Friday, May 20, 2011
Arrival
Jerry has safely arrived in Chatham! We will update when we have more to share. We are so grateful for this opportunity!
Team Jerry all the way!!!!
Team Jerry all the way!!!!
Correction!
Jerry is being moved to Chatham, not Gretna! Chatham is even closer to us than Gretna! We are still excited! He will be moved either today or as late as Monday. A few snags with paperwork, but he is coming home very soon! We will update as soon as he is here.
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Biggest News EVER!
Tomorrow, Friday, May 20, our beloved father-in-law, husband, dad, and grandfather will be moved from Raleigh, NC to.........GRETNA, VA!!! Fifteen minutes from Mary Sue, 25 from Danville! We are so excited to share this news! It appears that after 15 days in Gretna he will move to intensive (4 times a day!) inpatient rehab at Danville Regional Medical Center.
Please pray for his transfer tomorrow and give thanks to God for this wonderful, incredible news!
Team Jerry all the way!
Please pray for his transfer tomorrow and give thanks to God for this wonderful, incredible news!
Team Jerry all the way!
Saturday, May 14, 2011
I lost it!
Hey folks!
You may be a little perplexed by the post title, but that's on purpose. You see, I got a call today from Dad where he said, "I lost it"! Of course, I was trying to figure out what he was talking about at first, and then he told me. But I can't make it that simple for you. So I'll update you first on what all is going on with Dad, then I'll tell you. Don't cheat by skipping to the end! (hehe)
First, Dad had a procedure done on Wednesday to retrieve his kidney stones. The doctors wanted to get these out of his system to keep the bacteria from colonizing and releasing each time one of them moved. Over the past week and a half, they have found 3 different types of bacteria all within his blood, urine and central line IV. By removing the stones and following with a strong dose of antibiotics, the doctors hope to rid Dad's body of these bacterias once and for all. Only time will tell.
Second, Dad is still progressing with his physical therapy and is able to move around a lot more in his bed now. This is a byproduct of his nerves growing back and Dad's determination to get out of that "blankety-blank" bed (hehe). But he hopes to have more aggressive therapy soon so he can get back on his feet ASAP.
Last, the ENT doctor and respiratory therapists have worked with Dad the past 2 weeks while he's been in the hospital. Yesterday, they reduced the size of his trach and capped it, which meant that Dad was breathing on his own and through his mouth and nose. It felt kind of weird at first, being that it was the first time he was doing it all on his own and through his regular airways. Then this morning, the doctor came back and removed the trach all together. So when Dad called to say "I lost it", he was telling us that they had removed the trach and he was finally rid of it.
Of course, what makes this news even more special is that Mom and Dad are celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary today. Dad said this was his gift to Mom, and of course she was just fine with that. All of us are elated by this news and can't wait to see him again to join in his celebration. What this means for all of us is that Dad might be moving back to Virginia real soon! But we won't know for a while, as the doctors want to keep him on the antibiotics for a week or so to knock out all the bacteria.
So be sure to go onto his Facebook page or send Dad an email to congratulate him. For me, I can't tell you how much it warms my heart to know that I almost have my Dad back home, and the girls are just as happy!
Take care everyone, and be sure to smile extra big after reading this post. Because of you and your continued support, Dad is almost back with us! For that, I am truly grateful!
Team Jerry all the way!!!
You may be a little perplexed by the post title, but that's on purpose. You see, I got a call today from Dad where he said, "I lost it"! Of course, I was trying to figure out what he was talking about at first, and then he told me. But I can't make it that simple for you. So I'll update you first on what all is going on with Dad, then I'll tell you. Don't cheat by skipping to the end! (hehe)
First, Dad had a procedure done on Wednesday to retrieve his kidney stones. The doctors wanted to get these out of his system to keep the bacteria from colonizing and releasing each time one of them moved. Over the past week and a half, they have found 3 different types of bacteria all within his blood, urine and central line IV. By removing the stones and following with a strong dose of antibiotics, the doctors hope to rid Dad's body of these bacterias once and for all. Only time will tell.
Second, Dad is still progressing with his physical therapy and is able to move around a lot more in his bed now. This is a byproduct of his nerves growing back and Dad's determination to get out of that "blankety-blank" bed (hehe). But he hopes to have more aggressive therapy soon so he can get back on his feet ASAP.
Last, the ENT doctor and respiratory therapists have worked with Dad the past 2 weeks while he's been in the hospital. Yesterday, they reduced the size of his trach and capped it, which meant that Dad was breathing on his own and through his mouth and nose. It felt kind of weird at first, being that it was the first time he was doing it all on his own and through his regular airways. Then this morning, the doctor came back and removed the trach all together. So when Dad called to say "I lost it", he was telling us that they had removed the trach and he was finally rid of it.
Of course, what makes this news even more special is that Mom and Dad are celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary today. Dad said this was his gift to Mom, and of course she was just fine with that. All of us are elated by this news and can't wait to see him again to join in his celebration. What this means for all of us is that Dad might be moving back to Virginia real soon! But we won't know for a while, as the doctors want to keep him on the antibiotics for a week or so to knock out all the bacteria.
