Posts
It's nice to know so many of you are still concerned, still checking daily to see how Linda is doing. Many noticed that I hadn't updated for two days. We've just been so busy. I have been trying to get ahead on my graduate school reading whenever possible. Leslie has returned to NYC. Diane and her family are back in Eureka Springs. It was a nice reunion and Diane will post a photo of the four of us soon. Diane recently started a new part-time job as a personal assistant in Rogers while Shannon and Matt are in school. Leslie is the registrar for a Manhattan art gallery. Dean is still in Little Rock, staying very busy with his Ebay business, and visits Mom most evenings.
Linda's chest tube is finally to be removed today. Hoorah! We've also been noticing that her mobility is greatly improving. She can lie a bit sideways, enjoys shifting her legs a lot more and her right arm and four fingers are much more useful. She usually stands and sits up for a little while each day. You've got to watch out for that sharp, heavy cast though. Some of us have suffered mild bruising & scratching from it!
Today, she is going to have an ultrasound to check if some sporadic sharp pains in the right side of her rib area that move into the upper back may be from her gallbladder. Her rapid weight loss since the accident coupled by some pains that seem to occur shortly after eating any fatty foods like ice cream apparently add up to the possibility of gall stones. We hope that a simple explanation is found and that her pain can be resolved. A website said that gall stones are as painful as childbirth.
John attended a public hearing last evening for the MacArthur Park redevelopment, which includes the Firehouse Hostel & Museum. He was touched by the fact that everyone involved in the project has been tracking this blog and missing her presence. Linda misses you all too and really looks forward to getting back into her life! And, she will! What a miracle!
John and Linda Fordyce
- Linda
- We are so blessed to have a great family and so many, many good, loving friends who are concerned and praying for Linda when she needs it. Thank you!
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Saturday, November 8, 2008
A day with Diane
I spent the day with my mother today. She was glad to see me and we talked about many things. I told her some of what I remember from the first two weeks and we semi-celebrated her one-month-from-the-accident day. I shared her lunch, she couldn't eat it all and didn't want her tea. I ate her ice cream. I showed her pictures we took of her from the ICU. I asked her if anyone had told her yet "I told you so", she said, "no", so I said, "I told you so." I can do this because I did tell her so and we talked about our conversation when I did, in fact, tell her so.
She is comfortable in her room (she has a nice inflatable bed) but still adjusting to things. She said the nurses have been very nice but she is concerned that some of them here don't know what she went through before she came here and it seemed that a few had not read her chart and were asking her. She didn't want to have to fill them all in, it should be their job to know. She is so sweet with them, however, even if she is in pain or concerned about something. She is always thanking them and asking them, first off, how they are today. It won't take any of them long to realize that she is a special patient with a special family and will easily get special treatment from all of them. :)
My mom is still mi madre. Last time I was here I couldn't talk to her but now I know that she is here, all of her, and she will be back to her normal life eventually. She still has a good deal of healing ahead of her but has come a long way already. She worries for us that she has put us through too much and continues to be thankful to all for your prayers and she knows that they are what has helped her get to this point. She said there are over 50 patients where she is now and tries to remember all of them in her prayers, to share those she is recieving.
She became distressed today over the odor coming from the back of her head and said they had not cleaned or looked at the back of her head since a while back at UAMS. We had them come and clean it and the doctor looked at it. I had never seen the back of neck since her surgery and was surprised to see that her scar is nearly 9 inches long along her entire neck. It has healed up well but she has a small sore at the top, on the back of her head. The doctor said it was not infected but inflamed. This is mostly due to her laying on her head and not being able to turn from side to side enough. A nurse commented that the C Brace they had her in prior to surgery puts pressure that may have caused it. It will be watched and kept clean from now on. They laid gauze on it and had to put a stretchy cap over her head to keep it in place. It looks retro chic. John took a picture. I'll see if I can put it here.
While he was there, the doctor ordered x-rays of her ribs and neck. They really want to remove that chest tube from her side. It seems to have served it purpose and be uncessary but they want to be sure.
I could see the the giraffes in the zoo from Mom's room window.
She is comfortable in her room (she has a nice inflatable bed) but still adjusting to things. She said the nurses have been very nice but she is concerned that some of them here don't know what she went through before she came here and it seemed that a few had not read her chart and were asking her. She didn't want to have to fill them all in, it should be their job to know. She is so sweet with them, however, even if she is in pain or concerned about something. She is always thanking them and asking them, first off, how they are today. It won't take any of them long to realize that she is a special patient with a special family and will easily get special treatment from all of them. :)
My mom is still mi madre. Last time I was here I couldn't talk to her but now I know that she is here, all of her, and she will be back to her normal life eventually. She still has a good deal of healing ahead of her but has come a long way already. She worries for us that she has put us through too much and continues to be thankful to all for your prayers and she knows that they are what has helped her get to this point. She said there are over 50 patients where she is now and tries to remember all of them in her prayers, to share those she is recieving.
