April 29 - Update

For those of you still checking in, I wanted to let you know that Dick is doing well. He went to the eye doctor the other day and they say his eye is fine. He has a little double vision only when he looks out the corner of his eye to the far left but they say even that should eventually go away. He is back to wearing his contact and he can read the paper with it again although he thinks he might need to get it increased just a little. (that might just be his age creeping up, he will have a birthday next month)

He has increased his daily walks from once around the block twice a day to twice around the block two times a day and hopes to soon be driving. He has been busy with the grand kids which he has enjoyed tremendously, helping Avery ride her bike, pushing Brock on the swings, playing catch with Braden and keeping up with Brooklyn and Carson.

A home health care nurse visits once a week and has given him good reports each visit. She is impressed with his progress (who'd have guessed).

He still has to go through his lithotripsy and have that irritating g-tube removed but these will be a cake walk for him. So as you can see his recovery is still ongoing but it is proceeding in the right direction. Slower than he would want but that is to be expected the overachiever that he is.
Check back. Updates will be posted occasionally as there is more to report.

Recent Accomplishments

Well, there hasn't been much to report but I will try to give you a bit of an update if you are still checking in on Dick recent accomplishments.

He has been taking at least two walks a day around the block, weather permitting, and has been really doing good. He get a little winded and is ready to sit down by time we get back but he feels good and it takes him less time to recoup now than when he first started. He has been making some trips to the grocery store and outings to the bank and errands around town. He goes out for meals a couple a times a week and is eating well. He still is not allowed to drive. He is anxious to get the g-tube out of his stomach but it has to stay another 4 weeks. Not that it is needed for anything any longer but because of the type of the tube it is it must remain for a minimum of 12 weeks total. This causes him the greatest discomfort now and it tends to get quite sore.

He is enjoying many visitor's now. He even had some friends visit him from Elko, Nevada where he last worked, they are here taking a class at Morton Cat.

He had been getting irritated that he just couldn't do as much as he thought he should and we kept telling him he had to give it time, that he had been through a lot. He finally understood when his home health nurse told him for every day that he laid in the hospital it takes three days to recuperate. Now he understands that he has a long road to get back to his old self but that his is definitely on that road.

Feeling good

Today is the first day since Tuesday when Dick got out of the hospital that he has actually felt really good. He had his surgery yesterday for his kidney stone where they move he stone up into the kidney and placed a stent to hold the stone in his kidney until he is able to have lithotripsy, which should be within the next two to three weeks.

Today he took two walks around the block. He got his hair cut, which he has been anxious to get done. He was able to get out and have lunch and diner and was actually hungry enough to eat both times. He even did a couple of errands today like some banking and went to the pharmacy. He is still not driving and he is not on his own yet but he is accomplishing a lot of daily tasks on his own at home. He gets tired and has to take breaks but he as usual is still pushing him self and is determined to be left on his own as soon as possible. We all wish this for him. We know how independent he is and how much he has earned it. It will not be too long before he will get his wish.

Outpatient

Yes, he will have outpatient surgery tomorrow. Because of the location and the size of the kidney stone they will move the kidney stone up into his kidney then plan lithotripsy (sp) on him at a later date. He has been a little nauseous and unable to eat much since he has been home due to the kidney stone so hopefully this will help.

Other than the kidney stone problem he has been getting along well. He sat outside this morning for a little while and then left for his doctor appointment. He is taking it a little slower today than he did yesterday. I think a little slower is better until he gets this new problem resolved.

Day 51 - Happy to be home?

Dick has returned to his home in Morton today. It is the first time he has been home since January 24 when he left for vacation headed to Florida with his brothers. What a turn of events from that cold January day when they left with such excitement. Who would have guessed that he would have taken such a detour in his life.

He had an enjoyable visit with his kids and grandchildren. He may have overdone just a bit because he was quite tired this afternoon but he took nap in his own bed, something that he.......

Well that was the start of my blog yesterday evening but as you can see from Amy's blog things took another detour. Remember that roller coaster in life I had spoken of in a previous blog well we were on another ride. Happy to be home when we hit the big turn.


He is now back home again but he actually would have preferred to have stayed in the hospital last night and have his kidney stone removed today but after the urologist looked at the location of the stone they decided that it was too high so they want it to drop before they remove it. I guess this is one of those location, location, location kind of things. He will follow up with his urologist today, drink lots and lots of water and in the next couple of days when the stone has moved to a better position they will retrieve it.


