Fitzgerald Family

The girls built a snowman.

I love winter!

Today we celebrated the birth of our Savior and Monty's 4 month post surgery anniversary. We definitely have so much to be thankful for. My mom, my sister and her family, and Monty's mom came over on Christmas Eve. As the snow continued to fall, both of our moms opted to spend the night. After staying up way to late, the girls woke us up much to early to see what "Santa" brought. Afterwards we put the ham in the oven and started cooking lunch. We had a yummy meal complete with cupcakes the girls and I made for Jesus' birthday. Shortly after lunch, the ice melted enough that our moms could get home safely. We spent the rest of the day sitting by the fireplace and resting. Tonight we celebrated Monty's recovery from surgery. We watched a couple of Christmas movies and had a Rockband concert on the Wii. The girls even had their dad playing the guitar at one point. Monty is still going to cardiac rehab 3 times a week. He has about 5 weeks left. He still has not made the progress that he had hoped for. He continues to have numbness, tingling, and poor circulation in his feet. He has decided to see a neurologist. His blood pressure is often a little low or a tad high. It is all a matter of getting his medicine regulated. Hopefully that will happen soon. It was a fun day and a good time to reflect on the two most inportant things - Christ and family.

I have an exciting story to share. Let me start by telling you that Makayla's teacher has breast cancer for the 2nd time. Makayla absolutely loves her and looks forward to going to school each day. A few weeks ago, Monty, Makayla, Makenzie, and I were on our way home from Fort Worth. We were listening to KLTY in the car and we listened as they granted someone a Christmas wish. Makayla began to ask questions about the Christmas wish. I explained to her that it was for people who are going through hard times. She immediately thought about her teacher. When we got home, I helped her submit an email to the KLTY Christmas Wish program. I know they receive thousands of nominations and never expected to hear anything. Yesterday I checked my cell phone at lunch and had a voicemail from a man that wanted to grant Makayla's Christmas wish. He said that he went to KLTY and read through hundreds of wish requests and he chose Makayla's. We talked on the phone a couple of times and got all of the details worked out. He called the school this morning and spoke to Makayla's teacher and awarded her a $500 gift card. It was very exciting. Makayla was able to go down to the office with her teacher when she took the call. Makayla has to get her picture made with her teacher and the man that granted the Christmas wish. I will post pictures later this weekend. I am so thankful for this man's generosity and his willingness to share his blessings with others.

We had a quiet weekend. We ran a few errands and spent a lot of time inside by the fireplace. It was too cold to do much. Monty felt fairly good. He continues to have pain, numbness and tingling in his feet. Please pray that this subsides soon. I hope you all had a great weekend.

I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving and are enjoying getting your homes ready for Christmas. I absolutely love this time of year!

Monty had an appointment at the cardiologist today. He had to get his beta blocker increased. The results from wearing the heart monitor last week were for the most part normal. She said that he is most likely having muscle spasms in his chest that is waking him up at night. Everything else she saw is normal for someone who had the type of surgery and complications that Monty had. If it keeps happening, she is going to put him on a monitor for 21 days so she can get a better idea of what is going on. Monty asked Dr. N about the numbness and tingling in his feet. She said that it was most likely permanent nerve damage from when his heart stopped. She said that she could set him up with a neurologist if he wanted. Monty hasn't made a decision about that yet. Wednesday the 25th will be 3 month's since Monty's surgery. He has came a long way over the past three months. Please continue to pray that he regains strength and the feeling in his feet. He wants to feel better soon. We went to eat and to Wal-Mart tonight. He is laying on the couch now. That is so not like him. Before the surgery, he was always doing something. Pray that his energy returns soon. Have a good week!

Here's a quick update on Monty. He is having some irregular heart beats. He is going to wear a heart monitor for 24 hours later on in the week. His heart rate has been fine at cardiac rehab, so hopefully it is nothing. He also has a lot of soreness in his chest. He continues to be tired a lot. He is still having trouble getting use to the sound of the mechanical valve. It is a loud ticking sound that often keeps him awake at night. He is frustrated because he still does not feel like himself. He has always been on the go and is very aggravated that he doesn't feel like doing much still. Please pray that he feels better soon and that the irregular beats aren't anything to be concerned about.

I have been crazy busy this week, or maybe just crazy! ;) Monty had another good week of cardiac rehab. He continues to be tired a lot and doesn't have much energy. Hopefully that will improve soon. Makenzie had her first basketball game of the season last night. It was a long drive, but they won! It is always nice to start out the season with a win. I hope you all have a good weekend.

I have been thinking a lot about health care reform lately. I think if the President really wants to reform healthcare in the U.S., he needs to first address the overcharging and frivolous billing that is done by hospitals, doctors, and so forth. Don't get me wrong - I am very grateful for the care that Monty received at the hospital. However, I have been looking over the tall stack of medical bills and have found many discrepancies. For example, he was released on September 4th. The itemized bill has charges for the intensive care unit on September 4th. He left ICU on August 28th. It almost seems like highway robbery! We pay a good amount of money each month for health insurance. We paid the $3,000 out of pocket expense before surgery. Our new physical year for our insurance began on September 1st. Since Monty was still in the hospital on September 1st, we knew we would have to pay an additional $3,000. I didn't think that was too bad for an open heart surgery. Again I was very grateful for the services and thankful that he had lived through the ordeal, so I was very willing to pay another $3,000. However, everyday since we have been home from the hospital we are getting bills from doctors we never saw, services we're not sure he even had. It is crazy. We got a statement for an echocardiogram and our part after insurance was a little over $900. Then we got a bill from a doctor in Arkansas for $205 for reading the echocardiogram. Isn't there someone at the hospital that reads those things? Maybe someone in Texas even? Then we got a bill from a doctor that we never met. We asked Monty's surgeon who this doctor was. The surgeon didn't know him. We called the hospital to inquire who this person was and why he wants $686. We received a letter yesterday from the hospital explaining the mystery man. He was the ER doctor on August 25th. When Monty went code blue he ran up the stairs from the ER to the 4th floor and that entitles him to $686. He didn't do anything. He was their for consult had they needed him. Monty's surgeon and cardiologist were there. I personally spoke to the P.A. that ran the crash cart on Monty. I talked to the R.N. who did the chest compressions. The people who actually worked on him are hourly so they got nothing for it, but the ER doctor is allowed to bill for services he didn't provide. I just think it is wrong. I am very thankful to God and those that used their expertise to get Monty's heart going again. I just can't believe some of the stuff they charge for. I really feel that healthcare reform needs to start with the health care industry and their billing practices. I understand that everyone needs health insurance and it would be more affordable if the healthcare industry did not overcharge insurance companies and patients. Sorry for the rant, but I feel like I am being hijacked each time I go to the mailbox!

