Last car of the San Francisco journey – yellow 1957 Ford Fairlane Skyliner –
All have arrived home save and sound. Yesterday was a long day of travel. We returned the car and hopped on a shuttle to the airport. Check in went fine and mom was able to get a wheelchair ride to the gate. I had a courtesy pass to go in and help them get through to the gate. The security gate was quite an experience. Getting mom and dad through with replaced knees and now a pacemaker type device requires that they do not go through the regular scanner. They were each “wanded” and patted down, but shoes and jackets still need to come off, pockets emptied, etc. Then everyone has to be put back together again.
We were at the gate plenty early and in the sit and wait mode so we hade a beverage and popcorn to help get through the time lag. I left mom and dad about 30 minutes before they were to board to run to the next terminal, go through security again and get to my gate. Mom called after they were on the plane and settled in. I was just boarding, so timing was great.
When I called after arriving in Minneapolis Mark had picked them up from the airport and they were just finishing dinner and everyone was doing fine.
Sarah is on her way out as I write this, so the next tidbits will be from her.
Many, many thanks for all of your thoughts and prayers over the last 10 days. They were much appreciated.
Love,
Colette
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Tuesday, March 24 - Released!
It’s a double car day – ’57 Chevy Bel Air and ’56 Chevy Hot Rod – Whoo Hoo!!
Today was a good day. We had dad’s post-op check up this morning at 10:00 am. Susan was very pleased with how everything turned out. The chest area is a very pretty purple, yellow and blue from his ear down his neck to his nipple where the lead wire was tunneled under his skin. The battery pack is about three inches below his collar bone. It has a nice 3” scar above it and the skin around it is “shrink wrapping” around the battery pack.
Susan took the staples and stitches out today. 12 on the tip of his head, 6 in another spot a little further back and above the ear. Plus a few stitches in the very back of his head where the halo was held in place. Again, everything is healing well so far. And even though he has a really funky haircut right now he is looking good!
I was able to give her a good description of the last few days events and of the med’s that dad had been taking. She did up his voltage from 1.5 volts to 1.7 volts with a contact of -1 (whatever that all means!)
Today has been a record day for his med’s. He has only taken one type of the Parkinson’s med’s instead of the two he usually does and a lesser amount of that one. He hasn’t had a tremor all day. We have to keep in mind that we are still in this “Honeymoon” phase and things may change from day to day for the next couple of weeks.
While we were with Susan she asked if dad would speak to another gentleman, Mr. Legg from Denver, who was in town for a consult for the DBS procedure. He was diagnosed only 5 years ago and was much worse on both sides then dad has been with his left side. They are suggesting he have both sides done at once. He asked a number of questions and he and dad had a good conversation about the surgery and the results. We wish him well in his decisions and for the surgery if he decides to go ahead with it in April.
With that done Susan released dad with the instructions to let her know if anything of the incisions started bleeding, oozing or splitting open.
During a couple of doctor’s exams they had asked dad to write a sentence for them. On Friday just before discharge he wrote “I want to go home”. Well, tomorrow he gets his wish and we will be on our way. Dad and mom back to AZ and me to MN. It will be a long day of travel for all of us, but after a tiring and sometimes stressful past 10 days we are looking forward to being in our own beds tomorrow night.
Hopefully mom and dad will be able to relax a bit once they get home. Dad’s sister Carol is next door to them if they need help. Mark and the kids will be with them tomorrow and leave for MN on Thursday. Sarah (granddaughter) will be flying to AZ on Thursday and staying until Tuesday the 31st. Melissa (another granddaughter) is making plans to be with them from April 3 or 4th until the 8th or 9th. They will have a few days of rest from company before I head out there to help them close up the AZ place and put them on a plane for MN. With dad unable to drive for a month the extra help will be nice for them.
While Sarah is with them she will also be taking mom to a couple of doctor’s appointments for her eyes. Mom had another slight stoke in mid-February that affected her eyesight. Some of her sight has returned, but she will be having an MRI and a follow-up neuro-ophthalmology appointment to see how much was affected. During her time with mom and dad, Sarah will keep up the blog for me.
Bye for now,
Colette
Today was a good day. We had dad’s post-op check up this morning at 10:00 am. Susan was very pleased with how everything turned out. The chest area is a very pretty purple, yellow and blue from his ear down his neck to his nipple where the lead wire was tunneled under his skin. The battery pack is about three inches below his collar bone. It has a nice 3” scar above it and the skin around it is “shrink wrapping” around the battery pack.
