Havi M. Dennis

Today is an important day for our country. A day to remember those that have given us, with their life, the freedom to live by their choice. We fly the Flag at half-staff until noon today, raising it with the spirit that our history dictates.

This weekend saw the loss of a young man from just south of here. Havi remembers him as the one with the crane. She spent hours with him, playing with this crane toy. The crane is still in his bedroom. His graduation party.

Those survivors include us. A fact beyond comprehension yet a reality. Havi was asked to say a prayer tonight, “I’ve already talked to God, he will be fine.”

I thank God every day for every day I have with Havi. Today I want to say thank you to those who have given their life so I may post this blog without fear. Thank you to the surviving parents who have given their children.

Healthy children can be gone in an instant. Please think about someone who has been important to you. M.C.L., you are a part of us. Thank you.

Please pray.

Here I am sitting in the office, listening to the rain.  It is a typical Oklahoma shower, probably 1/3 of an inch in the past ten minutes.  This has been a good week for Havi on the whole.  We are getting there.

Havi will have her wound vac removed today or Friday.  There are several pieces that need to be in place before we remove the dressing.  She needs orders, she needs supplies, etc.  There will be much anxiety as the first episode of dressing change approaches.  It is unlikely that she will have any significant pain, just like removing a bandage that is 6×8 inches.

Havi had an excellent echocardiogram earlier this week.  Her heart is near normal in size and function.  This is exceptional news.  She is looking forward to getting off antibiotics and getting her trach out.  We had hoped to have her trach out before her birthday.  Given the schedule of Dr. Digoy this is looking suspect.

Thank you for following along.  I’ve been a bit busy over the past few weeks getting things done here.  More this week!

Please pray for Havi.

Havi’s dressing change went very well today.  It may be that there is only one or two more trips to the operating room then managing it at home.  She is starting to eat well, more protein.   One of her favorite sources of protein is Vacche Rosse Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.  She is especially fond of this difficult to find cheese.  The protein content in Parmigiano-Reggiano is about three times that of red meat!  What a great supplement to give her when she is using so much protein to heal her wound.

Havi, in the style of the Northern Italians, wanted a wedge of hard cheese to keep in her room to snack on during the day.  I’ve think I’ve found a source.

There are a lot of things to do to prepare for a storm. There is time to prepare. Deborah has fixed dinner in anticipation of a power outage. Havi has been busy planning her weekly menu and thinking about her birthday next month.

Please pray.

Havi did not have much to complain about today.  She enjoyed her tutorial and spent time with her cat and dog.  She is strong.

Deborah and I had a very busy day.  There were a few twists and turns.  From ground level it is easy to get overwhelmed, at 30 thousand feet it is easier to keep perspective.

We don’t expect any significant surprises.  We look forward to getting the results of the next CT scan of Havi’s chest.  I pray that there is no infection.  I will be posting daily if at all possible, typically at the end of the day for the next few weeks.

Please pray.

Answer:  Hail from 1/4 to 2 1/2 inches in diameter.

Questions:  What broke the windows in the front of the house?  What destroyed the roof?  What destroyed the garden?

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Answer:  Slows the healing process.

Questions:  What are steroids?  What happens in chronic illness that depletes protein?

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Answer:  Havi is worth it.

Question:  Why do we keep going?

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This blog entry is brief and delayed.  We had a busy weekend.  We want to share a lot of feeling, thoughts and hopes with you when we write the entries of this blog.  It has been a place where I can wrap my mind around the events of the week, the day or the hour.

Both of my girls are exhausted.  The chronic nature of this recovery has taxed everyone to the breaking point.  I want to thank you all who have been so active with us.  We understand, deep in our hearts, that this blog has been, at times, exhausting to follow.

We are going to get Havi through this recovery.  We will keep fighting for her and with her.  We will never (x3) give up.

Please pray for Havi tonight.  Please pray for Jett tonight.  Please pray for Kreas tonight.  These children, like those that I did not name, deserve our prayers.  Please pray for Deborah.

P.S.  Grandpa Bill, thank you.  I was wearing the grey shirt today when Deborah opened the mail!

We are home. We started the process yesterday. It would have been easier to plan a south pole expedition. You would think that leaving would involve packing up, loading the car and driving home. Add in a few residents, multiple equipment companies, home health and nursing at the hospital, and voila, many,many hours delay. Despite all that, we made it home. More work, now that I have unloaded what seems like a semi truck of equipment for all the latest add ons. Havi definitely needs a bigger bedroom.

At least we are home.

The morning was planned very well. Havi was to have breakfast, a CT at 9 am and surgery at noon. Nothing went as planned. Breakfast was 45 minutes late and arrived when the transporter came to take her to CT. It was too late to eat when she came back at 10:30 so we waited. We didn’t get to surgery until almost 5 pm. Havi always asks me to wait and eat with her (fair enough usually) but I was starved by the time surgery came and went. Surgery went well – she has a new sponge, drain and machine. I spent the afternoon helping the case managers and the resident make arrangements to go home. Baring any overnight issues, we are scheduled to depart the “Havi Hilton” tomorrow morning after all of the promised equipment arrives. She needs a bigger bedroom.

Her friends called from school today and made her day. She is eager to go home and have visitors. Now that she finally seems to be on the mend, she is wanting to be more social. Much more typical Havi.

We are scheduled to come back for dressing changes in the OR but hopefully we will not have any more extended stays.

