I went to go visit Uncle Jason yesterday as I was working-from-home and was starving for some good food. He smiled as I dropped off some magazines for his customers to read and encouraged me to have some lunch.
He was back to his usual self. He was greeting customers by name and joking around like he always does. I was amazed! He said it's been almost 3 weeks since he's been released and in another 3 weeks he will return to the doctor for them to evaluate his health, condition, etc. He told me he lost 20 lbs while in the hospital and slowly he is regaining it back.
It's SO good to see him healthy and at the deli. His customers love him and so do all of us! Thanks to all the extended family and friends for love and best wishes.
God Bless,
Helen
A wonderful couple
Jason Yune (Yunie) and Sung Yune
Friday, April 8, 2011
Monday, March 28, 2011
Back to the grind....
Hi Friends and Family!
It’s already been two weeks since my last update. Can you believe it? Time flies when you’re having fun!
I am reminded again of God’s healing power in my father’s life. It is incredible to believe that my dad is walking, talking, eating, sleeping and doing the normal things we take for granted. I look back and think that only 4 weeks ago he was on life support and teetering between life and death. If anything I am in total awe of God’s amazing grace when I think about this. One word describes it all. Amazing!
On another note, dad is very happy to be back at work. He was welcomed with open arms from all the customers. Everyone was happy to have their ‘Jackie Chan’ back. However, he is constantly reminded to take it easy from them and to take care of himself. If there is one thing we can count on it’s the deli’s customers to keep him accountable. J
A lot has happened in the past couple of weeks. Most importantly, dad has not smoked a cigarette since he left the hospital! This is amazing considering he has smoked for almost 23 years. I always try and remind him that a cigarette equals a stroke. Scary but true. Please keep him in your prayers that the urge to smoke can be eradicated completely. Only God can give my dad the willpower to overcome such an obstacle.
Thank you again for keeping my dad in your thoughts and prayers. I am deeply grateful that my family is surrounded with love and support. God has given us incredible friends and family. J
Stay tuned…….
Sandra
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Home Sweet Home
WOW. Wow, is all I can say to sum up the past 12 days. Especially the past 72 hours. So much has progressed in the last 3 days that I am still kind of in shock. Every day that my dad was in the hospital he made huge improvements and all of the doctors and nurses referred to my dad as the 'Miracle Case' or 'Miracle Man'. With good reason of course. I spoke with all of his nurses and doctors daily and all I got were great reports. First, he was taken off the anti-spasm medication (Nimotop - prevents Vasospasms). Next, he was gradually weaned off of the blood pressure medication (Neosynephrine) and then finally he was taken off the Potassium supplement and Saline drip. All this took place in a matter of about 48 hours - if that. He was able to maintain his BP levels on his own (without the help of meds) which is a big deal since that has been one of the main struggles for years. He was so relieved to have all the wires and IV lines and monitors removed so he could move about freely. He was constantly walking around the ICU ward, trying to get as much exercise as possible. He requested for Korean food to be hand delivered (by family) multiple times as he calls the hospital food "junk". I rented a handful of movies for him, brought him the newspaper and showed him videos/pictures of Caeden and Taylor playing. Still, his chief complaint was BOREDOM. He acted as if he was literally going to die from it. This of course is refreshing for the doctors and nurses to hear coming from a guy that suffered a major brain injury not even a week prior!
Okay, so continuing on... About 10pm, Monday night I get a call from Susan, his nurse, saying that he is being moved to a regular room on the 5th floor. I couldn't believe my ears. Tuesday morning I talked to his doctors and come to find out he is in the Stroke Center. These are patient rooms that are for stroke patients that are no longer in ICU but still recovering. Dr. Gerras, one of the neurosurgeons, said that he is just amazed at how remarkable his recovery had been thus far. He said that if he didn't know any better he would have never guessed that dad had been in such bad shape when he was first admitted! He is passing all of the physical therapy tests with flying colors, BP levels are perfect, neurologically satisfactory and an appetite like a champ.
