Mid Week Update

Hi all, we haven't forgotten you but we are getting settled back in and I had to get back to the business of running my business. Mom is continuing to recuperate but we did have a little 'hiccup' last weekend. Last Thursday, you may recall, she had her first visit with our internist who was very pleased with her recovery but concerned with the healing of her incision. We were actually concerned also, and rather expecting this. He gave her an antiobiotic cream ~ wow, so expensive!!~ and by Friday evening it looked so much .....worse! Yep, never fails does it. You need your doctor over the weekend, your car breaks down on a holiday, the kids get sick during spring break.. Dad called me late Friday evening and asked if we could come by and give them a second opinion. Low grade fever, incision looking rather angry. Yes, we concur, it doesn't look so great. We called the doctor on call for our internist, who hadn't seen mom of course, and he recommended being seen either at a minor med for antibiotics or preferably the ER. ugh. The dicussion went something like this... "What do we think about minor meds?"-me, "If we go there with a patient that is 2 1/2 weeks post op for open heart surgery and they don't send her immediatly to the ER, I would be worried"- Dad, "If we go to the ER, there will be all of those sick people and germs"-Mom, "It's Friday night, they will be packed!"- Jim. It was a tough decision and now about 10:30pm.  "Let's call the on-call doctor for the surgeon at Cleveland Clinic" Jim suggested. Great idea. Let me interject something here very quickly. You will have to think about this for a moment; how exactly does one describe an 'angry looking' incision (I will spare you the details for Mom's privacy) over the phone to a doctor 900 miles away. Let me tell you, it isn't that easy. At any rate, same conclusion. It definately needed to be treated, but it could possibly wait until Monday am if her fever stayed under 101. Excellant. I recommeded warm compresses and taking her pain meds on a regular basis as it has Tylenol in it and discontinued the Bactriban just in case it was causing irritation. Well, it turns out I was partially correct. Mom made it to Monday morning and they were at the doctors office early. I was just sure that he was going to put her back into the hospital on antibiotics but fortunately he put her on really strong oral antibiotics and had her start back on the topical antibiotic cream plus oral sulfur. Oops, my bad on the cream. At any rate Mom was feeling much improved by Tuesday and her fever was down. She had a recheck on Wednesday by Laura, our FNP who said things were looking good, and her white count was back in range. The best part is her oxygen saturation has improved as well. In fact, they are hopeful that within the next month she may be able to discontinue the oxygen. It's not really funny, but we sort of tease her about not being able to hide out anymore; we just follow her oxygen tubing to find what room she is in. Of course, Dad has her rigged up where she can go anywhere downstairs without moving the oxygen generator. Now that she is feeling better she is back to walking and in fact walked outside four times yesterday, each time increasing the distance by about 10' or so. She will start cardiac rehab after she has her visit with the cardiologist mid April. She may even be in a marathon before you know it!

I had the pleasure of presenting Mom and Dad with a check from your donations this weekend. They were so surprised at the generosity and are so appreciative. For those of you that donated anonymously, they say "Thank You" very much. Additionally, they have received so many cards and emails. It is wonderful to see how many caring and concerned friends are continuing prayers and support. Our entire family thanks you from the bottom of our hearts. You will never know how much the support has meant for all of us. So, even though I am still posting for Mom, I am signing off this time from all of us..

Shirley and Bill
Rick and Diane- Melissa, Kristy,Michelle, Adam & great-grandson Landon
Cheryl and Jim - Erik, Kris, Katie, Stacy & Shawn

*Photos other than those taken in Cleveland are provided by granddaughter Katie.

A quick update to let you know that the post operative recuperation continues. I went to Mom's yesterday and Dad did acquiesce and accept that golf date. He came back in with a bit of a rosy tint from the sun and his hair slightly tousled from the wind but a big smile on his face. I wonder if he is 'feeling it' today... he hasn't golfed since the really cold weather began. We girls visited, I worked on their laptop a bit as it decided it still wanted to connect to the wi-fi in Cleveland instead of Memphis and just wasn't cooperating. Mom napped. She and dad had already made a stroll to the next door neighbors driveway and back before I arrived. This is approximately the same distance as the loop she was doing on the hospital floor. Still working on the oxygen saturation and fluid in her chest and a nagging problem with her incision but all in all, doing quite well. Dad has made a trip to the pharmacy this morning to pick up all of Mom's new meds. I have learned a lot more about this medicare "donut hole" than I ever wanted to know...It has really made Jim and I reconsider our retirement plans. Who knows what will going on when he retires in a few years. (We plan on retiring very, very young ☺) This is my official lunch break from some gardening today, so I am going back out into the sunshine to dig in some dirt. I am not sure which dirt, any will do.

Cheryl

Driving Miss Shirley..

