Good-bye 2009

Jason's family came down to visit today. We had a good time cooking, playing with toys, and watching the Cyclones beat Minnesota. There were lots of smiles and hugs to go around. Zara was very interested in Ethan's toys, but kept to herself most of the time. I opened the door for her to get to our room so she could hide. She's not used to kids, or that many people. She did pretty well though.

Another exciting thing that happened today is my friend Kim went into labor. She is just at 33 weeks, but the doctor is going to let her have him. (They know it's a boy and his name is Nolan.) She said the doctor was giving her some stuff to slow down the labor, but she made him stop. Hopefully tomorrow she'll be able to hold her new little boy!

This will be my last post for the year. Jason and I have been through a lot and we feel it has made our marriage stronger, and our love deeper. We've had the support and love of our friends and family and are extremely grateful for it. We both have very loving families that we both get along with. We have also been very blessed by both having jobs, a roof over our head, food to eat, and good health insurance. We wish all of our friends and family a wonderful and prosperous new year! Good luck in 2010!

Hooray!

Yes, Jason is out of the hospital and back home again! The doctors decided that 18 days of vancomycin was enough and he is only taking an oral antibiotic. The doctors also decided to leave his PICC line in, just in case. We have to flush the line every eight hours which is 5 am, 1 pm, and 9 pm. A lot better than hooking him up for antibiotics. He has a doctor's appointment for Tuesday. If he's doing fine, they might take the PICC line out. I guess the at-home nurse is supposed to come out at some point too. They haven't called us, so we're not really sure what's supposed to happen with them.

Hospital: Day 16

Jason is very anxious to get out of the hospital. He wanted me to bring in pizza for supper. We had hospital food one last time. He walked a lot today and is enjoying not being hooked up to an IV all the time. I've brought him warm clothes for his release. I hope they will be warm enough, it's been really cold these last couple of days.

My mom went home today. I'm very glad she came out to visit. It's nice just to have someone to come home to. Especially someone who talks back. (Zara doesn't really talk other than meow.)

Hospital: Day 16

When Jason's doctor talked to him this morning, he said that if Jason didn't get a fever today and his blood work tomorrow looked all right, Jason might get to go home tomorrow! We're very excited. We're pretty sure Jason will still need IV antibiotics, but we still have the stuff from the first time. Keep praying for us!

Hospital: Day 15

Jason doctor told him he could go off of the saline drip, so now he's only hooked up to an IV for his antibiotics. They also told him his white blood cell count was really low. When Jason told me that, I was thinking, no! He's been on antibiotics for 16 days and you expect his white blood cell count to be normal? And of course all of the cultures came back with nothing as well as the TB test. Even the swab of his feet came back with nothing. He's feeling much better today, though he still gets tired from time to time. Right now, the doctors think that maybe Wednesday he'll be able to start thinking about going home. He's been fever free since yesterday afternoon, and that's the biggest concern at this point in time.

Jason did have some more visitors. Grandma and Grandpa Peterson as well as my mom and Aunt Sara came to cheer him up. It was fun to get to see them, if only for a little while. Visitors are always appreciated with the boredom of hospitals.

Hospital: Day 15

I went back to work today. I did stop and see Jason before I went in. They woke him at 5 to take blood to check his antibiotic levels. His cellulitis look much better and there is only one blister left to go away. He still has the allergic rash over the rest of him, but he didn't have a fever this morning and he hasn't been getting the chills. He has been getting warm, but his room is set to 76 degrees from his last chill spell. When the door is shut, it gets pretty warm in there. Hopefully the doctors will have some good news for him today.

Hospital: Day 14/ Happy Birthday!

My mom came to visit and she came bearing gifts. We took the presents to the hospital, along with some supper. We took pictures of all of us opening gifts.
These are the cool socks Jordan got me.

My parents gave Jason some Star Wars bobble heads.

Mom taking pictures.

