That's my new motto. 2010, all about Ken. Let this year be a happy year of healing for Ken. May he continue to get better, stronger all year long.
Today was eventful. Toby made it here from North Carolina. She is going to help me keep Ken company in the next week while I work some. I have been showing her around the hospital and explaining all of Ken's tubes and support equipment.
Ken has not had a great day, but he is better now. He has been running a fever since yesterday, 102 and above. He has been having constant fluid stools...to much information. But they are an issue. They think Ken has a bug (C-Dif) in his gut that is sometimes caused by to many antibiotics. It can be quite serious, so they already have him on additional meds to cover him for that. The tough part is that it can take up to 5 days for the meds to help. The fever made his blood pressure drop way low and his heart rate went up as far as 156. But they gave him lots of fluids, adjusted his respirator and he is calm now. They had his respirator up to 70% oxygen and 7.5 peep at noon today. But at 3:00, they changed him to 60% and 5.0 peep. It took Ken a while to settle into the new settings, but he is comfortable now. He was not liking the new peep, pressure. He was breathing over it and air was escaping into his mouth. It was like he was burping, but he was really just breathing. Now his stats are good, heart rate 106. Blood pressure, 94/52 which is right were they want it. Oxygen level is 96%, which is great on 60% and 5.0. I am hoping they try to turn him down to 50% tonight, but we'll see. Toby and I are getting ready to go out to eat and to the hotel, so good night everyone. We won't know for a few days about all the tests they ran on him for the fevers. Maybe tomorrow or Friday. Sleep tight Ken. See you in the morning.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Monday, January 11, 2010
Recovery starts.
Monday Night. This has been a very happy few days since Saturday. Ken is holding on and staying strong. Thank God. He has a long way to go and he still may not make it. But he is finally headed in the right direction. Baby steps. So here is what we have learned.
Sunday, Ken was kept sedated, but the paralytic drug was stopped. We learned that it may be weeks or months before that completely wears off since he was on it for 11 days. He did move his mouth once and coughed a few times on Sunday. When he coughs or breaths over his respirator, it honks. Sounds like a car horn. It is a welcome sound, means Ken is in there. I never thought I would be happy that my husband is on a respirator, but I am so happy. No Oscillator.
Monday morning, I got to the hospital at 6:45 since we had a conference call scheduled for 7:30. I peaked in Ken's window and noticed that his BIS rate (the rate that measures how sedated he is) was at a comfortable 36. They want him between 40-60 now that he is off the oscillator. Below 40 was when he was on the oscillator. I came in, put on my gloves and said good morning to Ken. I picked up his hand like I often do and his BIS shot up to 76 then 86. I was afraid he was going to wake up, so I talked to him and then moved across the room. When I got back from the conference, his rate was still up there. I told him I was going to work and that I would be back this afternoon. The nurses noticed a while after I left that his eyes were slightly open. Nancy asked him to blink if he could hear her. He blinked ever so slightly. Then she asked him to blink if he was in pain. He did not blink. She said she didn't know if he was really awake, but she thought so. He then went to sleep and opened his eyes again for a sec in the afternoon. He just didn't want to stay asleep. He is ready to get up, I just wish his lungs were ready for that too.
In the conference with the family and the doctors we learned a few things as well. Dr. Matous told us that Ken has a chemo therapy induced lung injury. He has seen it before, but never this seriously. He said statistics are that 8% of people that get this kind of injury, die from it. He has never lost anyone. Last weekend, when they told me that Ken had less than a 20% chance of living, I was devastated. But at the time, the doctors and nurses weren't sure he would be able to recover. Today, the doc said that he believes Ken will recover. He made the family understand that we still could lose Ken, but if we don't have any surprises, no new problems, he has a much better chance for survival. Yeah. Dr. said that Ken's injury got worse very quickly and he didn't respond to normal meds at first. They didn't think it was chemo induced at first. Usually that doesn't show up till 2-3 months down the road. So once they decided to add steroids to the mix, just in case, Ken started to respond. But his lungs had been so damaged, that he needed to be put on the oscillator quickly as well. So the questions now are will he recovery, how completely will he recover and how long will it take. Doc thinks Ken will be on the respirator for another few weeks. Goal is to get him off of it in February. Then he will have rehab most if not all of the spring, maybe into the summer. How completely he recovers is unknown. He may recover completely, he may need oxygen at night or all the time. His physical therapy is going to be so extensive that we know he won't be climbing any 14ers this year. He will be lucky to go up a flight of stairs. Only God knows now what the future will look like. I don't care how long it takes for Ken to come back, I just want him back. Seems now like we will see that happen. I am so thankful.
