out the last few weeks. They didn't need to get me anything! I love watching them and they are HUGE stress relievers too. I am pretty sure they helped me more. 

Today the girls called from Maine to talk to Papa. Lilly talked for a minute and a half, Kylie talked a LOT longer. Then she wanted to know if Dad wanted to talk to her Mom and Dad too :) They are very excited to be at the beach. Today they got to go to the playground because the weather wasn't very good for the beach. I miss them already :)

Thanks to everyone who keeps checking in, visiting, sending stuff, calling Mom, taking Mom out, texting, emailing etc. It is all of this stuff and more that keeps us going through the HOURS of waiting. We really appreciate all that you do for us!

Until Tomorrow,

Laurie

Successful Surgery

After a Long Wait Dad Had The Defib Pacemaker Removed Today

When I left last night Dad didn't look all that good. He was back in the narcoleptic sleep pattern and he ate next to nothing for dinner.

My cousins offered to come and get me or drive back to Shrewsbury with me to grab my stuff. I was ok and just wanted to get home quick so I could drive back to their house in Watertown to stay overnight. Megan works close by and offered to drive me back and forth to the hospital so I could leave my car at her house. My cousin's 3 and 1/2 year old was up when I got up so we were able to play while Megan got ready for work. She wanted me to "stay and play while Mom and Dad go to work" but I told her I had to go and see my Mom and Dad so she was ok with that :)

Mom sent me a text that said Dad was being taken down at 7:30 but don't rush because they were a little behind.  Megan drove me in and I met Mom in the Cafe. We had breakfast and then walked, and walked. They called at 9:45 to say Dad was all set and in recovery. The surgery went well and everything went as planned. We figured it would be about a half hour before e came back up to the room so we played a game of Scrabble on the iPad. 

I won by the way :)

We went back to the room and waited...

and waited....and waited...and waited

Until the IV nurse came in to change hi IV and he wasn't there. She was very surprised he wasn't back yet. She went to check with a nurse but the nurse had gone down with Dad so there was no nurse for him on the floor. 

Almost three hours after they called he came back to the room!

He looked good, in fact better than he had yesterday and the day before that so that was a good sign. His BP was good and his LVAD numbers were good. Kidney function is still not where they want it but it was only.1 higher than the day before. They figured that was ok for now. They had a huge pressure bandage on his incision site. He seemed in good spirits and ate a jello right away. He was hungry which was great!

His WBC ( White Blood Cell ) Count was 16 down from 20 yesterday which is great! Normal is between 6-10 but he had gone from a 9 to a 20 in one day which is why this surgery became critical  today. They were able to bump someone and get him in right away this morning which was great. 

Unfortunately his kidneys seem to be at a plateau. They thought because he was progressing through last week that the trend would continue. Turns out that is not the case. They are going to do a kidney biopsy later this week :(  Depending on what they find this is what will happen:

If the kidneys look ok and seem to be just struggling a bit they will put him on steroids to try and improve their function. The reason they haven't done this thus far is because of the infection. If they can clear the infection put him on steroids and he improves then we have hit a walk off homer! 

If they think the kidneys are beyond the point of recovery then they will have to list him for a Kidney and Heart Transplant :( 

This was not exactly what we had hoped for. After the doctor left I went and got a  gluten free chocolate cupcake from the cafe. At this point YOU ONLY LIVE ONCE SO EAT CHOCOLATE!

I did manage to swing into the friendly neighborhood gift shop even though Mom makes fun of me for "shopping" there everyday. I told her there are things I may have missed yesterday so I had to check it out. Well I was right!

I did not see this GROW-A-GEEK yesterday,

SO THERE YOU GO!

Megan was nice enough to come get me at 3 so I could go back to her house to get my car and go to work. Auntie Judy and Uncle Ronnie were there babysitting and they said they were going to head into the hospital to say hi and try and take Mom out for a bite to eat.  

I jumped in the car and headed for work. Driving through Watertown it's hard to imagine what happened a few months ago happened in this area. It's such a nice area. It's awful that terror visited here. Thank God the good people of Watertown came out of that experience stronger than ever!

