As many of you know by now, mom has been admitted to Providence again. She's been here since the middle of last week. She had a terrible cold and when she went to her check-up at the Heart Institute, they were very concerned about her breathing. They thought she might have pneumonia. So she was taken to the emergency room. But they said her lungs were clear, and started using diuretics to try and release some fluid that was obviously building up and causing congestive heart failure. Labs did not seem to indicate that her heart was blocked, so they decided it was kidney related. Her lab results for kidney function have been steadily declining bit by bit. They admitted her to get the fluid down, and after three days of heavy duty diuretics, they decided on dialysis to get the job done. They put a catheter in her carotid artery and she is currently in her third round of dialysis. The first two rounds released 6 pounds of water weight. Dr. Finley, her cardiologist, says that once they get the fluid off, they can better evaluate what is causing the fluid to build up in the first place: her heart or her kidney.
If her kideny is the culprit, this may mean that the kidney that we had transplanted 8 years ago this summer is in failure, and she may be looking at regular dialysis again. This is disheartening, but we think that heart issues would be more serious and scary. Either way, mom can use your prayers and happy thoughts. She is in room 261 in the Renal Care Unit at Providence Hospital, if anyone would like to call or visit. She is getting a lot of reading and crocheting done, to be sure!
Monday, April 26, 2010
Saturday, December 06, 2008
Elvis Has Left the Building...
...she's flown the coop...taken a hike...she's OUT!
at 1:30 PM today the nurse wheeled mom out and we screeched out of there as fast as we could! :-) She is comfortably resting in her favorite chair, happy to be home. We will need to get some new prescriptions filled on Monday, and soon she will begin some rehab at the hospital, but we are so happy to have her home again.
Your prayers, visits, cards, and good wishes have been so helpful and so appreciated...
Friday, December 05, 2008
Another Possible "Coming Home" Date
Mom is feeling a bit better today. The pain she was experiencing due to the urinary tract infection is gone, because they have removed the catheter. She was told that if no other "incidents" occur in the next 24 hours, then she can come home to continue her recuperation. So we are hoping for no incidents!
Katie performed in her holiday concert yesterday and did not forget any of her lines. She did a super job, and the kids were adorable. Katie's class sang the Twelve Hawaiian Days of Christmas, and as the song built, so did a couple of the little boys' voices, until at the end they were pretty much shouting. The audience (especially the kindergarten students seated nearby) was laughing so hard the tears were coming. It was priceless. Our family was seated almost at the very back of the multi-purpose room, but I took a bit of video and some really bad pictures anyway. I will try to post them here later. Not sure how good they will be, but what the heck!
Mom says hello to all and many thanks for all the love and support that has been coming her way. I echo her sentiments!
I wonder if we will be able to get our tree up this weekend? Is yours up?
Katie performed in her holiday concert yesterday and did not forget any of her lines. She did a super job, and the kids were adorable. Katie's class sang the Twelve Hawaiian Days of Christmas, and as the song built, so did a couple of the little boys' voices, until at the end they were pretty much shouting. The audience (especially the kindergarten students seated nearby) was laughing so hard the tears were coming. It was priceless. Our family was seated almost at the very back of the multi-purpose room, but I took a bit of video and some really bad pictures anyway. I will try to post them here later. Not sure how good they will be, but what the heck!
Mom says hello to all and many thanks for all the love and support that has been coming her way. I echo her sentiments!
I wonder if we will be able to get our tree up this weekend? Is yours up?
Thursday, December 04, 2008
More Delays...Grrrr.
It was hoped the mom could come home today, but that is not to be.
She is still experiencing trouble breathing, as her kidney is not working properly due to the stress of the angioplasty, which results in that fluid accumulation. In addition, she has developed a urinary tract infection, and her blood counts are very low. (Red blood cell creation is affected by the kidney.) She received another blood transfusion (her second this week) to get her red blood cell count up, and is receiving antibiotics to get the infection taken care of. She is also in stronger medication to help the kidney eliminate all the extra fluid her body accumulated since the procedure, which seems to be working. They have also put her back on the nitro to help open the blood vessels and relieve that fluid even more.
She was feeling a bit low this morning, but after we chatted for a while she is feeling a bit better and trying to stay positive. It's been 2 weeks now, so she is, understandably, a little frustrated. She is still in Room 229 and able to receive visitors and phone calls.
Just wanted to keep you updated...
She is still experiencing trouble breathing, as her kidney is not working properly due to the stress of the angioplasty, which results in that fluid accumulation. In addition, she has developed a urinary tract infection, and her blood counts are very low. (Red blood cell creation is affected by the kidney.) She received another blood transfusion (her second this week) to get her red blood cell count up, and is receiving antibiotics to get the infection taken care of. She is also in stronger medication to help the kidney eliminate all the extra fluid her body accumulated since the procedure, which seems to be working. They have also put her back on the nitro to help open the blood vessels and relieve that fluid even more.
She was feeling a bit low this morning, but after we chatted for a while she is feeling a bit better and trying to stay positive. It's been 2 weeks now, so she is, understandably, a little frustrated. She is still in Room 229 and able to receive visitors and phone calls.
Just wanted to keep you updated...
Tuesday, December 02, 2008
Angio Update #3
Mom is resting very comfortably now. The doctor has approved removing the catheter. They have her on an IV drip of iron, since her iron levels seemed low, and the nurse says this will also help the fluid leave her system more effectively. Dr. Kremer says her creatinine is actually a bit lower, 2.3, probably due to all the fluid they pumped through her system. Her breathing is back to normal; she says it was the most scared she's ever been. It took them quite some time to get it settled. (I guess they did not call me in for quite some time after they finished the angioplasty, as she was having such a hard time breathing.) She said that once they started the morphine, it settled down. I suspect she was hyperventilating and scaring herself, and the meds relaxed her.
Eric the Supernurse (he rocks) says that here within the hour she can get some food and remove the catheter and start on the road to recovery. He'll ask me to leave when he removes the catheter; it's quite the procedure, with them having to put pressure on the artery for 30 minutes or more to stop the bleeding. That will be about the right time for me to head home. I have some colleagues coming by so we can work on a project for our e-learning course we are taking at UAA. It's getting down to the wire and we have a lot to do to finish our group project.
