Quitter.

Dad up & left The Foundry yesterday.

I have nothing else to say about this.

This will most likely be my last Blog entry about him.

I would, however, like to take this moment to sincerely THANK each and every one of you for your continued love & support throughout the last 5 months. As you can imagine, it has been a rather emotional rollercoaster, and I absolutely couldn't have gotten through the ride without y'all! I will continue to keep my father in my thoughts & prayers, but each day forward is completely up to him now. We have done all that we can to make it easier for him to help himself...

I LOVE Y'ALL!!! Hallie

Food. Thieves. Work. John.

Dad finally gave me a call on Thursday morning for the first time since his incarceration (kidding!)... We chatted for about 45 minutes, which was great!  Overall, he was one big bag of complaints... But if you know Billy - They were "good" complaints, not bad ones.  All joking aside (for at least one sentence), he told me that this is the hardest thing he's ever had to do... That there are all walks of life, nothing is fancy and he is still struggling physically (although better than he was).  Here are some of the highlights of our conversation:

1.  He sleeps in a room "with about 5o-thousand other guys farting, snoring, burping and coughing all night long" and has contracted the "permanent plague" from this.  Hallie's translation - Hugh said there were 27 guys, and this is the temporary first step of housing... He will soon move into a room with about 6 men, then work his way down.

2.  He can only shower "every other day because there are 4 showers for all the men in his dorm."  Well Dad, you're not running marathons, so I'm sure that's sufficient!  

3.  "People steal stuff all the time" - He says since they're only given 3 meals a day and nothing else, you must provide your own coffee, coffee cup, creamer, sugar, snacks, etc - Said he finally got his hands on a coffee cup and it was gone about 5 minutes later (& a devotional prayer book only lasted 3 min).  Hallie's fix - Mailed him a hot pink coffee mug (along with some other yummy goodies)!

4.  "You should see the people here - They are covered from head to toe with tattoos!"  Hallie's response - "Dad, Hugh said you really liked the people there...?"  Dad - "Oh yeah man, they're all really nice & completely harmless!"  Point.

5.  Job - Hugh hooked him up with "the best job that anyone can get at The Foundry"!  He is working in the business office, making phone calls to corporations/businesses to acquire donations (monetary or stuff).  Anyone feel like donating??  After 3-4 months (I think), he'll start to make commission on the donations that he brings in.

6.  Esophagus - Well, it's either "the baby jesus" or the "eat or don't eat" working their magic, but his throat hasn't been giving him trouble lately!!  Yay!

7.  He told me that he "hasn't had the opportunity to dive into the religious aspect of the program yet, but he was starting towards that"... Hugh set him up, once again, with the best counselor on staff, who he has met with once and assigned him homework - To read the entire Book of John, and write a report.  Go Billy!  

That's about all I can recall for now!  He really sounded committed to the program, and even talked about what he was going to donate from his personal belongings... 

Try and update y'all again soon!  Love, Hallie

THE FOUNDRY!

Joanie Jesse Hallie Erin Tyler (Jesse's Brother)

Well folks... He finally did it!! He checked into The Foundry on Tuesday morning (Eddie & Tina drove him, thank you!), and has been there a whole 2 days now, and counting...

As you all know by now, Hugh Thomas is on staff at The Foundry and is being wonderfully accomodating to help Dad settle in as comfortably as possible. Dad no longer has his cell phone, nor does he have phone access right now... BUT I spoke with Hugh yesterday evening, and he actually told me that dad said that he “really liked the people that he’s met there so far” – which is a great admission at such an early stage in his recovery! Hugh has checked on him a bunch of times when he has been surrounded by a group of guys - chatting or helping him out! He did have to go to the ER the very first night (of course!) because of his heart (probably nerves), and then The Foundry doc saw him yesterday & tweaked some of his meds, so maybe that will help physically (who knows!). They are supposed to maybe call me today from Hugh’s cell phone – I’m keeping my eye out.

Before he checked in he told me that he was "convinced that the medical field could no longer help him, so he was turning things over to the Baby Jesus..." - Go for it, Dad! Per his G.I. doctor, he does need a full esophagial replacement... Ugh... But he's not interested in that right now, he's going to see what happens at The Foundry first - The surgery would first entail me applying for programs at UAB and/or Cooper Green hospitals, as the surgeon at SV unfortunately does not do that surgery.

I will keep y'all updated (yeah right, Hallie!) on how to reach him, but for now you are all more than welcome to send words of encouragement to the following address (and please refrain from sneaking pills or alcohol into your letters... kidding...):

Billy Pierce
c/o The Foundry
P.O. Box 824
Bessemer, AL 35021

And on a different note - Joanie Thomas (Hugh's daughter of course) came to visit me in LA last weekend and WE HAD SO MUCH FUN!!! I just LOVED having her out here, and we did all kinds of stuff... Hollywood, movie stars homes, shopped, fancy dinner, you name it...! I wish I could have just kept her out here in my pocket... :)

Love y'all! Hallie

Cancer - No | Hospital - Yes

Well... here we go again... Perhaps the 3rd time is a charm. Dad is just completely struggling with his blood pressure, and Eddie & Tina so kindly dropped him off at SV's ER a few minutes ago. It seems like his low blood pressure is uncontrollable right now. I honestly don't feel like he's doing anything to stop healthy progression, however his body is in this limbo... It seems like it's not unhealthy enough where it's immediately life-threatening, but it is too unhealthy to maintain daily activity. Although I am not there, I am confident that he is not drinking or smoking (and so those around him agree)... He is just trying to regain strength in his condo, but everytime he tries to walk to the kitchen or the front door he feels like he's going to collapse - And he did twice recently, gaining a skinned knee & bloody toes (...what's that song he always used to sing..."went down the road and the road was muddy, stubbed my toe and my toe was bloody"... ha, anywho...). We'll see what the doctors can do this time to level him out - I'm hoping that it's something that will last...

Throat: The results of the biopsy were negative, which is great. However, the G.I. Dr. Coleman is "completely confused" about dad's situation... yay. He says that he has a long stricture, along with a yeast infection in his throat that is causing his swallowing troubles. He is used to seeing strictures, however most are short - But not dad's of course! Which means that the surgery that is up for discussion may be more difficult since there is a large area of his esophagus that needs to be replaced... Ugh. He has an appointment tomorrow morning at 7:30am with this doctor, so maybe we'll know more...

The Foundry: He has been meeting with Hugh Thomas lately to tour The Foundry & talk about admission dates, acceptance based on his health, etc. I do believe that dad's intention is to go to there sooner rather than later, but some health issues are slowing that process down right now. Hugh says that they can work around certain health problems (i.e. getting dad a "desk job", etc), but if he can't eat and can't walk 10 feet without almost passing out, those things are an issue. He promised me that he was going to check in out there on Monday, but now he's back in the hospital, soooooooooooooo.... who knows. My amazing boyfriend bought him an iPod yesterday, and his mom helped load a bunch of great music & audiobooks (some great self-improvements ones that he REALLY needs to listen too)... We thought it would be a great thing for him to have at The Foundry, especially in the dorm setting for comfort...

And on a brighter note, I'm VERY excited because Joanie Thomas (Hugh & Ann's daughter) is coming all the way out to LA to visit me in April!!!! YAY! :D

Back on the Streets Again...

Dad was released from the hospital on Friday afternoon! He is back at his condo & seems to be in good spirits. He had lunch with Hugh yesterday, and appears to be "on board" with going to The Foundry, however he needs to figure out this "throat thing" first...

