I am sure that most of you know that my Dad passed peacefully at home on Sat June 14, 2014. He was exactly one month from his 84th birthday. Mum and Dad's 62nd wedding anniversary was June 27. We had his memorial service on June 25. It was a lovely service, very true to him, and very well attended.
It still seems like a very bad dream. He lived his life well. We love him dearly and will alway remember his love and care for us.
I have been back to work since June7 and it has been going well. My probation time is now complete and my position is permanent. I thoroughly enjoy my evening position.
Jeff should be starting back to work in the next 2 weeks.
Thanks to everyone who has followed along during the most challenging 4months of our lives. It is so good to have caring family and friends in times such as these. I don't know if there will be any more entries on this blog. Blessings to all, Dorothy
Jeffery's Journey
Saturday, July 5, 2014
Sunday, June 1, 2014
I know that this blog was supposed to be about Jeffery's journey through open heart surgery but as you know that is not the only challenge our family has been going through in the last 4 months.
To update you about my Dad, he had a total of 2 rounds of chemo and 5 days of radiation. The radiation was needed to try and shrink the tumor in his esophagus because it had started bleeding. The bleeding caused him to vomit blood during the night and he went by ambulance to the Victoria General Hospital. Unfortunately, the radiation hit him really hard. It left him incredibly weak. About a week later, Dad decided to stop all cancer treatments. That was about 4 weeks ago.
He is now on palliative care and is remaining at home. He receives an IV every other day- overnight. The IV makes a huge difference in the following day. Without it, he sleeps most of the day,eats and drinks very little. With the IV he still feels weak but he gets up in the chair, sits in the sunroom, drinks better. On a good day he may even eat something! That is huge!
He is incredibly thin, but he has NO pain for which we are very thankful for. He is having much better quality of life on palliative. No more running seeing doctors, having tests, waiting for treatments etc etc.
He now uses a wheelchair to go from bed to anywhere in the house.
Have I mentioned CANCER SUCKS BIG TIME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
With the overnight IV run with a pump, Hilary has been staying overnight as well. She is SO good with the medical / physical part of all this and works with the palliative nurse to get er done. Dad is receiving wonderful care at home. Mum has been taking care of EVERYONE. She is wearing herself out. While we are there helping she refuses to go take a nap, or take much time for herself. So we bring meals, spend time with her when Dad sleeps, do the yard work, take care of Dad's car, bring baking etc. Everyone in the family has been helping and visiting. That is wonderful.
Jeff is now finished the cardiac rehab program at the Wellness Institute. It is a very good program of education and exercise. Now he will continue to go there 2-3 times a week on his own. Not sure when he will go back to work, he needs the doctor's OK on that. He still goes for weekly blood tests and changes of his Coumadin meds but now his own GP is looking after that. He is gaining his strength back but at times he does too much and feels dizzy. His incision has healed nicely.
I will be going back to work on June 7. I will let you know how that goes!
Finally an update on the blog! Take care everyone and thanks again for you prayer support! Dorothy
To update you about my Dad, he had a total of 2 rounds of chemo and 5 days of radiation. The radiation was needed to try and shrink the tumor in his esophagus because it had started bleeding. The bleeding caused him to vomit blood during the night and he went by ambulance to the Victoria General Hospital. Unfortunately, the radiation hit him really hard. It left him incredibly weak. About a week later, Dad decided to stop all cancer treatments. That was about 4 weeks ago.
He is now on palliative care and is remaining at home. He receives an IV every other day- overnight. The IV makes a huge difference in the following day. Without it, he sleeps most of the day,eats and drinks very little. With the IV he still feels weak but he gets up in the chair, sits in the sunroom, drinks better. On a good day he may even eat something! That is huge!
He is incredibly thin, but he has NO pain for which we are very thankful for. He is having much better quality of life on palliative. No more running seeing doctors, having tests, waiting for treatments etc etc.
He now uses a wheelchair to go from bed to anywhere in the house.
Have I mentioned CANCER SUCKS BIG TIME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
With the overnight IV run with a pump, Hilary has been staying overnight as well. She is SO good with the medical / physical part of all this and works with the palliative nurse to get er done. Dad is receiving wonderful care at home. Mum has been taking care of EVERYONE. She is wearing herself out. While we are there helping she refuses to go take a nap, or take much time for herself. So we bring meals, spend time with her when Dad sleeps, do the yard work, take care of Dad's car, bring baking etc. Everyone in the family has been helping and visiting. That is wonderful.
Jeff is now finished the cardiac rehab program at the Wellness Institute. It is a very good program of education and exercise. Now he will continue to go there 2-3 times a week on his own. Not sure when he will go back to work, he needs the doctor's OK on that. He still goes for weekly blood tests and changes of his Coumadin meds but now his own GP is looking after that. He is gaining his strength back but at times he does too much and feels dizzy. His incision has healed nicely.
I will be going back to work on June 7. I will let you know how that goes!
Finally an update on the blog! Take care everyone and thanks again for you prayer support! Dorothy
Tuesday, April 15, 2014
APRIL FOOLS WINNIPEG--STILL WAITING FOR SPRING!!!!!
Hey everyone,
I guess I have not posted yet this month and now it is half way through the new month. We saw a small taste of spring last week and it was great. Yesterday was a cold wind day. Enough of that, Bring on the Spring!
This morning Jeffery will have his blood drawn again to check the clotting time. He has been doing well. Still finding he is tired early in the evening. We were able to get the last available spot in April for the cardiac rehab class at the Wellness Institute connected to Seven Oaks General Hospital. The next class would start the end of May. There is an intake interview where his baseline info will be gathered and then exercises can be developed from that. April 28 will be the first class. It runs for 12 weeks and I believe it is 3 times each week. There is a learning component of cardiac conditions, diet, exercise etc. I will go with him for the first couple of weeks until he can go on the bus himself. The one bus takes us from our front door to the Wellness. Jeff is a member at the Wellness, he also did the respiratory rehab there 2 years ago. That really helped him to be in shape when we found out that he needed heart surgery.
I will be having eye surgery this week on Thursday morning. I stay overnight and will be discharged the morning of Good Friday. We are having lunch with John's side of the family at Donwood Manor with his Dad. After that, I will come home to rest and the rest of the family will probably head to Gerhard and Cindy's for coffee. I worked my last shift Sunday and now I will be off work until the first week of June. I guess that is my "Spring Break".
My Dad has had some rough days lately. He is very weak. He went for bloodwork yesterday; they feel he has more fluid gathering on his lung and he is loosing weight. They have cancelled chemo for this week because of the weakness. He may go to Oncology on Thursday for IV fluids before the long Easter weekend. The oncology at the Victoria Hospital is closed Friday and Monday. They will try to give the second round of chemo next week. I am heading over there this afternoon to spend some time.
We still have home care for Jeff until this week. I cancelled the service after that. John and Ian are home all weekend and after that Jeff and I will look after each other. I am trying to get groceries, medications ahead of time because I won't be driving now for a couple of weeks.