Monty's appointment at the surgeon went well. He got his final release from the surgeon and doesn't have to go back to see him. He talked with the surgeon about the his heart rate. The surgeon said that it is all normal post operative rhythms. This is it for tonight. I am going to grade papers and watch the World Series.

Monty has a follow up appointment with the surgeon on Wednesday. He had to get chest x-rays last week to take with him to the appointment. He doesn't seem to mind cardiac rehab. On Monday his heart rate got a little elevated while exercising. It was 166. He could not tell that it was beating that fast. The cardiac therapy nurse had him sit down for a couple of minutes. His heart rate quickly went down. We expected this to happen after he finished the medication that was controlling his heart rhythm. The cardiologist previously explained that the medicine he was on is for short term use because of the side effects and that she would prescribe him something else if the need arises. Monty is going to talk to the surgeon about it tomorrow. Later!

Yippee!!! My blog background works again. I had to change the background earlier in the week because when I logged on the picture had been replaced with an "exceeded bandwidth" message. I am quite excited to see that it is fixed now!

Monty went to orientation at cardiac rehab today. He thinks that he is going to like it okay. He will go three times a week for 12 weeks. His blood pressure was a little high today at the rehab appointment. It was 166/88. His heart rate was a little low. It was 55. I am interested to see what his numbers do when he gets off of the medicine that regulates his heart rhythm. Monty does not have to go to the appointment at the infectious disease doctor tomorrow. The lab called and his blood cultures were negative so he does not have to go to the appointment. That is a definite praise! That means that the strep infection is gone! We are so grateful for that. Monty still has to get his INR level checked to see if his Coumadin level has to be adjusted this week. Please pray that Monty's heart rate and blood pressure stay in a safe range when he finishes one of his medicines this week.

Monty has orientation at cardiac rehab tomorrow. He was originally suppose to do 6 weeks of rehab but is now scheduled for 12 weeks. That is 3 months! He has no clue why the doctor ordered 6 extra weeks. He has a follow up appointment with the infectious disease doctor on Tuesday. He also has to go by the Coumadin clinic to get his INR checked. Hopefully, he will get good reports at both places. Monty will finish one of his medicines this week. It is the strong one that regulates his heart rate. It is only a short term medicine. Staying on it too long could cause him to have harmful side effects. If he begins to have more arrythmias, he will be put on a different type of medicine. Please pray that the appointments go well and that he does not have any issues when he stops taking the medicine that regulates his heart rate. The girls and I have the day off tomorrow. We are going to enjoy a day of rest. Have a great week!

Last night was Monty's first trip out of town since his surgery. I was a little nervous about him being gone overnight. I have grown quite use to the loud ticking of his mechanical heart valve. When I wake up in the middle of the night I can hear it and know that he is okay. I was worried that I would wake up to silence and panic before remembering that he wasn't even home. Fortunately that didn't happen because I slept all night -well what was left of it. I didn't go to bed until 2am. I called Monty as soon as I woke up at 7:30 to check on him before going back to sleep. The girls are insisting that I take them shopping today. I am not much of a shopper. I like to walk in the store, grab what I need, and leave. Makenzie is pretty much the same way. On the other hand, Makayla is a browser. She likes to walk and look at everything, takes forever to make up her mind, feels rushed by her sister and I, and ends up frustrated at us. We'll see what the day holds and if I cave in to the whining about going shopping. I am thinking that I would much rather stay in my pajamas all day and do absolutely nothing.

It is Wednesday, and I am quite excited that it is almost the weekend. The girls and I have a three day weekend. We are going to do some things around the house. Monty is still waiting for his cardiac rehab to be arranged. Hopefully the doctor's office will get all the paperwork submitted soon, so he can get started. Enjoy the rest of the week.

This has to be quick. This is my conference period at work and I have papers to grade and lesson plans to write. I have a prayer request. Makenzie has shingles on her eye AGAIN. This is the third time in a year and a half. She was hospitalized for it once before. Her eye is so swollen that she can't open it. Her eyelid has hundreds of little blisters on it. My mom took her to the doctor this morning. She got three prescriptions. Please pray that the shingles heal quickly and that they do not get inside of her eye. Also please pray that Monty does not get shingles from her. No one got them from her the last two times she has had them. The doctor said that they are stress related. The first two times she got them a couple of weeks after the TAKS test. Hmmm.... I wonder what could have caused her stress this time! We will spend a quiet weekend at home while her shingles heal. It is nice to have a reason to stay home and relax on Saturday, but it stinks that Makenzie and I will have to miss church on Sunday. Thanks for praying!

Monty has not felt good today. He is sore and tired. He thinks the weather is the reason his incision is sore. Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day for him. There is not much going on here besides the usual homework and laundry. I am ready for Saturday so I can sleep in. I hope you all have a blessed week.

