Rick is OUT of the sling!!! PRAISE THE LORD!!! :-) Physical therapist said that he is doing very good. Had his 3rd PT yesterday. Rick said he could "feel" the shoulder! LOL ... I know, not funny - but still, just the way he said it. LOL 

We met with the dialysis doctor yesterday. Dr. Greenwell in Paris TX. LOVE HIM!!! LOVE HIM!!! 
We spent almost 2 hours in his office, just talking with him. Not once did he rush us, didn't even look at his watch! He was so patient, kind and understanding! Thank you God for such a doctor!!! 

Met with the dialysis nurse as well. She took the bandage off Rick's incisions, and the catheter port. Cleaned everything. Said it looks awesome! :-) Changed the tubing - made a shorter one for him, one that is a lot more comfortable. Also gave him a belt to wear, so that there doesn't have to be so much tape on his belly - which makes him a LOT happier!!! And in turn, makes us better! Sigh. 

Dialysis training is due to start in 2 -3 weeks. There will be 4 days in Paris, then a day here with the nurses. A weekend alone. Another day in Paris. On our own 6 days a week for about a month. And gradually decreasing visits to the dialysis center until only once a month. 

Short meeting with the dietitian. More meetings to come with her. 
 
I will be posting more information as we go along in all of this  ...    

We went to ETMC in Tyler yesterday. Rick was admitted ... all the pre-op was done. We waited. Dr. came and explained the surgery to us. Said it would only take about 20 minutes. Rick was taken to surgery. (It's so hard to watch them take him from me!) 

Just about 30 minutes later, Dr called me and said that Rick did great! He said to keep watch over the catheter site, and on Rick - but he didn't think there would be any problems. 

An hour or so later, I was told to come back to him. He was sitting up. Drinking a Sprite. Looked very good. Talking clear. :-) 

In less than an hour, he was dressed, had eaten a bite, walked, went to the bathroom, vitals were good. He was discharged! 

How does he feel? 
Tired. Sore. Fighting the after effects of the anesthesia - bad taste in his mouth being the worst. Throat raw and sore from the tube. He said that the belly feels different. And the bandaging is of course uncomfortable. 

Main concern this morning? 
His blood sugar is higher than we have ever seen it. (And we have been dealing with high blood sugar since 1995.) It has us both worried and concerned. 
And naturally, after all this, it has Rick discouraged. 
I am calling his doctors this morning. Praying to get an answer. 

Ok ... first step is to remind myself to breathe in and breathe out, trusting in the Lord our God with every breath and every heartbeat! 
And then - Rick is having surgery this coming Tuesday @ ETMC in Tyler. Dr will put the catheter in his belly for dialysis. Possible (not probable) night in the hospital. 
Specific prayer -- 
(1) in waking up from the anesthesia Rick will NOT have a hard time. He did 4 weeks ago with his shoulder surgery. 
(2) The nurses will allow me into recovery when Rick asks for me. They didn't last time and his blood pressure spiked, he got very stressed, and so did I. After 3 minutes when they finally did let me in there, he was calm, breathing, and bp was normal. sigh. 
(3) The catheter will "take", so that he doesn't have to spend the night in the hospital. 
(4) The shoulder will not become "angry" due to lack of medication for a few hours. 
(5) Little to no pain with this surgery. We have been told that there shouldn't be. 
(6) The catheter will "seat" well inside his belly, and will heal well on the outside. No problems. NO complications. 
(7) That God will provide financially thru all this. We need Him to bless and stretch the "5 loaves and 2 fishes" that we have. 

Thank you all!!!

Please pray for my husband and for us as we go into this next valley. 

We have gotten "the call" from Rick's kidney specialist. 
The latest blood work shows no improvement to the kidney function (at removing the toxins from his body). 

Therefore, we are to meet with another kidney specialist (trying to find one within his network). Also, the discussion for dialysis has started in earnest. First step being to find the surgeon within the network to place the catheter, then training while it seats, then ... Sigh. 

