6 month update

We have had our share of ups and downs but Abel was finally released from the doctors care in Dallas on September 2nd.

He arrived home on September 5th. He has been sleeping a lot but overall doing very well. He is still gaining strength back again which obviously takes time. He had a doctors appointment here in Amarillo last Tuesday.  Basically this doctor's appointment was just a check up and requesting medication that he needed. The doctor here will be taking care of him from now on except for his liver medication. Needless to say, I am thrilled he is finally home full time. He has always been a hard worker but currently he is only able go out for a couple of hours then he is ready to get home and take a nap. 

Lately, the only issue we have had, which does not even relate to his liver, is his shoulder. It was hurting for about 6 weeks. Basically, the pain was from lifting too much weight when he was not used to it. For a long time, the weight limit was 10 lbs but now I believe he can lift more as he becomes more comfortable. 

Abel's parents were here for a month and a half and his brother Eddie was here for 2 weeks. We had a great time together and even though there is a language barrier (which is obviously a challenge) we still enjoy each each others company. 

We are obviously very blessed and can not thank everyone enough for their encouragement. Everyone has been very supportive and we are so thankful for friends from school, church, as well as others in the community...even people we do not even know. God has blessed us so much and we give all glory to Him. We all know that God could have taken my husband home to be with Him but we are all thankful God chose to spare his life. I believe God is going to use him in a BIG way!!! I am so thankful for IMS insurance especially Susan. At first I was very frustrated with the long process, now I see it was all in God's perfect timing. We have so much to share of God's provision and blessing and do intend to share with time. The thing I love about our story is God shines through. There is nothing special that my husband or I have done. Our story is a testimony of God's goodness and blessings; that is exactly what we intend to share! 

Transplanted and finally updated

Finally have a chance to update the blog. Abel had his transplant on March 12, 2011. I will include a  letter that I sent out to school.

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What an eventful Spring Break!!!!  Karla and I went down to Dallas to visit Abel for the week.  We knew he was not feeling good and Saturday he just briefly commented to me that he wanted to go ahead to the hospital so they could admit him. I didn’t think anything about it but when I mentioned it to my dad he decided to go ahead and call the doctor(I thought he was overreacting). The doctor had just seen him on Thursday and had told my dad to call if anything came up. There was nothing major happening….he just wasn’t feeling well. When dad called the doctor said to go ahead and take him to the emergency room which we did.

When we got to the hospital we waited in the waiting room for about 20 minutes. At that time 2 things happened simultaneously. First was dad got a phone call. He looked at me and his eyes got big when he answered the phone and I thought maybe this was the phone call of all phone calls (saying we had a liver) then he just continued talking casually. Abel had been asleep in his wheelchair (he was not feeling good enough to walk) waiting for them to call him back to a room. At the exact same time the doctor who dad had called came walking into the Emergency room. He came in on his day off (he wasn’t even on call) to check on Abel. My dad at first was ignoring the doctor when normally he would have gotten off the phone to talk with him.  I was puzzled by his behavior and all the sudden dad starts to hand the phone to the doctor and the doctor refuses to take it. Dad said “Do you know what’s going on?” and the doctor said “yes, I found out 10 minutes ago”.  Dad then insists that the doctor speak with the person on the phone giving him a chance to catch me up on what was going on (even though I was standing right there I had no idea). They in fact did have a liver.  The amazing thing was we were already at the hospital when we got the call that there was a liver available.  The rest of the day was spent prepping him for surgery. They wheeled him back around 5:30pm and began surgery around 6:30pm.  Dad found out while Abel was in surgery, the doctor (who came in on his day off) had said on Thursday, that Abel only had 2 weeks left without a transplant. We did not have any news until about 5 the next morning. The doctor said he was in recovery and they were in the process of moving him to ICU (now Sunday morning).  He was doing so well that on Monday they moved him to a regular room. Tuesday they got him up walking and Wednesday started him on regular food. Friday he went home.  He is taking a lot of medication at this point but will be weaned off of it slowly.

He is doing well recovering and went to church yesterday. He was very exhausted afterwards but he is doing well. He is moving around pretty well at this point but has a little trouble if he needs to sit/lie down. His incision looks like a Mercedes symbol (an upside down Y.) Overall he is doing VERY well and we know that most people would not have been out of the hospital yet. Because he received  local liver and because we were already at the hospital, this allowed the time to be reduced before the transplant allowing less problems with the liver.

