The Eagle has landed

Noah is home!!!!! Mamaw and Papaw brought him up today about 3:30. To say this was a big deal at our house would be like saying Vegas has a few street lights. He spent the first 30 minutes running back and forth from the living room and his bedroom. The next 30 minutes was spent going back and forth from our laps. Then he calmed down and spent 30 minutes watching Curious George in Jenna's lap. He's already thrown one fit when Jenna didn't pick him up. She can sit down and let him climb in her lap or she we can put him in her lap when she's sitting in a chair. I don't know how we're gonna get him to understand she can't pick him up. Hopefully it won't be to bad as the days go on. Here's a picture of them watching Curious George. I feel like the Grinch (my heart grew 3 sizes today).
Noah is home

Tube Free

Yay! I am tube free and I feel like a new woman! I felt immediate relief when Candi ( our nurse at Atwood's office) pulled them out. She was sure to emphasize that this was not a green light for activity and that I still needed to take it really slow. I have heard that if I get a pocket of fluid then I will have to have it drained with a needle, ugh! So I am going to continue to try to be a good patient. I want to get back to my healthy self soon. I feel so 'ugh' right now because I am eating the same as always but I am not engaging in any activity. I am ready to get out and walk or play outside with Noah. I know all will come in good time. My mom came back tonight so she will be here to help me and make sure I don't push it. My precious Noah is coming home on Thursday. I am so thankful for my family in Eldo to have taken such good care of him. I feel sure he will be rotten when he gets home!!

Last drains out tomorrow!

Jenna overdid things a little bit last Friday/Saturday and her drain output spiked on Saturday, but they are back below the threshold and she will (hopefully) get them out tomorrow morning. Then she'll have a few days for the holes to heal up and then Noah gets to come home!!!!! His absence has really taken a toll the past few days. We look/talk to him each night on the webcam but he really doesn't 'get' that its Mommy and Daddy on the screen. He smiles and pats the screen for a few minutes and then he loses interest. It's hilarious to watch him in the background while we talk to his Mamaw and Papaw. Motion doesn't really capture well on a webcam so he's a little blur in the background running from room to room. He looks like Dash from the Incredibles. He looks like he's grown a foot although I know he hasn't. From all reports he's adjusted really well and has done much better than we thought he would. My Dad took him to play golf today and he said Noah loved getting the ball out of the hole for him. Of course, he kept putting it back in the hole but even Tiger had to start somewhere.

I'll let you know tomorrow about Atwood's decision on the drains.

Sorry the delay in an update

Sorry about the lack of an update but it has been a crazy day. Work was hectic and then Stabbing Goat had to bottle beer tonight and I have felt like the Energizer bunny since the alarm went off this morning. I'll highlight the latest news.

--Bogie is home and is doing well. The bleeding has stopped and his blood is clotting. He's on 3 different meds and a special dog food but he's acting/feeling much better. Thanks for the understanding about our dog being sick right now. Most of you know how much our dogs are a part of our lives.

--Jenna had a rough day. There's a spot on her below her right incision and right below where her drain is sewn into her skin that has gotten puffy, bruised, and very painful. The doctor got her in this afternoon and said it was fine. The gist of the conversation was: It feels like there's a foreign object in your back because there is a foreign object in your back.

--Noah has transitioned from Magga's house to his Mamaw and Papaw's house. It's only a few miles away but Magga had to go back to work so now its Mamaw's turn to get him to sleep at night. The first report was very good as he slept 12 hours last night. We'll have to take their word for it because we've never seen that happen here at home.

--I got a little R&R this evening as my boys Mika and Ron got together to bottle the Hazelnut Brown Ale we brewed last month. I'll let you know how that turns out in a few weeks.Valerie and Ann stayed with Jenna and they watched chick flicks. At least that's what they said they did.

--Valerie is coming over tomorrow morning to help Jenna out while I go to a continuing education course on Baclofen pumps. I figure after the past week of drains and tubes, the course will be a breeze.

I'll update you again tomorrow evening.
Au revoir!

The good, the bad, and the ugly.

The good-Jenna had 2 drains removed at Dr. Atwood's this afternoon. She is healing as well as can be expected and most importantly got all of her dressings changed. The tape over her incisions has been driving her crazy the past 2 days. Also today, Noah had a rash over his entire body and Magga had to take him to the doctor. He has an upper respiratory infection and we have found out he may have missed out on Daddy's black hair but he got Daddy's allergy to Penicillin. I listed this with the good because it is way better to discover an allergy to Penicillin during a mild infection than the way I discovered I was allergic.

The Bad-As well as Jenna is doing, Dr. Atwood gave us a timetable for the next week or so and his best case scenario has Noah coming home on the 31st. We were really hoping to get him home the middle of next week but I know its for the best.

