It's ben a while

So it's been a good long while since I last posted. Sorry, kinda. I'm gonna take it as a positive. See, I've been busy. I've been working 45-50 hours a week! Awesome! (Again, surfer awesome... not Fear of the Lord Awesome.) In any event, It's been great to be back at work. I'm at Parsons Cunningham & Shartle Engineers, Inc. (henceforth PCS).  It's out in Avon, about 10 min. from the house. I've been there since late April. I can dig it. perhaps I'll expound in another post.

So... the head thing, yea. I'm diong pretty well. I only have a few reminders of what feels like a former life. Of course there is the Ginormous scar. But much less obvious is still the left hand. I'd say it's 90%, but just not quite all back yet. It's not holding me back from much. I just got picked up on a Sand V-ball team and it doesn't seem to slow me down to much. Probably 'cause the're enough other problems with my game, that it's the last thing you notice.

Amanda still harasses me about driving and what not. Oh well, I guess for the time being, I'll always have a DD. We'll be heading back up to Cleveland in August for the 6 mo. check-up. Assuming everything is fine, I get to drive us home. And everything will be fine. I've had no issues of any kind since I woke up from the sugery. Furthermore, I'm completely off of Dilantin now. Great for me, not so much for Meijer pharmacy. They we're making a killing.

Anyway, Amanda is leaving her job at PERF, and going to work at for an equipment company in a buisness park near the house. That going to be nice. Again, a whole 'nother post.

Ella's doing well. She is loving life now that "summer camp" (summer day care at her school) is in. She gets to go on field trips and all kind of mess. Water activities... you name it. She loves it. She just helped me make a list of everything we need to go camping. So, We better get crackin' on that too.

Well, That's the news from Lake Woebegone. Where the women are strong, the men are good lookin', and all the children, are above average.

Tony

Hello again...

I don't have a lot to add. But primarily say "thanks." It seems like most people that I talk to are impressed with the progress that I've made. So, I wanted to say "yes, I am coming along quite well. And, thank you all for your prayers."

I can now:
- Button my jeans
- tie my shoes
- pick up cards / papers
- use two-handed tools (ie. rake/shovel)
- wash dishes (I did break one though)
- and last but not least, Saturday night I played a few chords on guitar.
(nowhere near ready to play at the Fillmore East, but it's a start.)

So those are some big milestones I wanted to share and again, say "thanks".
I go back to Clev. on Monday. Hopefully, This whole thing ends right there.

Tony

Hey all

It's been a while, huh. Well, It's been just over a month since My D-day / H-hour. I've come a long way really. For instance this week I'm starting to type with my left, which is a pretty big deal. I don't like being gimpy. Other signs of "big progress" include, but are not limited to, picking up paper, holding a up of coffee, playing Mario Kart... The last three require an opposable thumb, which took some time.

Also, I go back to The clinic on the 5th to follow up with the surgeon. Hopefully, he'll remove all of my restrictions. I'm not really following them anyway, except for driving. I have yet to get on the road. That will be nice, fo shizzle.

I know it sounds narcissistic, but that's about it. Oh, Amanda? She's doing fine. currently a single mother of 2. And Ella is our proverbial "box of chocolates". It a daily adventure with her. She is Hilarious and Hellion wrapped up into one package. She sings non-sense songs like her Daddy, and loves to read, like her "Mamma".

So that's the update.
Peace & Love,
Tony

Hey All

So I've been home a little over a week. I've been making incremental improvement with the hand an arm. I continue to get independence in each finger and strength is coming along. an that's with just some home exercises. I go in for my first Occ. Therapy appointment tomorrow morning. I'm very excited to get that started. I hope that really speeds up recovery. I'm sorta getting tired of typing with one hand and not being able do a lot of mundane tasks around the house.

More excitement. I get the stitches removed today. That will be great. I wont scare little kids and old women when I go out of the house any more. At least no more than before. I think I'll have to give it a couple days, but I'll be able to buzz the scalp again too. That will feel good.

