St. Patrick's Day 2012.

Normally I don't do anything for the annual green day, but I decided to this year. Mostly because it was on a Saturday where as usual, the kids would be at school participating in activities there.

I got up before the family and made a superb breakfast fit for leprechauns and other small people. This consisted of green pancakes and a fruity rainbow, as well as a drop of food coloring in each cup to change the drinks to green. All thought this was great except maybe Garrett who thought it was gross and needed some coaxing before giving the green pancakes a try.

Under the pancakes, the kids found the first of several clues to start a treasure hunt for some gold. What happened over the next half hour was giggly chaos. They searched high and low, both inside and outside (in the rain) and finally find the gold.

It was so much fun, I might just do it again next year!

Been gone awhile.

My camera broke and I kept waiting for a new one, then I kind of just forgot about this. I feel bad about that. I finally got a new I-Phone which has a pretty decent camera, so I am back. I thought about doing a big long update, but I don't want to. Suffice to say, my mom is doing amazing. My parents moved back to St.George and left me lonely and bereft here in California. We now live in a VERY small townhouse. We are crammed but cozy, and happy to be together.

My Mom is doing much better. here are maybe the last 2 updates from my dad! Thank you all for your faith and prayers. What a long journey this has been.


Perhaps this will be the last update I need to send. Since arriving home last Saturday afternoon, Debbie has slowly but steadily improved. We've had to tweak medications a little to get the maximum benefit with the least downside but other than that, she's had a string of good days. Today we returned to the hospital for an EKG, an echocardiogram and a consult with her primary cardiologist. In his words, she's doing tremendously well and will not need a return visit with him for a month. Her walking is tentative and wobbly on occasion and limited to 100 feet or so at a time. Fatigue is a major issue all day every day but we're working on that. She lost 10% of her body weight in the past month but her appetite is returning so she's now eating a little several times a day. Her faith is such that she rarely doubted she'd be fine. Your love, support and prayers along with outstanding medical care and attention have made all the difference. In a couple months when she's mastered her new challenges and regained her strength these past 6-weeks will seem as a speck on the horizon fast-disappearing in the rear view mirror. And I can't begin to say how good that feels to tell you that.


Many of you have asked about Debbie's progress so here's another in the series. Major improvement on several fronts this past week. Her appetite has returned resulting in a weight gain of 3 pounds since coming home from the hospital. Her energy levels are increasing with each passing day. On Wednesday she walked into the grocery store with me, down one aisle, across a couple more and back up another; in total probably 500-feet. She's getting stronger and more certain on her feet every day. She's also reading several hours a day again although her eyes get blurry and tired more quickly than before the stroke.
Last week Rebecca, who recently celebrated her 5th birthday, decided to get her very long hair cut and have it made into a wig for young cancer victims. Debbie had been considering a haircut as well to lessen the work needed to maintain it, so, inspired by Becca, she had her hair cut this week as well. Here's a picture of the two of them.




During a CT scan to monitor stroke damage, a parotid mass was discovered in the saliva gland on the right side of Debbie's face. We went to see an ENT specialist this week to review that situation as well as to discuss her hearing loss. We came away with disconcerting news. Her hearing loss appears permanent; an audiogram scheduled for Monday next week will confirm that. As for the tumor, it should be surgically removed right away however given Debbie's recent ordeal we decided against it. Once removed it can be determined whether there's any malignancy, but since we've opted not to have it taken out yet, a needle biopsy is to be done. To prepare for that she has to go off one of the medications regulating heart rhythm for 5-days. Fingers crossed again as we deal with another couple bumps in the road - stopping use of a drug that's quite important in quelling stroke incidence and determining the nature of the tumor. Please continue to keep her in your thoughts and prayers.
Scott

An update on mom.

Thanks to all of you for your thoughts and prayers. I have a couple more entries of my dads that I would like to add. Mom is better. Not 100%, but she never will be. We are thrilled that she will hopefully be coming home on Monday!

August 16,2011
Continued improvement on all fronts so much so that Debbie was up and walking today. As much as I'd been prepared for how that would go I found it very difficult to watch as she took small tentative steps and struggled to maintain her balance much of the way. She was happy to be up and although very tired after 10-minutes is raring to go again to get back to some semblance of normalcy and independence. Tomorrow she'll be moved to an acute neurological rehabilitation facility for several days of intensive work to ensure that happens. They will also work to improve her hearing and vision. True to her fighting spirit Debbie is confident she'll be home again within a week. Thanks to each of you for your notes of support and love. They have certainly helped both of us cope through the darkest of moments.