We just got home from a long weekend at the State Fair. Monty decided a couple of weeks ago that he wanted to show his turkeys and ducks at the fair. I really didn't think that it was a good idea. I went along so I could make sure that he didn't get too tired and all. He did okay. He spent most of his time sitting in a chair. He still doesn't have the energy to stand or walk long. He was had trouble staying warm. The show was indoors but the building was drafty and the doors were open. At one point, we was wearing a long sleeve shirt, a jacket, and a coat. He and the girls had the Grand Champion Turkey and Grand Champion Duck. They won 2 belt buckles and 2 jackets. While at the fair, the girls and I went walking through the fair with a friend of ours. On the way back to the chicken barn, we passed the first aid station and there was a Dallas rescue truck there with its flashing lights on. The girls immediately began to panic and tried to call their dad. They were scared that something had happened to him. He didn't hear his phone ring when they called. Since he didn't answer, they began walking really fast to get back to the barn. They were relieved to see him sitting right where we left him. So was I! I had wondered the same thing when I saw the rescue truck. I didn't want to scare the girls so I didn't say anything. Hopefully, this isn't an indication that they are going to be little worry warts like their mother. We had a good weekend, and I hope you all did as well.

Monty had his appointment with the cardiologist today. She said that he is doing well. He doesn't have to go back for three months. He continues to get stronger each day. He went and got his hair cut and ran a few errands afterwards. He also fed the farm by himself today. Praise the Lord!

Monty saw the surgeon today and was released to drive! Praise the Lord! He still has some restrictions but can return to work next week. The doctor thinks he looks good and is recovering well. He had to stop by the Coumadin clinic at the cardiologist office. His INR was a little low so he had to get his medicine changed a bit. He was glad to have had a good visit with the surgeon. He will see the cardiologist later in the week, and she will get him set up for cardiac rehab. I hope you all have a great week!

Monty had a good night last night and felt like going to church today. We had a great time of worship and fellowship. Monty enjoyed visiting with everyone. He is beginning to get quite bored sitting at home, but he still gets tired easily. He has been laying on the couch since he got home. Ty is taking him to his appointment tomorrow. I will let you know what he finds out tomorrow.

Today we had several errands to run. We went to Sam's to get some things. We also stopped by the mall to get the girls some jeans. Monty made it fairly well with all of the walking. He is getting stronger. His chest been extremely sore the last couple of days. He thinks it is from getting clothes out of the washer. He was trying to be helpful and do some laundry while I was at work. He will talk to the surgeon about it on Monday. We stopped by Walgreen's to get flu shots on the way home, but they were out. Monty has an appointment with the surgeon and cardiologist this week. Please pray that all goes well. He is hoping to get released to drive. Have a great weekend!

Monty got the picc line out today. Makayla got her top braces put on. Makenzie made it back to school after recovering from the flu. Things are getting back to normal. I am looking forward to a relaxing weekend!

Monty had an appointment at the infectious disease doctor today. The doctor said that Monty's body has had all of the antibiotics it can handle for now. Luckily, his blood work looks good so he can stop the IV antibiotics. Home health will come tomorrow to administer one more dose of steroids and then will remove the picc line. Monty is excited to be finished with the IV's. Makenzie is feeling better. So far no one else is showing any signs of the flu. Makenzie has been 24 hours without fever and will most likely return to school on Wednesday. Makayla is getting braces on Wednesday. Hopefully things will begin to return to normal here now that the IV's are done and the flu patient is well. Have a good rest of the week. I am looking forward to a relaxing weekend!

Makenzie is feeling a little better. Her fever is down, but her throat is very sore still. She also still has a cough. Monty had another reaction to the antibiotics today and he still has the rash from last week. His knuckles are swollen. His hands are red and they itch. His nurse called the infectious disease doctor and he had a syringe of steroids delivered to our house. He has an appointnment with the infectious disease doctor tomorrow. I hope everything goes well and that he can get off of the IV's. Please pray that everyone gets well and stays that way.

Makenzie started feeling a little under the weather on Friday night. She did not have any fever, so we thought she was getting a cold. On Saturday she was tired and did not feel well. We were at a chicken show in Decatur most of the day. We went home for a little while and she talked us into going into town for dinner. She wanted to go to her favorite Mexican food place. She ordered her favorite food. Before her food was brought to the table she asked to go to the car to get her jacket. She had chill bumps and was shivering. I gave her two tylenol. When we got home her temperature was 103.2 . She went to lay down. I went to do all of the farm chores. She came out on the porch and told me that her fever wasn't going down. About an hour later her fever was 104. I called her doctor and she said to take her to an after hour clinic or the emergency room. She has the flu. She got the Tamiflu medication and is already feeling better. Please pray that she is well soon. Also, plese pray that no one else gets it - especially Monty. I told the ER doctor about Monty and he suggested that we call his doctor and get him some Tamiflu. We got it today. He is not going to start taking it until he talks to the cardiologist tomorrow. I am so ready for everyone in this house to get well NOW!

Monty still has his rash. It looks extremely painful, but he says that it doesn't hurt or itch anymore. I don't know about you all, but I am glad it is Friday. I love my job and my students, but I need sleep! With the rash and all, Monty has not been able to get comfortable at night, so we are up several times during the night. Please continue to pray that the antibiotics are successful in fighting the strep infection in the heart valve. Thanks for following along. The prayers are greatly appreciated.

The rash, itching, and leg pain was caused from an allergic reaction to the antibiotics. They should be out of his system and he should be feeling better within 48 hours. He got a new type of IV antibiotics that he will start tonight. Thanks for praying.

This is my conference period at school but I need to ask you to pray for Monty. This has to be quick because I have tons of stuff to get done in this hour! Monty's rash has gotten worse. It is on his arms and legs. He also has a lot of itching and pain in his legs. Please pray that this is from the medication and not the strep infection. I called the infectious disease doctor and they wanted to see him today. Rex is taking him. I will update when I get home. Please pray that the rash, itching, pain and whatever is causing it subsides quickly.

