October 4th, 2011 - It's been quite awhile since I posted but there really hasn't been much since she reached the point she could resume her everyday activities. She gets an checkup from the cancer specialist twice a year and happily every time his report is that she's doing just great and that he'll see her in 6 months. A year from now those trips will decrease to yearly for which she's grateful as she has to undergo a scan for each which requires drinking that awful tasting contrast fluid. Yuck!

Otherwise her only problem is from when she injured her shoulder in the summer last year and had to have surgery on it last fall. Not quite rotator cuff surgery but close. It still bothers her occasionally but she has good use of it for which we are thankful.

December 11th - Isn't it something how time flies? It's been almost 2 weeks since my last entry. Susan continues to recover steadily with no setbacks. Praise God! At the beginning of last week she started dressing in everyday clothing, jeans and all. What a treat! She also discovered how much weight she has lost since the surgery since the jeans are getting baggy and require a belt to keep them up properly as she doesn't want to look like these young guys displaying their underwear. And she continues to lose weight so this is an unexpected benefit of the surgery and boy is she happy! J

She went to church for the first time Sunday night November 25th which also happened to be our 29th wedding anniversary. She was happy to be there and I am happy to have her with me still. She then went to church the following Wednesday night though she just sat in the service. She won't be getting back into Missionettes until January at least. Her strength and stamina are still very low so she's doing good just to go and sit in the service. As the pastor said, "she's not her usual bouncy self". She is enjoying getting out though and Thursday evening she and I attended our church's annual Leadership Christmas dinner. She can now dress herself completely as she is now able to put on her own socks and shoes and tie the shoes. That last act was the last hurdle to get over. So now I'm back to work in the office full days since she no longer requires someone with her all the time. Jared is still home when not in class at college to assist her. So you can see progress is on a steady linear upward climb and she's enjoying and thankful (as are we all) for every advance she makes. I am so thankful that God has taken such good care of her and is blessing me with her life. This makes the best Christmas present I could ask for! If I don't write again before, we hope you all have a wonderful, safe, and Blessed Christmas as we celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior. It looks like for sure that we'll be going to Omaha to be with her family at Christmas as usual.

November 28th - Well another week has gone by and Susan continues to progress though I can't say it's exactly at warp-speed. She did very well on Thanksgiving at our relatives the Harmers and we stayed quite a while later than I would have thought. She was tired when we got home but she so enjoyed the visit. Thank you John and Elaine! And then on Friday her sister Dorene and family came to visit which was really great therapy for Susan. Their visit was short but very much appreciated and very good boost for Susan. Thank you Sean and Dorene. She's now taking a walk up and down the block every day and I've gotten her out to the store a couple of times to grab a few things. Since even that would entail a fair amount of walking throughout the store, she rode one of those electric carts with a basket on the front. I think she enjoyed it! So the steps on the road of recovery continue to get longer and more frequent. Friday evening is our local Falcon club's Christmas party and we're planning on being there though we may not stay as long as usual for the "Chinese gift exchange". But it will be good to get out and gather again with friends. Then we're looking at trying to make it to church on Sunday night. That will be a hallmark in itself as it will have been 5 whole weeks since Susan set foot in church and she is so starved for it! Thank goodness for the pastor's sermons we've gotten to watch due to the DVD recording of our church's A/V department. Thanks guys! The big goal is for her to be sufficiently recovered to go to Omaha for the annual Christmas eve celebration. Keep praying for her!

As always, your calls and visits are always appreciated and I encourage everyone to stop by or pick up the phone. It's no fun being a shut-in!

November 21st - Susan had her post-surgery checkup today. The doctor said she's doing just fine and wants to see her back in 3 months. Her staples got removed and replaced with steri-strips so now she won't set off the metal detector at the airport! And she's happy! J The few concerns she had were diagnosed as normal post-operative symptoms so she just needs to work through it and before long she'll be back to normal. In the meantime, she needs to continue walking to increase her stamina. Thank you to those who have called, visited, or sent cards! They're all welcome!

November 19th - Has it been a whole week already? Wow, the time sure flies! Susan has been going outside every day for walks around the driveway and sometimes next door. I've also gotten her out for a couple of rides to the store though she stayed in the car while I went in. She also went to a doctor's appointment today for her lipids, to find out her status and getting back on those medications. Wednesday is her appointment with the oncologist so I'll write again that night to let you know what happened there. So she continues to progress, though it's slow.