Today was Mom's first check up since being discharged from the hospital. She went to our wonderful internist who gave her a thorough exam. "My goodness, that just isn't the same heart at all!" he told her happily. Let's run a few tests and see how everything else looks". Laura,the FNP stuck her head in the door just to say "Hi" and see how everything was going. Teresa was in and out taking blood, running the EKG, taking her for a chest xray. It's so comforting to be back in a familiar office again. You see, he is my family's internist also so I can officially claim him. My children went from pediatrician to him, so to say that we are all very close and we have great faith in his care is an understatement. You may recall, he is the one that first noticed a murmur in Mom's heart and was following it until November when he said "Whoops, don't like the sound of that" during her routine physical that began this journey. Dad and Mom came by and picked me up today so that I could go to the appointment with them. It was a bit humorous when they pulled up in their silver Park Avenue with Dad driving and Mom in the back seat behind him waving. I thought of the Queen Mum waving as she is escorted through a crowd. Mom isn't allowed to ride in the front seat until her sternum is fully healed. The last thing she would need right now would be an airbag or impact on her chest, so she sits in the back. "Driving Miss Shirley" dad calls it, I still think it looks rather royal. We arrived at the clinic and dad pulled up to the door and helped her out of the back seat with her cute portable oxygen compressor. I'm serious, it is rather cute. I should have taken a photo.. I forgot. From there he went to park and we walked into the lobby, took the elevator upstairs and down the hallway to the office. Dad came in a few minutes later. Did you notice something there? No wheelchair. Mom walked and without much problem except for fussing about the oxygen hose that was made for a much taller person no doubt. Her EKG was very good, and her oxygen saturation is ok, but needs some more time. It seems that most of the fluid that they removed from her 'tap' in the hospital has returned. "Don't worry, that is not unexpected" Dr D says so we won't worry. We only are to worry if she gains more that 3 lbs in a day or 5 lbs in a week or becomes short of breath. That would be an indication that the fluid was increasing. Let's see.. 3 lbs in a day or 5 lbs in a week...hmmm.. we were at the hospital for 15 days and I gained...AxB=C)7x2+1..Oh my goodness, I didn't gain weight on that restaurant food or midnight Hershey bar after all.. It is all fluid! Whew.  Seriously, Mom is recovering as expected though she was completely worn out after her appointment. She still has a lot of healing to do and yet needs to move around to keep that fluid off, but it hurts to move around so she should take a pain pill but that makes her sleep which causes fluid build up.Arrrgghhh. It makes one feel like the gerbel in the cage or 'which came first, the chicken or the egg'. 
Dad has a golf date tomorrow and at first he declined. Mom and I both told him to go and it didn't take much arm twisting to talk him into it. A day on the course with weather like we are having of late will do him a world of good. I guess Mom could ride in the cart with him so he could still be "Driving Miss Shirley". 
Hope you had a great day. We certainly did
Cheryl

Chillin' and Relaxin'

This is not a happy face and I will probably get grounded for posting it. However, this is the essence of how Mom feels about this whole 'adventure'. We are so thankful for the doctors and nurses both here and at Cleveland Clinic. So appreciative of the prayer lists, many emails, calls, blog followers... donations .... don't get me wrong. It is just that, well, Shirley just doesn't like being confined or being told what to do, sort of goes against the grain. Even though she wasn't thrilled about having to be in public "looking like an old lady", I think she looks terrific!

Mom told me that she was "chillaxin"- I don't care who you are, as the saying goes, that's funny. 

She/we have a doctor's appointment with our favorite  doctor tomorrow in Memphis, I will let you know how it goes.

Cheryl

Gel Beds, Cheerleaders and Missing Shoes...

Just a quick update to let you know that Mom is resting at home and recuperating. Most of all she seems to be sleeping. Dad and I have decided that it is either cumulative sleep deprivation or she misses the gel bed that she had at the hospital. Imagine missing a hospital bed! Not many patients say that I'll bet. Her bed was a gel core Versa Bed and had a function that whenever she rolled to one side, or in fact moved in any way you would hear the slight hummm of the mechanics adjusting the mattress to mold around her. This may not be very 'genteel' as my Mother In Law Ann would remind me, but it was somewhat like lying on a big silicone implant. We jokingly called it the giant TaTa mattress (nods to you ML).
Before I get into trouble here I had better put that story to bed. Oh My Gosh! I have morphed into my dad... that was a classic corny pun!

You know, I love cheerleaders. I was one, my daughter was one and one of my nieces was on a National Championship squad. However, I can't say that spending the weekend before we left the hotel with a full house of 6-16 year-olds there for a state competition is my idea of fun. I think they all practiced their routines all night before competition, went through the breakfast buffet like locusts and worst of all confiscated all of the bellman carts the night before. Consequently, when we were ready to check out of the hotel with our 8 pieces of luggage and oxygen machines, wheelchair,etc... no cart! It was a good thing we were on first name basis with everyone at this point as the bellman came up and locked the elevator on our floor and one of us guarded it to keep all of the 'cheer people' out.. then he hand carried luggage, to the elevator and everyone except for me got on and went down to our awaiting taxi. Now looking back on the next event, it is funny.. but at the time... not so much! I was performing the "last check" of the hotel rooms. You know the drill; closets, check; dresser drawers, check; night stand drawer, oops-gloves and scarf, etc. Finally, all done I only needed to grab my purse and carry on bag and slip on my shoes and head downstairs. Shoes...Shoes? "Oh no, where are my shoes?" At that point I have a vague recollection of dad zipping about grabbing up last minute things and packing them in his bag. NOT my shoes!! I call down to Jim and explain my predicament."You will just have to come on down, we will look for something, we are already late!". So off I go, with my nice suit on and barefoot. A true hillbilly I guess. After having to wait a while for an elevator I finally get on with at least 419 giggling 8-10 year olds in full competition mode. Sparkles on their face, hairbows match their pom poms AND they had pushed every button. Arrrggghhh. From the 8th floor we went up to 13 and stopped at every floor on the way down. They stepped on my toes.. I could actually feel the creepy germs infiltrating my soles off of the elevator carpet. Ewww. At last, main floor and I run to the car all the while hoping "please don't have my house shoes or flip flops to wear" . Fortunately Dad found the actual pair of shoes that I had set at the end of my bed , by my carry on and purse mind you, and after cleaning my feet with hand sanitizer slipped them on. My only hope was that the hand sanitizer would also work on bare feet...

"Just Click Your Heels Three Times, Close Your Eyes and say, There's No Place Like Home..."

