1.
Good Morning. My sister Megan has been called back to prepare for her surgery. I am writing you from the 11th floor waiting room of Allegheny General Hospital. First I want to thank you all for you love and support, thoughts and prayers. I am with Meg now as she prepares. This marks the end of one journey and the beginning of another, It seems that this day has been a century in coming and we are all a little relieved that it is here. But the journey of a 4 some-odd hour surgery and the road to recovery is just beginning. We continue to covet all your thoughts and prayers throughout this time.
2.
Right about now, Meg's heart is stopped and the surgeon's work has begun in earnest. Please pray for God's guiding hand on his delicate work, God's protection on Meg's organs and brain througout the process of by-pass, and the surgeon's continued best judgement on the status of her valves.
3.
Well, we continue our sit in at the 3rd floor waiting room. Let's Make a Deal is playing. A small fortune has already be spent in the gift shop on pillows and ice tea. We anticipate another 2 hours at this point. We visited the chapel and found that the chairs are much more comfortable. We were the first people in this waiting room this morning. Since then, people have steadily trickled in and the room is now a buzz with conversation. The volunteer has finally arrived to take over answering the phone. We found out she will be sent to ICU on 12C after surgery. Thanks to David Bliss, lunch will be provided for us and we are greatly appreciative. Thank you all for your continued prayers and support and love, even across the miles.
4.
Meg is out of surgery! All went well! The aneurysm was larger than they thought so it was a blessing that she went in. They did not do anything with her valve at this time as it is functioning well. Her aortic arch beyond the current repair will need monitoring for the rest of her life. She will remain on a ventilator for most of today and possibly into tomorrow as they monitor for complications. After they wake her up, her goal will be to get up in a chair and then they will be able to move her to step down unit. Our prayer now is for no complications and a successful wean from the ventilator. We will be able to see her in about an hour.
5.
Mom and Dad are back there with her now. Her nurse has indicated that she is fairly alert and basically breathing on her own although the breathing tube remains in place. She is letting them know about her pain and asking for the tube to be removed. She corrected the nurses when someone said she played soccer, cause those of you who are 'in the know' are well aware she played and loves and misses rugby! Meg is definitely here all! Can't wait to see her.
6.
Ok all. So I was just with Meg the entire time since my last update. They called for me as soon as I hit the send button. She was fighting the breathing tube a lot, as it is incredibly uncomfortable. Her nurse has been walking a fine line between managing her pain and not sedating her too much so that she could get the tube out ASAP. Finally, about a half an hour ago, they were able to remove the breathing tube and take her off the ventilator. She is in a lot of pain and we are still working with her nurse and the doctors to manage it. Please pray for a pain relief solution and that her blood pressure will stabilize. They are currently using medication to support her blood pressure and her nurse has been unable to wean her off of it. This will keep her in ICU as will pain if we can not get her up and moving in the morning. Bottom line, we are not quite out of the woods yet.
7.
Well, it has certainly been one very long day. Meg has been laughing and joking with us. Her pain is better controlled. Her blood pressure is still a concern and they have had to get slightly more aggressive with management. Hopefully it will stabilize for good soon. The blood pressure issue is causing a few heart rate abnormalities that her nurse is monitoring closely. But overall, she remains in good condition and very good spirits. She is bolstered emensely by your love and prayers. We will be settling in for the night soon, so barring any unforeseen changes this will be my last update for the night.
(I REMEMBER NONE OF THIS FIRST DAY, ha ha ha... I was also informed I gave the nurse the finger when she wouldn't take my breathing tube out, oops... ?)
8.
