#316

It was a big day at the Smith house. Fred went to the doctor as scheduled to get his catheter removed. It has been a trying week since his procedure, but he has done exceptionally well given his circumstance.

They did tell him today that the cancer in prostate was "outside the margin" or outside the organ. The surgeon saw that/suspected that during the operation and believes that he got it all. However, just to be sure, Fred will get blood tests every five weeks to check for evidence that it spread beyond the prostate.

After two trips to the doctor, Fred and Elaine headed over to True Foods with Richie and Julie for relaxing and healthy dinner.

We can't believe that is has been a week since Fred's operation. He was a pillar of strength suffering through his procedure and the aftermath without complaint. We are incredibly impressed by his strength!

Of course, he had a great role model in Elaine. The last 11 months haven't been easy, but she has clawed her way back to her old life. It won't be long before she is at the grocery store twice a day just like old times! :).

Fred and Elaine have had more than their share of crap thrown their way, but they have persevered and are thriving! We are so proud of them!

In other news, we are happy to report that Ben's dad is finally off the breathing machine and is recovering well (though slowly) in ICU. He should be moving to the regular floor tomorrow and be home soon after.

#315

We are so proud of Fred as he not only kicked cancer's butt, but he is also pushing himself to take long walks and keep moving. He feels really good, although his stomach looks like he got in a massive fight. His entire right side is black and blue. This is likely attributed to the dancing lesson he tried to give in recovery. Fortunately, it looks much worse than it feels. He is well on his way to 100%. He even ditched the bucket today and strapped on the smaller bag. We are so thankful his recovery is going so well.

The Smiths had a great night of sleep as well. Elaine continues to work hard. She had Pilates today, but went early to the gym so she could ride the bike. She is really progressing and her instructor is thrilled with her progress and the muscles she is building on her left side.

In other news, Elaine is exhausted all the time. We have tested her blood, and everything came back normal. The conclusion we have come to, is that everything she does takes SO much effort for her. While Elaine has made incredible progress, everything she does is hard on her. Getting out of a chair, tying her shoes, taking a plate to the sink, these are little things we do without thinking. These are things Elaine had to learn to do again, all the while still having her body ache from head to toe. She doesn't complain, and she is without pain medication. We are hopeful the pain will subside soon. We have been told the the neurological pains typically stop after about a year. Fred said he is so inspired by Elaine and all she is and has gone through. It quickly put in perspective his recovery.

#314

Considering that they never really left the house, it was a pretty busy Sunday for Fred and Elaine. We are sure it feels that every time the Francois family comes over - especially when they come at 9 AM and don't leave until the afternoon. When you mix in a visit from Fred's son, Freddie, and Ron, it makes for a pretty active day.

Thankfully, Julie was there in the morning to make the most delicious pancakes (with Bella who was a hit for the kids - and Staci who is now a little dog crazy). Later in the afternoon, Richie came by for a visit, too!

Julie made a wonderful turkey breast for dinner. And now that "it" has happened, Fred is cleared to eat whatever he likes!

All in all, it was a great day with family and great friends! Here is a great photo from this morning when almost everyone was involved in making pancakes. Talk about too many cooks in the kitchen!

#313

Fred continues down the first few steps on the road to recovery following his surgery two days ago. He mostly rested today, and is feeling pretty good overall. Of course, he is experiencing some soreness in his abdomen and shoulders (shoulders because of the odd position he was in during the procedure). 

The Francois family came by this morning to drop off coffee and bagels. Elaine was already out at Pilates on her own. When she came back home, we realized that it can take a village to clean a catheter!  After everyone was situated, Fred led the whole family on a walk around the neighborhood! 

There were some questions about the purpose of Fred's bucket. It is the carrying case for the catheter bag. Not pleasant, but now you know! In related news, the doctor told Fred that the bag would last 12 hours. The doctor was wrong. Fred learned that and fixed that at 4 am this morning. Mr. Independent! 

Hopefully, everyone gets some sleep tonight and the bucket doesn't get too messy!

#312

We got Fred home today, and he is thrilled to be there! The night went well, and his pain has been pretty bearable. As the day wore on, his back and shoulders were really sore from being on the operating table for so long and in such an odd position. He is having a massage this evening to hopefully relieve some of the tension.

Fred has an additional reason for his soreness. Apparently, he kept trying to get up and said he wanted to dance when he first got to the recovery room.  At one point, he even ripped his drain out from his side from all his crazy movements. Anyone that has seen him on the dance floor will believe that:)

Fred's eyes started to clear up mid-morning. The doctor said its rare for that to happen and it's from the position of his head during surgery being bent back. Apparently, when you have surgery they run all kinds of fluids through your body. Since Fred's head was below his body, the fluids went towards his eyes. Eventually, those fluids crystallized, Fred rubbed his eyes, and it caused soreness, swelling, and blurred vision. The Doc said it happens 3-4 times a year. Fortunately, his eye sight continued to improve, and Fred didn't want to stay in the hospital just to see the eye doctor. All his numbers were good and the doctor cleared him to go home!

