Saturday, October 24, 2009
OMG!
This post could not wait. Bill turned down a glass of red wine last night...one more time...Bill turned down a glass of red wine last night. He said it tasted like some moonshine! Guess his taste buds still aren't up to par yet from the radiation. Until then, more wine for me!
Friday, October 23, 2009
and this ain't even some little boy in a helium balloon hoax...
Wild Bill is really coming home today!
Here's a little break down of the past few months:
August 10th: admitted to the hospital for leg infection. Stayed there for 10 days.
August 20th-ish: went to rehab center for physical/occupational therapy....was supposed to have speech therapy as well but the VA couldn't seem to get there S together to get that rolling. Started radiation around this same time.
September 14: Radiation ended. Starts getting energy back to get serious with the physical therapy.
October 23: Comes home from rehab center! (Exactly a year from when we found out he had the tumor...yes it has been a YEAR!)
So in total Bill has been not living at home for 76 days! Pretty crazy! Bill has his up and down days but now that he is coming home I think things will start to improve faster. Going into this surgery we all just hoped he was going to get through it and didn't really think of the actual recovery process...According to the surgeons Bill was supposed to be back to work for 6 months now and enjoyed a nice 7 day mexico cruise in April.....don't think they knew what they were actually getting into...literally.
It is crazy how fast a year can go by when something like this happens. We are so grateful to have come this far. Hearing and seeing people's stories that we have met along the way has definitely made us all grateful and thankful that Bill is on the road to recovery. His eye is even opening up slightly! Doctors say that radiation can help out those nerves and possibly get the eye open eventually. However, we will not be scheduling any eye surgery for awhile. I think we all need a break from hospitals for now!
October 30th: Bill goes to get his final MRI to see what this tumor looks like. We will keep you posted on the results.
Just one final note of gratitude to all of those friends and family who have constantly been keeping all of us in your thoughts and prayers and continually checking in to see how Wild Bill is holding up. We couldn't be more thankful!
(A little fun fact: Adams birthday was March 15th which was the day my dad took a big spill and cut his face and hurt his leg. My moms birthday was March 22nd and we spent that at the VA hospital in SF preparing for my dads 2nd "in and out" surgery. My birthday was August 12th and we spent that at the VA hospital in Sac with my dad's leg infection...but at least we got to have a big celebration for my dad's birthday in June. Bill knows how to plan things right :) )
Who's ready for a vacation?!!
ps. i have some pics to share but i am at work and don't want to get fired (tough economy) so i will post them asap.
Here's a little break down of the past few months:
August 10th: admitted to the hospital for leg infection. Stayed there for 10 days.
August 20th-ish: went to rehab center for physical/occupational therapy....was supposed to have speech therapy as well but the VA couldn't seem to get there S together to get that rolling. Started radiation around this same time.
September 14: Radiation ended. Starts getting energy back to get serious with the physical therapy.
October 23: Comes home from rehab center! (Exactly a year from when we found out he had the tumor...yes it has been a YEAR!)
So in total Bill has been not living at home for 76 days! Pretty crazy! Bill has his up and down days but now that he is coming home I think things will start to improve faster. Going into this surgery we all just hoped he was going to get through it and didn't really think of the actual recovery process...According to the surgeons Bill was supposed to be back to work for 6 months now and enjoyed a nice 7 day mexico cruise in April.....don't think they knew what they were actually getting into...literally.
It is crazy how fast a year can go by when something like this happens. We are so grateful to have come this far. Hearing and seeing people's stories that we have met along the way has definitely made us all grateful and thankful that Bill is on the road to recovery. His eye is even opening up slightly! Doctors say that radiation can help out those nerves and possibly get the eye open eventually. However, we will not be scheduling any eye surgery for awhile. I think we all need a break from hospitals for now!
October 30th: Bill goes to get his final MRI to see what this tumor looks like. We will keep you posted on the results.
Just one final note of gratitude to all of those friends and family who have constantly been keeping all of us in your thoughts and prayers and continually checking in to see how Wild Bill is holding up. We couldn't be more thankful!
