awesome news.

Big news! Papa had his surgery yesterday, everything went smoothly, and he is recovering well! What a HUGE answer to many prayers! The surgery was scheduled for Friday morning, between 7:30 and 9:30.  However, he didn't end up going into surgery until mid to late afternoon.  Got to love the waiting game hospitals make you play.  Waiting aside, the important thing is that he got the surgery.  The surgeon said that when he opened him up, liquid came up like a geyser.  Obviously a good thing to relieve that pressure! Results may be slow to take effect, as they start the draining at a slow rate.  He'll go back in to the hospital in about 10 days for follow up and making adjustments as necessary.  In my mind's eye, I somehow always pictured the shunt as a valve that you have to crank open or shut.  In reality, from what I've been told, the way you adjust the shunt is through a magnetic force, as there is apparently a magnet near his right ear now.  Anyway, it was a good day with good results.  Please continue to pray for healing, a speedy recovery, and that the doctor's will get the right speed of flow figured out relatively quickly. 

And, in other news, I woke up at 4:00 this morning.  For no reason in particular, other than not being able to fall back asleep.  Second time this has happened in the last week.  Let's hope it's not a lasting trend! Happy Saturday to me...

down and back up.

Since my last post a couple of weeks ago, so much has happened.  The first is this: Papa continued to decline, to the point where we really didn't think he was going to make it.  He was completely unresponsive some days, couldn't swallow, couldn't walk, barely speak, couldn't stand, sit up, etc.  My parents and I went down on Sunday the 4th to celebrate the day, as well as to visit everyone.  It was basically decided that another attempt would be made to get Papa into UCLA to see the hydrocephalus specialists there.  Nothing much changed between Sunday and Monday, so my aunt and uncle decided they would take him down to UCLA and try to get him admitted through emergency while he was somewhat stable.  Through a series of ups and downs (I'll spare you all of the details), he was finally admitted to the neurology floor and they decided to do a complete work up on him.  Once the test begins, it's a 72 hour wait for results.  Fast forward to this last Sunday, the 11th.  My parents and I, along with my sister and great aunt and great uncle (Papa's sister and brother-in-law) headed down to UCLA to visit.  We left around 4 since nothing much was happening.  About 4:45, the neurology intern came in and said they were going to start the test, which consists of them removing spinal fluid and observing him.  He had some complications, however, and said the test would be done on Monday instead.  As of yesterday, Papa was showing distinct changes in his behavior.  Before he could speak to you, but couldn't really carry on a conversation, couldn't remember where he was, etc.  Yesterday he was conversing, knew where UCLA was, remembered his nurses and their names, was up walking around (with some help, of course).  The nurse that was there, who had also been there last Friday, didn't realize he was the same patient until she saw my aunt and grandma come in the room.  Because of these and other remarkable changes, it does look like surgery will be a possibility for him to relieve his symptoms.  He has been cleared for surgery from a cardiac standpoint, so hopefully by tomorrow we should know more about the next steps.  Please continue to pray!

Onto other topics, my days have recently consisted of me working 8+ hour days from home.  I love the from home aspect because I can work in my pajamas, pick my own hours (although I always start later than I should and end up working until late hours), and watch Friends while I'm working.  Because June was the end of the quarter, I'm under a big push to get things finished up.  I have until Monday to get it all done...

One of the funniest things that has happened:  My mom decided sometime last week that she was going to shave Molly (our Westie) into more of a "Westie" cut.  Last time she went to the groomer they cut her short all over.  About 10 minutes later and one wiggly dog later, Molly's back had a series of hacks in the fur, resulting in her looking like she has some strange disease or something.  Her fur was short enough in some places to show her skin, so we've been having to put sunscreen on her back so she won't burn.  My poor mom has gotten more grief about her "grooming," but it was hilarious.  Molly is just cute, though, so even with a "hacky backy", as we so lovingly refer to it, she is still adorable. 

My life also consists of picking up other people's mail.  We are having my grandparents' mail held a week at a time, so every Friday I get to make the trek across town (about 1 hour round trip) to pick up the mail, water plants, etc.  I've also been asked by some family friends to pick up their mail (house and a P.O. box) while they are vacationing for the summer.  Between all of those trips every week, I feel like I'm constantly checking someone's mail.  (I really don't mind, though)

In the last few weeks, huge strides have been made in this household.  Lucy, our adorable, but standoffish, cat has become my stalker.  Since I'm home during the day, she'll come into my room and lay by my feet as I work, laid on my bed one day with me, even lets me pet her with my hands (usually it's feet only).  She'll yell and yell at me until I pay attention to her.  Our relationship is still on her terms, but things are looking up! :)

looking up.