She became distressed today over the odor coming from the back of her head and said they had not cleaned or looked at the back of her head since a while back at UAMS. We had them come and clean it and the doctor looked at it. I had never seen the back of neck since her surgery and was surprised to see that her scar is nearly 9 inches long along her entire neck. It has healed up well but she has a small sore at the top, on the back of her head. The doctor said it was not infected but inflamed. This is mostly due to her laying on her head and not being able to turn from side to side enough. A nurse commented that the C Brace they had her in prior to surgery puts pressure that may have caused it. It will be watched and kept clean from now on. They laid gauze on it and had to put a stretchy cap over her head to keep it in place. It looks retro chic. John took a picture. I'll see if I can put it here.
While he was there, the doctor ordered x-rays of her ribs and neck. They really want to remove that chest tube from her side. It seems to have served it purpose and be uncessary but they want to be sure.
I could see the the giraffes in the zoo from Mom's room window.
Friday, November 7, 2008
Family Reunion
Diane's family arrived for the weekend today, and we're expecting Leslie to fly in from New York. Linda's four children will all be present at once. Time for a group photo?
Mom has been very optimistic, cheerful, and good-humored. She also had an opportunity to sit up in a chair for a while, which made her sleepy enough to need a good nap before the grandkids arrived.
We are happy that her swelling has continued to decrease, a little more so in the right leg than the left. She is amused by her unevenly sized knees!
~Mindy
Mom has been very optimistic, cheerful, and good-humored. She also had an opportunity to sit up in a chair for a while, which made her sleepy enough to need a good nap before the grandkids arrived.
We are happy that her swelling has continued to decrease, a little more so in the right leg than the left. She is amused by her unevenly sized knees!
~Mindy
Thursday, November 6, 2008
St. Vincent info.
Some of you didn't catch the fact that I modified the earlier post with the new room #.
Linda's room # at St.Vincent is #6008, 6th floor. She was moved to a different room and has a double room to herself for now.
Also, if you find leaving comments difficult on the blog, always try a couple of times. It sometimes doesn't respond correctly the first time.
She is making adjustments to pain medications, different food, and nutrition supplements at the new hospital. She's sleepier since they switched her medication, and has some breakthrough pain but they have other medicine that she can ask for when that happens. We are told it may take a few days to adjust & the sleepiness may only be temporary. We are also adjusting to the new dietician and new foods. It was surprising that no vegetable at all came with meat, rice, bread, and dessert for dinner tonight! Mom loves veggies!
We met her case manager who asked questions about Linda's home and how manageable the eventual transition will be. We are lucky that Linda's legs were uninjured, except for a cut on her left knee that is still healing. It's just a matter of letting her ribs and arms heal up to give her more freedom of movement and be able to hold the stair rail. She is not anywhere near ready to start getting up and down yet. Because she has lain more still since last week is what has helped her skin graft to do so well. It looks great today. The nurses remarked about how much better it looks than some of the cases they've seen.
I think that once she's free from pain, and free from pain medicine, she'll be more alert and have more energy. Let's continue to pray for healing and no more pain! Her color is remarkably improved and so many little things are looking better, that it won't be long!
Linda's room # at St.Vincent is #6008, 6th floor. She was moved to a different room and has a double room to herself for now.
Also, if you find leaving comments difficult on the blog, always try a couple of times. It sometimes doesn't respond correctly the first time.
She is making adjustments to pain medications, different food, and nutrition supplements at the new hospital. She's sleepier since they switched her medication, and has some breakthrough pain but they have other medicine that she can ask for when that happens. We are told it may take a few days to adjust & the sleepiness may only be temporary. We are also adjusting to the new dietician and new foods. It was surprising that no vegetable at all came with meat, rice, bread, and dessert for dinner tonight! Mom loves veggies!
We met her case manager who asked questions about Linda's home and how manageable the eventual transition will be. We are lucky that Linda's legs were uninjured, except for a cut on her left knee that is still healing. It's just a matter of letting her ribs and arms heal up to give her more freedom of movement and be able to hold the stair rail. She is not anywhere near ready to start getting up and down yet. Because she has lain more still since last week is what has helped her skin graft to do so well. It looks great today. The nurses remarked about how much better it looks than some of the cases they've seen.
I think that once she's free from pain, and free from pain medicine, she'll be more alert and have more energy. Let's continue to pray for healing and no more pain! Her color is remarkably improved and so many little things are looking better, that it won't be long!
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Mindy and Diane
Here is a picture of Mindy and Diane for those who may not know us or remember what we look like. This was taken about 14 years ago. ~Diane
Moved
Linda has moved to St. Vincent. The room # is now 6008, 6th floor. Select Specialty Hospital allows visitors at any time, but requests that visits are short and limited to only 1-2 visitors at a time because the room is small. Parking in the deck across from St. Vincent is free.
The new nursing staff meticulously removed each bandage, and photographed each of her wounds upon check-in. They were kind to her and treated her gently. She was feeling okay throughout the transfer from UAMS. She maintains a rather positive attitude considering what she's got on her plate!
We brought Casey the dalmation up to her gurney as she exited the ambulance at St. Vincent's Emergency entrance. Unfortunately, he was so nervous due to a lot of noise in the air that he was really too skittish to pay her much attention, but she was glad to see him and initially he turned his head toward her voice in recognition. We believe his body knew she was there and that she's okay. Casey will be just fine, and so will Mom.