I still get worn out pretty easy, but I think that's just kinda OK for now.
That's probably where I notice th most improvement. I do get better at that every day, I probably do a bit much because of it and the wear out. but I think that's why it's improving.

So there's the update,
Type at ya later,
T

Whew... we're back

We have been back since Tuesday. It was so good to see my sweet Ella Bean even though when we got home we just crashed. We have just been laying low around the house since then. As you know, I've had a little trouble with my left hand, but it continues to get stronger. In spite of that, it is very good to be home. So this week we have been taking it easy. My only problem is the weakness in my hand, mostly, fine motor skills are gone, and I have very little strength. in my fingers, and I still wear out easily. But, you know, there is literally a hole in my head now, so those seem minor for some reason. On the other hand, the one that works, Th surg. seems to have completely taken care of the epilepsy. Thank God. No really, "Thanks".

I was blessed to be surrounded by family while I was up there. So to All of you thank you so much. I think they got to see a whole new side of me. I'm not quite as reserved & politically correct as I usually am while under sedation or after surg. in general. So perhaps instead of "thanks I should say "sorry".
I know I provided endless stories. maybe we'll get to some of those later.

On the way home, we stopped at a McDonald's and a little girl sat next to me. It was hard enough for her mother not to stare, I felt bad for her. I don't think she'll ever eat another chicken nugget again. Maybe I did her a favor.

So the next step is Occupational Therapy. The surgeon says I should be able to get my hand back to the point that I can play guitar again. I'd say that's pretty good. It may take some time, but We'll get there.

So, that's the big news, here's the small stuff.
The hours after my post about BRG, and hours before I left for Cleveland, BRG decided I wasn't a good fit for them. So I'm back in the market. If you'd lift that up as well, that would be great.

Thanks guys,
Tony

Surgery update

Tony is doing really well. The surgery was done by noon. I spoke to the surgeon and he said that he was able to remove all of the lesion. He was concerned because Tony had significant weakness in his arm and hand.
But .... I just saw Tony and he is already getting strength back!! His arm is strong and his hand is gaining strength. Tony told me that he hugged his doctor when he realized that he was going to be okay.
We are overwhelmed with God's goodness and are excited to see what Tony's life will be like without seizures.
Thanks for praying,
Amanda

Surgery

I just entrusted Tony into to the hands of a very nice man who was to take him to surgery. Tony is in good spirits, due in part to a good time with his brother last night and also because he is excited to get this over with, we both are.
He is scheduled in the OR at 7:15. We cannot express how much everyone's kindness and prayers have encouraged us. Thank you.
Please continue to pray. I will post more news as I know it.

Amanda

T-2

Figured it's been too long. So here I sit at the trusty old PC, enjoying some cookies and beer (ah ah, don't judge), and recapping life.

So I guess I've managed to stay employed for 6 weeks or so.(BRG inc.) Good for me. It's felt good to be a productive member of society again. I do miss the lazy mornings, free time with the kid, breakfast w/Mom, Facebook, constantly doing dishes... never-mind scratch that last one.

Anyway, I've enjoyed the change of pace, but it's also been rough. I started up with the seizures again. Maybe 2 nights a week, 2-4 a night. I've missed a bit of work because of it, but they have been very understanding. Which leads me back to the title.

T-2 an counting. Tomorrow is my last day of work, before we leave in two days for Cleveland. I hope for the last time. I'm looking FWD: to getting this over-with. Long-story-short, Travel Wed., Testing Thurs., Surgery Fri. morning. After that, 3-5 day stay at the luxurious Cleveland Clinic., and then home for a while.

This time around, Ella is going to ride with us on the way up. I bet she'll like the place. She'll have a good time at the hotel, and there's stuff to do in the hospital. Plus, family will be there. She'll have a good time. I'm not sure exactly when, but she'll head home with Doug and Linda.

BTW, I' starting a "How much further?" pool if anybody wants in.
$1 per 15min. time slot.
50% - 1st HMF
30% - 1st Melt down
20% - last HMF before she falls asleep

For whatever reason, this trip seems to have the least drama surrounding it. We just feel sort of calm about the whole thing. It's kinda good, it's kinda eerie. I was telling Amanda I don't really have any doubt about this trip, but I'm not optimistic either. Weird huh. This has been a year+ in the works, and now I'm just sorta, "whatever, we'll see."

