We are out of here!

 The last few days have made me overjoyed with seeing my kids and parents for the first time in weeks.  I didn't really know how much I missed seeing their smiling faces until they showed up in my room.  These last two night have lead to the best sleep since I have had surgery, due in no small part to the comfort seeing my family has provided.  It has been a gift beyond compare and I can only hope to pay it forward in the future.

The last couple of days have been a bit trying in other ways.  On Thanksgiving, my GJ tube had issues with the balloon deflating and the J portion of my tube withdrawing from the small intestine.  What this means is that I cannot use the J tube to feed myself when I lay flat, only when I am sitting up so that leads to no night feeding with the J tube.

They can place the J portion into position but the doctor that can do that is on vacation and won't be available until Monday.  So, we are going to return home with the J tube inside my stomach and have a GI doc in Colorado Springs place it into position sometime next week.

But that means we are out of here!  We have been in the hospital for 17 days now and are getting to know almost all the staff.  Nurses, Doctors, food car folks, respiratory,...  All are getting to know us and we are getting to know them and that means we definitely need to get out of here!

We will spend tonight at the Hope lodge, have our actual Thanksgiving dinner from Popey's this afternoon/evening and enjoy just some time as a family outside of this room.  Saturday will be an easy day with a flight out of NOLA at around 4pm and then a quick drive down from Denver to Colorado Springs to our dog Adi and home.

We have a home health care nurse being set up for next week and will also meet with Dr. Howden to get that J tube positioned correctly.  Once that is done, I will be able to do tube feedings at night while feasting during the day.  The combination of the two should help to fatten me up considerably over the next few weeks/months and, once a satisfactory weight is achieved and maintained (without the tube feeding), we can have the GJ tube removed.

Recovery is going to be a lot like last time.  Taking lots of walks around the block with the dog, trying to get some leg muscle back.  Eating as much as as possible to regain all the weight I have lost. Of course, squats, lunges, and stairs to try and get those calves and thighs ready for a good ski season.

In 6 weeks, we will come back out here for our followup care and hopefully a return to work and play shortly thereafter!

I am thankful for a wife to help me through this and that will stand with me
I am thankful for my kids that make my heart soar
I am thankful for my parents and the help and love that they provide me and mine
I am thankful for my friends and their continued kindness, help, thoughts, and notes
I am thankful for brilliant doctors
I am thankful for kind nurses
I am thankful for a company that supports me in my work and recovery
I am thankful for health insurance that covers nearly everything necessary
I am thankful for life and the ability to enjoy it