Saturday, February 28, 2009

Saturday

It is noon on Saturday and I've made my way home.

For some reason, I cannot talk! I'm having a problem with my throat! Please do not call...I'll probably let the phone pick up. I plan to try to get some rest and our wonderful friend Joan brought me some homemade chicken/rice soup. YUMMY!

Justin & Bill are still in Memphis. Bill tells me that Justin is sore and has had some nausea today...hopefully, the stomach tube thing will get better. Justin is so strong and has such a great attitude; he deserves to feel GREAT! But the surgeries were less than 2 weeks ago and it takes time to heal. Prayers for healing!

***Justin continues to have ups and downs. Today, they decided that he might be allergic to one of the antibiotics. We are still hopeful that he and Bill will come home soon. I know that Rocky, his black lab, is anxious to see him.

Thanks to all of our family and friends that have texted (is that a word?), called, sent cards, emailed and left phone messages! You are greatly appreciated!

Friday, February 27, 2009

Friday

Hopeful Day

We are hopeful that Justin will be leaving Memphis soon, headed back to Texas. He had a pretty terrific day yesterday---looking strong, feeling strong, in good spirits, etc. It was a shame that they were unable to insert the tube, but that is life in the hospital---ups & downs. They took Justin for the procedure this morning & we are waiting in his room. We have no news yet. We will keep you posted.

Latest News....

They had to put the nose thing in 3 times before starting the procedure so he was off to a rocky start.....but he is back to the room and does have a feeding tube in his stomach.

Justin will be in the hospital for observation today....released tomorrow to stay nearby, checked on Sunday....and the boys will head home on Sunday night ...to be home on Monday.

Kay & I are going to head back in the next few hours. We are probably going to Dallas for tonight....then, home on Saturday.

1:00 Kay & I will be headed out soon...so, any new news will be via Bill or after Justin arrives home.

3:00 They had to redo Justin's MRI and I'm sure that he is sore from the feeding tube insert. Bless his heart! I know that he is getting stronger each day and is excited about being released. We are thankful for that.

At this time, we are still not exactly sure when he will be released.

Love to all family & friends---Look forward to seeing you soon!

Thursday, February 26, 2009

Thursday

Hanging In There

10:40 We are hanging in there and Justin is in good spirits. He had a good night's sleep and has enjoyed his Ipod. The doctors took out his staples this morning and will insert the stomach feeding tube between 1 and 3 today. The procedure should take about 20 minutes. We are praying for an easy procedure and continued strength for Justin. He is one amazing kid!

Easy procedure????? No luck for my boy! They were unable to put the PEG, the stomach feeding tube, in....we will keep you posted. Justin came back with a smile on his face, making jokes! We will keep on keeping on!

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Wednesday

Another Day Forward

Thankfully, each day seems to move us forward a bit. The days that were one day forward with two steps back were extremely difficult and hopefully behind us.

The swallowing test was supposed to be today and somehow it got cancelled. We are still praying for the nerves to heal and for Justin to move forward with his swallowing reflex. ***They did end up giving him the swallow test and he was unable to swallow. He thinks he is swallowing some saliva, but he was unable to swallow the pudding. He will get the stomach tube on Thursday and is happy to have it! The sooner that he gets it, the quicker he loses the nose tube, and the quicker he can go home. The chest sounds good, looks good, and has a little more work to do with his breathing to get the lungs 100%. The doctors are very encouraging that with time and training the swallowing will return.

Justin is so happy to be in a private room and cleaned up. He is getting his Ipod and phone recharged as I type! Sounds like a young adult....got to have those technological gadgets running!

Lastly, I have tried to email privately after reading comments and don't necessarily have everyone's email address. So, please know that we appreciate your encouragement and prayers. Thank you to all of our family and friends!

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Tuesday

Kay arrived safely last night and we are glad that she is here!

***8:30 am Tuesday brings continued hope and prayers! Justin was sitting up in the chair when we arrived. He is trying to get strong and move out of the ICU. The neurosurgeon indicated that they would move him to his own room today. He is still coughing up mucous and on/off with the oxygen. This week is crucial as they will test his swallowing and we will know that status by the end of the week. Please continue the prayers for Justin's healing and swallowing to return.

***4:00 Justin has been moved to a private room---YIPPEE!
We continue to pray for little steps each day. The ENT has not evaluated the swallowing yet, but Justin is delighted to be upstairs out of ICU. He can't wait to get cleaned up...yea, his own shower! Please continue to pray for Justin's healing nerves and continued healing in every fiber of his body.

