Normalcy

Overall Danny is recovering nicely...he is stronger, though still exhausted and his incisional sites are looking great! His spirits are up and down, which is normal we are told. His hands are still shaky, but he's using the keyboard and mouse daily to regain some muscle memory more quickly. He is close to returning to work and programming may be difficult with shaky hands & fingers! Eating soup is challenging/humorous...

We are coming to grips with normal life with an LVAD is never normal. No day has been the same, and all days present some new and/or trying challenge. Tonight's small example: Danny got out of bed to use the bathroom and a coat hanger that was on the floor got caught on his power cord. He had trouble getting it off and quickly became frustrated. I felt so bad for him that I didn't even find it funny...I think I would have had it been someone else in a different (but similar) situation.

Something happened yesterday morning that I've been worrying/wondering about. I'm not going to discuss it other than to ask for prayers because it's pretty sensitive...the good news is that the Lord will know what the prayer is for and He already has an answer for us!

Danny goes to the dentist first thing in the morning (Wednesday) and he is not at all happy. He has a true phobia of dentists and anxiety is already eating him up. There is a significant connection between teeth and the heart, so it's important that Danny face his fears and go. Part of me thought that maybe he was just exaggerating his phobia a bit, but he told me to imagine being locked in a box with spiders and every other kind of bug in the world on me. No way!! That made me a believer in his phobia. I've known this doctor for many years and know Danny is in good hands.

The prospect of returning to work Monday is just scary and overwhelming. For both of us. Even though his body is recovering, emotionally we are both still pretty raw I think. I feel selfish even thinking about how I feel because I cannot even imagine how he must feel...but I'm scared, tired, overwhelmed, faith-doubting, disappointed/angry at my faith-doubting, did I say tired? I'm learning and working through some parenting strategies that are tough...I'm not a perfect parent and that's so hard. It's important to let our children make their own decisions and therefore suffer their own consequences and/or blessings. That's hard. I've come to realize that I'm a controlling nut and I don't want to be. How do people go through life without God? It's hard enough with Him.

After the dentist appt in the morning, we go to New Orleans. He's having a CT scan done to show the docs exactly where the LVAD is currently (it shifts). He should be reactivated on the transplant list tomorrow. That's another whole level of overwhelming and scary. I don't know how to be prepared for the emotional roller coaster that is getting the "call" and then finding out many hours later that Danny wasn't a perfect match. Also, it's terrible to receive the gift of life through someone else's death. So now I'm thinking of God having his son Jesus die on the cross to pay for the sins of man. Jesus felt emotions like we do when he was living on Earth...how did he choose to die willingly? Because he loved us (all of us) so much. He had the strength to die willingly because he kept his eyes and heart solely focused on his Father. organ donation (through death) isn't exactly the same I realize because the donor didn't plan to die...but it's still the concept of death for life and I'm just reminded again at how blessed we (humans) are that Jesus died so that we (those who believe in His name)might live (eternally).

Lord, I pray that Danny's donor knows you and is prepared for eternity. Prepare the donor and his/her family for what is to come and provide comfort & peace as only you can when the time comes. Help us to never take for granted or forget the precious gift Danny will receive. Help us to trust you with our fears, failures, doubts, frustrations...Teach Maggie and Charlie about you through this whole experience...your love, mercy, kindness, patience, gentleness, hugging arms, carrying arms, strength, courage, wisdom, responsibility, and whatever else there is to be learned from this. What you can do in them is limitless and I pray that you would keep them. Though all four of us are in different places emotionally right now...all of our needs are great and can be met best through you. Draw our eyes to you so that we are solely focused on you.

One of the doctors calls Danny "heart boy" and my brother had fun illustrating that on Danny's bandage...

D definitely has those muscly arms!!!!

 

 

I'd just really like to be able to paint that sky!

This little guy is way too cute to not be included...my nephew!!

 

Thanks for your prayers...it's what keeps us going!