Monty continues to make progress. He is able to get up and move around more. He is also eating better. He did not get lab results yesterday or today. I will call tomorrow and see what is going on with that. He also did not get his shipment of IV antibiotics today. Last time they were delayed was because his numbers weren't quite right and his dosage had to be adjusted. I will have to call about that tomorrow as well. He is feeling quite good today. Please continue to pray about the strep infection and the rash on his legs.

Monty was hoping to make it to church today for the first time since surgery, but did not feel like it. He was very sore when he woke up. He has also developed a rash on his legs. It might be from the antibiotics. It is one of the side effects. He did not think that we should call his home health nurse since she is coming in the morning. He is feeling okay this evening. Please pray that the rash goes away and that it is not from the antibiotics. He will have blood drawn tomorrow that will test the level of antibiotics in his blood and his kidney function. Please pray that all of the lab work turns out well. Now for the birthday wish - my sister is having a birthday tomorrow. She drove all the way to Fort Worth to bring me chips and hot sauce from Casa Torres and tea from Chicken Express when Monty was in the hospital. Happy Birthday to Michelle, my OLDER sister.

It has been a busy day here at the Fitzgerald house. I cleaned the house and got all of the laundry done. Makenzie mowed the yard. The girls and I had to feed the chicken farm. Monty had a couple of things he needed me to do on the tractor. I also had to pull a trailer to town for him. I was even able to back it up. I am getting quite skilled at driving the tractor. I can pick a trailer up with the bucket of the tractor and pull it. Monty is having a fairly good day. He got up at 7 this morning and made his own coffee because this girl didn't get up until 9. He went into town with us and walked around outside while we were feeding. He seems to have more energy today. He has spent a good amount of time outside on the porch today. He had his first salad since surgery for dinner tonight. For those of you that aren't familar with Coumadin, (blood thinner) it works with the Vitamin K in your body. Monty has to keep his level of Vitamin K consistent in order to keep his blood thinner working properly. He is able to eat greens but he has to do so consistently. Monty was hungry for a taco salad so i figured it was a good time to try it since he will have his Coumadin level checked on Monday. He would like to go to church tomorrow. He will have to see how much sleep his gets tonight and how he feels in the morning. If he is feeling up to it, we will just go for church and not Sunday School. The awesome husband of our awesome children's minister is going to pick the girls up and take them to Sunday School. I hope you all have a great weekend.

I am sorry that I have not been updating regularly this week. I have been very busy. Now that I am back at work, I have lots of things to do that got piled up the ten days that I was out. Monty continues to run a low grade fever. He is still on IV antibiotics for about 2 1/2 more weeks. He had to have blood drawn today. He is eating better. Monty is still very tired and sore. He wanted to ride to town with us tonight. We went to get groceries. He stayed in the car most of the time. He did come in and walk for a few minutes. It was good exercise since it has been to muddy for him to get outside to walk. Thanks to our dear friend, Reece, for taking Monty to the clinic in Bridgeport for the lab work. The home health draws blood, but it is for the infectious disease doctor. The cardiologist needed different tests and wanted Monty to get a flu shot. Unfortunately the clinic was out of flu shots, so he will have to do that later. We are just chilling out at home this weekend. Please continue to pray for strenghth for Monty. I would like you to pray for some of our friends. Our neighbor, Paul, when we lived in Chico is in surgery right now in Denton. He is having a heart valve replaced. He is 83 and broke his hip on Tuesday which has made everything a little more complicated. Please pray for him. The other prayer request is for the husband of a lady I work with. Her name is Traci. Her husband was taken to the hospital with heart problems today. I do not have all of the details, but I know how worried and scared she must be. Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers.

Monty had two doctor appointments today. We left the house at 7:20. We got about 3 miles down the road and realized that we did not have his gallon bag full of medications. We turned around and went back to the house. We were making good time until we got stuck in stop and go traffic for 45 minutes. Monty was already tired because he did not sleep much last night. I called the infectious disease doctor's office and explained that we were stuck in traffic and would be late. We finally arrived 2o minutes after our appointment time. Monty had to get his morning IV started in the car. We had to wait forever at the doctor's office. I went to the window twice and explained that Monty has only been out of the hospital for a week and a half. I further explained that he is weak, has been up half of the night and has an appointment at the cardiologist's office in an hour. They finally called us to the back. The doctor came in. We talked with him for a few minutes. He is going to extend the length of time Monty is on IV antibiotics. He still has about 3 weeks of IV antibiotics left. He told us that most people with strep infection in the heart never make it out of the hospital. He also said that he is "hopeful that this will turn out well." WHAT? I am fairly certain that this man needs to work on his bedside manner just a bit. I can't believe he actually said that to us. I was about to get upset with him but decided I wasn't going to waste my breath. Honestly, I haven't been impressed with him since he was assigned to us at the hospital. Enough about that. After leaving there, we went to the cardiologist. Thankfully, she is a very kind lady that has some compassion for people. She said that Monty was doing well. His new heart valve sounds great. She adjusted his medicine a little. The only concern that she has is that Monty needs to gain some weight back. Anyway, that was our day and my patience was definitely tested. Please keep praying about the strep infection in the heart and that Monty would continue to regain energy and strength. Thanks!

Monty has a fever tonight. Please pray. His blood work wasn't what it should have been this week. It had something to do with the level of antibiotics in his blood and it had caused increased kidney function. He had to have the amount of IV antibiotics reduced to prevent damage to his kidneys. Please pray that the strep infection will not spread to the new heart valve with the decrease in antibiotics. Please pray for complete healing for Monty.

