Recovery At Home - Day 20

We left the house at 8:30 this morning ... to fill the gas tank, to have blood drawn at MedLabs, to get our hair cuts in Solon and then to UIHC in take care of the J-tube discomfort. And we got home shortly before noon. Answers to prayers. Praise the Lord!

This morning's devotion took me to Isaiah 41:13 --

"For I AM The Lord, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and say to you, 'Do Not Fear. I will help you.' " 

and I wrote --

The pain grips
You want it to go away
Who do you reach out to
Who do you call out to
Is it The Lord,
your God,
who is with you
always with you
He takes hold of your hand
You haven't released your hold
have you
He says to you,
"Do not fear.
I will help you."
He will remove the pain
or
He will lessen the pain
or
He will make a way
for you to cope with the pain
Whatever it is
that He will do
you can be assured
He will help you
For He is The Lord,
your God, my God.

(c) CMOL


Focus on ME
more on ME
than on the trials
surrounding you
Trouble is a constant
a given
But I have overcome
and I can help you too
overcome
the unraveling
that this day
will bring
Focus on ME
Stay conscious of ME
Remember I AM
right here
right beside you
I will guide your steps
I can and I will
equip you
to get through
all
you must endure.
Trust ME.

(c) CMOL

We saw nurse Joan at 10:45 a.m. - she decided to snip one of the four stitches holding the J-tube and that one stitch seemed to be the culprit. It was holding tight, which, it was surmised was causing most of the discomfort Jim was having every time he moved. She removed the Duoderm tape too, washed the area a bit and then put gauze underneath the tube, followed by paper tape to hold in place. When Jim got up, he said it already felt much better. Joan suggested for the next few days to a week to daily wash the area around the J-tube with soap and water, then put the dressing on. When Jim notices no pain, we can stop.

Jim slept most of the afternoon and he feels better.

Dr. Butler's office called and said Jim's INR readings are 2.2 now, so he should take 3 mg coumadin nightly and have his levels checked again on Thursday. 

Recovery At Home - Day 19

Today is the second day we had uninterrupted sleep, 10:30 p.m. to 5 a.m. Thank you Lord for needed rest.

Our prayers this morning include these requests --

• pain lessen or disappear in area of J-tube (feeding tube) attached to stomach
• less water drips when flushing meds through the tube. Thankfully, it is only the water that is causing problems. Not the meds themselves
• receive paper prescription for more pain medicine before meds run out
• supply of stool softener lasts to June 13 when insurance will pay for refill or Jim has less need of it.

On Tuesday, June 2, Jim will have his first drink by mouth and that will be grape juice. He will drink up to 4 ounces, I believe, through the day. We are to watch his neck incision - that it does not leak. If it does, we need to call UIHC immediately. Otherwise, if no leakage, he can start drinking clear liquids for a few days and then advance to all liquids.

On Wednesday, June 3, or possibly on the 2nd if it works better, he needs another chest x-ray to see if air bubbles around the lungs have disappeared or at the very least, decreased. He will have this done here in Cedar Rapids at St. Luke's Hospital.

Jim's sister, Dianne, is coming for a visit Tuesday afternoon. 

Today's Scripture readings: 

"May the Lord of Peace Himself give you peace always in every way. The Lord be with you all." ~ 2 Thessalonians 3:16 

"Now acquaint yourself with Him, and be at peace, thereby good will come to you. Receive, please, instruction from His mouth, and lay up His words in your heart." ~ Job 22:21-22

I write:

We search and search
round and round
considering every angle
of where to go
what to do
how to make it happen
endless thinking
where does it get us
have we achieved
what we set out to do
or do we continue to search
for that which
lies within
our grasp
within our hearts
His Peace
His Presence
His Love
Come to Him
Get off the merry-go-round
Let the Lord God lift you
up and off
and show you
how you can
Follow
The Way
Know
The Truth
Live
The Life
of His Son,
Jesus Christ
who was sent
to be our personal
Lord and Savior.

Stop spinning
Reach up, reach out
Take His offered hand
and be lifted up
into His Mighty Presence.
Be obedient to His teachings
Find His Peace
within His Loving Embrace. 

