yeah! first day out of the hospital. i actaully got to sleep in until 8:30am. no nurse coming in to wake me up and take my vital signs, or sleeping with one ear open listening for the next opportunity to hit the nurses button to check on my roommate that was too hot and getting a fever, or that she was not getting enough oxygen from her oxygen tubes or listening to her scream when they rolled her on her side to prevent bedsores because she had a broken hip. the month of march is finally coming to an end, and what an experience.
today at home, i was able to open the zip lock bag of lazy-man cheese. i was able to hold onto the bag with my left fingers while i unzipped to bag with my right hand. that was amazing, finally practical application at home. even michael said that he couldn't imagine what it feels like to be going through my journey as he has to patiently sit back and watch me struggle.
as of two days ago, on my left hand i am now able to touch my pinky and thumb together, ring finger and thumb, middle finger and thumb, and index finger and thumb. last week, i was not able to do this seemingly simple task.
we got a great gift in the mail yesterday. a "taste" of california. curtis sent via UPS some carne asada. so michael is going to BBQ tonight. he just brought in the first bite for me to taste.
off to dinner now...yummy!
Saturday, March 31, 2007
Friday, March 30, 2007
Graduation Day!!
good morning, yep graduation day! the nurses hummed the graduation hymn while i walked down the hallway this morning on my way to breakfast. i askws them to do the wedding march too so i could practice. :)
the rehab hospital has provided me some tools such as a cane and an ankle brace for when i leave.
but any other tools such as a cutting board for cooking for example vary per person. so they provided me a catalog with these items if i wanted to pursue shopping for myself. yipee the world of online shopping here i come~!!
its almost 10am now. i have my final OT at 11am. michael should be here by noon or so. then i will be on my way home.
yes typing is getting better and easier. no, not using my left hand yet. still a little early, but with my strong will and determination, it will happen some day. it is too difficult right now on a notebok laptop which is smaller than a regular laptop.
thank you again to everyone for your continued prayers, cards, emails, visitors, care packages and support. honestly, every bit of it helped me keep my spirits up and gave me the strength for the next day.
as i look around the room at my attempt to packing my things, i have obviously been here long enough. i've got 2 stuffed bags of clothes, cards galore, 4 balloons, numerous vases from all the flowers, boxes from all the carepackages, 3 pairs of shoes (such a girl), 1 laptop, 1 cell phone and charger, 2 firemen calendars, 1 big hersheys kiss that was a gift from one of my OT therapists today, and countless teddy bears. that does not begin to describe what has already been taken to the house as of last weekend for my overnight trip! as one nurse Maggie described my room, "it looks like a guy's dorm room in here, what a mess!" well, that is because i had a guy here everynight who loves me very much and has been the best support ever, and that i am very lucky, fortunate and blessed to be marrying in july, but didn't want to try his housekeeping skills in my room. l0oks like my occupational therapy will be tested at home with laundry, dishes and cleaning!
thank you again, love and blessings to all,
Karen aka Skippy
the rehab hospital has provided me some tools such as a cane and an ankle brace for when i leave.
but any other tools such as a cutting board for cooking for example vary per person. so they provided me a catalog with these items if i wanted to pursue shopping for myself. yipee the world of online shopping here i come~!!
its almost 10am now. i have my final OT at 11am. michael should be here by noon or so. then i will be on my way home.
yes typing is getting better and easier. no, not using my left hand yet. still a little early, but with my strong will and determination, it will happen some day. it is too difficult right now on a notebok laptop which is smaller than a regular laptop.
thank you again to everyone for your continued prayers, cards, emails, visitors, care packages and support. honestly, every bit of it helped me keep my spirits up and gave me the strength for the next day.
as i look around the room at my attempt to packing my things, i have obviously been here long enough. i've got 2 stuffed bags of clothes, cards galore, 4 balloons, numerous vases from all the flowers, boxes from all the carepackages, 3 pairs of shoes (such a girl), 1 laptop, 1 cell phone and charger, 2 firemen calendars, 1 big hersheys kiss that was a gift from one of my OT therapists today, and countless teddy bears. that does not begin to describe what has already been taken to the house as of last weekend for my overnight trip! as one nurse Maggie described my room, "it looks like a guy's dorm room in here, what a mess!" well, that is because i had a guy here everynight who loves me very much and has been the best support ever, and that i am very lucky, fortunate and blessed to be marrying in july, but didn't want to try his housekeeping skills in my room. l0oks like my occupational therapy will be tested at home with laundry, dishes and cleaning!
thank you again, love and blessings to all,
Karen aka Skippy
Thursday, March 29, 2007
And now it's Moms turn ~
Hi everyone. I went for the pre op today and they said I need to be in the hospital at 7:30 tomorrow morning (March 30.) The actual surgery will be at about 10:30. I expect to be home that night and then we'll just see how things go from there. Thanks to everyone for all of your prayers and support. Elta
just one more night
after a month in the hospital, i'm ready to go home!!
having been stripped of the ability of using the left side of my body, i've learned enough here to feel independent enough to go home. i can do a basic function like walk with a cane, which has been a gradual process starting on march 2nd from being completely paralyzed and laying in bed depending on everyone for everything. i cherish the ability to brush my teeth at the sink STANDING!
i had to learn how to stand while not balancing on my right foot, but using both legs.
i'm gainging more mobility in my left arm and hand and fingers. i can relax my hand enough to where my fingers will open. if you know anything about stroke victims, there are certain signs that are common such as a clinched hand and arm. or as i call it a gorilla claw, because that is truly what it looks like. the muscles in my left hand were contracted so tightly that someone had to try to pry open my clinched hand. my brain wasnt able to relax enough to send the signal to my hand to open. everyday is AMAZING. i learn how to do more and more.
now that i can open my left hand, i can hold the toothpaste tube for example. closing my hand with light control was a challenge. but with no major toothpaste splatterings on the wall i consider learning that task a success. i can hold the tube and using my right hand take the cap off and put it back on.
on a side note, i started this update earlier this morning and had to save to draft around 11am. well, its now 9:15pm, that's how busy my days can get and i'm just now getting back to this. sorry for the delay today.
i had a great week of occupational therapy, where we focus on fine motor skill function. i did get to make a grilled cheese sandwhich today in the kitchen...its not about what i made, but had to learn how to plan out all thr steps to making something. like how do i walk with a cane and carry food, or a plate etc...so i got to practice on a cuttingboard that was designed for stroke victims that have limited abilities with one hand. for example, the cuttingboard has a raised L-shape corner to hold a slice of bread, making it easy to spread mayo or butter on the bread.
it appears i will start with outpatient therapy next week, schedule TBD.
i may have more time on my hands, but then again maybe not. i will do my best to try to do things around the house such as laundry, and basic cleaning, it just takes me much longer to do simple tasks. so i will continue to post updates.
thank you again to everyone for your continued thoughts and prayers. i pray that i do not have any more strokes in the future. i feel that i am doing very well and continue to feel stronger everyday.
skippy
having been stripped of the ability of using the left side of my body, i've learned enough here to feel independent enough to go home. i can do a basic function like walk with a cane, which has been a gradual process starting on march 2nd from being completely paralyzed and laying in bed depending on everyone for everything. i cherish the ability to brush my teeth at the sink STANDING!
i had to learn how to stand while not balancing on my right foot, but using both legs.
i'm gainging more mobility in my left arm and hand and fingers. i can relax my hand enough to where my fingers will open. if you know anything about stroke victims, there are certain signs that are common such as a clinched hand and arm. or as i call it a gorilla claw, because that is truly what it looks like. the muscles in my left hand were contracted so tightly that someone had to try to pry open my clinched hand. my brain wasnt able to relax enough to send the signal to my hand to open. everyday is AMAZING. i learn how to do more and more.
now that i can open my left hand, i can hold the toothpaste tube for example. closing my hand with light control was a challenge. but with no major toothpaste splatterings on the wall i consider learning that task a success. i can hold the tube and using my right hand take the cap off and put it back on.
on a side note, i started this update earlier this morning and had to save to draft around 11am. well, its now 9:15pm, that's how busy my days can get and i'm just now getting back to this. sorry for the delay today.
i had a great week of occupational therapy, where we focus on fine motor skill function. i did get to make a grilled cheese sandwhich today in the kitchen...its not about what i made, but had to learn how to plan out all thr steps to making something. like how do i walk with a cane and carry food, or a plate etc...so i got to practice on a cuttingboard that was designed for stroke victims that have limited abilities with one hand. for example, the cuttingboard has a raised L-shape corner to hold a slice of bread, making it easy to spread mayo or butter on the bread.
it appears i will start with outpatient therapy next week, schedule TBD.
i may have more time on my hands, but then again maybe not. i will do my best to try to do things around the house such as laundry, and basic cleaning, it just takes me much longer to do simple tasks. so i will continue to post updates.
thank you again to everyone for your continued thoughts and prayers. i pray that i do not have any more strokes in the future. i feel that i am doing very well and continue to feel stronger everyday.
skippy
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
continuation....
as i was mentioning...i am learning to use my fingers on my left hand. i tried to open clothes pins, but have been unsuccessful. guess i wasnt meant to do laundry that way.
tomorrow, i get to venture into learning how to be more of a domestic godess. they have a kitchen here and a laundry room. so i will have to learn how to cook something in the kitchen. the goal is not only to cook, but do so safely without killing myself or burning down the house. where was this class years ago?? off to class...to be continued...