Susan took the staples and stitches out today. 12 on the tip of his head, 6 in another spot a little further back and above the ear. Plus a few stitches in the very back of his head where the halo was held in place. Again, everything is healing well so far. And even though he has a really funky haircut right now he is looking good!
I was able to give her a good description of the last few days events and of the med’s that dad had been taking. She did up his voltage from 1.5 volts to 1.7 volts with a contact of -1 (whatever that all means!)
Today has been a record day for his med’s. He has only taken one type of the Parkinson’s med’s instead of the two he usually does and a lesser amount of that one. He hasn’t had a tremor all day. We have to keep in mind that we are still in this “Honeymoon” phase and things may change from day to day for the next couple of weeks.
While we were with Susan she asked if dad would speak to another gentleman, Mr. Legg from Denver, who was in town for a consult for the DBS procedure. He was diagnosed only 5 years ago and was much worse on both sides then dad has been with his left side. They are suggesting he have both sides done at once. He asked a number of questions and he and dad had a good conversation about the surgery and the results. We wish him well in his decisions and for the surgery if he decides to go ahead with it in April.
With that done Susan released dad with the instructions to let her know if anything of the incisions started bleeding, oozing or splitting open.
During a couple of doctor’s exams they had asked dad to write a sentence for them. On Friday just before discharge he wrote “I want to go home”. Well, tomorrow he gets his wish and we will be on our way. Dad and mom back to AZ and me to MN. It will be a long day of travel for all of us, but after a tiring and sometimes stressful past 10 days we are looking forward to being in our own beds tomorrow night.
Hopefully mom and dad will be able to relax a bit once they get home. Dad’s sister Carol is next door to them if they need help. Mark and the kids will be with them tomorrow and leave for MN on Thursday. Sarah (granddaughter) will be flying to AZ on Thursday and staying until Tuesday the 31st. Melissa (another granddaughter) is making plans to be with them from April 3 or 4th until the 8th or 9th. They will have a few days of rest from company before I head out there to help them close up the AZ place and put them on a plane for MN. With dad unable to drive for a month the extra help will be nice for them.
While Sarah is with them she will also be taking mom to a couple of doctor’s appointments for her eyes. Mom had another slight stoke in mid-February that affected her eyesight. Some of her sight has returned, but she will be having an MRI and a follow-up neuro-ophthalmology appointment to see how much was affected. During her time with mom and dad, Sarah will keep up the blog for me.
Bye for now,
Colette
Monday, March 23, 2009
Monday, March 23
Car of the day – 1958 Buick Century
We were told there would be a “honeymoon” stage for dad where everything goes great and that there may be a backwards step. Well, today there were a few left side tremors, very few, but noticeable. There was also a bit of left foot shuffling, where his foot seems heavy. Thus the reason we are still in CA and have a “fine tuning” appointment tomorrow. I am sure by the time we leave Susan H’s office tomorrow all will be in sync again.
It was a pretty quiet day here. Mom has come down with a slight cold. We drove around a bit to see some sights but had plenty of nap time too.
We just returned from dinner and are looking forward to a restful night in preparation for the appointment tomorrow.
Sue isn’t here to add the humor to the blog. So that will be it for tonight!
'til tomorrow,
Colette
We were told there would be a “honeymoon” stage for dad where everything goes great and that there may be a backwards step. Well, today there were a few left side tremors, very few, but noticeable. There was also a bit of left foot shuffling, where his foot seems heavy. Thus the reason we are still in CA and have a “fine tuning” appointment tomorrow. I am sure by the time we leave Susan H’s office tomorrow all will be in sync again.
It was a pretty quiet day here. Mom has come down with a slight cold. We drove around a bit to see some sights but had plenty of nap time too.
We just returned from dinner and are looking forward to a restful night in preparation for the appointment tomorrow.
Sue isn’t here to add the humor to the blog. So that will be it for tonight!
'til tomorrow,
Colette
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Sunday, March 22
The winds were high today and the temperature was low. It wasn’t a pleasant day to be outside. Dad and I took Sue to the airport this morning for her flight back to Minneapolis. Everything was on time and she arrived home safely.
After coming back to the hotel it was time for a nap. We did get up in time to go to Mass at the VA Chapel. The priest is a good old fashioned Irish priest straight from Ireland. He has quite a brogue. He had visited dad in his room on Thursday. This was after mom and Sue walked down to see the Chapel and found out that dad had been registered as a Protestant for 2 days.
