Forgotten UCSF story

I had completely forgotten this funny (now...not then!) story that happened on that Monday before Thanksgiving. Mark mentioned it in our "Thank you" poem...the leaky ceiling. I had arrived back at UCSF for the switch after the weekend to see Mark and Tanner playing the XBOX. So Tanner's new spot was the chair Mark and I had been sleeping/living in and Mark had been sitting on Tanner's bed. So while Tanner was showing me how he played his game...I changed his pillowcases and switched his blankies for Mark to take home and wash. Mark was busy packing things to go home and when I was done, I sat on Tanner's bed (since he was busy "driving McQueen Cars on the XBOX game...go figure...more McQueen stuff...)and leaned back, threw up my arm and it landed on WET PILLOW. Now, at this point, I could have walked out of the bathroom with toilet paper on my shoe and out my pants and never noticed (or cared!) So I questioned myself if I had just brought and then put on a wet pillowcase. Hey, it happens, right? So while I'm questioning my sanity, a nurse comes in to do something "nursey" (I just can't remember...I'm trying to block it all out now! Seriously, I read back and cringe at some of the days we had...) And I'm telling her about the wet pillowcases when she looks up and SEES WATER DRIPPING FROM THE CEILING! We all started laughing because this would ONLY happen to Tanner. One more outrageous experience. We were kind of wondering about the room above us...leaking water? Uh oh! So as Mark headed home to beat traffic and pick up the kids from school, the maintance crew arrived. Apparently, there was a water pipe in the ceiling that had been leaking before and it was only fixed with a "bandaid". So Tanner and I headed to the playroom while it was being repaired...and 90 minutes later, the leak was fixed and we were getting word that we were getting released in 2 days. Only part of the Wieland Adventure!

Thank you, Thank you

OMG...how fun to have the blog linked to Facebook now. It's supposed to notify "fans" with new posts automatically...hopefully it'll work! I tried to sit down yesterday and write my thank you notes to friends and family who have sent food and money to us during the holidays...so overwhelmingly grateful...but it was constant "mom, mom, mom" and Mark yelling, "come see this..." Jeez! And if I didn't run right up to see what Mark was hanging...it might have ended up upside-down or in the wrong room! PLEASE be patient with me...I am sooooo thankful for all the wonderful gifts for our family...and I WILL get those notes out! Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for continuing to support us!



Summer 2006

Thank You to UCSF Staff

Here is the Thank You we made for the INCREDIBLE staff that took care of Tanner:



It's hard to express the emotions we had as the days turned into weeks.

We felt we were the luckiest family until the ceiling began to leak.

The screaming and crying, and fear of blue gloves when someone came into the room...

Getting out of 7 North would never have come too soon.

After 65 days, Tanner's okay to leave with only one tube,

We finished IV's, popped a few pills, and now we can say THANK YOU!

This Year For Christmas

A Family Poem read at the Wieland Family Christmas Party, December 19, 2009


THIS YEAR FOR CHRISTMAS

This year for Christmas,
Tanner is healthy and fine...
And we are happy to say,
Goodbye 2009!

AND...This year for Christmas,
We reflect and think back...
About families like ours,
WHO GOT TOTALLY 'JACKED!!!!

BUT...This year for Christmas,
Things are a little bit tight...
We did all that we could,
To do everything right.

EVEN THOUGH...This year for Christmas,
We cashed out, begged, and borrowed.
And stole a few things,
We promise to pay back tomorrow.

SO...This year for Christmas,
At Uncle Greg and Aunt Pami's,
ALL WE COULD GIVE...
ARE UGLY HOSPITAL JAMMIES!!!!