Anne and I have been Skyping throughout this afternoon, and Dr. Kremer was able to talk to Anne about mom's condition. He was very curious about Skype and asked some questions about it. Another tech convert? :-) The staff here has been very impressed by the way we've used Skype to keep Anne in the loop...
I will try to see if I can visit with mom later this evening. More updates as I get them, but please know the prayers are helping and she is breathing easier. She also has more color in her face than she has had in 2 weeks. Yay! :-)
Eric the Supernurse (he rocks) says that here within the hour she can get some food and remove the catheter and start on the road to recovery. He'll ask me to leave when he removes the catheter; it's quite the procedure, with them having to put pressure on the artery for 30 minutes or more to stop the bleeding. That will be about the right time for me to head home. I have some colleagues coming by so we can work on a project for our e-learning course we are taking at UAA. It's getting down to the wire and we have a lot to do to finish our group project.
Anne and I have been Skyping throughout this afternoon, and Dr. Kremer was able to talk to Anne about mom's condition. He was very curious about Skype and asked some questions about it. Another tech convert? :-) The staff here has been very impressed by the way we've used Skype to keep Anne in the loop...
I will try to see if I can visit with mom later this evening. More updates as I get them, but please know the prayers are helping and she is breathing easier. She also has more color in her face than she has had in 2 weeks. Yay! :-)
Angio Update #2
The angioplasty is complete, and after some serious hustling to get her set up, mom is resting in her new room, Room 229. She is receiving a bit of pain medication to take the edge off, is hooked to so many wires that I am having a hard time seeing her, and is pumped full of fluid again to protect her kidney. She had some trouble breathing on her way up here, which Dr. Kramer says is due to her large fluid retention for now. They are doing an echocardiogram and a chest x-ray to see how everything is, and I will post again when I hear what the results are. She is pretty wiped out, needless to say, but Dr, Kramer said he was able to get the stent in just fine and the procedure was a success. I suppose time will tell...
More news to follow when I have it...please pray for quick recovery and easy breathing.
More news to follow when I have it...please pray for quick recovery and easy breathing.
Angio Update #1
They came and got mom at about 10:00 AM this morning, but didn't start the procedure until about 10:45. She had the best night of sleep she's had in days, so she is well rested. The doctor who is performing her angioplasty (Dr. Kramer) comes very highly recommended; I guess he is their expert and everyone says he's the one they'd want if they had to have the procedure. (Dr. Tucker, mom's nephrologist, made it very clear that Kramer was his preferred doctor for this procedure.)
We'll be moving back to the Cardio Vascular Internvention Unit (CVIU) after this procedure, the same area she started in.
I wanted to take a moment to thank all of you who've left comments. I had a moment to read through them all, and they are such wonderful sentiments. I apologize for not replying to each one. Please consider yourself hugged....
We'll be moving back to the Cardio Vascular Internvention Unit (CVIU) after this procedure, the same area she started in.
I wanted to take a moment to thank all of you who've left comments. I had a moment to read through them all, and they are such wonderful sentiments. I apologize for not replying to each one. Please consider yourself hugged....
Monday, December 01, 2008
We Have a Scheduled Angioplasty
Well, mom has been receiving a lot of different directives the past few days. On Saturday, we were still in wait and see mode. We were waiting and seeing if the kidney got better enough to do the angioplasty, possible on Monday or Tuesday. Then, on Sunday, the cardiologist who was overseeing mom for the weekend told her they were planning to send her home until her kidney was better, and then she would come back in for the angioplasty. (We did NOT Like that idea at all.)
So today her regular kidney doctor came to see her, and when she mentioned going home, he said, "What?!" He thought absolutely NOT! He said he would be talking with the cardiologist. Then he also said that her blood counts were suddenly low. So he ordered a blood transfusion. Of course, mom has to have AB (very rare) blood, and in addition, she has some sort of unidentified antibody in her blood that further made it difficult to find blood! (Anne just informed mom that she is "a little weird.") But we finally have some located, and the transfusion should begin soon.
Finally, her nurse brought her dinner, and reminded mom that she would not get any food after midnight, due to the angioplasty tomorrow morning! What? We had no idea! But yes, we are supposed to be doing the stent tomorrow morning!
So, despite feeling like we are on a roller coaster, we are cautiously optimistic that we will be having the procedure tomorrow morning. Prayers welcomed for a speedy procedure and recovery! I will blog tomorrow to tell you more!
So today her regular kidney doctor came to see her, and when she mentioned going home, he said, "What?!" He thought absolutely NOT! He said he would be talking with the cardiologist. Then he also said that her blood counts were suddenly low. So he ordered a blood transfusion. Of course, mom has to have AB (very rare) blood, and in addition, she has some sort of unidentified antibody in her blood that further made it difficult to find blood! (Anne just informed mom that she is "a little weird.") But we finally have some located, and the transfusion should begin soon.
Finally, her nurse brought her dinner, and reminded mom that she would not get any food after midnight, due to the angioplasty tomorrow morning! What? We had no idea! But yes, we are supposed to be doing the stent tomorrow morning!
So, despite feeling like we are on a roller coaster, we are cautiously optimistic that we will be having the procedure tomorrow morning. Prayers welcomed for a speedy procedure and recovery! I will blog tomorrow to tell you more!
Friday, November 28, 2008
Thanksgiving Events....
We had an eventful Thanksgiving. Mom was being served Thanksgiving lunch at the hospital, and we wanted her to have her feast from home. So I got up early in the morning and started preparing our feast. We finished it for lunchtime and got to the hospital by 1 PM. Mom had been given a snack, but her blood sugars were clearly low, as she was a bit disoriented. When she ate she cleared up and was more like herself. I made tomato salad, hoping it was enough like her recipe. She said it was good! Whew!
They had removed her nitro drip because her vein collapsed again, and her IV was failing for the second time. They called an anesthesiologist who was going to put a main line into her jugular vein. It's a bit of a risky procedure, as the carotid artery is right next to the vein, and made us a little nervous. We stepped out so he could do it, and returned an hour later, to find her fast asleep. But we couldn't see the line. The nurse told us that he had a hard time finding it, and had an emergency surgery to go to. He was planning to return with an ultrasound machine to confirm where her vein is. (Everyone's anatomy varies, and he thought it might be hiding behind her artery.)