Oy, look at me. I'm all Vechlempt. Pray amongst ya selves. I'll give you a topic. (travel, safety, surgery, calm, peace, recovery, success, Dr., family, hospital stay)

Tony

Hey All

It's been a somewhat crazy time for us, but it's been pretty great too.(...pretty great? Does that work?) I started at BRG Inc, in Bloomington, IN on 01/04/2010. So far I really like the place they have good jobs, good people, and an easy going atmosphere.

As far as the twitchin' goes, I still haven't had any problems since I left the hospital in early December. Pretty good(or great?) right? So assuming that holds up, I'll be working until we leave for Cleveland on 2/17. All good things. (accent on things) All good things. (accent on good)

So, please keep prayin'. We're doing well. I don't know that I have any needs so much as just if anything comes to mind. Lift it up.

Gotta run, lunch is over.

Tony

Great.

I don't have a lot to say. Just wanted to give a little shout out to my friends and fam that made our Christmas great. I hope you all enjoyed being with family & a little relaxation as much as I did.

Merry Christmas/New Year,
Tony

Wow, look at that thing spin...

In theory, the earth revolves on it's axis once every 24 hours. I'm not so sure. Perhaps, it's a super hero flying around the earth to speed up time, perhaps it's some sort of terrorist plot that causes our clocks to creep ever faster, I'd even be willing to consider that Al Gore is conspiring with said terrorist so he could finally support his climate change nonsense. [side note: feel free to post your favorite Al Gore jokes in the comments section. I can't get enough of them.]

Point is, seems like time is just trickling away. We all have so much to do in so little time. "Time management" tend to become "free-time allocation" "OK, so why is Tony feeding me this crap?"

Simple. Our family has had an amazing weekend. First, We have scheduled surgery to remove the legion for 2/19/2010. How 'bout that? Second, and also huge, I just accepted a job(BRG Inc. Bloomington, IN) that will start on 1/4/2010. OK now, things are looking up, huh.

So, that being said, the two biggest unknowns in our life, just became known. But for whatever reason, all of these other questions seem to pop out of the wood-work. How long should I commute to B-town? Where will we live down there? Will we Rent/Buy?
Schools? Network of friends/fam.? How about the strain of 2+ hrs on the road leaving Amanda to handle Ella by herself? When you look at these things, they all pale in comparison to what we've been through. But, we've got new challenges ahead now.

This initial period of commuting while we live, and Amanda works, in Indy will be tough but, I could emerge on the other side of this next hospital stay, as the bright, intelligent man that Amanda now wishes she'd married. I keep running into Ps. 18 type of verses. (my rock, my shield, my protector, scatters my enemies type of stuff.) So I guess I sayin', even though we worry, and life is still well outside the range of "normal", it is certainly looking up and we know we'll be fine.

And now to complete the circle, yet another prayer request, STRENGTH & CLARITY.
Amanda and I are going into a whirlwind of craziness, getting the house ready to sell, preparing for the next Clev. run, looking into homes, schools, etc. and still having the regular responsibility at home. I have a tendency to "hit a wall" and crash and that doesn't help Amanda at all. We need to not manage, but multiply our time. So, Strength, & Clarity, to know what is important & when, and have the strength and energy to accomplish it while still having time as a family.

There you go, another post that was suppose to be about 1.5 paragraphs. sorry.

Happy Christmas,
Tony

Hello all

OK, so it's been about 2-and-a-half weeks since we left the hospital and oddly enough, the same amount of time since I posted, sorry. It's been an interesting patch of life. I'm not so much complaining, just trying to find a "known" point and take inventory.

So we left the hospital, and really, I was much better than the last trip. In September, when I got back I need about 3 day to recover. I'd get out of bed for a few hours, and the go back into hibernation. This trip, I had a slow day, and then I felt good to go. The exception being that I had some restrictions. I wasn't suppose to drive, lift more than 20 lbs., bend at the waist (bend at the knees for safety), that sort of thing.