(A little fun fact: Adams birthday was March 15th which was the day my dad took a big spill and cut his face and hurt his leg. My moms birthday was March 22nd and we spent that at the VA hospital in SF preparing for my dads 2nd "in and out" surgery. My birthday was August 12th and we spent that at the VA hospital in Sac with my dad's leg infection...but at least we got to have a big celebration for my dad's birthday in June. Bill knows how to plan things right :) )
Who's ready for a vacation?!!
ps. i have some pics to share but i am at work and don't want to get fired (tough economy) so i will post them asap.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Hasta la vista
Radiation!
Radiation is done! Now it's time to concentrate on eating and getting stronger. Physical and occupational therapy will now be taken more seriously since he will be getting stronger. Bill even ate some ribs last night and a tasty taco for lunch today. Already his appetite is getting better. Probably another week until he has more strength back and he can be on his feet again. woo hoo!!
Radiation is done! Now it's time to concentrate on eating and getting stronger. Physical and occupational therapy will now be taken more seriously since he will be getting stronger. Bill even ate some ribs last night and a tasty taco for lunch today. Already his appetite is getting better. Probably another week until he has more strength back and he can be on his feet again. woo hoo!!
Saturday, September 5, 2009
7 months.....really
So its been over a month since my last post and so much has gone down that I decided to just make an ordered list of the events that have happened.
1) After his fist day of radiation ( July 27th) he fell in some bushes outside of Bel Air and got a few "little" cuts on his leg. It was funny at the time but little did we know it would turn out to be not so funny.
2) About 2 weeks later his cuts he got were looking infected and were oozing a lot. His leg started to turn red and it was starting to hurt Bill to walk on it. We decided to take Bill to the ER when his leg was getting a purplish color. We got to the ER around 9pm and there was no one waiting! But we still didn't leave till 2am...not chill.
3) The ER doctor said the leg had an infection and he gave him some antibiotics.
4) 2 days later he had an appointment with the hematology doctor just for a routine check up. His leg was still not getting better and was getting even harder to walk.
5) The hematology doctor admitted him to the hospital so that he could get antibiotics through an IV. Turned out the ER doctor gave him a quarter of the antibiotics that he really needed...shocker.
6) After trying various kinds of antibiotics and ten days in the hospital Bill was free to go. Still couldn't walk because of the infection so they were going to transfer him to a live in rehab facility.
7) By the way he couldn't get radiation this whole time, so it kept getting pushed back.
8) The first rehab place they sent him was pretty much a scary movie. It was an old folks home...i know Bills old but not this old. Bill was dropped off at this facility around 5pm and was left in his room unattended, not seen by any nurse, not given any antibiotics, not elevating his leg for about 3 hours. We knew we had to bust him out of that place so we called the VA and set up for transportation to come pick him up and take him back to the hospital.
9) We found a new rehab center in Roseville that had a better vibe. The nurses actually gave medicine and checked up on you.
10) Bill started his radiation back up once he was set up at this rehab center and he now only has 5 more treatments!
11) The doctors never tell you how bad the side effects of anything will be. They said that during radiation Bill would be a little tired and may loose his appetite. But what they don't tell you is that he will be so tired that he doesn't want to get out of bed and that any kind of food tastes like throw up...even my mom's good home cookin.
12) Each day Bill is getting stronger and is doing physical therapy everyday, even on the weekends. He is now practicing using his walker. He is just so weak from the radiation that he can only do so much. The doctors say that it takes a few weeks after radiation for his strength to come back.
13) So in the end that fall back in July turned out to be not so funny.
1) After his fist day of radiation ( July 27th) he fell in some bushes outside of Bel Air and got a few "little" cuts on his leg. It was funny at the time but little did we know it would turn out to be not so funny.
2) About 2 weeks later his cuts he got were looking infected and were oozing a lot. His leg started to turn red and it was starting to hurt Bill to walk on it. We decided to take Bill to the ER when his leg was getting a purplish color. We got to the ER around 9pm and there was no one waiting! But we still didn't leave till 2am...not chill.
3) The ER doctor said the leg had an infection and he gave him some antibiotics.
4) 2 days later he had an appointment with the hematology doctor just for a routine check up. His leg was still not getting better and was getting even harder to walk.
5) The hematology doctor admitted him to the hospital so that he could get antibiotics through an IV. Turned out the ER doctor gave him a quarter of the antibiotics that he really needed...shocker.