And don't forget that calls and visits are the bright spot of her day, so don't be shy!

November 12th - I apologize to those of you who have missed the frequent updates. Today marks one week since Susan came home from the hospital and things have really calmed down so the improvements are more subtle rather than obvious. She did even better though with her second shower and is now up for a good part of each day and taking all of her meals at the table, so her strength is definitely returning. She's even tentatively planning on going to Thanksgiving dinner at nearby relatives! Her visitors all tell her how good she looks so she doesn't have to take my word for it. J 

She wants to thank each and EVERYONE for their prayers, cards, calls, visits, and the beautiful flowers. They all serve to brighten up her day, so please do give her a call. And we only ask you to call before visiting just to ensure that she isn't taking a nap. God bless you all!

November 8th - More progress! (As if any of us had any doubts) Yesterday evening she took her first shower. Boy did that feel good! (to her that is)

Today she made her first trip from the bedroom level down to the main level of the house (it's a many split-level house). She ate breakfast and then supper at the dining room table. Woo-hoo! Breakfast was a little later than the rest of us, but she's allowed that. J  But she sat with the rest of us for supper. It sure was nice. So she'll probably be "making her rounds" walking through the house to get exercise. Of course for now I guard her when she's navigating the stairs.

So while it's not a lot, it's still very welcome progress for which we are very thankful. And like I said before, if you call or stop by and she's snoozing, please try again as she appreciates contact with the outside world.

November 6th - Susan wants to thank you for the cards, calls, and visits today. All are appreciated and if anyone calls or drops by and she happens to be sleeping, please try again! She spent a nice, restful day in her own bed watching movies and being expertly waited upon by her family. J  I can see her progressing even today as her movement out of and into bed was noticeably easier than just a couple of days ago. So things are progressing nicely though not at the same pace as last week. And because of that, you might not find updates every day as up until now. Thank you to all those who've made posting these updates worthwhile.

November 5th - Y'all better be sitting down when you read this! Believe it or not they discharged her today! Yep! The resident came in this morning and told her that her pain meds were sorted out so there was no further need to keep her there since then all she was doing was resting and recovering, which she could do just as well at home. Interestingly, she had another round of visitors today. It's a good thing they came today! Each was appreciated and welcome. Also welcome were the three sets of flowers delivered today. Thank you!

So late this afternoon Michael and I traveled for the last time to the hospital bringing her escape garb and leaving with Susan and a lot more stuff than she arrived with. J So we got her home and into bed, her own bed, and then got her a little something to eat and drink and I got her pain prescriptions filled so she can continue to recuperate comfortably.

Now it's just a matter of time and waiting. Please feel free to send your well wishes through cards, phone calls, and visits, though I hope y'all don't call or come at the same time! J

November 4th - All quiet on the hospital front. Today was a quiet day with not much happening. On Saturday Susan thinks she overdid the walks and then she thought her pain meds were coming on regular intervals and by the time she found out they weren't and so got some and they started working, she was in quite a bit of pain. So she spent a restless Saturday night and got up with a headache which lasted till evening. I even went to see her in the afternoon and left after a 1/2 hour because of that. I went back a few hours later and she was much better having ditched the headache, but rather than being perky like on Saturday, she was very mellow. So it was a quiet, lay low, day.

The resident (apparently the doc takes the weekends off, hey there has to be some perks for being the head guy) told her they wouldn't release her until her pain med situation was under control. He also told her that HRT wouldn't start right away as they like to get the patients stabilized every other way. So she'll have to put up with the temperature swings and sweats for a bit. And so we wait until today for her to see the doctor to get an estimate of when she'll be released from there.

So while no progress like previously, she's still okay and still the evidence of all of your prayers. Keep them coming please!

November 3rd - NEW FLASH! SUSAN LESLIE SEEN CAVORTING IN HOSPITAL HALLWAY!

Well, not really. But she did take two walks around the floor of Area 51. The first walk was when she was fresh this morning so she did 2 whole laps. This evening she took one lap with me and I enjoyed every step of it! And that means the commode is now a thing of the past as she can get to the bathroom. She's getting well fed too. All the jokes about hospital food don't apply to this place, that's for sure.