Back to the story, so I've gradually been gaining strength, which equals the ability to keep up with Ella. That's important as Amanda's the one that has a job right now. It is an odd feeling however, to go from being able to flip, toss, tickle, wrestle, and rough-house with my 4-year-old, to her being able to lift more than I can. No big deal though, It's not so much a strength issue as a pressure on the incisions thing, so as they heal I'm getting my requirements reduced. I got the stitches out on the 10th. Oh man, let me tell you it's nice to wear hats again. Thanks go out to my friendly neighborhood RN.

So, here's the bad news, we go rear-ended on Saturday night. It was not cool. Nobody like getting hit, especially on the weekend, or by someone who speeds off. But, I can temper this with some good news as well. There happened to be a witness who saw the whole thing got the guy's plate and chased 'em as far as they could. They came back to find us, sat at the Hardee's we were parked at until the Cop arrived(about an hour and 15 minutes.) As of yet, we have not heard from from the Police, Insurance, or Surgeon, but it is the first business day after it happened.

BTW, a friend of mine recently posted a quote by "John Lenon"
"Life is what happens while your making other plans." Seems appropriate, huh.


So there you go, People often ask, "What's goin' on man" or "Is there anything new in you life" and I've been responding with, "not really, we're just in one of those seasons where your in a holding pattern." We'll Looks like that's over. We seem to be pretty busy between the go-ing's on of life and Christmas and all of that. As we've had to depend on friends and family for... lots. It seems like Christmas is simpler. You relize in a more concrete form (not just from a pulpit) that family really is all you have. People say "At least you have you heath" I will argue that a group people that value and support is more valuable. I've heard my mother say, more than once, the gift of your time is the most valuable one. Of course... she's my mother.

So that's where we are, what we're doing, how we're using our time. You know the drill, pray please. Also, Have a merry Christmas.
I'll let you know when I get some detail on stuff.

Tony

Comming home...

I'm unhooked,showered, and getting ready to go. I should be released from my deluxe accommodations here at the EMU in room 3 soon and then we'll be headed home.

The Electrodes came out yesterday. It was less than efficient, and no time lines were kept, but that's not really news. We started 2 hrs. late. I spent 5 Hours in recovery (instead of 60-90 min.) most of this is because the nurses have such a hard time getting a hold of Dr.'s to get orders. The important thing is that it all went well and I got back to the room with out complications.

That brings us to today. After speaking with the Gonzalez (Surg), he's got a more positive outlook for things to come. The details are a bit much to explain here, but I am much relieved. Anyway, I as I've said so often, on behalf of Amanda, Ella and myself, Thank you for your prayers.

Last day with a tail

No, I'm not evolving, I'm having the electrodes removed at 1p today. I cant wait. I got these things put in on Tuesday the 24th @ 7:30a. We arrived at the hospital at 6a per our instructions. Since then, I haven't had anything more than a sponge bath. So... Amanda is ready for this to end too.

We have been telling doctors, surgeons, residents, nurses & assistants that we need to get out of here "No later than 10a Thurs. morning. They all have been saying it's no problem. I'll believe it when I'm out the door. But I do think they will make an effort.

But, I guess I should tell you about the consultation with Gonzalez(surgeon). He's giving us some options about how to proceed. As, I give you this, keep in mind he has not received the results from the latest sizzle test.

Anyway, Opt. 1) Do nothing, wait for better medicine, or better technology to develop so the risks will be reduced in the future.

Opt. 2) Proceed with the transection, go on as planned and take the risk of a "weak" arm/hand (anything from mild lose of feeling to completely useless non-functioning arm.)

Opt. 3) Still proceed, but in a different manor, preform a DTI ( a form of MRI that shows actual brain fibers.) Then, While the transection is in process, they will wake me up under a local anesthesia, and constantly test my motor function while he is removing tissue. Wow!

He is leaning toward Opt.3. He says there's about a 60% chance of completely removing the seizures, and having no affect on my hand. but with opt. 3, there is a much better chance of being able to rehab the "weakness".

