After 81 long days in 4 hospitals, over 30 doctors, 2 major surgeries, 4 surgical procedures, Numerous CAT scans & x-rays, and more blood tests than you can ever imagine.... Today, Monday, August 17, 2009 Rick is... Finally.... HOME!!!
He is home on bed rest for at least 2 weeks recovering now. Then we'll see how things go from there. His red blood count is still really low so we need to be careful of illnesses and infections. And it will take quite some time to still get food in his stomach. He can only handle a few bites or so. But making progress.
Now to back track since the last post....
On July 5th, Rick started showing signs of internal bleeding. He was closely monitored. On Tuesday July 7th, it was for sure that he definitely had internal bleeding. The cyst was only about 4 weeks along in growth, so it was to soon for any doctors to safely drain the cyst. Our specialist in town started making phone calls to the Medical center in downtown Houston. ONE doctor was found that was specially trained to drain these types of cysts. So on Wednesday, July 8th, Rick was transported to St. Lukes hospital for further testing and evaluation. They kept a close eye on him and were prepared for blood transfusions, but Rick made it very clear he did not want a transfusion unless it was ABSOLUTELY necessary. After many tests and consultations with doctors, surgery was scheduled for Friday, July 10th. (KD was away at girls camp this week, which is where I was also suppose to be, so luckily she was not involved with all the seriousness of everything).
The Doctors talked with us for quite some time about the risks involved with this type of surgery and especially with the lose of blood. But we had no choice and with a good team of doctors, (the best one in the country, if not the world) Rick went in to drain the cyst. They ended up putting in a permament drain that went from the cyst to the stomach. His pancreas will continue to seap fluids and without the drain, more cysts will develop. It will take some time for this cyst to drain, (by the way, by this point 3 more cysts had developed, in a week's time). The doctors had blood on stand by, and even though quite a bit of blood was lost, they were able to complete the surgery without the need of a transfusion.
After the successful surgery, Rick would spend another 2 weeks up at St. Luke's hospital.
During that 2 week period, I had to fly to Idaho on 2 occassions with KD and for Kellie's graduation from BYU-I. I questioned leaving while Rick was in the hospital, but the doctors assured me Rick was in good hands and now would be a good time to go. So with the help from many good people in our church, I made my trips to Idaho. We are so greatful to those who came and spent the days with Rick. Who gave him the support he needed to keep going. Who took care of our house and were able to keep up with the doctors. What a great sacrifice these friends made.
While away at Kellie's graduation, Rick was transported back to the long term facility in Clear Lake, as it had been discovered (before I left) that his stomach was not digesting foods, which was causing severe bacterial infections in his stomach. Once again, friends were there to help him with the move!
He continued to recover in the long term facility, and just as we thought he was doing good, he would have another set back. Numerous more infections set in and doctors told us that they were out of ideas. We were getting really frustrated with the whole medical process. Doubting if doctors really knew what they were doing. But thanks to the thousands of prayers that were offered on our behalf, we were able to continue to put our faith in the doctors and keep pressing forward.
And many miracles later, with the love and prayers from all.... Monday Rick was able to finally leave the hospitals. He still has a long recovery ahead of him, but he is soooo happy to be home.
We are sooooo thankful for the many family and friends who were there with us through this long journey. There were many times when the doctors and nurses asked us how big our family was, (as we continually had people coming to visit). We replied that our family was HUGE!!! Rick introduced all as his brothers. We were able to have many discussions with the nurses about the church, family history, and our son on a mission and daughters away at school. Where else, but within the church, would you find a group of guys willing to go down and have a guys night out playing cards and games in a hospital room to help keep Rick's spirits high.
Yes, I must say, even though this is a road we would rather NOT experience again, we are truly greatful to ALL those who were there with us. Whether in person, or spirit. We truly felt the love and prayers and are greatful to all our family and friends!
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