Why So Serious?

Josh and Erin here. Yello!! Not much going on today. We just spent some time watching Smallville; for those of you who may not be aware, this show is freaking sweet! Clark Kent / Superman = Josh's fantasy. For real. In honor of this amazing show, we've decided to pay homage and dub this weekend's family reunion none other than...Schweitz-a-pa-looza (with the 'S' in Schweitz looking like the Superman logo).

On another note, turns out that Erin's artificial pulmonary artery costs roughly the same as our Pontiac Grand Prix did when I first bought it...whoa. Luckily, depreciation isn't as high on human tissue as it is on automobiles. Cool beans. And, we'll get more out of the artery than we will out of the 'Yac.

Our weekend was pretty fun. On Saturday, we woke up early so I could log some miles in preparation for the Army Ten-Miler and Kansas City Half Marathon in October. I met up w/ an Army buddy to run the hills of Platte City...yeah, that was pretty dumb. By the end, I was sweating so bad that whenever I took a step, sweat squished out of my shoes! I think Erin almost puked seeing that. She logged 4+ miles of her own walking; she's doing awesome the past few days. I don't think we could decide who was in more pain after our morning workout...hmmm. We're doing the Relay for Life 5K in two weeks; Erin is going to dominate for sure!

Ok, so after our workout, we prepped our home for visitors. Some of Erin's old work friends came over for some sourdough waffles and fruit. Chandra even brought some of her famous salsa. Not sure how salsa goes w/ waffles and fruit, but Tara wanted it and we all enjoyed it. Tara explained the intricacies of running hurdles and the pain of biting it hard during a meet. Good times, good times.

Sunday was spent w/ the Arasmiths. Todd just purchased NCAA '09 for PS3, so he just had to show it to me. We also grilled some delicious chicken and pineapple, watched some NASCAR, and enjoyed some Custard's Last Stand. It was great to hang out w/ them and hear about their plans for Baby Arasmith! Whoo hoo!!

Oh, I almost forgot...we saw one of the greatest movies EVER. That would be The Dark Knight. Wow! And, we only paid $5 each for Erin and me. Super Duper!

Achey Breaky Heart?!

I think this is what it would be like if you realized what it was like when you were a baby. You know, if you could have your adult mind in baby-hood. Every day I find I can do something new that I couldn't do before. A whole bunch of 1st. It's actually weird, because I don't do anything to gain the ability to do these new things, time passes, and I can! Which I'm sure it what my nephews are experiencing now. :) And how about a picture from this time two weeks ago for good measure!

The 1sts for this week:

Monday- can lay completely flat and sleep

Tuesday- can stay up all day! oh yeah- and can go for a 2 mile walk by myself!

Wednesday- can sit up and lay down all by myself...doesn't feel good, but I can do it! Also, can bend over with my legs straight to pick up something off the floor.

Today- can reach my back in the shower! All that terrible stretching is paying off! Well, and I think some of the stiffness is finally beginning to go away. AND I was actually very hungry for lunch today, so I think my appetite may be coming back.

Who knows what's next!

Josh has been working really hard at work this week, lots of catching up to do and lots of new responsibilities! But of course, he's dominating being a Commander. That means he's pretty tired when he gets home and night but it's still fun to hear about what list of things he got done during the day now, and what fraction of a sandwich he had time to eat! ((This is very different than 'researching things on the internet' and 'taking a 90 minute lunch with the office door shut' days.)) Not that those ever happened.......

Here's what I do in a normal day. Since I've pretty much settled into what will be for the next 3 months or so...

-7:30-8 wake up

-check email and blog and facebook

-check on bills and stuff like that

-go for a walk before it gets piping hot. I'm averaging 45-50 minutes! Mostly cause it takes me that long to do what I think will be a short route. But it feels good.

-shower

-lunch
-crossword puzzles, phone a friend, laundry, cleaning

-read a book/magazine....this is the majority of the afternoon --maybe even hit up the library 3 blocks away if it's not triple digits hot.

-wait for Josh to get home.... :) supper!

-hang out with the hub

-10:00-10:30 bed time

I know it will be great when I'm allowed to drive again though. There are always errands to run and things like that, but I'm confined to within walking distance and not carrying more than 10 lbs now. And I'm not allowed excessive time in the sun, or to be in a pool. So that pretty much cancels out everything.

