What. A. Year!!!!

This year went from valley to mountain top to the deepest valley in the ocean to the highest mountain top of the Earth. Jerry had a heart attack and a blood infection that nearly killed him on August 14th. The following is what I typed in my notes the Sunday after arriving at the hospital on the 14th. Sunday 8-17-13 I decided to write up some thoughts and feelings about what has happened over the last few weeks. July 25th Jerry got a spinal injection for his back pain from Dr. Mitchell. August 4th he started having a fever, chills, shakes, and severe sweating. Started school Aug. 5th feeling really bad. Lipped swelled on Tuesday. Fever blisters and food tasting salty started. He felt horrible all week. After school each day, he ate a little and went to bed and repeated this until Friday afternoon. Ran a high fever until I picked him up at about 4:30. (I drove all week, because he felt sooooooo bad.) Fever was down and he was feeling a little better when we got home. By this time he was only eating mashed potatoes and not much elese. Saturday he slept most of the day. Nights all week were rough: fever, chills, and sweats. Saturday evening he had a episode that scared me to death. A second fever, with severe chills followed by sweating. It was so bad I thought he might be having a seisure or convulsions. I almost called the ambulance then. Sunday the 11th it continued. That evening after 10pm he decided I should take him to emergency. They drew losts of blood, but found nothing. Sweats didn't happen. He ran a low fever. Doctor said it was a virus and to rest and drink plenty of water. Monday, Aug. 12th, he stayed home and slept, took tylenot and motrin regularly and drank water. By this time at night he was sleeping on towels, and the purple quilt to keep from being on wet sheets...wanting to avoid the severe chills. Tuesday was a repeat. He was noticing bing week from lack of protein, but not able to eat much because of the nausea. (He was even thinking it was food poisoning from a Sonic burger or the sour cream from a taco place near his school.) No diarrhea, but nauseated. I was exhausted Tuesday evening and fell asleep at 9pm. He stayed up until midnight typing an email and other stuff. He was dealing with school stuff because he knew he still wasn't able to go back the next day. He had two doctors appointments. He cancelled one with Mitchell and was going to Dr. Fuller-pain management in the afternoon. Jerry woke up Wednesday morning about 3:30am to go to the bathroom. Got chilled and started shaking and hyperventilating. I got Mo up and called 911 because this was not getting any better. Firemen and EMTs arrived and were all in the bedroom dealing with him. They got him out of the house...naked, walking with a blanket on his back. Mo went in the ambulance with Jerry and I drove to the hospital. I got there first. They take him straight back into the depths of the ER and take blood and check everything. Mo tells me the EKG looked like he had a heart attack in the ambulance on the way. I have no idea what is going on in the ER. I am waiting in the waiting room. Mo comes out because they are going to put in a cath. After a 20 minutes or so, someone from the ER comes and tells me they are taking Jerry to the Cath lab and to go say good-bye to Jerry. I tell Mo, "I'm not telling him good-bye. What are they talking about?" I get back to Jerry and he is pouring sweat. It is alert and "normal" and just seems very sick. They tell Mo and I to follow and then the rush like to wind through the hospital up to the Cath Lab. This where Dr. Woorcester is going to check for blocked arteries. (Which I can't believe is even possibly the problem Jerry is having.) Dr. Woorcesster finds to blockages and puts in 2 stents in the LAD and Jerry begins feeling better, except for having to stay on his back...painful. The doctor shows me the blockages on his machine and I even see the change of blood flow after the stents are put in. On Thursday, Jerry is approved by the heart doctor to go home on Friday, BUT can't release him because the blood cultures are showing several "evil" things that have to be cultured longer to discover what type of strep they are. (I thought there was only one...strep throat. Little did I know.) Friday, Jerry talkes with Dr. Ramgupol, blood infection specialist, about the bacteria in the blood. It is green strep, but that the specialist doesn't know which one. They talk about how it could of gotten in his blood. Jerry mentions the spinal injection and food poisoning possibilities. Jerry is scheduled for an MRI and a pick line for future injections on Monday. They do the pick line on Sunday. The MRI people are worried about doing the MRI because of the stents being effected by the magnets. Jerry still runs a fever daily, but isn't having the chills and sweats. I was almost a widow on Wednesday, August 14th. The LAD is known as the Widow-maker. Jerry was acting a little strange tonight. (Sunday, 17th) Sleepy, but not wanting to go to sleep. I probably won't sleep will tonight because I will be watching and listening to him to make sure nothing happens. Tomorrow will be a rough day, I think. I really am impatient to find out about the infection, but don't want the stents to be effected by the MRI, plus Mark is not his nurse tomorrow. Hope it is someone other than Joji tomorrow. She is one I don't feel secure with. I can't even tell you why because I have no idea. Mark left and security did, too. August 20th: They decide on a CT scan instead for Monday. Yesterday the CT scan showed an abscess on Jerry's liver. We are waiting on them to go in and deal with the abscess. Doctors are discussing if that is what needs to be done. They planned on draining the abscess, but now RI is wanting to talk with Dr. Ram. Jerry is ready to be out of here. In the afternoon they dreianed the abscess: 8.7cm with 180 cc of pus. He was in a lot of pain until about 10pm. August 21: doing much better. Hopefully able to go home tomorrow. Some concern about lungs, but is it painful to breath after that procedure on his liver. It is getting easier. He has a breating machine to work on to prevent pneumonia. Do not want that on top of everything else. About 1:30, Jerry was in such pain he was ready to go to the ER. Nurse Nicole arranged with Dr. Malloy for another CT. Basically, Jerry is healing great, panic attack, major nerve pain and scheduled for a procedure tomorrow with "drugs" for a better check of everything at the procedure site. Aug. 22nd: small procedure went from 8am to 11:45. Another abscess drained of 30cc. Several more are on/in the liver, but they are small. Procedure recovery was really tough (for Jerry) and scary (for me). Finally about 5:30 he began to have less pain and some ease of movement. The back hurts really bad when he has to lay flat. BAD!! He says he is going home tomorrow. Period. (Kondovski threat :)) Hope so, really hope so. How on earth a nurse can keep up with detail care of more than one patient, I will never know. Jerry will be talking and then relax and go to sleep for a bit. He wakes up and it takes a moment for him to remember the conversation. Dec. 14th - went to ER two more times with chest pains. On Nov. 29th they put in a 3rd stent. The main problem was pain in the esphogas from the large dose of aspirin. Off work until after the new year. Have got to get him to exercise. The end of the notes on my iPhone. Karen, Tamara and her family are coming to Jeremy's/our house for a late Christmas visit. I wonder what 2014 will bring.