He is still having problems with his esophagus, and went in for another stretch this morning. His regular doctor was out, so he didn't get quite as much information from the "substitute stretcher" as I had hoped. But basically, he got it stretched again, so he's feeling fine right now - But we just need it to stay open - Otherwise we'll have to talk about that surgery option... They actually cut out a piece of your esophagus and replace it with a piece of your intestine... Ewwww, talk about bad breath... Kidding (that's what Jesse said, ha)! :) But that sounds way better than having a feeding tube permanently placed into his stomach. Also... on a little scarier note (but Dad told me to not get my panties in a bunch)... They are doing a biopsy on his espophagus - He says there is lots of scar tissue (& other stuff?) down there that they scraped and sent off for labs to test whether it was cancerous. He didn't seemed concerned at all... Maybe it's just routine!?

So now... Throat. Then Foundry.

XOXO Hallie

Hospital Update

I hope everyone is having a fabulous Friday!!

Talked to Dad yesterday & this morning... He's hanging in there. Says they are holding him hostage until they get rid of the Pnuemonia... Which I think is a great thing! He has been coughing a lot, and is on breathing treatments & antibiotics. It sounds as those his blood pressure is maintaining.

The only other not-so-positive news is with regards to his esophagus - The doctor who stretched it on Tuesday, says that this is one of the worst cases he has seen... That basically Dad's esophagus keeps shrinking after each time it has been stretched. They can only stretch it once more because each time you risk a tear (which would be no bueno). And if it ends up shrinking again, then he either has to have surgery to repair it, or they would have to put in a permanent (I think) feeding tube into his stomach (no thanks!).

That's about it for now! Kate is so generously taking care of Hattie - THANK YOU KATE!

Jesse & I are off to Mammoth this weekend to ski with our friends, Erica & Matt!! :D

XOXO Hallie

Dad Missed St. Vincent's...

... So he went back yesterday. Ugh.

Eddie & Tina brought over some groceries from Sam's Club (thank you!!), and found Dad in his bed without the strength to get himself up (although concious, thank goodness)... He was so weak, and short of breath. Nurse Tina took his blood pressure, and found that it was about 60/32 - SO low! They immediately knew they needed to get him back to the hospital, so Eddie called Steve Davis to come over and help him get Dad down his condo stairs. They brought him to the ER and he was immediately admitted with that low of blood pressure. The docs hooked him up to an IV immediately to get some fluid back into his body - They "think" that since his esophagus is still super skinny, that he wasn't getting the proper nutrition.

I spoke to Dad this morning, and he reported the following: The hospital was "full" last night, so he thought he was going to have to spend the night in the ER, but they moved him to "the Ritz Carlton of hospital rooms" yesterday evening (4th floor South, I think) - He said he could host a party of about 15-20 in his huge room... He has a couch & 2 chairs, a "wet bar" (better not be stocked, ha) and a flat screen TV... Says if he has to be there, he doesn't mind that room! The results of his CT scan last night showed that he is still suffering from Pnuemonia, bummer - therefore, they now have him on IV antibiotics. He is supposed to be having his esophagus stretched again as we speak (10:30am CST), so hopefully that will help him to feel better. Other than that, he hadn't seen a doctor yet when I spoke to him to get any sort of timeline as to how long he'll be there this time...

He was planning on having lunch with Hugh Thomas tomorrow at The Foundry. He was looking like he was strong enough to go over the weekend, but we'll see where we stand after this hospital visit...

Love you all! Keep praying - Mostly for an attitude adjustment for the old man!!!

XOXO Hallie

Billy at Home

Hellooooooooooo! I know, I know... what a bad Blogger I have been! Shame on me! :)

Dad went to the hospital for his Cardiologist & Esophagus appointments last Friday, and everything seems... well... okay. It's just a process, ya know!! His cardiologist actually said that his heart sounds good, and made a few necessary adjustments with his blood pressure medication to hopefully work on minimizing his dizziness (he didn't change medication, just lowered dosage of one). Dad said it has gotten a little better, but there is still a ways to go. On the other hand, his esophagus doctor said that he is not improving as quickly as expected, and will need to continue to visit the hospital for esophagial dialations every 2 weeks... He is now addicted to vanilla & chocolate Ensure - The high-calorie, meal replacement sort of shakes, ha!

Other than that, he has scheduled a Neurologist appointment for next week to figure out what is going on with the lack of mobility in his arm & how we can fix it. And I think he is going to see the Pulmonologist in about 3-4 weeks (Dr. Strickland, hard to get appointments)... He will be visiting Strickland because he says he is very easily winded & short of breath... Perhaps a little bit of pneumonia left in his lungs, hhhmmmmm??

He is back in his condo in Birmingham with his dog Hattie. He seems to be doing well - In and out of good spirits! He needs to stay positive!! He has definitely had some visitors... Eddie Burg, Kate Oatman... and Nuss I'm sure... Needs to be kept in check! I believe the plan is still for him to go to The Foundry, however I do agree that he may not quite be strong enough for that yet... I have been continuing to work on my checklist to keep things organized. I joined Sam's Club for $40 because they have the cheapest Ensure around only to discover that they don't deliver, don't accept payments online or over the phone, and don't even take Visa. Some great idea that was, ha! :)

XOXO Hallie

I'M BACK!

Jesse's Parents & Wonderful Hosts for Mom's Visit - David & Carol Slade

Okay, Okay - I'm the worst Blogger EVER! I had so much fun with my Mama out here in California, and we both vowed to "take a break" from everything - When I dropped her off at the airport yesterday I realized that I hadn't updated Dad's Blog since the 18th... Ugh, sorry!! :)

So anyway... Dad is still in Decatur at Bop & Gingin's house (Mom's parents). He is still being taken great care of by Molly & Johnnie, but is having some of the same problems as last week... Dizziness (low blood pressure), trouble swallowing (skinny esophagus) & lack of mobility in his right arm. We have made doctor's appointments for him on Friday at St. Vincent's for the cardiologist - Who will hopefully adjust his blood pressure medication & perhaps even prescribe something different altogether (& less expensive) - He is also having another esophagial dialation, which is supposed to be done about every 2 weeks until he is back to normal.

Eddie Burg is having lunch & a tour of The Foundry with Hugh Thomas today - I'm looking forward to hearing about that. Mom & I did the same thing back in January, and found the facility totally comfortable. We are hoping to drop him off there on Friday after the doctor's appointments... Unfortunately, he can't stay in Decatur forever! :)

Sooooo... While Mom was out here we mostly just spent time visiting with each other & Jesse's family (Mom-Carol, Dad-David, Middle Brother-Tyler)... We enjoyed spa services one day (Mom-Massage, Hallie-Facial), mine thanks to my wonderful boyfriend as a birthday gift! I introduced mom to Pilates, we ate dinner at a super fun Mexican restaurant in LA, and threw a Princess Party at my house for the cute 5 year old that lives below me, Camille. Mom helped me work a Bridal Fair, which was not very fun, ha. On Monday we headed into LA to be "cheesy tourists" - Drove through Bel Air & Beverly Hills and saw some amazing houses, stopped for lunch (no shopping) on Rodeo Drive & then headed to the historical Beverly Hills Hotel where we enjoyed a glass of wine in the Polo Lounge spotting Patrick Dempsey, Rosanna Arquette & Sharon Stone!! This was the day after the Oscars... The bartender said we should have come the day before because "they" were all there! We also walked in front of the Chinese Theater (stars names on sidewalk) & Kodak Theater (where American Idol is being filmed right now)... And wrap it up on Tuesday, I took her to lunch at In N Out Burger... California's finest, ha.

