Hello everyone,
I know we have not blogged for awhile and I am so sorry! We were so busy with the bake sale and this time of year is just hectic for everyone so I promise to get back on track once things settle down. Henderson PD has put together another fundraiser for Nate. It will be this coming Thursday, (the 15th) and will be held at Sammy's Woodfired Pizza in Henderson. It will go from 6-9pm and 20% of your bill will go towards Nate's bill's. We appreciate the police union putting this together and look forward to spend the evening with some of Nate's co-workers. Nate will be there for awhile and hopes to see his friends.
If you are interested in coming, please leave your email in the comments and I will forward you the flier that you will need to bring in with you and give to your server. I tried to upload it to the blog but could not get it to work so I will just have to send it in an email. Please let me know if you need a hard copy and I can print some out and get them to you. Or you can email me at stac3031@yahoo.com or Nate at natertot1982@gmail.com Come visit and have some delicious food!
Thank you all for your love and support. We continue to be amazed by all of you and are so grateful for the many blessings in our life.
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Saturday, December 3, 2011
Monday, November 28, 2011
Nate is home.
We spent 4 days in the hospital this time. They found that he had a clot in his other leg. They are still unsure of why his heart rate is so high. They are hoping that it is from the antibiotics and that it will go away now that he is not on the medicine. The infection is all cleared up and he is no longer on antibiotics. The brain scan came back great! Dr. Douds said that he is very pleased with how well his scan looked. He gave the ok for Nate to be started on blood thinners. They put him on Lovenox and Coumadin. They hope that the Lovenox will get his INR level back up to where it needs to be and then the Coumadin can maintain it. He will be on blood thinners for at least 6 months. I have to give him a shot in his stomach for 6 days and hopefully no longer than that. Home health is coming every day to take his blood.
We had our planned Thanksgiving lunch at the Garrard house which was yummy. I made a plate for Nate and took it up to him. He was sound asleep so I took a nap on the other bed. Some of Nate's family came up to the hospital later and it was fun to visit with everyone. They released him on Saturday night. It was very difficult getting Nate into the house from the car. He just did not have the strength to walk and his leg was hurting so bad. I had to get the computer chair and push him into the house because he couldn't walk. It was sad.
He is doing ok now. His legs are the biggest problem right now. I have been trying to get him to walk because the doctors and nurses say that is what is going to help him. He is doing good and trying to walk a little every day.
I have had a few rough moments in the last week or so. It is sometimes so hard to take care of Nate and the kids and myself. I know Nate feels bad that he can not help with the kids but I know he is doing what he can. This will pass and we will be ok.
We had our planned Thanksgiving lunch at the Garrard house which was yummy. I made a plate for Nate and took it up to him. He was sound asleep so I took a nap on the other bed. Some of Nate's family came up to the hospital later and it was fun to visit with everyone. They released him on Saturday night. It was very difficult getting Nate into the house from the car. He just did not have the strength to walk and his leg was hurting so bad. I had to get the computer chair and push him into the house because he couldn't walk. It was sad.
He is doing ok now. His legs are the biggest problem right now. I have been trying to get him to walk because the doctors and nurses say that is what is going to help him. He is doing good and trying to walk a little every day.
I have had a few rough moments in the last week or so. It is sometimes so hard to take care of Nate and the kids and myself. I know Nate feels bad that he can not help with the kids but I know he is doing what he can. This will pass and we will be ok.
Thursday, November 24, 2011
And we're back...
Nate went to his follow up appointment yesterday and they ended up sending him back to the hospital. We spent most of the day yesterday in the ER having tests done. They were concerned that he had a clot in his other leg and possibly that the previous one had moved to his lungs. They were also concerned that he could have an infection in his heart due to the pic line being in there for so long. His heart rate has been so high and it shouldn't be. His resting heart rate is around 120 and it goes up to 160-170 when he stands up. They did an ultrasound on his heart and an EKG and everything looked ok. They did a chest xray to check his lungs and there was no clots. What amazing blessings! They admitted him to the hospital so they could check his other leg for clots and do a few more tests on his heart to try to find out why it is going so fast.
Dr. Douds came in and said they would do another scan of his head today and see if everything looks ok and then they could put him on some medicine for the clots. They were concerned that it was too soon after the surgery to do that but he feels like it has been long enough that it should be ok.
So, it looks like we will be spending thanksgiving at the hospital. It's a bummer deal but I know that is where he needs to be. I am so thankful for the doctors and nurses who are there to take care of him. I am thankful for medicine and tests that can be done to find the problem. I am most thankful for Heavenly Father and the Savior. I know they are in charge and have a plan for us. Sometimes it is hard to see what benefit could possible come from something like this but I have already seen so many blessings in my life that I wouldn't have realized if this hadn't happened.
