Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How is Joe feeling (physically)?

A: "Like they tore out my heart and stomped that sucker flat" (quoting the immortal Lewis Grizzard). He also says, "I feel like I did that time I got run over by a buggy--my whole body hurts." He's got a lot of bruises and he's feeling pain in places he never knew he'd had tubes or needles. He's also very fatigued and needs to rest several times during the day.

Q: How is Joe feeling (emotionally)?

A: Great. He's very happy to be home from the hospital, and he knows that the worst of the pain he's feeling now will be over in a few weeks, although it will take several months for him to be fully recovered. He and Mother are both very grateful for all your calls, emails, prayers, and good wishes.

Q: How is Joe feeling (spiritually)?

A: Very blessed. He says the doctors have no explanation for why someone with his blockages and family history hasn't had a heart attack or stroke; it truly is a miracle. Before his surgery, Daddy was watching Creflo Dollar on TV, and it made a big impression on him. Rev. Dollar said: "All these people go around saying 'I'm a child of God,' but when something bad happens, they get all stressed and worried. If you're a child of God, you don't worry about nothing. "

Q: Was Joe well treated at Piedmont Hospital?

A: You bet. He can't say enough good things about the professional, knowledgeable, and supportive staff who cared for him, especially his surgeon. "Dr. Prevosti did a great job, and if you need a good heart surgeon, he's your man." He even applauded the food service.

Q: Is he well enough for visitors?

A: Only one or two a day, and only short visits, please. Although he does enjoy seeing people, he's in pain and he tires easily. If you're coming from Atlanta, it would be best to wait for a week or two until he's feeling well enough to enjoy longer visits. He really WANTS to talk to all of you, but he's just not up to it yet.

Mother and Daddy strongly believe that your prayers have a lot to do with the happy outcome of his surgery. They hope you will continue praying for their healing and recovery, and they ask you to pray for the following individuals as well:

• Clyda Nixon (Joe's mother), for physical strength and adjustment to living at Georgian Place
• Bill Fossett (Rendy's father), dealing with serious health problems
• Cliff Tanner (good friend of the Nixon family), facing major surgery

Again, our whole family thanks all of you for your loving support. We can't tell you how much it means to us to know you're out there. We love you!

Surprise, he's home!

Late yesterday afternoon, the doctors announced that Daddy was doing so well that he could go home. We all expected that Daddy would stay in the hospital overnight and leave in the morning, but he was anxious to get back to Moreland. Mother called us around 6 to say that he'd been released and they were stuck in traffic. Needless to say, we were very surprised! We were scrambling so fast to get the house ready and organize a welcome-home dinner that there wasn't even time to blog.

Daddy slept well last night and is feeling pretty good this morning (he'll feel better as soon as we get the coffeemaker working). He's got to move carefully and take it easy for awhile, and he tires easily, but he's very glad to be home and he's looking forward to being able to walk the puppies who saved his life. (The doctors and nurses did a fantastic job, of course, but he would never have entered the hospital if he hadn't starting feeling pains and shortness of breath while he walked the dogs.) He can't eat very much at the moment (little appetite), but we were pleased to find that his diet is not as restrictive as we'd expected. The doctors said, "Low-cholesterol, low-fat" and left it at that. As Daddy says, he's really in pretty good shape for the shape he's in.

Thanks again for all your prayers, posts, calls, and help. We truly have been blessed, and we love you very much!

Out, out!

Hi, this is April. I'm in Moreland and back on blog duty. Just heard from Mother that Daddy had the tubes taken out today. Hurray! They just slipped right out without hurting him at all, even though Daddy had been warned that there would be 15 seconds of excruciating pain. Daddy asked, "Are they out?" and the nurse held the tubes up for him to see. He's been very uncomfortable with those tubes, so he's thrilled to be free. He needs to rest now, but we think he may return home tomorrow! We'll keep you posted.

Mother and Daddy both want to thank everyone who has been so kind and helpful in the past week. It's really been a tremendous relief to Mother to have everything taken care of so she could be with Daddy at the hospital.

So many of you have written or called to say, "I want to help. What can I do?" We can't tell you how much we appreciate those offers, and we promise that we'll take you up on them after Daddy is home from the hospital, the family is able to shift out of crisis mode, and we settle into recovery and "normal life" (not that we've ever had a very firm grip on normalcy).

Many folks have also volunteered to bring meals to the family. I'm here waiting on a service repair and some friends will also be here this afternoon, so someone will be at the house all day today if people want to come by. (We'd better wait for more news about Daddy before we say anything about where we'll be tomorrow. "One step at a time, sweet Jesus . . .")

Thanks again for all your kindness and concern. We feel very blessed to have you as friends.

Probably Wednesday or Thursday....

