You know you're healthy when

- You're able to work full time

- Your last short term disability check comes in the mail

- You only have to see the doctor every couple months, instead of every day

- The wheelchair has been returned to the spare room

- The apartment maintenance staff has removed the wheelchair ramp from your front step

- You're able to run on a treadmill

- Your are able to go back to your routine of staying up way later than your wife

- Your wife's booklet of hospital parking passes is starting to collect dust in her car

- You are able to take long walks (and even hikes) that you weren't able to do before

- You can climb the steps to get to your friends second story apartment in under 10 minutes

These are a few exciting things that we've been up to lately. Jon is basically recovered and back in the swing of things. He has an appointment with his doctor in the next few weeks, but it's just to check in. We are so, so thankful that he is better!

This has been one of the most difficult things we have dealt with in our marriage (WAY harder than the 2007 cancer scare, and even harder than the miscarriages) but we have come out so much stronger. We work better as a team. I've learned to appreciate him more and snap at him less. (I'm still not perfect... it's a work in progress.) BUT we've been able to cook dinner together dozens of times, which we had NEVER been able to do before. I would get annoyed with him and kick him out of the kitchen after 5 minutes, but we've been able to work as a team recently. We've fought less. Smiled more. All in all, while this has been a huge trial, it's been a huge blessing because we are closer than ever.

So, what should I do with this blog now that he's better? Blogs usually get me in trouble. So I don't know if I will update this regularly. We will see.

Powdered milk whipped cream

Ok, this has nothing to do with Jon or Duke or anything important, but I have decided that people need to know that

POWDERED MILK WHIPPED CREAM IS GROSS!

I didn't have any whipping cream and didn't want to buy any because I'm cheap. I found a recipe online to make whipped cream with powdered milk, which we have in food storage. I decided to try it. At first, it made my whole kitchen smell like vomit. I thought "maybe my mixer just smells bad."

No, it was the whipped cream. It was so nasty! I decided to post this in case anyone googles "powdered milk whipped cream" and then hopefully this post will pop up and they will read it and avoid making a horrible mistake.

You're welcome.

My Duke Graduate

Jon graduated from physical therapy today!! He got a diploma and everything. His newest joke is that he is a Duke graduate. Hahaha!

He has been back at work part time for two weeks now, and will be steadily increasing his hours. Thank goodness!

It really hit me the other day how lucky we are that he is still here. I was joking that he should wear a cap and gown to physical therapy today, but then he told me that it's a pretty sad/serious place and it wouldn't be appropriate to wear that. Apparently a couple of people have died after leaving physical therapy and receiving lung transplants. Most of the people in his group were lung transplant patients, which is way more serious than what Jon had done, but it never occurred to me that his physical therapy friends were DYING. I am so thankful that he is still here with me and is making such a great recovery. Thank you all for your love and your prayers- we appreciate them!!

It's been a while, sorry!

Hi again!

Jon came home about two weeks ago. It's been pretty crazy and I apologize for not posting sooner! He is doing well. The first week that he was home, it was all about the little victories... getting out of a chair by himself, being able to sleep on the bed instead of in a recliner, etc. His doctors say he is doing great. His heart function and size is almost back to normal, and his pulmonary pressures are good. He will start physical therapy tomorrow. He has to go 5 days a week... he is going to be tired!

It's incredible to see how well he is doing now. As I was driving home from Church today, I found him walking our dog about a mile away from our house. I ended up needing to pick him up because we had some people from Church coming over right then and I needed him home, but I was amazed that he had made it that far. In the weeks before the surgery, he could barely make it to the mailbox. We are so thankful that he has such great doctors and is healing.

He will be able to go back to work in about a month. He is going insane with boredom! If anyone wants to call or stop by... I'm sure he'd love the company! His mom is still here and will be here till February 22nd. It has been a huge relief for me knowing that he is taken care of while I'm at work. He can't drive yet so he needs help getting around. Plus, at any age, I think when you're sick there's nothing like having your mom there to take care of you ;)

Anyway. That's all for now. Thank you all so much for the prayers, calls, care packages, meals, and love that you have shown us!

slowly but surely

Hello!!

Jon is recovering well. He now just has 1 IV, instead of 5 or 6 bags of fluid going into him from his neck and both arms. He is walking with his walker a few times a day. He still has tubes draining fluid from his lungs that make him uncomfortable, but he is growing stronger every day.

That's pretty much all I have for you for now- thank you for all the prayers! Keep em coming! Thanks for thinking about me and his family, too, this has been harder than I ever imagined.

Much love to you all!

they just wheeled him by

Rachel and I are hanging out in the cardiac ICU waiting room... Surgery ended about an hour ago and he's doing ok. The doctors said "his pressures" are still abnormal but his heart function is much better. I have no idea what pressures they are talking about. They also said that they were able to clear out more clots from the right side than the left side. So, this means that the doctors have some more work to do, but overall the surgery went well and he's doing ok right now.

A few minutes ago they wheeled him by- we could tell it was him by his giant feet sticking out of the bed haha!

surgery

Whew! It's only 8 am but Jon has already had quite the day. They came in at 3 am and started taking blood for some final tests. Then he got scrubbed and prepped. By 5 am he was in pre-op, and they kicked me out at 6 am and they began the cooling process. At 8 I received an update saying that had begun surgery. I'll post more as the day goes on.

They started the surgery about an hour earlier than planned... I'm glad they did because I was getting so scared that I wanted him to back out!! I know he needs it and he would be in horrible shape without it... but I cant tell you how scary it was leaving him this morning.