Rob's going home

I can't believe I am typing those words. I have waited all week to type them and tonight, Rob is going home. He is still on a full liquid diet and has a drain. But since he is doing so well he gets to come home. My heart is full with love for him. I am so excited to have him sleep next tonight. I don't even mind his snoring. I can't express how grateful I am for all the prayers, fasting and the blessings. It is truly a miracle that Rob is going home so soon. They told us to prepare for a seven day hospital stay after the surgery. Well he is going home on day 4 and it feels wonderful.

Love to all.

Day 4

Rob's is improving everyday. He is now on full liquids, which means he can have milk, pudding and pureed soup. He got dressed today (WOW). He is really sick of being at the hospital, as this is day 8. I can't wait for him to come home, and for life to be normal again. Where the days are predictable. This has been an incredibly faith building experience. I have truly seen a miracle. Rob's progress has been outstanding. His bowels woke up sooner than expected. He is up and moving, this helps promote healing. I am posting a couple of pictures from Rob at the hospital. He is enjoying vanilla pudding, right now. I mean really enjoying vanilla pudding. Hard to believe he was on ice chips for 96 hours. We will have to see how much weight he has lost when we get home. Last time he lost 14 pounds in the hospital and then six pounds when he went home.

I just can't thank Heavenly Father enough for the healing I have seen take place. We still have a long road ahead of us, after what we have been through I know that we will make it.

Love to all.

Mary

Hey y'all

It's Ashley,
if ya haven't heard my dad's in the hospital. i have prayed and fasted for him multiple times (prayed more than fasted). i just wanted to say hi to everybody. I apeciate everybodys praying and fasting... Ohhh i 'm in the school play,alice in wonderland, i am playing the Queen of hearts.(not the red queen, she is my sister) Don't get me started on the diffrence between the two , lets just say , in the new disney move their red queen is supposed to be the queen of hearts. (if you really want to know the whole thing post a comment and ask.) My dad is doing fine but, it 's hard to not be able to make him not laugh...it hurts him to bad. love you all!
Ashley
p.s. i have bad spelling,forgive me

Day 3

Rob is doing awesome this morning. He has been out of his bed sitting up all morning. He has already walked several times around. He is now standing up straight no hunching. A nurse last night told him that hunching could cause scar tissue. So, he immediately stood up straight. It's crazy he is sitting up reading the paper. He still is in a lot of pain, but you can tell he is well on his way to a full recovery. The biggest news of all is that he pooped last night. I know that might be a little graphic but it is a very good sign. My friend who has been in the hospital for pre-term labor shared this scripture today. It was so touching that I thought I would share it here. It is D&C 121:7-8 My son, peace be unto thy soul; thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be a small moment; and then, if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high; thou shalt triumph over all thy foes.

Amazing,that is what watching Rob recovery is. It is truly amazing and we have witnessed a miracle. Prayers and blessing do help. Each of us has a loving Heavenly Father who truly will help bare are burdens. For this I am grateful. Just get on your knees and give your troubles to the lord. He will lift you up and bring you peace.

Love to all.

Recovery Day 2

Rob had a great day today. He had many milestones. He still can only have ice chips. No food or liquid. Hopefully he might be on a clear liquid diet tomorrow. They removed the catheter, that was a huge relief. I coaxed him to let me give him a sponge bath. He has been getting out of bed more often and has done about eight or nine laps around this floor of the hospital. He had been using a walker. But on the last lap he decided to show off and went around without the walker. I can't believe the steady progress that he has made. He has a very postive outlook and that definitely helps with his healing. Everytime they tell him one more thing that will help he quickly does it.

He is keeping everyone laughing with all his jokes. I love him so much. It's crazy that just when I think I couldn't love him anymore than I already do, I do. He is my best friend and it has been so hard to see him in so much pain. He has been such a source of strength even during his worse pain.

We feel very blessed for the progress he is making. Thanks again for all the prayers and thoughts on his behalf.