tomorrow, i get to venture into learning how to be more of a domestic godess. they have a kitchen here and a laundry room. so i will have to learn how to cook something in the kitchen. the goal is not only to cook, but do so safely without killing myself or burning down the house. where was this class years ago?? off to class...to be continued...
wednesday, hump day
i'm 1/2 way thru my final week! friday is the finish line for me.
on monday, i did get a vist from two therapy dogs, and i understand i received one more fireman calendar michael is bringing that to me tonight as it was mailed to the house. not too shabby! i still have room on my wall, and my roommate enjoys them too, not to mention all the nurses!
sounds like the next step is a follow up appointment next week with my neurologist in seattle. i understand another angiogram and MRI are in my near future in hopes to eliminate the question mark and provide answers as to why this happened. at this point, all the doctors can do is shrug their shoulders and say they dont know. i dont fall unto any risk category of potential stroke....my spring chicken age, no drugs, no family history especially at this age, no high cholesterol.
meanwhile, i'm still not cleared to fly/travel to air on the side of caution.
i guess there is some good news to report....over the past few days, i'm getting more and more sensation back. the left side of my face feels like anesthesia is wearing off and i feel sore muscles on my left side. i take that all as a good sign, although certainly notplesurable sensations. i can feel a definite line drawn down the center of my body from the left side to the right. the left side of my lip feels funny, my left nostril, the area around my left eye.....all that numb coming out of anesthesia feeling.
i'm gaining more and more mobility and use of my left arm, hand and fingers. big improvement even from last week.
i've been working on developing the muscles to use my left fingers.
on monday, i did get a vist from two therapy dogs, and i understand i received one more fireman calendar michael is bringing that to me tonight as it was mailed to the house. not too shabby! i still have room on my wall, and my roommate enjoys them too, not to mention all the nurses!
sounds like the next step is a follow up appointment next week with my neurologist in seattle. i understand another angiogram and MRI are in my near future in hopes to eliminate the question mark and provide answers as to why this happened. at this point, all the doctors can do is shrug their shoulders and say they dont know. i dont fall unto any risk category of potential stroke....my spring chicken age, no drugs, no family history especially at this age, no high cholesterol.
meanwhile, i'm still not cleared to fly/travel to air on the side of caution.
i guess there is some good news to report....over the past few days, i'm getting more and more sensation back. the left side of my face feels like anesthesia is wearing off and i feel sore muscles on my left side. i take that all as a good sign, although certainly notplesurable sensations. i can feel a definite line drawn down the center of my body from the left side to the right. the left side of my lip feels funny, my left nostril, the area around my left eye.....all that numb coming out of anesthesia feeling.
i'm gaining more and more mobility and use of my left arm, hand and fingers. big improvement even from last week.
i've been working on developing the muscles to use my left fingers.
Monday, March 26, 2007
look comfortable?
surprisingly i was comfy!! sine i still cant feel the left side of my body, i lay on my right side. this weekend was full of naps and we loved it. it was a rainy day and we just finished our grilled cheese sandwiches. so nap time in front of the fireplace was the next step.
its now monday and im back here in rehab. i have just a few moments befor my next therapy sessions. i've met with my doctor this morning and expressed how much my vision is still affecting me. he basically said that my body is still trying to obsorb the blood and the swelling in my brain is still healing. all i can do at tjis point is wait it out and time will tell. meanwhile, i have to use my eyes and see thru a "fog" until it gets better.
its now monday and im back here in rehab. i have just a few moments befor my next therapy sessions. i've met with my doctor this morning and expressed how much my vision is still affecting me. he basically said that my body is still trying to obsorb the blood and the swelling in my brain is still healing. all i can do at tjis point is wait it out and time will tell. meanwhile, i have to use my eyes and see thru a "fog" until it gets better.
Sunday, March 25, 2007
PT Comments
From reading the Friday post, it sure sounds to me like Karen had her "Karate Kid" workout - now stand on this post while Mr. Miyagi teaches you balance. And seeing the picture below shows how tiring that can be.... or, maybe it was the wine.
Wax on, wax off; brush up, brush down; sand right, sand left...
Wax on, wax off; brush up, brush down; sand right, sand left...
Friday, March 23, 2007
friday night update
its skippy... it is friday night and i'm that much closer to being discharged. at least in my mind and desire. the dr. wants me to stay here until next friday. so the countdown begins!! i had a VERY tiring day today. it was very strenuous on my muscles that i couldn't feel until today. i had to practice using my shoulder muscles on my left side in OT today. later that afternoon, i had to lay on my back and basically benchpress a dowel 1-2 inches in diameter. it weighed a ton but for most probably only a pound or two. but it was to exercise straightening my left arm and use strength to hold it up. i then had to rotate the dowel back and forth above my head and lower it behind my head and then back up. i'm tired again just thinking about it. then i was moved over to PT. i had to practice doing leg squats, and from a squat, lift my right leg up onto a block about 6 inches high, then back down controlling my balance all the while. then i had to do some clean the floor excercise. while on my left leg, they put a towel under my right foot. i had to balance on my left foot, while stretching my right foot out using the towel along the floor. not easy!! aft returning to my room, i got a visit from an eye doctor. i have been expressing concern to my primary dr. that my vision has been affected. i explained my vision as having my eyes just dilated and nothing is really in focus. poor eye sight is a common complaint after a stroke. it does affect me during therapy as vision plays a part with equlibrium
Karen's New Number
Karen has moved rooms. She is now in room #23. The phone number is (253) 697-1023. Her new roommate is Dixie. She is feisty!
Words from Denys =)
Hi Everyone! This is Denys :) For those who don't know me, I am Karen's Old Roommate and Maid of Honor. I got to spend the whole day with Karen and see how great she is doing with her therapy. SHE IS AWESOME! I am so proud of how far she has come in 3 weeks. She was able to walk down the hallway without using a cane. They had her doing alot of work with her upper arms today. She was able to raise her arms above her head. It was great! I was very excited to see her work so hard. She actually was able to give Michael the finger before she left...with her left hand. NICE! It is raining here today, and supposed to rain the rest of the weekend. Karen gets a hall pass for Saturday and Sunday. We are going to get our nails done...that will be fun! Oh the nurse is coming soon with ice cream! Is this Club Med???? By the way my favorite fireman is May for sure!
new room
hi all, i'm in a new room here at good sam hospital. i'm in room 23 now. more details soon...gotta go back for more therapy in a few minutes.
friday march 23, 2007
yeah!! i know what today is, thanks to denys for my fireman calendar on my wall!! see, i told everyone that would help! just think if i had a seeing eye golden retriever and/or therapy dog!! the miracles i could perform.
denys arrived safely last night. michael smoozed the nurses into unlocking the doors after hours so they both could stop by for a late night after-hours visit.
it is now 7:45am. they are on their way back to the hospital this morning and denys will spend the day with me.
i've been awake since 6am, i've been able to safely get into my wheelchair, go to the aethroom by myself unassisted, check email, got dressed and now waiting for those darn kids (family joke).
more to come... skippy
denys arrived safely last night. michael smoozed the nurses into unlocking the doors after hours so they both could stop by for a late night after-hours visit.
it is now 7:45am. they are on their way back to the hospital this morning and denys will spend the day with me.
i've been awake since 6am, i've been able to safely get into my wheelchair, go to the aethroom by myself unassisted, check email, got dressed and now waiting for those darn kids (family joke).
more to come... skippy
Thursday, March 22, 2007
another grat day
skippy here... another great day with more progress. day 2 of being off my medication so it appears the fog is lifting. i did lots of walking today. i was challenged again since it appears i tackle what they give me each session. so today, i was able to balance on a piece of wood with another piece of wood attached to the bottom. sue this had a name, but i dont know. the goal was to practice weight shifting fro my right to left leg. tough to do w/o feeling on my left side. but it was about trusting that i have a left leg, and strength and balance. then i walked over to the mock stairs and walked up and down those....then over to a balance beam. that is when i said you've got to be kidding. i didnt have to walk the beam, but i did have to practice walking over the beam. this tested my vision, my ability to think about what to do when i got to the board and balance to step over it back and forth. i stepped over it leading with my left foot followed by my right. then backwards over the beam leading with my left followed by my right.
amazing!! SIMPLISTIc sounding, but very challenging.
now when i walk, i try to focus on relaxing my left side to lose what i call the "gorilla claw" look. as i walk, i have to bear my weight on my left leg, and make sure that i'm on my left leg for a few seconds before taking my next step. this weight bear forces me to relax all the way down to my fingers. strange but it works. lots to think about while walking!! so hope to have more pics and/or video soon.
as for feeling....i still cant feel touch on my left side, but sensation and awareness is coming back slowly. my face feels like i ad novocaine that is wearing off. the best feeling is in the morning when i wake up. i can feel the muscles stretch all the way thru my body, even the left side. finally, a sensation that brings a good feeling.
hope that update helps.
denys is on her way up here although not sure if i will c her tonight. she arrives after visiting hours and the hospital doors get locked to the rehab area. so i may spend the whole day here with her in the hospitalon friday. oh goodie, either the club med dining room,for lunch or cafe. either one, yuck!! sorry denys
skippy
amazing!! SIMPLISTIc sounding, but very challenging.
now when i walk, i try to focus on relaxing my left side to lose what i call the "gorilla claw" look. as i walk, i have to bear my weight on my left leg, and make sure that i'm on my left leg for a few seconds before taking my next step. this weight bear forces me to relax all the way down to my fingers. strange but it works. lots to think about while walking!! so hope to have more pics and/or video soon.
as for feeling....i still cant feel touch on my left side, but sensation and awareness is coming back slowly. my face feels like i ad novocaine that is wearing off. the best feeling is in the morning when i wake up. i can feel the muscles stretch all the way thru my body, even the left side. finally, a sensation that brings a good feeling.
hope that update helps.
denys is on her way up here although not sure if i will c her tonight. she arrives after visiting hours and the hospital doors get locked to the rehab area. so i may spend the whole day here with her in the hospitalon friday. oh goodie, either the club med dining room,for lunch or cafe. either one, yuck!! sorry denys
skippy
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
The most unsick patient in Puyallup...
