Not too much has changed over the past week.
Bryan is still experiencing a constant dull headache . . . sometimes worse than others. He is still able to take the Tylenol #3's when needed during the day and of course his regular dose at bedtime.
Things are in an adjustment period with all the kids being home from school now. It makes life interesting and sometimes loud around the house. It can be a challenge for Bryan to come up with ways to cope and still be able to stay home.
He's going for walks when possible (usually in the evening). The whole family – the six of them – have even gone all together in the evening when things have cooled down a bit.
He’s keeping busy with watching a lot of soccer "Hup Holland Hup!" Sometimes he feels the need to just get out and will go along for the drive when someone needs to do an errand.
Bryan looks forward to when he is able to start doing more. He is still very limited on what he can do and how much . . . and for how long. He is learning a lesson on patience.
Bryan has another scheduled appointment with his surgeons in the middle of July. He is looking forward to meeting with them to get some answers as to where he goes from here.
Your support, encouragement and prayers continue to be a blessing to Bryan and his family.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
30? 35? 40?
17
Happy Birthday Bryan!
May God bless you with many, many more happy and healthy years.
May God bless you with many, many more happy and healthy years.
Friday, June 18, 2010
Update
2
It’s been a while since the blog has been updated . . . so here it is for those of you that are wondering how Bryan is doing.
Bryan had his stitches out on Monday. He wasn’t looking forward to it but it went well and it’s nice to have that out of the way.
He still has a constant headache that is controlled with medication. He continues to take Tylenol #3 at nighttime. And speaking of nighttime, he’s been sleeping in a reclining chair (thank you to Mr. and Mrs. D for letting Bryan borrow it at this time) and that has really helped. If he sleeps at a 30 degree angle, his headache isn’t as bad in the morning when he wakes up. Michelle sleeps on the couch beside him which seems to work well. It’s better than her feeling like she has to lie perfectly still when they sleep together in their own bed. So for now, everyone is sleeping quite well. Bryan also takes a nap during the day when he is able to.
Bryan’s jaw is still quite sore from both surgeries. This makes eating a little challenging and he still can’t eat things he did prior to surgery – both due to pain and the fact that he can’t open his mouth fully.
Walking has become part of Bryan’s daily routine again and it gets a little longer every day. He still takes it at a slow pace but being up and about is really good.
Overall Bryan is doing really well. Life is starting to get back to normal in some ways. The kids are starting to notice that there aren’t as many people coming and going as much anymore. They’re able to spend a lot more time together with just the six of them and it’s good to be home as a family again.
As mentioned in a previous post, sitting around not doing much is not easy for Bryan. Thank goodness for World Cup Soccer! When he gets really bored and restless, he’ll go on little outings – even just to the grocery store – with Mom or Michelle. He still seems to get overwhelmed with too much going on and needs to continue taking it easy.
Looking back over the past few months, we are so thankful to God for how far Bryan has come. We continue to see signs of improvement everyday and we know that God continues to hold Bryan in the palm of His hand.
Please carry on with your prayers for Bryan’s complete healing. We are so thankful for everyone who continues to email and post comments and most of all prays for Bryan and his family. It means so much and Bryan and Michelle are blessed through your encouragement.
Bryan had his stitches out on Monday. He wasn’t looking forward to it but it went well and it’s nice to have that out of the way.
He still has a constant headache that is controlled with medication. He continues to take Tylenol #3 at nighttime. And speaking of nighttime, he’s been sleeping in a reclining chair (thank you to Mr. and Mrs. D for letting Bryan borrow it at this time) and that has really helped. If he sleeps at a 30 degree angle, his headache isn’t as bad in the morning when he wakes up. Michelle sleeps on the couch beside him which seems to work well. It’s better than her feeling like she has to lie perfectly still when they sleep together in their own bed. So for now, everyone is sleeping quite well. Bryan also takes a nap during the day when he is able to.
Bryan’s jaw is still quite sore from both surgeries. This makes eating a little challenging and he still can’t eat things he did prior to surgery – both due to pain and the fact that he can’t open his mouth fully.
Walking has become part of Bryan’s daily routine again and it gets a little longer every day. He still takes it at a slow pace but being up and about is really good.
Overall Bryan is doing really well. Life is starting to get back to normal in some ways. The kids are starting to notice that there aren’t as many people coming and going as much anymore. They’re able to spend a lot more time together with just the six of them and it’s good to be home as a family again.
As mentioned in a previous post, sitting around not doing much is not easy for Bryan. Thank goodness for World Cup Soccer! When he gets really bored and restless, he’ll go on little outings – even just to the grocery store – with Mom or Michelle. He still seems to get overwhelmed with too much going on and needs to continue taking it easy.
