Doc's Trek

My friend Brittany

Hoping home before Christmas, please

Hello everyone, I am so happy to be able to communicate my latest status. As we move through the end of Advent and into the season of Christmas, I can’t help but think about the three Wisemen visiting and acknowledging God’s gift of eternal life to the world, our savior, Jesus Christ. In a way, I had my own three Wisemen in Dr’s Mansfield, Barone, and Halls announcing God’s gift for me of continued life in this world! I was also blessed when my nurse Brittany (pictured above) chose to share with me at the end of her shift that she was diagnosed with stage I cancer and scheduled for surgery. She had been feeling self pity until she cared for me and saw my positive attitude. She told me our interaction totally changed her outlook. It was wonderful knowing that I could impact others by just dealing with my illness!

It’s been almost one week, and but by the grace of God, my progress has been miraculous! My graft appears to be taking, continually having good Doppler readings and the majority of swelling is gone. My nutritional status is good as my bowels are functional and I continue to receive tube feedings. Pain has been managed and I am on a PCA (patient controlled anesthesia) slowly being weaned off of narcotics.  With my improved status, almost all of my IV lines have been taken out. Today Dr Mansfield removed my trach and replace it with my permanent prosthesis! WE ARE SHOOTING FOR AS DISCHARGE DATE OF SATURDAY!!! Our original expectation was three weeks in the hospital! I COULD BE HOME FOR CHRISTMAS!!!  Nothing short of a miracle!

None of this could have been possible without the Grace of God, the excellent care of the doctors and clinicians involved in my care, and the love and support of family and friends! Your support has been like a never ending wind of love carrying us through this! Words cannot express our gratitude!

Hopefully, next time I communicate, it will be from Casa de Lu! God bless and Merry Christmas!

Love, Daryl and Charlotte

P.S. Pictures- Christmas 🎄 in SICU, Scoly down visiting from Oxnard, Dodgers gifts from Danny

Char Christmas 🎄 in SICU

Scoly visiting from Oxnard

Dodgers gifts from Danny Lawton

This picture was Friday less than 24 hours post op. Daryl is getting better every hour of everyday, but there are still concerns, based on the extensive surgery.  All  the Dr’s  are  monitoring him very closely.  He has hourly checks on his graft,  with vital signs and lab work every  2- 4 hours. Recently, a low-grade fever and low hemoglobin which resulted another blood transfusion and an abdominal CT scan.  Dr. Mansield came in on Sunday and checked his graft with a doppler and said it sound great! A “swoosh” sound means that the blood supply is good to his grafts! Daryl has a good “swoosh”!

Nutrition:

They are working on the challenges of getting him nutrition. His bowels are is still not active from the surgery. We are hoping his bowels wake up so he can begin the tube feeds again. They are hoping not to have to put in a PIC line for TPN, to avoid infection risks. Meanwhile, I was sent to Islands restaurant to eat a cheeseburger and fries and have a glass of wine!  Needless to say my nutrition is good, if only I could transport my calories to Daryl!

Pain:

He is on a Fentayl drip to help with the pain  and they give him boluses(extra) at times. They do not want to give him too much, as pain medication can have an effect on his bowels.  The clinical pharmacist is doing a great job and giving some other options to help mange the pain and to try to get him some rest!

Octopus tubing :

They have removed some of the octopus of tubing that encompassed the ICU patient. he was able to get rid of his arterial line (monitors his blood pressure) and urine catheter. The picture below was  his first time up in the chair! The swelling in the below picture is expected after surgery, it will decrease  everyday as his body begin to  absorb the fluids.

Thankful:

We cannot begin to express the outpouring of love, prayers and support we have felt the last few days. We feel as each of you is giving  us a huge hug! When times like this happen, they always say true family and friends will be their for you. We have experienced the true meaning of those words on this battle and journey.  We are overwhelmed, and if you know Daryl, overwhelmed he thinks it is one of the most overused words. He says overwhelmed is what they “faced at the Alamo”.  Well the “Lu Alamo” is overwhelmed with love and support!  Personally, the support I have receive helps to lift me up everyday and to be there for Daryl.