Alright everyone, after a long talk with Karen this afternoon (I'm not calling her Skippy), here is the latest. She really had a good day today as she has previously posted in her brief update. It is difficult for her to type with only one hand, so she wanted me to convey the details of what transpired today to make it so great. Every couple of days her doctor comes in to check on her. Today when he came in to check on her progress she is making with her physical therapists, his first instruction was for her to stand up from her wheelchair. Her initial reaction was that this was an impossible task to ask of her, but setting her mind to it (well, half of it), much to her own amazement, she was able to do it! He then told her to walk across the room all by herself. She asked for her cane, but that request was immediately denied to which she replied "Wha...whaaaat?!?" She was initially reluctant and told the doctor that he better make sure he would catch her if she had a mis-step. He was there to steady her as she walked across the room all by herself! Her first autonomous bipedal forward locomotion in nearly three weeks! He then had her walking down the hall and back again, again, all by herself. She was very proud of herself and her accomplishments, and the doctor seemed very impressed as well - so much so that he said that she may get out of the hospital by as early as next week. This would upgrade her status from "inpatient" physical therapy to "outpatient" physical therapy.
From there it was onto her physical therapy session. One of her exercises put forth by her therapist was to discover what to do if she did indeed fall. Her therapist had her lay on the floor (all by herself) and then crawl across the floor to get back into her wheelchair (all by herself) just to learn how to do it. This may seem like a simple task to most with an able body, but with only one side to work with, a lot of things are involved. The therapist taught her about leg placement for both legs to gain the best leverage points, as well as how to keep track of her left arm to keep it out of harms way as well. Not to the surprise of anyone except Karen, she was able to do it. Like she said in her post earlier, she said "Wow!" a whole bunch of times today. All of the nurses, therapists, and doctors wish that all of their patients had the same strength, will, and determiniation to get better as Karen has.
Karen also reports that she is still suffering some vision loss in the lower quadrant of her left eye, which makes it difficult to see and read. She really absolutely LOVES and appreciates all of the emails that everyone is sending, and just because she has not responded yet, she will certainly try to respond to all of them. She says it is difficult for her to type one handed, especially with the small keyboard on the laptop, so answering every one of them is difficult. Please keep sending them as it helps lift her spirits.
This weekend she is really looking forward to a visit from her good friend Denys from California, and spending her first night away from a place where people in white check on you constantly and getting to sleep in a bed that does not have buttons on the side, bend in the middle, or plug into a wall (well, as far as I know)
karen_getting_better@yahoo.com
Will post more as I hear it...
Curtis
From there it was onto her physical therapy session. One of her exercises put forth by her therapist was to discover what to do if she did indeed fall. Her therapist had her lay on the floor (all by herself) and then crawl across the floor to get back into her wheelchair (all by herself) just to learn how to do it. This may seem like a simple task to most with an able body, but with only one side to work with, a lot of things are involved. The therapist taught her about leg placement for both legs to gain the best leverage points, as well as how to keep track of her left arm to keep it out of harms way as well. Not to the surprise of anyone except Karen, she was able to do it. Like she said in her post earlier, she said "Wow!" a whole bunch of times today. All of the nurses, therapists, and doctors wish that all of their patients had the same strength, will, and determiniation to get better as Karen has.
Karen also reports that she is still suffering some vision loss in the lower quadrant of her left eye, which makes it difficult to see and read. She really absolutely LOVES and appreciates all of the emails that everyone is sending, and just because she has not responded yet, she will certainly try to respond to all of them. She says it is difficult for her to type one handed, especially with the small keyboard on the laptop, so answering every one of them is difficult. Please keep sending them as it helps lift her spirits.
This weekend she is really looking forward to a visit from her good friend Denys from California, and spending her first night away from a place where people in white check on you constantly and getting to sleep in a bed that does not have buttons on the side, bend in the middle, or plug into a wall (well, as far as I know)
karen_getting_better@yahoo.com
Will post more as I hear it...
Curtis
what a great day!
i had a productive day of therapy!!! i wascable to walk today WITHOUT a cane!!! yipee!!! i said wow about 100 times!! i'm like a little kid experiencing everything for the first time with the ability of speech to tell u how cool this is. thank u everyone for your continued thoughts and prayers. they really work!! skippy
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
window seat
i'm so glad to have a window in my room. it's a beautiful day, the sun is shining and i feel like a cat in a windowsill. i;m sitting in my wheelchair in front of the window, taking in the sun, updating the blog and checking emails. i had a great day today. i talked to the dr. last night about lowering my dose of nerve medicinecalled neuronton sp? and it seems to have mADE a huge difference. i am more alert and not as tired today. hopebto see more improvements as the d the days go on. thank u curtis for the stimulating mind game care package. not sure if u think i am now rainman cuz i'm in seattle or what....but i couldn't do a rubix's cube before so i'm not sure whyu think i could do one now.....just remember christmas is only 9 short months away. i'mright, right? well, my new ackages of puddy are calling me. thanks for the card :LaBore's and the flowers alanna....thry made me smile. i hope to see u all very soon in socal....until then, love hugs and kisses to all (or most) karen
bending spoons daily
i did report to one of my therapists that i feel like i am bending spoons daily. she said that is a great analogy. i thank god that i'm 37, still have my brain and my mind and can articulate this experience to the dr.'s, nurses, and therapists so they may better understand for their future patients. my left hand, arm and fingers dont move like they used to and my mind has a hard time comprehending this. i have a big spoon for my left hand now...
health is a funny thing
my morning started today at 5am with the beeping sound of the alarm on my new roommate. i miss dorothy. new neighbor barbara had a quad bypass and is hooked up to a dialysis machine, and pees using a bedside commode bucket. i have no more privacy. at least dorothy just layed in bed and tol funny stories. my luxury of sleeping in until 7am has ended for awhile. i need sleep for all this hard work!!! i'm blessed for so many things, and i'm reminded daily as i look around and see others in poorer health than me right now. i'm keeping a positive attitude that i will get better and i have to believe this has been the key to my success. i'm fortunate for the muscle strength that i have and that i ont have to build that in order to stand or walk like others, i see people with neck braces, and who r bedridden, or strapped to their wheelchair so they dont fall out. hospitals r 4 sick people, i want out of here!! i'm encouraged by the big caRROT THE DOCTOR HAS DANGLED IN FRONT OF ME WIth the possibility of getting out next week. stay tuned....skippy
Monday, March 19, 2007
Update from Skippy
My typing isn't really great right now so I am going to dictate this to Michael and let him do the typing. He may add some comments here and there that aren't mine so I cannot be held responsible for everything entered.
The last couple of weeks I have been pretty busy with rehab and all the therapy. Like Curtis said, my day starts with a wake up call at 7 am, I have about an hour to get dressed cleaned up and get ready for breakfast. Breakfast, ha, they say you can't really mess up breakfast - they were wrong!!!
Yippee!!!! Doctor Nutter just came in and saw me. We talked about how I am feeling and how the outing went last weekend with Michael. Everything is going very well and the doctor says that this weekend I am going to be able to stay overnight at the house and that the following week if everything is going as planned I should be able to stay at Michael's house until I am released to go back to California. I am so happy about this. My friend Denys is coming up this weekend so we will be able to show her around Graham. OK that will take about 10 minutes so maybe we will venture out to Tacoma and even Seattle if I can make it that long. I really can't express how excited I am to finally be looking at getting to leave and return to as much of a normal life as I can.
Michael seems to think that I am going to be well enough to clean the house, cook, and do laundry but I haven't had any therapy.
---Michael talking now--- OMG the lady in the bed next to Karen is talking about having a catheter put in and removed and just exactly how much liquid a bladder will hold before it explodes. I can't believe the subjects that her roommates talk about. Now I know that a human bladder can hold up to 6 liters of liquid and that Karen apparently is "Pretty active in bed". Her previous roommate Dorthy filled everybody in on that one. This has been a great experience. Not really fun but an experience none the less.
---Back to Karen--- So I am excited about getting to go home, but I am never going to forget the people who have touched my life during the past 3 weeks...... From Kristy who wanted to wax my arm hair with the IV tape to Julie and Whitney in the ICU at Harborview and Maggie, Stephanie, Nancie, and Jennifer here at Good Sam. Mary, Kirk, and The-Lihn in the Physical Therapy department here have also had an everlasting impact on my life. Natalie, Janet, and Debbie here in Puyallup have helped me so much emotionally I can deal with the daily issues of this whole thing.