Ken's lungs are very stiff after all the days on the oscillator. They are testing his flexibility every 4 hours. Last night, his flex was a 2. Tonight it was a 5. So some improvement. I asked what he needs to be at and the respiratory guy chuckled and said approaching 100 would be normal. Ken does have a long way to go and I hope they don't wake him till he is more flexible. It must hurt. His chest muscles will be weak from the steroids and he will have to retrain them to make his lungs contract. I know way more about all this than I every thought I would. I am putting much of this in here just so that Ken will be able to read it one day. I was going to write to Ken today and tell him more about the past week, but it is already late, so I think I will save that for another night.
I went to work in Fort Collins for a few hours today. It was great to see everyone and it was great to be able to check up on things. My student, Nick, is doing a great job with the registers. Everyone is pitching in and helping out. I hope to work more in the next few days. One day at a time. We'll see how Ken does first.
Nick was doing half my paper route and he isn't interested in doing it next semester. He says he will be a backup, but he is too busy with school to do it for me all the time. So....does anyone want a part time job for 1 to 1 1/2 hours in the morning. Best time for this half is to start anytime between 5:30 and 6:00. It will start next Tuesday for the spring semester. It is only Monday - Friday, and not during spring break. It is only 8 stops, mostly the dorms. You will need a car, but they bring the papers to campus, so it isn't much driving. Let me know if you are interested. I will pay you for your time. Steve Railsback has graciously offered to continue to do his half. Thank you so much Steve. I just can't let go of this route till I know exactly where we will be with Ken. I hope we can take it back this summer, but I may need subs all spring. If Ken can be moved to Fort Collins for some of his rehab, it will be easier for me to do half. But I need help now.
Hope you have a good week. Plan for Ken is quiet recovery. God Bless you all. Bev
Sunday, Ken was kept sedated, but the paralytic drug was stopped. We learned that it may be weeks or months before that completely wears off since he was on it for 11 days. He did move his mouth once and coughed a few times on Sunday. When he coughs or breaths over his respirator, it honks. Sounds like a car horn. It is a welcome sound, means Ken is in there. I never thought I would be happy that my husband is on a respirator, but I am so happy. No Oscillator.
Monday morning, I got to the hospital at 6:45 since we had a conference call scheduled for 7:30. I peaked in Ken's window and noticed that his BIS rate (the rate that measures how sedated he is) was at a comfortable 36. They want him between 40-60 now that he is off the oscillator. Below 40 was when he was on the oscillator. I came in, put on my gloves and said good morning to Ken. I picked up his hand like I often do and his BIS shot up to 76 then 86. I was afraid he was going to wake up, so I talked to him and then moved across the room. When I got back from the conference, his rate was still up there. I told him I was going to work and that I would be back this afternoon. The nurses noticed a while after I left that his eyes were slightly open. Nancy asked him to blink if he could hear her. He blinked ever so slightly. Then she asked him to blink if he was in pain. He did not blink. She said she didn't know if he was really awake, but she thought so. He then went to sleep and opened his eyes again for a sec in the afternoon. He just didn't want to stay asleep. He is ready to get up, I just wish his lungs were ready for that too.