Monty and I would like to say thank you to all of you for your kindness during his surgery and recovery. Thank you for the prayers, visits, calls, childcare, lawn care, food, flowers, and staying with Monty when I returned to work. We went into this surgery expecting it to be fairly easy. Even though it was open heart surgery and a complex procedure, the surgeon said it would be a piece of cake because Monty is young, thin, in good shape, and did not have any blockages or heart disease. Well, it was anything but easy. The 2nd trip to surgery and the code blue were far from a piece of cake. Thanks to all of those that waited with us during the surgery and the craziness that followed. First of all I would like to thank our church family, old and new, for the continuous prayers, numerous visits, and calls. It was really heartwarming to have staff and members from two churches to sit with us during this time. I would also like to say thanks to our friend, Ty. He spent the night at the hospital with us the night of surgery. After such a crazy day, it was comforting to have him there. He also stayed at the house with Monty one day this week so I could work. Thanks to Sherrie and her family for caring for the girls. My mom also stayed at my house a few nights with the girls. I would like to say a special thank you to those that were there through the 2nd surgery and the craziness afterwards. Rex, Debbie, Reece, Berniece, James, Ty, Uncle Ken and Aunt Lorene, and anyone that I might be forgetting - I really appreciate you all for comforting the girls and I through that ordeal. That was probably the longest 20 - 30 minutes of my life. I am thankful for the staff of FBC Decatur for coming back to the hospital that night to sit with us. I appreciate the yard work done by Ron and Randy. Most of all I appreciate the prayers from everyone. I am forever grateful to a young lady named Robyn. She is a Physician Assistant and ran the code on Monty. We were able to discuss our faith at the hospital a couple of different times. She talked with me about her spiritual gift of knowing. She knew that things weren't right after Monty's surgery, although she could not pinpoint the problem. She said that God told her to stay with him, and I am so glad she listened. I am also forever grateful to Al, the ICU nurse, who cared for Monty during his most critical time. He was responsible for doing the chest compressions when Monty's heart stopped. He came to the waiting room and visited with me after everything settled down that evening. He also allowed me to sneak into ICU to see Monty when it wasn't visiting hours. Last but not least, the hospital liason, Tony, was so helpful during the hospital stay. He called and got updates on Monty's condition. He sat with us through the craziness after surgery. He worked deals with the ICU unit to allow Makayla to see her dad. She wasn't old enough to get into ICU, but he was able to arrange it. He also found me a place to shower at the hospital while Monty was in ICU. We have been so blessed by the kindness of many. Thanks to everyone that called with well wishes, stopped by to visit, or sent cards. God bless you all!

Monty had a good day today. He felt better than yesterday and had more energy than he has had the last couple of days. He enjoyed visiting with his boss and some of his chicken showing buddies. I really like having my mom sit with Monty while I am at work. She has been doing my laundry and cleaning my house. I wonder if I can still get her to do that after Monty is fully recovered. Please continue to pray about the strep infection. That's all for today. This girl is tired. I have decided that at 34 I am too old to make it on 3-4 hours of sleep a night. That's about all I have gotten for a little over two weeks, and it has caught up with me!

Monty was tired most of today. He slept a lot last night but was still tired this morning. He is getting his antibiotics adjusted tomorrow. The lab called and said that some numbers are elevated. I am not sure what all of it means, but they have to cut back on his antibiotics. Pray that the heart valve will be protected from the strep infection even with the decrease in antibiotics. Please continue to pray that he becomes stronger each day.

Today was my first day back at work. My mom stayed with Monty. I don't want to leave him alone yet. He wasn't able to sleep much last night, so he is very tired today. The home health nurse came out and checked his blood levels. His blood is too thin, so he has to stop taking his Coumadin for two days. I am hoping we both get some much needed sleep tonight. Tonight is the last night for the antibiotic that is three times a day. After tonight we will be able to move the other antibiotic to a more reasonable time. Please continue to pray that Monty gets stronger each day.

The weekend before Monty's surgery Makayla asked him to cook a brisket. She knew that he would not be able to cook one for Labor Day. She likes when her dad cooks meat on the smoker. She likes to go out with him to check on the meat and sample it with him. Since we had our Labor Day cookout a couple of weeks ago, we are going to enjoy a much needed day of rest. Monty feels better today than yesterday. He continues to cough a little. He is walking more each day. Last night he went out to the barn with us while we fed all the chickens. He sat on a bucket and told us which pens need krumbles and which pens need pellets. Makenzie and I filled the feeders up. The nice guy from the feed store delivered a load of feed on Sunday. Monty is getting stronger each day. Please continue to pray for a speedy recovery.

Monty feels pretty good today. He is taking a nap now while getting another round of IV antibiotics. The middle of the night IV antibiotics cause both of us to lose some much needed sleep. We were up from 4-7:15. I have planned to take a nap this afternoon - after the Rangers came of course. I got all of my papers graded and lesson plans done for the upcoming week. I am ready to go back to work. I went on the first day of school and haven't been back since. I have made arrangements for a couple of people to keep Monty company while I am at work this week. I don't feel comfortable leaving him home by himself just yet. Please pray that he continues to regain strength each day and that the IV antibiotics continue to fight the strep infection in the heart valve.

Our first night at home went well. Monty has to have IV antibiotics 5 times a day. We were up about 3 hours during the night to get the IV's done. He got a hospital bed delivered this morning. He had trouble getting comfortable last night. He could not lay flat in the bed and had a hard time sleeping in the recliner. He is quite comfortable in his new bed. Monty even felt good enough this morning to walk outside and check on his chickens. We are watching the Rangers game and catching up on laundry.

We are home! Yippee Jesus! We are waiting on home health to get here to give Monty his evening IV antibiotics. Please pray that Monty continues to recover and regain his strength. Thanks for praying and following along.

It's official. We are going home. Monty is getting his IV antibiotic. As soon as it is finished, we are heading to the house. Yippee Jesus! Please pray for a safe trip home and that my driving doesn't make Monty nervous.

