Day 1 - Post Surgery

Hi all!

I thought I would include a few pictures for your entertainment -- I hope no one has too weak of a stomach (sorry, Sheila)! The first picture is of the incision. I would guess that Jim has about 15 staples this time ... not as many as last time, but plenty to win the sympathy vote. The second picture shows him smiling. He just had his respirator removed, and he was very happy. As you can all see, he's got some drooping on the right side of his face. This is due to the swelling going on in his brain and is most likely temporary. The good thing is that he is able to move all of his extremeties. By the end of the day, his drooping was already looking a little better. His vision is blurry, more so in some areas than others, but they expect that to improve also. I apologize for the last picture! I was trying to get a nice one with the kids, and funny boy just had to give the traditional Reynolds salute. I was going to leave it off the blog, but the kids outvoted me. They are just happy to see their dad behaving like his usual self ... inappropriate!

Today was a much better day for us, but a more miserable one for Jim. I think he liked being unconscious better than awake. At first he was a very happy boy because they took out the respirator. When I arrived, he was wide awake and kept trying to communicate with me by writing letters on the palm of my hand. We were getting pretty good at it. The first thing he wrote was 'kids'. They were still sleeping when I went over, so he wanted to know how they were doing. Next he wrote out "email". He has loved having me keep him up-to-date on messages that are being sent. I read a few to him from my blackberry, but then he got emotional and started crying. He finally got around to writing "love you" -- took him long enough! He was very sweet and apologetic about being such a bother. He was also very concerned about how I and the kids were holding up and whether everyone was being contacted. I told him that the networking was keeping everyone informed and that I was doing my best to give as much detail as possible on the blog (probably more than some of you want -- sorry, Sheila!). He even sent me back to the hotel to take an afternoon nap. Darling Jenna covered for me. Jim said that she's a better nurse than me and wants her to switch her major from teaching to nursing, as they tend to make more money. I don't think he has her convinced!

He was sleeping soundly when I came back after my much needed nap. Unfortunately, he woke up on the wrong side of the bed and was quite ornery the rest of the day. You can't really blame the guy, but I'm hoping he wakes up a little happier tomorrow. He's in quite a bit of pain and is having a hard time getting comfortable. He's not as worried about being a bother now and is keeping his nurses hopping with his requests for frequent position changes and more drugs. They are doing their best but can't do too much for him. It's just going to take time for the healing to progress. He is still vomiting, but we hope that will also get better as the swelling improves. He may get to try eating tomorrow, if he can pass his swallowing evaluation. They are being extra
conservative with him, because they don't want him to aspirate and have to worry about pneumonia issues. I think the surgery diet plan is going to work!

Dr. Spetzler came in this evening. He seemed satisfied with Jim's progress and told him that there is an explanation for why he feels so crummy and that they are trying to fix that. He will be gone next week for classes in Europe, but he will be monitoring how the pipeline stent operation goes for the man who is having it done on Monday (remember to pray for this gentleman!). He is hopeful that the pipeline will be an option for Jim. If things don't go well for this man, then he plans to go ahead with the bypass and clip for Jim and to operate on him the following week. Although I prefer the pipeline option, if we have to do the bypass surgery, I am glad that we will be able to move ahead and get the next operation done right away. If the decision is made to try the pipeline, we have no idea how long the approval process will take or if we will even be able to get it. So, we are back to patience, patience, patience! Everything is in God's hands.

All in all, it was a positive day. Jim seems to be healing and showing forward progress more quickly than last time. This is helping to boost our confidence. Crabby boy doesn't feel as confident right now, but I'm hoping that it also temporary. He promised to not give up just before I left him for the night. I pray that he can get comfortable enough for a good night's sleep. I'm hoping for one of those too! I apologize for the lateness of this entry, but Jimmy was a little needy tonight, and Jenna and I had to stay with him a little longer than planned. Please remember Jim in your bedtime prayers, or your morning ones if you weren't able to stay up this late!

Love and blessings to you all ... thanks for staying with us on this journey!

Kris