The blood drainage is still not slow enough for the doctor to take out the tube so it looks like Dad won't be coming home until Wednesday or Thursday.

Bill

They said there will be good days and bad days...

...Unfortunately this looks to be one of the bad ones.

Dad and Mom went to the home care class today. They had the air conditioning turned way up and he froze.

While the doctors and nurses love his enthusiasm, I think he may be pushing himself a little too hard to go home. I believe they said in the beginning his anesthesia would be completely out of his system by now and would leave him feeling a little less "perky."

Thanks for your contained love and prayers. We'll give you another update as soon as we can.

Please continue to pray for Mimi as she adjusts to her new surroundings. Her attitude is wonderful but I'm afraid she's a little stressed.

Love you,

Bill

Dad's enjoying reading your comments......

I'm here with Dad now and I've read him all the comments made on the blog. They've made his morning!

And now.....here's a word directly from the horse's mouth:

"Thanks to all for your prayers, good wishes, and incredible help. I'm doing fine. We love all of you. Prayer definitely works. Looking forward to seeing you all soon. Love and kisses, Joe"

Quote of the day: "By all rights you should be dead. But now that you're all right you should be fine!" -Dad's doctor

Daddy, thank you for this day.

You've been so good to us over the last several days. We've been so worried about dad and his condition, mom, and especially Mimi. Dad was so close to something horrible happening. It's obvious you still have plans for him. Mom's never been good at being the one "taken care of" but you've brought all the right people at all the right places at all the right times to take care of every need so she could stay by Dad's side. And Mimi......you've answered so many prayers by giving her a heart to do what needs to be done and allowing us to move her into assisted living. That's something only You could have accomplished. Thank you for all the friends, new and old, who helped with her move, stood beside us, and encouraged us. I know that my relationship with You has been in the desert lately. I know that part of it is simply a time of growth you have me going through. I also know a part of it is because I haven't spent enough effort seeking to spend time with You and investing in our relationship. Thank You for loving me anyway. Thank You for the countless blessings during this time with my Dad. Thank You for loving us regardless of the stupid things we do or the ungratefulness we show. Thank You for being my Daddy, the perfect Daddy, and showing me what that means. Please mold me in that image for the two boys who call me daddy. I love you with all my heart. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Daddy and Mimi both have new digs

Daddy was moved out of ICU and into the Open Heart Surgery Recovery Unit, which means he's in a real room. He's still doing well, but he's tired and beginning to experience some of the pain and discomfort the doctors warned him about. We hope he'll get a good night's sleep tonight.

Mimi got to visit with Daddy for a few minutes at the hospital today; she told him she's proud of how well he's done. Now Mimi's enjoying a nice dinner with Bill and Teresa in her new pad at Georgian Place. Thanks again to all who helped move her there! We really appreciate your time and hard work.

Mission (Almost) Accomplished

Bill reports that the group has moved all of Mimi's stuff to Georgian Place, everything is set up, and the TV is working. They're going to return a few things that wouldn't fit in the space, and then Bill's going to come back and hang up pictures. It's amazing how quickly this has come together. Great thanks to everyone who has helped make this move possible. We couldn't have done it without all of you!

Ahead of schedule!

Thanks to all the people who showed up to help pack, the trucks are loaded and ready to go to Georgian Place! It's 11:20 and we're headed over there now. I know I keep saying this, but thank you, thank you, thank you!

So far so good

Just talked to Bill, who said the packing up is going well. We've got lots of people helping and it looks like things are on schedule to get to Georgian Place by noon, so volunteers for unpacking duty should plan to meet there at 12. Thanks again for all your hard work! Y'all are the best!

He's awake!

Great news from Mother and Rendy this morning! They visited with Daddy, who is awake and talkative and full of praise for the doctors and nurses who've been caring for him. He's also very appreciative of all the thoughts and prayers coming his way, but he's asking NOT to have visitors today. He's very sore and uncomfortable--doesn't want to be touched and it hurts when he coughs. However, the doctors say this is normal and it should pass in a couple of days. There's a chance he'll be moved to a room later today; right now he's in a pod with a few other heart patients.

He doesn't remember last night at all (the doctors told us he wouldn't), but otherwise his memory and speech appear to be just fine, so it doesn't look like there was a stroke. As a bonus, Daddy thinks his vision may have improved a little (but it's hard to tell without his glasses). Some of you may know that he's sustained some loss of his peripheral vision over the past couple of years. One of the doctors said this might be related to the blockage of the carotid artery, so his vision might well improve.

Mother and Rendy are enjoying a coffee break now, and they'll see Daddy again at the 11 a.m. visiting time. Ben and Teresa are taking Mimi to breakfast this morning, and then they'll go to Atlanta to meet Mother, Rendy, Scott, Sam, and Ella for a Nixon/Thebaut/Bonder lunch.

