I don't know if I have mentioned that I am in a Book Club that I enjoy thoroughly. It started a year and a half ago and it is so much fun! Although you really need to enjoy reading books in order to appreciate it. It is made of about 8 ladies who I look forward to seeing every month. The ladies in my group are friends that I don't know if I would have met otherwise. Tonight we are going to see the movie The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. We read this book and I cannot wait to see it in movie form, they do have a European version that I have seen that was good but I am going to enjoy not having to pay attention to the subtitles. Yea for movie night! The movie was good, very dark but that is what the book was like. The ending of the movie was different with a new twist. I am already looking forward to the next movie of the trilogy.
Archie is working full time, keeping busy. We are going to the primary care doctor tomorrow for a follow-up visit. I don't expect it to be very in depth. We really do not have anything to report to the doctor which I like.
Day after Christmas a few days late
Monday I had off from work for a Federal holiday, which was great because Archie and I got to sleep in after our busy day of driving on Sunday. He had a little bit of work to do so he did that and I cleaned the house. It is amazing how messy it can get so fast! We ran some errands around town later that afternoon. We saw our friend Jim and he invited us over for dinner. We went to Jim, Lisa and their son Luke's house for an amazing dinner of crab cakes and steak wellington. Can you say delicious! Lisa's parents were in town so we got to see them, we haven't seen them since August when Luke got baptized. Time slipped away from us and before we knew it is was 9:30 and time to head home since we had work the next day. Tuesday we both went back to work but we were thankful for a four day week!
MERRY CHRISTMAS!
Merry Christmas!
It was a wonderful Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Yesterday morning we did some last minute shopping right when the mall opened. I wrapped presents and got stuff ready for the next two days. We went to mass at 3 pm with my family. We then headed to my parents' home to open presents and eat dinner. Dinner was delicious and the present opening was fun to watch with the nephews tearing through gifts. We went home and opened presents. I got Archie a bunch of smaller gifts while he got me one big one. I did surprise him with a gift that he mentioned that morning of wanting, which is awesome because I was taking a chance on buying it. Then I surprised him with the 30 for 30 set, a wallet, a shirt, and several other items. Archie got me some gorgeous diamond earrings (I had lost a diamond earring earlier this year).
This morning we got up at 4:30 am so we could be on the road by 5 am. We headed to Wichita Falls early so we could see Archie's grandmother before she headed to Oklahoma for the day. We then went to his mother's house to open presents and eat a good lunch with his mother and stepfather. Afterwards we headed to Bowie to see his father, stepmother and nephew so we could exchange gifts. We chatted for a little while and then went to Frisco. It was a busy day but we got to see a bunch of family members on Christmas.
It was a wonderful Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Yesterday morning we did some last minute shopping right when the mall opened. I wrapped presents and got stuff ready for the next two days. We went to mass at 3 pm with my family. We then headed to my parents' home to open presents and eat dinner. Dinner was delicious and the present opening was fun to watch with the nephews tearing through gifts. We went home and opened presents. I got Archie a bunch of smaller gifts while he got me one big one. I did surprise him with a gift that he mentioned that morning of wanting, which is awesome because I was taking a chance on buying it. Then I surprised him with the 30 for 30 set, a wallet, a shirt, and several other items. Archie got me some gorgeous diamond earrings (I had lost a diamond earring earlier this year).
This morning we got up at 4:30 am so we could be on the road by 5 am. We headed to Wichita Falls early so we could see Archie's grandmother before she headed to Oklahoma for the day. We then went to his mother's house to open presents and eat a good lunch with his mother and stepfather. Afterwards we headed to Bowie to see his father, stepmother and nephew so we could exchange gifts. We chatted for a little while and then went to Frisco. It was a busy day but we got to see a bunch of family members on Christmas.
First Movie Night
Today we Archie and I both had to work. Archie had a couple of jobs and the bank was suppose to be open all day long. But I got to go home at 1 pm. My bosses are awesome! I got to take a nap for about an hour and then Archie and I head to see a movie. It was the first movie he had seen since his aneurysm. We didn't know how it was going to go because he is still sensitive to noises, they are a lot louder in his head than anyone else. We went to see the new Sherlock Holmes movie. It went well, Archie did well and the movie was wonderful! We grabbed some Boston's Pizza for dinner.
The next couple of days are going to be busy ones. Tomorrow we are going to 3 pm mass and then celebrating Christmas with my family. Of course the Cowboys game is on the agenda. Then Sunday we are are making a day trip to Wichita Falls to celebrate Christmas with Archie's mom and stepdad. Merry Christmas everyone!
The next couple of days are going to be busy ones. Tomorrow we are going to 3 pm mass and then celebrating Christmas with my family. Of course the Cowboys game is on the agenda. Then Sunday we are are making a day trip to Wichita Falls to celebrate Christmas with Archie's mom and stepdad. Merry Christmas everyone!
Home
Archie got home this evening at 5 pm. I was excited to see him after 5 days! He said that they worked full days while he was gone. He was tired but that is very understandable. They got the house functioning but will have to go back after the first of the year to finish the other small tasks. I had a good, busy time while he was gone. I went had something every night that he was gone. Last night I met my friend, Vicki who was my boss back when I worked at Chase. We met at the Cheesecake Factory and talked for over two hours. She has gone through some medical issues this year as well. She is doing amazingly well and getting better everyday. Tonight Archie got home around 6:30 pm and we went out for some Mexican food. Then we went home and I worked on a few tasks. We have the next couple of nights open to relax before the Christmas madness begins!
Monday, Day 105
It was a busy day at my work today. It will be my first full week of work. It is hard to believe that Christmas is this week. It was raining tonight so traffic was a little rough but we need the rain and thankfully it is not freezing. Tonight I went to dinner with my friend Mindi, we haven't seen in each in a while so we sat and talked for a couple of hours catching up. I talked to Archie and he said they are making headway but they probably will not be completely done. They will get a majority of the job functioning and then they will return later on a later date to finish all the little things.
Busy Weekend
Archie was busy working all weekend. He said they got a bunch of work done on Saturday which is a great way to start off the trip. Yesterday he was having internet issues, it kept going up and down throughout the day which is challenging when you are using the internet to program the system. He said the modem finally died last night so at least they know the cause of the issue and it will be fixed today so that should help.
I was busy this weekend! Saturday morning my mom and I met with the wonderful lady who sold Archie his insurance policy to discuss a way to track medical expenses. She has been amazing to my mom and I throughout the hospitalization and after by answering questions and assisting us. After the meeting I stopped by the hospital because I was only a couple of miles away to drop off cookies for the nurses and visit a friend whose husband is still in ICU. He arrived at the hospital a few days after Archie and he is still in ICU, he was in a motorcycle accident. I am now pretty against motorcycles after the amount of motorcycle accidents that we saw at Baylor. I talked to my other hospital friend who husband had a brain anerysm a few days after Archie and her husband said his first words on Friday night which is amazing! That afternoon I attended our friend Shawn's graduation from UNT and then a party afterwards. He has been working so hard over the past years and I am so excited that all of his hard work paid off. It was great to see everyone as well. Sunday I got up and went to church. Then we stopped a a church friend's brunch. Emily and I went to see the movie Hugo which is one of the book club books we read this year, it was great. Then last night we had family dinner with my family but were missing Archie. It was a busy yet productive weekend!
I was busy this weekend! Saturday morning my mom and I met with the wonderful lady who sold Archie his insurance policy to discuss a way to track medical expenses. She has been amazing to my mom and I throughout the hospitalization and after by answering questions and assisting us. After the meeting I stopped by the hospital because I was only a couple of miles away to drop off cookies for the nurses and visit a friend whose husband is still in ICU. He arrived at the hospital a few days after Archie and he is still in ICU, he was in a motorcycle accident. I am now pretty against motorcycles after the amount of motorcycle accidents that we saw at Baylor. I talked to my other hospital friend who husband had a brain anerysm a few days after Archie and her husband said his first words on Friday night which is amazing! That afternoon I attended our friend Shawn's graduation from UNT and then a party afterwards. He has been working so hard over the past years and I am so excited that all of his hard work paid off. It was great to see everyone as well. Sunday I got up and went to church. Then we stopped a a church friend's brunch. Emily and I went to see the movie Hugo which is one of the book club books we read this year, it was great. Then last night we had family dinner with my family but were missing Archie. It was a busy yet productive weekend!
Lake Tahoe or Bust, Day 102
Archie was heading to Lake Tahoe at 1 pm. The nice thing is that the client has a private jet that he gets to ride on so his first trip will be a lot easier than flying commercially. He did not have to deal with security and explaining the metal plate in his head although, really all he would have to do is remove his hat and show his scars. His mother and I asked him to let us know when he left and arrived to make sure it went well. At 1:20 pm I sent him a text to see if he had left, he said they were boarded and about to leave. Then at 6 pm his mother called me to see if I had heard anything. I sent him a text a little while later and he said they had just landed. He called me a few minutes later, he told me that the flight went well and that he head was fine besides the typical ear popping. There was not additional pressure or anything which is great.
I went to work for a full day. I then went home, changed clothes, grabbed my cookies and headed out again to the Cookie Exchange. I had a great night with some new friends. Theoretically, I should have left last night with like 8 dozen cookies but I didn't grab that many because Archie I cannot eat that many cookies and I would hate to waste cookies. Everyone brought a different type of cookie and it was amazing. I would definitely go to another Cookie Exchange in the future!
I went to work for a full day. I then went home, changed clothes, grabbed my cookies and headed out again to the Cookie Exchange. I had a great night with some new friends. Theoretically, I should have left last night with like 8 dozen cookies but I didn't grab that many because Archie I cannot eat that many cookies and I would hate to waste cookies. Everyone brought a different type of cookie and it was amazing. I would definitely go to another Cookie Exchange in the future!
Betty Freaking Crocker, day 101
Today is my last day off work before I go back to work full-time. So I took the day for myself, Archie went to work by himself. He is doing great driving and I feel comfortable with him behind the wheel alone. This morning was my nephew's Christmas program. They sang a bunch of Christmas carols and it was adorable. Below are some pictures:
Singing Jingle Bells with bells
He is excited about the new song
He just melts my heart
After the program I headed home. Archie called and I met him for lunch in Addison at Cyclone Anayas. Afterwards I started baking cookies, I am going to a cookie exchange tomorrow night and I had to make 8 dozen cookies (yes I said 8 dozen). Hence the name Betty Freaking Crocker! It took several hours to make them. I borrowed my friend Melissa Schmidtzel's recipe for some Cowboy Cookies. I wrapped some presents throughout the afternoon. Tonight we went to Archie's company Christmas party, it was Matt, his wife, Chris, Archie and I. We went to the Keg for a nice dinner.
Tomorrow afternoon Archie is going to Lake Tahoe with Matt and Chris for a job. They are going to be gone until Wednesday afternoon. I know everything is going to be fine and Archie will return safely. I have just been with him throughout the past 3 months and able to make sure he is doing good and now he is not going to be with me but I know the guys will take care of him. I have been praying and know that God will watch out for him. I am going to busy while Archie is gone, I have something planned every night he is gone to catch up with friends.
Tuesday, Day 99
Today I was off of work again so we got up and headed out. We first went to Addison to pick up some equipment for a house. We then headed out west to Ft. Worth to work on a house. Archie replaced a receiver and then we went to lunch and meet our friend Jimmy. Afterwards we headed back to our area. Archie dropped me off so that I could take a nap. We went out to pick up a couple of gifts. Not a very exciting day. I think that after we both go back to work full-time that life is going to be boring so I will probably not post everyday since there isn't much going on.
