History

Sunday, April 11, 2004 10:26 PM CDT

Update No. 20

Update on Mom – I flew down to Wichita Friday morning to be with dad. Dr. Terry met with us Friday afternoon. Terry, Tom and Mike joined via a conference call. Dr. Terry outlined the medical treatment mom received from the beginning of her stroke on March 1 through Friday, April 9. He also explained that even though they performed every test possible, he still could not identify any reasons for mom’s unresponsiveness. In conjunction with Dr. Terry, we decided as a family to carry out mom’s wishes in her living will and suspend medical treatment. We decided to move her back to Antigo to receive hospice care at Langlade Memorial Hospital.

We made arrangements with Eagle Medical to fly mom and dad back to Antigo on Sat. April 10. (I was able to fly back with them.) We arrived in Antigo just after noon. An ambulance met us and transferred mom to the hospital. The flight was aboard a Beechcraft twin propeller engine plane. The flight crew consisted of the pilot and two nurses who would monitor mom while we flew. Dad sat in the back with mom and the two nurses and I was the copilot. Everything went well on the flight. Jim Kapusta flew back with the plane to Wichita and drove mom & dad’s car back to Antigo. He arrived Sunday morning. Jim, thank you very much.

With mom and dad being back in Antigo, this will be the last journal entry.

The Peterson family would like to thank each one of you for the prayers, support and kind words expressed for mom and our family during this time. Again, thank you to everyone who has left a message in the guest book below or even just viewed the page.

Allen, Helen, Terry, Tom, Steve, Mike and Families

Sunday, April 11, 2004 10:26 PM CDT

Tuesday, April 6, 2004 9:35 AM CDT

Update No. 19

I talked to Dad on the phone Monday, April 5 approximately 3:00 p.m. for this update.

Update on Mom – Dr. Terry met with Big Al Friday last week. Mom still is not responding to the stimuli for reasons he cannot explain. Dr. Terry said that we would give the stimuli a week to see what happens. If no progress is made by the end of this week, we will have a meeting on Friday to discuss the next step taken.

Update on Dad – Dad is doing okay. Obviously, his spirits were down after talking with Dr. Terry. Terry Kretz flew down Friday night to spend the weekend. Dad said they stayed up till 2:00 a.m. talking that first night. Terry and dad went out Saturday night for drinks and socializing which did dad some good. Terry left Monday morning. Dad really appreciated his visit and it really helped his spirits. Findlay’s are stopping in Tuesday and staying overnight before they continue back to Antigo on Weds. Baumann’s are expected in on Weds for a short visit. Linda Landoll made dad a big batch of peanut butter cookies and delivered them Friday. She has been a tremendous help for dad while in Wichita.

Not much else to report right now. We continue to pray for mom. Again, thank you to everyone who has left a message in the guest book below or even just viewed the page. THANKS.

Take care and we will keep in touch.

Allen, Helen, Terry, Tom, Steve, Mike and Families

Thursday, April 1, 2004 7:51 AM CST

Update No. 18

I talked to Dad on the phone Wednesday, March 31 approximately 11:00 a.m. for this update.

Update on Mom – Dr. Terry met with Big Al this morning. The MRI they took on the brain came back good. They also drained some fluid from mom’s spinal column because the spinal column had an increase of pressure. Dr. Terry did not indicate any major concerns with this procedure. So, far so good. (I hope I am getting these medical terms correctly, because Dr. Terry is viewing the website and I don’t want to screw-up.)

Dr. Terry stated they would be giving mom two different stimuli’s one in the morning and one in the afternoon to help get her going. Dr. Terry said we need to give the stimuli a week before we have to decide what to do next.

Dr. Terry talked with our family medical expert Lou Ann last night to give her an update from the medical standpoint. Since Lou Ann is an occupational therapist, she is more familiar with the medical jargon then the boys. (I think every family has someone in the medical field that when something happens receives all of the calls to discuss medical issues.)

On Tuesday during the 4 to 6 p.m. visit; Dad said mom had her eyes open (about ľ) for 1 hour and 20 minutes. He said she did not appear that she could focus on dad or respond to him. Also today (Wednesday) while Dr. Terry and dad were meeting in mom’s room mom moved her right arm up and off her stomach about 6 inches according to dad. More positive signs.

We have to be patient and keep the prayers coming.

Update on Dad – Dad is doing well. His spirits are getting better by seeing the eyes opening yesterday and the movement in the hand. He said he is looking forward to having some of the snowbirds stopping by for a visit on their way back to Antigo. I know various people have called him at his hotel room to give words of encouragement and that is helping also. Thanks for calling him.

That is all for now. Again, thank you to everyone who has left a message in the guest book below or even just viewed the page. We know that there are a lot of people concerned and offering many prayers for mom. THANKS.

Take care and we will keep you in touch.

Allen, Helen, Terry, Tom, Steve, Mike and Families

Monday, March 29, 2004 3:00 PM CST

Update No. 17

I talked to Dad on the phone Monday, March 29 approximately 11:00 a.m. for this update.

