has it really been a year?

This time last year I had just had what was suppose to be a routine surgery.  This is the post I wrote last year about my experience.

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Routine Surgery.....what's that?


On April 14 I went in for my outpatient gallbladder surgery. Everything went fine and I was back at home by 5pm. I was having the normal to be expected pains that come with surgery, but overall I was feeling good. My Mama was staying with me and I sent her home Thursday because I thought I would be fine alone on Friday. So I was alone on Friday morning, went upstairs to fix me a cup of coffee. While my coffee was brewing I watered the plants in my sun room. That's when it started. The pain that lasted until the following Wednesday. I thought it was gas pains from the air used during surgery. That was the longest day and night of my life. By Saturday morning, it was unbearable. Dave loaded me and the kids up and headed to Birmingham. Mama and Giny met us in Lincoln. Mama came with us. Giny took our kids. I guess I thought we would get to the emergency room and my pain would magically stop. Well that didn't happen. No amount of morphine would stop the pain. I just cried and prayed. By 5pm I had been admitted to the 5th floor, where I spent the next 12 days. It was determined that I had a bile leak. They took me to surgery at 10pm to do an ERCP. This is where they go down your esophagus and install a stint where the bile was leaking. It didn't work!! He was able to put a slit in the sphincter which alleviated the pain for about 24 hours. Tuesday he attempted this procedure again. It still didn't work, probably because my abdomen was so swollen. I looked 9 months pregnant. It was really unbelievable. So days are passing with no answers, no relief from the pain and I was really afraid. My Mama and Dave were with me constantly. They held my hand alot while I cried and prayed. I would just beg God to help me, to stop the pain. Wednesday morning I had my final surgery. The doctor went in and irrigated my abdomen and put in a drain. FINALLY!!! the pain stopped. Then Friday the fevers started. They would spike to almost 103. I had been given a pain pump so when my fever shot up I would just sleep. But in order to ever get out of the hospital I had to start working on it. I first had to get rid of my pain pump. I walked the halls as much as possible to build my strength. At one point the doc said I could go home as soon as I didn't run fever for 24 hours. Well there was never a 24 hour period when I didn't run fever. Then on Tuesday the doc was going to check out my drain, and we find out it was stopped up, as in not working!! It hurts me to even type the rest of this. Just remembering how bad this hurt. I had to go to the CT lab to have a new drainage tube in. This is on my right side above my ribs. It hurt soooooooo bad when they took the old one out and put the new one in. They didn't give me anything before this, I wish I had been put to sleep. I have cried alot this week. So that is where I am now. I am in my hospital bed, on what I think to be my last night. My Mama is asleep in the chair beside me where she has been 8 of the 12 nights I have been here. Dave has been home this week with our kids. The girls have SAT testing this week. I know it has been good for them to have Daddy home with them this week. I am so ready to be home with them too! If all goes well, I will be home by lunchtime. So many people have prayed for me this week and I could never tell you how much that means. God has brought me through a tough couple of weeks. I have learned alot. Dave has learned alot. I'm sure our kids have learned alot. I still have a long way to go. Where the drain tube is it feels like someone punched me in my ribs. I'm weak. As soon as I am able I will walk to build my strength. Hopefully the worst is over. I will never look at surgery as "routine" ever again.

An Update From Home

We are definitely enjoying our time at home.  We have been able to see some of our friends and family and look forward to being at our church for all the Easter services.  Tonight we were able to spend some time with the JSU Campus Outreach students at Christy and Jason's house.  This was kinda their last time together before everyone goes there different ways for summer.  It was so exciting to see how much they have grown since we left back in October.  Some of them are going on overseas missions for the summer, a couple are going to beach project, some are going to school, and some are going home to spend the summer with their families. We can't wait to get home and be involved with them again.  Jason and Christy picked it up when we left and it has been amazing for us to see how well everything has gone.  We are so thankful for them.

Dave is doing pretty well.  He is still having a lot of swelling and retaining a lot of fluid.  This adds to the difficulty he already has walking due to the neuropathy.  We are hoping this begins to go away the further he get out from chemo.  So this is the plan.....Dave and I will fly out to Houston next Thursday for his scan and we will see Dr. Ravi on Friday and then fly back here on Friday night.  He will then present the case again and see what they say.  We are hoping to be home through Relay for Life on May 6th. 