Please pray for my Dad and Mom as they walk this journey and us kids to support them the best we can. Please also remember Jeffery and myself this week.
Blessed Easter wishes to everyone. HE IS RISEN!!! INDEED. Blessings, Dorothy
I guess I have not posted yet this month and now it is half way through the new month. We saw a small taste of spring last week and it was great. Yesterday was a cold wind day. Enough of that, Bring on the Spring!
This morning Jeffery will have his blood drawn again to check the clotting time. He has been doing well. Still finding he is tired early in the evening. We were able to get the last available spot in April for the cardiac rehab class at the Wellness Institute connected to Seven Oaks General Hospital. The next class would start the end of May. There is an intake interview where his baseline info will be gathered and then exercises can be developed from that. April 28 will be the first class. It runs for 12 weeks and I believe it is 3 times each week. There is a learning component of cardiac conditions, diet, exercise etc. I will go with him for the first couple of weeks until he can go on the bus himself. The one bus takes us from our front door to the Wellness. Jeff is a member at the Wellness, he also did the respiratory rehab there 2 years ago. That really helped him to be in shape when we found out that he needed heart surgery.
I will be having eye surgery this week on Thursday morning. I stay overnight and will be discharged the morning of Good Friday. We are having lunch with John's side of the family at Donwood Manor with his Dad. After that, I will come home to rest and the rest of the family will probably head to Gerhard and Cindy's for coffee. I worked my last shift Sunday and now I will be off work until the first week of June. I guess that is my "Spring Break".
My Dad has had some rough days lately. He is very weak. He went for bloodwork yesterday; they feel he has more fluid gathering on his lung and he is loosing weight. They have cancelled chemo for this week because of the weakness. He may go to Oncology on Thursday for IV fluids before the long Easter weekend. The oncology at the Victoria Hospital is closed Friday and Monday. They will try to give the second round of chemo next week. I am heading over there this afternoon to spend some time.
We still have home care for Jeff until this week. I cancelled the service after that. John and Ian are home all weekend and after that Jeff and I will look after each other. I am trying to get groceries, medications ahead of time because I won't be driving now for a couple of weeks.
Please pray for my Dad and Mom as they walk this journey and us kids to support them the best we can. Please also remember Jeffery and myself this week.
Blessed Easter wishes to everyone. HE IS RISEN!!! INDEED. Blessings, Dorothy
Saturday, March 29, 2014
Happy Saturday Everyone
Hey everyone;
Thursday Jeff saw his own family doctor and we delivered the envelope of information sent home with us from the hospital discharge. His blood pressure was excellent and his incision is healing well. We mentioned to Dr Johnson that Jeff had some numbness in his left hand and lower arm, Tuesday evening. It was brief but it involved his pinkie and ring finger and went to his elbow. Felt like his arm had fallen asleep. The doc did not think it was related to his surgery. Also, Jeff had a brief nosebleed on Wed. Thursday Jeff had blood drawn to check his INR- tells how well the coumadin is working at thinning the blood. We went to the lab in Dr Johnson's office . We normally get the results in 2 hours when it is drawn at the hospital and then we are informed how much coumadin to take. Well because it had been done in the community the results took longer. The hospital called and said to keep his coumadin at 3 mg until they get the results on Friday. That was fine.
That same day, Sherry came to stay with Jeff in the afternoon. I was able to get things caught up at home, and also laid down for a nap. Then in the evening I had a great evening with my best friend Shel having supper out and doing some shopping. Meanwhile, back at the ranch......Jeff got picked up to go visit with some of his buddies. They had a fun evening playing games etc. Ian got an evening off to rest and relax and John was working his usual Thursday evening.
Friday came and, Jeff and I did some errands and Jeff had planned to have a 2 hour nap in the afternoon. He was up a bit too late Thursday evening for him right now. I had planned to get my hair cut, get the van gassed up and washed etc. I had just finished my haircut when there was a call from home. The hospital had called because of Jeff's blood results and they wanted him back at the hospital in 30 min, and they would send a cab! So I quickly got home and took him to the hospital. Sherry had called and she was hoping that I wasn't upset that she had called. Bless her heart. So she only was at our house for one hour before we had to leave. The hospital was concerned because Jeff's blood was too thick and could have clotted. He was given an injection and we were instructed to give a needle on Sat/Sun and possibly Mon along with the coumadin pills each day as well. Then to return on Monday to have more blood drawn. We also needed to get this med at the Shopper's Drug mart in the hospital. It probably wasn't available in our own pharmacy they told us. We waited about 30 min for the med. In the meantime, Jeff was tired from all the walking but he wouldn't let me put him in a wheelchair for the ride through the tunnels back to the main hospital.We sat on the comfortable arm chairs outside the pharmacy and I got us each a Timmy's. We got home at 1700 hr from our adventure. When Jeff's surgeon had called and talked to Jeff, Jeff said, "I was 6 min away from having my nap!!" and then he also asked, "whose paying for the cab?" My boy, my boy!!
He was ticked off that he missed a nap that he REALY needed. When we got home at 1700hr I convinced him to lie down for an hour until supper was ready and then go to bed early. Which he did. This whole week he had not napped in the afternoon, but Friday he needed one. Go figure!!
So Friday was also the morning that my parents were meeting at Cancer Care to be assessed for radiation. The stint that was inserted in Dad's esophagus is doing the job to let him eat more. Because it is working well it was decided to forget radiation and go forward with chemo. They said the side effects of the radiation would be worse and they did not need this added treatment to shrink the tumor if the stint was doing the job. They hope to start chemo at the Victoria hospital on Wed April 3. I say, GET ON WITH IT ALREADY!!
This morning Dad was able to eat Cheerios with milk, special K breakfast drink and he is also enjoying a protein shake recipe given to them to try.
I now go to work Sat and Sun evening from 16-24 hours. Next week I only work Thurs evening. Thank goodness. TTFN, Dorothy
Thursday Jeff saw his own family doctor and we delivered the envelope of information sent home with us from the hospital discharge. His blood pressure was excellent and his incision is healing well. We mentioned to Dr Johnson that Jeff had some numbness in his left hand and lower arm, Tuesday evening. It was brief but it involved his pinkie and ring finger and went to his elbow. Felt like his arm had fallen asleep. The doc did not think it was related to his surgery. Also, Jeff had a brief nosebleed on Wed. Thursday Jeff had blood drawn to check his INR- tells how well the coumadin is working at thinning the blood. We went to the lab in Dr Johnson's office . We normally get the results in 2 hours when it is drawn at the hospital and then we are informed how much coumadin to take. Well because it had been done in the community the results took longer. The hospital called and said to keep his coumadin at 3 mg until they get the results on Friday. That was fine.
That same day, Sherry came to stay with Jeff in the afternoon. I was able to get things caught up at home, and also laid down for a nap. Then in the evening I had a great evening with my best friend Shel having supper out and doing some shopping. Meanwhile, back at the ranch......Jeff got picked up to go visit with some of his buddies. They had a fun evening playing games etc. Ian got an evening off to rest and relax and John was working his usual Thursday evening.