Love to all

Robs Personal Update

Hey there all you wild and crazy blog readers this is Robert. I am so happy to be sitting up in a chair and typing. You will have to excuse any mistakes i have a IV in the right hand and they just took out the one in the left hand. So needless to say im afraid to wipe. I have recently read through what Mary has written and as you all probably know. I definetly married way out of my league. She is the best. I can tell you now that I have much better respect for all those people who have ever gone through a surgery, had a baby or has had to give blood twenty times or more. I am so grateful for all the prayers, fasting and the priesthood blessings I have received. In the scriptures we are taught that we will not be given trials that we can not over come. I am so grateful for the lessons I am being taught through watching the faith of my children increasing on a daily basis. I have always said if someone in my family has to go through the trial of physical ailments, I would always hope it was me. So, as funny as it sounds I am truly grateful that this trial is mine. I am so grateful for all my family and friends. I feel of your love and the strength of your prayers along with a loving Father in Heaven has helped carried me through this trial. I know that by his will I will be made whole. Big kiss, big hug, little kiss, little kiss, big kiss, little hug.

Robert

Recovery Day 1

It's good to be typing about recovery. We are having very positive thoughts. The first being that we are extemely grateful for the wonderful results of Rob's surgery. It is just wonderful. Rob was ecstatic when he heard last night that he did not need a colostomy bag. He just said "No bag, no bag, no bag." They let me see him in the recovery room last night. I was so excited to see him. As soon as I got there all he wanted was a hug. Those were the sweetest words "I need a hug." He is still in a lot of pain and has a incision in his stomach. Even through all the pain he got out of bed twice today and took a walk around the floor that he is on.

I feel extremely blessed. Prayers, fasting and blessings are true miracles. During Rob's last hospital stay the doctor noted that the diverticulits was extensive and he was unsure if there would be healthy tissue. So, last night when he said that they removed six inches and the surround tissue looked healthy. I felt very blessed to see this miracle.

We love everyone. Thanks for all the phone call, texts, and emails.

Rob's done with surgery

I just got word that Rob is done with surgery and everything went very well. No bag! yippee! That was his biggest worry and to know that it was not needed is a huge relief. They only had to remove about six inches of bad colon. He will be in recovery for about an hour. Thanks for all your prayers.

Love,

Mary

Peace

I am so thankful. I have been worried and anxious all day. It is amazing the blessing of a loving Heavenly Father. We are facing one of the biggest challenges in our lives, and we both feel an amazing peace. For this I am so grateful. My testimony of the church and the savior are so strong. It can raise you up and get you through. You just have to accept it and let that peace flow into your heart. We are grateful for each of you. Thanks for all the prayers.

Mary

Rob surgery

They finally took Rob for surgery. It turned out that is was better that it was tonight and not this morning. Rob had such a rough night. He was able to sleep today and relax. He seemed a lot more calm tonight then he had this morning. I am waiting and will update as I can. The gave me a little pager that will update me throughout the surgery on his progress. Rob and I are both at peace with the surgery. We definetly have felt all the prayers uttered on our behalf. We feel blessed to have such a wonderful family and friends.

Surgery Rescheduled

Just a quick update. The surgery has been scheduled now for six tonight. We are on a roller coaster. My last entry could not have been more acurate. Wait, wait, wait, wait.

Waiting, Waiting and then hurry up

That is the pace everything seems to go at the hospital. They have not taken Rob for surgery yet this morning. Rob had a pretty rough night. The prep for the surgery was very uncomfortable and painful. I don't think we slept at all last night. One thing I never thought I would be thankful for was Robert's snoring. But this morning it a blessing to hear him quietly snoring as I type this. Why? That means he is finally sleeping. I will update as I can. I am just very grateful for all the prayers on our behalf Rob and I have felt the savior very near as he has suffered. It's a blessing to have the church in our lives and to have the peace that it brings. I am at peace with the outcome of Rob's surgery, but the waiting seems unbearable. Please continue to pray for Rob.