We have clicked our heels and at last.. we are home! Home as in our beds, our favorite pillow, and most importantly Dad's favorite recliner! After hearing she was being discharged to the hotel, Mom had a surprise visit from her surgeon and cardiologist. Dr. Smedira didn't come by to look at her incision or anything of that nature, it was just to chat, see if she or dad had any questions, and..  ready for this?.. Give Her A Hug! Ok, I know that I keep saying this but I am an official Cleveland Clinic fan! Discharge was very streamlined and didn't take long and that was that. Well, not exactly. You knew it wasn't that easy didn't you? Before discharge one of her favorite nurses came by to remove her four sutures and take out her IV. Yes, I said four sutures, and they were from a port not the surgery. All of the surgical sutures were performed as if it were plastic surgery. Why, she'll be back in bikinis and plunging necklines in no time ☺. We are still having to watch one tiny place on her incision line, but everything else looks great. At Cleveland Clinic they are anti-sticking; which is to say that they keep a port and iv in for blood gases, draws, medications, etc. The bruising from her many arterial lines and heart lung procedure and are almost gone and with compliments to her oh-so-fabulous gel bed not even one tiny red spot on her even after being in bed so long. Back to our little challenge. For those of you that are dealing with home oxygen, my hat is off to you. For those that haven't maybe you will learn a bit here as we did. Our case worker helped us set up accounts in Cleveland and Memphis for Mom's oxygen generator at the hotel and at home before she could leave the hospital. We had the delivery of the portable tank to the hospital to get her to the hotel, once in the hotel she changed over to the generator. The oxygen generator is much like it sounds. It takes room air which contains approximately 24% oxygen, cleans it and compresses it to be delivered at the rate the patient needs. For the flight home, we had to order a special travel oxygen generator with battery packs. Obviously, you cannot travel with a large cylinder of oxygen onto an aircraft as that would be really dangerous especially if you hit turbulence! So we have the 'Oxygen To Go' delivered to the hotel as well. But wait, it's coming up on a weekend and they need 48 hrs (excluding weekends to deliver). Decision time, wait on the delivery or pay extra for Saturday delivery on a 45 lb shipment.. hmmm...? Out comes the American Express card again. "We'll just have to pay them $10 a month!" Remember the part about Medicare NOT paying for the oxygen to fly home? We found out that they would pay for portable oxygen tanks if we were driving home. Sure, 800+ miles, rent a car,stop for tank refills along the way as they only last 4 hours each. Add Another hotel night too. It would probably take two days to drive and Mom being uncomfortable riding in a car with her sternum wired back into place. Yes, the health care system is broken. It is in dire need of repair, but in my opinion if this is how the government run Medicare works..well, I know we can do better than this! At any rate we arranged oxygen for all three locations and made arrangements to fly home. More on that adventure tomorrow...Almost forgot. Mom is doing really well considering the complexity of her surgery. She is really tired, really sore and has a pretty major bone to heal back up but she is on the road to recovery. For now, no visitors just yet. Dad is fielding phone calls and I will keep you posted here. Your continued prayers are appreciated. 
Cheryl

Discharge Day!

Finally, Mom has been released from the hospital to the hotel! The doctors want her to stay close for a few days just to make certain that there are no further complications. To her dismay, she did have to leave on oxygen but it hopefully will not be permanent as she grows stronger. We are at the hotel now, the oxygen concentrator is whooshing in the background and dad has rigged up all enough tubing so that she can maneuver through both rooms of the suite without having to use the portable units. It is a good thing that he doesn't have his tool kit here, or he would likely be building some sort of apparatus to hold the extra oxygen tanks! I fully expect him to take on that project once we return home.. As her surgeon said today, she is to just 'chill' for a while and recover. We will keep you updated.
Cheryl

Last night Dad stayed with Mom at the hospital so that once they are discharged they can "hot foot it" out of there. I have spoken with him twice this morning and he has them packed up and just waiting on final details. As neither Mom or Dad has been an inpatient in a hospital in, oh 25 years or so.. dad expected to have to go to the billing office before leaving and really didn't want to know the final total. I reassured him that it isn't done that way anymore, they just wait so that you can pass out in the privacy of your own home. I am curious about the amount and hope Medicare and AARP come through as promised. Thank goodness this isn't happening next year; who knows what healthcare will be then. Oops, just made a social faux paux.. never discuss politics...
On a lighter note. Jim and I decided to go downstairs last night which isn't really all the way downstairs, but on the fifth floor to the manager's hour. In other words, close your eyes my good Baptist friends, happy hour. Now, just because you go to happy hour it doesn't mean you have to have adult beverages. There are hors d'oevres and free drinks of any kind in the lounge and you can also order from the dining room menu. It sounded good to us anyway, to be in a less formal atmosphere, in our jeans having a chicken quesadilla and watch some basketball.The place was packed. It seems that the Toledo and Akron fans were there for games at the "Q". (If you don't know what that is, I'm sorry-ask your favorite basketball nut). The only seats available were at the bar which was fine, because shortly afterwards the nicest couple from Pennsylvania sat beside us. They were there for her daughter's cheerleading competition and were just delightful. We talked for hours, and as were were "more mature" a.k.a. "older" we talked children and parenting among other things. We had the most enjoyable evening, and were able to disconnect from hospital talk for a few hours. So "cheers" "D & T" from Erie!

"X" Marks The Spot!