It's getting late and Michael is saying something about having to get home and get some sleep.
So I am going to close this update for tonight with a great big thank you to all my friends and family who have helped me with all the support and prayers you have sent me over the past 3 weeks. I know I still have a long way to go and it is going to take some more work but with every ones support I know that I will make the best possible recovery.
I will update again later in the week. Please keep the emails and the posts coming. I love reading them and have tacked all the cards up on the wall here in my room.
---Michael Here--- I have more pictures to post and will do that tomorrow.
Remember Karen's email address karen_getting_better @yahoo.com
Sending all my thanks,
Skippy
The last couple of weeks I have been pretty busy with rehab and all the therapy. Like Curtis said, my day starts with a wake up call at 7 am, I have about an hour to get dressed cleaned up and get ready for breakfast. Breakfast, ha, they say you can't really mess up breakfast - they were wrong!!!
Yippee!!!! Doctor Nutter just came in and saw me. We talked about how I am feeling and how the outing went last weekend with Michael. Everything is going very well and the doctor says that this weekend I am going to be able to stay overnight at the house and that the following week if everything is going as planned I should be able to stay at Michael's house until I am released to go back to California. I am so happy about this. My friend Denys is coming up this weekend so we will be able to show her around Graham. OK that will take about 10 minutes so maybe we will venture out to Tacoma and even Seattle if I can make it that long. I really can't express how excited I am to finally be looking at getting to leave and return to as much of a normal life as I can.
Michael seems to think that I am going to be well enough to clean the house, cook, and do laundry but I haven't had any therapy.
---Back to Karen--- So I am excited about getting to go home, but I am never going to forget the people who have touched my life during the past 3 weeks...... From Kristy who wanted to wax my arm hair with the IV tape to Julie and Whitney in the ICU at Harborview and Maggie, Stephanie, Nancie, and Jennifer here at Good Sam. Mary, Kirk, and The-Lihn in the Physical Therapy department here have also had an everlasting impact on my life. Natalie, Janet, and Debbie here in Puyallup have helped me so much emotionally I can deal with the daily issues of this whole thing.
It's getting late and Michael is saying something about having to get home and get some sleep.
So I am going to close this update for tonight with a great big thank you to all my friends and family who have helped me with all the support and prayers you have sent me over the past 3 weeks. I know I still have a long way to go and it is going to take some more work but with every ones support I know that I will make the best possible recovery.
I will update again later in the week. Please keep the emails and the posts coming. I love reading them and have tacked all the cards up on the wall here in my room.
---Michael Here--- I have more pictures to post and will do that tomorrow.
Remember Karen's email address karen_getting_better @yahoo.com
Sending all my thanks,
Skippy
The Hall Pass...
I spoke with Karen for a few minutes this morning about what has been going on over the past three days. She said that she had typed a big entry about everything that has been going on, and was going to post it to the blog, but the computer would not cooperate and all her work was promptly lost. She was very frustrated to say the least, so she asked me to write this entry this time, and she will post again just as soon as she can.
She was granted a "hall pass" for the weekend. This is like an exploratory expedition where she could go to Michael's house to see how she will function there. On Saturday she and Michael left in the morning and went to Lowes to purchase a handheld shower wand for the guest bathroom. They chose the guest bathroom because the master bath has a glass surround and she did not want to take a chance with her balance of falling into a big plate glass window. This new wand along with a borrowed shower chair from the hospital afforded Karen the luxury of taking as long of a shower as she wanted all by herself. She reports that it was magnificent. After her shower she made her way to the living room to relax on the couch with "Gooch the cat" who was very glad to see her. Gooch lay on Karen's stomach and purred and purred while she petted and scratched his back. All good things must come to an end as she had to be back to the hospital by midnight on Saturday. Sunday she again went back to the house and had dinner with some friends and family. She was supposed to report back to the hospital by 8:30pm, but was a little late. Whoops!
Back at the hospital her schedule consists of waking up promptly at 7:00am to get ready for the day. She says that she has to get dressed by herself and wheel herself into breakfast. It's hospital food which typically consists of a bowl of raisin bran, a croissant, a glass of milk and some water. Yummy. Physical therapy starts around 8:30am and goes till approximately 10:00am. Today she has what the hospital is calling "recreational therapy". She gets to go on a field trip. The hospital is taking her out for lunch where she will start to adapt to society. I know this sounds weird, but this is where she will experience how get around in a wheelchair, or walk with a cane while carrying a purse and learn how to safely pay for things, all in the uncontrolled environment of actual people in the real world.
She says that she feels like there is a constant struggle between her mind and her body. She knows that she wants to make the left side of her body do things, and sometimes it cooperates, and sometimes it doesn't. When someone tells her to do something with her left side like lift her arm, she says you might as well be asking her to bend a spoon with her mind. She reports that is very surrealistic.
She says she will write to the blog and check her emails when she gets the laptop back. Michael is checking it to find out why it crapped out on them over the weekend.
~Curtis
She was granted a "hall pass" for the weekend. This is like an exploratory expedition where she could go to Michael's house to see how she will function there. On Saturday she and Michael left in the morning and went to Lowes to purchase a handheld shower wand for the guest bathroom. They chose the guest bathroom because the master bath has a glass surround and she did not want to take a chance with her balance of falling into a big plate glass window. This new wand along with a borrowed shower chair from the hospital afforded Karen the luxury of taking as long of a shower as she wanted all by herself. She reports that it was magnificent. After her shower she made her way to the living room to relax on the couch with "Gooch the cat" who was very glad to see her. Gooch lay on Karen's stomach and purred and purred while she petted and scratched his back. All good things must come to an end as she had to be back to the hospital by midnight on Saturday. Sunday she again went back to the house and had dinner with some friends and family. She was supposed to report back to the hospital by 8:30pm, but was a little late. Whoops!
Back at the hospital her schedule consists of waking up promptly at 7:00am to get ready for the day. She says that she has to get dressed by herself and wheel herself into breakfast. It's hospital food which typically consists of a bowl of raisin bran, a croissant, a glass of milk and some water. Yummy. Physical therapy starts around 8:30am and goes till approximately 10:00am. Today she has what the hospital is calling "recreational therapy". She gets to go on a field trip. The hospital is taking her out for lunch where she will start to adapt to society. I know this sounds weird, but this is where she will experience how get around in a wheelchair, or walk with a cane while carrying a purse and learn how to safely pay for things, all in the uncontrolled environment of actual people in the real world.
She says that she feels like there is a constant struggle between her mind and her body. She knows that she wants to make the left side of her body do things, and sometimes it cooperates, and sometimes it doesn't. When someone tells her to do something with her left side like lift her arm, she says you might as well be asking her to bend a spoon with her mind. She reports that is very surrealistic.
She says she will write to the blog and check her emails when she gets the laptop back. Michael is checking it to find out why it crapped out on them over the weekend.
~Curtis
Thursday, March 15, 2007
that's me on the left
no one likes to look at themselves in pics, but everyone likes these of me in my lowest hour. as you can tell in the pic, my left arm weighs a ton and is just hanging. i have to work, practice and think to stand up straight when i walk now. it is soo difficult, but i'm doing it. my left side does not work at all on comand so this is quite a task for me. July 7th here I come!!! perhapps more pics to come even tho i dont like them. skippy
how long will I be here?
Dr. said that i should be here for about 2 weeks. no definite date yet for release. he wants me to take advantage of the therapy here for 3 hours a day. so i may be here a while longer. this doesnt mean that i'm not working hard, he just wants me to max my time here
new digs
i forgot to mention that my seniority not senility, got me the bed by the window. thanks to michael and stacey, all my goodies were moved to the better bed. my 95 yr-old-roommate checked out, she didn't die, they releSED her. i have to put this on the bloag or i will forget her stories. her granddaughter asked her if she dated much as a kid, she said no, she was too tall. but her parents did allow her to date a boy across town cuz he was rich. therefore, she could have sex with him and it would b ok if she got pregnant. what a visual!! at the breakfast table yesterdaym she tolld everyone i was active in bed. i said "dorothy!!" then she said that she thought that i moved ariound alot....not that this kept her up at nigt. the morning brforev that she insisted to the nurse that i had a man in bed with me. i said "i wish!!", i then told her that shw was gonna get me in trouble. i dont think that she cared. but michael was not in bed with me. he did go home, i promise. but it sounds like she would have approved. iwill miss her. i think my new neighbor is gonna be young, although she has not moved in yet...now 11:15am...time for early lunch...or like the folks at work know me...right on time, right rita?
Thurs update
well, I think it's thurs. hard to tell without a fireman calendar. i surehope I can get a seeing eye dog golgrn retriever who can keep track of thedays of week for me too. my vision has reay been affected, but i'm doing my best to update the bloh and answer emails as best i can. hope my dog willl be able to type too!! seriousy tho, i think that i am doing ok. there are people here with broken necks. i can't imagine. so i'm ok. not as many tears, but everyday i count my blessings and thank God that it wasn't worse than it is. i am so blessed for many things starting with michAel and how wonderful he has been. i stood up last night from my wheelchair and wAS ABLE TO GIVE HHIM A GREAT BIG HUG. FIRST TIME IN A LONG TIME AND VERY OVERDUE. sorry i hit the caps key from time to time. rthank you everyonr for your love, support, cards, flowers, cookies! yummy, stuffed animals, visits, thoughts and prayers. they inspire me to get better everyday. miss u all, can't wait to eee u all soon!! xoxo karen 10:50am
Rhonda said...
