The second surgery

GUESS WHAT DAY IT IS?!?!? HUMP DAY!!! 

Yeah, I know. It's not getting old, it's really old. Still makes me giggle though. :)

Today is his follow up surgery.  We were expecting it to be this evening but the two people scheduled before him were canceled so we are in pre op by 10:30 am and have already talked to his surgeon and staff,  and hopefully will get him back soon.

Waiting.  The hard part. 3 hours. Lots of reading. 

And so everything went fine.  He had elevated heart rate and blood pressure in recovery so we were there (in a meat locker omg it was freezing!!!) For about an hour or more. He was well taken care of by several doctors.  His surgeon came by and said everything looks better than expected so here's to hoping for fast healing!!!

Once we got to the room I got some dinner and Jake and Queenie came!! Dean was cold and had several blankets on and Jake said " Daddy!  You look like a castle! " :) Dean had a lovely dinner of crackers and water. Then they brought him another bed!!! It's a sand bed. Yes sand! It weighs around 1600 lbs!!! The sand is blown around with air and aids the healing process!  Let's hope it works

Getting Dean to the OPC - I do believe it's actually a MAZE between buildings and bridges!

Rice University - saw this on a bridge on the way back to Dean's room.

This is what the sand bed looks like.  The white part is a sack of sand that's moved around with air, and the bed is heated, to keep him warm!

Keep the Updates a coming...

Hello!  Everybody is loving the updates I'm doing here so I'll keep Em comin!

Monday
I returned to work.  Ya see I work in one of the best places to work in Houston.  It's true,  Insperity is always in the top 5 in Houston! ! Not only that, I work with the best team in my department.  That's more of an opinion but still, I do.  I have a light load and they also feel family is the most important thing.  Best. Job. Ever!!!

While I'm at work and Jake is at daycare,  my awesome Mother is with Dean helping any way she can.  Lovely Mommy! I hope I'm at least half as good as she is at being a mom!

Dean went for his Picc Line around 2pm.  However there was a huge back up and he didn't get back to the room until 7:30!!  It's like hospitals have absolutely no sense of time.  I know they have to do things in order but really? A 20 minute procedure should not take 5 hours of waiting to get it done. Hurry up and wait all the time!!!  So very frustrating.   But it went well and hopefully it will help.  My mother stayed there all day! Bless her!!!

Tuesday

Back to work again.  Jake is still getting used to his Daddy being at the hospital but he is a trooper and doing well. Issues with the daycare asside.  His room teacher seems to be on her own schedule and it's not Kids r kids schedule.  He had to stay in another room until 10am!!  Anyway. ..

Dean seemed to be doing well this morning.  His mom and niece are going to visit him this afternoon.  Jake and I will be going there this evening.  Apparently it's National hot wing day. I will be bringing some.  Shhhhhhhhhh!! Don't tell!

So....He loved the hot wings! ! It was fun! Ever Jake liked the mild ones! Then we had several desserts and got to laugh and talk for a nice evening. 

Surgery is Wednesday afternoon or evening.  Not sure. We are seeing this as the beginning of his heeling and are ready to start the next phase!

Monday. Watching the Fox and the Hound. 

Bad ol hunters! :)

Tuesday at the hospital they had a sports memorabilia area set up. Didn't get anything though.

Weekend Update with Dean A.

Again,  Dean has some infections but if you want to visut. Please ask me. :)

Saturday.
Apparently Houston is under construction.  59 south at Tuam, 288 lanes closed, AND Fannin just as you get to methodist from the zoo is CLOSED!!! Took me an hour to get here leaving at 6am!!

Jake and Mother came up (after a 2 hour drive in traffic! !!) And stayed and hung out with us until after dinner. It was really a good afternoon.  They watched part of an old Lego movie. He loved it! Guess we are gonna have to give the Lego movie a try now! :)

Sunday
Traffic was way better today! At least Fannin wasn't closed too! :)  As usual the morning was busy. Dean's Uncle Mike and Aunt Pat, and his brother David all came by. Nice afternoon.  Mother and I took Jake to Herman Park to play in the water park. It was a short play but we got to ride the trains! Hoot and Toot for all Disney Jr fans!!!  Evening was nice as we had dinner and watched American Ninja Warrior which is always fun! 