When we arrived at the Chapel we chatted with the priest for a while. I can’t remember his name. He remembered dad by name. We were the only three at mass plus one nurse. It was a nice service to start the day.
We hit Mel’s again for lunch after mass. The car of the day was a 1955 Ford Fairlane convertible. I think dad was as excited about that as he was about his chicken dinner!
He is doing very well with walking and having tons of patience as we try to figure out his med schedule. Not quite on schedule yet, but we are getting there. After lunch it was home for a nap.
Once up, dad was busy flipping through the phone book. Turns out he was looking for Casinos!! We hit the first one to find out it was cards only, no slots. So off we went to the only one around with slots, an hour away across the Bay Bridge in San Pablo. We were there for a couple of hours before heading home.
It is now time for pizza and beer (Pepsi for dad). Turns out there is a great little pizza place right next door to the hotel. When done it will be time to crawl into bed.
Night all,
Colette
After coming back to the hotel it was time for a nap. We did get up in time to go to Mass at the VA Chapel. The priest is a good old fashioned Irish priest straight from Ireland. He has quite a brogue. He had visited dad in his room on Thursday. This was after mom and Sue walked down to see the Chapel and found out that dad had been registered as a Protestant for 2 days.
When we arrived at the Chapel we chatted with the priest for a while. I can’t remember his name. He remembered dad by name. We were the only three at mass plus one nurse. It was a nice service to start the day.
We hit Mel’s again for lunch after mass. The car of the day was a 1955 Ford Fairlane convertible. I think dad was as excited about that as he was about his chicken dinner!
He is doing very well with walking and having tons of patience as we try to figure out his med schedule. Not quite on schedule yet, but we are getting there. After lunch it was home for a nap.
Once up, dad was busy flipping through the phone book. Turns out he was looking for Casinos!! We hit the first one to find out it was cards only, no slots. So off we went to the only one around with slots, an hour away across the Bay Bridge in San Pablo. We were there for a couple of hours before heading home.
It is now time for pizza and beer (Pepsi for dad). Turns out there is a great little pizza place right next door to the hotel. When done it will be time to crawl into bed.
Night all,
Colette
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Saturday, March 21
Sue and I had great intentions, but for us to ever think that we would all get enough sleep over the night just wasn't going to happen. As we said in our first blog, dad is not a "good" sleeper. He was up at the ass crack of dawn. Even though he was moving about however quietly, we all sensed his movement. He did the "bird bath" thing since he can't shower and get his head or chest wet. He was a bit antsy so Sue and Dad went out for a walk to the little coffee/beer shop next door and had some fruit and rolls. It was a little chilly out so they didn't stay out long. Once back dad took a little nap while Colette and mom got up and ready to go.
We all took our time getting ready to start the day. After sorting through Dad's med's again and getting Mom her 10 pills for the morning it was time to find a real breakfast. Off to Mel's again. We really should be getting paid from them for all the times we have mentioned eating there. They just have some good ole home cooked meals and it is not horribly expensive. We added to the collection of kids meal boxes for the cute car container. Dad went for the 1958 Edsel this time.
We decided to try and find a store to get some more shirts for Dad so he didn't have to pull them over his stapled head. We put Wal-Mart in the GPS and it brought us to Walmart.com head quarters. Tried again with the GPS for Target and we scored. The Target we went to was a two story building so everyone is tired out by the time we finished and we came back to rest for the afternoon.
We are now finishing up watching a second movie and will be heading off to dinner soon. We will be going down to Fisherman's Wharf to hopefully find some shrimp.
Dad is doing great. His medication has been reduced and he is doing fine on it. We are keeping a diary of times and pills to take to Susan on Tuesday. We have taken the bandages off the top of his head and off his chest. He has 12 staples on the top. We can't tell how many in the chest. So far everything looks like it is healing well. Both dad and mom are tired. It will be slow going for a while, but I am sure once they get back to AZ and MN all will be well.
Sue leaves in the early morning, so it will be an early night tonight.
Hope everyone is enjoying their weekend. We all appreciate your thoughts and prayers over this last week.
Colette & Sue
We all took our time getting ready to start the day. After sorting through Dad's med's again and getting Mom her 10 pills for the morning it was time to find a real breakfast. Off to Mel's again. We really should be getting paid from them for all the times we have mentioned eating there. They just have some good ole home cooked meals and it is not horribly expensive. We added to the collection of kids meal boxes for the cute car container. Dad went for the 1958 Edsel this time.