There is a fundraiser planned for tonight (March 21st) at Blue Sky from 5-10. Another fundraiser will is planned for his (1^st) birthday April 8^th at Rosa’s Café all day. Mention Abel’s name in both cases.

We will also always celebrate his 2^nd birthday on March 12^th.  J

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Today (3/26/11) We went to the mall and after getting stuck in lots and lots of traffic decided to come back home.

Last week when we went to Wal-Mart he used an electric wheelchair to get around. Today when we went to the mall he walked around and didn't even sleep coming home. He is getting stronger everyday but still has a lot of strength to gain back too.

On the list-----finally!!!

After a long dramatic wait to be put on the transplant list we finally made it!!! He was put on the transplant list today. I am extremely thankful and many people are very excited!!! The official day was supposed to be on Wednesday. They decided they wanted to go ahead and put him on the list today. 

He also tested positive for TB several times BUT TODAY tested negative. This is a very good thing as well. 

Needless to say we have A LOT to be thankful for. 

The only concern I have now is they told me today (for the 2nd time) that I will not get a pay check in March. I also will lose April's and May's check as well (due to time missed for Abel and his transplant). This is a little concerning obviously but someone also told me that I will just have to pay back the money. I am hoping this is true.  Either way God will provide. The birds don't have to worry about a thing.....why should we have to be concerned about that? God will take care of us....this I am sure!!! 

We have so much to be thankful for tonight. I will go to bed tonight with a smile on my face. :) My hope is you will do the same. 

Testing done

Abel is 1) out of the hospital and 2) the testing is done. That is the big news this weekend.

Wednesday is a big day too. The day the doctors meet and decide to put him on the transplant list or not. They have already told him that he will be 1st or 2nd on list when he is approved.

Items for prayer:

1: Insurance will pay
2: Doctors will agree to put him on the transplant list
3: Liver will be available soon.

We had a great weekend and enjoyed attending DEC (Deaf Evangelism Conference) when we could. It was amazing to meet some new people and see old friends too.

That's all the news for now. We are very thankful at this point.

Moved/ up and moving

Abel got up and started walking today for the first time in a week. This was good progress even though he is having to use a walker right now. Hopefully he will be walking more steadily as the week progresses.

He also was moved from ICU to a regular room. The room he is in is Roberts 1421. I know a lot of people will be going to DEC this weekend and want to see him. The address is 3500 Gaston Ave. When you find the hospital you will need to ask exactly how to get to Roberts (there are several hospitals in one). The 14th floor (where Abel is) is for transplant patients and I believe specifically liver transplant patients. Even though he is not on the list yet....he will be and this is where he will stay after his transplant. This is good for him because all the doctors he needs to see are on that floor. The doctors don't have to go down looking for him in a different hospital. He is easily accessible to them.

Friends have also asked for the mailing address to the apartment (not the hospital).  The apartment is

Abel Torres
Seville Apartments
 10651 Steppington  Apt 4059
Dallas, Tx 75230

The phone number (if you want to talk to dad and if he is at home) is 214-485-0736

They wanted to remove the nasogastric (feeding) tube today. They gave him a "swallow test". Basically just checking to see if he could swallow some water. He did not pass the test because he got choked. They will try again tomorrow. If he passes the swallow test they will start him on real food....I am assuming liquids like jello and broths. They also are going to try to clean out his throat to see if that helps the situation.

Very good news today and we are pleased with the progress. Slow and steady progress and very thankful.

I also told Abel about the fundraiser at school (the first time he has been awake and alert enough since last Monday -sleeping until Saturday). He was amazed and VERY THANKFUL (as am I). We raised $1,128 just on soup and sandwiches. Thanks for everyone from work for your generosity. I know $10 for soup and sandwiches is a ridiculous price but many of you even paid over the $10. I don't know who you are but God knows and will bless you. Thank you all!!!

Abel also talked about how much he liked the hospital and the people there. He said the service was great and liked the nurses who were taking care of him as well. Thankful for all of those people who are "just doing their job" but making a difficult situation much easier. Thank you.

