12 weeks Post Op

It's really hard to believe that in just a few days we will be at 12 weeks post op. 3 months! WOW.
I'm so proud of him for the journey he has taken and so quickly. 12 weeks ago I honestly didn't know how we would get to the next step and here we are....

Last week Billy returned to work...his first full week... 11 hour days for 5 days. And he did awesome! I knew he would be pretty tired and come Thursday it was showing on him. But he got up and went each day without any hesitation. He has spent the weekend pretty much resting up which is fine with me. Each week will be another step closer to getting his strength back for sure. Tonight we are celebrating with Omaha Steaks, chicken kabobs and veggies. Thanks to our dear friends Emily and Howard Bach!!

Billy's eye is looking better each day. There is still a little bit of an area swollen and the stitches haven't desolved totally yet (I saw one yesterday). But over all it looks good. I know he is super glad it closes and has made that part of life a little easier.

Our fundraiser has went very well. We are 20 bags short of reaching our goal of 50 bags but I am so super excited that we have raised enough for 30!  I called and got the okay with Emory to bring them to the Neuro-ICU ward in March. Now the process of filling them all and just getting them packed to go. I'm still hoping to raise enough for the last 20. The link is to the right of this blog....I haven't updated the latest donation so we are almost at $400 :) awesome isn't it :) Thank you to everyone that has made it possible.

Thanks for hanging in there with us....

Results of Surgery #2

Yesterday was yet another surgery day. This was by far not as intense - only a little over an hour - but it was still so hard to see him hooked up to stuff and knowing they were about to put him to sleep again. I really do hate that feeling of helplessness. There is nothing I can do but be there for him when he wakes up.

Today's surgery was to fix his eye. I have a few pictures to show you why and some are graphic so beware. Because of the facial nerve not being cooperative right now...billy's left eye will not close. This is bad because it will dry out the cornea and cause other vision problems. We don't want this to happen. So we decided to go ahead with the neurosurgeons suggestion of the Gold Weight Implant. They insert a small gold weight into the upper eye lid. This helps the lid close. He also made several incisions along the edge of the eye and pulled the bottom skin and lid up so that the two lids would now close. The first picture is before surgery. As you can see when he tries to close his eyes this one does not close. We have been doing drops all day and lubricants at night. 

And here he is yesterday afternoon after surgery. you can see how the eye lid on the bottom is pulled up and tucked now. He can actually blink which is so nice to see.

 

And here he is this morning. This is as wide as he can open his eye. Looks like I belted him a good one doesn't it. I hate it for him. He says this hurts worse than the brain surgery did. The eye is such a sensitive area but hopefully it will heal up quickly. He is on strict orders of no bending over and picking up stuff for two weeks. OUCH. Yeah he wasn't too happy with that. BUT we are going to try and get his post-op appointment a few days before he goes back on the 10th to see Dr. Vivas and the Physical Therapist If all goes well we hope he can get released to go back to work. I am afraid it may be delayed one more week. But honestly I just want him better before he takes on work. I know he is itching to go back.

 

 

Just a few more days will be 9 weeks. The longest for recovery they said would be 12 weeks so I think he is doing awesome. This surgery yesterday is just a small set back but was needed. And hey....if all else fails I can sell him at the "we buy Gold" place since his eyelid is real gold...lol!

 

On the fundraiser home front we had a donation for 5 more bags. Now we are up to 17!!! I am super excited about that and we only have 33 more to go. I so can't wait to take these to the ICU ward in March!

 

There is still time - fundraiser

We are so excited how much we have raised so far....$125 will purchase 8 bags! That is 12 bags we have so far and our goal is 50. Just 38 more to go. And there is still time if you would like to help. My goal is to get them all purchased by mid February so that we have time to buy all the goodies for the inside and get them ready to pack and deliver in March. These bags will be filled with snacks and extras for the families waiting with their loved ones in the ICU Neurology Ward at Emory Midtown.
Here is a sneak peak...  I really love how they turned out.

Tomorrow is our next step in this journey. Billy is scheduled for surgery at 9:30 in the morning for his Gold Weight Implant. I know this will help him out a lot with his eye. And then in just 10 more days we will be heading back to the ENT surgeon and Physical Therapist to try and see when he can go back to work. He has done great over the last few weeks. Even walking on ICE!!! I was impressed! I told him we had some stories to tell the physical therapist for sure.

Thank you for hanging in there with us and please do share our fundraiser. It is located on the right of this blog. Just click on that link and it will take you straight to the YouCaring site. We appreciate every little bit to help us bring smiles to other families that may be as scared if not more than I was 8 weeks ago.