My dad would like to thank all of you who showed up this morning for the walk to San Xavier. 34 family and friends equals 34 prayers for dad. We would like to thank Melissa Quiroz & Linda Perez for coordinating this walk and thank those who helped along the way, Tio Lionel, Walter Sr. and Karen.
Dad's surgery will take place on September 1st at 11:00 am. and is scheduled to last 6 hours. I encourage all of you to pray for a successful surgery and speedy recovery. We will have his outcome around 5 PM and I'll post it on Friday. Should all go as planned, he should be back home by Sept. 6th or 7th. Thanks again!
I'll keep you posted.
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Friday, August 26, 2011
Friday August 26
For those who would like to walk with us from Saint Augustine Cathedral to San Xavier Mission, on Sunday Aug. 28th, we'll be meeting at 6:00 am in the back parking lot and leaving at 6:15 am. Wear sun screen and a hat. Water will be provided. Bring positive thoughts and prayers.
There is power in prayer!
We'll see you there!
There is power in prayer!
We'll see you there!
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
August 23
We found out today that dad will be having surgery on September 1st. They will be clamping the neck of the same aneurysm that ruptured in May. It appears the area affected has grown to about twice the size of the original. There's no bleeding and the only way to correct for this is to perform cranial surgery. They will most likely discharge him from the hospital tomorrow so he can rest at home until the surgery. Dad understands the delicate and dangerous nature of this procedure and we all agree it must be done. The doctors have told us the surgery should last about 5 hours. Then it's back to ICU and should all go well, he'll be home within 5 to 6 days after the surgery. I'm sorry for not writing sooner but it's been a zoo. It looks like I will be posting on a daily basis before, during, and after the surgery to keep all of you posted with his condition. I won't be writing anything on the blog until Wednesday, August 31. Please continue to pray for both my mom and dad. We need all of the prayers we can receive at this time.
Friday, August 19, 2011
August 19th
The doctors performed an angiogram today and found that the aneurysm they coiled in May has ballooned again. This explains the loss of control to his left eye. Pressure on the cranial nerve from the enlarged vessel is affecting his left eye. The good news is that here is no bleeding. While performing this procedure, doctors also placed a filter in the vein to prevent any clot from moving upwards to the lungs. We will find out tomorrow morning what the plan is to fix this and I promise to keep all of you posted.
For any of you that would like to view a video dad did in 1978, Mr. Fred Ronstadt sent me a link for all to view.
Thank you Fred!
Please click the link and take a step back in time.
http://fredandjeff.com/920-joel-valdezs-tucson-october-1978
For any of you that would like to view a video dad did in 1978, Mr. Fred Ronstadt sent me a link for all to view.
Thank you Fred!
Please click the link and take a step back in time.
http://fredandjeff.com/920-joel-valdezs-tucson-october-1978
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
August 17th
Some of you may have already heard that dad is back in the hospital. He went in yesterday for a scheduled visit for a sonogram test to determine why his right leg is slightly swollen. Well, they found a rather large blood clot. The doctors seem to think that he's had this for quite some time because of its large size. So they admitted him yesterday for observation. They started him on blood thinners this morning and he's scheduled for more testing tomorrow. The strange thing is that he hasn't complained about any pain or discomfort. We remember his ankles swelling a while back but his doctors told him that it was water retention and to keep his legs elevated when sitting or sleeping. This was a good 6 - 8 months ago.
Rest assured, he's in good spirits, comfortable, talking, slightly confused but other than that, doing good. Lisa seems to think that he'll be back at home in a couple of days. Let hope so! Keep your thoughts and prayers going and I'll keep you posted with everything that happens.
Rest assured, he's in good spirits, comfortable, talking, slightly confused but other than that, doing good. Lisa seems to think that he'll be back at home in a couple of days. Let hope so! Keep your thoughts and prayers going and I'll keep you posted with everything that happens.
Monday, August 15, 2011
August 14th
Hello everyone!
It's been two weeks with dad home. Lisa, mom and I have a our routines down. I'm there early in the morning because I live so close, mom makes sure he's fed, comfortable and takes his medications and Lisa comes in the afternoon. We have an in home care giver that comes at 9 AM, leaves at 12 noon then returns at 4 PM and leaves at 7 PM. Physical and occupational therapy come Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays while speech therapy comes on Wed and Fridays. Dad has really made some great progress. His muscles are gaining strength which is allowing us to transfer him from bed to chair easier. He thinks he can transfer himself without any assistance and tries. We now have to keep a loose strap on him while sitting in a chair because he tries to get up when we're not around. The other day I found him trying to get out of bed. He had both of his legs dangling off the edge of the bed when I asked him what he was doing. He replied, "I have to get up because I have a meeting at 4:00 PM". It was 9:30 in the morning and he had just awakened from a little nap. He tends to dream quite a bit, especially in the mornings, because he usually talks about strange, weird and funny things once he wakes up. These are good signs that his mind is working properly and his brain is being stimulated. He told me the other day that we were going to be late and not going to make it. I asked him, make it where? He said we weren't going to make it to the airport. I asked him, where are we going? He said we were going to a football game. I had to let him know that football season hadn't started yet and that he was dreaming. He was a little bummed out because he could have sworn he saw the Wildcats playing on TV.