Abel told Karla today that he was very thankful for my dad staying with him. I think that is a huge understatement. He doesn't have words to describe nor do I. It has been a huge blessing. Dad is able to stay there with him while I continue to work (as much as possible). Thanks dad for taking care of my hubby. We couldn't do it without you!! Love ya!!!

Awake

Finally, yesterday morning Abel woke up. He had been sleeping this week because of the medicine they were giving him. They needed to give his body a chance to heal from the bleeding in his esophagus. He had a ventilator down his throat but that is out now. He is doing better since and he has been off all blood pressure medicine. Yesterday when he woke up he was very groggy and did not make much sense when he tried to sign. The nurse this morning said he was more alert. They were also calling for an interpreter to come this morning at 9.

Good news

Abel is still sleeping. They took him off the medicine which causes him to sleep all the time. Since 1 (when they turned off the medicine), he still has not woken up.

1. He is down from 3 antibiotics to 1 which is a good sign.
2. He is also breathing partially on his own now. His oxygen level has been reduced so that he is breathing and not depending so much on the machine.
3.His blood pressure medicine has been cut down by about 70% today.

This is WONDERFUL news. We are very pleased with the progress he has made today. Slow day but made steady progress.

Re-hospitalized

A lot has happened since last week when I posted. Here is an update on the "Days of Our Lives"

A huge praise is that Alfredo and Papo were able to come from Puerto Rico. I am SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO thankful for this HUGE blessing. They came and were very supportive of Abel (when he was aware they were here) Karla, my dad and myself. We had a WONDERFUL visit. Words can not express my thanks to these two AMAZING gentlemen who came. I pray that one day they will be repayed for their goodness to Abel and especially myself. They blessed us beyond measure. Thank you Papo and Alfredo for your selflessness!! Abel has no idea how well I was treated but I DEFINITELY plan on telling him when possible. It is such a blessing to be part of a wonderful "adoptive" family. I love them so much . It is amazing as much as we struggle to communicate with the language barrier, their love was shown in their generosity. 

Abel was also very thankful for the generous contribution from the Puerto Rican community as a whole. The fundraisers they have put together and constant support from the family and friends. Abel was honestly overwhelmed by the generosity of the "poor people". They do have a lot less than we Americans in some cases, but their hearts are FULL and running over with love!! Thank you all!!! 

Abel was released from the hospital last Wednesday. He enjoyed Wednesday through Friday with his brothers here in Dallas. Friday Abel's brothers (Papo and Alfredo) went with me to Amarillo to see Karla. 

Valentine's (Monday) morning as I am ready to leave for school, dad texts and says that he has taken Abel to the ER and he is being admitted. I find out later he has been vomiting blood. The doctor decides to do a scope and finds out the bleeding was in the esophagus (yes....again) but in different places this time. They admitted him to the hospital and put him in ICU. They obviously had to stop the bleeding; and wrapped (rubber) bands around his esophagus to help it heal. 

Abel's brothers and I decided to drive back down to Dallas Monday night to check on him before their flight home today. 

They are wanting to control the bleeding by keeping Abel asleep and not allowing him to wake up (drug induced coma). To prevent him from breathing through his mouth, they have him on a respirator. HE CAN BREATH ON HIS OWN...they just want to protect his throat!!! He is also on medicine to stop the bleeding.

All day he has been asleep and didn't even know his brothers or my dad or anyone has been here. 

They say with hearing patients to go ahead and talk to the patient even though they are unconscious because they may be able to hear you. Since Abel wouldn't hear me if I did talk to him, I have decided to touch him every so often so that he knows he is not alone. I massage his legs or hold his hand even rub his face. Something gentle so maybe he will know we are here with him. 

This afternoon his nurse kept saying that his blood pressure was dropping a lot. She cut back on the medicine and the blood pressure still continued to drop. This can be a sign of continued bleeding, so she ordered blood tests which came back fine (thank you Lord). Secondly, she noticed a note where the doctor had ordered more fluids for Abel. Once they gave him the fluids....his blood pressure began to rise again. (another praise)

The medicine causing Abel to sleep has been cut in half today and also his blood pressure medicine as well. Over all a good day and seeing progress with the stopping of bleeding. 

The goal for tomorrow is to take him off the medicine that is causing him to sleep. The danger in that is that he will want to rip out the ventilator (down his throat) but his hands are tied down so that is not possible.