Update on Mom – Dr. Terry was back from vacation and sat down to meet with dad today. Dr. Terry said he was keeping in contact with the medical staff regarding mom’s care last week while on vacation so he was aware of the results of the tests taken and the lack of responsiveness to date. Dr. Terry reviewed all of the actions taken since the stroke began up to the current time frame. There have NOT been any test results that have come back with a bad result. Mom is just taking longer to respond. He did state that they would perform a couple additional tests, a MRI of the brain and a check for infections to see if there is something else that is causing her delayed reaction. He is also going to prescribe a stimulus to see if that gets her going.

They have taken mom off the ventilator so she is breathing on her own. Previously, they had taken her off the ventilator during the day but put her back on it at night. Now it is solo. They have the ventilator still hooked up to provide moisture in her throat, but it is not providing air. Dad said on Saturday mom opened her eyes for about 5 minutes while he was in the room. Then Sunday morning around 5 a.m., the nurse stated she opened her eyes again. So, making some progress. They continue to provide the physical/occupational therapy of her legs/arms/hands etc.

Hopefully, the test results will provide some more information and maybe the stimuli will kick in and get her going. Just have to wait and see.

Update on Dad – Dad is doing better this week. He said he was a little down last week without Dr. Terry around but felt better after meeting with him this morning and receiving an update on the medical conditions. His spirits are doing better. Terry Kretz called him Sat. night to talk and that really helped out. Terry informed him that some of the Arizona snow birds where heading back and planned to stop by and see him. So, Dad is looking forward to the visits.

I was up to Antigo this weekend and it was amazing to see and talk with so many people that are concerned about mom (and dad too). The Peterson family cannot express the amount of gratitude to each and one of you for sharing your thoughts and prayers. Obviously, mom is one special lady to a lot of people.

I tried to get to the Farmer’s Home for breakfast Sunday but that was not going to happen. I could not believe the amount of water coming down the river over the dam and over the banks of the lake. I don’t remember it getting that bad in my lifetime. I went to the 4th Avenue dam and was amazed to see the water flowing back into the river from the Lakeside (Hunters) parking lot. Having gone through water damage in my basement last fall, I do not wish that mess on anyone.

During the visit, I was out at the Refuge for a fish fry with Mike & Julie, Spud & Becky and we got to see Fritz Kretz’s date/girlfriend. As Mike would say “hot”. Fritz said he was going to bring her over to introduce her but he never did get around to it. Not sure why. Must have been Mike. I told Fritz that I would be putting this in to break up the journal a little bit.

That is all for now. Again, thank you to everyone who has left a message in the guest book below or even just viewed the page. We know that there are a lot of people concerned and offering many prayers for mom. THANKS.

Take care and we will keep you in touch.

Allen, Helen, Terry, Tom, Steve, Mike and Families

Friday, March 26, 2004 8:47 AM CST

Update No. 16

I talked to Dad on the phone Thursday, March 25 for this update.

Update on Mom – Still no changes regarding her responses and still waiting for the sedation and paralytic medicine to completely wear off. They continue to provide the physical/occupational therapy of her legs/arms/hands etc.

They talked to dad regarding the two tests performed yesterday – EEG and nerve conductivity test. The purpose of these two tests were to determine if any seizures had occurred in the brain and both came back good – no signs of any seizures. Good news.

More good news – they have decided to take mom off the ventilator during the day. She has been doing such a great job of breathing on her own, that they want to see how she does on her own, so she will only have the ventilator on at night.

So now we have to wait and see when she will start to respond. If you are like us, we are wondering how long this can/will last. The medical staff has not given any firm dates and keeps stating that each person is different. They stated that if they had some major concerns they would have already talked to us about them and right now they do not have any concerns. So, as I have stated earlier, the medical staff and Dr. Terry are specialists in this area and we need to keep the faith.

Dr. Terry is still on vacation until Monday, March 29. I probably will not be updating the journal until after Dr. Terry returns on Monday.

Update on Dad – Dad is still doing well. He actually did his first load of laundry yesterday. I still can’t believe it. He said everything came out good, no pink clothes. He is keeping up with the workouts/walks and his spirits sound good.

That is all for now. Again, thank you to everyone who has left a message in the guest book below or even just viewed the page. We know that there are a lot of people concerned and offering many prayers for mom. THANKS.

Take care and we will keep you in touch.

Allen, Helen, Terry, Tom, Steve, Mike and Families

Thursday, March 25, 2004 8:04 AM CST

Update No. 15

I talked to Dad on the phone Wednesday afternoon, March 24 for this update.

Update on Mom – Still no changes regarding her responses and still waiting for the sedation and paralytic medicine to completely wear off.

They performed a couple of tests on mom. One was an EEG (I think), which determines the amount of brain activity and the other was a nerve conductivity (I think the term is right), which determines how the nerves are firing. Dad said we would not find out the results for a day. Dr. Terry has been on vacation the last couple of days and Dad thinks they will wait until he returns before Dad receives the results.

Not much else right now. Just waiting to see when Mom will start to respond.

Update on Dad – Dad is still doing well. Cathy put a goody package together for Dad, some peanut butter cookies, golf magazine, cashews and an electronic game. He said he had a couple of cookies right away. He had a surprise visit on Tuesday. Bob & Nancy Anderson stopped by on their way back to Antigo. Dad said they had a good visit and I know that it helped his spirits.