He was in a great deal of pain and it took quite a bit of pain medication to relieve him of his pain, but he is resting comfortably now. One of the reason's he was hoping to stay in the hospital and get this bout over with was due to the IV placement. Since he has been in the hospital they have used up his good veins with IVs and they have a hard time finding one on him right now. It took quite a few sticks and finally the best IV guy there to finally find a good vein. Now he will have to go through that part all over again. But as always he was a trooper.


As Amy said you may want wait a few days before stopping by.

Small Setback!

Good morning! Well, I would love to say Dad had a first great night at home but that did not happen. He was having what he thought were stomach pains all day yesterday and last night the pain had gotten a lot worse. Aunt Judi and Uncle Jeri went ahead and took Dad to the ER. To make a long story short Dad has a very large kidney stone. I know, seriously can the man catch a break or what!!! From what I understand they were going to keep him overnight and remove it today. I don't know exactly why plans changed but they ended up giving him pain medications and sending him home to try to pass it on his own! The text I received was that he was not a happy camper when they told him he was going to have to stay overnight! I can't blame the poor thing. I am guessing it was his decision to try to pass it at home.


So if you are planning a visit to Dad I would maybe wait for a few days. I know today he will be resting a good portion of the day since they didn't get home until 4:30 this morning! I will have Aunt Judi send out something else later that is more detailed. I just thought I would let you all know what was going on!

Day 49 - Homeward Bound

Great news - they moved up his date to go home to tomorrow. Again he has amazed everyone!

Day 48 - Two days to go

Today Dick had two sessions of therapy - one physical therapy and one occupational therapy. He had a different physical therapist this morning and he said this therapist really gave him a work out. The last couple of days he walked up a flight of stairs and back down. Today he said he felt like he ran them. He only has two full days left to be in the hospital and he is so anxious to get home. He is ready to take walks outside and sit in the sunshine. We tried to take him outside on the 2nd floor patio today but it was just a little too chilly but the fresh air felt good.

He had company this morning, Amy's kids were there and helped him eat his lunch. Although, they are still counting his intake they seem to be a little more understanding about what the kids eat now. But Jer and I brought him some homemade potato salad and a piece of cake to supplement his food tray so they also took that into consideration. In fact when his nurse came to take his tray she even ask Dick, "Just what of this did you eat"? We told Amy if the kids don't eat at home just put it on a hospital tray!

They may be removing his GI tube on Monday that was inserted when he was started on tube feedings in Florida. Although he is no longer tube fed, they leave that tube in just in case they need to administer feedings or medication rapidly. That will be the last of the invasive sites that needs to be tended to before he leaves.

Amy told me today how difficult it is to write the blog now that Dick is getting so much better. I know what she means. The news anymore is so good. Usually it's just that he has had a good day, he's had therapy and is looking forward to going home. So for the next few days if the blog is a bit sparse this is the reason why. I am sure that once Dick gets home the news will get more exciting and we will continue to blog as long as Dick continues to improve. So stay tuned!

Day 47 - But who's counting!

Just a short note.

Dick didn't have therapy today but they will keep him hopping with two sessions tomorrow. (yes it was an Easter pun) He is very anxious to get home and he is definitely counting!

From our family to yours, we wish you a very Happy Easter!

Day 46- 4 Days and Counting!!!!!!!!!!

Hey everyone! It looks like we skipped a day. It is getting really hard to blog everyday since he just keeps getting stronger and better, day by day! Yesterday he seemed to have another great day. Dad had all of his therapy and continues to go one step further each day than the day before. J, the kids and I were up last night to visit. Mike and Uncle Rick were there when we arrived. It was so nice to all be sitting around laughing and having a normal conversation. I can't wait to be sitting around Dad's table at home having our normal day to day conversations! 4 days to go!!!!!!! Have a good day!

Day 45 - Do you want fries with that?

Today Dick was given the ok to eat anything he wanted so tonight Jer and I brought him a Steak n' Shake double steak burger w/ fries and a vanilla malt for his supper. I even took him some homemade chocolate chip cookies for dessert. He ate all but a few fries and loved every bit of it. That was the end of the day. Now let me get back to the beginning.