 

~Tricia

 

 

 

Reality

It's been a while since I've written because what we're dealing with now is more emotional than physical, though physical concerns are still very much present. It is good to be home. The kids feel more settled when we are here and I feel like a better mom when I'm with them. So I find myself wondering why my heart feels so desperate and lonely...Danny is alive~the pump is doing its job. What kind of person am I to feel sadness? I should be rejoicing. I am, usually. His journey has turned to an emotional one. He does not appreciate being tethered to a power module at night and doesn't much like being dependent on battery power either. The other night he got up to use the restroom and his power cord got stuck on the cedar chest at the foot of our bed. Not a happy camper!! We were back at Ochsner Wednesday for another checkup (second this week-blood work issues) and they drew a LOT of blood. We were told the extra blood is to make sure he doesn't have certain diseases that would prevent him from being reactivated on the transplant list. I thought he was going to come out of his chair because he made it crystal clear to me that he would NOT get an LVAD unless it was a means to transplant. He was planning on how to tell the doctors to "get that pump out now" if the bloodwork showed something that would prevent transplant. (I don't anticipate that being a concern) Of course Danny is grateful to have the LVAD because he wants to live, but at the same time I think he hates having a mechanical pump hanging from the bottom of his heart. If Danny rolls to his side, he can feel the pump sway to the side and apparently that's not comfortable! We found out Monday that the surgeon placed blue plastic OR towels in his chest around where his heart and LVAD are in preparation for the transplant. Apparently this will prevent any potential damage to the LVAD or heart when they recut him open and also speed up the transplant process. Anyway, the plastic "towels" are not comfortable! Danny's driveline exit site looks amazing...his skin is beginning to grow around the driveline, as it's supposed to, and it looks good! When the skin has completely grown and a seal is formed, Danny can use a shower kit to take a shower. The kit is a waterproof bag the controller goes in, and Danny wraps plastic wrap around his abdomen to keep everything dry. I know he will be grateful for a hot shower--washcloth baths are getting old!

 The problem we are having with the driveline exit site is that Danny's skin is really sensitive to adhesive and therefore stays red and sore where the bandage sticks. The redness is visible in the picture. I feel terrible when I have to pull off the old bandage each day because his skin is just raw where the tape was. The hospital sent us home with something called skin protector, which is applied to the skin where the adhesive will be, but I think Danny is even allergic to that!! It's really sad because there's nothing I can do!

Danny doesn't like the way I drive but I think it's pretty good! However, I have been struggling to stay awake lately while driving. It's weird in that I'm sleeping at night but am waking up still exhausted. Anyway, to be honest I just about got in a wreck the other day when I fell asleep and veered into the other lane almost hitting a truck. Thankfully, Danny woke me up in time.  The good news is that one of three doctors think it's okay for him to drive again, so we are going with that opinion!

This coming Wednesday we will be back in New Orleans where Danny will have a speed echo. This test records what the heart does while increasing the speed of the LVAD. The test lasts about 2 hours we are told and it won't feel good because Danny has to lie on his left side. He hasn't been able to do that yet because it's still painful. He will have labwork done and be seen in the LVAD clinic to make sure everything is okay. It's not going to be because he is retaining fluid. The backs of his legs are starting to hurt because of fluid retention. He had gained a few pounds when we were there a few days ago and the doctor wanted to wait and see if the pump would be enough to keep the fluid off. They increased the speed of the pump in hopes that it would help with the fluid. They would rather that than keep Danny on Lasix because Lasix decreases his kidney function...and that's bad because he only has one functioning kidney. Since Danny was hospitalized a few months ago the pattern has been that as soon as he stops the Lasix he starts retaining fluid again, and I have a feeling that won't change regardless of how fast the pump is running. Just a gut feeling...

