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.