An interesting turn of events indeed. Mom had her thoracentesis this morning and is breathing much better. It wasn't the most fun thing she has ever had done I am sure, but she was so brave. First the technician came in with an ultrasound and after scanning her back pulled out her Sharpie and made two good sized "X"'s on Mom's back. The first one was over her right lower lung area and the second about midway up her left lung area. "Ok, you're all set, now we wait on surgeon" she said in her thick Russian accent. By the way, this is all performed in her hospital room. So mom looked at her interrupted lunch tray and as yummy as it looked, limp broccoli no less, she decided to pass. So she sat there in her chair in her Rose colored robe and me still in my lounging clothes and talked about having to wait until a surgeon was available, looked up the procedure online so that we would know what was going to happen and then it just all happened so quickly. In came her nurse offering two pain pills, "just in case you need it later" and then came a surgeon and a surgical fellow along with the cardiologist. "We need more room "the surgeon announced, as I quickly folded up the sofa bed and threw the bedding into the corner, "clear that bedside tray" as they are moving mom to the side of bed. All the while, our nurse Casey, was talking with Mom and telling her what was going on. "I'm staying", I heard myself saying. "Certainly, but you will have to move out of the sterile area". So I find myself scrubbing up as they are scrubbing Mom's back and draping off the surgical area with a large blue drape. Masks are starting to go on, the smell of Betadine and I sit across from Mom as she leans against a pillow that was placed on her bed table. It got very quiet and the surgeon ever so calmly started explaining what was to happen as they started numbing the area for the procedure. "Are you feeling anything?" he asked several times. "No worse than numbing for dental work", Mom assured him. Then a slight move from Mom and an "Owie!" That was it. I fully expected to finally hear some form of an expletive from her. I just knew that I would, but no. Just and 'owie'. That basically was it. They had inserted a catheter to drain the extra fluid in her chest and it didn't take very long. "Expect some coughing as your lung starts to inflate". I watched intrigued as the procedure continued and I could see that progress was being made. It was then that Mom started to cough. Hooray.. Success! The catheter was removed, the incision closed with butterfly strips and a bandage and all of the sterile materials whisked into an orange bag for disposal. That was it. Mom said that the only part the least bit uncomfortable was the "owie" which was as much a startled reaction as anything. She assured me that she had worse dental procedures done. So, now we wait. She will have another xray to see how things are looking inside. Tomorrow morning she will have the test for oxygen saturation repeated and they will decide if she leaves the hospital with or without portable oxygen. The oxygen has already been ordered just in case. In fact we have a unit in place at the hotel and the portable tank for airline travel is being overnighted by FedEx to the hotel tomorrow. As far as I know at this point, once released she will still stay at the hotel for a few days before being allowed to fly back home. To think that I was upset two days ago when they decided to keep her overnight. A wonderful change of events for sure.

A dear friend sent me a verse from Psalms yesterday that I would like to close with today. "Wait on the Lord, Be of good courage, and He will strengthen your heart" Psalm 27:14

Cheryl

A Most Interesting Turn of Events!

I have just read over my blog from late last night and I want to apologize... I was a whiner. Shame on me. We have been so blessed. We have had some very interesting turn of events today. After rounds last night, Mom's cardiologist ordered another chest xray and ultrasound. He came in all smiles this morning and announced, "we have decided to keep you a while longer!" That is the something to smile about? It seems that the tests showed significant fluid build up in the pleura (the area between the chest wall and lungs) and not allowing her lungs to properly inflate. This fluid is not an unexpected occurance after a being on heart-lung bypass and generally works its way out but in Mom's case, it just was happening quickly enough. "We can take care of this" Dr Hammer explains (great name for a cardiologist isn't it?). Pretty soon she will have another ultrasound to locate the best location for the thoracentesis.On another bright note our "Do Not Disturb" sign worked like a champ! Mom finally got a full 8 hours of sleep. What a difference it made. She feels so much better. 