When we were at Ochsner this past week, a transplant coordinator came in to talk about being reactivated on the list. I was shocked at how hard that was for me. Obviously I know that transplant is the end goal in all of this, but we are not even completely used to the LVAD yet! We are just beginning to get used to home and are trying to be back at work by the beginning of November. The thought of starting all over again in Ochsner with major open heart surgery and being there even longer than we were with the LVAD is just completely overwhelming. So, deep breath and one day at a time!

Danny is still really struggling with the keyboard and mouse. His hands are so shaky that he's having a hard time on the computer. It has improved some and will probably continue to improve, but the reality is that many LVAD patients have the shakes as well as other physical changes as long as they have the LVAD. We are just believing in the Lord to make Danny's hands work properly so that he can continue working at the same level he was before.

Prayers:

• pray for patience in waiting for a transplant
• pray for donor and donor family
• pray for LVAD to be able to correct excess fluid
• pray that kids are better prepared for us to be gone again
• pray for an easy transition back to work

Home Sweet Home

It's so good to be back home. Scary in a lot of ways, but good! The kids are thrilled ~ it's hard on them when we are gone. (Hard on us too)

To help the kids remember what and when they need to do important things (especially for when we are not home to help), I made before bed checklists that are taped to the bathroom mirror, and a take to school list, which is taped to the door. It's worked out pretty well so far. Well...seems that Danny and I need a list now too! Danny has an "emergency kit" that he must have with him at all times. This bag contains a spare controller and two spare batteries in case of controller malfunction, or low battery power. Since we've been home, we have forgotten to bring the emergency kit with us when leaving the house. So far that hasn't been a problem...but we certainly cannot forget that in the hospital Danny had two controller malfunctions wherein we had to switch to a backup each time. That only works effectively if we have the spare controller!!! The other thing that has not become habit yet is to always have a raincoat and umbrella on hand. Danny went with me on a little errand yesterday just to get out of the house and we didn't even think of the cloudy sky until after arriving at the grocery store. Getting the controller wet would result in electrocution and possible death. These are things we just cannot forget anymore!! So, Danny and I will have our own checklist on the backdoor... 

1. Emergency kit    2. Rain gear

It's still hard getting used to being attached to a power cord at night. He really has to make sure he is ready to stay near the bed before switching to AC power because going back and forth between AC power and battery power is a pain!

Danny tires easily, but is trying to regain some stamina by walking in little amounts each day. He seems to be sleeping a little better at night now...I'm not though! He is taking up most of the bed because he likes to sleep at least in the middle, if not a little more toward my side,  to make sure his controller doesn't fall on the floor. We are trying to figure out the best way to deal with this issue. Remember, it's a computer that is attached to his driveline, which is attached to his LVAD (heart pump), which is attached to his heart! So, the controller falling on the floor would hurt! Right now, he is putting the controller in the pocket of a pair of shorts but it keeps falling out. I'm thinking of getting a pair of comfy gym shorts and sewing (having someone sew) a pocket on the outside of the shorts with Velcro on the top. This would keep the heat from the controller away from his skin and the Velcro would prevent the controller from falling out. We could also get a pocket sewn onto some sleep pants...Lots to think about and it's tricky to find ways to make his life feel as normal as possible. Having a mechanical pump attached to the heart is really far from normal!

Danny's fine motor skills still need some work...he's very shaky and controlling a mouse and typing are not up to par yet. Part of his self-designed therapy is playing computer games with the kids....they are actually beating him right now and are loving every minute of it!

Danny will be reactivated on the transplant list as soon as he is recovered enough from the LVAD surgery. Receiving a transplant could be very soon or a few years...but that's God's timing. We go back to Ochsner Thursday (weekly appointment) and as always, the possibly of being admitted for blood work issues exists. I'm so thankful for every second we are home because life right now is truly about being on constant alert that Danny could be readmitted and soon, we could get the call for a transplant. Life can be "normal...what's that?" and then the extreme opposite of normal just like that.

