Sept 30, 2010

Jimmy is about the same as the last few times that I have posted. Still hanging in there! He tried out a practice wheelchair yesterday and it was awesome. He even drove it for a bit. After the nurses put him back in bed, me and his physical therapist decided to crank up the speed on the wheelchair and see how fast it can go. Oh my goodness, it was scary fast!
We got moved to another room, and it's much bigger. We are in the same area of the building as before, but 3 rooms down (room 460). It's super awesome!

Also, Jimmy has a really awful sore throat that is preventing him
from eating anything. The sad thing is that his appetite is back and he
actually wants to eat! It turns out that he never had pneumonia, and he
definitely doesn't have strep, so the doctors are confused at what is
going on back there. It may be the trach tube, but he's not ready to
have that pulled out yet. They are giving him lozenges, spraying numbing
stuff, and next on the list is to try gargling with lidocaine jelly. I
hope it works!

Sept 27, 2010

President Obama is visiting campus tomorrow!!! Who thinks I should storm the stage and give him a big hug for health care reform? Can you imagine Jimmy's nurses walking in and saying "Sorry Mr. Anderson, your wife can't be with you tonight because she was arrested." HA!

Sept 25, 2010

Today is one of those days when you wake up and decide to wear your FINEST cat shirt just to make someone you love laugh. We've been watching movies for the majority of the day: the 40-year old virgin, Juno, Legally Blonde 1 and 2, and now The Proposal. Jimmy's laugh is hilarious!!! It doesn't even sound like him! He'll laugh at the movie, but then start laughing at the way he is laughing, and then I'll laugh, and then we'll just keep laughing and laughing and laughing.

They let me take him outside today! It was chilly, so I'm going to go to the yarn store and get crackin' on a scarf/hat/mitten set for him.

Sept 24, 2010

Oh man, that Trazadone makes him sleep like a baby! So awesome! I woke up a couple times last night and peeked over at him, and he was totally out! Thank goodness, he needs all the energy that he can get for rehab. Yesterday he sat all the way up in his wheelchair during the whole rehab session (about 6-7 hours). A couple days ago he could only sit in a wheelchair for about an hour IF the wheelchair was tilted back 30 degrees. He is doing a great job!

Today is September 24th and I can't believe that we have been in the hospital for a whole month now. And with our discharge date planned for Nov 16, we will be in the hospital just shy of two more months. When all of this is done, we'll have spent one-quarter of 2010 in the hospital...but at least he'll be home for theholidays! Thanksgiving and Christmas...so excited! We are missing Halloween though, and I'm sad because we've always done couple's costumes since we were like 17 or 18. Hmmmm, maybe the hospital will let me dress him up anyway... If so, I better start thinking of something good!

Just wanted to say that President Obama is my hero. Jimmy has a lifetime health insurance maximum of $2 million. That sounds like A LOT, but we are close to reaching it. After 3 weeks in the ICU in California and getting neck surgery, we were already at $1 million. Then we had to get on a private flight to Wisconsin. Then we were in the ICU for another week. His rehab is about $3,000 per day, and this doesn't include wheelchair and all the adaptive equipment that we'll need. We'll be in rehab until November 16th.

Thanks to healthcare reform, I'm no longer worried about Jimmy reaching a stupid lifetime maximum! And in 2014 we'll be free to switch insurance companies without worrying about all that "pre-existing condition" BS. Thanks, Obama! You totally saved us from riiiiiiiiidiculous amounts of medical bills.

Even if you aren't a fan of health care reform or Obama in general, you gotta admit, this is pretty freaking awesome!!!

Sept 23, 2010

Jimmy didn't sleep at all on Tuesday night because of all the disruptions involved in hospital stays. Tonight, they brought in the big guns: Trazodone! He's sleeping like a baby, and even fell asleep during his breathing treatment (a very noisy procedure!)

It's SO nice to see him resting! He hardly ever sleeps!

This morning before I left Jimmy said, "Don't forget tonight is The Office and 30 Rock". YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS! I'm glad he's keeping track of these things because my brain is totally fried!

