Another week

Whew. Another week down. The slowest days ever, but all of the sudden it's Friday.

And guess what...Andy gets a day pass to come home tomorrow and Sunday!

Ok so that's technically a lie...we have to go to my parents to avoid all stairs at our house. But the parent's house - much better than the hospital! And let's be real, they will cook for us and probably clean up after us too, so it's a win win.

Andy had a really great week, hence the get out of jail for a day pass. His PT and OT team also got his doctor to lift the room restrictions he has had in place. Now Andy can get out of bed and into his wheelchair or to his walker without the assistance of a nurse.  When I visited over lunch he got up, walked a few feet to his walker, shook his ass and then moved on.  Again, no need to worry about this guy's spirits.

I watched another session of physical therapy today too and it's crazy to see how much has changed in a week. When Andy did leg lifts last week, he would lift about 5 inches off the mat. Now he is lifting as high as he normally would. When he laid on his stomach or side last week, he was barely able to lift his legs. Now he's able to, not quite as high as normal, but he can do it! He is also learning to walk with a cane, pimp style. He used the cane to walk up and down a flight of stairs, which gives me great confidence he will be home soon. He is also walking a five hundred foot distance with the walker. Yes, he's tired after all of this, but he has come so far!

So yeah, that's about all there is to report on that...but I'm sure I'll have some stories of Andy's Day Out. I'm so excited that he and Emmie will get to spend some real, normal time together.

No news is good news.

That’s kinda the theme round these parts lately.

Andy’s progress in therapy is really great so far. Again, he is feeling stronger every day.

He pretty much pops up from his bed to the walker now and is feeling much more steady on his feet. In physical therapy today he walked between the parallel bars without holding on. He is learning how to go up steps, get in and out of the shower and transfer in and out of the car with his walker. He is working on his balance and doing a lot of arm and core work in occupational therapy.

There still hasn’t been any talk of when Andy will get to come home. I asked the doctor what her expectations are in order for Andy to be discharged. She wants him to transfer easily from sitting, from the car etc. and she would like to see him walking without the walker.

He’s headed in the right direction, but there is still plenty of work to be done.

And of course he’s still in good spirits.

 

Spaghetti-1, Emmie-0

it's my birthday

And I'll cry if I want to. Okay, so I didn't actually cry but I did throw myself a little pity party.

Even though Emmie slept in and Alicia brought over french toast bake for breakfast and even though I brought Emmie to visit Andy and then we both took two hour naps and even though my dad made beef tips and mashed potatoes and mom put Emmie to bed so I could visit Andy and even though I got so many nice birthday texts and messages....it's still not a great birthday when your hubby isn't home with you at the end of the night.

Pity.party.

Speaking of that man of mine, he had a really good weekend (even though therapy interfered with his Sioux hockey viewing). Therapy kicked his butt in a good way and he is feeling stronger every day. I think I write that in every post, but I'm going to keep writing it until he is as strong as he used to be. With each day that brings more strength, Andy's finding little things easier...like opening a can of Coke; which he commented on being easier than earlier this week, I don't think he realizes just how weak he was.

Yesterday Andy's calf muscle was a little sore and though it's probably just a muscle ache, because of his blood clot in high school they want to keep an eye on it. And as a precaution, they put him on a blood thinner. And if you know Andy, you know his love for flossing, and now that's out the window. Not a happy camper.

And just in case you've been wondering about Tucker...he is loving life with Matt and Alicia. They take him for walks, let him on the couch and in general give him lots of love...he probably won't ever want to come home.

Oscar and Tucker. As you can see, he's still a grinning idiot.

TGIF

One week ago we thought Andy was going in to get a cortisone shot...now he's got his first day of acute therapy under his belt...and he's growing a pretty killer beard along the way. Now we just need to see if the gal that cuts his hair makes house calls.

I took the afternoon off to attend Andy's PT and OT sessions. His therapists were all really nice and of course Andy gave it his all throughout the day, would you expect any less? I'm sure the therapists are also extra impressed with Andy because he is about one third the age of everyone other person I saw there. Note to self: buy Andy head to toe bright blue sweatsuit so he fits in.