This afternoon (Tuesday)...Dr. Gerras and Dr. Levy (another neurosurgeon) give the go ahead for discharge! Of course, I'm asking them a million and a half questions making sure all bases are covered. I guess I was kind of surprised that they were letting him go home so soon after being released from ICU but like I keep saying, he's a miracle case. I got to the hospital just before 3pm this afternoon but not before fulfilling another request for food. This time dad was craving a hamburger from Jack in the Box with onion rings! Too funny. Fast forward to just before 5pm and we have discharge papers in hand, dad is all dressed in his regular clothes and we are ready to head home. Oh, but not before he spends a good 10-15 minutes saying goodbye to several nurses, therapists, and the pharmacist and giving them directions to his deli! My dad, the social butterfly. Some things just don't change (thank God)!
This evening we all went out to dinner for a last minute belated birthday dinner for my brother, Daniel who turned 21 last Wednesday. It was like old times, like nothing had happened. It was all very surreal. Kind of like how it felt when he was intubated and chemically comatose and unresponsive. It was just so unbelievable.
I have 99% of my old dad back and that feels really good to say. I know 110% it is because of the good Lord that I am even able to say that. However, even with his remarkable come back, he will need constant supervision the next few days to make sure he doesn't have any falls or accidents and so he can get used to be being back at home. Monday the 21st he will meet with his neurosurgeon to have another angiogram done to check the coiled aneurysm, hematoma and trauma site overall. Thankfully, other than feeling a bit weak, he is in good enough shape to not have to go through physical therapy or rehab. He will not be able to return to work for at least 4 to 5 weeks or so and even then he will not be able to, or rather, allowed to perform certain activities. This 'second chance at life' is hopefully making him realize that he needs to stop and smell the flowers more often. God definitely used my dad to prove that he does indeed work miracles. God also hears our cries and answers our prayers. Prayers from all of you that my family and I will forever be grateful for. Without all of your support and love, we would not have been able to get through the past 2 weeks and on going. The offers to run errands, childcare, meals, chores, and all the flowers and cards and kind sentiments will never be forgotten and are undoubtedly more appreciated than any of you will ever know. There are just not enough words to express the gratitude. Thank you so much to all of you. You are all such beautiful examples of God's love! Please keep the prayers coming for continued healing upon my dad!
Blessings and much love,
The Yune/Gossett Family
Yunie, Sung, Sandra, Daniel, Janet, Steve, Caeden and Taylor
Sunday, March 13, 2011
like Night and Day
Today Blake and I went to go visit Uncle Jason after a birthday party we attended for one of Blake's little buddies. We were in the neighborhood so I decided to go visit. As Sandra mentioned, he's at Kaiser now so it's a different facility. It's further from North County so a bit harder to get to but nonetheless he's being cared for. Sandra agreed to watch Blake so I could go in and see Uncle J (sorry, just feels weird to call him Yunie when my whole life I have called him Uncle Jason or "cool uncle").
He's still in the ICU. When I arrived Uncle Alex was there (Aunt's brother) and the golf channel was on. I smiled - Uncle loves golf! Uncle saw me and gave me a big smile. He was so "normal" it was unbelievable! The physical therapist, Maureen, came in and tested a bunch of things - walking, getting in and out of bed, resistance against her push on his arms, legs, etc. He passed with flying colors! He walked around the ICU with his IV still attached to his arm. He's on phenylephrine and that's about it. He gets dizzy when he gets out of bed - I assume that's from his low blood pressure. It was around 93/60 when they tested him. They want it to be at least 100/60. I'm assuming his dizzyness comes from the low blood pressure.
I got to sit and chat with him for about 35 minutes. His memory seems very good and his sense of humor is there! It's so refreshing to see him alert and awake and joking with the nurses. This is the Uncle Jason I know. He develops such strong relationships with everyone. I can tell the medical staff there likes him. He told me he is anxious to go home. The PT said her concern are the stairs at his house. They may send a PT to his home so that he can continue to work on balance, etc. although he seemed to be doing very well when I was there.
