Finally, I can stop being a jerk!

I've been on this rant lately and it's about time to get off that horse. (You know, the high-horse). I'm not quite sure what that means but I think the average reader can follow me.

I've been very interested in social justice issues and I will always be because I believe that Christ was very much in tune with such issues. In my own efforts to better educate myself on some of these issues and Christian response, I've come across the ONE campaign and Sojourners. Bono and Jim asked me to specifically mention the websites because they know how much traffic my blog generates. Ha. Anyway, somewhere along the way I really began to hunger for justice more than ever. Along with justice comes accountability and that's where I began to harp. Before I knew it, I was condemning everyone around me by their actions. I wasn't condemning out of hate or dislike, but I think it was because I allowed my eyes to be opened in a new way to valid social issues.

This was especially evident in my driving. On the one hand, I try my best to be courteous and defensive, always looking out for others. I switch lanes when I pass a pedestrian or cyclist as a way to show them courtesy...and just to be safe, because you never know what might happen that would could cause me to hit them or them to fall into my path. After thinking about someone other than myself, it just made sense to me to practice courtesy behind the wheel-and always be mindful of how others perceive my driving...especially from a safety prospective.
On the other hand, I was quick to tell many other drivers where they have erred. One time, this kid passed me on Sayles Blvd. in Abilene. I was doing 35, which was the speed limit and I guarantee you he was doing 60+. I took it into my own hands to follow that idiot. Now, being from Abilene, I'm familiar with the cruising scene enough to know that he was probably headed to Sonic on N. 1st. I didn't speed, and I followed all traffic laws on the way to Sonic...so as not to spoil my own driving "witness." I spotted the kid at Sonic...already sipping on his Cherry Vanilla DP, or whatever(I just wanted to show you how long he had been there before I arrived to bring home the point about how fast he was driving). I blocked in his truck and dialed up the APD. Yep, I was going to teach that punk a lesson. He came over to the car and I began to lay into him about how he could have killed someone and if I ever caught him doing it again I would...then I remembered that I was on the phone with the dispatch officer from APD...so I finished my threat with a stern "...well, you'll be sorry."

I've had similar reactions toward fat, rich, ego-centric Americans in general, except I called God directly to point out their gluttonous ways. Some of my study caused me to latch on to Campolo and Sider and I've yet to look back. Though I still haven't finished Sider's book because I've been sidetracked by this one and this one. As my eyes were being opened to my own short-comings, I was also becoming more aware of the common sins of the average Christian. I guess I wasn't becoming more aware of them, I mean we've been pretty blatant as Christians with our sins against culture and humanity as a whole, so much as I was becoming fed up. I wanted to be different and I was tired of being identified with a bunch of un-loving, self-seeking, so-called God-lovers. I wanted so much to be my own Christian, to break free from the mold of American Christianity and show the world that "we're not all like that." I was ready to do this one mercedes and 3 lb. hamburger at a time.

The problem is that I became the very thing I was trying to fight against...a hateful Christian, basically. I didn't hate the homeless or poor or homosexual, in an ironic change of heart I actually loved those people...I hated the self-righteous and self-seeking Christianity that seems to plague our churches today. I tried to compartmentalize and love the "sinners" while hating those who I felt were tearing apart the message of Christ, but called themselves believers. I literally could extend more love and compassion to Saddam Hussein than my baptist brother who happened to fall a little further right than me on the scale.

In the last week, I think I've finally realized how much of my life was effected by this "quest for justice." I had become so bitter, so anti-system and "stick it to the man" that I totally glossed over the fact that I was basically hating my brothers and sisters.

In addition to all that, I began to take on a victim complex and my cynicism grew out of control. I trusted no one and anyone that had previously been the object of my "justice thoughts" was removed from my circle of friends. After all, they had wronged someone in some way and sold out to money or power or whatever the case may have been. Hate continued to grow.

I have to tell you, I never said "I hate so-and-so," that would be too obvious and my mind was able to distinguish that using the word hate was just going too far. But by continuing to doubt these people, I was essentially hating them because I just wouldn't...I just couldn't give them another chance because of their narrow-mindedness or their abusive actions, whatever the case may have been. In my mind, justice had no room for such failures. Were these people wrong? In most cases, yeah, they were wrong. But I was wrong too because my silent crusade (that means I condemned them in my head and secretly wrote off everything they said from that point on as BS) sowed a bitter spirit that in turn began to overflow into all areas of my life. I didn't want to extend a helping hand to the poor, because I already did more for the poor than 99% of people I know. You follow me here?

Well, like I said earlier...I'm coming out of that stage. I'm realizing while my concern for the poor and for justice to be served and offenders to be held accountable is a noble and worthy task...I could never achieve anything with my former approach. There will always be another careless teenager driving way too fast and there will always be another judgmental Christian condemning people right and left. It just makes me so mad sometimes to see how we blatantly neglect the most obvious needs of our fellow citizen for our own agenda. My new approach is to try and extend love to the offender and the victim. I have to act out of love to all people. I must extend the same amount of love and grace to the fundamentalist as I do to the rapist, if I don't, then I believe my love that was extended to one is nullified by the hate I've so willingly given the other.

I want to learn to love people again, to truly love them.
I want to give them the benefit of the doubt.
I want to love them when I disagree.
I want to shut up because making my point in an argument is not more important than a person.
I want to feel the hurts and pains of others so I can better understand them.
I want to always be willing to see something from another's point of view.

Less 4 teeth

Mike finally had the teeth removed late last week. They were able to remove all four teeth during the surgery! Mike is recovering well.

Leading up to the surgery, they took him off Coumadin and started Lovinox shots. After the surgery, they put him back on Coumadin, and though his levels were a little low, they should be back within the preferred range.

The oral surgeon has released Mike from his care and is confident that there will be no infection. Once he is healed completely, he will have the heart surgery.

The insurance company is denying payment right now...they're saying that his stroke due to a pre-existing condition. I assume they'll peruse his medical records to try and find anything that they could use to prevent them from having to pay their portion. That's a big surprise.

That's the short update. I'll try to post more soon.

Debt Reduction Progress

Last night, I reviewed our debt situation in detail to see how far we've come in the last couple of years. This morning, I started an email to a couple of friends and family members about how well we've been doing. I also found an MS Excel calculator for debt reduction and wanted to send to a few people. Anyway, I started writing the email and it just kept getting longer. After I finished, I kept adding more friends and family that might benefit from our story. All this to say, I've decided to post the email here for you all to see. If you want a copy of the debt calculator, just let me know and I'll email it to you.

Hello friends and family,

I found a super-handy debt calculator for excel and I’ve attached it to this email. Just enter your debts, the rate and payment. Then, enter your total monthly payment including any extra you can pay towards those debts and it spits out some sweet, though depressing data. I’m no Dave Ramsey disciple, in fact, I think he’s a cocky punk, so don’t worry about me going all militant on you to get of debt. I just found a useful tool that I wanted to share.

Here’s some motivation for you:

Me and Danyel decided to put some effort into getting out of debt about 2 years ago, actually, a little less than two years. We have a huge amount of school loans, so much that I’m embarrassed to say. Anyway, we made a conscious effort to pay down our debts. We created a budget to get an idea where our money was going and we were shocked how much we waste. We made room to pay $500-$1000 a month more than our minimum payments and the results have been huge. I’ll outline some of the facts below:

-We’ve reduced our debts by $25,000 in under two years

-We still buy just about anything we want (bikes, cameras, etc.), but we think about each purchase more and credit cards are NOT an option.

-We still go out to eat (too much, in fact)

-We don’t alienate our friends by playing the “budget card” when we go out together

-We do suggest more cost-effective entertainment options

-Our only debt now is school loans

-Some debt was eliminated by getting rid of car payments

-We have a $8000 Honda that’s paid off

-We’ve saved between $5000-$10,000 dollars in interest charges

-If we stick to our 5-year plan, we’ll save $25,000 more in interest.

