Back to Cleveland

After much deliberation, prayers, and consideration, we have decided that we are going to head back to Cleveland for Meredith's surgery. We will leave next Sunday, go through pre-operation on Monday, and have the surgery on Tuesday. Although Meredith appears to have kicked her current cold, all of this is still dependant on her staying healthy.

We are going to try and get a room at the House of Ronald, but we may have to stay in a hotel for a night or two depending on the waiting list.

-Chip

Decision Time

Today Stephanie spoke with Dr. Hawkins, Meredith's surgeon at Primary Children's. They discussed Meredith, as well as how Dr. Hawkins does the double switch. I did not know this, but apparently Stephanie did because she knows more about Meredith's condition than anyone else save God himself, but there are several different methods that are used to accomplish the rearranged blood flow through the artia. Dr. Mee uses the Sening (sp?) procedure while Dr. Hawkins uses the Mustard. There is another prominent surgeon (I think his name is Hanley) that uses another procedure that I can not remember the name of. So they talked about the various differences in the procedures and what would be best for Meredith. Although Dr. Hawkins has not done as many as Dr. Mee, it is a procedure he does on a regular basis - he did one just this last month - and has not had any fatalities. They discussed Meredith's cold and he agreed that no way would he have operated either and taken the risk.

So now we have to decide. We know Dr. Mee is very good, but we also believe that Dr. Hawkins is quite capable and we also like Dr. Hawkins. When we decide, you the reader, will be the first to know (after we tell other people of course).

-Chip

Going Home

Meredith's cold has not improved, and she now has an ear infection. They cannot operate until these get better. We have rescheduled for December 6, 2005 with Dr. Mee; this will be our last chance to have him do the surgery. We will be exploring all of our options between now and then. Thank you again to all of you for your thoughts and prayers.

-Chip

In the House of Ronald part II - The Quest

Meredith seems to be doing better. She does not have snot running out her nose, although she is a bit congested, and her fever has not returned. This morning she was still a bit gaggy when Stephanie tried to nurse her. She has generally been in good spirits. We also figured out that she had not pooped for many days – although she had not breeched the record held by our oldest, which was 9 days. This morning I set out on a quest to locate some suppositories.

Let me preface the rest of this story with a little background, and another story. The area of Cleveland where we are is no suburbia. There is no Wal-Mart, McDonalds, or even convenience stores near by. We did some grocery shopping a couple of days ago at an upscale market when Steve and Toni were still here with their car. To reach any of the comforts of suburbia is a 15 minute drive - we do not have a car and taxis are not cheap. Finally, we have been advised that we should not be out walking after dark. Such is the state of the area.

I was going to take the bus to Wal-Mart yesterday to get some supplies, but the bus stop was about half the distance to Wal-Mart and I decided against that. Fortunately, I discovered (by reading in my welcome to the Cleveland Ronald McDonald House handbook) that there was a Rite-Aid pharmacy within a couple of blocks. For those of you that are not familiar with Rite-Aid, it is comparable to a Walgreens or Osco Drug.

So on a brisk autumn day, I began my quest to find the Rite-Aid. I had an idea where it was (I had been given this odd thing called the "address", something I was not used to using when searching for a location previously)and set off. As I strolled down the sidewalk I realized that the Cleveland Clinic is more than just a single building hospital. I walked past several buildings, each big enough to be a hospital in and of itself, which professed some affiliation or another with the Cleveland Clinic. As I was strolling I came upon what I would call a shopping center. It consisted of 2 local restaurants (one Indian and the other claiming to serve Chicago style fair), a bank, and a medical supply store. It also had a sign telling me that the Rite-Aid which I was seeking was behind this shopping center. As I began my stroll around the building, a man, weaving about 40 feet behind me, asked me to stop. I can only assume that he wanted to discuss the current state of world politics, but as I was on a quest I shunned his invitation and picked up my pace around the building. As I came around the corner of the building I was much relieved to see the Rite-Aid. For as King Arthur had searched for the Holy Grail (what is your favorite color?) and came up empty, I had found the goal of my quest, the Rite-Aid drugstore.

As an aside to the story, I know you really want to know how Meredith is, I will tell a brief tale of elation and disappointment. As I prepared to exit the Rite-Aid, I noticed that behind it, there was what appeared to be a convenience store. Now as I have already divulged in this post, I have yet to find a convenience store, so you can imagine how this ends. Anyway, I was delighted because the only cups I could find to drink out of were 8oz Styrofoam cups, and I wanted something with a larger capacity. As I approached the door a young man with a hood pulled over his head (and eyes) exited the door. I thanked him for holding the door and peered inside. I was disappointed to find it was merely a sheltered place to pay for gasoline. I shut the door and turned away, heading back around the Rite-Aid on my way back to "home". It was interesting to note that said your man with the veiled eyes walked about 200 feet before getting into a waiting car with other young men. Of course I have my suspicions, but my new quest was return "home" alive so I averted my eyes and pressed onward. The return was uneventful, so I will not detail it only to say the quest was one of elation and disappointment, success and failure.

So, this morning, when Stephanie and I decided that if Meredith would poop she might feel better, I again set off for the Right-Aid. Since I knew where I was going it did not take long to get to the Rite-Aid, obtain said merchandise, and return "home". Apparently the idea of having a little glycerin capsule inserted in her anus scared the poop out of Meredith. When I returned, Meredith had not only pooped, but had blown out on her clothes as well. The whole room stunk so bad that we had to prop open our door (the windows do not open).

So overall I think that Meredith is doing pretty good. We continue to pray for her good health and for God’s will to be done. We appreciate all of the many prayers, from those of you who we know and those we don’t, that have been offered on her behalf. We have any early morning appointment at the hospital tomorrow (Friday), I will post afterward.

-Chip

In the House of Ronald

We were able to get a room in the Ronald McDonald House last night. It is a nice facility. You might think of it as a hotel room with communal laundry, kitchen, and television. It is mostly staffed by volunteers which are generally friendly. One of the best perks is that the Hospital is within walking distance, and there is also a shuttle to the hospital if we would like.

I wish I had better things to say about Meredith's health. After we left the hospital on Tuesday Meredith developed a fever, a cough, and also began throwing up. She has kept down food intermittently and continues to cough. However, as of this morning she did not have a fever. Of course this is all very frustrating, scary, and discouraging - but it is a matter of faith.


-Chip

Best Laid Plans.....

Meredith's surgery has been postponed until next Tuesday. We arrived at the hospital and she had a cold. Because she will be on bypass there is an increased risk of post-operative swelling due to the extra anti-bodies her body is creating to fight off the cold; this was a risk the surgeon was unwilling to take at this time. It is probably for the best. Once we got back to the hotel Meredith began running a fever and throwing up. However, she appears to be feeling better today so far.

We are on the waiting list for the Ronald McDonald House and hope to get in today or tomorrow.

-Chip