Staples are out

Well, the deed is done. The staples have been removed without pain, he says. I was miles away. Didn't want any part of that. Any way, the scars aren't currently as nasty as I would have guessed and hair is starting to grow in around it. As they continue to heal, they will get better. Tim text messaged Critter the photo I took of his head last night in the event anyone wants to get grossed out, go visit him to see the picture.

Today he is all yellow/green around the eyes. Worse bruising I have ever seen on him and he is still swollen tremendously. I know, it's been 8 days... There is a reason they schedule the second surgery 3 weeks apart from the first. It takes time to heal. Any way, a healin he is doin. We are all thankful he is doing so well.

I think he is looking forward to going back to work. My guess is that will be the first of the year, but time will tell. If he feels good, he can go sooner. But, by the time he will feel better, it will be time for #2 surgery and then he will need to heal from that.

Not sure there will be much more to tell over the next few days so let me wish you all now a very Happy Thanksgiving. I am more thankful this year for family and friends than ever before, and count my blessings each day! Love to all.

A Week Later

... so it is one week today that Tim had his surgery. He is coming along. He is swollen in the eyes and nose again today with discoloration. But, his voice is strong and he asked his dad if he could go with him when he gets his haircut - just for the ride. So, we will see how he feels when the time comes.

The kids are anxious for him to be back to normal as you can imagine. Tim shaved today so when they get home from school, I think they will see that as an improvement in his health - whatever it takes :-)

Staples come out tomorrow and I will post after that ordeal. I am pretty sure I am not taking him - yes, I am a chicken. His parents will take him for me.

Have a nice day!

Sunday

It seems that the hockey game that was on last night did some wonders to Tim. His voice got stronger as he sung along with the Canadian National Anthem :-) He didn't sleep great, but he seems to be ok. If he doesn't bend his head over or down, he is ok. Steady as she goes for him the next few days! He is swollen in the eye/nose area, but no bruising.

I am so happy it is almost a week into his recovery. We were all worried there for a while, but he definitely seems to be on the mend. Thank goodness!

He gets his staples out Tuesday, and two weeks from then til the next surgery. Then soon, it will all be over and he will be as good as new. I can't wait til then!

Saturday Morning

Healing continues. Tim's head is throbbing and he is uncomfortable. But, he still goofs when he can. His stomach has settled, I think more than anything he wishes his head would too. It isn't even a week yet. He needs more time. And again, I go back to him always telling me I have no patience. I guess when you are in pain, patience doesn't exist. Any way, if anyone wants to call, today would be a great day since he is so down in the dumps.

Love to all. Please keep those prayers coming.

Friday

Well, the recovery is moving at a snail's pace - just ask Tim, he'll tell you that himself.

He got sick last night. I think it was his body's way of removing the anesthesia and Vicodin, he isn't so sure. However, there was no fever and he was able to sleep all night. He ate a decent breakfast this morning so I think he is OK. His right eye is still swollen and that is where his headache resides. I wish I could cast a magic spell and make him better now :-)

We just spoke to his manager and his HR group and he officially applied for short-term disability. Although his visions of grandeur of going back to work on Monday were taken away from him, I think he is ok with it. There is NO WAY he could go back to work then. He doesn't even get the staples out til Tuesday or Wednesday. He isn't allowed to lift more than 10 lbs for 6 weeks. Any idea how much a 5 gallon pain bucket weighs? Me either, but it isn't less than 10 lbs. His boss is GREAT and is so understanding about everything. He is even going to come over tomorrow to visit for a bit.

Well, that is my story for now and I'm sticking to it.

It's Thursday Afternoon...

and he's feelin pretty yucky. His whole right side is swollen and puffy underneath. He doesn't feel good. Just gave him pain meds and kicked him, oops, I mean gently sent him off to bed where he can rest quietly and more comfortably than the couch. He is so brave and such a trooper.

He received a present from his sister Maureen today - it is a shirt with a picture of a brain, and on top of it says, "I had brain surgery, what is your excuse" along with "I am so Smart" Simpson's jammie pants. Perfect for the next round of surgeries in a couple of weeks. He'll be the sharpest dressed guy there - thanks Mo :-)

I know recovery takes long, and there is peaks and valleys, but it makes me sad when he doesn't feel well. He is always so strong and never complains about anything. When he does complain, you know he is hurting... Time, all we need now is time and lots and lots of painkillers.

Thursday Morning

Tim had a good night sleep. He is all cleaned up and ready for the day. He woke up with a swollen right eye and we have a call into the doctor, hoping its nothing. He is in great spirits and walked Lauren up to the bus stop this morning. Will post more later when we have news from the doctor. Have a great day!

Home Safely!

We got home safe and sound!!! We are so happy to be here... Tim had for lunch what he wanted :-) not what they were giving him. I bought him an apple pie for dessert tonight! Can't wait to make it for him. My mom is still here and will be leaving tomorrow. Tim's parents will be here through Thanksgiving, it will be nice to not have a stressful holiday so soon after the surgery.

Tim is in great spirits and looks pretty darn good. His pain currently is a one which is amazing, or the Vicodin is still in effect, not exactly sure which.

Next, we go back down Monday night December 8th for the surgery on the 9th for the doctors to implant the "battery" module in his chest and to connect the wires into the brain. That is an outpatient procedure, so we will be home the night of the 9th. We then go back on the 11th to have the device turned on and programmed. That will be the most exciting day over the past many years we will be experiencing together. We will ask all of you to have fingers and toes crossed that day...