That is all for now. Again, thank you to everyone who has left a message in the guest book below or even just viewed the page. We know that there are a lot of people concerned and offering many prayers for mom. THANKS.

Take care and we will keep you in touch.

Allen, Helen, Terry, Tom, Steve, Mike and Families

Monday, March 22, 2004 9:55 PM CST

Update No. 14

I talked to Dad on the phone Monday night, March 22 at 7:30 p.m. for this update.

Update on Mom – Since Friday night, no changes regarding her responses and still waiting for the sedation and paralytic medicine to completely wear off. Dad said her vital signs, blood pressure etc. are as expected. They did a scan of her chest to check for pneumonia and so far so good.

Today, Monday (3-22) they performed a couple procedures on mom. The ventilator was positioned in her mouth down towards the lungs. They repositioned it directly into her trachea. The medical staff said that after the long length of time of the tube in through her mouth, she develops irritation to the tube. Also, they say the longer the tube is in through the mouth, it can lead to pneumonia sitting into her lungs. They said after she is off the ventilator it will take about two weeks for the area to heal.

Also, they had a food tube going through her nose into stomach giving her nutrition. They placed a tube into her stomach and are giving her the nutrition through the direct connection. They wanted to get the tube out of her nose because they were concerned of sinus infection setting in.

Now we have to wait for is the medicine to wear off and some responses. Keep the prayers coming because I know we are.

Update on Dad – Dad is doing well. He was not able to catch either Friday or Sunday’s Badger game. Caught the highlights on ESPN. Enjoyed Friday’s highlights but not Sunday’s. He is keeping active with reading and working out in the fitness room. He sounds upbeat and positive.

That is all for now. Again, thank you to everyone who has left a message in the guest book below or even just viewed the page. We know that there are a lot of people concerned and offering many prayers for mom. THANKS.

Take care and we will keep you in touch.

Allen, Helen, Terry, Tom, Steve, Mike and Families

Saturday, March 20, 2004 8:54 AM CST

Update No. 13

I talked to Dad on the phone Friday, March 19 at 6:00 p.m. for this update. He was hoping they would telecast the Badger game down there but he was not sure.

Update on Mom – Still waiting for the sedation and paralytic medicine to completely wear off. Dad talked to Dr. Terry regarding the length of time, which has past since they took mom off of the paralytic and sedation medicine and her current state of awareness. Dr. Terry said this is normal and it may take awhile for the drugs to completely wear off. Dr. Terry then showed dad how responsive mom was. He went to her right ear and told mom to move two fingers on her hand. Mom moved just two fingers. Later he repeated the command and again she only moved the two fingers. Dr. Terry said everything is going as planned.

They have begun to give mom full range motion therapy. They move the arms and legs working all of the joints and muscles. Dad is happy because he gets to help out. He said when the start sometimes mom will open both eyes so again more good signs. Also, they have mom in a sitting position in bed more now.

Patience, patience everyone. I know we Peterson’s are testing our limit of patience but you have to place your trust in Dr. Terry since this is his forte.

Update on Dad – Dad caught a cold so now he has to wear a mask when he goes into mom’s room. He said he is happy to help out with the full range motion therapy. Helps keep him occupied. He said he reads the cards send to the hospital everyday also. He has been taking some long walks in between visits so that is good. Hopefully, he was able to catch the Badger game tonight but either way he will be happy tomorrow since they won. It wasn’t looking good for a while but then they turned it on. Would be nice to see them win on Sunday.

The Peterson boys got together and sent some Racine Kringle down for the nurses that have been working the NCCU unit. Lou Ann made the arrangements for us. Dad said they all loved the Kringle.

That is all for now. Again, thank you to everyone who has left a message in the guest book below or even just viewed the page. We know that there are a lot of people concerned and offering many prayers for mom. THANKS.

Take care and we will keep you in touch.

Allen, Helen, Terry, Tom, Steve, Mike and Families

Wednesday, March 17, 2004 9:45 PM CST

Update No. 12 for Wednesday, March 17. Happy St. Patrick's Day

Dad phoned in this update today.

Update on Mom - Still waiting for the sedation and paralytic medicine to completely wear off. Dr. Terry said that it is completely depneds on each person.

Dad met with Dr. Terry this morning to discuss her condition. Dr. Terry was "very Impressed" (his words) with the results of the CT scan. Dad said this is the first time he has seen Dr. Terry respond in such a positive way. He said all it was before was the usual doctor straight face stuff. Dr. Terry said Mom is able to wiggle her fingers on both hands on command and that the eyes are starting to flex to open up. They are planning on weaning her off the ventilator as soon as possible. The sonogram on heart indicated that the blood clot probably came from the heart. He will prescribe blood thinner medicine to help control this.

Dr. Terry said he would give dad a copy of the CT scan to post on the website if we would like. Also, he said he would bring in the digital camera for a picture of mom when she is up in bed smiling.