Getting his OT on.

Andy has another full day of therapy tomorrow, so I'll be hanging out with the Miss until we get to visit dad in the afternoon.

Thank you again for your calls to check in, texts of support, cards, prayers to the Big Guy, gift baskets and hospital visits. We appreciate you all so much and are so thankful for such a great support system!

 

good day

Andy wasn't sick when he woke up this morning and that set the mood for a great day.  I visited in the morning and he was having a breakfast sandwich and hashbrowns...mmm...

He had some physical therapy as usual and then surprise to us, he got discharged!

At 4pm sharp we wheeled Andy down to the van that took him over to Sanford.  He got all settled in his new room and we already know things are going to be very different here. I'm going to go ahead and call it bootcamp.  Andy was pretty used to hanging out, resting when needed etc. The nurse said Andy should pre-order breakfast at night so he is ready to go when they wake him at 7:30am. 

Every morning Andy will have 45 minutes of physical therapy followed by 45 minutes of occupational therapy and then lunch. And he will repeat the routine in the afternoon. They won't even allow visitors before 4pm, because Andy will be busy working. The do however encourage me to attend the sessions to see his progress.

The nurse also commented how "lucky" Andy was. She said when she heard the newest patient had GBS she assumed he would be basically paralyzed, so to see him able to walk even the smallest amount was amazing to her.

Dr. Vijay thinks Andy will be in therapy for seven to ten days.  She said it could be more, it could be less.

Here we go!

some people enjoy the hospital

Namely, the Little Miss. I took Emmie to visit dad this afternoon and she was quite enthralled with his balloons. It really doesn't take much to entertain her...and she always entertains us as a result.

Recap of the day:

In his new dark and quiet room Andy was able to sleep a bit better. But this morning he was sick again. The neurologist confirmed that this is a side effect of the IVIG. He is also pretty dehydrated. It's tough to drink water when you feel kinda vomies. So Andy requested IV fluids to help the situation.

Other than that Andy did some physical therapy today and tried to rest.

Of course the second I left, the doctor from Physical Medicine came. Andy and the doc discussed the next step. So, we have a tentative plan and I like me a plan!  Once Andy is discharged he will move over to Sanford's rehabilitation unit on South University. Tonight is his last dose of IVIG and the doc will decide tomorrow or Friday when he gets to leave.  For now, we're looking at at least another week in the rehab facility. Andy will have three hours of therapy each day, physical and occupational. Either this type of rehab is called Acute Therapy or the place is called that or something else...from the doc to Andy to my ears to this blog...we lose some details.

I thought I should maybe describe some of Andy's weakness. I know it's hard to hear that he is weak and really understand what that means. Once or twice a day Andy gets out of bed, with assistance, to walk around the room. He uses a walker and the physical therapist is close behind. Once he's back in bed, he is very tired. The physical therapy that I have seen so far consists of leg lifts off the bed, about seven inches. He moves his legs from side to side and does the same with his feet, up and down. And that is enough to tire Andy out at this point.  Andy is feeling stronger in his arms and more confident when he is standing.

To say it's hard to see your husband going through this is the understatement of the year. This is my manly man husband who is active and loves being physical. So to wonder when we will simply be able to take a walk together is just plain heartbreaking. I know, it could be so much worse. I totally get that. And so I remind myself that we are lucky enough to be using the word when, not if.

There will be recovery, there is no question about it, and for that I am thankful.

As always, we appreciate the texts, emails and calls to check in - we may not respond right away, but we will!

Man life would be easier if I could just blog from work.

Sadly I have to work at work. (Oh did I mention I’ve been working this week? That dedicated of an employee?? Pfft. We decided I should save my days off for when Andy returns home. And thankfully I have a very flexible job that allows for long lunches and early afternoons.)

The sleeping pills were not as amazing as expected. We should’ve known as Andy is renowned for feeling crappy just after taking Nyquil.  So he was pretty queasy this morning and not eating much…which was making him feel even sicker. He was able to have the cure-all over lunch that made him feel better – McDonald’s French fries obviously. And then he took a two hour nap!