Morning all. It was a long hard night for Megan. She was in significant pain all through the night. She has had only 2.5 hours of sleep since surgery. I think we are both near exhaustion and totally frustrated...but obviously she more than me. Spasms in her neck have been a particular nuisance. We are attributing this to positioning during surgery now coming back to bite her, but so far we have been hard pressed to work out all the knots. We convinced them to take out the large IV and monitoring lines (Called a Swan-Ganz catheter) that were in her neck so at least she could move around a bit. This was actually a positive step as it means that the doctors feel that her heart output is stable enough that they can give up some of the extra close monitoring this line provides. But with her pain so acute, we were little able to celebrate. This morning, we talked to her doctor and had her pain medications switched to new medications altogether. Her favorite nurse so far (besides me) is back, so she is calmer. I felt she was in good enough hands to leave for just a bit to come home and recoup some myself. Mom is with her now and I am told that they removed her chest tubes, which should also decrease her pain. Mom says she is sleeping now. I will again return to the hospital by lunch and will be with her throughout the day and night. We remain hopeful that we can get her into the chair today and possibly get her to eat something. Pain control, chair, food...those are how to pray today. Thank you again for all your love and support.
9.
Well, we made it back to the hospital about 2pm after picking up lunch. My dad and sister Joy were here with Meg. Before that my Mom had been here for several hours as well. Meg's pain is finally better controlled. She was able to get up to the chair. It wasn't easy, of course, but she did it. Dad fed her some bites of soup, some jello, and a few bites of some other "clear liquids". Then she finally, finally fell asleep in earnest. When I got back, I talked with her nurse. Her nurse agrees that the change in pain meds has made a positive difference as well the other steps and that sleep will do her a world of good. Overall, we are making slow and steady progress. At this point, I will not be leaving the hospital now for the next 24 hours. I hope to continue to update you that things are improving. Please keep praying for continued pain management, continued courage and good spirits on Meg's part, and continued strength on mine.
10.
Her nurse, Alex was just out to see us. She let me know that Meg is still sound asleep. Meg's pain seems to be under control for now. When she wakes up, we may have to work to "catch up" again. But hopefully we can manage. Alex has been a real blessing to us. She has extended lots of professional courtesy and addressed all of our concerns as quickly as possible. She is a really good nurse and we share a similar philosophy, which affords me a certain level of comfort with her. So, for now, our camp-in continues in the 12th floor waiting room; our little home away from home.
11.
Well day 1 post open has come and gone. It was a very long day indeed. Meg made really good progress. She even managed a reasonable portion of her dinner, even though it wasn't "her kind of food ". Spirits have waxed and waned a bit today, but finally with her pain under control, a properly working IV, most of the tubes and wires out, and being all cleaned up, she is settling in for a night's sleep. We are anticipating a move to step down sometime later tomorrow. In case you were considering, we aren't allowed fresh flowers or balloons here although we did fanegle an exception for the beautiful ones from OTB. I will spend the night here with her again tonight. Dad is backing me up from the waiting room. Tonight please pray for a restful night with no loss of pain control. Thank you all
12.
A cloudy day has dawned as we look out at our city view from Meg's 12th floor room. We have come to really appreciate the view, as Megan's "penthouse" allows us pretty much a compete panoramic. Despite many seemingly unnecessary interruptions from her nurse, Meg and I both got several hours sleep last night. She awoke in fairly good spirits, with still adequate pain control. This is a major milestone. Her surgeon was just in to see us. Megan has very small veins and they have been having trouble with her IV's and blood draws since they took that big line out of her neck, so they are going to put in a less invasive line that will still eliminate the need for the little IVs and they can draw blood from it (called a PICC line). It should last the rest of her stay. This is good. Our goal today is to get her up and moving a little more and to wean off of IV pain meds and on to pills only. The pills have been helping a lot and the IV stuff is giving her a headache, so this should be a good transition. However, as she moves more, she will have more pain. Her surgeon does plan for her to move out of ICU today. I will update you with where we move to. The only other thing that her surgeon said was that they are going to give her some medication to pull some extra fluid out of her system. The only concern with this is if her blood pressure will hold. She feels the best she has, but the doctor warned her that after she gets moving more, she will feel worse before she feels better again. 2 steps forward... Coveting your prayers for continued strength, good spirits, pain control on pills alone, stable blood pressure, and successful PICC line placement.