XOXO Hallie

Hanging in There...

Kate - Hallie - Jesse

So... Mom talked to the Gastro Doctor (G.I.) yesterday afternoon, who said that Dad's esophagus still needs to be stretched 2/3 of the way open because of the small tube that was going into his stomach (must have closed around it) - Yikes! He said that it is a VERY slow process because if you stretch it too fast, you run the risk of ripping it - In which case, that is a long long long hospital recovery. The GI doc said that he was hoping to have Dad come in every 2 weeks for stretching, so we're going to have to organize those appointments soon. In the meantime, Dad said he felt good enough yesterday to power through it for the next few days - Mom is scheduled to fly out to California to visit me tomorrow morning (Yay!), and Dad felt like he was good enough to get through the weekend without her.

We had a nice conversation yesterday, and he actually sounded like he was in a good mood for the first time! He said he "had it made" at Bop & Gingin's house - And that of course he was incredibly appreciative & is being extremely polite (said he hasn't said one cuss word, ha). Molly & Johnnie (Gingin's nurses) check on him regularly - And they cook about 3 meals a day, so he has good nutrition at his fingertips... We are going to have to somehow repay them & Bop for their generosity! He complains of having some problems swallowing here & there, but for the most part he's been able to get food & drink down. And we are still working on getting a hold of his Cardiologist to chat about his medication.

Mom will be in Cali Thurs-Tues... We are going to enjoy time at my beach house, dining with Jesse & his family, and getting massages!! :)

XOXO Hallie

Still Struggling...

Good Morning!

Quick update - Dad is still struggling with his blood pressure/stamina, right arm & throat. He called mom today to tell her that he felt like he needed to have his esophagus stretched again. We cannot get it done in Decatur, and are considering taking him back to St. Vincent's to be re-admitted (we would hope). I am VERY concerned that the hospital may have released him entirely too early without making sure that his medications were on point. The blood pressure medication that he is on doesn't seem to be working very well - Not to mention it's REALLY expensive - And after reading up on it, it seems it is a fairly new drug... Who knows. Mom & I have left messages for the Cardiologist to talk about alternative medication options & his opinion on Dad's current health...

Love, Hallie

Chillin with Gingin

Dad has made it up to Decatur safe & sound thanks to Eddie & Tina Burg (they are awesome!!). He is relaxing in Bop & Gingin's "red room" for the time being to try and regain his strength. He spent the night last night at his condo in Birmingham, and said he finally got a good night's sleep (although is still very tired)... He is thinking that his blood pressure medication is still a bit off because he gets VERY dizzy only walking a short distance. Bop & Gingin's house will be a good place for him right now because it is one level, and Gingin's nurses are there all day long... Bop is the most amazing Grandfather EVER... Boy am I super lucky to have him! Dad got to see his dog Hattie for the first time today since going into the hospital, which he was very excited about.

With regards to recovery/rehab... The Foundry is still on the top of the list. And Mom also heard about a program in Anniston called The Center of Hope - I just pulled up their website, so I'm going to look into that a bit more... Again, just for more choices for Dad.

Mom is coming out to visit me in California on Thursday - I can't wait! We are going to relax, eat good food, drink good wine & spend time by the ocean!!

XOXO Hallie

The Goose is Loose!!

Well... they finally decided to release the hound!!  I... courteously... found out by calling the nurses station to check on him & they told me that he had been discharged... Really!?  Dad called Nuss & Lynn - Who so generously came to pick him up from the hospital and took him back to his condo.  He's been relaxing and watching basketball in his chair all afternoon/evening and is happy as a clam to be out of the hospital.  Eddie Burg stopped by to check on him & said that he had his front door open to breathe in the fresh air... then kindly went and got him McDonald's (which Dad still reported tasted like cardboard - having some tastebud problems still).  Nuss & Lynn were scheduled to stop back by for dinner, etc.  Mom also went by & got his prescriptions filled for his heart medication.  Dad is planning on heading up to Decatur tomorrow to spend a few days or so at my grandparent's house (Bop & Gingin) - Gingin has nurses, Molly & Johnny, that are around to keep a watchful eye & a stomach full of food for Daddio... And then I'm assuming he'll head to The Foundry.  Jesse & I stopped by The Dream Center in LA today to take a peek, but no one was around to really give us a tour - AND Mom had a great point that if anything happens physically to him over the next year he has the support of St. Vincent's Hospital in Birmingham to go to complimentary... So perhaps, in all reality, he should stay "home".  :)  Only time will tell... A good attitude is my biggest concern at this point...

Love y'all oh so much!  I couldn't have done all of this without the love & support of you!

Hallie

Birmingham or LA?

Rockin out in honor of Dad!

Bobby - Ann - Nuss - Judy - Lynn

I haven't spoken to a nurse this morning... It's hard to get people on the phone over there!! I know yesterday he had another Esophagial Dialation because he was still struggling with his swallowing, and therefore the discharge that they were thinking of yesterday has been once again pushed back a little bit (okay by me!). His blood pressure was looking better yesterday as well, but that was before PT had been by, so I'm not sure what happened after he exerted some energy - Trying to find out!! :)

Jesse's amazing mom Carol helped me research treatment options in LA... She came across The Dream Center, which is similar to The Foundry, but just another option. It is located in downtown LA - It is free, faith-based and they do a LOT for the community. Selfishly, I would love for him to choose this option because I would be able to participate in the family program as well as visit him every week... However, if he chooses The Foundry then of course he has a little guardian angel in Hugh Thomas there! Hugh is visiting him this morning (not yesterday), so I am still looking forward to hearing about that conversation. And Hugh also told me that his fellow staff at The Foundry had great things to say about The Dream Center. I called Dad this morning & had a brief conversation with him just simply letting him know the option of LA treatment, but didn't get any type of answer from him. Of course, if he chooses neither then we have some problems...

A special thanks to Hugh Thomas, who has been incredibly hands on & supportive in figuring out aftercare plans!!

Getting Closer

Not much to report today... I spoke to Dad last night, so he was able to wish me a "Happy Birthday" which was great! I also spoke with his nurse today, who said that his blood pressure is looking better (140/70... I think??) - PT hasn't been by yet today to test his BP after a little excercise, so that will really be the kicker! They didn't work with him yesterday because they didn't want him to pass out while he was walking around since his blood pressure was so low, so hopefully today will bring a better outcome.

I am still working diligently on aftercare plans...!?!? Bama...? LA...? I told Dad to be prepared to talk to me today about "serious stuff", so I'll let y'all know first thing when we decide anything at all! Plus Hugh is visiting him this morning to discuss The Foundry again, so I'm anxious to hear his response...

Thank you so much for everyone's birthday wishes!!

Love you! Hallie

Trip Recap

Ooooookie Doooookie - I do apologize for the delay in Blogs, as it was a rather exhausting weekend with little computer access!  Dad is mostly stable, as he has been - Their final & main concern seems to be two things:

1.  Low Blood Pressure - They are working on stabalizing his blood pressure medications to keep his blood pressure up.  It seems every time he sits up in bed, and especially when he walks around with PT, his blood pressure drops A LOT (79/40 while I was there)... This is a big concern because obviously they don't want him to pass out when he is on his own after discharge.  They don't seem to be too alarmed... Just working on the right combination of medications, which I hear can take a while for Cardiac patients.