Update on Dad - Dad is doing well. Mike returned to Wisconsin today. Dad said now he might get some good sleep. He said Mike is the king of the snores. I know dad is no slouch himself. The last night I was there I had both of them snoring in stereo on both sides of my head. I do not know how mom and Julie get any sleep.

Mike said Dad would have someone checking in on him. Linda Landoll told Mike she would keep track of dad. All of the boys were introduced to Linda. Linda works at the hospital (as an emergency room social worker I believe) and the first day/night she was unbelievable how she helped dad and our family. When dad and mom arrived at the emergency room, dad had a million things on his mind to say the least. Linda was able to get hold of us boys to explain what had happened, how things looked, etc. She took dad over to the hotel checked him in and drove him back to the hospital. All after 5:00 p.m. She then called Lou Ann that night and gave Lou Ann her home and cell phone numbers and said she would pick up Tom at the airport at 11:00 p.m. that night if he needed a ride. She also took mom's clothes home, laundered them and returned them to dad. To say the least, she is a very super person and our family will be forever grateful for the kindness and assistance she provided dad, mom and our family. Linda, thank you very much.

That is all for now. Thanks again for all of the prayers and messages left below in the guestbook.

Take Care and we will keep you in touch.

Allen, Helen, Terry, Tom, Steve, Mike and Families

Tuesday, March 16, 2004 9:23 PM CST

Update No. 11 for Tuesday, March 16. I talked to Mike and Dad on the phone tonight (Tuesday, 3-16) for this update. Mike is coming back to Wisconsin on Wednesday (3-17) with a morning flight out of Wichita. Hope his trip is better than mine.

Update on Mom – No big changes in her responses yet. The sedation and paralytic medicine are slowly working their way out of her body. Dr. Terry said it just depends on each individual and that some take longer than others. Remember patience. Just have to take it day by day.

The performed a sonogram on mom’s heart today. Mike and Dad had a meeting set up with Dr. Terry this afternoon to discuss the results of the CT scan and the sonogram. However, as they were getting ready for the meeting another stroke patient came to the emergency room and Dr. Terry had to go take care of that patient. Dr. Terry will meet with Dad on Weds. (3-17).

Update on Dad – Dad beat Mike 2 out of 3 games in gin and was up large on the last game when Mike said he had to go to bed. As stated above, Mike is leaving Wednesday for Wisconsin. Dad said he would be all right by himself. I think he needs some time by himself since all four of the boys have been with him for the last 3 weeks. That is probably the most time he has had with each one of us alone in a very long time. I know each of us got to spend a lot of quality time with him talking about everything from college hoops, baseball, how to play gin, etc. We probably brought him up to speed on a lot of things that have happened over the last few years in more detail and we got to share our thoughts with him, which was good for all of us. He is doing much better and we all have our cell phones and regular phones ready for nightly updates and talks. If need be we can get down to Wichita in a flash if required.

That is all for now. Again, thank you to everyone who has left a message in the guest book below or even just viewed the page. We know that there are a lot of people concerned and offering many prayers for mom. THANKS.

Take care and we will keep you in touch.

Allen, Helen, Terry, Tom, Steve, Mike and Families

Tuesday, March 16, 2004 9:20 AM CST

Update No. 10 for Monday, March 15. Mike is faxing the information to me in Sheboygan and then I enter the update onto the website.

Update on Mom – A CT scan was performed and the results were positive. The stroke did not further damage other parts of the brain and the swelling is no longer a concern.

We had a chance to see Dr. Terry perform stimulation tests on Mom to test her response. (Wow) She is one tough lady – when the drugs finally wear off she is going to give Dr. Terry a backhand to the face that his kids will feel. He has to aggressively shake her to test for response from the extremities. He also flicks his finger toward her eyes when they open and she is responding positively. Dr. Terry reiterated it is still too early to discover the extent of the damage because the sedation medicine is still wearing off. But, all responses are average which is great !!

Update on Dad – Dad is doing well. He finally gets to see mom move and open her eyes, which is keeping his spirits, elevated. We both worked out on the treadmill and did a load of wash. We also played a game of gin. Somehow, I am beating him by a hundred points, which makes me wonder about my older brother’s intelligence. But, he could be setting me up for the next game, which we will play for money.

That is all for now. Again, thank you to everyone who has left a message in the guest book below or even just viewed the page. We know that there are a lot of people concerned and offering many prayers for mom. THANKS.

Take care and we will keep you in touch.

Terry, Tom, Steve, Mike and Families

Monday, March 15, 2004 10:45 AM CST

Update No. 9

Sorry this is so late. This is a combo report from Mike and I. I would have had it posted last night but my flights were delayed through Chicago again because of high winds. I was suppose to be in Sheboygan at 8:30 p.m. but did not get home until 11:30 p.m. To say the least a fun, fun trip. I left the hotel in Wichita at 2:00 p.m. after visiting mom in the 9:00 a.m. and at the noon hour time slots. Dr. Terry was at the hospital when we arrived for the 9:00 a.m. visit and Mike got to meet him. Again, I cannot say enough about the care mom has been receiving. All of the nurses and different specialists who came in to treat mom while I was there gave her great care and great respect. Truly, a wonderful staff and environment for mom.