I also need to give a shout out to my baby sister. Happy birthday, Jo! We love you and hope to see you soon!

Hospital: Day 14

Both doctors came into see Jason while I was there this morning. His main doctor said his cellulitis is looking much better and is almost gone. It didn't look like the other rash was going away too much. The second doctor thinks Jason might be sensitive to the hospital soap and suggested he use his "at-home" soap in the shower to see if it would help clear things up. They did say there was nothing on his chest x-ray, so that's good. Jason did ask when they thought he would be able to go home and their main concern is his fever. I don't think he's had a fever today, but I haven't been around for all of his vitals. Jason's doing much better today. He has more energy and hasn't had any of the chills. He says he gets pretty warm still and the itching isn't as bad any more.

Hospital: Day 13

Jason's fever still comes and goes. I guess his chest was feeling heavy, his right arm hurt, and he was having shallow breathing earlier today. The doctor decided to another chest x-ray. They also decided to give him a skin TB test. The TB test will be done on Monday. Jason is also still having his chill/hot spells. We're still not hearing any answers for what he has.

Jason did have some visitors today. They had stopped at the hospital while I was home. Jason was apparently sleeping, so they came to the house. I am very grateful that Joyce and Matt showed up. They helped me to clean off the sidewalks and driveway. There was an ice layer with a layer of snow on top of it, then another layer of ice with snow on top of that. Yup, that's right. Four layers of ice and snow and that's what we got over two days. It wasn't deep, but it was a pain in the butt to clean up. A huge thank you to Joyce and Matt!

Once we were done, they did visit Jason. It helped to keep his spirits up. However, he's still in the hospital, feeling yucky.

Hospital: Day 13

The lab woke Jason at 6 this morning to draw blood. Hopefully they find out he's on enough medication. He's doing OK, still gets a low grade fever every now and again. We did walk once already today. His biggest complaint is that his back bothers him because of the bed. He hasn't see any doctor yet today. We're supposed to have the culture results sometime today.

Hospital: Day 12

We've had a lot of phone calls today! All of them well wishes and merry Christmases. It's always nice to get phone calls while in the hospital. Makes it feel a little more like home, not that I want to move here!

Jason is doing a lot better since they got him of the penicillin derivative. We went for a couple of walks today. They made him feel better, but his leg still turns people. Of course, both of them turn purple now. He seems less tired and more restless. We both took naps today, so that may have helped. He misses Zara and being home. The best we can hope for right now is Sunday.

Hospital: Day 12

I stayed at the hospital with Jason last night. During the night, he would get really hot, the have chills. He had a set of really bad chills that he had four hospital blankets and had me put his Carhartt coat as a blanket over his arms. Turns out, he's allergic to one of the medications. He was breaking out in more rash as well. Now the doctor's aren't sure if the new rash is from the allergic reaction, or the initial infection. They've taken him off of that particular medication and are putting him on a Z-pac by IV. He still has a headache and not a whole lot of energy. The cafeteria at least has turkey, ham, mashed potatoes, and bread stuffing today. Jason wanted me to make turkey for lunch, but I didn't have too. The great thing is, Jason can have turkey and ham, while I can eat turkey. They also have a few different pies as well. The food here is pretty good. The doctor did say that he would be here from two to three more days.

Santa did stop at our house and brought Zara a new toy. She seemed to enjoy it! Jason thought she was hilarious. It made him smile and laugh.

Hospital: Day 11

Since Jason is in the hospital again, that's where we did Christmas. Since he's not on a restricted diet, I was able to bring in a salad with salad dressing, Snicker salad, and homemade chicken noodle soup. Jason was extremely thankful for the soup. I should have made it for him when he first became sick, but I didn't have all the ingredients.

We did open prezzies. Jason got me some fuzzy socks, a cat calendar, the new Harry Potter movie, and Wii Fit Plus. I got Jason a sweatshirt, some pajama pants, and a World of Warcraft trilogy book. We spent most of the night watching TV. I ran out of hands to bring anything else to the hospital.