2.  Mobility in his Right Arm/Shoulder - This is definitely not keeping him in the hospital, but it is something they are working on, and that he will need continuing PT for... They think that it is due to nerve damage in his C4 disk (in his neck) - I am wondering if the position of his head in the ICU had something to do with this (he always had left ear to left shoulder, drastically).  I'm not sure if this is something that can be handled by therapy, or if they will have to fix it surgically.  He can move his right hand & forearm, but when moving his entire arm he picks it up with his left arm... Which is most frustrating when he is trying to eat.

Other than that, I worked on an "attitude adjustment" with him, which will hopefully stay after my departure.  :)  He got denied for a facility called Lakeshore Rehabilitation in Birmingham, which would have been an interim stop to continue his PT/OT rehab... They actually said he was "too well-off" (healthwise) for them... Not the worst news you could get, I suppose.  However, now discharge is definitely peaking its head around the corner, and I am still working on where he is going to go (and he is working on making some decisions too)... The Foundry (he has reservations about this)?  Elsewhere?  Ugggghhhhh.

A special thanks to Marion & Jon, Eddie & Tina and my wonderful Mama - Who all were so amazing this weekend.  Marion threw a wonderful little birthday party for me on Sunday night, and Eddie & Tina made the most delicious fried shrimp on Monday night (Jesse had never seen fried shrimp being made, I don't think, ha)... Not to mention Eddie's continuous words of encouragement & support (and a kick in the ass) to my Dad!!  

And it was fabulous seeing everyone else:  Ann Thomas, James, Kate, Nuss & Lynn, Bobby & Cindy, Thula, Grayson, Carolyn & Sean, Miller & Ryan (all the way from ATL), Jennifer & David, Elizabeth (& of course Savannah), my Decatur family (Ann, Mary Virginia, Sarah, Lily, Caroline & Bop) etc etc etc!!  AND last but not least... John Parker Wilson, who graced us with his presence at the table nextdoor during Sunday brunch after hearing a fabulous sermon from Gates Shaw - ROLL TIDE!  :)  (I know I'm forgetting someone, please forgive me....)

Love y'all!  Hals

Back in Bama

We landed a little after 7pm last night, and made it to the hospital shortly thereafter. Dad was good, actually. He was grumpy, of course... And mom had a tons of hilarious grumpy-Billy stories from being there all day (she almost just let his wheel chair roll down the hill on a little venture outdoors...) - But we were thankful that we had Jesse with us so that he had to sort of "behave" in the evening... He was still grumpy, but doing the usual Billy thing... Making himself giggle a little along the way. My best friends from college, Bridget & Jason, sent Dad a balloon a few weeks ago while he was in the ICU... As soon as we got there and he was talking about how "wacked out" he was, he pointed to the balloon and said "Get that thing outta here!!" He told us he had been having a "staring contest" with it for days now and that it wouldn't ever say anything back to him.... Hahahhahahahah, we were dying laughing.... He was somewhat serious, but knew what he was talking about - Knew that he was just going crazy from coming off the sedatives and being in the hospital for so long. He compared the balloon to "Wilson" in the movie Castaway... :)! Anywho... We visited for about 30 minutes then he kicked us out because he wanted to try and get some sleep.

We are on our way back up there right now - Hoping to finally talk to a DOCTOR, darnit!! We are trying to figure out a discharge timeline... People were mentioning today, but a doctor that stopped by yesterday said "no way"... He is throwing up his food (according to him, want to find out why), and still has very little mobility in his right arm (mostly shoulder... due to nerve damage in his C4 disk apparently...). He is still coughing a bunch, but they seemed to be "productive", and he was spitting "loogies" into a cup. :) He is VERY skinny... Looks eerily like my Grandmother right now...

Okay!! Can't wait to see some of y'all! After church we are off to hear the wonderful Gates speak at Christ Church...

Love, Hallie

Hmmmm...

Well, I spoke to Dad early this afternoon & mom talked to the nurses late this morning. He is having trouble eating - Mostly because he cannot control his right arm very easily, so according to him he is "wearing his food". He was drinking some Ensure when I called, and a physical therapist was supposed to bring some weights back up to the room to work with his right arm - Although it doesn't seem like physical therapy is working with him as much as it sounds like he needs. He is still weak walking, and his right arm is an issue... Which are obvious concerns for his discharge. He seemed okay mentally... Just frustrated & wanting out of the hospital. He thinks they may discharge him on Sunday, which would only be great since I'll be there to help. We are trying to contact the social worker again about extended care facilities. And I put the "rehab" bug in his ear on our phone conversation, but plan to explore that further in person. He said that he MUST get back to his house to clear his head before he will cooperate with any further plans - He will NOT go from one facility directly to another. I am okay with that as long as it's a limited amount of time (24-48 hours), and if I am there to look after him & moniter his health/actions, etc. I looks like there is a chance that Jesse & I may play a little "Nurse" this weekend...

I'm sorry that this update is a bit short & sweet... My workday is CRAZY with a looney-toon bride & groom on their way up for their reception, and trying to get all my ducks in a row to leave tomorrow!! Can't wait to see everyone!! I must admit, I'm a bit overwhelmed today...

Love, Hallie

The Countdown Begins!

Bobby - Judy - Za - Fig - Nuss - Phil of the Forrest - Lynn

(And yes, that is Nuss saying a big "Rolllll Tide")

Well... They are speaking of "discharge", estimated within the next 2-4 days... YIKES!!! They conducted an esophagial dialation yesterday, which did open up his blocked esophagus and he is back on food & drink orally! He is still receiving the TPN nutrition through an IV to ensure proper nutrition because his gastro-muscles don't seem to be fully functioning so he loses his appetite very quickly... But they did take him off the the amioderon drip & he is receiving that medication orally. Being able to eat & take medication orally is the first step towards discharge. I am very worried about his mobility though. The most he has walked is 200 feet with a walker... Probably wouldn't help him get up & down those steep steps to his condo. I spoke to him this morning, and he sounded okay - He said he was "still real beat up", but wasn't overly grouchy with me. He did describe to me about his esophagus & gastro muscles, so he seemed very oriented. He also said he was still weak physically, and thought he needed to get moving a little more because walking wasn't his strong point. He was the one that first mentioned discharge, so I hung up quickly after and called the nurse who confirmed the plans.

AND - The social worker called Mom to talk about aftercare plans since discharge is looming. Hugh Thomas (on staff at The Foundry) is going to return the social worker's call to discuss what shape he needs to be in to enter The Foundry's program, and hopefully she will have some recommendations. Let me back up... We are crossing our fingers that he accepts treatment with The Foundry, but he does need to be in decent physical shape in order to live there - Therefore, before The Foundry there may be an aftercare program (kind of like assisted living, but for people of all ages) that would have medical staff & physical therapists to work with his strength, etc. That way he wouldn't go back to his condo alone... I'm hoping we can avoid that at all costs! We are researching our options...

It seems like Jesse & I are coming back at a good time after all! We are still requesting the Doctor's conference either Sunday or Monday. I had the nurse give Dad a letter I had prepared for him talking about "life after the hospital", and what we have done while he has been there - So I am anxious to see his attitude after reading that letter (it's a little touchy)...

Love you! Hals

Life in 4 Bottles

A little joke from Ryan... :)

Last Night & This Morning

Hola!  Last night's nurse was WONDERFUL - Jennifer - She spent a long time on the phone with me... Not too much new information, but here goes...

