Steven comes HOME!!!

Hi all,

Sorry for the long pause in updates...we've been busy around here with lots of goings on, getting ready for Steven's return and keeping him company in the hospital. Drew has been trained in the fine art of home nursing and has all of Steven's supplies in order thanks to Rachel and Charlene too. Lisa has been here for this week and has been documenting Steven's progression and was there today to drive him home. We'll let the photos say the rest....

august 10th (i think)

hello all!
well, like i said before it will just be a matter of days. we had a few set backs, this morning the bandage/dressing on his neck was bloody but the surgeon came right in and froze it shut (or something complicated and medical like that). he said it shouldn't be a problem at all  but if it starts bleeding again he will have to go back to the operating room so the doctor can see whats going on inside his neck. i really don't think that it is something to worry about, the doctor didn't seem like it was likely to happen, he was just laying it all out on the table...no more surprises. so besides all of that, they are going to check the amount of drainage coming from his neck and if it continues to be less and less they will take the draining tubes out in the morning and perhaps he will be able to go home by Wednesday! pretty exciting but I'm trying hard not to get my hopes up because things are so conditional right now that it is hard to say or count on anything concrete.
Uncle mark and I are both heading out tomorrow early in the morning. I wish I could sign off to someone else picking this up but unfortunately all the Texas visitors are on hold for a while. perhaps Pilar will keep updating. i dont know yet what will happen when we leave. if he goes home this week he will need a lot of care, drew and rachel will be on top of it but they are only human (but maybe they are super human), so if you can call them and make sure they are okay.
i will be coming back to California to stay at stevens house on the 25-15, he needs almost 24/7 attention. keep your fingers crossed that they dont send him to a long term care facility.
okay, thank you all!!!!!!!
Callan

Saturday the 6th

So i am sitting next to Steven and i asked him if he wanted to do the update. he is coordinated enough now to text and write so i thought he might want to tell us from his own words how he is doing via the blog. but he is super stubborn and doesn't want to write until he can talk...goofy. but i can tell you that he is doing great. the nurse came in at 5 am (strange, and brutal.) to weigh Steven and he has lost 30 since he has been here. so now he keeps bugging the nurse to refill his tube feeding all the time...its cute...he wants to bulk up...he-he.
he is reading the paper right now, its nice to see him still keeping up with outside life, its very inspiring seeing him be able to process this whole situation and then have patients with himself and all of this and then pick up the paper just like he would if he were anywhere else. things are a lot more calmer now. it will be a matter of days until he can go home and most of his family and friends are rooting for the return to his own bed instead of going to a long-term care facility which would help him heal from his surgeries and gain some of his strength back. if he does go home, he will need a lot of support from those around him. that's one of the pros about the rehab facility, they will provide hourly assistance until he can take care of himself. but if that doesn't happen and he comes home, i hope people will be around to call him and check in with him to see if he needs anything. i know Charlene can make some soup and Aunt Norma has already stored some of her delicious soup in the freezer for when Steven gets out (hopefully uncle mark wont eat it all before he gets it, HA HA), and Samir and Sami i know have said they would like to help him with anything...thank you so much yall. but right about the time that Steven is getting out Mama Law will be coming to town and she will definitely encourage his healing. so again, thank yall for all the support. i am so happy he has made it through this.
oh, and im sure yall are curious about his tube in his intestines...it was a success! they are using it already and Steven told me that he gets his hospital protein shakes and then smoothies and vitamins three times a day threw it. other than that, i think every thing is pretty normal. ill keep ya updated!

photos of S.K.

too blessed to be stressed

hiya yall!
so, here is the scoop... steven is even better then yesterday, he is all smiles and laughter! my uncle mark arrived this morning and when he walked into the hospital steven grabbed his brothers hand and said "you saved my life", and mark said "no brother, it was all from right there" and pointed to stevens heart. my eyes nearly filled up with tears...but i think my tear makers have run dry and are out of order... it was a tough experience for all of us but he is out of the woods and there is no more reason to worry...Too blessed to be stressed!!
so now, the whole party is in stevens hospital room and we are all laughing...polly washed his hair and combed it into a mohawk...we got a few good pictures.
also, to clear things up from the last post: every day is better than the last and so sometimes i think "wow, he is really back, this is the whole steven" and then the next day i say "no, yesterday he was still a little off, but thank god he is totally back in reality now!" - so anyway, before when i said he "didnt really get it, all that he has been through that is" i think he was still coming off the dope. he really really really does seem like he finally has digested the whole timeline now and does realize how serious this has been. .....speaking of digestion, he is getting the feeding tube from his nose that goes into is stomach out today, and are going to start feeding him through a tube that they put directly into his intestines....a pretty easy and uncomplicated way to take a lunch break.
so, as far as we have been told, he will be in here anywhere from a week to two weeks, they just want to hold him until his blood levels are completely normal and they are sure his body will accept the new tube feed.
my mother is taking off today...everyone is very disappointed that she cannot stay longer. she has been such a tremendous help, she has been here at the hospital every moment that she could and she helped steven in more ways then one. he completely brightened up when she would stay and my mother has always been a master emotional supporter, she really helped him heal and i just want to thank her for that.....You're such a bad ass mom! Now uncle mark is here, and he will be here the following week, already this situation is loosing the drama plot and turning into a comedy!
thank you again everyone, especially to the family.
talk to yall soon (with more progress and good news no doubt!)

