First Week Home

Well, I know I said that I might be out of blogging, but so many of you have told me you enjoyed the blog, that I thought I'd continue with an update or two. Terrie has continued to improve since coming home. As you can imagine, there have been many uncomfortable moments as she adjusted to her new recuperation setting and to getting all her sore places better. Her poor body has taken quite a beating to get this heart situation improved! It's worth it in the long run, but right now, it's a real pain - in fact, several of them! In particular, you can pray for her right leg to continue healing and for her to regain full use of it very soon - it's painful, stiff & very bruised right now. Also pray for her tongue and throat, as well as her right ear & right side of her head. She started on some new medication today to help alleviate the pain in that area. It is also difficult to know how much activity she needs to do to get better as fast as possible as opposed to how much time she needs to rest and stay off her leg so it won't swell up again. Just pray for all of this to come naturally to her. Terrie's mom & her husband, Jack, went back to Lubbock on Monday. They were a tremendous blessing to us for the first week at home! And we have already begun to be blessed by the food brought by some of you who have been prayerfully following us along this journey. Wow! Thanks so much! It really helps! May God richly bless you for your generosity! Please let me know if you are still reading this blog so I will know whether I need to continue. Thanks!

Home!

As of about 12:30 PM today, Terrie and I are back home! Yea! She finally got a wonderful shower, washed her hair and put on some new pajamas that our 3 sweet children had bought her. She had several other nice things from them in her welcome home packet: body & foot lotions, favorite gum, Starbucks insulated water cup, flowers & new magazines. We came home to a hot plate of migas, courtesy of Papa Jack & Mama Keeci, and began to settle in to getting my girl well. Once again, we are so thankful for all the prayers and embraces and visits that we have had from all of you. God has been so good through this process so far and we expect Him to see Terrie through to complete healing. We were thoroughly impressed with the quality of care we received at HEB hospital. We received excellent attention from people who truly cared. It was evident in how we were treated and served. The dox were excellent. The nurses were incredible. The food was..... well, hospital food. Now that we are back in our casa, I'm not sure how much I will be adding to this blog in the future. There may be a few more updates. We'll see. In the meantime, please feel free to email me at any time and we can have an e-versation! I'm at charley.taylor@rhchurch.org. God bless you all!

CSU Day 6 - 10 AM

We are awaiting our final dismissal procedure. A few minutes ago, Terrie had a sonogram of her right leg. She is really tender and bruised in the right calf and where one doc thought it was all totally normal after the trauma of harvesting a vein, the other doc thought it wise to check for blood clots. Hence, the sonogram. The tech said he didn't see any cause for alarm, but of course, the doc will have to read the results before clearing us for dismissal. So, now we are waiting. If we are very fortunate, we will get to leave while the day is still relatively young. But we are not holding our breath! I'll keep ya posted.

CSU Day 5 - 2:30 PM

In my last post I mentioned that we will be going home tomorrow (Tuesday) instead of today. With that in view, I thought I'd address the situation of food being brought to our home. Terrie's mom will be here for the first week, so we will likely not need alimentary assistance during that time. However, when she leaves, for those of you who want to bring us something to eat, please contact Angie Peterson. She is in our Care Group and has offered to coordinate all the food plans for our family. Her email is angie@petersonclan.net. Thank you so much for your generous offers to help us in any way and also for already offering to bring food. Angie will help you make your plans. Have a blessed evening!

CSU Day 5 - 11:30 AM

Although things are going well and the surgeon says Terrie is healing like she should, we are going to take advantage of the good hospital care for one more day. The surgeon said that the decision is hers and that a 7 day stay is the average after heart surgery, so he thought that one more day here is just fine. (Tomorrow will be a week after her surgery) Terrie still has some swelling in her legs, as well as being very tender in the areas of her stitches. She has sutures in both legs, but the right calf hurts the most. The chest wound hurts too, but the leg is more painful. Of course, I want her to stay as long as she feels necessary. I'm along for the ride to make sure she has everything she needs. My department head and co-workers at the church office are wonderful, telling me to do whatever I need to do to serve Terrie and they continue to do things to serve me as well. God has blessed us to an incredible degree through this whole process! We are so thankful and will continue to ask His blessings over the next several weeks of recovery. Thanks for joining us in those requests! May you have a blessed day!

CSU Day 4 - 11:30 PM

Terrie's progress continues. Aside from some swelling in her legs, her health is steadily improving. She made several walking trips to the other end of the hallway today, even making 3 or 4 round trips in a single outing! Terrie's sister, Deborah, spent the morning and early afternoon with her today as I went to RHCC to carry out some of my ministry duties with new members. It still looks like we are on track to be dismissed tomorrow. Terrie would like to see her surgeon one more time tomorrow before being dismissed. We also expect that someone will give us a good briefing on how to care for her once we do get home. Hopefully, the next time I post a blog, it will be from our home with Terrie there beside me. Thanks for staying tuned!