We know that God is in absolute control - but this is all unchartered territory for us. A lot of raging emotions ... many phone calls ... much research ... 

We need peace ... guidance and direction ... understanding ... hope and faith ... courage ... God's absolute provision even in the most basic of daily needs ... 

Please pray for us ... and continue to pray for healing to my husband. 

Thank you

We made it thru week 2 of Rick's recovery ... and into week 3 ... then, the swelling started. Not his shoulder. But everything from his belly button down. EVERYTHING. Sigh. He was so miserable. But he didn't tell me until after office hours last Friday (not yesterday). We put ice packs where we could at night - hoping it would help. Didn't. He tried walking some - and when he could, he did feel better. His feet and legs were so swollen tho that it was painful to walk. 

Finally, Monday this week came. I called Dr. Arneke's office. Appointment for 11 a.m. 
Dr. Arneke took one look at his weight and at him. Said he had about 20-25 pounds of fluid build up. He wanted to consult with Dr. Tobin to see what was best. 
We left and waited around in town to see. 

Dr. Arneke called. They wanted to send Rick to Tyler - Mother Frances Hospital - for a round of Lasix. Said that there was a 50/50 chance of it working. Which was why they wanted him there instead of in Sulphur Springs. Because the only other way to get the fluid off of him was with dialysis. 

We stopped by the house and threw our things together. Went to Tyler. We had been told to go to the ER - be admitted, and we would see the kidney specialist. All things were "set up" ... NOT. 

We got to the ER at 4:15 p.m. and sat there for 4 hours. Finally, Rick's name was called - but only for some information. More time sitting. Called again - IV put in place. Blood was drawn. More time sitting and waiting. 
Somewhere around 9 p.m. he was called and taken to the other side of the hospital, to an ER holding room. At least he had a bed to rest in, with his feet up. 
An ER doctor came in and did a 5 minute exam, asked a few questions. We were left waiting ... for 3 more hours. 

Sometime around midnight, Rick was then moved to a 2nd ER holding area. This time to a pediatric exam room. Put on a pediatric gurney. FOR THE NIGHT. He was absolutely miserable. 
The blood work had come back by this time. His potassium was slightly elevated. So, he was given Kayexalate. (Which I don't really understand - it is an extremely high sodium product, with swelling in the feet as one of the main side effects. ???) He spent the better part of the rest of the night in the bathroom. Sigh. 

He was also given an IV of Lasix. Trying to help his body shed the fluid. 

After shift change at 7 a.m.  Rick was taken to a 3rd ER holding area. We were told that he would be getting a room on a floor before lunch. So, more waiting ... and waiting ... 

He was taken to a room around 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday. 

Now keep in mind - that we have had nurses in and out ... but have seen no doctor yet!!! 

After getting into the room (finally) - we settled our things about us. The nurses came and did their evaluation of Rick. We asked permission and went for a walk. It had been a ROUGH 24 hours and we just needed something to help us de-stress a little. 

We got back to the room, and after getting Rick settled in bed, I walked down to the nurses station to check back in. Promptly got fussed at for not being in the room. ??? By the same nurse that gave us permission to take a walk. Sigh. 

The kidney specialist came in around 6:30 p.m. Talked to us. Listened to us. She said that a big part of the problem was probably due to the Alka-Seltzer that Rick had been taking for 2 weeks, alternating it with the Tylenol Codeine. She wanted to get as much of the fluid off Rick as possible and then test his kidneys. Said she thought some of the damage to the kidneys (indicated by the BUN and Creatinine levels) would be reversed once all the sodium and swelling was taken care of. That was encouraging to both of us. 

But after the night that followed at 4:30 a.m. the next morning, Rick had had all he could take. He ordered  his own discharge. We were leaving the hospital around 5:30 a.m. on Wednesday morning. 

