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.