I am thankful for my health, a job, and the many blessings that I have been given.  I am thankful that we have a God who listens, cares, and answers prayers.  Sometimes the answer isn't always what we want to hear, or simply a "not yet."  I'm still not sure what the answer to my prayers will be, but I am nevertheless thankful.

The reason I am so thankful: Papa was released from the hospital on Friday.  He made it to my aunt's house sometime Friday afternoon and they got him settled there.  A hospital bed has been rented, oxygen tanks are in supply, and rails have been installed around the toilet.  Still, Papa is home and slowly, slowly getting better.  Friday didn't see much improvement, as he was still unable to walk unassisted and eat very much.  Saturday, though, things began to change.  My dad and I travelled down on Saturday morning with my grandma in tow, taking her back down after her quick trip home to get a few things taken care of.  Anyway, we arrived at my aunt's house around 11am.  Papa was sleepy, but awake and talking.  We got him to eat a cup of tapioca pudding...small steps!  I sat next to him on his bed, held his hand, and visited with him for awhile.  After not too long, he fell asleep, still holding on to my hand.  Unsure of how long he would sleep, I felt obligated to sit there, especially since he was gripping my hand.  My cousin and I chatted with the US v. Ghana World Cup game on in the background.  As it neared lunch time, I finally slipped my hand out of his in order to go get lunch going for everyone.  As we were eating a quick lunch of sandwiches, a nurse came to evaluate Papa for home care assistance.  Awhile later, the nurse left, and we were able to get Papa to eat a half of a sandwich and a small rootbeer float.  Of course, the rootbeer float was a bit of bribe to get him to eat the sandwich.  But, hey, it worked!  I think that this was the most he has eaten in a couple of weeks.  Since he has eaten so little, his body is quite weak. 

I should mention that before he left the hospital, the neurologist prescribed and started him on an anti-seizure medication.  All of the misfirings that were taking place in his brain were essentially tiny seizures.  It seems that over the course of the weekend Papa has continued to gain strength.  Saturday my dad and aunt had to help him to the toilet, as well as help him take a shower.  As of yesterday or today, Papa is now able to get out of bed on his own, as well as make it to the bathroom.  What a vast improvement over a couple of days ago!

Even more encouraging news is that Papa has an appointment for next Monday to see the neurologist/hydrocephalus specialist at UCLA.  We thought it would be at least 2 weeks before he was able to get in there!

Like I said before, we still don't know what exactly the answer to our prayer is just yet.  Whatever it may be, though, the improvements we are seeing are encouraging and I am so thankful!
Please continue to pray for a continued recovery, as well as wisdom for the doctors to find the problems and solutions needed.

full time.

Today I am thankful for Pandora, air conditioning, and caffeine.  In other words, I'm now working full time in a very quiet office.  In fact, I'm the only in here right now (don't worry, it's lunch time...I would never blog when I'm supposed to be working).  The phone doesn't ring very often, and even when it does it's often my mom.  The company she works for is partners in the company I'm working for right now.  I work for her company too, though, so it all gets very confusing to explain.  Anyhow, the work is not terribly stimulating, so I am very thankful that I have a little caffeine and Pandora to listen to as I work.  Also, it's awfully hot outside and the a/c in the other room isn't working properly, so I'm glad to be sitting where I am.

In other news, I think my aunt is planning to stay with us indefinitely.  Which is ok, really.  Her plans keep changing, and I don't think she has anything figured out right now.  She is going through a really hard time and she doesn't know the Lord, so please keep her in your prayers.

Now, for an update on Papa.  He was supposed to be released from the hospital on Tuesday.  In fact, they got as far as dressing him to go home.  While he was dressing, though, he started speaking gibberish and having a hard time.  He hadn't done anything like that in the hospital, so they were afraid that he had had a stroke or perhaps had a blood clot.  They ran tests and such, but as it turns out, it was probably the physical exertion that caused it, again misfirings in the brain due to the hydrocephalus.  So, long story short, he's still in the hospital.  Today is his birthday, so my dad is headed down soon to see him and the family that's still there.  The news we received this morning is that they did some sort of EEG on Papa and they could see the misfirings taking place in his brain.  The good news is that there is some medication that can help with that.  The next steps are unknown, though.  We are trying to get him in to see a specialist at UCLA (Too bad it's not USC, but even we can get past this for Papa's sake).  From there, there are two likely things that could happen.  The first is that Papa will, indeed, be a candidate for a shunt to drain the fluid from his brain.  The second, though is that the misfirings are happening because of degeneration in his brain.  If that's the case, there isn't much that can be done beyond medication.  However, if he does need the shunt, the surgery will be very difficult on him in such a weakened state.  Please join us in continued prayer as we try to find a solution.  We've still got a long road ahead of us, I'm sure, and this is all so hard on my grandma too. 