Today Randy and Ryan were able to get dad in his SUV for a ride around the U of A. It's funny because, we kept telling him we would give him a ride as soon as he felt he could transfer okay and was ready for the trip and he said he was ready. When they got to about St. Mary's and I-10, he fell asleep. As soon as they arrived to see the new scoreboard on 6th, they woke him up. He took a look at it and said, "ah huh", then fell back to sleep. Tomorrow, I'm going to ask him if he remembered the trip. He probably won't but that's okay because we're stimulating his mind. As I wrote a while back, I can't wait for the day we can have a big party for everyone to come say hello. I'm sure he misses all of you. It's just a matter of time.
It's been two weeks with dad home. Lisa, mom and I have a our routines down. I'm there early in the morning because I live so close, mom makes sure he's fed, comfortable and takes his medications and Lisa comes in the afternoon. We have an in home care giver that comes at 9 AM, leaves at 12 noon then returns at 4 PM and leaves at 7 PM. Physical and occupational therapy come Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays while speech therapy comes on Wed and Fridays. Dad has really made some great progress. His muscles are gaining strength which is allowing us to transfer him from bed to chair easier. He thinks he can transfer himself without any assistance and tries. We now have to keep a loose strap on him while sitting in a chair because he tries to get up when we're not around. The other day I found him trying to get out of bed. He had both of his legs dangling off the edge of the bed when I asked him what he was doing. He replied, "I have to get up because I have a meeting at 4:00 PM". It was 9:30 in the morning and he had just awakened from a little nap. He tends to dream quite a bit, especially in the mornings, because he usually talks about strange, weird and funny things once he wakes up. These are good signs that his mind is working properly and his brain is being stimulated. He told me the other day that we were going to be late and not going to make it. I asked him, make it where? He said we weren't going to make it to the airport. I asked him, where are we going? He said we were going to a football game. I had to let him know that football season hadn't started yet and that he was dreaming. He was a little bummed out because he could have sworn he saw the Wildcats playing on TV.
Today Randy and Ryan were able to get dad in his SUV for a ride around the U of A. It's funny because, we kept telling him we would give him a ride as soon as he felt he could transfer okay and was ready for the trip and he said he was ready. When they got to about St. Mary's and I-10, he fell asleep. As soon as they arrived to see the new scoreboard on 6th, they woke him up. He took a look at it and said, "ah huh", then fell back to sleep. Tomorrow, I'm going to ask him if he remembered the trip. He probably won't but that's okay because we're stimulating his mind. As I wrote a while back, I can't wait for the day we can have a big party for everyone to come say hello. I'm sure he misses all of you. It's just a matter of time.
Saturday, August 6, 2011
Saturday Aug 6th
He's been home for 1 week and although very happy to be home, all of us are trying to get adjusted to a new workload schedule. We appreciate all of the emails, cards and food people have brought. The soups, chickens and tamales have been very delicious. This has helped mom out tremendously. As far as dad's concerned, he seems to be tired all of the time and his voice volume is still low. His left eye lid is still not opening. He is slowly building muscle strength in both left leg and right arm and can support his weight on his left leg while standing. He tries to read the newspaper every morning and tunes into the local news throughout the day. His spirits are high and his determination is so incredible.
My mom is incredibly strong willed and loving. She has phenomenal endurance and just can't sit still. Bless her heart! Lisa use to work for a physical therapist way back when and is enjoying applying her old skills to dad. She's a work horse minus the whip! I think she's working him harder than they did at St. Mary's. Little did he know, she'd be working him so hard. He's probably wishing he was back there. I'm blessed to have a mother and sister so strong and a family that's so loving.
My mom is incredibly strong willed and loving. She has phenomenal endurance and just can't sit still. Bless her heart! Lisa use to work for a physical therapist way back when and is enjoying applying her old skills to dad. She's a work horse minus the whip! I think she's working him harder than they did at St. Mary's. Little did he know, she'd be working him so hard. He's probably wishing he was back there. I'm blessed to have a mother and sister so strong and a family that's so loving.
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
Tuesday August 2nd
Dad was released from the hospital on Friday. It's been really rough on all of us. We tried to get the house in order and did a pretty good job but it never fails to forget something. Everyone is very tired because we've had to do everything by ourselves. The new therapists are just now coming to introduce themselves and assess dad to set up therapy schedules. It's just going to be a matter of time before mom drops from exhaustion. We just can't get her to stop, slow down and nap during the day. We have one more assessment tomorrow with the speech therapist. This will complete our group of therapist coming to the house to continue giving him his physical, occupational and speech therapy sessions during the week. Our in home care giver is Adam. We needed a male to help lift him from bed to chair. He's been great so far.
We would appreciate holding off on calling or visiting at this time until we're comfortable with dad's schedule and mom's been able to rest a little. He's basically going to endure the same therapy programs he was getting at St. Mary's, but at home. So you can imagine, instead of having the nurses change him and bringing food to him, we're now taking their places with the help of Adam. We just don't know when the time to have visitors will be. Hold tight, keep on praying for a speedy recovery and the minute mom and dad are ready to have company, you'll be the first to know. Thank you for your understanding and patience.
We would appreciate holding off on calling or visiting at this time until we're comfortable with dad's schedule and mom's been able to rest a little. He's basically going to endure the same therapy programs he was getting at St. Mary's, but at home. So you can imagine, instead of having the nurses change him and bringing food to him, we're now taking their places with the help of Adam. We just don't know when the time to have visitors will be. Hold tight, keep on praying for a speedy recovery and the minute mom and dad are ready to have company, you'll be the first to know. Thank you for your understanding and patience.
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