Well that's all the news fit to print today. I am heading back in tomorrow after my sports med/therapy appointment to work on my back and hip more.  It's getting there slowly but surely!

Thanks to everyone who has helped and continues to help and to everyone who offers to help out. Just knowing people are a phone call away is amazing! The cards, calls and visits are great and Dad really appreciates it. 

Until Tomorrow,

Laurie

One Step Up and Two Steps Back

Back to the Drawing Board

We had breakfast today with Kerry and the kids. Lilly was the first one up so she and Mom played on the ipad while the rest of us slept in a bit.

Then the Artists got to work painting :)

Julie is always smiling. I love that little face!

Mom talked to Dad this morning and learned that they decided to do the defib removal on Tuesday. So that would have worked out pretty well with all of our schedules. Then Dad called back to let Mom know all his numbers were off again. HIs White Blood Cell count doubled in a day and his kidney function numbers also went up ( which is bad )  We got in the car and headed into Boston. When we got there a few doctors had come in and told Dad they were moving the defib removal to tomorrow they don't want to wait the one more day. UHG! Poor Dad can't catch a break. 

Dad had a few visitors today and I forgot to take their pictures. Pat and Joan DeSantis came up to visit and brought Dad Some Treats too. 

After Pat and Joan left they got Dad up for a walk. He walked 13 minutes but didn't look all that great when he came back. He fell asleep almost immediately. A little while later they came to take him for a chest x-ray. A pre surgery thinhg I guess. Mom and I went for a walk while he went down to x-ray.

Since Dad had his tooth pulled we thought maybe he would like a set of teeth they are selling in the gift shop instead. There are 9 sets to choose from!

We shopped in the gift shop for a while. I left my hand print there waving to the monkey when we left :)

Dad was back in the room when we returned. 

He has a special menu that they give the patients that are there long term. Its an awesome menu with shrimp scampi and filet as some of the choices. 

Unfortunately he ate hardley any and fell back to sleep. His neck and back are hurting again as well. I wish they could come up with something that would make him comfortable and be able to stay awake too. 

It's been a frustrating round and we aren't done fighting yet. Tomorrow the attending said he def. wants Dad done tomorrow but because he is not on the schedule he will bump someone else. That stinks for them but Dad has been bumped so many times I think it's his turn to do some bumping. We won't know what time the surgery is so we will just have to wait and see.

My Cousins Megan and Brian are letting me stay with them tonight in Watertown. It's so nice to be able to come here and be so close to the city. I went home picked up my suitcase, took a shower and hopped back in the car to come here. I filled up the Prius and was on my way. Megan is going to drive me in tomorrow so I don't have to park the car which will be extremely helpful! 

Thanks to everyone who has sent cards ( He has them all on his windowsill) , visited, called, e-mailed etc. All together you have the strength we need to get through this. 

Until Tomorrow,

Laurie

P.S. Please say a few extra prayers tonight and tomorrow for Dad. ( Thanks )

Girls Day Out

Since Dad is Doing so well Mom decided to come home and spend some time with us girls.

Mom and I decided to take advantage of tax free weekend and did a little shopping. We started out by getting a surprise for Dad that will be here when he gets home. 

We then went to the old Crompton and Knowles neighborhood to visit our favorite vintage store, Crompton Collective! Our friend Amy owns the shop and there are so many wonderful things there. If you have never been, you must go! It is a shop you could spend all day in and never see everything, so you have to go back :) I bought a really cute crystal candy bowl that I am going to use to put all my shells in that I collected on Sanibel Island on vacation!

They have a really cute courtyard that was so nice to walk through on a beautiful day like today.

We walked across the courtyard to visit alexis grace which is a consignment store next to crompton. I bought a ball jar full of vintage jewelry for $10.00. It had two watches, five necklaces, three bracelets, two pairs of earrings, a sterling silver ring and a crystal pin. It was a great deal with some really unique pieces.

Outside of Alexis Grace we saw a Chewbacca  toy on top of a BMW!  I guess they have a little of everything there.

On our way out we met the owner of the new barbershop upstairs at Crompton. He told us of the new european cafe that is going to open in the front room of the building. I am very excited to see how it turns out. It sounds so cool!