In the conference with the family and the doctors we learned a few things as well. Dr. Matous told us that Ken has a chemo therapy induced lung injury. He has seen it before, but never this seriously. He said statistics are that 8% of people that get this kind of injury, die from it. He has never lost anyone. Last weekend, when they told me that Ken had less than a 20% chance of living, I was devastated. But at the time, the doctors and nurses weren't sure he would be able to recover. Today, the doc said that he believes Ken will recover. He made the family understand that we still could lose Ken, but if we don't have any surprises, no new problems, he has a much better chance for survival. Yeah. Dr. said that Ken's injury got worse very quickly and he didn't respond to normal meds at first. They didn't think it was chemo induced at first. Usually that doesn't show up till 2-3 months down the road. So once they decided to add steroids to the mix, just in case, Ken started to respond. But his lungs had been so damaged, that he needed to be put on the oscillator quickly as well. So the questions now are will he recovery, how completely will he recover and how long will it take. Doc thinks Ken will be on the respirator for another few weeks. Goal is to get him off of it in February. Then he will have rehab most if not all of the spring, maybe into the summer. How completely he recovers is unknown. He may recover completely, he may need oxygen at night or all the time. His physical therapy is going to be so extensive that we know he won't be climbing any 14ers this year. He will be lucky to go up a flight of stairs. Only God knows now what the future will look like. I don't care how long it takes for Ken to come back, I just want him back. Seems now like we will see that happen. I am so thankful.
Ken's lungs are very stiff after all the days on the oscillator. They are testing his flexibility every 4 hours. Last night, his flex was a 2. Tonight it was a 5. So some improvement. I asked what he needs to be at and the respiratory guy chuckled and said approaching 100 would be normal. Ken does have a long way to go and I hope they don't wake him till he is more flexible. It must hurt. His chest muscles will be weak from the steroids and he will have to retrain them to make his lungs contract. I know way more about all this than I every thought I would. I am putting much of this in here just so that Ken will be able to read it one day. I was going to write to Ken today and tell him more about the past week, but it is already late, so I think I will save that for another night.
I went to work in Fort Collins for a few hours today. It was great to see everyone and it was great to be able to check up on things. My student, Nick, is doing a great job with the registers. Everyone is pitching in and helping out. I hope to work more in the next few days. One day at a time. We'll see how Ken does first.
Nick was doing half my paper route and he isn't interested in doing it next semester. He says he will be a backup, but he is too busy with school to do it for me all the time. So....does anyone want a part time job for 1 to 1 1/2 hours in the morning. Best time for this half is to start anytime between 5:30 and 6:00. It will start next Tuesday for the spring semester. It is only Monday - Friday, and not during spring break. It is only 8 stops, mostly the dorms. You will need a car, but they bring the papers to campus, so it isn't much driving. Let me know if you are interested. I will pay you for your time. Steve Railsback has graciously offered to continue to do his half. Thank you so much Steve. I just can't let go of this route till I know exactly where we will be with Ken. I hope we can take it back this summer, but I may need subs all spring. If Ken can be moved to Fort Collins for some of his rehab, it will be easier for me to do half. But I need help now.
Hope you have a good week. Plan for Ken is quiet recovery. God Bless you all. Bev
Saturday, January 9, 2010
Shhhhh.... What is that noise?
Could it be? Is that the sound of silence? It sure as heck is. Ken's room is quiet because he is off the oscillator. I AM SO EXCITED. Ken's nurse last night was able to lower his oxygen intake from 65% to 50% on the oscillator. So the lung doc decided to try to wean him off to the regular respirator. They changed him over this morning to a regular respirator. They watched him for about 5 hours and checked his blood gases. That tells them how his oxygen and carbon dioxide levels are in his blood. Since his were fine, they went ahead and stopped his paralytic drug this afternoon. He has been coughing when they turn him. What a wonderful thing. Ken can cough. I know he still has a long ways to go and I am not being unrealistic, but THANK GOD, he is moving in the right direction. I am over the moon with happiness at the moment. It will take 12-24 hours for the paralytic to completely get out of his system and then we will see how he tolerates breathing with the respirator. But the doc ordered it at 80% oxygen and 15 peep to start. He is actually now at 50% oxygen on the machine and 7.5 peep. That is so great. Means he is doing better than expected. (Peep is the pressure used to push the breaths into his lungs.)