For those of you who know me, you know that I’m no budget Nazi, in fact, I’m very much the opposite. I don’t believe in a one-plan-fits-all mentality. I DO believe that we each have to find our own way and create a system to curb our spending and pay some stuff off. If it’s not your system and your approach, then I doubt you’ll be able to stick to it. So, use good resources like this calculator, maybe read Dave Ramsey’s book, whatever you need to do. Then formulate a plan and try for a little while…it’s quite liberating and it’s easier than you think. Realistically, we’ll have those school loans paid off in 5 years, but our goal is 3 years. Neither one of us make a lot of money, but we’re committed to freeing ourselves from huge, useless debt and freeing up that cash to do what we really want to do. Imagine having $2000 extra per month to spend on the house or invest, or vacation or whatever.

I love running the numbers through these calculators and saying, “what if I pay x amount of dollars per month…then when will I have it paid off.” I think you will too, when you realize that paying things off is actually in your reach. I know of very few people who have more debt than us and we’ve been able to achieve a respectable amount of reduction in just two years. I promise, you can do it. I’m willing to sit down with any of you and help you with a plan, even show you ours…I promise, your jaws will drop when you see our debt!

Okay, I’m off my soap box now. I’ll shut up.

-br

PS-If you’re wondering why I sent you this email, I just started adding people from my address book.

Are those teeth ever coming out?

Mike was scheduled to have his first round of extractions today. However, after having his blood drawn yesterday, his coumadin levels are too high and his blood is too thin to proceed with the surgery-once again. Mike will be seeing the Abilene hematologist here soon. He will be working on regulating the levels of coumadin in Mike's blood so that they can eventually proceed with the extractions. We're hoping that having a team of local doctors will help get the ball rolling on Mike's surgeries. I'll keep you updated.

Oral surgery postponed again

Mike was scheduled to have his first wisdom tooth removed this morning, but that appointment has been canceled due to his blood test from yesterday. Leading up to each of these surgeries, Mike has to have his blood drawn the day before to test the clotting. I forget the name of the test, but his levels were too high. This is another way of saying his blood is too thin and the risk of bleeding is high.
If you remember from last week, the Rx wasn't ready causing Mike to miss his appointment. This morning, they originally told mom that they couldn't reschedule until November 6th. However, with a little prodding from mom, the nurse is "checking into it."
On another note, Mike's family doctor here in Abilene suggested that Mike see a hematologist here to help ease the communication between the doctors in Abilene and those in Dallas. Additionally, he thought it was a good idea to have a hematologist in town in case Mike were to have complications with the tooth extractions. Mom asked the family doctor what his opinion was about Mike's clotting disorder (prothrombin mutation type II) and the family doctor wasn't even aware of the condition. I don't understand why it's so hard for the doctor's offices to communicate. They don't send records to one another, even after we request it. The lose records, they all tell you something different, they force you into appointments on their schedule, they charge whatever they want...Anyway, how can you have faith in these doctors when the medical system in America as a whole is so screwed up?!? It's utterly ridiculous. I obviously have my opinions on the matter, but I'll save the rest of those for later.
Hopefully I didn't forget anything on this update. I'll keep posting as I get information.

Mike still has his teeth

The wisdom tooth extraction has been rescheduled for Wednesday October 24th. After arriving at the doctor today, Mike was informed that he would have to have the mouthwash Rx filled before they proceed with the extraction. After calling the pharmacy, they were informed that the supplies would need to be ordered and the mouthwash will be mixed when they receive the order. Mike said that the oral surgeon plans on getting two of the wisdom teeth next Wednesday. That's about all I know.

Oh, Mike called me to give the update and acted like he had just had the extraction. It was funny and I fell for it, especially considering all the drugs they give you at the dentist! Anyway, Mike got one over on me, but I couldn't stop laughing at him because I really thought he was loopy.

First Wisdom tooth being removed

Mike is scheduled to have his first wisdom tooth removed this morning at 10:45a. His appointment went well on Tuesday, they were able to complete the fillings. Today, he goes to get blood work done first, then if the coumadin levels are within the specified range, they will proceed with the removal of the tooth. Mike is still taking the coumadin (blood thinner) and that is the major concern about today's surgery. They are giving him a special mouthwash that they expect to stop the bleeding. We're a little anxious about this mouthwash and hope it performs up to it's ridiculously expensive price tag!

Provided Mike's body handles this extraction well, he'll be scheduled to have the other teeth removed. At that point, he'll have to wait at least 6 weeks before the heart surgery can be performed. Please join me in praying for Mike this morning. I'll post an update as soon as I know something.

4 fillings today

Mike is going in to the dentist for 4 fillings today. I'll keep you updated on that. Also, he is scheduled for the first extraction of that abscessed wisdom tooth on Thursday. If that one goes well, they are going to pull 2 other wisdom teeth and one more tooth that is next to the wisdom tooth, I'm assuming that's a molar?
The reason they are doing all of this dental work is twofold. One, they have to take all precautions necessary to insure that they minimize the risk of infection leading up to the heart surgery. Any form of infection in his teeth could have adverse effects on his recovery from the heart surgery. Two, he will not be able to have additional dental work done until at least 6 months after the heart surgery, so they want to do it now.

Toothache, to say the least...

Mike visited the oral surgeon today. The oral surgeon will not perform the surgery unless Mike stays on the coumadin, after conferring with the cardiologist and his family doctor. Basically they will remove the tooth and then use a special medicine to stop the bleeding. The medicine is called (something) acid. The oral surgeon has only used it once, but he thinks that it will stop the bleeding. Basically, the medicine is some kind of expensive mouthwash that Mike will have to use 4 times daily during the days following the surgery.

In addition to the wisdom tooth, Mike has 3 other teeth that need attention. The oral surgeon said that each of them will have to be looked at before the heart surgery can be scheduled. Each tooth runs about the same risk of infection as his wisdom tooth does, according to the doctor. The doctor thinks that he will be able to save the teeth, at least for now. The plan at this point is to extract the wisdom tooth and see how Mike's body handles it, paying special attention to the bleeding, obviously. After the wisdom tooth is taken care of, the oral surgeon will proceed with addressing the other teeth, but his treatment will depend on Mike's reaction to the first extraction. The wisdom tooth is scheduled to be extracted on October 18th, though it could be delayed until early the following week, we're not sure about that yet.

November 27 is the date that the skin cancer will need to be removed, but, once again, that depends on the outcome at the oral surgeon's office.

Mike is depressed of this recent news. He's going through a lot of pain and is uneasy about his heart condition. The last week has brought a lot of answers, but it has also initiated another waiting period. I know it must be agonizing having to wait on everyone else to decide when they can treat you and how-each decision being a major factor in your own quality of life and health. Mike is beaten down and struggling, I know that he could use a phone call of encouragement, if you have the time.

Please pray that my role will be clearly defined in all this. I want to be as supportive as I can, but I want to concentrate on the right things. For now, I just need to love on that boy and encourage him, he's got a whole world of pressure on him right now. I better go for now. As always, ask questions if you have them and I'm sure mom will help clarify what I've written above as well.

Prothrombin Mutation test positive

Mike got a call from the hematologist's nurse in Dallas this afternoon. And what do you know...he tested positive for Prothrombin Mutation. A quick search on Google produced this article.

The nurse said that it should not affect the surgery, but we're not too sure until we are able to talk to the hematologist and cardiologist. This particular mutation is said to increase the risk of PE (pulmonary embolism) and DVT (deep vein thrombosis). Mike most likely would have had a PE if he didn't have the hole in his heart (PFO).

If you all remember me talking about my cousin Nicholas a couple of weeks ago, you'll remember that he had a PE. I can't remember if I wrote this but Nicholas had a PFO as well, but it was fixed when he was little, from what I understand. This makes perfect sense why the clot traveled to his lungs. Put these two cases together and now we know why Mike's clot went to the brain.