Love to all

Monday, February 23, 2009

Monday-Changing of the Guards

It is 4:30 am, the Smith family has left for the airport. We are sad to see them go! My sister, Kay, says that she will join us today and Aunt Dawn is claiming that she might make the trip, as well.

Kay has become much of a road warrior this weekend with a little 515 mile drive from Houston to Lubbock (to see her twin daughters at Texas Tech) then to Ft. Worth-what only 315 miles to watch her daughters cheer, and now on to Memphis--484 miles. What only 1340 miles??? Don't ya want to go for 1500 or so??? No, just kidding! We look forward to Kay stopping off early in Memphis.

Dawn wants to join us, too. She has had some difficult days lately as her in-laws came for a visit last week and her father-in-law, Joe Dad, had heart difficulties. He ended up in St.Luke's with some of the best heart doctors in the world and appears to be doing well after a surgery and follow up treatment. We all feel very blessed by the Lord that Joe Dad is doing so well!

So, today is a changing of the guards. Amanda, Donlee, and baby back home and new family visitors on their way. Bill and I will see Justin at 8:30 this morning and continue with our 4 visits a day while he is in ICU. We continue to pray that the swelling and pain subside and that God touches his hand upon Justin's nerves, restoring use and clarity to his voice and swallowing. If he is feeling up to it, his aunts will visit and if not, they will be here to support Bill & Sherrie.

We know that last week was one heck of a week-almost 7 days since embolization, almost 6 days since main surgery, and only 1 1/2 days since vocal cord surgery. Justin has been through a lot! We pray with all of you that this week will be full of many steps forward for Justin!

***8:30 am Justin has the color back in his face and appears to be feeling a little better. He was sitting quietly in the chair. His oxygen level was remaining strong when he removed his mask--good sign. Again, this is a slow process and we are praying for healing of the nerves and continued progress.

***12:30 Justin was sitting in the chair. He had walked a lap around the ICU and they hope to move him to a room in the morning. They will begin to evaluate his swallowing and whether it is working or not. We keep praying that he will be able to swallow, even just saliva for starters. Time will tell and he seems to have his spirits up! He is an amazing young man with an adorable sense of humor!

Sunday, February 22, 2009

Sunday

It is Sunday, a day of rest! Justin's procedure seemed to go well, but the swelling thereafter and pain made for an extremely rough night. In fact, we got a 3 am phone call from the hospital that Justin had respiratory distress. They had him stabilized. We pray for rest and healing for Justin today as he celebrates his 27th birthday!

***12:30 visit....Justin is coming along slowly and we are hopeful. Amanda, Donlee, and Bill delivered some balloons and cards. Justin's voice is still hoarse and he needs prayers for healing! :-)
***5:30 visit....Justin was sitting up in the chair when we arrived. He was sitting very still, trying to relax. He still has pain and swelling from Saturday's procedure.
***8:30 visit...Bill, Amanda, and Donlee will go over to the hospital shortly for a visit with Justin. We hope that by late tomorrow we will see a marked improvement or even sooner. The ENT had said that the swelling would last a couple of days...one day down.

Please keep Justin in your prayers! We are praying that the swelling goes down, nerves begin to heal and that he makes marked improvements each day!

Love to all--Thanks for your sweet notes of encouragement and prayers!!

Saturday, February 21, 2009

Saturday


8:30am - Finally, Saturday has arrived! Bill & I have gotten a little rest since Donlee, Amanda and baby have arrived. We have, also, had many smiles, giggles, and laughs. Justin gave Bill tickets to Robin Williams, 3rd row seats, for his birthday. We were unable to attend, but Donlee & Amanda went in our place and relayed to all of us many of the wild and crazy antics of Mr. Robin Williams. We all appreciated the laughter!

Saturday morning began with the morning visit to the ICU by Bill, Donlee, and Amanda. I stayed back to take care of little bit. Justin appears ready to move forward. As a young man, Justin's oxygen level should be 99-100. On Thursday, with fluid on his lungs, Justin's level was around 77. This morning it was back up around 99-100. The procedure should take place around 10 am this morning. The neurosurgeon hopes to send Justin upstairs to a regular room and out of ICU, on Sunday. Another step forward for Justin.

12:55pm - We just heard that they are beginning the vocal cord procedure now. They were just running a little behind schedule today. It should take about an hour, then he will be taken to recovery and hopefully we'll have some news from the doctors then.