Mike did not bring is laptop down so he will be faxing me the information and I will be posting on the website. So here goes from Mike:

The youngest Peterson finally made it down to see mother and dad. My 1st visit with Mom was on Saturday at 5:15 p.m. and my 1st impressions of her were all good.

Update on Mom – Sunday at 9:00 a.m. Dr. Terry was in and updated us on mom. They have taken mom completely off of the paralytic and sedation medicine. It will take approximately 3 to 4 days for the medicine to exit her system. She will then be fully responsive. So patience is still required. Just need to wait it out.

The staff is beginning to move her extremities to test for responsiveness. They are seeing good response from her when they test her (i.e., tickling of feet and pinching skin.) The oxygen and pressure from the ventilator has been reduced and she is now initiating all breathing on her own. They want to make sure she is fully responding before they completely take her off of the ventilator, which would happen after the sedation and paralytic medicine exit her system. Also the nurses stated her lungs sound very good with no signs of pneumonia.

When visiting on Sunday night, mom was flexing both of her feet without prior stimulation. That was about two minutes after the Badgers won the Big Ten basketball title, so all was good in Big Al’s world.

Update on Dad – Dad and Steve split two games of gin on Sunday. I think Steve ended up about $8 up for the week and dad said he could collect from Terry who lost that much to dad. My three older brothers did an excellent job and should be commending for the outstanding support they gave dad. The last 14 days were very tough and they kept dad’s spirits and hope very high.

Dad called Terry Kretz in Tucson last night and had a chance to talk to many of his snowbird friends in Arizona. Thanks again for your kind words as he really, really enjoyed the conversation.

Friends, family and faith are very important during these trying times. Again, thanks for all of the comments that we receive on the web site.

P.S. Dad wants to play me at gin for money. He must be missing taking money from his companions down in Arizona and Antigo.

That is all for now. Again, thank you to everyone who has left a message in the guest book below or even just viewed the page. We know that there are a lot of people concerned and offering many prayers for mom. THANKS.

Take care and we will keep you in touch.

Terry, Tom, Steve, Mike and Families

Saturday, March 13, 2004 9:14 PM CST

Update No. 8

Update on Mom – At our 9:00 a.m. visit the night went very good for mom. Her temp was at 37.6 Celsius. They also took her off the medicine, which was keeping her sedated. Again, depending on each person’s body the effects of the sedation medicine will take time to completely wear off. The nurse said you should start to see some reaction within 24/48 hours. While we were there the nurse showed that both feet are showing movement. Tickling the foot did this reaction and both feet were moving in reaction to the tickling. So as of today, she has been removed from the medicine keeping her from moving and from being sedated. At our noon visit basically same status as the 9:00 a.m. visit. Mike and I met Dad at 4:45 p.m. for our next visit. (Dad went to the chapel for the 4:00 p.m. service and I waited for Mike at the hotel. He arrived about 4:30 p.m.) When we all arrived at her room, she was propped up in the bed and there were no problems with propping her up. The nurse said sometimes the blood pressure could drop while doing this but no problems with this change in bed position. The nurse said Dr. Terry was in and they were checking movements in her limbs. Mom has responses in all of her limbs. She said the left arm was not as strong as the right but there was still movement. The less movement in the left side is not unusual because the stroke was on her right side of her brain. The right side of your brain controls the left side of your body. We left at 6:00 p.m. When we got to the elevator to leave, dad realized he left his hat in the room. Dad went back to get it. It was taking awhile so I went back to see what was up. I met dad in the hallway and he said that mom was starting to open her eyes. Mike and I went in and she was starting to open her eyes and it seemed she was responding to our voices. To say the least it was great to see. Keep those prayers coming because they are working.

Update on Dad – Dad finally won a gin game today. I think his luck must be changing. Hopefully, I can win one more before I leave tomorrow. We went to the Dillions Superstore with the public library in it and were able to print out all of the messages. I read them to mom at our noon visit. Thanks to everyone who has left a message for mom. We watched the Wisconsin game and with their win it just added to the day. Obviously after our visit at 6:00 p.m. his spirits are really lifted. We went to Terry and Dad’s favorite restaurant tonight and had their same seats - unbelievable. The seats are located at the bar and we were able to eat and watch the college hoops games on the television sets as we eat. The wait for a table in the restaurant was 90 minutes when we arrived.

Mike arrived at 4:30 p.m. Everything went well on his trip. I will be leaving tomorrow (Sunday) with a 2:45 p.m. flight out of Wichita. We have passed out the earplugs for tonight with 3 Peterson boys sleeping here. Hope they don’t have anyone in the room next to us. Mike and I are sharing a bed just like the good old days at 726 Graham Ave.

That is all for now. Again, thank you to everyone who has left a message in the guest book below or even just viewed the page. We know that there are a lot of people concerned and offering many prayers for mom. THANKS.

Take care and we will keep you in touch.