Thank you to all the people praying, from the 2 year old Ava to the 87 year old Grandpa Steve. Thank you so much. It is so great to hear of all the children that are praying for Ken. He would be so happy to know that. So here are just a few kids names that are saying prayers for you Ken....
Lauren, Spencer, Joe, Gunnar, Dillon, Xander, Ava, Kaley, Madison, Joe and his football team buddies, Lauren and her church school class. Not to mention all of the "Kids" at CSU that work for you. Thank you all for your prayers and keep it up. Ken is feeling God's grace and healing powers.
I wanted to mention something else so that I won't forget to tell Ken when he is really awake. When Ken was first put on the oscillator, Nov. 30th, they wanted to move him to the actual ICU unit instead of the Bone Marrow ICU. I am thankful that they were able to work it out and keep him here. Much safer and nicer for me. But Ken will be happy to know that while he was here, the hospital was able to train most of their bone marrow transplant nurses on how to manage an oscillator. Almost every day shift, Ken had 2 nurses assigned that stayed in the room with him. One was training on the oscillator. Since Ken loves the college environment, he will like that they used him for such a positive aspect. Good to have them trained in case it happens to anyone else.
Also, Amy from AMR Combs. Thank you for the nice card and words of encouragement. Yes, I do remember you. I am so happy to hear that many of my Combs friends are reading the blog and pulling for Ken and me. Bless all of you and hope we can get together sometime soon. Thank you for you thoughts and prayers.
I still can't get over how quiet it is in this room. I can actually hear the TV from clear across the room. Ken looks good to, considering. He is starting to get some hair growth back on his eyebrows and chin. He is so thin that his cheek bones are sticking out and his legs are very thin, but his color looks good and he is taking baby steps to get back to us.
Dr. Matous said today that sometimes, bone marrow patients that have an injury as serious as Ken's, have trouble with the transplant. Especially when the injury happens so early like Ken. His showed up on day +10. Doc said sometimes the bone marrow freaks out and decides not to en graft. But not Ken. His white counts are really up, his platelets are great. Doc also pointed out that Ken is staying strong. He is showing us that he is fighting by the other organs in his body. His liver is fine, his heart is still strong, his kidneys are amazing. Doc thinks Ken is making it clear that he is determined to come back to us. He said to expect 2010 to be all about rehab for Ken because he believes that he will come through this. Sounds great doesn't it? Sounds so much better than what the docs were telling me last weekend.
We have a conference call Monday morning with Dr. Matous, the oncology doc that is managing Ken's transplant; Luis who is the hospital psychologist; me and all 5 of our kids. It is supposed to be so that we can all be brought up to speed about what is happening with Ken. Mainly so the kids can get their questions answered. If any of you have questions you want me to ask, or things that I haven't covered in the blog, let me know and I will see about getting them answered. And I will let you know if we learn anything new about Ken's progress. Tonight will be an important night, hope it all goes well. Baby steps forward. Then maybe soon, Ken will be running around in squeaky sneakers like Norah. I will take the baby steps for now. Have a restful night. Bev
Thank you to all the people praying, from the 2 year old Ava to the 87 year old Grandpa Steve. Thank you so much. It is so great to hear of all the children that are praying for Ken. He would be so happy to know that. So here are just a few kids names that are saying prayers for you Ken....
Lauren, Spencer, Joe, Gunnar, Dillon, Xander, Ava, Kaley, Madison, Joe and his football team buddies, Lauren and her church school class. Not to mention all of the "Kids" at CSU that work for you. Thank you all for your prayers and keep it up. Ken is feeling God's grace and healing powers.
I wanted to mention something else so that I won't forget to tell Ken when he is really awake. When Ken was first put on the oscillator, Nov. 30th, they wanted to move him to the actual ICU unit instead of the Bone Marrow ICU. I am thankful that they were able to work it out and keep him here. Much safer and nicer for me. But Ken will be happy to know that while he was here, the hospital was able to train most of their bone marrow transplant nurses on how to manage an oscillator. Almost every day shift, Ken had 2 nurses assigned that stayed in the room with him. One was training on the oscillator. Since Ken loves the college environment, he will like that they used him for such a positive aspect. Good to have them trained in case it happens to anyone else.