Dick had his Physical Therapy this morning and he had his cheering section in tow. His friend Smitty from Morton was there with me to cheer him on at his 10a session and then at his 1:30 session Cheryl and Amy were there along with his granddaughter Avery and his great niece Elly who accompanied him with his work out. I'm not sure who kept up with whom. They all did a great job! Each day he gets stronger and each session he exceeds what he did in his last. Elly was watching her Uncle Dick walking and she told her Grammy Cheryl, "He walks good for an old man." It took us a while to compose ourselves after that one. I guess at 5 1/2 we all look pretty old to her.




One thing for sure, it is so nice that we are able to be there to encourage him and watch his progress. I see so many other patients go through therapy alone and it seems so sad. So I too would like to add my thanks to everyone who has accompanied Dick to his therapy sessions, who have visited, who have read this blog and/or left a comment, sent cards, said prayers, made calls to pass reports, etc., etc., etc. You too are the reason he is doing so well and will be returning home so soon. You can not know how excited he is for Wednesday to get here and neither can we. For him it has seemed so long, but it has actually gone relatively fast considering all he has gone through and how far he has come. He has proven to be an exceptional patient!

Day 44- One Popular Guy

Good evening everybody. You're stuck with Mike 2 nights in a row. Wow, I'm getting this posted early tonight. Dad had another successful day. I wasn't able to make it up to any of his therapy today b/c of work, but I did get the scoop from dad. He said they really worked him hard again today. Although, no matter how many minutes or reps they ask him to do, he seems to do just a little bit more. He was instructed to try to walk for 3 continuous minutes on the treadmill. He walked for 5 minutes. Then, they asked him to ride a stationary bike that also incorporates arm movements for 5 minutes. He went ahead and did it for 10 minutes. It seems like no matter what the therapists throw at him he's able to not only meet the challenge, but exceed it. I'm sure that determination is one of the reasons he will be leaving the hospital ahead of schedule.

However, dad doesn't only work hard, he plays hard too. When I got up to see dad after work, he was not in his room. I thought that's funny b/c his rehab usually gets over around 3. Well, when you're as popular a guy as dad is, your hospital room can't possibly accommodate all your visitors. They had to move the party to one of the family rooms. At one point this afternoon, I think there were close to 10 of us visiting dad. The best part was he didn't seem the least bit overwhelmed. He seemed perfectly comfortable visiting with that many people. Several of the nurses asked if there was a party going on when they stepped into the room.

I hope all of you reading this know what a big part you have played in dad's recovery. Whether you came to visit, sent a card, said a prayer, whatever, it's made a big difference in his road back. The case worker told me yesterday she always notices that the people who are surrounded by family and friends always recover the quickest. So give yourselves a pat on the back. You deserve it.

Thanks for reading everybody. Have a great night!

There is no chance, no destiny, no fate, that can hinder or control the firm resolve of a determined soul.

-Ella Wheeler Wilcox

Day 43- Fantastic News!!

Good evening everybody. Sorry for the late post. It appears I, Mike, was nominated to write thie blog this evening. Dad received amazing news today: He will be leaving the hospital and going home on April 15th. The progress he has made is truly amazing. He will be going home 7 weeks after his accident. That is unbelievable considering we were told right after the accident he would probably be in Tampa for 3 months! I can't even begin to tell you how happy dad is knowing he will get to sleep in his own bed in about a week. He will still have to do outpatient therapy for an undetermined amount of time, but what a relief it will be to him to be back in the comfort of his own home.

Today was another day filled with therapy. Dad gets about 4-5 hours of various types of therapy each day. While the work is hard, he gives it 100% each time b/c he knows it's the only way he will be able to get back to the active lifestyle he enjoys so much. Even though he is tired and sore at the end of each day, it's obvious the therapy is doing wonders for dad physically and mentally. He told me tonight he feels a little bit more like himself each day. I know he can see the light at the end of the tunnel. If the man only knew how long that tunnel was when he started this journey, he would be truly amazed.

Thanks to everyone for reading. And thanks to all of you for the love and support you have shown my dad. I will leave you with this quote from Mahatma Gandhi that I think sums up dad's desire to get better: “If I have the belief that I can do it, I shall surely acquire the capacity to do it even if I may not have it at the beginning.”

Lots of Therapy!