6) After trying various kinds of antibiotics and ten days in the hospital Bill was free to go. Still couldn't walk because of the infection so they were going to transfer him to a live in rehab facility.
7) By the way he couldn't get radiation this whole time, so it kept getting pushed back.
8) The first rehab place they sent him was pretty much a scary movie. It was an old folks home...i know Bills old but not this old. Bill was dropped off at this facility around 5pm and was left in his room unattended, not seen by any nurse, not given any antibiotics, not elevating his leg for about 3 hours. We knew we had to bust him out of that place so we called the VA and set up for transportation to come pick him up and take him back to the hospital.
9) We found a new rehab center in Roseville that had a better vibe. The nurses actually gave medicine and checked up on you.
10) Bill started his radiation back up once he was set up at this rehab center and he now only has 5 more treatments!
11) The doctors never tell you how bad the side effects of anything will be. They said that during radiation Bill would be a little tired and may loose his appetite. But what they don't tell you is that he will be so tired that he doesn't want to get out of bed and that any kind of food tastes like throw up...even my mom's good home cookin.
12) Each day Bill is getting stronger and is doing physical therapy everyday, even on the weekends. He is now practicing using his walker. He is just so weak from the radiation that he can only do so much. The doctors say that it takes a few weeks after radiation for his strength to come back.
13) So in the end that fall back in July turned out to be not so funny.
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Cash Cab
Wow, I kind of forgot how this all works....we've come a long way since last update. We just celebrated Wild Bill's one week of radiation! He has a total of 5 weeks of radiation, 5 days a week, so 4 weeks to go! So in between walking and cash cab my mom has to drive Bill down to Sac for a long 10 minute radiation sesh. Here are a few video clips of what radiation is all about. Try to ignore that fact that BIll kind of resembles Hellraiser :)
That mask is super tight on his dome and makes for a pretty hilarious imprint (tried to catch it on film but it was too hard to make out). Bill hasn't felt any side effects yet, except for a minor headache after the first session but other than that everything is going pretty good.
Bill has a eye appointment next week to see what they can do about opening his eye if anything, so I will keep you all posted on that later.
At the beginning of the month we had a nice visit from Bill's sister Chris (i.e. Mrs. Dyer). My parents were able to show her Tahoe for the first time and the wine country, We also had an amazing meal at Papa Gianni's:
Thanks again Chris for the great visit!
That mask is super tight on his dome and makes for a pretty hilarious imprint (tried to catch it on film but it was too hard to make out). Bill hasn't felt any side effects yet, except for a minor headache after the first session but other than that everything is going pretty good.
Bill has a eye appointment next week to see what they can do about opening his eye if anything, so I will keep you all posted on that later.
At the beginning of the month we had a nice visit from Bill's sister Chris (i.e. Mrs. Dyer). My parents were able to show her Tahoe for the first time and the wine country, We also had an amazing meal at Papa Gianni's:
Thanks again Chris for the great visit!
Monday, June 15, 2009
Tumor Tuesdays
I forgot to mention in the latest blog that the five of us (Wild Bill, Tere, Adam, Traci and I...I'll refer to us as the Fab Five from now on to save time and typing :) ) went to a tumor support group a few weeks ago. Adam did some research and found a brain tumor support group that meets at the UC Davis Med Center in Sac once a month. We all thought it would be a great idea to share our story and hear other peoples stories they have gone through. We are all so glad we did this. There were around 20 people there that either had a tumor or were supporting those who did. It was crazy to hear how similar and not so similar peoples stories were. The meeting was very inspirational not only for Bill but for the four of us as well. Just a really great positive vibes going on after we left the meeting. We met a lot of awesome people and are planning on going to the next meeting in August.
Last Thursday Bill went and saw an occupational therapist at the VA in Sac to go over the things that he will be working on to help him in his recovery. This Thursday he goes back to meet with the speech and physical therapist to get that ball rolling...finally!
Bill is still on steriods...unfortunately. But the dosage is slowly cutting back and he will be done with them in about a month and a half. He will also be done with comadin (the blood thinners) in August.