We decided to try and find a store to get some more shirts for Dad so he didn't have to pull them over his stapled head. We put Wal-Mart in the GPS and it brought us to Walmart.com head quarters. Tried again with the GPS for Target and we scored. The Target we went to was a two story building so everyone is tired out by the time we finished and we came back to rest for the afternoon.
We are now finishing up watching a second movie and will be heading off to dinner soon. We will be going down to Fisherman's Wharf to hopefully find some shrimp.
Dad is doing great. His medication has been reduced and he is doing fine on it. We are keeping a diary of times and pills to take to Susan on Tuesday. We have taken the bandages off the top of his head and off his chest. He has 12 staples on the top. We can't tell how many in the chest. So far everything looks like it is healing well. Both dad and mom are tired. It will be slow going for a while, but I am sure once they get back to AZ and MN all will be well.
Sue leaves in the early morning, so it will be an early night tonight.
Hope everyone is enjoying their weekend. We all appreciate your thoughts and prayers over this last week.
Colette & Sue
Friday, March 20, 2009
Friday, March 20 - No Tremors!
Great haircut! 
Susan H programing the stimulator. The battery pack is in his right shoulder.
He is worried about how he is going to shoot his gun for hunting!
Dad with Rachell, one of the great nurses who helped care for him. Great news today, Dad was “turned on”. Susan H arrived around 10:00 this morning to turn on and fine tune the stimulator. Of course, when she came in dad’s tremors had subsided, even with refusing his Parkinson’s med’s. It took a while but tremors finally became apparent and Susan was able to program the connectors. It is truly amazing. Dad felt some slight “shocking” like a little electrical shock at times and some tightness at other times. When Susan finally had the coordinates where she thought they should be we watched for a while and there was NO tremor. She taught dad and mom, Sue and me how to turn dad “on” and “off”. As soon as he was “off” the tremors started within seconds. Once turned on again, they stopped within seconds. WOW!!
We had one more encounter with Dr. No Personality (his name is actually Dr. Barak Bar) and we were able to spring dad from the hospital. So off we went with a sack full of prescriptions and instructions to stay in town and report back on Tuesday to see if there needs to be any “fine tuning” done.
We brought him out to Mel’s Drive In for a great dinner. Figured he should experience where we had been hanging out when we weren’t with him. Dad was in rare form and when Sue was “testing” his memory with types of cars on the kids meal boxes he pulled a fast one on her and cheated by looking at the year on the back. He laughed so hard when she finally figured it out. It was so great to hear him laugh like that.
His roommate in the hospital suggested that we take a trip to see the city lights off the Bay Bridge. Well, Sue’s GPS managed to get us lost and it took forever for Eloise (the GPS) to get us back to the hotel. What we thought would take a short time and be relaxing to see, turned out to be a bad idea on his first night out.
With all of us exhausted now we made it back to the hotel and started getting ready to turn in. We figured out the med’s and set up the c-pap (breathing machine for sleep apnea) and got it going. It took all of three minutes and dad was sleeping like a baby. Mom followed shortly after. Once we knew they were asleep Sue and I snuck out for a much deserved beer right next door. Mom and dad were none the wiser and we were back in less than 30 min. Thank god no one broke in and kidnapped them! Heck, with Dad and his c-pap machine and Mom with her walker it would take the average person at least that long to take them! The kids at the bar were not the brightest of kids and poured us a glass of beer “to go” after we drank one there! Sue showed them our room key card for the motel next door and one of the kids asked the other if it was ok. She said well... I think that's why we have plastic cups! LOL So while we are writing our e-mails listening to our parents snore, we are drinking beer!
Now back to Dad! After the Tuesday adjustment appointment we expect that he will be totally released. Colette will then get them both on the plane back to AZ and Mark will be there to take them off the plane when they land. He is bringing the kids out to Mesa for spring break. Sue is set to return home on Sunday. Now we all wish she could stay and we all realize that it is a lot easier with both of us here to help with the walker and luggage and in’s and out’s of getting things done.
For example: Colette drops Sue and Mom off at the door and they start up to the room while Colette parks the car and most times catches up with them before they got to Dad's room. There is always the numerous bags an such to keep track of too.
Sue’s daughter Sarah will most likely go to AZ Thursday for a few days to help out for a while. Mom has doctor appointments and Dad won't be able to drive for a month. She has been having continued problems with her eyesight. Dad's siblings are also in the Mesa area and are egar to help out. Colette is thinking about taking a road trip out to help them pack up for the season and get them back on the plane to Minneapolis later in April.
