We're home...

First I want to apologize for leaving everyone hanging on Scott's progress,... a bit of a change in plans, and I didn't end up really having another chance to use a terminal at the hospital in order to post updates.

He did well, and the surgeon was able to repair the valve. This should last many years before he'll possibly need to go back in and do this again.

He had a rough go of it when they took him off of his PSA (in his case, the morphine pump) because they didn't have new meds readily available for him upon being transferred to the cardiac recovery floor... a terrible oversight on their part. He actually ended up going well beyond his pain management schedule, and so many of you know, I'm sure, that when that happens you're pretty much screwed for an extended period of time trying to get your pain level back down. The pain becomes so intense that no amount of medication can really help for quite awhile, which is what happened to poor Scott. So, he had a pretty bumpy time the first day out of ICU. It was many hours before he was doing alright, but his well meaning nurse nearly overdosed him on Tylenol. She was giving him more frequent meds by switching back & forth between Vicodin & Percoset (sp?), both of which have Tylenol, plus muscle-relaxers, and I believe something else. So by the shift change early the next morning, the next nurse caught it, alerted the doctors, and at that point they had to take him off of everything and switch him to Oxycodone. Things went from bad, to worse, then good, to bad, to worse again... finally he was given a 3-dose schedule of Toridol through his IV port along with regular intervals of the Oxycodone, and he was finally in good shape. After the last dose of the Toridol, he has been strictly on Oxycodone,.. one he takes 3-4 times a day for pain breakthroughs, as it builds stronger in waves much of the time for him,.. and the other is also Oxycodone, but in a time release form. The two seem to be working well for him. Of course, he is not pain free by any means, but he is better able to tolerate it.

It takes a great deal of energy to do anything,.. a short trip to the restroom requires a 2-3 hour nap to follow,.. the same if he takes a 5-10 minute shower, and again the same even to simply sit up for 10 minutes to eat a meal. You don't realize just how much energy that really takes until you have been through something like this, or witness it first-hand... But, that is also exactly why we will need to be very careful about scheduling visitors now that he is home.

We welcome visitors!! We just ask that you call to arrange the best time as he has many ups and downs. Also, if you have young children, it would be best to arrange childcare for them during your visit. Although some may not understand this, it is not personal, and we do not think ill of anyone's children.... please understand though that we have three of our own that I need to keep somewhat calm, and children get excited & happy & playful, and although they are not being bad,.. the extra commotion really just adds to the exhaustion,...... it was wearing on Scott even to have the constant chitter-chatter of people out in the hallway at the hospital, and I had to go out and ask them to please quiet down. Even the next room over, if the TV was left on too long, it wore on him,... It may be difficult to understand, but the more people, the more noise, even quiet noise,.. it really does stress his system. I don't mean to offend anyone, for those who do not understand this request. For those that do understand, and I know that most of you do,... THANK YOU.

Please feel free to call and arrange a visit here at the house,... I will also ask that you plan to only visit for about a half an hour at a time in the beginning week or two... again, because he just does not have the energy to handle more than that. He had too many visitors at the hospital on Saturday, and it really hit him hard after, however that involved several people over a period of only a couple of hours.

Thank you sooooooo much to those individuals who sent cards, flowers, balloons, etc.!!! It really cheered his room, and made him feel loved. I have arranged them now that we're here at home, and we really do feel your love and compassion, thank you.

I will try to keep this updated as often as possible. For now, I must go,... I'm already exhausted myself, and this is just the beginning of a long recovery process! Please do not hesitate to call should you have any questions, or anything else. We thank you all so much for your prayers & your support.