Also, Amy from AMR Combs. Thank you for the nice card and words of encouragement. Yes, I do remember you. I am so happy to hear that many of my Combs friends are reading the blog and pulling for Ken and me. Bless all of you and hope we can get together sometime soon. Thank you for you thoughts and prayers.
I still can't get over how quiet it is in this room. I can actually hear the TV from clear across the room. Ken looks good to, considering. He is starting to get some hair growth back on his eyebrows and chin. He is so thin that his cheek bones are sticking out and his legs are very thin, but his color looks good and he is taking baby steps to get back to us.
Dr. Matous said today that sometimes, bone marrow patients that have an injury as serious as Ken's, have trouble with the transplant. Especially when the injury happens so early like Ken. His showed up on day +10. Doc said sometimes the bone marrow freaks out and decides not to en graft. But not Ken. His white counts are really up, his platelets are great. Doc also pointed out that Ken is staying strong. He is showing us that he is fighting by the other organs in his body. His liver is fine, his heart is still strong, his kidneys are amazing. Doc thinks Ken is making it clear that he is determined to come back to us. He said to expect 2010 to be all about rehab for Ken because he believes that he will come through this. Sounds great doesn't it? Sounds so much better than what the docs were telling me last weekend.
We have a conference call Monday morning with Dr. Matous, the oncology doc that is managing Ken's transplant; Luis who is the hospital psychologist; me and all 5 of our kids. It is supposed to be so that we can all be brought up to speed about what is happening with Ken. Mainly so the kids can get their questions answered. If any of you have questions you want me to ask, or things that I haven't covered in the blog, let me know and I will see about getting them answered. And I will let you know if we learn anything new about Ken's progress. Tonight will be an important night, hope it all goes well. Baby steps forward. Then maybe soon, Ken will be running around in squeaky sneakers like Norah. I will take the baby steps for now. Have a restful night. Bev
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Jan. 7th. Day +45
Today is day +45. In the real world of Bone Marrow Transplants, this would be the day that Ken is out of danger, the day his white cells should be en grafted. Day +45 was the day that we were looking forward to. This is the day. Ken's cells are en grafted, but he is so not out of danger.
Ken is holding on. He is needing more drugs to keep him stable, but the docs are encouraged that he is stable. The fear is that he will get a new infection or new issue. But as long as we can keep that from happening, they are hopeful that his lungs will heal. They do not know for sure how much damage has been done to his lungs, that is why they are not sure if they will heal or not. But I had a long conversation with Dr. Matous this morning. He informed me that this is going to be a long process. They are not giving up on Ken and he has a lot of doctors that are helping to figure this out. Dr. Matous suggested that I try to work part time during the next few weeks while they have him sedated. He joked and said he would tell Ken that I was here every minute when he wakes up. I was just glad to hear him talking about him waking up. I asked today if a lung transplant was an option. He said that it isn't out of the question and it may be a possibility for Ken. He isn't at that point yet, but they will consider it if in gets to that point. Doc said that they haven't ever had someone die from this kind of lung injury with bone marrow transplant and they certainly don't want Ken to be the first. So they are doing all that they can. The good things are that Ken is healthy in every other way. He has a strong heart, his kidneys are great, his liver seems great, he is handling the nutrition just fine. He is starting to have a few skin issues just from being in bed so long, and we know his muscles have suffered. But he can come back from all that. We just have to make sure he doesn't get any other infections and we have to pray that his lungs heal. The docs are encouraged that he is needing less oxygen input with this oscillator to stay above 90%. That is good. I am so hopeful. Our prayers are working. They just have to be working. I know God is listening. Bless you all. Bev