Friday came and, Jeff and I did some errands and Jeff had planned to have a 2 hour nap in the afternoon. He was up a bit too late Thursday evening for him right now. I had planned to get my hair cut, get the van gassed up and washed etc. I had just finished my haircut when there was a call from home. The hospital had called because of Jeff's blood results and they wanted him back at the hospital in 30 min, and they would send a cab! So I quickly got home and took him to the hospital. Sherry had called and she was hoping that I wasn't upset that she had called. Bless her heart. So she only was at our house for one hour before we had to leave. The hospital was concerned because Jeff's blood was too thick and could have clotted. He was given an injection and we were instructed to give a needle on Sat/Sun and possibly Mon along with the coumadin pills each day as well. Then to return on Monday to have more blood drawn. We also needed to get this med at the Shopper's Drug mart in the hospital. It probably wasn't available in our own pharmacy they told us. We waited about 30 min for the med. In the meantime, Jeff was tired from all the walking but he wouldn't let me put him in a wheelchair for the ride through the tunnels back to the main hospital.We sat on the comfortable arm chairs outside the pharmacy and I got us each a Timmy's. We got home at 1700 hr from our adventure. When Jeff's surgeon had called and talked to Jeff, Jeff said, "I was 6 min away from having my nap!!" and then he also asked, "whose paying for the cab?" My boy, my boy!!
He was ticked off that he missed a nap that he REALY needed. When we got home at 1700hr I convinced him to lie down for an hour until supper was ready and then go to bed early. Which he did. This whole week he had not napped in the afternoon, but Friday he needed one. Go figure!!
So Friday was also the morning that my parents were meeting at Cancer Care to be assessed for radiation. The stint that was inserted in Dad's esophagus is doing the job to let him eat more. Because it is working well it was decided to forget radiation and go forward with chemo. They said the side effects of the radiation would be worse and they did not need this added treatment to shrink the tumor if the stint was doing the job. They hope to start chemo at the Victoria hospital on Wed April 3. I say, GET ON WITH IT ALREADY!!
This morning Dad was able to eat Cheerios with milk, special K breakfast drink and he is also enjoying a protein shake recipe given to them to try.
I now go to work Sat and Sun evening from 16-24 hours. Next week I only work Thurs evening. Thank goodness. TTFN, Dorothy
Wednesday, March 26, 2014
Hi everyone,
Jeff had his follow up appointment on Monday and all went well. He also had a chest Xray and blood drawn for his Coumadin level. Monday was also the start of respite. A lovely lady, Sherrie is now coming Mon-Fri to stay with Jeff while I leave for work and until John is home. It has been working out well. Jeff wants to play checkers and Sherrie said she is a little rusty, that's OK Jeff thinks he will have an advantage and win!!
Tuesday, a health care aid named Peter came to help Jeff take his first shower at home. Turns out this is the same Peter who used to come to Dad Wiens/Opa when they were still in their house on Devon and also in the high rise at Donwood. I recognized him. He remembers Dad and was happy to hear that he is still well.
Peter will come next week as well to help Jeff. After that he will probably be stronger and able to shower himself. We are very thankful for the help. I leave for work knowing that he is in good hands.
On days when I don't work like tomorrow I can get other things done.
Tomorrow afternoon I am going to visit my parents at their house. My Dad had a stint inserted into his esophagus last Friday (the day Jeff was discharged and came home). Today, Dad was able to eat/swallow mashed potatoes and gravy!!!!! On Friday this week, he is going to Cancer Care to talk about the radiation treatments.My nephew, Christopher will meet them there to hear what the doctor has to say. Then he can let the rest of us in on the visit. I am so thankful for our family.
Jeff is definitely feeling better. This morning when I got up he had washed the dishes left on the counter and proudly told me with a big smile on his face. I said '' THERE'S MY BOY BACK!!
Thanks for checking the blog. TTFN, Dorothy
PS- Jeff got a card today from his cousin in Alberta with gift cards to iTunes. Thank you Karen for thinking about Jeff and sending this. It made him smile. Love Auntie
Jeff had his follow up appointment on Monday and all went well. He also had a chest Xray and blood drawn for his Coumadin level. Monday was also the start of respite. A lovely lady, Sherrie is now coming Mon-Fri to stay with Jeff while I leave for work and until John is home. It has been working out well. Jeff wants to play checkers and Sherrie said she is a little rusty, that's OK Jeff thinks he will have an advantage and win!!
Tuesday, a health care aid named Peter came to help Jeff take his first shower at home. Turns out this is the same Peter who used to come to Dad Wiens/Opa when they were still in their house on Devon and also in the high rise at Donwood. I recognized him. He remembers Dad and was happy to hear that he is still well.
Peter will come next week as well to help Jeff. After that he will probably be stronger and able to shower himself. We are very thankful for the help. I leave for work knowing that he is in good hands.
On days when I don't work like tomorrow I can get other things done.
Tomorrow afternoon I am going to visit my parents at their house. My Dad had a stint inserted into his esophagus last Friday (the day Jeff was discharged and came home). Today, Dad was able to eat/swallow mashed potatoes and gravy!!!!! On Friday this week, he is going to Cancer Care to talk about the radiation treatments.My nephew, Christopher will meet them there to hear what the doctor has to say. Then he can let the rest of us in on the visit. I am so thankful for our family.
Jeff is definitely feeling better. This morning when I got up he had washed the dishes left on the counter and proudly told me with a big smile on his face. I said '' THERE'S MY BOY BACK!!
Thanks for checking the blog. TTFN, Dorothy
PS- Jeff got a card today from his cousin in Alberta with gift cards to iTunes. Thank you Karen for thinking about Jeff and sending this. It made him smile. Love Auntie
Monday, March 24, 2014
GOOD MORNING,
Well we had a full weekend, but not what you think. We weren't out "running the roads" as my friend from New Brunswick would say. Our Saturday consisted of meals and sleep. In the afternoon, all 4 of us had "horizontal hour"(that's a term from Faith Bible Camp in 1969). A time after lunch for quiet time, sometimes you slept, sometimes not. Well we DID sleep. I had intended to get caught up on laundry, get groceries in the house, organize Jeff's meds etc. Well we were all too tired to do any of that.(exhausted actually)
We don't usually go shopping on Sunday, but we had to this week. Seems like that is when EVERYONE else gets their groceries. What a crowd!! While John and I went for groceries etc, Ian took Jeff with him to get his car washed. Jeff sat in the car while Ian washed his car. Not too exciting, but exciting enough for the patient who had open heart surgery 10 days earlier. Sunday evening I organized Jeff's meds into the brand new super cool "med reminder",and got caught up on house cleaning and laundry.
Today, Jeff has a 1130hr discharge appointment back at St Boniface-IH Asper building. They will check his heart and lungs and take blood. Now that he is on Coumadin, he will need regular blood work to check his clotting time. Then we adjust his dosage according to how thin or thick his blood it. I don't know how long the appointment takes, but I phoned home care today to ask the worker to start at 1330 instead of 1300 hr to give us a chance to get back home.