Hi everyone! Today was Dad's first full day of therapy. It sounds like he was in therapy until around 3:00 p.m. He looks so good. Everyday I see him he just keeps looking better. He said he has been able to give himself a shower everyday, which he had been looking forward to! He has help getting to the shower, and when he is done getting out of the shower, but he can do everything else. Mike said today the social worker was in and said that they are having a meeting about him tomorrow morning and will be discussing when they think he can be discharged. She told Mike he must be doing really well because they usually don't have this meeting this soon. So we were all very glad to hear this. Braden and Avery went with me to the hospital tonight to have a visit with Dad. He was very happy to see them and kept telling them how much he misses them. They love going to the hospital to see him. They are both so eager to get him things or just lay in bed and watch T.V. with him. When we arrived he was getting an eye exam from the Optomologist. He seems to think the double vision Dad is experiencing is from a muscle behind his eye. He said Dad should just make an appointment when he gets out of the hospital. He couldn't do the proper exam at bedside. He said it would have to be done in the office. He really didn't seem to concerned, so that was good also.

Dad showed me his schedule for therapy everyday. It seemed to look like he would be busy from 8:30 a.m. until around 3:00 p.m. If you are planning a visit I would suggest going after 3:00. If you don't mind watching a bunch of therapy ,then you are more than welcome to go watch. I just know during that time he is pretty busy. He does get 15-20 min. breaks in between each session. Thanks to everyone who follows this blog. We really appreciate it! Talk to you all tomorrow, Amy

Day 41 - He is Doing Great

Well, today Dick had a number of visitors. He didn't have any therapy today because it was Sunday, but they are working on his therapy schedule which sounds like he will be kept quite busy most of the day, every day of the week. He is getting stronger. He is also getting sore from the exercise which means that his muscles are getting a work out. He is making amazing progress.

He has been able to take a shower and wear his own clothes which makes him feel more human. He also got another shave from Jer today which always makes him feel good. It was nice to be able to have him sit at a table and visit with us for an hour and even sit at the table and have his lunch and enjoy a visit like he was in his own kitchen surrounded by family.

He is still seeing double but tomorrow he will see an opthomologist for this problem to see what can be done. He may have to wear a patch for a while over one eye to make the injured eye stronger. Hopefully this will take care of the problem.

A Very Special Day!

Hey guys! What can I say today was another great day! I arrived this morning, with kids and J in tow, to an empty room. Dad was in his first session of physical therapy. Sara and Jeff had the privilege of watching his session. We met Uncle Darryl, Aunt Jan, and Doug in the waiting room. After about five minutes Jeff came to get us to let us know Dad was back in his room. The kids eagerly rushed in! They were very excited to see Dad and he was excited as well. He was showered with lots of kisses and hugs from everyone. I was so surprised to see him in his sweats and T-shirt! This was the first day he has gotten to wear clothes. The catheter was removed this morning . Braden and Avery were very helpful with giving him drinks, and they also helped him pick out his meals for tomorrow. I could hardly hold back the tears but I must say I did a pretty good job. Avery spent a good portion of our time in bed with Dad. It was priceless!!!! Sara and Jeff said they were in the therapy room for almost two hours this morning. Their report was that he did a really good job, and that they didn't hesitate working him like crazy. They actually had him walking today without the walker. He did have a safety belt around him that the therapist holds on to him with and walks behind him, but to my knowledge he did all of the work by himself. He was pretty exhausted, but still had some energy for his company. I know he had several visitors today,besides the morning crew, that included Alyssa, Sherry and Brad, and last but not least Mike, Tina, Carson, and Brooklynn. Mike said Carson also sat in bed with Dad quite a bit! They too had the chance to see Dad's second therapy session of the day. Mike said he did awesome. Tomorrow will be Dad's day off so it's back to work on Monday! I hope I get to see one of these sessions soon. That's all for tonight, but I will be reporting tomorrow night hopefully with yet another great day! Love, Amy

SAFE AND SOUND!

HE IS IN PEORIA! Hey everyone! Dad made it safe and sound back to Peoria today around 3:00. We are so thankful to have him this much closer to home. He was very excited to get the news this morning that he would get to come to Peoria today! He managed to get his last physical therapy session in before he left. Of course he did very well! He did get to say goodbye to several of his favorite nurses, pcts, and therapists. They all told him they would miss him very much and wished him lots of luck. His Doctor ( Dr. A) greeted him with her usual saying this morning. "Where's my guy?" She must have told him ten times how much she would miss him. She gave me her card and asked that we call her in a couple of weeks to let her know how he was doing. Even in the hospital Dad still seems to have a way with the ladies.LOL!

