Tappy needs a new set of lungs

I hope everyone is enjoying their Christmas.  In September of this year we realized Mom and Dad would not be home for Christmas…again.  Last year we knew they couldn’t be there but nobody expected another Christmas would lapse before their return.  Their absense really hit home coming into December and the worry escalated when Tap’s condition began to deteriorate at a quicker rate.  The call finally came and we have a new Christmas memory that none of us will ever forget.  We owe this to someone who had the courage and heart to help someone they didn’t know and to their family for following through on their wishes.  

Tappy continues to show improvements everyday.  When he began walking, he was pushing a large walker that he could fully lean on.  He immediately moved to a smaller, more manageable walker and gradually increased his distance.  When I walked with him yesterday, I had to slow him down a couple of times because I felt he was getting a little too quick.  Ma is the regular trainer who knows what he can do and knows when he needs to be stopped.  After his walks, his oxygen saturation is still at very good levels.  At rest, they are better than mine!  I just got a call from ma.  She called to report that Tappy climbed 8 steps with his physical therapist this morning.  Its hard for anyone to understand how big this improvement is. 

The nurse removed every second staple from his incision yesterday.  There were about 50 staples total.  The drainage tube will likely be removed today.  As much as we were looking forward to spending New Year’s in their apartment, I am glad things are going the way they are.  I think he is ready to come home but there are a lot of empty beds in his area and that means alot of attention to him.  Although some people have been released in as little as 8 days, the norm is three weeks even with a good recovery.  The doctors continue to tell him that he is doing extremely well.

I think he will be home later this week.  It will be a nice change for Ma.  She has been at his bedside all day long every day since he was admitted.  Her strength and support is an inspiration to all of us.  During the past year, she has been a workhorse; lifting and hauling everything from the 60 pound oxygen concentrator to the day to day groceries.  Her role in this whole ordeal was as important as the surgeons’.  Thanks Mom, we love you!

Here is the latest picture of Nan and Tap.  As you can see, he looks fantastic.

We were told from the start that no matter how good things are going, to expect some hurdles along the way.  This week Tappy ran into his first one.  There was some fluid between his ribs and his new lung,  keeping the new lung from expanding to its full capacity.  They inserted a chest tube yesterday and drained about a litre of fluid, giving Tap instant relief.  This is not uncommon and all reports from doctors and nurses are VERY positive. Dad expressed some concern that maybe he isn’t doing as good as he should be……that left both the doctor and the nurse laughing.  They reassured him he is doing INCREDIBLY well.   Everyone who sees Dad, says he looks ten years younger…..Ma is starting to get a little ticked off and says if it doesn’t stop, she’ll be putting in for the surgery herself.
Mike, Lisa, Jacob and Amber arrived Christmas night and will be staying until New Years night…..(or maybe Easter, if the airport situation hasn’t improved by then)
It’s great for Mom to have the company.  The hospital has been very accommodating, allowing Dad to sit in a private visitors room with everybody, as opposed to the “two at a time” rule.�
Things are still wonderful.  Dad doesn’t ask about getting out of the hospital because he feels that when he’s ready, the doctor will let him know.  He is quite content to wait it out.

On a sour note, the hospital turkey dinners sucked so Ma is cooking her own today…..yum-yum.
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Well, it looks like Tappy won’t be going home for Christmas after all.  He is still doing great but all of the new meds are still being adjusted daily until they find just the right combonation of each.  The Doctor did offer a day pass for Christmas Day but they prefer to play it safe and not rush things.  AND…….Mom found out she can order a turkey dinner for herself at the hospital for $11 with no clean up…..Tap’s comes with the accomodations….that might have played a small part in the decision making!

So it looks like Wednesday might be the new target date for release but again, they will take caution over speed.

Check out www.capebretonpost.com  Today’s top story is “Christmas Comes Early for Sydney Man”  

Merry Christmas everyone and thank you so much for all of the support.

Sorry for the delay with the updates.  It seems our website has been under attack by “Zombies”  (computer people will know what I mean) and we couldn’t get access.

