December 2006 Update: Merry Christmas!

Just a quick post to wish everyone a Merry Christmas! We're blessed to have Denise at home with us for Christmas this year instead of the hospital!We've received some more positive medical news and visited some of the doctors & nurses from USC & Arcadia Methodist to show them Denise's progress... updates & pictures will come at the end of the month's post.And yes, that *is* an official "Christmas Story" leg lamp Christmas stocking behind my he...

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November 2006 update: Meds adjusting, Throat healing, Healthier Thankgiving

Here's a picture of Denise during a "heart exam." Yes, her heart was racing, as well as Gracie's. Just look at those faces! Seriously, since her cardiac specialist said a couple months ago that her heart function is returning steadily, Denise thought it'd finally be safe to go on a "thrill" ride at Disneyland. After she got off, she felt "flutter-hearted and light-headed," and in hindsight didn't think it was a good idea to go on this ride. She never wants to go on it again. Neither does Gracie.Thanksgiving this year was much nicer than last year when Denise was in the hospital and couldn't hold food down due to the SMAS. This year we spent Thanksgiving...

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October 2006 Update: Throat surgery, Titers 1:16, LP

That's one of Denise's sisters way to the left of in this picture. She visited from Montana with our newest niece. The last time Denise & her sister saw each other, Denise was still in grave condition at USC University Hospital last September. So this was a much happier visit! You probably can't tell by the look on my face. Out of all the pictures, this is the only one that had her whole family (actually, her youngest sister is missing). And it's my worst picture. At least I'm hanging with happy company.The throat surgery Thursday October 5 went well. You can view the previous post for the details. Denise has taken to wearing scarves to cover...

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Throat surgery went well today

Oct 5 outpatient throat surgery went well. It was a dual-purpose surgery. Part of it was cosmetic, and that went well. The other part was a bonus that the surgeon was able to fix after he opened her up. The skin on her throat had attached to her trachea, so whenever she swallowed, the scar on her throat would move quite a lot. It was uncomfortable. And if my understanding is correct, there was also some muscle tissue that should have come together in front of the trachea, but was apart. So the surgeon fixed that as well. I didn't think there was any muscle over the trachea, but her tracheostomy was quite low. And I'm not a doctor, so what do I know? Tonight Denise's scar is already looking better than it was this afternoon. Thanks to our neighbor for driving Denise to the surgery, thanks to...

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September 2006 Update: Labs improving, Life normalizing, Disneyland family trip

Here's a photo of Denise at Disneyland, her first time with our kids. You can't see it very well, but her hair's coming in nicely (pinned back under Mickey Mouse ears) and is finally longer than my hair! Last year at this time, I doubted that Denise would survive a few more days. Look at where we are now!One year ago I had the worst birthday of my life. Late at night on September 17 2005, I received a call after a birthday gathering at our house from the hospital saying that Denise had suddenly taken a turn for the worst. That began one of the darkest periods in her hospital stay and precipitated the transfer to USC on September 29 2005. This...

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August 2006 Update: milestones, driving, cocci symposium

We've been enjoying our summer as a family this year, as this picture of Denise's first elephant ride shows. August was a wonderful month, filled with milestones...Her heart monitor, scale, and some other medical-related equipment was picked up and whisked away.During her first trip to the dentist in over a year, they found that her teeth looked very nice, and in fact she had less plaque than anyone expected. Particularly nice was that all the vomiting she did when she was in the hospital didn't seem to erode the enamel on her teeth.The lab results from blood draws are continuing to head back toward the normal range. We moved Denise's caregiver...

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One year later, Denise's statement

Last blog post... sort of. I think that this will be the "official" last post of the Pulling for Denise blog. I do hope to set up a spammer-resistant email list that you can sign up for, so check back in a few weeks. That way you'll be kept up on major developments every once in a while (yes, I'll post them to the blog anyway). I also plan to post some "before, during & after" pictures of Denise. In the mean time, be sure to add your name to the guest map (link is in the column on the right of this blog).A few people have told me that reading this blog has been like following a soap opera. One person described the Pulling for Denise blog...

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Milestones: PT, Solo with kids, Vision

Four quick milestones:No more physical therapy needed! Yesterday during a physical therapy evaluation, the PT and Denise both felt confident that she could stop going for therapy. She will continue going to the local gym and go about her regular daily activities. In doing so, she will continue to increase her strength, balance, coordination, flexibility, and endurance.Solo with the kids! This morning Denise stayed home with both kids by herself while I ran some errands with a friend for a couple hours. She said it went very well.Vision improving! She noticed that she's able to read much smaller print now than a few months ago. She's not sure, but feels like the black spot in her vision is either shrinking or getting lighter. I'd be interested in taking her to a retinoligist again to see if...

