When my in-laws came for an extended visit over Labor Day
weekend, none of us anticipated what was actually in store. It's hard to fully verbalize the last few weeks, but here's a
basic overview of the events:
Thursday, August 28th: Randy, Lori, and Christopher (their nephew) arrived to Austin with plans for a fun, relaxing weekend. Throughout the next few days my parents, brothers, sister-in-law, and niece all were all coming into town for a visit as well. We had intentions of go-carting, grilling out, playing games, etc. We were a little spread out with a portion of my family at our house in Buda, a few at a hotel, and most of the Rousch family at Andrew and Carolyn's place in northwest Austin. Our goal was to coordinate time together as one big group.
Friday, August 29th:
Pretty much all of the Rousch family (minus a few of us with other commitments) went to play a round of golf. The Keeler crew was still making their way to Austin to meet up with us all. That evening everything seemed to be fairly normal, but over the night Randy grew concerned about some swelling that he was having in his joint along with some chest pain.
Saturday, August 30th:
Early on Saturday, Randy went to the Seton Northwest ER; Randy had thought he was just having an allergic reaction to ibuprofen. After several tests and x-rays the doctors discovered clots throughout his body, particularly in his legs, left arm, and lungs. They also noticed a small spot of concern on his lung. Over the days there were discussions about a biopsy. However, the focus was on addressing the blood clots, so they could later perform a lung biopsy without worry of dislodging the current clots. Randy was given blood thinners to help with the clots, and the plan was that he would take those for 30 days before having a biopsy performed back in Little Rock.
Thursday, September 4th:
Since Randy seemed to be doing fairly well we got Christopher on a flight back to his car in Arkansas, so he could make his drive back to home to Tennessee. Randy was released from Seton Northwest. Randy and Lori headed down to Buda on that Thursday to spend a few days with me and Ryan before they planned to drive back to Arkansas. Around 10:30PM, Ryan drove Randy and Lori to the Seton Hays ER; at that time we thought Randy was having a heart attack. Lori, Andrew, Carolyn, Ryan and I spent the evening in the hospital waiting for answers. Through pain medications they were able to ease some of Randy's discomfort; it appeared that his chest pain was actually being caused by the clots in his lungs.
Friday, September 5th:
Randy
was moved to a room in Seton Hays. The doctors had joked with him about
his hospital tour of the Austin area. Randy was doing fairly well, but
it was obvious that he was still in discomfort. Randy's appetite seemed to disappear; he
ate very little throughout the weekend. Over the next few days, Randy, Lori, and their boys enjoyed watching their teams
(Tennessee, Arkansas, and Miami) all win their games...which is a rare
occurrence for all three to have a victory on the same weekend. As the weekend
progressed, we anticipated that Randy would be released on Monday morning.
Monday, September 8th:
Ryan received an urgent call from his mom asking
that he get to the hospital as soon as possible. Around 6:30AM
Lori had assisted Randy in walking to the bathroom, and on their way
back to his bed it was obvious that something was wrong. He stopped Lori
as they were walking, hugged her, and the he began mumbling and
wouldn't respond to directions. Lori somehow managed to get him to the
bed and call a nurse for assistance. Thankfully a nurse made it to
their side within seconds. Randy suffered a major stroke that morning,
and initially the prognosis was grim. There were clots on both sides of
his brain, and the right side of his brain was the most significantly
effected. It was evident that Randy needed
additional care and attention, so the hospital had Randy transferred to
Seton Main (in central Austin). Throughout the day, we saw more hope
for improvement in Randy as he was able to recognize and remember
everyone. He was also able to speak fairly well and move his limbs,
although it was obvious that the stroke had taken a toll on his left
side. Due to the effect of the stroke, Randy experiences something
called Left Side Neglect; essentially he can see things that are in his
left side sight-line, but his brain cannot process that anything is
actually there. For example, if he had a plate of food in front of him,
he would only eat from the right side. It was definitely a difficult
and emotional day. He stayed in ICU for a few days under close watch.
The doctors
started to investigate how his body could still produce clots while
being on blood thinners. The information seemed to point to the node on
his lung being cancerous.
Tuesday, September 9th:
Shannon
(Randy's niece), David (Randy's brother), and Larry and Mary (Lori's
parents) all came into town. Over the upcoming days, additional friends
and family members came by to visit. Randy seemed to improve a little
bit each day, and I think all the time with family and friends continued
to be an encouragement to Randy (and the rest of the family). If I
remember correctly, I believe that this is the day that Randy received a
feeding tube.
Thursday, September 11th:
Randy
was moved out of ICU to IMU (Intermediate Care) which meant that more
family/friends could be present with him at one time. It was also a
small sign of progress. The doctors performed a lung biopsy on Randy
that morning, and scheduled and MRI for that afternoon. Between
physical therapy, occupational therapy, visits with several specialists,
etc...it was apparent that Randy was fatigued. Through the course of
the evening (or early on Friday) Randy's feeding tube came out.
Friday, September 12th:
The
doctors confirmed that the node on Randy's lungs is cancerous. They
spoke with Randy and Lori about chemotherapy, and the doctors allowed
Randy some time to process and think about that decision. Randy also
had to go through a swallow test to see if he could have liquids and
pureed food instead of having the feeding tube reinserted; he didn't pass the test on
Friday. However the speech therapist offered an X-Ray swallow scan that could
clear him of needing the feeding tube.
There were huge
milestones on Friday. Randy moved out of the bed to the chair for a
while, and he was able to stand with assistance during his therapy. It
was his first time to do both of these things since his stroke.
Saturday, September 13th:
After
the X-Ray swallowing scan Randy was cleared to have liquids and pureed foods on
his own. Larry made his famous creamed potatoes for Randy, which I know was a real treat after weeks of hospital food.
Tuesday, September 16th:
To my current knowledge, Randy's chemotherapy will begin tomorrow.
Tuesday, September 16th:
To my current knowledge, Randy's chemotherapy will begin tomorrow.
Even though Randy is improving daily, he is still facing a long road to recovery. I know that the entire family
would appreciate any and all prayers for the following:
1. For Randy to continue gaining physical and mental strength each day.
2. For Randy to remain steadfast in his sense of hope and faith, despite the discouraging circumstances.
3. For Randy to continue developing his speech and physical mobility.
4. That the chemotherapy will eliminate any cancer present in his body.
5. That the elimination of cancer in his body would resolve his blood clotting issues.
6. That those who surround Randy would be granted the words and tools to best encourage him during this difficult time.
6. That those who surround Randy would be granted the words and tools to best encourage him during this difficult time.