Workday, Day 98
Today I went back to work, I am going to work Wednesday and Friday as well. Then next week I will go back to full-time. It was a good day with many tasks to do. The nice thing is that I have busy days that go by fast. Next week I will be able to get back in the swing of things and take over all of my job responsibilities which will make life a little more normal. Since I am in and out of the office I cannot take everything over at once. Archie went to Ft. Worth today to work on a job. Tomorrow we are going back to Ft. Worth for the day because I am doing a ride along again.
Tonight Archie put the disc with CT scans in his computer bag for his trip to Lake Tahoe on Friday. I would rather be prepared, with our great luck I want to have everything ready. I pray that they won't need it. He asked me why he needed to do this and I told him it was just in case something goes wrong they are able to see what his head looked like after all of his surgeries. I reminded him that his ventricles in his head are larger than normal. Say a prayer that everything goes well while he is traveling to Tahoe and back.
Tonight Archie put the disc with CT scans in his computer bag for his trip to Lake Tahoe on Friday. I would rather be prepared, with our great luck I want to have everything ready. I pray that they won't need it. He asked me why he needed to do this and I told him it was just in case something goes wrong they are able to see what his head looked like after all of his surgeries. I reminded him that his ventricles in his head are larger than normal. Say a prayer that everything goes well while he is traveling to Tahoe and back.
Cold Beer, Day 97
This morning we got up and headed to 8 am mass. Afterwards we went to the mall to try to get some shopping done without success because only the anchor stores were open that early. We headed home and I cleaned the kitchen and did some laundry. I finally put some Christmas decorations outside- a snowman and a lamp. We are not doing anything else besides that in regards to decorations outside the house and we aren't doing anything inside either, making it an easy year this year. I headed out again to try to get some shopping done while Archie watched some football. When I got home from shopping I found Archie and our friend Joshua at the house. The guys headed out to go play some Golden Tee and to watch football at Buffalo Wild Wings and I wrapped presents and hung out at the house. I left after a few hours to meet up with them and a few more people (Jim, Norman and a new friend) to watch the Cowboys game. Archie had his first beer since Labor Day tonight, plus a few more. The Cowboys are leading with 3 minutes left hopefully they will win!
Hot Date, Day 96
I dropped the boys off and then headed home. Archie's truck was ready so we picked it up and dropped off my car before we ran some errands. I was going to try to run into the mall for one thing but it was out of control! People were parking across the street in the grass so that idea went out of the window. Then we headed to downtown Frisco for a Christmas display and my friend Jennifer was in a Flash Mob (a whole bunch of people randomly start dancing in a public location) tonight! I had seen some of these on tv before but had not seen one in person. I thought it was so fun! Jennifer had this on her bucket list to do and now she can mark it off. I am sad because I thought I videotaped it but it did not work. Archie is a typical boy and did not really understand it. We went to dinner at Mannys with Jennifer, Derek, Miles, Parker, Jennifer's parents and Derek's parents. It was good times.
It's Friday, Friday, Day 95
This morning we got up and moving a little earlier than usual and there was not any issues with traffic so we were able to stop for breakfast. We stopped in Colleyville at the Snooty Pig for some yummy food, we haven't been there in a while so we enjoyed some delicious muffins and breakfast. We went to Lake Granbury to a lake house to pick up a piece of equipment and then to Ft. Worth with Archie doing the driving. The guys worked all day until about 4:30 and then we headed home. I spent the day reading and watching movies it was a good day. Archie did a wonderful job driving. We went home and then we on a sushi date. I then headed out to the luxury movie theatre in Allen to enjoy Breaking Dawn. My friend Bethany and I liked the movie. Poor Bethany was patient enough to wait until today to watch the movie, she told me she kept pretending the movie came out this weekend instead of a month ago. She does enjoy the Twilight series! Archie hung out at the house while I was at the movies watching tv, for some reason he did not want to go to the movie with us.
Hi Ho Hi Ho it's Off to Work We Go, Day 94
It was another day if work for both of us today. Tuesday was the day of getting reacquainted with the my job and to dust out the cobwebs. Today was a full busy day for me and I was so glad that I am back in the swing of things. The next two months will be busy for me as we prepare for exam. I sent out a bunch of long emails and I am getting a game plan prepared. One thing I did not miss was my commute which is normally an hour, well last night there was a broken down car and it took me an hour and a half. Argh!
Today Archie went to a couple of houses in Plano to troubleshoot some issues. He also braved the mall, he is a crazy man. I do not go to the mall unless absolutely necessary. He also watched a bunch of Burn Notice episodes. Archie did finish taking his anti-seizure medication today! He is done with medication oficially! Tomorrow we are going to back to Ft. Worth to work, Archie is driving us. Tomorrow night I am going to Breaking Dawn, I know you are jealous!
Today Archie went to a couple of houses in Plano to troubleshoot some issues. He also braved the mall, he is a crazy man. I do not go to the mall unless absolutely necessary. He also watched a bunch of Burn Notice episodes. Archie did finish taking his anti-seizure medication today! He is done with medication oficially! Tomorrow we are going to back to Ft. Worth to work, Archie is driving us. Tomorrow night I am going to Breaking Dawn, I know you are jealous!
Feeling a Little Under the Weather, Day 93
I have been feeling a little under the weather, it started on Monday and had not gotten better. I have some crazy drainage going down my throat which is causing a cough to break it up. I can breathe through my nose. So after urging from Archie (him telling me if it was him I would force him to go to the doctor) I scheduled a last minute appointment today. I was hoping to schedule it on Friday but the doctors were both booked. Archie and I headed to Ft. Worth this morning with Archie driving to work on a client's house. I called for an appointment and they had a 1:30 pm appointment so we left at noon to make it back in time. The doctor said I have an ear infection and my nose was not looking good. The doctor was a little surprised when we got there because normally it is Archie there to see her, not me. I am just glad it is happening now and that I made it during the hospital stint and during Archie's recovery before I started feeling bad. I got an antibiotic and a nasal spray to try to get it cleared up. Archie cooked dinner tonight for me. Tomorrow I am headed back to work and Archie is going to Plano to work so he will not be driving too far.
Working 9 to 5, Day 92
Okay, so I worked 8 to 5 but it was close enough right? The first thing I did this morning was call the IT help desk because I could not remember my password to get on my computer. I cleaned out my 300+ emails and just tried to catch up on all the things I had missed in the past 3 months. One thing I did not miss was the commute but I was glad to be back at work. I am thankful that my work held my job and have been so willing to work with my situation and needs through Archie's recovery.
Archie left this morning around 7:30 am to drive to Lewisville. He met Matt and then they drove over to Ft. Worth for a full day of work. Archie said he placed orders and answered phone calls for the most part. His client had a welcome back lunch with cake and balloons for him which I thought was so kind. Archie got home safely. Tomorrow I am off and going with Archie to work then Thursday I go back to work. I already have a to do list of things to work on when I return to work which is nice.
Archie is going to Lake Tahoe next Friday through Wednesday. It will be his first plane flight and trip away from me since the brain aneurysm. I am a little nervous about him being so far away but at least I know he will be with Matt and Chris and if anything goes wrong they will take care of him. We have a disc with CT scans from Sept. 5th and Nov. 5th (the beginning and the end) just in case. Please pray for Archie next week during his travel. I know God will give me peace about the trip and that Archie will be brought home safely. Thank you for all of your love and support.
Archie left this morning around 7:30 am to drive to Lewisville. He met Matt and then they drove over to Ft. Worth for a full day of work. Archie said he placed orders and answered phone calls for the most part. His client had a welcome back lunch with cake and balloons for him which I thought was so kind. Archie got home safely. Tomorrow I am off and going with Archie to work then Thursday I go back to work. I already have a to do list of things to work on when I return to work which is nice.
Archie is going to Lake Tahoe next Friday through Wednesday. It will be his first plane flight and trip away from me since the brain aneurysm. I am a little nervous about him being so far away but at least I know he will be with Matt and Chris and if anything goes wrong they will take care of him. We have a disc with CT scans from Sept. 5th and Nov. 5th (the beginning and the end) just in case. Please pray for Archie next week during his travel. I know God will give me peace about the trip and that Archie will be brought home safely. Thank you for all of your love and support.
Rehab they said No, No, No - Day 91
This morning at 11 am we met with doctor to get the results of the neuro psych evaluation. The doctor said that Archie's recovery was exceptional. He said that Archie does well with open-ended questions and organization. The doctor also said that Archie showed frustration when there were no instructions and unstructured. The left side of Archie's brain was affected by aneurysm because that is where the bleed was and the left side of the brain controls the right side of his body. During the evaluation they observed his right and left hand motion they noticed that the right hand was slower and the not as coordinated as the left hand was. The doctor said that Archie should go back to work gradually, when I asked what that meant he said an example would be 2 weeks of 4 hour days, 2 weeks of 6 hour days and then go full time. Obviously that cannot work for everyone so he said he will have to figure out what works for him - for example tomorrow Archie will work a full day because I am going back to work and he is carpooling with Matt out to Ft. Worth so Wednesday might be a shorter day. Once Archie goes back to work he can see if there are any issues with the right hand, clumsiness or if anything is bothering the doctor can set him up with a short stint of occupational therapy. If Archie is having some memory or cognitive issues the doctor can set him up with a few sessions of cognitive rehab to help him with some strategies to help his memory. Recovery from brain injuries is usually 6- 18 months according to the doctor. Archie's life will probably not ever go back to the way it was, just like my life probably will not either. He said we will have a "new normal" life, he expects Archie to be recovered in 3 - 6 months from today. Archie will accomodate for his deficiencies and figure out work arounds for his weaknesses. Overall it was a positive meeting and there is not any therapies. I told Archie afterwards "they tried to make you go to rehab and they said no, no, no."
We stopped to check out a job on the way home and then headed home. This afternoon we went to the grocery store for some food options for dinner. We had dinner provided by my mom's friend, Maureen and it was great.
Tomorrow I go back to work which I am pretty excited about because that means we are headed back to "normal". The only thing I am not excited about is email because I have not checked it in 3 months. That will be fun! Archie is going to drive to Lewisville and then carpool over to Ft. Worth with Matt. Have a good Tuesday!
We stopped to check out a job on the way home and then headed home. This afternoon we went to the grocery store for some food options for dinner. We had dinner provided by my mom's friend, Maureen and it was great.
Tomorrow I go back to work which I am pretty excited about because that means we are headed back to "normal". The only thing I am not excited about is email because I have not checked it in 3 months. That will be fun! Archie is going to drive to Lewisville and then carpool over to Ft. Worth with Matt. Have a good Tuesday!
Church & Party, Day 90
Sorry that I never provided a picture of his head after the stitches were removed. Below is a picture of Archie's head where the stitches were, plus you can see a little bit of his haircut and that all of his hair is all the same length:
This morning we went to church at 8 am. Archie had not been to church in 3 months. He did well overall but the speaker was right above his head. He made it until after communion and then he left to wait outside the sanctuary. I think next week we are going to try sitting in another location in the sanctuary to see if that helps a little bit. We went to breakfast with my mom afterwards. Then we headed home for the afternoon.
This evening we went over to my sister's house to celebrate my nephew, Colter's first birthday party. His birthday was two weeks ago. It was a party for the family. Below is a picture of the birthday boy in his cute 1 outfit and his crown.
Colter has been cutting teeth so he was pretty fussy. We had some yummy dinner and then Colter ate his smash cake. It was not an ordinary smash it was a round cake pan size, Mimi wanted to make sure he had plenty of cake. He loved the icing!