Actually, one of the hardest things to watch about this whole thing is the fact that Papa is coherent most of the time and can function fine.  In the case of him getting dressed to go home, after he started speaking gibberish, I can imagine they got him right back into the bed.  When they could understand what he was saying again, he said, "Did I do something wrong?"  It just breaks my heart.  Even this morning he was unable to figure out how to walk so he could go to the bathroom.  My uncle had to coach him through moving one leg and then the other.  As much as we want to see him out of the hospital and at least back at my aunt's house, we are cautioning them against that move.  If he is there and can't remember how to walk or something, someone strong is going to need to be there to help him.  There are just some things my grandma and aunt won't be able to do for him.  I wish I was closer so I could help...

the end of one crazy week.

In my last post, I told you Papa was having the pacemaker surgery on Saturday.  My dad headed down south bright and early Saturday morning to be there in time...only to find out that they rescheduled the surgery for Sunday morning.  The results of the 72 hour test came back showing that he does not need a shunt in the brain to relieve spinal fluid.  The problem now is that he actually does have hydrocephalus, swelling of the ventricles in the brain, but the solution we had is no longer a viable solution.  There is some relief that can come from medication, but not like we had hoped.  Not really the best news.

Sunday morning dawned bright and early again as the family headed down to the hospital again for Father's Day.  Papa had the surgery, which they were just finishing as we arrived at the hospital.  As the day went on, my aunt and uncle from Oregon arrived, my cousin who was visiting Oregon but lives in Iowa came with them, and then around 4. my cousins from Arizona drove in.  It was a miniature family reunion...too bad it came under unfortunate circumstances!  Papa was finally moved out of the ICU after surgery around 7:30pm and was just getting settled into another room around 8.  It was a very long day of sitting in the ICU waiting room, but overall a good one.  We were are thankful to see that Papa made it through the surgery and tolerated everything well.  Such a turnaround from Saturday morning, when he had all but given up hope.  We are hoping he'll be released from the hospital soon, maybe as soon as tomorrow.

Going back to the test results, though.  My dad was looking more into hydrocephalus this morning and read that the test they performed in almost never used anymore because the results are unreliable.  So, we'll see what, if anything, comes of that.

Please continue to pray that we can figure something out. 

a quick update.

No new news on Papa, really, other than the fact that the pacemaker surgery will take place tomorrow rather than today.  They had to do a test to measure the strength of his heart today, even though everybody knows it's weak.  Just a little more red tape to plow through, I suppose.  My sister took the day off work today again and was there to be the calming person amid the rest of the family.  If you know certain members of my family at all, you would know that they get easily excited or riled up about things.  Anyway, Papa was doing better in terms of eating today.  As in, he actually ate a little bit of something.  Other than that, from what I heard, everything else is pretty much the same.  The 24 hour test results from the spinal/brain fluid test (I wish I knew the name!) were inconclusive.  Apparently that's normal to be inconclusive after 24 hours.  I guess that's why they run the test for 3 days instead of 1!
I got a text from Lindsay early this afternoon saying that our cousin, Chris, was being admitted to the hospital because he was in severe pain and they had apparently found blood clots in his lungs and legs.  That's pretty much all I know about his condition right now.  I hope to find out more tomorrow. 

My other cousin, Jason, went to the doctor this afternoon for some sort of shock therapy on his leg that has been numb for weeks.  I think I said it before, but I'm too tired to go check previous posts, he has been extremely dizzy lately to the point of no longer being able to drive.  Unfortunately, his job requires visiting clients and a lot of driving.  So, his wife, Nancy, was the lucky recipient of personal chauffeur for the time being. 

As if ALL of that was not enough, the visit with my aunt here as been interesting, not necessarily in a good way.  We did check out Target today, though, for her to stock up on some good deals she can't find in Switzerland.  We also went to Kohl's in search of a straw purse for summer.  No luck there, although I did find a great deal on sunglasses that are cute and 90% off.  Sweet!  And we had Heidi's sandwiches for lunch, BJ's for dinner, and watermelon sorbet for dessert. 

Despite all of the absolute chaos going on in my life, there are moments where I feel perfectly at peace.  I know that can come from only one source, and so I am absolutely thankful for the peace the Lord is providing to me, and to others in my family, as well.  I am thankful for you prayers, friends, as the journey continues on.  My dad is headed down to be with Papa/the family tomorrow for the pacemaker surgery.  Lindsay will also be there, as she stayed the night at my aunt's house.  Tomorrow for me means taking some friends to catch the airport bus around noon, then heading over to my grandparent's house to do a bit of cleaning with my mom.  As you might imagine, cleaning has been the last thing on my Gramma's mind.