Boring is the word of the day. We have had no excitement which is not alltogether a bad thing but makes for a very long day. Havi has no complaints and is running out of sources of entertainment.

The plan for tomorrow is a CT of the chest. Dr Paliotta will review this and make a more definitive plan. Surgery to change the dressing and sponge will happen early afternoon. Keep your fingers crossed that things look good and we will be able to leave on Thursday.

Samuel Shem (pen-name) wrote The House of God.  In this, his first work, he wrote about getting into medical school and the training process.  He described one of his classmates getting into school by answering a postcard, “You want to go to medical school?”  The book is a fun read if you don’t have anything else pressing.

Today we expected to go to surgery between 2:00 pm and 3:00 pm.  The child before her didn’t cooperate with the pre-surgical routine.  She entered surgery two hours late, not starting at 9:00 am as planned, sometime after 11:00.  I thought Havi was going to be delayed.  I was working at the house.  Deborah called me before 2:00 pm and said that Havi was on her way to surgery.

Havi got to surgery holding.  There was another delay.  I got there and, as I said before, sent Deborah home for some much deserved sleep.  Deborah was awakened by the storm sirens.

Havi went to surgery.  It was quick and successful.  Dr. Paliotta removed a sternal wire and Havi got a slightly longer sponge.  She has the “lunch box” suction machine again.  Back to recovery.

Here is where the fun starts.  The weather starts to build.  There are tornados on the ground, high winds and large hail.  The hospital calls a “code black” and all patient transfer is restricted to horizontal moves only.  No vertical moves.  We are on the 3rd floor, Havi’s room is on the 9th.  We are stuck in recovery.  It is now about 4:00 pm and we can’t go anywhere.

Havi is now waking up.  The drugs are wearing off.  She is starting to demand to leave and return to her room.  ”Stuck in the middle with you” from Stealer’s Wheel is playing in my head.  I’m waiting for the Fat Man to come and do card flip rounds.  Havi is asking when we will go back to the floor.  She sees other patients move out of recovery.  It is hard to explain all that is involved in patient care.  You won’t believe the depth of the process.

We are back in Havi’s room now, the “Havi Hilton.”  I’ve been patient.  I’ve been cooperative.  I’ve been stuck in a recovery room for hours.

Crazy making does not begin to explain this process.  Deborah is in for more work this week than any week since Havi’s initial hospitalization.  We hope to be able to take Havi home this week, probably on Thursday or Friday.

The House of God.  A good read.

Havi is going to do well.  We are going to survive.  Thank you Jim for giving blood.  Thank you to all of you who are following along.  Where would the Dennis family be if you were not with us, how can we say thank you?

If you get a postcard in the mail asking if you want to go to medical school say no.  The process is no more difficult than any good graduate school in terms of information to cover.  The difficulty comes in trying to care for people that you love.  I love my daughter.  I love my wife.

Please pray.

Havi just went back into surgery.  She was tearful and grabbing at my hand.  She is really showing her anxiety as the time to surgery grows in the holding area.

The surgery before Havi’s went a bit longer than expected and she waited a bit longer.  It looked like it may be a much longer wait.  I sent Deborah home to get some sleep.  This was a split decision, one of the girls didn’t really like my choice.

Havi will have a limited exploration and dressing change today.  Dr. Paliotta is going to look for trapped infection.  I anticipate that he will have some news in an hour or so.  For now all I can do is sit here and wait.

Please pray for Havi.

Havi has been doing a little better today.  She is just out of the shower.  She has been fussing with Deborah about combing the tangles out of her hair.  The fight over the long hair is raging, Deborah threatening to cut it off, Havi telling her to stop and just put it up.  I’m drifting off into the computer to try to avoid solving this problem!

Doctors visited this morning.  The plan is to have Havi go to surgery tomorrow afternoon to change the sponge and take a look at her wound.  There may be more exploration at a later date.  There are several things that must happen before Havi can go to surgery.  She will need some blood and blood products.  All in all a busy day for the nurses.

Deborah said that having Havi is the best Mother’s Day gift ever.  We are very happy that she is alive.  It will be fun to have her more healthy.  She is getting stronger just from the antibiotics.

Jim shared this with us earlier today:  A man loves his sweetheart the most, his wife the best, but his mother the longest.  ~Irish Proverb

Please pray.

Havi is bored.  She has played the computer games, done homework and watched television.  Are any of her classmates available to visit this afternoon?

Havi had a good night.  She rested without fever or respiratory problems.  She is not in pain.

Dr. Paliotta saw her today.  He will wait until Monday to take her back to surgery and explore her chest again.  Given how stable she is I think that this is a good deal.  Havi will have a few days to grow stronger.

I can’t begin to express the depth of my feeling for all of you reading this and pulling for Havi.  Deborah and I really do appreciate you.  I’ll post again tomorrow and on Sunday.  I don’t anticipate that any significant changes will occur.

Please pray.

Havi didn’t have any problems today in surgery. The wound is much cleaner, the suction is working. She is hungry.

I have not individually answered all the email and comments. I would like to say thank you for every one of these comments. I have read them and I try to answer the questions in follow up posts. Other comments are stored away in our hearts.

I don’t expect any problems tonight. Tomorrow will be pretty busy as Dr. Paliotta will return and review the situation. I hope he will be confident that this can be repaired.

Please pray.