He has an appointment scheduled at the end of July to meet with the optomitrist to see what can be done about his eye. Keep your fingers crossed that something can be done!
Last Thursday Bill went and saw an occupational therapist at the VA in Sac to go over the things that he will be working on to help him in his recovery. This Thursday he goes back to meet with the speech and physical therapist to get that ball rolling...finally!
Bill is still on steriods...unfortunately. But the dosage is slowly cutting back and he will be done with them in about a month and a half. He will also be done with comadin (the blood thinners) in August.
He has an appointment scheduled at the end of July to meet with the optomitrist to see what can be done about his eye. Keep your fingers crossed that something can be done!
Sunday, June 7, 2009
"Six O!"
so it's been awhile since the last blog and since Bill turned the big six o today i thought it would be a good time for an update. over the weekend we threw a surprise birthday for bill at chicago fire pizza in beautiful downtown historic folsom and about forty people were there! it was soo much fun and we were glad that so many people were able to be a part of it! bill was super surprised and was finally able to enjoy his first glass of some nice wine...thanks to uncle johnny.
unfortunately bill can only drink wine in moderation because of the whole brain surgery thing so this was a pretty big deal.
today warren and mike took bill fishing and they caught 15 trout! bill really enjoyed his day and was glad to get out and about with his boyfriends :)
Before
After
We had such a fun weekend and were happy to spend it with such a great group of peeps! thanks everyone for making wild bill's 60th bday a success!
Here are some other pics from the party.
this carrott cake was so good that the next day we were kind of regretting giving the leftovers to the staff....guess there's always next year.
unfortunately bill can only drink wine in moderation because of the whole brain surgery thing so this was a pretty big deal.
today warren and mike took bill fishing and they caught 15 trout! bill really enjoyed his day and was glad to get out and about with his boyfriends :)
Before
After
We had such a fun weekend and were happy to spend it with such a great group of peeps! thanks everyone for making wild bill's 60th bday a success!
Here are some other pics from the party.
this carrott cake was so good that the next day we were kind of regretting giving the leftovers to the staff....guess there's always next year.
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Welcome home mita way.
Translation: "Welcome Home Mr. Wade. Time for vitals. "
This is Bill's version of what the nurses would come in and tell him every time they needed to check his vitals and give him his meds :)
Last thursday Wild Bill came home! We were all so excited and happy for him to be home and in such good shape. He has soooo much more energy and rarely takes naps now. He has his check up with the doctor at the VA in SF and went over what is to come. The doctor is setting up meetings and appointments with the optomologist to fix the nerves in his eye lid so it can open again!
It's so nice to have my mom and dad back home and see Bill's recovery with my own eyes! Things are looking up! Here is a pic of Brian and my dad getting cozy on his last night at the rehab center.
This is what Sunday mornings are all about.
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Long time no talk
So its been awhile since the latest post so I'm just going to give a quick break down of recent events since american idol is about to start :) Wild Bill comes home Thursday!! He has been in the rehab center for three weeks or so working on physical, occupational, and speech therapy. He does therapy 7 days a week, 3 hours a day. The physical therapists like to give him a hard time and vice a versa of course. Bill eats breakfast, lunch, and dinner in the dining room with the other vets that are staying there as well so he gets to talk it up and socialize with others. My mom has been staying with Uncle Johnny and Adam, Traci, and I and others have been going down every weekend to visit. It's going to be strange to not drive to the bay on the weekend...not sure what i'm going to do with myself.
When Bill gets home he will be going to an out patient physical therapy facility to help him get back in the game. One of the neurosurgical doctors came and spoke with my mom and dad last week and said that it can take anywhere from 3 to 8 months for his brain to fully recover. When I was visiting last weekend I was super happy to see that my dad was actually coming back and felt like it was the Wild Bill I have grown to love :)
Shyama informed us that there was a brain tumor walk last weekend in San Francisco, so we decided that we will definitely part take next year in support of the cause. Well I hope all that made since (trying to blog and watch How I Met Your Mother at the same time :) ) Here are a bunch of picks from the last month.
One of his buddies that was at the rehab center.