(c) CMOL

We had a nice visit with Rocky, Christina and Austin after I finished Gazette work at 5:30. Rocky, Christina and Jim sat on the patio and visited, while Austin and his grandma Cathy played and ran around the yard. We both got our exercise.

Jim asked me to call UIHC about the area around the J-tube being so uncomfortable, so I did. I mentioned last Thursday when he had the drains and sutures removed, he was given DuoDerm tape, which is softer, to hopefully alleviate some of the intense pressure. But it has not. The Thoracic Fellow On-Call suggested we come down Monday and they would work us in. So after our 10 o'clock appointment in Solon, we'll head to Iowa City.  

Recovery At Home - Day 18

Praise the Lord! Jim and I both slept 7 hours straight through, from 10:30 p.m. to 5:30 a.m., when he needed pain meds.

Fed-Ex delivered the Amiodorne liquid at 9 a.m., so now we have enough Afib meds to last through the weekend and into the following week.

Devotional thought from the Scriptures:

"As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving."
~ Colossians 2:6-7

"Make me understand the way of Your precepts, so shall I meditate on Your wonderful works." ~ Psalm 119:27

"For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him." ~ 2 Chronicles 16: 9

I write:

His Presence

we have
within us
as believers
within our hearts
but if we only
let that presence lie
without so much
as a how you do
we miss
ALL He is
ALL He can do
ALL He can be
in every aspect
of our lives.
If / When we
do not start the day
with His leading
nor end the day
with praise and thanksgiving,
the minutes and hours in between
are fruitless
dismal
disoriented.
God wants to equip us
for the day ahead,
but we need to come to Him,
into His Presence
daily
to grow spiritually
in Him, with Him.

(c) CMOL 

Recovery At Home - Day 17

Today started out smooth enough, but by late morning I was frustrated with the lack of comprehension / communication between nursing personnel at various locations. It became somewhat straightened out by 4:30, but it has been a bear of a day!

Jim has reduced usage of the catheter again ... hope things continue so he doesn't have to revert back to it.

Jim's INR readings have climbed to 1.9, so we're back down to one 3 mg tab of coumadin for tonight, 1/2 tab for Saturday night and one tab for Sunday night, then have blood drawn again Monday morning.  That call came in at 4:30 from Jim's primary care doctor's nurse. We decided we'd stop at Medlabs on the way to our 10 o'clock appointment Monday morning. It seemed less of a hassle.

This morning I tried to set up transfer of UIHC pharmacy medications with CVS Pharmacy. That was nearly futile. You can't refill narcotic pain meds, you need a new prescription, so  Joan, the UIHC thoracic nurse coordinator, is mailing me a paper prescription to give to CVS. It might arrive on Monday.  The Amiodarone Suspension for Afib was compounded at UIHC pharmacy, and of couse, CVS doesn't do that kind of stuff, so the university pharmacy overnighted the liquid medication via Fed-Ex and it should arrive at our door before noon tomorrow. The Finasteride tablet, a stool softener, is the only medicine CVS can fill, and of course insurance won't pay for the refill until June 13.

I don't remember if I mentioned it previously, but on June 16, Jim will have a consultation with Morgan & Morio Oral Surgeons to have his lower left molar removed, and then set up date to have it accomplished.

Jimmy is resting in the recliner
after our walk tonight.

Jim has complained of being clammy. Apparently he mentioned this in the hospital too, but his vitals were fine, so appears nothing to be concerned about. It is weird him being hot ... he's always been cold. At the rate we're going, the air conditioning may come on sooner than later.

Jimmy hasn't been very communicative today. And even though he eventually he got around to telling me he felt blah, we still took a walk after work up the block to Old Marion Road, visited with neighbor Wendy and then the three (4 with her big puppy) of us walked back to our place. Sat on the patio awhile and noticed our peony bush "James Pillow" just beginning to bloom - 2 blooms. It frequently rains about the time all are blooming or are just about to, so we don't always get to see them in all their beauty.  I decided to take pictures.