Happy, Happy Holiday

Sad to say, this is the first time in 3 weeks I've been able to sit down at the computer to blog. What a fabulous Christmas we had. Tanner being home was the best gift we could have ever asked for. There were some days at UCSF I doubted it would ever happen. It's scary when I think back to all those days in the hospital; the poking, crying (both of us!) and how we made it through. Never an experience I want to repeat. And as hard as we've worked to be back to normal...we all get those flashbacks...for example, Tanner cut his foot yesterday and SCREAMED bloody murder putting on a bandaid because he saw the blood. Not to mention, I got light headed too... But it's the constant reminder of taking things slow, one day at a time and just hoping for the best. He even got a fever night before last...and I panicked thinking we would be back at UCSF...but it broke naturally and Tanner was eating, running, pooping like normal the next day! His own body took care of the germ...hopefully...He still needs to go to the pediatrician for a well check. Our cardiology appointment on the 21st went PERFECT...no drainage, low blood pressure, and 96 O2 levels. PERFECT. Now we don't have to go back for 3 months.

We put away our Christmas tree today, because if you even gave a sideway glance to it...it shed about 800 needles. Time to go. But the house is in nice order. Mark and I spent Christmas Eve hanging decorations and shelves and got the last boxes OUT. We only have family photos left to hang! Yipee! It FINALLY feels like home! Mark's parents bought us the Wii for Christmas and My mom got us the Wii fit, so we've been having LOTS of FUN together as a family bowling, exercising, and laughing. Courtney is amazing at bowling, it's either a strike or spare each turn! And Tanner has a cute throw...and loves doing the down-hill ski slope. So cute to watch. Mackenzie and Callahan are working up a sweat and counting calories...then ask Mark for ice-cream. Gotta love them!

Amazing Day

Today was Tanner's PICC-line change appointment. Tanner and I headed to the city at 6am to fight the morning commute and try to arrive at UCSF by 9am. Surprisingly, traffic was relatively light UNTIL we hit the Bay Bridge. Then it was stop and go at the toll plaza AND the metering lights. Tanner slept right through until then...which was great because he was NPO (no food or liquid) since midnight. He loves to count the boats...and this morning he saw an airplane! FUN! Now, flashback to last night while we were decorating the tree...my cell phone rings and it's an unknown number. I let it go to voicemail with the intentions of listening later. Well, Mackenzie had basketball practice and when we got home, it was bed, books, and bedtime...and honestly I just forgot to check my messages. So while sitting at the Bay Bridge this morning, I rang into my voicemail and listened to Tanner's nurse practitioner tell me that the procedure was a "98% go" for today...and she'd call me later in the morning! AHHHH! I had already left! FORTUNATELY, she called back 10 minutes later and assured me the line change was a go. Sure will teach me to listen to my voicemail messages PRONTO! Tanner was a bit apprehensive about having to go into the hospital (instead of the clinic across the street) but he did really well. Familiar faces kept asking us with worried looks "why are you here?" and I had to reassure them it was just a line change and we were back out in a few hours (hopefully!). Everyone commented on how good Tanner looked...some even thought his cheeks looked more full! So the nurse is getting Tanner hooked up to the monitors and Julie (NP) is getting supplies for the new PICC line when Petros the surgeon came in with a HUGE GRIN on his face and announced, "Dr. Azakai and I were just talking, and we are going to pull the PICC line and have Tanner take PO (oral) antibiotics for the remaining two weeks." My mouth dropped open, and I just grinned back. I couldn't believe it. I was speechless. Our conservative surgeon was giving us some slack! So I told him as he was leaving, "You just gave us the best Xmas gift EVER!" It was so amazing how the fabulous news traveled around the ICU unit too. Nurses and doctors kept coming in with HUGE smiles and congratulating us. You could just feel the excitement in the air. Julie came back in and I couldn't even talk...and started to tear up. She told me, "This is HUGE and don't start crying or I will too!" They still gave Tanner a bit of sedation to take out the 2 stitches on his chest wound and then pulled of the tape and removed the tiny PICC-line tube. The whole procedure took about 10 minutes. And Tanner did very well...just a few, "do it slow!" and "OUCH!" It's almost bitter sweet because it's a HUGE step towards recovery, yet we're losing our "hospital family". We still have a cardiology appointment on the 21st, which marks the last day of antibiotics and a well-check just before the holidays. As I watch Tanner run around tonight...he seems a bit naked without his PICC-tube flopping around...but I got the go-ahead for the showers and he's getting scrubbed down tonight! And our first uninterrupted night of sleep! It'll probably take Mark and I a few nights to get used to it!