Once again, this is a lot of speculation on my part, but with my understanding of things so far...it seems to be a logical conclusion. I know that we tend to over-diagnose ourselves when we have such wide-spread access to all these medical articles. However, I reserve that the right to theorize if I want! Just to be clear.

All that said, it begins to make sense why mom has had clotting issues in the past. Possibly why my grandpa had early heart attacks. Maybe why miscarriages have been rampant in my family. Maybe my headaches. Maybe dad's headaches.

I don't know and I realize that I'm over-reacting a bit, but what in the world are we supposed to do? I know, I know, trust that the Lord is in control. Well, I do, but it doesn't keep worries from creeping in. I just have to keep all these theories in check and not let them get out of hand too much. Quality of life is something that I feel I have control over, unlike quality of health. I guess I'll try to concentrate on making life meaningful, memorable and enjoyable for me and those around. So, if you catch me making your life hell, I give you permission to call me on it. But be warned, I'm ready to call you on it too.
Good evening.

Surgery Postponed. Tuesday Update (10/2)

I started this post on Tuesday but was unable to finish it. I just decided that I need to finish it this morning, regardless of how busy I am.

From Tuesday:

Mike visited the cardiologist in Dallas today. They had a good visit and were able to have most of their questions answered, as the cardiologist spent at least 45minutes with them. They were finally able to talk about the results of the Cranial Doppler test. Basically, they rate the patient on a scale from 0-6. Mike was a 4 which is moderately to mildly severe. This is the reason the cardiologist and neurologist want the heart repaired. In addition to the hole, he has an aneurysm on his atrial septum. The umbrella procedure should fix both problems. The cardiologist is still optimistic that we will be able to do the catheter procedure through a vein in his leg and he says the success rate is very high. If complications such as a heart puncture were to arise during the two-hour surgery, then they would have to perform emergency open-heart surgery. The cardiologist says he has had this happen once, but it is very rare. There is also a risk of embolization(sp?) of the umbrella device. This is where the device works loose and eventually lodges somewhere in the bloodstream. If this were to happen, they would have to go in and retrieve the device. I'm not sure how common this is. During the surgery, Mike will be under conscious sedation, which means he'll be awake but he want real be aware of what's going on. Leading up to the surgery, they will take him off Coumadin (blood thinner) 4 days prior to the surgery and replace it with Lovenox shots. Immediately following the surgery, they'll place him back on Coumadin. They suggest that Mikes stays at the hospital for 48hrs, but insurance will only pay for 24 hours. So, we'll have to keep him in a hotel room near the hospital for an additional day. When they start the surgery, they'll put a little balloon instrument in his heart that will measure the exact size of the hole. This will help them determine which size umbrella to use during the procedure.

I wanted to explain what we found out about the heart surgery before I forgot. However, THE HEART SURGERY HAS BEEN POSTPONED. Read on and I'll tell you why.

You probably remember me talking about one of Mike's wisdom tooth that was giving him problems right after he had the stroke. The cardiologist will not perform the heart surgery until at least 6 weeks after the tooth has been removed. The risk of infection is high and he's afraid bacteria, or vegetation around the heart may form. Once again, realize I'm no doctor, so I could be saying this wrong, but I'm trying here! The bottom line is that Mike's tooth has to be fixed before the heart surgeon will proceed. Mike has a consultation appointment with the oral surgeon next Tuesday, 10/9/07.

In addition to the tooth, Mike has had a spot turn up on his neck. He recently visited the doctor and had it removed. After a biopsy, they determined that the spot was cancerous and it will need to be looked at by a dermatologist. The dermatologist will use a technique called the Moh's procedure to cut it out and check the tissue until the margins are clear. This is to insure that all of the cancer is removed. Once again, this is a step that must happen before the heart surgery will be scheduled.

Lately, it's been one thing after another and we are on the edge of our seats at this point. Once again, we are grateful that Mike has been triumphant against the stroke so far, but the road is long and we still have a long journey ahead of us. I realize that our journey is no different than yours. We all have our struggles and trials and triumphs-I guess life wouldn't be worth much without these things. I believe that it's during these times that we really are more alive. It's amazing how your eyes are opened to what matters and things are instantly placed in perspective. We are thankful for the Lord's graciousness so far and know that he will carry us through, as well as you.

I've been constantly reminded of my attitude lately. It needs some work.

Mike's Heart Surgery Scheduled

Mike's heart surgery is scheduled for Wednesday, October 10th at Baylor in Dallas. Mike is heading to Dallas tomorrow for a consultation with the cardiologist to iron out the last-minute details. That's about all I know for now. I'll try to write more later.

Second trip to Dallas

I chose not to join Mike on this last Dallas trip so that I can save up my days for the surgery, when and if that happens. They are actually returning from Dallas as I write this.

His appointments didn't tell us a lot, we're beginning to learn that's how the system works. The neurologist talked to him for about 45 minutes. He said that he didn't think that the tree, the heat, dehydration, or dipping caused the stroke. We've all thought that each of the above things have played a roll in the stroke, but this doctor disagrees. We aren't doctors, but until we are provided with answers, I guess our minds just want to jump to conclusions. We realize that we might not ever get answers. The neurologist is most concerned about the heart at this point. He wants the heart repaired. However, he did agree that they would have to wait until they received the blood tests back from the lab. Surprisingly, the neurologist cleared Mike to begin working a little bit. He said no heavy lifting and he needs to take it easy. Mike hasn't decided how much work he'll do yet.

The hematologist really didn't say much. He took blood and said that they should have results by Tuesday of next week. Hopefully we'll know something at that point. They are testing for some kind of blood disorder or clotting problem. I'll try to find out which tests are being run for all of you medical junkies.

It's crazy that just about one month ago, Mike had a stroke, I still can't believe it! More than that, I can't believe his progress since then. He has truly amazed the doctors and all those who know him, that's a testimony to his strength. However, I know half the battle is mental and that can be extremely hard area to master. Just feeling like you're a walking time bomb is hard. The only reason I say that is because we all have thoughts that creep up in the back of our head...you know, the "what ifs." I believe that these thoughts can be useful and productive, but they can also cause us to doubt, fear and lose our quality of life. Personally, I've been thinking a lot about the possibility of me having a similar condition. Given Mya's heart issues and Mike's...and a fair amount of family history, I guess I should be thinking about it. My conclusion has been that we just have to live our lives. I will continue to train for the half-marathon next month, I'll continue to participate in sports and I'll continue to ride my bike, camp and take pictures...that's what I love to do. I can't really call it "life" if I'm not living it. I've seen evidence of this same sentiment in Michael as well. He's thought long and hard about his life and he's truly trying to live for something...his family, business, his livelihood.

When you think about it, we're all in the same boat. Either we're living life and we're enjoying it...maybe I should say experiencing it, because life isn't always enjoyable. So, either we're experiencing life or we're sitting in the corner worried about all the things that can happen, could happen, should happen, whatever...and ironically, we're missing out on the very thing we're trying to save.

Firemen, chocolates and saying goodbye

We found out last weekend that my cousin passed away. He was 28 years old. Apparently, he passed a clot, much like Mike did, but Nick's went to his lungs and ended up taking his life. I talked about this previously and called it a PE or pulmonary embolism. I was under the impression that if Mike's clot had gone to his lungs it could have been filtered there and he would have been better off, especially to have avoided a stroke. However, the news of Nicholas' death made me realize that it isn't necessarily the case and a PE can be lethal.

