Just a short note to let you know that Bill is getting better everyday. He had a rough go of it to start with (lots of pain, pain pills, no appetite, and not much sleep), but things are getting better. He's only taking a pain pill at bedtime and seems to sleep a little better each night. I'm getting more sleep also and that's a good thing! We are both tired, but his pain is getting better, the site is looking better, and his appetite is better. Hope to be able to get him out Sunday for church. It will be the first time he's left the house since we got home last Friday. I know the change of scenery will do him good and being with other people will be nice also. Thank you all for the prayers and please continue to remember us. He goes to the doctor on June 9th for his first check up. Have a great weekend.

Well, they finally took Bill in for his surgery at 1:40 and the doctor came out to tell me how the surgery went at 4:30!! We arrived at the hospital at 8 AM and Bill had nothing to eat or drink after midnight last night. BUT the surgery went well and the new device seems to be working great. If everything goes well through the night and tomorrow, we will bring him home tomorrow afternoon. He will not be able to move his right arm above shoulder level for 6 weeks. This will be a problem, since he's right handed and eating will be a chore for him. He can take a bath the first week (being careful not to wet the surgery site) and then a shower after that. He will see the doctor in 2 weeks and then every 3 months for a year if things are going well.

Thank you for all the prayers offered on our behalf. I'm exhausted, so I'm turning in shortly. Please continue to pray for a speedy recovery. I'll try to post an update tomorrow night, but can't promise! Have a good night.

So much to write about, but so little time to spend on "Pleo" today!

Where to begin: April 9th dh went to heart doctor for a routine pacemaker check up, doctor found abnormal results and admitted him to the hospital immediately (I was at school). Friday morning - decided to do surgery to repair a broken lead and change the battery. (Neighbor took me to the hospital so I could bring our car home that night.) When the surgeon started the procedure, he found that the ICD site was full of infection and he just sewed the site back together. They started him on strong antibiotics by IV and prepared to send him to UAB to remove the ICD and the leads on Monday. Testing was done while he was in Huntsville for uclers. He didn't have an ucler, but did have a hiatal hernia. Family and friends visited him in Huntsville during the weekend and he was in good spirits and not in much pain.

Monday - sent by ambulance to UAB and surgery was done on Tueday morning instead of Monday. Dh was not happy about that since he wasn't allowed to eat or drink anything since midnight Sunday and they didn't let him know the surgery was postponed until 5 or so Monday afternoon!!

Tuesday morning - surgery was done and everything went well. They replaced the ICD with a "life vest" until they could place another ICD in (about 4 weeks) and sent him home late Wednesday afternoon.

His pain level has increased dramatically in the last couple of weeks and he isn't able to eat much. He has little strength to do anything and spends most of his time in his recliner. The doctor told us since his heart isn't being paced by the ICD, he will not have the strength he had before they took the device out.

Well, his surgery is scheduled for Thursday (May 21st) and if everything goes well, he will come home on Friday afternoon. Please remember him and us in your prayers and pray after replacing the ICD he will have strength and not have as much pain. Hope you all have a good weekend.

Wednesday our "baby boy" will turn 17. Where have the years gone?? I remember, like it was yesterday, when we adopted him. He was such a cute little thing and we loved him so much. We have grown to love him more in the years since that day and he has grown to be a good Christian. Every teacher he has at school, tells me they wish they had a room full of students like him. They tell me how polite and respectful he is and that he never causes any problems. This is a wonderful compliment to receive and I always pass these along to him.

We have been so blessed to have him in our lives and I feel sad when I realize that in the not so distant future, he will be out on his own. I pray that we have instilled the values he will need to live in this crazy and immoral world. He has, thus far, made us very proud of his behavior and the friends he chooses to "hang" with. They are always welcome in our home, because they display the same values that our son does.

Please remember him (and our family) in your prayers.

Have a wonderful week!