One unfortunate side effect of her surgery is that now her body temp isn't regulated like it used to be so now she is experiencing times of "elevated body temperature". So she'll have to work with the doctor on getting that under control.

Today was the day for visitors! A couple of friends from church came by including our pastor, and her cousins the Harmers. She also had visitors via the telephone including her sister Lynette. She appreciates each and every visit and all are welcome as long as they all don't come at once! J  And she got a cute, very soft and cuddly bear who is packing a microwavable lavender scent packet. She's already enjoying it and loves how soft it is. It makes a good companion until she has me to snuggle up with again.

Her doctors are very happy with her progress and the resident was talking about her going home in a couple of days though he did say that it was up to the doctor. So she's going to ask him tomorrow to see if he's going to stick to his original plan of keeping her in for 2 weeks or if he'll release her early. The thing is, even though she's doing well, she had some VERY major surgery and we hope he keeps her right there for several more days. I'm prepared to take care of her when she comes home but that's not the same as a nursing staff with their facilities and while our bed is very comfortable, it's not a hospital bed that moves 100 different ways.

So she continues to improve daily but she tires quickly and has quite a ways to go so we ask that you continue to daily send your prayers to the Lord for her continued recovery. Thank you one and all!

November 2nd - A change of scenery! Yep they kicked her out of the SICU! This morning they removed the epidural line which of course meant no more instant pain relief. So now her pain meds are a mixture of pills and injections in the IV line. Then early this afternoon they removed her catheter, so now her only tether is the IV in her neck. Then a couple hours later they moved her into....where else, but Area 51. No, really! That's what the ward is called! Come and see for yourself! So she's in a private room with a routine that is more what you think of in a hospital. And she's getting solid food now. For supper she had an open-face roast beef sandwich, mixed veggies, salad, fruit cocktail, cake, milk, and iced tea. No, she didn't eat it all but she did eat a fair amount which is pretty good considering she hadn't eaten solid food for 6 days. To make it easier at first, they've given her a commode by her bed so she doesn't have to walk over to the bathroom but I'm sure that will come next week.

She really is doing well. She takes it slow and getting up and down are painful but I think she's handling it all really well considering what all they did and how long her incision is (I need to measure it to let y'all know). I think her biggest complaint is when the poor respiratory therapists come around to get her to breathe into the spirometer. They want her to do it multiple times an hour but that's the one way she's playing the "bad" patient since she's only doing it when they come around. I'm trying to walk a fine line of encouraging her to do it more without getting those looks that could melt steel. Ha!

So with the food and rest and good care she's getting, not to mention all of the prayers you all are bombarding Heaven with, she's going to keep improving every day. Praise God!

Her phone # is 913-588-5120 and the address is:

The University of Kansas
Medical Center
3901 Rainbow Boulevard
Kansas City, KS 66160

November 1st - Not as much progress today but that's okay. I went this morning and she was in bed and didn't look quite so chipper but she told me that she hadn't had a good night's sleep. It didn't have anything to do with her condition but was because the SICU was extra noisy. Lots of activity a good part of the night which of course wasn't compatible with sleep. I was only there a little over an hour and she drifted off to sleep (aided by a dose of Benadryl for itching) so I left.

Tonight I went back and took the boys for their first visit. Susan sure enjoyed seeing them. She was a lot perkier than this morning as she had a 4 hour nap after I left. She was sitting up in a recliner chair they had brought in for her and when we left she said she had been up for 2 hours. You could tell she was ready to lay back down but it was good to see her up again.

It sounds like tomorrow she'll get her epidural line removed and get transferred to a regular ward. So when I go back tomorrow I don't know where I'll find her! So while there weren't any dramatic advances, she still was doing well and the nursing staff say that she's one of their easiest patients to care for. And speaking of them, the nurses there are SO wonderful to her and are always coming in asking if she needs anything. You can tell that these people really care, that's it's not just a job.

So I am thankful that the Lord is blessing her in many ways throughout this. And for those of you who have sent cards, I delivered them tonight. Thank you! Once she gets a regular room with a phone, I'll post the address and number here.