2:10pm - We just heard from the ENT that the procedure went well and that he had a "good voice response". Justin is headed to recovery now. They expect him to be hoarse for a few days due to the swelling, but then his voice should improve and become more normal in the days ahead. We will all keep hoping and praying for that.

Thanks, again, for all of the encouragement and prayers. Love to all--The Currys

Friday, February 20, 2009

Friday Has Arrived

WOW! It is Friday and we are working on day 3 since the surgery! We have seen some very small steps forward, but we pray that Saturday's procedure will prove to be a large turning point in Justin's recovery. Justin has requested his toothbrush; that is definitely a sign of one small step forward. He enjoys hand/foot massages and trying to stay quiet and still. He was sitting up in a recliner when we arrived for this morning's visit. This is a slow and tedious process and your prayers are graciously received and appreciated! Thanks family and friends!

***6:25pm We just left Justin at the hospital. We pray for clear lungs and a successful surgery tomorrow morning. Bill is headed to the airport to pick up the Smiths--YIPPEE! Keep the prayers coming as they are greatly appreciated!

Thursday, February 19, 2009

Thursday

6am It has not yet been 2 days since the surgery and we continue to face tough times. There are so many positive things going on, but there is still some confusion about the extent of the damage to the swallow nerve. The procedure today should give him some relief; we pray. Time will tell. Please continue to keep Justin in your prayers as he faces some difficult times.

***10:30 The procedure did not take place due to fluid on Justin's lungs displayed in an xray this morning. They are taking care of that and will do the surgical procedure Saturday morning. So, the roller coaster continues! The neurosurgeon is very pleased and still insists that he thinks Justin will make great strides after the procedure. We are still praying for no long term feeding tube. Bless Justin's heart as he hangs in there! They did remove one of the lines in his hand and will remove the femoral port soon. After they remove that this morning, he will be sitting up in a chair and beginning to move around a bit. We are hopeful and God is good! We appreciate the hard work of the doctors and nurses. Justin told me to write down their names because he was "buying their dinner"! We love our family & friends-- thanks for the encouragement and prayers!!

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Wednesday

Thank goodness, Wednesday has finally arrived! The days seem very long when you are at a hospital.

We are so grateful for all of friends that have sent emails, given us phone calls and posted on this site with words of encouragement! You are appreciated!!

We saw Justin last night from 8:30 until 9:30 and are headed that way shortly. He is in ICU and has visitation 4 times a day. He is in pain, sedated off & on, has a breathing tube, feeding tube--you get the picture. In spite of it all, he gave us a double thumbs up and his first note written to us was, "I love U". We have snapped our fingers by his ear, touched his forehead and taken his picture to help him know that all is well! Praise the Lord! There is so much to be thankful for, yet still a healing process ahead.

Thanks again for fantastic friends!! We are going to head on over to the hospital.

***The day has been a roller coaster! Justin has been in good spirits, but was sad to learn that he had to have another procedure to move the vocal cord. We had known that it was a possiblity, but the reality is tough. He continues to amaze the doctors with his progress. And continues to amaze us with his spirit and sense of humor. He wanted to make sure there are pictures available to show--of him decked out with all of the tubes, etc! After breathing on his own with the tube inserted all night, the tube was removed at noon. So, each day is one more step forward. He was so delighted when words came out of his mouth the first time that he tried to speak!

Keep those prayers coming as the procedure tomorrow is another hurdle. Thank you again for your hope, love, and prayers.

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Tuesday Update

***6:30 Justin left ICU to proceed to OR.

***8:10 We have heard from the OR nurse and the surgery is underway.

***10:00 am We have heard from the OR nurse. Justin is stable and the surgery is underway.

***1:10 We have heard from the OR nurse. Justin is stable and they have just begun to remove the tumor.

***2:00 We have heard from the OR nurse. Justin is stable and doing well. They are still removing tumor.

Sorry for the lag time between posts...we were waiting at the CCU and the hospital website was not working. We are now back at the hotel.

***4:00 The doctor just called and the surgery is complete. They are sewing him back up. What a tough little cookie--the doc and the boy! It turned out that there were 2 tumors--1 removed and the other will be eliminated with radiation in a month or so.
They will have to do a procedure on Thursday to move one of his vocal cords--the doc had anticipated that this might be necessary. The doctor is very pleased with the results--removal of the tumor, preservation of the nerves, and minimal loss of blood. He does not feel that Justin will have a problem with hearing, speech, swallowing, or with his facial nerves after Thursday's procedure. Praise the Lord!