CSU Day 3 - 10:50 PM

Terrie is making steady improvement! She made 3 walks down the hallway today and 2 of them were all the way to the other end! Her room is at one end of the same hallway. She is eating more at each meal and is doing breathing exercises throughout the day. She is really sore where all her stitches are, mostly when she moves, but is basically getting along with no pain meds. Lord willing, we are past the vulnerable times for nausea. Everyone tells her that she is really doing well. It's looking more certain that we will take her home on Monday. The day nurse told me today that she will begin processing her dismissal paperwork tomorrow so that Monday will go more smoothly. Terrie's hemoglobin count was down this morning, so she received a unit of blood. I had not realized that the color had somewhat drained out of her face. When I got back from a few hours at home and running errands, she looked rosy-cheeked and very healthy! I even asked her if she had put on makeup! The nurse says that this unit of blood will stimulate Terrie's body to make more hemoglobin of its own. I have a work commitment at RHCC tomorrow that will take me away for several hours, but Terrie's sister, Deborah, will be here with her. She has really been a blessing to both of us the last 3 days. For all of you who have not been here in person, but have appeared before the Father in prayer for us, we cannot adequately express our thanks for your involvement! You are the greatest!

CSU Day 2 - 4 PM

Today is going very well! All of Terrie's drain tubes were removed this morning and she has spent a couple of hours sitting up in a chair. About an hour ago, she took her first walk down the hallway. She went for a good distance her first time out and should go walking again later this evening. Right now she is resting in bed and visiting with her sister, Deborah. Each time she gets a meal, she manages another bite or two. It's gonna take a few days to get her system accustomed to regular eating again. She ain't settin' no eatin' records right now! I slept here in her room last night on the chair-that-makes-into-a-bed thingie. Seemed kinda narrow, but worked out okay & I slept well. So, we are making great progress toward getting her home in a few days. In fact, Monday has been mentioned as a likely go-home day. All of this and STILL no nausea! We are thanking the Lord every day that she has been spared that agony! He has totally answered a multitude of prayers to that effect. Thank you, thank you, thank you! More tomorrow!

CSU Day 1 - 12:30 PM

About 11:30 this morning, Terrie was moved to the CSU (Cardiac Step-down Unit), Room 274. This is a great sign of progress! Her new nurse told her that she was doing quite well, that few of her patients were doing so well this soon after heart surgery. Terrie retorted that she was probably younger than most of her other patients, to which the nurse said yes, but that she has had some in their 40's as well. The bottom line is that Terrie is doing as well as can be expected. She is battling a little bit of a queasy stomach right now, but has just had some anti-nausea medication, so hopefully any upchucking can be avoided. Her liquid lunch should arrive anytime now and if that goes down well and stays down, she will attempt a more substantial supper later today. She came to this unit in a wheelchair and has been sitting up since and will be until she finishes her lunch. She is still quite groggy from meds and says she is tired of feeling that way. However, I think it's related to what she is taking to avoid the nausea, so actually, it's the better of the two ways to feel! Right now her sister, Deborah, is here with us. Our kids plan to come up later. Since children are allowed to visit in this unit, we will allow the grandkids to come up one or two at a time for brief visits. They are very curious about what's going on with Mama Terrie!

CCU Day 2 - 10:30 AM

Terrie had been sitting up in a chair for about 2 hours when I arrived at 8:40 this morning. Shortly thereafter, she was put back in the bed. She was pretty tired from sitting up and slept through most of the morning visitation time. The surgeon came by during that time and talked with us more about the surgery and how she is doing. He is very happy with her progress and talked to the nurse about removing more tubes & monitors. They believe that, if a room becomes available today, she will be moved to the Cardiac Step-down Unit (CSU). Praise God that she still has not had to deal with nausea! I'm not putting all my weight down just yet because she will be needing pain medication for all the things they plan for her today and I just pray that she continues without an upset stomach. Charlton & Mary Beth have stayed over an extra day and plan to head back to Midland today after the mid-day visitation. It has been so great to have them here, as well as our two precious daughters who both live here. All 3 of our kids have worked hard to keep the grandkids happy & busy while allowing each other some visitation time with their mom. Papa Charley hasn't been much help with the kids these last few days. BTW, in case anyone's asking, my head is finally better. Poor baby! And while I'm at it, a huge shout out to the RHCC church staff & family! You guys are totally amazing with all your prayer support, calls, visits, cards & even food! We are totally humbled by your generous attention to us! Your faith and that of all our more distant blog readers is quite evident in how smoothly things have gone for us. Thanks to all of you!

