update sons eye and hubby

[Guest guest]

I took Jimmy to the eye dr here for what our ER said would be follow up,

confirmation he was going to be OK with his eye injury. The opthamologist

decided Jimmy was NOT OK with the injury and sent us to a specialist straight

from his office Thursday afternoon. We hd to wait for that specialst cuz his

office was already closed for the day and he had to finish a surgery he was

doing to come see Jimmy. He sent us immediately to Univ of Chicago in Hyde Park.

There was a glitch in paperwork and between the docs, so they held us from

heading there till friday noon time. We were not sure if it was for consult or

what. Bekky and I took Jimmy and it took us just almost 5 hours to get there.

The speccialists there had known it would take us that long to get there, so

they waited. (their office was closed by the time we got there)

they planned to immeditaely whish Jimmy to emergency surgery, but the OR was

backlogged. They prepped Jimmy for surgery aprox 6 PM but by 1 am they still

could not get him in, we sat in preop the whole time. At 1 am they sent us over

to the childrens hospital to grab a couple hours sleep as we had been waiting

for surgery for nearly 36 hours by then, sitting on the edge of seats literally

and nothing to eat or drink that whole time...

At 7 am they took us back over for a new preop and told us it would be a 2 hour

surgey. It lasted from 8 30 until approx 6 pm. They had to completely rebuild an

eyeball for Jimmy. They were not sure they could save it at all....every part of

his eye,macula, was destroyed, retina was detached sclera was ruptured,

conjutiva seperated, cornea ruined. Vitreous leaked out. They still will not

know if he has any vision for 6 months. His eye dr said he may never do contact

sports or blue collar work. For now he must stay on his tummy flat for the next

5 days or so. In approx 6 months they will have to goback and remove cataracts

caussed by this surgery and exchange silicone oil that they have filled his eye

with. He is not to go back to school....and when he does go back, hemay not have

PE class for at least the rest of this school year and will need PT and OT.

Jimmy has difficulty with anesthesia and altho surgery ended last nite, he still

has not cleared the anesthesia so he remains " out " at this time...(he had this

same difficult when he was anestethized for an MRI a couple years ago)

The hospital sent us home partly becuz Ray got released from VA while we were en

route to Hyde Park, even tho I had Rays shoes, walker and clothes and keys and

wallet, VA decided to release Ray anyway, they sent him home in a hospital gown

and arranged another patient to drive him home. Jimmys doctors thought Jimmy

might do better if he could be near his daddy and Rays docs thought Ray would do

better if he could be closer to Jimmy. Jimmys docs also decided since I am a

nurse, I could watch him just as well at home. Bekky proved to also be a very

awesome caregiver, the docs and nurses at Comers Childrens hospital were quite

impressed with her!!!

Ray has a complete and total med overhaul and will get O2 within the next 2

weeks for 24 hour use. I still have not figured out why they are waiting 2 weeks

as altho I tried multiple times to communicate with his docs, they never once

returned my calls. (our usual experience with the VA) I certainly do not

understand a need for O2 and then putting it off 2 weeks!!!

Ray has a list of upcoming VA appts and Jimmy has a list of upcoming appts in

Hyde Park and some in Oak Forest. (his surgeon moved him to Oak Forest for my

convenience)

We are hoping to finally celebrate Krystals birthday tomorrow nite and have her

cake and give her her gifts, (she has been on hold since Thursday)

Aside from that it looks like we are going tobe laying VERY low and staying very

very close to home for quite awhile. The surgeons also warned us the eye repair

is going to be extremely and devastatingly financially overwhelming and that the

hospital is extremely aggressive in collection.   The gas for travel back and

forth is also going to be difficult. Not sure just how we are going to handle

all that at this time.

Please keep us in your prayers. It sure has been a very hard week or 2. Right

now me and Bekky are FINALLY going tolay down and get some MUCH needed sleep-

and something to eat..FINALLY. The cafeteria there was always closed when the

docs would allow us a moment to slip out......and we are pretty hungry. LOL.

I do want to say- the people who work at Univ of Chicago are AMAZING, WONDERFUL,

most kind....every single person we encountered from transportation aides to

coffee shop workers to security guards!!!!! even the people in the parking

garage. Never in my life have I encountered such kind peole in a hospital

setting. I also have to say I am so proud of Jimmy. He is an ideal patient, he

is uncommonly patient and good and so very very brave. I have such amazing

kids!!!!