Unfortunately, her lungs have still not been Xrayed, and the chest tube is still in. We will miss the staff at UAMS, but we are already getting to know Mom's new caregivers at Select Specialty hospital. Mom was tapping her feet & singing the Merengue tonight after learning that her LPN is from Trinidad!
There was a slight delay when she asked for her medication before bedtime due to the fact they had to take her blood pressure and the new shift's RN & LPN had to first read Mom's chart. She & I wished we had requested it a bit earlier because it took about 30 minutes and she was tired and having the pain in her broken ribs again. She does so well up until the half hour or so before the dose is due.
The new nursing staff meticulously removed each bandage, and photographed each of her wounds upon check-in. They were kind to her and treated her gently. She was feeling okay throughout the transfer from UAMS. She maintains a rather positive attitude considering what she's got on her plate!
We brought Casey the dalmation up to her gurney as she exited the ambulance at St. Vincent's Emergency entrance. Unfortunately, he was so nervous due to a lot of noise in the air that he was really too skittish to pay her much attention, but she was glad to see him and initially he turned his head toward her voice in recognition. We believe his body knew she was there and that she's okay. Casey will be just fine, and so will Mom.
Unfortunately, her lungs have still not been Xrayed, and the chest tube is still in. We will miss the staff at UAMS, but we are already getting to know Mom's new caregivers at Select Specialty hospital. Mom was tapping her feet & singing the Merengue tonight after learning that her LPN is from Trinidad!
There was a slight delay when she asked for her medication before bedtime due to the fact they had to take her blood pressure and the new shift's RN & LPN had to first read Mom's chart. She & I wished we had requested it a bit earlier because it took about 30 minutes and she was tired and having the pain in her broken ribs again. She does so well up until the half hour or so before the dose is due.
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Moving to Selectcare at St. Vincent tomorrow
Linda will be promoted to Select Specialty Hospital, on the 6th floor, at St. Vincent tomorrow, where she will have nursing care and the potential for therapy, but the emphasis is on wound care and healing, projected to take about three weeks. Afterwards, she'll either be ready for home (with physical therapists and occupational therapists making house calls) or transfer to a live-in rehab. center.
We are hoping to bring Casey to St. Vincent so they can see each other briefly as they transfer from the ambulance into her new residence. Casey will finally know where Linda is! We hope to get a photograph.
She still has the lung tube, and they say they will Xray the lungs/ribs area early tomorrow morning before transporting her to St. Vincent. She will also have daily changing of her skin graft dressing at the new place. Today, they fitted her with a special removable splint to replace the need to recast her left arm daily with each dressing change. No more metal staples are in her skin graft--they were so painful to remove.
The skin graft team remarked that they were amazed at how much better her elbow is healing. Great progress, great relief! Glad they won't have to try again and that it is taking well.
We are hoping to bring Casey to St. Vincent so they can see each other briefly as they transfer from the ambulance into her new residence. Casey will finally know where Linda is! We hope to get a photograph.
She still has the lung tube, and they say they will Xray the lungs/ribs area early tomorrow morning before transporting her to St. Vincent. She will also have daily changing of her skin graft dressing at the new place. Today, they fitted her with a special removable splint to replace the need to recast her left arm daily with each dressing change. No more metal staples are in her skin graft--they were so painful to remove.
The skin graft team remarked that they were amazed at how much better her elbow is healing. Great progress, great relief! Glad they won't have to try again and that it is taking well.
Monday, November 3, 2008
Revelations & Coincidences
We are revelling in relief that something troubling Linda has been revealed. So many of her doctors and the social worker who acts as a liason between the various medical teams and the patient had been telling her about getting her ready to transfer her to rehab., which will be live-in with nursing care to attend to her healing broken places while she pursues physical and occupational therapy. The rehab. may last about 3 weeks, after which she may still move onto regular rehab. if needed before going home. Now, John & I have understood this and assumed it was clear to Linda for several days. Mom seemed fearful of this transition and had been expressing a lot of worry about the possibility of leaving UAMS because she doesn't feel ready and already has such confidence in UAMS staff. However, we finally realized why she was so scared. She had it her mind that she would have to go home so soon and be an outpatient at the rehabilitation facility! She felt rushed to do things like negotiate the stairs at home before she's ready! Once she understood, she sighed with great relief! So did we!
Also, the orthopedic technician came in to change her right arm's cast to a lighter, lower profile one. He let Mom pick the color, blue, and she now has freer use of her four fingers, plus you can see her thumb poking out but still not usable for grasping. I was impressed that his handling of her bare wrist did not cause severe pain and it appears to be healing right on schedule. This man told three amazing success stories about three women who had traffic accidents with similarly tragic injuries who had also occupied Linda's room 435, and were all three now successfully rehabilitated. That gave us great encouragement, and put a big smile on Linda's face!
More great news: the tube connected to the vacuum has been removed after the most recent redressing of the skin graft, so the only tube remaining (apart from the booties air pump) is the tube inserted in her right lung. As of 7:30pm, noone had come to look at it as we had expected, but maybe tomorrow.
Ginger, the social worker, shared an interesting coincidence. She happened to grab an old copy of Arkansas Times lying around and opened it up to the article that featured Linda & John Fordyce and the Firehouse Hostel & Museum! She recognized Mom as her patient right away!
