Day 2 - Post Bypass Surgery

Hello again!

Remember how I said I was afraid to be too optimistic too soon, well that's because I've been through this before and know how bumpy the road to recovery really is. As you can see from the pictures, Jim was a little more swollen today, which I expected. The good news is that he can now close his right eye again! The bad news is that it is pretty swollen and difficult for him to open. By the end of the day, though, the swelling was subsiding some and he was able to look at me a little more easily. He did say that his vision is pretty screwy, but I'm thinking that will improve.

I received two phone calls from the doctor last night -- always scary! It appeared that Jim may have suffered a small seizure. The nurse said that he was doing a repetitive motion with his right hand and that he wouldn't stop when asked and also wouldn't respond to her other commands. Dr. Wilson, one of the Neuro doctors, decided to tap his shunt. They found a lot of fluid in his brain, so the second phone call was for permission to install a drain into his brain. You can see that hanging off the top of his head. He feels that the shunt that was put in five years ago is no longer working and that it will probably need to be replaced at a later date -- another bridge to cross! Oh well, Jimmy had to have a 'brain drain' last time too, so I'm not overly concerned. He also had seizures with the previous bypass, so I am thankful that this one was short and mild, and it also brought the fluid build-up issue to the attention of the doctors, which was a good thing. Because of the trauma and the anti-seizure medication that they had to give him, he was pretty zonked out all day. This made it hard to evaluate how he was doing. They also found his blood count to have dropped quite suddenly and had to give him two pints of blood -- you should have seen how that freaked Michael out (Sheila, you never would have been able to take it!). So, quite understandably, he was pretty weak today; but at least he was still able to move everything ... just not with as much strength. He did improve some by this evening, so I am hopeful that he will do a little better tomorrow. They also decided to postpone his swallow evaluation for a few days, so they added in a feeding tube (the thing hanging out of his nose) until he can start eating again. That should also allow him enough nutrition to help him regain his strength more quickly.

It was very nice having the kids for the weekend, and I enjoyed sharing Valentine's Day with them (watching the NBA Jam Slam Dunk contest). They were in kind of a silly mood for this picture. I'm not sure why Rick decided to buy those ugly glasses, but there's a lot of things I don't understand about my kids! They all left for the airport together around 2:00pm this afternoon. Jim wasn't very responsive while they visited, but he did wave 'good-bye' to them, which made them smile.

During the time that they were all in the air, we were able to get him awake enough to try his speaking valve again. He hadn't even been trying to speak yesterday or earlier today; but he was moving his mouth better, so we decided to give it a try. His voice was very weak and pretty garbled as his tongue seems to not be working as well right now, but it was still great to hear him try. I could understand most of what he was trying to say. First, he asked me if the kids had gone. He also asked if Judy McStott had left too -- I think he might have been having some interesting dreams! Then he asked me what the doctors had to say. I don't think he remembered anything about last night's drama, but I think he knew that something had happened. He then told me that I looked good to him -- and I wasn't even fishing for a compliment! I told him that he looked great to me! So, while he was on a roll, I asked if I could have my Valentine's present. He serenaded me beautifully with "Brown Eyed Girl" ... just like I had asked! That right there was enough to make my day!!!! Later on I received a rendition of "Sweet Caroline" to top off the night. He obviously perked up as the day wore on.

So, even though Jimmy took a little step back, he finished out the evening by taking some baby steps in the right direction. Like I warned you all, this is not going to be smooth sailing all the way. Jim would never allow things to get that boring! Buckle up your seat belts, and hang on for a wild ride (although I'm hoping for an occasional 'coasting' day here and there). I did learn that his CT angio looked good, so they will probably try the coil later this week -- I doubt they will do it tomorrow as I think he needs a couple of days to catch back up. They will do another balloon angiogram to test the bypass before inserting the coil -- I REALLY hope the results from this balloon angio are MUCH more favorable than the last one!!! If not, I have no idea what the next step will be. This is the part where I ask you all to keep the prayers coming -- I swear we need them by the minute on some days! Tune in tomorrow for the next chapter of this much too real adventure story!

Lots of Love,
Krissy

P.S. I was informed that DJ Dave (Kriegler) dedicated "Brown Eyed Girl' and "Sweet Caroline" to Jim at the District 279 Foundation's "A Night Out" event last night. Thanks so much, Dave -- that really means a lot to both of us!