Very eventful few days and truly alot has been going on. I feel horrible I have not had time to update the blog but with family here.....they deserved my attention as guests. 

Insurance Frustrations

Writing tonight I am very exhausted and worn out from fighting with the insurance company about everything.

1.Insurance didn't want to pay for Abel's liver transplant. (2 month struggle)
2. The insurance didn't want to pay for the ambulance to transport Abel from Amarillo hospital to the Dallas hospital. (1 day struggle with insurance then another 4 day struggle with weather)
3. Today insurance does not want to pay for us to continue staying in the hospital for the Liver Evaluation that Abel needs to get put on the transplant list.

Seriously, does everything have to be a fight??? They are now wanting to kick us out of the hospital after they brought us all the way here. Shouldn't they have thought of that before now?? It is very frustrating and exhausting. Can they not do the right thing?

Talking with mom tonight she had a good point. It seems that the doctors office should word everything correctly so that insurance would be willing to pay. Maybe that is the issue and not problems with the insurance. Obviously the doctor's office knows what the insurance company wants to hear, couldn't they use the right vocabulary to get the point across to make it at least "sound" medically necessary??

Time is running out and I am growing increasingly frustrated daily. It's hard because I don't know where to vent all my frustrations the insurance company or the doctor's office. Someone made the comment today that I really have to be careful with the insurance company because we NEED them to pay so we don't want to make them too mad or they could deny payment or something. Really have to be careful.

Anyway on a good note, Abel's 2 brothers came today. It was great to see them and Abel was excited too.

Abel has been placed on a 2 gram sodium diet to protect his liver. This has actually been going on for the past
week while he has been in the hospital. They have him on all kinds of medicine but the biggest change I have seen in him is the lack of nausea. This has been a wonderful change.

I am very thankful for the doctors and the nurses doing all they can for my husband. I have absolutely no complaints about any of them at all. We have met some incredible people on this journey and for that I am very thankful!! At both, BSA in Amarillo and Baylor in Dallas, we have received superb care and those that we have come in contact with have done a fabulous job of taking care of both of us. We truly are blessed!!!

Waiting Game

Still here in Amarillo. Not going to Dallas right now, in fact doubting even this weekend. Doctor said they may release Abel here in Amarillo and we may need to drive down on Monday. Three issues as to why we can't go right now and they are all weather related:

1. No ambulance to take him.
2. Not enough workers to take care of patients.
3. Not enough beds.

I have heard that the hospitals (there in Dallas) have had a hard time handling all the patients and all the surgeries scheduled. In fact the rumor has it that they cancelled all NON-emergency surgeries because they don't have a bed for them. Another rumor I have heard is that they have had power outages at the hospital(s) as well.

There are a lot of things we can't see and we have to be very patient. Today has been a relaxing day. Doctor came in around 10 and woke us up from our nap.Yesterday, Abel was moved from a liquid diet to a diabetic and low sodium diet. He is thrilled to be able to eat real food now.

Dad will be in Texas soon. He is a couple hours outside of Dallas right now. Hope to see him soon. Very excited!!

Abel is currently sleeping and I may go take a nap too. I will keep you all posted as much as possible.

Bleeding esophagus

Well, it's been an interesting 2 days. Yesterday Abel went to the hospital for a scope. When they did the scope they found that he had been bleeding in his esophagus. They put a rubber band there to prevent the bleeding. His blood count was good this morning. He is staying in the hospital and they will transfer him Saturday morning to Dallas.I honestly suspect he will stay until his transplant is complete. Another good thing is that he is feeling well and in good spirits. He has had visitors each day. He has enjoyed the attention!  :)

Dad is on the way from NC to meet us there in Dallas. It will be great to see him this weekend and I will turn things over to him so he can take care of my hubby. I honestly can't miss work to do it...as badly as I want to. I know dad will do a great job too.

Abel's 2 brothers are coming as well. They will be here on Tuesday. I am very excited about that. It will be great to see them and for them to see Abel as well.

