Tuesday, April 14, 2009

waste not, want not....

i never got a chance to post this...i didn't want to waste it.


blessings,
tim

Sunday, April 12, 2009

home, sweet, home


my fast-talking mother successfully talked her way out of the hospital today.

that's right - - >  SHE'S HOME!

she met her goal of being home for Easter Sunday.  now the real prayers start.  she is increasingly mobile, but losing the support that was there for her in the hospital will be an adjustment.  (at least their condo was clean)

angie, the kids and i packed up my dad's stuff and took that back to him this weekend.  they are both now back at home base.  we still have rusty, their dog.  he is one responsibility we'll let them "grow" in to over the next week or so.

i'll update the blog description, but you don't need to send cards to the hospital anymore.  i'm sure there are a lot of people there that would love cards, but my mom won't get them....;-)

i guess this will be my last "daily" post.  i've enjoyed sitting down each night and sharing the day's happenings regarding my mom.  everyone's prayers and thoughts have been so helpful.  i will set her up on her computer to read the comments over again.  i know she will appreciate them all over again.

please continue to post comments and send me emails and i can continue passing them along to my mom.  i'll post updates from time to time.

finally, a deep, heart-felt thanks from my brothers and i for everyone's well wishes. the journey continues, but we're excited to take the next steps with my mom at home.

"there's no place like home."
- Dorothy Gale

from all of the philpott boys (and my mom), thanks and...

blessings,
jim, greg, todd, chris, and tim

monday, monday.....


i was greeted by my mother sitting in her chair when i got to the hospital (before 7:00) this morning.  i think she gets restless in the bed and has the nurse help her into the chair about 5:00.  

the first thing i did when i got there was order her breakfast.  her appetite is coming back and they are not giving her much IV nutrition so she has to rely on the "old fashioned" way of getting nutrition.....by eating.  luckily, i'm a pro at eating so i am able to offer empathetic support.

she sees the light at the end of the tunnel now.  remember back to one of my earlier posts.  my mother had said her goal was to be home by Easter.  well, she's gonna be close, i think.  Easter Sunday will be day 39 of her treatment.  the doctor and nurse told her today that it looks like she may get to go home monday (day 40).  

hallelujah!

i'm sure you are all waiting for me to make some 40 days/40 nights reference. well, i'm not gonna do it.  seriously, i'm not.  i have jinxed everything enough during this time in the hospital.  when she actually get's home, i will look back and offer something, i'm sure.  for now, i'm not tempting fate.

today was a day of eating and moving around.  for my mom, too (ha, ha).  i was at the hospital a couple different times.  it is clear that my mom is increasingly suffering from cabin fever in her room.  if i haven't mentioned it, she has been in isolation the entire stay.  basically, that means all of the guests get to gown/glove up when they enter her room.  it also means that she hasn't left her room except for a couple of CT-scans and her gall bladder surgery.

you try spending 40 days in a room the size of your kitchen....

let's all pray down the home stretch that the lady gets sprung on monday.  what a glorious day it will be.  i like her chances.

"A good memory is one that can remember the day's blessings and forget the day's troubles."
- Unknown

blessings,
tim

Friday, April 10, 2009

a truly "good" friday....

what a difference a day makes.  as i have mentioned, my mother's main struggle has been her nausea (and ability to eat).  so much so that they put a camera down her throat to check it out this morning.  the good news is that they didn't encounter anything "down there" that was causing the problem.  i think this might have been the first test (except the bone marrow test) that didn't uncover a new problem.....

yeah!

some people had the theory that the pain medication was causing the nausea so the old bird decided she would forego the pain pills, except the tylenol, and try to whip the nausea.  as of this posting, i'm happy to report, it has worked.  when i was there this evening, she was elbow deep in a plate of turkey, mashed potatoes, and gravy.  (it actually looked pretty good ~ as hospital food goes).

the good omen (don't jinx it, tim) was the parade of nurses and other caregivers who stopped by to tell my mother good luck....

