Reporting Live from Happy Valley!

Gail, Nate and I arrived in the valley tonight, and we saw Mom for an hour and a half or so. They did install the chest tube today, and drained off what looked to be more than 1 liter of fluid. The doctor had clamped it earlier in the day, but left it installed, so I'm not sure what that means, but it's likely that she'll have to try to sleep with it in all night. Mom's brother, Bob, will be arriving late tonight and plans to go up to the hospital with me tomorrow morning. We're hoping to talk to Dr. Razia who is the oncologist that Mom has been seeing since last year. More news tomorrow.............

Fluid Removal Delayed

Well, they were going to draw off the fluid in her lungs yesterday, but her cumadin level was too high, and remained high today. I talked to her an hour or so ago, and she sounded like she was doing pretty well. She's still taking morphine regularly to control the pain, but she was coherent and responsive. We talked about some TV shows that were on this week, and about us visiting Pauline over the weekend. We'll be heading to the valley tomorrow, so I'll have a first hand report at some point this weekend. I'm hoping that we might get to talk to the doctor Saturday morning to ask about where things stand and what the future holds.

Wednesday Update

I talked to Mom last night, and she sounded okay. She was still experiencing some pain, and had just gotten some morphine, so hopefully she was able to get some rest. She was concerned about what was on TV, so I told her how Boston Legal would be starting at 9.30 and she was glad to hear that and planned to watch it.

Today, they're going to drain some fluid from her lung. I hope that goes well. I guess they just use some novacaine, and do a small incision to insert the tube and allow it to drain. I know one time for Dad it didn't seal up right, and it allowed air to leak in all over his body. His skin felt like bubble wrap and it started to close off his windpipe! They were able to act quickly and got him squared away, but it was a little freaky. (This happened 3 or 4 years ago.) Needless to say, I didn't share this little story with Mom, but I am hoping that it goes better for her today. I'm pretty sure they did the same thing last year when she first went into the hospital, and she didn't have any problems.

Update from Nurse

I called in and spoke to Mom's nurse today. She said that she's using the morphine a bit less over the last couple of days, so it seems that the pain has subsided somewhat. (She's still using morphine, so whatever pain she has must be stronger than your run of the mill headache.)

I also called into Dr. Razia's office, and left a message hoping to find out more about why there's an increase in pain in the last couple of weeks. I posed a couple of ideas to the nurse, and she said that it would be inappropriate for her to speculate about it and that I should try to connect with the doctor.

The nurse didn't indicate that there were any plans to discharge Mom, so It's likely she'll be there until her status improves. Razia should be back to the office by Friday, and may check in with Mom over the weekend.

Gail, Nate and I plan to head to the valley this weekend. I'm not sure if we're heading out Thursday evening, or Friday, but we'll likely be there by Friday evening, and plan to head back to Detroit on Monday. I'll bring my laptop with me, and should be able to post updates while we're there.

Hospital Update

Mom is in a LOT of pain this weekend. It's unclear as to what the cause might be. She's getting some big doses of morphine, and that's helping so that she can get some rest and get something to eat. If she's not able to eat much on her own, they're going to move forward with a feeding tube soon. Not much happens at hospitals on the weekend, so hopefully we'll hear more as the week progresses.

Mom in Hospital

Mom is in the hospital. She's been real weak lately, and her doctor advised that they would skip chemo this week, and try to get her strength built up. She hasn't been eating or drinking much, and was dehydrated. I'm sure she'll feel better once she gets some fluids into her. Keep her in your thoughts and prayers...........

Wilcox Wedding Pictures have been posted!

I got the official word last night that I can post these to the site! Enjoy!

Wedding News!

It's official! Doug is set to marry Mary Wyka on August 31! We're looking forward to it!

Nate's Third Birthday

Today's Nate's official third birthday, and we went to the Ann Arbor Hands-on Museum. There were a lot of projects there, and Nate enjoyed a few of them quite a bit. I posted some pictures on the website.