the home stretch

hello everyone!
so, there have been fewer updates because there has been fewer news to share....no news is good news right? well, its true! Steven is out of the ICU! his fever is staying regular! he is totally himself, no more weirdo Adivan hallucinogens! okay okay, so he is really almost out of the hospital, he could be home with in a week and a half or so. they still are dealing with a few complications that the doctors have to fix (because they broke it in the first place). its not really any thing big, they just have to retrain his body to separate liquid and air in his throat (or something like that). he will still be tube feeding for multiple weeks after this but instead of having to tube go through his nose, they are going to by-pass all of that and give him a fanny pack with a tube that goes strait into his intestines. the surgery is today...its a super easy procedure so no worries guys. its funny to see Steven and his perception of all of this. he doesn't really get what happened, or rather, the severity of what happened. he says, "i almost died you know" but i don't think he really gets it all.
any way guys, he is doing great! and he will be up out of here in no time!

Sunday

well what a morning! Polly spent the night in the hospital last night and shared some funny conversations her and steven had while he was keeping the nursing staff busy all night. i thought that it must just be some night medication that was making him so loopy but this morning he is saying some mighty funny things! he seems alert and awake but keeps talking about conspiracy type stuff. he is totally convinced it is night time and wants me to go downstairs and march around on the street and take a poll to find out if its day or night and come back to him and report the results....oiy veh! hahaha. i think this is the result of the new drugs for swelling. but speaking of drugs, they are trying to ween him off the narcotics which is so good! it was the day nurses idea and i think its wonderful that she is interested in his well being because honestly if i had this job i would probably try and keep my patients as heavily sedated as possible because its a strait up loony bin in here! he is in excellent care. he is looking great! his neck is almost looking normal and besides all the weight his has lost and the tubes, i would say he is returning to the handsome fella he is. he is doing fantastic with mobility. his motor skills are getting stronger....as well as his demands. we had to stop giving him ice just for today to make sure its not interfering with the leaks in his throat. we will find out tomorrow if its too much.
right now he is just laying in his bed with his legs crossed and watching Indiana Jones....HAHA he cracks me up!!!!
i am so pleased with every ones effort, really, thank you so much to all the blog posters...he loves hearing from yall. and thank you to those that have sent cards, flowers, and have been offering to help. realizing how many people love and care for my dad is a real tear jerker and yalls dedication and support is incredible. thank you so much! oh, and again i am real sorry that the updates got a little slow there for a while, but all is well and i will stay more on top of it! : )

Friday / Saturday. MOMS HERE!!!

hello hello!
sorry the blog updates are going kind of slow, please be patient, i am doing as much as i can. but you all will be happy to know that i spoke to one of the doc's this morning and they said that this is where Steven is making the turn. recovery is quite slow and since it seems that we are just coming over the hump the progress will be long and drawn out, but good none the less. after the surgery (to remove dead tissue in his neck) the swelling will continue to go down but very gradually. sometimes it is hard to get information from the doctors but most news is positive and Steven seems in mostly in good spirits. we shifted his bed so he can look out the window we are doing everything we can to make him feel comfortable. sometimes he seems very content despite everything he is going through, other times he is very aggravated. he wants water so badly and he is always asking for ice. last night he tried to pay Rachel to give him water!!! HAHA, so so funny! we will be laughing at that one for a long time! A doctor came in and really put things in perspective. he introduced himself and Steven held his hand out for a hand shake and a proper introduction and the Doc said "as far as im concerned any one in the ICU that can give a good handshake is having nothing more then a few bad days." i appreciate his positive attitude.
as of right now, we are just waiting to see if his body starts fighting off the infection. we are looking at signs like his fever, white blood cell count, swelling, etc. This is going to take a long time folks. they were going to have him out of the ICU on Wednesday but now we are looking at Monday but he still has a long way to go in terms of internal patching up his body needs to take care of so he can sip that iced tea he has been dreaming of.
They are going to try and put him on some steroids to encourage the swelling reduction, maybe it might work, maybe it wont but its worth a shot.
Thank you again everyone, i know how important it is to keep updated, but now i have extra help because my mom is here!! hooray!!!! Steven is really happy to see her...and all her theatrical, loud ambiance!
thanks everyone!