Terry, Tom, Steve, Mike and Families

Friday, March 12, 2004 7:47 PM CST

Update No. 7

Update on Mom - The warming up process is moving along nicely. At 9:00 a.m. she was at 35.8 and the graph indicated it she was at 37.0 about 7:00 a.m. The nurse said they were cooling her back down since she warmed up to fast. At our noon visit, she was 35.0, and at 12:50 p.m. dad & I saw her cough and her chin move. The nurse said yep that should start to happen since they took her off the medicine, which was keeping her body from moving. :-) At 5:00 p.m., her temp. was up to 37.6 and her upper body was moving. In addition the nurse said she is taking breaths on her own over the ventilator. :-) :-) So, far so good. Keep those prayers coming because they are working.

Update on Dad – I won another gin game against Dad today. Easy pickings. This afternoon I did a couple loads of laundry for him. He said he has never done the laundry before – shocked me. I think mom will have him do a few more loads now. Dad hit the exercise room this afternoon while I was doing the laundry. Watching hoops tonight except we cannot catch the Wisconsin game. Oh well.

Fr. Charlie called again today. It sure picked up dad's spirits. I guess Fr. Charlie was having troubles finding the website, he blamed it on work information from Terry Kretz. Hopefully, I gave him the right site address over the phone. Maybe someone can check with him tomorrow. But like I said he doesn’t need a link to the site since he has a direct link to the Big Guy anyways.

Mike is arriving tomorrow around 4:00 p.m.

That is all for now. Again, thank you to everyone who has left a message in the guest book below or even just viewed the page. We know that there are a lot of people concerned and offering many prayers for mom. THANKS.

Take care and we will keep you in touch.

Terry, Tom, Steve, Mike and Families

Thursday, March 11, 2004 8:41 PM CST

Update No. 6

Update on Mom - The warming up process is moving along slowly but surely. She increased her temperature by 1 degree today up to 35.5. So staying the course as planned. As she warms up, they will start to wean her off of the medicine, which is keeping her sedated. So, far so good.

Update on Dad – I won another gin game against Dad today. Mr. Madison, Dad said I could fill in Tuesdays at the Elks said I would make a great partner. He also said I had too many no brainer hands, but he forgets he taught me to play gin when I was a kid. We went for a walk to a local Walgreen’s this afternoon. It was a nice sunny walk. The temps. were in the low 50’s so it was nice. The area we walked through was not too bad during the day, but I definitely would not walk it at night. Dad is doing well. The toughest part is the waiting and wondering. But like I told him, worry about the things that you can control and stop worrying about things you cannot control because you cannot do anything about them anyways. Right now Tom, Terry and I have really been supporting dad since mom has been sedated since last Tuesday. It is definitely helping because with the routine of visits there is a lot of down time. Keeping his mind occupied is good for him. After mom is warmed back up, dad said he is ready to help in anyway possible.

I will be down here until Sunday. Mike is coming in on Saturday. I will be able to bring him up to speed with everything before I leave. Guess he is bringing a cribbage board must be reflective of his gin playing skills.

That is all for now. Again, thank you to everyone who has left a message in the guest book below or even just viewed the page. We know that there are a lot of people concerned and offering many prayers for mom. THANKS.

Take care and we will keep you in touch.

Terry, Tom, Steve, Mike and Families

Wednesday, March 10, 2004 8:10 PM CST

Update No. 5

Update on Mom - The warming up process is moving along slowly but surely. She is now up to 34.70 C from 33.70 C yesterday. Their goal is to be up to 35.50 C tomorrow. She needs to get to 37.00 C, which is normal body temperature. They have begun to wean mom off of the ventilator. They reduced the amount of oxygen being provided from the respirator from 100% to 50%. The oxygen level in her blood was very good. So, far so good.

Update on Dad – I won my gin game against Dad today. Since, Terry got swamped by him looks like am the gin king of the family. We will have to see how it goes tomorrow. This afternoon we went and found a golf range to hit some range balls at. We hit at the Wichita State University golf course. It is about 5 minutes from the hotel/hospital. I was using mom’s clubs and dad had his. I can see from today that the right-handers will be able to defend our two-year winning streak for the Peterson Open. FYI – The Peterson Open has been played since 1991. We play on the Saturday before Fathers Day. The Open pits the lefthanders (Dad, Terry & Tom) versus the right-handers (Steve, Mike and Phil Williams). We have expanded the field to include Tom Strasser and Jim “Spud” Kapusta for the lefthanders and Terry Kretz, Tim Strasser and Jason Brettigen have been playing for the right-handers. Depending who can make it we have had Bruce “The Hammer” Kommers, Scott “Meatball” Peterson, and Chris “Kiter” Kretz fill out the various teams. It looks like the right-handers might be three time champions but we will have to wait until this summer. The golf course is located on the WSU campus. The campus is very nice. While at WSU, the baseball stadium is located adjacent to the golf course. WSU was conducting an intersquad game. Dad and I watch a few innings. What a stadium. Seats 7,500. Dad looked at the park dimensions, (330 down the line, 375 to power alleys and 390 to center) and said with the aluminum bats they were using he could hit 75 homers at this park.