• Throat - They found an esophageal block in Dad's throat.  They were attempting to put a feeding tube into his stomach through his nose to get him off of IV nutrition (both the nurses, then radiology tried), however they couldn't even get the tube into his esophagus because there was something blocking the opening.  She didn't know what "it" was... Perhaps a swollen muscle, or something like that... She said they were going to do more therapy with him today, and she thought there was processes that they may look into that would dialate his esophagus... Hmmmmm...?  This sounded like the main concern at this point.
• Disorientation - She said that he seemed much more oriented last night than he had the night before (when he fell), which was definitely nice to hear.  He was being super grumpy-pants with her, and she actually said to him, "Now, Mr. Pierce you don't need to be hateful with me..." - He told her he didn't mean to be, and then had a nice conversation with her about how he just feels so "restricted & uncomfortable" from all of the IVs, etc in his arms (he has things going in both arms & a blood pressure thingy that has to measure his blood pressure every hour while he's on the amioderon (sp?) drip for his heart rate).  She said that he did seem to be "forgetful" and asked if he was like that prior to his hospital stay, which I answered no, and she just said "hopefully that'll wear off."  She also said he listened to the radio yesterday and watched a movie.
• Catheter - It's out!  I bet he's happy about that... :)

Velba's Morning Report - He didn't sleep well last night (what's new).  They are going to have to wait until he finishes his swallow studies before they move forward with any feeding tube or oral feedings... They are doing more stimulating therapy on his throat today.  Physical therapy also had him walking around yesterday, and she's sure they'll be back around today as well.  His vital signs are stable.  She said right now he was "resting".  I always want to know what he's doing when I call - Ha, they probably think that's  weird, non-medical question!

I have requested a Doctor's conference for Sunday or Monday when Jesse & I are in town so that I can get another "full" update and "what to expect/how to move forward" kind of report... Hopefully that is helpful in determining his quality of life, and how he can live with his heart problems, etc.  

XOXO Hals

Ha Ha from Za...

MY LIVING WILL

Last night, my friend and I were

sitting in the living room and I said to her,
"I never want to live in a vegetative state, dependent on some machine, and fluids from a bottle. If that ever happens, just pull the plug.'"

She got up, unplugged the Computer, and threw out my wine.

She's such a bitch...

(Please excuse the profanity...)

Tuesday, Tuesday, Tuesday

Miller-Pam-Ryan-Dad-Bobby-Karen-Grandma-Grandpa

(Photo Courtesy of Ryan Robson)

Well - What to report for today... Hmmmmm...

• Dad Fell Last Night - He fell at about 12am... The night nurse (who called me at 3:30am, ahhhhh makes me so nervous) let me know that he got out of bed & fell at the end of the bed. He's totally okay according to her - They have his "bed alarms" on, which alert them if he gets out of bed, so when they rushed in there he was on the ground "on top of his legs", so it didn't seem like a dramatic fall - As if he maybe collapsed a little instead. His legs are still very weak.


• Chest X-Ray - He had a recent chest x-ray that looked the same as the one prior, which means his lungs have not been improving very much lately. He's obviously still breathing on his own, but we need them to heal a bit better... :(


• Throat - When I called this morning they were in the middle of shaving him & starting another throat treatment... Hopefully that goes well today & they can perform another Barium Swallow Test in the near future and get him eating/drinking again soon.

I think that's all I have for now... I'm VERY anxious to see him this weekend in person, and hopefully give him a little "attitude adjustment" (ahem, Mom)!!

He does have his cell phone, but I would strongly urge people to not call it - That's just my personal opinion though. I don't think he needs to be bothered anymore than he already is simply by the nursing staff...??

No Mas ICU

Looking a Little Better!!

(Photo Courtesy of Kate Oatman - 2/2 Visit)

They have set him free!  From the ICU, that is... Dad is now in room 571 in the 5-West section of the hospital (the same way you got to the 1st ICU, but keep going down the hall past the waiting room).  I'm still trying to figure out the phone situation... He does have a phone in his room now, but knowing Dad he would be VERY angry if it rang all the time, ha... He also now has possession of his cell phone, I believe... So I was going to wait until I talked to him again to see if he wants people to call either his cell phone and/or his room.  Stay tuned on that.

His throat muscles are still acting up (ahem, not acting at all) - They were supposed to do another Barium Swallow Test on his today, but the Speech Therapist wanted 2 more days of the electrode/stimulating therapy... I think he was able to have just a few ice chips this morning.

Other than that... His disorientation seems the same, if not a tiny bit better.  And I believe he is walking around with the assistance of a walker... However, I'm only hearing this from visitors, as opposed to when I ask his nurses (they say he just moves from bed to chair & back), so perhaps all this walking is during his "escapes"... Who knows... :)

Not much else to report... I'm a little nervous that he is out of the ICU - Mainly worrying if his heart were to act up again... And also that he seems to be a bit of a rebel, or pain in the ass with regards to listening to the nurses' requests... Ha!  I'm hoping to talk to a doctor soon about "what's next" - And how long we should expect his stay to be from here!  

Love y'all & can't wait to see some of you this weekend!!  Hals

3 Concerns

Mom visited Dad last night & this morning (and I believe she is going back again for the afternoon hours).  Her visits haven't been too uplifting... :(  She says he is VERY disoriented... He keeps trying to get out of the bed & walk down the hallway (but is too weak, so of course they don't want him to hurt himself)... Then he doesn't really understand why they stop him.  He had to be restrained last night, finally, because it was super restless.  There was a new Hospitalist that came around - Mom said she was great!  However, they have three main concerns right now...

1.  His Disorientation - They are going to watch him closely on this...

2.  Infection - His tests are coming back showing another infection... Maybe Pneumonia again, but they aren't quite sure yet

3.  Throat Muscles - Although they are progressing, they aren't progressing very quickly, so he is STILL on IV food, which they didn't expect at this point.

I'm going to get another report from Mom after her afternoon visit, and I'll update again!  I feel like this update is a bit vague... Hopefully we'll get some answers on this stuff soon.

Happy Super Bowl Sunday!  Love, Hallie

No Stroke!!

Pierce Cousins: Bobby - Hallie - Ryan - Miller

(Photo Courtesy of Ryan Robson)

CAT Scan - The results are back and.... He has a sinus infection!! :) YAY! I never knew I could ever be so excited about a sinus infection! I spoke to his night nurse last night (Britney) - She was very helpful - And she calmed my nerves a little bit as we awaited the CAT results... She thinks that the lack of movement in his right arm is more a muscular problem because he actually has a lot of strength in his hand (squeezing, etc). I didn't realize that or else I wouldn't have been so worried about the stroke thing! She mentioned requesting an X-Ray to see what else is going on in his shoulder, so we shall see... His Potassium & Magnesium levels have also elevated, so that's great news for his heart (for now)!

Today's nurse, Stacey, said he's doing fine (duh!)... He's a little restless, as usual. The speech therapists came by to work with him and said that his throat muscles are doing "a lot better", so hopefully he'll be able to switch back to eating & drinking (orally) again really soon... Who knows, not too much happens over the weekends it seems. Physical therapy will not be coming by today, but will be by tomorrow to work with him. She had him up in the chair again this morning, however described him as "very weak" when moving in between the bed & chair.

Hope everyone is having a great weekend! Love, Hals

Silly Billy

Ted & Peggy Pierce

(Photo Courtesy of Ryan Robson... Again, Isn't He Awesome!?)