Before lunch Andy did some physical therapy and they are pleased with his progress so far. He thinks he is getting stronger in his arms, so that’s a good thing! The neurologist also visited and thought Andy was improving in his strength as well. He is also pleased with Andy’s attitude about everything.

Now we hurry up and wait.

Thankfully Andy is being moved to a regular room this afternoon! A combination of progress and them needing the space in the ICU for “real” patients. The nice thing is that there are no visitation restrictions on floor three and not like it makes a difference, but the wing was just remodeled and it’s really nice with flat screens and all.

Oh, Andy is at Essentia if I haven’t mentioned it before. We’re normally Meritcare people but the doc on Friday said that the Essentia ER was waiting for us, so that’s where we went.  And to be honest, I’m so glad he’s there. Not only for the great medical attention he’s received so far…but for the five minute commute from our house versus the 25 minute drive to Meritcare, that could’ve pushed me right over the edge.

So that’s the update thus far. Thanks to Lexi for watching the house and kiddo while I visit Andy tonight.

the next day

Well first, let me start by saying thank you so much for your words of encouragement and support for our family. It's in crazy times like this that even the smallest gesture or comment can mean the world.

*Thank you to my coworker Liz for buying Emmie a new sleep sack today...poor kid was sweating her buns off in her winter sleep sack and I haven't had time to go get her a new one.

*Thank you dad for cooking dinner and mama for picking up Emmie and picking up my house. She didn't judge my dirty floors, she cleaned them.

So Andy. He slept like crap again last night. Ugh, so frustrating. On top of being weak, this whole not sleeping thing is less than awesome. As I left this evening he was getting a nice little dose of sleeping pills, so hopefully that will do the trick.

Not a ton going on today. Andy had an Electromyography (EMG) earlier today. What Andy explained is that they tested his muscles to see what the nerve connection was like. The doc said most of the connections were firing normally or a bit slowed, but some were "disconnected"  (I'm not sure if that's a term, but we'll go with it.) These disconnections just take time to get back. This test also confirmed the doctor's diagnoses of GBS.

Andy had physical therapy as well. I was there when the therapist came in and I'm glad I was there. He said something that Andy and I will both need to remember in the days to come. He said to "respect the fatigue."  With GBS, Andy will tire very easily and might be weak for some time. The therapist said this isn't a normal situation where he could work through the tiredness, he just has to go with it...and respect what his body is telling him.

Oh and speaking of all of these acronyms, isn't GBS just the greatest. I mean, you can only assume that this potty mouth girl is reading it as Guillen Bull Shit, which let's be honest, IT IS. And if you'd like to get French and fancy, pronounce it Gee-yen Boool Sheeeet.

Until tomorrow.

Where to start?

Well, let's start with karma's a real bitch. A girl writes one little post about her husband in a snow bank and now he's in the ICU. Daaamn.

I'll start at the beginning.

Andy had an MRI last week that showed a bulging L5 disc. The week following the snow bank story was full of Andy icing his back and visiting the chiropractor. He was getting weaker and weaker, finding it difficult to walk and get from seated to standing. He was hoping to get a cortisone shot. Andy had a chiropractic appointment Friday morning, but had to cancel in fear he couldn't get back up the stairs when he got home. This made me panic and especially before the weekend, I wanted him to get this cortisone shot asap.  So we visited the doctor that set up his first MRI.

The doc was very concerned at Andy's weakness and feared an emergency surgery to remove a disc would be needed. We were told to rush to the ER where another doctor would be waiting.

Andy had an MRI on his lower back, it came back perfect. The doctor thought perhaps the pain was coming from a disc higher up and did another MRI and CT scan. Hours later, Andy was admitted to the hospital because they still couldn't pinpoint an explanation. The doctor did however confirm that Andy did NOT have a brain tumor. Shit. I didn't even think to be worried about that. And then confirmed it was not MS. Omigod I couldn't even believe we were hearing these words.

Saturday, the neurologist came to visit and completed an evaluation. He had an inkling of what might be wrong, but a spinal tap would need to confirm his thoughts.

Confirm it did.