Nick had been battling leukemia since a diagnoses earlier this year. After talks of bone-marrow transplants and other procedures, everyone was surprised that the chemo seemed to be doing its job, actually Nick had taken his final round of chemo just last week. Everyone was stunned to hear the news and we've all taken it pretty rough. It's not only the fact that he was so young, or the wife and little boy he left behind so much as it was the fact that it appeared that his battle with leukemia was going so well. It's hard to reconcile all the good news we've had lately with an event like this.

The service was amazing and the church was filled with those whose lives had been touched by Nick. He was, and always will be a special man. I've never been to the funeral of a firefighter. It was humbling to see the comradarie these men and women possess. We were all especially touched by the way the firefighters lined the church halls and the path to the gravesite...saluting, as the family passed by. Please continue to keep my family in your prayers, especially those in Shreveport as we all continue to grieve this huge loss.

Me, Danyel and Mya traveled to Shreveport on Monday afternoon to attend the funeral services scheduled for Tuesday. Mom and Carolyn had already left on Monday morning. We were greeted with rain and traffic the entire way. There was an accident on I20 in Dallas that sent traffic backing up for 4 miles. We exited the freeway and took alternate routes, it probably took us just as long, but at least we were moving and not standing still on the highway. Danyel began to feed Mya her oatmeal while she was strapped in to the car seat and that seemed to hold her over well. Once we were back on I20, we decided to try to get out of the metroplex before stopping to feed Mya. We stopped in Terrell at the outlet mall that's just off of the freeway. They have clean bathrooms and seem to be a decent place to rest, we learned that from our previous trips to Shreveport.

Danyel took Mya in to the bathroom with her and changed her diaper and then came back to the car to feed her. I didn't want to leave the car unattended because it was overrun with technology. I had my laptop plugged into a power inverter. The inverter was located in the back of the CRV because that's where the other power port is in the Honda. The front port was taken by my FM transmitter and iPod. (You can't embark on a trip like that without podcasts!) My laptop was also hooked to my gps which ran up to the dash. I was able to use this for real-time navigation so we could avoid that dang wreck on I20 in Dallas. I also learned that my speedometer is registering slow. No wonder everyone looks at me like I'm a granny driver. I drive the speed limit, so that means I was driving about 67mph...God forbid these people not get to where they were going...but never mind that. I also had my cell phone hooked to my headset so I could easily take calls without any distractions, as if all that junk wasn't enough distraction. While they were gone, I ate a sandwich and some fruit...Danyel is always good about packing food and snacks so we can save money on the road. The sandwich was great, but those baked doritos were nasty. I think she could have served me baked cardboard with powdered cheese stuff and I would have been just as fulfilled. After Danyel returned with Mya, I took off to the bathroom. After I finished my business, I stopped by the Rocky Mountain Chocolate factory or something like that, it was conveniently located near the bathrooms. They had tons a truffles with a lot of yummy flavors. I decided to try two of each, I was thinking one for me and one for Danyel. I got 8 total. I almost fell over when the clerk asked me for $17 and some change. However, she already had all the chocolate in my bag, and I didn't want to look cheap so I coughed up the money via debit card. You've got to be kidding me. I sulked all the way to the car and hung my head in shame while I told Danyel that it was a good thing she packed our lunch...because I just made up for it! She laughed. I still can't believe that junk was so expensive. I'll never enter another chocolate store with my wallet. I'm serious.

We proceeded. By the time we got to Shreveport, it was about 10pm. Mom and Carolyn put us up in a "free" hotel. It was called Diamond Jacks. If you know anything about Shreveport, you know that there are lots of casinos. Apparently, Mom and Carolyn made the mailing list because they each had free hotel rooms and food and even cash money. Can you believe that? We didn't mind staying in the hotel, we still like free stuff. It really was free-whatever free in the casino world means, and it was absolutely free for me, Danyel and Mya.

The rooms were nicely decorated with the theme of the past owners; tropical paradise circa 1990's. Once again, we like free stuff, so who cares? Apparently, these casinos change ownership regularly or at least they change names and decor. However, the change hadn't made it to the wallpaper and bedspreads yet. There was a huge hot tub in the bedroom and 3 TV's...one of which was in the bathroom. How did they know that's what I always wanted? These people are good.

We ate well at the "free" buffets and were able to save a lot of money. In fact, Mom and Carolyn donated some of their "free" money to us for gas money. I was sure to stay away from the chocolate shops on the way home. Should I tell Mom and Carolyn that I put that $50 on red #7 on the roulette wheel? I say "No!" not unless I want to share my some of my $50,000 in winnings.

I'm always amazed at the trees out East, makes our mesquites look even more pitiful. I was reminded of the time when I was 3 years old and came out to visit my cousins. I peered out the back window of Mom's 1980 Grand Prix and was truly amazed...it was the first time I ever saw trees like that in my life. I remember playing in the floor with Nicholas, Shane, Courtney and Josh...those are memories you never forget. Michael and Tanya hadn't come along yet, but I'm pretty sure Mom and Lynn were both pregnant at the time...so they were there with us. Every time I hear these lyrics...my mind takes me back to that moment:

Well you get down the fiddle and you get down the bow
Kick off your shoes and you throw them on the floor
Dance in the kitchen 'till the morning light
Louisiana Saturday Night

To all those in Shreveport...we love you all forever and pray that the days ahead come easier as we all continue to cope with the loss of a great man...a curly-headed little boy that shared a moment with me that has always been one of my earliest and fondest memories.

Mya's Appointment in Lubbock

Sorry I haven't posted for a while, it's been a crazy week that didn't include internet access!


We drove to Lubbock last Friday to have Mya's heart checked by a specialist. We had to wait for quite a while, but we finally got in to the doctor. They ran an EKG and Echo. The EKG required the nurse to stick little sensors all over Mya, it was pretty funny looking. I took a pic with my cell phone so I could share it with all of the blog readers. Mya didn't seem to mind the little stickers and the test just took about a minute once she was hooked up, so we'll just say that was a good experience.

Mya began to get fussy just before the Echo, so we proceeded to get worried that we wouldn't be able to do the test. However, I was able to rock her to sleep and she slept through the entire test! That is even better than having her awake but not fussy. It helps if she doesn't move during the test, so we are confident in the doctor's reading.

The pediatric cardiologist confirmed that there are two holes in Mya's right atrium. Additionally, she said that Mya is missing a pulmonary vein in this same chamber, but neither issue should cause a problem. She told us to make an appointment in 6 months and come back then for her to track Mya's progress. In either event, she shouldn't have any trouble with this during her lifetime.

This was welcomed news and we are extremely happy that Mya's heart appears to be fine. It is a little weird to hear things like she is missing a vein or has a hole in her heart, but we trust the doctor's opinion and hope for the best.

Revision to "AI's, PFO's, MS-I'm tired of these acronyms!"

Mom corrected me on a couple of things via email, so I'll include it here. I guess it just goes to show how hard all this is to understand and that we have to trust that the Lord is in control, I know that's my only solace. Thanks again for reading and feel free to ask questions, as always, if you are unclear about something I've written. There's no telling what I'll write! :)

Taken from Mom's email:
Brandon---you are doing such a great job on the blog and I really appreciate it. The girls at work are reading it and they said last night that Michael was really lucky to have a brother like you that cares enough to do something like that for him. I said I know, that you are so good at stuff like that. However, there were a couple of corrections to make on the sept 4th one---If a blood clot hits the lung it is actually called a "PE" which is a pulmonary embolus. And on the CT scan report, I meant to say that the stroke showed up on that not the heart condition. you know they said that first day that the CT did not show a stroke but then it showed up on the MRA. But on the report it did show the stroke which is an acute infarct of the basal ganglia. I was so exhausted yesterday from lack of sleep that I probably told you wrong. So my apologies to you and the blog readers, but you might want to add an addendum or mention it on your next entry. I hope Michael will be careful driving. I don't want to baby him or be over protective (which I never am) but I want him to be safe and I really don't think it is such a great idea. You know to someone that does not know Michael's norm, he seems better than he really is as far as speech and thought processing. I think we are the ones that realize the extent of his condition. Anyway I love you very much and I appreciate you so much. I had a really bad night at work---a patient died from an adverse drug reaction very unexpectantly and it was really hard. He had received it at 6pm so I did not give the medicine but it was really sad. Guess I am really sensitive now to patients with all that is going on. I am always sensitive but with all the recent events with Michael, guess I am taking things harder. Anyway for now I am going to sleep for a while---love you!