13.
Well, we finally got the word. The big move is here. She will be headed over to 12A momentarily room 1209. As I understand it, she will remain there until discharge. A lot of folks have stopped by today and she got her hair washed. She has done well using mostly pills for pain control. She got a lunch that agreed with her and so she ate pretty well. A few folks have stopped in today to say hi, so overall she is tired. After the move I think she will be completely wiped out. Tomorrow will probably be a little more difficult as well since they will probably start trying to have her out of bed before breakfast or right after. No PICC line yet, but hopefully it will happen today. Prayers for this evening: successful transfer to 12A, a good nurse that I can be comfortable leaving her with, a good night's sleep, continued pain control, and successful PICC line placement SOON!! Thanks all.
14.
Well, postop day 2 has come and gone. We definitely had some ups and downs today. While Meg's big move to step down was much anticipated and definitely a good step, it had its draw back, particularly leaving behind nurse Alex. The lack of empathy in the new nurse was extremely upsetting to me as was her apparent lack of knowledge. At one point, she commented that "all the people there had had open heart surgery. " To Megan's credit, she responded with a respectful, but direct, "Have you had open heart surgery?" It would have been hilarious if I hadn't been so hopping mad. It was hard to leave my sister in the care of someone I felt was incompetent, however the up side was Megan is medically very stable and it was unlikely this nurse would be called to any extreme action on Meg's part. However, a bit later, a visit from my dad's good friend from lifeflight "dropped in" for a visit. After that seemed Meg's nurse liked us a whole lot better and got a bite from the "nice bug" (Thanks Pete!) You know us Greenlee's; when it comes to fire, EMS, police, and sometimes hospitals, we are connected like the mob. Meg reports that the night nurse is much better.
In other news, they did in fact place the PICC line tonight. That is a good thing. Meg did a lot better getting back and forth from bed to chair. Tomorrow could go either way. Meg could have a slightly rougher say before things improve again: or she could just keep plugging along. Please be in prayer for the later as well as continued pain control, good nurses, good spirits, and strength.
15.
UPDATE FROM MEG
I appreciate everyone's love and support. I can finally hold my kindle without feeling like I'm gonna pass out. Surgery wasn't fun ... recovery is painful and boring to say the least. I get tired easily but they want me to move and do a lot of things....step down is like heaven compared to icu, they actually let you sleep in here! My day nurse woke me up with saying "good morning sunshine you're so young!" Shes funny and I like it. It was also 8 am and the sun was shining ... today seems hopeful. To be honest I just want to go home but I know they have to get me to a certain point first. Jessica has been my saving grace, I would have been miserable if she wasn't here so much.... my family rocks, too. Thanks again. Please keep the prayers coming!
Meg
16.
Well, as we feared, post op day 3 proved to be a bit of a bear. It had its good points too, though. Meg got the rest of her "tubes" out, leaving her with just the PICC line. This granted her almost complete freedom, which she was hard pressed to do anything with. A little like being all dressed up with no place to go. She did start cardiac rehab, which means that she walked around the unit some. She got up to the chair with greater ease. She put on more clothing. All points of comfort and celebration.
However, the throbbing pain in her head has not let up. Today it came complete with nausea and vomiting. She was not able to eat much and what she did eat did not really stay down. I had a lot of concerns about this, but I seem to be the only one. Her nurses contacted her doctor at my insistence, but he does not feel that she is in any danger. We knew that this day could be more difficult and I guess that is proving true. Hopefully tomorrow will see a turn around.
We are quickly making preparations here at the house for her arrival as word is that her discharge could come as early as Wednesday. Hopefully it will be Thursday, but whatever day it is, we want her to be comfortable. Please pray that we can find a solution to the headache and nausea as these things are greatly inhibiting her recovery. Please pray that her doctor will be conservative with her discharge for her sake. Please pray for continued strength and renewal for her. Thank you all again for your love and support.
