Seeing Red

4:50 p.m. FINAL ENTRY: Today has been much better. Denny has been sleeping comfortably all day. I am greatly encouraged by his progress. I wanted everyone to know, I spoke with the Head of the nursing staff about the night nurse situation. She will not be working on Denny anymore during his stay. Huge relief for me!
I just had a few "Thank you's" to share:
To Aunt Pat and Aunt Sharon -Thanks so much for the bags of goodies. I've enjoyed the Country Living magazine. I had the strawberries for breakfast. Love you, Twinks!
To Cousin Alan (the eye doctor, for those of you who don't know him) - Thanks for express mailing those special sunglasses I asked for. Denny will love you for it. The lights are bright in the hallway. Now, we will be prepared for it and he can practice walking more often!
To Brother Jimmy: Thanks for having your friend, Gary (a respiratory therapist), come by and check on Denny. He told Denny to keep taking those deep breaths. Denny had a bit of a fever today but I reminded him about the breathing. Denny and I are a team so we are working together get him feeling better. The fever is back down now. Thanks for caring!
To all of our wonderful family and friends: Thanks for the emails, comments, cards, and prayers. This helps get us through the rough patches. Thanks to the Corps of Engineers for sending flowers and balloons. Denny appreciated them very much.
To Johnny, Denny's boss: Thanks for the wonderful note. He smiled when I read it to him. It is nice to know the Nashville Corp's are out there!
To my mom: Thanks for stepping in and taking charge of everything at home. Can't tell you how much we appreciate you!

11:05 a.m.- Denny was much better this morning. He was sitting up in bed; trying to eat some scrambled eggs. He got a shot of morphine right after I got there. They had to give him something for nausea. Now that his system is starting to work, he is experiencing nausea whenever something goes into his stomach. Today, he will also get the feeding tube taken out of his nose. That is one less aggravation for him. I think today is going to be a good day for him. Cross your fingers!

8:20 a.m. Seeing Red..yes, I'm a cardinal's fan but that is not what I'm talking about. I was seeing red when I got to the hospital and saw Denny's condition yesterday morning. He was all tangled up in his IV lines. He was laying on his side; which the doctors do not want him to do and his oxygen mask was off. When he opened his eyes and saw me, he said, "Oh good, you're here." His face was a picture of misery. That night nurse had not given him any morphine during the night. He was in so much pain. I asked her why she didn't give him any pain meds. She said, "I asked him how he was doing and he said, fine". I have the words to describe what I felt at that moment. However, I don't think they would be appropriate for the blog!

Within 15 minutes, he had morphine. Within 1 hour, his bed was straightened up; IV lines untangled, and he was laying on his back with the oxygen mask on. He was so comfortable, he was snoring.

The excellent nurse from the day before was on yesterday too. She was not happy with the condition we found him in. Yesterday was spent getting him comfortable with alot of rest. I was going to stay with him last night but by 10pm, he seemed very rested and somewhat alert. He had actually gotten out of bed and sat in a chair for little while. He had talked to Dan and Dana on the phone. He and I had a discussion about when the night nurse asks him how he is feeling, he is not to say, "fine" but to give her a pain level and ask for medication.

I probably should have stayed but the day had worn me down. It takes alot of energy to be the "Pitbull in Lipstick." I know I have to take care of myself in order to take care of him. So, I made sure he had pain medicine before I left at 10pm. The night nurse only had to give him 1, maybe 2 doses of pain meds before I get back this morning.

I'm just about ready to leave. I will post again tonight if it is not too late. I had better find him in an excellent condition when I get there or I will become like sandpaper in somebody's rear-end until things get corrected! There will probably be "NOT WANTED" posters with my picture on them before we get out of there! :)

Denny is still not up to visitors. He is sleeping continually. Please know that we appreciate your patience and understanding.

Here's to hoping for a better day....