Again, thank you all for your prayers and thoughts.

I will post again tomorrow with an update.

The Night of the Day After...

I left Tim at about 9pm tonight. He is happy to be going home tomorrow. I know it sounds soon, but there is nothing we can't do for him at home that they are doing for him at the hospital. Besides, he will be relieved when the Texas Chainsaw snorer roommate is out of his range of hearing keeping him up all night. Poor man is really ill, but I have never heard a human snore quite like that before :-)

He was starting to increase with a headache and not feeling well. I got the nurse telling her I think it is time he gets Vicadin again. She said she needed to check his chart and if it was time, they can give it to him. Apparently, they like to give Vicadin every 6 hours. She came back with it in hand. Last time he had taken it was 10am - he went 11 hours with NO pain meds. AMAZING!!!! He is amazing. I love him to the moon and back and then some.

His appetite is just fine. He ate breakfast, lunch, and dinner and had a snack of a cheeseburger and fries and a smoothie. He is good.

We will need to get his staples taken out late next week, they said I can do it - I am pretty sure that is NOT going to happen, so we will make an appointment with our local doctors. Hopefully they can get something right :-) If we have any volunteers that will be in the Winchester area ten days from now, we are willing to consider them. HAHAHA

It is now 10:13 and that proverbial brick wall has just been hit - so I will be calling it a night for now. I will certainly add more tomorrow after we get home with what I am hoping to be an uneventful trip there. Love to all and sweet dreams.

It's the Day After...

Let me apologize for not updating this blog yesterday. It was an insane day...

They took Tim in right at 6. He had his halo put on and then went in for surgery about 8. I got called about 12. The whole thing took 6 hours, just like they predicted. From the time I left him at 8, til the time I got the call at 12, I felt every second tick by one slow moment at a time. That was the worst feeling EVER!!!!!

When they implanted the electrodes, they test it to make sure it isn't a dud. Tim said as soon as they turned it on it stopped the tremors - a blessing in and of itself. Unfortunately, that is just a teaser and we need to wait a while til he heals from this to get the battery pack implanted and the device programmed. So, at least we see what is in store for us over the next few months. Personally, I couldn't be more happy for him. RELIEF - it is coming!!!!

He came out of surgery groggery as you can expect, but joked around the minute he could. The recovery room nurse called me to let me know he was there and asked if I wanted to talk to him. Tim came on and I said "Hi honey, how you feeling?" he sarcastically replied, "Who is this?". YEAH! He was back to himself in no time with a really BIG headache.

So, it is the day after and he is good. He has a headache and some bleeding from the incisions as you can imagine, but it looks like he can go home tomorrow.

I am so happy that I could cry, oh wait, I did that already! Thank you all again for all your prayers, thoughts, good wishes, and comments. I will let you all know when we are safely home tomorrow...

It's the Day Before...

...and I am a mess. Tim's mom and dad, brother Mike and his wife Kathy, and sister Jeannine are all here to keep me calm :-) which honestly is not working so well. I am stressed to the max! I can't wait til tomorrow night, if you know what I mean...

Everything is still on schedule for the 6am surgery, so we will be leaving our house around 4 to make it down to Charlottesville by 6. We will check into the hotel and then go get dinner. Today is the first time I am so sorry I can no longer drink alcohol :-( I sure could use a mudslide right about now. I will get over it!

Tim is doing fine and enjoying his visit with his family. He keeps saying it will be fine and what he is most worried about is going through all of this and it not working. With all the prayers that keep coming in it is all going to be fine and it will work and he will be as good as new!

I don't know what time I will be able to post tomorrow. But, please stay tuned....

How we doin'?

Everyone is asking how we are doing? Well, we are nervous, anxious, excited, and scared.

Tim is still at work (it is almost 7:30pm) so his mind I am sure is not on the surgery. They had a big mess tonight that they are cleaning up.

I am trying to make sure there is enough food in the house to get through the weekend and the linens are clean for all our company. Tim cleaned the house yesterday (he had to work til noon) I think to help and maybe to keep his mind off the surgery too. House looks great because we are trying to stay busy :-)

Love to all! Another post tomorrow, perhaps....

To make it easier for the doctors...

...Tim shaved his head yesterday. Now he won't have to worry about washing it in the hospital :-) We think it will also be less noticeable if all the hair is regrowing at the same time rather than just patches. His baby blues are even more beautiful now with the hair out of his eyes :-) Ok, well...

Last day of work before the big day and everyone is awesome offering up their thoughts and prayers.

I can't wait for Monday night so he can start to recover and this whole thing is OVER.

xoxo

Tim's Pre-Surgery Journey

In 2003, Tim was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease (PD) at the age of 32. Almost six years later (October 2008), Tim comes to the realization with the help of his neurologist and a specialist that the medication he is on has come to the end of their usefulness. His next option is brain surgery.

On 11/17/08, Tim will undergo DBS - Deep Brain Stimulation where they will implant electrodes directly into his brain and hook it up to a battery to send electrical charges to the brain so that he can be "fixed". We are hoping that his tremors are minimized, he becomes less stiff and rigid and can move more quickly.

I will post to this site every day until he is back home so that you can read updates of his progress.

Before I say goodnight, I need to publicly thank Tim's family, my family, the amazing citizens of Oswego, NY and for other people's kindness for helping us out as we struggle through the mounting medical bills. Now, I can say goodnight.