Same Heart -- New Pacemaker

Well, back to the health issues for Greg!  It seems to just never end.   We knew this was coming, but that doesn't make it any easier.  We were told back in July that he would need to have his pacemaker/defibrillator replaced before the end of the year.  Apparently, the battery was dying.  A pacemaker is allegedly supposed to last six years, but it's only been four for Greg (more on that later).  As this is not something that can really be put off, he had to have it done, and yesterday was the day! 

We didn't have to be at the hospital until 11:45 a.m., so I got up and started working at 5 a.m.  I logged off at 10:30 so I could get ready to go.  I could have taken a vacation day, but we are on mandatory overtime, so I would have had to work 8 hours at straight pay before time and a half, and I didn't want to do that, so I got up and went to work.  For those that may not know, I telecommute, so "going to work" means getting up, putting on my sweats and walking down 16 steps to my office in the lower level of our house.  I am the first to admit it's pretty rough!  HA!   

We got to the hospital and they took Greg to get him set up.  Prior to taking him, I advised the person that I did not want the nurse to attempt his IV.  His veins are shot from being chemo'd and radiated like crazy, so no matter how good you "think" you are, you are not going to be able to get it in.  And let's face it.  Needles hurt, but IVs hurt more!  I advised that I did not want anyone but an anesthesiologist putting in his IV.  I was assured that that information would be passed along.  

When they finally let me in back, guess what?  I was informed that the nurse insisted on trying to do the IV and COULD NOT DO IT!  I was PISSED!   She told me that "they insist we try before calling anesthesia."  I advised her that I specifically requested an anesthesiologist because I knew she would not be able to do it.  Nothing against her or her abilities, but we've been down this road too many times.   When I told her that I was going to contact Administration, she was definitely nervous and stated that she'd put a note in his chart, etc., etc., etc.  And then went on to state that the "anesthesiologists don't do anything special that they don't do." I DON'T CARE.  I AM going to contact Administration because that's just unacceptable.  All she had to do was listen to Greg tell her all he had been through this year alone and she should have known that we were not kidding about his veins.  I'm getting upset again just typing this!  So, let's move on.   Oh, an anesthesiologist did come and was able to get both IVs in on the first try!  Yes, I feel vindicated.    So, enough about that.  I'll let you know what Administration has to say after I speak with them. 

Greg was finally taken to the OR at 2:15 p.m.  We weren't sure how long the surgery would last, but I was told that they would call me (they had my cell number) every two hours to update me.  At 4:30 I still had not heard anything, and the receptionist was about to leave for the day.  She was kind enough to call the OR and have a nurse call me.   Everything was going OK and they had just finished replacing one of the leads.  They still had to work on the pacemaker.  

Another two hours later and I was called again and told that they were done and that Greg was resting comfortably.  Shortly thereafter, the surgeon came out to talk to me.  Apparently, the old lead was doing something it shouldn't have been doing, so was draining the battery and that is why it died 2 years sooner than it should have.  They had a bit of an issue with scar tissue that they had to cut away, but they were able to get it all done.    That was at about 6:15 p.m. or so.   The next step was to have Greg stay in bed and not stand up for 3 hours, and after that he had to have a chest x-ray.  Once the x-ray was read (apparently by some radiologists in Australia!), then we could go home. 

The new pacemaker/defibrillator is pretty awesome.  We have a special box that connects to our Wi-Fi that will send reports every three months to his cardiologist.  In addition, if the defibrillator shocks him, it will send a report to the cardiologist.  How cool is that?!   Technology is pretty amazing.  I did tell him that he better toe the line or I might have to figure out how to hack into it and give him a shock!  HA!  (I'm kidding, people!  Calm down.)  

Instead of him staying in the cardiology day surgery area, he was moved to the regular cardiac area of the hospital.  

He was able to order some food, seeing as he hadn't been able to eat prior to the surgery and actually felt like eating it.  I must say, no matter what he's had done, whether is radiation, chemo, surgery or extensive dental work, he has never wanted to not eat!  

Oh, yea, he managed to spill his V8.  The nurses got a little scared at first, when they saw all the red stuff on his blanket!  LOL.  He was bummed, because he really wanted that V8 juice!  Oh, notice the new glasses?  Be sure to tell him how nice they look!  

We finally got to leave the hospital around 10:15 p.m., so didn't get home until 10:45 p.m.   By the time I helped to get him situated and took care of the dogs (with Abby's help), I didn't get to bed myself until almost midnight.  I've been starting work at 5 a.m. because of the mandatory OT, but there was no way that was going to happen Tuesday morning.  I gave myself an extra hour of sleep and didn't start until 5:45 a.m.  I worked until 4:45, so still had a very long day and was fairly well exhausted all day and was grateful that I didn't have to get up early to shower and make myself look presentable to go into the office! 

