Monday Update

I called dad tonight to see how he was feeling. He answered his cell phone and I could hear in his voice that he was tired though doing good. He said he is tired most of the day and wakes up to eat the meals that mom fixes for him. It reminds him of how he felt after he had his heart attack four years ago...always tired. Dad also said that his sleep is sporadic through the night and he uses his oxygen at night while he sleeps.

He went "running" yesterday with Ambrea and Kaylee (Ambrea's 2 yr old daughter). He said that he walked, Ambrea walked, and Kaylee ran circles around them while they went around the block. He's trying to be up and active as much as he can. He said that his legs continue to swell up each day. He elevates them while he sleeps and they look great in the morning but by the end of the day they're swollen again.

He and mom really appreciate all of our continued prayers in their behalf.

(This is another recent picture from Ambrea's blog. This was taken last week and it is of dad sitting outside to watch Ambrea's family carve some pumpkins.)

Thursday Update

Update from Mom:

"We went to Dr. Riley (the general doctor) today and she is very nice. She explained a lot of things for us that the other doctors did not. She did another test and gave him a prescription for oxygen. She said that he was on some pretty heavy meds and that is what is causing his nausea. His body should get used to them in a couple of weeks so that he can handle them better.

He has an appointment with her in a couple of months. His nephrologists' nurse (Tammy) called today. His next appointment with them is November 17th. His kidneys are working at 17% and you go on dialysis under 15%.

We went shopping and bought Bruce a recliner rocker so that he can relax and have his feet up. It will also make more room for company to sit, since for Bruce to be up relaxing he took the couch.

Bruce has been feeling a lot better the last couple of days and is able to eat better as well. He has not had an appetite at all. Even with the numbers up things are looking up. We do believe that the number will come down soon and that we will soon see some major improvement in his health."

Wednesday Update

Dad got his blood drawn from the doctor's office on Monday and mom got the results back today. The blood work showed that dad's creatinine level is up to 3.75. Not good.

Dad is still feeling tired and nauseas and trying to keep his BP under control.

Thank you for your continued prayers.

Sunday Update

Update from Mom:

"Bruce is glad to be home. (He liked not being a pin cushion.) He has not had to have pain meds since being home either. YEA!

Bruce appreciates all the phone calls and emails. Kent, Tami, Becky and Shannon came to visit and Bruce went on a couple of walks outside with Kent.

We have an appointment Monday with the kidney doctors to check his blood and we are expecting a drop in his Creatinin levels and in his WBC as well.

With the major decrease in Bruce's blood pressure he does not have a lot of energy and has a hard time staying awake which frustrates him.

In the hospital they gave him his meds without him eating which many of them say to be taken with food. We are able to control that better here at home and he doesn't get as nauseated. He has 7 prescriptions so he is sporting a new pill box to accommodate the meds."

Thank you for your continued thoughts and prayers. They are grately appreciated. We will continue to update this blog as we learn more about Dad's situation.

Friday Update

Update from Ambrea:

"Aunt Becky, Tammy and Uncle Kent Made it here to Colorado around 3pm. Dad ate a little bit last night but not much because he said that it was salty. He had taken his pills and threw up last night because he didn't have enough food with his meds. Mom wasn't happy that he didn't tell her why he didn't eat until this morning. Dad said that he will be better about telling her what's going on and what he needs.

He has been sleeping most of the day. Mom checked his BP around 2pm and it was 175/75 but he had already taken his meds. She said she wasgoing to wait until he relaxed some to take it again to see if it went down any. Later in the evening he seemed to be doing ok though.

Hope all is well. Love ya!

Ambrea"

Home from the Hospital

Dad was discharged home from the hospital earlier this afternoon. Yeah! I guess they sent him home with a basin to throw up in since he was feeling pretty nauseas. They had given him another dose of iron through his IV and he was having a hard time with it.

I haven't spoken with mom or dad but I heard from Ambrea that they sent him home with some limitations and a list of when to notify the physician.

They have a follow-up appt with dad's nephrologist on Monday for some blood work to check his creatinine levels again. We still need his creatinine levels to come way down (indicating that his kidneys are functioning better). If they don't then there next option is hemodialysis and a kidney transplant. We don't want to have to go to those measures for sure.

Thank you for your continued thoughts and prayers!

Thursday AM Update

Dad has been awake and walking for most of the morning. Mom said she's been letting dad take control and talk to the doctors and ask the questions.

His blood pressure was 118/63 (good).
His creatinine level is still at 3.4 (it needs to go way down).
His WBC count dropped down closer to the normal range (good).
The MRI showed no changes to dad's aortic aneurysm and no additional tears (good).