Also, a person known to John & Linda was in a gun shop in Greer's Ferry. The subject of scooters, then the accident, came up and the individual working in the shop asked when & where and it turns out the shopkeeper was the neighbor of the in-laws of the man driving the truck that ran over Linda and knew all about the accident. We have been so thankful that the driver was so alert and his attempt to avoid hitting Linda may have saved her life. She looks forward to meeting him.
Also, the orthopedic technician came in to change her right arm's cast to a lighter, lower profile one. He let Mom pick the color, blue, and she now has freer use of her four fingers, plus you can see her thumb poking out but still not usable for grasping. I was impressed that his handling of her bare wrist did not cause severe pain and it appears to be healing right on schedule. This man told three amazing success stories about three women who had traffic accidents with similarly tragic injuries who had also occupied Linda's room 435, and were all three now successfully rehabilitated. That gave us great encouragement, and put a big smile on Linda's face!
More great news: the tube connected to the vacuum has been removed after the most recent redressing of the skin graft, so the only tube remaining (apart from the booties air pump) is the tube inserted in her right lung. As of 7:30pm, noone had come to look at it as we had expected, but maybe tomorrow.
Ginger, the social worker, shared an interesting coincidence. She happened to grab an old copy of Arkansas Times lying around and opened it up to the article that featured Linda & John Fordyce and the Firehouse Hostel & Museum! She recognized Mom as her patient right away!
Also, a person known to John & Linda was in a gun shop in Greer's Ferry. The subject of scooters, then the accident, came up and the individual working in the shop asked when & where and it turns out the shopkeeper was the neighbor of the in-laws of the man driving the truck that ran over Linda and knew all about the accident. We have been so thankful that the driver was so alert and his attempt to avoid hitting Linda may have saved her life. She looks forward to meeting him.
Blogging
I modified this website to make it more user friendly. Posting comments is easier now. I encourage you to do so since Linda loves hearing your messages and isn't yet comfortable with the phone! She frequently asks to hear the latest blog updates. John, Diane, & I really appreciate how this great tool has eased the burden of phone messages. This blog thing is new for many of us, even me, so let me know if I can help. It's good preparation for librarianship for me to help others with information technology and social networking!~Mindy
On Sunday, Linda was baffled by unusually severe pain in her side near the broken ribs and the tube in her lung. It may or may not have been a gas bubble, but it was rather bothersome. She remarked that it doesn't make sense to suffer worse pain from a relatively small problem than the pain she's generally feeling in her major injuries! Dr. Ikard, who was on call, came to check in with her about that pain. He spent a long time just giving her a chance to share her feelings and he is a very kind listener. We sure do appreciate all of the doctors, nurses, and technicians. Today, we are expecting a decision to be made regarding the removal of the lung tube, and her Skin Graft cast & bandaging are to be removed and observed again by Dr. Yuen.
John and Aancha, with Casey along, will be interviewed by Sync magazine today regarding the Firehouse Hostel & Museum.
Cece and Pat Bryles placed a tiara upon Linda's head yesterday to celebrate the 47 year anniversary since she was Homecoming Queen at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville. Thanks for boosting her spirit! Dr. Ikard said, "once a queen, always a queen!"
On Sunday, Linda was baffled by unusually severe pain in her side near the broken ribs and the tube in her lung. It may or may not have been a gas bubble, but it was rather bothersome. She remarked that it doesn't make sense to suffer worse pain from a relatively small problem than the pain she's generally feeling in her major injuries! Dr. Ikard, who was on call, came to check in with her about that pain. He spent a long time just giving her a chance to share her feelings and he is a very kind listener. We sure do appreciate all of the doctors, nurses, and technicians. Today, we are expecting a decision to be made regarding the removal of the lung tube, and her Skin Graft cast & bandaging are to be removed and observed again by Dr. Yuen.
John and Aancha, with Casey along, will be interviewed by Sync magazine today regarding the Firehouse Hostel & Museum.
Cece and Pat Bryles placed a tiara upon Linda's head yesterday to celebrate the 47 year anniversary since she was Homecoming Queen at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville. Thanks for boosting her spirit! Dr. Ikard said, "once a queen, always a queen!"
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Casey visits a familiar place
Casey went to the River Market Sat. morning. He recognized the downtown area, whining and crying anxiously. As soon as I opened the door, he dragged me straight to Linda's usual spot where she & Casey spent most Saturday mornings since summer selling T-shirts and promoting the Firehouse Hostel & Museum. Casey enjoyed seeing his friends Judd, Becky, Scott and other vendors whose names I don't know. He looked everywhere for his mama and jumped up, placing his paws on my arms, looking at me emploringly as if to say, "Aren't you going to help me find her? Where could she be?" One of the vendors suggested that we disguise him as a seeing-eye dog to sneak him into UAMS, but they are taking such good care of her that we don't want anyone at the hospital to have a reason for resentment! It will be a great day when Casey's mama gets to come home. (Mom said "just do it" but wise John said, "No.")
I went to the early chapel service, then joined Mom & John's sunday school class at FUMC this morning. They are glad to receive the news that she is steadily improving. They are a warm, generous, deeply spiritual and loving group.
I went to the early chapel service, then joined Mom & John's sunday school class at FUMC this morning. They are glad to receive the news that she is steadily improving. They are a warm, generous, deeply spiritual and loving group.