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Neuro & ID appts: Great news abounds!

I feel lead to put a concern for one of Denise's friends at the top of today's post. Her 33-year-old friend with stage 2 breast cancer is having surgery this morning at 9:15. Her concerns are that ALL of the cancer will be removed, that it hasn't gone into the underlying muscle, that it is NOT in the lymph nodes (MRI shows that it is), that it hasn't spread to any other parts of her body, and that she can get a particular doctor that she's angling for. She's already had to deal with being disabled for all her life, and that's turned her into someone that presses on in a way that inspired Denise to work so hard through physical therapy. So she'll do her part. Please tug God's robe for her, the medical pros taking care of her, and her family. You participated in a miracle with Denise. Maybe...

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Reception recap, Activities, Blog end & book?

Here's a picture of Denise & a school parent (and nurse) from the reception on June 17th. Just look at that little smile & raised eyebrows on Denise's face! These two ladies are talking about going shopping together sometime this summer! During the two hour window of time, I don't even know how many people came & went. Some people drove an hour or two so they could meet Denise and talk to her for a few minutes. My only regret from the day is that I didn't get pictures of everyone that came to visit Denise. Her only regret is that it didn't go longer so she could have time to spend with everyone and properly make everyone else feel...

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No paracentisis, GI appointment, Neuro med tweaks

The reception for Denise is tomorrow! The address listed in the previous post is for the school's front office. The gym is on the opposite side of the campus, so be sure to drive around the block to park. I was putting together a display board with some photos and just found this one that I forgot to post from about a month and a half ago. I remember that when Denise was in the hospital and I took pictures of her, I had to search for one that made her look good (most were never used). Notta problem anymore, now that she's looking healthier as the weeks go by.It's very late & I'm pooped out, so here's a quick summation of what's happened this...

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Reception, Paracentesis, PCP, Neuro, Gastro Appts

Celebration of Life Reception for Denise WilliamsThat's the name my friends at school came up with, and I can't think of any more appropriate thing to call it. We sure hope you can come greet Denise over some punch & cookies on Saturday June 17, 2-4pm in the gym at Pasadena Christian School, 1515 N. Los Robles Ave. Pasadena CA 91104. Whether you know Denise well, have never met her before; whether you fit into the friend, family, neighbor, or medical pro category, we'd love to see you and say "thanks" in person for the part you played in getting her through to where she is now. If you haven't seen her for a few months, you will be amazed! Enough people have asked about where to send a card if they're too far away to make it to the reception, so here's an address:Denise Williams 2328 Oakhaven...

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Drivers, Mattress, Reception, Fund

The details of Denise's GI appointment from last Friday are still being processed into layman's terms for me to understand and pass on to you. In the mean time, here's one big call for help. I'm usually the "go-to" guy for things, so this is more than a little humbling. Here goes.Drivers needed:We are looking for people that would be available during the daytime to drive Denise from Duarte to Pasadena for appointments. Lunch will typically be in it for you, and of course, we'd kick in for gas money, take care of parking, provide a clear map, and send along relevant medical info for the doctor (so you won't have to memorize this blog). Denise is not able to drive and her caregiver is working on a license, but that'll be a while in coming. At this point we're down to 2 appointments per week,...

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124 pounds, Month-old med data, Memorial, Cadillac

Here's a picture of my 124-pound wife & I from my school's open house on May 11. Right now you may be thinking, "Phil in a suit? A miracle!" Fair enough. But we all know that Denise is a walking miracle, several times over. People were stoked to see her at the open house, and looking so well to top it off. In the past it's been easy for her to feel like she's in my shadow when around people that I know. Not lately, though. There were more people interested in seeing Denise at open house than people interested in seeing my room (or talking grades... whew!). We also went to a fundraiser dinner for my school the next night. Again, Denise was...

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121 pounds, Dinner date, Open house...

I've been getting quite a few emails asking if Denise is OK as the days go on. I can't believe it's been almost two weeks since I last posted. I've been swamped between dealing with things related to my dad's death, helping mom clear out/clean up/sell the house, and some school events. By the way, mega-thanks to the people that showed up for a workday at my mom's house that was planned last-minute. A tremendous amount was accomplished! My uncle's in town now, helping my mom with the rest of the items on the to-do list.I hope to post some fairly significant developments with Denise (I'm a couple weeks overdue). Mostly positive stuff, fortunately, but a little lengthy and technical for posting tonight. I'm wiped out. She does weigh 121 pounds, and we think that the ab swelling is going down...