Hey Dr Murdock, good job on your 300ft marathon. Don't over do it, but you have great dedication. Keep it up. Miss you Karen, but is great to be able to see how you are doing. Luv ya.
March 14, 2007 9:42 AM
March 14, 2007 9:42 AM
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
oh lordy!!
,y roommate is 95 yrs old...conversation is less than stimulating. she thinksI'm the janitor. iIcant wait to get OUT OFHWERE!!!!!!can't wait to see what the next roommmate will b like.dorothy just asked what i was doing amd i said "emails". she said "oh nails, yes!!!" i'm giving 110%+ at every rehab session to say the least!!!!!
Monday, March 12, 2007
Tonights Update from Karen
I want to thank each and every one of you for all the emails at the address that Michael setup for me. I would love to be able to answer each and every one of them individually. I did read them all and laughed at a bunch of them. Some of you are nuts. I do want to advise you to use extreme caution in Target. LOL those of you at The Palms will get that one.
I started my physical therapy today for real WOW what a workout. I did manage to walk almost on my own for a total of about 300 feet. Yippee!!!!! OK so I was assisted a little bit but I am still proud of myself.
Michael's Mom stopped in for a visit today. That was very nice. She got to see me walk and do some other things. It was nice to see her. 2 of Michael's neighbors stopped in this afternoon Tina and Lisa brought me some clothes. I am getting an entire new wardrobe out of this. I am going to be totally set to go to any gym in the county when I get out of here.
My schedule starts at 7:00 in the morning when they come and get me up and dressed. Soon after that I go to the dining room "Club Med - Puyallup" for breakfast. About 10:30 I do an hour of Occupational Therapy and then get a little rest before lunch. at 1:00 they come and get me again for Physical Therapy. That lasts until about 2:30 I spend the rest of the day just waiting for my dinner.
The doctors tell me that I have been approved for 3 weeks of therapy but that if I work hard and things go well I could be out of here sooner. I have still been told I cannot fly for 5 more weeks, so that means I really can't return to Southern California until about the middle of May.
If I get discharged from here sooner I will stay with Michael at his house until the doctors clear me to fly.
I really want to thank each and every one of you for all your thoughts and prayers. All of my family, Michael's family, the people at Pacific Palms Conference Resort, LandAmerica, our new friends Charlie and Patty in Indiana, mine and Michael's brothers, sisters, nieces and nephews, and anybody else I am forgetting to mention. Thank you so much. All your support really is making a difference both for me and for Michael.
Have a great night and keep in contact,
Karen "Skippy"
I started my physical therapy today for real WOW what a workout. I did manage to walk almost on my own for a total of about 300 feet. Yippee!!!!! OK so I was assisted a little bit but I am still proud of myself.
Michael's Mom stopped in for a visit today. That was very nice. She got to see me walk and do some other things. It was nice to see her. 2 of Michael's neighbors stopped in this afternoon Tina and Lisa brought me some clothes. I am getting an entire new wardrobe out of this. I am going to be totally set to go to any gym in the county when I get out of here.
My schedule starts at 7:00 in the morning when they come and get me up and dressed. Soon after that I go to the dining room "Club Med - Puyallup" for breakfast. About 10:30 I do an hour of Occupational Therapy and then get a little rest before lunch. at 1:00 they come and get me again for Physical Therapy. That lasts until about 2:30 I spend the rest of the day just waiting for my dinner.
The doctors tell me that I have been approved for 3 weeks of therapy but that if I work hard and things go well I could be out of here sooner. I have still been told I cannot fly for 5 more weeks, so that means I really can't return to Southern California until about the middle of May.
If I get discharged from here sooner I will stay with Michael at his house until the doctors clear me to fly.
I really want to thank each and every one of you for all your thoughts and prayers. All of my family, Michael's family, the people at Pacific Palms Conference Resort, LandAmerica, our new friends Charlie and Patty in Indiana, mine and Michael's brothers, sisters, nieces and nephews, and anybody else I am forgetting to mention. Thank you so much. All your support really is making a difference both for me and for Michael.
Have a great night and keep in contact,
Karen "Skippy"
Sunday, March 11, 2007
Karen has access
I managed to get Karen setup with Internet access in the hospital today.
I took an old computer up there and was able to access a wireless network either in the hospital directly or in a nearby office. Either way she now has access to update this here blog thingy and check her email.
You can now send her email directly to her address of Karen_Getting_Better@yahoo.com
She will be able to check that from her hospital bed.
Please feel free to post comments to the postings here on the blog. One of us will see your comment and move it up to the main screen for you. Be sure to use a title line that will let everybody know who you are.
Thanks again for all your support and prayers. It really is making a difference in every body's ability to deal with this. We are going to get through this and Skippy is going to be fine.
LOL I just realized that some of you just said to yourselves.... "Who the heck is Skippy?" Yep that's Karen... So feel free to send your emails and good wishes to Skippy!!
Thanks again,
Michael
I took an old computer up there and was able to access a wireless network either in the hospital directly or in a nearby office. Either way she now has access to update this here blog thingy and check her email.
You can now send her email directly to her address of Karen_Getting_Better@yahoo.com
She will be able to check that from her hospital bed.
Please feel free to post comments to the postings here on the blog. One of us will see your comment and move it up to the main screen for you. Be sure to use a title line that will let everybody know who you are.
Thanks again for all your support and prayers. It really is making a difference in every body's ability to deal with this. We are going to get through this and Skippy is going to be fine.
LOL I just realized that some of you just said to yourselves.... "Who the heck is Skippy?" Yep that's Karen... So feel free to send your emails and good wishes to Skippy!!
Thanks again,
Michael
Just US said...
Hello from Chino~~
We have been "down" with e-mail and our phone lines...so we have been cut off!!! SORRY! we are still catching up on whats going on...sooo, KAREN, DO WHAT THEY SAY..(haa haah haa, like you wouldn't!!) get yourself better and COME HOME!! now, I know your going to call Seattle "home" soon enough....but NOT THIS WAY! and how the HECK are we going to have a "party" ??? one last "suckitbucket" K?? so, get up and moving, stick pins in her arms Michael and get that feeling back...K?? we're rootin for ya...and hey, you come from STRONG stock (watch out Michael!) soo, you'll nip this in the bud!
I'll call when I can...Dane got me online somehow....kids!!
see you soon!!
Just US!!
March 11, 2007 2:31 PM
We have been "down" with e-mail and our phone lines...so we have been cut off!!! SORRY! we are still catching up on whats going on...sooo, KAREN, DO WHAT THEY SAY..(haa haah haa, like you wouldn't!!) get yourself better and COME HOME!! now, I know your going to call Seattle "home" soon enough....but NOT THIS WAY! and how the HECK are we going to have a "party" ??? one last "suckitbucket" K?? so, get up and moving, stick pins in her arms Michael and get that feeling back...K?? we're rootin for ya...and hey, you come from STRONG stock (watch out Michael!) soo, you'll nip this in the bud!
I'll call when I can...Dane got me online somehow....kids!!
see you soon!!
Just US!!
March 11, 2007 2:31 PM
Hi from Karen!
I'm here in rehab. it's Sunday now. Rehab will dtart tomorrow. It will be very tough and a long road! Sounds like I will be herefor a few weeks. I love calls, cards visitors and any touch from the outside world. thanks everyone!! love, Karen
Saturday, March 10, 2007
Puyallup Contact Info
Karen's New Contact Info:
Good Samaritan Hospital
407 14th Ave.
SEPuyallup, WA 98372
Main phone: 253-697-4000
Room 027 (dial 1 + 027 , then #)
I looked on their website, and they have a selection of electronic greeting cards that you can send to patients - here is the link:
http://goodsamhealth.netreturns.biz/cheercards/
I also understand that Michael cannot stay past 8pm, so any calls after that time will probably be greatly appreciated! She is not liking this transition at all - this is the beginning of the hardest part of her recovery ~
Lori
Good Samaritan Hospital
407 14th Ave.
SEPuyallup, WA 98372
Main phone: 253-697-4000
Room 027 (dial 1 + 027 , then #)
I looked on their website, and they have a selection of electronic greeting cards that you can send to patients - here is the link:
http://goodsamhealth.netreturns.biz/cheercards/
I also understand that Michael cannot stay past 8pm, so any calls after that time will probably be greatly appreciated! She is not liking this transition at all - this is the beginning of the hardest part of her recovery ~
Lori
Friday, March 9, 2007
Holy Crap, Juneau, and a few lugnuts - aka Lori & Cheryls update
Well, Cheryl and I are sitting in the airport waiting for our 6:55pm flight back to Long Beach (we’ve had 4 rum and cokes between us, and then we will be venturing off to find the chocolate store).
Karen spent a little bit of time with the psychologist and had a little bit of physical therapy this morning, but not much. We think since she was almost out of there, they weren’t going to spend much time working with her.