17.
Well, today the tide finally turned. After drawing the labs that I requested, they found that in fact her potassium was very low, her magnesium kinda low, and her blood counts significantly low. They treated all these appropriately and the end result is that Meg had her best day ever. At this point she is practically bouncing off the walls. I was there when her very tired-looking surgeon showed up this afternoon and we all agreed that Thursday would be the best day for discharge. Best not to really really rush it. Besides, I have few things to finish up her in preparation for her arrival. When I left this evening, Meg was jumping into the shower. I expect she will feel much better after wards, but perhaps a little winded. Her oxygen levels are back up and she walked a lot today. Tomorrow in cardiac rehab, we plan for her to do some stairs. We are also waiting for a few other body systems to get back to normal. Hopefully all will be on track by tomorrow. Please continue to be in prayer that her recovery stays on track, her pain remains manageable -- even after discharge, that she doesn't "over do it", and that all the necessary preparations will be completed here at the house in time.
I can not tell you how much all of your love and support has meant to us. Meg will look forward to visits after her discharge. She will not be able to drive for 6 weeks. Our door will be open to you our friends and family whenever you can stop by. We will continue to covet your prayers after she is discharged as we all adjust to this new way of life for a while. As I said on the day of surgery, one journey has come to end, but another is just beginning. On Thursday, we will close the "Hospital" chapter, but the saga will go on. Until Meg is back to life, back to work, and back to her own space, we will not be closing this book. Thank you for journeying with us.
18.
Okay, so all systems are go and we are cleared for discharge tomorrow. Meg had another good day, although she was a little more tired today, maybe because she was so active yesterday. She walked some stairs and showered again. We met with her surgeon and got some discharge instructions. I asked for her prescriptions, got them all filled, and everything is set for her arrival here. I will be picking her up tomorrow. The sign says that discharge is at 11:00am, but we will see if that really happens. She will be coming here to the house affectionately known as the West/Clark house. This is because as many of you know, Mike, Becca and I are "house sitting" for a few years while our good friends the Wests are overseas. We are blessed to be in this place and be able to care for Meg here where she can spend most of her hours on one floor with all necessities, until she builds up her strength. As I said before, we invite you to visit with Meg, or send cards and such. Please be in prayer for a smooth discharge process, continued pain control at home, rest and relaxation for Meg, and a smooth transition for all of us. Again, as I've said so many times before, thank you all so much for your love and support. Just knowing that so many people out there are thinking of us means so much. Good night all.
19.
Today was the day that lasted a week. After a miscommunication resulted in us waiting 2 hours to have Meg's PICC line removed, we finally left the hospital sometime after 12, with the remainder of Meg's get well gifts in tow. We were pleasantly surprised by "Uncle Pete" who had stopped by to visit but ended up walking us out. By the time we got Meg home, fed, comforted with Vicodin and tucked into bed for a nap, it was after 2. Those few hours had seemed like an eternity and we were both exhausted. Brett and Mom brought the chair for Meg to relax in. She awoke with a headache, but we were able to get it under control. Mike braved the store for us and stocked up on all Meg's favorites. Chainsaw and Becca were both overjoyed to finally be able to spend some time with her. Meg had Becca paint her toenails. Overall a good day. Please pray for continued pain control, no fluid problems, and grace for us all ad we share space...........
And that's that. This past weekend I came home so I could sleep in my own bed and had only planned on staying overnight. But after stairs agreed with me and I felt as if it were safe, I stayed. Much to my parents and Jessica's dismay... but I'm doing well.
The aneurysm ended up being 5.3 cm and I found out that my entire aorta is weakened (unknown as to why) so it will need monitoring... and sadly, no more contact sports. Goodbye forever rugby :-(
But, I'm alive! And at least I don't feel as if I'm going to explode.
