Pete is now officially an out patient. For now the plan is that we will be staying in the apartment till the end of May and commute back and forth from home till the middle of June.
Our mornings are kept fairly busy with blood work, blow tests, clinic with the Respirologists and physio each day. Between all this there are x-rays, education sessions for diet, medications, caregivers, etc.......basically life after transplant :)
Feeling thankful :)
Monday, April 27, 2015
Saturday, April 25, 2015
Almost there
The plan is for Pete to be an out patient on Monday and as the Dr. Wienkauf said on his morning round "your doing really well, I have to go and find some sick people".
This week we've had a number of passes to go to the apartment, which was nice and today Pete stayed long enough too have "supper".
It's been a great week of healing :)
It's been a great week of healing :)
Till next week :)
Wednesday, April 22, 2015
Much better
Compared to last week, this week is awesome :)
We are glad to be back in the transplant ward, 3G2 #6-2. Must say though, we'll miss the nurses who cared so diligently for Pete on Pulmonary :)
Pete is managing to get more sleep each night and being more active during the day. Physio is happening regularly and with this beautiful weather we try to go outside in the wheelchair a couple times per day. I still get a kick out of taking Pete outside in his pajamas!
On Sunday Pete got a pass to go to the apartment and along with Rob, we listened to Chilliwacks church service live stream. Nicer to watch on the TV rather than the cell phone.
On Tuesday chest x-rays showed some fluid build up in the bottom of both lungs. This causes the oxygen absorption to drop quite low during the night. While sleeping Pete's still not breathing deep enough to prevent this from happening and then the lungs will tend to collapse in the saturated areas. So he will use oxygen till this heals. This also tends to elevate the body temperature. Just need to build up more strength! :)
I managed to have a day out yesterday. My glasses broke, so I headed up to Barrhead to get them repaired. Had a quick coffee with friends and then headed up to Neerlandia.......and there wasn't much I could do to stop the tears as I got near the hamlet. Home sweet home it is :) Just had to stop in at the Neerlandia Co-op and say hello to my co-workers. Spent some time at home gathering up things that I could use at the apartment and then a quick coffee with my daughter-in-law Missy and of course get in some gramma time. Managed to get my hair styled.....thanks Darlene for fitting me in! My last stop was saying hello to Pete's co-workers at Rose Country and then it was back to the city.
This morning when I walked into Pete's room I could see on his whole being that he had "slept".
We are very grateful to the Lord for the healing given to Pete each day again and take comfort in knowing that He watches over us each step of the way.
Take care everyone :)
We are glad to be back in the transplant ward, 3G2 #6-2. Must say though, we'll miss the nurses who cared so diligently for Pete on Pulmonary :)
Pete is managing to get more sleep each night and being more active during the day. Physio is happening regularly and with this beautiful weather we try to go outside in the wheelchair a couple times per day. I still get a kick out of taking Pete outside in his pajamas!
On Sunday Pete got a pass to go to the apartment and along with Rob, we listened to Chilliwacks church service live stream. Nicer to watch on the TV rather than the cell phone.
On Tuesday chest x-rays showed some fluid build up in the bottom of both lungs. This causes the oxygen absorption to drop quite low during the night. While sleeping Pete's still not breathing deep enough to prevent this from happening and then the lungs will tend to collapse in the saturated areas. So he will use oxygen till this heals. This also tends to elevate the body temperature. Just need to build up more strength! :)
I managed to have a day out yesterday. My glasses broke, so I headed up to Barrhead to get them repaired. Had a quick coffee with friends and then headed up to Neerlandia.......and there wasn't much I could do to stop the tears as I got near the hamlet. Home sweet home it is :) Just had to stop in at the Neerlandia Co-op and say hello to my co-workers. Spent some time at home gathering up things that I could use at the apartment and then a quick coffee with my daughter-in-law Missy and of course get in some gramma time. Managed to get my hair styled.....thanks Darlene for fitting me in! My last stop was saying hello to Pete's co-workers at Rose Country and then it was back to the city.
This morning when I walked into Pete's room I could see on his whole being that he had "slept".
We are very grateful to the Lord for the healing given to Pete each day again and take comfort in knowing that He watches over us each step of the way.
Take care everyone :)
Thursday, April 16, 2015
It's been awhile
Things have been difficult here for Pete. Once again a stretch of 4 days without sleep. The first couple of days have him tired, then by the third day the hallucinations come and by the fourth day he is in a state of delirium. Needless to say, this is hard for him and hard for those who care for him. This of course sets Pete's recovery back a few notches.
Tuesday morning I called my sister-in-law Yvonne Aikema (who happens to be a nurse) to come in and be there with us. Thanks so much Yvonne :) Rev. Louwerse also came by.