Saturday, November 1, 2008
Telephone
Linda would like to share that it's awkward using the telephone on her back with neck brace and trying to speak louder. For those who've tried, especially the grandchildren, please understand that she actually sounds much clearer in person, and sometimes she just feels better than others and if somebody calls during a lower feeling, when she's sleepier, it's difficult for her to perk up quickly. It may sound like her mind is not the same over the phone, but believe me, she is still alert and aware. Nana is still Nana and will get stronger! We are grateful that she is managing with less pain medicine. Healing takes time. We all can't wait for the broken ribs and broken wrist to heal because then she can truly wiggle and change sides, etc... Oh, how boring it is to be in the same place for so long! She knows that many would like to speak to her, and she wishes she could do so many more things and have more freedom to move. We read many of her cards and letters to her. Thank you all, and also to those who have mailed or donated online to the Firehouse Hostel & Museum in her honor.
I pray that her dreams tonight will be full of adventure and variety!~Mindy
I pray that her dreams tonight will be full of adventure and variety!~Mindy
Friday, October 31, 2008
The Parade
At times, it seems like a parade is making its way through Linda's room each day, with a nurse, doctor or technician coming in within each hour throughout each day and night to check this, change that, poke this, prod that, drop off this, pick up that, and then there is the stream of visitors. Whenever visitors are in, there are always interruptions for the various activities. Linda loves to see her friends and family, it really lifts her spirit, but please understand that its important to limit visits to very brief periods so that she may get adequate rest and that the staff can do their jobs efficiently. She loves to converse, but it does tire her to retell the same story.
Linda had a heavy workload on Thursday and felt very tired Friday morning. She was not smiling as easily at first, plus the increased exercise caused more swelling in her legs and feet, so now she has tight stockings up to her knees plus full-time booties puffed up with air. The plastic surgeon team had to remove all of the dressing from her skin graft and it caused her rather severe pain as they pulled out staples from her wound, so she requested Morphine to help her deal with that. It really did help, and since they must repeat this same procedure on Monday, she will have the Morphine before they start! Most of the skin graft looks good except for the elbow which has been moving too much, so they have applied a cast to keep the elbow from bending and strict orders not to move that arm or support her weight on it when moving. Her team came in and listened to our many concerns and checked the stitches in her neck and said they look good, but the neck brace becomes rather uncomfortable to wear. She was feeling much better in the late afternoon and was very sleepy.
Please keep praying; it is working! It may soon be possible for her to transfer from UAMS to another facility that offers better rehabilitation services to prepare her for eventually coming home.
Linda had a heavy workload on Thursday and felt very tired Friday morning. She was not smiling as easily at first, plus the increased exercise caused more swelling in her legs and feet, so now she has tight stockings up to her knees plus full-time booties puffed up with air. The plastic surgeon team had to remove all of the dressing from her skin graft and it caused her rather severe pain as they pulled out staples from her wound, so she requested Morphine to help her deal with that. It really did help, and since they must repeat this same procedure on Monday, she will have the Morphine before they start! Most of the skin graft looks good except for the elbow which has been moving too much, so they have applied a cast to keep the elbow from bending and strict orders not to move that arm or support her weight on it when moving. Her team came in and listened to our many concerns and checked the stitches in her neck and said they look good, but the neck brace becomes rather uncomfortable to wear. She was feeling much better in the late afternoon and was very sleepy.
Please keep praying; it is working! It may soon be possible for her to transfer from UAMS to another facility that offers better rehabilitation services to prepare her for eventually coming home.
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Linda's first blog post!
Mindy typed this as Linda says, "Mindy just finished reading all the blogs and comments to me. I am so grateful to Diane for setting up this blog, and for Mindy following up, and I want to give Dean so much credit for being here almost all of the time that I've been in the hospital. He has been so loving and attentive. John is truly remarkable. I know he's tired but there have been times that he would not leave my side. We're excited that Leslie will be able to fly here for two days next weekend. As the reality seeps in slowly, I want to cry for what they have been going through, but I rejoice that God has given me a family that loves me so much. My heart aches that they've had to hear how bad things looked before they got better. It was merciful that I don't remember everything from the first two weeks but John and the children do. But, they were here for me and I thank them so very much. It's spiritually overwelming to think how God is blessing me but I know God will continue to show me how to trust Him. All of us have found our faith grow because of this, and now I understand what St. Peter must have meant when he said, "God, I'm just a fisherman." I know that right now I don't have to do anything. All I have to do is trust at this point. Thank you all for your love and prayers. I look forward to growing stronger. Love, Linda"
physical therapy
I'll be brief because it has dawned on me that some of you read via cellular phone and the files often exceed the limit!
Linda rests quietly (accompanied by purring snores) after hours of being in a wheelchair in which she toured the entire 4th floor with Brad, her physical therapist. Her blood pressure rose a little from the exertion but she's fine and feeling less confined! I'll stay tonight here because her push button didn't work and they couldn't hear her voice. The push button isn't sensitive enough for her weak fingertips that peek out of the wrist brace/cast.
Thanks for keeping in touch. She's enjoying hearing the blog and cards read to her and requests that often. If anyone wants to help, indeed, come to Rm435 in 4C to read cards to her!