Looking back over the past few months, we are so thankful to God for how far Bryan has come. We continue to see signs of improvement everyday and we know that God continues to hold Bryan in the palm of His hand.
Please carry on with your prayers for Bryan’s complete healing. We are so thankful for everyone who continues to email and post comments and most of all prays for Bryan and his family. It means so much and Bryan and Michelle are blessed through your encouragement.
Monday, June 7, 2010
Home and ready for the World Cup!
23
Great news . . . Bryan was able to come home today. He had a fairly good sleep last night and the doctors thought he was good enough to be discharged. Obviously having surgery on an aneurysm that hasn't burst is the preferred way to do things! So, seven weeks and two surgeries later, Bryan got to say good bye to his "home away from home" hopefully for good. Although the General is a nice hospital and the medical staff was great, I hope we don't find ourselves back at that place for a long, long time.
Bryan still has a long way to go but recovery has already been better than last time. He still needs to really take it easy and force himself to rest and relax . . . which isn't easy. Hopefully with the World Cup coming up, it won't be too hard for him to sit around on the couch!
I was hoping to post a picture of Bryan from when he came home from the hospital today but I couldn't download it for some reason. So you'll just have to picture him in his orange World Cup of Soccer shirt. Go Netherlands Go! (And Go Bryan Go!)
Bryan still has a long way to go but recovery has already been better than last time. He still needs to really take it easy and force himself to rest and relax . . . which isn't easy. Hopefully with the World Cup coming up, it won't be too hard for him to sit around on the couch!
I was hoping to post a picture of Bryan from when he came home from the hospital today but I couldn't download it for some reason. So you'll just have to picture him in his orange World Cup of Soccer shirt. Go Netherlands Go! (And Go Bryan Go!)
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Sunday Update
4
Bryan didn't really sleep last night . . . at all. For some reason, despite being exhausted, he just couldn't fall asleep. So a lot of today was spent dozing in and out of sleep. He obviously didn't have a lot of energy. But he was able to get up a few times and go for some walks - and the walks today were a little longer than yesterday.
One of the surgeons that did Bryan's surgery on Friday came by to see him today. She said the CT scan results from yesterday were great and she was happy with his progress so far. That was the highlight of the day.
We can see little signs of improvement and healing every day and overall Bryan is doing well. Sleep continues to be a challenge so please pray that tonight he will be able to fall asleep and stay asleep and be able to feel somewhat refreshed in the morning.
One of the surgeons that did Bryan's surgery on Friday came by to see him today. She said the CT scan results from yesterday were great and she was happy with his progress so far. That was the highlight of the day.
We can see little signs of improvement and healing every day and overall Bryan is doing well. Sleep continues to be a challenge so please pray that tonight he will be able to fall asleep and stay asleep and be able to feel somewhat refreshed in the morning.
Saturday, June 5, 2010
Saturday Night
0
The CT scan went well this afternoon - Bryan said the technician was really quick and so he didn't feel too sick from the dye. Unfortunately we don't know what the results are yet.
Bryan is quite swollen today and looks pretty beaten up (sorry Bry!) His jaw is extremely sore so his diet consists of soup, pudding, yoghurt, jello, etc. His head pain and nausea seem to be fairly well controlled with medication. He was able to get up and go for a few short walks today - nice to see him up and out of bed.
At bedtime tonight Bryan took a sleeping pill along with his pain medications. Hopefully he'll be able to sleep better tonight.
Thank you for your prayers today - a day that started out rough but did get a bit better as it went on. Your love, support and encouragement means a lot.
Bryan is quite swollen today and looks pretty beaten up (sorry Bry!) His jaw is extremely sore so his diet consists of soup, pudding, yoghurt, jello, etc. His head pain and nausea seem to be fairly well controlled with medication. He was able to get up and go for a few short walks today - nice to see him up and out of bed.
At bedtime tonight Bryan took a sleeping pill along with his pain medications. Hopefully he'll be able to sleep better tonight.
Thank you for your prayers today - a day that started out rough but did get a bit better as it went on. Your love, support and encouragement means a lot.
Prayer for the scan
4
If you happen to be reading this, please pray for Bryan as he's feeling really anxious about the CT scan that he needs to have today. It's a CT angiogram which means he has to have dye injected into him through his IV. In the past, this dye has made him feel sick and because he's already feeling sick to his stomach, he doesn't want to have it done.
Please pray that Bryan will be calm and willing to go when it's time to have the test done.
Bryan's head pain is quite severe today too so perhaps add that to the list of prayer requests.
Thank you!
Please pray that Bryan will be calm and willing to go when it's time to have the test done.
Bryan's head pain is quite severe today too so perhaps add that to the list of prayer requests.
Thank you!