I am also on the phone to make his follow up appointment with his family doctor. He will be the one to monitor Jeff's coumadin and blood work. Luckily, his office has a lab in it. Very convenient.
I have been thinking alot about the size of the aneurysm that Jeff had. It is no coincidence that a cancellation became available and his surgery was scheduled for two days later. The heart surgeon told us that the aneurysm was the size of a tennis ball. It is no coincidence that he was given that date. It is completely a God moment. There is no such thing as coincidences! Praise God that the surgery was done then after waiting 16 months on the waiting list. TTFN, Dorothy
Well we had a full weekend, but not what you think. We weren't out "running the roads" as my friend from New Brunswick would say. Our Saturday consisted of meals and sleep. In the afternoon, all 4 of us had "horizontal hour"(that's a term from Faith Bible Camp in 1969). A time after lunch for quiet time, sometimes you slept, sometimes not. Well we DID sleep. I had intended to get caught up on laundry, get groceries in the house, organize Jeff's meds etc. Well we were all too tired to do any of that.(exhausted actually)
We don't usually go shopping on Sunday, but we had to this week. Seems like that is when EVERYONE else gets their groceries. What a crowd!! While John and I went for groceries etc, Ian took Jeff with him to get his car washed. Jeff sat in the car while Ian washed his car. Not too exciting, but exciting enough for the patient who had open heart surgery 10 days earlier. Sunday evening I organized Jeff's meds into the brand new super cool "med reminder",and got caught up on house cleaning and laundry.
Today, Jeff has a 1130hr discharge appointment back at St Boniface-IH Asper building. They will check his heart and lungs and take blood. Now that he is on Coumadin, he will need regular blood work to check his clotting time. Then we adjust his dosage according to how thin or thick his blood it. I don't know how long the appointment takes, but I phoned home care today to ask the worker to start at 1330 instead of 1300 hr to give us a chance to get back home.
I am also on the phone to make his follow up appointment with his family doctor. He will be the one to monitor Jeff's coumadin and blood work. Luckily, his office has a lab in it. Very convenient.
I have been thinking alot about the size of the aneurysm that Jeff had. It is no coincidence that a cancellation became available and his surgery was scheduled for two days later. The heart surgeon told us that the aneurysm was the size of a tennis ball. It is no coincidence that he was given that date. It is completely a God moment. There is no such thing as coincidences! Praise God that the surgery was done then after waiting 16 months on the waiting list. TTFN, Dorothy
Friday, March 21, 2014
Discharge Day
Well, I just got the call from St Boniface that they have respite arranged. Respite can start Monday -Friday from 1300-1800 this coming Monday. Jeff will have his lunch at the hospital and then I can bring him home. We will need to stop at the pharmacy to pick up his medications on our way home.
I work evenings tonight but Ian and John will be here holding down the fort.
Tomorrow we will have a chance to set things upstairs for Jeff so he doesn't need to go downstairs.
We will be finally able to catch up at home with the things that have been left. We have had a busy last 10 days or so.
Thanks to everyone who sent cards, food, visited and especially kept our family in prayer. We felt that support.
Talk to you soon. TTFN=ta ta for now! Dorothy
I work evenings tonight but Ian and John will be here holding down the fort.
Tomorrow we will have a chance to set things upstairs for Jeff so he doesn't need to go downstairs.
We will be finally able to catch up at home with the things that have been left. We have had a busy last 10 days or so.
Thanks to everyone who sent cards, food, visited and especially kept our family in prayer. We felt that support.
Talk to you soon. TTFN=ta ta for now! Dorothy
Wednesday, March 19, 2014
Cardiac Step Down Unit
Day 2 post op
The red heart pillows are given to every cardiac patient to use when doing deep breathing and coughing exercises. The pillows are made by volunteers from MTS.
Day 2 post op
Sitting in the chair ENJOYING his clear fluid diet. Looking forward to REAL food.
Day 3 post op
Short walk with the walker to hold all of his chest tubes.
March 12 Day of Surgery. St Boniface General Hospital
March 19.
P.S.
I forgot to tell you;
When I visited Jeff today he told me that they changed his battery .......
to which I replied, "You have to be plugged in now"??????????????? lol
(they changed the battery pack to his portable monitor)
March 19,2014 Day 7 post op
Jeff is doing well and looking much better. He challenged the stairs with physio, had a chest Xray and poked 2 different times for blood. They were going to change his IV site but they could not find a good vein so they left the old one in. The old one is still functioning well but they don't like to keep it more than a few days. Another old IV site on the top of his left hand is infected and swollen. He is running out of good veins. On the step down unit they need an accessible IV line at all times in case of emergency. Wise.
He is eating well, and taking strolls by himself now or with his best girl (his Mom) lol. He had a buddy visit this afternoon while I was there. I left the room and watched some of Dr. Phil and ate my pm snack in the visitor lounge.
He may be in hospital until Saturday. They are trying to arrange respite for us when Jeff is discharged. It will be helpful for us. This way he won't be home alone while I leave for work and until John gets home.
They are offering Mon-Fri from 1300-1730. On the days that I am not working, I can use the afternoon to spend with my parents, get groceries etc. After doing 21 years of pediatric respite with other families I am happy to have the service in my home. Jeff will feel less stressed with someone here with him.
In the morning I took time to get some laundry,cleaning the kitchen,showering and having a second cup of coffee (or 3rd or 4th) before leaving for the hospital. This is such deja-view for me, travelling to St Boniface hospital everyday and staying the day with my boy.
I almost forgot the most important thing that happened today, Jeffery was able to take a SHOWER AND SHAMPOO with help. That made him feel better!!!!!!!!
This week he has received 2 cards in the mail from Stampin Up demonstrators from the US. They have a prayer group who receives the prayer requests and send cards and pray for the requests. My Dad has received 5 cards from the same group. Today's card to Jeff also included a page with encouraging scriptures.
John and I are going back this evening to visit.
Talk to you tomorrow.
Dorothy
He is eating well, and taking strolls by himself now or with his best girl (his Mom) lol. He had a buddy visit this afternoon while I was there. I left the room and watched some of Dr. Phil and ate my pm snack in the visitor lounge.
He may be in hospital until Saturday. They are trying to arrange respite for us when Jeff is discharged. It will be helpful for us. This way he won't be home alone while I leave for work and until John gets home.
They are offering Mon-Fri from 1300-1730. On the days that I am not working, I can use the afternoon to spend with my parents, get groceries etc. After doing 21 years of pediatric respite with other families I am happy to have the service in my home. Jeff will feel less stressed with someone here with him.
In the morning I took time to get some laundry,cleaning the kitchen,showering and having a second cup of coffee (or 3rd or 4th) before leaving for the hospital. This is such deja-view for me, travelling to St Boniface hospital everyday and staying the day with my boy.