When Bill gets home he will be going to an out patient physical therapy facility to help him get back in the game. One of the neurosurgical doctors came and spoke with my mom and dad last week and said that it can take anywhere from 3 to 8 months for his brain to fully recover. When I was visiting last weekend I was super happy to see that my dad was actually coming back and felt like it was the Wild Bill I have grown to love :)
Shyama informed us that there was a brain tumor walk last weekend in San Francisco, so we decided that we will definitely part take next year in support of the cause. Well I hope all that made since (trying to blog and watch How I Met Your Mother at the same time :) ) Here are a bunch of picks from the last month.
One of his buddies that was at the rehab center.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
One Month
So it will be one month since Bill has been in the hospital for his second surgery. So much for the in and out the same day. We spent Easter Sunday with WIld Bill in his new room which is quite nice and spacious...no ocean view but not a shared room.
Having a little fun outside of the ICU.
Here is a group shot of Easter Sunday. Richelle also joined us later on in the day.
We took Bill for a little lap to get him up and walking but he got tired pretty easy because he is carrying these things around.
He's pretty stoked he no longer has chicken legs but the swelling does slow down his pace a bit :)
As of today the swelling has gone down and he can walk on his own with no walker. We're still not sure when he will be released from the hospital.
Yesturday one of the doctors and physical therapist stopped by and informed my mom that Bill is going to an physical therapy rehab center when he leaves the hospital. While there he will be trained in regular day to day activities to gain his skills and strength back. He will be living in this facility as well which is in Palo Alto. We were glad to hear this because this will allow Bill to get back to his "normal" self a lot quicker and stronger than if he were to just stay at the house. He was kind of bummed when he learned of this info but is now realizing that it will be the best thing for him.
Here are some more shots of Easter Sunday...
Yummy salisbury steak and peas.
Jim Jones decided to stop by and wish us a happy easter...
Since Bill's been there for a month we are really getting to know all the nurses and they invited us back up for a pot luck so Bill decided to put on his toga.
Thanks again to everyone who has been sending cards, emails, and their thoughts it has been great! Special thanks to Shannon and her letters from her students, we all loved them and thought it was a great idea!
Having a little fun outside of the ICU.
Here is a group shot of Easter Sunday. Richelle also joined us later on in the day.
We took Bill for a little lap to get him up and walking but he got tired pretty easy because he is carrying these things around.
He's pretty stoked he no longer has chicken legs but the swelling does slow down his pace a bit :)
As of today the swelling has gone down and he can walk on his own with no walker. We're still not sure when he will be released from the hospital.
Yesturday one of the doctors and physical therapist stopped by and informed my mom that Bill is going to an physical therapy rehab center when he leaves the hospital. While there he will be trained in regular day to day activities to gain his skills and strength back. He will be living in this facility as well which is in Palo Alto. We were glad to hear this because this will allow Bill to get back to his "normal" self a lot quicker and stronger than if he were to just stay at the house. He was kind of bummed when he learned of this info but is now realizing that it will be the best thing for him.
Here are some more shots of Easter Sunday...
Yummy salisbury steak and peas.
Jim Jones decided to stop by and wish us a happy easter...
Since Bill's been there for a month we are really getting to know all the nurses and they invited us back up for a pot luck so Bill decided to put on his toga.
Thanks again to everyone who has been sending cards, emails, and their thoughts it has been great! Special thanks to Shannon and her letters from her students, we all loved them and thought it was a great idea!
Friday, April 10, 2009
Country Road Take Me Home
What a good week! Throughout the week the doctors were slowly pinching off the brain drain to make sure the fluid wouldn't build up again. They completely stopped the draining Thursday, took a CT scan this morning and everything looked great! The doctor said he couldn't believe how good everything was going...kinda weird to hear things going this well! Tonight will be his last night in ICU...pretty sure he's bummed about that :) We should be looking for an early in the week delivery home, so we are looking forward to that. Should be spending a nice Easter Sunday in the hospital! Thanks again to everyone who has been emailing, calling, and mailing all your love. Here are some pics from the week....oh yeah they removed the brain drain late this afternoon and put a few staples in his head to patch things up...here is a close up.
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Go Big or Go Home
Yet another SF weekend.
Over the weekend we all went and hung out with Bill. We helped him clean up a bit and kept him busy.