Love to all,
Deb

Iron Man

My friend, Kathy, called it right. Denny is Iron Man. To go through what he has and still look so good, tells you what he is made of. I called at 2:25 a.m. to see how he was handling the decrease in pain meds. His nurse said he was comfortable and seemed to be sleeping well. I'm getting ready to head into the hospital now. Visiting hours are from 11am to 9pm. However, since I'm his spouse, they will let me in anytime. Denny is still not ready for visitors. We'll let you know the moment he is. Thank you for understanding!

Today is Dan's Confirmation Day at church. Denny and I are so sad we have to miss it. I know Dan understands and he knows we are with him in spirit. However, as his mother, it is hard to want to be two places at one time. It reminds of a line from the movie, "Sweet Home Alabama". It sums up this situation perfectly. "You can't ride two horses with one ass".

I'll post tonight when I get back to the room. Hope everyone has a wonderful day and don't forget to count your blessings!

Love to all,
Deb

25 hours in a day

8:35 a.m. Denny was moved out of intensive care last night about 6 p.m. It was a long and drawn out process. Without boring you with details, he finally got the private room I wanted at 11 p.m. I'll post later in the day with more details. I'm heading over to the hospital in a little while. Denny is still not taking visitors. His fever is down. The man is amazing. He is awesomely strong! Just sit tight and I'll get back to this blog in an hour or so.

8:30 p.m. Okay, so I lied. It has been more than a few hours. The guest services area at the hospital has the computer that I update on. It is closed on Saturday and Sunday. Denny's new room number is 10574. (Please do not call the room because he cannot get to the phone and noise makes him crazy!)
When I got to the hospital this morning, they had already tube-fed him. It made him nauseous so they had to give him some anti-nausea meds. This is becoming a concern because he has only had that one feeding all day. His stomach is just not working yet. The pain meds have been known to slow the stomach action down. The docs are trying to find that happy medium between pain control and starting his digestive system.
They took the bandage off of his head. Considering everything they had to do to get inside of his head, he looked pretty good. He's kind of got this Henry the Eighth look going on. Hey, it's good to be the king!
His pain was under control this morning and he was sleeping. The nurse said he did pretty well through the night. Today was MUCH BETTER! We had an excellent nurse. We hardly had to call for anything because she was there when he needed it. The private room is a necessity. Denny is so hypersensitive to noise and light, that he gets really agitated when beepers or phones go off. The lights are off and the shades are drawn. It is dark and cool so he is sleeping well.
Thanks to the Woodruff/Theodorakas/Jones entourage that visited today. You guys made the day pass quickly for me!
Denny is still not ready for visitors. His head cannot be elevated above 30 degrees or he gets dizzy and light headed. Right now, he just needs to sleep.
I was very happy about how the day went. Denny is stronger today than he was yesterday. I can already see a difference since this morning. I can't wait to see what good things tomorrow will bring!

"It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; What is essential is invisible to the eye." - Antoine de-Saint Exupery

Love to all,
Deb

It's a Beautiful Day!

3:45 p.m. FINAL ENTRY: I just spoke with my brother-in-law, Jimmy. He is a respiratory therapist. He said the mild fever is very common and if Denny starts taking deeper breaths then it will go away. I will make sure Denny takes deeper breaths. I checked in on Denny before I left to update the blog. He was sleeping like a baby. All signs were normal. So now, I'm going to take a deep breath and relax a little while he dreams for both of us. This will probably be the last post of the day. My access to computers at the hospital shuts off at 5pm. If I can, I'll post when I get back to the lodge. Otherwise, look for me again at 9 a.m. tomorrow. I'll go visit Denny, get the latest info, and update y'all as soon as I can.