August 20, 2011
After a day's delay caused by a major blood pressure meltdown (since ascribed to medications) and another day working out insurance issues Debbie was moved to the neurological rehabilitation unit at UCLA on Friday afternoon. Today was devoted to thorough evaluations and consults with doctors and rehab specialists. For the many years Debbie and I have been seeing doctors we've heard different variations of the word amazing from just about all of them as they talk of her situation. I can't count the number of times I've heard that in the past two days. The stroke impacted her in four major ways - facial paralysis, vision, hearing and balance. There has been marked improvement in each. Continued improvement on all fronts so much so that Debbie was up and walking today. As much as I'd been prepared for how that would go I found it very difficult to watch as she took small tentative steps and struggled to maintain her balance much of the way. She was happy to be up and although very tired after 10-minutes is raring to go again to get back to some semblance of normalcy and independence. Tomorrow she'll be moved to an acute neurological rehabilitation facility for several days of intensive work to ensure that happens. They will also work to improve her hearing and vision. True to her fighting spirit Debbie is confident she'll be home again within a week. Thanks to each of you for your notes of support and love. They have certainly helped both of us cope through the darkest of moments.
Even though she's only been on her feet since Wednesday, today she and I went for a walk hand-in-hand, something I wasn't sure would be possible for a long while. We are grateful for your thoughts and prayers. In combination with our faith, we know they have made a difference. In a few days she'll be home again and we'll tentatively move forward day by day and week by week.

August 24, 2011
I'd hoped to report that Debbie had returned home by now but that hasn't happened and isn't expected now before next Monday or Tuesday. Physical and occupational rehabilitation therapy are both going very well, but only when Debbie's heart cooperates. She had a phenomenal day on Monday followed by a horrific one Tuesday when her heart went into atrial fibrillation again with blood pressure dropping to the point where she couldn't raise her head off the bed. We're slowly coming to realize that ups and downs like that may be our reality from now on. And unless the "a-fib" continues unabated for more than 24-hours at a time the doctors prefer not to intervene. Theory being the medications should help manage the situation effectively as time goes along thereby not having to rely on defibrillation to do the job. Today her heart went in and out a couple times but she did manage to get more than 3 hours of rehab work in. Tonight she's exhausted again (still) and hopefully will get some quality rest. Tomorrow's another day in what's becoming an awfully long ordeal.

My dad is physically and emotionally exhausted and I think this comes through in his writings. I talked to my mom yesterday and she sounded great. She knows that there is still a lot for her to learn and that it is not going to be easy, but she is up for the challenge and ready to come home.

I know that it is through the power of faith and prayer and the gospel of our Savior, Jesus Christ that we still have my mom here on this earth. All of our collective prayers have been heard and I am beyond grateful.

Bragging about my girls!

Check out this link if you can!

www.glendorapatch.com Then in the search area, type in dance street west and click on the article that says "helps make dreams come true."

The article mentions Emma and all the pictures feature Abigail. It was quite exciting in our house to see a published article about us.

We love this dance studio and all 3 of my girls are learning a lot and having fun.

News about my mother.

The last couple of weeks have not been great ones for our family. Some of you may already know, and some may not, but my mom has been in the hospital for awhile now.
She has always had heart problems, and has always been limited somewhat by it. I believe that we, as a family, may have been taking advantage of her "health" and it may be catching up to her, and us, now.

My dad has been keeping a journal like record of what has been going on, so I am going to post his entries. It is easier to understand what has happened that way, rather than if I tried to explain.

Date: Thu, 4 Aug 2011 23:44:43 -0600
Here's a rundown of what's happening with Debbie. She's been in UCLA Medical Center for all but two of the past eight days with atrial flutter - a complication of her heart condition - along with a lung infection (early stage pneumonia). Three separate times she's undergone a cardioversion, basically an electric shock "reset" of her heart to more normal bpm levels as it has been above 160 for a combined 70+ hours. As you can imagine she's incredibly fatigued as a result. Today she underwent a cardiac catheter ablation - a procedure that pinpoints and cauterizes tissue where atrial flutter originates. Three different catheters are threaded through three different arteries and into her heart. They then stimulate a heightened heart rate and identify the areas to burn through to eliminate the problem. Sounds simple enough and apparently is quite routine but with Debbie nothing is ever that. Partway through the procedure they had to pull out as her heart anatomy proved too complex to continue. The drugs they gave her also made it difficult to replicate the accelerated heart rate needed. She is now recovering with three very sore incision sites - both sides of her groin and right side of her neck - and a continuation of the problem. Tomorrow an MRI is scheduled and then we'll regroup on strategy and timing for a second attempt. The procedure comes with some risk but we feel we have no choice as she cannot live with either the racing heart rate or the resulting expectation of blood clots forming in her pulmonary system. It's been another very long day for all of us but especially Debbie. Her spirits are lagging but she doesn't give in easily. For the moment they've given her morphine, anti-arrythmia drugs and anti-anxiety medication so hopefully she'll sleep peacefully through the night. Please keep her in your thoughts and prayers.