Absolutely the worst hospital stay we have EVER had with anyone!!! 
Sigh. 
I will explain ... 
The only complaint Rick has in all of this? Swelling from the belly button down. He is not throwing up. He is not even sick at his stomach. No headache. No confusion. No fever. No stomach cramping. No legs cramping even. His appetite is good. He is walking good. Not staggering. Not falling. No weakness. He is drinking good. He has a good and healthy stream when he pees. No burning. No pain when he pees. 

*After being moved around so much, and poked with needles, making so many bathroom trips - Rick wanted a hot shower. Nurse approved. He took a long and hot shower. Got re-dressed. And with this bum shoulder, it is not an easy thing. 5 minutes later, the nurse came in to take his blood pressure. We told her that he had just had a hot shower, asking if she could wait about 20 minutes. No. She took it. Yes, it was higher than they wanted. Around 175/85. 
She came back in an hour and re-took it. It had dropped to 150/79. Still a little high on top - but considering the amount of swelling still present, and Rick's stress level for the last 24 hours ... 
An hour after the last reading, the night nurse came in to give Rick a shot in his IV. We asked what it was, nurse said it was for his high blood pressure. I asked what medication it was. A Beta-blocker. Rick and I both said "NO". A beta-blocker is NOT what a kidney patient needs! This night nurse started telling Rick that he would have to report Rick, and that the doctor would upgrade his status to more serious, and probably put him over into ICU. ??? 

*3 times the nurse came in with Lovenox shots. 3 times Rick refused them. 3 times she argued with him to take them - because he has "just had surgery and they help to reduce the risk of blood clots". 
Now, he had surgery 3 WEEKS before this ... and we are very familiar with Lovenox - cause I had them for 28 days following my surgery. $2000 for a course of treatment (that his insurance would not cover because it was not related to the surgery, not prescribed by his surgeon). The kidney specialist at Mother Francis has already talked to Rick about the possibility of having to have surgery to put in a shunt if the lasix doesn't work. With taking Lovenox? No surgery allowed - too high a risk for bleeding. 
When Rick refused to take the shots - the nurse became very indignant and tried to bully him. Didn't work. ???

*Because of me having had major cancer surgery a month ago, I am still sore, and my belly still hurts and swells. Rick asked if I could have a more comfortable chair than the hard chair available in the holding area. There was about 20 wheelchairs lined up in the hall, and a roll around desk chair behind some other equipment. We were told no - that I could either sit in the hard plastic one all night, or I could just go home. ??? 

*Rick has been on a renal diet since January. We are well aware of what he can and cannot have. Besides, they are giving him medication to lower the potassium in his blood counts. 
Breakfast on Tuesday was French toast (ok), Bacon (ok), an orange slice (NO) and orange juice (NO). When I told them that he could not have oranges, the nurse became irate with us. ??? 
Lunch on Tuesday was a hamburger (ok - except for the tomatoes), a salad (ok - except for the tomatoes) and roasted new potatoes (NO). Again, when I told the nurse he could not have potatoes, it was round and round. I even called the office that puts the meals together - just to give them the info of Rick's diet. I was told that since I did not understand his diet that a dietitian would be up to counsel us. ??? 

