Ready to roll.....

Sherry had her second follow-up appt. with Dr. Ruff and it went very well. He was "amazed" at how fast and well she has recovered from the hernia repair operation. He admitted to Sherry and Jody that the operation had been very difficult, that going in to it he was not really sure he could accomplish what he needed to do. He has told her she no longer needs to wear the binder around her mid section and he has cleared her to resume her therapy sessions. She will hopefully be back in therapy in a week or so. She has done well during her recovery although we have noticed some backsliding in her ability to get around the house without help. She does pretty well, but has not moved with the confidence she was showing before the surgery. I am hoping that this is due only to her being more immobile over the last few weeks. I'm sure she will start to really move forward again soon.

enough for now,

I love my wife......tomorrow we move forward

Dean

Let the holidays begin......

Well, I guess the holiday season is now in full gear. Our family spent Thanksgiving at my brother's house where he and Amber put together a wonderful turkey dinner. My sister and mother were there as well as Sean. Everyone had a great time and enjoyed a wonderful meal. I hope everyone else had a safe and enjoyable holiday wth their families. Now, I guess it's on to Christmas. I hate to admit it, but I am not looking forward much to Christmas this year. The holidays always bring more than it's share of stress and that is one thing I am striving to remove from my life as much as possible. It nevers seems to quite happen like that , but it's a good goal anyway.

Sherry wanted to thank everyone for the emails (and e-card :) She was especially pleased to hear from her youngest son Eric who called from the Chicago area to check in on his mom. His call put a very big smile on her face. She was also glad that she could spend Thanksgiving with her oldest son. She wanted me to thank Jody for not minding that he spent the day away from her and their family. So, thank you for that Jody.

I would be lying if I said the last few weeks have not been very tough on us all. Sherry feels as if she is not "moving forward" while she recovers from her operation. She feels like she spends too much time sitting on her tush, as she would say. She really gets down on herself and becomes emotional and it is hard on everyone. It is made worse, I think, because much of the time we are stuck at home on the weekends. We do get out to chuch with the help of some very nice people, but other than that we are stuck at home. This being a very long weekend, it has just been harder than most I guess.

At church today, Pastor Doug gave a sermon that really hit home (as his sermons often seem to do .) It was all about not giving up or being satisfied with where we are in life. It was about always remembering to "run toward the goal." It was very inspiring, and seemed to speak directly to Sherry's situation (even though we of course know it was directed at a much wider audience.) I think Sherry got a lot out of it and I intend on reminding her of it it during some of her down times. We appreciate our Pastor and our church so much. I was never a very religious man and I still struggle with the big questions, but there is no doubt that our church has taken us to their hearts and have helped us a geat deal. It is one of the good things we can point to that has came out of this whole ordeal. Who knows, maybe they can even help me get out of my holiday funk!

well, enough for now,

I love my wife.....tomorrow we run torward the goal,

Dean

Moving forward, but.....

Once again, I am sorry for the delay in posting. Sherry continues to recover slowly from her surgery. She had her first follow-up appt. with Dr. Ruff a few days ago and everything is going very well. The drainage tube was removed and she was very happy about that. She does need to continue wearing the binder for a few more weeks (she is not so happy about that, although she understands why it is necessary.) She is beginning to get up and "run amuck" again at home. There seems to be little, if any pain at this point. She has pretty much stopped taking pain medication. Now it just seems to be a matter of time before she gets back to her therapy sessions. She is planning on going to her vision therapy appointment on Wednesday, her first step to getting back on track. Overall, we are pleased with where she is. She seems to have made through this and is almost ready to move on.