We also learned that the angioplasty would not take place on Friday, as her kidney numbers have still not improved. (2.9 to 2.7 to 2.8; little change) Now the projected date is Monday or Tuesday. Sigh.
So we went home, as Katie was getting a bit stir crazy, which in turn was driving Kirk and me crazy. I called throughout the night to check on the IV procedure, but when I went to bed, it still had not been performed.
I called mom this morning, and she sounds much better. Blood sugars dipped again during the night but are OK right now. The anesthesiologist came in late last night to put in the main line. The ultrasound revealed that there was good reason for the doctor to have a hard time finding that vein on her right side: it wasn't there. At all. Further investigation revealed that BOTH her jugular veins are on her left side of her neck, one attached to the other. Once he found it, it took 5 minutes and her IV line is in again.
She is sitting up in her big chair and crocheting right now. She is impatient with the delays, but feeling all right. One side effect of all this fluid they are pushing into her veins is that she is retaining a LOT of fluid and has gained a ton of water weight. Her arms, face, and legs are very swollen. They have increased her Lasix (water pills) from 40 mg dosages to 120 mg dosages, to counteract this.
Martin and Jake got Kirk to drive them down to Alyeska today for their first ski day of the season. Much excitement and anticipation!
Here are some photos:
Turkey, asparagus with Hollandaise, corn, tomato salad, mashed potatoes, dinner rolls, Mom's fancy china...
Yummy turkey!
Beautiful plant from Swan Employer Services (Where Kirk works.)
Amanda brought the lovely flower...
They had removed her nitro drip because her vein collapsed again, and her IV was failing for the second time. They called an anesthesiologist who was going to put a main line into her jugular vein. It's a bit of a risky procedure, as the carotid artery is right next to the vein, and made us a little nervous. We stepped out so he could do it, and returned an hour later, to find her fast asleep. But we couldn't see the line. The nurse told us that he had a hard time finding it, and had an emergency surgery to go to. He was planning to return with an ultrasound machine to confirm where her vein is. (Everyone's anatomy varies, and he thought it might be hiding behind her artery.)
We also learned that the angioplasty would not take place on Friday, as her kidney numbers have still not improved. (2.9 to 2.7 to 2.8; little change) Now the projected date is Monday or Tuesday. Sigh.
So we went home, as Katie was getting a bit stir crazy, which in turn was driving Kirk and me crazy. I called throughout the night to check on the IV procedure, but when I went to bed, it still had not been performed.
I called mom this morning, and she sounds much better. Blood sugars dipped again during the night but are OK right now. The anesthesiologist came in late last night to put in the main line. The ultrasound revealed that there was good reason for the doctor to have a hard time finding that vein on her right side: it wasn't there. At all. Further investigation revealed that BOTH her jugular veins are on her left side of her neck, one attached to the other. Once he found it, it took 5 minutes and her IV line is in again.
She is sitting up in her big chair and crocheting right now. She is impatient with the delays, but feeling all right. One side effect of all this fluid they are pushing into her veins is that she is retaining a LOT of fluid and has gained a ton of water weight. Her arms, face, and legs are very swollen. They have increased her Lasix (water pills) from 40 mg dosages to 120 mg dosages, to counteract this.
Martin and Jake got Kirk to drive them down to Alyeska today for their first ski day of the season. Much excitement and anticipation!
Here are some photos:
Turkey, asparagus with Hollandaise, corn, tomato salad, mashed potatoes, dinner rolls, Mom's fancy china...
Caesar salad, gravy, broccoli..
Yummy turkey!
Beautiful plant from Swan Employer Services (Where Kirk works.)
Amanda brought the lovely flower...
This last photo is Mom and Anne Skyping (videoconferencing.) So cool!
This has been log-winded, so I will close with a few words of thanks. We are so thankful for all of you, friends and family, who are praying for us and offering your support. It is so comforting to have so many of you in our hearts and ready to help at a moment's notice. Although his is a rough time, we are thankful that the heart failure was caught before a major heart attack occurred, and that mom was in a public place and not home alone when her chest pain started. We are thankful that we have such a wonderful family, that we have the resources that we do, and that God is active and visible in our lives every day. I hope you had a wonderful, restful Thanksgiving, and that you will enjoy this weekend, your families, and your blessings.
Love to all....
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Change of surroundings...
Mom is no longer in Room 233; she has been moved to a larger room in the Renal Care Unit. I think her new room number is 260. They moved her because they needed the Cardiac room for an open heart surgery patient. It makes sense for her to be in the Renal Care Unit, since the main goal right now is to get her kidney well enough for the heart procedure. Mom had some visitors last night. Sharon from Kirk's office came by, and Gwen and Jessica from church came by too. She was so pleased to have some visitors. Kirk & Jake did the Thanksgiving shopping last night so that we will be set for tomorrow.
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Blood Sugar Trials...
I am sitting here in Room 233 with mom, and she is dozing. She is pretty tired; for the third day in a row she was awakened in the early hours with extremely low blood sugar. Today they had to change her sheets, clothes etc., as she was soaked through with sweat. Dr. Tucker is changing her insulin regimen again; she will now take her main dosage at night rather than in the morning as she has been. We hope this will help get her sugars under control.
After another increase in creatinine levels yesterday, there was a slight drop today. This is heartening (no pun intended,) because they cannot work on her heart until the kidney has bounced back. We are still tentatively set for Friday.
Yesterday mom had some chest pain and the nurse gave her nitro pills to put under her tongue for a more instant effect. This helped and she went back to no chest pain after that. Today they took her off the oxygen that she has been attached to since she arrived. After about an hour she is still at 98%, so he is keeping her off the oxygen for now. Yay! We are strongly hoping she will not end up having to be on oxygen at home after she recovers.
