This is Shawn showing off his incision

Obviously I don't know how to do this

This is Post-op Day # 3 Sara was very excited to see her dad. All gowned and gloved and her sweetness shines right through

Post-op Day # Two

Here he was pretty fresh off of the vent, looking a little stoned.
He is smiling under there I swear!

The Big Day Thanksgiving Morning

This is Shawn the morning of looking very "lost in thought" about twenty minutes after the call.





Shawn Sara and I all packed and ready to go. I had to take these shots and I am glad I did.

It's been soooo long

Well what can I say....my life is very different today than it was just three weeks ago. Wow. Shawn is doing great, he looks fantastic, clinically he is surpassing all of the Team's expectations, attitude wise he is positive and upbeat, realistic and hopeful.

The first couple of days he was home were really awkward. I had become accustomed to Shawn getting up in the morning and moving from the bedroom to the couch. There I would bring him his treatments, breakfast, treatments, snack,treatments, lunch, treatments, snack, treatments, dinner, treatments snack, bedtime.
Not that he did nothing at all but I guess he did much less than I recognized.

I say that because now he is up and around all day, in my space, in my kitchen, taking care of himself and even taking care of Sara and I. Preparing meals, throwing on laundry, making the bed. Ohhhhh the humanity.

So many things changed in our relationship when he got sick, but they changed a little at a time so I guess I didn't notice. Plus they were being replaced with other tasks r/t his being sick. Little by little his lungs stole our "life" away from us.
Being in bed with him and chit chatting in the middle of the night

Yikes I had to stop typing on 12/19 and today is 12/22nd so I have to catch up. I'll start a new post

My Babe Can Breathe

It's amazing yesterday I could not come in to see Shawn, things had to be taken care of during the day and then my truck crapped out. Perfect timing because it got me to take it off of the road and get the Jeep reg/ins etc.

I missed Shawn, I talked to him several times but it wasn't the same. Especially when I knew he was really hurting. I couldn't comfort him. You know we both got through it and we're just fine.

I feel good, I feel tired but so relieved. I feel at peace, taken care of, and just trying to stay in the positive, in the light.
People often ask me what can we do and I never know what to say because I can't ever think of anything. Last night a good friend of mine and a fellow mother at my dgtrs school, called and delivered at least a weeks worth of dinners/lunches. I was so excited over it. Sara and I felt like we were feasting! It was wonderful, to not have to think about what to eat was great.
My girlfriend was almost as excited about it as I was. I'm so thankful.

These awful last four years are finally going to be behind us. The house, the bills but most of all his suffering, it is now in the past.
We're moving forward with our new life. Our healthy new positive peaceful life.
Amen

Monday and still amazing me

Shawn is doing so great. Today he has had his cardiac wires and two of his chest tubes removed. He is on a liquid diet, but is thankful for even that in his belly. He has been on 1L via NC and his sats are 99%, they are going to d/c that but gently for security issues. The trauma to the LLL is quickly resolving, his incision looks great. No complaints, no issues so far so good. I spoke at length with the surgeon he is clearly thrilled with Shawn's course thus far. They were going to transfer him out of ICU today but a bed wasn't going to be available until tomorrow, so the plan is tomorrow he'll be in the step down. Woo Hoo !

I still feel kind of dopey, sureal experience. I'm so thankful, so grateful. I love to just look at him, I can't believe it even though I know it. We're on the other side now. Our new life is starting and it is wonderful.

Sara Lou is doing great. Since nothing was rushed, frantic there was no anxiety. She came to see him once he was extubated. She is used to seeing him in the hospital so that's no big deal, but she was interested in seeing that incision. I like to see it too. Seeing it is very comforting, it makes me feel safe because I know it's real and I know he's living and breathing in peace, with us, together.