It's been wonderful to receive posts and messages from all our old friends. We love you very much and we're so grateful for your care and support.

The 8:30PM Visit last night....

Rendy and Mom got to see Dad last night at around 8:30PM.

He was awake and they had taken out the breathing tube. He was able to talk to Dee (mostly whispering) but he probably won't remember any of this because his "happy juice" medicine is amnesic.

When they first went in he was trembling, dioriented, and he still had the breathing tube in. It was kind of scary but they said it was the anesthetic wearing off. They went out for a minute so they could put something in his IV and that made the trembling stop. Then they took out the breathing tube since he was doing so well. He was strapped to the bed so he wouldn't pull his wires out but he was able to wave at them, blow kisses, and talk some with mom.

They got him out of bed between 4-5AM this morning to do chest x-rays but we won't know how that went until after this morning's visit.

Scott, Ella, & Sam (Teresa's family), Ronnie & Lynn Orr, and Ken & Elise Kilgore hung out with Mom and Rendy at the hospital yesterday providing fun, food, and entertainment for all. Rendy & Mom spent the night at Scott and Teresa's last night.

Uncle Ben & Teresa stayed with me at the house with Mimi last night.

Love and kisses to all!

Bill

Yet another comment clarification....

Several people have said that it's difficult to respond via the email link. Having now tried it myself I better understand the frustration. The envelope with the arrow link is actually intended to be used to forward the post to a friend who might be interested in the blog. Try clicking the word "comment(s)" at the bottom of the latest post. It allows you to send us a message without entering email addresses.

Hope that's helpful!

Thanks to all the wonderful people who are helping so much! I'm afraid to name individuals because I know I'll leave people out. You're all precious. Thank you for your continued prayers, love, and support!

God is good.

Bill

It's raining men!

What a difference 30 minutes make! We now have 10 men to help us move furniture tomorrow, so we're in great shape. We really can't thank you enough.

Moving Day

Thanks to all who have responded to Bill's call for help. We now have three trucks and one trailer--plenty of vehicles! We've got several movers and shakers, but we're still looking for a few (more) good men to help lift heavy furniture. Uncle Ben and Teresa will take Mimi out on the town while all of this is going on. We'll start loading up at 10, so those who have volunteered to help UNpack should plan to meet us at Georgian Place around noon. However, it would be best to check here first for an update or, if we don't have any news on the blog, please call the house directly at 770-253-1297. Thanks again and again and again!

Food, glorious food

Several people have graciously offered to bring meals to the family and asked when would be a good time. There will be plenty of people around tomorrow morning, of course, when we're packing and loading up the trucks. Sandwiches, finger foods, and "easy" stuff would probably be best at that time. We're not sure whether there will be anyone home on Saturday afternoon or through most of the day Sunday. However, from Sunday evening on, there should be at least one person at the Nixon house, and casseroles will be very gratefully accepted. :-) Many thanks for your kindness.

More good news

Rendy reports that she and Mother were able to get in to see Daddy. He's not awake yet, but he's doing very well. They've learned that Daddy does not have diabetes, which was a concern for awhile. There have been several different predictions, but Daddy may be able to come home as early as Tuesday or Wednesday. Mother and Rendy are going to stay for the 8:30 p.m. visit. The doctors have recommended that Mother come home and get some rest after that.

Out of surgery!

At 5:25 the doctor reported on Daddy's surgery. He ended up doing a single bypass on the LAD artery rather than the double bypass he'd intended to perform (there must have been some miscommunication before that led to our belief that Daddy would have a triple bypass). The doctor found that the right coronary artery (the one with 100% blockage) had been closed for some time and Daddy's body had adjusted to living without it, so that artery was "a non-issue." The heart function is good, and there's no evidence that Daddy has had an acute heart attack. Happily, the doctors were able to perform the surgery "off-pump," meaning they didn't have to stop the heart.

Daddy will be asleep for a few hours. We won't know whether a stroke occurred until he wakes up, but the doctor sounded very confident and said that the surgery went well. The next 24 hours will be the critical period, but Daddy's in stable condition. All in all, it sounds like very good news, but please keep those prayers coming!

Surgery going well - details soon

The Patient Advocate told Mother, Rendy, and Scott that the surgery is going well and they should receive more details around 5:30 or 5:45.

HELP NEEDED PLEASE!!! PART 2

Hi again. Just wanted to tell people not to be put off if they hear a man's voice on the answering machine when they call 940-381-6096. That's my husband, Jim, and he's really much friendlier than he sounds. :-) If you get the machine, please leave your name, number, and what kind of assistance you can provide. I'll be sure to return all calls and get the info to Bill. It would be especially great if someone could take Mimi out for brunch or shopping so that she can escape the chaos and make the transition to her home-away-from-home as smoothly as possible. Thanks so much for all your help!

