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| 7 pokes later trying to get an IV, not really happy about it!! |
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| Cool board lets us know where our patient is at By the way, it was actually a really busy day and this was page 2 |
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| Pictures of Andy's spine (Hope the dr is a better surgeon than photographer!) I can't really see much here! |
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| Got Andy to recovery and then kept him there for 2 hours!! I thought he'd never come out! |
The pile of tests and results we've accumulated this year is about an inch thick. Andy has had multiple blood tests, x-rays and 4 MRI (3 parts of his back and the brain). We've been up to Provo twice; once to see a Rheumatologist, the second time to see a Neurologist. We've been to the GP (general practice Dr.), an Orthopedic Surgeon, a physical therapist and a chiropractor.
Our most recent visit was with Dr. Benjamin Fox, Neurosurgeon. He performed a surgery on Andy's spine where he removed his herniated disks (which have caused damage to his spine causing health issues) and replaced it with a piece of hardware. Basically he fused his disks together. He removed disks 4 and 5 I believe.
The surgery was originally scheduled for October 12 (fall break) however due to the dr.'s schedule had to be changed and was set for October 3.
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| Fresh out of recovery, looking pretty good! |
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| Just a couple hours later he's up and standing. Ready for some laps around the hospital floor. |
October 4th was our 29th wedding anniversary. Good thing we went to Hawaii earlier this year!!!! Because that was the most LEAST fun anniversary we've had so far!!!! Although we did try to make it fun...we had room service (hospital food) twice! And in all honesty it actually was pretty good food!!!
We were schedule to go in about 10:30 but they called Tuesday morning and asked us to come right away, the dr. was ahead of schedule. I was at work so I hurried home and Andy hurried and got dressed and we arrived at the hospital about 9:30 a.m.
Andy rarely is easy to set an IV and this was no different. Poor guy was poked 7X before they finally got an IV going.
As a side note about a week ago Andy broke out with a case of hives for no apparent reason. Trying to figure out what was causing them he stopped all vitamins and protein powders and sugar free produces (sucralose) and basically put him on a diet of regular foods and not much of that! This rash was AWFUL!!! The allergy dr (yes, another dr!!!) put him on prednisone, 2 types of allergy meds 2X per day and we use steroid cream and anti itch cream about 4X a day. It is about 10 days out now and they finally seem to be settling down. Planning to try to start back on vitamins and protein powders in the next couple of days to see if they will stay calmed down. AWFUL!!!!!
Once they had him all prepped they took him back to surgery at about 10:30 a.m. and I had to go out to the waiting room and sit. They were very good to us and called me about 11:15 to say that the surgery was starting. About 1 p.m. they came out to tell me it was completed and the surgeon would come talk to me.
He came about 1:10 and said everything went very well and with no problems and that he was in recovery. They said he would be in recovery about an hour but it ended up being two hours. I was worried because one of the nurses said he was having a hard time however when he did finally come out about 3 p.m. they said the real reason he was back there so long was there weren't enough staff to wheel them to their rooms.
We were put in room 412 -- the farthest corner room in the hospital you can get on the top floor! Which I guess is a blessing because it is quieter there! One of the nurses said it was a room especially for big and tall people. It had a special pulley they could have hooked him up to to help get him to the bathroom. Thank goodness we didn't need that!
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| Crazy case of hives made experience extra miserable |
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| He was more red than white. The camera didn't even do it justice. It was even worse than this makes it look. |
Andy's parents were there most of the day out in the waiting room and so they were also there when he came out. They left for few minutes to get some lunch and more oxygen for mom and then came back so I could go to work (I really didn't want to go to work but it was Tuesday and it is easier to just take care of things than clean up afterward - so I left for a couple of hours!!!) Thank you mom and dad for sitting with him so I could!
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| Nasty incision and tube coming from neck. |
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| Up in a chair, waiting to get tube and drainage sack out of throat. |
I wasn't gone two hours when Andy texted to please bring back his laptop and charger, he had work to do! So before he was even out of the hospital bed he was working!!! How's that for loyalty?! (Similar problem to mine...it's easier to just do it yourself then try to get things covered and clean up!)
I brought the girls back around 8 p.m. after work to visit Dad. Dallas had also come by that time. After awhile Dallas took the girls home and stayed while they had ice cream and did their jobs and then he sent them up to bed and locked them in for the night. They stayed home alone -- their choice -- they didn't want to sleep in uncomfy bed -- and then took the bus to school the next morning (skipped early morning activities for that day)
We hoped to be out early from the hospital but apparently that was not to be. They hospital was extremely busy and so our discharge was after 2 p.m. Our nurse was very appreciative of our patience and was very sweet as she walked us out and sent us home. She thanked us and told us it was the hardest day she'd had in 4 years and she was glad we were kind to her.
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| 5 days later, on the mend. This neck brace is to be is friend for 3 months. |
Grandma and Grandpa again came to the rescue and sat with Andy while I did visiting teaching interviews (schedule had been set weeks before this surgery came up!) SO I had to be gone for a couple of hours Wednesday and Thursday. I went to work for a couple of hours Thursday also and then had a conference in Santa Clara on Friday. So I tried to get Andy all situated and he was already up working anyway. I hurried back and was able to spend most of the weekend with him. Sunday he was still not feeling like getting out in the public so he stayed home and slept through church. Hoping that now that the rash is going away he will mend quickly and feel good again!
We've been walking the neighborhood every night. First night just one time around. Last night 2X around and weaving back and forth etc. So every day a little stronger. Today's Columbus Day and I'm off work but starting tomorrow I have to hit it hard at work. Andy is planning to broadcast Wednesday night -- hope his voice holds out -- it's been a little weak since the surgery.
He isn't supposed to drive for at least 2 weeks and has 3 months of the neck brace so we're not through this yet but we are so hopeful for some relief and for Andy to feel energetic and be able to return to playing racquetball, pickle ball, basketball, weight lifting, etc!
October 16, 2017 (followup visit)
Funny story (not funny) -- we arrived at IHC to find the elevators not working. So Andy had to hike up 4 flights of stairs to see the dr who told him not to climb stairs!!!! Ironic, eh?!