The Ugly-Sometimes when it rains it pours. Since we don't have enough on our plates right now, our youngest dog Bogie has gotten very ill and is in Weddington Animal Hospital. Bogie is Noah's favorite of our dogs and he is also 'our' dog since I had him a whole 3 days before meeting Jenna. At the kennel yesterday he started vomiting and had bloody diarrhea. They called me and I took him to the vet yesterday afternoon. Now they are trying to figure out why he has such acute gastroenteritis. The vet thinks the onset was too fast for it to be cancer so she's betting on a bad bacterial infection in his colon. He is on an IV for dehydration and for his antibiotic. He was feeling a little better this afternoon when I went to visit him but he's still pretty sick. The vet said she thinks our course of treatment is working but she's now trying to figure out why his blood isn't clotting. It could be a dehydration thing or it could be more systemic. I have a lot of faith in Weddington so I know he's in good hands but now that the other 2 dogs are home his absence is very noticeable. Here's a pic so you can root for him.
Bogie

Thank Goodness for Narcotics!!

Man, I am thankful for the great medicine that keeps me comfortable. I believe all the "big boy" medicine from the hospital has finally run out. I am having to rely on more medicine at home now, but that is okay. I don't need to be a hero! The best way I can describe the way it feels is that I have a corset on pulled very, very tight. And, after a nap, I feel really stiff. I am hopeful to have two drains removed tomorrow. The sites where they are stitched in getting sort of irritated.

I enjoy reading peoples comments and it touches my heart to see how many are keeping up. Reba, I am reading In Her Shoes by Jennifer Weiner. It was a movie a few years ago and I cannot wait to watch it after I finish the book. I have read a couple of other books by her too and enjoyed them as well. Yes, it did feel weird to have the school start and me not be there. How are things at Walker? I am going to miss Debbie.

I talked with Gail today and she said little Noah is doing great. He is certainly keeping her busy. She said her house is a disaster with toys everywhere! My house has been very clean without Noah and the dogs. The dogs will be back today. Gonna nap now, bye.

A Good Day

Jenna had a good day for the most part. She woke up this morning in the most amount of pain she's been in yet. This was probably due to sleeping 10 hours between pills so it was by far the longest she's gone without anything. So she was a little behind on pain management the entire day. She napped from 2-5 this afternoon. This morning she spent reading the book she's suddenly got into.

A few friends are over now and she's sitting on the deck enjoying some fresh air. I still call it a good day because she's in a good mood and alert and being sassy.

It's Jenna posting!

I am finally home. The last few days are a real blur and although, many have said I seemed really alert, I feel like I was completly looped! Thank you to everyone who has called, prayed, visited, sent flowers, or even taken the time to read the posts my very supportive husband has left. I cannot even find to words to express my appreciation. Of course I needed the medical staff and conventional medicine to get me through this physically, but to have such a vast support group has had a definite effect on my attitude and emotional health.

I just took some time to go through and read the posts and am quite embarassed at the "lovely" pics Chad posted of me. I still look like a 5th grader with my glasses on! I enjoyed seeing people at the hospital and welcome visitors at home. Chad will be going back to work tomorrow and my mother will be here with me during the day. Just give me a ring ahead of time to make sure I am not getting my beauty sleep. I need it right now!

I sort of feel a loss for words right now because I am so overwhelmed with the kindness of everyone. Thank you from the very bottom of my heart for loving me. I will be as good as new before long!

A little up and down

Jenna shot out of the gate this morning like Secretariat out Churchill Downs. She woke me up by kissing my forehead, which meant she was leaning over the bed. She walked around the house, ate a big breakfast (homemade pancakes from Cara a.k.a. Martha Stewart), and visited with her parents, brother, myself, and Martha. Anyways she felt great and was all bubbly and perky and stuff. Then I left for a bit to get my car, some movies for her, and some groceries and came back to her being asleep. She woke up a little before 3 asking for a pain pill. She thinks she way overdid it. It's gonna take her a little bit to get the balance just right. Anyways, she's sitting up in bed now and has a few visitors over. If you are in the area right now and want to stop by please do so. If you aren't sure when you'll be coming just give us a call.

There's no place like home, there's no place like home...

It's amazing how much the stars align when you are at home. Jenna made it home without incidence. I had to demonstrate to the nurse I could empty Jenna's drains. Then we got her Rx.'s and off we went. We got home and the first order of business was a bath for Jenna. Cara gave her a spongebath in an inch of water and I went to get the Rx.'s filled. When I returned Jenna looked like she'd just won the lottery. She looked so happy to be home it was great. The house feels weird with the dogs at the kennel and little Noah in ElDorado, but its a calm environment she can heal within. Noah will be back soon enough and chaos will reign supreme again :)

Resting up before the trip home

Jenna's resting up from a big morning. I got to the hospital a little before 8 and to find Jared (her brother) already there. Kara reported a good night. Jenna slept straight from midnight to 630. This was after she slept from 630 to 11 last night straight. So she was well refreshed when I got there. We took a long walk around the building. Checked out the new crop of babies and headed back.