So be sure to go onto his Facebook page or send Dad an email to congratulate him. For me, I can't tell you how much it warms my heart to know that I almost have my Dad back home, and the girls are just as happy!
Take care everyone, and be sure to smile extra big after reading this post. Because of you and your continued support, Dad is almost back with us! For that, I am truly grateful!
Team Jerry all the way!!!
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Still Treading Water
Hi everyone! Here is the latest update on Dad.
For the most part, Dad is doing better. He is still in the hospital in Raleigh, where they are monitoring his blood and bodily fluids for any elevation in bacteria. There is concern that his kidneys are harboring the bacteria that is causing his infections due to the stones that he still has in them. Late last week, Dad's white cell count started to elevate again. So as a precaution, the doctors started him on antibiotics in order to stay ahead of any infection he might start to have.
Yesterday afternoon, the doctors spoke with Mom and Dad and together decided to get the stones out of Dad's kidneys once and for all. So they will be doing a procedure on him either this Thursday or Monday of next week to retrieve the Stint and the stones. By doing so, they hope to rid Dad's body of any bacteria harboring material. Of course, we won't know for certain until well after the procedure is done, which means Dad could be in this hospital for quite some time.
As soon as we have more detail on the results of Dad's procedure, we'll let you know. For now, please just pray that he continues to stay healthy and the doctors are able to rid his body of the bacteria.
Rehab Update:
Since Dad has been in the hospital, the staff has worked together to come up with a meg-shift rehab plan that is allowing him to work on the physical, ventilator, and speech therapies he needs to fully recover from the GBS. Dad has a lot more movement now in his lower body and has even stood a few times each day, with assistance, to strengthen his lower body. The physical therapist wants to start putting him in a chair today and each day going forward for brief time periods to build up his tolerance again for sitting up.
As for his ventilator, it's gone. Dad has been on the cuff (straight oxygen) now for a week and the ENT is coming by this week to talk about reducing the size of his trach. This will allow them to eventually plug the trach and train Dad to breath through his mouth and nose again. It will also give Dad's body a chance to heal and slowly close the wound around the trach area.
Speech Therapy is not going as well as Dad would like. The infection inflamed Dad's throat area and he has not been able to swallow in a sufficient way that would allow him to start eating again. But Dad continues to work on his exercises and this part of his recovery will hopefully start coming around soon enough.
OK... that's it for now. As always, thank you for your continued support. Dad is still receiving cards and notes of encouragement from all of you. They really help to brighten up his day and give him the patience he needs to get through it all. So feel free to continue sending these well-wishes to Dad via the PO Box here in Danville and we'll make sure he gets them. You can also reach Dad and Mom via their email address: jhawkins51@comcast.net.
Team Jerry all the way!!!
For the most part, Dad is doing better. He is still in the hospital in Raleigh, where they are monitoring his blood and bodily fluids for any elevation in bacteria. There is concern that his kidneys are harboring the bacteria that is causing his infections due to the stones that he still has in them. Late last week, Dad's white cell count started to elevate again. So as a precaution, the doctors started him on antibiotics in order to stay ahead of any infection he might start to have.
Yesterday afternoon, the doctors spoke with Mom and Dad and together decided to get the stones out of Dad's kidneys once and for all. So they will be doing a procedure on him either this Thursday or Monday of next week to retrieve the Stint and the stones. By doing so, they hope to rid Dad's body of any bacteria harboring material. Of course, we won't know for certain until well after the procedure is done, which means Dad could be in this hospital for quite some time.
As soon as we have more detail on the results of Dad's procedure, we'll let you know. For now, please just pray that he continues to stay healthy and the doctors are able to rid his body of the bacteria.
Rehab Update:
Since Dad has been in the hospital, the staff has worked together to come up with a meg-shift rehab plan that is allowing him to work on the physical, ventilator, and speech therapies he needs to fully recover from the GBS. Dad has a lot more movement now in his lower body and has even stood a few times each day, with assistance, to strengthen his lower body. The physical therapist wants to start putting him in a chair today and each day going forward for brief time periods to build up his tolerance again for sitting up.
As for his ventilator, it's gone. Dad has been on the cuff (straight oxygen) now for a week and the ENT is coming by this week to talk about reducing the size of his trach. This will allow them to eventually plug the trach and train Dad to breath through his mouth and nose again. It will also give Dad's body a chance to heal and slowly close the wound around the trach area.
Speech Therapy is not going as well as Dad would like. The infection inflamed Dad's throat area and he has not been able to swallow in a sufficient way that would allow him to start eating again. But Dad continues to work on his exercises and this part of his recovery will hopefully start coming around soon enough.
OK... that's it for now. As always, thank you for your continued support. Dad is still receiving cards and notes of encouragement from all of you. They really help to brighten up his day and give him the patience he needs to get through it all. So feel free to continue sending these well-wishes to Dad via the PO Box here in Danville and we'll make sure he gets them. You can also reach Dad and Mom via their email address: jhawkins51@comcast.net.
Team Jerry all the way!!!
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