Oh man, where to even begin....

Brad had the partial blockage surgery on Feb 5th, the surgeon ended up creating like an intestinal bypass to eliminate the area that was getting blocked up. A few days after surgery the incision started to get red and hot, so they decided to remove a few staples and let any drainage out. After a day of a lot of drainage, it still was red, and looking infected. He spiked a fever and rapid response team was called in to collect all the cultures and start him on iv antibiotics.. His fever went away, and he actually seemed to start feeling better. By this point he still wasn't eating so we really weren't sure if the surgery was successful at this point either. The boys (and Bella) came down to visit on Saturday, it was so great and really boosted Brads spirits!

The next morning, Feb 11th, when the nurse went to change his abdominal dressing, she was surprised to see a lot more than expected. He stomach had become more distended and quite a few staples had ripped out, which meant we could actually see parts of his intestine! She immediately called the surgeon and he booked the OR. It was supposed to be a pretty basic surgery to make sure there was no free fluid, or infection inside, and then close him back him up. After only a few hours the surgeon came and told me everything went well, no infection internally, and he now had some tension sutures in place.

Well, after waiting to see him in recovery, a nurse finally saw me waiting and said the anesthesiologist wanted to talk with me. I assumed he must have woken up rough. Once he finally came and talked to me he explained that he had aspirated, his O2 had dropped, and that he would need assistance breathing and would be kept sedated. This would give his lungs a change to heal. It also provided some time for the new sutures to close. He was kept in the SICU for about 10 days. Lots of sedation was needed, because he is one feisty man!

Once he was awake he shared all the funny things he dreamt about, which he thought really happened! I laughed for hours explaining things. He immediately had a sense of humor and all the nurses (and Drs) were shocked at how well he woke up, and how well he was doing. If you want a laugh ask him about his other life sometime :)

Now we are back to floor we were on before, he is still on iv antibiotics and getting iv nutrition. He is super weak after being in bed for 8 days straight, so will go into their rehab as soon as possible (thanks to Aunt Chris for her wise words on the rehab boost). The biggest thing is he had had output, which means the surgery was successful, and though his taste buds aren't the best due to meds, he can finally EAT!!!! He has been waiting for so long to eat, we have been talking about recipes and things he wants once he is home. We did doordash some food here (thanks for the doordash gift cards!!!) and man that's a lot better than the hospital food has been trying to eat.

Its been soo many weeks in the hospital and with him sleeping I have been staying close by, my cousin Kate lives super close and has shared her place with me, that has been a game changer and money saver. Added bonus, we have had some special time to reconnect. He has had a few special visitors, and thats meant alot to him as well. We are truly blessed with some great people surrounding us. 

That being said, I am sure most people are aware there is another fundraiser next weekend ( so many thanks to Shauna for planning it), and man oh man, after all this, it couldn't have come at a better time. He still had a lung biopsy scheduled for a few nodules, so we aren't sure what treatment or surgery may be needed, but now that he can eat, he can get stronger and fight even harder. 

The boys have been amazing taking care of the house, and dogs (who are not happy I'm gone). Landyn's grandparents gifted us with our entire house being professionally cleaned, and even carpets cleaned! That made us feel spoiled, now we have to get home to enjoy it!!!

We have some badass raffles that I will also share on my Facebook again, so if you aren't able to attend you can still get in on them! I'm pretty sure we have:  $500 Amazon gift card, yeti cooler package,  $500 frozen meat package, Fender guitar, horseshoes, knife, and lots of gift baskets there. 

Any donations are greatly appreciated as we get through this rough patch... gas cards, doordash, restaurant gift cards help us alot while in the hospital...

This journey had been longer and harder than we ever imagined.

I will try to do another update soon, its just been so much and we weren't really sure how much to share. We love and appreciate everyone so so incredibly much!! I'm hoping that I can at least show up for this fundraiser and see everyone, its been so long, and I miss people

venmo: dharrington1023

cashapp: Dana1023

Zelle: 810 962-4734