IN CASE SHE WASN'T STILL THERE WHEN THEY GOT BACK ON MONDAY!!!!!

whoaaaaaa, nellie.

could that be an inkling of light at the end of this tunnel?
(shut up...you're jinxing it)

anyhoo, i'm happy to report that i saw "my mom" today at the hospital.  i didn't see a tired woman who was convinced she would never get out of the hospital.  i saw a (bald) woman who was frustrated that she wasn't out of the hospital, yet. that is such a change from the last few weeks.  a pleasant change.  hopefully, this change will carry her home in the next few days.

the countless prayers, cards, letters, blog comments, emails, gifts, and phone calls have been the most consistent caregivers to my mother.  i am truly humbled by her circle of relationships that have, literally, showered support her way.  when my parents do go home from the hospital, they will need help carrying all of the cards and gifts.  each one of them precious.  

my dad has always been quick to point out how much "stuff" my mom saves and is fond of asking "now what are you going to do with all that?".  i'm guessing they will save all of the cards and notes.  they may even get a little "dog-eared" from handling.  my mother is already trying to decide how she can thank everyone for their support and prayers....

for me, i get my mom back.  what more thanks could i need?

"A mother is the truest friend we have, when trials heavy and sudden, fall upon us; when adversity takes the place of prosperity; when friends who rejoice with us in our sunshine desert us; when trouble thickens around us, still will she cling to us, and endeavor by her kind precepts and counsels to dissipate the clouds of darkness, and cause peace to return to our hearts."
- Washington Irving

i love you, mother.

blessings,
tim

Thursday, April 9, 2009

on a hill far away....



the struggle of Holy Week has weighed on my mind this week.  ever since being a part of the stations of the cross last week, the idea of a struggling journey has been with me.

i'm not one to draw similarities between the historical and the present day but, again, i can't help thinking that my mom is (metaphorically) on that journey from palm sunday to good friday to easter.  she has endured so much over the last few weeks.  endured more than people should be forced to endure.  overcome, in a month, more than most of us overcome in a lifetime.  

our choir sang at Maundy Thursday service tonight.  we offered a 'new' setting of the old rugged cross.  several months ago, i set this arrangement of the tune to images of the cross.  i've posted it for us all to consider again....this Holy Week.

as for my mom, she continues to battle the nausea.  so much so that they are going to put a camera down her throat tomorrow to see if there is a "physical" reason why this continues.  by removing the gall bladder, they expected this to get better.  it hasn't really.  she continues to try and eat but, for whatever reason, can't seem to keep it down.

i'll update everyone on what they find.  in the meantime, please continue praying for my mom.  for her, Easter can't come soon enough.  the day of resurrection. our minister has often said that you can't have Easter without enduring Good Friday and the Cross.  some of us have also heard that it's often darkest before the dawn.  
whatever.....  

i just want my mom to be better.....
"so i'll cherish the old rugged cross, till my trophies at last i lay down; i will cling to the old rugged cross, and exchange it someday for a crown"
- Old Rugged Cross, George Bennard 1913
blessings,
tim


Wednesday, April 8, 2009

real women shouldn't eat broth....


another day.....another small meal.

so it goes for the young lady from pekin, illinois.  another day on the journey back to health.  she is still eating some small stuff but battling nausea.  it could be remnants of the gall bladder or something else.  she is undeterred and continues trying to eat.

with the blood numbers being good, the doctor has threatened to let us bring her some "real" food from outside of the hospital.  up until now, her immune system has kept us from bringing anything that could carry some kind of microbial (something or other).  i think she is waiting for some of chris philpott's waldorf salad or bob evans' roast beef.  this broth and pureed sweet potato crap should be for prisoners not recovering cancer survivors.......are you with me?

she needs willy wonka creating some irresistible delights (minus the processed sugar, of course).  maybe a stuffed pepper?  she made us eat those disgusting things when we were kids....surely, she must like them.  anything that will help her continue to eat more.  who among us wouldn't like people (doctors included) to be rooting for us to "eat more"?

tick, tock.....time will tell.  we just keep on keeping on and hoping that she continues to get better.  the prayers continue.  my father remains vigilant at her bedside.

what would you eat?