AI's, PFO's, MS-I'm tired of these acronyms!

Mike visited the neurologist in Abilene today. The doctor spent somewhere between 45 minutes and an hour talking to Mike and the family. While he is also positive that Mike had a stroke, he also thinks it is a good idea to dig deeper and find out exactly why this is happening. He confirmed that the only way Mike had the stroke is that the hole in the heart allowed a clot to pass to his brain, so I think that's one thing all the doctors agree on. The neurologist also said that visiting a hematologist is a good idea because he also suspects a clotting disorder. We're not sure if they "suspect" a blood disorder because they have no other way to explain it or if they really do have a hunch and good reason to believe there is a disorder.

Mike is starting to remember some health concerns he had in the months leading up to the stroke. He told the doctor that there were days where he just didn't feel right. One day, he was eating breakfast at the Dixie Pig and had a strong dizzy spell as well as some tingling in his arms and legs. He had mono at the time and thought that the symptoms may be part of that sickness and described some of it as "brain fog." He also remembers a handful of other times where he felt light-headed or dizzy during daily activity. The doctor said these might have been TIA's or a mini-stroke. However, because of Mike's mono and a couple of other minor medical problems, Mike really didn't think anything of it. On the flip side, Mike's concern about the mono brought out the hypochondriac in him and he began searching the internet and self-diagnosing. If I remember correctly, he had cancer and AIDS. We laughed at him when he told us, we figured he was being too worrisome. Ironically, something was going and and he's the only one that had any idea! Even the doctor said that if he had come in and described his symptoms, they would have been more likely to diagnose MS than a stroke. However, a high percentage of young stroke victims have a PFO.

One reason that the doctors are concerned about the continuation of blood clots is because the clot could hit the lungs, even if they fix his heart. If this happens, there's a possibility of an AI, I think that is an acute infarct. This could kill him if it was severe. Now we know why they are so concerned about the possibility of a clotting disorder.

Mom said that they got a copy of all of Mike's records and she read through them and discovered that the heart condition did show up on the CT after all. By the way, she wasn't reading the CT, she was reading the report on the CT. I'm not sure if this tells us anything, but it makes us wonder why we were told that the CT scan did not detect his heart condition.

On a positive note, Mike has been cleared to drive. He's not able to work though. Mike told me he drove today and felt like he needed to "pay more attention" and he said he found himself driving too close to cars parked on the side of the road. Pray that he is careful, we won't let him drive too much. I know this is a bit of freedom that he needs and it feels good for him to drive.

Mike also told me that today is he and Becky's 3rd anniversary. Congrats to them! He said they were putting the kids to bed and watching a movie. Oh how kids change your life! I told Mike I was playing in an adult soccer league here in town and he thought that was hilarious. I guess he'll come out and laugh at me on Sundays when we play. Whatever I can do to contribute to my brother's spirit...I guess I could consider ballet or something...

Another round

We expect to receive the results of the Doppler test they ran on Mike some time this week. We're hoping this will give them a better idea of what's going on. Mike has an appointment with the Neurologist in Abilene tomorrow. We want to meet with this guy so that we have someone here to work with...in addition to the one in Dallas.

Mom has been calling the doctors in Dallas to see if we can get those appointments moved up. The Hematologist is the doctor they really want him to see, so we'll start with that one first. If they are able to move up the appt., then we'll call the Dallas Neurologist and try to do the same so we can save a trip.

I talked to Mike last night and he said he was tired. Normal daily activities still take a toll on him. He has to stop and rest regularly, as you can imagine. I told him about me and Dad hitting the lake and wake boarding. He laughed a lot about that. Dad was going crazy. I guess he decided to wake board for Mike since Mike isn't able to board yet. It's pretty funny to see a 53 year old get out there and act like he's 20. Hmmmm, I wonder if he can walk today? Ha ha! Dad, you did great! It was a lot of fun.

Mike has been pretty bored lately. His daily schedule usually includes, either Mom, Dad or Becky driving him around a little to collect money from customers and check up on the lawn crew that's out there working for him. As I said before, this really makes him tired. He usually heads home to rest after that. We are trying to think of some activities to help him stay occupied and continue his recovery. Any of you that are creative, email me your ideas. I'm hoping that PT and speech therapy will give him some things to do at home as well. If you have time to visit, give him a call and go by play scrabble or watch Jeopardy with him or something.

I'll cover a couple of the most pressing prayer requests at this time. Obviously, the doctors need your prayers. Please pray that they are able to figure out everything that's going wrong and get Mike on the road to recovery...further down the road I guess, because he's already on it. We really are thankful for his progress, but it's been so hard for him not to be able to do the "normal" things. Pray for Mike's short-term memory. He seldom can remember what the doctors say or when his appointments are scheduled. Becky and mom have that taken care of though. I just wanted to give you an example of the things he can't remember. Hopefully he'll conveniently forget the Mavs performance in the playoffs last season! This seems a little petty, but pray for those appointments and when they are scheduled. It would be nice to have them scheduled sooner, but at the very least, pray that they'll be able to work with either Becky, Mom and Dad, or my schedule. All of our employers have been very generous as we've supported Mike through this, but there is still a long road ahead.

Thanks again for all that you

Bubbles and Alligators

It's been a long day in Dallas, no doubt. I'll begin with a quick story from my run this morning. Well, the hotel was so close to the freeway that I slept wearing my trusty earplugs from back when I was sick a couple of years ago. I awoke at about 6:15a to go for a run, quite refreshed and oblivious to all sounds during the night that didn't break the 100 decibel threshhold (I have no idea if that threshold is accurate, stay with me here). My mom was not happy about my planned excursion because "we don't know what kind of neighborhood this is." I'll just say the run was good. I'm 29 and my mommy doesn't trust me to go for a run, I'm surprised she didn't whip out the "pull-ups" and change my diaper too! I know mom just wants to take care of me, but I can actually remember when she turned 29, so I think I'm old enough to go for run. Mom was thrilled when I called her from the lobby after my run as I was chowing down on my continental breakfast.

Baylor Medical Complex is huge and it was cool to see the facility. The heart wing had tons of resources including videos and books for heart patients. Me and Nicholas (Mike and Becky's boy) spent a little time watching "how the heart works" and "what happens during a stroke," while Mike was being seen by the doctor. After our heart lesson we headed across the sky bridge to one of the other buildings to check out what trouble a 2 and 29 year old boy could get into-we didn't find any to speak of but if you read about some weird happenings at Baylor in the paper, don't call us.




Mike was meeting with the cardiologist at this point. The new cardiologist is convinced that there's another problem that we may be overlooking. In short, he's not willing to fix the hole in Mike's heart, which he classified as moderate, until they are able to run some more tests. He ordered Mike to see a neurologist and hematologist to explore the issue further. The earliest they could get him in is September 20th. However, before we left, the doctor called over to another building where he wanted a test run before we came back to Abilene. They performed a trans-cranial doppler. The test was pretty cool, they basically inserted an IV and introduced bubbles into his bloodstream. There were sensors on his head that they used to listen for the bubbles to help determine if they were traveling all the way to his brain. We should find out the results of this test next week sometime.


