In an effort to gauge progress, they had her walk to the bathroom with my assistance. There was no issue with the left leg at all, and aside from getting nauseous, she did fantastic. She hasn't eaten much of anything in the last day and a half, so she agreed to let me feed her some Griffeth Gourmet Banana Pudding...look for it soon on supermarket shelves in your neighborhood. It is a delicately prepared concoction of mashed banana and....mashed banana. She ate about 5 bites and is drinking a lot more water.
Kind of funny...I discussed with our nurse Laura's gluten allergy and sensitivity to dairy, and that a fruit plate would suffice as a meal. What did they send? Two popsicles and some jello. That's just funny. They have it straightened out now, but how does anyone in a hospital consider that to be a nutritious option? I can't help but laugh.
Since the walk to the bathroom, she has been sleeping soundly aside from the bites of gourmet banana pudding and intermittent sips of water. Continued prayers for relief from her headache are much appreciated. No pain, no pain...
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
Sitting With Her
I am sitting next to her on the bannister next to her bed. No worries about the scorching midwest heat wave, as my left cheek is on the AC vent. Too much information...you wouldn't believe how great she looks...more color than she has had in weeks, everything is working on her left side, and speaking clearly without any issue. Professor just stopped by to say how brave she was during the MRI, which is really tough on people following brain surgery due to the volume of the mechanism. Best of all, he said the MRI shows they got ALL of the tumor out! Praise His Name!
She is very happy to be able to drink water today as the oxygen mask really dried her mouth out yesterday, which we could tell during our visits. She has yet to have an appetite, but Professor is not worried about that. She is resting now as they gave her some codeine for her headache.
The only lingering issue at this point is her headache, so that makes for a great prayer request. Please pray that the headache disappears for good, allowing her body to focus on recovery in a very comfortable state without pharmaceutical/herbal assistance. I know she would like nothing more than comfort during recovery she can return home soon.
As I sit here in this quiet room with her, I cannot put into words what your prayer, blog comments, and notes do to provide us strength through Him. I am so humbled by this, if for no one else. it is bringing me so close to Him, for without Him, I would be an absolute mess right now. Thanks again, and I will update throughout the day as things progress.
She is very happy to be able to drink water today as the oxygen mask really dried her mouth out yesterday, which we could tell during our visits. She has yet to have an appetite, but Professor is not worried about that. She is resting now as they gave her some codeine for her headache.
The only lingering issue at this point is her headache, so that makes for a great prayer request. Please pray that the headache disappears for good, allowing her body to focus on recovery in a very comfortable state without pharmaceutical/herbal assistance. I know she would like nothing more than comfort during recovery she can return home soon.
As I sit here in this quiet room with her, I cannot put into words what your prayer, blog comments, and notes do to provide us strength through Him. I am so humbled by this, if for no one else. it is bringing me so close to Him, for without Him, I would be an absolute mess right now. Thanks again, and I will update throughout the day as things progress.
Morning Third Party Update
I spoke with the recovery unit this morning, as the soonest we could see her this morning was 9:00 AM. They were getting her ready for her MRI, which she has yet to return from.
The Good News
She was alert, moving all extremities, talking, and has been released to a regular recovery room! Praise Him! They are calling me as soon as she returns from the MRI so we can visit her for another 10 minutes. As soon as I have more to report, it will hit the blob.
The Good News
She was alert, moving all extremities, talking, and has been released to a regular recovery room! Praise Him! They are calling me as soon as she returns from the MRI so we can visit her for another 10 minutes. As soon as I have more to report, it will hit the blob.
Monday, August 13, 2007
Last Visit of the Night
After going in at 6:30 PM to find her fast to sleep, I chose not to bother her. Instead, it was pretty neat as her blood pressure (first number) dropped from the low 130's to 110 while I was speaking with her nurse. She had also moved her left leg shortly before to get a pillow underneath her!
Doc, Janet and I left to grab some dinner as we were informed we would be allowed to see her again at 8:00 PM for the final visit of the night. Speaking of dinner, I am hoping a Pei Wei comes to Grand Rapids soon, it's a really good younger brother of PF Chang's and has a gluten free menu. I digress...by the time we returned at 8:00, she had moved both her left arm and leg on her own! I have to admit I was very relieved, for loss of motor function was not something I had given enough weight in my mind and prayers. Just as important, she was much more alert! She knew we were there, made eye contact, and tried to communicate verbally. She was trying to communicate, but was too heavily sedated. She was nodding to my questions, and continually giving my hand little squeezes as a way of communicating. It was phenomenal. While it ripped at my heart to have to leave her alone for the night, she was so exhausted the last few minutes (of a total 12 minutes), she couldn't keep her eyes open any longer. She is going to have an MRI tomorrow morning early to confirm they removed all of the tumor, and we will be able to see her again at 9 AM. I can't wait.