I love all of you and thank you all for your love and support. I hope that everyone has a Happy Thanksgiving!!
Dr. Douds came in and said they would do another scan of his head today and see if everything looks ok and then they could put him on some medicine for the clots. They were concerned that it was too soon after the surgery to do that but he feels like it has been long enough that it should be ok.
So, it looks like we will be spending thanksgiving at the hospital. It's a bummer deal but I know that is where he needs to be. I am so thankful for the doctors and nurses who are there to take care of him. I am thankful for medicine and tests that can be done to find the problem. I am most thankful for Heavenly Father and the Savior. I know they are in charge and have a plan for us. Sometimes it is hard to see what benefit could possible come from something like this but I have already seen so many blessings in my life that I wouldn't have realized if this hadn't happened.
I love all of you and thank you all for your love and support. I hope that everyone has a Happy Thanksgiving!!
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Today was a rough day for me. I woke up and felt so tired from the night before. We are still having to do the IV antibiotic every 4 hours so I have to wake up, prepare the medicine, hook it up to Nate and then wait for 30 minutes for it to drip into his iv. It is hard to do when it is 2am and I feel tired. I have been trying really hard to be patient and for the most part, I have done pretty good except for today. I guess it is normal to feel burnt out once in awhile.
I spent the morning trying to get an appointment with a primary care doctor set up for Nate. It was more than frustrating trying to deal with the doctors office and the insurance. The insurance kept telling me something different than the doctors office and it was causing me some grief. The nice lady at the doctors office finally just scheduled the appointment for me because she could probably tell that I was about to break down in tears.
Nate is doing ok. We had to go back to the hospital on Saturday because his left leg was swollen so bad and he was in a lot of pain. They did an ultrasound on his leg and found that the clot was still there which is what was causing the swelling and pain. I was worried for a minute that they might admit him again. I was not looking forward to that. We spent a few hours in the ER but then they sent us home. While we were there, we saw a family who had just been told that their family member had died. It was so sad to hear them crying and screaming and it really put things back into perspective for me about how lucky we really are that Nate is still with us. I pray that family can find the peace they need during this hard time.
He is still having some leg pain and now his right leg is hurting from carrying all the weight when he walks since he can't put any pressure on his left leg. They tell us he needs to walk more but it hurts so bad that he doesn't want to. We both know that walking will help him regain his strength and is the only thing that is going to help at this point. They have done all they can do for the clot.
We continue to be amazed at everyone and the love and support we have received. I am so shocked that people are so generous and it has softened my heart. It has made me want to be a better person and I hope someday I can do for others as others have done for us during this tough time. I wish I could personally thank everyone who has helped but I don't know of everyone. There have been many strangers and people that only know us because they know someone else in our family. I will write a post about it some time when I can think of the words that say how I truly feel.
I am glad it is night time and look forward to the morning of tomorrow. Like my previous post, every dark day ends and the sun shines again. That is what I am looking forward to and sometimes that is all we can do.
I spent the morning trying to get an appointment with a primary care doctor set up for Nate. It was more than frustrating trying to deal with the doctors office and the insurance. The insurance kept telling me something different than the doctors office and it was causing me some grief. The nice lady at the doctors office finally just scheduled the appointment for me because she could probably tell that I was about to break down in tears.
Nate is doing ok. We had to go back to the hospital on Saturday because his left leg was swollen so bad and he was in a lot of pain. They did an ultrasound on his leg and found that the clot was still there which is what was causing the swelling and pain. I was worried for a minute that they might admit him again. I was not looking forward to that. We spent a few hours in the ER but then they sent us home. While we were there, we saw a family who had just been told that their family member had died. It was so sad to hear them crying and screaming and it really put things back into perspective for me about how lucky we really are that Nate is still with us. I pray that family can find the peace they need during this hard time.
He is still having some leg pain and now his right leg is hurting from carrying all the weight when he walks since he can't put any pressure on his left leg. They tell us he needs to walk more but it hurts so bad that he doesn't want to. We both know that walking will help him regain his strength and is the only thing that is going to help at this point. They have done all they can do for the clot.
We continue to be amazed at everyone and the love and support we have received. I am so shocked that people are so generous and it has softened my heart. It has made me want to be a better person and I hope someday I can do for others as others have done for us during this tough time. I wish I could personally thank everyone who has helped but I don't know of everyone. There have been many strangers and people that only know us because they know someone else in our family. I will write a post about it some time when I can think of the words that say how I truly feel.
I am glad it is night time and look forward to the morning of tomorrow. Like my previous post, every dark day ends and the sun shines again. That is what I am looking forward to and sometimes that is all we can do.
Monday, November 21, 2011
Thursday, November 17, 2011
What I have learned...