Dr. Atwood came in around 10 and Cross came in about 10 minutes later. Atwood was still here so we got to speak to both of them together. The short of it is that Jenna's doing well. Atwood liked the way her skin looked on her chest. He's going to give her Darvacet during the day so she won't be so loopy to go with her Mepragam (Demerol/Phenergan) at night. He said the ON-Q ball will come out this evening when it runs dry. We had that wrong-we thought it was 72 hrs after discharge but its 72 hrs after implantation. Cross thought everything looked good as well.

The plan now is to call the drain outputs in every few days. When at least 2 are ready to come out we'll go to Atwood for their removal. Cross wants us to call him and stop by next door when whenever we leave Atwood's. We'll follow up again when the hormone testing results come in on the cancer cells. They are off to sign the orders now for her to leave. We've decided to stay through lunch so she can rest now, get some meds in her for the trip home, and be full and comfortable when she gets to the house.

I'll let you guys know after we get home.

Stories, stats, and servers, oh my...

I have news to share but I'm taking a roundabout way of getting there so just bear with me. I feel a background story is called for. The term 'Macadactyl' was coined by a good friend of mine when we were in college and I used to use it as my login for stuff because surprisingly it was never taken :) Later on I used it for my personal website because oddly enough it wasn't registered. I added the 'lilbit' blog as a way to keep our family informed about Noah when Jenna became pregnant. When Noah was born I blogged the entire day and it was a huge success. Some people I knew would read but a lot of people I didn't expect really got into it. The day was so stressful to me, I told my mother later that I really think it was therapeutic for me to write everything down. When your son's heartbeat keeps falling off a cliff the stress can build up. A man needs a release. As Jenna's surgery date approached, a lot of family and friends asked me to do the same thing during Jenna's surgery. I obliged for 3 reasons. 1- Obviously I wanted to keep family and friends who couldn't be here informed 2-I had to fill up 10 hours doing something & 3- I knew it would help me cope with the day and I can't ever remember myself being so nervous for an approaching day in my life.

Flash forward to today and I've had time to reflect on how many stories there are of people who spread the word of this site to keep tabs on Jenna. I checked my webmaster on Wednesday to see how many people were logging on (just to make sure someone was listening). I can't see who they are but I can see the traffic on the site. A moment ago, while Jenna slept, I did the same thing. My webmaster is reporting 77 unique IP addresses have been on the site in the past 72 hours. That means 77 different computers have logged onto the site and read about Jenna's fight. Of those 77 computers the page has been visited an unbelievable 3319 times. That's amazing. I know some of those people are logging in from 1 computer during the day and 1 computer at night but I know a lot more people are sharing 1 computer to check in during the day. I've even been told a couple of stories from family members checking in and co-workers inquiring and then bookmarking the page. People who don't even know Jenna personally have logged in to see how she's doing because they either love someone who loves Jenna (ouch at the tongue twister) or they have been personally affected by cancer and just want to make sure this stays a success story. To say that I'm stunned would be a gross oversimplification.

The point of all of this is to tell you I know 'macadactyl' is hard to spell when you are sharing the site with people. I bet I heard Weldon (Jenna's Dad) spell 'M-A-C-A-D-A-C-T-Y-L' about 20 times the past 2 days. I myself wrote it down about 15 times for people who visited and didn't know about the site. Late last night I figured I'd check into a new name for the site. Macadactyl.com/lilbit will still work and I'll make sure it always does but I went ahead and registered http://thesullivanblog.com last night. The DNS servers cleared this morning and I routed traffic there to here. The skinny of this means if you type in http://thesullivanblog.com then your browser will open http://macadactyl.com/lilbit.

Both links will work from here on out but the next time someone says "Hey what's that stupid name for the site keeping us up-to-date on Jenna" you can say "thesullivanblog.com" and you won't have to spell a thing.

Wow that was a roundabout.

Verdict-Another night

When Dr. Atwood got here Jenna was sleeping. He said he looked at her night and he was sorry it was so busy and rough. He thought the first night just wasn't very good and last night the nurse damn near put her in a coma. He would like for her to stay another night and get a good night of sleep before discharging her. He wrote orders for vitals at bedtime and in the morning only and no blood to be drawn at 5AM. He said he or Cross will be by first thing in the morning to sign the discharge papers. So for those of you who read the first and last sentence only, Jenna will be discharged early in the morning.

Walking around

Jenna had her IV disconnected earlier so asked if I could escort her on a walk. We went to the nurses station and saw some flowers that were up there for her. We strolled down to have a look at the babies. It looked like the Dr.'s had a busy night last night. Then we looped back around and stopped off at a friend's room to look at their baby. Then it was back to the room. We did pass a coffee machine by the room and stopped to get her a cup of Joe. I really thought she wouldn't have been able to go half that distance but she was a champ. She wasn't even winded and is still up and perky now.
Jenna up and around