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Reception for Denise June 17, Pasadena CA

Here's your chance to meet the gal you've been pulling for! We're officially welcoming her home!Reception for Denise!Saturday June 17, 2006(afternoon... specific time TBA)Pasadena Christian School Auditorium1515 N. Los Robles Ave.Pasadena CA 91104The "Oh no... when is something going to go wrong?" feeling is diminishing. That Denise is still alive, improving, and home is something to celebrate. Thank you to all the people that worked on her, cheered her on, prayed for her, and in all ways supported our family through her hospital stay. We hope to see you on the 17...

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Picked up Jacob, Another organization, 100,000 hits

Things are still crazy-busy for me, and tomorrow I hope to have the time to post the details of some recent medical developments with Denise. But here are a few bits of good news for now:Today Denise was able to get down onto the exercise mat on the floor and back up again unassisted. A couple days ago she picked Jacob up out of his booster seat, and today she was able to pick him up off the floor and hold him in her arms for a short time. All of these things are major steps for her. And not to brag, but today this blog crossed the 100,000 hits mark (the counter's way down at the bottom). Thanks for caring enough to keep checking back on Denise over the long haul.ADDENDUM: My mom would like to add City of Hope Cancer Research Center to the list of organizations to consider donating to in memory...

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Memorial service info for my dad...

Sorry for the delay in posting. My dad's hospitalization, death, and related "business" has kept everyone busy. A few weeks ago my parents started the process of getting into a retirement facility. So my mom, in addition to losing her husband of 36 years and having to plan a memorial, is also having to downsize immediately in prep for putting their house of 35 years (there was enough stuff in the garage to prove it) on the market and tie up loose ends in order to move into the retirement facility. My mom says she couldn't have accomplished anything without help from us, my brother's family that drove down from Oregon, Denise's caregiver, my dad's long-time buddy that drove down from Mt. Shasta, my nurse aunt's family, and some great neighbors with pickup trucks that were able to haul stuff...

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Dad passed away this morning

I regret having post that my dad passed away this morning, officially pronounced at 8:25am.I rejoice in more, though: He died with no suffering or struggling, peacefully slipping from sleep into eternity. My brother & sister-in-law were with him, so he was not alone. He's probably singing with J.D. Sumner & Jimmy Blackwood & a bunch of his other quartet heroes right now. The memorial service will probably be the morning or afternoon of Saturday May 13 (in classic Dad fashion, on a date & time that doesn't interfere with a quartet convention, concert, or the opening of any of the major hunting or fishing seasons).My mom's the one to pull for today. I was convinced that Denise was going to die a few times. As abysmal as I felt in just thinking my spouse was going to die, my mom's...

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Dad sedated, Last hours?

My dad had to be sedated (Ativan, just like Denise) around 1am or 2am this morning. He slept most of the day yesterday but he became disoriented & anxious yesterday evening. It reminded me of Denise before she had her seizure. He was not connected with reality, fixated on distances, measurements, angles, tolerances, positions and directions. At one point when the nurse and I were moving him, it sounded like he was saying a few things in Hebrew (he was teaching himself a few years ago; he wasn't speaking in tongues). He started to pull things out overnight. He is currently breathing about once every 20 seconds and not suffering or in any pain. My brother, sister-in-law, a boyhood friend, and a quartet friend rotated shifts with him overnight so he wouldn't be alone. I haven't talked to...

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Dad expected to live days

I know that the focus of this blog is Denise. But for the next few days I will also be posting updates about my dad, since so many of you that have been praying for Denise are friends of my parents. We've been getting some harsh news about my dad since the last post. Today we learned that his life expectancy is being measured in days, not weeks or months. My mom's setting up hospice care. My brother and his family came down from Oregon with their kids the other day. Among the cancer tumors he has, the ones in the lungs are causing increasingly labored breathing and discomfort. In talking to the doctor about what to expect from here on out, I felt like I was back at Arcadia Methodist, discussing Denise (respiratory inefficiency, labored breathing, irritation & coughing, morphine, panic,...

