Cardiology appt - nothing to report

Larry say the cardiologist and there is nothing new to report, which is a good thing!! They have advised him to figure out what is going on with his foot before starting rehab so that is on hold for the time being. Mostly, the cardiologist was getting caught up on his miracle stay in Boston. :)

More when we have it...

Continuing to Gain Strength

Hello, Everyone. Thanks for continuing to check on Larry's progress. He has heard from many friends and still hears fairly regularly from the new friends he made in Boston who took such good care of him!

Larry has been to several little league games, several doctors and a couple family dinners. He just keeps looking better and getting stronger every day. He is still having trouble with some of his toes and has been told that he may lose them, although nothing is final at this point. He will have more appts on that later in the month. He's also seeing his cardiologist tomorrow, but he has been doing very well on that front. He hasn't started rehab yet, kind of depends on what happens with his foot, but likely he will be getting started soon.

We will continue to update as we have more information or progress to report. Summer has gone quite fast for us, as you can imagine. Hope you all have been able to enjoy it.

Wednesday Report

Larry went back to the doctor yesterday to check on his foot. There isn't a whole lot of progress to report but also not a sense of urgency to do something immediately. He is going to have some tests done this week on it to look into the situation a little more and then will go back in another week. We are hopeful that it will show there is a chance it could continue to heal.

He continues to gain strength and walk a little further at a time and has been to more baseball games. He had been waiting to start rehab until they figure out what is going to happen with the foot. They have given him the green light not to wait so he will be going to cardiac rehab soon!

Will update when we have more...

The Weekend

Things are fairly status quo with Larry. He has days where he moves around more and feels stronger, days where it is more of a struggle, but mostly, the progress continues. He has been able to come to some little league games but other than that, doesn't venture out. He has an appt for his foot again on Tuesday so nothing new to report at this point. We will put up another update after that appointment.

Carrie and Addie came in for a visit and we had some nice family time with games, meals, shopping. Larry hangs out in his chair most of the time, but was able to join in for the meals. It's so good to have him back and gaining strength.

Wednesday at home

Larry went to the doctor yesterday and his foot had come around enough that they gave it another week! It's still very uncertain what will happen but that was a nice boost. He was able to see Jay play baseball for the very first time last night, something he has been looking forward to!

Monday Update

Larry continues to gain strength and stability. He walks around now without his walker. He has been spending more time on the deck, at the table, etc. Stairs are still difficult but he is coming along. We were able to cut his hair this weekend and we even had our normal Saturday night dinner together.

Having the heart assist pump in and out several times through his groin while he was in the hospital has caused a circulation issue in his right foot that isn’t resolving as it should. Larry saw a couple of doctors last week, and is seeing another tomorrow. Nothing has been determined yet, but it is possible he might lose part of the foot. The doctors have assured him that he will still be able to do everything he wants to if it comes to that. It's not exactly what we were all hoping for but we know the pump was necessary at the time and probably a big part of why he is here today. And, we are SO glad he is here. We will keep you posted as more on this is determined.

Wednesday at home

Larry is continuing to work on building his strength and balance by doing some short jaunts around the house. He also went out to doctor's appts the last two days. He still gets pretty weary and worn out but we continue to see improvement. It's a little too slow for his liking but that is understandable. We think he is doing great. Haven't seen it yet, but heard he decided he'd had enough of the mustache!

More when we know it...

Monday at Home!

There's really not much to report but I don't want to worry anyone either. Sorry for letting the update go so long over the weekend. It was a bit of a whirlwind with him coming home, us going out on Saturday and Jas/Debbie coming through on Sunday. It was all good stuff so sorry if people worried.

Larry is starting to gain some strength, getting up several times a day to do small jaunts in the house. I think he is up to several laps around the kitchen island per trip. He says it's small stuff but we don't think so. He's anxious to see a grandkid baseball game but it might be a few days before he's ready. We did scout out some good parking spots where he could view the games. The boys also stopped by tonight and were full of stories about their games. All good medicine!

Hopefully in a few days he will be up to getting on the computer or taking a call but he's still taking it easy and concentrating on building strength at this point. Thanks for all the well wishes, prayers and cards. He was looking at some cards today so please know that he is getting them!!

Sunday at Home!

Larry was released from the hospital on Saturday afternoon and spent the night in his own bed! He said it felt quite good to take the first shower in some time as well. Mostly he is sitting in his chair but he does get around fairly well and has a walker for back up. He says he is a little weary and not ready for phone calls yet so we will continue to keep people posted through the blog until he feels up to writing or talking.

Jason and Debbie came through on their way home so we are all sitting around chatting and the kids are playing in the back yard. It is so great to have him home and have things starting to get back to normal.

Wed nite/Thursday in Des Moines

The new docs and staff are getting to know Larry as he recuperates and gains strength at Iowa Methodist. He did physical therapy twice today and is walking around a little. He will be ready for a haircut and maybe a shave in a few days, but he really looks good. Although not as dramatic, this is certainly more fun to write about than some of the earlier posts. Hopefully this is a trend!

Larry is also very much enjoying the change in food selections after several weeks in Boston with a only a few choices on the menu. He has enjoyed such delicacies as PB&J and soft shell tacos!

A Big Step Closer to Home

Larry is resting at Iowa Methodist and Peg is resting in her own bed! They landed at about 5:45pm, just as Curtis, Nate and Jay were pulling up. Everything went well with the flight - Larry didn't have any problems or issues. The kids and Curtis got to meet them briefly on the tarmac before the ambulance took him to Methodist.

They saw him again later after he got settled and then got Peg home and reunited with Nola. We are so excited to have him back and one step closer to home.

We want to send a big THANK YOU to everyone in Boston who got Larry to this point. I'm told many showed up to send him off, evidence of how much they really care for him.

IT's HAPPENING TODAY

Following in the path of the bypass, when they finally get a plan, they don't waste much time...

Larry is actually coming home to

Des Moines today!!!

We don't have a lot of details yet but apparently a plane and a bed at Methodist were available and they have notified Peg it will be today. She has already UPS'd her luggage home. We don't have any time estimate yet, but will let you know when we find out more.

update - potentially leaving around 2 or 2:30 - arriving in Des Moines around 5:30 or 6pm
update - Larry's plane took off at 3:57pm ET and should arrive in Des Moines around 5:45pm. Peg is also on board.