#2 and Final Surgery Update

JIM IS HOME!!!! THE FINAL SURGERY IS FINISHED!!!!

Physical Therapy assessed and released him to home care and the Dr. was happy with the progress he had made and decided he was ready to go home!

So, he is still at a ten pound restriction for several weeks and no stairs till he's a little stronger. He has stitches and staples that will stay in for three weeks with another assessment from the Dr. at that point. He can resume driving in April, 2010 due to his seizure in September, 2009. Michigan law prohibits you to drive for six months after suffering a seizure.

What an incredible blessing we have received having him home before Thanksgiving. God has truly blessed us thru this entire process and we are eternally grateful. We appreciate all the love, prayers and support from everyone and could never say Thank You enough. We will continue to give weekly updates until the final release from the Dr.

#2 Surgery Update

Jim is now in a regular room and still had quite a bit of pain this morning. The Dr. removed the compression cap and the drain and had to put in two stitches because it was bleeding pretty good. Those will stay in for two weeks, and the 50+ staples will stay in for three weeks.

As soon as the cap was removed, his pain level came down about 25%. He is still on pretty heavy pain meds, but is resting comfortably. He is back to no appetite because the food tastes terrible but we're pretty sure its the anesthesia that has him messed up. He has some swelling with a mild fever and is on antibiotics. The Dr. said he may come home tomorrow depending on how much bleeding he has from the drain hole, but worst case is Monday.

We are so grateful to have our father and husband on the other side of this surgery and know that God is still in control.

Post Surgery Update

Jim had a rough night following surgery with alot of nausea and pain. The morning wasn't much better, but they did figure out that the Morphine pump was causing him great nausea. So, they got rid of that and started giving him Tylenol and Norco which is what he takes for his headaches. We had to ask for something for nausea as well and that finally got better into the evening hour.

The pain didn't let up all day so they finally gave him something more powerful which knocked him out for a few hours. He rested the remainder of the day and is scheduled sometime tonight for a CT Scan to ensure all went well with surgery. We will get those results in the morning.

He is starting to swell again and still has his compression cap on which is the main cause of his pain. They are hoping to take the cap off tomorrow so we will be able to see all his staples again. He had them shave his entire head this time!

Please continue to pray for a speedy recovery and that the pain subsides. Thanks again for all the love and support and prayers.

Surgery was a Success!

Jim was cleared for surgery today, and went in around 11:30am, and was finished around 1:45pm! Everything went perfect, just as God planned and he is currently in recovery. Another drain (similar to the EVD) has been temporarily put back in his head. So he should be in the hospital 2 to 3 days depending on how recovery goes. We will keep you posted as we find more information out! Thank you for all the continued prayers!!!! GOD IS GOOD!

Today is the Day! - Surgery #2-Cranioplasty

Well, here we are 4 months after Jim fell ready to go back in and put the skull together again. Two days ago, Jim started getting a cold with a runny nose and a bit of a sore throat, but no fever. The hospital is aware of this and will evaluate him when we arrive at 9:00 a.m. If he has a fever or they feel he's too sick, there is a possibility that surgery will be delayed for several weeks. We are trusting God for whatever happens because he is still in control and he is much more wise them us.

Jim is anxious about this surgery, but looking forward to getting past this and being able to sneeze, blow his nose, bend over, etc. As usual, we ask for your prayers to be with Jim, the Drs, Nurses, and all staff that will be in the operating room with him and caring for him before and after surgery. His surgery is scheduled for 11:15 this morning and should last a few hours. We won't know anything before 2:00 p.m. and we will try to post something immediately. We thank you all for the love, support and prayers thru this entire process.

Weekly Update

Jim has been kept very busy by meetings, birthdays, going out to eat, church, etc. Well here we are at the final week before surgery and he is healthy and looking forward to being put back together.

We appreciate all your prayers that have gotten him to this point and thank you so much for continuing to pray thru this next surgery. This is a two hour surgery and should be only two days in ICU if all goes well. We expect that things will go very well and he will be home in time for Thanksgiving. What a glorious Thanksgiving that will be!! God is still in control and we know he won't desert him now. God is faithful and true and thats all I need to lean on.

Weekly Update

Jim has had some lazy days of sleeping in, not getting out much due to headaches and he's had some great days where we run around most of the day and he gets worn out and sleeps really good.

All in all, can't complain. He's avoided all the flu bugs so far and we're still on track for Nov. 19th. Keep up the prayers, we're going to need them as the 19th approaches. We're still trusting that God is in complete control of this and feel very confident that things will go well.

11 more days!!!

Tuesday & Wednesday Update

The last few days have been pretty good with few headaches. Jim spent some time at church, with friends, co-workers and family. Of course his favorite activity is eating and yes he has gained about 20 pounds back from the original 40 he lost.

15 more days!

Monday Update

Jim received the results from the Sleep Deprived 8-Hour EEG and the Dr. said that there were spikes in the brain waves which could indicate seizure activity but they were inconclusive. So, they are leaving him on the seizure meds for six months with another evaluation at that point. So, we are trusting that God is taking care of this and we will focus on staying healthy until surgery.

Monday was a lazy day, but a headache day all day for Jim. He was able to whip up a batch of his amazing chocolate chip cookies after dinner, so things did get better.

Please continue to pray that Jim stays healthy and headaches are at a minimum until 11/19/09.

16 more days til surgery!

Sunday Update

What an incredible sermon this sunday! Went to church and out to lunch with amazing friends, then home for some relaxation and reading. Hoping to hear some results this week from the 8-Hour EEG.

18 days til surgery!