He is on three different medications now. They decided to keep him on the Vancomycin, but is on an anti fungal, and another antibiotic. They also put a fungicide on his foot since that's where the rash spread. He's very tired and feels beat most of the time. His fever comes and goes, so they have him on a constant IV.

Back Again

This morning Jason had his doctor appointment. He had a fever of 102 degrees, and his rash had spread to his feet. The rest of the rash looks much better. Since he had the fever, and it looked like it was still spreading, they put him back in the hospital. They now have him on a different antibiotic and a fungicide. The doctors think that since it hasn't gone away yet, it may be a fungal infection and that's why they were having a hard time growing a culture. He still has his PICC line, so hopefully they won't blow out anymore veins. We haven't been given a time frame as to when he'll get to go home again. (Big surprise.) I'll keep everyone updated. Calls and visitors are welcome, as always, as well as prayers and support.

(By the way, if anyone hasn't guessed, we're not sending Christmas cards this year.)

Home Sweet Home

Jason's first full day home! I setup his IV this morning at 4. I did OK. I got it done and he didn't pass out or anything. We had a pretty lazy morning. Jason is supposed to keep his leg up and not do anything strenuous. Homeward sent a nurse for the noon IV to change his dressing for his PICC line. She watched me setup the IV and hook Jason up. The nurse said she should give me a nursing degree. (Ha ha, Jo! And I didn't even have to go to school!) She gave us a couple of helpful hints that made things go much smoother.

Jason went on errands with me in the afternoon. We think he overdid it a little bit. His leg was really swollen when we got back, he was really tired, and he had a slight fever. We were out and about for about an hour and a half, much longer than Jason is used to. We called his doctor and they said give him some Tylenol and watch his temperature. If it got worse, call First Nurse. He goes in to see the doctor tomorrow morning.

This is also my 100th post for this blog! Unfortunately, Jason being in the hospital really pushed it along. Thank you to everyone who reads the blog! I hope you find it informative and sometimes humorous!

Home at Last

Jason was finally released from the hospital at 6:45 tonight. During his IV treatment at the hospital, his chest started to feel really heavy. Instead of being released after the IV, they ordered an EKG and a CT scan. Of course it took most of the afternoon for them, but better to be safe than sorry. Everything is fine, and the feeling went away when he was done with the medication. We got home close to 7 and the nurse showed up at 7:30.
The nurse showed us how to setup the IV pump since the medical people didn't do it. She showed me how to start the IV and flush it. So, that's what I'll be doing, but the at-home nurse care will change the dressing, take blood, and take his vitals once a week. Jason goes to the doctor Thursday morning, so maybe he'll be done with the IV by then.
We're very grateful that our insurance will cover the home care and for the nurse teaching me how to setup the IV. Things will be nicer since Jason is home. It will be tough since he needs his IV's at 4am, noon, and 8pm, but he's home. Thank you for all the support and prayers. They are much appreciated.

Hospital: Day 10

Jason has had his PICC line put in. We're waiting for them to take out his IV. And we're waiting for his last in hospital antibiotic. And we're waiting for the doctor to come in and release Jason. Yup, we're playing the waiting game. BUT, he will get to go home today! We're very excited, and both of us didn't sleep well last night. It's been a long time since Jason's been home, and he's very restless. He hasn't really seen the decorated tree, or any of the goodies that have been made. Zara and I are very excited to get him back home and to celebrate Christmas. The way the weather looks, it doesn't seem like we were going to be able to get back to eastern Iowa anyway. But, we'll be at home and not the hospital.