                                             

                                                         

Our neighbor, Bonnie, came over late afternoon and brought us a couple of stems
from her Chrystal Imperial rose bush. They are very fraqrant.

Recovery At Home - Day 16

It was a busy morning with appointments and then in the afternoon, I did Gazette work.

First we went to MedLabs for Jim to have blood drawn to check coumadin levels. Jane from Dr. Butler's office called in the afternoon - levels are going up, now at 1.3, but still not where desired. So he continues to take 6 mg nightly and have blood drawn again in the morning. The home health nurse is to come at 11 a.m. Friday to do that and check vitals.

Then we drove to UIHC for an 11 a.m. appointment and arrived at 10:30. His weight was checked -  143 pounds (148 with travel pack of  nutritional supplements - it weighs a whopping 5 pounds!); blood pressure and oxygen levels. All was good.

Then an EKG and chest x-ray, which showed an improvement, but still a bit of air outside the lungs was evident. There was some talk between doctors whether the pigtail drain should come out yet, but Jim's surgeon, Dr. Parekh, just happened to be  in the area, and he determined the drain could be removed. Jim was so relieved. That was the primary reason for the appointment and he wasn't particularly looking forward to going home with it still intact.

So, Jason Tcheng (pronounced Chang) a Fellow in cardiothoracic surgery and a member of Jim's surgery team, removed the drain. Jim said it wasn't near as painful as taking out the neck suture was - one long stitch, although it looked like 12 tiny ones. Jason took all the sutures out.

Jason is one of our favorite doctors. He will be leaving June 30 for Seattle, Wash., where he will  specialize in cardiothoracic surgery. He has has been a Fellow here for the past two years. His wife, Deborah, who has been living in Dallas, will join him.

The only tube remaining is the J-tube (feeding tube).

Another chest x-ray is scheduled for next week, but it will be done here in Cedar Rapids at St. Luke's. It will show if the air outside the lungs is continuing to decrease or doing something stupid.

On Tuesday, June 2, Jim may start clear liquids. First he takes a couple of sips of grape juice (up to 4 ounces) and watches his neck incision. If there is leakage, he must call UIHC immediately (pray for no leakage!); otherwise, he can start, in very small quantities, things like popsicles, chicken broth, etc.

FACEBOOK COMMENTS

• Patricia Smith keep it up

  Like · Reply · May 28 at 8:29pm
• 

  Mary Vavra Haster Good progress.

  Like · Reply · May 29 at 7:16am
• 

  Jeanette Sue Sheetz Hugs and Prayers heart emoticon

  Like · Reply · May 29 at 9:56am
• 

  Jan Baxa Still praying!

  Like · Reply · May 30 at 12:04am

​

Recovery At Home - Day 15

Jim was up twice during the night and pain meds were given close to 4 a.m. At 7:30, he called the dentist re: jaw pain that started yesterday (see Day 14 post). The earliest he could get in is 2:40 this afternoon. Pray there is nothing major going on. I have no one to cover for me at The Gazette, so will just have to make do. Dr. McGrane, our dentist, called about 10:30 a.m. Appointment was rescheduled to noon.

My devotions this morning led me to Psalm 27:7-8 -

"Hear, O Lord, when I cry with my voice! Have mercy also upon me, and answer me. When you said, 'Seek My face,' my heart said to you, 'Your face, Lord, I will seek.' Do not hide Your face from me; Do not turn your servant away in anger; you have been my help; Do not leave me nor forsake me, O God of my salvation." 

and Colossians 3:12-15a, 17 -

"...put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, patience, bearing with one another, and forgiving one another ... above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts... and whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him."

and I wrote:

"Seek My face,"
the Lord said
and we,
remiss in previous days
return
our gaze
upon Him
asking for guidance,
assistance
in the day ahead
thanking and
praising Him
for the day passed

He does not hide
from us
nor are we hidden
from Him
but our awareness
of Him
is sometimes absent
in the circumstances
of the day upon us

He waits
for us
to come
into His Presence
He is patient with us.
We, in our waiting,
are impatient
and often fail
to see all He has
prepared for us
each and together
He is steadfast
always
continually
showing us the way
through His love
to His peace.