Amanda (mom watches her little ones) came by recently and brought mom a lovely plant, and the wonderful staff at Swan (where Kirk works) sent a fantastic plant arrangement as well. They cheer the room considerably; you know how sterile these rooms can be. I have checked out a slug of library books for her, and she has her computer and her crocheting. (Bummer: the hospital Internet filters and doesn't allow games like Pogo.com. Mom loves playing cards with Anne via the Internet.... oh well.) Hopefully these items will keep her from going to crazy when she is here alone.
The rest of the family is doing fine; I am splitting my time between home and the hospital and trying to get some of my work done from both places. Luckily I have Internet access in many places, so I can take my work with me. Martin had a bout of the 24 hour stomach flu Sunday night, and spent the entire night vomiting, but he is back to school today. Kirk spent the day yesterday at our church helping with the Thanksgiving Blessing. This is a city-wide project where several churches combine to help provide entire Thanksgiving meals to the needy. At our church from 1 Pm to 9 PM yesterday, 925 families received all the fixings for a Thanksgiving dinner. And that's just our church. Wow. Kirk was wiped out and crashed soon after getting home. I took Katie swimming last night; she just loves being in the water and had been asking for several days. We are making every effort to keep life as normal as possible for her. Yesterday she spoke with Ingrid on the phone, and asked her when she would be retiring. I could hear mom asking her what she meant, and after several repeats, it became clear that by "retiring," Katie meant "when will they release you from the hospital." :-)
Well, I am going to head back to my work email to get some more work done. I will update more when I have news. Please pray that mom's kidney bounces back quickly and that her blood sugars get under control. Thanks....
After another increase in creatinine levels yesterday, there was a slight drop today. This is heartening (no pun intended,) because they cannot work on her heart until the kidney has bounced back. We are still tentatively set for Friday.
Yesterday mom had some chest pain and the nurse gave her nitro pills to put under her tongue for a more instant effect. This helped and she went back to no chest pain after that. Today they took her off the oxygen that she has been attached to since she arrived. After about an hour she is still at 98%, so he is keeping her off the oxygen for now. Yay! We are strongly hoping she will not end up having to be on oxygen at home after she recovers.
Amanda (mom watches her little ones) came by recently and brought mom a lovely plant, and the wonderful staff at Swan (where Kirk works) sent a fantastic plant arrangement as well. They cheer the room considerably; you know how sterile these rooms can be. I have checked out a slug of library books for her, and she has her computer and her crocheting. (Bummer: the hospital Internet filters and doesn't allow games like Pogo.com. Mom loves playing cards with Anne via the Internet.... oh well.) Hopefully these items will keep her from going to crazy when she is here alone.
The rest of the family is doing fine; I am splitting my time between home and the hospital and trying to get some of my work done from both places. Luckily I have Internet access in many places, so I can take my work with me. Martin had a bout of the 24 hour stomach flu Sunday night, and spent the entire night vomiting, but he is back to school today. Kirk spent the day yesterday at our church helping with the Thanksgiving Blessing. This is a city-wide project where several churches combine to help provide entire Thanksgiving meals to the needy. At our church from 1 Pm to 9 PM yesterday, 925 families received all the fixings for a Thanksgiving dinner. And that's just our church. Wow. Kirk was wiped out and crashed soon after getting home. I took Katie swimming last night; she just loves being in the water and had been asking for several days. We are making every effort to keep life as normal as possible for her. Yesterday she spoke with Ingrid on the phone, and asked her when she would be retiring. I could hear mom asking her what she meant, and after several repeats, it became clear that by "retiring," Katie meant "when will they release you from the hospital." :-)
Well, I am going to head back to my work email to get some more work done. I will update more when I have news. Please pray that mom's kidney bounces back quickly and that her blood sugars get under control. Thanks....
Sunday, November 23, 2008
We have a plan.
The angioplasty is our planned course of action. The doctor who performs these procedures came to speak to mom after we left this afternoon, and he told her that the doctors have agreed that the angioplasty is the best option. I admit that I am relieved that they do not have to open mom's chest, sternum, and stop her heart to perform surgery. We pray that this course of action will prove successful. Unfortunately, they do not plan to complete the procedure until at least Friday, as they want her kidney to be in top condition. Although most people go home very quickly after and angioplasty, mom may have to stay in the hospital afterward as well to allow her kidney to get back up to speed. We will see.
Mom wishes she did not have to stay at the hospital to await the procedure, but we were given an example of why she must. Her IV was not working properly this evening, so they took her off her medications until the IV nurse could put a new line in. After about 20 minutes, mom began to have some pain directly below her heart area. We got the nurse, who put her back on the nitroglycerin, and the pain went away. Clearly, being here at the hospital is the only option until the procedure clears those blocked blood vessels.
Interestingly, the pain she was experiencing was the exact pain she had about two weeks ago. She started having this "stomach ache" early one evening, and it her hurt her most of the night. She thought it was a stomach problem. It now seems clear that she was having heart trouble, and did not recognize it. We are very blessed that she did not have a full heart attack.
Thank you to all who are leaving comments for mom, and for all your prayers. I will try and post a picture of mom later...don't have the camera cord here right now!
Mom wishes she did not have to stay at the hospital to await the procedure, but we were given an example of why she must. Her IV was not working properly this evening, so they took her off her medications until the IV nurse could put a new line in. After about 20 minutes, mom began to have some pain directly below her heart area. We got the nurse, who put her back on the nitroglycerin, and the pain went away. Clearly, being here at the hospital is the only option until the procedure clears those blocked blood vessels.
Interestingly, the pain she was experiencing was the exact pain she had about two weeks ago. She started having this "stomach ache" early one evening, and it her hurt her most of the night. She thought it was a stomach problem. It now seems clear that she was having heart trouble, and did not recognize it. We are very blessed that she did not have a full heart attack.
Thank you to all who are leaving comments for mom, and for all your prayers. I will try and post a picture of mom later...don't have the camera cord here right now!
Saturday, November 22, 2008
A Visit with the Heart Surgeon
I spent the day with mom at the hospital. She is feeling better, and the doctors allowed her to get up and move around. They brought a nice big chair into the room so she can sit up and crochet/read. The bed is quite uncomfortable after a while.