Dr. Lien the head of Respirology is doing every thing he can to figure out what is causing this. Two Medicine Psychologists have been reviewing Pete's drug intake against the blood work results. Some drug changes have been made and some of the dosages have also been altered. The amount of blood drawn is astounding.....for blood chemistry, blood cultures, etc.
Once again Pete has been given a private room (9th move) and it's 5E3 #22.
After repeated doses of a sleep sedative and the body simply being played out, Pete finally falls asleep. Wednesday morning he asks whether it was true about the baby or a hallucination. So yes, he did hear that he had a new grandson :) The day is spent napping while still being very restless.
This week has been one of highs and lows. On Tuesday the 14th, Hendrik and Suzanne Hulleman were blessed with a beautiful healthy baby boy whom they named Spencer Cody, weighing in at 7lb - 14 oz. We now have 12 grandchildren - 8 girls and 4 boys. The next day the Lord took Gary Drost home to himself. Gary was the fiancé of Hendrik's sister Grace Hulleman. Our hearts are hurting for Grace and her loved ones.
In light of what has happened and looking at the bigger picture, we are very grateful for the progress that Pete has made. We will continue to put our trust in God and pray that He will grant us the strength needed for each day.
This morning a new picc line was put in, chest x-rays were done and finally the CT chest scan they were waiting for could be done. Physio came knocking on the door and Pete managed to do 2 laps around the ward and lift a few weights. Today Pete still did a lot of napping but was much calmer.
He is also fighting several infections. The toughest one to battle is called mycoplasma which is an infection Pete happens to have in his lungs and is fought with a pretty heavy duty antibiotic. This infection could be playing a partial role in keeping Pete awake.
Till next time and take care!
Tuesday morning I called my sister-in-law Yvonne Aikema (who happens to be a nurse) to come in and be there with us. Thanks so much Yvonne :) Rev. Louwerse also came by.
Dr. Lien the head of Respirology is doing every thing he can to figure out what is causing this. Two Medicine Psychologists have been reviewing Pete's drug intake against the blood work results. Some drug changes have been made and some of the dosages have also been altered. The amount of blood drawn is astounding.....for blood chemistry, blood cultures, etc.
Once again Pete has been given a private room (9th move) and it's 5E3 #22.
After repeated doses of a sleep sedative and the body simply being played out, Pete finally falls asleep. Wednesday morning he asks whether it was true about the baby or a hallucination. So yes, he did hear that he had a new grandson :) The day is spent napping while still being very restless.
This week has been one of highs and lows. On Tuesday the 14th, Hendrik and Suzanne Hulleman were blessed with a beautiful healthy baby boy whom they named Spencer Cody, weighing in at 7lb - 14 oz. We now have 12 grandchildren - 8 girls and 4 boys. The next day the Lord took Gary Drost home to himself. Gary was the fiancé of Hendrik's sister Grace Hulleman. Our hearts are hurting for Grace and her loved ones.
In light of what has happened and looking at the bigger picture, we are very grateful for the progress that Pete has made. We will continue to put our trust in God and pray that He will grant us the strength needed for each day.
This morning a new picc line was put in, chest x-rays were done and finally the CT chest scan they were waiting for could be done. Physio came knocking on the door and Pete managed to do 2 laps around the ward and lift a few weights. Today Pete still did a lot of napping but was much calmer.
He is also fighting several infections. The toughest one to battle is called mycoplasma which is an infection Pete happens to have in his lungs and is fought with a pretty heavy duty antibiotic. This infection could be playing a partial role in keeping Pete awake.
Till next time and take care!
Friday, April 10, 2015
Another step ahead
So today it was back to the gym for physio. Knowing how weak Pete really is, he did well with the exercises and managed to increase a few of the reps.
The awesome part was that his oxygen absorption stayed at 95 even under duress! This means that the new lungs are doing their job and its just the body that is tired and that is what physio is all about for the next 2 months. Strengthening those muscles!!
We have the apartment till the end of May and hopefully after that if more time is needed we can drive in from home. I'm sure that Rob will be happy to have us back by then :)
We have the apartment till the end of May and hopefully after that if more time is needed we can drive in from home. I'm sure that Rob will be happy to have us back by then :)
Pete also had a Pulmonary function test done today which measures how well the lungs take in and release air and how well they move gases such as oxygen from the atmosphere into the body's circulation. This was good.
We managed to do a couple of wheelchair excursions outside today and enjoy our beautiful weather. A wonderful treat after being in the hospital for 4 weeks .
Thankful for such a wonderful day!
Thursday, April 09, 2015
On the ward again.....
.....and this time its to the pulmonary ward 5E3 #20 because this is where they have the bipap machine if needed, but the CO2 count seems to have levelled off, which is a good thing because high CO2 acts as a mild anaesthetic and that's not what Pete needs.
A routine CT chest scan was done today and all seems to be looking good. Much to be thankful for!
They had to remove the picc line because the entry site didn't look good and a new one will have to be put in.