• Well, after Mom's afternoon visit... In honor of Dad's recent hallucinations/dreams/etc I figured a picture of his parents was appropriate. Dad has seen Grandpa 4 times lately (he told Mom). For those of you that don't know... Grandpa passed away in October, and we held an incredible yet small Military ceremony for him at the Georgia National Cemetary where his ashes are now buried... But apparently he is coming back to life in Dad's dreams and "wants to kick his ass" (pardon the profanity). HA! This is SO Grandpa... Perhaps he's a little disappointed in him for not taking care of himself lately, or maybe something more that I don't understand - But Grandpa is "silently" putting his foot down in Dad's dreams (he doesn't "speak" to him)! Hopefully this will only help Dad with a speedy recovery... :)

• On a more serious note... The Doctors have order a CAT Scan for Dad this afternoon. Today he cannot move his right arm (but can move his right leg), so they are slightly concerned that he may have had a small stroke during one of his cardiac episodes. :( I, of course, will let everyone know as soon as I hear the results from the scan. It is rare that a stroke will only affect the top portion of the body, however it is possible... I definitely noticed that while I was in town, but just thought it was because they had ALL his IVs going into his right arm... Anywho!?!?!?
  

Morning Update

Ryan Robson (My Cousin, Pam's Youngest) & Dad - Photo Courtesy of Ryan Robson

I think this was taken at Grandma & Grandpa's 50th...

Serena is his nurse again today... She is very nice! And I am going to have to put "foot in mouth" because whoever was visiting Dad this morning (Serena didn't catch his name) told him about my Blog, so Serena pulled it up on their computers & printed it out for him (apparently he's reading it as I type this...which is very cool) - I might have said a few frustrating things about some of his nurses throughout his ICU stay, so I APOLOGIZE!!! :)

His Potassium & Magnesium are still low today - They are giving him more through an IV right now to try and get those levels back up... Low Pot/Mag can lead to dangerous heart arithmias (sp?), which he obviously doesn't need. She is going to check his levels again in a little bit...

Serena said that he can still answer direct questions okay, but sometimes he seems to still be "talking out of his head"... They are still chalking it up to the heavy sedation he was on at this point.

Throat/Physical Therapy - The speech therapists are scheduled to work on his throat muscles today (he is still on TPN/IV Nutricion - Which Dr. Farless wants to keep him on for at least 1 more full day to re-assess his throat situation) - They never made it back yesterday unfortunately, grrrrrrr, which Serena said was most likely due to their busy schedule. He did finally get his "neck beard" shaved last night, so he should be good to go when they come by today. The physical therapists have already been by to work with him today - She thinks they just did therapy in bed, and didn't try to get him walking around - Although, he did get out of bed with the help of different nurses a few times over the last 24 hours to use the bedside toilet... Progess, I suppose!

I'M TURNING CATHOLIC!!!

OH MY GOODNESS! OH MY GOODNESS! OH MY GOODNESS! I just received a call back from the St. Vincent's Charity Financial Aid Program (I turned in a rather long application for Dad when I was in Birmingham) - Dad is APPROVED!! The social worker told me that when people get approved, it is generally anywhere between 20-100% of the total hospital bill... DAD GOT APPROVED FOR 100%!! THAT'S RIGHT - ONE-HUNDRED-PERCENT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yeeeeooooowwww!

I need to go shopping for some Rosary Beads.... Love y'all - Hallie

(Mom brought up a good point... that there is a chance we could still receive the individual Doctors' bills, however the business person didn't mention one word about that when asked "what else do I need to do"... So we'll see, I need to inquire)

Ahahahahahahahahahahaha!

I don't even know what to say about this one! Ha!

(Photo Courtesy of Kate Oatman)

Shaving the Beard

The Pierce Family

Ryan-Pam-Peggy-Ted-Hallie-Tapper-Judy-Miller-Billy-Karen-Bob-Bobby

(Photo Courtesy of Ryan Robson)

First of all... Please excuse my awkward adolescence in the above picture, however I know y'all are jealous of my overalls AND red socks - Eat your heart out! Mental Note: If I have a little girl, make sure to grow her bangs out when she's itty bitty (ahem, Mom). I love little Bobby's expression!!

Nurse Serena gave me the update about an hour ago... He is stable today, and his heart rate is normal. His blood pressure is a little high, but she said that seems to be "normal" for him. He is still on IV nutrients & medication (they had to switch back from pill form), as his throat muscles are not working. Nuss said during his visit last night that Dad was complaining he was "dying of thirst" (of course they're keeping him hydrated, his mouth is just dry), so he gave him a wet paper towel to suck on & he even coughed with that. The speech therapist came by this morning to start working with him - They attach little electrode stickers to the skin on his throat, and they stimulate the muscles through pain-free "shocks" - Anyone ever had that done to their back muscles at the chiropractor? Kinda like that (ahem, David Slade)! :) Anywho, they came by this morning and the stickers were pulling on what Serena called his "neck beard" so they are coming back later after she gives Dad a good shave. And that's all for now...

XOXO Hallie

Evening Update

(Photo Courtesy of Ryan Robson)

Mom spoke with nurse Amy today before she left (a nice one!)... He didn't do very well on the Barium Swallow Test and now is he not permitted ANY food or liquids at all until they get his throat muscles working again (he's not so happy about that one). Basically, his throat muscles are not working at all, and everything he swallows goes into his lungs... Very dangerous!! They have put him back on IV nutrician, and his orders are to work with a speech therapist on exercising his throat muscles back into shape. They expect a full recovery for those muscles, it just sometimes take time & therapy.

Heart - His heart went into the "flutter" again today (not sure if it was atrial or ventricular), but his heart rate stayed down around 100, and his blood pressure didn't move so Dr. Jones just ordered to nurses to monitor him closely instead of changing any medications, etc.

Confusion - Amy said that whenever she asked him direct questions (date, location, etc) that he was able to answer them correctly, however in between he seemed to still be getting a bit confused. They are not worried about anything at this point, since he is coming off of a long road of heavy sedation, but if his confusion continues into next week then they would order a Cat Scan to check for any brain damage... Snap out of it, Dad!!

All for now! Hals

Sitting in a Chair...

Another good morning has arrived! Dad is up and sitting in a chair, with no oxygen required through any sort of mask or nose tubes! The physical therapists were working with him this morning to try and get him to walk, but he didn't do so well with that... He'll slowly build his strength back. He is also having a hard time swallowing still, so they are taking him to the respiratory part of the hospital to perform a Barium Swallow Test - An x-ray test used to examine the upper digestive tract (esophagus, stomach & small intestine)... Hopefully this will help them in determining where the swallowing difficulties are coming from. He was feeding himself ice chips when I spoke to the nurse.

Ann Thomas called me from his hospital room and I was able to talk to him again... He was easier to understand & more talkative today than yesterday. Most of what he said made sense (mostly describing his current health situation with being thirsty & having trouble walking), but he did say some weird things too... I told him that I was coming home to see him in a week and he said, "oh yeah, you probably need some money" (now most people would think this was normal coming from a dad to his daughter, but not in our situation, ha)... Then he said "mom was here last night, and dad's alive again so I need to.... (something I couldn't understand)"... Seems like he's dreaming a bit... Hopefully that's all it is. It's really hard handling those types of awkward conversation moments over the phone!

I'm still worried about his heart, and am anxiously awaiting an update from Dr. Jones. All seems well right now, and I am upbeat - However, his heart problems haven't just disappeared... Hmmmm...?!

I wanted to share with everyone a preface to the book The Journey by Billy Graham - Thula Davis gave this to me early in Dad's hospital stay

(Thanks, Thula!!), and I also found it to be a great message...