Hospital: Day 9

So, Jason will finally get to come home tomorrow...we think. His doctor has ordered a PICC line and the insurance said they would cover the in-home care. Jason is scheduled for his PICC line tomorrow morning. The nurse said early morning, but she said it would be elevenish. So while Jason and I will not be traveling to Eastern Iowa this Christmas, at least we will both be at home. (It didn't sound like we would have the best traveling conditions anyway. It's supposed to snow for the rest of the week.)
We are very thankful for all the prayers and support! It's been a tough time for us and our friends and family mean so much to us!

Hospital: Day 9

The doctor today (who is Jason's regular doctor, and not the same one from the weekend) said that Jason still needs IV antibiotics three times a day. Which means the hospital for a few more days. The doctor did say he was looking to see if they could setup an at-home nurse to give him his antibiotics. Normally they only do it for one or two times a day, but since Jason's been here for so long, and it's Christmas, they were going to see what they could do.
Jason's not as tired today. We still go for our walks. He's very tired of being here and just wants to go home.

Hospital: Day 8

The doctor visited Jason and he said that we were looking at being home for Christmas! He said a possibility of a tomorrow night release even! We're pretty excited and can't wait.
Jason's rash is looking a lot better. It's almost down to just blisters now. He's been getting up and walking a mile three or four times a day. He's really tired today though. He's been sleeping on and off all morning. He says this is the most tired he's been all week. I'm hoping that means the antibiotics are working.
As always, our friends and family are wonderful and we appreciate everything you do for us!

Hospital: Day 7

Jason had to have another new IV put in. This time they put it in a vein in his elbow. Now he's having a hard time making sure he doesn't bump it so it won't come out. He also has a hard time bending his arm because of the IV. Because of the location of the IV, the antibiotics make him much more tired than they were. Hopefully that means they'll work faster!
He had another visitor, which are always appreciated! Keep the phone calls and visits coming! He has less to do now that he has limited use of one of his arms. He can't really play computer games well like that. I did bring him a selection of movies for him to watch and a couple of books for him to read. The reading isn't really happening since it makes him more sleepy.
Jason's still in good spirits and we're still planning on coming home on Monday! That's what we keep telling ourselves.

Hospital: Day 7

The rash on Jason's leg is starting to look a lot better.

I'm taking it as a good sign that the rash is starting to go away. He says it still itches, and still has some blistering, but it's doing better. It still wears him out when he gets the antibiotics, but that will pass.

Hospital: Day 6

Jason had a few more visitors today. We also walked a lot more than we have been. A physical therapist came to look at his leg and said walking and ankle rolls were about the only thing he could do to help get better. He had a few phone calls as well. He's starting to go stir crazy being cooped up here. The doctor said maybe Monday, but we say he's going home on Monday! We're keeping a positive attitude, and he'll get to go home Monday!

I did call the insurance company. Good news, we've met our deductible and our out-of-pocket, so this visit is 100% covered. That was a great relief. We both have enough sick/vacation time to cover not being at work, so we're sitting fairly well considering our circumstance.

We appreciate everyone's thoughts and prayers. It helps us to get through the day.

Hospital: Day 6

I didn't blog again last night because I had a migraine. (Big surprise, I know.)
Jason did have some visitors. Visitors are always welcome. They help break the monotony of the day. After some pills and caffeine (and some praying to the porcelain god, I was able to talk to the visitors as well. Jason and I also played some Scrabble. I got off to a good start, but Jason ended up winning.
I slept in late today to make sure my migraine wouldn't come back. (I feel much better today.) I also spent some time making beer bread and Christmas presents. And playing with Zara, of course.

