FAMILY

HE'S HOME

Dave is doing amazing! He was discharged this afternoon and is happy to be home. Of course, we are happy to have him. Rachel and Eric both flew out this morning and made it back to their homes safely. It was so nice having all the kids home at the same time, and I know it made a huge difference in Dave's quick recovery. I still couldn't get all four together at the same time though for a picture, but some things just never change! Someone is always missing. Thanks everyone for your kindness, prayers, cards, calls, etc. You have made such a difference. Thanks to all the wonderful care both at North Valley Hospital and Kalispell Regional Medical Center. A special thanks to Dave's "boys" who transported him code from NVH to KRH. It had to be a difficult transfer for them - transfering their "chief" with the chief's wife riding shotgun!! As you can see in the picture - Dave is enjoying a hot fudge Sunday and being home.

OUT OF ICU

What a difference a day makes! Dave has been moved out of ICU and onto the 1st floor. He no longer has an oxygen mask, just an oxygen cannula, and is maintaining his oxygen saturations great. The side-effects of the medications also are wearing off and he isn't so aggitated. If all goes well, he may be discharged home on Wed. I think he now realizes that he needs to slow down a bit. Tomorrow is our 35th wedding anniversary! I'm glad he's here to celebrate.

IMPROVEMENT

Things are definitely improving. I haven't made it to the hospital yet this morning (I slept in!), but I called ICU for an update. At the time I spoke with the nurse, Dave's brother, Brian, was visiting and Dave was sitting up in the chair. His diet will be increased today, another good sign. As of last night, the report was if he was doing much better today he will be moved from the ICU unit into the Intermediate Care. That's a big step! Let's pray for that improvement.

PROGRESSING SLOWLY

Hi - it's nice to be back in "circulation" again! Thanks, Angela, for keeping the blog going. As Angela mentioned yesterday, the nurses did call me back to the hospital shortly after I left for my first night home. Dave was somewhat "unreasonable" and sometimes"lucid". I was able to calm him down with my sweet presence (ha), but if I even walked away from his bed he was pulling off the mask and trying to go home. I even tried laying with him, but I think I was causing some problems with some tubing - so that wasn't such a great idea. After about 6 a.m. and another night of no sleep I came home and resolved myself to the fact I needed to get some good sleep and he was in wonderful care. All of the this was the result of side-effects from all the meds he has been on when he was put on the ventilator. This should improve as those side-effects wear off. He also went through this disillusionment period while he was in Seattle after his stem cell transplant. As for his lungs, they are better and his oxygen sats are much better. I'll be going back to the hospital this afternoon after a little time here at home. Thank you so much for all your prayers and concerns. Hopefully, if it is God's plan, Dave will be back to his old self soon. Please feel free to e-mail if you have any questions - I'm sure this blog is confusing!

Update

Good news...Dave was taken off of the vent earlier today and is now breathing on his own. His sense of humor is healthy and he's busy giving the ICU nurses a hard time. Earlier today he insisted that if the staff didn't call Jennifer and have her come back to the hospital he was just going to walk home (15 miles). I guess those drugs are slowly wearing off. Both Eric and Rachel were able to fly home to spend time with their dad so the family is enjoying time together. Please continue to keep Dave and Jennifer in your prayers. 

I hope to have more positive updates soon.

Angela (writing for Jennifer)

Dave's Health

Dear friends and loved ones, 

David was taken to the emergency room in Whitefish Tuesday night and diagnosed with pneumonia. This afternoon, after his condition worsened while at the hospital, he was transported by ambulance to Kalispell Regional Hospital where he is currently in the ICU in 'guarded condition'. This move was made so that he would be closer to the pulmonary specialist.

At this time it is not possible to contact Jennifer directly but she did ask for your prayers for David and the doctors who are treating him. Please also be in prayer for David's family as they go through this time.

You are welcome to send emails to her and Jennifer, or myself, will update the blog as soon as more information is available.

Angela

GOING FORWARD

It's been a pretty frustrating week for both Dave and I. He hasn't had an appetite, and I'm feeling helpless! Monday morning we made a quick trip in to see Dr. Boehme because of our concerns. Our concerns were heightened when Dave stepped on the scales, and had lost over #15 lbs. Of course, that was a concern with Dr. Boehme also. Dave's lab came back looking better than expected and his physical exam didn't reveal anything new. The big thing was for him to eat. We came home with that one goal in mind. Of course, it just didn't seem to happen. I then remembered the Megace - a prescription that we had from Seattle Cancer Care Alliance when Dave had trouble eating. Since it hadn't expired we thought we would give it a try. Two hours after his first dose Dave was hungry! His appetite isn't quite up to par yet, but he's making great strides. Every day after work (yes, he is still working) I fix him a chocolate shake with cream (he doesn't know that, so don't tell him). Then around 6-7 he has his dinner, which he is getting his meat (protein) and veggies. I'm feeling a little better, but just want to fatten him up! I guess it is just comforting to know that I can be of some help. I only wish I could do more.

SUNSHINE

How nice to see the sunshine and feel the heat, esp. for Dave. This radiation really took the "pow" out of him. He has lost another 10 lbs. and is back using the cane for awhile. All of this is a result of the powerful radiation his body just took in. Soon, he should start developing an appetite and strength. This morning he will go outside and tell me how to mow the lawn! I remember my dad telling me how to vacumm - I guess there's something about how "it doesn't make sense" the way I tackle those projects. I guess you are suppose to go in one direction, not "all over the place". Well, anyway, wish me luck!

He's DONE

Yesterday was Dave's last radiation!!!! Hopefully now he will gain some weight back and some stamina. I must say I'm impressed - I don't know if I could have gone through what he has - he's amazing. We now wait for 2 months for another PET scan, so we will try our hardest to get back to normal and put "cancer" on the back burner. Thank you so much "Integrated Pest Management" for coming over and trimming our hedge - you did an awesome job. It is something that Dave has been "pondering" over on how he was going to manage. Thank you also to Whitefish Veterinary Hospital for taking such good care of Ripley and Penelope over the last month or so; when they are well, we feel better also! SPOILED DOGS! Thank you to everyone who has made this chapter in our lives easier - without you the road would have been a lot rougher and the ruts much deeper. Your prayers have been a blessing! I'll be keeping you informed on his progress over the next too months. I might also throw in some craziness -- who knows???