HELP NEEDED PLEASE!!!!!

Mimi has decided to spend a few weeks visiting with Aunt Aurelia at Georgian Place (assisted living center) while dad is recovering at home. I need help TOMORROW (Saturday, Sept. 9) moving Mimi's bedroom, living room, and bathroom and duplicating the environment over there. The drive is less than 10 min from the house and 2 min from my house.

We'll plan to start loading up around 10 a.m. We will need boxes, trucks, and possibly someone to sit with Mimi (or even better take her somewhere other than the house) while we do the move.

I'm going now to take pictures and measurements of the rooms so we will know exactly what needs to go where tomorrow.

If you can help me in this endeavor, please call April directly and leave a message on her phone at 940-381-6096. I apologize for it being long distance but she's better equiped to handle organize this than I am at the moment.

Thank you so much!

Bill

Pre-op went smoothly

Hi, this is April. Since I'm at my computer, I've been put on blogger duty. Rendy reports that Joe left ICU at 11:50 this morning and went into pre-op. There was a 2-hour process of putting in lines and tubes, but it ran a little late because they had to wait for the anaesthesiologist. Dee, Rendy, and Scott got to see him for a few minutes before they took him back to start the bypass surgery. Joe was sedated and very loopy and sleepy. Larry Patton, the associate minister at Newnan FUMC, came by and prayed with them before Joe went into the second phase of the surgery.

We should have some more news in a little while. Someone will come talk to Dee and Co. around 3 o'clock to let them know how things are going. After the doctor completes the bypass , he'll come do a consult and tell them how it went. The surgery should be finished between 5:30 and 7, probably closer to 7 because the first phase took a little longer than expected. Thanks for all your prayers and good wishes. They mean a lot to us.

Just went back for surgery....

The surgery will be in two parts:
1) He will be in "day surgery" for the next two hours. They will insert two tubes under his chest, one for drainage and one for inflation. Then they will insert two wires through his chest to pace his heart and they will put a ventilator tube down his throat.
2) Then he will be moved into the bypass surgery. The actual surgery takes 3 hours.
He should be done and off the ventilator by 7 pm this evening.

Heart education nurse...

Mom and Rendy just saw the heart ed nurse. Dad will wake up with a tube a two wires down his throat. the wires are to regulate his heart and the tube is a breathing tube that will be removed after he wakes up. The wires will take 15 seconds to remove and they've already warned him it will be painful but if he can stand on his head for 15 seconds he'll be able to stand this.

Looking good.....

I just spoke to rendy. Dad had a great meal last night. The doctor came in this morning and said that he has great blood flow in the back of his neck so the carotid arteries aren't going to be an issue.

I'm waiting with Mimi at the dr to get an xray. We sat next to a dr who is a christian counselor and works for guidepost magazine. They have group prayers and she's adding dad to their prayer list today.

Side note about how to respond on blog.....

Like I said in the beginning, we're figuring out how this blogging thing works right along with you. Here's a few things we've learned

• When you click on the envelope with the arrow to send a message to us we get it. The message goes to the email address of the person who left the post (i.e. clicking on the envelope with the arrow on this link will send an email to my email address and clicking on the envelope with the arrow on a post that my mom wrote goes to her email address). Don't worry, we're getting all the messages.
• When you click on the link that says "0 messages" or "1 message" that post (message) that you write stays on the blog underneath the origintal post. The nice thing about that is I can pull up that message on my phone and show it to mom and dad right away vs. waiting to get back to the computer to read the email messages in the inbox.
• If you have any questions at all about how this works, feel free to ask and I'll get back to you asap!

I hope that's not too confusing. If it is, just keep leaving messages however it's eaisest. The information is getting through to them all and the encouragement means the world to my mom and the rest of us.

I love you. Thank you for walking through this with us.

Bill

Surgery today....

Good morning!

Mom left early this morning and made it up to the hospital just fine. I think her first time to visit with Dad was at 8:30. Don't know anything more about him at this point except that surgery is early this afternoon.

Rendy's with Mom at the hospital.

Mimi's up. Linda and I are taking her to a doctor appointment at 10AM, a hair appointment at 11AM and then we should be back here at the house.

Teresa, my cousin, is coming with Uncle Ben around 2PM.

April, my sister, is coming on Sunday and will stay for a week.

Mom said that the breeder has a place to board the puppies for a while. A sad blessing since they bring life and joy around here.

We love you. Thanks for checking in and keeping us all in your prayers. I'll let you know as soon as there's any news.

Bill