CCU Day 1 - 11:30 PM

By the final visitation of the day, Terrie was doing well for her first day after surgery. In the afternoon, the nurses got her up and had her sitting in a chair for about an hour and a half. She had a very small dosage of morphine and another non-narcotic pain med - and she did just fine. So far no nausea! Praise God! Let's keep asking Him for that blessing during her recovery period. Tomorrow will be a difficult day because they plan to get her up 3 times. Not only will she be doing the chair thing, but they would like to get her to walk a little as well. Possibly, by Friday, she will be moved to the Cardiac Step-Down Unit. All that moving around will require her to have pain medication, so we need the Lord to bless her with an absence of nausea. Also, they plan to serve her some kind of breakfast tomorrow morning. It may be merely jello, but still it will be something new in her stomach. We just don't want it coming back up after it's down there. I'm heading for some shut-eye right now. More tomorrow.

CCU Day 1 - 3:30 PM

Terrie had again been sedated when we returned for the Noon visitation time. The nurse had given her some pain medication and subsequently some anti-nausea medication. Terrie had experienced some nausea, but I don't think had thrown up. She was just afraid she was going to and wanted a container nearby. So, I don't know if the pain med was what sedated her or if they gave her something else to put her out to avoid the nausea. She would sorta wake up and respond if anyone said anything to her, but mostly she was out. Once the charge nurse came in and asked her how she felt and she whispered, "Sleepy." He said, "Well, take a nap, then!" She complied. The big plan for this afternoon is to get her to sit up either on the side of the bed or in a chair or both. I pray that this goes well because it will be a crucial step in her improvement. Our kids rotated through the Noon visiting time while the grandkids were enjoying a local McDonalds (is that redundant - local McDonald's?) I went over and had lunch with them later and put in a little Papa Charley time with the grandkids.

CCU Day 1 - 10:30 AM

When I arrived for the 8:30 AM visiting hours this morning, Terrie had already begun to awaken. She is still pretty drugged up, which is good, but the nurse began to awaken her so they could start the process of weaning her off the ventilator. She had to prove that she could breathe on her own before they could remove it entirely. She looked very glad to see me and put out her (restrained) hand to grab me when I entered the room. Her hands had been restrained because the first thing people do when they wake up is try to pull those nasty tubes out of their noses & mouths. Just before I left her room at 10 AM, they succeeded in getting the vent tube pulled out. She had a bit of a struggle for a minute or so after they pulled it past her gag reflex spot. However, she soon settled down and was resting well when I left. She is now able to whisper and that is helping our communication - although it's a bit hard to understand. Also, the hand restraints have been removed now. As the day progresses, they will begin to remove many of the myriad of things attached to her body - tubes, monitors, etc. One of the major struggles ahead will be the use of pain medication. She will need some in order to help her feel like moving around, which is crucial to help her avoid pneumonia. Yet, strong pain medication usually makes her nauseated. Please continue to pray that God provides something that works and doesn't make her sick. Our kids are all at the house and are working out their rotation to come see Terrie through the day and still have someone to watch those 9 precious grandkids. It sounds like good ole Chucky Cheese might help babysit today! With adult supervision, of course! Stay tuned for more and especially keep a line open to heaven to ask blessings on Terrie. Thanks!

Surgery Day - 10 PM (last post today)

Terrie is resting peacefully in the CCU. They have decided to keep her sedated through the night instead of the norm of beginning to remove her tubations. They then will begin to wake her and make sure she can breathe on her own before totally removing the respirator. They also plan on leaving the drainage tube in her stomach a little longer than normal so they can keep aspirating her stomach fluids and reduce the chances of nausea. The day nurse also put a patch on her - the kind that people get when they go on a cruise to avoid nausea. Obviously they are doing all they can to avoid her normal nausea when she is coming out from under anesthetics. We also want to be careful of her pain medications which can cause the same problem. Please pray that God will spare her the torture of throwing up after such a drastic surgery. I'm about to head for the house to shower and get a little sleep. I'm battling an allergy headache that has worked me over all day. I know, poor little Charley! Him wittle head is hurting and his wife is in CCU with her sternum wired together! Anyway, I'm going to rest so I'll be more helpful to her tomorrow when she is awake. May the Lord bless all of you who labored in prayer for my precious wife today. We are not out of the woods yet, so keep it up, please!

Surgery Day - 3:05 PM

We just talked to the surgeon, who gave us a complete description of what he did, including drawings of the affected arteries. Final bypass count: 4. He was not happy with the blood flow on the left coronary artery, so he added a second bypass further down the line. They are both flowing reasonably well, but not as much as desired. The other two bypasses are flowing very well and her heart is beating better than it was before surgery. She is doing very well and has been moved to CCU. I will be going up there as soon as I post this message. The surgeon expects that the two bypasses that are not flowing at full strength will close up after several years, but he can't predict when. The good news is that the other bypasses and the adjustment her heart has already done until this point will keep her her going strong even if the others do close again. We have the best possible results considering the damage already suffered by her left coronary artery. She is in great shape and will now begin the healing process. I'll keep the updates going through at least the next few days of recovery. Thanks again for all your prayers!