We then gave Karen a shower, it was the “Two Blondes, a Big Guy, and a Wheelchair” show. Michael doesn’t think it would sell on the internet, but I think if we had a webcam, we would rank right up there on You Tube. It was a hysterical comedy show involving Nair and lots of hair conditioner… mostly hysterical when the shower head dropped on the floor and sprayed water directly up into Karen’s face. Michael and I both sat back and watched her try to pick it up while Cheryl stayed outside the door and kept the janitor and Gene out. We nearly peed our pants a couple times while we were in there, can hardly imagine what it sounded like outside the bathroom. “Juneau”, it only took us a little over 1 hour...
Since she kept asking for a therapy dog, Cheryl and I bought her a beany baby Husky dog named Juneau. So the whole time, we joked about “Juneau where your left arm is?” “Juneau if your left leg is on the wheelchair”? "Juneau that you have no fingernails cause they wore off in the spokes?" She played right along with us and it made her happy to have a soft therapy dog of her own.
The shower show and the little bit of PT pooped her out – she looked much more tired and droopy today than yesterday. I wonder how she will look when she has full time therapy.
About 3:00 we received news that Karen had been given the green light by the insurance company to stay in Washington and to be moved to Puyallup (a.k.a. Pull ups ya pants) for rehab. Michael is very excited that she will be in a facility near him, but she is very scared to be in a new place. She will be moved at 9am Saturday when transportation is available; more details with contact information to follow.
Her roommate moved out today as well, but not after many burps and lots of flatulence. Oh man, thank God Karen wasn’t given a stool softener cause we would not have made it. Or maybe she was, and she kept blaming the neighbor.
We went out to Michael’s car to put away her flowers and accumulated cards and goodies before we left for the airport. Walking back in, he stopped to change a woman’s tire, while a drama queen and Barney Fife looked on. After we found the spare tire and the “lug nut remover thingy”, he had the tire changed in 5 minutes flat. I kept asking if he would put them in the hubcap for me to dump in the snow, but he wouldn’t fall for that gag line.
Got the phone call with details of mom’s oncology appt., so had to switch hats and think about what I was hearing – very difficult to do when we were in Karen’s room. Told Karen a little bit of the call, but not sure how much she will remember. We were asked at least 10 times when we were leaving to go to the airport. . . she remembered asking, but never remembered the answer we gave her. I swear that we always told her the same one! Will try to absorb cancer stuff tomorrow..
Well, flying home now, up to Michael to fight the good fight for the time being and for Karen to start the next phase of her recovery. I’m sure she won’t really miss Mr. A.D., her boyfriend Buckwheat, Lobotomy Gene, or the flatulent roommate.
- Lori
P.S. – the code blue button doesn’t push.
Karen spent a little bit of time with the psychologist and had a little bit of physical therapy this morning, but not much. We think since she was almost out of there, they weren’t going to spend much time working with her.
We then gave Karen a shower, it was the “Two Blondes, a Big Guy, and a Wheelchair” show. Michael doesn’t think it would sell on the internet, but I think if we had a webcam, we would rank right up there on You Tube. It was a hysterical comedy show involving Nair and lots of hair conditioner… mostly hysterical when the shower head dropped on the floor and sprayed water directly up into Karen’s face. Michael and I both sat back and watched her try to pick it up while Cheryl stayed outside the door and kept the janitor and Gene out. We nearly peed our pants a couple times while we were in there, can hardly imagine what it sounded like outside the bathroom. “Juneau”, it only took us a little over 1 hour...
Since she kept asking for a therapy dog, Cheryl and I bought her a beany baby Husky dog named Juneau. So the whole time, we joked about “Juneau where your left arm is?” “Juneau if your left leg is on the wheelchair”? "Juneau that you have no fingernails cause they wore off in the spokes?" She played right along with us and it made her happy to have a soft therapy dog of her own.
The shower show and the little bit of PT pooped her out – she looked much more tired and droopy today than yesterday. I wonder how she will look when she has full time therapy.
About 3:00 we received news that Karen had been given the green light by the insurance company to stay in Washington and to be moved to Puyallup (a.k.a. Pull ups ya pants) for rehab. Michael is very excited that she will be in a facility near him, but she is very scared to be in a new place. She will be moved at 9am Saturday when transportation is available; more details with contact information to follow.
Her roommate moved out today as well, but not after many burps and lots of flatulence. Oh man, thank God Karen wasn’t given a stool softener cause we would not have made it. Or maybe she was, and she kept blaming the neighbor.
We went out to Michael’s car to put away her flowers and accumulated cards and goodies before we left for the airport. Walking back in, he stopped to change a woman’s tire, while a drama queen and Barney Fife looked on. After we found the spare tire and the “lug nut remover thingy”, he had the tire changed in 5 minutes flat. I kept asking if he would put them in the hubcap for me to dump in the snow, but he wouldn’t fall for that gag line.
Got the phone call with details of mom’s oncology appt., so had to switch hats and think about what I was hearing – very difficult to do when we were in Karen’s room. Told Karen a little bit of the call, but not sure how much she will remember. We were asked at least 10 times when we were leaving to go to the airport. . . she remembered asking, but never remembered the answer we gave her. I swear that we always told her the same one! Will try to absorb cancer stuff tomorrow..
Well, flying home now, up to Michael to fight the good fight for the time being and for Karen to start the next phase of her recovery. I’m sure she won’t really miss Mr. A.D., her boyfriend Buckwheat, Lobotomy Gene, or the flatulent roommate.
- Lori
P.S. – the code blue button doesn’t push.
Going to Puyallup!!!
Well we finally received the OK to;
1. Stay in Washington State for Karens rehab.
2. Have her transfered to the hospital in Puyallup
This is a huge win for us. The insurance company originally wanted Karen to transfer back to a hospital in California. The doctors here said that Karen was not allowed to fly for at least 6 weeks and that she would need a min. of 3 weeks of rehab.
The staff here at Harborview worked with the insurance company to allow her to stay here and also receive her rehab at the hospital close to the house....
Our stay here at Harborview has been great and we are looking forward to getting started on the rehab in Puyallup.
Now when we have visitors there are more choices in places to stay. People can now either stay at the house in Graham or at a hotel very close to the hospital and much less expensive than the ones here in downtown Seattle.
I will update again once we get to Puyallup. We are scheduled to leave here tomorrow at about 9:00 am and the trip should take about 1.5 hours.
Karen's sister Lori and good friend Cheryl Norris left today after a great 2 day visit. It really does make a difference when Karen gets visits from friends and family. Thank you all for coming up. We know it's not easy or cheap and we do appreciate it.
I am sure Lori will be updating the blog with her comments when they get home.
Karen is resting now and there really has been no change in her condition. She is in great spirits and is dealing with this better than I could imagine.
Anyway, it's a whole new group of nurses here tonight that haven't seen my dimples (that's for you Elta) and I am afraid they are going catch me here.
1. Stay in Washington State for Karens rehab.
2. Have her transfered to the hospital in Puyallup
This is a huge win for us. The insurance company originally wanted Karen to transfer back to a hospital in California. The doctors here said that Karen was not allowed to fly for at least 6 weeks and that she would need a min. of 3 weeks of rehab.
The staff here at Harborview worked with the insurance company to allow her to stay here and also receive her rehab at the hospital close to the house....
Our stay here at Harborview has been great and we are looking forward to getting started on the rehab in Puyallup.
Now when we have visitors there are more choices in places to stay. People can now either stay at the house in Graham or at a hotel very close to the hospital and much less expensive than the ones here in downtown Seattle.
I will update again once we get to Puyallup. We are scheduled to leave here tomorrow at about 9:00 am and the trip should take about 1.5 hours.
Karen's sister Lori and good friend Cheryl Norris left today after a great 2 day visit. It really does make a difference when Karen gets visits from friends and family. Thank you all for coming up. We know it's not easy or cheap and we do appreciate it.
I am sure Lori will be updating the blog with her comments when they get home.
Karen is resting now and there really has been no change in her condition. She is in great spirits and is dealing with this better than I could imagine.
Anyway, it's a whole new group of nurses here tonight that haven't seen my dimples (that's for you Elta) and I am afraid they are going catch me here.
Thursday, March 8, 2007
Cynthia & John said...
Hey Karen - you better not be using this as an excuse to skip the ST. Patrick's Day party! We are hoping you have a speedy recovery - can't believe you had this happen. Will keep checking the blog and when you feel like having visitors let us know.
March 8, 2007 12:19 PM
March 8, 2007 12:19 PM
The Cool Cash Family said...
Glad to see she received our flowers! I knew she would get a kick out of those. Michael, she is blessed to have you. Although we haven't met you yet, thanks for being there for her.
Dave and Jen
March 8, 2007 8:04 AM
Dave and Jen
March 8, 2007 8:04 AM
Thursday's novel, 2:15pm
Hola everyone -
Cheryl and I flew into SEA yesterday after a lovely 3 1/2 hour delay at Long Beach. We got up and out of the plane twice because of mechanical issues with the plane. The beer at the bar tasted good. Two taxi rides and one ripoff cab fare later, we dropped off our stuff at the hotel and made it to the hospital.
We walked into the room, and found Michael sitting on the bed with her. So like the good moms that we are, we admonished them to "get a room!" I don't know if they were upset for interrupting them, but they seemed to be happy to see us. We also got the chance to talk in person, give hugs, and be on this side of the never-ending ringing phones. When he took her into the bathroom, we closed the door and heard "great, we're alone in a room now". The one thing we noticed was how when Karen talks she is "good", and then a few minutes later her face seemed more frozen on the left side and speech would be harder for her. We brought her cards from WDT and from my boys, and we had some good laughs. Karen was very touched to see regards from some folks she had not seen for many years. She read every one as much as she could (and if you know her, you know she HATES to read), just to prove to herself that she could.