After our side trip to WSU, we found a Dillions Superstore (which is like a Wal-Mart Superstore) about one minute from the WSU campus. So we picked up bananas and apples for the hotel room. The Dillions also had a public library located inside it. Which was great so now Dad has a spot to go on the Internet and look at the messages left in the guest book below. We printed the current list of messages and took them back to the hospital. We read them to mom. We plan on reading them again once she is warmed back up. At least now, he has a good place to find some essentials and access a computer for the messages, which is only 6 minutes away.

That is all for now. Again, thank you to everyone who has left a message in the guest book below or even just viewed the page. We know that there are a lot of people concerned and offering many prayers for mom. THANKS.

Take care and we will keep you in touch.

Terry, Tom, Steve, Mike and Families

Tuesday, March 9, 2004 9:45 PM CST

Update No. 4

First of all – no big changes with mom. They are still in the warm-up mode. Based on today’s progress it will be Thursday at the very earliest and more likely Friday/Saturday before they get her back up to normal temperature. It is a slow process so patience needs to be a virtue.

Tonight at 6:00 p.m. (Tuesday, 3-9) we met with Dr. Terry. We discussed the current status and had a chance to view her CT scan of yesterday (March 8) versus her CT scan 24 hours after the stroke (Tuesday, March 2). He had a computer (size of a laptop) which we viewed the CT scans. It was amazing to see the differences. Also, to see the use of today’s technology and how it is being used in our medical field was great.

Talk about a small world. Dad and I went to Terry and Dad’s favorite restaurant down here and sat at their favorite seats. Dad and I were discussing basketball coaches in Wisconsin. The person one seat over from dad asked where we were from. Lo and behold he was originally from Schofield and went to school at DC Everest (graduated 1980). Said he played against the David and Terrell Schlundt and went on to play hoops at Eau Claire. John Flynn was his name and he works for Cargill in Wichita now. Asked him if he still was a Packer fan and he responded “4th and 26”. Good enough for me. Sure is a small world out there.

I had to break out the earplugs last night. Hopefully the hotel does not put anyone near us or they will be receiving complaints for noise while trying to get to sleep.

Not much else to add at this point. As stated earlier, we are in the wait and warm-up mode. Again, thanks for all of the kind words and prayers from everyone. They say prayer can do amazing things.

Take care and we will keep you in touch.

Terry, Tom, Steve, Mike and Families

Monday, March 8, 2004 8:26 PM CST

Update No. 3

Tonight at 5:30 p.m. (Monday, 3-8) we met with Dr. Terry. Good news – the swelling in the brain is receding and they have begun the process of warming mom back up. Dr. Terry explained that the process would take 2 to 3 days to bring her body temperature up. He stated this process can be more rocky than cooling her down. He said that everyone’s body reacts differently. Currently, there is no indication of infections or pneumonia but as they warm up the body those complications could occur. They just have to see how the body reacts and deal with those reactions appropriately. I cannot say enough about the care mom is receiving. The nurses and various specialists that stop in while we are there are top notch and are very good with mom. They are treating mom with great care and respect.

A little more about mom’s care – they have had her in a sedated state while the body is cooling down. The medicines they have given her slow the body and brain functions down. The slowing down of the brain functions was crucial to aid in the reduction of the swelling. Basically, if the brain is functioning at a full state, it is requiring blood/oxygen to work. By slowing down the function, the brain does not require a large amount of blood and the swelling can recede. They will be using a lighter sedation medicine during the warm up process. The reason is that when the person is warming up they still have the body in a relaxed state and they do not want the patient to become frightened when they cannot move right away. This way mentally and physically they can bring mom back up at the same time.

A little more about dad – The Kansas Inn in which we are staying is 312 steps from the hospital. It is located on the medical campus. We walk over for the visits. He has a refrigerator and microwave in his room. They have a washer and dryer on his floor. Terry did a load of his laundry before he left so he should be good until Mike arrives. We all know how good Mike is with the laundry so don’t be surprised if he shows up with pink clothes. Dad and I slept well last night. He only woke me up twice with his snoring. I brought earplugs for both of us if it gets bad. Terry lost every gin game with dad while I am winning our current game. Penny a point, 10 cents a box and $3/game. Hopefully, I can squeeze it out for the win.

Again, thanks for all of the kind words and prayers from everyone. They say prayer can do amazing things.

Take care and we will keep you in touch.

Terry, Tom, Steve, Mike and Families

Monday, March 8, 2004 11:32 AM CST

Sorry about the delay in getting an update on the site. There were no changes Sat. and I was traveling here to Wichita on Sunday. Flight was delayed out of Green Bay by two hours – high winds in Chicago so I did not get down here until 10:00 last night.

First of all no changes with Mom. We just returned from our morning visit. The nurse caring for mom gave us an update since yesterday (Sunday). There are still in the “cooling” process. As stated on the previous update, they have lowered her body temperature to assist in dealing with the swelling in the brain. Her temperature is 91/92 degrees. They will be doing a CT scan today to determine if the swelling has plateau. Once the swelling has plateau, they will begin to slowly raise her body temperature. The nurse indicated it might be as slow as ˝ to 1 degree per day. The reason they do that is they do not want the body temperature to rise too fast because that can cause problems. So we are still in a wait and see mode. After they raise her temperature and get her up, then we have to deal with the effects of the stroke. The nurse said this might take some time to go through the complete process before they can release her and we can get her back to Wisconsin. Right now they have no indication how severe the effects will be and do not want us to think bad or good because they cannot tell at this time. So keep praying.