Our goal right now is to get all the information needed to make a good decision about what we should do next. Diabetes and a kidney transplant add to our complications and make this decision a bit harder than it might otherwise be. Mom's nephrologist, Dr. Tucker, came by to speak with us briefly. He made some adjustments in her insulin requirements to get her blood sugars under better control, and he told us that our next step is to get her kidney functioning at its baseline level again. The dye they had to use for the angiogram is toxic, and her kidney has to work hard to filter it from her blood. Her creatinine level was 1.8 when she arrived at the hospital on Thursday, and after this procedure, it is now at 2.5. This is evidence that the kidney is working hard and not functioning at its best. Any procedure that we decide on must wait until the kidney is back in proper working order. So it will be a while before she leaves the hospital.
Dr. Tucker says that his first instinct is to lean toward an angioplasty and stints to solve the blockage problem. It is the least invasive,which is best for mom in her condition.
Later this afternoon, the heart surgeon, Dr. Curtis, came by to talk to us. He had consulted with mom's cardiologist, Dr. Finley, and Dr. Tucker earlier in the day. He is an experienced heart surgeon who worked extensively with transplant patients in WA. He detailed what he would do if he did surgery, and explained the risks to us. He emphasized that mom has options. He wants to hear from Dr. Kramer, who would perform an angioplasty, to see how comfortable/confident he feels about the procedure. If he thinks it can be done, then that will be the first choice.
One neat thing about the afternoon was that I used my computer to Skype Anne in from Atlanta. We spent about 2 hours video chatting and she was able to join our meeting with the heart surgeon. It was so wonderful to have her there in the room with us!
Mom is in Room 233 at Providence, and she can take phone calls. Feel free to give her a call and help her break the monotony. Or leave us a comment here now and then, and I'll make sure she gets them. Thanks for all the prayers and good thoughts. We truly appreciate them.
Our goal right now is to get all the information needed to make a good decision about what we should do next. Diabetes and a kidney transplant add to our complications and make this decision a bit harder than it might otherwise be. Mom's nephrologist, Dr. Tucker, came by to speak with us briefly. He made some adjustments in her insulin requirements to get her blood sugars under better control, and he told us that our next step is to get her kidney functioning at its baseline level again. The dye they had to use for the angiogram is toxic, and her kidney has to work hard to filter it from her blood. Her creatinine level was 1.8 when she arrived at the hospital on Thursday, and after this procedure, it is now at 2.5. This is evidence that the kidney is working hard and not functioning at its best. Any procedure that we decide on must wait until the kidney is back in proper working order. So it will be a while before she leaves the hospital.
Dr. Tucker says that his first instinct is to lean toward an angioplasty and stints to solve the blockage problem. It is the least invasive,which is best for mom in her condition.
Later this afternoon, the heart surgeon, Dr. Curtis, came by to talk to us. He had consulted with mom's cardiologist, Dr. Finley, and Dr. Tucker earlier in the day. He is an experienced heart surgeon who worked extensively with transplant patients in WA. He detailed what he would do if he did surgery, and explained the risks to us. He emphasized that mom has options. He wants to hear from Dr. Kramer, who would perform an angioplasty, to see how comfortable/confident he feels about the procedure. If he thinks it can be done, then that will be the first choice.
One neat thing about the afternoon was that I used my computer to Skype Anne in from Atlanta. We spent about 2 hours video chatting and she was able to join our meeting with the heart surgeon. It was so wonderful to have her there in the room with us!
Mom is in Room 233 at Providence, and she can take phone calls. Feel free to give her a call and help her break the monotony. Or leave us a comment here now and then, and I'll make sure she gets them. Thanks for all the prayers and good thoughts. We truly appreciate them.
Prayers welcomed...
Ingrid (Oma) has given us all a bit of a scare. She recently began an exercise regimen at the AK Club with a personal trainer to get into better shape. On Thursday, she couldn't make it through her water workout and had to call me to pick her up. She had chest pain and could not get her breath. We raced to Providence Hospital, where she was treated for congestive heart failure.(This has apparently been building for some time; it was not due to her workout.) An angiogram revealed three blocked blood vessels in her heart, two of them 90% and one 80%. We are currently talking with doctors to determine whether she will need bypass surgery or angioplasty. Her diabetes and kidney transplant complicate matters a bit, so we are gathering as much information as we can before making a decision.
She is in good spirits, feeling just fine, and anxious to make a decision and move forward. I (Martina) am spending most of my time at the hospital with her to help in getting info and everything else involved. Luckily, my job and boss are extremely forgiving and allow me to focus completely here. In addtion, Kirk and the boys are holding down the fort at home...
She is in good spirits, feeling just fine, and anxious to make a decision and move forward. I (Martina) am spending most of my time at the hospital with her to help in getting info and everything else involved. Luckily, my job and boss are extremely forgiving and allow me to focus completely here. In addtion, Kirk and the boys are holding down the fort at home...
Friday, July 20, 2007
Schwan Cup: Days 4 & 5
Hello again! It's been a busy two days, so I am just now getting back to the computer! Day 4 began with a clinic on "finishing." It was a bright and sunny day, but the humidity had finally dissipated, which makes it much more bearable for the boys. After the clinic, the team headed to the big stadium to watch the Naperville team take on the Cruz Azul team. The boys really liked the Naperville team, and they sat in the stands and cheered them on. Maybe that's why the Lightning were able to be the first team to score on this formidable opponent!
After lunch in the sun, the boys needed to have some mellow free time, since they had a game at 7:10 PM. We agreed to take a large group of them to a nearby mall that included a Hollister, which was the store of choice for this trip. The mall was one of those new malls designed to be like shopping in a market, with the stores outdoors instead of a big building. Very nice.
After shopping at Hollister:
Most of the guys went to check out A & F and American Eagle. Jordan and Jake and I went to the Borders books, where the boys discussed their favorite books, and Jake convinced Jordan to read Sabriel. (Jordan read it the entire trip home!)
They waited for the rest of the gang to meet up with us, reading in the easy chairs at Hollister.