"You can't change the past. Whatever has happened in your life so far - both good & bad - cannot be altered, and all the decisions and events that have made you what you are today are indelibly inscribed in the story of your life. But with God's help you can change the future - and that's what this book is all about. The future doesn't need to be a copy of the past, nor does God want it to be. No matter what your life has been like so far, God wants to put your feet on a new path... His path. And regardless of what you may have thought, His path promises joy and peace and purpose far beyond anything you could have imagined."

Love y'all! Hallie

Night Nurse: Courtney / Favorite Word - "Fine"

According to Dad's night nurse, he is doing "fine" (I'll punch the next person that says that word to me, ha). And with further digging I found... He is still requiring a little bit of oxygen, but he is still only getting it through the nose tubes (so much better than the face masks!). They are giving him regular breathing treatments through the small face mask, which are ordered every few hours or so just to break up any potential fluid in his lungs - She said that his lungs sound "fairly clear" right now, and that fluid in his lungs is not as big of a concern as his ability to swallow liquids... His throat muscles are most likely weak from being sick & on the ventilator, and therefore he is having a hard time getting watery liquids down the "right tube" - At this point, he cannot afford to have any other liquids get into his lungs (so, don't give into him begging for something to drink, visitors!!). They did remove the feeding tube, because he can now eat!! They said that today they have given him some thickened liquids (sort of honey/nectar-ish), and he had a few bites of dinner (she didn't know exactly what it was), but he doesn't seem to have an appetite right now. He is answering most of her questions appropriately, however seems a bit confused at times (not to worry though, I think). And his heart rate stayed stable throughout ALL of the visitors today (Kate, Ann, Lamar, Rudulph, etc.).

Thanks again to Kate for the call & picture - And to both Ann & Lamar who tried to get a hold of me at work during their visits (I was tied up with the most horrendous wedding clients EVER)!

Sweet Dreams! Hallie

Look How Pretty!

(Photo Courtesy of Kate Oatman, Dad's Awesome Neighbor)

Ohhhhh, goodness - Someone get that man a comb & fix his hair - And while you're at it, a razor too!! :) Kate sent me this picture from her visit this afternoon... He was talking a bunch, and I got to say hi again - Love that! He told me that he was feeling "still real beat up", and that his breathing was "improving"... He also told Kate to "shut up" when she told him that he couldn't get out of bed, and then called her a "nincumpoop" - I love when he has "Billy" moments! Today, is a good day... Keep it up, Dad!! And stay put in your darn bed, the last thing we need is a 56 year old with a broken hip...

"I'm in a Hospital in Birmingham!"

The Pierce Brothers: Tapper - Bobby - Billy (Photo Courtesy of Ryan Robson)

10:00am CST / Nurse - Amy (Very Nice!)

Well... So far so good... Amy just got finished giving him a bath, shampooing his hair & brushing his teeth & he's hanging in there nicely. His blood oxygen level is at 97% (which she says is fine), and they were even able to switch him from the smaller oxygen mask to a Nose Cannula (the short oxygen tubes in each nostril) - So now he has a mouth free of instruments, yay! They STILL have not been able to give him ice chips or water (I bet he's on their case about that one!), and they won't until the Speech Therapist makes his/her rounds to conduct a swallow study & the doctor then okays an order for him to start having liquids. His heart rate is holding steady in "sinus rhythm" (normal rhythm) at 98... Good for now! Amy also said that he is "very oriented" this morning, and chalks up yesterday's belligerence to simply coming off of all of the heavy sedation. She asked him if he knew where he was, and he responded "a hospital in Birmingham", but he couldn't say which one... Maybe this time it won't have "bad karma"...! :) She has unrestrained him, and says she made him "promise" not to pull on any IVs or tubes... When will thse poor nurses learn that of course he will promise, but as soon as they step out of the room... He'll be on his way to that vending machine for some Mountain Dew in no time (not that he could walk there yet, but...)! In all, Amy actually said that compared to the first time she saw him in the MICU that "Today, he looks like a completely new man!"

Love y'all tons! Hallie

P.S. If anyone goes up there today with a cell phone, I would love to say hi to him!! Call me at work - (805) 388-5000 x357

Scamobian...

... Scamobian is the language that Dad & I both speak in our sleep.  It's pretty hilarious, and to be honest, way better than speaking actual English since people can't understand what we're saying (and therefore hold it against us).  Anywho, Dad has been speaking fluent Scamobian ever since they pulled the tube.  Mom says he's more talkative than ever, very disoriented, and has no clue where he is.  The latest update from the night nurse is that he is completely "belligerent" - He keeps trying to get out of his bead (gosh, I hope that they keep a close eye on him!), and he's speaking a lot but not being understood.  They are not worried because of the "ICU Psychosis" that is commonly known to happen to people that have been sedated for a number of days, and he was sedated more this last time around than the previous two times he got off the ventilator... So, hopefully this can all be chalked up to some crazy dreams during sedation!  Most importantly, as of now, his numbers are good:

Blood oxygen level at 100%

Heart Rate fluttering between 90s/100s

I have requested a call from his Cardiologist (Dr. Jones) for a FULL report on his latest heart condition, long term prognosis, etc - And will fill y'all in ASAP.

Love you!  Hals

The Tube is Out!

They extubated him at about 4:30pm today... So far, so good according to my mom (who is there).  Waiting on her to call with more information - 

Mom says he is doing okay... He is "talking, talking, talking" but she can't understand a word he says (I need to be there to translate!)... Poor thing.  But I got to say hi to him (she held the phone up to his ear), and hear his scratchy voice through this oxygen mask - YAY!!  I loved it... Mom hung up the phone to see what else she could decipher from him before visiting hours ended... 

Dr. Strickland's Report

Dr. Strickland said that things are looking pretty good today... That Dad hasn't had anymore irregular heart rates in the last day and a half, and that his breathing on C-Pap has been going well yesterday & all last night... THEREFORE, if he is still doing okay within the next couple of hours they are going to take the ventilator out!!!  Fingers crossed big time...!!  Mom is on her way down there in a little bit, so I'll get a better update this afternoon, and hopefully be able to talk to him!!  XOXO

Same Ole, Same Ole

I spoke with nurse Teresa again, and she said that everything was the "same" as earlier - Boy am I getting tired of that word, ha. They had just finished giving him the unit of blood, and they were hoping that would help with this oxygen levels (since your red blood cells carry your oxygen). She wasn't sure if they were going to start C-Pap trials again tonight (breathing through the vent on his own) until the Respiratory Therapist rounded again. She pretty much said they would run labs again in the morning to determine what's next...

I hope everyone is having a fabulous weekend! I'm off to dinner with Jesse's parents... And we should all be jealous of Eddie & Tina Burg, who are headed to Telluride in the morning!

Dad & I on Silverstrand Beach (my home) - Christmas 2007

More Blood for Billy

Hellooooooooooo! Sorry for the short delay in posts, my weekends get pretty crazy out here with work...

I spoke to his nurse (Teresa, I think) this morning, and she needed my consent to give Dad some more blood... I guess his blood level is low, which could be due to a handful of different things according to the nurse: Fluid, Infection or "maybe he is bleeding somewhere and we haven't found out yet" (really nurse?! that last one sounded fabulous)... So, I said yes and they are giving him a unit of blood right now, which sounded like the only thing on their schedule for the day. This heart rate has gone down (80s/90s), but it is still "fluttering", so there are no plans of extubating him at this time. Cardiology was on their way down to check on him, so I'm going to have to call in a bit for a better update!

I can't wait to come home!! This phone/nurse thing is getting frustrating, ha!