Thankfulness...that's my overwhelming feeling today!!!  Life, family, friends, strangers, community, medicine, technology, coworkers, God's faithfulness and peace, rest...I could go on and on.

To those who have (and are continuing to) prayed, supported financially, supported by taking care of our kids, cooking, and the other many and behind-the-scenes ways, thank you!!! We love you and are so blessed by you!

Practical Joke

A little while ago Danny's nurse came in to take his 8:00 pm Doppler pulse. They use the Doppler on LVAD's because usually a pulse cannot be found with a regular BP cuff. Anyway, the nurse couldn't hear anything with the Doppler so she began to freak a little bit. What's important about that is that currently the room Danny is in is not in the "LVAD wing" because it was full when he was admitted Friday. So the nurses on this hall don't have much, if any, experience with LVAD's and they are all scared of them--by their own admission. When Danny noticed the nurse was worrying that she couldn't hear a Doppler pulse, he said "do you want me to turn my pump back on?" She screamed!!! It was so funny. Danny was laughing so hard it made his chest hurt. He was grabbing his chest and saying "Oh stop, it hurts too much to laugh!"

LVAD practical joke...it would be super crazy if they could somehow make the Doppler's not pick up a sound to mess with the nurses, but they can't. :)

Good news~the word is we are going home tomorrow. Prayerfully this time it will be for longer than 2 days! One of the things we questioned last time was that Danny wasn't discharged on Lasix even though he still had some fluid on him. This time he will go home on Lasix, among his "thousands" of other medicines.

This seems awful and makes me feel a little crazy, but in a lot of ways it's easier and more comforting being here at Ochsner. One thing that was so strikingly hard to deal with was being plugged into AC power at night. Here in the hospital room, Danny can walk everywhere in the room while plugged into the wall. At home, he can reach the bathroom and a little ways into the kitchen. The confinement is just more obvious at home and therefore harder to cope with emotionally. Being around nurses and doctors 24 hours/day gives a feeling of security--even if the current nurses know less about LVAD's than we do!! The LVAD wing is right around the corner though, so help isn't far.

Our prayer is that we will get comfortable and feel safe at home quickly. Ideally Danny will be able to get back to life--with some changes--while waiting for a donor heart to become available. We don't want to live in fear of controller errors, mechanical failures, or power loss. However, those are very valid concerns and therefore need regular prayer!

The Apostle Paul wrote to Timothy in 2 Timothy 1:7:

"...for God gave us a spirit not of fear, but of power, love, and a sound mind."

 

If we believe that every word in the Bible is truth from the Lord, than we can absolutely pray with an expectancy that God will do what He says. He is good for His word. So, it's pretty simple...when fear consumes us, it's NOT from the Lord. So-we just have to pray in faith that the Lord will replace that fear with His spirit--which is made of, in part, power, love, and a sound mind. Living like that sounds much better than living with fear!!

 

~Tricia

 

The costs associated with LVAD implantation and the future heart transplant are high. If you feel led to help us financially, you can do that by donating money to our paypal account.

 

Go to www.paypal.com

Click on "buy" and then "make a payment".

You will need to enter your email and then ours which is:

helpdannysauer@gmail.com

 

Go Fund Me is another source available to support us financially.

Go to www.gofundme.com and search for "friends of Danny Sauer".

or...

Search for the Facebook page entitled "Friends of Danny Sauer".

This page has a link to www.gofundme.com and also a link to this blog!

Treasures at Ochsner

I have discovered two things while at Ochsner that I absolutely love: 

1. Chamomile Citrus hot tea made by Mighty Leaf

www.mightyleaf.com

2. Green Tea Velvet Ice

green tea, skim milk (or whatever milk you choose), ice

blended together

I've never discovered these delicacies before because I'm not a coffee drinker, so don't typically go into PJ's...but I'm a forever fan now!!!

 

 

Not only does the tea  taste wonderful, look how pretty the tea bag is!!