The only other thing we really found out was that the doctor seemed to be interested in Mike's tobacco use. Mike has dipped for a couple of years on and off, but his habit had definitely peaked when he had the stroke. We were all confused by the doctors hunch, and still are, frankly. However, he's a doctor and we'll trust him until we find reason not to. We also have to remember that the Lord is in control of the situation. The entire family is getting a little anxious and impatient. We want this boy worked on and fixed! Obviously, Mike is getting worried and today definitely took a toll on his confidence, but he's strong and he'll make it.

At this point, we hope to concentrate on the rehab. He's scheduled to go to PT next week at HSU where they will hopefully get a chance to work on his speech too. We are so thankful for this opportunity at HSU, it makes our combined $90,000 in loans worth it! - In a weird depressing way.

On our way home, we stopped by Pappadeaux's for lunch. Me and Mike had alligator as an appetizer and mom just about left the table. It was fried and hardly identifiable, as a lot fried seafood is, of course she hates looking at shrimp too so I guess we should have expected it. The alligator was pretty good, for the record. Oh wait, I almost forgot, mom said that we might as well have eaten a human because alligators eat people and we were eating alligator, that thought made it all the more tasty. I was going to tell mom that crocodiles were more likely to eat people, but who knows, our alligator might have snagged a finger on his journey that eventually ended him up on our plate. We laughed bunch about the alligator. You know, I should get a little alligator necklace or something and then I bet mom would let me go on more morning runs. Our alligator discussion eventually gave way when mom spotted Barry Bonds across the restaurant. Actually we have no idea who it was, but she swears she's seen that guy on TV before. After leaving the restaurant, we cruised a couple of blocks South to see the progress on the new Cowboys Stadium. Sorry for the poor quality cell phone picture.

Mom has been very supportive and tries her best to understand what these doctors are telling us. She's our only hope when it comes to understanding this stuff, well, she and Amber my sister-in-law in NYC. I"ve been impressed with mom's skills in a family crisis like this. She's done a great job of taking care of things behind the scenes, with hardly any recognition, she's a great mom...running and alligators aside.

Becky has also been working hard to keep Mike going. She's been calling doctors and setting up appointments, handling insurance and Mike's business, and taking care of the house and kids. There's no doubt she could use a break, I was worn out by a partial day with a 2-year old!

Mike is doing better. His spirits are up and he's ready to get some answers and treatment. He hasn't reverted to any of those bad habits that the doctors tell him to stay away from, except maybe rooting for the Mavericks. (They're a basketball team, for those of you who don't know them. I've never heard of them either, Go Spurs Go!) Though anxiety and fear have become a bit of commonplace for him lately, he's realizing that his life is forever changed and he's willing and ready to make those changes and live life.

Tonight, I pray especially for Becky and all the pressures that are on her. I was talking with a friend from work who had a spouse with a similar ailment that required a significant recovery time. Without even knowing Becky, my friend told me to support her as much as you are supporting Mike. My friend said that many people forget to check on the spouse during a time like this. That was good advice. If any of you have ideas on how to support Becky, drop me an email, or better yet give her a call and encourage her.

Well, I'm exhausted once again and I'm sure I forgot some details and failed to make sense most of the time, but it's late and I'm tired. Post me a comment and I'll clarify any of this. Thanks for reading, this was a long one.

The Ungame, Dallas and Cold Milk

After a long day at work, I packed up with the family and headed to Dallas for Mike's first appointment at Baylor Medical Center. Danyel provided us with her cards from a 1970's game called the Ungame, it was apparently endorsed by James Dobson. The games consists of questions, some deep, some not so much. Things like "What is one of your favorite possessions?" and "Describe a time when you felt lonely." Most of the time when Danyel whips these cards out, people run for the hills. However, we were trapped in the car, so where could we go? We rotated drawing cards and answering questions. I have to say, it's been a while since I've done something like that with family. It's always interesting how surprised you get when you hear one another's thoughts. Mike shared one of his most embarrassing moments. This one happened not long before he had the stroke. He went to a gas station on his way to the nursery to pick up some sod for a job he was doing. He later remembered that he had stopped at the gas station, but couldn't remember pumping gas, a glance at his gas gauge confirmed his suspicion and he promptly headed back to the station. He explained to the clerk that he had forgotten to pump the gas. The clerk began searching through her receipts and eventually got her manager on the phone. As they were trying to figure things out, Mike remembered that his truck has two fuel tanks. It was at that moment that he realized where the gas had been all along...in the other tank!

That's just one of our stories from Wednesday night's drive that made us laugh.
We arrived in Dallas at about 9:45p and headed to the La Quinta off 75 and 35E. After checking in, we got settled into the room and took a quick trip to Denny's next door. Nicholas, Mike's youngest needed some milk in his sippy cup so me and Mike walked over and got it filled up for a mere $1.89.

Now, as the traffic whizzes by on the highway just outside our hotel room, I'm reminded of what an important day tomorrow is. I couldn't be more happy about Mike's progress so far, it's really unbelievable. However, the next stage is crucial and will require lots of effort on our part to support Mike and Becky.

Puzzles and Fever

So far, today has been Mike's best day. Mom called earlier and said that she and Mike were at Target looking for a puzzle for Mike to do. This should help motor skills and some of his thought processing. Still going to Dallas Wednesday night for Thursday's appointment.

Mya has had a fever and has been a little fussy. This, coupled with the first week of school and getting everything squared away at work has kept us quite busy. That's why the update is short for now. We'll see if I get a chance to post more later.

Mya and Us

I know I scared some of you with the news of Mya's heart condition, but I wanted to let you know that she's had it since birth. We've been having a little stress lately and it obviously came through in my post. This is a definite concern, but let's wait until we see the doctors to find out how serious it is. One of Danyel's co-workers has a little girl with a similar problem and gave us a referral to a doctor in Lubbock, so we will check into that too.

Mya is starting at the babysitter this week. We still have to figure out how all that will work. Danyel is doing well, just really busy with the start of the semester and activities at the friendship house. We really don't like the idea of daycare, much less the cost. We'll figure something out.
As always, this is just a quick update.

Monday update (8/27) on Mike

I've only got a minute to update you, so here goes. Mike has been hurting from that toothache. I think mom told me that he has a dentist appointment this week, maybe the dentist will help him with the pain. His initial consultation and exam for his heart surgery is Thursday at Baylor in Dallas. We should be able to schedule the surgery at that time, we expect it to be in the next few weeks, we hope anyway. This process has been slow and frustrating, so I'll just leave it at "we hope."

Thanks to those of you who offered suggestions on physical therapy. It appears that we found a great option. HSU has a PT school that is among the best in Texas. I talked to a faculty member who was more than willing to work with Mike along with some students. It's possible that Mike will be in the classroom setting during some of this, but after talking to him, he is more than will to do so. This would be a great opportunity for the students and an answer to prayer for Mike. Thanks to all of you for your prayers on this matter. Oh yeah, I almost forgot, it's possible that we may be able to get Mike some speech therapy as well through similar resources. I'll let you know what I find out about that soon.

Pray for Becky (Mike's wife) as she starts back at work today. I know she is carrying a heavy load with all of this. Pray that the Lord sustains her as she works so hard to take care of Mike and the boys while working full-time. Also, pray for Mom and Dad too. They have been doing as much as they can to help keep Mike and Becky on their feet. Dad's helping with Mike's business a lot and getting food and groceries at times. Mom is helping with the kids and medical junk that is so hard to understand sometimes. It's like each of them have taken on an additional full-time job taking care of things, I know that it's draining them. We have tried to distribute the burden as much as possible, but as school has started, I've been forced to concentrate most of my time there and that means more work for everyone else. Pray that we can concentrate on things that really matter. A situation like this sure makes you look at your life and your priorities and man, I've been cleaning out the attic if you know what I mean.

Nicholas' birthday was this weekend, he turned 2. It was a lot of fun getting together yesterday and hanging out with the family. Nicholas had tons of fun opening gifts and, as usual, one of the boxes became a favorite gift! Anthony starts school today too, so be sure and remember him. This also means more running around town as we try to get him to school and home. I gotta go.