I almost forgot the most important thing that happened today, Jeffery was able to take a SHOWER AND SHAMPOO with help. That made him feel better!!!!!!!!
This week he has received 2 cards in the mail from Stampin Up demonstrators from the US. They have a prayer group who receives the prayer requests and send cards and pray for the requests. My Dad has received 5 cards from the same group. Today's card to Jeff also included a page with encouraging scriptures.
John and I are going back this evening to visit.
Talk to you tomorrow.
Dorothy
Tuesday, March 18, 2014
Day 6 post op
Well, Jeff is NOT coming home on Wed. He will be staying a few more days. He is not ready for discharge yet, and that is OK with me. I would rather have him ready. I visited him in the morning and then left to get ready to take the bus to work. It takes up to an hour by bus, but I find it relaxing. I worked a 6 hour evening shift until 2300 and John picked me up. The shift actually went by quickly.
John and Ian went to visit in the evening. I heard that he had a few visitors, thanks everybody!
Jeff is starting to walk around the ward a bit more on his own. He has taken an afternoon nap though. He said he slept better last night as well. I will write some more tomorrow, I am tired now. Good Nite!
Well, Jeff is NOT coming home on Wed. He will be staying a few more days. He is not ready for discharge yet, and that is OK with me. I would rather have him ready. I visited him in the morning and then left to get ready to take the bus to work. It takes up to an hour by bus, but I find it relaxing. I worked a 6 hour evening shift until 2300 and John picked me up. The shift actually went by quickly.
John and Ian went to visit in the evening. I heard that he had a few visitors, thanks everybody!
Jeff is starting to walk around the ward a bit more on his own. He has taken an afternoon nap though. He said he slept better last night as well. I will write some more tomorrow, I am tired now. Good Nite!
Monday, March 17, 2014
Monday, March 17, 2014 Day 5 Post op
It was a short night. I got to bed about 0130 hr and was awoken at 0645 by John trying to get his work truck out of the back lane again. Manitobans are used to trying to "rock" the vehicle to try and become free from what is keeping you stuck. He eventually had to have the company send out a tow truck to put chains on the vehicle and help pull it out. I am getting very tired of the joys of winter. Shirley and Darryl your posted picture on FB of your life in Africa looks very appealing right now!!! Don't you miss our winters??
Today Jeff is free of the chest tubes. This makes it much easier to go to the bathroom himself and to take short walks. He has not ventured too far from his room.
In the morning I stopped at Sears to have adjustments made to his new Medic Alert bracelet so it would fit better, It states that he has a mechanical heart valve and is on anticoagulants(blood thinners). People with medical conditions or allergies should definitely wear these bracelets or necklace to advise medical help of what their needs are. Especially in an emergency when you may not be able to speak for yourself.
He was having a large bore needle inserted as an IV when I arrived today. That was needed for the CT scan that he went to around 1100 hr. He also has another IV site still in to be used for meds if needed.
He had finished his lunch before I arrived so we went for a walk and then he settled in his chair. At rest time he moved to his bed to relax. He did sleep and I sat in the chair.
I received a call from my sister to let me know how my DAD'S morning had gone at oncology at the Victoria hospital. It was decided that my Dad was not ready nutritionally to start chemo. He is less able to eat/drink this week than last and has lost more weight. They are now changing the plan slightly. This morning they took bloodwork and found that his calcium level was not where it should be. They gave him a litre of IV solution and also calcium. He now will NOT start chemo Tues am but instead receive another litre of IV and then go home. They are trying to book him for day surgery to have a stint inserted into his esophagus to make a bigger opening for him to eat/drink. Then they want to hold off on chemo and start radiation first to shrink the tumor in the esophagus. They hope to be able to do that this procedure this week. It would be done at HSC hospital and that is where he would get the radiation treatments.
Mum also emailed me to say that Dad had received some cards from people in the States and Canada who are involved in a group known as Prayer Warriers through Stampin Up. Complete strangers praying for their fellow brothers and sisters in Christ who request prayer. They were really blessed by these cards(homemade) that offered them encouragement and prayer too! I had put that on their prayer chain as I am a member of that support group. There is also requests on the Hope Wall at our Winnipeg Christian radio station, CHVN 95.1. We have had many "i prayed for you today" responses emailed back.
Now back to Jeff:
In the morning he had received a lovely fruit basket from our church family and it was delivered by his good friend,Donovan and his mom. Thanks guys for bringing it in. Jeff was glad to see you. He also had a visitor, Shellie P. from HOPE Centre ministries. This is the organization that Jeff attends for bible study every other week on Thursday evenings. Some other days the "boys" will get together to hang out, go to a movie or have coffee. Last Thursday when the group met they put a gift basket together for Jeff and also spent time in prayer for him. That day was Day 1 post operation for Jeff, and coming before the Lord with our concerns is always a great idea. Shellie arrived with this huge basket full of fun things, all of the items numbered and Jeff had to open each one separately. They contained items with a note that had been attached with a band aid. HOW CLEVER. There were chocolate bars and candy with notes such as..Make sure to cheer when the Jet's Skor, Jet's napkins to use when watching the games, a trophy that said #1, angry bird plush toys, gel pens, candy that was for the SMARTIES that had looked after the surgery, not to laugh but to only SNICKER. Lots of fun things like that, which really made him smile. Thanks to the Thursday night Bible study group who put it all together . That was very thoughtful !
Jeff also received a visit from the hospital chaplain who prayed with us.
I went home for supper before Jeff got his meal. I had left a little later than I should have and was right in rush hour. Because of the snow,MANY of the traffic lights in the city where only flashing or not working at all. They say that there are also now over 1000 households in Winnipeg with either no water due to frozen water pipes or they are at risk of developing problems and those people are being told to run their tap continuously in a steady stream to avoid the lines from freezing up!! WOW, this has been a brutal winter.
John,Ian and I finished the delicious lasagna that Gerhard had made. Thanks again guys! It was very much appreciated.
Tonight we were back at the hospital, Ian and the boys friend, Gavin also visited. We brought Jeff a Tim's decaf double double which he enjoyed. He doesn't have a TV in his room so Ian has been filling him in on what has been happening in sports. There is talk that Jeff may be discharged tomorrow. I work Tues evening again from 1700-2300 hr so that may be another busy day for the Wiens' household.
THANK YOU FOR UPHOLDING US IN PRAYER, WE GREATLY APPRECIATE EVERYTHING PEOPLE HAVE DONE FOR OUR FAMILY THIS WEEK.
TALK TO YOU TOMORROW for the continuing saga. Good night, Dorothy
It was a short night. I got to bed about 0130 hr and was awoken at 0645 by John trying to get his work truck out of the back lane again. Manitobans are used to trying to "rock" the vehicle to try and become free from what is keeping you stuck. He eventually had to have the company send out a tow truck to put chains on the vehicle and help pull it out. I am getting very tired of the joys of winter. Shirley and Darryl your posted picture on FB of your life in Africa looks very appealing right now!!! Don't you miss our winters??