Following doctor's instructions, we changed his dressing today.   That "hole" just about in the center of his stomach is where he had the feeding tube.  You can't see it here, but below that is a scar that's about 8 inches long where they cut him open the very first time he was diagnosed with non-Hodgkins Lymphoma 25 years ago.  This is definitely the body of a warrior!!!!!!!  

And, because we always like to post pictures of the gross stuff, just for fun, here's what his incision looks like!   There's a total of 12 staples there, in case you were wondering!  

So, that's pretty much the latest health news on Greg.   If you have time for some extra prayers for him, I would sure appreciate it.  He made a comment to me the other day that really hit me hard.  He stated that he didn't even know what it felt like to feel "normal" anymore.   How sad is that?  


Love, peace and prayers to all! 

Julie 

New Couch -- New Couch Cover!

So, we got this "new to us" couch a couple weeks ago, and with three dogs and four cats, we needed to do something to keep it looking nice. It's an Ethan Allen couch and super heavy and quite frankly, the nicest couch we've ever had. Best of all, it's only two years old and was FREE! Can't beat that!!!

I had bought some covers in the past for our old couch (wowsers, they are expensive!) only to have them ripped by the animals' toenails and in the garbage after six months. I didn't want to do that again, and in the spirit of frugality, I decided to MAKE a couch cover. Well, at least a cover for the cushions. The cushions on the back are attached, so I would have to make something with elastic around it, and that would be a pain in the butt. I thought I'd just use an old sheet, but none of the older ones we had were big enough, and they were too thin, so would probably tear fairly easily. Sooooooooo, while we were shopping on Saturday, we stopped at Hobby Lobby (one of my favorite stores!) and I found some material that was not only inexpensive, but on sale, too! I was looking for something that would fit with my color scheme (reds and blues), and would not show the pet hair. Not an easy task, with a tan dog, a brown dog and a black dog, and cats of the same colors! This fabric fits the bill, though! It looks a little funky with the rest of the couch, but since when has "funky" ever bothered me? LOL! Basically, I made a giant pillowcase for the cushions. I added five buttons on the side -- I was amazed that I actually found five large matching buttons in my button jar! My sewing machine has the most awesome button-hole foot that makes it super simple to make button holes! So, even though the cover is a bit large and has to be tucked in, it's a big case and buttoned on the side, so it's not going to come off! I'm pretty happy with how it turned out!

Here's the before. That's George (one of the cats) on the right.

And the after! Sophie jumped up the instant I stepped away after putting the cover on and wasn't about to move! Sophie is our latest rescue. She is almost a year old and weighs 95 pounds so far! She is a Newfoundland/ St. Bernard mix and is the absolute sweetest dog! She has some issues we're dealing with, but that's for another post!!
Like I said, it's a little funky, compared to the couch material, but it is what it is and it works just fine!

Without having all kinds of medical appointments to head off to, I've had some time to get some stuff done around the house! It's that time of year, and I'm feeling crafty (hence the reason I made the couch cover -- oh, and it only took about 1-1/2 hours to make!), I've been working on some Christmas decorations! Abby cut some branches off our pine trees for me and I made this basket. I save my summer hanging baskets and use them for my Christmas baskets. I leave the dirt in them and because it gets dried up, after I make the basket, I water it so when it's outside, it freezes and makes the basket heavier and less likely to blow away in a storm. Pretty awesome to not have to pay anything for such a pretty basket!

I cut some more branches and twigs and made this out of one of my summer planters.

Sophie totally lives up to the Newfoundland nickname of "gentle giant." We babysat for Bernie and Ezra on Friday, and neither of the boys had met Sophie yet. They were a little intimidated at first, because she is a very large dog (and let's face it, when you're 3 feet tall and have three dogs wanting to greet you, it can be a little intimidating!), but they soon became good friends! Ezra was nose to nose with her and I couldn't resist snapping a pic!







Of course, when they predicted an inch or so of snow for us, we got FIVE inches! It was very wet, heavy snow, so it clung to everything. We had to be in Wausau early this morning, and a normal 30 minute drive took 60 minutes in 4 wheel drive. We counted four vehicles in the ditch on Highway 29 in a 15 mile stretch. Not surprising, to be sure! People are stooooopid when it comes to driving in the snow, even in Wisconsin! On the way home, I counted the fresh tracks into the ditch -- TEN in total! Idiots!







This was Sophie's first "big" snow and she was loving every minute of it! I can't wait to see how she acts when we get more and have giant snow piles in the yard!!

And I'm working on some Christmas decorations inside the house, too. I saw this idea on Pinterest. As you can see, this is a regular spot for the cats. They're doing really well, though and haven't been messing with them! Right now they have been more interested in the sparrows at the feeder outside the window. It does help that the shade covers them at night. Out of sight, out of mind, right?! We shall see how long that lasts!

So, that's all for now. Things are going well. It's gotten to the busy time of year for me and mandatory overtime starts next week. I'm allowed 15 hours between last week and this week and am putting in every minute of those 15 hours!

Hope all is well with everyone!

Love, peace and prayers,

Julie