Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Christmas Pic of the kids


I am hoping that the picture is imbedded in this...:) never really works the way I want it to. But I am putting in the Christmas pic of the kids since a bunch of cards (all mailed at the same place) seem to have not arrived. So, here it is...I have to say that I think this one is one of my favorites. Genuine smiles - no poses....of course, it took Alexa's boyfriend, Jaymes, giving me rabbit ears to get it, but I'll take what I can get.

Sorry, All, been busy....


Okay, Let's see...


Gene has been doing well, the third and fourth days out were bad and the muscles and tissues are hurting still. Incision is healing very well, doc is very pleased.


The pain from before the surgery is going away down his arms and the strength is coming back little by little, it is still early, so we will see what happens. The numbness is still there and the doc says that this is normal and it may go away a bit or it may never go away. I figure numb is one thing, just make him stop hurting.


His neck is still very painful and when we saw the doc yesterday, he asked Gene, "It feels like someone has hit you with a baseball bat, yes?" Yep, that was exactly how Gene was describing it at home. Doc says this is normal due to the things they had to do during surgery to the muscles and such. Please don't ask me to describe it. It makes me shiver and I wasn't the one having it done. When they use words like scrap and ratchet, well, you see my point. Anyway, the doc says that this will last for a couple more weeks while the muscles, tendons, and tissues heal.


He will continue to be in the collar for 3 to 4 months, but the doc is pleased with how he is healing. Said the previous surgical area looked good and healed when he went in and that was a very good thing. Gene is doing well.


Other news, made it through Gene's birthday with the sore throat. He managed a bit, but mashed potatoes are still a hit.


Chi went back to school last week and is going well. Alexa started her second semester of college today so she will be out and about. Good thing is she has a TV course Mondays and Wednesdays in the afternoon so she will be in class but at home.
Love you all...I will try to keep everyone posted more as his healing progresses and this will go back to being a regular blog but feel free to come and visit.


Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Home

Well, we just got the word that they are kicking us out of here this morning. LOL.

Gene's incision looks good. His neck is swollen a bit, but we were warned that it would be. He seems to be talking okay, but gets tired talking after a while.

He is eating well too. Something I am glad of - means that I don't have to adjust his diet too much.

Now it is just about getting him home to where he will be more comfy.

So, we are waiting for the paperwork and we will be heading home. We should be home and settled after noon.

Monday, January 5, 2009

Rooms

Well, this time went much better than last. He is awake and ... talking. Go figure. Color is good and he falls asleep here and there but okay. He is also eating soft foods....already.

Not to mention, they already have him in a room. So, there it is. He is sore and even though he is talking, it isn't comfy, so we will keep talking to a minimum today and see how it goes.

So, off to find myself something for lunch and chill out for a while. My cell is on and our emails are up so if you want to communicate with him you can.

Surgery Done

Okay, I just met with the Doc and he said the surgery went really well. He was pleased by the bone structure to support the screws. So, I am waiting for them to let me know when I can go into recovery to stay with him until they get him into a room.

As soon as I have a room number, I will let everyone know here.

Off to the recovery room.......

D-Day

Or should I say S-Day...

Well, we have been here since 6 a.m. Ugh! Everything went smoothly and he was wheeled in at 8:20. Not too bad. I have gotten two different versions of the length of surgery from 2-3 hours to 4-5 hours, so I figure, I will see him when I see him.

Took me a bit to get hooked up to the WiFi here at the hospital but I think I have it now.

As soon as I have anymore information, I will post it.

Thanks to everyone that sent texts and messages this morning. It was nice to see.

You'll be hearing from me soon.

Friday, January 2, 2009

Q & A

I have received a number of emails asking a few of the same questions so I will try to answer them here.

1. Visiting. Phone calls are not appropriate only because Gene will not be able to talk for a few days after so if you do call, don't expect a lot of conversation. :) If you nwould like to visit, I will post his room number on here as soon as I know it and then Monday late afternoon or early evening would be best. From experience, early evening is better. He probably won't be out of surgery until after noon then recovery so that would be best.

2. Well wishes. We will have the laptop so if you would like to send an email or ecard, that would be great. You can either send it to Gene's email or mine - if you send it to mine, I will make sure he sees it.

3. We will probably only be in the hospital from early Monday morning to late afternoon on Tuesday.

4. They are anticipating the availability of donor bone which is a good thing. If they didn't, yes, there would be a second incision (thus longer surgery time) to aquire bone from Gene's hip to replace the vertebrae they remove. However, this would not increase stay time.

5. As for the birthday questions, he has an Amazon wish list under Gene White in Yuba City for ideas...and trust me, this is all I really get out of him besides, "You know what I like" - ARGH!!!! I may have a small get together for him the weekend of the 10th but probably not until the next weekend. I will keep you all posted.

Okay, I think I addressed the majority of questions asked. I will continue to keep everyone posted.

Hope everyone had a fantastic holiday and a wonderful New Year.