Today Jeff is free of the chest tubes. This makes it much easier to go to the bathroom himself and to take short walks. He has not ventured too far from his room.
In the morning I stopped at Sears to have adjustments made to his new Medic Alert bracelet so it would fit better, It states that he has a mechanical heart valve and is on anticoagulants(blood thinners). People with medical conditions or allergies should definitely wear these bracelets or necklace to advise medical help of what their needs are. Especially in an emergency when you may not be able to speak for yourself.
He was having a large bore needle inserted as an IV when I arrived today. That was needed for the CT scan that he went to around 1100 hr. He also has another IV site still in to be used for meds if needed.
He had finished his lunch before I arrived so we went for a walk and then he settled in his chair. At rest time he moved to his bed to relax. He did sleep and I sat in the chair.
I received a call from my sister to let me know how my DAD'S morning had gone at oncology at the Victoria hospital. It was decided that my Dad was not ready nutritionally to start chemo. He is less able to eat/drink this week than last and has lost more weight. They are now changing the plan slightly. This morning they took bloodwork and found that his calcium level was not where it should be. They gave him a litre of IV solution and also calcium. He now will NOT start chemo Tues am but instead receive another litre of IV and then go home. They are trying to book him for day surgery to have a stint inserted into his esophagus to make a bigger opening for him to eat/drink. Then they want to hold off on chemo and start radiation first to shrink the tumor in the esophagus. They hope to be able to do that this procedure this week. It would be done at HSC hospital and that is where he would get the radiation treatments.
Mum also emailed me to say that Dad had received some cards from people in the States and Canada who are involved in a group known as Prayer Warriers through Stampin Up. Complete strangers praying for their fellow brothers and sisters in Christ who request prayer. They were really blessed by these cards(homemade) that offered them encouragement and prayer too! I had put that on their prayer chain as I am a member of that support group. There is also requests on the Hope Wall at our Winnipeg Christian radio station, CHVN 95.1. We have had many "i prayed for you today" responses emailed back.
Now back to Jeff:
In the morning he had received a lovely fruit basket from our church family and it was delivered by his good friend,Donovan and his mom. Thanks guys for bringing it in. Jeff was glad to see you. He also had a visitor, Shellie P. from HOPE Centre ministries. This is the organization that Jeff attends for bible study every other week on Thursday evenings. Some other days the "boys" will get together to hang out, go to a movie or have coffee. Last Thursday when the group met they put a gift basket together for Jeff and also spent time in prayer for him. That day was Day 1 post operation for Jeff, and coming before the Lord with our concerns is always a great idea. Shellie arrived with this huge basket full of fun things, all of the items numbered and Jeff had to open each one separately. They contained items with a note that had been attached with a band aid. HOW CLEVER. There were chocolate bars and candy with notes such as..Make sure to cheer when the Jet's Skor, Jet's napkins to use when watching the games, a trophy that said #1, angry bird plush toys, gel pens, candy that was for the SMARTIES that had looked after the surgery, not to laugh but to only SNICKER. Lots of fun things like that, which really made him smile. Thanks to the Thursday night Bible study group who put it all together . That was very thoughtful !
Jeff also received a visit from the hospital chaplain who prayed with us.
I went home for supper before Jeff got his meal. I had left a little later than I should have and was right in rush hour. Because of the snow,MANY of the traffic lights in the city where only flashing or not working at all. They say that there are also now over 1000 households in Winnipeg with either no water due to frozen water pipes or they are at risk of developing problems and those people are being told to run their tap continuously in a steady stream to avoid the lines from freezing up!! WOW, this has been a brutal winter.
John,Ian and I finished the delicious lasagna that Gerhard had made. Thanks again guys! It was very much appreciated.
Tonight we were back at the hospital, Ian and the boys friend, Gavin also visited. We brought Jeff a Tim's decaf double double which he enjoyed. He doesn't have a TV in his room so Ian has been filling him in on what has been happening in sports. There is talk that Jeff may be discharged tomorrow. I work Tues evening again from 1700-2300 hr so that may be another busy day for the Wiens' household.
THANK YOU FOR UPHOLDING US IN PRAYER, WE GREATLY APPRECIATE EVERYTHING PEOPLE HAVE DONE FOR OUR FAMILY THIS WEEK.
TALK TO YOU TOMORROW for the continuing saga. Good night, Dorothy
Saturday, March 15,2014 Day 3 Post op
Today I was working evenings from 1545-2400, so Ian and I went to visit Jeff in the morning.
We have had our back lane cleaned by the city equipment but it had left hard chunks of frozen ice/snow behind. John had not parked his work van in our driveway. That big van is hard to get in and out with all the snow that we have had this winter. So, he was parking across the street at the church. He had already had a morning lately where a tow truck was needed to get out of the lane. We know he needed to move it off the church parking lot before Sunday services. Of course with the van not plugged in, it would not start. John tried to boost it with our van but it did not work. That was when I left for work. Eventually it did start and then he took it for a long ride to make sure it was charged up. Ian and John went back in the evening to see Jeff. He is taking walks but also has to take his chest tubes and catheter tubing along as well. He gets tired easily but he has been doing it.
John also had to arrange for others to usher for Jeffery and him at church Sunday morning. We had not even thought about it being our turn until Saturday afternoon. Thank you Paul for taking care of that for us.
We also received a delicious homemade veggie /meat lasagna from John's brother, Gerhard and his family. We saved it for our Sunday meal.
Because of my loss of sight in the right eye, I have not been driving .John picked me up at work at midnight.
Sunday, March 16, 2014 Day 4 Post op
Most people know that our family are not "early birds", except Jeff. We did cook the lasagna for an hour in the morning before going to visit Jeff. Jeff called to say that he "needed clothes" and he had been cold in the night and did not sleep well. His catheter had been removed yesterday which meant he could wear more than the fashionable hospital gown that opens to the back. So once he had pants and socks on he felt better. He still had in the chest tubes so it wasn't very practical to have a t-shirt just yet. He also had his initial chest dressing removed this morning. Now his incision is visible, nice sewing skills!!!
While John and I visited we were asked to watch a 20 min video about the medication, Coumadin. This is a blood thinner that Jeff will now need to take for the rest of his life. The teaching has been overwhelming for Jeff and he ate his lunch instead of paying attention to the video. That's OK there is a lot to absorb. He will need to take a low sodium (salt) diet, avoid food that is high in vitamin K(grapefruit, cranberries, kale, lettuce, spinach,broccoli) These are OK in moderation.
John drove me to work the evening shift again and Ian picked me up at midnight. Earlier in the evening Winnipeg and southern Manitoba received an amazing amount of more snow. Unfortunately I was late getting off my shift and Ian was kept up longer. What can you do? Life happens! It was quite the slugging to get home.
Thank you to everyone who visited Jeff this weekend. He really likes to get visitors. We have been praying often with him to keep him calm.
Today I was working evenings from 1545-2400, so Ian and I went to visit Jeff in the morning.