Dad is doing super and is every bit the over achiever that the Dr's. and nurses have called him. We hope that he doesn't over do it only to wear down fast and get sick.
On Sat. we will try and sleep in as late as possible grab a late breakfast, nap time for all of us. (Colette and Sue are tired too!) and head to the wharf for dinner. It will hopefully be a lazy couple of days.
Good Night for now, hope everyone enjoys their weekend. (Happy Birthday Karen!!)
Colette and Sue
We had one more encounter with Dr. No Personality (his name is actually Dr. Barak Bar) and we were able to spring dad from the hospital. So off we went with a sack full of prescriptions and instructions to stay in town and report back on Tuesday to see if there needs to be any “fine tuning” done.
We brought him out to Mel’s Drive In for a great dinner. Figured he should experience where we had been hanging out when we weren’t with him. Dad was in rare form and when Sue was “testing” his memory with types of cars on the kids meal boxes he pulled a fast one on her and cheated by looking at the year on the back. He laughed so hard when she finally figured it out. It was so great to hear him laugh like that.
His roommate in the hospital suggested that we take a trip to see the city lights off the Bay Bridge. Well, Sue’s GPS managed to get us lost and it took forever for Eloise (the GPS) to get us back to the hotel. What we thought would take a short time and be relaxing to see, turned out to be a bad idea on his first night out.
With all of us exhausted now we made it back to the hotel and started getting ready to turn in. We figured out the med’s and set up the c-pap (breathing machine for sleep apnea) and got it going. It took all of three minutes and dad was sleeping like a baby. Mom followed shortly after. Once we knew they were asleep Sue and I snuck out for a much deserved beer right next door. Mom and dad were none the wiser and we were back in less than 30 min. Thank god no one broke in and kidnapped them! Heck, with Dad and his c-pap machine and Mom with her walker it would take the average person at least that long to take them! The kids at the bar were not the brightest of kids and poured us a glass of beer “to go” after we drank one there! Sue showed them our room key card for the motel next door and one of the kids asked the other if it was ok. She said well... I think that's why we have plastic cups! LOL So while we are writing our e-mails listening to our parents snore, we are drinking beer!
Now back to Dad! After the Tuesday adjustment appointment we expect that he will be totally released. Colette will then get them both on the plane back to AZ and Mark will be there to take them off the plane when they land. He is bringing the kids out to Mesa for spring break. Sue is set to return home on Sunday. Now we all wish she could stay and we all realize that it is a lot easier with both of us here to help with the walker and luggage and in’s and out’s of getting things done.
For example: Colette drops Sue and Mom off at the door and they start up to the room while Colette parks the car and most times catches up with them before they got to Dad's room. There is always the numerous bags an such to keep track of too.
Sue’s daughter Sarah will most likely go to AZ Thursday for a few days to help out for a while. Mom has doctor appointments and Dad won't be able to drive for a month. She has been having continued problems with her eyesight. Dad's siblings are also in the Mesa area and are egar to help out. Colette is thinking about taking a road trip out to help them pack up for the season and get them back on the plane to Minneapolis later in April.
Dad is doing super and is every bit the over achiever that the Dr's. and nurses have called him. We hope that he doesn't over do it only to wear down fast and get sick.
On Sat. we will try and sleep in as late as possible grab a late breakfast, nap time for all of us. (Colette and Sue are tired too!) and head to the wharf for dinner. It will hopefully be a lazy couple of days.
Good Night for now, hope everyone enjoys their weekend. (Happy Birthday Karen!!)
Colette and Sue
PS- as you can see, tenses and names slip back and forth. Sue and I each put in our "two cents" worth on the blog and we don't necessarily go back to correct it all to sound like it is from one of us!
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Thursday, March 19 - Post Op
Hank - Tuesday 03-17-09
Dad and Susan Heath - Neuro-surgical nurse DBS specialist
Being fitted for the "Halo"
Post Surgery - 03/19/09Three laps around the ICU!
The hot spot to have breakfast and dinner. Hi all,
Today was a relatively quite day, except for us girls getting in trouble with the ICU dude (head nurse). Mr. Crabby pants didn't like us walking into the ICU because Mom and Sue cruised right on in without making the "required" call to let them know that we were there. We then had to go to the "naughty room" (waiting room) to wait for his call saying Dad was ready for us. Dad was actually in the MRI tube checking to make sure that everything was in the proper place.