Now it's a day later and what a difference. Pete is breathing totally on his own :) :)
.......and hopefully he will be discharged as an "out patient" early next week.
We had a friend from our group who had his transplant in July 2014 visit us. Brian & Bev, thanks for the encouragement.
Praise to God from whom all blessings flow.
A routine CT chest scan was done today and all seems to be looking good. Much to be thankful for!
They had to remove the picc line because the entry site didn't look good and a new one will have to be put in.
Now it's a day later and what a difference. Pete is breathing totally on his own :) :)
.......and hopefully he will be discharged as an "out patient" early next week.
We had a friend from our group who had his transplant in July 2014 visit us. Brian & Bev, thanks for the encouragement.
Praise to God from whom all blessings flow.
Tuesday, April 07, 2015
Visit to the ICU
For a couple of days Pete has been incredibly sleepy. He'd have had a decent sleep and come morning he just couldn't stay awake and would just drift in and out all day and then by evening he'd be with it for a couple of hours. You might think that he's making up for lost time, but that's not the case.
So Monday was interesting in the gym. They thought Pete might stay awake if they tried some exercises, but he just kept drifting away. So physio is on hold once again.
The doctor's not sure why this is happening, so just to be on the safe side, he decides to send Pete back to the ICU for a more intensive assessment. His carbon dioxide count is to high, but overall they are not too concerned with the CO2 level itself, but more about what's causing it. Then this morning they decide to make sure and do a CT scan of the head. That turns out fine :)
It's likely got to do with the medications, so changes are made and today things were much better. It's not busy in ICU right now so Pete's simply waiting there for some more tests to be done tomorrow. Not a bad place to be, you get good one on one care!
Hopefully he can head back to the ward and begin physio.
So Monday was interesting in the gym. They thought Pete might stay awake if they tried some exercises, but he just kept drifting away. So physio is on hold once again.
The doctor's not sure why this is happening, so just to be on the safe side, he decides to send Pete back to the ICU for a more intensive assessment. His carbon dioxide count is to high, but overall they are not too concerned with the CO2 level itself, but more about what's causing it. Then this morning they decide to make sure and do a CT scan of the head. That turns out fine :)
It's likely got to do with the medications, so changes are made and today things were much better. It's not busy in ICU right now so Pete's simply waiting there for some more tests to be done tomorrow. Not a bad place to be, you get good one on one care!
Hopefully he can head back to the ward and begin physio.
Saturday, April 04, 2015
Much better
Pete's gaining strength each day and today was pretty special because he walked the hallway several times without oxygen support and was okay when he came back. So thankful for each step of progress.
Part of the reason for using oxygen yet after the transplant is that the lungs also are in a distressed state when they are transplanted.
Finally all the drainage tubes have been removed and this makes things that much more comfortable.
Before surgery the medications Pete was taking would elevate his blood sugar levels and was controlled with a pill. But with all the anti-rejection drugs added to the list, he is now an "insulin dependant diabetic". We knew this was coming and I have been busy over the last several months learning how to cook differently.
Had a fun time with Mabel. She got to experience our Alberta weather first hand. We spent Tuesday afternoon walking down Whyte Ave. in gorgeous sunny temperatures and by evening it was very windy. Well at midnight we were restless and decided to go for a walk and seeing as it was quite chilly we decided to tour the basement of the hospital instead :). Then we woke up the next morning to slushy snow!
They played musical beds again and this time Pete is in room 3G2-20 - #2. Will miss the private room. But this room is pretty peaceful and it's by the window. No complaints :)
My brother and his wife, Dick & Alida Vanderhorst from BC dropped by for a visit. It was good to see them. They are in Edmonton visiting their children.
Monday morning Pete will hopefully be back in the gym.
Have a blessed weekend.
Part of the reason for using oxygen yet after the transplant is that the lungs also are in a distressed state when they are transplanted.
Finally all the drainage tubes have been removed and this makes things that much more comfortable.
Before surgery the medications Pete was taking would elevate his blood sugar levels and was controlled with a pill. But with all the anti-rejection drugs added to the list, he is now an "insulin dependant diabetic". We knew this was coming and I have been busy over the last several months learning how to cook differently.
Had a fun time with Mabel. She got to experience our Alberta weather first hand. We spent Tuesday afternoon walking down Whyte Ave. in gorgeous sunny temperatures and by evening it was very windy. Well at midnight we were restless and decided to go for a walk and seeing as it was quite chilly we decided to tour the basement of the hospital instead :). Then we woke up the next morning to slushy snow!
They played musical beds again and this time Pete is in room 3G2-20 - #2. Will miss the private room. But this room is pretty peaceful and it's by the window. No complaints :)
My brother and his wife, Dick & Alida Vanderhorst from BC dropped by for a visit. It was good to see them. They are in Edmonton visiting their children.
Monday morning Pete will hopefully be back in the gym.
Have a blessed weekend.
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