Saturday Morning Update
1
Bryan's night wasn't as good as we had hoped. His jaw is extremely painful, he had a fever through the night and he was still bothered by nausea. All of these things combined don't make for a very good sleep unfortunately. The good news is that he was able to get up and walk a few steps to use the bathroom earlier. He seems to be in and out of sleep this morning so far. Let's pray he can get some solid hours of rest/sleep throughout the day today and that his pain, fever and nausea are kept under control.
Unless something else comes up in the meantime, I'll post again tonight. Oh, let's also pray for positive news from the CT scan results today.
Unless something else comes up in the meantime, I'll post again tonight. Oh, let's also pray for positive news from the CT scan results today.
Friday, June 4, 2010
More details
6
Praise God from whom all blessings flow!
As stated in the previous post, Bryan's surgery went well. We left him in the OR at 8:00 am, as scheduled, but the surgery didn't actually get underway until around 9:15 am. Every hour or so, an RN would come out and update us on the progress. After we had been waiting for a while, she came and told us that surgery had started a little later than expected. Then about an hour and a half later, she came and said "the surgeons are almost at the aneurysm". Then quite a while after that she came and said "they're just closing him up now". We didn't have these updates last time so we really appreciated knowing what was going on.
So the surgery took about five hours - the same length as the first one. The surgeons came and spoke to us afterward and explained that it went really well. They said they could see one part of the aneurysm was really thin and that it was good that the surgery was done because, if left, it probably would have burst in the next year or so. Yikes! They said the next 24 hours are critical but that Bryan is doing really well. The risk of vasospasm is there but much less than last time. If the brain happens to swell too much and causes the clip to move a little bit, it could result in vasospasm but the surgeon said it was quite unlikely. After surgery, Bryan was in recovery for a few hours and then transferred to an ICU step down unit.
Once he was settled, we were able to visit with him. He's very tired and understandably quite groggy. He was quite nauseous after coming out surgery but they gave him IV Gravol and that seems to be helping. His jaw is extremely sore - the surgeons needed to cut through his masseter muscles (the muscles used for chewing) during surgery and so that's a major area of pain for him. He is still tender on the other side from the first surgery and hasn't been able to open his mouth fully. So now the soreness is on both sides and will be a major challenge for Bryan.
Tomorrow Bryan will have a CT scan to see how things look.
We’re so thankful for how everything went today. It’s a relief for everyone to have this surgery done and out of the way. It was hard to leave Bryan at the hospital tonight but it’s somehow comforting to know that he’s in a familiar place – a place that has almost become a second home over the last many weeks (as sad as that sounds!) He knows a lot of the nurses and is familiar with how things go there.
Thank you for your continued support. Bryan is aware of just how many people are praying for him and feels encouraged that. What a blessing!
Reasons for praise:
• A good night’s sleep for Bryan last night
• Relatively calm nerves (most of the time) this morning pre-surgery
• Successful surgery
• Amazing medical staff – the surgeons that performed the surgery were a husband and wife team and were so caring and explained things so well to us
Prayer requests:
• A good, deep, restful, long sleep for Bryan tonight
• That Bryan’s nausea would be kept under control
• For physical healing for Bryan
• That God would continue to be glorified through this journey
Here's a picture from before the surgery this morning. Aren't they cute?
As stated in the previous post, Bryan's surgery went well. We left him in the OR at 8:00 am, as scheduled, but the surgery didn't actually get underway until around 9:15 am. Every hour or so, an RN would come out and update us on the progress. After we had been waiting for a while, she came and told us that surgery had started a little later than expected. Then about an hour and a half later, she came and said "the surgeons are almost at the aneurysm". Then quite a while after that she came and said "they're just closing him up now". We didn't have these updates last time so we really appreciated knowing what was going on.
So the surgery took about five hours - the same length as the first one. The surgeons came and spoke to us afterward and explained that it went really well. They said they could see one part of the aneurysm was really thin and that it was good that the surgery was done because, if left, it probably would have burst in the next year or so. Yikes! They said the next 24 hours are critical but that Bryan is doing really well. The risk of vasospasm is there but much less than last time. If the brain happens to swell too much and causes the clip to move a little bit, it could result in vasospasm but the surgeon said it was quite unlikely. After surgery, Bryan was in recovery for a few hours and then transferred to an ICU step down unit.
Once he was settled, we were able to visit with him. He's very tired and understandably quite groggy. He was quite nauseous after coming out surgery but they gave him IV Gravol and that seems to be helping. His jaw is extremely sore - the surgeons needed to cut through his masseter muscles (the muscles used for chewing) during surgery and so that's a major area of pain for him. He is still tender on the other side from the first surgery and hasn't been able to open his mouth fully. So now the soreness is on both sides and will be a major challenge for Bryan.