Everything is going fabulous.  All of Dad’s tubes have been removed and it looks like he’ll be going home to his Toronto Apartment on Christmas Eve.  There isn’t a lot to tell, which is a good thing.  He is healing wonderfully and is ready start a brand new chapter in his life… one without oxygen tubes.

Cape Breton Post is printing a story about Dad and what a wonderful christmas gift we’ve all received.  I think it will be in Christmas Eve’s paper.

Sorry for the long gap, but the last couple of days have been hectic with travel and getting back to work.

Tap continues to heal at breakneck speed. He had his first Tim’s since surgery today, but I hear he strayed from the tried and true “double-double” for the marginally healthier “single-single” and didn’t care for it much. You’ve been through a lot Tap, but don’t be afraid to live a little; you deserve it.

The second of three chest tubes was removed today along with another IV line. The last chest tube will likely be gone tomorrow before moving to “the 7th floor”. The 7th floor is the 3rd stop after surgery following ICU and “step down”. They said he would have been moved today but there were no beds available.

Keeping down some of the meds has been a little tough but he’s getting the hang of it. They still make him wretch, but at least they are staying put. During the first couple of weeks the dosages can fluctuate quite a bit while the doctors try to establish optimum levels of each drug in his system. Once the dosages begin to stabilize, the nausea should subside as well.

Tappy was the 99th lung transplant performed at Toronto General this year.

Here is Tappy and his entourage preparing for and cooling down after his first walk.  Most of the hookups you see in the photo have since been removed.

(click for larger images)

Hi from Tappy…

If you can’t see the video box above, click here

At noon today, Dad got out of bed for the first time since the operation.  He walked a good distance down the hall and back to his room, with about 600 pounds of machines, poles, bags and tubes. He was then seated in a chair where he would remain for over an hour and during this time, he had his first meal….tomato soup, lemon jello, and cranberry juice. If he tolerates that, they will remove his feeding tube.  Dad is progressing exactly as he should be and is moving from ICU to Stepdown in about five minutes.  His spirits are great and he has little to no pain.  He is still very tired as you can imagine but everything is going very, very well. 

I have to pass along so much thanks to Mona and Dave Finlay.  Without them, I wouldn’t have been able to get here.  They have been there for me since the day Mom and Dad left and I love them more than they will ever know.  Thank you guys!

Stay tuned…..Mike will be adding some pictures pretty soon and we’ve recorded a message from Dad for all of you which will be posted here as well.

On the way home from the hospital this eveing I got a call from Jean.  We had been trying to contact her for hours to give her an update, but were only getting voice mail.  It seemed odd given the circumstances, but we figured she must have been working.  But she wasn’t; she was traveling.

She stopped by Mona and Dave’s for tea at about 11am but tea was cut short to make a 12:05 flight out of Sydney.  Thanks to Mona and Dave for arranging the flight and giving up the airmiles.  Mom and dad were both extremely surprised and extremely happy to see her.

It has been a long day of waiting for Tap.  First thing this morning, we were told his numbers looked very good and the tube will come out soon.  The doctor was very busy and despite the good reports from the respiratory technicians, she had to see him before they could remove the tube.

At 4:10PM she gave the go ahead and the tube was removed at 4:30.  His mouth and throat are still very dry but his voice is getting better. 

We think we overheard the doctor say he will likely go to stepdown tomorrow.  That is one step better than ICU, where he is now. 

He needs to sleep now.  Hopefully he will be able.  The monitors and machines around him emit an alarm for one reason or another every couple of minutes. 

We hope to have a picture or two up here later tonight.

Its almost 11:00AM here and still not much to report…that’s good news.  The doctors and technicians expect to remove the tubes this morning but it hasn’t happened yet, not due to his own condition but more so the situation.  The snow is still coming down and staff may be short.

His pain is under control and he is still very tired, partially a side effect of the drugs.  We are passing on the well wishes and he is very happy to receive them. 

That’s it for now.