Wow this is a beast. But two more quick things- Tuesday night a friend from work (well, my ex-work) brought supper over, it was delish. We had a lot of fun having guests! And, my 'step-aunt' is bringing over supper tonight for us. Isn't that sweet! People make me feel really special! More later!

Birthday BASH!

So Josh and I have a confession. We forgot to take our camera to Nebraska this weekend. Sorry! I'm sure between the siblings and gf's pics will surface on facebook, so if you have that, keep your eyes peeled.

We left for Nebraska Saturday morning, the drive up there was NOT my favorite parts. I know Iowa deserves somewhat of a pass since they are trying to mop up most of their state, but seriously, repave your roads. Cause us heart patients want to curse about every other second. Wow, it was bad. But we got to the Neb, ate a super yummy lunch at my mom's. Then we went to dad's and I took a 4ish hour nap. (Great use of travel time I know). Then Dad, Josh and I went to Walmart to finish up some errands. We spent the evening eating pizza ((I still can't even eat a whole piece by myself. SERIOUSLY!)) and wrapping birthday presents.

Sunday morning I woke up at about 7:30 and chatted with Dad and Beth for awhile, ate 1 1/2 delish pancakes! (I stuffed that 1/2 in there). Ok I have to tell you my secret for eating something sweet before noon (cause I can't usually...makes me sick)....I put a minuscule smidgen of butter on my pancake and then ate it. Yup, that was sweet enough. It was good. Grandpa arrived in time to go to church with us, and when we returned home the partay was in full swing!

Lets see if I can remember the Bdays in order. Levi June 26th, Susie (S - Dallas, no Z, s- for salt...strike 45) June 27th, Evan June 30th, Kristy July 10th, Cale July 13th, and Megan in August. So we had a great BBQ dinner. I had a piece of pineapple, a cherry, strawberry slice, banana slice, and about 6 pieces of pulled chicken, and a bite of corn pie. Wow, sorry don't know when this turned into a diet log. I'll stop now. Then cake and ice cream. Then gifs....I just typed figs. ha ha ha.

Then I took another 3 hour nap and Josh and I headed home. Only to go back to sleep! :) Marth and Ry got back from Hawaii yesterday- pretty sure those pics are going to be spectacular. Check out the Thomas clan to see for yourself!

Can I say a big Happy Birthday Holly!!!!!!! :)

Me Again!

Hey everyone! It's me- finally here typing to you. Thanks for all the prayers and cards and calls and visits. I really appreciate everything!!

I had my first check up today. I got my stitches out and the go ahead to finally take a full shower. Today was a really full day. I cannot say enough about how wonderful my medical staff at Children's Mercy is. We had a bunch of tests done and then saw a nurse from the surgery team. She says things are going well, but to expect some pretty slow going from here. I can expect to stay this sore for probably a month. Also, I should regain sensation in my chest,back, shoulders, right leg, etc.... in a few more weeks. I didn't get to take my 5 hour nap today cause we were at the hospital. I've found this doesn't work out the best for me.

BUT- My wonderful husband just made me a dynamite ham-n-cheese sandwhich so I'm going to go relax with him! More to come! Love you all!

PS- some of you know this first hand, but be very happy I didn't attempt to update you all on myself while I was in the hospital. It would have looked something like this:

i sm trrsl yrtri witmsa chine tomee
can''''''''t s/e3lp.

Out With The Old, In With The New

Josh here. I just wanted to say hi and post the remaining updates from Erin's time in the hospital...

DAY 2: Wednesday, 9 July 2008, 4:15pm

Good afternoon everyone! Sorry about not updating sooner, but I thought I would wait until Erin was moved out of ICU and in to general recovery. That took longer than expected...thus the delay in the update. At any rate, Erin has just been transferred to general recovery. She is doing great, although the movement caused her some general soreness throughout her body. Since my last update, Erin has had most of her tubes removed. The two primary ones were the catheter and the arterial line (which was fed in to her carotid artery, I think). The arterial line was a beast...it was nearly 7 inches in length! Whoa. Don't worry...I took more pics. =) She also got out of bed to pee on her own; pretty much any movement at this point makes her extremely tired, but it is recommended b/c doing things on her own is critical to getting released. Erin is resting right now. She was having some nausea issues earlier, but things are back to normal now. We're hoping to maybe get some food in her later tonight; right now, it is strictly ice chips. Yum yum! The room is pretty spacious with lots of amenities, so we should be just fine until she's released. Thank you all for your prayers this week. We're one step closing to heading back to Platte City, so please keep raising us up to the Lord, that He will continue healing Erin and restoring her strength and energy.