Having said that, I would personally appreciate it if those of you out there who follow this blog would post a response to this entry or maybe email Sherry at "deanojack13@comcast.net" There are "life things", as she would put it, going on around her that are weighing heavy on her mind and affecting her outlook on things. I have seen a real change in her attitude in the last several days. She tends to be more down on herself because she cannot help like she thinks she should. I think once she gets back to her regular schedule and keeps herself busy, things will improve. But for now, she could really use a few words of encouragement. She has come so far, but she has more work ahead of her. It feels to me like this is an important moment in her recovery and I would appreciate your help.

enough for now,

I love my wife....tomorrow we move forward,

Dean

Home, Sweet Home

Sherry was released from the hospital around 2 pm today. She is at home and resting in her bed as I post this. She seems to have come through the surgery with flying colors. She is a little weak and in some pain, although not too much she says. She did take a pain pill as soon as she got home though. She must wear a binder around her abdomen for a few weeks to help the healing process. Overall she is in good spirits and very glad to be home again. Thanks to everyone who visited or sent flowers. We all appreciate it very much.

enough for now,
I love my wife.....tomorrow we move forward,

Dean

Recovering

Sherry continues to recover from her surgery on Thursday. She was in great spirits today. She still has some slight pain from time to time, but that is to be expected. She had a very slight low grade fever this afternoon, only about a degree over normal. Nobody seemed too concerned about it though. It is possible that she could come home as soon as tomorrow. I would not be surprized if they held her over until Sunday, but it could be tomorrow. She had several visitors today and that made her very happy. She just wants to get home and get back on track. One of her visitors today was her former supervisor at work and it just reminded her how much she misses her job and the people she worked with. It is still her goal to someday get back there.

enough for now,

I love my wife....tomorrow we move forward,

Dean

So far....so good

Sherry's surgery went very smoothly according to her surgeon. I just left her about 30 minutes ago and she was in some slight pain and was still very sleepy. It appears as if she has made it through this, so far, without complication. Now of course, we will keep a close eye out for infection and all the other post operative concerns. But I know she is in good hands and will be fine. I expect a few days of discomfort in the hospital and then home again to continue on with her overall recovery. I want to thank the pastor of our church, Doug Rose. He actually met us as we first came through the hospital door. He has been such a blessing to our family throughout all of this and he just continues to be of great help. I will keep everyone informed of Sherry's progress over the next few days.

enough for now,

I love my wife....tomorrow we move forward,

Dean

A big night

First...Sherry had her pre-op appt today and everything is set for her surgery on the 9th. Please keep her in your thoughts and prayers as she goes through what is hopefully the last major medical procedure she will have to go through.

Going back a few nights.....Sherry attended the 5th Annual Communication Achievement Awards put on by my employer, the Eugene Hearing and Speech Center. This is our annual "event," held at the Hilton Hotel, to recognize people who have overcome, or helped others to overcome communication challenges. It is also a fundraiser for the Center, which is a non-profit organization. I am always heavily involved in the preparation for the event, producing the digital backgrounds, the programs, the invitations, posters and a video presentation. It is a stressful time for those of us who get the event ready and I think we are all glad it is over. It all went very well and was very successful.

Last year the evening was dedicated to Sherry as she was going through her ordeal. This year she was introduced from the podium by the Executive Director of EHSC. She stood up and accepted a very nice round of applause. It was a very touching moment and we both appreciated it very much. Sherry enjoyed the rest of the evening socializing with the many people who wanted to say hi, or meet her for the first time. She did great, was a real trooper. It was really her first big night out since coming home to us in February. She got all decked out with new clothes she bought just for the occasion , not to mention a new haircut as well. Unfortunatly, I had to work the event taking photos all evening, so I was not able to spend too much time with her. I want to thank Trish for agreeing to be her assistant for the evening. Once again, Trish really came through for us.

I am planning on posting more photos of the event and maybe even the video I produced on the media page of our website, www.sherrysjourney.com

enough for now,

I love my wife......tomorrow we move forward,

Dean

Just a short one

Sherry still awaits her surgery a week from today. She goes to see the Anesthesiologist tomorrow for her pre-surgery appointment. Last night was a big night for both Sherry and I. She attended The "5 Annual Communication Acheivement Awards" event put on by my employer, the Eugene Hearing and Speech Center. This was her first big night out and it went great. I will post more about that tomorrow and include photos. It is a great story, so check back :)

enough for now,

I love my wife....tomorrow we move forward,

Dean