Mike's Friday Update (8/24) and Mya news

We finally got an appointment at Baylor in Dallas, but it's just the initial consultation. The appointment is next Thursday August 30th. They will do an evaluation of Mike and schedule the surgery. The surgery should be in the next few weeks, at least that's what we're told.

Mike's tooth is still bothering him and the antibiotics and pain killers have only provided a small amount of relief. Once again, they can't do any dental work when he's on this medication so he's still having to deal with a lot of pain. Our family doctor would like him to go ahead and visit the dentist for x-rays and for any other assistance that he might be able to offer.

Mike's short-term memory isn't what it should be. He has a hard time remembering details of conversations with doctors as well as remembering to take pills. Becky has been able to help him with that though, but it's still something you can be praying about.

Some of you have asked about our little girl Mya and some of her heart issues. We took her to her second EKG earlier this week and received the results today. It appears that she also has a hole in in heart similar to Michael's. This is more common in infants, but given our family history, it's definitely a matter of concern. Mya's doctor would like for her to see a pediatric cardiologist at Cook's in Ft. Worth. We are waiting on the appointment. I'll try to keep you updated on her as well.

I hate that Mike is having to go through all this, it's so hard. I would gladly take his place. Now, with the news of Mya's condition, I wish they could trade me in for spare parts and have healthy organs. I know that the Lord is faithful and that he is in control...but it's still scary and hurts a lot sometimes.

Thursday Update (8/23)

We are a little frustrated that we haven't received word on the surgery yet. However, Mike does need the time to recover so I guess that is okay after all. There's a sense of urgency to get his heart repaired, obviously. I guess it will all work out in God's timing. Mike went to the family doctor today for a checkup on his blood. The doc told him that he has a series of appointments for him. One is with a neurologist, the doc wants Mike to be cleared before the surgery. He will also have to visit the family doctor a couple times a week for blood work and a brief checkup. The family doctor also recommended outpatient rehab. However, Mike is worried about the cost, so he has decided not to go the outpatient rehab. I left a message with our PT department at HSU to see if they might be willing to work with him a little. In addition to this, I have a couple of friends who are physical therapists that just might be willing to give him some exercises to do. (you guys are probably reading this, so don't be surprised if you get a call!)

I forgot the heart surgeon's name at Baylor in Dallas, but apparently, he specializes in this procedure, so we should be in good hands there. We expect the heart surgery to be in the next few weeks, and should find out anytime.

Mike has been very tired and he's still having trouble with some thought processing. His short-term memory seems to hit-and-miss. He is doing crossword puzzles, we hope that will help him out a little. I was thinking we need to get a game night together or something and bring over games like scrabble, boggle, etc. They're fun and make you think. I guess we could bring sidewalk chalk and play hopscotch on the sidewalk too! I'm trying to think of some fun things like this that would be good therapy but also be fun to do.

I guess that's it for now.

Wednesday Update (8/22)

Just wanted to write a quick post and let you know Mike is continuing to improve. He is home now and resting. Pray that he takes it easy and rests. We still don't know about the heart appointment.

We went to see Mike and Becky last night at their house and he really seemed to be doing good. One of the doctors had given him an article to read about a rodeo star who had a stroke and ended up making a full recovery. They did the same procedure on his heart that is planned for Mike's. Mike was very encouraged by the story and seems to be thinking more positively, which I think is crucial to his recovery.

Mike won't be allowed to drive or work for a few months, so that will really be hard on he and Becky. As I said before, thanks so much for your prayers and support. I'll keep you updated.

Mike is Home!!!

I only have a minute but I wanted to let you all know that Mike is home. He is ordered to rest and recover from the stroke. He will have to visit the hospital multiple times a week so they can test his blood to ensure that the anti-coagulates are working at the appropriate levels.

As soon as I hear about the date for the heart surgery, I will be sure and let you all know. Now we just have to keep Mike from doing too much! Please pray for him in the recovery process. We've come a long way in just one week, but it is still a long road ahead. I will continue to update the blog with Mike's info. as well as other family information so keep a look out. For those of you that know about RSS feeds, you can add this blog feed to your feed reader and these updates can come straight to your mailbox. Just FYI.

Thanks to everyone that has been so supportive through the last week. We are excited and anxious to get Mike through the heart surgery soon. Your prayers and support make the whole process much more bearable. Thanks again. We love you all.

Quick update Tuesday (8/21)

My internet is down, so i am updating from my cell phone. Mike should go home 2day. We haven't received the surgery date yet, more details 2 come. Here's a pic of Mike and Mya from last night.

Sunday update (8/19)

I haven't turned a computer on all weekend, and its been good!

Mike has been doing well. We found out that the hole in his heart should only require the cath procedure! That's great news! He is slowly improving his movements and coordination. One of the doctors told him a story of some pro athletes that have had similar issues and they all fully recovered. Mom said that he really enjoys hearing those kinds of stories. I asked him if he would be dunking the basketball next week and he just replied that he wouldn't take his health for granted anymore. I can assure you, he'll be able to dunk again-but not against my defense! We brought him a couple of games and stuff so he could do something besides watch TV. We walked down to the end of the hall and looked out the window towards the northeast. We also talked about the flooding in Abilene.

We should find out tomorrow or Tuesday when the surgery will be. That will help us all. It will help Michael set some more goals for rehab and it will help all of the family coordinate all of our responsibilities so we can be there to support him at the surgery. I never realized how much an event like this effects the family. Obviously, it's painful and exhausting, but you just don't realize how beat-down and empty you can get...even in the midst of supporting your loved ones. Pray for the family as we continue to pull together. Pray that the Lord would break down any thing that attempts to hinder this healing process. We still have a long way to go, but there's no doubt the the ultimate healer will sustain us through it all. We each need daily renewal, as I'm sure most of you do...even in this moment. That's my prayer for all of you who are keeping up with Mike here. Keep striving and live your life, overflow with joy and don't let a moment slip by.

Friday update on Mike (8/17)

Mike's progress is excellent at this point. Today, I could barely notice slurs in his speech and he's talking in complete sentences. At times, it takes him a couple of seconds to process and begin talking, but he really is doing great. He walked a few stairs today and brushed his teeth. He actually said brushing his teeth was more difficult than walking the stairs! I guess there's a lot more coordination required to brush your teeth than we realize.
He's getting a little stir-crazy in the hospital, so I take that as a good sign too. We hooked up the iPod and watched a slideshow of pictures of him playing basketball and wakeboarding, two of his favorite things to do. We also watched a lot of family pictures when Nicholas was born and watched he and Anthony grow up on the TV screen, Mike really seemed to enjoy that. At one point he was eating some candies that we forced him to eat with his right hand to help build strength. He began throwing them to mom across the room trying to make it in her mouth, that was pretty funny.

As far as his heart goes, we did get to talk to the cardiologist today. She told us that Baylor in Dallas would most likely be doing the heart surgery. At this point, they are unclear on whether it will be open-heart or the cath procedure that enters an artery through the leg and up to the heart. Mike is really anxious about open-heart surgery, so pray for strength both physically and mentally for him. The cardiologist is going to have to go back and read the report and watch the video of some of those tests to see what size the hole in his heart is. If it's 1.5cm or smaller, then he'll get the cath procedure, if it's larger, it will have to be open heart.

It will most likely be early next week before we are able to confirm the surgery appointment. They plan on keeping Mike in the hospital until then. If anyone would like to write him a message, just post a comment and I'll bring it to him later today or tomorrow. Let me know if you have any questions, I post these updates quickly...and I have no idea what I'm talking about half the time! Just want to make sure I've been clear.

Mike's "thumbs up" Best pic of the day!

I thought you would all like to see this picture of Mike standing up and giving us a thumbs up. I'm going to bed, but I'll send you an update tomorrow. Thanks again for remembering the family.