*The only pain medication that Rick can safely take with his kidney disease is Tylenol with codeine. Which is what Dr. Devinney gave him after the shoulder surgery. Also what my oncologist gave me after my surgery. Both of our doctors prescribed the 10/325 Hydrocodone, with the instruction that rather than take 1 every 6 hours, break them in half and take 1/2 every 4. That way, we wouldn't be so sleepy, but the pain would be managed, and we could stay ahead of the pain. Works great by the way! 
The hospital in Tyler would not allow Rick to take his own medications. Fine - as long as they are going to give  him the same thing. Which is where the problem came in ... 
They agreed on the blood pressure meds - Hydralazine. 
They changed his diabetes meds to insulin. Fine - we understood that. 
They allowed me to give him the parathyroid meds - guess they didn't want to pay the $400 for a script of it! LOL 
They agreed on the stool softener that had been prescribed to help with the Hydrocodone. 
They argued on the allergy medication. Even tho when Rick takes it, he very rarely throws up. He has a short gag reflex and if he ever gags twice, that's it. When he doesn't take his allergy meds - he will gag the next morning, because of the drainage. Nurse said that it was ok if he threw up (???), that they would just give him meds for the upset stomach and vomiting. ??? No. Rick and I both insisted strongly that he be allowed to take his allergy meds. They were approved by the doctor - so why the argument from the nurse???
And they refused to allow him the Hydrocodone (at first). Their doctor had prescribed morphine as the pain reliever. NOOOOOOOOO!!! Morphine does weird things to Rick! Not to mention it knocks him out - and how was he going to get up and go to the bathroom if he can't wake up? KWIM? ??? Rick and I went rounds and rounds with the nurses over this!!! Rick finally won :-). Hydrocodone was allowed - but not to be given by me. Fine. I only had 4 of the tablets with me anyway. And since we were taking the exact same thing - and the hospital was going to give him his, at least I would have some in case of pain, too. 

*4 a.m. Wednesday - Nurse came in and demanded all of Rick's medications. ??? We were sound asleep when he came in. I had to get awake a little bit to even understand what he was saying, let alone to get his meds out of our suitcase.  I gave him everything except the Hydrocodone - and they were mine. Oh, no. He demanded all of them! I asked him what if I was hurting? I wasn't the patient - so they wouldn't be administering medication to me??? He said I could keep them if I would just go home with them. ??? How can I go home? We are 70 miles from home, and I cannot drive due to the surgery??? When I finally got it all together, he took them and left. Said he was going to put them under lock in the pharmacy. 
15 minutes later, he and 2 other nurses came back. Demanding the "rest of the meds"??? I gave them all to him. He said that no I didn't. He accused me of having some of the Hydrocodone in another bottle hidden away. ????? Said that was what I had told him. ????? I got so stressed out and upset just trying to explain that I didn't say that, and I didn't have any "hidden". Good grief. Rick finally took all he could take - and told them to go get what they had taken earlier, bring it back, take out the IV, and discharge him! We were going home!!! They argued. But Rick won! LOL

After getting home on Wednesday morning, Rick had a check up appointment with Dr. Devinney about his shoulder. Good report. Thank you Lord. Dr was well pleased with the healing of the incision. And well pleased that Rick's pain is under good control. 
Dr. Devinney told Rick that if he is sitting down on the couch/recliner and not moving about much - he can take the sling and pillow completely off. But he still has to wear it if he gets up. For 3 more weeks. 
Rick will start physical therapy around November 28. The strength training won't start for another 6 weeks after that. 
Next appointment with Dr. Devinney is December 26. 

Next we called Dr. Arneke's office. He wanted to follow up with Rick after the hospital time. 
We went in Thursday morning at 11. 
Rick weighed 14 pounds less than he did on Monday. Praise God!!! 
Dr. Arneke ordered an IV of Lasix at Day Surgery in Sulphur Springs. So, off to the lab first for blood drawn. And then check in at Day Surgery. 
We didn't mind Day Surgery. Becky and Patricia are the nurses there - and they are AWESOME!!! :-) We enjoyed the visit with them while Rick got the IV. Only took about 40 minutes, and he was ready to go. 
By Friday morning, he had lost another 4 pounds!!! 
Dr. Arneke ordered another IV of Lasix, again at the Day Surgery. Another 40 minutes or so. And we were ready to leave again. 

Now? He is taking Lasix by mouth - at least for a while. Trying to get the rest of this fluid off of him. His feet sure look better. I can see his knees now! :-) And the "other" swelling is a lot less, too. 

Yep, it has been a WEEK!!! Goodness!!!