New Pictures

I thought I would see what I could figure out with the Multiply site. I determined that I could set up certain folders to be viewed by everyone, so I uploaded some recent photos, and I also found a video on the PC from last Easter. I'll see how much more I can add in my 'spare' time.

Jennifer's Blog

Please note that Jennifer has created her own blog as she's not clear on how to make posts to this blog. I've added a link to the left to quickly access it.

It sounds like Mom is going to be in the hospital for a few more days dealing with the chest tube and recovering from the surgery overall. No word yet on when they might reschedule the other procedure that was supposed to be completed this week.

Mom in the Hospital

Well, I'm not sure why, but the doctor's identified some fluid around her heart. They plan to drain it on Monday and hopefully figure out if it's a huge problem, or just another bump in the road.

This stay at the hospital has postponed one procedure that was supposed to be this week, so hopefully that will get rescheduled so that she can continue her chemotherapy routine and keep the existing cancers at bay.

She's very anxious for us to firm up our trip to Vegas as we're hoping to go before it gets too hot there, but we may just have to plan lots of indoor activities once we do get things finalized.

Please keep her in your prayers, and we'll hope for the best.

2006 is OVER and good riddance!

I for one am glad that this year is over. It seems like it has taken forever to come and go, and I'm glad it's finally at the end. I can't imagine that we could've borne any more bad news or circumstances than we already have. We do really appreciate all of the help we received from family and friends this year and we're hoping that 2007 is going to be a much brighter year than 2006 has been!

Happy New Year!

Craig

My Funeral Tribute

We just returned from the memorial service in NYS. We really appreciated all who attended, and hope you enjoyed reminiscing about Dad and finding comfort in the community.

Gail thought it would be appropriate for me to post my notes from the funeral service on October 11. I had written them out because I knew it would be difficult to say with all of the emotions of the week.



Integrity, curiosity, humility, steadfastness, and guts………

These are a few of the things that my father taught me, and these are things that I will hold dear.

My father taught me about integrity……….

My father may not have been a perfect man, but he held his integrity above all else. This served him well, and also earned him many retractors who complained that he “wouldn’t go along” or “keep his mouth shut.” He did not do these things lightly. He fought for what he believed in, and would not waiver to popular opinion.

My father taught me about curiosity……….

He always sought to find a better way to do things. He was constantly looking for ways to save money or speed processes at his various jobs. He spent the most time on things that interested him including trees, plants, minerals, and gold panning. He knew the name of every tree in the forest, and he could name every rock we walked past. Once he amazed you with this information, he could tell you how it got there (generally from a glacier from Canada), and approximately when.

My father taught me about humility…………

My father had some rough roads in his life, and he did his best to get over many obstacles, and sought out assistance when he needed it the most. I think this made him appreciate the people around him even more and enriched our lives in the last few years.

My father taught me about steadfastness………..

This was evident not only in his jobs, but most recently in working for his friends at Coventry Place. When he went into the hospital this last time, one of the first errands I was directed to run was to get the notes he had typed up from two meetings to Jean to ensure that they would get distributed to the appropriate people. Who else but my father would think of such a thing lying in a hospital bed struggling to breathe?

My father taught me about guts…………..

Through all the hardships of life, my father fought to make things better for himself, for his family and his friends. He had a heart attack 9 years ago that the doctor’s said would have killed most people. Dad fought back, and continued to fight through surgeries, hospital stays, and dragging around that oxygen tank for the last year. He did this just to get as much time as possible with the people around him.

Integrity, curiosity, humility, steadfastness, and guts………

These are a few of the reasons why I loved my father. These are the things I will cherish, and these are the things that have helped to shape me as a man, and these are the things I will teach my son.

NYS Memorial Set

The Memorial Service for NY is set for October 28, 2006 at 2.00p. The service will be held in Ilion at the First Presbyterian Church where Dad was baptized.

First Presbyterian Church
90 Morgan St
Ilion, NY 13357

Phone:
315-894-2070