Love to all

Rob's surgery update

They have moved Robert's surgery to tomorrow, Thursday at 6:00 A.M. All is going well they have just decided to proceed with surgery sooner. I will update as soon as he is done. Please pray for him.

Love to all

Things I am grateful for

Hey all,

Just sending a quick update. Everything has been so crazy with Rob. I wanted to post all the things that I am grateful for. It’s unbelievable looking back at our summer vacation that life would find us in such a different spot less than one month later.

I am so grateful that Rob still has his sense of humor and keeps me laughing even while they poke and prod him. During his last stay when he came back from the CT scan where they placed the drain. He pretended to be asleep, and as I bent over him to see how he was doing, he popped open his eyes and demanded chocolate cake. Oh that is why I married this very funny man. Even while he is in the worse pain of his life he can still find the humor in it.

I am also grateful that we were able to attend my sister Ann and her family being sealed in Salt Lake. What a blessing to behold. At the time we had no idea that Rob would only be well for such a short time. Nothing could touch my heart more than seeing my sister outside the temple. She had no idea we were there.

I am grateful for three beautiful children that seem to be extra resilient lately. Who knew we would be doing homework in a hospital room. Each of them has dealt with Rob illness in their own way and all seem to be doing as good as can be expected.

I am grateful for the love of friends and family both near and far that have sent well wishes to our little family. We have felt your love and it has helped get us through.

I am grateful to Robert’s Aunt Janell and Uncle Rick who unexpectedly arrived in Phoenix to visit Rob. They had no idea that due to finances I had to work today and Rob was going to spend the day alone.

Looking at all the events it is so apparent that Heaven Father cares for each of us and gives a strength through those around us.

Thanks for lifting us up during this extremely trying time.

Love to all

Rob Update

They were able to place the drain tube today. The doctor said that they were able to drain most of the infection which is a very good thing. The plan is to leave the drain in place for a couple of days and then on Thursday prep for surgery on Friday. Then he will be in the hospital for another 7 days at best. So for now he will be in the hospital until after the surgery. We really appreciate everyone concern and prayers. We have been overwelmed with the outpouring of love from everyone. It is so difficult to not have any family close to us. But we are making it through.

Rob Update

Rob went in today this was a follow up after his release from the hospital. Well it showed that the infection has returned. So, he was admitted back to the hospital today. At least this time it was a lot more calm. We were able to wait at home and then Rob drove himself to the hospital. We should know more in the morning. The plan right now is to place another drain and a few days of IV antiboitics and then surgery later this week. I guess you can over plan these things, so maybe it's better that we are not able to plan for this like we thought.

Rob's Home

Last night they finally released Rob from the hospital. He got home about nine last night. We are thrilled to have him at home. Removing the drain last night was extremely painful. It's really hard to know he will have to return to the hospital so soon. I wanted to take an opportunity to thank everyone for their prayers and support during this time. We love you all.

Rob update #3

I am posting from my phone so I apologize for any mistakes. We got the results from Rob's ct scan. The drain tube in his stomach is working very well. He will most likely have it removed tomorrow. Then hopefully he can go home. Then he will recover and get healthy for his the surgery to remove the bad section of his colon. That should be in about four weeks. This will be a major surgery that will require at least six days in hospital. We are so grateful for all the prayers on Rob's behalf.

Love to all

Rob Update #2

I wish we had more news to post. Everything is about the same. The days are very long in the hospital. Rob seems to be more comfortable and his color is coming back. It is still amazing to me how quickly you can go from healthy to in the hospital dependent on someone for your every need. Rob is joking more and is in much better spirits. He had the CT scan yesterday and we are still waiting for the results. Hopefully we will get those today. His doctor usually comes in around 5 PM. Tommorrow is the earliest he will be out of the hospital.

Thanks to everyone for all the phone calls, texts and emails. We love you all.