Friday, March 21, 2008

Friday-The First Day of SPRING!

Good Morning,

Just a quick note to let everyone know that they have capped off his trach tube, and he is doing well with it at this point! They are supposed to do a swallow test sometime today. Depending on how well he does with that, we will know more about how long we will be on the trach. This could be a quick process, or a slow one, depending on how well Randy responds. He had a small temperature 100.2, this morning. This is the first time it has been elevated in over a week. They didn't seem concerned, but are going to run some lab work, to see if there might possibly be an infection in his catheter. It appears that we are still set to move to Clovis on Monday, if all continues to go well.

Thanks to everyone for thier love, prayers and support!
Love,
Felisha

Thursday, March 20, 2008

Sorry for the delay...

Sorry you guys haven't heard from me in a few days. We kind of got excited about moving to Clovis, and sent the RV to storage, and my computer sent back to Clovis. The moving process got delayed, and I developed a bachache that needed some serious rest. Thanks Mom, for everything! But I am doing better now, and am thrilled to finally have a closer date for our estimated move! I got word today, that we will be trying to wean him from his trach tube tomorrow. We will watch it over the weekend, and make sure there are no complications in this area. (This also gives him time to finish out his antibiotics.) They are planning to do a "swallow test" tomorrow, and see what we need to do to progress in that area. If he has no difficulties by Monday, we will try to transport him to Clovis. As we all know, this is TENTATIVE, and subject to change at any given moment, for any given reason!

We got Randy up in his wheelchair for a while today, and did a little physical therapy. Not too much at a time, but mostly just moving his joints around. This morning he was able to mouth the words "I love you", but I couldn't get him to do it again for me. He can stick his tounge out justs a little bit. (Before this happened, he could touch the tip of his nose with his tounge! Can you??!!) The swelling is down quite a bit on the left side of his head, and his left foot is swollen some. The swelling is not down as much, but the right foot isn't swollen much.

He seems to be bored most of the time. Happy spurts, but mostly bored, and he chooses not to answer me from time to time. (I think he gets tired of my company or something!) I am sure this will get better when we take the trach tube out, and we can turn his hands loose. I just can't imagine how hard it is to be restrained all the time. I loosen it up when I am right there with him, but even when I am watching him close, he still tries to pull at his tubes, wires and such.

Again, thank you all for staying tuned. I will continue to post as often as I get the chance. It's just not as easy as it was before. Also, please continue to pray with me. I can tell our prayers are being answered!

Much love to all,
Felisha

Sunday, March 16, 2008

BENEFIT CONCERT INFO!!!!

As you can see, I have added some links to our page. These links will provide you with more information on the Benefit Concert(s) being held for Randy, and the Floyd Jamboree. Please be sure and check out this information, and mark your calendars! You won't want to miss these events! We are expecting these to be awesome events, with musicians gathering from all over the place! I am e-mailing flyers to everyone with this information attached. If you would like to have a flyer to print and post, please e-mail me at felisha@portales.com and I will be sure to send one to you! Also, if you can, please forward this blogsite address and the flyer attachments to all of your contacts, to help spread the word!

Sunday Morning

Good morning everyone!

We had a great day yesterday. Mom, Diane, Ron, Denise and Walter all came to visit. Thanks everyone! Great to get away for a little while to re-group! Sorry our sleepyhead was not too awake for your visits. Last night, after you all went home, Randy was so very alert! He was communicating better with his facial expressions than earlier in the day. We watched the end of Drumline on TV. (We have seen it before, so RQ wasn't too impressed, but he remembered that I liked it and gave me permission to watch the end of it again, though he teased me about the cheerleaders!) We shared some giggles, and some love. He was very loving last night, wanting kisses just every few minutes.

I noted that the swelling was down quite a bit last night, as the left side of his head is very concave. I have only seen it that low once, after they removed the bone flaps. There is still some swelling on the right, as it looked "normal" shaped.

The nurse weighed him last night. He lost 5 1/2 pounds in the past 24 hours! That is incredible...I don't know if it is intended or not...but incredible just the same. They have increased the amount of liquid food, and we are nearly to the maximum amount they will offer him. (They had to start with small meals, and work their way up.) His blood sugars were at little high, at 154. They told me it was probably the food increase that caused it. They gave him some insulin. Another possibility for the weight loss could simply be loss of fluids, because as I mentioned, the swelling on the left side of his brain is nearly all gone. I asked the nurse why they were no longer getting him into the wheelchair, and she is checking into it. I am thinking that it is due to the blood clot in his leg, but I am waiting to hear it from someone who knows for sure.

Not much else to report. I stayed at the RV last night. I needed to get away, and sleep in a more comfortable place. (I had nightmares and a backache the night before.) I slept well last night and feel much better today. I explained to Randy why I was going to the RV last night, and he was ok with this. (Not happy, but he seemed to understand.)

Will try and blog more later.

Much love to all!
Felisha