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Getting stronger, Dad in hospital

I know that this blog is "Pulling For Denise" but there are a couple other people to pull for mentioned tonight. I hope you don't mind. First off, let me tell you about good things with Denise.Denise continues to improve. She's a little sore, but only because she's trying to work out with more & more weight and range of movement. Yesterday she helped prepare two meals. Yum! She's also having a much better time at home than in the hospital. I heard her walking around just a few minutes ago. It's weird how I got used to the sound of her gait before getting sick. Now when I hear her walk around, it sounds like a stranger's in the house because I'm not used to her "new walking sound" yet. But I'm glad to hear it, just the same. We've got a whole bunch of doctor appointments lined up for this...

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PCP appointment, Watch ascites, Jacob's 2

Jake's two years old today. Here's a picture of Jacob with cake frosting on his face, and a big smile on mommy's face. Later this evening, Jacob came pitter-pattering into the room, wearing that wig that Denise has on her head. I'd post a picture but I'm still traumatized. Oh, the birthday party theme is now changed to trains. That was on clearance sale but the jungle stuff wasn't. Easy choice. I thought perhaps Chinese food would be appropriate for a railroad theme.But Greek food won out. Why? I figure it's because she was in the hospital during the Greek festival last September and she missed out. Makes perfect sense to me.Denise's appointment...

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PCP appointment tomorrow, Disability declaration

Sorry for the long pause between posts. Been busy, but mostly with good things. We've been trying to get Jacob's birthday party all planned, and just tonight we're thinking of switching the theme from jungle to trains. Part of this is due to Jake's sudden fascination with trains. Part of it's due to not being able to decide what type of "jungle" food to serve... Thai, Filipino, Vietnamese, South American? Too many places with jungles have great food, so it was too hard to decide. Now I'm scratching my head and wondering, "What's train food?" So we might be returning the jungle props that've been loaned to us. Now if anyone has train props we can borrow for the party, please contact us and stand by...Jacob's birthday is tomorrow, April 11. But the party's April 22, and that happens to be Denise's...

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Feeding tube & PICC lines removed

Denise has no more hospital artifacts left in her body! This morning the home care nurse removed Denise's PICC line. Then we got a call from the Huntington Hospital saying that they had a cancellation and they squeezed us in for an interventive radiology appointment to remove the feeding tube. Denise said they glued her wound closed. She couldn't eat or drink anything from late morning (when the feeding tube was removed) until evening. For me, having the last two tubes removed was psychologically a bigger deal than getting her out of the hospital this last time. With the last discharge, I was waiting for something to go wrong. But with these last two hoses being removed, I feel like things really are getting back to norm...

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109 pounds, GOOD NEWS from ID doctor!

Denise weighed in at 109 pounds without shoes. The doctors are talking about removing the feeding tube and the PICC line. Wow! Two more steps toward normalcy.Better yet was an appointment with the infectious disease doctor yesterday that was fairly hefty in the good news department. He thought the liver felt a little smaller. That Denise's liver was full (packed) with granulomas (typical cellular reaction to infection) is quite impressive. Apparently her body's been able to muster the appropriate responses to infections. As a result of the granulomas, he expects liver enzymes to be off and fluctuate at times (AlkPhos up to 394 from 318, SGOT down to 82 from 89, SGPT up to 182 from 134, all labs drawn one week apart). The ID doctor is comfortable with drawing liver labs every two weeks now...

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Is Lasik Eye Surgery For You? Or Are You Too Sqeemish!

For those of you that don't know Lasik stands for Laser-Assisted in Situ Keratomileusis. In Lasik the surgeon cuts a small flap in the cornea and uses a laser to reshape the inner area of the cornea. Problems with the cornea can be related to many vision troubles such as; Hyperopia or farsightedness and Myopia or nearsightedness). Also problems like Astigmatism can also be caused. The good news is that eye surgery and lasik in particular resolve many of these eye defects. The sheer number of different of surgical procedures for correcting vison problems can leave you uncertain of the best one for you. However, whatever may be your procedure of choice, attaining excellent results is largely dependent on the expertise of your eye surgeon. lasik is by far the most preferred corrective eye surgery,...

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Eye Care is More Than a Visit to The Doctor

Proper eye care is just as important as taking care of the rest of your body. Eye care is more than visiting the eye doctor for regular examinations. Rather, good eye care involves caring for the entire body and staying away from bad habits that may actually have an affect on the eyes. Let's take a look at what's involved in good eye care. Diseases of the eye are more common that you would think. Further, as people age they become more susceptible to eye diseases. That's why regular examinations by the eye doctor are so critical to the idea of good eye care. An eye doctor can run special tests to see if there is any indication or the appearance of eye diseases and disorders. Diseases and disorders include, but are in no way limited to cataracts, conjunctivitis, diabetic retinopathy, dry eyes,...

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