Today is the day we have been looking forward to with mixed emotions of excitement (to get rid of Mr “C”)  and apprehension ( Mr “C” could have moved to other locations.) The Lu day started very early with the skin prep pre shower at 4:30am at Casa de Lu, followed by hospital check-in at 5:30am.   In pre-op or SPA (Surgical Perioperative Area) the Dr’s all came by and commented on how good Daryl looked  and gave the green light for surgery. This picture  was as  they were rolling him to the OR (Operating Room) at 7:30am.  Daryl is READY, physical, emotionally and spiritually!

I knew the day would be a long one, filled with hopes, prayers  and many thoughts of what the news would be.   It was wonderful surprise to have Doug Lu come down for moral support.  He chronicled the day by sending Daryl creative texts, for him to read, when he recovers, inclusive of emojis and Lu humor.   I bring great levity to the day. Also a bonus of free Christmas cookies in the Surgery waiting room!  On a work note,  I did get a great deal of busy work finished. This  included,  five  30 minute timed, manager required videos, with Knowledge Checks with  my favorite question, ‘select all that apply”. Let’s say some Knowledge Checks, took a few tries to get 100% , hence a wee bit longer than 30 minutes

In the  Surgery waiting room, Vicki the surgical liaison nurse, would be giving us periodic updates on Daryl’s progress.  When finished, each Dr. would give a personal update.

In the spirit that Daryl loves baseball, I thought I would explain it  in similar terms of a batting line up

First up to bat:  Dr. Mansfield

He will be looking at the esophagus and the surrounding tissue to see if the cancer has spread. If Mr “C” has spread to the spinal column, the surgery will go no further, and we will need to look at other options.

10:30 –  Vicki gave us the great news,  Dr. Mansfield said tell Charlotte “Everything is a GO!”  What a relief, Doug and  I just had a 100lb weight lifted off our shoulders!

11:20 – Dr. Mansfield himself came out and said “we got it out! Everything looks clean.”  The smile on his face and the big hug was the best medicine. We still have a long way to go but what a great way to start!

Second up to  bat: Dr. Barone

He will be doing the small bowel resection for the transplant. He performed Daryl’s previous abdominal surgery and we are hoping everything is healed and looking good.

12:50 –  Dr. Barone appeared and  told us everything went well. Daryl has some “good looking blood vessels” and his abdominal portion is all complete.

Third  up to bat:  Dr. Halls

Dr. Halls will be taking the resection of the bowel and reconnecting to make Daryl’s new esophagus. This is a very delicate surgery to  reconnect all the previous blood supply to the new blood supply, a critical step in success for the transplant. We are talking microscopic connecting of veins and arteries.

2:40 –  Dr. Halls appeared and said everything connected beautifully, but when they releases the clamps there was some arterial leakage. They  fixed it all up and things look great! Dr. Mansfield will now completed the final closes and putting everything back together.

Time for a long commercial break of silence

4:20  Dr. Halls appeared again and informed us that the vein had done a similar leakage, but they fixed everything up and things look great! Dr. Mansfield was finishing the final close.

Clean up hitter: Dr. Mansfield

5:10 – Dr. Mansfield appeared and said “everything went really well and looks great” Lets say this team hit a HOMERUN!

ICU:

Daryl was transferred to the ICU and I was able to see him around 6:15pm. They are keeping him heavily  sedated with two of my favorite drug friends Propofol nd Fentayl. These will help him sleep and with pain. As an old ICU nurse, I was glad to see familiar  things that will allow monitoring by the nurses, without having to disturb Daryl. (art line, CVP, femoral line) They will be frequently checking his vital signs, blood sugars, blood clotting  and other misc  blood work. Every  hour doppler checks, to  listen for a good sounding “swoosh  pulse” of the blood being sent thru the new graft site. Knowing he is in the good hands of he ICU nurses, this old ICU nurse headed to Casa de Lu.

Words cannot express how truly blessed to know that, today prayers were answered for Daryl.  We know  this would not have been possible without each and everyone of you sending and asking for  prayers and positive thoughts. Today at St Vincent’s, which  is our parish,  the entire school prayed for Daryl in the Mass.  We could feel everyone’s love, support and  will be forever  humbled by  generosity and support of this experiences.

Thank you to each of you and please continue to keep Daryl in your thoughts and prayers as he recovers.