Cheers,
Meg
P.S. I feel like I'm on house arrest... it's too cold outside to walk, I can't drive for another month, and I can't really do much around the house other than lay, read, and watch tv (which I generally hate).
2.
Right about now, Meg's heart is stopped and the surgeon's work has begun in earnest. Please pray for God's guiding hand on his delicate work, God's protection on Meg's organs and brain througout the process of by-pass, and the surgeon's continued best judgement on the status of her valves.
3.
Well, we continue our sit in at the 3rd floor waiting room. Let's Make a Deal is playing. A small fortune has already be spent in the gift shop on pillows and ice tea. We anticipate another 2 hours at this point. We visited the chapel and found that the chairs are much more comfortable. We were the first people in this waiting room this morning. Since then, people have steadily trickled in and the room is now a buzz with conversation. The volunteer has finally arrived to take over answering the phone. We found out she will be sent to ICU on 12C after surgery. Thanks to David Bliss, lunch will be provided for us and we are greatly appreciative. Thank you all for your continued prayers and support and love, even across the miles.
4.
Meg is out of surgery! All went well! The aneurysm was larger than they thought so it was a blessing that she went in. They did not do anything with her valve at this time as it is functioning well. Her aortic arch beyond the current repair will need monitoring for the rest of her life. She will remain on a ventilator for most of today and possibly into tomorrow as they monitor for complications. After they wake her up, her goal will be to get up in a chair and then they will be able to move her to step down unit. Our prayer now is for no complications and a successful wean from the ventilator. We will be able to see her in about an hour.
5.
Mom and Dad are back there with her now. Her nurse has indicated that she is fairly alert and basically breathing on her own although the breathing tube remains in place. She is letting them know about her pain and asking for the tube to be removed. She corrected the nurses when someone said she played soccer, cause those of you who are 'in the know' are well aware she played and loves and misses rugby! Meg is definitely here all! Can't wait to see her.
6.
Ok all. So I was just with Meg the entire time since my last update. They called for me as soon as I hit the send button. She was fighting the breathing tube a lot, as it is incredibly uncomfortable. Her nurse has been walking a fine line between managing her pain and not sedating her too much so that she could get the tube out ASAP. Finally, about a half an hour ago, they were able to remove the breathing tube and take her off the ventilator. She is in a lot of pain and we are still working with her nurse and the doctors to manage it. Please pray for a pain relief solution and that her blood pressure will stabilize. They are currently using medication to support her blood pressure and her nurse has been unable to wean her off of it. This will keep her in ICU as will pain if we can not get her up and moving in the morning. Bottom line, we are not quite out of the woods yet.
7.
Well, it has certainly been one very long day. Meg has been laughing and joking with us. Her pain is better controlled. Her blood pressure is still a concern and they have had to get slightly more aggressive with management. Hopefully it will stabilize for good soon. The blood pressure issue is causing a few heart rate abnormalities that her nurse is monitoring closely. But overall, she remains in good condition and very good spirits. She is bolstered emensely by your love and prayers. We will be settling in for the night soon, so barring any unforeseen changes this will be my last update for the night.
(I REMEMBER NONE OF THIS FIRST DAY, ha ha ha... I was also informed I gave the nurse the finger when she wouldn't take my breathing tube out, oops... ?)
8.
Morning all. It was a long hard night for Megan. She was in significant pain all through the night. She has had only 2.5 hours of sleep since surgery. I think we are both near exhaustion and totally frustrated...but obviously she more than me. Spasms in her neck have been a particular nuisance. We are attributing this to positioning during surgery now coming back to bite her, but so far we have been hard pressed to work out all the knots. We convinced them to take out the large IV and monitoring lines (Called a Swan-Ganz catheter) that were in her neck so at least she could move around a bit. This was actually a positive step as it means that the doctors feel that her heart output is stable enough that they can give up some of the extra close monitoring this line provides. But with her pain so acute, we were little able to celebrate. This morning, we talked to her doctor and had her pain medications switched to new medications altogether. Her favorite nurse so far (besides me) is back, so she is calmer. I felt she was in good enough hands to leave for just a bit to come home and recoup some myself. Mom is with her now and I am told that they removed her chest tubes, which should also decrease her pain. Mom says she is sleeping now. I will again return to the hospital by lunch and will be with her throughout the day and night. We remain hopeful that we can get her into the chair today and possibly get her to eat something. Pain control, chair, food...those are how to pray today. Thank you again for all your love and support.