It's a lot to digest when a surgeon looks you in the eye and tells you all of this and you've already come this far, with 10 holes in your head. We knew it was a possibility, but it's not what we expected for some reason.

Well I don't know that I can be anymore open/transparent than that.
They should take me to the OR in a little less than an hour so.

I'm Tony Rench
Stay classy Indianapolis

Updates & timelines

Like I said yesterday, I had a sizzle test in the morning at 9a. That all went fine they didn't mess with me too much. They did 3 electrode groups instead of 2. When they were done, he showed me the gruops he tested and the ones he didn't. He tested 7of 10 overall. At that point I asked "why not just do them all now, so there's no chance they'll ask for more." And he assures me we have all the info we need.

So after the Physicians confrence, they roll all the equipment back into my room. Wouldn't you know it, they need more data. To be fair some of it was just changing frequency in the same spot. None the less... irritating.

So, in theroy, I'm suppose to have the electrodes pulled tomorrow morning. However, they won't give us a time. Just... morning. then an over-night stay gets us to Thursday.

We're trying to get home in time to see Ella's Christmas Program @ Pre-school, Thursday-night.

I hope to see you all soon,
Tony

Not so bad...

So let me tell you, I was the Sizzle. (see last post) That was some crazy mess. They'd click a button, and my leg or hand or whatever would twitch or tingle. Or, They'd be basically make my brain pause. Surreal.

Anyway, we got through 4 of the 6 electrode tests which took about 2.5 hours. We're going to start again in the morning.

After that, All info from all test will be reviewed by many doc's and surgeons in the afternoon. I'll have a consultation after that. They should remove the electrodes Wed. morning, and release me Thursday morning.

At least that's how it's suppose to go. We'll see.

Thanks for the prayers,
T

Be the sizzle!

Perhaps you've seen the McD's commercial about people who do everyday things, and then the say "Good for you... Be way to sizzle". It encourages all of us to "sizzle".
Right?... Ha.

Well in a few minutes I get to be the sizzle in a more tangible way. I am having my leads reversed in purpose. Instead of receiving data, a doc. will be sending an elec. current down the lead to map body / brain function. Sounds like an episode of House.

It's suppose to be somewhat tiring. They wil map motor an language functions. hope it's not to wierd.

Well Doc jst walked in Gotta go. Sizzle Sizzle...

T

Happy Thanksgiving

Hey everybody. Just thought I'd throw a post up to let you know things are going okay. Also, to share a few pictures.

First, I thought you all should see something Shannon made for me. I've been having a lot of fun harassing Cleveland Browns fans.
Thanks Shannon for helping me look good walking the halls.
We spent Thanksgiving Day watching football in the room, M52-03 and having a wonderful Thanksgiving meal, turkey loaf and all. Someone here did bring me pumpkin pie, God bless her.

As far as my twitching goes, I haven't been very productive, but the little bit I have been, they've gotten information from, so that's good. They are taking me off my last medication tonight, so it should only get more exciting from here. With a little luck, we'll be home early next week.

That's really about it for now, I appreciate the prayers. Hope to see you next week.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

Ah, Room #3

Tony was released quicker than expected from recovery, which is a really good thing. The CT scan came back okay and there seems to be no problems from implanting the electrodes. He is in a lot of pain and had been doped up fairly well. Uncensored Tony can be very entertaining.
His doctors felt that he could go to the Epilepsy Monitoring Unit this evening. He has landed in room #3, the same room he was in last time. I think it is a little too familiar. We hope that his experience this time will be much better than last time. For the most part, it's so far so good. He is hooked up to the video EEG, but still on his normal medications. We have been told that they will stop these meds tomorrow to hopefully get some "good" seizures.
Please pray that the pain will ease for Tony. It is rare that he complains about any pain, so I know that he must be hurting. Also, please pray that this time in the monitoring unit is much shorter and easier than last time.

Thanks,
Amanda

Surgery is done.

Just spoke with the surgeon, and he is pleased. Everything looks like it went well. Tony is now getting a CT scan to double check. I should get to see him in about an hour.

Thanks for praying.