Well hello everyone! Happy Advent! We’re in the stretch run with the Big Surgery scheduled for Dec 14th. It’s been terrific being home the past few weeks, being able to rest up and get ready. On the flip side, it’s also been crazy with doctor’s appointments and other procedures. Today I am a day admit to the hospital for a blood transfusion. Oh Joy! 😊 My H&H (hemoglobin and hematocrit) was low. Normally 14 to 18, mine came in at a whopping 8! -meaning I’m anemic. Not enough red blood cells. Why anemic?  The Big C, and internal bleeding. Two units of blood should get me back on track and good to go!

As for the surgery next Thursday, we’re praying four surgeons can work their magic and turn me into the next Steve Austin, or the next $6M dollar man! Really $100M in adjusted dollars, so when successful, I’ll be the$100M Man! Technically I will be getting a laryngectomy, thyroidectomy, partial esophagectomy, and jejunal transplant. In essence, cutting everything bad out and reconstructing it with part of my stomach! That’s why it will be taking so many hands.!

The bad news- there is a chance that they may get in there and Mr C has spread to my spinal cord, which would cause the surgery to be aborted. There is nothing that can be gained with the surgery at that point. We would explore other options. But right now, we’re confident everything is going to be good to go and green light. In the end, like everything in life, it’s all in God’s hands. And we ask only that his will be done.

So, when everything goes as planned, I could be eating by Christmas! I can’t wait! Hospital Turkey will be wonderful! Looking forward to achieving that goal! 😊  It’s been months since I’ve had anything to eat. Should be in the hospital 🏥  hopefully 3 weeks. Then home to finish my recovery. Get ready, pretty soon you’ll be calling me the$100M Man!

Leaving you with a pic of our beautiful Christmas Tree. You should see our house, Charlotte has it impeccably decorated as always! And a “say hey!” with my brother Scoly when he came down to visit and take care of me! Thanks Scoly!

Thank you  again for all your well wishes, thoughts, and prayers! May God bless you and protect you this Christmas 🎄!

Love, Daryl

On Friday, Daryl  had a visit from his family “up north” or LA.  His Mom, Dad, and brother Derek stopped by for a visit. ( even Yassco, the german shepherd came, not pictured above) It was nice for Daryl to see his family  and catch-up. They had lunch of  In-n-Out burgers, per Daryls request. They also sampled some of my homemade Christmas candy for quality control! It was a short visit, but nice for Daryl to see everyone.

We are following up with Dr visits this past week and getting clearance for  the  upcoming surgery.  Everything is looking positive. One of his surgeons, even said” you look good Daryl.” He is getting stronger everyday!   Also a big Thank You to Steve, for his house call, to give Daryl a way overdue haircut!

Casa de Lu is all decorated for Christmas! Daryl and I went for our traditional Christmas tree purchase at the Pinery. We have chosen our tree there for several years. Part of the traditional is to have David and Ray deliver our tree. (If you have been to Casa de Lu, you will know why Daryl opts for the tree to be delivered.)  We catch up on their families and it is always a nice way to start the Christmas Season.

Thanks for all the prayers and positive thoughts! Love Daryl and Charlotte

We hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! We at Casa de Lu, are getting ready for Christmas. Christmas is our favorite holiday and we love to “Deck the Halls” inside and out!

While I was busy decorating the inside, Daryl announced that he was going to put up some of the outside lights! Personally, I think he did not want me to mess with the D Lu method of hanging the outdoor lights.

The above picture is the proper method for  hanging of outdoor lights, courtesy of  Daryl Lu.

Thank you for all the continued  prayers and positive thoughts!

We are THANKFUL  for:

T- Today and everyday!

H – Home. Having Daryl home again

A – Always. Dallas always plays on Thanksgiving Day, but does not always win.

N – Nails. Nails  on the China cabinet to hold the tube feeding bag.

K – Keeping the Faith.

S –  Shower. Daryl can shower daily and fresh water never felt so good!

G- Going. Daryl is going to be eating a lot of turkey next year!

I – I (Daryl) can do my own tube feedings!

V – Vern Lu, Daryl’s  favorite cat

I – Ice– Lindy’s watermelon frozen ice. Daryl’s favorite!

N – Never give up

G – Grateful for all our friends and family!

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!