After cake they were going to open the presents but we left, Archie had a headache. Archie is doing better about noises but Colter was not happy and crying quite a bit. Plus there were sixteen people in the house so there were a bunch of people talking. Archie did say he had a good time until about twenty minutes before we left. It was a good birthday party!
Tomorrow we are going to find out the results of the neuro psych evaluation at 11 am. Say a little prayer that the results are good.
This morning we went to church at 8 am. Archie had not been to church in 3 months. He did well overall but the speaker was right above his head. He made it until after communion and then he left to wait outside the sanctuary. I think next week we are going to try sitting in another location in the sanctuary to see if that helps a little bit. We went to breakfast with my mom afterwards. Then we headed home for the afternoon.
This evening we went over to my sister's house to celebrate my nephew, Colter's first birthday party. His birthday was two weeks ago. It was a party for the family. Below is a picture of the birthday boy in his cute 1 outfit and his crown.
Colter has been cutting teeth so he was pretty fussy. We had some yummy dinner and then Colter ate his smash cake. It was not an ordinary smash it was a round cake pan size, Mimi wanted to make sure he had plenty of cake. He loved the icing!
After cake they were going to open the presents but we left, Archie had a headache. Archie is doing better about noises but Colter was not happy and crying quite a bit. Plus there were sixteen people in the house so there were a bunch of people talking. Archie did say he had a good time until about twenty minutes before we left. It was a good birthday party!
Tomorrow we are going to find out the results of the neuro psych evaluation at 11 am. Say a little prayer that the results are good.
Rain, Day 89
This morning I had an Advent Brunch at church with my mom and sisters. I went with Archie to keep him company at Le Peep while he had breakfast and then headed to Coppell for brunch. Brunch was delightful, there was a speaker, raffle items and time spent with family and friends. Afterwards, my mom and sister Jessica went for pedicures at mom's favorite nail place. It was a nice treat, I can't remember the last time we went to get pedicures together. I headed home after that to see what Archie was up to. He was watching some football. The rain was perfect napping weather so I slept for a little while. We hung out at the house due to the weather. We did go to Corner Bakery for dinner, Archie drove us in the rain there and back. Tomorrow Archie is going to go to church for the first time in 3 months plus he will be driving to church so he will drive on the highway for the first time as well.
Missing Husband & Truck, Day 88
This morning we headed to Grand Prairie for Archie and Matt to check out a job. I stayed in the car while they checked out the building. Archie bailed out a little early because the noise inside was giving him a headache. Afterwards we went for another job to see if Archie could help out, he was able to do a few things. We stopped for lunch and then headed to the house. I dropped Archie off at the house and told him that if he needed to go anywhere to give me a call. I headed out to try to take care of some Christmas shopping and to get our Magi/Angel tree gift for church. I went to five stores and got a bunch of presents taken care of. I got home a couple of hours later to an empty house, missing husband and truck. I called him and he told me he went to meet Matt in McKinney for a job. He drove himself on side roads to McKinney. I wrapped all the presents I had. When Archie got home he told me that the job took longer than he thought, he was hoping to get home before I got home. I felt like a mom with a teenager who was not truthful with me. Not that I didn't trust Archie, rather I would have preferred to have ridden in the truck with him. He got to McKinney and home safely and we agreed that I would ride in the truck with him for at least the next week. I also asked him to not mess with his phone while he is driving to avoid distractions at least for a week or two. So if you call Archie and he does not answer he might be driving.
Overall, this first week of work for Archie was good. He worked a few hours everyday except the day he had his neuro psych evaluation. Next week he will work longer days and I go back to work as well.
Overall, this first week of work for Archie was good. He worked a few hours everyday except the day he had his neuro psych evaluation. Next week he will work longer days and I go back to work as well.
Tour of DFW, Day 87
This morning we headed to Ft. Worth around 7:30 am and arrived there a little after 9 am. There was an accident on 121 in Lewisville and then dealt with construction traffic. We stopped at one house and Archie figured out what is needed so he is going to go back on Tuesday with the part. Then we headed to another house to fix a couple of issues which were resolved. We then stopped at our friend, Tito's house to look at his house to see what equipment would be needed but they will have to return with Matt to look up in the attic. We headed back to Dallas to pick up the needed part for the Tuesday job. We stopped for lunch and then home. I took a nap this afternoon and Archie watched tv. I made pork chops, corn and broccoli for dinner. Archie liked the pork chops but not the broccoli and had issues with the corn so overall dinner was a failure. Tomorrow we are looking at a new job and then a house in Colleyville. We had a nice tour of the DFW area. I hope everyone had a good day!
Testing,1,2,3, Testing, Day 86
Today was Archie's neuro psych evaluation and we needed to be at Baylor in Dallas at 8:30 am if insurance information got verified. So we left the house at 7:15 to give us plenty of time because you never know how traffic is. On the way I called and insurance still hadn't been verified so we grabbed some breakfast and went to the office to start paperwork in hopes that insurance would approved and we would be taken to the evaluation. Thankfully we did not have to wait too long and I dropped him off and then headed to Carrolton to pick up Babes Chicken. I needed to get the food to the hospital by 11 am so I had a pickup time of 10:15 am. I dropped off the food right on time and then headed to go wait for Archie to have a lunch break. We went to lunch, I dropped him off and then headed to go visit my friend Kathy and her husband at a skilled nursing home. Kathy's husband had a brain aneurysm and arrived in ICU a few days after Archie did. I went over and sat with them for about an hour and a half until Archie called me to let me he was done. We then went up to ICU for a short visit to see all nurses. We had one of the nurses remove a stitch that was still in his head that was overlooked when they were being removed, Archie did not trust me to remove it. We stayed for about 30 minutes to visit with the nurses and I got to see one of my ICU friend whose husband returned to ICU recently.
Archie's testing that he completed today comprised of: a 570 true/false questionnaire, a matching game, repeating stories, drawing symbols, and much more. He was pretty beat down afterwards. I told him that it is good to have the evaluation done otherwise we would have to wait 3 weeks to get in plus it is the last thing that we needed to do. We have to go back on Monday to find out the results of the evaluation.
I received a phone call from HR and I get to return back to work next week on Tuesday and Thursday. Then the next week I am going to work Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Apparently my FMLA expired today. Who knew? It seems that my FMLA started on Labor Day so I will be using vacation and sick time starting tomorrow, Friday, and then all the other days I am off. So I am going back to work soon. Tomorrow we are going to Fort Worth for a couple of jobs.
Archie's testing that he completed today comprised of: a 570 true/false questionnaire, a matching game, repeating stories, drawing symbols, and much more. He was pretty beat down afterwards. I told him that it is good to have the evaluation done otherwise we would have to wait 3 weeks to get in plus it is the last thing that we needed to do. We have to go back on Monday to find out the results of the evaluation.
I received a phone call from HR and I get to return back to work next week on Tuesday and Thursday. Then the next week I am going to work Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Apparently my FMLA expired today. Who knew? It seems that my FMLA started on Labor Day so I will be using vacation and sick time starting tomorrow, Friday, and then all the other days I am off. So I am going back to work soon. Tomorrow we are going to Fort Worth for a couple of jobs.
Driving Mrs. Crazy (that is me), Day 85
Archie has been coughing and sneezing since yesterday and we think he might be beginning to have a cold. We both started Airborne to start working on our immune systems. This morning we went to Colleyville for a job and it was done in about an hour, he fixed some minor issues at a house. We headed home after that but we stopped at the mall so that Archie could drive around the parking lot since it was pretty empty. After a minute, Archie asked me what he is suppose to do, just drive around and I said yes. So he drove around a minute or two longer and then drove us home. So for now Archie is going to be driving of side roads for a little while before he goes on the highways and stuff. When we got home I called the insurance company to see the status of my claim that I put in on Oct. 10th (my car was hit in the parking garage at the hospital) and was told the adjustor is trying to verify information between the lady that hit me and her boyfriend whose car and insurance are being affected- there are some discrepancies in the stories. We went for lunch and then Archie said he needed to rest a bit which I think is because he went up and down the stairs twice at the house. He rested while I went grocery shopping since we do not have much in regards to food in the house. After I dropped off the groceries Archie drove us up to Home Depot to get some parts for the lawnmower because Archie wants to try to fix the mower now, so we got a new spark plug and a new filter. I have been trying to schedule the neuro psych evaluation but did not have accurate information but received a phone call back today that there is an appointment on December 19th. I then received a phone call later that said they had a cancellation for tomorrow. So I had to call and request a referral from the neurologist, insurance and records be sent this afternoon. The insurance information still had not been received at 5 pm so it might be delayed a bit tomorrow. The neuro psych evaluation will be all day so it will be a long day for Archie. We are suppose to get there at 8:30 am to fill out forms and then the evaluation is suppose to start at 9 am. We are suppose to bring lunch for the ICU nurses tomorrow so I think I am going to drop him off in Dallas, run and get food and then return to Dallas. So it will be a busy day tomorrow.
3 Months, Twelve Weeks or 84 Days
The title is how long our journey has been, you can pick whichever one you would like to use. I am so proud of Archie and how much he has been through the past 3 months. I am so thankful he is here with me. I did not ever imagine that anything like this would happen to us. Cherish each moment you have with your loved ones and let them know that you love them.
This morning we got up and went to breakfast and then went to a clients' house to do a little work. Archie got both tasks completed within 45 minutes so it was a short workday for us. This afternoon I tried to mow the lawn again without success. The score for today was Lawnmower-1 Stewarts-0. Archie and I both tried a bunch of times without luck. Archie even took it apart to see if there was anything he could see. I suggested taking it to a small engine repair shop but I think we are just going to get another one tomorrow. I am trying to mow the yard before I put out the Christmas yard decorations. Tomorrow we are meeting Matt and Chris for work and Archie is going to work half a day. He also said that he would like to try driving in an empty parking lot tomorrow as well. I told him the mall parking lot early in the morning would probably be the best option since school is back in session.
This morning we got up and went to breakfast and then went to a clients' house to do a little work. Archie got both tasks completed within 45 minutes so it was a short workday for us. This afternoon I tried to mow the lawn again without success. The score for today was Lawnmower-1 Stewarts-0. Archie and I both tried a bunch of times without luck. Archie even took it apart to see if there was anything he could see. I suggested taking it to a small engine repair shop but I think we are just going to get another one tomorrow. I am trying to mow the yard before I put out the Christmas yard decorations. Tomorrow we are meeting Matt and Chris for work and Archie is going to work half a day. He also said that he would like to try driving in an empty parking lot tomorrow as well. I told him the mall parking lot early in the morning would probably be the best option since school is back in session.
Boring Day, Day 83
I went to our church for the first time in almost 3 months. I had gone to church at the hospital and the other times my mom was bringing us communion at home but I had not gone to our church in a while. Archie was not feeling up to it yet and I figured since I left him at home alone for two hours while my car was dead that he could stay at home while I went to church. Hopefully next week he will go with me. I went to church and breakfast with my family at the Local Diner. I went home and Archie was just watching tv and had enjoyed some sausage balls that his mom made for Thanksgiving for breakfast. We went to Autozone to test my battery and got it replaced. That afternoon we headed over to my parents' house for dinner, this was our Thanksgiving meal together. A pretty boring day overall. Monday Archie is going back to work.