October 31st - Today was yet another good day! When I walked up to her room I could see her smiling face through the doorway and she was sitting up in a chair! She sat there for an hour and that was the second time today! Another advance was that she is now able to drink fluids. So her voice was much better and she was feeling better overall. Also they have the dressing off of her incision which surprised me. She told me that she had a good nights rest last night so of course that was a great help. Her deep breathing is increasing also which makes the respiratory therapists in particular happy. The doctor (her surgeon/oncologist) came by this evening while I was there and he was all smiles just like she said he was yesterday. I asked him about the lack of a dressing on the incision and he told me that since it wasn't draining at all and was a good color, it was better to keep it off to keep it dry and let the air speed the healing. Apparently with their precautions, they don't feel there's a need for concern. And they do have strict rules. Anytime you enter the ward or a patient room, you must cleanse your hands with foam from one of dispensers scattered throughout the SICU. And not just anyone can get in either. The outer doors are controlled so you must use a phone at the door and identify yourself and who you are coming to see. They have a camera watching the door too. And each patient has a code number that they give the family so they may ask for that too before they allow you to enter, though I haven't been asked yet.

The doctor said that he thought she would probably be ready to transfer out of the SICU tomorrow so he was asking the nurses about transfer orders for her. So it wouldn't surprise me that when I bring the boys up to see her tomorrow evening that she's already transferred. They expressed disappointment in not being able to see the inside of the SICU, but there's not really been any chance before then.

So the Lord continues to bless Susan everyday! Thank you for your prayers and please keep them coming as their power is showing!

October 30th - And the praise reports just keep on coming! When I got to her room the first thing I noticed was how alert and awake she was! Of course her voice is still rough from the ventilator tube and NG tube, but she can talk. And that leads me to the second thing I noticed which was that the NG tube was gone! And then she showed me that the IVs which had been in each hand were also gone! Woo-hoo! So now she just has the IV line in her neck and the epidural line in her spine. She also told me that she sat up for an hour today. That's less then 24 hrs after the surgery! So she is progressing very well. She said the surgeon was all smiles when he visited her today because of how well the surgery went and the progress she has made.

The nursing staff is doing a great job taking care of her and I can leave her with peace knowing how well she's being taken care of. The epidural is handling the pain so she's not in much discomfort from that. A slight headache and discomfort from the "girdle" she has wrapped around her are all else that bothers her. She watched a bunch of TV today which is great because when I was in her room yesterday I wondered why they had a TV in rooms for people who were groggy or sleepy so much. Now I know why! J

So while her recovery has a long ways to go, she's had a great start! There's even a possibility she'll be transferred from the SICU to a regular ward and if she doesn't, then I'm sure she'll transfer on Thursday.

So keep those prayers coming folks, because they're working! And THANK YOU!

===============================================================

October 29th - PRAISE GOD!!! The surgery was a total success with everything going as well as we all hoped and prayed it would!

It even started with getting the epidural line put in. The anesthesiologist said it was just like a textbook procedure. Yes! The reports I got throughout the day all started out with "she's doing just fine" and then went on to relate what had been done since the last report.

What they did was remove her gall bladder (she had complained of pain in that area and the surgeon said it was tense), biopsied some swollen lymph nodes (which all reported as negative), removed different areas of the abdominal cavity lining (this will all grow back), and did a total hysterectomy. The surgeon (who is also the oncologist) highly recommended the latter as he said that anytime this type of tumor returns (and he said they always do sooner or later, but we're believing it won't) they have an affinity for those organs.

Then they did the 90 minute warm chemical wash of her abdominal cavity to remove and neutralize anything they might have missed. BUT! The surgeon said they found little enough of the remnants of the tumor that they didn't need to give her a dose of chemotherapy via IV. Yay!

But it was a loooong day. After arriving at the hospital at 6:30am, she entered the OR shortly after 8 and finally went to the Recovery Room about 4:30pm. Then she was there until about 8 partly because of a room shortage which delayed her getting into the room scheduled for her. I finally got to see her about 9 and went home at 10:30 leaving her resting as comfortably as possible. Whew! I'm glad we don't have to repeat that day!

So it's a late night and I want to thank ALL of you for your love and support. We wouldn't want to have done it without you! Stay tuned for more!