 

 

Danny and I don't have any huge updates for today. He felt okay all day today so the doctor put him back on Lasix...oral. Yesterday he urinated a total of 9 liters, which is awesome, but I know he still has at least that much on him. Right now the fluid is sitting in his lower back, the back of his thighs, and in his abdomen. The goal is to get every drop of excess fluid off of him, but it needs to be done slowly so he doesn't start vomiting again. Now that the doctor is giving him oral instead of IV, maybe she will allow him to go home while waiting for the rest of the fluid to leave...we will ask tomorrow. Usually the fellow comes in really early in the morning and has some things to say, but the real information comes around lunchtime when the fellow makes rounds with the supervising doctor. That's the person who makes the final decisions in patient care. She will either have a definite opinion on when he can go home, or it will continue to be a day by day thing.

 

Tomorrow will be interesting...something a little new at least! a few doctors from OLOL in Baton Rouge are coming to this hospital (Ochsner Transplant Facility in New Orleans) to visit some LVAD patients and start to learn how to care for them properly. The hope is to have a small wing at OLOL dedicated to LVADS who live closer to Baton Rouge than New Orleans. Certainly for critical issues we would have to go back to New Orleans, but maybe for easier things like IV medicines to change the thickness of the blood or the blood pressure pretty quickly...the blood has to be just right for the heart pump to function properly. Remember that LVAD patients are routinely in and out of the hospital for a few days at a time to deal with bloodwork. It would be so much easier to be in Baton Rouge for that instead of here! On the other hand, there is something very comforting about being here with doctors and nurses who are very experienced with LVADs.

 

Prayer requests:

• Danny's head still really hurts in that area above his left ear--but thankfully the CT scan was negative
• The area where the pump is implanted is super sore--but that's to be expected I suppose considering he had open heart surgery 4 weeks ago and had a mechanical pump sewn to his heart in two places!!
• He is so tired it's making him grumpy--but he isn't sleeping at night because when he does he has nightmares. So the real prayer should be to not have nightmares and instead have a peaceful night's sleep

 

 

The costs associated with LVAD implantation and the future heart transplant are high. If you feel led to help us financially, you can do that by donating money to our paypal account.

 

Go to www.paypal.com

Click on "buy" and then "make a payment".

You will need to enter your email and then ours which is:

helpdannysauer@gmail.com

 

Go Fund Me is another source available to support us financially.

Go to www.gofundme.com and search for "friends of Danny Sauer".

or...

Search for the Facebook page entitled "Friends of Danny Sauer".

This page has a link to www.gofundme.com and also a link to this blog!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Three Hour Escursion--blog from 9/18/13 I forgot to post!

Currently I've got the Gilligan's Island tune going in my head but am saying Three hour excursion! We were supposed to be on a 6 hour excursion today, but it didn't work out as we had planned!

Below is a picture diary of much of the day. Danny and I started off the morning by getting ready. Long gone are the days where he is waiting on me...it takes him over an hour to put on clothes and deodorant, brush teeth and hair, and be ready to leave. I can be ready in 20 minutes!! He will get faster and one day he won't have any external power sources to manage...

Stop #1 was the barber shop at the hospital because his hair was getting out of control. That worked fine. Danny said it's been a long time since he felt indulged like that. It was one of those old time barbers where only men go...I felt a little awkward being the only woman in the place. I guess I got so used to being around only men that I was subconsciously drawn to the men's bathroom!! Thankfully, I noticed the huge man feet in the stall pretty quickly and got myself out of there. wow!

 

We left the barber and went straight to the cafeteria (not far from the barber). We ate and as he was finishing, the dizzy, confused, low blood pressure happened again. I called his nurse, who came down and brought him back to his room in a wheelchair. The doctors are still trying to figure out the cause of the huge BP drops at certain times. 

Having fun with dress changes!!

\

Check out our Blue Bouffant Caps!!