While Bill was resting after lunch on Sunday, my mom and I went and took a walk to the sutro baths and down to the beach. There was this pretty sweet cave that we checked out.
Speaking of walking...Bill has been taking little walks around the ICU with the physical therapist. I have been getting updates from my Mom the days I am not at the hospital and she said that he had a lot more energy today than yesturday. They are slowly shutting off the brain drain to see if it will drain properly once it is out. Hopefully everything will go as planned!
Over the weekend we all went and hung out with Bill. We helped him clean up a bit and kept him busy.
While Bill was resting after lunch on Sunday, my mom and I went and took a walk to the sutro baths and down to the beach. There was this pretty sweet cave that we checked out.
Speaking of walking...Bill has been taking little walks around the ICU with the physical therapist. I have been getting updates from my Mom the days I am not at the hospital and she said that he had a lot more energy today than yesturday. They are slowly shutting off the brain drain to see if it will drain properly once it is out. Hopefully everything will go as planned!
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Forgot a couple things
After the surgery we were able to go in and see Bill in ICU. He could hear us talking to him and respond but was still out of it obviously. This morning my mom went to see him and he was able to eat and was drinking lot of water and talking with her. So things are starting to look up. He will be in ICU... definitely not TCU
that's what we think.
The surgeon said that he will be in ICU for at least 4 more days...so it looks like another SF weekend!
that's what we think.
The surgeon said that he will be in ICU for at least 4 more days...so it looks like another SF weekend!
Seeing the Light...finally
It's hard to believe that the second surgery has come and gone...yesturday Wild Bill was wheeled in around 8am...
Bill was feeling anxious obviously but was in good spirits.
Monday evening Bill's vitals were stable and he was eating, drinking and talking it up. So we were glad to see this before he went into to surgery.
Here he is going in for surgery.
We were able to see the surgeon before he took Bill into surgery and he said, "hopefully this won't be another 13 hours". Not cool. To kill time we went to the cafeteria for breakfast and coffee. The Smiths joined my mom, adam, and I so that was very nice. Adam and I decided to kill some time on haight street while my mom and patty took a nice walk and warren got caught up on some Planet Earth episodes. Around 1:30 we went to catch on Bill's status and the lady at the desk said that they were 82% done...not quite sure how she came up with this figure...so after some mathematical breakdowns we figured that BIll had about 1 hour 12 minutes and 48 seconds left...come to find out we were off....way off. Oprah and Dirty Jobs kept us busy for a few hours but by 6:00pm we were getting antsy. At this point one of the nurses came by and said that she had set up Bill's bed in ICU and he would be done with surgery in about a half hour! So around 6:30pm Bill was wheeled by the ICU waiting room where we were and one of the doctors said that everything went great!
We waited for about 15 minutes so that we could talk to the surgeon about the surgery. Dr. Shugrue came in the waiting room and gave us a summary on the surgery and the future.
He said that the surgery went a lot better than what they were expecting and that they got rid of 90% of the entire tumor. They took out 4 times the amount of tumor than the first surgery, which is pretty hard to believe. He also mentioned that Bill's tumor was hands down the biggest tumor that any of them have ever seen in this area! Bill will have to go through some radiation treatments to get rid of the rest of the tumor but the surgeon said that he set the tumor back about 3 decades :) We were so glad to hear great news finally and can't thank the surgeons, friends and family that have been thinking about us and praying for us throughout this nightmare...and last night it feels as though we have finally woke up! I have come to the conclusion that I took the first 25 years of my life somewhat for granted and it's events like these that make you stop and think and appreciate what you have been given and learn to grow from the experiences you go through.
PS. The surgeon said that he has 8 hours of the first surgery filmed and the entire second surgery filmed so y'all better get ready for The Return of Wild release party!
Bill was feeling anxious obviously but was in good spirits.
Monday evening Bill's vitals were stable and he was eating, drinking and talking it up. So we were glad to see this before he went into to surgery.
Here he is going in for surgery.