Haircut, Day 82
This morning Archie finally got a haircut after 3 months. I joked that he had a comb over because the right side of his head got shaved while the rest of it was long and I could comb it over the right side. Note: do not mention anything about the comb over because he was not thrilled to even have that discussed. Lynsey, the stylist used her scissors and cut the rest of his hair to match the right side of his head. The neurosurgeon on Monday said that clippers would not be the best because his head was so sensitive, he is a smart man. I was just thinking the clippers would be quick and easy but did not realize that they would cause him to be uncomfortable. Of course when the bill came it was quite a bit more than the Sports Clips bill but he was pleased with the job she did so it was worth it. Thankfully, Lynsey had some experience with clients with head scars and Archie was happy. Now that his hair is shorter you can notice his scars more but the hair will grow and hopefully fill in. We went to Twisted Root for lunch which was another first because I had brought Twisted Root to the hospital but Archie had not ever been to a restaurant. One of Archie's clients called during lunch and we had to go do a service call because the client's remote controls for the tvs were not working. The service call took a while because we had to go get a part and then when we were done they started showing other issues that they had. When we got home we lit a fire for the first time because it is chilly outside. This evening Jim and Lisa brought over a lasagna dinner for us which was delicious! The rest of the night and we hung out at the house.
I forgot to Blog, Day 81
I went to bed last night and forgot to blog, sorry. Yesterday we slept in and then ate breakfast. I went to the store for a quick trip but when I came out my car was dead. Unfortunately my parents were in Arizona, my sisters were in Dallas, my neighbors did not answer, another Frisco friend was out of town, and Archie still has not driven in 9 weeks. So I called my friend Bethany to find out if her brother who lives in the area was working or not which he was so Bethany's husband, Brent drove from Rowlett to Frisco to jump my car. He was my hero! So my quick trip to the store took 2 hours. After that we went to my brother-in-law's work, Elite Appliance for a Big Green Egg smoker show. They were smoking all kinds of food and we got a tour of the showroom as well. We headed home after tasting all different kinds food and hungout. We went for a long walk, I think the longest one we have done. We ate some chili that his mom made for us for dinner and relaxed.
Thankful, Day 80
Thankful that Archie is with us. Today myself and our families are grateful that Archie is with us this Thanksgiving. You know you do not appreciate what you have until something happens. I cannot imagine what my life would be like without Archie right beside me. I am also thankful for all of our friends and family that were there to support us during the past three months. Thank you so much for all the kind words, hugs and all the help you provided.
Thanksgiving had a new meaning this year. Archie's family came to Frisco this year, they were kind enough to drive into town from Wichita Falls. I did not feel comfortable having Archie 3 hours away from the hospital. Archie is doing well but that 1 hour trip from our house to Dallas when he had the infections was long and horrible and I could not imagine a 3 hour drive. His mom, stepfather and niece came yesterday. His brother and sister-in-law drove his grandmother in this morning. Archie's step dad's daughter and granddaughter joined us as well. Archie and his brother fried the turkey. His mom did all of the rest with no assistance, we offered plenty and were denied every time. We did a "simple Thanksgiving" but had all of the favorites. We ate lunch at 1 pm and then everyone left by 3 pm. Afterwards we watched the Cowboys win. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
Thanksgiving had a new meaning this year. Archie's family came to Frisco this year, they were kind enough to drive into town from Wichita Falls. I did not feel comfortable having Archie 3 hours away from the hospital. Archie is doing well but that 1 hour trip from our house to Dallas when he had the infections was long and horrible and I could not imagine a 3 hour drive. His mom, stepfather and niece came yesterday. His brother and sister-in-law drove his grandmother in this morning. Archie's step dad's daughter and granddaughter joined us as well. Archie and his brother fried the turkey. His mom did all of the rest with no assistance, we offered plenty and were denied every time. We did a "simple Thanksgiving" but had all of the favorites. We ate lunch at 1 pm and then everyone left by 3 pm. Afterwards we watched the Cowboys win. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
Working, Day 79
We got up this morning and headed to work. Archie and the guys had a client with a messed up light switch. When we got there the homeowner asked me if I was in training, I said no actually the chauffeur. It is so interesting watching Archie and the guys working with the homeowner watching over their shoulders. After that we went to the bank, Crate & Barrel, the grocery store and back to the house. Archie's mom, stepfather and niece arrived around 12 pm. We ate some leftover meatloaf, potatoes, and mac &cheese for lunch. His mom baked some pies, boiled sweet potatoes and made stock. We went to visit our new Costco in Frisco and to Walmart for a few forgotten items. I played games with our niece. Archie rested for a little while and beat us in the game Memory. We went for a walk around the block. We went for dinner at Carrabas and then relaxed after dinner. Our niece read me Green Eggs and Ham right before bed. Tomorrow being Thanksgiving has a whole new meaning.
Another One Bites the Dust, Day 78
This morning we slept in. I got up and started cleaning the house. We left to pick up lunch and then we went to have lunch at an elementary school with my sister, the teacher, Emily. Archie had not ever been there before and this was my first trip this year. We had a short, quick lunch but it was perfect because we had to head to Archie's appointment with the infectious disease doctor at 1:40 pm. We got there early so I headed to the ICU to drop off a basket of snacks for people in the waiting room and to touch base with the charge nurse. Archie wants to bring lunch to the nurses so I set it up that we bring lunch next Wednesday. I saw a couple of Archie's favorite nurses and chatted with them. I also went to visit an ICU friend who's husband returned to ICU yesterday because he went into cardiac arrest. I wanted to give our friend a hug and to let her know that we are praying and thinking of them.
By the time I finally figured out where the infectious disease doctor's office was Archie was walking out. The doctor just asked how he was doing and said he was cleared. So another doctor bites the dust, another break-up which I do not mind at all. Afterwards we started home when 75 was at a standstill so we were cutting over to Preston Road when we basically passed by my work so we stopped to say hello to my co-workers. It was good to see everyone and I got to give Archie a tour of the office, he has always just picked me up outside the building but has not ever come up. We headed home and then I continued to clean up the house. I cooked dinner which consisted of meatloaf, onion potatoes and macaroni & cheese. It was a nice comfort food meal. Tomorrow Archie is going to go to work for a little of while and I am going to chauffeur him around. Another good day!
By the time I finally figured out where the infectious disease doctor's office was Archie was walking out. The doctor just asked how he was doing and said he was cleared. So another doctor bites the dust, another break-up which I do not mind at all. Afterwards we started home when 75 was at a standstill so we were cutting over to Preston Road when we basically passed by my work so we stopped to say hello to my co-workers. It was good to see everyone and I got to give Archie a tour of the office, he has always just picked me up outside the building but has not ever come up. We headed home and then I continued to clean up the house. I cooked dinner which consisted of meatloaf, onion potatoes and macaroni & cheese. It was a nice comfort food meal. Tomorrow Archie is going to go to work for a little of while and I am going to chauffeur him around. Another good day!
Broken Up, Eleven Weeks
This morning we got up and went to breakfast at Cafe Brazil because we had a 10 am appointment at Baylor Dallas. The appointment was with Archie's neurosurgeon to remove the stitches and the staples in his head, below is a picture just in case you have not seen it recently. The area that he removed the suture from starts at his forehead and goes above his ear and the staples were behind his ear. Archie has a bunch of surgery scars but they look much better now that everything has been removed.
He had 5 staples and one long suture. We sat down and chatted with the neurosurgeon afterwards. At the end of the conversation the neurosurgeon said I do not expect to see you again. Archie said "we are breaking up." So we are done with the neurosurgeon, the only way that we would see him again would be if there was an issue with the shunt but he said that was very unlikely.
We went to lunch and then my mom took me to pick up my car because recently my car developed a rattle so we got that resolved. Then we headed to Baylor Rehab for an outpatient occupational therapy evaluation. After talking for about 30 minutes the therapist said that she does not think that Archie needs that. She did suggest a neuro psych evalation which is what we had discussed with our primary care doctor so I think that will be our next step. We headed home and then I called the neurologist from last week that we met with in regards to the seizure, to follow up with the EEG results and see who they refer to in regards to a neuro psych evaluation. They took a message and then later called Archie back and told us the EEG results were fine. The nurse also told him a name in regards to the evaluation which incidentally was the same name that Baylor Frisco gave us which is reassuring. Then told Archie directions in regards to tapering off the Kepra which is the anti-seizure medication so I think we are done with the neurologist as well. We are getting rid of doctors left and right.
Tomorrow we have a follow-up appointment with the infectious disease doctor. When I tried to call about an appointment for the neuro psych evaulation and was told the next available appointment is February but they are going to try to work him in. One other thing that needs to be scheduled is a haircut, we are going to ask at the cancer center if they have any recommendations in regards to a hairstylist with some experience with head injuries. A few more appointments but we are making headway.
Preparing, Day 76
This morning Archie wanted to go to one of his favorite restaurant for breakfast, Whataburger. We also stopped at Tom Thumb for the cajun seasoning for the turkey so we did a little walking. We went home and hungout. We went for a walk together around lunchtime and we went a new direction on uncharted territory. I was pretty productive this afternoon if I must say so myself- got down the Christmas decorations, set the table for thanksgiving, did some laundry, and we finally hung the whiteboard. Tonight we went to my parents' house because it was my nephew, Colter's birthday so we had dinner. I know you were thinking wasn't it your mom's, nephew Brody's, and your brother-in-law's birthdays just recently. It is a birthday month that is for sure. We got home and then I worked on cleaning up Archie's stitches on his head with a combination of peroxide and water so that when they are removed tomorrow there isn't anything that makes it uncomfortable. There was some dried blood and scabs attached that I was able to help clean that up quite a bit so hopefully it will be a little better off than what it was before. Tomorrow Archie gets the stitches and staples out at 10 am and then an occupational therapy evaluation at 2 pm. The primary care doctor on Friday told Archie that she thinks occupational therapy would be beneficial for him and that they will most likely tell him that he will need some therapy. So we will see what happens tomorrow. Thank you for your continual support and prayers!
Alcohol Abuse, Day 75
Archie did not take a benadryl last night and was able to sleep all night long, he has been taking a benadryl every night since he returned to the hospital the second time. Archie wanted to go to Le Peep for breakfast this morning and then we went to the AT&T store to activate my new phone (I counted this as our early walk). We then went home and watched television. I worked on the fridges to prepare them for Thanksgiving - I reorganized the items inside, cleaned out food and threw out a LOT of beer that had expired. I know it is alcohol abuse! That is one thing that has not been touched since we went to the hospital so we had a bunch of yucky beer, I included a picture below.
We ate some lunch and then we for a walk. Then Archie decided that he wanted out of the house so we went to the Lewisville mall and did a lap upstairs and downstairs. We then killed time until dinner tonight. We met Kristal, Shawn, Traci, Kevin and Reagan at Saltgrass for dinner. Dinner was great and being with our friends was wonderful. It was loud for Archie with kids at another table yelling. We ate dinner and then headed home right afterwards, Archie was tired and ready to get out of the noisy restaurant. We had a good time it is just hard to go out in public because we cannot control the environment but you know I am very impressed with Archie being willing to try it and see how he felt.
We ate some lunch and then we for a walk. Then Archie decided that he wanted out of the house so we went to the Lewisville mall and did a lap upstairs and downstairs. We then killed time until dinner tonight. We met Kristal, Shawn, Traci, Kevin and Reagan at Saltgrass for dinner. Dinner was great and being with our friends was wonderful. It was loud for Archie with kids at another table yelling. We ate dinner and then headed home right afterwards, Archie was tired and ready to get out of the noisy restaurant. We had a good time it is just hard to go out in public because we cannot control the environment but you know I am very impressed with Archie being willing to try it and see how he felt.