Abel is down to 210 pounds. He has been losing weight but his stomach is/has been swelling. He has also been on a clear liquid diet here in the hospital. He has not been throwing up like before. This is a very good thing. Exciting things going on here. Oh the drama of dealing with doctors and insurance companies is always fun.....NOT!!! :) Part of life and we have to do it now.  I will update as much as possible!!

bad/good news

Abel is getting sicker. I know this sounds like bad news but it actually is good news for him getting the transplant.  At the time I am writing this he has thrown up twice in the last hour. Since we got home around 9 or 9:30 he has thrown up about 4-5 times.

Last night we went out to eat at Taco Villa. He assures me that it was the food that made him sick. I assure him it was not the food, it is his liver.

The process is as I can see it very clearly; He is able to eat, but causes him to throw up, which causes him to not want to eat; which causes him to lose weight. This means he will be (and already has been) getting weaker.

It is discouraging for both of us but we also know the sicker he is, the faster he will get the transplant. That perspective brings us some hope.

2 Fundraisers planned

So far the 2 fundraisers I know of are:

1. Caprock luncheon on February 14th. Not sure of any details at this point but will post as I have information. You also may contact April W. for more information.

2. February 13th there will be a Valentine dinner at a local church. I will post more information as it becomes available. Will need to make reservations for this and tickets are $15 from my understanding. Let me know if you want more information. Abel and/or I may go and speak. Depends on if he/we are in Dallas at the time or not.

Coming soon.....Blue Sky night and Rosa's Cafe night too.

I have also never used pay pal before. Trying to work out all the kinks. If you have donated money.....thank you. We will get it. We will probably try something else tomorrow, if it still isn't working. Please be patient with this. Thanks to our donors!!  We greatly appreciate your donation and your patience!!!

WONDERFUL NEWS

First thing you should notice is at the top of the page you will see the amount of the fundraising goal has dropped drastically. The reason is because today insurance agreed that this was not a preexisting condition. This means that insurance WILL PAY for Abel's liver transplant. This eases so much of the financial burden for us. This money also does not have to be paid before the surgery. WHEW!!!

We had obviously been very stressed and worried about this. Now we are sooooo thankful!!!! The next step is waiting for the doctor in Dallas to call us and let us know when to go. Abel will be there for 1 week for testing to see if he qualifies to be put on the transplant list. Then it will just be waiting for him to reach the top of the list and also a donor.

Our and your prayers have been answered and we are so thankful!!! Please continue to pray as it will still be a long road of recovery but it will be much better now. This is a huge praise and please share the update and continue to pray. Our God is an awesome God!!!

Fundraising Queens

Ok. It is now official. I have 2 fundraising gurus that are working very hard. Depending on where you are will depend on who you need to turn to.

If you are at church talk to Patsy Browning. She is organizing fundraisers and working hard night and day.  She is dedicated and passionate about ministering to others. Ever since this "roadtrip" began Patsy has been brainstorming ideas and offering her services. Thanks so much for your tireless work!!!

If you are at Caprock talk to April Wolterstorff. She approached me today saying everyone was asking her for updates, she might as well get "officially" in the loop. We had a very short time to talk today but she has a lot of great ideas. I will be communicating frequently with both of these invaluable women.

Neither of these ladies were asked to do anything. Both of them have volunteered their time and energy into these fundraising ideas. Very thankful for their giving hearts and their (weird) love for fundraising!!!Thank you to Patsy and April!!

Nothing great happened this afternoon. Hopefully will have some more news on Monday or Tuesday of next week. Check back then. Have a great weekend!!!

Making progress

Talked with the woman from insurance. She said "I don't want to give you a false hope, but this doesn't look like preexisting to me".  Then she went on and explained that she was not the one to make that final decision. She explained that there will be a doctor hired to look at everything and discuss with others from insurance to help them decide. That being said the ball is rolling.

Also, my dad has called the House of Representatives here in the state of Texas. Talked with someone who will call the insurance company. They also gave dad some other alternatives as far as paying for a liver transplant.

Dad also said he would call the Senate of Texas as well and try to get some more information from them.

Although the news was good from the insurance....we still have to plan and assume they will not pay. When they decide to pay or not to pay, then we will be ready to proceed as needed.

Hope to post more news tonight as it comes in throughout the day.

This is the letter I sent out to friends and family this week.

