SURGERY TOMORROW!!

Yes, it is true! Joe is scheduled to have his rib removed tomorrow (Tuesday) at around noon!

It was a long day at the hospital today. I dropped the kids off at Grandma and Grandpa Steve's house around 6:30 a.m. to make sure that I could be at the hospital by 7:30 a.m. so I wouldn't miss rounds and the surgeon that we've been waiting to meet. (Grandpa Steve dropped/ picked the kids up from school... which was awesome!)

I got there at 7:30... but no surgeon. We kept getting updates- you'll see him around lunchtime, maybe around dinner, probably around 7-8.

So, Joe and I spent the day killing time and waiting. A couple of really good things happened while we were waiting though...

The nurses said it was okay for me to help Joe take a shower. It was QUITE an ordeal, and totally exhausted him, but he felt SO much better to be clean and in a clean gown. I also changed his sheets while he was up, so he had nice clean linens as well.

Paige (Joe's brother's wife) stopped by and brought all kinds of goodies... the best by far being really nice pictures of the kids. Joe has those hanging up in the room now and I think it has really helped him stay focused on his goal- getting home to be with his family.

The hematologist, Dr. Bi, came to see Joe, and shared the good news that all of the testing for clotting disorders that have been completed to this point are negative. There are still some tests to run... and they are still recommending blood thinners for at least 6 months, but- he believes that Joe will not be his patient for long!

Finally, around 4 p.m. I grew tired of waiting for the doctor and REALLY hungry, so I decided to go and get something to eat. So... guess who showed up while I was gone??? The surgeon, of course. He was great though, totally understood that Joe wanted me to be there, and so went to see some other patients first. He then came back to Joe's room at the end of his rounds so that he could talk to both of us.

The surgeon, Dr. Siegrist, is great. He spent a LOT of time with Joe and I talking through all the options and answering all of our questions. He was very clear that Joe is an EXCELLENT candidate for this surgery. He is fit, thin (this is a huge deal, because of the nature of the surgery... makes it easier to get to where they need to get), has a healthy heart and lungs, and his arm is asymptomatic (no pain). Dr. Siegrist says that he turns down about 80% of the people who come to him for this surgery because they do not meet the criteria and he feels that the surgery will not have a good outcome. But, he says that he is totally comfortable operating on Joe and feels very confident that it will be successful. Dr. Siegrist feels pretty confident that Joe will not need a vein 'patch' but instead will have another surgery on Wednesday to either balloon or stint the vein. This will be done in a similar way to the way they destroyed the clot. Recovery from the surgery is 4-6 weeks. Joe will start physical therapy while still in the hospital. The doctor believes that he should be able to go back to work about 10 days following the surgery because he has such a non-physical job. The doctor was clear that it will be awhile before he goes canyoneering again though....

Joe is obviously nervous... and not looking forward to being in pain again. However, he is viewing this as just one more stop on the road to being home again! His goal is to be totally healthy, off blood thinners and have full use of his arm again by his birthday in April... so that is the date we are working towards!

Joe is in the hospital for sure until Saturday- if everything goes as planned. Rib removal on Tuesday, vein repair on Wednesday, and then a couple of days in the hospital to get his blood thinners balanced and in the theraputic range... and then HOME!

Please pray for Joe tomorrow as he goes through his surgery. It is a tricky one, so pray that the surgeon's hands are steady and that it results in a positive outcome for Joe.

Please pray for my kiddos as well... although they have been loved and cared for amazingly during this time, I think they are really starting to feel the impact to their regular lives. Colin especially is missing Momma... and my very observant Julia is starting to be aware of the fact that things are going to be a little upside down for awhile. I am hoping that once I get Joe through the next two days I will be able to better split my time between home and the hospital so things will settle more for the kids.

Thank you again for your prayers and well wishes. We have AMAZING friends and family. I don't know what I would do without all of you!

I will find some way to get a communication out tomorrow immediately following the surgery.
Good night all-
Carrie