"please sir, can i have some more?"
- Oliver Twist

blessings,
tim

encouraging?

i haven't had a chance to use the word encouraging much in my posts.  it seems like every time i border on it, there is something that is discouraging.  so let's not use the "e" word. let me just say that things continue to move in the right direction.  can i say that?  

is that jinx material? 

i stopped by the hospital early today to see my mom.  she was already up sitting in her chair and greeted me with the following:

"i had my best night that i've had in the hospital."

wow!  is that encouraging?

when i stopped by in the afternoon, she was having a few bites of banana.  i sat with her for a bit.  i could tell she was having a pretty good day.  she is still on some pain medication (so she can get a little loopy) but she had some of her spunk back.  she told my dad to order her some tilapia for dinner.

double wow!  is that encouraging?

i think it might be.  i haven't heard her ask for anything but applesauce and ice water without extreme duress.  she knows she has to eat....so she's doing it.  she says her doctor is like a broken record...."looking good.  a few more days."  i think that's as positive as it gets for him.

"things don't go wrong and break your heart so you can become bitter and give up.  they happen to break you down and build you up so you can be all that you were intended to be."
- Samuel Johnson

i'm encouraged.

blessings,
tim

Tuesday, April 7, 2009

hope..

more waiting today.  not much happened....really.  coming back from the anesthesia continued as the day wore on.  slowly but surely the nausea subsided.  my mom even tried some food later in the day (albeit clear liquid).  

i guess these kind of days should be what we're looking for...no setbacks.  it's hard to sit around and do nothing, though.  if she is able to keep up progress, she may be able to go home before too long.  that's the ultimate goal.

i apologize for the absence of information.  it was just one of those days.  let's hope tuesday continues the healing.  more to come.....i'm sure.

"Love floods us with hope."
- Jareb Teague

blessings,
tim

Sunday, April 5, 2009

hope and faith...


not too much to report today.  another day in the waiting game.....that doesn't feel like a game.

my mom spent the day trying to deal with some post-op pain issues and trying to get her stomach working again.  whenever she has anesthesia, she's not the quickest to bounce back.  she fought nausea for a lot of the day and finally took the pain medicine that helped her get the rest she needed.  

hopefully, the new day will bring with it some much needed appetite and a fresh outlook on her recovery.  she's tired of being in the hospital.  today was day 32 of her treatment (but day 33 in the hospital).  her original goal of being home by Easter still is in reach.  she just needs to start tomorrow with that in mind. 

thanks for all of the calls/notes about her surgery.  my dad and i always have a lot of people at church who ask about my mom.  today was no exception.

i'm thinking about getting a t-shirt that says "she's still fighting" or "she's hanging in there".  maybe a shirt with the blog address........so many people care about how she's doing.  it's awesome, really...

anyhoo.....if you're reading this, you're as updated as anyone and we (my brothers and i) are appreciative of the prayers for our parents.  she feels them.  my dad feels them, too.  they must be what is keeping the fight up....

"Faith is like electricity.  You can't see it, but you can see the light."
-  Unknown

blessings,
tim

Saturday, April 4, 2009

good surgery....the waiting continues

surgery went as well as could be expected today.  doctor said that the gall bladder problem was not new.  evidently, it must have been an issue for quite some time yet had gone undiagnosed.  that could have been the cause of some of my mother's issues over the last year.  they were able to get it all cleaned out in a laproscopic procedure.  hopefully, that means less recovery hurdles from the procedure.  (she's had enough recovery hurdles, don't you think?)

now it's back to the waiting game.  the eating and mobility really weren't helped today with the surgery.  tomorrow, surely, will be a better day.

my brothers and i cleaned at my parents' condo today.  that was fun....;-)  please don't anybody let our wives know that we cleaned that thoroughly.  it will be nice for them when she gets to go home.  

it was a long day for my dad as he went to the hospital around 6 this morning.  i hope he sleeps in tomorrow.  please keep him in your prayers, also.