Tomorrow Bryan will have a CT scan to see how things look.
We’re so thankful for how everything went today. It’s a relief for everyone to have this surgery done and out of the way. It was hard to leave Bryan at the hospital tonight but it’s somehow comforting to know that he’s in a familiar place – a place that has almost become a second home over the last many weeks (as sad as that sounds!) He knows a lot of the nurses and is familiar with how things go there.
Thank you for your continued support. Bryan is aware of just how many people are praying for him and feels encouraged that. What a blessing!
Reasons for praise:
• A good night’s sleep for Bryan last night
• Relatively calm nerves (most of the time) this morning pre-surgery
• Successful surgery
• Amazing medical staff – the surgeons that performed the surgery were a husband and wife team and were so caring and explained things so well to us
Prayer requests:
• A good, deep, restful, long sleep for Bryan tonight
• That Bryan’s nausea would be kept under control
• For physical healing for Bryan
• That God would continue to be glorified through this journey
Here's a picture from before the surgery this morning. Aren't they cute?
Out of Surgery
2
Bryan is out of surgery and in recovery.
The surgery went well and Bryan has been responsive to the surgeons since being in recovery. Michelle has been able to spend a few minutes with him as well.
Karen will update better tonight when she gets back. (Too much pressure for me to keep up with the quality of her posts!)
Thank you all for your prayers!
The surgery went well and Bryan has been responsive to the surgeons since being in recovery. Michelle has been able to spend a few minutes with him as well.
Karen will update better tonight when she gets back. (Too much pressure for me to keep up with the quality of her posts!)
Thank you all for your prayers!
On Time
1
Bryan's surgery is underway and started as scheduled at 8am.
Bryan had a good sleep last night and was relativly calm going into this morning. Thank you all for your prayers!
More updates to come ...
Bryan had a good sleep last night and was relativly calm going into this morning. Thank you all for your prayers!
More updates to come ...
Thursday, June 3, 2010
One more sleep . . .
6
Just in case you needed a reminder to pray, this is it. Bryan had his MRI today and is all set to go early tomorrow morning. Please pray specifically for the following:
A good night's sleep for Bryan (and Michelle . . . and the rest of the family)
“I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety”. Psalm 4:8 NIV
Calm nerves and peace for Bryan (and Michelle . . . and the rest of the family)
“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go”. Joshua 1:9 NIV
“The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; He will never leave you or forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” Deuteronomy 31:8 NIV
“For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind”. 2 Timothy 1:7 KJV
“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid”. John 14:27 NIV
Steady hands and wisdom for the surgeons and other medical staff
“‘But I will restore you to health and heal your wounds,’ declares the LORD”. Jeremiah 30:17 NIV
That the surgery will happen at the scheduled time - 8:00 am
“If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer”. Matthew 21:22 NIV
“This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him”. 1 John 5:14–15 NIV
Thank you again for your continued love, support and prayers.
A good night's sleep for Bryan (and Michelle . . . and the rest of the family)
“I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety”. Psalm 4:8 NIV
Calm nerves and peace for Bryan (and Michelle . . . and the rest of the family)
“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go”. Joshua 1:9 NIV
“The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; He will never leave you or forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” Deuteronomy 31:8 NIV
“For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind”. 2 Timothy 1:7 KJV
“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid”. John 14:27 NIV
Steady hands and wisdom for the surgeons and other medical staff
“‘But I will restore you to health and heal your wounds,’ declares the LORD”. Jeremiah 30:17 NIV
That the surgery will happen at the scheduled time - 8:00 am
“If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer”. Matthew 21:22 NIV
“This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him”. 1 John 5:14–15 NIV
Thank you again for your continued love, support and prayers.
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Two more sleeps . . .
14
Yesterday Bryan had his pre-op appointment. This included an ECG, blood work, chest x-ray, discussion with the doctors, etc. It was a LONG appointment. Having “been there, done that” already six weeks ago, there wasn’t a lot of new information.
The good news is that the MRI that was supposed to be Thursday night has been rescheduled for Thursday morning. That means Bryan can be home and in bed on time and hopefully have a good sleep the night before surgery. Thankfully he’s still allowed to take his pain medication right up until surgery and also his sleeping medication the night before.
So . . . two more sleeps until surgery . . . let’s pray they’re long, deep, restful ones!
The good news is that the MRI that was supposed to be Thursday night has been rescheduled for Thursday morning. That means Bryan can be home and in bed on time and hopefully have a good sleep the night before surgery. Thankfully he’s still allowed to take his pain medication right up until surgery and also his sleeping medication the night before.
So . . . two more sleeps until surgery . . . let’s pray they’re long, deep, restful ones!
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