TGIF, Day 74
We slept in this morning until about 7:45 am, don't be jealous! I received a phone call that the occupational therapy evaluation was being cancelled due to the prescription written a month ago when Archie was release had expired. So our morning freed up quite a bit, no appointment this morning. A little annoying so we went on a 2 block walk this morning instead of dealing with therapy. Then my mom came to take me to drop off my car to fix a rattle and get a software update. We went to Smashburger for lunch before we headed to the primary care doctor visit. We set this up so we could catch the doctor up because the last time we saw the doctor was the day before we went back to the hospital due to infection. So we chatted for a while about what had happened and we went over our list of questions. The doctor agreed with other information that we got from the neurologist which is reassuring. Afterwards, we went to Kroger to get our "free" turkey for thanksgiving and pick up a few things. Archie got to watch a little bit of the NCIS marathon this afternoon. I rescheduled the occupational therapy appointment for Monday afternoon which is good. One of my best friends, Mel McGuire came into town from Houston and we were able to order sushi for dinner, pick it up and talk for a couple of hours. I am grateful for her mom who watched Olivia so I got Mel's undivided attention - thank you Michelle! I have not been good talking to my friends during this stressful time and I am so thankful for their patience and understanding during this time in my life.
Seizure?, Day 73
Our schedule for the day went out of the window first thing this morning. It was too chilly for the 9 am walk, a nice 34 degrees so we decided that the doctor's visit would be the early walk. I got up early this morning and read while Archie snoozed for a little while. I ate breakfast early because I was up early but when we discussed breakfast for Archie he never told me what he wanted so we left for the hospital a little after 9 am and I forgot about breakfast for Archie. World's best wife right here. So on the way to the hospital we stopped to get him a BOB at whataburger and we got some gas for the truck because we were low. We went to the appointment and the neurologist asked about the story and why we were there. She told us there really was not a test that she can do that will tell us whether or not Archie had a seizure. She did some reflex tests, walking, balance, and went through his vitals. She also looked at the CT scans from around the time that he lost control of the left side of side of his body and she said it looked good. The neurologist told us that she agrees with Dr. Finn that most likely is was a severe vasospam that caused the issue not a seizure. She did ask if Archie ever had a EEG done and I told her no. So she wanted us to get one done today, she scheduled one at 1:00 pm but we had to get there 30 minutes early. So we went to get some lunch and then went and got the EEG done. That is a very interesting process, they attached 22 sensors to his head and monitor brain activity for 30 minutes. Archie was suppose to lay quietly with his eyes closed for that time, they did introduce strobe lights for about 2 minutes. So we left at 9:30 am and returned home at like 3:30 pm so our schedule was gone. We did have to walk all over the hospital and we did walk about a block to a BBQ joint for lunch so I don't feel really bad about the walking schedule. Tonight Shawn came over to hangout with Archie while I went to book club, I have not been the past 2 months and couldn't miss another one. It was nice to see the ladies, have a glass of wine and get a break from the house. My book club ladies are amazing and I am so glad they are part of my life! Thanks Shawn for "babysitting" (what Archie calls it when someone comes over to hangout while I am gone) Archie tonight.
So the moral of the story is we are going to wait for the results of the EEG but the doctor was pretty positive that he did not have a seizure. She said that Archie should probably not drive for a little while longer, when he did that he should stick to side roads for a little while until he feels comfortable. I am okay with chauffeuring him around for a little while longer. Tomorrow, we have the occupational therapy evaluation and primary care doctor appointment to catch her up with everything that has happened since he went back in the hospital. Thank you for all the thoughts and prayers!
So the moral of the story is we are going to wait for the results of the EEG but the doctor was pretty positive that he did not have a seizure. She said that Archie should probably not drive for a little while longer, when he did that he should stick to side roads for a little while until he feels comfortable. I am okay with chauffeuring him around for a little while longer. Tomorrow, we have the occupational therapy evaluation and primary care doctor appointment to catch her up with everything that has happened since he went back in the hospital. Thank you for all the thoughts and prayers!
Walking it out, Day 72
This morning Archie ate bacon for breakfast. We went on a one block walk at 10 am. Then Archie wanted to get out of the house so we went for lunch at the Taco Stand and it was a good experience, not too loud. We then stopped at Lowes for another garage opener since we currently have 3 vehicles (my car, Archie's truck and Archie's work van) and 2 garage door openers. I counted that as his 12 pm walk because we had to walk around to find the garage door openers. We headed home and Archie enjoyed watching Tosh.O and NCIS. We went on another walk at 2 pm, our longest ever around the neighborhood - we went 2 blocks. I know it is silly for me to be excited about it but that was a long walk and Archie went willingly. We watched more daytime television to kill some time. Then we headed out to stop at Blockbuster and pick up a couple of movies and then we stopped at CostCo to walk around. We went to my parents' house for family dinner to celebrate birthday dinner because there have been a bunch of birthdays - my nephew Logan in September, my mom on November 5th, my brother-in-law on November 11th and my nephew Brody's birthday was today that we have not celebrated yet. For some reason we have been a little busy and not able to go shopping. So we ate dinner with my Aunt Peggy, Aunt Betty, Uncle Tom, Uncle Ken and then my immediate family and then let the boys open their presents. We bailed right after that because Archie was tired, all the activity hit him at once. It was a pretty calm day today. Tomorrow Archie has his seizure doctor appointment.
Below is a picture of what I have been working since Archie has been in the hospital, Christmas stockings for my mom's house. It is pretty theraputic for me. I completed one stocking and put a name on it for my nephew that was born a year ago. Below is the stocking that I almost completed but we do not have a name to put on it yet and I have started stocking #3 last week.
Below is a picture of what I have been working since Archie has been in the hospital, Christmas stockings for my mom's house. It is pretty theraputic for me. I completed one stocking and put a name on it for my nephew that was born a year ago. Below is the stocking that I almost completed but we do not have a name to put on it yet and I have started stocking #3 last week.
Another Active Day, Day 71
This morning Archie decided that he wanted to go to Le Peep for breakfast. So we went to breakfast and it was not too loud for him. I think that we will stick with breakfast or lunch during the week rather than dinner or going out for breakfast on the weekend. Afterwards when I asked where we were going Archie said to Walmart to get the white board, calendar and the clock. Our trip to Walmart counted as our 10 am walk. We went home for a little while and then we headed out, to visit one of Archie's vendors where his friend Jimmy works for an open house. Archie got lunch and to catch up with his friend plus that counted for his 12 pm walk. Afterwards, we headed home for the afternoon. We went on our 3 pm walk which was off of our street to the next street over, an actual block. Our 5 pm walk was a short one (3 houses around the corner and down the alley) but I cannot complain since he did his longest walk from our house before that. Tonight our friend Jennifer brought pizza for dinner and we chatted. After about an hour Archie was tired and headed to the bedroom while we talked. Thank you Jennifer for dinner!
It is amazing what a difference it has been since we got home this time versus the first time he was released from the hospital. Whenever I suggest a walk Archie does not fight be about it, he goes and gets his shoes and we go for a walk. I think the schedule was a great idea and it working well so that the day has some structure. He is definitely getting stronger everyday. His attitude overall is positive and he is overall feeling better. I scheduled an occupational therapy evaluation for Friday even though Archie says he does not think he needs it, I am praying that he does not but would just like to hear them tell me that. I also scheduled his follow up infectious disease appointment for Tuesday so we will hopefully have all of our first set of appointments done by Thanksgiving. Archie just went to bed but I told him tomorrow we are handling up on the calendar and the white board.
Please start praying about Archie's appointment with the seizure doctor on Thursday, we pray that he did not have a seizure. Just a reminder if Archie did have a seizure he will not be able to drive for 6 months. IF he did have a seizure we will be okay and work out a plan but would rather not have an additional challenge to face. Thank you everyone for your continuous prayers.
It is amazing what a difference it has been since we got home this time versus the first time he was released from the hospital. Whenever I suggest a walk Archie does not fight be about it, he goes and gets his shoes and we go for a walk. I think the schedule was a great idea and it working well so that the day has some structure. He is definitely getting stronger everyday. His attitude overall is positive and he is overall feeling better. I scheduled an occupational therapy evaluation for Friday even though Archie says he does not think he needs it, I am praying that he does not but would just like to hear them tell me that. I also scheduled his follow up infectious disease appointment for Tuesday so we will hopefully have all of our first set of appointments done by Thanksgiving. Archie just went to bed but I told him tomorrow we are handling up on the calendar and the white board.
Please start praying about Archie's appointment with the seizure doctor on Thursday, we pray that he did not have a seizure. Just a reminder if Archie did have a seizure he will not be able to drive for 6 months. IF he did have a seizure we will be okay and work out a plan but would rather not have an additional challenge to face. Thank you everyone for your continuous prayers.
Ambitious Day & 10 weeks
The only thing on our schedule was meeting with my friend for a speech therapy session. Then Archie added a few activities. We got up around 7 am and Archie decided he wanted a Subway breakfast sandwich so I went to get breakfast. We then went for a walk at 10 am which was a lap on our street. Then Archie wanted to meet his partner in business, Matt and Chris for lunch. I was interested to see how eating at a restaurant would be since Archie is so sensitive to sounds and restaurants can be pretty loud. Archie said it really was not too horrible, just that the table next to us was noisy with loud laughing and talking. Afterwards, we went to visit our friends'/clients' new house for Archie to work on programming challenge. We also got to see their beautiful house! We then had some time to kill so I suggested going to Dick's Sporting Goods to get a couple more pairs of UnderArmor pants and a new jacket. Afterwards, we walked the NorthEast Mall which was another milestone because I was worried about the noise level and the distance. We walked most of the mall and Archie did very well. We tried to get me a new iPhone but they were sold out at Best Buy and the AT&T kiosk at the mall so we will visit the Apple store eventually.
We then hung out and killed time before we headed to Andrea's house for the speech therapy evaluation. We even did a short walk down Andrea's street while we were waiting (3 houses and back). We got to Andrea's and she got her beautiful baby fed and to bed. Then Archie and Andrea sat down for the evaluation. At the end Andrea said that Archie has a mild case and the areas of concern were short term memory, easily distracted and eye concentration. Archie did a good job listening to Andrea. She explained all of her concerns and explained different indicators throughout the evaluation that helped her make her conclusions. After the discussion I think Archie realizes that there are some cognitive challenges and that there will need to be some changes in his thinking processes. For a little while I am going to have to double check some of his activities that are involved with short term tasks. We are going to get a clock, a calendar and a white board at the store tomorrow and Archie will take control of our schedule daily to help with keeping track of time and help with memory challenges. My job will be to assist him with remembering tasks without telling him what is on the schedule, for example if we are suppose to go for a walk at 10 am - I will ask him what time it is to prompt him to think about the schedule versus asking him when we are going on a walk. Andrea will also be sending us different exercises to do throughout the the week for Archie to do, she will either email both of us or text us the tasks. She also gave us a game called Set that she wants us to play everyday for 30 minutes which is a memory game. She said that due to is eye concentration she does not suggest Archie drive immediately even if the seizure doctor says that he did not have a seizure. Also, that he slowly goes back to work for example maybe work on a small programming challenge one day and then the next day work a little longer. Originally, I was thinking that after Thanksgiving we could both start going back to work part time. But that might be a little more than he can handle. I am going to wait for the results of all the doctors' appointments before I make any plans at this point.
Overall it was a BIG day for Archie. We left the house at lunchtime and got home at 7:30 pm so we did a bunch of walking and sitting up. He did an amazing job and I was blown away by how well he did, he kept suggesting activities and I could not believe it- lunch out, going to the job and walking the mall. What an ambitious day Archie had!