The kids were waiting at the house to greet Fred when Julie and Richie brought him home this afternoon. Fred was starving so Elaine had eggs and jello waiting for him.  He is on a soft diet for the next few days. Fred and Elaine were cracking up as they were trying to figure out the catheter. Staci was there when the nurse was explaining it, so she was trying to teach them. It was quite entertaining. It will be an interesting week.

It is a good thing that Fred and Elaine are very experienced at laughing through their trials. They wanted to go out for a little walk to get some fresh air this afternoon. They (Fred) was certainly a site to be seen. He is trying to get used to carrying is little white bucket with him. Richie warned him that he will only walk away without it once:)

We got some especially great news this evening! The doctor called Fred to let him know that the biopsy results were back, and the cancer had not spread! The doctor rushed pathology because he was concerned that it had spread. His cancer was very, very aggressive. The doctor was shocked by its aggressiveness. This was one of the primary reasons the surgery took so long. His prostate was very enlarged and the cancer was aggressive and starting to spread outside the walls. He took his time to get as much of the area around it as possible, and that was very beneficial to Fred. It was a matter of a week or two that it would have spread at the rate it was going. There is no doubt that both Fred and Elaine have angels looking down on them. We are so grateful tonight! Thank you for your thoughts, prayers, and love. They have been answered!

Larry is also continuing to improve. He's still in ICU and on a respirator, but improving!

#311

The day started very early for us all. Elaine found Fred in the in the kitchen at 11:58pm devouring what was left of the ice cream. She said, "Fred you can't eat past midnight." He said, "I have two more minutes left and I am eating until 12!" He did too. It was a sleepless night, as you can imagine. Richie(also known as the greatest brother ever) picked Fred up at 5:30am. They checked into the hospital and Ben and Staci weren't far behind. Richie had Fred laughing and helped keep him calm, although Fred remained in good spirits during pre op.

Fred was anxious for his "juice." There was a slight delay.  Fred did forget to take off his "Love" bracelet that requires a screwdriver. The nurses were scrambling to find screwdrivers. Fortunately, Ben became MacGyver, and used a clip he found in his briefcase to get it off. Even the doctors were impressed:)

They wheeled him back about 7:30 am to start the procedure. It took longer than the 3 1/2-4 hours they excepted. They finished about 12:30. It went really well. His prostate was very enlarged, that is why it took longer. They had to go very slow with the robot at times, but they got it all. They got plenty of nodes to sample, and we should know the results next week. It appears to be contained to the prostate. Everything went as well as we could hope today. He was very sleepy all afternoon and evening. He did get up and walk tonight, and is ready to come home! He didn't have any pain this evening, his only source of discomfort are his eyes. They are burning and swollen. It is from the surgery, and the position of his head, likely because it took longer than anticipated. We are hopeful the medicine will not wear off until morning, and he has a restful night of sleep. 

Elaine was exhausted tonight. It was a long day. She was happy not to be the one in the hospital bed this time, but we are hoping to stay away from hospitals for the rest of the year. Elaine has been unusually tired, and cold. She walks around in a ski parka all the time. They did some blood work today to make sure everything is ok. She was relieved to have the day over and ready to take care of Fred! 

Thank you to everyone for your love, prayers, and concern. We are so grateful! Thank you for your prayers for Larry as well. After Fred was out, and Ben was able to see him, he headed to the desert to visit his dad in the hospital. Please continue to keep him in your prayers a well. Much love from the Smith and Francois Family and a HUGE thank you to Richie and Julie, who yet again, have come to our rescue! We are hopeful that we will be able to bring Fred home tomorrow afternoon. 

#310

We are all anxious for tomorrow and ready for Fred to have his procedure. The Smiths are in good spirits and Elaine is buzzing around town! Elaine looks great! She is clear headed and medication free, we are proud to announce! She went through some aches and pains like a champion, but is ready to resume her role as Fred's caretaker! She has been going to Pilates for her appointments and on her own to ride the bike. Fred has done all his necessary prep work, and has his package of post op surgery goodies. He is very optimistic, as we all are!

We are asking for another favor tonight. The love, prayers and concern you have showed  Fred and Elaine are so appreciated! We ask that you please add Ben's father, Larry to them as well. He is in the hospital as well, currently in ICU. He has a horrible case of pneumonia, one of the worst the hospital has seen. He is going on a ventilator tonight to give his lungs some rest. He is really struggling to breathe and has been wearing a very invasive oxygen mask and it is not giving his lungs enough of a break and they need to heal. Please say an extra prayer for him, as well as the whole Francois family. Thank you!

We are bring in 2013 with a BANG, but thinking our official "new year" begins on January 27th! A HUGE shout out to Dr. Barry Hackshaw who is Elaine's cardiologist, Fred's phone mate a few times a week (discussing Elaine's ever changing INR level), and is also overseeing Larry in the hospital, acting as both a doctor, and most importantly, a friend. It is rare to find someone like Dr. Hackshaw in the medical world and we are so grateful to have him on our side!!