The Physical Therapist was in and had dad up and doing laps around the ICU hall, three times around and going strong. Everyone who has seen him is really astonished on how well he is doing and how strong he is.
He also had a 3rd year intern come in for some testing, he is going to present dad's case tomorrow during his clinical time. He did all of the same neuro testing the other doc's did, which we are quite certain that Dad has every bit of it memorized because we don't think we could have passed the tests as well as dad has. He has a remarkable mind. We stayed with him for about 4 hours waiting for the results from the MRI, which of course didn't come during our time there.
Of course as soon as we went out Susan H showed up. They moved Dad out of ICU into a regular room and he was told that tomorrow (Friday) would be the day that Susan H. programs the stimulator for the first time. She will also teach all of us how to use the "wand" that turns the stimulator on again if it is accidentally turned off by any magnetic fields.
Of course as soon as we went out Susan H showed up. They moved Dad out of ICU into a regular room and he was told that tomorrow (Friday) would be the day that Susan H. programs the stimulator for the first time. She will also teach all of us how to use the "wand" that turns the stimulator on again if it is accidentally turned off by any magnetic fields.
Dad has been extremely lucky with the nursing staff. He has another great nurse on the 2nd floor. We all have been treated really well by all the staff with the exception of the resident DR. (personality of a rock) and Mr Crabby pants ICU dude who was mentioned earlier, even though we think we bullied him into not bugging us. (we were only supposed to be in there for 10 min. at a time and only two of us at a time, we were all three there for 4 hours!!)
We went back to tuck Dad in after his meal and left him happily watching the MN-Texas basketball game. We are sure that he wasn't too happy that MN lost!
We went back to tuck Dad in after his meal and left him happily watching the MN-Texas basketball game. We are sure that he wasn't too happy that MN lost!
Just to let you know we always bring him back treats. When we left tonight he was happy eating Ghirardelli chocolate and a sleeve of Girl scout thin mints that Sue brought. He was in heaven.
'til later,
Marilyn, Colette and Sue
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Surgery Day - March 18
We are please to announce that all has gone well with Dad's surgery.
We (Colette, Sue and Mom) made it to dad's room at 5:30 this morning to hang out with Dad before they came to take him to get ready for the big day. At 6:30 a.m. the fun began. They took dad to recovery to start the process. We said our good byes and good lucks just before they attached the halo to dad around 7:15 and didn't see him again until 4:00.
First step was to attach a "halo" that had been created for him. It looks like a metal cage around dad's head. The purpose of the "halo" to hold his head still during surgery and to have coordinates to go by when they insert the contact wire. Once the halo was attached they did a MRI mapping of his brain. It was then on to surgery. The first part of the surgery is drilling a couple of holes in the skull. One right on top and one on the right side just above the temple. A lead contact wire is then inserted into the top hole and guided down about 3-4 inches to the "sweet spot". This is approximately in the middle of the head level with the eyes and ears. Once they think they are near the sweet spot they wake dad up and have him talk and do motor skills exercises to determine if they are in the right place.
At this point, about 1:15 p.m., Susan H. (the neuro-surgical nurse) came out and said Dad did fantastic and that the first part of the surgery went great. Then they put him under for the second half of the surgery which is placing a lead wire down the side of dad's neck and planting the battery pack for the stimulator in his chest. (the battery lasts for 3-5 years then he'll need a new one) That only took from 1:30-3:45. We were able to see Dad at 4:00 and he was sitting up in bed, still kind of dozy but talking clearly and nodding off at times. Mom was a bit concerned because dad still had tremors, but the unit has not been turned on yet and he had not had any Parkinson's med's at that point.
Susan H came back in and said he was an over achiever as the nurse had Dad sitting up in a chair and getting ready to eat dinner. Tomorrow they will do another MRI to see that all the leads from the brain to the chest are where they are suppose to be. After this they will determine when they will turn on the stimulator, either Thursday or Friday. Susan also stated that she is going to wean Dad off his Parkinson's med's by 25% at a time and she hopes that he will be down by 40-50% soon. They need to go slow with it because some of the Parkinson's med's actually work like an anti-depressant. They don't want dad going through withdrawal. The slow "weaning off" of the med's also will help find the fine line for the new dosages of his meds.
They wanted to reiterate that this surgery does NOT cure the Parkinson's but hides the symptoms. His right side has recently start to act up on him. The surgery that he had today will not take care of anything that happens on the right side, so we will be watching this very closely and if needed we will get him in soon to take care of the right side.