9.
Well, we made it back to the hospital about 2pm after picking up lunch. My dad and sister Joy were here with Meg. Before that my Mom had been here for several hours as well. Meg's pain is finally better controlled. She was able to get up to the chair. It wasn't easy, of course, but she did it. Dad fed her some bites of soup, some jello, and a few bites of some other "clear liquids". Then she finally, finally fell asleep in earnest. When I got back, I talked with her nurse. Her nurse agrees that the change in pain meds has made a positive difference as well the other steps and that sleep will do her a world of good. Overall, we are making slow and steady progress. At this point, I will not be leaving the hospital now for the next 24 hours. I hope to continue to update you that things are improving. Please keep praying for continued pain management, continued courage and good spirits on Meg's part, and continued strength on mine.
10.
Her nurse, Alex was just out to see us. She let me know that Meg is still sound asleep. Meg's pain seems to be under control for now. When she wakes up, we may have to work to "catch up" again. But hopefully we can manage. Alex has been a real blessing to us. She has extended lots of professional courtesy and addressed all of our concerns as quickly as possible. She is a really good nurse and we share a similar philosophy, which affords me a certain level of comfort with her. So, for now, our camp-in continues in the 12th floor waiting room; our little home away from home.
11.
Well day 1 post open has come and gone. It was a very long day indeed. Meg made really good progress. She even managed a reasonable portion of her dinner, even though it wasn't "her kind of food ". Spirits have waxed and waned a bit today, but finally with her pain under control, a properly working IV, most of the tubes and wires out, and being all cleaned up, she is settling in for a night's sleep. We are anticipating a move to step down sometime later tomorrow. In case you were considering, we aren't allowed fresh flowers or balloons here although we did fanegle an exception for the beautiful ones from OTB. I will spend the night here with her again tonight. Dad is backing me up from the waiting room. Tonight please pray for a restful night with no loss of pain control. Thank you all
12.
A cloudy day has dawned as we look out at our city view from Meg's 12th floor room. We have come to really appreciate the view, as Megan's "penthouse" allows us pretty much a compete panoramic. Despite many seemingly unnecessary interruptions from her nurse, Meg and I both got several hours sleep last night. She awoke in fairly good spirits, with still adequate pain control. This is a major milestone. Her surgeon was just in to see us. Megan has very small veins and they have been having trouble with her IV's and blood draws since they took that big line out of her neck, so they are going to put in a less invasive line that will still eliminate the need for the little IVs and they can draw blood from it (called a PICC line). It should last the rest of her stay. This is good. Our goal today is to get her up and moving a little more and to wean off of IV pain meds and on to pills only. The pills have been helping a lot and the IV stuff is giving her a headache, so this should be a good transition. However, as she moves more, she will have more pain. Her surgeon does plan for her to move out of ICU today. I will update you with where we move to. The only other thing that her surgeon said was that they are going to give her some medication to pull some extra fluid out of her system. The only concern with this is if her blood pressure will hold. She feels the best she has, but the doctor warned her that after she gets moving more, she will feel worse before she feels better again. 2 steps forward... Coveting your prayers for continued strength, good spirits, pain control on pills alone, stable blood pressure, and successful PICC line placement.
13.