Mindy
Linda rests quietly (accompanied by purring snores) after hours of being in a wheelchair in which she toured the entire 4th floor with Brad, her physical therapist. Her blood pressure rose a little from the exertion but she's fine and feeling less confined! I'll stay tonight here because her push button didn't work and they couldn't hear her voice. The push button isn't sensitive enough for her weak fingertips that peek out of the wrist brace/cast.
Thanks for keeping in touch. She's enjoying hearing the blog and cards read to her and requests that often. If anyone wants to help, indeed, come to Rm435 in 4C to read cards to her!
Mindy
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Still improving; it's all good news!
Today, Linda sat up in bed to have a delightfully long visit with at least 4 visitors at once. She is so happy to be able to see her friends.She's enjoying the fact that there is enough space to seat at least 4 + 1 sitting on the edge of her bed. She can't turn her neck so it's important to stand or sit in her line of sight. I read her today's cards and emails that she's received at the hospital. It may take weeks for her to catch up with all the sweet cards, phone messages, emails, and blog comments that have been flooding in since her accident. How blessed she is to have so many loving friends!
The skin graft dressing was changed today, and looks very healthy and taking well.
She's glad they've bathed her every day. She is often too warm and using a fan. The temperature cannot easily be adjusted to suit her and with the cold spell the hospital has already switched to heating from air conditioning.
Right now, someone from orthopedics is removing her splint and cast from the right arm and after they check on her wrist I believe she'll be allowed a bit more freedom in the use of her arm and fingers. That will make a big difference in her sense of confinement and limited mobility, but of course she'll need to be even more careful not to put stress on the wrist before it fully heals.
Many have asked how soon she'll be able to come home, but this can't be determined yet. We expect to know around Monday whether the skin graft is successfully growing and then she'll need enough occupational and/or physical therapy to be able to function at home. It may be a while before she can negotiate the many stairs at home.
~Mindy
The skin graft dressing was changed today, and looks very healthy and taking well.
She's glad they've bathed her every day. She is often too warm and using a fan. The temperature cannot easily be adjusted to suit her and with the cold spell the hospital has already switched to heating from air conditioning.
Right now, someone from orthopedics is removing her splint and cast from the right arm and after they check on her wrist I believe she'll be allowed a bit more freedom in the use of her arm and fingers. That will make a big difference in her sense of confinement and limited mobility, but of course she'll need to be even more careful not to put stress on the wrist before it fully heals.
Many have asked how soon she'll be able to come home, but this can't be determined yet. We expect to know around Monday whether the skin graft is successfully growing and then she'll need enough occupational and/or physical therapy to be able to function at home. It may be a while before she can negotiate the many stairs at home.
~Mindy
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Milestones
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10/29/08, CORRECTION TO BELOW INFO.: I am told she was wearing a helmet, so the black matter on her scalp is more likely either padding material rubbed off from inside the helmet or just dried blood, but she did have a few sores on the head--nonetheless, it seems lucky that she did wear a helmet!~Mindy
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It's blood from her neck surgery. She looked better before that, except for swelling. They had to put her on her face and the blood ran all over her head. The sores are from her lying on her face. They must have had something bracing her that dug into her head (I mentioned marks in a post but didn't go into details). She looked awful and it was a real mess afterward and took them days to get a little at a time cleaned off. She needs a really long shower! It's hard to wash hair when you're lying in a bed. The helmet came through all of this in great shape. - Diane
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Just yesterday, Mom said she really wished she could scratch her nose and tried with her right arm which has a very heavy cumbersome cast. Well, by this afternoon she was resting that hand above her nose upon the top of her forehead!
Mom could barely sit up less than a week ago. Today she had strength enough to lift her trunk and legs entirely off the bed as well as walk, sit, stand, and lie down with balancing support from John or myself.
This evening, Dean, John, various nurses and I enjoyed reading out loud with her about five days worth of this blog and your loving comments. She smiled so much that her cheeks developed little rosy circles -- she resembled "Mrs. Claus!"
It really began to dawn on her just how devastating the news was in those first few days, and how uncertain everybody was about her prognosis. She's just in awe of this story as we unravel the details for her little by little. It is such a blessing to have it so well documented on Blogger. She still can't remember anything past the fact that she was riding her scooter home that Wednesday. We know she was in much pain upon arrival at the emergency room, so it is probably best that she doesn't remember that. She agrees.
Mom still has drainage tubes connected to her right lung, her skin graft, and booties attached to an air pump to reduce the swelling in her feet. She has dozens of scratches, scrapes and stitches that are steadily healing on nearly every area of her from head to toe. Today, I began to carefully clean some of the pavement that is still imbedded into abrasions on her scalp.
I hope to remember her optimistic spirit if I am ever incapacitated in any way. I believe I would more likely wallow in self-pity for a while. She amazes me!
Linda is anxious to dictate her own comments and posts to this blog as soon as we manage to read it all to her. Ergonomically speaking, it's much too awkward for her to have the laptop in front of her or to type, but her fingers are really very agile and will be ready as soon as the right wrist is freer and her left forearm has healed a bit.