We headed back to the hotel and prepared for our game against the Bangu Tsunami. This team, which is a select team for Minnesota, played Cruz Azul to a 0-1 final score, so the boys were nervous about how things would go. Well, they went great! The weather had cooled off and it was just like playing on a summer day in AK. The boys played the best game yet, and by the time it was all said and done, they only lost by a score of 0-1! It was so wonderful to see them playing; they shell-shocked the Bangu team for sure, which started the game with its second string, but soon realized that was a mistake. These boys just got better and better! The game was streamed live on the internet at Crystal Clear Sports, and I read on their site that the game will be saved and available for purchase after the tournament! (John, Jane, and Michelle watched the last part of the game from their computers in AK; so cool!)
(More pictures are at the Flickr site; and more will be added once I get Warren's card.)
The boys headed home for quick showers, as they were going to the Schwan Cup sponsored dance. The girls were dressed in their pretty dresses and cute skirts, the Schwan Zone was open for fun and games, and the dancing looked like a large crowd of kids all just standing very close together! LOL!
The boys were ravenous when they returned, so we dragged out all the food, piled into our room, and relaxed for a half hour before "lights out!"
Our final day of soccer play at the Schwan Cup dawned bright, clear, and very warm. We played at 10: 40, and we were playing against the second place team in the B bracket, the Trebol Football Club. We learned that this is a cream of the crop team from Illinois. Our boys again did a fabulous job. Although the score was 0-4 at halftime, the other team never got another chance to score, and we came very close several times. I must say that our boys truly raised the level of their game tremendously this week; they will be a formidable force in the state cup this year. They had to dig deep and play like they've never played before, and it was just great to watch them play better and better each game this week.
(I took today's picture with Kelly's camera, and will add them to the blog and Flickr tomorrow morning.)
The boys were free to do as they pleased after the game, and a large group of us headed to the Mall of America. (522 stores. Wow!) Our guys were in awe, and truly enjoyed walking around, riding a couple of rides in the amusement park in the center of the mall, and eating a burger at Johnny Rockets. Our car stayed until 9:00 PM, and headed home very happy and tired.
The Paul Bunyan Log Chute!
Burgers and shakes and 50's music!
A dip in the pool topped off the evening. I think they will be watching the final game tomorrow, but I also hear rumors about a trip to the water park and a return trip to the Mall Of America for some of the boys who had to leave earlier than planned.
Sleep well!
After lunch in the sun, the boys needed to have some mellow free time, since they had a game at 7:10 PM. We agreed to take a large group of them to a nearby mall that included a Hollister, which was the store of choice for this trip. The mall was one of those new malls designed to be like shopping in a market, with the stores outdoors instead of a big building. Very nice.
After shopping at Hollister:
Most of the guys went to check out A & F and American Eagle. Jordan and Jake and I went to the Borders books, where the boys discussed their favorite books, and Jake convinced Jordan to read Sabriel. (Jordan read it the entire trip home!)They waited for the rest of the gang to meet up with us, reading in the easy chairs at Hollister.
We headed back to the hotel and prepared for our game against the Bangu Tsunami. This team, which is a select team for Minnesota, played Cruz Azul to a 0-1 final score, so the boys were nervous about how things would go. Well, they went great! The weather had cooled off and it was just like playing on a summer day in AK. The boys played the best game yet, and by the time it was all said and done, they only lost by a score of 0-1! It was so wonderful to see them playing; they shell-shocked the Bangu team for sure, which started the game with its second string, but soon realized that was a mistake. These boys just got better and better! The game was streamed live on the internet at Crystal Clear Sports, and I read on their site that the game will be saved and available for purchase after the tournament! (John, Jane, and Michelle watched the last part of the game from their computers in AK; so cool!)
(More pictures are at the Flickr site; and more will be added once I get Warren's card.)
The boys headed home for quick showers, as they were going to the Schwan Cup sponsored dance. The girls were dressed in their pretty dresses and cute skirts, the Schwan Zone was open for fun and games, and the dancing looked like a large crowd of kids all just standing very close together! LOL!
The boys were ravenous when they returned, so we dragged out all the food, piled into our room, and relaxed for a half hour before "lights out!"
Our final day of soccer play at the Schwan Cup dawned bright, clear, and very warm. We played at 10: 40, and we were playing against the second place team in the B bracket, the Trebol Football Club. We learned that this is a cream of the crop team from Illinois. Our boys again did a fabulous job. Although the score was 0-4 at halftime, the other team never got another chance to score, and we came very close several times. I must say that our boys truly raised the level of their game tremendously this week; they will be a formidable force in the state cup this year. They had to dig deep and play like they've never played before, and it was just great to watch them play better and better each game this week.
(I took today's picture with Kelly's camera, and will add them to the blog and Flickr tomorrow morning.)
The boys were free to do as they pleased after the game, and a large group of us headed to the Mall of America. (522 stores. Wow!) Our guys were in awe, and truly enjoyed walking around, riding a couple of rides in the amusement park in the center of the mall, and eating a burger at Johnny Rockets. Our car stayed until 9:00 PM, and headed home very happy and tired.
The Paul Bunyan Log Chute!
Burgers and shakes and 50's music!
A dip in the pool topped off the evening. I think they will be watching the final game tomorrow, but I also hear rumors about a trip to the water park and a return trip to the Mall Of America for some of the boys who had to leave earlier than planned.
Sleep well!
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Schwan USA Cup, Day 3
Oops! The last time I posted, I had my schedule mixed up. So... if you are logging in to find out about the exciting action at last night's dance, I must disappoint you. Last night was the night for a USA Cup sponsored beach party, which we did not attend, due to our late game. TONIGHT is the the USA Cup sponsored dance, and I will be attending and taking some photographs. Sorry about that!
On to Day 3's events. Because we had two games and the temperatures were high and the humidity oppressive, we had a fairly mellow day. Breakfast at 9:00 AM was followed by "down time," which consisted of TV viewing and arcade play in the hotel.
At about 11:45 AM we headed over for our first game of the day against the Naperville Lightning. (Click the name to read more about this club.) At half time, the game was 2-3, with a final score of 2-7. The boys played better than yesterday; they seemed more comfortable and were very excited to score on this tough team. (Austin scored one, and Daniel H. got a beautiful penalty kick into the net.) The heat was incredible, mostly due to humidity. The boys liked this team; they said they were nice guys, and our team stuck around to chat with them after the game. We plan to watch them play Cruz Azul this afternoon. (NOTE: there are about 100 pictures at the Flickr site. Warren is getting pretty good with his camera, so be sure and check it out for lots more pictures of the games!)