I too, believe, this is by the Grace of God that Uncle Jason has had a miraculous turnaround. A week ago I was not sure if he would survive. He was literally seemed like he was on life support and was unresponsive for about 3.5 days. To see him up and about was great! He told me he could help my father-in-law recover fast from his stroke (last July) through acupuncture. My uncle is trained in acupuncture and I have heard from a lot of my friends the benefits of such treatment.
I know he is anxious to get back to the deli but we all need to encourage him to "take it EASY" so he doesn't end up back in the hospital. The doctors are taking it a day at a time.
Thank you to everyone who has visited, sent cards, support, meals, etc. for the family. I know they all appreciate it. Extended family members have been tremendous in their support and prayers as well.
Miracles do happen! Continue to pray for continued healing. I'm on business travel most of this week so either Janet or Sandra will be updating the blog - keep reading!
He's still in the ICU. When I arrived Uncle Alex was there (Aunt's brother) and the golf channel was on. I smiled - Uncle loves golf! Uncle saw me and gave me a big smile. He was so "normal" it was unbelievable! The physical therapist, Maureen, came in and tested a bunch of things - walking, getting in and out of bed, resistance against her push on his arms, legs, etc. He passed with flying colors! He walked around the ICU with his IV still attached to his arm. He's on phenylephrine and that's about it. He gets dizzy when he gets out of bed - I assume that's from his low blood pressure. It was around 93/60 when they tested him. They want it to be at least 100/60. I'm assuming his dizzyness comes from the low blood pressure.
I got to sit and chat with him for about 35 minutes. His memory seems very good and his sense of humor is there! It's so refreshing to see him alert and awake and joking with the nurses. This is the Uncle Jason I know. He develops such strong relationships with everyone. I can tell the medical staff there likes him. He told me he is anxious to go home. The PT said her concern are the stairs at his house. They may send a PT to his home so that he can continue to work on balance, etc. although he seemed to be doing very well when I was there.
I too, believe, this is by the Grace of God that Uncle Jason has had a miraculous turnaround. A week ago I was not sure if he would survive. He was literally seemed like he was on life support and was unresponsive for about 3.5 days. To see him up and about was great! He told me he could help my father-in-law recover fast from his stroke (last July) through acupuncture. My uncle is trained in acupuncture and I have heard from a lot of my friends the benefits of such treatment.
I know he is anxious to get back to the deli but we all need to encourage him to "take it EASY" so he doesn't end up back in the hospital. The doctors are taking it a day at a time.
Thank you to everyone who has visited, sent cards, support, meals, etc. for the family. I know they all appreciate it. Extended family members have been tremendous in their support and prayers as well.
Miracles do happen! Continue to pray for continued healing. I'm on business travel most of this week so either Janet or Sandra will be updating the blog - keep reading!
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Moving on up..
NEWSBREAK: Dad was transferred late last night to an acute rehab facility in San Diego! Amazing news! wahoo!
Another update from Sandra
Update as of 3/11/11
Dad has made tremendous strides in the past 24 hours. The doctors have approved a less stringent blood pressure parameter which plays in his favor. In addition, all of his medications have been at a lower dose which shows signs of improvement.
Dad had a very excellent physical therapy session. He was walking alone from chair to bed and vice versa. He was able to do arm exercises and could even throw an 8lbs medicine ball to the therapist. However, Dad’s reaction time is a little slow and hopefully rehab will help with it. The physical therapist says ‘the way your Dad is improving he will be out of here in no time’. Awesome!
On that note, because of his miraculous healing and big improvements the next step is to be moved to an acute rehab facility. The timeline for the transfer to the rehab facility is sometime this weekend or as late as next Monday. Excellent news indeed!
The neurologist commented that with his overall progress it did not even seem like he had suffered a stroke. I do believe it is because of God’s healing hand on his body. Not to mention, all the prayers that were lifted up from all of you. Please continue to pray for full recovery and that my dad may grow closer to the Lord thru this time.
Stay tuned.......
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Update from Sandra
Hi Friends and Family.