We anticipate being in the hospital 5-7 more days.

Surgery Day

Today is the day of surgery! Justin has been very uncomfortable, was ready to get to the surgery and begin the healing process. This has been very difficult for all of us, with Justin telling me this morning that it was going to be alright. He has kept his sense of humor and told us to go get something good to eat as he was being wheeled away for surgery. The surgery will last 8-10 hours and we will try to keep you posted as we get information. We visited him at 6am and they took him at 6:30. The surgery is to begin at 7:30am.

God is great and may God walk beside him during the surgery and these difficult days ahead. God is good and may God guide the surgeons during this difficult procedure. Bless you all and we will be in touch.

Monday, February 16, 2009

Monday, Feb 16

We checked in at 5:50 this morning...those punctual boys of mine! The hospital has taken blood, vitals, etc and we have just left Justin in the radiology department for the embolization of the tumor. It is 10:30 and will take about 30 minutes to get underway. Once they begin, it will take 2 or 3 hours to complete the procedure. So, about 1 or 2, Justin will be sent to ICU to rest and the first leg of this will be complete. They will monitor him all night and begin surgery in the morning.

***The embolization was an extremely painful procedure. They were able to take care of most of the blood vessels, but did not attempt the 3 that ran towards the brain. A mistake on those would have resulted in a stroke. It is better to let the neurosurgeon take care of those during surgery with most of the other blood vessels cauterized or turned off.

Sunday, February 15, 2009

Sunday, Feb 15

We are settled in and ready for the week's activities! First thing Monday morning Justin will check into the hospital. As soon as all of the paperwork is filled out, they will embolize the tumor or cut off the blood supply to the tumor. This should make the surgery go a little smoother, etc. Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers as we face each step of this process. Take care and stay in touch!
PS-the rack of ribs were delicious tonight!

Valentine's Day

Saturday, Feb 14

We drove all day and finally crossed the mighty Mississippi! We stayed 30 minutes south of Memphis and ate well. If you know Justin, you know that one of the things he has joked about is that he needed to eat well until the surgery because of hospital food and not getting much to eat in the aftermath. So, we have done our best to have an EatFest! We had BBQ shrimp poorboys, bacon cheese BBQ burger/appetizer assortment, and finally a Paula Dean buffet!
PS-The French Toast Bread Pudding was divine!!

Friday, February 13, 2009

Friday, Feb. 13

Well, it is Friday the 13th...but a very nice Friday the thirteenth! Some of the fam came by to wish Bill and Justin a Happy Birthday! Bill's birthday was 2/10 and Justin's birthday is coming up 2/22. It was a nice gathering and fun to see the cousins interact! Thanks to all for their well wishes! It was great to see Mike Gilmer's parents-Joe Daddy and Betty. They look great! We will be hitting the road tomorrow....a 10 hour hike!

Sunday, February 8, 2009

February 8






These pictures are from our December 2008 ski trip. What a blizzard we had--the previous week there was a threat of no snow-WRONG, as we had plenty!

The days are clicking away and we have a wild week ahead of us! Tuesday is Bill's birthday and Thursday is a birthday celebration of 30 years for Memorial Parkway Elementary School. I was a teacher there for 28 of the 30 years! Saturday morning, quite early, we will leave for Memphis. Of course, Monday through Thursday, I will have our little Bren. I plan to take a laptop (Thanks, Aunt Kay) to Memphis and will try to keep you abreast of activity and progress each day.

Take care, Family and Friends! See ya' soon--

Wednesday, February 4, 2009

Surgery Update

Bill and I are trying to get our plans organized. If you are on this website then you are aware that Justin was diagnosed with a glomus jugulare tumor below the base of his skull, below/behind the ear. They are benign 95% of the time; his is operable; and it is a slow grower--these are facts that are "the good news".
Justin has been approved for surgery on February 17 in Memphis. He will have an embolization of the tumor on Monday morning, Feb 16, after he gets checked in. Then, the surgery will take place Tuesday and will last about 8 hours. He will be at Methodist Central Hospital in Memphis, TN.

Tuesday, February 3, 2009

February 2009


February 2009

February should prove to be a very busy month! We will celebrate Bill's birthday 02/10 and Justin's birthday 2/22.
The most important event happening in our lives this month is that Justin will be having surgery on Feb. 17. I will be keeping you all posted during this time through this blog. Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers as we travel down this path of life.