Keep your fingers crossed - If Monty's labs come back good this morning, we will be going home this evening. Pray for good news.

We are just hanging out. Monty coughed quite a lot during the night and is napping now. None of the doctors have been by this morning. The surgeon said that he would come by this afternoon and see where Monty's numbers are. If they look good, we might get to go home. We got Monty signed up for home health yesterday. They will be coming out 2-3 times a week to draw labs and flush his Picc line. He will be on a powerful combination of IV antibiotics at home for 4 weeks for the strep infection in the heart valve. The respiratory therapist was in a little bit ago and recommended that Monty have oxygen at home. He is going to have 8 prescriptions as well. He will have 3 heart meds, 2 stomach meds, magnesium, potassium, and lasix. Some of these he will take from now on. Others he will only need for about a month or so. Anyway, we are anxious to go home. The girls are ready for life to get back to normal, and so are we!

I slept the entire night. I was so tired. It's a good thing that Monty didn't need me during the night. If so, he would have been out of luck. The hourly nurse checks, respiratory therapy, the 3am weigh in, beeping ivs, and coughing husband couldn't wake me. Prayer concerns for the day: Monty is still coughing. Pray that the irritation in his lungs subsides. Monty has developed a rash on his back and abdomen. The surgeon assistant wants the Infectious Disease doctor to look at it today. Please pray that the rash is not from the antibiotics that are being used to treat the strep infection in the heart valve. It is important that Monty is able to continue with this particular combination of antibiotics for the next 4 weeks. If there aren't any more issues today, we are expecting to meet with a social worker tomorrow to get signed up for home health services. Once that is arranged, Monty can continue his recovery and treatment at home. Home health will administer his IV antibiotics for the strep infection and check the Coumadin level in his blood for the next four weeks. If all is well today, it just might be home sweet home for us tomorrow. Yippee Jesus!

The x-ray report doesn't show any pneumonia. Monty has sections of his lungs that are not expanding as they should. He is going to have to keep working on his breathing exercises and try to breathe deeper in order to expand his lungs. We are going to be here a few more days. They are still working on regulating heart rate, blood pressure, Coudamin levels in his blood, and are trying to pull some fluid off of him. He weighed 165 when he got here. He is now up to 186. They are giving him lasix to pull about 20 pounds of fluid off of him. Please pray that he is able to rest tonight. He has coughed so much the last two days that he is exhausted. The girls are on their way to see us. We haven't seen them since Sunday. Yippee! We sure have missed them.

Monty's cardiologist ordered a chest x-ray this morning. He has developed a dry cough, and she could hear a little fluid in his lungs. She is hopeful that it is all normal post operative stuff but ordered the x-ray to rule out pneumonia. He also got some of his medicines adjusted to help keep his blood pressure and heart rate in normal range. Please pray that Monty does not have pneumonia.

Monty has had a very good day. All of the doctors came in and pretty much said the same thing. They all thought that he had made a lot of progress since yesterday. They said he looked good and that all of his numbers look much better today. His white count and liver enzymes continue to drop. The only discouraging news is that he has developed a fever again this afternoon. Please pray that the fever will go down quickly and that it will not cause any further complications - specifically that the new heart valve does not become infected with the strep infection.

We are definitely in a better situation than we were last Tuesday. Looking back over the past few days, I am grateful that we have made it this far. We have only seen 1 of 6 doctors today. The kidney doctor said that Monty's kidneys have fully recovered. Praise the Lord! I have no clue what the reports and lab results will look like later today. All I know at this point is what I can see, and Monty looks good today. He felt like bathing, putting on pajamas, going for a walk, and he even wanted to do some manscaping on his week long whiskers. Manscaping = shaving, just in case you were confused. I came up with that word a long time ago and have continued to use it. We were unable to sleep last night. Nurses and therapists were in and out all night. Please be in prayer for the little lady in the next room. She had a bad night. Honestly, she made me have a bad night. Please keep in mind that we are a week into this hospital stay. My nerves are shot, and I am mentally and physically exhausted. With that being said, the poor little lady must be very elderly and so confused. She screamed "ma'am, ma'am" for at least 3 hours straight. I kept asking the nurse if she could hear her. She kept saying yes. I guess she was trying to ignore her. I feel bad for the little lady now. However in the middle of the night - not so much. I prayed for her during the night. It went something like this, "God, please shut her up." When I woke up this morning I felt very convicted for the selfish attitude I had in the middle of the night. Please join me in genuinely praying for this lady. She must be so confused and scared to not understand where she is or what is happening to her. Sad. Truly sad. Anyway, there isn't really any news to report on Monty as of now. As soon as I know anything, I'll pass it along.

Monty does not need bowel surgery. His obstruction is gone. Praise the Lord! We talked with the doctor. He feels that Monty is making progress even with all obstacles that he has had. He still has a ways to go to get his heart rate and blood pressure regulated. Please pray that the kidneys, liver, strep infection, and digestive system will no longer be an issue. All of these things have delayed the recovery process. He needs to get all of the setbacks behind him so that he can begin to work on regaining his strength and increasing activity while keeping his heart rate and blood pressure in a safe range. Thanks for praying so diligently for the obstruction to be dissolved. Today is going to be a good day - I am claiming it in Jesus' name!

Monty had an x-ray a little bit ago to see if the blockage has been reduced or eliminated. We are still waiting to hear the results. The heart surgeon said that he is making progress even though he has had all of these obstacles along the way. Regardless of what the lab reports and test show, I can see a difference in him today. When I woke up from a night of much needed sleep, Monty was watching tv. He had not even turned it on until today. That was a good sign for me. He also asked to use my laptop for a couple of minutes. The nurse said that would be good arm exercise for him. He is at least getting interested in what is going on around him, and that alone is a praise. I'll pass on the word about the obstruction as soon as I hear. Please continue to pray that the obstruction is gone. Thank you all so much for the prayers, comments, emails, calls, and visits. They are greatly appreciated.