Thank you a billion times!! We love you, D&T

Happy Birthday-10/1/13 blog

Today is Danny's birthday~here's how it's going so far...

He is still in the hospital for the purpose of removing excess fluid and making sure the Coumadin is at the appropriate dosage. Even though Danny and I have known for a long time now that he's still holding fluid...it seems to have taken the doctors a little longer to catch up. The problem is that it's not in his lower legs like normal people. Instead, the fluid is hiding in a smooth layer in his lower back, belly, and the back of his thighs. No one would know it was there except for those of us who know him well. Normally he feely bony because he's so thin, but now he feels mushy. Anyway, there is some blood test that shows how much excess fluid a person has. I wish I understood how testing blood shows fluid level...that's so interesting!

Danny has been on Lasix since yesterday morning and he has steadily been using the bathroom...I think the nurse said a few liters! GEAUX Danny!!!!! ...in my fam we would say "That's how D does it" (in honor of that crazy lady on Glee)

All was fine until Danny started vomiting. Fortunately he had enough warning to be able to get to the bathroom in time, but unfortunately, he had open heart surgery 3.5 weeks ago!! His chest was hurting so badly...I felt so bad for him. The nurse gave him medicine to help stop the vomiting and the bonus is that it gave him some much needed sleep. In addition to the nightmares about being shocked, now Danny is having them about his driveline being pulled out and the LVAD being ripped off his heart and out through his abdomen. I think that would prevent anyone from peacefully falling asleep!!

The other problem he has had is a persistent, localized headache where I bonked him in the head last week (which popped a blood vessel in his eye). It's just a medium level ache in that one area and I've gotten myself so worked up about it I think now I believe he has massive bleeding in his head!!! Danny has been having a great time teasing me about abusing him. The doctor ordered a CT scan of his head just to be sure---his INR level was super high (meaning his blood was super thin) the day I "hit" him. We haven't heard the results yet.

I'm not feeling so great today either. I've only had one migraine in my life and it was truly horrible. All day I've had a constant, achy, soreness in my head that feels similar to what it did before the migraine hit that time. I'm praying that it just goes away because I don't ever want to experience a migraine again!

Danny and I still don't know how long he will be here this time. The doctor wants to get all of the fluid off, but she isn't giving him anymore Lasix today in case that was the cause of the vomiting. hhhhmmmm...which is better...excess fluid or vomiting? Excess fluid prevents the BP medicines and Coumadin from working effectively, but the Lasix (fluid remover) can cause vomiting (from dehydration??) if used too much or too quickly. So again, it's just a really delicate balancing act.

The Lord is so awesome in knowing our needs before we do and is therefore perfectly able to meet them. He knew the husband and kids I would need to bring me so much joy. He knew the family I would need to support us through the things Danny and I have been through together...I feel like Danny and I have walked through a pretty good share of hard times, (but I wouldn't trade any of it for the world):

• Our 1st baby, Daniel Jr., died a day after birth from an unexpected heart defect (1998)
• Danny contracted West Nile Virus (2001) and was extremely ill for about 6 months--led to financial devastation and permanent heart damage (didn't know about until two years ago)
• Danny diagnosed with viral cardiomyopathy (2011) that probably came from West Nile Virus
• Danny progresses to end-stage heart failure and receives LVAD (2013)
• Danny is placed on heart transplant list (2013)

The family support we have had through our marriage is more than I thought possible...it's truly a gift from the Lord. Sometimes I imagine what our life would be like without them, and it makes me cry because I don't know what we would do. Danny's mom and dad just came to the hospital to surprise Danny with sandwiches (he loves Which Which) and chocolate cake for his birthday. Carolyn said something that I think is amazing: "well, 39 years ago we were in the hospital giving birth to Danny and 39 years later we're in the hospital again!" I know how difficult all of this is for me...we can guess how others feel but we never really do know. As a mom, I know how much I love my children and how I would take away their pain and suffering if I could. Danny's certainly not a baby, but every mom out there knows that no matter how old our children get, they're always our babies! I don't want to ever underestimate or minimize in some way how difficult all of this is on Danny's parents and sister (and extended family). They've known and loved Danny longer than I have and when I imagine my own children or brother and sister going through what Danny is, my heart breaks in new ways. We are all suffering through this--just in our own ways.