Surgery Day - 1:30 PM

Terrie is off the heart and lung machine. Her heart is once again beating on its own - thank you, Lord! This is still a critical time as the surgeon still has to close her chest and the surgical team is backing her off of the medications she has been on during the procedure. In about an hour or two, she should be ready for transport to the CCU. They will call me when she is being moved.

Surgery Day - 12:30 PM

The last call from the nurse reported that Terrie is still doing well. Around 1:30, they should be taking her off "the pump," which I take to mean the heart pump. The total on the bypasses was 3.

Surgery Day - 10:50 AM

The last update call confirms that things are going well. Terrie is on the heart & lung machine. We may be looking at 4 bypasses instead of 3. More as we learn it.

Surgery Day - 9:05 AM

The surgical nurse just called to say that they started surgery on Terrie about 20 minutes ago. She went to sleep very easily and it sounds like the surgeon is opening up the chest area already. In about an hour, they will have her on the heart & lung machine and the nurse said she will call me at that point. Everything is going well.

Surgery Day - 7:50 AM

Today is the big day! We arrived all scrubbed up and sans make-up (not hard for me) at HEB hospital at 6 AM. Yawn! (sleepy, not bored). Our 3 wonderful children met us here and we entered together. Things started pretty quickly. Stylish hospital gown, paperwork to complete, pills to calm nerves, oxygen nose tube, a family prayer, a couple of pix by Marissa and Terrie was ready to go - sorta. Just before 7 AM, they wheeled her down the hallway and we parted company at the turn toward the OR. At that point, the Lord and I had another of our recent serious conversations about me getting her back! So, we are now (8:30 AM) in the waiting area in the lower lobby at HEB. Terrie's mom & her husband just arrived, along with Terrie's sister, Deborah. We are supposed to get some updates from the surgical nurse and I'll post them as soon as they are delivered. Thanks for all your prayers, hugs & concerns. May you have a blessed day!

Long Day

Yesterday was quite long. We began at HEB hospital with Terrie's pre-op instructions. What we thought was going to take about an hour (based on the heart cath pre-op) turned into almost 4 hrs. Since we were scheduled at 12:30 PM, we waited to eat lunch until after. Mistake! The situation was complicated because we had Brishen (7yrs) & Keeley (5yrs) with us - not because they misbehaved, but the long wait was hard on them. They stayed busy watching a DVD on the portable player and playing on Brishen's DS, but they did get pretty hungry. Thanks to the popcorn vendor in the lobby, we were able to keep them satisfied for a while. By the time we finished at HEB, we had to rush to the next appointment with the surgeon in Irving (11 miles away). We were able to make a pass through the Chick-fil-A drive through and then eat in the doc's waiting room. Whew! However, it was a very affirming day in most ways. Here's the short version:

• we received more confirmation and positive comments about the surgeon. Everyone we have heard from in the medical field has praised him. Non-medical people have also.
• he was extremely nice and helpful and explained everything very dramatically. He is quite animated and fun to listen to. He is a Czech and has a really cool accent!
• he told us multiple times how fortunate (we say blessed) Terrie is to have discovered her heart problem the way she did rather than through a heart attack. He usually doesn't have the luxury of sitting down with his patients a few days before surgery to calmly explain what will happen. He normally is hurrying to save a life!
• the CCU charge nurse at HEB promised to work hard to control Terrie's nausea in the CCU in the days immediately after the surgery. He said they are very vigilant about that very thing in that unit. She will have a cardiac nurse personally and uniquely assigned to her in the CCU. After a few days in the CCU (Critical Care Unit), she will go to the CSU (Cardiac Step-down Unit).
• one negative comment came from the surgeon: he feels that since Terrie has such a strong nausea reaction to meds, she will likely still get nauseated from being medicated, but that it should be diminished from what she has had before. Let's keep praying for NONE!

We report to the hospital at 6 AM next Tuesday for a scheduled 7 AM surgery. They say that the surgery will likely not be completed until early to mid-afternoon. Most of the time is taken to prepare her for surgery and the actual work on her heart takes relatively little time. So, we are in for a long wait on Tuesday once they take her in. When completed, they will not wake her, but take her and all her support equipment directly to CCU. If they have a wireless connection in the surgical waiting room, I'll update the blog as I get surgery updates from the circulating nurse. All of you guys are so great for praying for us! Keep it up!