DAY 3: Thursday, 10 July 2008, 8:15pm

Good evening friends and family! Well, Erin has an an eventful and productive day. She started the day off with a chest x-ray at 5:30am; although I was back in Platte City sound asleep, I'm being told all went well. Erin's grandmother and I arrived at the hospital around 7:45am and we've all pretty much been hanging out all day. Erin's mom and grandma left about 90 minutes ago and will be staying at our apartment in Platte City; we'll see them again tomorrow morning before they head back to Omaha around lunch time. It's been great having some family around helping where and when they can. Very supportive! Erin also received a visit from her boss at Fitness Source. Kristina stopped by to see how everything was going...and she brought some ice cream (a personal favorite)!! Again, I cannot say enough how thankful I am to have the people we have in our lives. I believe God puts people in our lives for specific reasons and at the exact time He chooses; the women that Erin has worked with at Fitness Source are so encouraging and unique and compassionate. I am very thankful to them for all they've done for her over the last 15+ months. Erin is sound asleep right now. In addition to the visits from friends and family, she has ventured out of her room a couple times to take a walk. I am so encouraged by her strength, knowing what she has gone through the last 48 hours. She is simply amazing. Erin has also begun eating a variety of foods. Although she hasn't eaten a full meal b/c of the nausea she feels, the fact that she's willing to try different foods in pretty incredible. So far, she's tried carrots, applesauce, jell-o, potato soup, saltines, bread, chicken noodle soup...and I think that's it. Not bad at all. I will be staying w/ Erin tonight. Not sure how much sleep I'll be getting, but at least I'm here w/ my wife. Tomorrow should be another good day for her. Another chest x-ray at 5:30am. Also, more friends will be stopping by to visit, which will be a lot of fun. She enjoys that time so much. Not sure what kind of surprises will come regarding food and walking, but I'm excited to share it with you if/when new things happen!! I cannot tell you (or her) enough how proud I am of her. Erin is showing so much courage and strength right now. I can only imagine the soreness she feels and how frustrating it must be b/c she can't do some of the things she's used to, but she continues to try and she continues to take steps towards recovery. I am so humbled by God's awesome power and how He has all of this mapped out before it ever even happened. His grace never fails! I will continue to send daily updates to let you know how Erin is coming along in her recovery. Thank you for your phone calls, emails, prayers, and support. God continues to work in ways that I will simply never understand. That's fine with me...I'll just enjoy the ride! =)

DAY 4: Friday, 11 July 2008, 10:45pm

Hello once again! Today has been a GREAT day. Plenty of visits and movement! Erin's mom and grandma stopped by again this morning before heading back to Omaha; it has been a real blessing having them here for support and encouragement. Also stopping by were Kristina, Marianne, Tara (and husband Matt), and Amy. All of these ladies work w/ Erin. As all the ladies were sitting around talking today, I found myself smiling and thinking about how great it is that God put these women in Erin's life. They are such awesome women. Thank you, ladies, for being such a strong and supportive group for Erin. Kristina brought us Panera Bread for lunch; Erin was able to eat about half a bowl of soup, which is probably the most she's eaten at once so far. The nausea is gone, but she still struggles finding something that satisfies her tastebuds. Once that happens, I think she'll feel much better. Erin's primary cardiologist stopped by this morning to see how's she doing. Yeah, this guy is a dang genius. He's so nice; we hadn't seen him in awhile, so it was a pleasant surprise having him visit. Some good news came from Erin's cardiac team today. Her drainage tubes should be taken out sometime tomorrow. These tubes are inserted just below her sternum and basically wrap around the lungs, collecting any excess fluid from the surgery and draining them into two plastic bottles. They are extremely uncomfortable, so it will be great for Erin when they are removed. Erin has also been on two walks today, both of which were longer than previous walks. She's almost seen the entire floor that her room is on; maybe tomorrow we'll walk through the last pod and she'll have seen everything. Sweet! We also found out that Erin might be released from the hospital early next week. That is very good news! Although we've received OUTSTANDING care from Children's Mercy, it will be nice to return home and move forward in the recovery process. So we're looking forward to more good news in the coming days. As always, thank you for your continued prayers. Each day is a reminder of God's undying grace and mercy. He is healing Erin in an incredible way; I ask you to lift her up to His throne and ask that He not stop now. That is all for now. I hope everyone has a great weekend. Tomorrow we'll be getting more visits from some friends, so we're really looking forward to that. Until next time...