Jason's doctor came in and said he's here until Monday. He's not worried about having to take Jason's plate out, which is a good thing. The doctor told Jason to keep walking, and that he could walk more. Jason doesn't seem to get quite as tired anymore and I try to keep him laughing. The best laughs I've gotten is from one of the pictures I took of Zara, and the "Mute Monks Hallelujah" video Martha sent me. (Thanks, Martha! It was really funny!) For those of you interested, here is the link for the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCFCeJTEzNU

Hospital: Day 5

Jason was told by the doctor this morning that he is scheduled for another blood test tomorrow. Looks like at least one more day. (Big surprise, I know.) It felt like he had a slight fever this morning, but he's still in a pretty good mood for being cooped up for a week. He did ask for me to bring in some cookies. He keeps busy playing games on the Internet and talking to me. I would like to bring in Zara for him to play with for a while, but I know that bringing in animals is against the rules. It would be nice to take him home for an hour while he's not hooked up to his IV, but I don't see that happening either. Now I'm just praying for him to be released this weekend. I would like him home for Christmas!

Hospital: Day 4

The nurse took blood to see if his antibiotic levels are where they are supposed to be. They are below normal, so I guess he's supposed to be getting more antibiotics. I don't know if that means he'll have to be here until Friday now, or not. He has developed a bump on his ankle that the nurse thinks is accumulating fluid. It does look like his rash is spreading around it. He hasn't had a fever today and is in much better spirits. He still gets tired easily, but he's still getting a lot of medicine.

Matt came up to visit this afternoon and brought some Christmas goodies from Joyce. That really cheered up Jason. We're still praying for a release tomorrow. We'll see what happens.

Hospital: Day 4

One more day. The doctor said Jason may be able to go home tomorrow. Here's hoping! They want Jason to stay in the hospital another day because there aren't pill form antibiotics strong enough for his infection. He's off the IV saline and just needs the antibiotics by IV. He's up walking around more and his pain is still intense, but doesn't last as long. His rash is starting to go away too. They are thinking about giving him a steroid cream to help with the itching, but are hesitant since it will make it harder to fight the infection. Jason did finally get more than an hour or two for sleep last night. He hasn't gotten any morphine since Monday as well. I think he's doing a lot better and we can't wait til he can come home. Thank you for all of your prayers!

Hospital: Day 3

Here are today's pictures of Jason's leg.




His aunt Joyce and her husband Scott stopped by for a visit. We're very appreciative of visitors. Jason napped for a little bit on and off this afternoon. He still has a bad headache and we think his rash is still spreading. His doctor will see him again in the morning.

Hospital: Day 3

The doctor is hopeful that the infection will start clearing up today. Jason doesn't get a lot of sleep since he's in a hospital bed, but he's not doing much. He's still in a lot of pain when he walks. He will be in the hospital until at least Wednesday. He's keeping himself entertained with the computer when he's not watching TV. I brought some DVDs for him to watch and some books to read. We think he's done with his fever. Hopefully he'll get to go home tomorrow!

Hospital: Day 2

So after asking the nurse, they think Jason has cellulitis. He seems to not be having as many "fever flashes" and has more energy. He is still aches and his head hurts and his rash has spread to his torso. They are pushing the antibiotics, and Jason is hoping to go home tomorrow. We'll see how things turn out. Here are some pictures of his leg.

Hospital: Day 2

The doctor was able to see Jason this morning. He believes Jason has some sort of lymph infection (the cultures aren't back yet for bacteria) and that he should be on IV antibiotics for two to three days. His white count is getting better, but his rash is spreading. Fortunately, it's isolated to the one leg. He's still tired and has a fever that goes up and down and has pain in his leg. He seems a little better though. Better spirits at least. It is icy and snowing here, so we're not too disappointed that he's not leaving yet. He's going to have an ultrasound later today to see if he has any clots in his leg.

We'll keep you posted when we know more! Thank you for your prayers and support!

Pray for Us

Don't panic, but please keep us in your prayers. Jason was admitted to the hospital for a fever (not higher than 103 at home, but normal at the hospital) and a rash on his leg. (The one with the plate.) They have done blood, urine, throat and nasal swab testing and x-rays. He goes in for an ultrasound tomorrow. They have started him on two different antibiotics. We are also not sure how long he will be there except at least overnight. We both have our cell phones if anyone would like more information, or just to check in on us. I will be home at night since there isn't a comfortable place for me to sleep in his room.