A year Later 2013

I don't write my thoughts done often. BUT things have been happening.

1. We moved into a house with Jeremy, Mo, and Jojo that has a Grandparent apartment.

           

                                             Before                                                                                         After



We finally got to hang our stain glass.

2. We are changing schools. period.

3. Peanut is still an awesome dog.

Sun at the new place just for me. (and rainbows, too!)

4. A year of milestones:

       a. Jerry turned 60 in May.

       b. Jerry and I will celebrate our 40th Anniversary this month. WOW!

             

                                            1973                                                                                                 2011

      c. I turn 60 in October.

It is going to be a wonderful year! May your lives be richly blessed.

Grandma Lola Jean

June 14, 2012

We have made the move to OKC. That was difficult, but not anywhere near as bad as the CA to CO move. We are just older. Jeremy came out to help load up. We met Karen in Limon, after Becky and Mac picked her up in Denver and brought her to Limon. Uhaul was stressful making us go to La Junta and Syracuse to pick up the truck and auto transport. Low $...made to OKC with a bit. Now we are waiting on the PERA check to get into a house/apartment.

Ran into a hurdle with qualifying for a job teaching, but took care of that on June 11th. I will have to take another test before 2016...or win the lottery. ;)

We went to Wellston for church Sunday and saw Jackie and Lisa. That was cool!  Shultz and Hendrix weren't there.

This is a new adventure in an old place. Hoping for a great adventure!

Karen's Birth - 30 years ago

Here is my memory of that event. We were living in Soldotna, Alaska in a two bedroom apartment.

I woke up about 3 am to go to the bathroom. My water broke. Yes, that is a really weird feeling. Immediately the contraction started. I called Barbara S. to let her know that it was time and that we would bring Jeremy and Tamara over on the way to the hospital.

The contractions were coming fast and furious. The nurses had a call to Dr. Isaac and were waiting for his arrival. I was ready to push, but the told me to wait. (Silly nurses. I won't listen next time. :) ) The birth was simple and quick. She was born at about 6:30 am. 3 1/2 hours of labor.  I wonder how much sooner, if I hadn't waited for the doctor.

When I was told the baby was a girl, I was glad I told Jerry we needed to pick a girl's name two days before. That was when I decided this one wasn't a boy after all.

When I was told how much she weighed, I was shocked. 9 lbs. 5 oz. !!!!! After having two 7 lbs. 6 oz. babies, I couldn't believe the birth could have been that easy.

Jerry and I picked the name Karen Celeste, because her nickname would be K. C., but said like /case - e/. That went with the nickname for Tamara...T. J. She wasn't named after any other Karen or Celeste. We just liked those names together. I really like the K.C.

I remember so many times hearing Karen telling people her name and making sure they got it right.  My name is /case - e/. Spelled K period C period.

Karen goes by Kai today.  But she is still my K. C. and I love her.

Blog topics

Here is a list of blogs I want to write about. I will continue to add and subtract from this list.
- I like: games, facebook reconnecting, books, having children and grandchildren
- New Year 2012
- Births: Jeremy
- Being a mother and grandmother
- Words: (because of reading the YA book "Baby" by Patricia MacLachlin) to Dad, kids

January 1, 2012

The first day of a new year. Resolutions? Do my best, be my best and be with family as much as possible. This should be a great year. I get to watch Josiah grow up. Summer is closer.

School begins on Jan. 3rd. and so does the course I am auditing for my masters program.

I am having trouble getting back to real life. In limbo after being in OKC. The house was showed on Saturday. I wonder if it will sell and what we will move into. Need to get rid of a lot of stuff soon, but not with 2 feet of snow on the ground.  :)

My Christmas present:

Josiah arrives

Josiah Daniel arrives Tuesday, Dec. 13, 2011 at 5:01 pm in OKC. A little difficulty at the end of labor, but baby and Mo did great. They came home Wednesday evening. Grandma Lola got to babysit so that mom and dad could sleep. They got 5 hours straight and then Grandma Lola crashed. AMAZING time. He sleeps alot still. He needs to eat more.

Josiah is the first born son of a first born son of a first born son of a first born son of a first son born of a first born son. This is through Grandpa Jerry. Cool right, but only if you are into genelogy.

Josiah is also the first born of a first born of a first born of a first born. This is through Grandma Lola.

BUT lest we forget, Josiah is a new member of our family and that is tremendous!