"What can't be cured, must be endured."
- Proverb

blessings,
tim

Friday, April 3, 2009

you gotta be kidding me?


well, i wish i could say today was a good day.....

it was on a number of levels.  she is still eating a little and getting up and around. however, after a number of different tests (CT-scans, ultrasounds, etc), the doctors determined that her "sludgy" gall bladder needs to come out.

come on, tim.  you gotta be kidding me?  not something else......

yes....something else.

"God only give us what we can handle."  He must think my mom can handle a LOT.  she is one of the strongest people i know.  stubborn.  stuck in her ways.  did i mention stubborn?  my parents make mules seem easy-going....

nevertheless, tomorrow morning around 7:30, dr. ogg will be skillfully removing a used, 76 yr. old gall bladder which, evidently, is currently enflamed and full of sludge.  once again, it's not all that uncommon for patients in my mom's situation. 

now we have a new thing to pray about.  i know you all were getting tired of praying for appetite and exercise.  my mother-in-law volunteered (you may have read) to give my mother her appetite.  

thanks for continuing to follow my mother's saga, or epic journey.  she is nothing if not interesting and unique.  this is gonna make a great book someday.  i wonder who would play me in the movie?  probably brad pitt.  yeah, probably.

"Good company on a journey makes the way seem shorter"
- Izaak Walton

blessings,
brad

Thursday, April 2, 2009

eat, drink, and be ambulatory......go mom!

mashed potatoes, jell-o, vegetable soup, applesauce.....

things are getting better on the eating front for my mother.  she managed to eat a variety (although not much of any one) of foods today.  she even kept them down! this is the road home for her in the coming days.  her nurse got her up and around various times today so she is working on mobility as well.  

they checked her liver and that seemed to be ok and now they are checking her gall bladder.  she has been given, pretty much, a full overhaul while she's been in the hospital.  while she has encountered many hurdles along the way, i don't think any one of them is all that uncommon.  i do think, however, that her having so many of them is not the normal course of events for patients in her situation.

hopefully, tomorrow she eats more and moves around more.  i think she might be getting a visit from some of her friends tomorrow.  we'll see.  with her blood numbers up (and her immune system), she will become more welcoming of visitors.  shoot me an email if you want to ask....

while she is still not in the clear, we are seeing positive signs and keep ruling out other serious side effects.  as i mentioned, they did an ultrasound of her gall bladder today.  we'll see what tomorrow brings on that front.

thanks for the continued prayers.  they are definitely working!  each day my mom becomes a little more like her "old" self.  (watch what you wish for - wink)

"Nothing is more honorable than a thankful heart."
- Seneca

blessings,
tim

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

what the heck are liver enzymes, anyway?

WE BROUGHT MY MOM HOME TODAY!!!

april fools.

progress gets measured in many ways when you're in the hospital for a month:  

1  blood counts
2  fever(s)
3  infections
4  ability to eat (and keep down) food
5  ability to move about and get rid of the "fall risk" bracelet
6  ability to breathe w/o oxygen
7  all of the other organs functioning in a "normal" way

well, my mom is making great progress on 1 through 3.  today, she was focused on 4, 5 and 6.  number 7 seems to be a slippery slope.  over the last couple of days, her lungs have been the subject of great scrutiny.  the pulmonary folks seem content that her lungs are "under control".  today, it was the liver.  evidently her liver enzymes are higher than they should be.  i have heard that there are a number of reasons why that could be (ranging from the inane to very serious). they took a CT-scan today to have a better look at the liver.  i would imagine the doctor will have those results in the morning.

overall, she had a fairly good day today.  she ate a variety of soft foods and the physical therapist had her pushing a walker around about 18 sq. ft. of her room (that was comical).  she talked on the phone for a while with the folks from her work.  that seemed to cheer her up.  

we continue to wait for further healing and more test results.  hopefully tomorrow will be another day "around the corner."  keep up the prayers.  they are the positive momentum that she needs.

"I love sharing my story.  It's endlessly healing."
- Ben Vereen

blessings,
tim