Love to all,
Deb

2:40 p.m. My last trip in was about 2 p.m. Denny's lip is better. I need to clarify my previous entry. They did not stop all antibiotics. Just the one that they suspected was causing the problem. They substituted another one in it's place. The nurse and I have come to a more agreeable understanding. She is being nicer and more cooperative as a result.
She gave Denny more painkiller and nexium to control stomach acid. My worry at this time, is that he has developed a small fever. She says it is because he is not breathing deeply enough. I've put a call into my brother-in-law who is respiratory therapist to see what he says about that. I'm waiting for his call. Also, Denny's magnesium level has dropped lower than they want so they are giving him magnesium through his IV. When I left, he was sleeping comfortably. Sweet Dreams, Denny, your team is watching out for you!

12:45 p.m. I was thinking about Denny's swollen lip. After the nurse mentioned that it could be an allergic reaction, I asked her to talk to the doctor about the antibiotics. Denny does have an allergy to one antibiotic which they have on file. I brought this to her attention. She, in turn, talked to the doctor. It appears one of the antibiotics that they had to give Denny is a crossover from the one he is allergic to. They gave it to him thinking the benefit would outweigh the risk. We are not 100% sure this is the case. They have stopped the antibiotic for now to see if the swelling goes down.

I'm not real thrilled with the nurse working on Denny right now. I can only stay with him for a few minutes but everytime I've gone in, he is saying his pain level is at a 6 or 7. When I go find the nurse, she always gives him more pain medicine. Another time, he was trying to pull a tube out of his nose that is sutured in. I stopped him and called the nurse for more pain meds. He was trying to pull it out because it was hurting. She appears distracted by the other patient she is responsible for. She had better consider me the pitbull in lipstick because I'm watching out for our guy! :) The night nurse is much better. She is not so distracted and is very good at keeping on top of Denny's pain. I'll be with him until she gets here tonight.

9:00 a.m.-The ICU is not open between 6 - 8 am. I got back to the hospital about 8:05 a.m. this morning to see Denny. He looked so good! His color is great and he seemed comfortable; not in any pain. They are giving him oxycodone and morphine. When I touched his arm, he opened his eyes and smiled at me. Then he started to lift his left hand. (The nurses said that hand had to lay flat because it was monitoring his pulse.) I said, "You need to keep your hand down, sweetie." He said, "Don't tell me what to do." Ha! He's baaaaaccck!

Dr. Chicoine had already been in to see him before I got there. However, Dr. Chicoine spoke with Anita and me last night about 8:30 p.m. He said eveything was good. The surgery went better than expected. However, it appeared that the cancer had spread a little bit more towards the front of his head than it appeared on the MRI. They addressed that area and feel confident that they got it all out.

I did notice that Denny's lower lip is extremely swollen. That is quite a new look for him. HA! I asked the nurse what had caused that. She said it could be from the tape. She said she would check with the doctor to make sure it isn't an allergic reaction to something they are giving him. He also hasn't had anything to eat or drink. She said it may be this evening before they start him on ice chips. Because he has to lie flat, they do not want to start food too soon. Among other medical reasons, vomiting could result and this would definitely be a problem for Denny.

In my opinion, Denny has done better than expected. I think of all the things they said would or could happen, Denny has experienced only about half so far. In my book, that is a good thing. Now, we keep watch for brain swelling and infection. He is strong and he is fighting, so we march on. You can do it, Denny!

Love to all,
Deb

Surgery Day

5:40 p.m. FINAL ENTRY - Dr. Haughey just called. He said Denny's surgery is done. He is getting ready to go into recovery. Dr. Haughey believes that they were able to get all of the cancer. They did not have to remove some of the tissue behind his left eye as originally planned. Denny came through with flying colors. The next few days will find him in intensive care. We are requesting that there be no visitors at this time. I will let you know via this blog when he is ready to greet you. Many thanks to all who came and waited with me, as well, as those of you who kept him in your thoughts and prayers. Miracles are still happening! Thanks for keeping the faith. Go Team Woodruff!


3:20 p.m. The surgical nurse just called and said they are coming down the homestretch. Doctors are starting to close everything up. This will take awhile but the next phone call I receive will be from the doctor. Denny's vital signs are looking good. As my dad would say, "He's winning!" Go, Denny!

