Great bunch of folks here on OFNC - N/F

[irishfield]

Just want to take the time to THANK EVERYONE that sent well wishes, posted a response to my good morning thread Wed, said a prayer for Jennifer, sent a PM/text message to me with concerns for our daughter. Roy for being there the last many weeks talking back and forth while things went from bad to worse and now hopefully good for ever. Dano for the daily (multi) text messages to make me smile. Joe for the lunch distraction yesterday, you don't know just how much that meant and to Maureen for double parking her bus yesterday and having a coffee with Leah and I at the hospital. Both Cliff/Bly and Joe for offering accomodations...beyond the call of duty...but we felt better being just up the street at the hotel.

 

Wednesday surgery was hecktic for everyone. Just before OR started up they put all surgery on hold because the air intakes sucked in smoke from the big fire at Queen/Bathhurst. Once they got the intakes closed and the air scrubbed they proceeded and luckily Jennifer was a first of the day...unlike some unfortunates that got cancelled due to the delay and a few air ambulance arrivals that bumped some day surgeries.

 

For those that don't know, our daughter has/had Crohns and hasn't been able to eat a proper meal in at least 5 months and has been controlling this nasty disease for the past 6 or 7 years with $450/month worth of drugs. She's 23 and weighs 97 lbs. They opened her up and found the diseased part of her upper intestine was about 5 times the size it should be and almost totally blocked. They also found she had more intestine that most people so they removed a fair piece with the diseased area and 4 other suspect areas and joined it back together. They say she still has a normal amount of small intestine left (400 cm) and at the current time, and hopefully for ever, is Crohns free now. 6 or 8 weeks of recovery and we hope she can get on with her life... get back to work in her field and enjoy a quality life style for the first time in about 8 years. She may be in the hospital for 2 or 3 more days as she got behind in recovery being sick all day yesterday. Today she's a lot better and should be walking the halls tonight a few times and again tomorrow to prove she can go home. Leah is still in the city until Jen is discharged.

 

And like fishing... I always have my camera in my pocket (when it's not at the bottom of a lake that is!)..

 

I've never seen anyone so happy to be in the staging area for surgery. Brave little gal.. just wanting to get things snipped and sewn back together with no fear...just wanting some sense of normality to her life.

 

 

Not so chipper later that day.

 

 

Pretty ill yesterday hoping her team might win another!

 

 

Make'm smile anyway you can... puke bowls!

 

 

Getting stronger.. just before I left today.

 

 

Thanks everyone for caring about another human being... and for helping us thru it as well. Doesn't matter how old they get...they're still your babies!

 

Wayne and Leah

Edited February 22, 2008 by irishfield

[ccmtcanada]

Thanks for the update Wayne. Hopefully this is the last time this disease rears it's ugly head! She has been through a lot in the past while and it's great to hear she is on the mend again and will be at home again soon.

 

Hope she knows her pic is posted on the net...you did tell her right??? LOL.

 

Take care guys...you are in our thoughts.

 

Oh yeah...are you heading to Tyler tomorrow?

[lew]

Thanks for the update Wayne and really good to hear everything went well and your daughter is on the way to a full recovery, and as you say, a chance at getting back to a normal life again.

 

Lotsa folks complain about having to work at tough jobs, but the toughest job of all is worrying about our kids and no matter how old they get, the worrying part is always there.

 

Again, thanks for the good news Wayne

[danbouck]

Hope all will be fine. My step mother has been dealing with crohns for a long time and it's only lately with the new surgerys that they are doing that is making her feel great. I'm sure she will be better soon.

[Raf]

Very glad to hear everything went well Wayne. Hope she is back, fully recovered quickly!

[irishfield]

Not sure if I'll make it or not cliff. I'll see if I can get the house back in order... see what our younger daughter needs to accomplish on her reading week (that's been tanked on her) and when she wants me to drive her back to Ottawa. I think Sunday..but not sure yet. Need to check the other threads for start time, ice/snow conditions etc and I need to see if I can get up that early as well. Been a long week.

 

Thanks guys for your comments! Much appreciated.

Edited February 22, 2008 by irishfield

[troutologist]

I have faith all will work out well. Best wishes for a quick recovery.

[huntervasili]

AWESOME TO HEAR WAYNE! I will be thinking of you all, and hoping for a great recovery!

[Joey]

Don't know what thread this was mentioned on, but I certainly missed it. Sorry to hear about your daughter Wayne. But I am so glad to hear things went well. She certainly has a wonderful resemblance to Leah, lucky girl

 

Please keep us updated and give her my and Paul's best wishes.