We then hung out and killed time before we headed to Andrea's house for the speech therapy evaluation. We even did a short walk down Andrea's street while we were waiting (3 houses and back). We got to Andrea's and she got her beautiful baby fed and to bed. Then Archie and Andrea sat down for the evaluation. At the end Andrea said that Archie has a mild case and the areas of concern were short term memory, easily distracted and eye concentration. Archie did a good job listening to Andrea. She explained all of her concerns and explained different indicators throughout the evaluation that helped her make her conclusions. After the discussion I think Archie realizes that there are some cognitive challenges and that there will need to be some changes in his thinking processes. For a little while I am going to have to double check some of his activities that are involved with short term tasks. We are going to get a clock, a calendar and a white board at the store tomorrow and Archie will take control of our schedule daily to help with keeping track of time and help with memory challenges. My job will be to assist him with remembering tasks without telling him what is on the schedule, for example if we are suppose to go for a walk at 10 am - I will ask him what time it is to prompt him to think about the schedule versus asking him when we are going on a walk. Andrea will also be sending us different exercises to do throughout the the week for Archie to do, she will either email both of us or text us the tasks. She also gave us a game called Set that she wants us to play everyday for 30 minutes which is a memory game. She said that due to is eye concentration she does not suggest Archie drive immediately even if the seizure doctor says that he did not have a seizure. Also, that he slowly goes back to work for example maybe work on a small programming challenge one day and then the next day work a little longer. Originally, I was thinking that after Thanksgiving we could both start going back to work part time. But that might be a little more than he can handle. I am going to wait for the results of all the doctors' appointments before I make any plans at this point.
Overall it was a BIG day for Archie. We left the house at lunchtime and got home at 7:30 pm so we did a bunch of walking and sitting up. He did an amazing job and I was blown away by how well he did, he kept suggesting activities and I could not believe it- lunch out, going to the job and walking the mall. What an ambitious day Archie had!
Social Day, Day 69
This morning Archie woke up at like 6 am and rolled around for a little while until I told him to turn on the tv. He watched tv while I snoozed until 7:30 am. He then hopped in the shower. Archie, his mother, stepdad and I went to brunch at my parents' house this morning because my relatives were still in town. We ate Anamia's leftovers from last night for brunch. We then bailed out afterwards but it was good to see everyone and Archie got to attend brunch with everyone, a make up from yesterday morning when he could not attend. We went home and his mother and stepdad headed home to Iowa Park. We counted brunch as his first two walks because he was moving around quite a bit at brunch. Archie then watched the Cowboy's game while I napped. Around 2:45 pm, Archie's fraternity brother, Trey came to visit. We just found out that he lives in Frisco and not too far away from our house. Trey stayed for an hour talking to Archie. We then went for a walk, we made a lap down our street and around (our longest ever!). Archie watched tv and then I suggested that we go for our last walk. We went to the end of the street (3 houses) around the corner and down the alley back to our house. Then Jessica, Brian and Colton came over and brought us a potroast dinner which was delicious! I got to spend get some baby time with Colton and we got to talk. It was a pretty social day for Archie and he is pretty tired now. Tomorrow night we are meeting with my friend Andrea who is a speech therapist to do a cognitive evaluation (memory) on Archie.
* Just a reminder- if people would like to visit to make sure you are feeling good and that your significant other or children are not sick because Archie's immune system is very weak. I also have a gallon of hand sanitizer that I ask everyone who visits to use for everyone's sake, yours and ours. Thankfully Archie is feeling good so far and there have not been any issues but I am just trying to be extra cautious. Also, please text me or Archie to make sure he is up for a visit. Sorry to be a crazy wife (I know I am one and I accept it) but I do not want to go back to the hospital again for anymore hospital stays, doctor visits are okay not hospital stays.
This weekend at my mom's party I talked to a bunch of family and friends and they told me that they have been praying for us. I cannot explain to you how much it means to me. At the beginning of this when people told me they were praying for me I made me tear up and cry. I am usually praying for other people, not receiving the prayers and it was just hard for me to wrap my brain around. I just want to thank everyone for all the prayers, they are working. Thanks!
* Just a reminder- if people would like to visit to make sure you are feeling good and that your significant other or children are not sick because Archie's immune system is very weak. I also have a gallon of hand sanitizer that I ask everyone who visits to use for everyone's sake, yours and ours. Thankfully Archie is feeling good so far and there have not been any issues but I am just trying to be extra cautious. Also, please text me or Archie to make sure he is up for a visit. Sorry to be a crazy wife (I know I am one and I accept it) but I do not want to go back to the hospital again for anymore hospital stays, doctor visits are okay not hospital stays.
This weekend at my mom's party I talked to a bunch of family and friends and they told me that they have been praying for us. I cannot explain to you how much it means to me. At the beginning of this when people told me they were praying for me I made me tear up and cry. I am usually praying for other people, not receiving the prayers and it was just hard for me to wrap my brain around. I just want to thank everyone for all the prayers, they are working. Thanks!
College Football and a Surprise, Day 68
This morning I woke up at 6 am and Archie was up too, (BOO to waking up early). This morning we had brunch for my mom that we were both suppose to attend but my uncle said his stomach was not feeling well so Archie had to stay at home. His immune system is shot and I don't want to risk him being exposed to anything so I had to leave him at home and he was not happy. I was gone from 9 am to 12:30 pm and Archie went on a walk with his mom to the end of the street and back (3 houses and back) and he sat up on the couch for quite a while watching college football.
When I got home I was a woman with a mission. Archie, his mother and I went on a half block walk then I got him some lunch afterwards. Then tonight we are having a party for my mom's 60th birthday party so my job since I am hanging at the house with Archie was to make 3 desserts for tonight - lemon bars, sopapilla cheesecake and a chocolate chip dip. So, I made the sopapilla cheesecake and the dip while Archie's mom volunteered to help me make the lemon bars.
Meanwhile, Archie was watching football. We then went for our third walk of the day. I left at 3:30 pm to go help set up for the party while Archie stayed at home with his mom and stepdad. They were responsible for the 5 pm walk and dinner (although I suggested pizza). His friend Derek is going to come over and hangout so that they can watch football. The party was great, Mom said it was the best birthday ever although she might be exaggerating a little bit.
When I got home I was a woman with a mission. Archie, his mother and I went on a half block walk then I got him some lunch afterwards. Then tonight we are having a party for my mom's 60th birthday party so my job since I am hanging at the house with Archie was to make 3 desserts for tonight - lemon bars, sopapilla cheesecake and a chocolate chip dip. So, I made the sopapilla cheesecake and the dip while Archie's mom volunteered to help me make the lemon bars.
Meanwhile, Archie was watching football. We then went for our third walk of the day. I left at 3:30 pm to go help set up for the party while Archie stayed at home with his mom and stepdad. They were responsible for the 5 pm walk and dinner (although I suggested pizza). His friend Derek is going to come over and hangout so that they can watch football. The party was great, Mom said it was the best birthday ever although she might be exaggerating a little bit.
Surprise, Day 67
It was another great day for Archie. I stayed up after the 4:30 am c diff pill (the last day) so I caught up on some of my DVR and then baked some oatmeal chocolate chip cookies all before 7:30 am. Archie got up around 8 am this morning. He had 4 pieces of bacon and 2 biscuits for breakfast. We went on a half block walk this morning at 10 am - walked 3 houses up, around the corner to the next street and up 4 houses. Which is amazing! We ate some leftovers for lunch and then went for a short walk afterwards (4 houses to Rolater and back). This afternoon Kristal and Shawn come over to visit and they went on the third walk with us which was half of a block again. Archie took another shower this afternoon and took his last c diff pill!!! This evening we went to a surprise dinner for my mom - her sister and husband came in from Massachusetts, her sister and brother-in-law came in from Houston and her sister-in-law from Houston came into town to celebrate her 60th birthday. It was great fun and she was surprised! Archie went to dinner with me so I counted his walk to and from dinner as his fourth walk of the day. He did well during dinner overall we bailed out after we sang happy birthday because Archie was worn out. Thank you for your prayers and support!
A Schedule, Day 66
The 4:00 am alarm for the c diff pill is difficult each morning. Archie ate 5 piece for thick bacon for breakfast this morning. My mom added Archie sitting up 3 times a day to the schedule this morning because Archie is saying he is getting a little lightheaded when he stands so she thinks sitting up will help with that. We went for a walk at 10 am (3 houses and back) and 12 pm (4 houses and back). My mom brought over some beef stew for lunch and we all ate lunch at the kitchen table. We went for another walk at 2:30 pm (4 houses around the corner and down the alley). Then Archie took a shower for the first time since we went back to the hospital two and half weeks ago. Then I was watching tv this afternoon when I heard a lawnmower nearby and that is when Archie said that he thinks Chris was mowing our yard. I wanted to know what Chris did to get it working and he reassured me that it took him quite a while to get the mower working. I told him that he didn't have to mow, I just needed help starting the silly thing but he handled up on it for us. Thank you Chris Bishop for helping me out! We went for our last walk of the day around 5 pm (4 houses and back). We had Taco Thursday at the Stewart household for dinner and then we just watched some television. It was another great day without any arguments and frustration. Archie has been very compliant with my requests.
We set up a tentative schedule for Archie so he could know what to expect throughout the day so the walking times are at the same time. Plus, he was asking how he could fit everything in his day since he has to go on 4 walks a day and sit up 3 times a day. Below is the schedule:
8 am Breakfast
Sit Up in a chair
10 am Walk
Rest
12 pm Walk
Lunch afterwards
Sit up in a chair - maybe combine sitting up with lunch?
Rest
3 pm Walk
Rest
5 pm Walk
6 pm Dinner
Sit Up
Thank you for all the support and prayers that we have received!
We set up a tentative schedule for Archie so he could know what to expect throughout the day so the walking times are at the same time. Plus, he was asking how he could fit everything in his day since he has to go on 4 walks a day and sit up 3 times a day. Below is the schedule:
8 am Breakfast
Sit Up in a chair
10 am Walk
Rest
12 pm Walk
Lunch afterwards
Sit up in a chair - maybe combine sitting up with lunch?
Rest
3 pm Walk
Rest
5 pm Walk
6 pm Dinner
Sit Up
Thank you for all the support and prayers that we have received!
Compliant Patient, Day 65
Today I had a compliant patient for the most part, there was not any arguing in regards to my requests. We woke up at 4:30 am to take his c diff pill (must be taken every 6 hours) and Archie was grouchy. He said he did not sleep well until around 6 am when he slept until 8 am. Archie ate 4 pieces of bacon and half of an english muffin for breakfast. After an hour of harassment we went for our first walk around 11 am (3 houses to the end of the street and back). He then watched tv while I pulled weeds in the yard (the flowerbeds looked like I was trying to grow weeds). I tried to mow the yard but our lawnmower would not start after 6 weeks of sitting in the garage. I even asked our neighbor to try to start it but without any luck and his lawnmower is broken (yes there is gas in our lawnmower). We ate some yummy bbq pulled pork that my mom brought over for lunch. Then we went on another walk which was the same distance as before but we went around the corner and down the alley. I cooked some stuffed shells for dinner this afternoon. I am pretty done with eating at restaraunts for a little while, if you think about it I ate out for most meals for about 8 weeks so I am wanting to eat some home cooking. We went for our last walk late this afternoon which was down to the end of the street and back (4 houses). Archie actually told me he was hungry tonight! The dinner was delicious and Archie ate 2 stuffed shells, some green beans and a piece of bread. I must say that I think his appetite is coming back. Archie stayed up all day long so I think he is tired.
