Medical Update

Clint felt Papa deserved one of his tractors, and due to the fact that he was in isolation, this tractor would not be coming home so Papa owes him a new tractor!  

This photo was taken at the Canton-Potsdam Hospital back in February.


On Feb 23rd he would go the CPH ER and within an hour or so, it was determined he needed to go to Burlington, Fletcher Allen Hospital, three hours away.  He would go via ambulance and Kel and I would drive ourselves.

This was a fun drive to say the least, and finding the ER at Fletcher Allen was fun too.

He would have a very risky emergency surgery on Feb 24th and Feb 25 his son would fly into Burlington and be here to help us with everything.  That was one long ass week and lots of worries, waiting and wondering. We asked tons of questions and all of us learned more about the pancreas than we ever thought possible.

On March 4th I would take my son to the airport so he could fly home, and around 10 that same morning, Kel and I would head back to Burlington to check on Patrick, etc.


Here is what the road looked like on one of your many trips back and forth between home and Burlington.Wind and drifting snow just made us slow down and that was fine.



Here we are getting on the Ferry Boat, this is considered shorter by us and a nice break from driving. Once on board, shut off your engine and relax.  You can even get out and walk around if you are so inclined.  The best part was a bathroom break was available too.  Hurrah!

Ya, this is what the Ferry looks like and it's a pretty smooth ride, even when the river is a bit choppy and you see white caps on the waves.


Again the Ferry saves time and provides a break from driving. And yes, it is also fun, so thar!


Be fun to see and do this in warmer weather too.

Here's Patrick as he starts to recover and feel better.  On March 7th he was moved from ICU to the Ward (actually he was moved twice but let's not go there) and he is doing much better.

Kel and I headed home Friday, March 8th and I called the next day and Patrick was doing well.  Another tube was gonna be removed, lung volume improving, he was starting physical therapy (getting up and moving),his diet had been upgraded so he was getting actual food, well, not lots but cream of wheat, coffee, etc.  Blood pressure was coming down, etc.  All in all, he's on the road to recovery.

He wants to come home but has yet to grasped the idea that he has weeks of rehab ahead of him. We are hoping this can happen closer to home, as this three hour drive, staying in hotels, etc., can and does get exhausting not to mention expensive.

It's now Sunday, March 10th and I'm waiting for a return call on how he is doing today.  No big deal, they will call when they get a chance.  Fletcher Allen is extremely good about not only taking care of patients but keeping family informed, etc.  they are truly a very caring staff and wonderful doctors.

Yes I am headed back to Burlington on Monday, this time my sister-in-law will go with me and we'll return home Thursday.  The following week is up for grabs as this point, we tend to play each week by ear and if they should release him and let him come home, that would be wonderful too but again, let's not send him home too soon.  That is never a good idea.

So that is the update -- he is on the mend, finally caught a break and ready to do whatever it takes to get himself healthy and out of the hospital.  As for me, I am fine, when I tire, I just stop, return to the hotel and have a nap.  No big deal.  Keep smiling, life is good.

Here's a photo of the kids in the penthouse apartment in Wilston, VT, where we stayed aka Resident Inn 

Kel and I were constantly cold and poor Dean was dying from the heat upstairs, he told us many times, "you girls need to sleep up here, its hotter than hell!"

The photo below is Clint, first he helped shovel snow, via his digger trucks, then found his bike in the garage and decided riding/pushing it would be fun.
 

March Madness

Whew, just when we thought everything was finally getting back to normal, the medical issues began again.

It was Feb 23rd when I took hubby to the ER as he was in pain, shaking, vomiting and just miserable. This is all part or due to his ongoing battle with pancreatitis (also gallstones).  On going since Feb 2nd I should say, prior to this, no health issues to speak of, okay?

Potsdam Hospital ran a few tests and quickly decided this was way over their heads and he needed to go to Burlington, aka Fletcher Allen Medical Center in Vermont.  That's a good three hours from us and he would go via ambulance.  so with about an hour to get ready, Kelly and I went home and packed for what we thought would be a few days in Vermont (wrong thinking and we'd be wearing the same jeans day after day, and clothing was getting worn more than one day too. I would also run out of my pills, etc).

On Sunday, Feb 24th Patrick went in for a very risky emergency surgery at 10:05 pm.  We would hear the results around 1:30 a.m.  He had an exploratory laparotomy, drainage of pancreatic cyst and omental patch repair of perforated duodenum.  The surgeon checked his gallbladder, did not feel any stones ( he could have passed them) and he would have removed the sucker but Pat's blood pressure was dropping so he felt it best to get out and close him up.

He was now gonna spend some time in ICU and in due course another drainage tube would be inserted, via guided imagining at the head of the pancreas to drain fluid from that area (about the size of a tangerine).  He had an epidural inserted back a few days earlier and this numbed his stomach and kept him pretty pain free.  However, we did learn that the duladen (dilaudid) they gave him for pain causes severe confusion. Hell, he had no idea where he was and barely knew his family.  And he was having breathing issues, so they changed his oxygen mask, which forces him to take deeper breaths.

AS of today, he was stable, alert, knows where he is, responds to commands and altho still a very sick man, it looks like he is finally catching a break.  Still in ICU but hopefully he will be moved to ward this week.

Yes,both kids were with him.  Kel and I from the get-go and Dean arrived at the Burlington Airport last Monday.  I just took him to the local airport so he could get his flight back home.  Kel and I plan to head back to Burlington around 10 this morning, for another week of hospital visits, etc.  We came home Saturday and it sure felt good to sleep in my own bed and just chill for two days.

I was out of my pills, which was bothersome to some, laundry definitely was an issue and repacking to insure we have suffice clothes for a week's stay, etc.  Plus Kelly wanted to see and be with her 3-year old son for a few days who missed his Mommy and wanted her to come home. All in all, we hated to leave Patrick with no family but he is in good hands, being well cared for and come on, we needed a break, at least I did.

So that is the update and we thank you deeply for your prayers and warm thoughts. This is gonna be a long haul, as he has weeks of recovery and rehab ahead of him.  No idea when he shall be home but for now, Fletcher Allen is where he and where he'll remain. Positive thoughts people, positive thoughts.