Here come another flurry of docs. More later...

~~~~~~~~~

According To Drew Carey,"Cleveland Rocks..."

While that may be true, we are ready to catch the next flight out; unfortunately it doesn't look like that will be anytime soon. Mom had her 'pulmonary study' today by respiratory therapy and quite frankly it didn't go as well as any of us had hoped or frankly expected. Mom has certainly been doing her part; using the deep breathing apparatus, taking walks, sitting up in a chair.. everything thing that she could to prepare. During this test a therapist first checks your pulse oxygen levels (how much oxygen is passing from your lungs into your bloodstream) while you are on oxygen. Then they remove the oxygen and have you stand and breath room air for just a few minutes, all the while monitoring your oxygen levels, ekg, etc. After about 2-3 minutes they walk you on a short loop without oxygen and monitor your levels. This is where it gets a bit tricky. They went nice and slow, but after about 30 yards, the therapist had mom stop and reconnected her oxygen. Her level had dropped to 79 and was at an unsafe level. The ideal level is in the high 90's though we were hoping for at least 92.  We don't really know how low her number might have gone because quite frankly, they cautiously didn't try. So here we are, still in the hospital while the doctors and therapists decide the next step. They have stepped up her therapy and we are working with a case worker to arrange for oxygen when we leave here for the hotel, fly back to Memphis and then return home. This requires three different suppliers so it is a bit complicated. Here is "duh" moment for the day. Medicare will pay for oxygen while we stay the required 2-3 days at the hotel after Mom is discharged. They will pay for oxygen at home. However, they will not pay the $400-$500 necessary for portable oxygen needed to fly back. What are patients supposed to do? I can understand if we were taking a pleasure trip but geez, we're just trying to get home. Our case worker, Joyce, is a real bulldog and a terrific patient advocate and has already starting working on it. We will know more when the cardiologist group makes rounds in the morning and tells us how much longer she needs to stay in the hospital. We are also having a little problem with some irritation around her suture line from the open heart incision, so they are watching that too. Mom said to pass along her appreciation for all of the prayers and emails. To say that she/we are not a bit disappointed today would be untruthful. But we are glad that she is getting great care and apparently just needs a bit more time.

We had a meeting tonight (Dad, Jim, Mom and I) and decided that what she really needed was a decent nights sleep. We talked with her nurse and she agreed and even talked Mom into taking a bit more pain medicine to help her rest. Our nurse posted a sign on the door a few minutes ago... sure hope it works. Mom is finally asleep and I think I have finally hit "the wall". So far tonight I have spilled a very hot bowl of soup on myself and the police officer beside me in the deli, dropped my phone so hard that it shut off, spilled a full 1 liter container of ice water in mom's room about 30 minutes ago and woke mom up trying to clean it all up and just realized that I haven't updated the blog all day. I think that just maybe, we are all a bit overtired. So, the do not disturb sign goes for me too! I just keep repeating, "...after all, tomorrow is another day!"


Goodnight and God Bless
Cheryl

We Have An Exit Plan!

We have had a very productive day today and finally have our 'Exit Plan'. That is the good news...that it may not be exactly what Mom had hoped for is the 'not so good' news. Please notice, that I didn't say 'bad news'. We are too pleased with her progress to say that. I am going to tell you about our day and then the plan. Now, don't jump to the end of the story kids, like you did in school, stay with me. Yesterday Dad came back to the hotel around 4:00 on the shuttle as Jim and I exchanged places with him. As we stepped off of the shuttle and dad gave us our customary hug and passing of the baton, he said to me with his teasing grin (in earshot of the driver of course),"We have got to stop meeting like this.." I suppose he just can't help himself. Jim stayed and visited until 8:00 and went back to the hotel. After he left, Mom and I took a stroll around the nurses station, chatted for a while and actually got a decent nights sleep with only about 5 nurse/attendant visits. I'm curious, why does the hospital day start at 5:30am? Seriously. There has to be some sort of ghoulish desire to see patients and their families when they look and sound the least attractive they will all day. If you know the answer to this mystery, by all means please tell me. Ok, you decide to maybe nod back off,hit the snooze button so to speak, for ... just.. a ... few... more... minutes. Bright Lights!!  Wow-seriously? Doc, if you are bringing your group of Residents on rounds with you and startle us into the wide-eyed awakened state, at least have a cup of coffee for us. I take mine with cream thanks. By 11:00 we had visits from more doctors than usual. "This is so good" we had just discussed as another group of three doctors enter the room. I had stepped out into the hallway to take a cell call and Mom was on the phone so when they entered, so naturally she asked  one of them, "could you hang up the phone for me?" Uh Oh, this is the big dog, the top cheese, the head honcho, the one that is going to spring us out of here and she starts off the conversation with requests..oops. Not to worry, he laughed it off and then introduced himself. "Everything is looking great, Mrs Millican." ok, here it comes..."Your bloodwork is great, your echocardiogram was clear (heart is doing great), your chest xray is clear... but..." oh, man, don't say "but"... "We are still concerned about your pulse oxygen levels." Rats. He then asked a series of questions regarding her health prior to surgery, how she is feeling now ("Great"), her level of exercise in the hospital, etc. "We are ready to release you except for this one problem with your oxygen absorption. You can leave now with an oxygen tank..." Mom interrupted,"I would really prefer not to do that. Give me another option" She is so shy isn't she? I really admire her. Here is the problem, give me options, a decision will be made based on the information given and we will act on it. I suppose that is what made her a good manager. Back to the conversation... "or we can give you one more day to work off some of the extra fluid that may be causing your lungs to work harder and you can move around more. You have no limitations." Needless to say, Mom chose to stay another day, has walked a lot, used her breathing peak flow exerciser and basically doing everything within her power to leave the hospital without an oxygen tank. We will know in the morning. Mom will definitely be discharged tomorrow. That is fabulous news. Before her discharge they will perform a study on her heart and lungs. Basically, that means they have her take a walk without oxygen or assistance. Immediately after they will take an EKG, check her oxygen exchange levels and determine her medications to take with her as well as the portable oxygen. Here is what we need prayers for... specifically... we need her pulse-oxygen to be 92 without oxygen. This morning she was at 81-84 after about a minute. I don't honestly know how low it would have gone because at that point we would put the oxygen back on. This was Mom and I testing the system so to speak. If she has to come home with oxygen, then so be it. Perhaps it will be temporary. But I will tell you one thing, she is aggravated. Aggravated at herself for too many years of smoking. She told me to be sure and mention again on her blog, "If you are smoking now- Quit! I know that is why I can't get off of the oxygen." My apologies for an especially long post, thanks for hanging in there with me. By the way, after Mom is released we will go back to the hotel for a few days just to be sure she is good to travel and then fly back to Memphis. She will need at least six weeks to heal before becoming social again. It isn't so much her heart, but her broken sternum that needs time. Just like any other broken bone it takes 6-8 weeks. Now remember, her pulse-ox needs to be 92. That is our new lucky number. 
