Weekend Fun

Last weekend, we went to Galveston to enjoy the long, MLK holiday weekend. Since I'm a former banker, BrewerETC recognizes ALL odd-ball bank holidays!

This photo sums it up ... it rained.



And rained ...



It was cold ...



and damp.



But we have a covered balcony in Galveston, so the boys had a nice time - including Ike. Since it was raining, we hardly left the place so they were able to camp out for long periods of time and watch the world go by on the West Bay.



This weekend, we had a visitor. Picked up Brady on Saturday morning and after a delicious lunch at McDonalds (his choice), we watched Garfield, Tale of Two Kitties and Fantastic Mr. Fox - followed by a UofH Basketball game. Fun was had by all, but UofH lost the game ... not that we were still there when the game was over.

Got up this morning, bright and early and while Jerry read the newspaper, Brady had some cereal and watched the Disney Channel. Elvis watched Brady.



Elvis spent some time checking out Brady's "happy meal" toy. I think he wants one of his own! (As you can see, El is a bit over-sized, this toy truck wasn't a Matchbox sized truck.)



We had a nice visit with Jeff, Kim and the twins when we dropped Brady off today. Here's a good shot of Miss Karsyn. Kim had been working with her - doing her therapy exercises.



She wouldn't smile for me, but big brother's tickles send her into fits of laughter!



Mr. Kaden, who is normally smiling and hamming it up for the camera wouldn't crack a smile unless I put the camera away.

The Feline Patient

Well, when it rains it pours ... we've got Kent in the hospital and slowly recovering (http://kentcain.com/) and our Ike is having a little down-turn. Some inflammation, dehydration, weight loss and achy joints are earning "Ikey" special treatment.



The bright orange, polka-dot squares are "kitty heating pads" to help him relax and ease his sore joints. I think it's true that he won the lottery the day he moved from the streets of Galveston to our house!

The Boys at Work

We've recently been working on my office - changing out the furniture and bringing in a desk. The boys still love their ottoman in front of the window, but the desk is a new attraction. This is what was going on at BrewerETC the other day.

Update on Kent

I have good news to report on Kent. I'll start with the ICU last night ... Kent was under the constant care of a nurse who had to wake him up on schedule to confirm that he was responsive. If he showed any decline in function, the nurse was to alert the surgical team. Kent did well, but had one "test" that almost triggered emergency surgery.

He went back to surgical prep about 6am, although they did not actually begin the procedure until about 8:20am. It lasted a bit longer than anticipated - almost 4 hours - and he was moved to recovery a little after 1pm.

Because his surgery was worked into the schedule as an "emergency" the detailed consultation with Dr. Johnson couldn't happen today, but the information we have is that she felt everything went well and that she removed a blood clot approximately 3cm by 8cm ... that converts to 1.2 inches in diameter by 3.1 inches long. Needless to say, this was a LARGE blood clot and was creating TREMENDOUS pressure on Kent's brain.

This next part might make you a little squeamish, but I'll include it for those of you who want the details. Dr. Johnson commented that this blood clot "had been there for a while" and the CT scan showed that Kent's brain had been displaced (not centered) by 1.2 inches. She said that there is a 10 - 15% chance there could be another bleed as his brain "bounces back" to fill the void left by removing such a large clot. He is being constantly monitored and the team will spring into action at the first sign of trouble.

Mary, Toni and Ray have been in to see him and Toni reported that it was a shock to see his shaved head. Although he is still "pharmaceutically impaired", the nurse woke him up and asked his name and the year - he answered both questions correctly. Toni asked him the name of his favorite little boy and he answered ... Memphis.

Don't know what tomorrow will bring, but we're all grateful for today's success and for all the thoughts, prayers and well-wishes.

More Prayers for Kent

Although my brother-in-law Kent seemed to have recovered from his brain biopsy in November, he continued to have headaches off and on. The neuro-surgeon was not able to provide any insight into his past or future medical condition, so he just "soldiered on". January 1st he began to suffer with a terrible headache - without relief - and he started experiencing other symptoms yesterday. This afternoon, while getting ready for work, he became so weak he could not get up or walk and was not very responsive.

Mary called for help and Toni and Ray picked them up and met Ed and Hope at the Memorial Hermann ER. He was seen immediately and after several hours of tests they were told he has a subdural hematoma (brain bleed), likely at the site of the biopsy. There is a 2cm blood clot causing pressure on his brain/spinal cord that has to be removed and it is possible that there is also an infection at the biopsy site.

He is in ICU, on oxygen, and is doing well. If he remains stable through the night they will wait to do the surgery until tomorrow. If there are any negative changes with him during the night, they will operate immediately. This is a scary development, but he is in good hands. Please say a prayer for Kent and for the surgeons and nurses who will remove the blood clot tomorrow.

1-1-11

It was a low-key New Years Eve in Galveston with the boys ... Ike is looking forward to the adventure. We cooked dinner and watched bowl games.



New Year's Day and Denny is kicking off the new year by eating his greens!



It was super foggy on NYE, but late that evening a cold front blew through and cleared out the fog. It also ushered in cold winds out of the north - blowing at 25 with gusts to 48. Elvis wouldn't even go out on the balcony, but it takes more than a little wind to keep Denny inside. You can see how chopped up the water is - it was actually "white-capping" on the bay.



With the weather like it was, we really didn't leave the house except for exercise and short errands. Ike had a big time napping in his new bed and watching TV.



First sunset of the new year.



This is a fun photo of a pelican from Sunday - the sun was shining and it was a beautiful, cold day. I did not PhotoShop the water - it was reflecting the brilliant blue of the sky because of the angle of the shot. We WISH the water really looked like that!