I will try to keep updating the blog to keep everyone informed. I'm not promising anything, but I will try.

Cancellation

So, CyRide DID end up cancelling service all day today. Jason called at 9 to see if he had to work and they told him to come in at noon. (He usually works at 10.) While he was out clearing the driveway, they called and said they were cancelling service and he didn't need to come in at all. He was ten minutes from being done clearing the drive.
Yes, that is Jason in our garage. Notice how the snow comes up to his knees. He said that once he got done shoveling the end of the drive, the rest of the cleared driveway was starting to blow shut again because of the wind. It was a really good day to stay home and watch movies.

Snow Day

Central Iowa received enough snow and it's blizzardy enough that Iowa State closed campus. No work for me today! CyRide has even suspended service until at least 8 this morning. It may be longer depending on how the weather progresses.

Decorations

Jason and I did get some Christmas deco-rations up today. Here's a picture of our mantle. There aren't any on the tree, yet. Zara has been batting at the lower branches, so we'll see how tomorrow goes since Jason and I are at work all day.

We watched a couple of Christmas movies today as well. It's nice when Jason gets to be home on the weekends. We did have "thanksgiving" again today. We made turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, gravy, and pie. We didn't have any leftovers from Thanksgiving at Jason's parents, so we decided to make our own! It was really yummy and will feed us for several days. I was even able to freeze about eight cups of turkey after measuring out what we needed for hot and cold turkey sandwiches and turkey tetrazzini. I'm pretty sure Jason has decided he's eating the rest of the leftover stuffing for breakfast.

Zara also decided to "help" me with the quilt I am making. I laid the fabric for the backing on the floor to make sure I had enough, and Zara decided she needed to tackle the fabric, then wrap herself in it. She's quite entertaining! I'll have to make one just for her someday.

Survival

Ames survived it's first snowstorm. It started snowing Thursday afternoon, then by five, the snow had been driven on enough to melt it, but the streets were cold enough to refreeze the driven on snow. Yes, that's right, icy roads. It was bad enough that the police department and DPS (department of public safety) closed some streets and CyRide suspended service for a few hours. I made it home with no difficulty other than someone in front of me wanting to stop halfway up a hill. Jason ended up staying an extra hour and a half at work. It was a long night for him. But, we survived and the ice was gone by the morning.

On another note, Jason got his car fixed and sold! It's nice having the entire driveway to park in. The extra money helps out with bills too. We are very thankful that we were able to fix it without spending too much on it. We are also thankful we could sell it to someone who really needed it. (The guy has a motorcycle. Not so good to drive to work to in the winter.)

Tomorrow we're going to try to put up our Christmas decorations. We're going to put up our tree and see if Zara will not try to climb it this year. I have my fingers crossed! I don't think we'll actually decorate the tree until we find out if she will try to climb it. I don't want to take the time to decorate it if I'm just going to be undecorating it the next day. I have decided we will not be sending out Christmas cards this year. There is to much stress here to add one more. Not sending out cards does NOT mean we are not thinking about our friends and family. We pray that everyone has a good holiday season and that things are going well! You are in our thoughts and prayers!

Organizing

I spent Tuesday evening re-organizing my kitchen. Jason's family was nice enough to give me new pots and pans for my birthday. Jason and I decided to throw out some of our old plastic containers as well. I now have a box of kitchen stuff to give away. I did have some help with the re-organizing. Zara had to examine each cupboard before I could move stuff back in. She even checked for dust bunnies under the stove for me. She had cobwebs covering her whole face! She didn't find any of her mousie toys, though. I had to give her a bath Wednesday, and she spent the evening running around the house being a spaz.

It also snowed today in Ames. Some of it actually stuck! It made driving terrible. It turned icy for a while. I was lucky to be home by then, but Jason ended up working late.