Your prayers have helped so much I just know that you prayer warriers can get on that hotline to God and ask for this one more little thing. After all, it is only air!
Love from Shirley & Bill to you all,
Cheryl

"We're Busting Out of Here; Like It or Not"

"It's Time for March Madness & Mom Is Worried About Missing It"

Like it or not~ we have to go. After all it is March Madness Time and they don't have CBSC here. What's up Cleveland. Not Memphis fans? I took this photo today of Mom's bed at the hospital.. What a fan! "Hey, Josh Pastner; How about an autographed basketball for one of your biggest fans"?

Disconnected...

We recieved good news on Mom's chest xray and echocardiogram today from the cardiologist. They were both good which means her heart is healing well and her lungs are staying clear. She is doing so well, that the cardiologist removed the two lead wires that were left in place for her external pacemaker After this procedure she has to lay flat for several hours and take it easy for the rest of the day. Of course, they tell you to stay still and they continue administering diuretics.... hmmmm. Ok, as the kids would say "TMI" ( that is short for Too Much Information). They will watch her blood pressure and other vitals closely for the next 24 hours and hopefully, hopefully she will be discharged from the hospital tomorrow. Exactly one week post-op for open heart surgery. Amazing. She is still on oxygen but they are also weaning off of that.  After her discharge, we are to stay close by in the hotel for a few days just to make sure that she is well enough to fly home. We will keep you posted on that front. I will update again later... just wanted to share the good news.

Cheryl

What Is This "Donation" button on the right toolbar about??

Thanks to the many emails and comments I have had with this question. This fund goes directly to an account for Shirley and Bill Millican to help defray travel expenses for their two trips to Cleveland, Ohio. After many requests we set up this fund for them with all donations going directly to them. There is a mention on the form that it is being transferred through Defining Touch, llc. That is because we are using an established account through daughter Cheryl's business, but be assured it is all going to Bill and Shirley.This fund is handled by Paypal a very safe and easy way for online payments and/or donations. We recently had someone email to say that they could only send $15. That is actually the cost we pay for a one-way taxi from the hotel to Cleveland Clinic! It is so appreciated. So, if you want to help, please be assured that is safe and all funds go directly towards their expenses. You can even donate anonymously if you would like. 
Thanks again
The Millican family

Shirley wants her Hershey's Kisses!

Today's medical update...Mom is still having some problems with fluid and a bit of wheezing . Yesterday they doubled her lasix for fluid and continue her heparin to control clotting. Her surgical sites are healing well and except for terrific bruising she is looking and feeling pretty good. They have her up and making little strolls in the hall (amazing) and on a breathing regimen hourly to help her take deeper breaths. Her external pace maker is rarely kicking in now, so we hope that those wires can come out soon. Her leg is healing well from the surgical site where they took the vein for her bypass. They did an extra chest xray and ultrasound to make sure heart was performing well and her lungs were behaving. We are determined that she will not get pneumonia and are doing everything that we can to prevent that! It was humorous when the cardiologist said that she should be walking at least four times a day and she asked, a bit tongue in cheek, "Does that include the 200 trips to the restroom since you doubled my lasix?" She is back! ~

It's the little things that make the abnormal seem normal again.Yesterday, Dad and I 'exchanged shifts' and I was able to stay in Mom's private room with her from lunch until this morning. Last night, she asked the nurse if she could have her "4 Hershey's Kisses". Now, four small candies don't seem like such a big deal but it is part of her evening ritual. She has a bit of a chocolate sweet tooth but being diet concious, limits herself to four kisses which equal 100 calories. They checked her blood sugar which was within limits, and she was able to have her chocolate. These 'kisses' represented two things to me.. first, her sugar levels are back to normal and more importantly she was back to her nightly routine. Normal. According to Miriam dictionary; "normal: according with, constituting, or not deviating from a norm, rule, or principle". Mom is normal. For those of you that are personally or have loved ones facing crisis of any kind this is such a profound word. Today back at the hotel, I took care of over a week's worth of laundry. Normal. Tonight Dad is staying with Mom, just the two of them. Normal. Jim and I are having a "date", normal.

Here is hoping that you also have a normal and blessed day.

Cheryl

Happy Sunday

Mom moved to a private room yesterday and Dad stayed with her last evening. Finally, a night with more than "140-ten minute naps" like in ICU, but still had nurses in and out all evening keeping an eye on her. Mom is more mobile now as you can see, and we are taking mini-strolls to help regain her strength. She still has the external pacemaker for now, and is getting blood thinners, etc. but is really doing well. The only issue for now is working on reducing some excess fluid, and keeping a nice, steady heart rate. I know I keep raving about Cleveland Clinic, but it is so unbelievable. Imagine a six floor cardio-thoracic hospital with 24 ICU's. Each floor is dedicated to a particular specialty, and has four ICU's dedicated for that after-care. It made me wonder, where do you go if you have plastic surgery , slip on a banana and have to go to orthopedic and have a heart attack once you see your bill ? It's interesting when you have someone in the hospital for a while, how you form bonds with other patients, their families, and the staff. You find new friends as we have ("Hi, Dave & Sue" from Pennsylvania) and also have a circle of on-site support for each other. While waiting on our shuttle to the hotel last night, I found myself speaking with a woman around Mom's age who was waiting on a ride also. We had absolutely nothing in common. Literally- not one thing. And yet, I had a sense that she needed to talk, share with someone who didn't really know her. So, much like in the Forrest Gump movie, I sat on the bench with her while we waited and just listened. She has so many health issues herself and her husband of 53 years had just had a massive stroke. We are so blessed I was thinking to myself. I asked her if we could pray together..When her ride came, she thanked me for listening and shared that she had been very depressed when she first sat down and that I had really boosted her spirits; though to be honest I didn't do much talking. Hard to believe, I know. As the doors parted for her to step out into the chilly evening air where her grandaughter waited, she turned and said,"By the way, my name is Shirley and this is my granddaughter, Valerie. I hope your mom gets well soon". OK, GOD. I get it! You see, Mom's name is Shirley Lola Valerie ... do you feel the goosebumps now like I did?
Love to all,
Cheryl

From ICU and beyond....

