In Remembrance of Our Dear Friend Buck

[jpmcgrew]

I'm still here as well. Waiting to hear from you and praying for good news.

[Katie E]

Well, here I am. What a day! I'm totally exhausted and spent.

This was the most trying of all the days so far.

Buck called late this morning to let me know the cardiologist had scheduled the pacemaker surgery immediately. I told him there was no way I could get to the hospital in time. He said not to worry, just get there when I could.

I arrived at the hospital at about 12:30. Spoke with the nurse and asked where Buck was. Said he was in "procedures." Meaning that the pacemaker was being inserted and he was having the scoping done on his throat and stomach.

Not hearing anything by 3 p.m., I called and asked for a status report. He was still in "procedures." I asked if I could get an educated guess as to how much longer things would take. Answer...maybe 3 more hours.

By 4:30 I called again. Thankfully I was told that he'd been brought back to CCU and was being hooked up to the monitors. 5:00. 5:15. 5:30. How long does it take to hook the monitors up? I called again. Oh, we were just getting ready to call you.

When I went into the room, he was semi-out of it, just coming out of the anesthetic from the scope procedure. Talking, but with his eyes closed and obviously in some amount of discomfort. As it turned out, most of the discomfort came from his bad hip because they had to have him lie flat on his back. And...the bed was tilted so his feet were about 20 degrees higher than his head.

Again, his blood pressure was in the dumper, but the pacemaker was doing it's job as evidenced by the images on the monitor above his bed.

He said this was the most uncomfortable day of his life, which I could understand. I tried to get him to understand that, in time, the bed would become horizontal again and he could get some relief from the pain his hip was giving him.

He's still jaundiced and the blood pressure is being stubborn. The best thing that he could say about today is that he was given a mug of 7-UP. He relished that.

I'd wanted to leave at about 6 or so, but my brother called and told me to stay put because there was a line of heavy storms coming my way. He wasn't kidding. What a storm!! By 6:30 it looked like midnight. The winds began to blow and the rain, thunder and lightening came with a vengeance. Lasted for at least 45 minutes. Then the sun began to peek out and I took that as my signal to get out of Dodge.

I began the 30-mile drive home and, by the time I was within 5 miles of home, the sky opened up and it began again. I was soaked to the skin by the time I reached our front door.

Oh, one thing I failed to mention, 20 minutes before I left to see Buck this morning...one of our sweet indoor kitties died. He'd been not feeling well and, yesterday, I had a hard time finding him in the house. Found him inside an empty cardboard box under a table. That's an indication a cat is about to die. They look for a place to die.

C.J. (Casey Jones) did come out for breakfast, but shortly after went into the downstairs bathroom and tried to hide in the shower. 20 minutes later he was dead. All I could think of was how was I going to dig into the ground to bury him. It's been so hot and dry, the ground is like concrete. Funny how God answers our prayers even when we don't even ask. Tonight's storm provided more than enough rain to soften the yard.

So...my plan tomorrow is to go to see Buck at noon and let the rest of the day take care of itself. With any luck, I'll be able to make the trip home by 4:30. I'm wasted.

[quicksilver]

It's very late for you. I hope you've rested since returning home.
Sometimes I think the loved ones suffer worse than the sick, due to worry.

I'm so glad you made it home safe, but sorry about kitty. So much trouble at once.

Big hugs and lots of prayers your way.

Thank you for letting us know. Rest and know he's in good hands.

[Barbara L]

Katie, I'm sorry about your kitty, but you are right about God's timing. I hope Buck is resting now and that tomorrow is a much better day. James and I will be having lunch with kitchenelf and Marge tomorrow, so I'm on my way to bed now. Can you believe it, I will be in bed before 3:00!

I hope you have a good night. We love you guys.

Barbara

[csalt]

Sometimes I think that the professionals (i.e. hospital staff) are so busy doing their job they have no time to think how stressful it is for relatives. Not being able to get the info is the worst kind of stress. I'll never forget, when DH was in surgery a year ago, I called to ask how the surgery had gone and they told me he was still in theatre because there had been complications!!!! but they could not give me any info over the phone. I didn't know what to think. I called my daughter who 'spoke' to them and 10 mins later they were on the phone giving me the info I needed and some reassurance as well. They don't have any reason to realise that driving long distances to the hospital is stressful enough in itself.



Keep your chin up. We're trying to hold it up for you!

[DrThunder88]

Dang, I leave for a couple days and this happens?

Best wishes, Buck and Katie. That's some rough and scary stuff you guys are going through, if you ever need a batch of giant chocolate chip cookies (you know, for therapeutic purposes), just let me know.

[texasgirl]

Katie, my prayers are still with the two of you. I'm sorry about cj! Poor little guy.
Tell Buck that we are thinking of him!!

[bethzaring]

keep reaching out, you are going to need any comfort you can find. You may want to swing by the social services office at the hospital and tell them of your plight; 30 miles away, alone at home, beginning of a serious hospitalization, to see if they have any suggestions or services to help you. You may find comfort and help in unexpected places. Don't be afraid to ask for help. Tell Buck we all love him, and you, and are hoping for the best.

[MexicoKaren]

Katie, is there someone who could be an "advocate" for you with the hospital folks? Do you know anyone who works in the hospital (anywhere) or in the health care field? My own experiences with the health care system have taught me that if you have someone who can cut through the BS and talk to the nurses using their own language it really helps. And you really should have someone by your side to be support for you. I can't imagine how difficult it must have been to hang around all day, waiting for a scrap of information and feeling so frustrated when nobody thinks to keep you informed. Obviously, you don't want to annoy them, because then you end up with nada. But maybe you can find someone who is wiling to be there with you and play the role of "bad cop" when it is needed. Wish I could be there to help you!

Poor Buck. I'm sure he is feeling violated, messed with, fearful. He must be a very tough guy to have been so ill, and not show any signs of it. I'm sure this will all take a turn for the better really soon, and the two of you will be back on your front porch, watching the fireflies together.

Take deep breaths, remember how much everyone here cares for you two.

[Katie E]

Spoke to Buck's nurse about 4:30 this morning. She said he was sleeping and had had a bath. I'm sure he welcomed that.

Talked to Buck about 30 minutes ago. He was nicely alert. Guess the anesthetic is finally out of his system. He was eating "breakfast," which consisted of broth and other assorted liquids. He said it was nice to finally have some food regardless of what it was. He told me he was going to eat slowly since it'd been a while. BP still being stubborn. Kidney function quite low.

I'll leave here about 11:15 so I can get to the hospital by noon. Little cooler today and cloudy. Last night's rain was just over 1 1/2 inches. I haven't seen a weather report for today. I'll check the Internet radar before I leave.

I was able to finally clean and divide the 10 pounds of chicken leg/thigh quarters I bought on Wednesday. Now they're safely in the freezer and I have a large part of the refrigerator back.

Time for breakfast and then out to the yard to bury C.J.

More later. Love you all.