Boy...I'm feeling so sentimental on this birthday!! Thanks God for creating Danny! Thanks Joe and Carolyn for raising him and preparing him to be such a great husband and daddy...and thanks Anne for being a sister he loves so much :)

Next month Danny and I will celebrate our 18th anniversary. I'm sitting here watching him sleep. His body is different now with the LVAD. His head constantly moves side to side with the movement of the pump, I think. His body jerks and twitches involuntarily now. Many times the jerks are so big that it wakes him up. He has terrible nightmares, which prevent peaceful, lengthy sleep. When you listen to his chest and stomach with your ear, the steady hum of the pump is loud and clear. I just love him and am so proud of how hard he is working to recover and fight through the pain he still has from surgery. I don't want to pray for another 18 years, I want 2 more 18 years...or maybe 3!!!

God tells us that life on Earth will be hard, but that the hardships make us stronger (paraphrasing--go read James). Since growing and becoming stronger is always a good thing, it stands to reason that we can be thankful for the hardships!! I am...every hard day we have, I love Danny more. Every hard day we have, I feel God's faithfulness more. Every hard day we have, I feel God's strength in my weakness. Every hard day we have, I draw closer to the Lord so He draws closer to me. I speak from experience...when life is too good and too easy, we tend to forget how much we need God in every aspect of our life. There are many people who just go through life on their own, without the Lord. Although it can work, life without God is life without the blessings, mercy, forgiveness, and of course most importantly...eternal life!! I'd take the hard life on Earth and eternal life in Heaven over whatever other options would be any day. What I mean is, who cares if life is hard? The blessings are worth it. Here's the song that is in my mind today...I wish I could play a clip of the music pastors and/or choir from a wonderful little church I love singing this song...but here are the words (to the chorus, I don't know the rest!!)

It gets sweeter as the days go by

it gets sweeter as the moments fly

His love is richer, deeper, fuller, sweeter

Sweeter, sweeter, sweeter as the days go by

If you want to hear it, I think the Gaither's sang it and it's probably online!

 

 

Danny looks exactly like his grandpa Dan (Joe's dad)...see that pointy ear?? Throw on some khaki's and a flannel shirt and they're twins :)

 

 

I took the steri-strips off of his chest incision and Danny was pretty nervous at first...they were really ready to come off-I barely touched them and they fell...see how good his incision looks!?!? yaaaay!!

 

This was hysterical...the shorts Danny is wearing in that picture are some that Charlie also wears sometimes. Danny found this Nerf bullet in the pocket and stuck it in his belly button while I was in the bathroom. He yelled "Tricia I've been shot!" when I came out...lol. Thanks Charlie for our comic relief!!!

 

Looking good...The scab has already fallen off the other side of the driveline exit site. Those that know me well know how much self-control it's taking me to not pull that other half off!!!! I think it will fall off in the next couple of days. At some point Danny's skin will grow onto the driveline and form a good seal...that's when he can use the shower kit (some kind of waterproof bag for his controller) and wrap his waist in saran wrap to take a short shower. I think that's going to be the best shower he ever had!!!

 

+

 

I was just trying to take a nice 39th birthday picture and he refuses to open his eyes--that's why he always appears to be sleeping in the pictures! The truth is revealed...

 

One of the PCT's (patient care technician--formally known as aides...) brought these flowers to Danny. She really is a precious lady who is such a blessing to the patients and families here. Apparently someone got married today and donated the table arrangements from the reception to the hospital to give out to patients...that's a nice use for wedding flowers!