It's Been A Month, So Far...

My life revolves around him, and since July 1st, it's been either a month to remember - or a month to forget - depending on perspective. I figure I should explain my recent absence from my blog.

On July 1st, Handsome underwent a medical procedure to resolve an irregular heartbeat. The surgery went exactly as planned and did what it was supposed to. His heartbeat restored to normal rhythm, which is important for a percussionist.

The rest of the week went well, so on Saturday the 6th, we decided to cut the lawn as we usually do. I rode around on my small yard tractor, and Handsome mowed the upper yard on our larger tractor. We met back at the Compass Barn at the same time, having completed the task after about an hour and a half. I closed my side of the barn and told him I wanted to grab something from the garage, so I'd meet him at the house. He just had to close his side of the barn.

When I came out of the garage, he was leaning against the door of the Compass Barn and told me he needed "some assistance, please". He told me he couldn't motivate forward, only backward, so I helped him to the house. Once inside, he sat down for a while, and then things seemed to return to normal. This didn't seem like a "heart thing" to me. It seemed more neurological, so I suggested he call his doctor on Monday to get a recommendation for a neurologist. In retrospect, I wish I'd been making the calls.

He called the cardiologist and was only able to get an appointment for two weeks out. I admit, I was irked that he hadn't done what I'd asked, so I suggested he call out primary care physician's assistant to get that recommendation. I worked on Monday and Tuesday, and was off the rest of the week.

I came downstairs on Wednesday morning to find him wrestling with our coffeemaker. He was upset because he couldn't put it back together. He was trying to put the coffee reservoir where the cup usually goes to pull brewed coffee. When I asked if he was joking around, he assured me that he was not, and wondered why it wouldn't assemble. I put it together in front of him and he went to feed Bella and Carly. We always crate them when they eat to avoid any possible conflict. They finished eating about the time the coffee finished brewing, so Handsome dispensed a cup and went to let the dogs out of their crates before sitting down. He told me he couldn't get the door on Bella's crate open, so I let her out, and told him I'd be in to sit down with him soon. It was obvious to me there was something really wrong.

I went outside with my cell phone and called my sister, Di who used to work in elder care. She took care of our dad when he was diagnosed with cancer, until he passed away four months later. When I told her what was going on, I said, "Di, I'm convinced this is not heart related. What do you think?" She immediately conveyed that she thought Handsome may have had a mild stroke, and I should get him to the hospital immediately. (I told her I had to change out of my short shorts first, as I wasn't going to be seen in public wearing them!)

Within minutes, I had Handsome in the truck and we were off to the hospital in Sheboygan. I explained why we were there and they got him into a room right away. The doctor ordered a CAT scan, and when the results came back, we learned Handsome had a "significant subdural hematoma which was pushing the midline of his brain off-center and toward the right". The ER doctor had already called St. Luke's Hospital in Milwaukee where he'd secured a neurologist for Handsome. Then he ordered three different IV meds for my husband - one to counteract the effects of a medicine he's been taking for a while; a second to keep his blood pressure low; and a third being an anti-seizure, as seizures are not uncommon with patients who've had a brain bleed. As soon as a bed became available in Milwaukee, he would be transferred by ambulance to the other hospital. By 7:30 pm, he was on his way, and as I wouldn't be allowed into the hospital since the Covid-induced visitation rules, I reluctantly came home.

I was at the hospital early the next morning, and my husband had surgery to repair the bleed. By God's grace, the surgery (which they told me could last up to four hours) was over in one hour and twenty minutes. We were told that everything went really well, and that he would be in the hospital a few days for observation. 

Over the weekend, we were told he would be staying up to a week for physical therapy to be sure he could climb stairs, walk without feeling lightheaded, and function normally. It will take a little time for his brain to shift back into normal position, but they wanted to be sure he would be safe in the meantime.

Thursday evening, Handsome called me to let me know that he was going to be released to come home yesterday morning. We were elated. I drove back to Milwaukee to bring him home and we were on our way north by 1 pm. I could see the relief and gratitude in his eyes as we pulled in our driveway. As we came out of the garage, Andy was coming out of their barn up the hill. We all waved to each other, and by the time we were in the house a "Welcome Home!" message from Andy was on Handsome's cell phone. 

My guy lost eleven pounds while away from home, but the last thing I want to do is "fatten him up" now that he's here. Of course, he'll be getting the home cooked meals he loves so much, but he's going to get more TLC than large portions to help him stay healthy. Stitches come out on Monday, so we have one more trip, but then he can concentrate on getting stronger and doing some of the things that were slowly slipping out of reach when we didn't know why.

The ER doctor said we deserved gold stars for getting to the emergency room so quickly, but I told him and will repeat for you - my sister deserves all the accolades for sounding the alarm to get him there before something worse might have happened. 

I was supposed to spent the past week camping with her, but am grateful my instincts told me I needed to stay home instead. I'm still planning that trip before the campground closes for the season, but there's plenty of time for that. Right now, I'm where I need to be.

I apologize for not responding to all the comments offering prayers and support - and for keeping you in the dark for so long. I was so worried, that I was physically and mentally exhausted by the time his surgery was over. Two words I never use and "exhausted" and "depressed". I've always thought what you think about you bring about, so I've just excluded those two words...until last week. 

I got home from Milwaukee after 9 pm the day he had surgery, and kind of fell apart. Unbeknown to me, my oldest and dearest friend was in town from Georgia. She'd been talking with Di, who told her what was going on. She was at the farmhouse within minutes of me getting home. We talked for an hour and then prayed together. She was exactly what I needed. After she left, I took care of the dogs and then we closed down for the night knowing that all would be well.

So, again, I apologize for not responding to your wonderful messages of support and prayer. I read them all, but had no energy to reply. Now that Handsome is back where he belongs, I'll answer them over the weekend. I'm really going to try to do a little stitching, too, so you have something creative to see on Monday, and I can do something fun just for me. We'll try our best to get back to normal very soon.

Gratefully,