I set up some appointments today:
- Next Thursday with the neurologist to see if Archie had a seizure
- Next Friday with the primary care doctor to update her on what has gone on since the last visit and to tell her what the seizure doctor said
- Monday, the 21st with the neurosurgeon to get stitches and staples out
- I left a message about an occupational therapist evaluation
Thank you everyone for all of your support and prayers!
I set up some appointments today:
- Next Thursday with the neurologist to see if Archie had a seizure
- Next Friday with the primary care doctor to update her on what has gone on since the last visit and to tell her what the seizure doctor said
- Monday, the 21st with the neurosurgeon to get stitches and staples out
- I left a message about an occupational therapist evaluation
Thank you everyone for all of your support and prayers!
Home Again, Home Again - Day 64
No throwing up last night which is always a plus in my mind. I got to the hospital this morning and Archie was still sleeping and proceeded to sleep until about 9 am. Apparently he stayed up until 11:30 pm watching American Choppers. I brought him some McDonalds for breakfast and he ate 2 pieces of bacon, a sausage patty and a pancake for breakfast. The infectious disease doctor said that Archie has 3 more days of c diff medication before he is done which is exciting. We found out that we are going to have to schedule an appointment with the infectious disease doctor for a follow up appointment. Speaking of c diff, my mother-in-law sanitized our house from top to bottom so that I did not have to worry about the c diff spores hanging out in the house. Thank you Jennifer!
Archie then napped again for a while. I was harassing him about going on a walk when his neurosurgeon came by and asked Archie if he was ready to go home. So that meant that Archie is getting discharged! We need to schedule an appointment with the neurosurgeon to remove the staples and the stitches two weeks from yesterday. After that we hungout in the room waiting for things to get moving. The discharge nurse came and then we had to wait for the IV nurse to come remove his picc line in his arm. Then we waited an hour for transport to come. Finally at 3 pm we were able to head home. Archie informed me on the way home that he was not going on a (insert bad word) walk today because he is not feeling well today. So we headed home and Archie climbed into bed and took a nap. My mom came over and brought dinner. So I was able to go get the perscription filled and get some groceries since it has been two and a half weeks since we have been home. I woke Archie up at 5:30 pm so that he would be able to sleep tonight, we ate dinner and then watched some tv. I am currently nagging Archie about taking pills because we missed a pill cycle due to the time it took to get discharged and the time it took to get the script filled.
I am praying for Archie and I to have patience, understanding and peace during this time at home. Also, that Archie is going to heal and not return to the hospital again. Thank you everyone for your support and prayers.
Archie then napped again for a while. I was harassing him about going on a walk when his neurosurgeon came by and asked Archie if he was ready to go home. So that meant that Archie is getting discharged! We need to schedule an appointment with the neurosurgeon to remove the staples and the stitches two weeks from yesterday. After that we hungout in the room waiting for things to get moving. The discharge nurse came and then we had to wait for the IV nurse to come remove his picc line in his arm. Then we waited an hour for transport to come. Finally at 3 pm we were able to head home. Archie informed me on the way home that he was not going on a (insert bad word) walk today because he is not feeling well today. So we headed home and Archie climbed into bed and took a nap. My mom came over and brought dinner. So I was able to go get the perscription filled and get some groceries since it has been two and a half weeks since we have been home. I woke Archie up at 5:30 pm so that he would be able to sleep tonight, we ate dinner and then watched some tv. I am currently nagging Archie about taking pills because we missed a pill cycle due to the time it took to get discharged and the time it took to get the script filled.
I am praying for Archie and I to have patience, understanding and peace during this time at home. Also, that Archie is going to heal and not return to the hospital again. Thank you everyone for your support and prayers.
9 Weeks
Wow, what a difference an early bedtime and prayers make. I woke up this morning with a whole different perspective this morning. I had a plan for the day. I brought Archie a small lunchablew for breakfast this morning. When I got to the hospital I told Archie I had a plan and he told me sarcastically "for me to eat and walk right". I said " No my plan is for him to get his anti-nausea medication before he attempts to eat." He said that won't fix all of my issues and I told him that we can attempt to try to fix one issue and hopefully the other issues will workout.
Archie ate 2 pieces of ham and a square of cheese from the lunchable that I brought him for breakfast. I was thrilled (I know it is sad). We then went for a short walk. I then left to try to get the handicapped parking placards again. So I drove to Frisco and went to the Tax Assesor's office and home to grab a couple of things.
While I was gone the neurosurgeon came to check on Archie. He answered some questions and told Archie if he went on 5 long walks today that he will probably be able to go home tomorrow. What time? The neurosurgeon said it depends on what time he gets there tomorrow, a typical answer from a doctor. Also while I was gone Archie ate about 10 bites of beef stew.
This afternoon we were walking so we can get Archie out of this joint. I went and got Lennys for dinner and Archie ate a bunch of deli meat from a sandwich. The only question of the night is whether Archie is going to throw up at 9 pm again like he has the past few nights.
Good night everyone. Thnk you so much for all the prayers that were said!
Below is a picture of my second trip to Frisco:
Archie ate 2 pieces of ham and a square of cheese from the lunchable that I brought him for breakfast. I was thrilled (I know it is sad). We then went for a short walk. I then left to try to get the handicapped parking placards again. So I drove to Frisco and went to the Tax Assesor's office and home to grab a couple of things.
While I was gone the neurosurgeon came to check on Archie. He answered some questions and told Archie if he went on 5 long walks today that he will probably be able to go home tomorrow. What time? The neurosurgeon said it depends on what time he gets there tomorrow, a typical answer from a doctor. Also while I was gone Archie ate about 10 bites of beef stew.
This afternoon we were walking so we can get Archie out of this joint. I went and got Lennys for dinner and Archie ate a bunch of deli meat from a sandwich. The only question of the night is whether Archie is going to throw up at 9 pm again like he has the past few nights.
Good night everyone. Thnk you so much for all the prayers that were said!
Below is a picture of my second trip to Frisco:
Frustrated, Day 62
That is my life right now. Last night we spent two and half hours trying to make him eat something off his dinner tray, without success. This morning I stopped and got Poptarts and thought this would be better. But no, two hours later with fifteen minute reminders to eat, and nothing. After my mom showed up this morning, she coerced him to eat bites of Poptarts. It is just so much work with no results. I really just want to open his mouth and shove some food down, but it's not working out.
The doctor has told him and I both that he will not be released from the hospital until he is eating, walking, and off IV medications, meaning he is drinking liquids. Today was the first day he walked with a bunch of moaning and groaning. He did end up taking two short walks though. He catnapped most of the day and overall feels like crap. He still is complaining of a headache and nausea.
I left tonight to attend a family dinner and told him he must eat if he wants me to come back. So far no success, but he did get a shot for nausea so we will see if that helps.
We are hoping that tomorrow will be full of walking, eating, and drinking. Pray for us.
The doctor has told him and I both that he will not be released from the hospital until he is eating, walking, and off IV medications, meaning he is drinking liquids. Today was the first day he walked with a bunch of moaning and groaning. He did end up taking two short walks though. He catnapped most of the day and overall feels like crap. He still is complaining of a headache and nausea.
I left tonight to attend a family dinner and told him he must eat if he wants me to come back. So far no success, but he did get a shot for nausea so we will see if that helps.
We are hoping that tomorrow will be full of walking, eating, and drinking. Pray for us.
A Blah Day, Day 61
Archie got moved into a regular room last night around 9:30 pm. He said he slept ok, he woke up several times but got a chunk of sleep. He was not feeling well this morning again and he threw up. His head was hurting and he was a grouch. He did not eat anything for breakfast or lunch. He got a CT scan this afternoon, the doctor said if I didn't get a phone call then everything is the same. Well I didn't get a call so no news is good news. He took a bunch of catnaps today throughout the day. He was trying to sleep this evening but I am trying to keep him awake so he can maybe sleep tonight. Archie's behavior got a little better as the day went on. His dinner tray came and sat for two hours before he gave up on that. He threw up again just a few minutes ago. The nurse gave him some nausea medication and he is going to try to eat some crackers because he knows he needs to get something in his body but we will see what happens. Overall it was a blah day I am hoping he will eat something soon and feel like getting up to go on a walk. One word - pray! Thank you!
Interesting Day, day 60
This morning I got here and just missed Archie, he went for a CT scan so I waited 30 minutes to see him. I did find out that he had thrown up 3. Tmes- once overnight, once at 7 am and when he returned from the CT scan. I talked to me for a few minutes but he was grouchy and really sleepy. I did remind him about the need to eat and walk so we can go home, he didn't remember. He asked me why I didn't tell him this last night, a little frustrated and I told him I did but he has forgotten. He did apologize to his mother and I for being so grouchy but he just didn't feel well.
He went to sleep and I left at that point to try to get a temporary handicap parking sign for the car because Archie really doesn't have the endurance to walk very far. I drove to Frisco, got to the office and I missed the section where Archie was suppose to sign it. I just started crying because I had left the hospital to get this accomplished and got denied. Argh! I also went home to switch vehicles because Archie would rather ride in his truck than my car. I got back to the hospital and he was still sleeping. The nurse wanted me to wake him up since he had been sleeping for a couple of hours and she had to do vitals. At that point I was asking if he wanted any food and reminding him to take his pill. He got frustrated about me reminding him about the pill and I told him everything I say these days frustrated him. He really didn't have much of a response. He slept for most of the afternoon. The neurosurgeon came in and had Archie sit up and stand up. Archie did end up throwing up again so the neurologist said he would return later with a machine with a magnet that he can use to adjust the shunt because he was over draining. He came and adjusted the shunt around 4 pm, had Archie sit up and stand up. Afterwards, Archie stayed awake so I think the adjustment made a difference. For dinner Archie had 3 sips of broth, 2 snack size twixes, and some dr pepper. He wanted the twixes because he was worried about taking pills with only liquids in his stomach. Archie is on a waiting list for a room but I am hoping he just stays here for the night then tomorrow we can accomplish walks, eating and go straight home. Say some prayers for us, I sure will. I have already warned him that my priority tomorrow is walking.
Update: Archie got a room and was being moved tonight so I will see him tomorrow in the new room. Good night!
He went to sleep and I left at that point to try to get a temporary handicap parking sign for the car because Archie really doesn't have the endurance to walk very far. I drove to Frisco, got to the office and I missed the section where Archie was suppose to sign it. I just started crying because I had left the hospital to get this accomplished and got denied. Argh! I also went home to switch vehicles because Archie would rather ride in his truck than my car. I got back to the hospital and he was still sleeping. The nurse wanted me to wake him up since he had been sleeping for a couple of hours and she had to do vitals. At that point I was asking if he wanted any food and reminding him to take his pill. He got frustrated about me reminding him about the pill and I told him everything I say these days frustrated him. He really didn't have much of a response. He slept for most of the afternoon. The neurosurgeon came in and had Archie sit up and stand up. Archie did end up throwing up again so the neurologist said he would return later with a machine with a magnet that he can use to adjust the shunt because he was over draining. He came and adjusted the shunt around 4 pm, had Archie sit up and stand up. Afterwards, Archie stayed awake so I think the adjustment made a difference. For dinner Archie had 3 sips of broth, 2 snack size twixes, and some dr pepper. He wanted the twixes because he was worried about taking pills with only liquids in his stomach. Archie is on a waiting list for a room but I am hoping he just stays here for the night then tomorrow we can accomplish walks, eating and go straight home. Say some prayers for us, I sure will. I have already warned him that my priority tomorrow is walking.
Update: Archie got a room and was being moved tonight so I will see him tomorrow in the new room. Good night!