The nephrologist is ready to send dad home. The other doctors have yet to sign off on dad's case so we'll see when he gets to go home. Hopefully soon.

Mom said that Kent, Becky and Tammy are leaving today to come down and visit them. I know mom and dad will enjoy that.

This picture is of Dad the first day he went into the hospital. He is wearing a hat because he wasn't happy with his hair not being combed. (He's not on oxygen anymore.) I borrowed this picture from Ambrea's blog since I haven't been able to download my pictures yet. We do have pictures of him up and walking and talking. Some of them look like he's ready to go out and work for the day.

Wednesday PM Update

Dad was awake for most of the day today. He was walking and eating good. They said his hematocrit levels have been low so he is going to be getting iron through his IV.

The doctors decided to do an MRI and they took him down for the test. During the test they put some blue dye into his IV and dad was surprised and worried because he knows he's not suppose to be getting a dye because of his delicate kidney situation. After the test was done Mom asked the medical doctor if that was okay a dye had been used and the doctor wasn't sure. She said they'd wait for the results of the MRI.

We're hoping and praying that his kidneys will be able to rebound and start compensating on their own. We're also hoping that the MRI shows no changes on dad's aortic tear. Mom asked the nephrologist why they don't just go in and repair the tear and the nephrologist said that surgery would be just as harmful and dangerous to dad's kidneys as any test would be.

We'll wait and see what tomorrow has in store.

Wednesday AM Update

The results from the nuclear med scan to dad's kidneys showed good blood flow to his kidneys (no blockage). The nephrologist thinks that the kidneys are struggling because of the decreased blood flow to his kidneys now that his blood pressures have dropped and are not continuously running at 250's/100's or higher.

Dad's creatinine level dropped a little to 3.4. If the kidneys are not able to improve then the nephrologist said they would need to put dad onto a kidney transplant list.

The nephrologist is going to check with the radiologist to see if measures need to be taken to check or correct dad's aortic aneurysm at this time. If further testing is needed then they'll discuss if the CT scan with dye is needed or if there is any other test that can be done instead. The nephrologist repeated this morning that if they use the dye it will further damage dad's already delicate kidneys. If no further testing or follow up is needed at this time then they will look at sending dad home.

Dad was awake and alert speaking with the nephrologist. They have a very caring and very professional group of nephrologists working with them. Thank you for your continued care and concern and especially for your prayers in mom and dad's behalf. They need them.

Tuesday PM Update

Today was a little challenging. Dad slept through most of it. We woke him up at lunch time to get up and walk the halls and eat his lunch. He wasn't cooperating too well until we reminded him of his nauseasness from last night and then he said, "No, I don't want to go through that again." He walked and tried really hard to keep his eyes open while mom helped him eat his lunch. He looked up at the clock once he was fully awake and realized it was almost 1pm and said, "It's already 1 o'clock? Where have I been all day?"

They did the nuclear med scan on his kidneys this afternoon and we are hoping for good results from the nephrologist tomorrow.

Mom's update: "Dr Patel came in and told us that Bruce's white blood cell count is high. It was 12,000 when admitted and went down to 8,000. It is now back to up to 12,000 (9,000 is normal). He had more blood work done and because his blood pressure is down they had a hard time getting it drawn. There were three people who tried (very painful). He was taken to have a nuclear test and then again for a chest X ray.We are hoping that some of these tests bring good news in the am."

Ambrea's update: "Dad was feeling good tonight and his blood pressure was 110's/60's." We've discovered this past week that 8-10pm is dad's "happy hour."

I (Chelsea) flew back home to AZ this afternoon and Darin will fly back to North Carolina in the morning. Ambrea, Cameron, and Nicholas all live in Pueblo near mom and dad and have been helping as much as they can.

We will post some pictures of Dad tomorrow.

Tuesday AM Update

This morning the nephrologist said that dad's creatinine levels jumped up to 3.5 (not good). They are going to do a nuclear med scan on his kidneys to see how the blood is perfusing to and through his kidneys. The doctor wants to make sure the arotic tear/aneurysm is not affecting the blood flow to his kidneys. They're hoping that the kidneys are just trying to compensate for the decreased blood flow they've been receiving since his blood pressures have decreased.

Dad ate 100% of his breakfast and is now bundled up fast asleep in his bed. He was shivering all through breakfast and I think is feeling warm enough now. No more nauseasness. Dad and I think he got severely nauseas from not eating much food and taking all his medications including Percocet.

