Wednesday update - good to be home. Healing is going ok. Mark has been running around tracking down medical supplies. He helped me take a shower today and washed my hair so I feel much better as a result. He continues to play nurse and put on my pressure bandage this morning. Still some headaches but the pain meds seem to control it.

We are at the opthologist and they discovered some issues with my right eye, all of which are side effects of the surgery and not being able to blink my eye. The one that most concerns them right now is that my cornea is thinning as a result of my eye not closing all the way and even with the artificial tears, it is not enough to protect it. So they are fitting me with a special contact lense to protect the eye and keep it lubricated. They are also recommending more agressive moisture management, so we may end up going to a moisture chamber (think syran wrap over my eye) full time. I am told to expect daily visits to the opthamologist for the next few days.

We are scheduled back in Iowa City next week to get stitches removed and let Dr. Gantz check to ensure everything is healing as it is supposed to.

Adios Iowa City, West Des Moines Here We Come!

We just got our walking papers (with a very long list of instructions!), so we are out of here! Can't wait to get back home to see the girls smiling faces, and to provide a little relief for Bonita and Red (a.k.a. Grams and "Uncle Buck"). One quick stop at the drug store for supplies and we will be on the road. Thanks to everyone for the continued love and support, it has helped keep spirits high throughout this ordeal. Let's continue to pray for a speedy recovery and that the healing process goes well.

Heading Home Soon!

We just met with the doctors and are going to get released this morning! Kathleen had a night of marginal sleep, but is excited to get home and see the girls. Kathleen thought everyone would enjoy a glimpse of her face. She can't move half of it, but believe it or not, this is better than it was a couple days ago when it was really swollen. The doctors tell us it may take a while for the facial nerve to "wake up", but we are hopeful this will come in a month or so. In the meantime, Kathleen is looking forward to a shower and the comforts of home.

The large bandage on the side of her head is a pressure bandage that keeps fluid from building up at the incision site. This morning there was a bit of fluid in the area, so we will need to continue with the pressure bandage for another few days. They would also like us to return to Iowa City a week from Thursday so they can inspect the incision before they take the stitches out.

Kathleen is doing great on our walks. She is steady on her feet and does not need to use me for balance at all. We will send a note when we leave the hospital. ---Mark

The Results Are In

We just got the MRI results. Apparently during surgery they close off one of the bigger veins as part of the procedure. When surgeries last as long as this did, blood clotting is a typical side effect. They call this a thrombosis and we are told it is NOT dangerous, it just needs to work its way out of her system. It is also the likely reason she is having headaches. The MRI did not show anything else that concerned them, so it looks like we are clear to head home tomorrow (yeah, I know you've heard that before, and I probably just jinxed us, but keep thinking good thoughts!). The plan is to treat the thrombosis with oral steroid pills, which Kathleen will take for the next two weeks.

Looks like I will continue to play nurse when we are back home. My list of things to do is getting longer by the day, but hopefully after 2 weeks, things will get a little more normal. The stitches can be taken out in about a week, and she will continue with the moisture chamber at night over her right eye until the facial nerve returns. Other than that, it's watch for swelling around the site, keep clean bandages over the stitches, and keep going with the walks several times a day.

Wish us luck, we hope to see the girls tomorrow.

---Mark

Partial Results

Blood work came back good. White count was in the normal range. Should hear about MRI late afternoon.

No Results Yet

We are still waiting for results of the test. Apparently Dr. Gantz is in surgery so we may not hear until later this afternoon. In the mean time, Kathleen and I just made a bet. The eye drops we have to put in each hour come in 5 packs of these little plastic droppers . One dropper is used per application. I said the 5-pack would end up costing us $9 by the time all the hospital charges, taxes, and other stuff were added. She took the under. Anyone care to get in on the bet?

---Mark

Monday Mid-Morning Update

Still no results from the MRI or blood tests this morning (see 7:47am blog entry for what is going on -we are not coming home today). Ate breakfast, took a short walk, brushed teeth. We are in waiting mode and Kathleen is sleeping at the moment. I'll let everyone know when I hear results of the tests.
---Mark