Ken is holding on. He is needing more drugs to keep him stable, but the docs are encouraged that he is stable. The fear is that he will get a new infection or new issue. But as long as we can keep that from happening, they are hopeful that his lungs will heal. They do not know for sure how much damage has been done to his lungs, that is why they are not sure if they will heal or not. But I had a long conversation with Dr. Matous this morning. He informed me that this is going to be a long process. They are not giving up on Ken and he has a lot of doctors that are helping to figure this out. Dr. Matous suggested that I try to work part time during the next few weeks while they have him sedated. He joked and said he would tell Ken that I was here every minute when he wakes up. I was just glad to hear him talking about him waking up. I asked today if a lung transplant was an option. He said that it isn't out of the question and it may be a possibility for Ken. He isn't at that point yet, but they will consider it if in gets to that point. Doc said that they haven't ever had someone die from this kind of lung injury with bone marrow transplant and they certainly don't want Ken to be the first. So they are doing all that they can. The good things are that Ken is healthy in every other way. He has a strong heart, his kidneys are great, his liver seems great, he is handling the nutrition just fine. He is starting to have a few skin issues just from being in bed so long, and we know his muscles have suffered. But he can come back from all that. We just have to make sure he doesn't get any other infections and we have to pray that his lungs heal. The docs are encouraged that he is needing less oxygen input with this oscillator to stay above 90%. That is good. I am so hopeful. Our prayers are working. They just have to be working. I know God is listening. Bless you all. Bev
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
New Drug
So before I get started, I want to add some thanks to my brother Gale and his wife, Toby. I opened some mail last night and found a nice check from them also. Thank you so much. I appreciate all you have done for us. Toby is actually coming to Denver January 14th - 21st to help me. So thank you in advance for that also Toby.
My parents made it to Denver yesterday afternoon and they brought our dogs. I had really missed the dogs. It was good to have them back. I enjoyed seeing my parents too. They will be here till we know Ken is better.
So yesterday was a good day. They were able to turn his oxygen level down to 65%, so small improvement. He is holding on. The docs decided to try a different drug yesterday. It is oral, 3 times a day, so they say it will be three days before we know if it makes a difference. I called my nephew, Dr. Ben, a pharmacist, to see what it does. Seems it is a fancy blood thinner, or actually, it opens the blood vessels so the blood and oxygen can flow better. It has been used in some lung injury patients. Our nurse said she read that it used to be popular before plavix and it is seeing some come back. I am hoping it helps. We need a miracle. It makes sense that it should open the vessels in his lungs so he can get more oxygen for healing. The drug has very few side effects, so they wanted to try it. Time will tell.
Our lungs take so long to heal. Every small step is a blessing. And you are all a blessing as well. Your prayers are helping. Ken has 2 nurses today. He has usually had two during the day shift and one at night. They need to stay in here at all times with the oscillator. They are taking very good care of him. I am just watching at this point. Most of the nurses and doctors are looking at me with sadness and I am just looking back, with sad determination. Ken hasn't given up and neither have I, God hasn't given up, nor the doctors. We are all still fighting and there is still hope. We are hanging onto that hope. May you have a blessed day. Stay strong with me.
Bev
My parents made it to Denver yesterday afternoon and they brought our dogs. I had really missed the dogs. It was good to have them back. I enjoyed seeing my parents too. They will be here till we know Ken is better.
So yesterday was a good day. They were able to turn his oxygen level down to 65%, so small improvement. He is holding on. The docs decided to try a different drug yesterday. It is oral, 3 times a day, so they say it will be three days before we know if it makes a difference. I called my nephew, Dr. Ben, a pharmacist, to see what it does. Seems it is a fancy blood thinner, or actually, it opens the blood vessels so the blood and oxygen can flow better. It has been used in some lung injury patients. Our nurse said she read that it used to be popular before plavix and it is seeing some come back. I am hoping it helps. We need a miracle. It makes sense that it should open the vessels in his lungs so he can get more oxygen for healing. The drug has very few side effects, so they wanted to try it. Time will tell.
Our lungs take so long to heal. Every small step is a blessing. And you are all a blessing as well. Your prayers are helping. Ken has 2 nurses today. He has usually had two during the day shift and one at night. They need to stay in here at all times with the oscillator. They are taking very good care of him. I am just watching at this point. Most of the nurses and doctors are looking at me with sadness and I am just looking back, with sad determination. Ken hasn't given up and neither have I, God hasn't given up, nor the doctors. We are all still fighting and there is still hope. We are hanging onto that hope. May you have a blessed day. Stay strong with me.
