WHAT A TROOPER!!

We are one week post surgery and what a wild week it has been.  Rick is a miracle man.  He has endured so much, but has such a positive attitude. We have felt the love of everyone on our behalf.  Thank you for your thoughts and prayers.

 Rick was fortunate to have the love of our children and grandchildren visiting him at the hospital.  Brynlee felt so sad for her Grandpa and asked me what she could do to make him feel better.  I told her she could hold his hand for a while.  It was so precious.  She held his hand for nearly an hour.  She drew him pictures and wrote "Grandpa...you are my hero".  The other little girls were so concerned as well.  It was frightening to see him with tubes and everything.  They made cheerful posters that all the nurses just loved. Such sweet blessings in our life.

We don't have the pathology report back yet, so we don't have the weight and size of the kidneys.  But they were big and completely loaded with cysts.  They removed the gall bladder which was at least double the size of a normal gall bladder, the appendix and lanced several large cysts in the liver. I'm sorry to those that are squeamish...but I am about to post the graphics.  In the picture of the kidneys, there is a large cyst on the right kidney.  That cyst is the size of a normal kidney.

Here are a few more photos of his surgery journey so far:

Pre-surgery

After the twins were born....ha ha

 The incision is quite large.  The bandaged area is where they placed a catheter to be able to do Peritoneal Dialysis at home after it heals.

Dialysis has been a challenge for Rick.  It pretty much wipes him out and he is really weak afterwards. He is looking forward to the Peritoneal Dialysis as it is a little more gentle than Hemo dialysis. It is amazing to me how someone could figure out the whole process.  Truly miraculous.

It is good to have him home from the hospital.  There is just something about the comforts of home that can be healing.  We are surrounded by so many kind and loving people.  We thank each and every one of you for your service to our family, the prayers, fasting, and support given to us.  Rick still has a big journey ahead of him.  He will need clearance again from his neurosurgeon after he has a scan to be sure his old aneurysms are stable and that no new aneurysms have formed.  Once he receives that clearance, he will be reinstated on the donor list and can have a transplant when a kidney comes available.

We would be glad for your continued prayers and love on our behalf. We truly have felt the power of prayer in this adventure.  Your kind words of encouragement have helped us more than you can ever realize. You guys are the best!!!  We love you all!