The girls are spending some time with their baby cousins.  They have missed them so much. I have gotten use to being with the girls so much....I really miss them when their not with me.  Samuel started complaining of a sore ear this afternoon so I ran him up to the after hours clinic and of course he had an ear infection.  I cannot tell you how bad I did not want to go to a doctors office....but  I'm glad we did.  They gave him a shot so he should be feeling better soon. He and Erin both got to shoot their BB guns with my Daddy yesterday.  They got them for Christmas, but have not gotten to shoot them much in Houston.   So what have I been doing?  Soaking up every minute of just being at home.  I pulled out the crock pot today, dusted it off and cooked some chicken.  Now it feels like I'm home when I get the crock pot turned on, the dish washer on, and the washer and dryer going.  Ahhhhh how sweet it is to be home. :)

Home......it does a body good

I thought I would update since my last post was so sad. We decided late Friday afternoon to come home. Dave and I will fly back to Houston for the scan and doctor appointment some time after Easter. We knew they did not want to move the scan up but they will be able to move it forward to Monday or Tuesday of the next week. We really needed some time at home. Dave is still very weak. He is still not able to get around very well. Thank you for continuing to pray for him. A trip home may be the best medicine for Dave and the rest of us too.

Disappointment

Today we got disappointing news.  We are not going to be able to be home for Easter. The doctor cannot see Dave on Friday so his appointment will have to be Monday. After I cried and sulked for a while...I realized there is nothing I can do about it and we still get to go home Monday after the appointment.  The day has continued to get worse though. This afternoon I dropped Dave out in front of MDA for labs as I  have so many times before.  I usually circle the block a couple of times or park out front and wait on him....it usually doesn't take long.  He was feeling really weak today so I called him to make sure he made it up...when he answered he sounded terrible but said he was there.  In a few minutes he called me back and said ...help me. I was down the street a couple of blocks so I flew to the parking deck and ran inside.  Let me just pause right here and tell you that I will never take him anywhere else without getting dressed like I am going in with him.  I had to run in the hospital wearing the shortest shorts I own....you know the kind of shorts you just wear at home or maybe to the pool.  Anyway...back to Dave.  When I got to him he was laid back in the chair and had apparently passed out.  I shouldn't have let him go in by himself.  We got him a wheel chair and they wheeled him to the front to meet me.  He is resting now.  Please pray for his strength to return.  He is discouraged because he feels so weak all the time.  So that is our day so far.  I've been meaning to do a post on what I'm learning.  I'll do that soon....thank you Lord for teaching me what I need to know when I need it.

I have read these verses many times and had them memorized for years, but they had new meaning to me as I read them today.

30  Even youths grow tired and weary,

and young men stumble and fall;

31 but those who hope in the LORD

will renew their strength.

They will soar on wings like eagles;

they will run and not grow weary,

they will walk and not be faint.

Isaiah 40: 30-31

Fundraiser for Relay for Life

My dear friend Kim is donating her sales from her scentsy candles for our Relay for Life team.  If you go to Kim's Scentsy Page 

Look under "My Open Parties" for "Dave Swinney - Relay For Life"

Click on "Buy From Party" It's that simple! 100% of my proceeds on all orders placed here will go directly to Relay For Life in honor of Dave. Thank you in advance for your support! 

 How sweet is that?  Go check it!  I have several of these candles and I love them. This would be a great Mother's Day gift and it supports a great cause!  Thanks Kim for doing this!!

Also if you haven't gotten involved in Relay for Life yet and need a team...join ours,  Team Grace.  Just go here  and join.  It is looking like we are going to be home for the big event on May 6th and we are super excited! 

Six Months

Today, April 10th, marks six months since we packed up the Jeep and made the long drive to Houston.  We arrived at the Marriott at around 8:30 on Sunday night October 10th for what we thought would be a week long stay.  Well we know that's not how it turned out and we find ourselves six months into Dave's treatment.  Today was the first day in  many days that he didn't run fever.  We went down to the pool area around 6 and sat and talked while the kids swam.  How nice it was to just sit and have a conversation.  There have been so many days when he was so sick we haven't even been able to talk.  I have become so very thankful for little things like a cool night,  grilled hot dogs, talking to Dave, and watching the kids run and play.  This was a good night.  We are hopeful this will be a good week too.

Dave's fever continued to rise and he started having trouble breathing around 1 am.  We went to the EC....Sarah and Ron met us there and took the kids home with them.  The x-ray looked clear and all the other test looked good.  His white blood count was a little elevated.  Of course we have to wait on cultures but they went ahead and started him on antibiotics last night.  We are home now and his temperature is normal as of 10 minutes ago.  He still has a bad cough.  Please pray with us that he will be well enough to get chemo on Monday.  He usually has a hard time with the taxotere which he gets Monday. It's hard watching him like this. 

His next scan is Thursday April 21.  He will see Dr. R on Friday April 22 to get scan results.  Then we will leave on our long drive home.  We are so excited to be coming home for Easter.  We aren't sure how long we will be home.  Dr. R will present Dave's case again and let us know what the surgeon says.  I hope Dave is feeling much better then so he can enjoy his time at home.