Mom is still at home with Darin. I hope he can keep her there for a while longer. She called this morning to check on dad and is still pretty emotional. I asked dad what he thought about this whole trial and tribulations situation he's been experiencing this past week and he was a bit teary eyed and didn't say anything.

We're still hoping and praying for both of his kidneys to be strong and regain function. We're also prayerful that the aortic tear can remain stable.

Monday PM Update

Tonight dad's blood pressures dropped to 120's/60's. He became severely nauseas and complained of abdominal pain. His blood pressures came back up to 140's/70's and he started feeling better. After receiving pain and nausea medication dad fell asleep. He's snoring soundly now.

Mom broke down and really cried. I think seven nights of sleeping in the hospital and being overwhelmed with everything that is going on finally got to her. We convinced her to go home and get a good nights sleep and Darin will be with her. I (Chelsea) will be staying with Dad tonight.

We were very hopeful with the improvements we saw this morning. Yet we continue to be reminded that dad has a long road ahead of him and he's not out of the woods yet. Thank you for all of your love and prayers.

Monday AM Update

Thank You for all the prayers and fasting. There has been improvement! Dad continues to look better everyday. Right now he's walking the halls with Darin and he's been awake and alert all morning.

Dad's blood pressures are "adequately controlled." His last BP was 157/77. His hematocrit level was 29 (should be around 38) and the nephrologist said he's a bit anemic.

It seems they are not going to do the CT scan with dye since the nephrologist thinks that would push his kidneys into further damage and possibly into needing hemodialysis. Dad's aortic tear is 4 cm and surgical intervention isn't required unless it's 5cm. With dad's controlled BP the hope is that the tear will be able to start to heal. The tear is not close to his heart and not near his kidneys. It's in between the two and the neurovascular surgeon told dad to buy a lottery ticket because he's a very lucky man.

His kidneys have shown improvement today. Yesterday his creatinine level was 3.4 and today it went down to 3.3 which is good (normal range is .5 - 1.5).

They are now discussing plans to send dad home this week. We'll continue to keep everyone updated. I again asked dad if he had anything he wanted to say to his family and he said "You ain't seen nothing yet."

Thank you again for all your fasting and prayers.

Sunday Update

The nephrologist came in this morning and said that Dad's creatinine levels continue to increase (now at 3.4) but that they are increasing at a slow and steady rate which indicates an acute renal failure situation that could eventually improve. The nephrologist does not recommend doing the CT scan with angiogram on Monday since the dye is harmful to his already injured kidneys. She would prefer an MRI. The neurovascular surgeon will determine if the CT scan is necessary to check the aortic tear and would then be able to determine if surgery is necessary.

His blood pressure highs have been 160's/70's and last night he had a blood pressure of 113/56. He continues to be very tired and more frustrated with his health situation.

Darin flew in last night and walked into Dad's hospital room and surprised both Mom and Dad. Jeremy flew back home to SLC this morning so last night for a few hours we were all together in the room with Dad. Mom and Dad's spirits were really good.

Jeremy gave Dad a blessing a few days ago and his impression was that had a long recovery road ahead of him but that it would be a recovery.

We haven't seen the medical doctor yet this morning.

Dad / Bruce

Last Monday mom took dad into an urgent care center due to difficulties breathing. After a few tests were done they discovered fluid in his lungs and determined that Dad has congestive heart failure. His blood pressure was 268/160's. They sent him over to St Mary - Corwin Medical Center and he's been here in the telemetry unit since then.

They've done x-rays, ultrasounds, CT scans, etc and have discovered he has a Grade B aortic tear. His kidneys are functioning at 30% (according to the nephrologist) and his creatinine level continues to increase. Yesterday his level was 2.9 and this morning his level was 3.1. The medical doctor this morning mentioned acute renal failure on top of chronic renal failure. At this time they're still trying to determine what his baseline kidney function is to know what the future holds.

The plan at this time is to try and keep his blood pressure within a normal range. (This morning his blood pressure was 135/65 and the doctor was pleased.) Now that his blood pressure is dropped he's really tired.

A CTA scan is tentativley planned for this Monday to check his aortic tear and to see if there's been any changes. There is concern regarging the CTA test being done since dye will be used and his kidneys are already struggling. If the tear hasn't changed then they may not do surgery.

I asked Dad if he wanted to say anything and he said, "Love your wife" in between snores.

We're having a family fast this Sunday and appreciate all of your thoughts and prayers for Dad and Grandma Tew. For Dad we're specifically focusing on his kidneys, blood pressure and heart. We'll update this blog to keep the family updated on his condition.