Date: Tue, 9 Aug 2011 22:42:46 -0600
Today Debbie underwent a second catheter ablation procedure. With a comprehensive MRI of her heart at hand and the use of five catheters the doctors were able to fully 'map' out the areas contributing to atrial flutter this time. After seven and a half hours they feel 99% certain they resolved the problem however during the procedure they had to shock her heart twice as she went into atrial fibrillation. Unfortunately that type of arrythmia cannot be resolved through ablation as it's too chaotic and random. It appears we'll have to rely on medication to help her deal with it. There's hope that the fibrillation may have been triggered by the atrial flutter which has now been resolved so we'll have to wait and see. A couple hours after the procedure two of the catheters were removed, one a large venous and the other an arterial, which resulted in significant loss of blood so a transfusion is a possibility overnight. She was weakened even further by today's ordeal and has been sedated sufficiently to allow her to rest comfortably though the night. I almost requested the same medication as I don't think I've ever been more exhausted and I'm only a bystander. In the face of everything Debbie is in good spirits and we feel we're one big step closer to full recovery. The next 24-hours will tell us how quickly that may happen. Thanks again for your interest in her welfare.

Date: Wed, 10 Aug 2011 13:38:01 -0600
One of the major risks that Debbie lives with every day is that of blood clots. The lack of a properly functioning pulmonary system means a clot should it materialize would make its way unimpeded to her brain. Several years ago that happened resulting in a brain abscess and bacterial meningitis. The ordeal she's been through the past 2 weeks has increased that risk and unfortunately early this morning a clot lodged in the back of her brain resulting in a stroke. The full extent of the damage won't be evident for a few days but she has some paralysis on the left side of her face, has lost the perception of where she is relative to her arms and legs and has trouble seeing clearly particularly if she looks up, down or to the side. The next 24 hours are a concern in that damage could spread to surrounding tissue and we could see other clots arise. There's also a slight chance of regression, meaning the affected area could actually improve. Although still very fatigued Debbie is in no significant pain and we have been talking through this latest setback. She continues to amaze me and her caregivers. We have some additional challenges now and I'm sure we'll be able to meet them.

Date: Thu, 11 Aug 2011 22:59:34 -0600
Some good news today. Debbie's pneumonia is all but gone now. And we saw some regression (as it relates to strokes that's a good thing) as her sight improved and the left side of her face is less droopy. Hearing in her left ear is still compromised as is her balance, equilibrium and perception. And a little bad news as her heart raced above 120 bpm for more than 20-hours. It's going to take a few more days to control and manage that. All in all a better day than most and we're hopeful she's on a continual climb upward. The thinking is she may be able to come home as early as Monday if the progress made today continues.
I've been writing these updates as a kind of therapy for me and thought to share them knowing you'd be concerned for Debbie and I. Your notes of support are appreciated. We have some adjustments to make in our day-to-day life going forward and your kind thoughts will help buoy us up. Thanks.


Date: Fri, 13 Aug 2011

Two good days of measured improvement. The appropriate combination of medications and their dosages to control heart rate, heart rhythm and 'thickness' of Debbie's blood seems to have been found as all three have been stable for more than 48-hours. All traces of infection in her system are gone. The major hurdle remaining now is to regain enough strength and energy to get up and walk. Twenty to thirty minutes sitting in a chair is about all she can muster at any one time now. Today she was able to do that three different times. We expect Monday she'll start intensive in-patient physical therapy which may last a week or more before she can come home. Balance, equilibrium and depth perception have all been compromised and will take some work for her to adapt to those changes. Debbie has a bit of a crooked smile but I can't begin to tell you how great it looks to me now that she's laughing and smiling again.

My mother is a very special and extremely important person to me. I know that many of you feel similarly and so I ask for your continued thoughts and prayers in her behalf. I have had many lonely and terrible hours by myself where I have allowed myself to go where I don't want to go. I feel very strongly that without the gospel of Jesus Christ and all of our combined faith, my mom would no longer be here and I would be swallowed up in despair.

Thank you to all who have been around to offer my family your support and love in so many different ways.

Rebecca is 5!

As you can tell, we have several birthdays in our family in quick succession. Rebecca is the most recent. My baby girl is now 5!

Becca is our snugglebug, as she is known among some family members. She is quick to help anyone out as long as she is guaranteed some hugs and kisses afterward. Ever since she was quite small, her favorite thing has been to help me with laundry. I hope she never tires of it because some of my favorite memories are little Becca passing me one item of clothing at a time out of the basket for me to fold. Thank you for helping sweetheart!

Rebecca is quite small for her age so it is easy for me to forget just how old she is getting. She is very often asked if she is Garrett's twin sister!

As is custom for each of my girls on their 5th birthday, Rebecca received her My Twinn doll. She has been looking forward to this day for as long as she can remember. I hope it was all she had hoped for!

I love you BeccaBoo! You are the best hugs, kisses and smiles of everyday!