1/14/11

My husband, Abel Torres, desperately needs a liver transplant and we just found out last Friday. We had no idea until November that anything was wrong. All the sudden he began turning yellow. He had no symptoms until this happened.  Turns out he has nonalcoholic cirrhosis of the liver.  He has been very healthy up until this point but has started to decrease in health.  Insurance has not declined payment,  but they are saying it is a pre-existing condition. If insurance declines his surgery, we have VERY LITTLE TIME to raise $250,000. This money would be used to save his life. Any amount raised over that amount would be used for expenses like previous doctor’s appointments and housing for the 3 month stay in Dallas after surgery.
My husband is an absolutely AMAZING husband. He is very giving and has such a good heart.  People meet him and they just love him immediately. He has a great personality and loves people. Our daughter Karla, is 18 year s old and attends Amarillo College. She moved here (to Amarillo) and attended Fannin Middle School and last year graduated from Caprock High School.
We have been active in our church (Paramount Baptist Deaf Church) for many years.  Our pastor (Darrell Bonjour) and his wife (GayLynn Bonjour) have been very supportive of our family over the years and especially recently.  We are strong Christians and believe that God can and will heal Abel. Our prayer is that he will be healed here on this earth.  We know that God is a good God and a faithful God.  We have no doubt that God is using this trial to increase our faith. We will stand strong with God’s help.   
We are asking that if you can spare even 10 dollars that you could deposit into to an account we have set up at Education Credit Union and say his name.  The account will come up and they will know which account to deposit it into. 
You also may use abelandkristy.blogspot.com . Click on the donate button.
Please know that your donation is saving my husband’s life. Thank you so much for your generosity.  
Kristy Torres

Doctor vs. Insurance

Today when I called the doctor's, they said that insurance has denied the claim since Jan 10th. Insurance will be called tomorrow. I did call but they were already closed for the day. I left a message so hopefully they will call me back tomorrow morning. It gets really confusing with the insurance blaming the doctor and the doctor blaming insurance. The blame game doesn't accomplish much. Really don't know what tomorrow holds but we shall find out soon enough!! We should get some answers tomorrow. Dad should be coming soon and Papo and Alfredo will be coming next month. Can't wait to see them. YEAH!!! :) Hope to have more information tomorrow.

Talked with someone from the insurance company today. They said that they are waiting for the doctor in Dallas to send all the information so they can make their decision. Hopefully they will get it soon. We need as much time to fund raise as possible. I guess we are currently fund raising anyway....despite the lack of decision. I told Abel today that I could easily let him die and get millions of dollars but I REFUSE!!!!! I told him I would MUCH rather have him than ALL the money in the world!!!

People at school were very supportive today. The principal sent out a note that I had written. It was incredibly thoughtful of her!!! I really appreciated it and emailed her to thank her as well.

I called our caseworker on Friday and told her the situation and asked her what I needed to do. Today she responded that we needed to return the kids case files and wait and see what happens. The kids will be put on hold right now (in our books not theirs) pending Abel's health situation. We assured them that we still wanted the kids and hoped to be able to work everything out to adopt. That was kinda a bummer but we had to do it.

We did get some donations today. For that, I am very thankful $125 to be exact. Also...all of that money came from this site. How exciting!!! I don't even know who one of the givers was....but God knows and He will bless. Thanks so much for your giving.

Something that cracks me up is the fact that one of my friends (Krista) and one of her coworkers emailed Dr. Phil and Oprah. I had already emailed them (probably a couple of weeks ago) but have not heard anything (duh). I had no clue they were emailing them too. Very funny!! I want them to know what a GREAT guy Abel is.

Last night we also went to prayer at Trinity Fellowship for healing. It was a neat time and they prayed for Abel in 3 ways. 1. liver 2. deafness 3. diabetes. The only problem I had was their prayer for healing for his deafness. Even if he got healed of his deafness....wouldn't I still have to sign to communicate with him???

That's all the news for today.  I will also post the letter that I sent out yesterday sometime this week.

My husband has nonalcoholic cirrhosis of the liver. He needs to be put on the liver transplant list but this is not happening until we come up with $250,000 or insurance agrees to pay. Either one of these would be great feats for my husband's health and will honestly save his life. If you could help out even a little we would be eternally grateful. His life is in God's hands and we are also doing everything we possibly can. Prayer changes things and our prayer is that God will save his life. Thank you for your donation. I will post a letter later that I will be sending out to some friends and family.