We called Dad to see how he was feeling and he said his back and neck were sore but other than that he felt pretty good. He also said they bumped the defib removal until Tuesday. This is ok by me because it gives his kidneys just one more day of buffering before they put him under and tax the system. They also told Dad he will have to be followed by a kidney doctor from now on. The good news is that he can see one in Worcester. He will also have to be followed by infectious disease, but that will have to be done in Boston.

Mom and I decided to grab a bite to eat and she treated me to lunch at the Vintage Grill on Shrewsbury St.  Anyone who knows me knows I LOVE Shrewsbury St. It just seems to get better and better every summer. The flowers on the islands, the people walking to the park and all the wonderful places to eat!

We had a great lunch. I was able to wear one of my new necklaces that I got today :)

Poor Kerry spent the day getting a sink at IKEA in Stoughton. I guess it was a CRAZY experience. The lines to just get in the store were long, then they had to wait in line for the elevator, in another line for a number, to wait in another line to be called. It literally took them all day to do what they needed to do. I felt so bad for her :( The kids were on their best behavior though which was good.

When they all got home I told them I would treat them to ice-cream. 

Julie had a bath before we left and she had a great hair-do after :)

When I asked Kylie what kind of ice cream she wanted, she said "pink" So I bought her Papa's favorite  kind, Strawberry!

Kerry had vanilla and the kids got to watch the girl make it on the soft serve machine. They were amazed!. Mom got Black Raspberry Chocolate Chunk and...

...LP and LP did too :)

Lilly asked me what kind the purple one was. I told her it was black raspberry and at Gibby's they have black raspberry chocolate chunk which means it's purple and it has chocolate. Lilly's two favorite things :)

When we got home I set up the tent in the family room so the kids could have a camp in!

They were looking at each other laughing because their hair was all static and sticking to the sides of the tent. They were hysterical! 

After two readings of "I'm a big sister now" and "Old MacDonald Had a Farm" they settled down a bit. They were so excited to be sleeping in the tent!

Mom and I are heading back into Boston tomorrow. We are going to have breakfast with the girls first :)

Thanks to everyone for your unending support. We really appreciate all that you do. Yesterday the blog  count was at 98 for the day. That means 98 people read the blog and 98 or more people are aware of Dad's condition and are keeping him in their thoughts and prayers. We can't thank you enough!

Until Tomorrow,

Laurie

An OK Day

Dad Had a pretty good day today

Today I had a pretty hectic day at work. I was going to drive into Boston after work to visit but the monsoonish rains made me rethink about driving in with the Prius!  

What I have learned about the Prius:

1. It pretty much has no chance in the snow without pushing it ( it's very light, our friend Adam compared it to pushing a pencil box!)

2. It gets great gas milage

3. It is like a hovercraft in the rain, especially when the traction control, slippery when wet symbol comes on to let you know you have no traction! GREAT, THANKS!

4. You have to have own another car and use the Prius on Sunny dry days.

Auntie Janet came in to visit today and she drove Mom home for some much needed R and R. 

Brendan, Kerry, Lilly and Kylie went to see Dad today. From what I hear they were able to share some of his Strawberry Shake too!

Dad's kidney function numbers have improved again and I am hoping the next two days they improve even more because they are planning on doing the Defib Removal on Monday. 

He seems to be in better spirits than he was before the colonoscopy. Eating will make you feel better too.

On a side note I became and Angry Bird earlier this evening!

I received an e-mail today informing me to contact my credit card company. They were alerted to a possible fraud case. When I called I learned that someone had a field day in Maine,Las Vegas, Dell computer, an electronic company, etc. with my credit card. Thousands of dollars in charges were all made today. I  am just thankful they caught it and contacted me today before any more charges were made. 

Not a lot of new news today, but no new news is good news as far as I am concerned. Now we will just prep for Monday's procedure at whatever time they think they can do it. 

Thanks again to everyone for all of your support, you all are our inspiration.

I am going to BED hopefully to sleep more than a few hours in a row.

TGIF

Until Tomorrow,

Laurie

Hooray It Was Tooth Decay!