This morning Cheryl and I found a drugstore and bought her the basics - facial cleansing pads, moisturizer, hair bands, and women's deoderant. In a protest against Middle Eastern cab drivers, we walked from the hotel to the hospital. Darn near had a stroke ourselves, cause although it was only six blocks - they were all friggin' uphill.
We took her in a wheelchair downstairs for breakfast and lunch, hoping that her foot didn't drag like grandma's did, but then found that her left hand was dragging in the wheel. Darn it - too many body parts to keep track of. Reminded me of pushing her in the Hot Seat when we were kids - but I swear, I didnt push her hard enough to flip her over this time.
The therapist came and took her to the sink, she was ecstatic that she could brush her teeth. Not ecstatic that she had to work so hard opening the tube of toothpaste. After she was done with that, the chore was to fold three washcloths with her hands. That was painful and tiring for her, so now we put her to bed and taking away the phone so she can have a nap. She is supposed to walk the hall later this afternoon. We hope that Michael is finally getting some much needed rest, if he comes back too soon, we've decided that we (Cheryl and I) can take him and kick him back out. He has been fantastic through this whole thing, but a guy's gotta recharge his batteries sometime.
Pushing my luck too much, so will sign off and post more later.. ~ Lori
Cheryl and I flew into SEA yesterday after a lovely 3 1/2 hour delay at Long Beach. We got up and out of the plane twice because of mechanical issues with the plane. The beer at the bar tasted good. Two taxi rides and one ripoff cab fare later, we dropped off our stuff at the hotel and made it to the hospital.
We walked into the room, and found Michael sitting on the bed with her. So like the good moms that we are, we admonished them to "get a room!" I don't know if they were upset for interrupting them, but they seemed to be happy to see us. We also got the chance to talk in person, give hugs, and be on this side of the never-ending ringing phones. When he took her into the bathroom, we closed the door and heard "great, we're alone in a room now". The one thing we noticed was how when Karen talks she is "good", and then a few minutes later her face seemed more frozen on the left side and speech would be harder for her. We brought her cards from WDT and from my boys, and we had some good laughs. Karen was very touched to see regards from some folks she had not seen for many years. She read every one as much as she could (and if you know her, you know she HATES to read), just to prove to herself that she could.
This morning Cheryl and I found a drugstore and bought her the basics - facial cleansing pads, moisturizer, hair bands, and women's deoderant. In a protest against Middle Eastern cab drivers, we walked from the hotel to the hospital. Darn near had a stroke ourselves, cause although it was only six blocks - they were all friggin' uphill.
We took her in a wheelchair downstairs for breakfast and lunch, hoping that her foot didn't drag like grandma's did, but then found that her left hand was dragging in the wheel. Darn it - too many body parts to keep track of. Reminded me of pushing her in the Hot Seat when we were kids - but I swear, I didnt push her hard enough to flip her over this time.
The therapist came and took her to the sink, she was ecstatic that she could brush her teeth. Not ecstatic that she had to work so hard opening the tube of toothpaste. After she was done with that, the chore was to fold three washcloths with her hands. That was painful and tiring for her, so now we put her to bed and taking away the phone so she can have a nap. She is supposed to walk the hall later this afternoon. We hope that Michael is finally getting some much needed rest, if he comes back too soon, we've decided that we (Cheryl and I) can take him and kick him back out. He has been fantastic through this whole thing, but a guy's gotta recharge his batteries sometime.
Pushing my luck too much, so will sign off and post more later.. ~ Lori
Package from work
Nothing really new to report today. We are waiting for the paperwork and an open bed for her to transfer to Good Samaritan Hospital in Puyallup, WA.
She has continued to walk a little more, with the help of the therapist. A trip down the hallway and back tires her out but she keeps at it.
Karen had a huge smile on her face today after receiving a package from work. The box included a huge teddy bear that she had at her desk. This was delivered to her with flowers on Valentines Day. Also included were cards from her coworkers and some pictures that made her laugh and smile. Thank you everybody at Pacific Palms for this, anything that makes her smile really does work wonders. This is very hard for her to have to go through.
Her sister Lori and a friend showed flew in today, this was great timing as her Mom and Brother flew out last night. They are going to sit with her on Thursday which will give me a chance to run home and clean up. WOW a shower and a chance to lay down in a bed.
We should be moving her to the Puyallup hospital in a couple of days so this will probably be the last visit from the Southern California Team for a while.
She also received some flowers today that she loved.
Sorry for the quality of some of the pictures, I am taking them with my phone. But at least we all get to see her progress.
Thanks again for all your thoughts and prayers, they do make a difference.
Michael
Wednesday, March 7, 2007
Elta said...
To Michael's Friends and Family - The "wise man" was Randy in Kentucky. But you guys need to know that it could have come from Michael because he is all grown up. He has been the most unbelievable support for Karen and I am so grateful that he is there. I know that she would not be coming out of this as well as she is if it wasn't for him.
Be nice to him sisters, he's great.
Karen's Mom
Be nice to him sisters, he's great.
Karen's Mom
Sam said...
Many people up here in Ferndale (150 miles north of Seattle) praying for you Karen!
Please tell me that the "wise man" who made the comment: "We are not in control of what happens next, God is" was not Michael.
That is way too grown up for him!
Sam
March 7, 2007 8:43 AM
Please tell me that the "wise man" who made the comment: "We are not in control of what happens next, God is" was not Michael.
That is way too grown up for him!
Sam
March 7, 2007 8:43 AM
Randy said...
Those pictures remind of a TV show we used to watch. "We can rebuild her. We have the technology. We can make her better, stronger, faster" (bloop bloop bloop bloop) Watch out Michael. God help us all.
March 7, 2007 7:53 AM
March 7, 2007 7:53 AM
Tuesday, March 6, 2007
Day 5 Tuesday 03/06/07 11:00pm
BOOT CAMP HAS OFFICIALLY STARTED !!!
There is no longer any more laying around in bed eating white cake donuts capped with white frosting and multi-colored sprinkles waiting for a specially-trained golden retriever seeing-eye dog delivered by the fireman husband of the nurse that works in ICU. If this seems like a weird statement, ask Karen about it later, and I'm sure she will be thrilled to tell you about it.
Anyway, Karen has officially been transferred from the ICU to an upstairs room to begin her rehabilitation (see above pictures). Her physical therapy nurses (pictured above) have wasted no time with her determination to get better. Within an hour of her new address within the hospital, they had her up and walking down the hall, if for no other reason, just to escape her roommate for a little while.
Her doctors report that as early as tomorrow she may be moved to a remote rehab center closer to Puyallup, WA. to begin an intensive recovery process.
**** On a side note, the doctors did not find anything within the results of the angiogram to determine what caused all this. It is truly a mystery. ****
At the beginning of this whole ordeal a wise man said that we are not in control of what happens next, God is.
Peg said...
SHMAREN!!!
Just wanted you to know we are thinking of you! Shmou was worried that his half a$$ed sister-in-law didn't know she was in our thoughts and prayers (ask Elta for an explanation on THAT one)!! You look great! Stay strong and we'll see you soon for chips and salsa!
Love, Shmou and Shmeg
March 6, 2007 3:16 PM
Just wanted you to know we are thinking of you! Shmou was worried that his half a$$ed sister-in-law didn't know she was in our thoughts and prayers (ask Elta for an explanation on THAT one)!! You look great! Stay strong and we'll see you soon for chips and salsa!
Love, Shmou and Shmeg
March 6, 2007 3:16 PM
the conference service girls said . . .
Karen,
Don't worry about the photos - you look beautiful as always.
Just get better, we are looking over you groups but your smiling face is still needed around here.
You and your family are in our prayers and thoughts.
the conference service girls
March 6, 2007 1:33 PM
Don't worry about the photos - you look beautiful as always.
Just get better, we are looking over you groups but your smiling face is still needed around here.
You and your family are in our prayers and thoughts.
the conference service girls
March 6, 2007 1:33 PM
Midori said...
So eye trouble was not enough (I can't see myself going to work)? Anything to get out of work, right? Karen I was just thinking about you this weekend. I was thinking about when you might be available to get together, but that I wouldn't contact you this weekend as you were probably in WA. How things ended up for you is not even close to what I thought you might be doing! Keep your spirits up, ask for lots of ice cream, and make sure Curtis doesn't come near your hair with scissors.
March 6, 2007 9:43 AM
March 6, 2007 9:43 AM
The_IT_Guy said...
Karen! I am rooting for you over here at work. I am very glad to see that you are progressing at a good rate of recovery. :) We will have to see Tin at the Nogales High School Tennis courts and terrorize coach Alex. It's comforting that you have a wonderful fiance and family taking care of you. :) You are loved and missed all over. :) Will see you soon.
-Pedro (Duke)
PS: This is for you to see
http://cats2100.tripod.com/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/.pond/sunna_funny_cat.jpg.w300h267.jpg
March 6, 2007 10:36 AM
-Pedro (Duke)
PS: This is for you to see
http://cats2100.tripod.com/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/.pond/sunna_funny_cat.jpg.w300h267.jpg
March 6, 2007 10:36 AM
From Dave & Jen Cash
Okay, I don't know if Karen actually sees this so pass it on...please.