Mom's Hospital Visit 1/23

Mom confirmed that nurse Joe is indeed awesome! A hurricane Katrina transplant...

Heart Rate - Regulated when she got there, but it started going up - So they had to start him on another Beta Blocker drip to try and get it to go down, but it still wasn't down when she left - They sedated him some more, with a combination of sedation & pain killers (ex. Vallum) to keep him not only sedated, but to let him sleep and avoid agitation... She said that it was pretty disturbing to watch the heart monitor because normally there is a large peak followed by a couple of smaller peaks, but Dad's monitor actually dips down because of the heart flutter...

Stool - He now has a bacteria in his stool that is very contagious - YOU MUST WASH YOUR HANDS IF YOU VISIT HIM... This can happen with people that have been in ICU for a lengthy amount of time, so they have now started him on yet another antibiotic...

Hallie & Jesse Visiting: Feb 7th - Feb 10th

Now everyone get your birthday party-pants on because Jesse and I are flying in on Saturday, February 7th (my birthday is the 11th)... Anywho, I CANNOT wait to be able to hold my dad's hand again, fetch him a large quantity of ice chips & see everyone!!! It's 2 weeks from tomorrow, so I'm crossing my fingers that we'll have some improvements before then & it will be good timing... Wish I could just be there the whole time!!

Come on Charlotte!!!

Good News / Bad News

GOOD NEWS: Dad is once again in the excellent hands of nurse Joe - Everyone give it up for Joe! He is one of those nurses with great bedside manner, and offers up a lot of information for those of us that are medically-challenged... Without me having to rack my brain for the appropriate questions to ask! He did tell me that he would hang up on me if something were to happen to dad while he was one the phone, but I guess I won't blame him for that one...

BAD NEWS: Everyone get your patience-pants on, because the tube is staying in for the moment! Dad is having some heart issues today, and until they get those under control, they want to be sure his airway is protected in the event that something crazy happened with this heart... Makes sense, darnit. His heart is going into Ventricular Bigeminy & Atrial Flutter...or abnormalities of the heart rhythm, resulting in a rapid and sometimes irregular heart beat (I think!?). Basically, his heart rate has been jumping from the 50s/60s to the 130s/140s. Joe had just called Cardio, and they were working on getting it under control. One of the steps they were taking was to switch his breathing treatments from Albuterol to Xopenex (sp?), which may help to keep his heart rate down. I told Joe I was worried that since this happened simply from them agitating him with a bath, what happens when he's out of the hospital & walks up one flight of stairs...? Joe said that it's definitely a long term concern that would require Dad to take regular Beta Blockers & perhaps get a Pacemaker to control his heart rhythm... He also said that it's tricky because the only way that Dad would know if this was happening outside of the hospital is that he would feel light-headed, or slightly sweaty - No big signs to call for help. Of course, right now they have him hooked up to the EKG to monitor his heart at all times. Gosh - Seems like if we could just start paying rent in the ICU he'd be fine (I guess technically we are, ha)... But that's more expensive than even California rent! :)

Mom is stopping by the hospital today, so maybe she'll have more information in a little while...

Blah Night Nurse

Just spoke to Britney, Dad's night nurse... I definitely won't mind when it's her night off, ha...  Okay, okay... She said - 

1. "Everything is pretty much the same"

2. "I'm not sure about recent liver stats"

3. "His fluid seems fine, I haven't gotten much out tonight"

4. "They are still planning to extubate tomorrow"

5. What Time?  "I'm not sure"

6. Anything else I should know? "Nope, everything is pretty much the same"

Keep your fingers crossed for a successful extubation tomorrow!

And a big thanks to Eddie Burg, Bobby Shaw, Billy Hartsfield, etc who are so generously looking after me getting home another time in the near future... Maybe February 7th...?  It's so hard not being there to be ordered around by Dad for "some Mountain Dew damnit, and no don't ask the nurses"!!  :)

No Extubation Today...

The 4 Trafs: Fig (Lamar) Craigarina (Greg) Chuckles (Billy) Nuss (Steve)

Goooooooood Morning!

Well, I knew I shouldn't have gotten my hopes up! I spoke with his nurse a few minutes ago - Joe - Who said that Dr. Strickland & Dr. Farless had just made rounds... They decided their goal now would be to extubate tomorrow, since Joe was still pulling a lot of fluid off of his lungs. Since he has been productive in suctioning the fluid out mechanically, they decided to leave him on the ventilator in hopes that they could get even more fluid off of his lungs instead of leaving him solely responsible for coughing it up on his own, which is one of the reasons why he had to be re-intubated two times. I didn't realize he still had so much fluid down there... He also said that there is a chance that Dr. Strickland could round again this afternoon, see that Dad is doing well, and change his mind to take the tube out today, but he wouldn't know that until later. Joe did inform me that they lowered the settings on the vent even more, so that now it is "puffing" his airways open even less, which means he's doing that much more on his own. And they are continuing to keep him a bit more sedated because each time he wakes up he becomes agitated and reached for the tube... Joe said you only get one strike pulling the tube out yourself - Which he has already used up, ha - So he is sedated, resting & restrained!

Joe also said that the tube feeding is going "so well that he is requesting that the dieticians lower the amount of fiber in the mixer"... HA... Way to digest, Dad!

More to come later...

PM Update

I spoke with his night nurse - Britney...

She said that they were able to keep him on "C-Pap" trials alllllll day today - YAY!  This means he has been breathing on his own all day through the ventilator, and it is simply keeping his airways puffed open.  Since he did so well today, they are going to keep him on the same settings through the night (instead of increasing to mechanical breaths) - And the orders right now from Dr. Strickland are to extubate tomorrow as long as he stays strong throughout the night & morning.  She also said that his stomach is still tolerating the tube-feeding well, and she has reduced both his sedation & heart rate medication - which are both doing well (heart rate in 70s, wow!)...

Let's all hope that the 3rd time is the charm!!

Love, Hallie

Visitors...

Lynn Russell Davis Wrote:

Billy is still sedated but great news…he’s breathing all on his own (still has the ventilator just in case) but if he keeps up; tomorrow might be the day he gets it OUT! He was fast asleep! 3rd floor MICU... Blessings! Lynn

Ann Thomas Wrote:

Hey, thanks for the Santa pic, that is a hoot, I can JUST imagine! I am going to see Bill Bob this afternoon and will let you know how he and the room are! Sounds like he's making progress, yea! I went early yesterday morning to put the TV on so he could say (whether he likes it or not!) he saw our new president get sworn in! Can't wait for that conversation! Charlie(the respetory therapist) said his vent was 2 down from the day before, yea again! Love! -Ann

MICU - Day 2

Morning!!

Not much to update this morning… His nurse today, Anna Kate, said that he is “very awake” and his vital signs all look great. The pulmonary doctor hasn’t made his rounds yet today to change the orders, so they are going to go ahead and start him on another breathing trial now (like yesterday), to hopefully keep the good streak going – Then if he has more positive labs by the time the doctor rounds, maybe he’ll be that much closer to getting off that darn machine! Fingers crossed…

She also said that his stomach is doing well with the tube feeding… YAY!

Has anyone visited him in his new room yet? I’d love to hear about the MICU…

Attached - When dad came out to spend Christmas 2007 with me in California, we served dinner at a nursing home on Christmas Eve… They roped Dad into dressing up as Santa and passing out gifts… As anyone that knows him can imagine, he made the worst, most sarcastic Santa that you’ve ever seen – He had the old people rolling on the ground, ha!!!!

Love, Hals