Fantasy Flight to the North Pole

As tough as our 9 week stay was at UCSF, we were so fortunate to be invited to a special event...the SFO Fantasy Flight from United Airlines - a trip to the NORTH POLE! Saturday, December 5th, we drove to SFO and were treated to a reception of clowns, snacks, royalty, fire fighters, police officers, and many volunteers all dedicated to make the day special for the kids! We had special boarding passes and Tanner received a special picture ID for the flight. Once on board, we found our seats and Tanner had a personalized Santa Hat and a window seat! It was so special! Everyone was so helpful and friendly!



They served us sandwiches, grapes, chips, and cookies...and half-way through the flight, it was announced the North Pole was too fogged in that we couldn't land! So Santa made a special visit on our plane! The kids were very excited! We also had the opportunity to walk around the plane...and to the upper deck of first class seats! Tanner even used the tiny potty!



As if the day wasn't special enough, we also met our hospital roommate family! The boys were so excited to see each other again...and we got to catch up. When we landed, the gate was decorated with trains and balloons...and the event ended with volunteers giving the kids each a goodie bag, a Target gift card, and a Chevron Gas card for the parents! It was truly a magical day for our family. Mark realized it was the first time since September we had all been in the car together as a family. A special day we'll remember forever!

Tanner's First Week at Home

It's been quite a week. Thanksgiving was wonderful with the entire family! We celebrated with having Tanner home! Yipee! He was so excited about the new house and his new room...spreading out his cars and driving them all over. The only thing he DID struggle with was coming DOWN the stairs...obviously he had been in bed for 65 days and lost his muscle mass! But amazingly enough...after just a week at home, he's running around and climbing down the stairs PERFECTLY! But on the Sunday after Thanksgiving, we ended up in the ER at Kaiser in Antioch. The day before, Mark and I noticed a rash on Tanner's back and tummy. It wasn't raised, but Tanner started scratching Sunday morning so off we went. They were concerned about an allergic reaction to the antibiotics OR plavix...so they stopped the plavix because Tanner had been on the antibiotics for 3 weeks in the hospital. We started benedryl to help the itching. Then Monday morning we already had a scheduled appointment with our Cardiology Dr. at UCSF so Tanner and I headed back to the city! When we arrived, it was like a reunion! Everyone stopped into to see us...2 cardiologists, 2 nurse practitioners and Petros the surgeon...it was fun to show off how well Tanner looked. Tanner's number's were perfect (Oxygen, blood pressure) but they still didn't know about the rash. So they wanted to keep Tanner off the plavix (super blood thinner) and because his numbers were so high, he really doesn't need it right now...but to come back Wednesday to be re-checked for the rash. So back to UCSF we went Wednesday morning...stayed for 15 minutes...and then went BACK AGAIN FRIDAY! This time, the traffic was horrible at the Bay Bridge, took us over 2 hours to get there...and our appointment was ONLY 5 MINUTES! Oh well, as long as we're home sleeping in our own beds. Tanner's rash virtually disappeared by Thursday and he was eating better and had more energy. The consensus was maybe just a virus...since there was no fever...but he's feeling so GOOD! Our next trip back to UCSF is this Wednesday to have the PICC line replaced and 2 stitches removed from the wound site (which looks super healed) - hopefully just a day trip. Mark is still home from work seeing as I've been back and forth to the city...and with the other kids still in school...it's impossible for just one to do it all. It's also been good healing time for our family!

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Mackenzie Playing Basketball

Here is Mackenzie playing in her FIRST basketball game! She's an excellent defense player! She is number 15...

Video of Tanner Leaving UCSF

Here is a quick video of Tanner saying "Good-bye" to his "home" of 65 days!