Daryl is back at Casa de Lu!  After a three-hour wait for prescriptions and final notes, Daryl was able to come home late yesterday afternoon!  The feeling of fresh air and his own bed is the best medicine!

The private home health nurse, aka Charlotte, is getting the new schedule arranged for his tube feedings, glucose checks, pain meds and trach care. He will not be missing the every 4 hours checks and all the disruptions that go with a hospital stay. The nursing lessons  I learned from  SFNS are all coming back. My excel nursing spreadsheet is pretty impressive!

It was a beautiful Fall day in San Diego for Daryl’s first back home.  Cool mornings, followed by sunny and 72 degrees. Daryl has been watching all the great Saturday college rivalry games today. I won’t say his picks! Personally, I have stayed in my pj’s all day, a true treat!

We feel blessed that Daryl is home and can get some much needed rest and nutrition. We thank all of you for your prayers, support  and well wishes! Keep them coming!

This week has been very productive for Daryl! On Monday he had a visit from Javier, who is a gentleman that has had a similar surgery to Daryl. He was very informative and honest about challenges and how his daily life is today. His surgery will be 2 years in February. Today Javier is very active, travels and was even going to the Latin Grammys in Las Vegas this week. His honesty and positive attitude was very uplifting.

Each day we are “stripping” Daryl down, his antibiotics, TPN and pain pump have all been discontinued. We are working on a  pain med schedule and mirroring his  bolus tube feedings to be like at home. The endocrinologist  would like one more day to ensure he is tolerating the feedings, and his insulin is under control. We are planning for all the new  medications and thankfully, we have the equipment he already needs at home!

Daryl has been walking the halls regularly and the nurses are all thrilled to see him up and about. Today was a big milestone, as Daryl was able to take a shower! He has not had this luxury for two weeks! He did a nice shave and was looking more handsome than ever!

Most of you maybe familiar with Daryl , oh so subtle facial expressions. The eye rolls, grimace and scrunched faced, each with their own meaning, most of you can fill in the blanks! This is a true sign that he is feeling better and ready to come home!  I know Vern Lu (pictured above) will be very happy!

Thank you for all the continued prayers and positive thoughts!

When we think of thirty days,  one can say “I can do/or give up ________ ( fill in your own blank- sweets, exercise, wine ,etc) for thirty days.”  Often thirty days can go quickly, thirty days till Christmas, thirty days till school is out, thirty days till vacation.  For the Lu’s today marks thirty days since Daryl had his tracheostomy.  We have had many challenges and changes to his health, in these last thirty days. Many of those days seemed like they were thirty days rolled into one! We feel very blessed to have amazing support from our family and friends near and far! We enjoy the texts, emails, comments and well wishes!

Today was a great day! He went for a nice walk, sat in the chair, gave himself a shave and got a nice hair wash!  Look at that handsome man in the picture! Also, Jeff Chine rode his bike 66 miles for Padres Pedal for the Cause, to Cure Cancer, in honor of Daryl. We want to thank and all those who donated in Daryl’s honor and  big THANK YOU to Jeff for the “leg work”!

We are hopeful Daryl will be able to come home this week. This will be a time for him to get strong and prepare for the “big” surgery. There is nothing like being home and I know Vern (feline) Lu will be happy to have him home!

Daryl’s positive attitude and strong spirit  are a testament to his faith and the type of true MAN he is.   One of  Daryl’s  greatest gifts, is his amazing smile! His smile is the window to his soul and it brightens everyone’s day! The nurse always remark how positive he is and even the Dr’s  have commented on his great smile!  Daryl’s smile speaks more than words could ever say!

I want to close by, taking a moment to brag about what an amazing man Daryl is. Over the last year, he has endured many physical and emotional  challenges since his cancer diagnosis. These last thirty days, have been the biggest “battle” of our lives.  There have been some true reality checks,  tough days, and long nights.  Daryl has been unable eat, drink or speak a word in thirty days, only communicating by writing, gesturing and  mouthing words. Take a moment and imagine all news from the blogs, and not being able to speak and express emotions. . . . . that has been Daryl Lu. His strength is truly remarkable. He is a one of a kind, and I feel blessed and honored to be called his wife.

We are buckling our seat belts for the next thirty days. Please continue the prayers and positive thoughts! We love you all!