Ok, so maybe that wasn't so quick... 

thursday.

Well, no Thai food last night, despite my cravings. But what we had for dinner was really the least of my worries. I remember the days when it seemed like what I was having for dinner was the biggest decision I had to make all day. Anyhow, my aunt arrived last night, finally to our house around 10 pm. We thought she might get here as early as 8, but decided to go to say hello to her son first. Which was fine, except now we were sitting around waiting until goodness knew when for her to show up...and we were tired! I really wanted to put my pj's on around 7 or so, but I resisted solely for the benefit of our company. My aunt is an interesting person...maybe I'll say more about that later. I was really anxious to see her, and not in an excited sort of way. I realized yesterday that basically the only contact I have had with her in the last 10 years was when she called this past February for my mom's birthday. Oh, and a high school graduation card. With basically no relationship established, things were bound to be slightly awkward. I will say this, though: it really strange when a person hasn't seen you for about 10 years and then comes in, gives you a hug, and acts like it's only been a week or so since we last saw one another. Strange, indeed.

After not being able to fall asleep last night, I woke up bright and early this morning. My mom, our friend Kim, and myself left the house about 8:15 and we headed out of town. We stopped to pick up my sister, and then we were headed to Camarillo. I'd like to say that our trip was purely for unselfish reasons, but we decided to go to the amazing outlet mall there. Let me pause and say that when things were really up in the air about Papa, we cancelled this trip. But, since he is in Ventura, and we were headed to that area, we decided to make it a dual purpose trip and have a little fun. We arrived at the outlet mall around 11:15 and did our best to stimulate the economy. I got a couple of cute, but basic skirts, and some shoes. Just what I needed, right? Everyone else managed to fill up the trunk of my car with their purchases. And, of course, Dad got a couple of Father's Day presents, as well. We had a gourmet lunch of In N Out, and then went right back to shopping. Around 4 or so, my cousin met us at the outlet mall and then we headed out to the hospital.

When we arrived at the hospital, my aunt met us in the hallway and updated us on Papa's condition. In short, they had done an endoscopy to check for blockage, tumors, polyps, etc. in his GI. He has been having difficulty keeping most foods, and even water, down. While the doctors think that this is due to the whole brain issue, they wanted to make sure they weren't just attributing the symptoms to that when, in fact, there really was something else going on. The good news is it came back completely clear. However, when he was coming out of the anesthesia, he was having all sorts of hallucinations. This is where we entered. After receiving a quick update in the hall, we ventured in to the room. By now, Papa was becoming clearer by the minute as the medicine continued to wear off. I was thankful for that because it was especially upsetting to Gramma and my aunt to see him like that. He recognized us all as we came into the room, and did his best to converse, most of which consisted of us talking to him. He became more and more lucid, though, and even cracked a joke as time went on.

Now we play the waiting game. Tomorrow we should know a little more definitively about whether or not he has the blockage in his brain and if/when surgery will be. Also tomorrow, they are planning to put in a fibrillator/pace maker on his heart. The upper chamber of his heart is in constant fibrillation, and if anything were to happen to the lower chamber, he stands little to no chance of surviving. So it was decided that the pacemaker would help strengthen his heart in general, but would be beneficial for whatever surgery lies in the future. We continue to pray that God would heal him completely. If He's not going to do that, though, we pray that this test they are doing (looking for traceable agents throughout his body) will show definitively that there is blockage. The doctors are quite confident that this is the problem, but can't proceed without these results.

Sorry to belabor on about Papa, but it's obviously a huge part of what's going on in my life right now.

In other news:
We finally arrived home around 9:15 to find my aunt laying in bed (she apparently spent the whole day in bed/on her computer). After giving her a quick update on Papa, she told us the latest happening with her son, Jason. About a month ago he was in a offroad motorcycle accident. He had a cracked sternum, cracked ribs, and a mild concussion. Since then, he has been in pain, but the most pronounced problem was his left leg feeling numb all of the time. He has been to the doctor multiple times, but today it was decided, I think after x-rays and the whole bit, that the problem doesn't appear to be with his leg, but actually in his brain, probably as a result of the concussion. He went to the neurologist today, but we haven't heard any news since then. Really? Please tell me the chances of two family members, albeit different sides of the family, having issues with brain injuries?

Your prayers are much appreciated! I'm off to bed now after a long day...