Bad Luck Streak!

Well to top off Justin and my bad luck streak that started with car repairs in January...I had a flat tire in the truck yesterday. Justin was in the middle of teaching class and is in no condition to help so I was on my own. Anyway I managed to get it taken care of, but what a pain. I am confident (knock on wood) that this is the last straw in our bad luck streak. It has to be. I think this is all to make up for the fun trips we had to New Orleans and Florida. Its impossible to have 2 such fun trips, with on time flights that worked out perfectly so this is pay back.

Bad luck streak includes: $1100 in car repairs for my car, justins truck having to go in 2x to fix minor problems, small fridge that is 1 month old quit working, justin having appendix out- 3 day hospital stay, justin having 2nd surgery for infection, shower leaking, flat tire. (I am sure I am missing more things)

On the good news front I have used the shower 2x now and it has not leaked in the basement. We are still waiting for the tile guy to come back and do some touch ups but the shower seems to be keeping the water in. The tire yesterday was able to be repaired not replaced so thats good news too. Also its Friday and Justin is not in the hospital!!!!!

Justin is having a hard time with the hole they left in his stomach. We have to clean it out and repack it with gauze each day. Now I love Justin to death and I understand his discomfort but OMG!!!!! We have cleaned it out 2x now and it has been a major ordeal each time. Much of it psychological and some of it being really painful. I really really really hate doing it but Justin makes it almost impossible! I cant wait till this is over. I might need some big men to come over and help me hold him down.

TGIF!

Its begining to look a lot like spring.

Today after work was just such a nice warm sunny day. I think spring is my favorite time of year. This picture doesnt do it justice but the mountains outside our house were just gorgeous.



Brett and his friend (yes they are buddies again). went and jumped on a trampoline that still had ice chunks on it. Totally not the safest thing they have done this year.


We have had a problem every time we use our shower with it leaking in the basement. We have had the tile guy over to fix it a few times, justin has tried and its not working. we had the builder come over and they took the shower apart to figure it out. They think they have it figured but we had to live with it taken apart for a while. They were going to come back when Justin ended up in the ER again so they came back today to put it together and now we have to wait for the tile guy again to fix the grout.


Brett and Nana got to make cookies when she was here this weekend. Justin wanted to make cookies for his fellow professors at work for filling in for him. I am a horrible cookie maker and Deb makes the best sugar cookies in the world. So it was fun for all. brett loved putting the sprinkles on. He also made some gingerbread men and asked if they would run away from the oven.

Hopefully the Final Update regarding surgery

Justin had his Dr. appointment today to follow up with the first surgeon from his original surgery. He was a little surprised to see Justin without a tube sticking out of him and an open hole in his stomach. Anyway he took all the packing out of the wound and everything seemed to be okay. When he was taking the packing out it was amazing how much there was. Justin said it looked like he was taking out his intestines. Then he stuck a q-tip in there about 1.5 inches to clean. The last step was some more gauze that must be left in there. when Justin went to stand up he was so queasy from seeing the blood and smelling peroxide he had to take a moment to lay down so he didn't pass out. After a few minutes he was on his way home.

Justin has been working since yesterday. He probably shouldn't be but he is pretty stubborn. I can tell he is happy to be working though. He is walking around like an old man hunched over but its better than being bed ridden.

Brett and I are doing well. We are hoping this will be the first weekend in a while that wont have to be spent in a hospital. I think we are finally on the downhill side of this thing.

Our biggest challenge is that for the next few weeks I am going to have to do a daily ritual of cleaning out this wound.

Back to the ER

Justin ended up back at the hospital on Friday afternoon around 11 am. He had a fever the days before and I had called the nurse a few times Tuesday and Wednesday. finally on Friday she said to come in. Anyway he ended up having surgery that night around 6 pm to remove an abscess. They explained that to be a big ball of infection. It was not a major surgery but still scary. He did get to come home last night which was wonderful.