We have just returned from the Cleveland Clinic where Mom has finally been moved to a 'step-down' room. Basically, this is a private room but is in a block of rooms that is reserved for her surgeons' patients. Have I mentioned how awesome this place is? Most of the electronic support devices have been removed. She is doing well, but really, really tired. Will post more later. It's been a long day!

Update Friday PM

As the saying goes, "We are all good"! We just got back from the ICU and Mom is doing so well. She was able to sit up in a chair in the unit for about 1 1/2 hours. A great accomplishment. We are hopeful that she will move to a regular room tomorrow. Her heart rate and bp are remaining stable.  She was even able to have a popsicle; although she really wanted a good cup of coffee! I just talked to her nurse who said that she is sleeping and he will leave her alone as long as possible : - )

You know, it occurred to me today as I was in the elevator that part of my stress was not being in control. I know, you that know me find that hard to believe : -o). So,I decided to ride the elevator. This seems a bit silly but it was the one thing that today, I could control. I pushed the button for 4 and lo and behold I ended up on the 4th floor; and then 6; then 8. I finally could be in control. I suppose I may sound a bit silly, but for those of you that have been through this- you will understand. So, I guess that the elevator is my new friend. God bless you for your prayers and concern. We are thankful for our blessings and looking forward to recovery. 

Peace Be With You,

Cheryl
"If you remain  in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you." John 15:7-8

Morning Update -Just like Fox News :- )

Good Morning Blog Followers... A little 'hiccup' in our plans to move to a room today. Mom's heart has decided it needs a bit more rest and assistance from the external pacemaker after all. So, another day in ICU which is just fine as she is receiving such fabulous care. She will have an ultrasound of her heart this morning and they are wanting her heart rate to be 65 bpm before to moves to a step down room. Otherwise- all is good. No tap dancing today... but it's coming!
Cheryl

"Good Morning Sunshine"

Have you ever had that surreal feeling like you have missed a day; or turned into Rip Van Winkle and woke up several days later? That is how we felt today when we went to the hospital.When we arrived, Mom is sitting up in bed, had already had a cup of coffee and said."well hello, how are you today"? There just aren't words available to describe the difference from last night to this morning. Mom's largest concern was that I had a brush so that her hair would look good.. that's my mama! Though she was still on the external pacemaker full time, all of her other vital signs and blood work was just great. They told us that she would definitely stay another night in ICU to see how she progressed. If her heart rate couldn't stabilize then she would have surgery for a pacemaker tomorrow instead of moving to a room. It isn't as tough a surgery as she already has the wires in place; they would just need to make a 'pocket' for the pacemaker. Sure... no big deal. Sorry, but it sounded like something we really didn't want to have to do right after an open heart procedure. She had a Popsicle while I was there around lunch and it helped soothe her throat a bit. Jim and I went downstairs for lunch around 2:00 and when we got back- NO pacemaker! Another big step- they had weaned her down and her heart kept its pace and her blood pressure remained stable. Hallelujah! She is doing so well and looks so good. It is almost impossible to believe that it has only been 36 hours since she had her surgery. I learned something interesting today that was comforting. Did you know that the heart itself has no pain sensory nerve endings? Of course, her chest feels like, as she politely described, as though she had been "kicked by a mule" and she has other discomforts but her pain is not from her heart. If you are ever sharing heart surgery with a loved one be sure and share that. It makes it not so scary in my opinion. We are staying at the hotel again tonight and resting up in hopes of her moving to a step down room tomorrow. Rick flew back to Memphis tonight, Dad has called it a day and has gone to bed, Jim is in a comfy chair eating chocolate chip cookies and having a glass of milk and Mom is watching American Idol in her bed in ICU. I can hardly wait to call the nurse when I sign off and see what has happened in the last 2 hours. Who knows, she may be up tap dancing!
Cheryl

What A Differance A Day Makes...

First of all, thanks for all of the emails, posts, and phone calls. I just can't begin to tell you how much they encourage all of us. I read some of the emails and posts to Mom today and she was so moved. She and Dad also want to extend their appreciation for the donations made on this site towards their travel expenses.

Just to let you know, I did update earlier today from the hospital using my phone, but apparently it is somewhere in hyperspace because it isn't showing up here! 

After surgery, Mom went straight to ICU and we were able to see her shortly after. We were prepared, to be honest,  for scenes from 'Gray's Anatomy' but were so pleasantly surprised. Yes, she was very sedated and has tubes and IV's everywhere and was on a ventilator. But after a little while she was waking enough for hand signals and even gave us a thumbs up. This was about 12 hours post op. She is one amazing little lady. Finally late last night they removed her breathing tube and the technicians got two thumbs up from her. She has been doing well except for keeping her heart rate & blood pressure regular. She had a bit of fibrillation issues when they took her off of the bypass (heart lung) machine in surgery and her heart was just not keeping a good rhythm. When she had surgery, they implanted wires to her heart that could be connected to an external pacemaker. It is on demand so it will just kick in when needed. Around 11:00 last night they decided that it was needed regularly and so they "paced" her so that her heart could 're-learn' its rhythm. They tried several times to wean her off but as they would her heart rate would drop as well as her bp. But, other than that she was doing well. We decided that she was in great hands, and it would do no one any good to sleep in ICU waiting room chairs and decided to go back to the hotel for a rest. It was a wise decision as we were all more tired, probably more emotionally, that we realized and just fell into our beds. I confess, I 'may' have called the ICU a couple of times during the night just to check in.. and all was well. Have I mentioned that they gave us the direct line to Mom's nurse to call at anytime? They also don't have special visiting hours. They prefer only two visitors at a time but encourage family to be near as much as possible anytime we want. We left with her very groggy but breathing on her own.

Mom Is Out Of Surgery!!

Mom's surgery is over. We have just spoken with the surgeon who told us that things went even better than anticipated. It turns out that she only needed the one bypass and he was able to perform the myectomy (removal of the overgrown muscle that divides the heart into two chambers) with little difficulty. We will be able to see her in ICU in about 1 1/2 hours and will know more about her length of stay there. The surgeon thinks that if all goes well, after she moves out of ICU to a room she will probably be in the hospital for a week to 10 days. It's been a good day!
Cheryl

Bill and Shirley walking into the hospital this morning. Preparing for surgery. "Still crazy in love after all these years..."

Dad, Ricky and Jim waiting . on the 4:45 taxi from the hotel.. that didn't show. Just a bit of drama for surgery day.

Mom and her favorite Tiger throw talking to sister-in-law and nephew in California

Surgery Day Photos- Mom and one of her nurses- headed to pre-op

SURGERY DAY!!