Okay, so it may be a bit longer than 3-4 weeks... Our planned discharge date is november 16th! Applied for an apartment yesterday and am waiting to hear back. Wheelchair accessible places are hard to find, and are a hot commodity!

Sept 22, 2010

We got moved to rehab yesterday! They let him rest for the remainder of the evening, so today was his first full day of rehab. He is pretty darn tired! It's 6 hours per day of re-learning how to do stuff, and he even lifted some weights today. They put a speaking valve on his trach tube, so when I got to the hospital we were able to talk! He also sat in a wheelchair for an hour. I come back from work and he was in normal clothes, sitting up, AND talking. I was soooo excited!

He's eating real food now too! No thin liquids like water and regular juice, but things that are thicker are just fine. They add thickener to juice and lemonade so that he can have "beverages". I tried some of his thickened orange juice today and it sucked! Today for dinner he had some minced carrots, mashed potatoes & gravy, and pudding. He did not want the hospital meatloaf (it definitely looked sketchy!)

I talked to his doctor today and found out that we'll probably be in rehab for 3-4 weeks. Now to find an apartment!

Sept 21, 2010

Jimmy has pneumonia! Yucky! He feels pretty sick, but it still in such good spirits! It is not surprising that he has pneumonia though, since he was on a ventilator for so long, his cough is still pretty weak, and he has tubes leading straight down into his lungs. He's on broad spectrum IV antibiotics and hopefully he'll
start feeling better soon!

His respiratory therapist put a speaking valve on his trach tube. This morning, she woke me up and said
"Jimmy has something to tell you". Usually they wake me up so that I can help them lip-read what Jimmy is saying. I sat up in bed fully prepared to lip-read, but he actually said "I love you" with his voice! It was
pretty much the best thing ever! ♥

Sept 20, 2010

Just got off the phone with Jimmy's nurse!

Poopy news: no beds available in rehab yet, but maybe tomorrow!

Great news: they deflated the cuff on his trach tube and he's talking! they also let him eat some pudding and drink some grape juice! Tomorrow they'll send him down and make him swallow something with contrast dye or barium, and then look to make sure that the food and liquids are going to his stomach, and not anywhere where they don't belong.

Please lord, let him pass this test! He's been craving gatorade for a week, and I would really love to go buy him a whole case of it!!!!

Can't wait to get back to the hospital and hear his voice again! Is work over yet?

Sept 19, 2010

It's no surprise that all the nurses and respiratory therapists at the hospital love Jimmy. He has been called "the ideal patient", "the perfect patient", "rockstar", and other fantastic things on more than one occasion. He's so motivated to heal, even when his respiratory therapists do really uncomfortable things to him. He wants to breathe just a couple more reps, and tries really hard to improve to improve his breathing stats from the day before. When his physical therapists leave, he rests, and then all the sudden I look up and he's doing more reps of his arm exercises. He is working so hard; he wants to get the heck out of here!

Put engine coolant into the car all by myself! Go me! I went to target and bought the coolant (pre-diluted, anti-freeze already added) and bought a funnel. I was so proud of myself. Kate and I has previously looked at the car manual, opened up the hood, and found the right place to add the coolant. We are very talented ladies! I treated myself to two scoops of ice cream for a job well done.

Jimmy wants me back at work ASAP, so I'm going back tomorrow! I'm hoping that he gets moved to the rehab wing tomorrow while I am at work!

Dangit, his respiratory therapist just walked in and woke him. He JUST fell asleep. I hate the fact that he can never get more than an hour of sleep because folks are always coming in to mess with him. Grrrrrrrr......

Sept 18, 2010

Hey folks, great news! Jimmy is ready to step down from the neuro ICU to a normal neuro room! YES! After watching so many patients (in California and here) come to the ICU and then leave, it is finally our turn! We're on a waiting list of 5 people, and they discharge a lot of patients on the weekends, so hopefully by Monday we'll be in a new room.