Sue and I were both really fortunate to have the time and ability to be with both Mom and Dad during this time. And we want to thank everyone who thought of and prayed for Dad and Mom today.
Sue & Colette
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Tuesday, March 17 - Happy St. Patrick's Day
Testing Day!
With Dad not a very good sleeper and Mom an even a worse sleeper, Sue and I were up most of the night. Dad wanted to get up at 3:00 for the day. Mom was up every hour starting at 2:00. Final wake up time for everyone was about 5:00
We got to the VA by 7:45 a.m. and waited for an EKG on his heart until 8:00. that took all of about 15 min then we had to wait for the Anesthesiologist appointment at 9:00 to once again go over med's, past surgeries, walking accidents,etc. Thank God for the cheap rolls they gave us for continental breakfast because that is all we had until after 2:00. Well, except for Dad, he had breakfast @ 10:30 and lunch by 1:00. So he was happy as a clam!
Then on to meet the head neurology nurse, Susan H. again. Good news - there is a bed available and dad is able to be checked in. At this point all is still good to go. Once in the room the line up of doctors starts. First is an intern who did a very extensive exam with counting backwards, remembering 3 words 5 min. later, hand eye coordination. Med's past surgeries, walking, accidents yet again. Then the charge nurse came in to admit him, more questions.
Susan H. came in with a binder of pictures on what will happen before, during and after the surgery. Then the intern shows up again with with a resident doc, Dr. Bar, who pretty much went over the same tests that the intern did. This Dr had the bed side manner of a rock. He left both Sue and I with the feeling that he didn't think that Dad is bad enough to have the surgery. In fact, we find out the resident says he isn't sure dad has Parkinson's. It may be a muscle disorder! He said he would be back at around 5:00 to talk...at this point it didn't sound good. Note that dad has been having a really good "on" day. He is walking great, hardly any tremors, mind is sharp as a tack.
Mom, Sue and I went to dinner at Mel's Drive In where they filmed American Graffiti. Good hamburgers, malts and root beer floats. Back to the hotel so mom could take a short nap. Sue and I were able to catch up on our emails from work and home. Heading back to the VA Sue called dad to tell him we were on our way. He informs us that 5 doctors have just been in and he isn't sure they are going to go ahead with the surgery. Once we get to dad's room he is comfy watching TV and dinner arrives for him. Man that guy is eating good!
Finally Dr. Glass, who is one of the main DBS surgeons shows up with the resident, Dr. Bar, Once again they go through the same tests. Dr. Bar is still negative about the surgery, but Dr. Glass indicates that it is ultimately up to dad. He would be fine doing the surgery or not. He does state that if dad doesn't do it now his "window of opportunity" will pretty much be closed due to his age. We have some time to talk about it before Susan H comes back for a decision. Dad says he wants to go ahead with the surgery. If it helps stop some of the tremors and will decrease the med's he his taking he is all for it. Dr. Glass had said the med's should be able to be decreased by 50-60%. Susan H. comes back in shortly after 8:00 p.m. and after a brief discussion dad tells her he wants to go ahead with everything.
So...we will be back at the hospital at 5:30 am. Dad is scheduled to go in at approximately 6:00 and will hopefully be in recovery sometime between 2 and 4. We will send an update tomorrow. For now, say some prayers!
Love to all, Marilyn, Colette and Sue
With Dad not a very good sleeper and Mom an even a worse sleeper, Sue and I were up most of the night. Dad wanted to get up at 3:00 for the day. Mom was up every hour starting at 2:00. Final wake up time for everyone was about 5:00
We got to the VA by 7:45 a.m. and waited for an EKG on his heart until 8:00. that took all of about 15 min then we had to wait for the Anesthesiologist appointment at 9:00 to once again go over med's, past surgeries, walking accidents,etc. Thank God for the cheap rolls they gave us for continental breakfast because that is all we had until after 2:00. Well, except for Dad, he had breakfast @ 10:30 and lunch by 1:00. So he was happy as a clam!
Then on to meet the head neurology nurse, Susan H. again. Good news - there is a bed available and dad is able to be checked in. At this point all is still good to go. Once in the room the line up of doctors starts. First is an intern who did a very extensive exam with counting backwards, remembering 3 words 5 min. later, hand eye coordination. Med's past surgeries, walking, accidents yet again. Then the charge nurse came in to admit him, more questions.