We were able to see the surgeon before he took Bill into surgery and he said, "hopefully this won't be another 13 hours". Not cool. To kill time we went to the cafeteria for breakfast and coffee. The Smiths joined my mom, adam, and I so that was very nice. Adam and I decided to kill some time on haight street while my mom and patty took a nice walk and warren got caught up on some Planet Earth episodes. Around 1:30 we went to catch on Bill's status and the lady at the desk said that they were 82% done...not quite sure how she came up with this figure...so after some mathematical breakdowns we figured that BIll had about 1 hour 12 minutes and 48 seconds left...come to find out we were off....way off. Oprah and Dirty Jobs kept us busy for a few hours but by 6:00pm we were getting antsy. At this point one of the nurses came by and said that she had set up Bill's bed in ICU and he would be done with surgery in about a half hour! So around 6:30pm Bill was wheeled by the ICU waiting room where we were and one of the doctors said that everything went great!
We waited for about 15 minutes so that we could talk to the surgeon about the surgery. Dr. Shugrue came in the waiting room and gave us a summary on the surgery and the future.
He said that the surgery went a lot better than what they were expecting and that they got rid of 90% of the entire tumor. They took out 4 times the amount of tumor than the first surgery, which is pretty hard to believe. He also mentioned that Bill's tumor was hands down the biggest tumor that any of them have ever seen in this area! Bill will have to go through some radiation treatments to get rid of the rest of the tumor but the surgeon said that he set the tumor back about 3 decades :) We were so glad to hear great news finally and can't thank the surgeons, friends and family that have been thinking about us and praying for us throughout this nightmare...and last night it feels as though we have finally woke up! I have come to the conclusion that I took the first 25 years of my life somewhat for granted and it's events like these that make you stop and think and appreciate what you have been given and learn to grow from the experiences you go through.
PS. The surgeon said that he has 8 hours of the first surgery filmed and the entire second surgery filmed so y'all better get ready for The Return of Wild release party!
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Another weekend in the city
Yesturday morning my brother, Traci, the Smiths, Patty Shuck, Uncle Johnny, and I met at the VA to visit Bill and my mom.
Bill seemed to recover nicely the next few days after the fever and bladder infection but Friday and especially yesturday we noticed that rather than getting stronger he was getting weak and not as responsive. His heart rate and blood pressure fluctuated all day and we were concerned because his next surgery is on Tuesday and we want him to be in a better condition going into the surgery. Johnny wasn't feeling right about the situation and had the nurse call one of the neurosurgeons that his working Bill's case to try and answer our questions and see what could be done. It seemed that every time he was moved from ICU to the TCU he wasn't watched at closely and his conditions worsened. TCU is where he ended up getting his fever and bladder infection last week.
The surgeon called us back and mentioned that the because he has fluid building up in his brain (hydrocephalus) that can lead to dehydration and unstable levels of sodium in your body, which is why he is on steriods and other meds that can cause him to be less responsive and kind of out of it. So we requested that the surgeon call in his medicine team to check out the situation. A few hours later the surgeon called us back and said that they were moving Bill back to ICU and were going to drain some of the fluid from his brain. Huge thanks to Johhnny for stepping up and asking to talk to the surgeons or else who knows what Bill's condition would have been today. Just another rollercoaster of a day!
We are getting ready to head out to go see how Bill is doing today...Keep you posted! Thanks Smiths and Patty for the visit and a special thanks to Patty for the yummy homemade lemon poppyseed bread :)
too cool.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Blah Blah Blog
It's been awhile since the last post and believe it or not a whole bunch of things have developed....shocker. Over Adams Birthday weekend Wild Bill made friends with the pavement. He went on a nice long walk with Steve and at the end of the walk got a little excited and couldn't stop his momentum and fell face first into the pavement. Luckily it was his good side of his face and only came out with a little knee injury. Here is an after shot.
Meanwhile...my mom and I and the Patty's got out of the house and went to the wine country. We had a really nice time and it was nice to get Tere out and about.
That evening we went out to dinner with the Smith's to celebrate Adam's 27th Birthday...
On Thursday Tere took Wild Bill down to the VA to get his pre op procedures done in preparation for his surgery on Monday...however things were going way to smoothly for a day or two so it was definitely time for a bump in the road. Saturday evening Bill ended up getting a really bad fever and a bladder infection so he was unable to have his surgery Monday...He was sent to ICU and had to take some antibiotics...so now we are aiming for next Monday or Tuesday for the surgery. Today he had a lot of energy and was a lot more talkative and in good spirits. Here we are trying to keep up the positivity!
