Friday

I haven't heard anything from Cheryl yet. Walt's brother & sister flew in from Florida this morning, so I am very happy they are here to spend some time with Walt and being a comfort to Cheryl. Will update as soon as I hear some news.

Thursday's wrap up

There were a few changes today, but mostly Walt is just still resting. The docs wanted to run an EEG today. The results came out fine. The docs said that he is just taking his sweet time to come to the party (the doctors didn't seem at all concerned about how long it is taking). His nurse told him she wanted to have a serious discussion with him about his getting back to his preferred position 15 minutes after they position him (to prevent bed sores) and the kicking he is doing with his right leg. He also gets quite annoyed when they suction out his mouth or brush his teeth (he never did like going to the dentist). He is coughing "real" coughs not just the gagging ones and getting up the fluid from his lungs. They removed one of the shunts, the one placed during surgery, as it was draining very minimal fluid. There is still a shunt in place, the one they put in to drain fluid that they positioned the first evening. We saw him yawn this morning (very different than a gag). We are keeping positive and hoping for continued improvement each hour.

Still waiting

I guess there really isn't much change for today. The neuro came in and was pleased with the movement in Walt's right side. He has ordered an EEG which may be happening this afternoon. Will share results when we get them.

Thursday update

As of 10:00 this morning, we are still just waiting on the doctor to come. Don't know much more, but will update as we hear any news.

Wed. afternoon update

Walt is staying stable thru the day. They have given him one dose of pain meds today, and have him on insulin. His numbers were a little elevated but that could be due to the amounts and types of meds he's received. He has been doing a great job breathing on his own all day, yeah! He's a little "feisty" (Cheryl's words) as he is really moving his arm to try to pull out his intubation tube we assume. The doc came in and reminded us that this last hurdle is worthy of celebration, b/c he is doing such a good job so far. The swelling in his brain is greatly reduced. They don't plan to extubate him tonight, but are hoping to try to do that in the morning.

We continue to take things one step at a time, dealing with the minute presented to us and not totall focusing on what our next step will be.

More updates

Since this info, at 9:30 they started to reduce the sedative. He is making movements with his arms and legs, and starting to respond to pain stimulus (which is a good thing). They also stopped the vent, and he is doing a good job breathing on his own, keeping his Sats up. They still have him intubated for now, but are hoping to remove that soon. They hope to have him back to his "base line" today, which means responding like he was when he entered the hospital on Monday night.

We have heard from the doctor that the section of the tumor they looked at doesn't look great. It may be a higher grade of tumor, which can mean it is more aggressive. We are asking for prayers for that to not be the case. Again, we won't know anything for sure for 2-3 days until results come back from patholigy.

I know MANY of you have offered to help. Even if Cheryl (or any of us) haven't taken you up on it, this will be a long road, not over in a few days. We may be in the hospital for some time, and then a long recovery at home post-hospital time. Offers to Cheryl for things like meals, lawn mowing, prayer lines, people to run some errands for her, possible babysitting for the crazy 5 grandkids so that we can help with Walt's recovery are all VERY much appreciated and will be utilized. I can't imagine my crazy 3 munchkins running around like wild children near Walt right now. Thank you for everything, it is so appreciated.

It's a good morning

Note from Cheryl:

Just talked to Walt's neuro surgeon, whose style is to take things step-by-step to avoid overwhelming everyone inv loved. Walt's CT scan this morning looked very good and the doc is pleased. Today's task is to cut back on the sedatives and allow Walt to wake and let us know just where he. Walt is still in the Neuro CCU and pretty much for the next 2 days is only allowed 2 visitors (immediate family only) at a time.


Thank you all for all the prayers and well wishes, and keep praying b/c the road ahead will be a long one.

Cheryl

Out of surgery

Walt is out of surgery. They removed a tumor that was slightly larger than a golf ball. The tumor bled into itself, thus the "bleed" they saw on the CAT scan. They do not know at this point what type of tumor it is. They've sent it on to patholigy and will not receive the results for 3-4 days. They saw a significant mass on the other side of the brain as well, and will identify it later with a more detailed MRI later today possible or tomorrow. He will remain in a sedated state for today, heavily sedated so as to keep him calm. They inserted another shunt as well to drain fluid. As soon as the tumor was removed there was an immediate "shrinkage" of his brain, and it firmed up a lot more. They said we are taking things one step at a time. He may be talking in a few days, possibly even up walking, but may not, we aren't sure.

Cheryl looks exhausted & hoping she rests soon. We are going to drive her up to Mac to get some meds, clothing, check on Maggie, and wrap up a few things. The doc felt confident that we'd be fine to leave for a short bit, and he will just be in recovery mode from the surgery. Prayers still requested for a good result from the patholigy, a healthy recovery, and that he handles the news ok when he is awake & aware.

Will update later if we learn more info.

Walt's status 11:00 AM

Walt collapsed at work last night. this was a good thing, as that forced him to go to take his stubborn personality to go to the hospital :) They did a CAT scan in Mac and it presented as a stroke, so they transported him on down to Wichita where there is a specialist. The neuro isn't convinced that it was a stroke, more to follow. They took him into surgery at 10 this morning, 2 hour surgery, to remove the bleed. The neuro is optimistic that he will recover, although it will be a long recovery. We are thinking he is here for sure for 72 hours post surgery, possibly days or weeks longer, depending on how he does and if there is a need for any further surgeries.

We appreciate all of you who have helped in this emergency. We also appreciate all prayers centered around Walt & Cheryl during this stressful time. We will keep this updated as we hear more.

More from Steph's shower

 
 
 
 

A princess is on the way

 
 
 
 

I was lucky enough to get to go to Steph's baby shower in Arkansas. She is soooooo ready for a little girl to light up her world after her 2 crazy boys. Don't get me wrong, we love Keegan & Gavin, but little Reagan is going to be quite the addition--and ALL pinked out! It was so much fun to hang out with my friend.