~Mindy
10/29/08, CORRECTION TO BELOW INFO.: I am told she was wearing a helmet, so the black matter on her scalp is more likely either padding material rubbed off from inside the helmet or just dried blood, but she did have a few sores on the head--nonetheless, it seems lucky that she did wear a helmet!~Mindy
_____________
It's blood from her neck surgery. She looked better before that, except for swelling. They had to put her on her face and the blood ran all over her head. The sores are from her lying on her face. They must have had something bracing her that dug into her head (I mentioned marks in a post but didn't go into details). She looked awful and it was a real mess afterward and took them days to get a little at a time cleaned off. She needs a really long shower! It's hard to wash hair when you're lying in a bed. The helmet came through all of this in great shape. - Diane
_________________________________________
Just yesterday, Mom said she really wished she could scratch her nose and tried with her right arm which has a very heavy cumbersome cast. Well, by this afternoon she was resting that hand above her nose upon the top of her forehead!
Mom could barely sit up less than a week ago. Today she had strength enough to lift her trunk and legs entirely off the bed as well as walk, sit, stand, and lie down with balancing support from John or myself.
This evening, Dean, John, various nurses and I enjoyed reading out loud with her about five days worth of this blog and your loving comments. She smiled so much that her cheeks developed little rosy circles -- she resembled "Mrs. Claus!"
It really began to dawn on her just how devastating the news was in those first few days, and how uncertain everybody was about her prognosis. She's just in awe of this story as we unravel the details for her little by little. It is such a blessing to have it so well documented on Blogger. She still can't remember anything past the fact that she was riding her scooter home that Wednesday. We know she was in much pain upon arrival at the emergency room, so it is probably best that she doesn't remember that. She agrees.
Mom still has drainage tubes connected to her right lung, her skin graft, and booties attached to an air pump to reduce the swelling in her feet. She has dozens of scratches, scrapes and stitches that are steadily healing on nearly every area of her from head to toe. Today, I began to carefully clean some of the pavement that is still imbedded into abrasions on her scalp.
I hope to remember her optimistic spirit if I am ever incapacitated in any way. I believe I would more likely wallow in self-pity for a while. She amazes me!
Linda is anxious to dictate her own comments and posts to this blog as soon as we manage to read it all to her. Ergonomically speaking, it's much too awkward for her to have the laptop in front of her or to type, but her fingers are really very agile and will be ready as soon as the right wrist is freer and her left forearm has healed a bit.
~Mindy
A friend of mine that my daughter, Shannon, babysits for took this picture of her and just sent it to me. I thought Mom's schoolmates would enjoy seeing how much she looks like her at this age of 12. Shannon's hair is a beautiful golden red color and full of curls. She misses talking to and getting to see her Nana. We hope to all come down in a week or two to visit.
I'm so thankful that Mindy can be there with Mom. She will be writing most of this blog now and I look forward to reading her posts and keeping up with Mom's progress from her perspective. - Diane
Keep getting stronger Mom!
Linda voted today!
By absentee ballot, our patient was allowed to vote with John's help! I wish I could too, next week, but since I'm registered in the CNMI they won't let me. ~Mindy
Monday, October 27, 2008
Skin graft surgery went well.
Just after arriving from Saipan, late this afternoon, John drove me straight to UAMS but Mom was still in pre-op. and it was a few hours before I could see her in the recovery room. I was so amazed to see how alert and optimistic she looked, since I had only been able to talk to her by telephone 2 days ago, and even though she'd just woken up from skin graft surgery on her left arm 30 minutes earlier, she asserted amazing energy, even lifting both arms and shoulders trying to hug me! She bubbled over with much to say about everything that's been happening, and was so overstimulated that we soon had to leave the recovery room because it was raising her blood pressure. I thanked mom for never giving up without a fight! She smiled so radiantly and appreciatively. We met her upstairs in her room about a half hour later. She was so thirsty, once again, because they just couldn't give her more than a few ice chips before and after surgery so as not to upset her tummy. She will be so grateful for an oasis in the dry, arid desert of thirst that she must endure. She asked for sweet, cold, icy drinks!
It was so hard to leave her side, but I want to be useful to her tomorrow, and since I have barely slept in about 32 hours since departing Saipan, I had to let John drive me to the house for a little rest tonight.
The skin graft went very well. Dr. Yuen, the plastic surgeon, took a patch of skin from her thigh for repairing the damaged skin of her left forearm. She will be observed about a week to make sure it takes well and healthy new growth of skin resumes as expected. He said that once about 80% of the graft is working, the rest will soon follow. The skin graft is covered with a spongy bandage and covered in plastic "shrink wrap" connected by a tube to a vacuum device which will assist the healing process. Fortunately, the irritating respirator was removed immediately following the surgery. It is such a relief that her breathing is doing so well, and also that she will be able to stand and move around a bit when needed. The recuperation will take a lot of patience as her body tries to catch up with her mental fitness. We also spoke to Dr. Ahmed, who had done the surgery on her neck who said she must also wear the neck brace to avoid moving her neck for 8 to 12 weeks. She may take it off while resting, but it seems risky because of her desire to animate her speech with so many jestures. She really wants to see and partake in everything around her as much as she can and the brace limits her peripheral vision. We think the pain medication leads her to believe she can do more than she's ready for!