We have had our back lane cleaned by the city equipment but it had left hard chunks of frozen ice/snow behind. John had not parked his work van in our driveway. That big van is hard to get in and out with all the snow that we have had this winter. So, he was parking across the street at the church. He had already had a morning lately where a tow truck was needed to get out of the lane. We know he needed to move it off the church parking lot before Sunday services. Of course with the van not plugged in, it would not start. John tried to boost it with our van but it did not work. That was when I left for work. Eventually it did start and then he took it for a long ride to make sure it was charged up. Ian and John went back in the evening to see Jeff. He is taking walks but also has to take his chest tubes and catheter tubing along as well. He gets tired easily but he has been doing it.
John also had to arrange for others to usher for Jeffery and him at church Sunday morning. We had not even thought about it being our turn until Saturday afternoon. Thank you Paul for taking care of that for us.
We also received a delicious homemade veggie /meat lasagna from John's brother, Gerhard and his family. We saved it for our Sunday meal.
Because of my loss of sight in the right eye, I have not been driving .John picked me up at work at midnight.
Sunday, March 16, 2014 Day 4 Post op
Most people know that our family are not "early birds", except Jeff. We did cook the lasagna for an hour in the morning before going to visit Jeff. Jeff called to say that he "needed clothes" and he had been cold in the night and did not sleep well. His catheter had been removed yesterday which meant he could wear more than the fashionable hospital gown that opens to the back. So once he had pants and socks on he felt better. He still had in the chest tubes so it wasn't very practical to have a t-shirt just yet. He also had his initial chest dressing removed this morning. Now his incision is visible, nice sewing skills!!!
While John and I visited we were asked to watch a 20 min video about the medication, Coumadin. This is a blood thinner that Jeff will now need to take for the rest of his life. The teaching has been overwhelming for Jeff and he ate his lunch instead of paying attention to the video. That's OK there is a lot to absorb. He will need to take a low sodium (salt) diet, avoid food that is high in vitamin K(grapefruit, cranberries, kale, lettuce, spinach,broccoli) These are OK in moderation.
John drove me to work the evening shift again and Ian picked me up at midnight. Earlier in the evening Winnipeg and southern Manitoba received an amazing amount of more snow. Unfortunately I was late getting off my shift and Ian was kept up longer. What can you do? Life happens! It was quite the slugging to get home.
Thank you to everyone who visited Jeff this weekend. He really likes to get visitors. We have been praying often with him to keep him calm.
Friday March 14,1014 Day 2 post operation
It has been a busy weekend. I have not had the time or energy to update the blog.
Friday morning with Jeff went pretty well. My sister in law, Lynda and her son Tyler picked me up early and we were at the hospital by 0800 hrs. Lynda had an appointment to have stitches removed from a previous surgery that she had. We went to see Jeff at the visiting hours at 0830 hrs. They were able to get a short visit in when Jeff then needed to go with the porter to have a chest Xray done. They wanted to know if the chest tubes could be removed. Turns out he still has a partial lung collapse and would need to keep the chest tubes for now.
He was taking 2-3 walks a day with 2 people assisting and using a walker for stability and to carry his tubes. I went for lunch and when I came back, Jeff had oxygen prongs in his nose and he was perspiring. Apparently his heart rhythm was going very fast. The nurse explained that this is an" unfortunate complication of the surgery that affects many of the cardiac patients on day 2 after surgery." They quickly gave him an IV med to slow down the heart and correct the arrhythmia. And then inserted a second IV line. He was feeling better after about an hour. He is quite tired after his activities. Hence the "quiet time" in the afternoon for all patients. He managed to sleep after that and I left him around 1540 hr to meet John at the front entrance for a ride home. I was tired myself and enjoyed a tim's coffee, cheese and an apple while I waited. Around 1645 hr I called Ian and told him to have his supper because John had been delayed. Ian had Jet's games Wed and Fri this week. John came abut 1700 hr. After we had supper, John drove Ian to Henderson Hwy to catch a bus to the game. I watched the end of the news and then John left to go back to see Jeff. I had a shower and started to watch Grey's Anatomy. I was too tired to continue so I took a nap from 21-2200, had my last insulin and wrote quickly on the blog and went to bed.
I will update the rest of the weekend later today. I need to go to Sears jewelry and have Jeff's Medic alert bracelet adjusted. Pick up some refills at the pharmacy and then visit Jeff until about 1630 hr. Talk to you later,
PS.
Jeff has had some visitors over the weekend and he has enjoyed that. Thanks to everyone who visited and sent cards. He has become more anxious/overwhelmed with the education about what to do when discharged. He could use prayer to not be so anxious and to be patient with himself and his family. D.
Friday, March 14, 2014
Thursday, March 13, 2014
Cardiac Step Down Unit
Jeff left the cardiac ICU at noon today and is now in the Cardiac Step Down unit on the 4th floor of the Asper building at St Boniface Hospital.
Jeff called home this morning at 0730 to ask that I bring his word search book and my laptop when I come in today. He said he had slept pretty well overnight and only had pain from the urinary catheter. He sat up in the chair for breakfast of clear fluids (juice, coffee, jello etc)
My sister in law, Ann picked me up just after 1000hour and we drove over to the hospital. We visited with Jeff in the ICU. They told us that they were removing most of his lines and then taking him down to the 4th floor.
Ann and I went for lunch at Subway before Ann left to do other errands.
The visiting hours in the step down are from 0830-2030 hours with the afternoon from 1300-1500 hr(1-3pm) being quiet /rest time when they prefer to have no visitors come. These patients need a lot of rest.
Jeff still has 2 chest tubes, one IV, urinary catheter. No oxygen. He is on pain medication every 4 hours.
He had taken a short walk using a walker up in ICU before being transferred and then he sat in a wheelchair for the transfer. During the quiet time he slept for 1.5 hours while I sat at his bedside and nodded off briefly myself.He was taken for another walk around 1630 and then sat in the chair for his his supper. Supper was still clear fluids but they let him also have a chicken salad sandwich that he really enjoyed. He became very tired after supper but there was no one to help put him to bed. So by the time he did get back to bed he was a little short of breath, quite pale and having pain in his incision, also his legs had started to swell a little. He needed a stronger pain medication after that. John and Ian came after work to visit, and we left about 2000hr. He was very tired and probably fell asleep after we left.
In the morning when Dr Moon (surgeon) saw Jeff, Jeff asked how large was the aneurysm? Dr Moon told him it was the size of a tennis ball !!!!!!!!!!!!!! I can't even imagine that large amount of bulging vessel not breaking. But the Lord knew and that is why he was next I guess. We are SO THANKFUL. Did I mention how awesome this kid is? Talk to you tomorrow.
Jeff left the cardiac ICU at noon today and is now in the Cardiac Step Down unit on the 4th floor of the Asper building at St Boniface Hospital.