1:40 p.m. The ENT is still bringing the tumor out through Denny's nose. He hasn't had to make a facial incision so far. He told us he would try to minimize the scarring but if he had to go through the front of Denny's face, then it would be necessary. Denny is still holding his own. From here on out it will be the intricate process of locating the cancerous cells in the tumor area and the surrounding margins. So far...so good.

11:50 a.m. The neurosurgeon has made his incision going in through the top of Denny's head. The ENT just started his exploration up through Denny's nose. Both are evaluating the next steps. He is in good hands. Feel confident that these doctor's know what to do. All vital signs are being carefully monitored. Deepest thanks to Pastor Garry for the comforting words to Denny before surgery. Words cannot express our appreciation. Thanks, also, for Cousin Shelly's blog comment. We appreciate your prayers! Harvey, if you are reading this, Denny really appreciated your "chin held high" comment. You helped prepare him for battle. Many thanks for that, dear friend!

9:45 a.m. Denny's surgical nurse called. The lumbar drain was put in but they were unable to get the chest catheter (also called a central line) in. His veins were too constricted. They added several IV's instead of just the one big one. His heart rate and other vitals are doing fine.

8 a.m. Denny went into surgery. The doctor said it will take between 12 to 14 hours. They have decided to put in a chest catheter and a lumbar drain. This will add about 2 hours to the original plan. Denny has the A-team working on him. The doctors are world reknown and so are their staff. Updates should be coming every 2-3 hours. Stay tuned.

Good Morning! Hope everyone slept well because today is going to be a long one. Denny and I are getting ready to leave for the hospital. I will update the blog when I get new info.

Love to all,
Deb

Bring it on!

The last of the packing is almost done. The bills are paid. The kids are off to school. Denny is ready to get this ball rolling.

We are amazed by the outpouring of love and support our family has received. Thanks to all for the prayers, comments, emails and phone calls.

I'm loading up the car and getting ready to head out to pick Denny up from work. I'm also thinking about our situation and the challenges that lie ahead. There are 2 choices: 1) Do nothing; or 2) Fight and win, once again, against this cancer. We pick choice number 2. BRING IT ON! Team Woodruff is ready....

Love to all,
Deb

Invictus

Final preparations are underway for our trip to St. Louis. My mom is coming in from Missouri today. Denny and I will leave around noon tomorrow. He wants to get a half day's work in.

There has been one change to our plans. Originally, we were going to stay with Denny's sister, Anita. However, the doctors want Denny to be close to the hospital when he is discharged. Therefore, when we leave tomorrow, we will be going to a lodge operated by the American Cancer Society. It is about 1 mile from the hospital. I will be staying there for the duration; Denny will be there when he is discharged.

Of course, thousands of thoughts are racing through our minds like dandelion fluff floating in the summer breeze. I'm wondering if I have everything packed, if I've taken care of the things the kids will need for school, if I paid all the bills, and if Denny is feeling positive and strong. I'm sure I have an idea of what Denny is thinking too.

Then, the oddest thing happened. I woke up this morning and the strangest memory came to my mind. When I was working at McDonnell-Douglas, before it became Boeing, I had a co-worker named Joe I. His last name was Greek and could probably take up one whole sentence. Joe was a short, homely, rotund little man with heavy jowls; kind of like a Greek Santa Claus. However, Joe had a special gift. He had a beautiful, golden voice; rich and strong like Jack Daniel's whiskey.

One day I came into work and he was standing in the middle of the room quoting passages from his favorite poem, "Invictus" by William Ernest Henley. At first, I was embarrassed for him. "Yikes", I thought. "Who does this kind of thing at work?" Then, I started to listen.

"Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the Pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever Gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.
....
It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate;
I am the captain of my soul."

I can still hear his powerful voice. Isn't it strange that should be the first thing I think of this morning? Joe had serious heart problems and died not long after his office oration. The memory of that little man with the big voice was just what I needed today. Invictus!

Love to all,
Deb