Andy has been diagnosed with Guillain Barre Syndrome. Basically, instead of attacking a virus, Andy's body is attacking itself, specifically the nervous system. The treatment is pretty cut and dry for now. Andy is receiving intravenous immune globulin infusions daily. As a precaution he is in the ICU. He will get this infusion for five days and then we'll go from there I guess.

Andy received the IVIG yesterday and has responded well thus far. He is pretty tired, just from lack of good sleep at the hospital. He is weak and that is part of the condition. If he had to be in the hospital at any time, March Madness and Sioux hockey weekend were probably the best timing.

So yeah, that's the story so far. Holy bizarre crazy shit is all I have to say.

There are so many unknowns right now and it sucks big time. I'm sad. I'm scared. And then I feel selfish for thinking about me and I cry again. And then I look at Emmie and I start crying again. It's a vicious cycle. But of course Andy is just so laid back about it all.

Alicia and Matt have adopted Tucker for the time being and Grandma and Grandpa are taking Emmie whenever needed. Everyone has offered so much support and help and we thank you...and we'll probably be taking you up on your offers, just please don't judge the dirty kitchen floor.

And that's that. And now we'll take it one day at a time. And I'll obviously keep you posted on the latest.

Checking his brackets and doing a little work.

Visiting dad! There were lots of buttons to get my hands on.

Emmie is a bag of energy if you didn't know

I thought that because she was a girl she'd be all low key and mellow. Yeah, notsomuch. She doesn't walk, she only runs. She will sit in your lap for about two pages of a book and then she's off to something else. She has figured out how to pile pillows and use them as a step stool to get on the couch. And she rearranges the kitchen stools nightly. But she also sleeps like a champ because of it, so we'll take it.

This past weekend, we bought a pop up tent and tunnel. Daycare has a tunnel and apparently Em goes ape for it. And therefore, we needed one of our own. And now, because beggers can't be choosers, we own a Cars 2 pop up tent and tunnel.

We figured Em would crawl through the tunnel and sit in the tent. Oh how wrong we were.

She instead jumps on the tunnel (it's not sturdy by the way) and then bulldozes the tent over and over and over again. There have already been injuries, but now mom and dad are getting smarter and moving everything in her path.

Oh yeah, and her hair gets kinda static-y, which is hilarious.

poor baby

There was a fall flat on face at the bottom of the stairs incident, followed by a fall in a snow bank and get stuck kind of incident.

It's been a tough week....for Andy.

Yeah, the hubs threw out his back something fierce. I know what you're thinking, you thought I was the one that threw backs out in this relationship...yeah, so did I. But low and behold it happened to Andy too.

He's been working from home all week, seeing the chiropractor daily, he's hopped up on steroids and we're awaiting MRI results.

Let me say I will be so thankful when my regular husband returns! I'm not used to this guy that's laying around on the couch icing his back.

Oh should I elaborate on the falls?

The first happened when I wasn't home. But oh man if I could have been a fly on the wall.

The snow situation happened while he was throwing the ball to Tucker. He shouldn't have been over doing it...but I think the 50 degree weather was luring him outside. And his leg kinda gave out...and there he was, just laying in the snow. And he stayed that way until I put my boots on, put Emmie's boots on, put Emmie's coat on and then her gloves and hat. And then he stayed that way while I grabbed a shovel so he could prop himself up...and I'm not going to lie, he laid there while there was some laughing. I know, it wasn't funny at all, but I can only imagine what the neighbors were thinking.

so there was this wedding...

The day was wonderful. The bride was beautiful and calm. The groom was happy and relaxed. Outdoor photos were taken before a little storm came through. The reception site was gorgeous, the food was amazing and the father of the bride's speech left tears rolling down my cheek. There was drinking and dancing and laughter and fun. And most importantly, a new husband and wife.

Why do I think it's so funny that the boys were decorating the church?

The beautiful bride! Wearing the jewelry her grandma wore on her wedding day and a brooch bouquet hand made by her mom.

Close up of the bouquet.

Freezing outside...but so pretty in the snow!

For the reception, the brooch bouquet was dropped and a burlap flower was added to the dress.

Married!!

Cake!