This evening Monty had a CT scan because his stomach was extrememly distorted. He was vomiting bile, and his white count was 34,000. The CT scan revealed that he has an obstructed bowel. The doctor will reevaluate it in the morning and decide on a plan of action. PLEASE PRAY THAT THE BOWEL OBSTRUCTION RESOLVES ITSELF IMMEDIATELY! I don't think I can hear the word surgery again. Pray please.

Monty had a very rough night last night. Please pray that all of these issues would be resolved quickly. The positive part is that the heart surgeon came in this morning and said that his heart looks good. The down side is that Monty is having some major intestinal issues. He is having a series of x-rays this morning to check for blockages in the intestines. He really hasn't been able to eat since surgery. His stomach continued to swell and he began vomiting bile. I am sorry if this is too much information. Disgusting. Needless to say I did not want breakfast today. He had a tube inserted into his nose that goes down to his stomach to keep the bile suctioned out. Please pray that Monty would get some sleep today and that intestines begin working properly NOW. I will post again after the x-rays are complete and we know for sure what is going on.

Monty had physical therapy today and within a couple of minutes his heart rate was 160. His blood pressure was also elevated. He had to get new medicine for that. Hopefully they will get this under control. It was a tense few minutes watching the doctor and nurses pump him full of medicine to get his rates down. They also began him on coumadin today. That is the blood thinner that he will be on from now on. It will be a process to get the dosage regulated. Please pray that his heart rate and blood pressure stay in a safe range while increasing his activity.

Last night was Monty's first night out of ICU. I think things went well. I don't know for sure because I slept a good part of the night. I was tired. I did wake up several times when he was getting respiratory therapy and having blood drawn. He also got his sheets changed and had to be weighed in the middle of the night. The on call surgeon came around. He was great about explaining everything that has happened this week and what we can expect for the next few weeks. Monty will have his chest tubes removed shortly. The doctor is also hopeful that the liver issues will be resolved over the next couple of days. His liver enzymes are extremely high, but his functions are almost normal. Monty's white count is 31,000. The doctor said that Monty looks great for someone who went through two heart surgeries and cardiac arrest just three days ago. Monty does not have a fever, so the doctor does not believe that the elevated white count is from the strep infection. Monty is quite excited that he can have solid food for lunch. I think we may have gotten the good news that we wanted for today. I can't be sure because we will see three more doctors at some point today. Because their focuses are on different things, their perspectives are often different.

The surgeon told me this morning that he wanted Monty to remain in ICU until Sunday. We had a lengthy conversation about the kidneys, liver, strep in the heart and so on. About an hour ago Monty was moved into a room. I am not sure that this is what the surgeon intended to happen, so I am a little nervous. He does have a heart monitor in the pocket of his gown, so that helps me to worry less. The physician assistant and cardiologist made the decision to move him today. The physician assistant is the one that worked on Monty when he coded on Tuesday. She said that she wanted the girls to have a good weekend, so she pulled some strings and got us a nice room. We got the "executive suite" on the 4th floor. It has an area about the size of a normal hospital room for Monty and then a very large room for the family. It has 2 couches, 4 chairs, and a big screen tv. It will definitely be a better placce for me to sleep than the floor of the ICU waiting room. Please continue to pray that the strep infection in the heart is eliminated quickly and that the liver enzymes and white count go down today. We are hoping for good news tomorrow!

Edit 11:45 The surgeon came to the waiting room to visit with me. He said that Monty looks great today. He is hopeful that the liver issues will resolve themselves. He said the liver was most likely taking a hit from when Monty coded on Tuesday. The doctor said that he will probably be in ICU until Sunday and could possibly go home mid week.


We saw Monty's physician assistant, infectious disease doctor, physical therapist, and occupational therapist this morning. Things are a bit complicated today. The lab results for today show that Monty's liver enzymes and white cell count are very high today. The strep report shows that the strep in the heart valve is a very rare type that does not respond to common antibiotics. The particular medication that will treat the strep is extremely dangerous for the kidneys. His kidneys had already had issues earlier in the week. With all of the new concerns for today, it would be very easy to have a pity party, but I realize that we are still in a much better situation than we were Tuesday afternoon. I know God is still in control. Please pray that all of these issues would be resolved quickly.

Things have been quiet again this afternoon. Monty is very tired and has slept most of the day. He will be getting a picc line this evening for the antibiotics that he will be on for 4 weeks here and at home to fight the strep. The physician assistant came and got me from the waiting room a few minutes ago. She wanted me to see that they had gotten Monty out of bed and into a chair. He was asleep in the chair, but at least his blood pressure was stable enough to get him up. They are planning on having him walk a short distance tonight. He was able to have a few bites of soup and jello today.

Praise - Kidney function is normal today.
Prayer request - The biopsy of the aortic valve that was removed came back positive for strep. He will see an infectious disease doctor today and will receive high doses of antibiotics for the next 6 weeks. He said that strep is relatively common in leaky valves. Please pray that the strep is no longer present and that it will not be an issue.

The doctor is pleased with his heart rate and response to having the blood pressure medicine cut back. He does anticipate that Monty will have therapy today and should be out of ICU at some point tomorrow.

I was able to sleep 4 hours. I feel so much better. I woke up at 3:45 because the waiting room phone kept ringing. That is scary when you have someone in ICU. I jumped up from my pallet on the floor and went to the ICU entry door to call and check on Monty. His nurse said that she had just given him a bath and invited me in to see him for a few minutes. He was talking a little more and was more alert. The nurse has cut the blood pressure medicine down a lot. She expects that he will be completely off of it by the end of her shift at 7. He had to get a pint of blood yesterday, and it is possible that he will need another today. His numbers are looking better as far as heart rate. We are hoping for good results on his kidney function test today. Prayer request for the day - please pray that he is able to get up and move around. He missed his first day of therapy yesterday. The doctor said that the coding incident had set him back a couple of days. Thanks for praying and for following along.