 

Joey

[irishfield]

Thanks Folks and Joey I was and have pretty much kept this to myself for the 6 or 7 years since she was properly diagnosed and taking over $450 worth of drugs a month to control it. I let a few specs of info out on my Temagami report and my good morning thread at 4am Wednesday when I headed for the city.

 

The one thing I'd like to pass along to every parent here.... DO NOT put up with Bull from your family Dr and Specialists. If you're not getting anywhere walk your kids right into Emerg at Sick Kids... they can't refuse you. You do not need a specialists recomendation to go there... as we were lead to believe. Took from the age of 11 to 16 listening to Drs saying she was a bilemic (sp) or iron deficient instead of finding the real reason that she could barely maintain 100 lbs. Finally getting her into Sick Kids before she was too old and getting kicked into the "general population" was the ticket that saved her and had her in a controlled state for the last 6 or 7 years buying as much time as they could before needing surgery. Her intestine was pretty much closed off and surgery was the only avenue to keep her alive at this point.

Edited February 22, 2008 by irishfield

[motv8tr]

Wayne, glad to hear things are looking good for Jen! As good as it would be to see you tomorrow, you might just want to stay in bed a little longer and get a good nights sleep....or at least as best you can with two of your girls in the big smoke

 

Maureen

[Tarzan's Jane]

I am very relieved for you all especially for Jennifer. I lived with my ex-husband who had Chrons from the age of 17. He lost a foot and half of his large and a foot of his small intestine at that age. I honestly do not know of a more painful thing to live with. There most certainly is a light at the end of the tunnel for her.

One thing about OFC...people do care...it's real.

Thanks for sharing that part of your life with us.

[Rich Clemens]

That's great news Wayne. I truely hope this surgery will eradicate that Chrone's permanently. Some very nasty stuff there. There's a little girl that goes to our church with Chrones and she has been having a lot of truble for years and numerous surgeries. Bravest girl I think I've ever seen and I'll bet Jennifer ranks up there too. Again ... my best to all.

[kennyman]

I also missed the thread where any of this was mentioned. I'm glad everything went well for her. She certainly has a beautiful smile Wayne. She looks like a sweetheart (please don't take that the wrong way). That first pic shows alot of personality. And she's a Leaf fan too!! You gotta love it! I can just imagine what you were going through. I would have been going nuts if one my kids were going through that. Just think, it's over now. She's going to be better. P.S. The puke bowls are quite becoming.

[Sandbag]

Wow....that's quite a story Wayne. Sorry to hear that your daughter had to put up with the condition as long as she did.

 

I wish her only the best and I hope that this surgery will give her the freedom and comfort that far to many of us (myself included) take for granted. She is certainly a beautiful young lady.

 

Cheers

 

Craig

[Gerritt]

Wow... Wayne.. I do not know how I missed these threads about your daughter!?! Sadly I dont read them all.... I dont know how the mods do it! The odd thing is I just heard about a study on Crohns today.. they took a whack of crohns patients and put them on the "regular" drug cocktail and gave the steroid's after as a last ditch effort this control group had a 32% chance of remission... the other control group they put them on a hefty dose of steroids before and the regular meds (more aggressive therapy) This control group had closer to 70% chance at remission!

 

Funny how things work sometimes... first I listen to the news about this study.. then I find out about your girl...

 

 

I wish her and your family all the best Wayne. I hope this becomes a distant memory for her and something she can tell her grandchildren about

 

 

Gerritt.

[GbayGiant]

That's great Wayne, I hope for the best, sounds like she'll be better than ever very soon.

[Bernie]

Glad to see she is up and about and the surgery successful Wayne.

You never stop worrying about your children no matter what their age.

[Smokey]

Good news to here she's recovering well and hopefully this will be the end of it. Make sure she gets lots of rest and give the area time to heal.

 

Best wishes to her.

 

Mike

[irishfield]

Thanks guys !

 

Yes Mike... she'll be coming back home with us for the next few months so she can recover fully and not get caught back up in the "city" life too soon (she actually lives just south of Jarvis and Carlton). I've just gotta remember to pull my end of the work load once she's home.... or I'll have another important gal of mine hospitalized in no time.

[jigger08]

Best wishes for your "tough-as-nails" daughter.

[tbayboy]

Glad to here things went well. Best wishes to everyone.

[fishing n autograph]

Great to hear! I wish her a speed recovery!

[Loonietoon]

Happy to hear thing are going well Wayne.. Like Mo said, we would like to see you both there but.... there are more important thing you have to do right now... Take care of them Girls Wayne We will see you alll later but most of all take care of your self as well my friend

[Nanook]

Great news Wayne, good to hear.

Sounds like Jen has the strength and fortitude of her parents. Its easy to see where she gets her looks from. With TLC at home, I'm sure she will make a full recovery, and leading the life a young girl should. Best wishes to you all.