Since the weather was sooo good, Adam, Traci, Alex, my mom and I decided to take a nice long walk by the Bay. Here was our view...
Meanwhile...my mom and I and the Patty's got out of the house and went to the wine country. We had a really nice time and it was nice to get Tere out and about.
That evening we went out to dinner with the Smith's to celebrate Adam's 27th Birthday...
On Thursday Tere took Wild Bill down to the VA to get his pre op procedures done in preparation for his surgery on Monday...however things were going way to smoothly for a day or two so it was definitely time for a bump in the road. Saturday evening Bill ended up getting a really bad fever and a bladder infection so he was unable to have his surgery Monday...He was sent to ICU and had to take some antibiotics...so now we are aiming for next Monday or Tuesday for the surgery. Today he had a lot of energy and was a lot more talkative and in good spirits. Here we are trying to keep up the positivity!
Since the weather was sooo good, Adam, Traci, Alex, my mom and I decided to take a nice long walk by the Bay. Here was our view...
Friday, March 6, 2009
Wild Bill's Top Ten Worst Reasons to have a Tumor
10. I have perfected the blue-hair shuffle. (Tere please don't put me in a home)
9. People listen to me, just because I almost died.
8. For some reason I don't give a shit about other people's tumors.
7. The shower chair still has grey pubes from the previous owner.
6. Balls get stuck in slots of said shower chair.
5. While I'm on the subject, my balls have gotten longer.
4. Severe butt crust.
3. Can't see enough to paint (can't see brush and/or easel).
2. I'm being fitted for a white helmet.
1. Every time I sneeze the flaps of my skull move and blood comes out.
9. People listen to me, just because I almost died.
8. For some reason I don't give a shit about other people's tumors.
7. The shower chair still has grey pubes from the previous owner.
6. Balls get stuck in slots of said shower chair.
5. While I'm on the subject, my balls have gotten longer.
4. Severe butt crust.
3. Can't see enough to paint (can't see brush and/or easel).
2. I'm being fitted for a white helmet.
1. Every time I sneeze the flaps of my skull move and blood comes out.
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Wild Bill's Top Ten Best Reasons to have a Tumor
10. Suddenly you're the center of attention...
9. Being waited on hand and foot everyday....by everyone....even Crystal believe it or not
8. My wife gets to wash my balls
7. It get to grow a new layer of skin and hair
6. Growing a third eye the size of a potato on my right cheek
5. Women come up to me and ask me why i'm winking at them
4. Your eyes are already ready to play pool
3. I get to meet some of the nicest people in the world....i know they'll be coming around some day
2. Finding out who your true friends are
1. Knowing that you might die which prepared me for heaven.
Wild Bill's Top Ten Worst Reasons to have a Tumor coming tomorrow...
9. Being waited on hand and foot everyday....by everyone....even Crystal believe it or not
8. My wife gets to wash my balls
7. It get to grow a new layer of skin and hair
6. Growing a third eye the size of a potato on my right cheek
5. Women come up to me and ask me why i'm winking at them
4. Your eyes are already ready to play pool
3. I get to meet some of the nicest people in the world....i know they'll be coming around some day
2. Finding out who your true friends are
1. Knowing that you might die which prepared me for heaven.
Wild Bill's Top Ten Worst Reasons to have a Tumor coming tomorrow...
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
ENT time
Monday morning my mom, adam, and I went to the VA in SF to take my dad to see the ENT doctor for pre surgery business for his next surgery which is confirmed to be on March 23rd! We're almost there! The doc went over all the details of the surgery and it seems like it's not going to be anything serious. They go up through the nose so no more opening up the dome and it should only be about a 2 hour surgery. It was a beautiful day in the city and was a great excuse to take the day off work :) Here are some pics i took during the day.
chillin' in the waiting room
Checkin the route for the surgery.
this is my dad's impression of an iguana...not quite sure...
this is the amazing view at the hospital...not to bad of a spot to get surgery huh?
chillin' in the waiting room
Checkin the route for the surgery.
this is my dad's impression of an iguana...not quite sure...
this is the amazing view at the hospital...not to bad of a spot to get surgery huh?
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