DAY 6: Sunday, 13 July 2008, 7:15pm

GREAT NEWS!! Erin was released from the hospital this afternoon; we've been home in Platte City for about 4 hours. I apologize for not updating yesterday, so I'll just recap the entire weekend for everyone. Saturday was a busy day for Erin. First, she had her chest x-ray around 5:30am. She then had her drainage tubes removed...yeah, these things are crazy! I would say she had about 12-15 inches of rubber tubing wrapped around her lungs, collecting any excess fluid from the surgery. So the nurse tells me to NOT stand directly in front of Erin b/c she didn't want me getting slapped w/ slimy tubes. Good call. I took some pictures...they're pretty sweet. Erin then had to take another chest x-ray following the removal of the tubes. The doctors liked what they saw. Good stuff. Once the drainage tubes were removed, Erin felt much more comfortable lying in bed. She also had her IV's removed. So basically, Erin was tube-free by mid-afternoon. Very nice! Many, many friends stopped by yesterday, as well. More of Erin's co-workers came to visit; we enjoyed some Waldo's Pizza for lunch. Shortly after the ladies left, our friends from Lee's Summit, MO came by to visit. Todd and Liz are friends from college; we've all shared a lot since becoming friends, so it was really great to have them by to see Erin. Erin also ventured out of her room for a couple walks around the hospital floor she was staying on. Aside from the slight dizziness and fatigue, her walks were really good. She's increased her distance each day, as well as the frequency, so the nurses and surgical staff have been very pleased by that. Ok, so that brings us to today. Not much really to report, other than we're back in Platte City. I have most of this week off from work, so I'll be looking forward to spending that time w/ Erin and helping her in any way I can. The only real restriction she has is NO lifting anything over 10 lbs. for 6 weeks. So basically, she won't be lifting weights anytime soon. Other than that, she's good to go. She can eat pretty much whatever she wants and her cardiovascular exercise is "as tolerated." Our friend Will is visiting from Ft. Riley right now, so I should get going. I want to thank everyone for the phone calls, emails, flowers, cards, prayers, and visits. Erin and I are so blessed to have you all in our lives. Please continue to keep us in your prayers, as we transition from hospital care to home care. See ya!!

So, after having gone through open-heart surgery, Erin's stay in the hospital was a whopping...6 days. Wow! That is a major testament to God's undeserving grace and mercy. He continues to be w/ Erin daily, healing her heart and her body in ways that I cannot even fathom most days. Life is so fragile; God felt it necessary to provide men and women the desire to learn about the human body and to put that knowledge to work, correcting defects whenever they arise. I am so grateful to the entire staff at Children's Mercy. Every person that we came in contact with was so kind, compassionate, and willing to help. For them, this is their job and we are just another patient, but to us, they make or break our experience of this surgery. I wish there were more I could do to show them my gratitude. I am so thankful to our heavenly Father for putting these people in our lives during this time; He always knows exactly what we need, when we need it. We serve an amazing God indeed!!

Oh, I almost forgot. As the title to this post suggests, something was replaced within Erin's body. I thought you all would like to see what that something was. The first picture is the NEW pulmonary artery w/ pulmonic valve. The larger end (left) attaches to the right ventricle; the smaller ends (right, top flap) attach to the rest of the pulmonary artery. Doesn't that look lovely? The second picture is the OLD pulmonary artery. Whoa. This thing was so calcified that the surgeon had to basically chisel it out, thus the many pieces. The third picture was taken on 12 July, only five days after surgery!! Look at those crazy cats!!! Wow. =)

As a bonus, the new artery is bigger than the old, meaning it allows for more blood to flow through it. We're talking mm here, but hey, more blood is more blood, right? So, there you have it. Thank you all again for the overwhelming support we received over the past week. Your prayers were so powerful in helping Erin to recover. Thank you for lifting us up to the Father and asking for His healing hand. I love you all!!