And they want him to start rehabilitation on Monday!

And he's been breathing on his own for a whole day now!

So much good news!

Sept 16, 2010

Yesterday was good and not so good (I refuse to say "bad").

The not so good: they pulled his breathing tube out because he was doing very very well, and he had it out for a few hours, but then they had to put it back in again because he got really really really tired from breathing on his own. Normally, we all breathe with 2 sets of muscles, our diaphragm, and other muscles in our ribs. Jimmy's paralysis has limited him to his diaphragm, and just like any muscle, it needs to be worked out to get stronger and stronger.

The good: he has some sensation in his hands and fingers! He could feel me holding his hand! The sensation is like pins and needles he says, but at least he feels something there! Yay!

I have been kicked out of Jimmy's room for the moment because Jimmy is receiving a tracheostomy. The doctors and nurses gave us all the pros and cons before letting Jimmy decide:

The cons: It's ANOTHER procedure, and he would have to be under general anesthesia. It will leave a scar on his neck (he already has two large scars from his neck surgery last week). It could be painful after he wakes up.

The pros: He will have that dang tube out of his mouth. I'll be able to understand him when he mouths his words/sentences. They can add a speaking attachment thingy to the new trach tube to let him talk. Once they evaluate his ability to eat real food, he'll be able to eat while the trach is in. He will be at a lower risk of pneumonia. And the most promising part is that transitioning from a trach tube to breathing on your own is a lot easier than getting extubated to start breathing on your own.

Jimmy refused the trach at first, but when he found out he could be closer to eating real food he changed his mind. Poor guy hasn't had real food in over 3 weeks now!

The trach tube is in, and Jimmy is doing fine. The nurses and his respiratory therapist commented on how smoothly it went. I can totally read his lips now, and it feels really nice! He is experiencing some discomfort, but it should pass soon.

In other news, I found out that there is a place in the hospital that sells Babcock ice cream that is open 24 hours a day. Two scoops for $3! And they take VISA giftcard! YESSSSSS!

Sept 14, 2010

In madison! This hospital is very swanky! I even have a bed right next to jimmy so I can finally stop sleeping in chairs! He is excited to be here, and he is excited for me to begin the apartment hunt and bring back lots of brochures for him to look at. I'll ask the nurse our address and post it!

Top 10 things about this hospital in no particular order:

1. It's on the UW campus; everyone we know in Madison is right here in town.

2. Hospital is newer and super updated.

3. Everyone here is super friendly, I love his doctors and nurses already.

4. The waiting room has a computer with internet (using it right now), a refrigerator, a vending machine, and a sweet fish tank.

5. The doctors and nurses here are keeping me really informed, I don't feel like i have to chase anyone down and pester them for information.

6. I have a bed in Jimmy's room!!! Best sleep I've had in weeks!

7. They let me use my phone in his room. Makes it easier to keep in contact with everyone and keep the facebook updated.

8. The room has a big window, and there is a ton of natural light! Excited to reduce use of those flickery fluorescent lights.

9. Rehabilitation is here in the hospital so we will not need to be transferred anywhere.

10. And the BEST thing about this hospital is that Jimmy likes it and feels comfortable here.

Sept 13, 2010

Today is the day! We're flying out this evening. We'll be on a crazy fast jet so our flight time will be only 3 hours! See you later central valley, hello madison!

This is the craziest facebook update I have ever done! I am riding in the front seat of an ambulance on route to the stockton airport! Jimmy is in the back with our flight crew...they are very skilled nurses!!

They gave jimmy some zofran into his IV to prevent nausea. I was like, "can I get some of that?" And they gave me a pill. Anyone who knows me well knows that I get car-sick a lot, and I always feel icky on planes. We are flying to madison on a leer jet, so we will be going ultra fast! They also offered me some anti-anxiety meds, but I want to be alert. They hooked jimmy up with some good stuff so he'll be nice and comfy during the flight. I'll do enough worrying for the both of us!