The comments on the blog are great, thanks so much for the continued love and support. The hotel we are staying in feels as though there are angels at every corner, as everyone here is here to be treated for something. The little acts of kindness provided by the front desk, shuttle drivers (Lenny is great), and the let alone the sweet people at the hospital make the entire experience one that reflects God's power when people are in need of Him. Love you all,
Chad
Doc, Janet and I left to grab some dinner as we were informed we would be allowed to see her again at 8:00 PM for the final visit of the night. Speaking of dinner, I am hoping a Pei Wei comes to Grand Rapids soon, it's a really good younger brother of PF Chang's and has a gluten free menu. I digress...by the time we returned at 8:00, she had moved both her left arm and leg on her own! I have to admit I was very relieved, for loss of motor function was not something I had given enough weight in my mind and prayers. Just as important, she was much more alert! She knew we were there, made eye contact, and tried to communicate verbally. She was trying to communicate, but was too heavily sedated. She was nodding to my questions, and continually giving my hand little squeezes as a way of communicating. It was phenomenal. While it ripped at my heart to have to leave her alone for the night, she was so exhausted the last few minutes (of a total 12 minutes), she couldn't keep her eyes open any longer. She is going to have an MRI tomorrow morning early to confirm they removed all of the tumor, and we will be able to see her again at 9 AM. I can't wait.
The comments on the blog are great, thanks so much for the continued love and support. The hotel we are staying in feels as though there are angels at every corner, as everyone here is here to be treated for something. The little acts of kindness provided by the front desk, shuttle drivers (Lenny is great), and the let alone the sweet people at the hospital make the entire experience one that reflects God's power when people are in need of Him. Love you all,
Chad
New Prayer Request
I was able to spend 10 mins. with Laura, while Doc and Janet split the 10 min. allotment. She was responsive to our voices, but in such a deep, out-of-it sleep that she would slip in and out of "it" (I can't really characterize her state accurately, so "it" is going to have to do). Once I moved to her right side, and she heard my voice, she sought out my hand to hold. She provided some good squeezes to let me/us know she knows I/we were there. She looks great, and already has more color than she did the last time I saw her (time seems to be warped today, so I am not sure when that was). To those that know her, you might know that she likes her kisses...and her heartrate literally slowed when I gave her some kisses on her cheek and whispered in her ear before I left...pretty comical.
Prayer Request:
She has yet to move her left side, which is but an observation at this point and has not yet moved to the level of concern. She consistently migrated her eyes and attention toward her right side, so we stayed on that side so she wouldn't think/try too hard. We were told that could create nausea for her. The doctor and nurses were not concerned as it simply takes different people different amounts of time for the hemisphere of the brain operated on to "wake up."
If our prayer force out there would pray that her left side provide the doctors some good feedback, we would be grateful. Due to her medical expertise, I do not want her to overhear us speaking about it and have her start worrying, especially in the cloudy state she is in at this point. She is prone to worrying, and I don't want anything but positive thoughts running through that cute little head. Please pray for full, speedy, painless recovery for all nervous functions. She of all people I know deserves it.
Prayer Request:
She has yet to move her left side, which is but an observation at this point and has not yet moved to the level of concern. She consistently migrated her eyes and attention toward her right side, so we stayed on that side so she wouldn't think/try too hard. We were told that could create nausea for her. The doctor and nurses were not concerned as it simply takes different people different amounts of time for the hemisphere of the brain operated on to "wake up."
If our prayer force out there would pray that her left side provide the doctors some good feedback, we would be grateful. Due to her medical expertise, I do not want her to overhear us speaking about it and have her start worrying, especially in the cloudy state she is in at this point. She is prone to worrying, and I don't want anything but positive thoughts running through that cute little head. Please pray for full, speedy, painless recovery for all nervous functions. She of all people I know deserves it.
Tales from the Lounge...
UAMS gets a huge thumbs up on making wireless internet available. It is allowing me to expend my energy constructively, as I am pretty hopped up on a potent combination of coffee and Vault (don't tell Laura).
Professor, as Dr. Yasargil prefers to be called, recently stopped by to let us know the CT Scan looked normal. Also, he sees no remnants of the tumor. God rocks.
They just called out to let us visit Laura, gotta run.
Professor, as Dr. Yasargil prefers to be called, recently stopped by to let us know the CT Scan looked normal. Also, he sees no remnants of the tumor. God rocks.
They just called out to let us visit Laura, gotta run.
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