Bev
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Time to say thanks
As I sit in Ken's room thinking about blogging, I am struck by the fact that I have no idea how many people are reading what we write. We started this blog, mostly for me. So that I could let all the family know what is happening without having to repeat everything so many times. But it has evolved into so much more than that. We are so thankful for all the prayers that our blog recruits. We enjoy reading all the comments made by our family and friends. I always start my new blog by reading what was written by friends on the old blogs. Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts and prayers with us. We do appreciate it. And we do read them all.
The blog has been very therapeutic for both of us. And it is a fantastic record of what has been really happening. More than once we have looked back to the blog to find a date or fact for the doctors. But sometimes, it is just to hard to write the facts or the news. Today is one of those times. Ken is hanging in there, but he just isn't getting any better. The doctors are telling me that his odds are not very good. Odds, what does that mean? Ken just has to keep fighting and we know that God is with him. And all of you are praying! What do odds have to do with that? I am sad that Ken is here. It is getting so hard to see him do this. But the nurses and doctors are doing what they can. I am still praying and holding Ken's hand. I know he knows that I am here. You guys all help me stay strong around him. Your encouraging words help so much. Thank you every minute.
I also want to thank a few individuals that have been helping me. My Uncle Stan and Aunt Leah have been my spiritual strength and supporters. Also, our friends, Linda and Ed and Terry and Alan. Thank you for your visits. They are helping me stay sane. And thank you to my cousin, Jeff, for flying to Phoenix and driving my parents and my dogs back to Denver. (They get here tomorrow, can't wait to see both my parents and my dogs.) And it seems there has been some fund raising going on. My cousin, Jeff Brown, has made a second large donation to Ken and I. He has been so generous. My parents have helped out with numerous donations. My sister-in-law, Cathey, in Calif gave us a nice check. And my Aunt Lavon informed me that she is sending us a check also. Seems she usually shares her December retirement check with all of her three boys every year for Christmas. Her boys, Bob, Vaughn and Jeff Brown all informed her that they want us to have it instead. I am so thankful to all of you. I just don't know how to thank you. We are so blessed with all our family and friends.
I hope that Ken beats the odds, is blessed with God's healing, and can help me thank all of you for your support.
And most of all, I want to thank God for the blessing of Ken in my life. Even though as you read the blog, you are overwhelmed with all the trouble we have had this past year; God knows what a blessing it was for both of us. We were blessed with time to spend together and blessed with a love that has grown to unbelievable heights. And we were blessed with all of you. Thank you God for blessing us with all these things. Only You know the outcome, the plan for us. It is through You that we love each other, our family and all our fellow readers with such importance and meaning.
Please God, continue to give Ken strength to hang on and give him the healing that all our family and friends are praying for. It is in Your hands. Thank you.
Bev
The blog has been very therapeutic for both of us. And it is a fantastic record of what has been really happening. More than once we have looked back to the blog to find a date or fact for the doctors. But sometimes, it is just to hard to write the facts or the news. Today is one of those times. Ken is hanging in there, but he just isn't getting any better. The doctors are telling me that his odds are not very good. Odds, what does that mean? Ken just has to keep fighting and we know that God is with him. And all of you are praying! What do odds have to do with that? I am sad that Ken is here. It is getting so hard to see him do this. But the nurses and doctors are doing what they can. I am still praying and holding Ken's hand. I know he knows that I am here. You guys all help me stay strong around him. Your encouraging words help so much. Thank you every minute.
I also want to thank a few individuals that have been helping me. My Uncle Stan and Aunt Leah have been my spiritual strength and supporters. Also, our friends, Linda and Ed and Terry and Alan. Thank you for your visits. They are helping me stay sane. And thank you to my cousin, Jeff, for flying to Phoenix and driving my parents and my dogs back to Denver. (They get here tomorrow, can't wait to see both my parents and my dogs.) And it seems there has been some fund raising going on. My cousin, Jeff Brown, has made a second large donation to Ken and I. He has been so generous. My parents have helped out with numerous donations. My sister-in-law, Cathey, in Calif gave us a nice check. And my Aunt Lavon informed me that she is sending us a check also. Seems she usually shares her December retirement check with all of her three boys every year for Christmas. Her boys, Bob, Vaughn and Jeff Brown all informed her that they want us to have it instead. I am so thankful to all of you. I just don't know how to thank you. We are so blessed with all our family and friends.