It has been one month, today, that Nate had brain surgery. I would have never imagined that my life would include something like this. I have been changed as a person, a wife, a mother and as a member of the church. This entire experience has made me want to be a better person. I look at people differently now. I hope that I can continue to use this experience for the best and continue to learn from it. I feel if I let this experience pass and not let it change me then I have let many valuable lessons go to waste and I do not want that to happen.
I learned new things everyday. Some were good and some were bad. Some were easy and some were hard. I kept track of things that I learned and want to share some of them on the blog.
-People care. I was more than amazed and what people did for us. From the moment Nate and I arrived at Valley Hospital, we had people calling, texting and checking in on us to make sure we were ok. There are a lot of good good people in this world.
-You some how find the strength to carry on even when you don't think you can. I was surprised by how I was able to carry on even when I didn't think I could physically or emotionally. The strength just seemed to always be there.
-It is possible to miss someone even if you are sitting right next to them. I learned this because I sat next to my husband everyday, sometimes all day but I felt so lonely and missed him terribly.
-Pray works. I think this is why I was able to continue on everyday. I felt the strength of every ones prayers and they are what got me through. I know everyone prayed for Nate to be ok and I truly believe it helped.
-Valley hospital has a really delicious cafe. The beets on the salad bar are yummy and the onion rings are so good!
-It is possible to love complete strangers. I found myself feeling so much love for the doctors and nurses that helped Nate. I didn't know these people, they didn't know us but they cared about us and I love them for that.
-It is ok to cry. It really is and it is ok to cry hard. You can't always be happy and that is ok.
-Bathroom stalls are really great places to cry. Get it all out, pull yourself together and get back out there.
-You have 2 options...turn against the Lord or turn to Him. I was told this once by a bishop of mine and I have always used it in situations. This was no different. I knew I needed the Lord and could not get angry towards him.
-Family is everything. Enough said.
-It is ok to tell the doctors to speak to you in a way you will understand. There were a few times the doctors would come in and ramble something off in doctor terms and I would simply say, ok, now can you please explain that in a way I will understand. They are nice and understand.
-Technology and modern medicine is amazing. What a blessing to have such amazing doctors and nurses that do what they do. They literally went in to Nate's brain, opened it up and saved his life. How awesome is that!?
-It's ok to take a break from the hospital. Sitting in the hospital everyday gets hard. It is ok to say you need a break and go home.
-Parking at Valley hospital sucks if you get there after 10:00am.
-The power of the priesthood is real and I am SO thankful for it.
-Heavenly Father loves us even when times are tough. Never ever forget that.
I learned new things everyday. Some were good and some were bad. Some were easy and some were hard. I kept track of things that I learned and want to share some of them on the blog.
-People care. I was more than amazed and what people did for us. From the moment Nate and I arrived at Valley Hospital, we had people calling, texting and checking in on us to make sure we were ok. There are a lot of good good people in this world.
-You some how find the strength to carry on even when you don't think you can. I was surprised by how I was able to carry on even when I didn't think I could physically or emotionally. The strength just seemed to always be there.
-It is possible to miss someone even if you are sitting right next to them. I learned this because I sat next to my husband everyday, sometimes all day but I felt so lonely and missed him terribly.
-Pray works. I think this is why I was able to continue on everyday. I felt the strength of every ones prayers and they are what got me through. I know everyone prayed for Nate to be ok and I truly believe it helped.
-Valley hospital has a really delicious cafe. The beets on the salad bar are yummy and the onion rings are so good!
-It is possible to love complete strangers. I found myself feeling so much love for the doctors and nurses that helped Nate. I didn't know these people, they didn't know us but they cared about us and I love them for that.
-It is ok to cry. It really is and it is ok to cry hard. You can't always be happy and that is ok.
-Bathroom stalls are really great places to cry. Get it all out, pull yourself together and get back out there.
-You have 2 options...turn against the Lord or turn to Him. I was told this once by a bishop of mine and I have always used it in situations. This was no different. I knew I needed the Lord and could not get angry towards him.
-Family is everything. Enough said.
-It is ok to tell the doctors to speak to you in a way you will understand. There were a few times the doctors would come in and ramble something off in doctor terms and I would simply say, ok, now can you please explain that in a way I will understand. They are nice and understand.
-Technology and modern medicine is amazing. What a blessing to have such amazing doctors and nurses that do what they do. They literally went in to Nate's brain, opened it up and saved his life. How awesome is that!?
-It's ok to take a break from the hospital. Sitting in the hospital everyday gets hard. It is ok to say you need a break and go home.
-Parking at Valley hospital sucks if you get there after 10:00am.
-The power of the priesthood is real and I am SO thankful for it.
-Heavenly Father loves us even when times are tough. Never ever forget that.
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