Thursday night update (8/16)

The Internist came in and talked with us for a while tonight. He is trying to regulate the medicines so that Mike's blood won't clot again, which will prevent another stroke. The doctors seem confident that this stroke episode is over and now the job is to prevent another one. After they regulate the meds to prevent the clotting, they will proceed with the heart surgery.

Once again bear with my spelling and terminology as I stumble through this. Right now, they've got him on Plavix and Aspirin to keep the blood thin. They plan on starting shots of Lovinox tomorrow to jump start the anti-coagulation and then he'll start Coumadin (pills) to continue this treatment. They will monitor his blood daily and regulate the dosage accordingly.

The next step leading to the heart surgery is to determine which cardiologists to work with. Once we decide that, we will use the doctor's connections in either Dallas or Houston to secure a referral. Once we get the referral, we're hoping for a direct transfer from Hendrick. However, this will depend on scheduling and it could be a few weeks. They will keep Mike at Hendrick until next week to continue monitoring him and to begin rehab.

Mike has been very very good today. He's speaking in full sentences and even walked with hardly any assistance this evening. It appears that his biggest obstacle will be regaining the use of his right hand. He gets easily frustrated, causing him to just give up and use his left hand.
Hopefully, OT and PT will keep him motivated and give me some exercises to do daily.

It's been a good day that has provided some answers. Please pray for us as we progress to the next stage and get more stuff scheduled.

Me and nick are kinda tired

After 3 days at the hospital, me and Nick were just a little tired. We took a quick nap after lunch.

Nicholas with diaper on head

Nick is sporting a diaper for a hat. Sometimes finding a little fun in the hospital is easier than you might think. When I tried to wear his hat, Nick said "No!" So I promptly returned it to his head.

Pic of heart defect

Thursday morning update (8/16)

The TEE test found that there is basically a hole in Mike's heart that has been there since birth. The problem, as I understand it, is with the atrial septum. The atrial septum is the wall between the left and right atrium of the heart. His septum has a hole in it and apparently that's where the clot originated. At this point they've decided to do surgery to repair the hole using an umbrella procedure. Because Hendrick would have to open him up to do this procedure, they have decided to transfer him to a larger hospital. We do not know where are this point.

It's good to know the cause of the problem, now we just have to get it fixed. No doubt, Mike will be anxious to go under the knife, so please remember him in your prayers today. The family is doing pretty good, considering all. Mom and Becky are exhausted because they've been up at the hospital continuously. Pray for their strength and that the Lord would give them rest in Him. We are all tired. The Lord has been working overtime on our family this week and it's been good. I've always heard how circumstances like this bring families together and I have definitely seen that this week in a most personal way. John 15 is the story of the vine and the branches. Personally, I feel the Lord has pruned a few branches in my life and made me more able (and willing) to bear good fruit. It's been a difficult but necessary process.

You can comment

I've enabled comments for anyone in case you would like to comment on any of these posts. Previously, it was set to allow only Blogger members. Feel free to comment. Thanks!

Funny drawing

Doctor's drawing of mitral valve.

Mike's Health update

The CT scan on the abdomen never did happen today. At about 4:oopm, Mike started having a headache. The doctor ordered another CT scan on his head to check it out. We haven't heard anything on the scan, but Mike has started feeling a little better. We'll still anxious to hear the results though, obviously. At this point, it's possible that they would proceed with the CT scan of the abdomen and the Transesophageal echocardiagram.

The physical therapist didn't make it up to the room today, so she should be here tomorrow. Thursday will be a full day-hopefully it will give us some answers.

Mike seems a little better today. His speech is mildly slurred and most of the time you can understand what he's saying. He still cannot use his right hand or leg. He can stand up and walk to the bathroom with assistance, but it proves to be a challenge. A high number of visitors today seems to have lifted his spirit. I don't want to have false hope with what seems to be a decent day, so being unsure is still very unsettling. However, we have faith that the Lord will sustain him and all of us during this time. Thanks again for praying and visiting with us. I'll post every udpate as soon as possible.

Mike's Work

Some of you have asked about Mike's work, so I wanted to take a minute and let you know what's going on. Mike has a crew of 2 or 3 that he normally works during the week. Luckily, these guys are pretty good. One of the guys, Billy, has been working with Mike long enough to be familiar with most of the jobs. Another friend, Zack has been setting up the crew daily and handling money, equipment maintenance and purchasing. I've been fielding phone calls pretty much all day. Many customers have called with new jobs and many more have called checking the status of their current appointments. These calls have pretty much consumed my entire day, I don't know how he handles this on a daily basis!

As of right now, it appears that we'll be able to keep the business going. I've done my best to explain to customers the situation and most of them have been understanding. Anyway, that's the quick update. Thanks for asking. I'll post another health update soon.

What happened to Mike?

Please realize that my updates are definitely misspelled and I don't know what I'm talking about when it comes to medical terminology, so bear with me. (especially those of you who are in the medical field).

On Tuesday morning, my little brother Mike woke up unable to move or speak. They rushed him to the hospital and began a series of tests that included 2 cat scans, EKG, ECG, carotid Doppler, MRI and MRA. At the end of the day, we were still unsure of exactly what happened. This morning (Wednesday), the neurosurgeon concluded that it was indeed a stroke. He called it a brain stem stroke located in the basil ganglia butted up next to the nerve that controls your speech. The doctor said he is lucky to be alive, and extremely lucky to not be completely paralyzed.

The next step is to find out WHY a 27 year old had a stroke. There are a series of tests scheduled today and tomorrow that will hopefully determine that. Today's tests include a CTA scan of his abdomen, more specifically the arteries to determine if a hematoma that he had a few weeks ago might have been the cause. Tomorrow's test will be a Transesophogeal Echocardiagram (TEE). The way I understand it, they will examine the mitral valve and the connective tissue surrounding it. Apparently, something looked irregular on one of the other tests that has caused them to take a closer look at these places. At this point, they are just trying to figure out what may have caused the stroke.

Mike's current condition is better than it was yesterday. He can walk a little, with assistance, and he can talk, but his speech is still extremely slurred. His right arm and leg are very weak and barely functional. In fact, he hasn't been using them at all due to frustration if nothing else. On the bright side, his thoughts are coherent and he realizes what's going on.
The neurosurgeon and internist are currently working on him. The internist is trying to determine whether to give him anti-coagulates to dissolve any clots that may be remaining and as a preventative measure.

They will begin physical therapy soon and hopefully that will help him gain some confidence. The road to recovery will be long and he'll definitely need your prayers to sustain him.

Some of you have asked about visiting. You are all more than welcome to come and say hello, he's in Hendrick room 7715. Please realize that Mike has been quite emotional and be prepared for him to cry a little-just want you to be prepared for that. I've asked him if he wants visitors and he says that he does, so please come say hello if you get the chance, I'm sure he would love to see you.

Please pray for Mike's spirit as he deals with this. He's very frustrated and scared, understandably. I know that if he's able to gain a little ground then he'll be better prepared to meet the physical challenges that lay ahead.

I'll do my best to keep posting here so that you all can stay on top of what's going on. Thanks again for all your support and prayers. -br

Mike's conidtion 8/15 1:15pm

I'm hoping I'll be able to keep everyone updated via the blog so that I can send one update and then everyone can get it. It's been hard keeping up with everyone who has called and returning those calls. Please send on this web address to those who you know would like to keep up with Mike.

I'll post as I have updates.

Here we go again

This is the first of many posts over the next year that you will be able to read. We want to keep you up to date on what's going on with us. Bookmark this site or subscribe to our feed so you can keep up with the Rogers family.

Moving the blog?

Hey, I wanted to take a minute and try to setup this new blog. I would like to move all of my old posts over, but I'm not sure if I can. We'll see. In the meantime, let's see if I can get this thing going.