Well, we finally got the word. The big move is here. She will be headed over to 12A momentarily room 1209. As I understand it, she will remain there until discharge. A lot of folks have stopped by today and she got her hair washed. She has done well using mostly pills for pain control. She got a lunch that agreed with her and so she ate pretty well. A few folks have stopped in today to say hi, so overall she is tired. After the move I think she will be completely wiped out. Tomorrow will probably be a little more difficult as well since they will probably start trying to have her out of bed before breakfast or right after. No PICC line yet, but hopefully it will happen today. Prayers for this evening: successful transfer to 12A, a good nurse that I can be comfortable leaving her with, a good night's sleep, continued pain control, and successful PICC line placement SOON!! Thanks all.
14.
Well, postop day 2 has come and gone. We definitely had some ups and downs today. While Meg's big move to step down was much anticipated and definitely a good step, it had its draw back, particularly leaving behind nurse Alex. The lack of empathy in the new nurse was extremely upsetting to me as was her apparent lack of knowledge. At one point, she commented that "all the people there had had open heart surgery. " To Megan's credit, she responded with a respectful, but direct, "Have you had open heart surgery?" It would have been hilarious if I hadn't been so hopping mad. It was hard to leave my sister in the care of someone I felt was incompetent, however the up side was Megan is medically very stable and it was unlikely this nurse would be called to any extreme action on Meg's part. However, a bit later, a visit from my dad's good friend from lifeflight "dropped in" for a visit. After that seemed Meg's nurse liked us a whole lot better and got a bite from the "nice bug" (Thanks Pete!) You know us Greenlee's; when it comes to fire, EMS, police, and sometimes hospitals, we are connected like the mob. Meg reports that the night nurse is much better.
In other news, they did in fact place the PICC line tonight. That is a good thing. Meg did a lot better getting back and forth from bed to chair. Tomorrow could go either way. Meg could have a slightly rougher say before things improve again: or she could just keep plugging along. Please be in prayer for the later as well as continued pain control, good nurses, good spirits, and strength.
15.
UPDATE FROM MEG
I appreciate everyone's love and support. I can finally hold my kindle without feeling like I'm gonna pass out. Surgery wasn't fun ... recovery is painful and boring to say the least. I get tired easily but they want me to move and do a lot of things....step down is like heaven compared to icu, they actually let you sleep in here! My day nurse woke me up with saying "good morning sunshine you're so young!" Shes funny and I like it. It was also 8 am and the sun was shining ... today seems hopeful. To be honest I just want to go home but I know they have to get me to a certain point first. Jessica has been my saving grace, I would have been miserable if she wasn't here so much.... my family rocks, too. Thanks again. Please keep the prayers coming!
Meg
P.s. hospital food sucks
Sent from my Kindle Fire16.
Well, as we feared, post op day 3 proved to be a bit of a bear. It had its good points too, though. Meg got the rest of her "tubes" out, leaving her with just the PICC line. This granted her almost complete freedom, which she was hard pressed to do anything with. A little like being all dressed up with no place to go. She did start cardiac rehab, which means that she walked around the unit some. She got up to the chair with greater ease. She put on more clothing. All points of comfort and celebration.
However, the throbbing pain in her head has not let up. Today it came complete with nausea and vomiting. She was not able to eat much and what she did eat did not really stay down. I had a lot of concerns about this, but I seem to be the only one. Her nurses contacted her doctor at my insistence, but he does not feel that she is in any danger. We knew that this day could be more difficult and I guess that is proving true. Hopefully tomorrow will see a turn around.
We are quickly making preparations here at the house for her arrival as word is that her discharge could come as early as Wednesday. Hopefully it will be Thursday, but whatever day it is, we want her to be comfortable. Please pray that we can find a solution to the headache and nausea as these things are greatly inhibiting her recovery. Please pray that her doctor will be conservative with her discharge for her sake. Please pray for continued strength and renewal for her. Thank you all again for your love and support.
17.