I hope that Ken beats the odds, is blessed with God's healing, and can help me thank all of you for your support.
And most of all, I want to thank God for the blessing of Ken in my life. Even though as you read the blog, you are overwhelmed with all the trouble we have had this past year; God knows what a blessing it was for both of us. We were blessed with time to spend together and blessed with a love that has grown to unbelievable heights. And we were blessed with all of you. Thank you God for blessing us with all these things. Only You know the outcome, the plan for us. It is through You that we love each other, our family and all our fellow readers with such importance and meaning.
Please God, continue to give Ken strength to hang on and give him the healing that all our family and friends are praying for. It is in Your hands. Thank you.
Bev
Friday, January 1, 2010
New Year's Day
Welcome 2010! Today is Ken's Mom's Birthday. Ken calls her Muzz, so Happy Birthday Muzz.
And to those that were trying to get a hold of me yesterday, sorry, I misplaced my phone. And to those that were helping me look for it, I FOUND IT. Yeah. I am so happy that I didn't really loose it. I found it in my bed at the hotel at 11:30 last night. I had called the hotel yesterday morning to see if they could find it, but of course, they couldn't find it. I told him I thought it was in the bed too. Oh well, it is found now. So I can call people again.
Ken seems a little better today. I haven't talked to any doctors yet, but his stats look very good. His oscillator is down to 70% oxygen in and he is staying between 93 & 96%. So that is great. A small step that I will take. They keep trying to bring down his sedation, but he doesn't like it. They want him on less sedation meds, but he needs more than most people. So they have to keep bringing it back up. A slow process, but steps in the right direction. I hope they go slow so he tolerates it.
Since it is Ken's mom's birthday, I am going to go get her this morning and bring her to Denver again. Our nephew's and niece are here for 1 more day, so I am taking them all to the Downtown Aquarium. One of my favorite places. The kids haven't ever seen anything like it, so this should be fun. They live in Calif, but close to the Nevada border, not by the beach. Cody is 13, Jordan 6 and Rhonda 5. Ken will be happy that I am treating them to some fun.
So hope you are having some fun today too. Don't worry about Ken today. He is with the nurses and the Lord, who loves him more than we can imagine. Together, they will take good care of him.
Happy New Year. Bev
And to those that were trying to get a hold of me yesterday, sorry, I misplaced my phone. And to those that were helping me look for it, I FOUND IT. Yeah. I am so happy that I didn't really loose it. I found it in my bed at the hotel at 11:30 last night. I had called the hotel yesterday morning to see if they could find it, but of course, they couldn't find it. I told him I thought it was in the bed too. Oh well, it is found now. So I can call people again.
Ken seems a little better today. I haven't talked to any doctors yet, but his stats look very good. His oscillator is down to 70% oxygen in and he is staying between 93 & 96%. So that is great. A small step that I will take. They keep trying to bring down his sedation, but he doesn't like it. They want him on less sedation meds, but he needs more than most people. So they have to keep bringing it back up. A slow process, but steps in the right direction. I hope they go slow so he tolerates it.
Since it is Ken's mom's birthday, I am going to go get her this morning and bring her to Denver again. Our nephew's and niece are here for 1 more day, so I am taking them all to the Downtown Aquarium. One of my favorite places. The kids haven't ever seen anything like it, so this should be fun. They live in Calif, but close to the Nevada border, not by the beach. Cody is 13, Jordan 6 and Rhonda 5. Ken will be happy that I am treating them to some fun.
So hope you are having some fun today too. Don't worry about Ken today. He is with the nurses and the Lord, who loves him more than we can imagine. Together, they will take good care of him.
Happy New Year. Bev
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
