Well......since the last blog our lives have changed quite a bit.
March 27 we were sitting on the couch after putting the babies to bed when Jon began rubbing his LEFT arm/shoulder.....well you already know where I'm going don't you......
He headed off to the hospital and in a few hours I got the call that there was Troponin in his blood suggesting something was going on with his heart. Literally I started shaking so bad my teeth were rattling & I could barely talk. Luckily our son got home from work and I called our oldest son and his wife. They got over and we went to the hospital together. Believe it or not a little 10 year old doctor (just kidding) was trying to tell Jon he just needed to get his shoulder checked out by a neurologist....the only one who got checked out was her! We got the cardiologist in and of course he thought a heart cath was in order due to Jon's history and we knew there was a small blockage when he had his last heart cath in 2020. At the time it was deemed to small and hard to get to. In fact it was mentioned when he had the heart surgery in 2016 but it was too small to justify putting a stent in. I know that sounds crazy but there is a protocol to follow. Anyway he had the heart cath the next day after many delays because of emergencies. He was the last patient done and they successfully got a stent in. It was on the LAD "the widowmaker" Despite it being 90% blocked it was very reassuring to know this was not a "new blockage" In fact his arteries are all clear and it shows that taking statins have made a huge difference! I told on it was almost worth having to deal with all this to get that good news.
So then he came home and all was good.....in fact I scheduled a cruise for us LOL When he had his first heart attack and surgery I knew how much he wanted to go on a cruise so I told him "if he was a good boy in surgery" I would schedule a cruise for us. I never wanted to go on one.....oh how that changed So I scheduled one for us in a couple of months. He's feeling great!
Then I finally made the appointment to have foot surgery. I have Haglund's Abnormity and needed it taken care of. It's caused by too much walking and high heels....Guilty! So I scheduled it for the day after Easter. There was no way I was going to wear a boot with my Easter dress!Easter was great~
We came home and had a great meal fun relaxing day.... later that night Sam seemed to throw up a little. not much we actually thought maybe he intentionally made himself throw up. He was playing and acting normal so we headed off to bed to be ready for my surgery the next morning. I was beat because I'd spent the last week preparing for the surgery by laying pavers working on the lawn, cleaning the house and doing some meal prep. Once during the night his pulse/oxygen machine went off but before I got out off bed it stopped so I did not worry about it. But the next morning I looked in his room because I heard a noise and he was covered with horrible throw up- undigested food. It overed him the bed and the wall. We got him up and I cleaned (and retched) while Jon gave him a shower.... at that point I was questioning having my surgery! But Jon said it would be ok.....Mr Optimist himself.
Our caregiver came and we told her just to give him some soup and tea a little later And off we went ....my foot surgery was easy peasy just a pain after with the stupid boot. We got back home later and gave Sam some tea. He had had a little of the soup but not much. He couldn't even swallow the tea and threw it up violently. At that point we knew he needed to go to the ER. Jon took him to our local ER hoping it was just a virus. It wasn't. He had a blockage in his small intestine. He got transferred to Arnold Palmer in Orlando where thankfully we had a surgeon who had already seen Sam. After we found Sarah's malrotation of the small intestines we had Sam checked for it..... Of course he had it although it was not as crazy as her's was. He had a regular malrotation which we were told was still serious but at his age we could just keep an eye on it, Well....it was acting up so he had surgery yesterday.
He had the malrotation moved, the small intestine worked on appendix removed and the red mole on his nose taken off! Unfortunately his surgery could not be done like Sarah through a laparoscopy so he has a huge cut down his belly. He turned out to be more difficult than Sarah in a different way. He has a NG tube that's removing all the bile and gook from his small intestines.
right before surgery
after
He recently has gotten obsessed with blankets. this is so soft
so much bile
Please keep Sam in your prayers He has a long recovery ahead My foot is pain free but I'm wearing a boot and suing a knee scooter a friend lent me The doctor said if I obey his rules I should make a full recovery! My plans were a long 2 week marathon of tv and books.....welp.....I'm still doing things just like he told me-just not at home. Jon and I take turns staying in the hospital. He is staying nights and i'm staying during the day. Thankful for a Ronald McDonald House right next to the hospital.. I do wish I'd cancelled the surgery but I had no idea how sick Sam was!!! I'm stuck and need help to do things but at least I can sit with him.
Honestly I was so overwhelmed by all this and a few other things going on that I just did not see how we could do this but we are making it. Thanks for your prayers