Can I Get A New Artery Already!? Gosh.

Josh here. I decided to take a page out of Martha's blog and post my email updates. That should satisfy those who I might have missed w/ emails and those who like mass information to be compiled in one area. =) So, I will time stamp each update below to give you an idea of the day I just experienced. Whoa.

Tuesday, 8 July 2008, 8:30am
Good morning everyone!! Just wanted to write you all and let you know Erin's surgery is under way. We arrived at the hospital at 6am this morning. After some paperwork and a few more tests, Erin was ready for the operation. We said our goodbyes around 7:15am. The actual surgery started about 10 minutes ago. Erin's dad (Arlan), step-mom (Beth), and friend (Kristy) made the trip down from Omaha last night; we're all hanging out in the waiting room right now. Before Erin went in for surgery, I asked one of her nurses if she wouldn't mind taking a few pictures during the procedure. She said yes!! So, we'll have some great action shots at some point later this week. I specifically asked for a shot of the new pulmonary artery that will be inserted this morning, as well as the old one needing to be replaced. I'm pretty stoked about that. =)

I'll provide a quick recap of what exactly is happening today w/ Erin's surgery. She was born w/ a congential heart defect known as Tetralogy of Fallot w/ Pulmonary Atresia. This means that Erin was born without a pulmonary artery, which is responsible for carrying oxygen-poor blood from the right ventricle to the lungs. In December 1991, Erin had an artificial pulmonary artery inserted on her heart. Since that time, that artificial piece has calcified significantly; the calcification has decreased her blood flow, leaving her with little energy. The blood pressure has also increased in the right ventricle dramatically; as a result, her doctors felt it necessary to have the artificial pulmonary artery replaced. So here we are.

As we have wireless Internet in the hospital, I will be able to provide updates throughout the day. I ask that you all continue to keep Erin in your prayers today and throughout the week. Please also pray for the surgical team. Thank you all for the support!!!

Tuesday, 8 July 2008, 12:25pm
Good afternoon!! We just received another update, so I thought it prudent to pass along the info. First of all...we have pictures!! Wow. The artificial pulmonary artery is not at all what I thought it would be. These pictures are crazy. AND, the nurse said if we wanted more, then they would take some. Sweet! Erin is doing very well. The surgeon has already opened her chest, removed the old pulmonary artery, and is now working on attaching the new one. Erin's heart still manages to have a faint beat, which I find to be pretty amazing considering the procedure that she's having right now. A machine is actually bypassing the blood, but the heart continues on! Cool. Once the surgeon finishes attaching the new artery, he will begin suturing the piece to the heart (this is a VERY extensive process). Afterwards, Erin's heart will again resume bloodflow duties and she will be moved to the ICU. Basically, we won't actually get to see her for several more hours. Oh well, I can wait. =)

I apologize if I missed some of you on the initial email; please read the below traffic to get filled in on our day. I've already received SEVERAL replies and phone calls from you...Thank You So Much for the support and encouragement. God has surrounded Erin and me w/ an incredible network of family and friends. Again, thank you for thinking of us and praying for us. I will update again soon. Until then...just wait. =)

Tuesday, 8 July 2008, 6:15pm
Alright, update time! Erin has been moved from the O.R. to the ICU, where she is still under sedation. The surgery was an awesome success. Thank You Jesus!!!!! I was able to see her for about 45 minutes; the staff was explaining to me what all the tubes and monitors were for. Only two visitors are able to be in Erin's room at one time, so I was shuttling Arlan, Beth, and Kristy in one at a time to see Erin. I'm hoping she'll wake up sometime this evening, so I can see her before I head home for the night. I'll be here for several more hours, which means there's a good chance I'll get my wish. =)

Arlan, Beth, and Kristy just left for Omaha...so I'm here by myself right now. Seeing as how I'm simple-minded and easily entertained, I don't foresee that as being a problem. THIS JUST IN...Erin is about to wake up, which means I'm outta here. Gotta go see my wife!!! More to come...