We headed over to a local restaurant called Chipotle for a yummy, fresh lunch. If you have been to Qdoba, you know what Chipotle is like. They were incredibly fast, and the food was light, fresh, and delicious.
(Poor Charlotte...she was so hot and feeling a bit tired...)
The boys also got a lemon ice from the Culver's across the street from our hotel as a light refreshment. Some more downtime and laundry washing followed.
Our next game was against the Northern Lights United Soccer Club, from Winnipeg, Manitoba. Playing at 7:10 PM really seemed to help the boys; the air was not as hot and they played even better than previously. The final score was 0-4; we are improving with each game. We had several shots on goal, including one that hit the post. The boys were moving the ball better than they have been, and they again played their hardest. I have not seen these guys give up even once; it has been awesome to watch.
The boys rode back to the hotel this time instead of walking. It's fun to listen in on their comments. Several times I have heard boys mention that they will "really school when we get back to Anchorage." They seem to feel that they are raising their level of play...I t's great to hear them finding the positives.
Apparently this team used some language on the field. Jake and Jordan both mentioned overhearing expletives from the players; Jordan told one of them he "owed him a quarter!" The player wasn't quite sure what he meant by that, LOL!
Dinner was at Culver's, and then they had a dip in the pool. It is quite a sight: 15 rough and rowdy boys wrestling in that tiny pool. They had an absolute ball, and fell asleep without any trouble!
Today they are heading off for a clinic on "finishing," followed by watching the Naperville boys take on Cruz Azul. Then they'll have some free time to take part in some USA Cup activities, a game at 7:10, and the ... dance ... really. There is a dance this time. I promise!
And...yes...I did visit a yarn shop. That's a post for the other blog though. ;-)
On to Day 3's events. Because we had two games and the temperatures were high and the humidity oppressive, we had a fairly mellow day. Breakfast at 9:00 AM was followed by "down time," which consisted of TV viewing and arcade play in the hotel.
At about 11:45 AM we headed over for our first game of the day against the Naperville Lightning. (Click the name to read more about this club.) At half time, the game was 2-3, with a final score of 2-7. The boys played better than yesterday; they seemed more comfortable and were very excited to score on this tough team. (Austin scored one, and Daniel H. got a beautiful penalty kick into the net.) The heat was incredible, mostly due to humidity. The boys liked this team; they said they were nice guys, and our team stuck around to chat with them after the game. We plan to watch them play Cruz Azul this afternoon. (NOTE: there are about 100 pictures at the Flickr site. Warren is getting pretty good with his camera, so be sure and check it out for lots more pictures of the games!)
We headed over to a local restaurant called Chipotle for a yummy, fresh lunch. If you have been to Qdoba, you know what Chipotle is like. They were incredibly fast, and the food was light, fresh, and delicious.
(Poor Charlotte...she was so hot and feeling a bit tired...)The boys also got a lemon ice from the Culver's across the street from our hotel as a light refreshment. Some more downtime and laundry washing followed.
Our next game was against the Northern Lights United Soccer Club, from Winnipeg, Manitoba. Playing at 7:10 PM really seemed to help the boys; the air was not as hot and they played even better than previously. The final score was 0-4; we are improving with each game. We had several shots on goal, including one that hit the post. The boys were moving the ball better than they have been, and they again played their hardest. I have not seen these guys give up even once; it has been awesome to watch.
The boys rode back to the hotel this time instead of walking. It's fun to listen in on their comments. Several times I have heard boys mention that they will "really school when we get back to Anchorage." They seem to feel that they are raising their level of play...I t's great to hear them finding the positives.
Apparently this team used some language on the field. Jake and Jordan both mentioned overhearing expletives from the players; Jordan told one of them he "owed him a quarter!" The player wasn't quite sure what he meant by that, LOL!
Dinner was at Culver's, and then they had a dip in the pool. It is quite a sight: 15 rough and rowdy boys wrestling in that tiny pool. They had an absolute ball, and fell asleep without any trouble!
Today they are heading off for a clinic on "finishing," followed by watching the Naperville boys take on Cruz Azul. Then they'll have some free time to take part in some USA Cup activities, a game at 7:10, and the ... dance ... really. There is a dance this time. I promise!
And...yes...I did visit a yarn shop. That's a post for the other blog though. ;-)
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
More Photos Posted!
Warren has been taking pictures and I got them downloaded this morning. When you click "More Photos" (in the left sidebar) you'll be taken to a photo from his set. You can click on the name of the set on the right side of that page, and you'll get his whole set of 125 pictures (!) that can be viewed as a slide show. Same events; different perspective! :-) There are some pictures of the boys in their "friendly"match against a MN team on Monday, in addition to the events I took photos of...Enjoy!
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Schwan Cup, Day Two
Blog Reading 101 is now in session… ☺
For those of you new to blog reading, I’ll try to share a few useful tidbits now and then. Blog is short for “weblogs,” and they are online journals. One neat aspect of blogs is the “Comments” section. At the end of each entry, there is a spot that says “___comments.” This is a link that allows readers to leave a comment about the entry. Readers can also read the comments left by others. This allows the blog to become interactive! So, if you’d like to leave a comment for me or others to read, just click on the link and give it a try!
Also, please forgive me in advance for my soccer game pictures; they are not the best. I do know that a couple of other parents took some good shots, and I will try to get those into Flickr too.
We awoke to a hotter and more humid day, ready for our first game of the tournament. The boys had some team meetings, a light lunch, and “down time” in their rooms to prepare for the game.
The temperature hovered around 90 degrees by the time we headed to the fields at 3:30 PM. The sunscreen was slathered on, the cheap soccer chairs were in place, and the sun was blazing.
Our opponent was Cruz Azul. This is a select team affiliated with the professional Mexican team, Club Deportivo Cruz Azul.