Sept 12, 2010

Hey everyone! The neuro unit at UW hospital is full, so we won't be leaving California until a space for Jimmy opens up. Maybe Monday, maybe later than that. All of our stuff is packed up, so it feels like we are on-call. Crazy stuff!

Sept 11, 2010

Medical flight will most likely be tomorrow (sunday) at 9AM. Jimmy is excited to get back to wisconsin! His doctor says we're ready for transport, and she sees him everyday. I'm confident in her assessment, and I know that the medical flight is super safe, but I've always been scared of change. But this is what Jimmy wants, so we're going to go for it!

Sept 10, 2010

Not 100% sure when we'll be making our way back to Wisconsin. The insurance company is pushing for today, but his doctors here in California think he needs a couple more days to heal. So it probably won't be today, but it could be tomorrow, or the next day, or the next day... I hate not knowing...

Jimmy was also much more awake last night. He is mouthing his words again, and I was able to talk to him a little bit more about our upcoming flight back to Wisconsin. He is excited to get back, we both consider it home. As soon as I find out when we're headed back, I'll let you all know!

Yesterday was so overwhelming since I found out that we had to come back to Madison. Don't get me wrong! I love Madison and all of our friends there, but it is hard to leave our family and friends here. I was really freaking out, and upset that the insurance company was just now letting me know this information. I talked with Jimmy about the medical flight, everything that is going on, asked him if he was okay with these decisions, etc. I think he realized that I was pretty upset with all this insurance company BS. He looked right at me, and mouthed "I'm alive". I was like WHOOOOOOOOOOA! All morning I had been so wrapped up in my frustrations with insurance that I had temporarily forgotten what really really mattered. He put me back in the right frame of mind, like he ALWAYS does! He's such a great guy!

Sept 9, 2010

Hey guys, sorry it's been a while since the last update! Jimmy is still doing just fine. He is catching up on rest. He was unable to sleep for a couple days before the surgery, so he is pretty exhausted.

We literally JUST found out that we need to move back to Wisconsin to get back into our insurance coverage area. I have talked to a couple of attorneys about this, and there's really nothing we can do about the situation. We can go and be covered, or stay and deal with the bills ourselves (Medicare cannot guarantee that they will pay for all of it). Jimmy's medical bill as of yesterday was $750,000, and thank God our insurance is paying 100% of that. We have no deductible, and no co-pay, so that's a very good thing.

He'll go through rehab in Wisconsin and we'll go from there! We will be on an ultra fancy medical flight and Jimmy will have 3 specialists watching his every breath. This flight is equipped with everything you would find in an ICU. I can fly over with him, and we'll be going straight to UW Hospital. His doctors want to keep him and get him more stabilized for just a couple more days. It's all happening so fast my head is spinning. Jimmy was awake for a while today and I let him know the whole situation. He agreed that this is the best decision we could make at this time, so it made me feel better that he's okay with it.

Wisconsin folks, we'll see you soon! Thanks to all who helped with the house packing, and will be helping with the move tomorrow! The house is 2-story, so we'd ultimately have to move out of it anyway....just going to be moving our stuff into storage, and when Jimmy is going through rehab I can start looking for apartments. And don't worry about me being homeless...Kate Frigo is very nicely going to let me stay with her in her awesome new apartment.

Sept 8, 2010

6 hour surgery complete!!! Went without a hitch, and he remained stable the whole time! Now that his neck is stabilized, they'll be able to sit him up and get going on physical therapy! So happy!

Sept 6, 2010

Jimmy is still progressing! His oxygen is at 35%, so we are getting there! They also changed the mode on his ventilator so that he is doing all his breathing on his own. They have to get his muscles strong again, and then they'll be able to take that dang tube out! He's REALLY over the tube, he wants to talk!

...

Breathing tube is out!!! He can finally talk! I spoke to his doctor today before the took the tube out, and he told me that if Jimmy asks about his family I should just be honest. He is taking it surprisingly well, and he's also taking the paralysis well too. It may take quite a while for all of this to sink in... I'm just so happy to hear his voice again!

