Running. Tired.

 

          "Hi Kimmy.  It's me.  How are you?  I'm so tired honey, so tired..."



         And so it goes. We thought there was some progress being made on Sunday, Oct 24 and Monday, Oct 25, 2010.  Kim needed less oxygen.  Was switched to a less powerful pain killer.  There was talk of moving her out of ICU!  This is what we had been hoping for.  This is what we had been praying for.  It had only been a couple of days, but, it already seemed like an eternity and we knew it was going to be a long road to recovery.  So we dug in and readied ourselves...

10/24/2010     

"Hello everyone, Kim had a good day today, spirits higher, she got out of bed twice to sit in a chair next to me for an hour or two and took her first solid meal since being admitted! Also, her oxygen level and painkillers were reduced. However, she is still in ICU, as she need the oxygen, due to the tumor and blood clots in her lung. We had a nice time sitting together talking and watching movies...if I haven't mentioned it, I truly enjoy her company and she is the most amazing person I've ever met.

Tomorrow will be a challenging day. In the a.m., she will have an MRI of the brain. At two p.m., she will have a 'power port' installed, just below the skin, high on the left side of her chest. This will allow the medical staff to draw blood and administer treatments without having to constantly find a vein. I've read that often, the medicine used to treat tumors can destroy tissue around the vein, this port will prevent that. They are timing it with the blood thinning medication switch from Heparin to Cuminin(spelling?), so they don't have to stop the thinners later to insert the port. We should also get the Thyroid scan result and are praying our hardest for clear results!!

Thanks your for all of the calls (I may hire a staff to try to help answer them as the phone rings non-stop and petition Sprint to lower the cost of my minutes - I only get 500/month!) - I'd answer them all if I could, but between lousy reception, focusing on my wonderful wife or children, sadly, I am unable to, but you know, I'll do my best! Hey, maybe the East Coast could switch to Arizona time, where we are blessed to be totally Daylight Savings Time free!!

Also, thank you for all of your prayers, support, watching our children (and feeding those hungry little guys!), food (Vito and Rosa, you ARE the best!), etc, etc, etc - you've all been great and Kim, Cody, Autumn, Antonio, Bella and I all appreciate all you do! Through Him, all things are possible!

Love, Dave"

10/25/2010
      "Pretty great Monday for Kim today! First, this morning around 9, she had an MRI to check out her brain - the results were clear - a HUGE win that really buoyed Kim's spirits. At 2, she had the power port installed that will be used for future blood draws and to administer treatments. This surgery went well, Dr. Atkinson, her surgeon was pleased and Kim bounced back in record time from the anesthesia. The ultra sound on her thyroid showed two cysts, that will be biopsied tomorrow. Other progress today: Kim was removed from morphine drip and is taking percocet (spelling?) and the dilaudel (spelling again?) at a reduced level. Her oxygen level was reduce too, but she remains in ICU. She will be taking off of the heparin tomorrow and begin cuminin(spelling?) for a blood thinner. She is also off the contingent of drips giving her liquids and nutrients and had two solid food meals today! Special thanks to Ursula and Sam, our neighbor, Betsey's, folks, who delivered a beautiful rosary, blessed at the Vatican, that we have put to good use - it's working!

A psychologist poked her head in today, Dr. Selz, and offered her services...Kim's infectious personality and strong attitude chased her away in record time! At 5 pm, a EKG was performed on her heart -we will get results tomorrow. I left Kim's side just after 9 and she was comfortable and in the best possible mindframe for the situation. The nurses and staff have really taken excellent care of her, as she has shown to been an extraordinary patient.

The bambini's are doing very well too. The leadership at their schools have stepped forward to give us an extra hand in making our kids feel loved and make sure they are on top of their lessons. Their teachers have put in extra time to help them with homework, give them rides to our neighbors houses and have let us wander in late to school to get the kids an extra hour of sleep. Our neighbors,  continue to pick the kids up at school so I can stay with Kim, help them with homework, pack their lunches, get them ready for bed and clean house. Today, a friend of our family, Janene, cooked two huge trays of chicken pasta for our family that will keep the kids in dinners for a few days.

Thank you all for the prayers, positive thoughts, offers of assistance, etc - it is all so appreciated! Our good friends Kirk and Annette Perrini

Love, Dave"

           By now, I was running the stairwells at least three times a day..."I'm feeling sleepy Dave.  If I fall asleep will you run downstairs to get me a fruit salad?"  Kim always knew when I needed a little break.  She was so perceptive and intuitive.  Those steps were my salvation.  I needed to run to clear my mind and to think of what to do next.  For Kim.  And the bambini.  Those stairwells became my vacation getaway.  A kind of warped combination of Afghanistan meets Jamaica.  And Kim knew, like she always did, how to chase my dark clouds away...

          That 9 month old terror Border Collie, Bella, has truly been a remarkable transformation.  I remember Kim commenting on how she had changed from a non-stop, Taz type of pup, to one who wanted to be petted and gave kisses.  Kim would have been so pleased to see how, over the last few months, Bella has become one of the most affectionate and well behaved dogs that we have had.  She still jumps a lot, but, besides that, she had graduated to having the run of the house to herself.  She is alone for at least 8 hours a day, with no accidents and has not chewed, torn, scratched or vomited on any of our stuff.  Each morning, she happily greets each of us and will stand up for me to give her a hug.  She's a happy pup.

               Love,
                    Dave