(I should mention that our team was placed into the “Cup” flight for this tournament, a flight where “teams are generally formed from multiple communities as all-star or premier teams, in order to compete with nationally recognized teams.” Now we all know that is not us. Officials told us that we were moved into this flight because of our record, which looks pretty awesome on paper. Of course, we only have about 9 football clubs in all of Alaska to compete against, which makes our record a bit different from those of other states, but apparently that little detail was overlooked. ☺)
At any rate, this team was fast, athletic, talented, and clearly an “all-star or premier” team. Our score at half time was 0-6; final score was 0-9. We had three minor injuries: Jake got a cleat in the calf within his first minute of play and had to be carried off the field; he recovered by halftime so he could continue play. Agustin had an injury that briefly had him at the medical tent for a check-over, but he is fine now…and Jorge also left the field limping in the second half. All three boys are doing fine now.
This was a tough, fast game for our boys, but the entire team handled the loss admirably. I must say they absolutely never, ever gave up; they played their hardest every minute of that game! They came off the field red-faced, drenched, and exhausted. As Kirk would say, they emptied their tanks and gave it their all. We were proud of them.
Michael got a special treat when the game ended and he found out he’d had his very own cheering squad on the sidelines: his Aunt Julie and cousins Sam and Sophia!
There was little time to spare as we left the field, wolfed down some pizza, and headed to the stadium to meet a team from Illinois for the MLS game: Minnesota Thunder vs. Kansas Wizards.
We did take a moment on the way to cool off a bit:
This “Meet a Team” Opportunity was arranged ahead of time, and we sat with these guys to watch the game. (They plan to stop in at our game tomorrow to cheer us on.) The game was fun, but we sensed the Thunder were feeling much as we were, as the final score was 5-0 for the Wizards. I’ve included a few pictures of the event here, but there are many more in the Flickr Album.
As we walked home in the warm summer evening, and the boys rolled down grassy hills and kicked a water bottle on an empty field, George noted how much nicer it would be to turn on some lights and play games at this time of night, instead of in the heat of the day! Steve and I agreed, and we think that Fairbanks should play the Midnight Sun Tournament at night, so it truly is played under the midnight sun…wouldn’t that be novel?
The boys were excited when George stopped them short of the hotel and struck a bargain: 30 minutes in the pool would be followed by immediate lights out, TVs out, and sleep. They played, splashed and wrestled, ran upstairs and scarfed down leftover pizza, and were snoozing by 11:00. Aaahhh. ☺
We have two games tomorrow: at 12:05 PM, and 7:10 PM. These are followed by a…dance. Yes. A dance. I’m sure the blog will be full of news again. Bye until then!
For those of you new to blog reading, I’ll try to share a few useful tidbits now and then. Blog is short for “weblogs,” and they are online journals. One neat aspect of blogs is the “Comments” section. At the end of each entry, there is a spot that says “___comments.” This is a link that allows readers to leave a comment about the entry. Readers can also read the comments left by others. This allows the blog to become interactive! So, if you’d like to leave a comment for me or others to read, just click on the link and give it a try!
Also, please forgive me in advance for my soccer game pictures; they are not the best. I do know that a couple of other parents took some good shots, and I will try to get those into Flickr too.
We awoke to a hotter and more humid day, ready for our first game of the tournament. The boys had some team meetings, a light lunch, and “down time” in their rooms to prepare for the game.
The temperature hovered around 90 degrees by the time we headed to the fields at 3:30 PM. The sunscreen was slathered on, the cheap soccer chairs were in place, and the sun was blazing.
Our opponent was Cruz Azul. This is a select team affiliated with the professional Mexican team, Club Deportivo Cruz Azul.
(I should mention that our team was placed into the “Cup” flight for this tournament, a flight where “teams are generally formed from multiple communities as all-star or premier teams, in order to compete with nationally recognized teams.” Now we all know that is not us. Officials told us that we were moved into this flight because of our record, which looks pretty awesome on paper. Of course, we only have about 9 football clubs in all of Alaska to compete against, which makes our record a bit different from those of other states, but apparently that little detail was overlooked. ☺)
At any rate, this team was fast, athletic, talented, and clearly an “all-star or premier” team. Our score at half time was 0-6; final score was 0-9. We had three minor injuries: Jake got a cleat in the calf within his first minute of play and had to be carried off the field; he recovered by halftime so he could continue play. Agustin had an injury that briefly had him at the medical tent for a check-over, but he is fine now…and Jorge also left the field limping in the second half. All three boys are doing fine now.
This was a tough, fast game for our boys, but the entire team handled the loss admirably. I must say they absolutely never, ever gave up; they played their hardest every minute of that game! They came off the field red-faced, drenched, and exhausted. As Kirk would say, they emptied their tanks and gave it their all. We were proud of them.
Michael got a special treat when the game ended and he found out he’d had his very own cheering squad on the sidelines: his Aunt Julie and cousins Sam and Sophia!
There was little time to spare as we left the field, wolfed down some pizza, and headed to the stadium to meet a team from Illinois for the MLS game: Minnesota Thunder vs. Kansas Wizards.
We did take a moment on the way to cool off a bit:
This “Meet a Team” Opportunity was arranged ahead of time, and we sat with these guys to watch the game. (They plan to stop in at our game tomorrow to cheer us on.) The game was fun, but we sensed the Thunder were feeling much as we were, as the final score was 5-0 for the Wizards. I’ve included a few pictures of the event here, but there are many more in the Flickr Album.
As we walked home in the warm summer evening, and the boys rolled down grassy hills and kicked a water bottle on an empty field, George noted how much nicer it would be to turn on some lights and play games at this time of night, instead of in the heat of the day! Steve and I agreed, and we think that Fairbanks should play the Midnight Sun Tournament at night, so it truly is played under the midnight sun…wouldn’t that be novel?
The boys were excited when George stopped them short of the hotel and struck a bargain: 30 minutes in the pool would be followed by immediate lights out, TVs out, and sleep. They played, splashed and wrestled, ran upstairs and scarfed down leftover pizza, and were snoozing by 11:00. Aaahhh. ☺
We have two games tomorrow: at 12:05 PM, and 7:10 PM. These are followed by a…dance. Yes. A dance. I’m sure the blog will be full of news again. Bye until then!
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