Monty is still just chilling. He has been asleep most of the day. He is looking better each time we see him. We have the whole ICU waiting room to ourselves for now. We are watching the Rangers game and resting. I will update again tomorrow.

Fortunately things are calm here, so there isn't much to report. The girls got to see Monty at 12:30. He was able to visit with them for a few minutes. He gave them a much needed smile. They feel better about going back home for school tomorrow. Please pray that the girls stay in good spirits while they are away from us until Friday. It was hard to send them off, but I don't want them to miss too much school. I hope that the time goes by quickly for them. As for Monty, he looks better each time we see him. They are trying to reduce the amount of his blood pressure medicine. Once his blood pressure is stabilized without medicine, he will be able to get up. He finally got to eat jello this evening. I will see him again at 5.

I saw Monty at 9 and he was heavily medicated. He had been uncomfortable but had refused some pain medicine earlier this morning. When his cardiologist came around she insisted that he take the medicine. He was pretty much out of it. I was able to talk with the surgeon, cardiologist, kidney specialist, and the physician assistant. I got all of my questions answered about his high blood sugar, increased kidney functions, and low blood pressure. The doctors are very hopeful that the issues he is having today are a result of going into surgery twice and the code blue episode. They think his body is in stress and all of this should correct itself over the next couple of days. If not, there is the possibility that his kidneys were without blood when his heart stopped and may have been damaged. Please pray that it is stress related and everything will return to normal soon!

I am thankful that we had a very uneventful night. Monty's heart rate stayed consistent for the most part, but he still has some arythmia issues. His blood pressure is still very low. He is on medication to raise his blood pressure, but the medicine contains sugar. His sugar was 512 a little after midgnight. It is 315 at last check. I was able to stay in ICU with him all night. He has a very nice nurse and she asked me I wanted to stay. I did not sleep at all because his blood pressure monitor and his IV kept going off. He has 9 different things that he is getting through his IV, so it is no wonder something was always beeping. Please pray that his blood pressure stabilizes.

I was able to see Monty a little after 7. I talked the nurse into sneaking me in. Monty was fairly alert. He still has the ventilator so he is not able to speak yet. We saw him again at 9 and he was resting. The nurse expects that he will be off of the ventilator in a couple of hours. My poor girls have gone home for the evening. They are emotionally and physically drained. Please pray that Monty's blood pressure and heart rate are stable throughout the night and that he is able to rest. The next ICU visiting hours are at 9 in the morning. However, Monty has a very sweet nurse and she is going to let me set in there as long as I want during the night. She said that I can stay as long as I don't keep him from resting. I promised to stare at him quietly. Thanks for the many prayers that were sent on Monty's behalf. I can tell you that they were definitely answered. When things weren't looking so could my little Makayla said, "Mom can we just pray for him?" We did and so did many others. Thanks again.

We were able to see Monty again at 5. His vitals were stable and he was beginning to wake up. Once he is fully alert they will begin the process of cutting back the ventilator. He appears to be doing ok now. The next 48 hours are critical after this type of surgery. We are hoping that at 9 he will be able to open his eyes completely and talk to us. Please continue to pray over the next few days for healing and a speedy recovery. Also please pray for my poor girls because they have had a hard day. Their momma could use some prayers also. :)

I haven't updated in a while because things have been crazy. Things are starting to look up. Monty went code blue about an hour and a half ago. All is well now. Thank you Jesus! He was having blood pressure problems and arrythmia issues but hopefully that is under control now. Please continue to pray. We are a nervous wreck. We got to see him a few minutes ago and he looked good to have been through so much today. Pray. Pray. Please pray.

The hospital liason came out and said that they are finished repairing the problems and that Monty is off of bypass and everything is okay for now. Please continue to pray.

The doctor came out and said that surgery was over. Ten minutes later they called the waiting room and said that were taking him back to surgery. We don't really know what is going on yet. PLEASE PRAY.

We just got a call from the surgery nurse. We are beginning the 5th hour of surgery. She said that things are still going as expected.

Monty has been in surgery for two hours. The surgery will take approximately two more hours. His nurse just called and said that things are going well. We have been blessed with lots of love and many visitors who are waiting with us today. Please continue to pray that things go smoothly.

Surgery should begin any minute. Please pray that everything goes as expected. The surgery should take around 4 hours. We are visiting with very kind folks from our church as we wait. We should get an update in a couple of hours, and I will pass it on.

We are here. We got here about 5:15. The girls are still half asleep. Monty is fairly calm. I am a little antsy. The nurse came out and said that she will call him back at 6:00 to begin surgery preparations. I will update later.

We have been extremely busy the past few days trying to get everything done before Monty's surgery. I think we are ready. We really appreciate all of you that have called or emailed to offer words of encouragement and prayers. The surgery is scheduled to begin at 7:30 on Tuesday and is expected to last 3-4 hours. I will post updates here as often as I can.

Monty had his second consultation with the surgeon and got his pre-op done today. The doctor showed us the type of mechanical valve and aortic root that he will be using. He let us get the girls from the waiting room, and he explained it to them. They got to hold the valve and see the doctor that is actually doing the surgery. I think they feel better about everything now. Surgery will be at 7:30 on Tuesday.

Monty had to go the dentist to get some cavities fixed before he could have heart surgery. I never knew that teeth had the potential to cause an infection that would affect the heart. Anyway a few hours and a small fortune later, he was cleared for surgery. Note to self - I should have went to dental school.

Welcome to our blog! We will use this blog to post updates on the day of surgery and during the hospital stay.