Famous Belly

Daddy had his follow-up post-hernia surgery this week, and apparently his surgeon has been using pictures of his belly (just his belly, not his face) as he teaches all around the country about how to repair this type of post-surgical hernia. Mom and Dad were a little tickled that his belly is famous, I think--certainly they are glad that his experience can help others. In other news, we are anxiously awaiting the arrival of our past-due niece/granddaughter/daughter. If she doesn't make her arrival on her own, Wendi will be induced next Wed.

And since we know many of you who read this blog pray, please pray for Wendi's friends Chrissy and Robert, and particularly baby Clara. Chrissy is Wendi's best friend from college, and they were excited to find out they were pregnant and due within a week of each other. They found out fairly early on in the pregnancy that Chrissy's little girl, Clara, has a birth defect called a herniated diaphragm (CDH). Clara arrived yesterday, and did well through the birth but had a rough night last night. The short version is that she is a very sick little girl, and she faces many challenges particularly related to breathing and getting the oxygen she needs. Please pray for Chrissy and Robert as they watch her struggle, and as Chrissy recovers from a C-section. If you want the link to their blog, please email me and I'd be glad to send it your way.

No News is Good News

Daddy has recovered from the hernia surgery fairly well. He started physical therapy for the pain in his shoulders, which they think is related to losing so much muscle mass and being in bed for so long. He's back to driving, and Mom is trying to keep him from doing too much. He says he feels fairly normal these days -- pretty amazing considering all his body has been through. In other news, we are anxiously awaiting the arrival of our new niece/cousin/granddaughter any day now! (Wendi is due March 18 so it could be any time!)

Quick Update

As hoped, Daddy is doing much better the past couple of days, and is eating and drinking fairly normally with no problems. He is getting up and moving around the house, is a little sore (actually probably a lot sore!) and very tired. He's in good spirits, he just wishes he had more energy. All 3 of the girls spent the afternoon out at Mom and Dad's, and it seems that everyone had a big time!

Home Sweet Home

Well, Daddy made it home before lunch time today. He has been in a fair amount of pain, and this afternoon was having a hard time keeping any food or drink down. The girls and I went to visit and hang out with him while Mom went to pick up some medicine for him (including some anti-nausea meds). By the time we left this evening, he had kept down a cup of tea. The anti-nausea medicine makes him groggy, though, so then he wants to sleep instead of eat. His spirits were fairly good despite feeling lousy and he was acting like himself. I have a vague memory of the pain meds making his head spin way back when he was first diagnosed with cancer, so I'm hopeful that as he heals and needs less pain medication, everything else will fall back into place. I know that he is glad to be in his own bed, and I know Mom will be, too (she spent the night with him last night at the hospital).

Successful surgery!

Daddy had his hernia repair today, and everything went very smoothly. If everything continues to go well overnight, then Daddy will get to come home tomorrow. I stopped by to see him this evening after work, and he was a little sleepy but very lucid. He ate his jello and chicken broth right after they brought it, and was asking about another friend who was having some health issues today. He was in a little pain, but they were managing it effectively. His anticipated full recovery time is 4 weeks -- so if you see him picking anything up in the next month, remind him that he needs to take it easy! He also will be laying low at home for the next week, so if you want to visit, I'm sure he'd appreciate it -- just call before you go. Thanks for the prayers.

Shunt Functioning, Resume Plans

Daddy went in yesterday for a scan, and they determined that the shunt was functioning properly -- they think maybe it had a blockage that worked itself out. Mom and Dad had spent some time trying to get it to pump on Thurs. night and Fri. morning Daddy noticed an improvement and felt better but they wanted to have it checked out before he has surgery next week. (The shunt is placed just under his skin in his abdomen, and he has to find the spot and pump it twice a day). Shunt malfunctions are not uncommon apparently, so there was not much concern about this incident. They took about 2 liters off his belly, so he's a little sore today but otherwise doing well -- he drove to Wendi's by himself today because he wasn't ready to leave when Mom and I did. The hernia surgery is back on for next Tues. And today we got to celebrate Wendi and our soon-to-arrive addition to the family. Thanks so much for your prayers!

Shunt Malfunction

Well, Daddy was scheduled for surgery to repair the hernia next Tues., Feb. 15 but in the past couple of days, it has become clear that his shunt is not functioning properly. His belly is retaining fluid again and he's gained 12lbs or so. Tomorrow he will go into radiology (for a CT scan, I'm assuming) to check what's going on. Assuming this is just a common shunt malfunction, they will remove some fluid, and he is scheduled for surgery to correct the problem (whatever they discover the problem is) on Monday. There is a possibility that they will go ahead and do the hernia repair on Monday as well, but otherwise it will be postponed. We should know more tomorrow afternoon. Sorry for the vagueness, but that's all I've got right now. We appreciate your prayers. We are all supposed to go to a baby shower for Wendi on Saturday, and are hoping that we can carry with the celebrations as planned.