Jeff called home this morning at 0730 to ask that I bring his word search book and my laptop when I come in today. He said he had slept pretty well overnight and only had pain from the urinary catheter. He sat up in the chair for breakfast of clear fluids (juice, coffee, jello etc)
My sister in law, Ann picked me up just after 1000hour and we drove over to the hospital. We visited with Jeff in the ICU. They told us that they were removing most of his lines and then taking him down to the 4th floor.
Ann and I went for lunch at Subway before Ann left to do other errands.
The visiting hours in the step down are from 0830-2030 hours with the afternoon from 1300-1500 hr(1-3pm) being quiet /rest time when they prefer to have no visitors come. These patients need a lot of rest.
Jeff still has 2 chest tubes, one IV, urinary catheter. No oxygen. He is on pain medication every 4 hours.
He had taken a short walk using a walker up in ICU before being transferred and then he sat in a wheelchair for the transfer. During the quiet time he slept for 1.5 hours while I sat at his bedside and nodded off briefly myself.He was taken for another walk around 1630 and then sat in the chair for his his supper. Supper was still clear fluids but they let him also have a chicken salad sandwich that he really enjoyed. He became very tired after supper but there was no one to help put him to bed. So by the time he did get back to bed he was a little short of breath, quite pale and having pain in his incision, also his legs had started to swell a little. He needed a stronger pain medication after that. John and Ian came after work to visit, and we left about 2000hr. He was very tired and probably fell asleep after we left.
In the morning when Dr Moon (surgeon) saw Jeff, Jeff asked how large was the aneurysm? Dr Moon told him it was the size of a tennis ball !!!!!!!!!!!!!! I can't even imagine that large amount of bulging vessel not breaking. But the Lord knew and that is why he was next I guess. We are SO THANKFUL. Did I mention how awesome this kid is? Talk to you tomorrow.
Wednesday, March 12, 2014
Surgery day
Well today was the day of Jeffery's open heart surgery. We had to be at the hospital for 0630. We waited in the surgical unit for his name to be called. He was taken in about 0800. By 0920 they were ready to take him into the operating room. The surgery started at 1030 and lasted until 1330 (much shorter than we were told). Then he went to recovery and finally into Cardiac ICU in the Asper building of St Boniface Hospital. We were finally able to see him briefly at 1530.
Let me back up a bit. Last evening John's sister, Luise and her husband Gord who pastor in Minot,ND called us to have prayer over the phone. We felt much peace after that time in prayer. John and I attended our parent support group for parents of special needs kids last evening where we also had a share and prayer time, we have had many people email, phone, etc to let us know that they would /had been praying for today. THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO HAS PRAYED, SEND ENCOURAGING PRAYERS AND GREETINGS, BROUGHT US A DELICIOUS SUPPER FOR TONIGHT(thanks Ann) AND OFFERED IN SO MANY WAYS TO HELP. WE COULD NOT OF HAD A BETTER OUTCOME FOR JEFF'S SURGERY.
The surgeon was very pleased how smoothly everything went, no problems at all. Jeff was VERY nervous this morning before surgery. The medical team offered to also do an epidural to freeze his lower body. This is useful for pain control, and also did all the IV insertions etc once he was sedated.
When we saw him in the ICU he was awake and able to talk but with a hoarse voice. Not all the freezing in his lower body was out yet but he was starting to move his legs. He was receiving 2 bags of HIS OWN blood. This blood had been circulating through a heart lung machine while his heart was stopped and repaired during the valve replacement. ISN'T IT AMAZING WHAT THEY CAN DO!!!!
He was in NO pain. We came home about 1630 to have supper. Thank you again to everyone, "our God is a Great God." Thank you LORD.
Our plan is to go back to visit this evening. We will keep you updated. Love, Dorothy
Let me back up a bit. Last evening John's sister, Luise and her husband Gord who pastor in Minot,ND called us to have prayer over the phone. We felt much peace after that time in prayer. John and I attended our parent support group for parents of special needs kids last evening where we also had a share and prayer time, we have had many people email, phone, etc to let us know that they would /had been praying for today. THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO HAS PRAYED, SEND ENCOURAGING PRAYERS AND GREETINGS, BROUGHT US A DELICIOUS SUPPER FOR TONIGHT(thanks Ann) AND OFFERED IN SO MANY WAYS TO HELP. WE COULD NOT OF HAD A BETTER OUTCOME FOR JEFF'S SURGERY.
The surgeon was very pleased how smoothly everything went, no problems at all. Jeff was VERY nervous this morning before surgery. The medical team offered to also do an epidural to freeze his lower body. This is useful for pain control, and also did all the IV insertions etc once he was sedated.
When we saw him in the ICU he was awake and able to talk but with a hoarse voice. Not all the freezing in his lower body was out yet but he was starting to move his legs. He was receiving 2 bags of HIS OWN blood. This blood had been circulating through a heart lung machine while his heart was stopped and repaired during the valve replacement. ISN'T IT AMAZING WHAT THEY CAN DO!!!!
He was in NO pain. We came home about 1630 to have supper. Thank you again to everyone, "our God is a Great God." Thank you LORD.
Our plan is to go back to visit this evening. We will keep you updated. Love, Dorothy
Monday, March 10, 2014
Finally a surgery date!!
Today we got the call from the St Boniface Hospital that they have scheduled surgery for Jeffery's heart valve replacement. It will be 2 days from now!! Not much time to prepare, maybe that is good-no time to worry about it.
Jeff went to work tonight, it is his last shift for awhile. The recovery is supposed to be up to 3 months.
Tomorrow we will go to the hospital to have blood drawn. He will be crossmatched for 6 units of blood.
My Dad has been diagnosed with cancer of the esophagus and will be starting chemotherapy next week. Today my Dad was at the same hospital having an IV line established to receive the chemo through. So tomorrow we will both be at the hospital for different reasons. We will try to meet for coffee at the hospital. Jeffery and his grandpa need to see each other before they are separated for their procedures. They both will need to avoid people with any infections. My plan is to take my laptop with me to the hospital so I can update everyone at the same time. The address is www.dorothywiens.blogspot.ca . Please check it for progress reports and prayer requests. Thanks everyone. Dorothy
Today we got the call from the St Boniface Hospital that they have scheduled surgery for Jeffery's heart valve replacement. It will be 2 days from now!! Not much time to prepare, maybe that is good-no time to worry about it.
Jeff went to work tonight, it is his last shift for awhile. The recovery is supposed to be up to 3 months.
Tomorrow we will go to the hospital to have blood drawn. He will be crossmatched for 6 units of blood.
My Dad has been diagnosed with cancer of the esophagus and will be starting chemotherapy next week. Today my Dad was at the same hospital having an IV line established to receive the chemo through. So tomorrow we will both be at the hospital for different reasons. We will try to meet for coffee at the hospital. Jeffery and his grandpa need to see each other before they are separated for their procedures. They both will need to avoid people with any infections. My plan is to take my laptop with me to the hospital so I can update everyone at the same time. The address is www.dorothywiens.blogspot.ca . Please check it for progress reports and prayer requests. Thanks everyone. Dorothy
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