Well, today the tide finally turned. After drawing the labs that I requested, they found that in fact her potassium was very low, her magnesium kinda low, and her blood counts significantly low. They treated all these appropriately and the end result is that Meg had her best day ever. At this point she is practically bouncing off the walls. I was there when her very tired-looking surgeon showed up this afternoon and we all agreed that Thursday would be the best day for discharge. Best not to really really rush it. Besides, I have few things to finish up her in preparation for her arrival. When I left this evening, Meg was jumping into the shower. I expect she will feel much better after wards, but perhaps a little winded. Her oxygen levels are back up and she walked a lot today. Tomorrow in cardiac rehab, we plan for her to do some stairs. We are also waiting for a few other body systems to get back to normal. Hopefully all will be on track by tomorrow. Please continue to be in prayer that her recovery stays on track, her pain remains manageable -- even after discharge, that she doesn't "over do it", and that all the necessary preparations will be completed here at the house in time.
I can not tell you how much all of your love and support has meant to us. Meg will look forward to visits after her discharge. She will not be able to drive for 6 weeks. Our door will be open to you our friends and family whenever you can stop by. We will continue to covet your prayers after she is discharged as we all adjust to this new way of life for a while. As I said on the day of surgery, one journey has come to end, but another is just beginning. On Thursday, we will close the "Hospital" chapter, but the saga will go on. Until Meg is back to life, back to work, and back to her own space, we will not be closing this book. Thank you for journeying with us.
18.
Okay, so all systems are go and we are cleared for discharge tomorrow. Meg had another good day, although she was a little more tired today, maybe because she was so active yesterday. She walked some stairs and showered again. We met with her surgeon and got some discharge instructions. I asked for her prescriptions, got them all filled, and everything is set for her arrival here. I will be picking her up tomorrow. The sign says that discharge is at 11:00am, but we will see if that really happens. She will be coming here to the house affectionately known as the West/Clark house. This is because as many of you know, Mike, Becca and I are "house sitting" for a few years while our good friends the Wests are overseas. We are blessed to be in this place and be able to care for Meg here where she can spend most of her hours on one floor with all necessities, until she builds up her strength. As I said before, we invite you to visit with Meg, or send cards and such. Please be in prayer for a smooth discharge process, continued pain control at home, rest and relaxation for Meg, and a smooth transition for all of us. Again, as I've said so many times before, thank you all so much for your love and support. Just knowing that so many people out there are thinking of us means so much. Good night all.
19.
Today was the day that lasted a week. After a miscommunication resulted in us waiting 2 hours to have Meg's PICC line removed, we finally left the hospital sometime after 12, with the remainder of Meg's get well gifts in tow. We were pleasantly surprised by "Uncle Pete" who had stopped by to visit but ended up walking us out. By the time we got Meg home, fed, comforted with Vicodin and tucked into bed for a nap, it was after 2. Those few hours had seemed like an eternity and we were both exhausted. Brett and Mom brought the chair for Meg to relax in. She awoke with a headache, but we were able to get it under control. Mike braved the store for us and stocked up on all Meg's favorites. Chainsaw and Becca were both overjoyed to finally be able to spend some time with her. Meg had Becca paint her toenails. Overall a good day. Please pray for continued pain control, no fluid problems, and grace for us all ad we share space...........
And that's that. This past weekend I came home so I could sleep in my own bed and had only planned on staying overnight. But after stairs agreed with me and I felt as if it were safe, I stayed. Much to my parents and Jessica's dismay... but I'm doing well.
The aneurysm ended up being 5.3 cm and I found out that my entire aorta is weakened (unknown as to why) so it will need monitoring... and sadly, no more contact sports. Goodbye forever rugby :-(
But, I'm alive! And at least I don't feel as if I'm going to explode.
Cheers,
Meg
P.S. I feel like I'm on house arrest... it's too cold outside to walk, I can't drive for another month, and I can't really do much around the house other than lay, read, and watch tv (which I generally hate).