Sorry that I haven't updated sooner but this has been a rather busy morning. I know, odd isn't it? My previous surgical experience has been check in.. wait...go to the desk and ask for updates...wait...eat unhealthy snacks from vending because you don't want to leave the area... wait. Well, not at Cleveland Clinic. Granted, we did 'open the place up this morning' arriving at the registration desk at 5:15am est. Now, for those of you that know me well, you should be very, very impressed! We signed in and were given a digital pager. In a little while they called for mom and she went back to don her designer gown. Victoria's Secret I think... ok- that is not true, it was the usual gown with the plunging back look ;- o) We were all escorted back to the pre-op and got to hang out with her for a few minutes before they took her into the prep area. We had already been advised on a general schedule and knew that the prep would be 1-2 hours before surgery began so we decided to stake out our spot in the waiting area. We went and had breakfast while Jim sidetracked into Starbucks. Shortly after we returned from breakfast many of the family members pagers started going off all at once. I thought that was pretty unique. We realized that families of patients having similar surgeries were being escorted into a patient education seminar that was great. We received information about what to expect through the day but more importantly we were told what was happening in surgery, what some of the procedures were, when we could see Mom, what ICU was like, what to expect, etc. It was an open discussion and answered so many of our questions. We even were given Mom's ICU room assignment at that time. Cleveland Clinic has an open ICU meaning that there aren't separate rooms, and nurses station. There is one ICU nurse that is stationed between two patients beds and she is their nurse while in ICU. There are other attendants and ICU MD's in the unit at all times. It will be interesting to see. 
We received our first message that the 'first incision had been made' at 9:15(est) and that they began actually working on her heart at 11:49 (est). We, of course aren't sure how long it will take, but I will make updates as often as I can. I am actually sitting in a nice lounge area where a local college student is playing some beautiful classic pieces on a grand piano. It is very soothing. Later this week we may go up to the top floor where we can enjoy more music, have a massage or practice yoga.If dad does Yoga with me I will absolutely post photos!! HA. It is hard to believe that this is a not for profit-teaching hospital. We couldn't be more impressed.
Thank you for your many emails and words of encouragement. I would also like to especially thank those of you that have made donations to Mom and Dad's travel expense fund. Every little bit will help. They, of course, would never say so but you can only imagine how expensive this trip is for them, even with the family helping as much as we can.
I'll update again soon.. so far, so good!
Cheryl

Meeting "Our" Surgeon

Tuesday, 02March2010
Today has just been one of those days! One of those fabulous, wonderful days. I love my surgeon Dr. Nick Smidera (say that 3 times fast). He is very friendly, funny and so intelligent. He doesn't think that the overgrown muscle inside of my heart is as enlarged as originally thought AND he could only find one area that needs a bypass. He explained to us why he thought this had been perhaps 'misdiagnosed' but we can all see God's hand in it too and know he can heal. After all, two cardiologists and a different surgeon saw two blockages in December. Unless something unforeseen arises the surgery is now expected to be only 4 hours...Awesome news!!! Ricky and Jim made it in tonight so we have a full house. My sweet son in law even brought an empty suitcase just so that he could go by my house and get my U of M throw that one of my "girls" sent to me but just wouldn't fit in my luggage. What a wonderful surprise! Of course, Bill and Cheryl were in on it, but to cuddle up in my Tiger throw on the couch tonight was very comforting. Thank you Ruthie and Rik. I am planning on a good night's rest tonight. We are about to go to dinner and then I'll turn in. Keep our family in your prayers. 
Shirley

Cleveland Clinic Heart and Vascular Institute

This is our view from the surgeon's office on the 4th floor of the Miller Building that is for cardiovascular and thoracic care. It is one of the many institutes that cover the 14 block area of the campus. That beautiful fountain below has glass walls and the water was flowing even when it was covered in snow the first day that we arrived.

 

Update from Cleveland Clinic~ Pre-Op Appointment Day!

Of course, the first thing that most of you are checking in about is Mom's day at Cleveland Clinic. But first, I must tell you about our adventures in transportation so you will just have to read through to the end.. One of the reasons that we selected the hotel that we are in is its relatively close proximity to the Clinic and the other being a reasonably priced suite. Being downtown (and did I mention the snow and 20* temps) we naturally made transportation a priority. After checking into the hotel this weekend we double checked with the valet on the published shuttle to the Clinic schedule. Now, perhaps it is just me but when someone diagrams a schedule as 8->12 and 4->8 I interpret that as "eight until twelve, etc". I guess in Cleveland it is different because that actually means 4 shuttles a day! You guessed it at 8, 12, 4, and 8 pm. When you have appointments starting at 10 and ending at 1:45 that isn't what we consider primo accommodations. We now have the name and number of a cabbie that we can call as needed.
So, on to todays update. It was a most informative and productive day. Mom had her pre-op tests.. EKG, blood work, chest xrays, staph screening.. yes, I said Staph screening! How awesome is that? This hospital is extremely serious about post operative infections so every patient is screened for staph, and Mom was given a special antibacterial bath gel to use tomorrow night and Wednesday morning prior to surgery. We received so much surgical info that they provide a tote to carry it in. I told Mom and Dad to "study, because there would be a quiz tomorrow". We had a consult with the surgeon's PA (physician assistant) and the anesthesiologist (am I getting old or are these doctors really getting younger?). We see the surgeon tomorrow and will get all of the details. Basically we know this. Mom is scheduled for surgery early Wednesday morning, March 3, around 7 am. We will arrive at 5:15, I am planning on wearing my pj's and slippers, and get to stay with Mom in pre-op until they take her back to the OR.We will be given a digital pager to take to the waiting room that will be updated from the surgical unit on a regular basis. Pretty cool. Her surgery is scheduled at this time for the myectomy due to the cardiomyoptemy, double bypass, review and possible repair of her mitral valve and possibly repair to her thoracic aortic aneurysm. Confused? That is ok, the doctors have it all figured out. It is several procedures, but she is glad to have as much done in one surgery as they feel is safe. Here's where she gets to be really special. The surgical team will consist of 9 doctors and three nurses plus 4-5 Fellows that will be observing. Mom decided to donate the overgrown muscle that they are removing from her heart (that is the myectomy procedure) for research. Maybe it will help find a way to better diagnose this disease. The surgery is expected to be from 6-8 hours. Whew.. that is a lot for one days' update. Mom is feeling pretty good, though her blood pressure is now too low, so they have taken her off of her blood pressure meds. They say it is likely because she is now in WEEK 10 of Nicotine Freedom!!! Another reason for you; yes, you there that said that they couldn't do it, to stop smoking! It helps your blood pressure. I am so proud of her. Oh, incidentally, Dad cornered at least three people today in the waiting room and told them corny jokes. Everything is normal.
Until tomorrow
Cheryl