Today Dad FINALLY had his colonoscopy!

Dad had the colonoscopy and they found nothing! Everything was clear! So all that prep and no eating for four days paid off finally. 

Since they did not find any infection in the colonoscopy it has been decided that the infection came from his tooth and spread through his whole system. They pulled it on Monday. The weird thing is that it was not bothering him at all. It never hurt so why would he think it was infected?

Since we are talking about infections and growing stuff I just want to share with all of you the license plate that was in front of me on my way home from work tonight

I am not really sure who in their right mind would want "MILDEW" as their license plate tag! I mean there really is nothing good about mildew!

Anyway...

Today Dad had a pretty good day. His kidney function is still improving and it came down another .5 which is fantastic. If the rate keeps up he will be within normal range by next week when they take out the defib/pacemaker.

I spent quite a while doing research today on infection and icd devices. Basically what it boils down to is the infection that Dad has is a form of strep. 

Here's some background:

• Subacute endocarditis -- This form of endocarditis most often is caused by one of the viridans group of streptococci (Streptococcus sanguis, mutans, mitis or milleri) that normally live in the mouth and throat. Streptococcus bovis or Streptococcus equinus also can cause subacute endocarditis, typically in patients who have a gastrointestinal problem, such as diverticulitis or colon cancer. Subacute endocarditis tends to involve heart valves that are abnormal, such as narrowed or leaky heart valves. Subacute bacterial endocarditis often causes non-specific symptoms that can persist for many weeks before a diagnosis is made.
  
  
  Subacute endocarditis develops more slowly, and its milder symptoms can be present for weeks or months before the illness is suspected.
  
  

Men develop endocarditis more often than women, and the illness is more common among people who have one or more of the following risk factors:

• A congenital (present at birth) malformation of the heart or a heart valve, or mitral valve prolapse with mitral valve regurgitation
• A heart valve damaged by rheumatic fever or by age-related valve thickening with calcium deposits
  *An implanted device in the heart (pacemaker wire, artificial heart valve)
  
  
  Basically from what I read 50% of the cases come from an oral infection like the infected root in Dad's tooth. The other 50% come from infections or abnormalities in the colon.

I am beginning to think that symptoms Dad had and that we attributed to the LVAD were actually warning signs.

*His neck has been stiff for a few months. Since he has been on antibiotics and in the hospital, it is gone.

*His appetite was awful and his weight loss apparent. This we also attributed to the LVAD pump taking up space in the thoracic region, often making patients have less of an appetite.

*His narcoleptic like sleep patterns that had developed over the last few months.

*The last sign was the one that brought him to the doctors and probably saved him was he thought he had a UTI and went in to get checked.

In my research today I also read that it is textbook to remove the icd device in cases of infection. There are no known cases that I found where an icd patient has been treated successfully with just antibiotics. Rule of thumb is take out icd, clean out infection, put back in new icd if needed. It was pretty cut and dry. So I guess the doctors know what they are talking about. I am just glad they are waiting for his kidney's to catch up first.

On the home front

This morning I woke up to this...

Brendan making razz berries at Julie and Julie looking at him, not doing them back, just staring at him like he was wacky!

Kylie took a self portrait on my phone which wasn't half bad!

Julie is trying to crawl. Right now she just scoots backwards til she hits the couch then gets up on her arms and pushes both feet off the couch to turn. Very talented, this one!

So all in all the big plan is to remove the defib/pacemaker at some point next week. If they can get the infection numbers down to where they want them he will be able to go home on IV antibiotics with a visiting nurse. That was great news all around for all of us. This weekend is tax free weekend so we are going to buy him a new recliner for the family room. Kylie will probably have to come to make sure he will like it. ( She's always stealing his chair!) 

Well folks thats all the news I have today. We are all going to visit at different times tomorrow so I will have an update as soon as I can.

Thanks to everyone who has offered to do anything we need them to do. You all have been so wonderful! The visits, cards, calls, texts, e-mails, facebook messages etc have been terrific and they are the things that are getting us through these difficult times.

Until Tomorrow,

Laurie

P.S. Happy Shark Week, I'm going to try and get in a show or two before bed :)