Sept 5, 2010

Jimmy is at 40% oxygen, and they have turned off his sedation completely! His shoulder muscles are very tense, so they have him on a muscle relaxer. He is still doing the majority of his breathing on his own! His arms are still pretty darn strong for laying still for a week and a half. His nurse extends his arms and holds onto his wrists, and he then does a bicep curl and pulls her in. She had me do it so I could see how strong his biceps are and he yanked me so hard I lost my footing. Wasn't expecting that! His right arm is weaker than his left arm, but of course he's going to be getting even stronger when he gets to rehab!

He is also back to his old self! Even though he can only answer yes or no questions by shaking his head, he's still very sarcastic! He rolls his eyes, and is being very sassy.

The two of us had a dance party last night! He wanted his music on, and a song that he really liked came on. All the sudden he starts moving his arms and shoulders. I was about to sprint out the room and get his nurse, but his facial expression looked really calm. Then I asked him, "Are you dancing?" and he shook his head yes. So we had a little dance party for 2 songs, and then he took a nap. The nurses probably thought that we were insane, but mini dance parties are a part of our normal lives at least weekly!

This morning I came in to check on him and he winked at me. Very sassy! ;)

Funniest moment of the day yesterday, "Blink once if you want to listen to Britney Spears" and then he blinks like 20 times really fast. HILARIOUS!

Sept 4, 2010

Hi everyone, Jimmy is doing so well today! His oxygen was taken down to 50%!!! And he's looking great. They showed me his chest x-rays today and they look so much better! He is still wide awake, and is starting to smile and he has been mouthing words. Today he mouthed "I love you" which was wonderful! He also mouthed "Corey" (his bff). You should have seen Corey strutting around the hospital, so proud that Jimmy asked for him! Today was awesome, we just need to break that fever!

Jimmy is still wide awake, and we can ask him lots of yes-or-no questions. Last night he wanted me to stay with him while he fell asleep. Stood for an hour, in flip flops, at midnight! My feet were all swollen and red from standing still for so long. He kept waking back up, and eventually, he was okay with me going to lie down. I think he saw that I couldn't keep my eyes open. Got some good sleep in the waiting room (you can only sleep in the room if the patient is under 18...whatever). Came back in to check on him this morning, and his oxygen had been taken down to 45%! YES!!! So happy!

Jimmy is still looking awesome! Oxygen still at 45%, and still very awake. He's taking a lot of breaths on his own, hopefully they'll take that tube out of his mouth soon!

Sept 3, 2010

Jimmy did awesome yesterday. His blood pressure was right around 120/70...a lot of healthy people WISH their blood pressure was that good! His oxygen was taken down to 70% over the course of the day, and last night around 9 or so, it was down to 65%. I slept in his room last night, and when I left this morning at 6:20, it was still at 65%. He's breathing great! He's also wide awake, looking around, making eye contact! He can reply to yes or no questions by shaking his head, I always feel so much better when I ask if he's in pain and she shakes his head "no". Feels so look into his eyes again, and we can kinda have conversations!

Sleeping in chairs sucks! But it feels nice to come home, shower, and update facebook on a nice comfy bed. Will be leaving for the hospital again in just a few minutes!

Sept 1, 2010

Jimmy still looked good when I left he hospital tonight! He is still at 65% oxygen, and his blood is nicely saturated! Whooo hoo! I talked with his nurse about today's chest x-ray, and the bruising in his lungs is starting to clear up a little bit! The collapsed lung looks better, and the pneumothorax (air pocket between the lungs and the chest wall) that formed when his lung collapsed is gone. All good news!

He is a strong guy and he has so much going for him. His age, he doesn't drink much, he doesn't smoke, and he very very rarely gets sick. We had a pretty darn good day today. Keep the thoughts and prayers coming!

Jimmy's surgery is going to have to be pushed back. The neurosurgeon said maybe Friday, but we'll have to wait to see if his lungs improve. Let's hope the surgery is soon!