Shunt Surgery #2, Day 59
Today when I got there I found out that the surgery was pushed back to 1 pm and he was already hungry so it would be a LONG day for him. He did volunteer to go on a walk pretty early this morning. Archie was pretty grouchy and anxious this morning. The nurse got him a pill to calm his nerves. He then got a bath with the soap that is used be fore surgery that sanitizes the skin. Afterwards he napped until surgery thankfully so he could calm himself down.
The surgery went well. The doctor said that if he eats and walks that he might be able to go home tomorrow or the next day. He recovered for an hour in the ICU and then we were able to see him. He was ready to walk an hour after surgery but the nurse said that was not a good idea. He was able to sit in a chair for about 5-10 minutes and then he got back into bed. The doctor did say he could have some IV morphine so he got some of that and slept. I left for shift change and FINALLY donated blood. At that point Archie sent me text asking me to tell everyone "to please not touch him because he is sore in a bunch of places". I then asked him if he wanted me to come back up to the hospital and he said yes. Of course when I got there he was sleeping. I stayed for about 30 minutes and bailed because I think with that IV morphine will be used and he will be sleeping.
My hope is that Archie is really motivated to go home tomorrow and will be eating and walking so we can get the freak out of the hospital. Please say some prayers for us because we definitely need them.
The surgery went well. The doctor said that if he eats and walks that he might be able to go home tomorrow or the next day. He recovered for an hour in the ICU and then we were able to see him. He was ready to walk an hour after surgery but the nurse said that was not a good idea. He was able to sit in a chair for about 5-10 minutes and then he got back into bed. The doctor did say he could have some IV morphine so he got some of that and slept. I left for shift change and FINALLY donated blood. At that point Archie sent me text asking me to tell everyone "to please not touch him because he is sore in a bunch of places". I then asked him if he wanted me to come back up to the hospital and he said yes. Of course when I got there he was sleeping. I stayed for about 30 minutes and bailed because I think with that IV morphine will be used and he will be sleeping.
My hope is that Archie is really motivated to go home tomorrow and will be eating and walking so we can get the freak out of the hospital. Please say some prayers for us because we definitely need them.
Surgery Tomorrow! Day 58
Yes, you read correctly, Archie is having surgery tomorrow morning at 11 am. I know you are thinking didn't you post earlier this week that the doctor said it was going to be Tuesday? I know I was a little confused as well. The doctor came in today and said that the brain fluid is as good as it is going to be so we are going to do it tomorrow. I was not going to fight him on that at all. So say a prayer for Archie tomorrow morning. I know it is going to be difficult afterwards because they are going to cut his belly again on the other side of his stomach just below and to the left of his belly button. So any movement he makes will bother him. I just pray that this recovery goes a little better than the last one. The last one was scary for me because he was so slow moving and delayed with any instructions he was given.
Today was an okay day. Archie volunteered to go on a walk this morning because he knew my mother was coming this afternoon (he just thought it would get him out of walking when she was there, it didn't work). My mom got to the hospital with some Babes chicken for lunch for Archie. Then his mom got back into town right when my mother and I were headed to the waiting room to eat some lunch that my mom's friend Michelle brought us some Corner Bakery for lunch. We knew Corner Bakery was something that Archie would not be interested in so mom stopped especially for him on the way. After lunch my mom bugged Archie about a walk and a bath. We did both task accordingly, mom even got Archie to shave because he had not done that in a week and a half. He did most of his face but left a Derek Holland mustache because the facial hair was so long that shaving was painful. Then I left for a haircut and sushi with my sister. We stopped at Lenny for some dinner for Archie. I am going to go on the record and say that Archie is officially done with the hospital food. It is the same menu each week and after 7 weeks he is not interested in anything from the hospital at this point. After dinner my sister Emily asked Archie about going on another walk. He made a smart remark like "what is the deal with the Gruninger girls and walking" but still went for a walk anyways. I find it interesting that he will go on a walk if someone else suggests it but if I suggest it I get labeled as a nag, go figure. Whatever, as long as he is walking I really don't care what he is calling me. Let me say this - I definitely have thicker skin now than I did before this ordeal. The good news is that Archie did admit to me today that he is harsh on his mother and I, a little progress. Sorry for the little rant.
Please pray for Archie, the doctor, nurses and staff that the surgery goes well and that Archie has a speedy recovery. Please pray for our families that God gives us the strength, patience and understanding to work through this.
Today was an okay day. Archie volunteered to go on a walk this morning because he knew my mother was coming this afternoon (he just thought it would get him out of walking when she was there, it didn't work). My mom got to the hospital with some Babes chicken for lunch for Archie. Then his mom got back into town right when my mother and I were headed to the waiting room to eat some lunch that my mom's friend Michelle brought us some Corner Bakery for lunch. We knew Corner Bakery was something that Archie would not be interested in so mom stopped especially for him on the way. After lunch my mom bugged Archie about a walk and a bath. We did both task accordingly, mom even got Archie to shave because he had not done that in a week and a half. He did most of his face but left a Derek Holland mustache because the facial hair was so long that shaving was painful. Then I left for a haircut and sushi with my sister. We stopped at Lenny for some dinner for Archie. I am going to go on the record and say that Archie is officially done with the hospital food. It is the same menu each week and after 7 weeks he is not interested in anything from the hospital at this point. After dinner my sister Emily asked Archie about going on another walk. He made a smart remark like "what is the deal with the Gruninger girls and walking" but still went for a walk anyways. I find it interesting that he will go on a walk if someone else suggests it but if I suggest it I get labeled as a nag, go figure. Whatever, as long as he is walking I really don't care what he is calling me. Let me say this - I definitely have thicker skin now than I did before this ordeal. The good news is that Archie did admit to me today that he is harsh on his mother and I, a little progress. Sorry for the little rant.
Please pray for Archie, the doctor, nurses and staff that the surgery goes well and that Archie has a speedy recovery. Please pray for our families that God gives us the strength, patience and understanding to work through this.
Law & Order Marathon, Day 57
Yes, Archie watched the Law and Order marathon most of the day. One of his concerns throughout the hospital stay is he did not want to watch daytime tv so he has been watching the news in the morning and that is about it. Needless to say he found a Law and Order marathon and watched a bunch of episodes today.
Today began with me walking in to there being a pill on his table and the nurse was bringing his next pill. The pill is called Flagell (spelling could be wrong) which is the pill he takes for his c-diff. He has choked on the pill previously and so the nurses started splitting the pills in half. The halves seem to be a challenge as well. After choking a couple of times on the halves he is not interested in taking any. Which really does not work really well because by the end of the day there were 5 halves of pills on his table. I told him that when I left to pick up dinner that he needed to finish his pills and brush his teeth otherwise i would leave after we ate dinner instead of waiting until 9 pm like i normally do. Thankfully he got one whole pill down which seemed to work with the nurse. The nurse made a note to talk to the doctors to see if there is an IV version since he is having such issues.
He went for a walk this morning and a walk this afternoon, a lap each. His appetite is getting better with each day. Besides that it was a boring day. Good night everyone!
Today began with me walking in to there being a pill on his table and the nurse was bringing his next pill. The pill is called Flagell (spelling could be wrong) which is the pill he takes for his c-diff. He has choked on the pill previously and so the nurses started splitting the pills in half. The halves seem to be a challenge as well. After choking a couple of times on the halves he is not interested in taking any. Which really does not work really well because by the end of the day there were 5 halves of pills on his table. I told him that when I left to pick up dinner that he needed to finish his pills and brush his teeth otherwise i would leave after we ate dinner instead of waiting until 9 pm like i normally do. Thankfully he got one whole pill down which seemed to work with the nurse. The nurse made a note to talk to the doctors to see if there is an IV version since he is having such issues.
He went for a walk this morning and a walk this afternoon, a lap each. His appetite is getting better with each day. Besides that it was a boring day. Good night everyone!
8 Weeks Today
It is crazy that it has now been 8 weeks since this journey began. A nurse was asking what happened and it is unreal to think that Archie had an aneurysm on Labor Day, got coiled, had vasospasms, had a craniotomy, had angioplasties, got an external drain, got a shunt, they took the shunt back out and then put an external drain in. A lot has happened over the past eight weeks, it is hard to wrap my brain around. A lot of people are asking how I am doing and honestly I am fine. The first hospital visit was hard, there was so much going on and it was all so foreign for me. I mean I had heard of brain aneurysm but I really didn't know what they were. There are so many medical things going on and I am so thankful that my mom is a nurse so she could translate/explain things to me. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel, all we have to do is get rid of the infections and get that shunt back in. That in my mind is a piece of cake, although with Archie there always seems to be some sort of complication. We were talking to the charge nurse today who has been here for 15 years and she has not ever seen a patient leave and come back with an infection in the shunt. I mean leave it to Archie...
Today Archie got moved to the POD room which is the step down bed from an ICU room. He is still in the ICU but now he is in a room that the nurse to patient ratio is 3:1 instead of 2:1. Archie really does not need the attention that a ICU room gets. We are pretty self-sufficient for the most part: I am able to clamp his drain, unplug almost everything except for the IV (I don't mess with that!). The other thing with the ICU rooms were that the respirators on the other patients were driving Archie crazy with all the beeping and the noise, there are no respirators in the POD.
It was a good day. The neurosurgeon said that surgery will probably be next week. He wants to wait for the antibiotics to run their cycle before he puts the shunt back in. My sister came to visit and coerced him into going on a little longer walk this morning with some grumbling. His appetite is getting better slowly, it is not stellar but he is eating something at every meal although, I am definitely pushing him to eat more. This afternoon we went on another lap around the ICU and then we got moved. This evening Renee brought us some yummy italian food for dinner!
I know I keep saying this but it is the truth, thank you so much for the continual thoughts and prayers. I feel so much strength and comfort knowing how many people are praying for us. We are going to get through this.
I know I keep saying this but it is the truth, thank you so much for the continual thoughts and prayers. I feel so much strength and comfort knowing how many people are praying for us. We are going to get through this.
Another Boring Day, Day 55
It was another boring day in the ICU. Archie voluntarily went for a walk this morning, which never happens, so that was a surprise. Usually I have to start a fight in order to get him up and walking. I went to church at the hospital from 11:30-12:00. Archie got a new roommate so I got kicked out for about an hour while he got settled. During this time, I went for lunch and hung out. Archie watched football again all day long. At 3:00, Archie and I went for our second walk of the day and went for a lap around the ICU. Thank you to Katrina and Jim for coming to visit and bringing us some snacks for the room. Tyler brought us a yummy dinner, which meant Archie didn't have to eat the yucky meatloaf that was on his tray for dinner.
We are approximately one week into antibiotics and I anticipate we will be in ICU for at least another week until they put the shunt back. After they put the shunt in, we will be here probably 3+ days for observation purposes. Basically, we will be at Baylor for approximately two more weeks. If you are interested in coming to visit, send me a text. He can have up to two visitors a day. The visitors give him a distraction from the monotony of the hospital. Thanks so much for your prayers and thoughts.
Below is a picture of our Halloween decorations courtesy of one of Archie's customers. Happy Halloween!
We are approximately one week into antibiotics and I anticipate we will be in ICU for at least another week until they put the shunt back. After they put the shunt in, we will be here probably 3+ days for observation purposes. Basically, we will be at Baylor for approximately two more weeks. If you are interested in coming to visit, send me a text. He can have up to two visitors a day. The visitors give him a distraction from the monotony of the hospital. Thanks so much for your prayers and thoughts.
Below is a picture of our Halloween decorations courtesy of one of Archie's customers. Happy Halloween!
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