Tomorrow I have to go back to work.  I'm nervous about it but my mother will be with Dean tomorrow.

Please keep praying for Dean!

Sunday morning traffic.  Closures a Tuam and at 288!!!

Saturday - Jake at the Healing Garden. This leaf is bigger than he is!

Sunday Lunch - Pizza with Cool Ranch Doritos! !!

So, we are waiting...

The next couple of days will be slow and the same.  Every 2 hours vitals. Shift changes. Figuring out schedules. Time is fast. Then slow.  But we will work all this out.

If you want to come see Dean please let me know and we can arrange some time.  Afternoons are better than mornings for visitors.

Thursday.

Dean got all the outstanding things he needed from after surgery, his personal items and a bed cover.  Not what we were expecting but it's a good air mattress.  I went home to get some things and play with Jack and Buddy. And bring Jake to see his Daddy. First thing he asked is "Daddy! Are you all better?" Sweet kid. We got to eat together.  One of Dean's friends, Dale, was able to visit, and it was nice.  After Jake and Mother left I hung around a little then went home to sleep.

Friday.

I got up early and beet the traffic to get to the hospital at 6:30.  Dean had some visitors today. Dean's mom Linda and niece Linda Jean came by just before lunch. Deans friend Brian Galloway came by shortly after.  Dean's brother Doug came by in the afternoon.   

We got to talk to his surgeon and discussed the follow up.  He does have some infections and will be treated with IV drops for 6 weeks or more. Jake and Mother came up and we had one of the casseroles I made,  tater tot casserole with veggies and ground beef. Was delish! Jake of course charmed everybody he saw and got candy from a doctor and ice cream from Dean's tech. He is really being a good boy.  I went home last night to get some sleep. 

This Lego was put there Tuesday. It has not moved since. Not sure what's holding it

Friday morning.  I haven't been stopped by a train in a long time!!!

Surgery went well

After a really long day, all said and done, surgery went well.  A follow up surgery will be Wednesday next week.  We have decided its' best to stay in the hospital for the week.  Send me a message if you would like to know which room.

After we got him checked in and in pre-op, we waited.  And waited. And waited.  Apparently the first person on Dean's surgeon's schedule was quite a complicated case. Then, the 2nd one took a good amount of time as well.  They took Dean back abut 5 pm and he was finished around 7. I got to go see him around 8, then we got to Methodist around 9pm.  Settling in for the first night being so late is not easy, but we managed.

Houston Medical Center - it's nice from the 19th floor of the Methodist OPC building.

I was able to have dinner and enjoy a yummy treat while waiting for Dean's surgery to finish.

It was a pretty tough first night, as it usually is the first night in the hospital.  His bed is "on order", he's getting an air mattress bed that helps with healing and is special order.  He just got a more accessible call button so he can call the nurse himself, which he couldn't last night because maintenance was closed for the evening.  So, all in all, the staff here is doing a pretty good job so far.  They are listening to us at least when we tell them what we want them to do.  Hopefully the shifts will stay a little consistent so we don't have to repeat ourselves every time.

Now, the healing and waiting game begins.
Thank you everybody for all your thoughts and prayers.  They are appreciated!!!

And, just in case you haven't heard, here's the latest on Durwood (Dean's Dad) from Linda (Dean's Mom)
7/23/2014 10 pm:
Had a better day. Increased strength in right side, enough to pull out the ventilator tube! Nurse said it was no accident! He didn't like it! Had to reinsert a secondary tube for meds and future tube feeding . Naso-gastric tube is out also. Has remained off sedation all day. All he had was a oxygen mask and will have B-Pap machine tonight. When David & I Spoke to him and held his hand, he tilted his head and tried to open his eyes and squeezed my hand! I needed that Lord! The nurse said his right side was significantly stronger today, yet a bit weaker than left. Am thankful for this encouragement.