We get to see mom four (4) times a day. From 9-10 a.m., noon till 1:00 p.m., 4-6 p.m. and 8-10 p.m. She is looking remarkable well considering what happened. And no Terry, Tom and Mike – I did not faint when I saw her. They had a running bet if I was going to faint because when Dad was in for his heart surgery, they were showing as a film regarding the surgery and I did a little header. So you can stop worrying that Dad was going to have a 2 for 1 special in the hospital.

I am really impressed with the medical staff that mom has attending to her. The nurse explained that mom was very lucky to be where she was when she had the stroke. There are no other stroke specialist hospitals in Missouri, Okalahoma or Nebraska. Mom’s physician, Dr. Terry is one of only 70 neurointensivists in the nation. Dad was telling me last night, when mom had the stroke at the McDonald’s there was a nurse who was in the McDonalds who came over to assist and right away determined it was a stroke. By the time they had mom to the local hospital (Wellington) they already had Dr. Terry involved in the case and they immediately transferred mom here to Wichita. So from a medical side, she is in good hands.

Dad is doing well. He says he is getting better and better everyday. He realizes that there will be changes in their life style after this and he is prepared to do whatever is required. They have a fitness room at the hotel and he is trying to do it for approximately one hour per day. If the weather is good tomorrow, might try to find a golf range to take some stress out on the little white balls.

We would like to thank everyone for the overwhelming support everyone has given our families. As you can see from the guest book and the number of times this site has been accessed, there are many people concerned about Mom. I am going to read the messages to her this afternoon. The hospital does not have a computer for dad to access and print off the messages but we found out the public library is 5 minutes away and we can do that there. So I will take dad down and show him how to access and print your messages. We thank each and every one of you for thinking and praying for her. Father Charlie, I know dad appreciates the phone calls you give him.

Currently, they are not allowing any flowers or balloons etc in her room. They have one silk flower arrangement in the room but no others. Once they can move her out of the NCCU ICU unit then real flowers, etc would be acceptable. We will keep everyone informed of that. Dad and I picked up her mail today. Thanks to everyone who has send cards. We are going to wait and open them with Mom when she is up. Lou Ann we received the photos for the room – thanks.

Well that is it for now. Thanks again for caring and keep your prayers for mom.

Terry, Tom, Steve, Mike and Families.

Friday, March 5, 2004 9:28 PM CST

If you are on this site, you must have already heard about Mom's stroke. Some info. about the first day ( Monday, March 1), Mom & Dad were walking into a McDonald's just south of Wichita, Kansas and Mom started to faint/fall over. Dad and another person caught her before she hit the pavement. She was rushed to a local hospital and then forwarded to Via Christi Regional Medical Center - St. Francis Campus in Wichita. This hospital has the capability of pulling a stroke team of medical staff together in 15 minutes and that is what happened. The medical team was able to administer the blood clot buster medicine tPA which if given within the first three hours of a stroke is very good for the body/brain.

The boys (Terry, Tom, Steve and Mike) found out about the stroke around 4:00 p.m. Tom was able to catch a flight out of Milwaukee that night at 7 and arrived in Wichita around 11:30 p.m. He went to the hospital to see mom and dad. Mom was able to recognize Tom's voice and answered questions regarding what year it was and the name of her grandchildren. She was not able to open her eyes at this point. On Tuesday, the medical staff placed her on medicine to "cool" the brain and body down. A CT scan indicated that she had some swelling of the brain. Mom has been on this medicine since Tuesday. She has been receiving CT scans to determine the condition of the swelling. The medical team indicated it will be Sun. or Monday (3-7/8) before they will be able to take her off the medicine which is "cooling" the brain and body. At that point, they will be better able to determine what the next steps are.

The doctor mom has is one of the top stroke specialists in the nation. So from the medical side she is in good hands.

The doctor explained that there is three stages of a stroke. The first is surviving the stroke, the second is dealing with the after effects of the stroke and the third is therapy. We are in stage 2 and still waiting to see what the after effects are/will be. I guess this weeks Newsweek has a big article on strokes and the care etc. I will be going out tomorrow to purchase one.

Tom was down with Mom & Dad from Monday through Thursday. Terry took his place on Thursday and will remain until Sunday. Steve will be going down Sunday through Thursday and then Mike will be taking over.

Dad is doing okay. First couple days were rough for him but I think he is getting better. I will know more when I am down by him on Sunday.

Please feel free to send Mom messages with your thoughts, stories, questions and encouragement. At the bottom of this page, you will find a link (GUEST BOOK) which allows you send your messages to Mom. We plan to check them daily and read them to her, I think this will help her recovery.

We cannot express our appreciation and gratitude to everyone who has called, helped and offered to help. There is no replacement for good friends and family, we truly are blessed.

With Love,
Terry, Tom, Steve, Mike and Families

P.S. please find hospital info below and the link (Guest Book)to send Mom a message.

Friday, March 5, 2004 11:22 AM CST

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