Uncle Jason has been making great progress. Mohammad (our nurse) was able to remove the catheter from my father and he is now free of one less tube. Uncle Jason was especially excited about this because of the obvious discomfort. Moving forward with less lines and tubes is a good sign that he is slowly recovering.
As many of you have heard my father has been a little ‘protective’ of his food the past couple of days. However, he was given the go ahead to start on solid foods in which he began eating last night for his dinner. Uncle Jason was eager to eat his meal and was savoring every little bite he could. After all, it was a 5 star meal from the gourmet cooks at Tri-City.
Uncle Jason was able to have a mini physical therapy session and the prognosis was excellent. Despite being suffered a stroke he was able to write clearly and legibly which was fantastic to watch. He was also able to do simple functions such as doing some bed mobility, strength and coordination, reaction time, vision test, memory and cognition and lastly balancing. He was able to move slowly from bed to chair and vice versa which is an enormous step. The physical therapist mentioned that he was in great shape for his age and despite this sudden stroke. She even thought Uncle Jason was 50 years old rather than his real age of 58 Uncle Jason is scheduled for another physical therapy session and the overall prognosis is great.
As mentioned by Helen and Janet, Uncle Jason is not out of the danger zone. Usually in the first 14-21 days there is still high risk involved for another stroke. Thus, he will need to be on blood pressure medications for the time being until he is stable enough. The chance to have him being transported to an acute rehab facility is in his favor. However, the physicians want to make sure that they can get his blood pressure stable before making the move.
On other note, Uncle Jason has been bored out of his mind so if you plan on stopping by feel free to chat about things other than the deli and his current condition. Korean magazines would also be helpful for him as he enjoys reading them.
Once again thank you all for your support and prayers. I am amazed at how God is working and I am in awe. After all, God is the great physician. Thank you all for ‘stepping’ up and are willing to help at a moment’s notice. I know that my family is DEEPLY grateful and is appreciative. I guess that means once my dad is all better that translates to free sandwiches on the house (and as Helen jumps in here to edit I say take that worth a grain of salt - they still need to make $$ :-)
Uncle Jason has been making great progress. Mohammad (our nurse) was able to remove the catheter from my father and he is now free of one less tube. Uncle Jason was especially excited about this because of the obvious discomfort. Moving forward with less lines and tubes is a good sign that he is slowly recovering.
As many of you have heard my father has been a little ‘protective’ of his food the past couple of days. However, he was given the go ahead to start on solid foods in which he began eating last night for his dinner. Uncle Jason was eager to eat his meal and was savoring every little bite he could. After all, it was a 5 star meal from the gourmet cooks at Tri-City.
Uncle Jason was able to have a mini physical therapy session and the prognosis was excellent. Despite being suffered a stroke he was able to write clearly and legibly which was fantastic to watch. He was also able to do simple functions such as doing some bed mobility, strength and coordination, reaction time, vision test, memory and cognition and lastly balancing. He was able to move slowly from bed to chair and vice versa which is an enormous step. The physical therapist mentioned that he was in great shape for his age and despite this sudden stroke. She even thought Uncle Jason was 50 years old rather than his real age of 58 Uncle Jason is scheduled for another physical therapy session and the overall prognosis is great.
As mentioned by Helen and Janet, Uncle Jason is not out of the danger zone. Usually in the first 14-21 days there is still high risk involved for another stroke. Thus, he will need to be on blood pressure medications for the time being until he is stable enough. The chance to have him being transported to an acute rehab facility is in his favor. However, the physicians want to make sure that they can get his blood pressure stable before making the move.
On other note, Uncle Jason has been bored out of his mind so if you plan on stopping by feel free to chat about things other than the deli and his current condition. Korean magazines would also be helpful for him as he enjoys reading them.
Once again thank you all for your support and prayers. I am amazed at how God is working and I am in awe. After all, God is the great physician. Thank you all for ‘stepping’ up and are willing to help at a moment’s notice. I know that my family is DEEPLY grateful and is appreciative. I guess that means once my dad is all better that translates to free sandwiches on the house (and as Helen jumps in here to edit I say take that worth a grain of salt - they still need to make $$ :-)
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