When Aunt Cheryl and I arrived in Peoria we were surprised that Dad was already all nice and cozy in his room. He had a busy few hours going over his chart with all of his Doctors, and getting checked in. We feel a great sense of relief knowing what good hands he is in and how much closer he is to all of us. I told him he would probably have quite a few visitors tomorrow. He didn't seem to mind a bit. He seemed so much more relaxed just knowing he was closer to everyone that loves him so much. I told him he would definitely have five little visitors as well. He said he couldn't wait to see all of the kids, and I know they can't wait to see him as well. I am sure, at least for me, it will be a tearful reunion! Mike and I have waited for this day for a long time and we can't wait!

That is all I have for now but I will let all of you know now how his first full day goes tomorrow. Well, maybe I will let Doogie have that job! Love you all, Amy

Home Sweet Home(Almost)

Hi Everybody. Great news: Dad will be arriving at St. Francis in Peoria around 3:00 this afternoon! Just wanted to let everybody know in case they were planning a visit this weekend. If you were, your trip just got a whole lot shorter. Amy will be blogging later in more detail about the move. I can tell you Dad was super excited to be coming back to Peoria. He called me this morning and you could hear the excitement in his voice. I think he will make even better progress than he has up to this point just knowing his family and friends are so close. Thanks again to everybody for all the support. We, along with dad, couldn't have gotten through this w/out you! Mike

Good evening everyone. Today was a really great day. Aunt Cheryl and I arrived around 10:30 a.m. Dad was in a pretty good mood and we weren't even in trouble today for being late! He said he had a pretty good night, and actually got some sleep! YEAH!!!!!! He really was in need for some heavy duty sleeping. Soon after we arrived Dad received four visitors. Sherry Clark, Jim and Gloria Hicks, and Vicki Poroit. He was very happy and grateful to see all of them. Since the room is on the small side Dad seemed to get a little anxious with all of us in there at once. Everyone was so understanding and we only went in the room a couple at a time for the rest of the day. Thank you so much to all of you for coming to visit Dad. He really appreciated it, and so did we!

After Dad's company left he ate his dinner, and seemed to be so peaceful and content lying in his bed. Dad called all of his brothers and sisters and told them how much he loved them and his exciting news! He will hopefully be transferred to St. Francis tomorrow or Monday! We are praying for tomorrow! He is really getting anxious to get back near his home turf. He is also ready to start intense rehab. He took a lap today around the unit and he did marvelous! I know I use this phrase a lot but it was so amazing to watch. I sat there thinking wow, five weeks ago we didn't even know if this man was going to make it and now look at him go! What else can I say except we finally got our miracle! After my Mom passed away I asked myself why didn't we get a miracle with her? I see so many people get miracles everyday why not her, why not us? Today watching my Dad cruising the halls it all became clear to me. My Mom gave up her miracle so my Dad could have his. I know my Mom is cheering my Dad on from heaven everyday and she is partly the reason he is still here!

That is all I have for you all tonight. I hope tomorrow I will be writing you letting you know that Dad has been transferred safe and sound! Love, Amy

Day Thirty Six - Short and Sweet

Today was a short day for us. We were only able to stay with Dick from 9:20a until 2:15p but the time was good. He had breakfast before we got there and he claims he ate good. (Maybe he could still hear Susie's voice in his head) Then he took a morning stroll through the hall with the physical therapist. He walked all the way down the hall and only sat down one time, he did have one complaint though, this therapist changed the height of his walker. Although, they are trying to get him to stand taller when he walks, he likes comfort as opposed to posture. He is doing well though.

Wayne Tessier and his wife stopped by today. Dick was very happy to see them. Wayne had been to see Dick in Tampa so this was quite a change from the Dick he had seen then. Dick wasn't aware that Wayne had even been at his bedside before. They had a few laughs and talked of common friends. His sense of humor always seems to surface.

That scruffy beard that just yesterday he said he was going to keep is now gone. Today he just couldn't take it any longer and had Jer shave the whole thing off. The only thing he guarded carefully was his mustache. That will never leave if he has anything to say about it.

As we left this afternoon, he was again walking the halls getting in his exercise with the newly adjusted walker. He was looking forward to getting his hair washed later today (now that would have been a picture). But he was really looking forward to speaking to his doctor this afternoon to find out just when he would be transferred to Peoria. He knows it will either be the end of this week or the beginning of next but he is trying to pinpoint them to a day. The unknown is very disconcerting for him. For his sake we hope that it is sooner than later. I know it will be very recuperative for him to see his grandchildren and for more friends to be able to visit. Keep your fingers crossed for a Friday transfer!