Good night, Mom. It's so great to be here with you and kiss your smiling face and hold your hand. Love, Mindy
Thank you to all of the people who have sent such nice flowers, gifts and cards for my mom. They are all around her room and at the house and in the refrigerator, and I will gradually get to help her read and view them all this week, now that she's out of her amnesia. She is so thankful for all the prayers and kindness.
It was so hard to leave her side, but I want to be useful to her tomorrow, and since I have barely slept in about 32 hours since departing Saipan, I had to let John drive me to the house for a little rest tonight.
The skin graft went very well. Dr. Yuen, the plastic surgeon, took a patch of skin from her thigh for repairing the damaged skin of her left forearm. She will be observed about a week to make sure it takes well and healthy new growth of skin resumes as expected. He said that once about 80% of the graft is working, the rest will soon follow. The skin graft is covered with a spongy bandage and covered in plastic "shrink wrap" connected by a tube to a vacuum device which will assist the healing process. Fortunately, the irritating respirator was removed immediately following the surgery. It is such a relief that her breathing is doing so well, and also that she will be able to stand and move around a bit when needed. The recuperation will take a lot of patience as her body tries to catch up with her mental fitness. We also spoke to Dr. Ahmed, who had done the surgery on her neck who said she must also wear the neck brace to avoid moving her neck for 8 to 12 weeks. She may take it off while resting, but it seems risky because of her desire to animate her speech with so many jestures. She really wants to see and partake in everything around her as much as she can and the brace limits her peripheral vision. We think the pain medication leads her to believe she can do more than she's ready for!
Good night, Mom. It's so great to be here with you and kiss your smiling face and hold your hand. Love, Mindy
Thank you to all of the people who have sent such nice flowers, gifts and cards for my mom. They are all around her room and at the house and in the refrigerator, and I will gradually get to help her read and view them all this week, now that she's out of her amnesia. She is so thankful for all the prayers and kindness.
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Another good day of progress
My whole family talked to Mom today and she was excited to hear us. She says she is growing stronger and better with each day and is moving a little more for a little longer too. She gets up and walks some and has help with anything she needs.
She said there are 14 people on the ward where she is and she is sharing all your prayers with them too. She feels so blessed to have so many prayers for her recovery and said that it is really a special thing to have people telling you every day that they are so glad you're still here and praying for you to continue getting better. Everyone is telling her they love her and want the best for her. She's really rejoicing.
Tomorrow's surgery is not planned but they said will most likely be in the afternoon. They have taken a chunk of skin from her thigh and cultured in the lab to prepare it to placed it on her arm tomorrow. Unfortunately, they are going to put her on a respirator again for this surgery due to the injuries of her lungs.
They told her she had over 9 ribs broken and she feels them, even through the pain medicine, although not too bad. She really dislikes being drugged but she understands that she really needs it right now. She is still having a little fluid retention and swelling in her feet so they gave her some new tight fitting booties today that blow up with air to squeeze her feet and make funny farty noises when they deflate.
John said her blood pressure was slightly elevated today so they put her on the meds for that. Pray that is will be normal tomorrow and not an issue for the surgery.
Mindy is due to arrive around 4:30. It takes her two days to get here but she is 14 hours ahead of us so she leaves on Monday and arrives on Monday, or something like that. Mindy is in graduate school! She's taking online courses for a masters in library science. She can continue from here and help Mom too.
John says Mom is really upbeat and chipper and has quite a bit of her sense of humor despite her issues. She loves hearing from her friends and loved ones and she wants so much to read your messages on this blog but just can't focus on much right now. John read some of it and said she will get some printed copies to look at soon. Thanks everyone for reading and keeping up with her and especially for all of your prayers.
She said there are 14 people on the ward where she is and she is sharing all your prayers with them too. She feels so blessed to have so many prayers for her recovery and said that it is really a special thing to have people telling you every day that they are so glad you're still here and praying for you to continue getting better. Everyone is telling her they love her and want the best for her. She's really rejoicing.
Tomorrow's surgery is not planned but they said will most likely be in the afternoon. They have taken a chunk of skin from her thigh and cultured in the lab to prepare it to placed it on her arm tomorrow. Unfortunately, they are going to put her on a respirator again for this surgery due to the injuries of her lungs.
They told her she had over 9 ribs broken and she feels them, even through the pain medicine, although not too bad. She really dislikes being drugged but she understands that she really needs it right now. She is still having a little fluid retention and swelling in her feet so they gave her some new tight fitting booties today that blow up with air to squeeze her feet and make funny farty noises when they deflate.
John said her blood pressure was slightly elevated today so they put her on the meds for that. Pray that is will be normal tomorrow and not an issue for the surgery.
Mindy is due to arrive around 4:30. It takes her two days to get here but she is 14 hours ahead of us so she leaves on Monday and arrives on Monday, or something like that. Mindy is in graduate school! She's taking online courses for a masters in library science. She can continue from here and help Mom too.
John says Mom is really upbeat and chipper and has quite a bit of her sense of humor despite her issues. She loves hearing from her friends and loved ones and she wants so much to read your messages on this blog but just can't focus on much right now. John read some of it and said she will get some printed copies to look at soon. Thanks everyone for reading and keeping up with her and especially for all of your prayers.
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