(c) CMOL

Dental visit showed Jim has internal dying of a tooth (molar) and it needs to be pulled. The dentist will call the thoracic nurse coordinator at UIHC to further discuss. ... well, Jim has to visit the oral surgeon to have it pulled. Also, although medical people at UIHC instructed him not to brush his teeth, his dentist indicated otherwise - he said Jim could dry brush (without water) and to floss. Bacteria still gets in even if he's not eating or drinking.

The feeding pump is causing problems. We were all set to take travel pack, when a red light came on and pump said call tech. We called when we got back from the dentist at 12:30 p.m. No one can come out until between 2 and 3. Left message with UIHC thoracic nurse Joan requesting call back. Her return call calmed our concerns a bit. Said the extra tubing is more a convenience for us than anything else, and if necessary Jim can receive nutrition and meds direct to the tube that is attached to his stomach. She also said some patients have gone 3 to 4 hours without the feeding tube, so it is okay if Jim needs to do that too, but she wouldn't suggest it on a regular basis.

Bradley from UnityPoint Home Medical came shortly after 2 this afternoon. He didn't have to replace the pump. He gave us instructions that we didn't have before - we need to prime it every time we change bags, meaning every 24 hours.  The tubing to the bags were at fault and so the bags needed to be changed out. Once that was done, it appears, once again, everything is well.

Jim got his exercise today going up and down the basement steps - he washed a load of clothes. After I finished work, we went to CVS Pharmacy to pick up his meds and then to Fareway to buy food for me to eat. It was nice doing that together - he had some more exercise walking the grocery aisles and with his assistance, I found things to buy that weren't time consuming to make.

It has been a very busy day between doing Gazette work and providing cares for Jim.  

Recovery At Home - Day 14

Not an eventful day so far. Jim woke at 1:30 and again at 2:30 to self-cath, but no pain until nearly 5:30 a.m., when I gave him pain meds. He took a shower. The home health nurse arrived at 11 a.m., visited, checked vitals, changed dressing for pigtail drain, drew blood, then left after 11:30 a.m. Her  name is Cassie .... nothing like the Cassie I know.

I called Joan, the thoracic nurse coordinator at UIHC early this morning. She will return the call sometime today to advise us of his appointment time on Thursday when the pigtail drain is to be removed.  Joan called around 4 and talked to Jim - I was in the middle of busy-busy Gazette work. Our appointment is at 11 a.m. Thursday.

Jim's left jaw has been hurting most of the day (and also hurts when he talks), although the pain is not so obvious with pain meds. He told his home health nurse, but she didn't think it was a big deal. I suggested he call the dentist ... needless to say, that suggestion went nowhere. Tonight he asked me to call the UIHC on-call thoracic fellow, who happened to be one of his doctors - Jason Chang, a nice young man. Jason didn't really have any ideas. He didn't know if it was in anyway connected with the surgery. He said he would pass on the info to Joan  and have her call Jim in the morning to see how he was doing.

Then I proceded to flush and give him his meds and of course, the pain meds refused to go through the tube. And we couldn't find the bag with extra syringes and declogging supplies in it that came with all the stuff from UnityPoint Home Medical. So, I put out a SOS on Facebook and we prayed, asking for the Lord's intervention. He came to our rescue. We realized, again, we had stepped away, momentarily, from our focus on Him. We can't do it alone. 

Recovery At Home - Day 13

Memorial Day.

Jim slept 4 hours before waking to self-cath and an hour later at nearly 4, wanted pain medication. Soon after The Gazette was delivered at 4:15, we fell back asleep. Jim got up at 7 and I got up at 7:44 a.m. Probably the first time since May 12 that I slept in past 7.