Thanks again to Ryan and Missy for taking Brett on short notice and thanks to Steve for being up that day and helping get Justin to the hospital and dealing with his orneryness. Justins mom is headed up today to help out with Brett and Justin. Its so wonderful to have such good family and friends.

Snow, Snow, Snow

When things get rough its really nice to know you have friends who help out. Our neighbor was so wonderful to come over and shovel the snow we had today. I thought we were through with winter but this storm pounded us. we had about 6 inches of heavy wet snow. Up at weber state they had a foot.

While the snow was being taken care of Brett went over to play with his buddy and came home just devastated. Seth wanted to watch a movie and play with his dad and sister not brett. Brett was heart broken. Seth came over to see his dad and told me that he was 5 and Brett was only 3. He said he plays with his cousins who are 6 and Brett is just too small. It was just sad..... I assume this is just a one day thing but hopefully they will still get to play a little as Seth is the only little one in the neighborhood who plays with Brett.


Justin has been having some funny cravings for food. He doesnt dare eat to much but just seeing commercials makes him salivate for food. Today he wanted breadsticks. I stopped real quick at Little Ceasers and got breadsticks and a pizza for me and brett. The pizza had to have been under the heat lamp for a full day it was horrible. You couldnt even bite through the cheese and the crust just crumbled. Hot N Ready was not so worth it today.

I was going to put a picture of the drain that is coming out of Justins stomach but he got mad. The drain thats coming out of Justin's stomach he has to wear it until at least Tuesday the 24th and then they just yank it out. Justin is so tough he is not taking any pain killers except over the counter aleve. He has been taking showers, making himself food all with this hanging out of his stomach. I am so not that tough.

Finally Home

Justin was released from the hospital on Sunday. Thank Goodness. I cant not even tell you how wonderful it was to have him home. He was getting very grouchy. Last night he got his first full nights sleep and this morning he has gotten up and had a shower. He still has a drain sticking out of his stomach that is bugging him but for the most part he is doing well. Today he even had a bowl of oatmeal!

Brett has missed his daddy and this morning got all dressed in his pirates costume and has been singing yo ho yo ho a pirates life for me. So he and Justin are now laying in bed watching Pirates of the Caribbean.... probably not a great movie for a 3 year old but with the recent trip to Disney world its kinda fun for him. Its also really nice for him to get to spend time with daddy who just disappeared for a few days. Justin was sitting in a chair when he first saw him and he moved his had and Brett whispered to me.... I didnt know he could still move.

Thanks for mom and dad coming to take care of Brett. You dont know how much that helped! Thanks to Steve who drove up in a blizzard to see Justin and to Deb for coming to visit.

Appendecomy

Well our lives took a dramatic shift on Thursday night.... Justin had been having some major pains in the stomach over the week it was up high and he thought he had the stomach flu. His missed teaching one class but went back and taught Wednesday night and then 4 hours on Thursday. Justin must have a very high tolerance for pain. Finally that night I took him to the ER and he had emergency surgery. It took about 3 hours and they said it was a little more intrusive than a normal appendectomy because it was ready to burst. He is still in he hospital. He has not been able to stand up or eat yet but is feeling okay. Last night he had a fever of 101.

Thank you to Ryan and Missy for taking Brett in the night of his surgery and thank you to mom and dad for driving up and helping with brett.

UPDATE:
Today (Saturday February 14) was a much better day. He was able to stand up and he also had some chicken broth. He has not eaten since last Monday before he started feeling sick. He said it was the best soup he ever had and it felt wonderful to eat. You can tell he is feeling better because he is a little ornery and every time he sees a commercial for food he talks about it. The dr said there is a chance he can come home Sunday but he will have to come home with a drain still sticking out of his side. The infection was pretty bad so they are keeping a drain in there to make sure they get it all out. The only worry justin has is about getting back to work since its mid semester and he just missed time in Florida