Wednesday, 9 July 2008, 2:40am
So, here I am. It is now 2:15am Central Time. Erin is sleeping soundly in her bed and I am sending out this email update. When I last wrote, Erin was just coming out of sedation. She was acknowledging voices, moving her extremities, and opening her eyes as much as she could. That was basically the jist of it. Since then, she has had her breathing tube removed and is now allowed to eat ice chips. The ice chips are a step up from the sponge-on-a-stick-soaked-in-water method we were using initially. The staff has been checking her hourly; if I remember correctly, on a pain scale of 0 to 10 (with 10 being severe pain), Erin last measured in at a whopping 5. Awesome! Not bad for major open-heart surgery, I guess. =)

My plan was to head home for the night and get some rest, but that doesn't look like it will happen. Oh well. My wife asked me to stay and that is what I will do out of love for her. I was able to catch a nap for about an hour earlier, so hopefully that will help some. Right now things are very quiet in the ICU; maybe I should take advantage of that and call it a day. We'll see.

I want to thank you all again for the phone calls and emails and prayers and support and encouragement. I have been pretty calm w/ everything surrounding this surgery, but I must admit I had a moment of weakness when I first saw Erin in the ICU. I was trembling and my heart went out to her. Having Arlan there w/ me was very comforting b/c he's experienced this before; I asked him if the feelings I had were normal and he explained to me that he, too, was overcome w/ emotion during Erin's first surgery in 1991. At that point I didn't feel so awkward anymore. Thank you, Arlan, for being w/ me today.

Well, I think that should do it for now. I think the next 24 hours will be packed full of good news: Erin should get her catheter removed; she should also begin drinking fluids and possibly some food; and we might get her out of the bed and move around some. I will be sure to keep everyone in the loop. Thanks again for all the support. I know that God was with us today and I am truly thankful to Him for keeping Erin safe and keeping us strong. Until next time...

So, there you have it. Day 1 is in the books. I hope you all enjoy the read; if you have a minute, please send a quick Shout Out to the Lord, asking for His healing hand on Erin during these next few weeks. I love you all!!

Unemployed?!?

My last day of work. Seriously hasn't sunk in at all yet. But I get sad thinking about not being there everyday. I just don't get sad about waking up at that horrible hour everyday. I do want to share a couple special things that I have gotten to experience because of those "wonderful" early mornings.

1. I heard a little piece of a sermon one morning on the radio about the hope we have that Jesus will come again. It talked about in Revelations about Him coming from the East. Well, I have seen over a year of the earliest portion of the sun rise you can think of. And more often than not, I look to the east and smile thinking to myself that one day I'm going to do that and see Jesus coming! That's enough to make my day!

2. If anyone ever wants to share in my joy wake up at 5:00 and listen to KLOVE until their morning show theme song comes on. (It's usually between 5:04 and 5:07). There's a fine line between peppy and obnoxious, but for some reason I LOVE this little song. It cheers me up! :) Think 'Turkey in the Straw' and you're 1/2 way there. ha ha ha.

3. These last few months that Josh has been home I have gotten to see just how wonderful my husband is! I need soooo much more sleep than he does (hopefully this surgery will change that a lot), so when my 4 am alarm goes off, he turns it off and gets up, goes out to make my lunch for work, then he makes my cereal for me, and lays out my phone, purse, keys...etc so everything's ready for me! Then he comes to wake me up 15-20 minutes later, I get dressed, grab clothes to work out in, contacts, scarf my breakfast, and am out the door in about 15 minutes. Then Josh does dishes and makes the bed! Seriously he is awesome. What a wonderful man! :) I'm so spoiled. It is nice to get more sleep in the morning....a few extra minutes may seem pointless, it makes all the difference at 4am. :) Gosh I love him. ((NOT of course because he does all this for me, but because that is who he is! He is sooo sweet)).

So those are things that I will miss out on now that I am not waking up at the crack. I hope to hear the KLOVE morning show song at least once a week when Josh has to get up. If only I could get a recording of it. :)

You know what....I'm going to go pack for VACATION! :) More later!