Today's devotional Scriptures:
"Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God, I will strengthen you. Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand."  (Isaiah 41:10)

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths. Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the Lord and depart from evil."  (Proverbs 3: 5-7)

Hiding
you know I AM
with you
but often I AM
forgotten
You go about
your day
You plan and do
but I AM
not a part
of what you plan
nor what you do

I desire to be

Although I live
within your heart
and have so much
to share with you
and teach you
I AM but a silent partner
waiting
for you to recognize
to acknowledge
My Presence

Together
we can do so much
but you suffer
alone
from one problem
to another
not considering
how much lighter the load
if you would only
look unto Me

I AM
everything
you need
I empower you
fullfillment
satisfaction
joy
peace
yours
in the midst
of every trial.
(c) CMOL

Today has been a peaceful day. We haven't visited disagreement land too much and Jim hasn't had any mishaps either. We took 2 walks this afternoon. It seems like a vacation day to me - the first since taking paid time off from work and the last as well, since I plan to return to work (at home) tomorrow.  

Recovery At Home - Day 12

Jim didn't sleep too well - he woke up at 1:30 and had to use the catheter. Then he was up again at 2:30 and woke me, asking for pain meds. We both got up for the day at 6:30 and he received another dose of pain meds at 7 a.m.

I wonder if the rainy weather has anything to do with the increased pain - maybe his arthritis is adding to his misery.

Today we are going to the 10:45 service at Immanuel. We'll use the travel pack for the feeding tube supplies and pump and also take a dose of pain meds with us in the event it is needed.

Had to make a call to UIHC on-call to talk to a thoracic doctor. Although there were no bubbles in the heimlich tube (whoopie cushion), Jim said the tube was dripping a little bit. Fortunately and thankfully, it didn't require a visit to Iowa City. The doctor said to just tape some gauze lightly over the bottom of the tube and change as needed. So we did that, and also changed the dressing on his pigtail drain.

Jim is dressed and resting before we move the feeding tube stuff to the travel pack. Hope to leave for church by 10 a.m.

We just got home and unloaded ... it's 12:33 p.m. It was a great worship service, albeit a tiring one for him. Kyle Dwyer was ordained a deacon and Jim participated in the laying on of hands.

He had a slight mishap when the Cooks came by for a visit at 1:30. Jim was in a deep sleep and when the doorbell rang, it startled him and he just moved to get up, without realizing he was attached to things. Hence, the IV pole fell over. Another fortunate, thankful moment that the feeding tube did not come out.

While the Cooks were here, we all took a short walk up the street, about a block round-trip.

Jim is back to using the catheter today. Don't know why. As soon as he's done, will get pain meds. He is also needing pain medication closer to every 4 hours now. Yesterday, he took them 14 hours apart. I'm wondering if resting in the recliner or bed more than taking walks made it so he didn't feel pain as much. It is exasperating, but I can only tell him so much that he needs to get up and move. Being tired is not a reason to not move around. The doctors and nurses at UIHC told him he needed to walk 3 to 4 times a day. Yesterday, he walked once.

Recovery At Home - Day 11

Jim has not had to use the catheter twice now, since early this morning. That's a good sign. We got up at 7 a.m. and he took a shower, which took a lot out of him. The home health nurse was to be here at 8:30, but she hasn't shown up yet. Just arrived - 8:45. She will change the dressing on the pigtail drain and then we have some questions re: flushing water through on the feeding tube. It doesn't appear it is doing it automatically.

Today's devotional verses and the poem I wrote follows:

"...that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, and attaining to all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the knowledge of the mystery of God, both of the Father and of Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge." (Colossians 2:2-3)

"Wisdom and knowledge will be the stability of your times, and the strength of salvation; the fear of the Lord is His treasure." (Isaiah 33:6)

Hidden Treasures
to be found
in His word
through His followers
other Christians
friends and acquaintances
sharing His love
encouragement
understanding
wisdom
knowledge
with you and me

Hidden
in places
we often do not consider
revealed
to us
in His Perfect time

His timing
is always perfect
reminding us
we can have
every plan
but for it to come to fruition,
for our plans to be God's purpose
fulfilled
we must let go
relinguish our control
and let God
have His way

It is in His way
we truly see the way
which becomes our way

We are One
He and I
You and Him
(c) CMOL

Well, Jim had a bowel movement early afternoon so we don't need any Milk of Magnesium. The water is flushing through on the feeding tube pump as well. We actually heard late this afternoon.

Now if we could just catch up on needed sleep and not end up in the land of grumpies.