Susan H. came in with a binder of pictures on what will happen before, during and after the surgery. Then the intern shows up again with with a resident doc, Dr. Bar, who pretty much went over the same tests that the intern did. This Dr had the bed side manner of a rock. He left both Sue and I with the feeling that he didn't think that Dad is bad enough to have the surgery. In fact, we find out the resident says he isn't sure dad has Parkinson's. It may be a muscle disorder! He said he would be back at around 5:00 to talk...at this point it didn't sound good. Note that dad has been having a really good "on" day. He is walking great, hardly any tremors, mind is sharp as a tack.
Mom, Sue and I went to dinner at Mel's Drive In where they filmed American Graffiti. Good hamburgers, malts and root beer floats. Back to the hotel so mom could take a short nap. Sue and I were able to catch up on our emails from work and home. Heading back to the VA Sue called dad to tell him we were on our way. He informs us that 5 doctors have just been in and he isn't sure they are going to go ahead with the surgery. Once we get to dad's room he is comfy watching TV and dinner arrives for him. Man that guy is eating good!
Finally Dr. Glass, who is one of the main DBS surgeons shows up with the resident, Dr. Bar, Once again they go through the same tests. Dr. Bar is still negative about the surgery, but Dr. Glass indicates that it is ultimately up to dad. He would be fine doing the surgery or not. He does state that if dad doesn't do it now his "window of opportunity" will pretty much be closed due to his age. We have some time to talk about it before Susan H comes back for a decision. Dad says he wants to go ahead with the surgery. If it helps stop some of the tremors and will decrease the med's he his taking he is all for it. Dr. Glass had said the med's should be able to be decreased by 50-60%. Susan H. comes back in shortly after 8:00 p.m. and after a brief discussion dad tells her he wants to go ahead with everything.
So...we will be back at the hospital at 5:30 am. Dad is scheduled to go in at approximately 6:00 and will hopefully be in recovery sometime between 2 and 4. We will send an update tomorrow. For now, say some prayers!
Love to all, Marilyn, Colette and Sue
Monday, March 16, 2009
Monday, March 16
Well, after a couple of reschedules it is finally the day to hop on the planes and go to San Francisco. Hank and Marilyn were scheduled to arrive around 12:30. Sue and I were to be there just before them so that we could meet them at the plan.
As luck would have it both flights were one hour late. We were able to get one pass to go in and meet mom and dad so Sue went in to help them off the plane. We had a small car rental snafu, they wanted to give us a two door convertible. Nice, but not what we needed for four people, a walker, four suitcases and a couple of backpacks.
Then straight to the VA, with only one missed turn. Since we were late getting in Dad was late for the appointment with the head neurology surgical nurse, Susan H., but she was nice enough to wait for us. We went over med's, past surgeries, walking, accidents, etc Everything was still good to go. Then it was down for a chest x-ray and blood work.
For dinner we stopped at a restaurant with an ocean view. Dad had a nice prime rib dinner to get him ready for for Tuesday. Back at the hotel was a bit crazy. There was a small bug crawling in the bed when dad flipped the covers back... It was much to large for a "bed bug" so Sue went to the front desk to ask what it was... "it comes down with the rain" is what she was told. At that unbelievable answer she just laughed. So as we all turn in for the night Dad lays his head down and he chucked "it came with the rain Huh"? So we all had another good laugh to end the evening.
Colette & Sue
As luck would have it both flights were one hour late. We were able to get one pass to go in and meet mom and dad so Sue went in to help them off the plane. We had a small car rental snafu, they wanted to give us a two door convertible. Nice, but not what we needed for four people, a walker, four suitcases and a couple of backpacks.
Then straight to the VA, with only one missed turn. Since we were late getting in Dad was late for the appointment with the head neurology surgical nurse, Susan H., but she was nice enough to wait for us. We went over med's, past surgeries, walking, accidents, etc Everything was still good to go. Then it was down for a chest x-ray and blood work.
For dinner we stopped at a restaurant with an ocean view. Dad had a nice prime rib dinner to get him ready for for Tuesday. Back at the hotel was a bit crazy. There was a small bug crawling in the bed when dad flipped the covers back... It was much to large for a "bed bug" so Sue went to the front desk to ask what it was... "it comes down with the rain" is what she was told. At that unbelievable answer she just laughed. So as we all turn in for the night Dad lays his head down and he chucked "it came with the rain Huh"? So we all had another good laugh to end the evening.
Colette & Sue
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)