Oh Karen! Of course there are embarrasing photos of you on this blog!!!! Don't be ashamed...some of us have been there (Moms unite!) Dave and I were very sad to learn of your shocking illness. We are praying for you! I just love your brother helping you out! Way to go! I'm glad to see you still have your sense of humor and pray the doctors and nurses can get their work done with you around:P Thanks Lori for informing us and keeping up to date. Wow, I'm impressed of your computer skills...this is my first blog. Please give her hugs and kisses from us. Love, Jen and Dave (a.k.a.-The Cool Cash Family)
Oh Karen! Of course there are embarrasing photos of you on this blog!!!! Don't be ashamed...some of us have been there (Moms unite!) Dave and I were very sad to learn of your shocking illness. We are praying for you! I just love your brother helping you out! Way to go! I'm glad to see you still have your sense of humor and pray the doctors and nurses can get their work done with you around:P Thanks Lori for informing us and keeping up to date. Wow, I'm impressed of your computer skills...this is my first blog. Please give her hugs and kisses from us. Love, Jen and Dave (a.k.a.-The Cool Cash Family)
Monday, March 5, 2007
Day 4 Monday 03/04/07 8:45 pm
As we have reported, Karen had her angiogram this afternoon. After the procedure she was under doctors orders to keep her legs straight for 6 hours. She was anxiously watching the clock for when she could bend her legs again and she could find some comfort. That time was around 7:30pm and boy was she relieved.
As far as the angiogram was concerned, we had not heard anything for quite some time, so Michael questioned Anne, the nurse on duty. The nurse was curious too, and called the doctors office to see if she could get any info for us. She told us that the initial report was that they did not find anything. This is a good thing and not so good thing. The good thing is that there was nothing glaringly wrong with her, however, without knowing what was wrong, they don't know what caused it. More doctors are going to be reviewing the results and we should have a more substantial report sometime tomorrow. Karen is worried that we are posting embarrassing photos on this blog, so I posted this one to prove that we are doing no such thing.
We will post more as the details come in.
Day 4 Monday 03/04/07 5:45pm
Karen had her angiogram today around 1:00pm. We are waiting to talk to the doctor to hear the results to see if they have any answers. She is resting, but not in the most comfortable position. She has to keep both legs straight so that her feforal artery has time to heal. This is where they injected the dye to attempt to find some answers. She should be sleeping now, but wont shut up. Anyone that knows Karen knows this to be a true statement. Must be the meds. Ww love her and will post more when we hear from the specialists. She says she likes donuts.
Curtis the hairdresser
She wanted her hair in a pony tail.... What a wonderful brother.Their Mom says it's strange to see this after watching them try to kill each
other for the last 37 years.
Karen's Mom and Brother Curtis are here
Well here we are day 4 of this whole crazy thing.
I can hardly believe this is happening to her.
Her condition really hasn't changed much, she is stable and remains in good spirits.
The nursing staff loves her and is giving her outstanding care.
There is a little bit of feeling in her left side but nothing specific enough to say there is any improvement. She says it's like the pins and needles that you get when your leg falls asleep.
We just brushed her teeth. Even through all this she still wants to do everything she normally does. What a trooper.
Well not really much to report but I did want to jump on and let you know what was going on even if it means that everything is still the same.
I will post again when I get a chance.
Michael
I can hardly believe this is happening to her.
Her condition really hasn't changed much, she is stable and remains in good spirits.
The nursing staff loves her and is giving her outstanding care.
There is a little bit of feeling in her left side but nothing specific enough to say there is any improvement. She says it's like the pins and needles that you get when your leg falls asleep.
We just brushed her teeth. Even through all this she still wants to do everything she normally does. What a trooper.
Well not really much to report but I did want to jump on and let you know what was going on even if it means that everything is still the same.
I will post again when I get a chance.
Michael
Day 4 Monday 03/04/07 7:45am
As of 7:30 this morning Karen is resting comfortably, as she needs it before her angiogram this morning. The doctors have not yet decided what time they will perform it, but they did inform Michael that when they do, it would take a couple of hours to do the procedure. She will be under a mild sedative and the recovery time will be a couple of hours. Other than that, she is still fighting and still as fiesty as ever.
VISITORS:
On Sunday afternoon her cousin Diane and Amanda drove from Oregon to visit her for a little bit. Karen was glad to see new faces that she recognized. Later that evening around 9:00pm Elta (her mom) and Curtis (her brother) made the trip up from So Cal to Seattle. They are as much to support Michael and let him yell at somebody that won't throw him in jail as to see what they can do for Karen.
More to follow as the details evolve...
VISITORS:
On Sunday afternoon her cousin Diane and Amanda drove from Oregon to visit her for a little bit. Karen was glad to see new faces that she recognized. Later that evening around 9:00pm Elta (her mom) and Curtis (her brother) made the trip up from So Cal to Seattle. They are as much to support Michael and let him yell at somebody that won't throw him in jail as to see what they can do for Karen.
More to follow as the details evolve...
Sunday, March 4, 2007
She's still about the same.
Well, Karen slept pretty sound last night. Not waking up most of the night.
This morning she had a Sunday Morning Pancake Breakfast, looking for Jet to take them to the back yard and bury them. (She said you all would understand that)
I am sending a picture of her eating to Curtis for him to post. I take the pictures with my phone and hack into the hospital computer to make the posts and check my home email. Not sure they would be too happy with me if they caught me. Oh well.
The security guard who threatened to lock me up Friday night stopped by this morning to check in and make sure we are OK. The entire staff up here at Harborview has been fantastic. The nurses are great giving her what every she wants and making sure I eat and take naps also.
The Neuro team just stopped by and did some quick tests. I asked how it seemed she was progressing and they stated that she is actually ahead of what they normally see as recovery. They think that this is because she is young and otherwise in great shape. this is a good thing and makes me feel better. She still has limited vision on her left side and is not really able to feel anything in her left arm or leg but I tease her with tickles on her feet and put some ice on her arm last night to see if she could feel that. She couldn't feel me touching her feet, (something I think I'll be paying for later), but she did react to the ice on her arm, saying that it caused a feeling like the pins and needles when your arm falls asleep, I loved that.
She is resting now trying to get a little more sleep. This is good because it's the only time she stops talking. I have assured the doctors and nursing staff that this is baseline normal. I feel very good that this is going to pass and she is going to be fine. She has had a great attitude through this entire process. She really is working really hard to keep working on improving her condition and is always positive.
I will post again if more information comes across otherwise I will send updates as I can.
Thank you for your thoughts and prayers. They help me as much as they do her.
Michael
This morning she had a Sunday Morning Pancake Breakfast, looking for Jet to take them to the back yard and bury them. (She said you all would understand that)
I am sending a picture of her eating to Curtis for him to post. I take the pictures with my phone and hack into the hospital computer to make the posts and check my home email. Not sure they would be too happy with me if they caught me. Oh well.
The security guard who threatened to lock me up Friday night stopped by this morning to check in and make sure we are OK. The entire staff up here at Harborview has been fantastic. The nurses are great giving her what every she wants and making sure I eat and take naps also.
The Neuro team just stopped by and did some quick tests. I asked how it seemed she was progressing and they stated that she is actually ahead of what they normally see as recovery. They think that this is because she is young and otherwise in great shape. this is a good thing and makes me feel better. She still has limited vision on her left side and is not really able to feel anything in her left arm or leg but I tease her with tickles on her feet and put some ice on her arm last night to see if she could feel that. She couldn't feel me touching her feet, (something I think I'll be paying for later), but she did react to the ice on her arm, saying that it caused a feeling like the pins and needles when your arm falls asleep, I loved that.
She is resting now trying to get a little more sleep. This is good because it's the only time she stops talking. I have assured the doctors and nursing staff that this is baseline normal. I feel very good that this is going to pass and she is going to be fine. She has had a great attitude through this entire process. She really is working really hard to keep working on improving her condition and is always positive.
I will post again if more information comes across otherwise I will send updates as I can.
Thank you for your thoughts and prayers. They help me as much as they do her.
Michael
Saturday, March 3, 2007
Day 2 Saturday 03/03/07 9:30pm From an email from Elta
[From an email from Elta 3/3/07 9:30pm]
Hi all I don't know how to work that blog, so I'll just send a message. I talked to Karen at about 8:30 tonight. She sounded good but still talking fast. Michael had gotten a nap so he was sounding pretty good too. His boss had stopped by the hospital to say hello and meet Karen for the first time. What an impression! Both Michael's mother and sister had been to the hospital and his sister had gone to Michael's house to get her electric toothbrush and a change of clothes for Michael. At least they are not completely alone up there.
She should know more when they do an angiogram on Monday. Maybe they can figure out why someone Karen's age and shape had this problem. Sure doesn't make sense. Later me
Hi all I don't know how to work that blog, so I'll just send a message. I talked to Karen at about 8:30 tonight. She sounded good but still talking fast. Michael had gotten a nap so he was sounding pretty good too. His boss had stopped by the hospital to say hello and meet Karen for the first time. What an impression! Both Michael's mother and sister had been to the hospital and his sister had gone to Michael's house to get her electric toothbrush and a change of clothes for Michael. At least they are not completely alone up there.
She should know more when they do an angiogram on Monday. Maybe they can figure out why someone Karen's age and shape had this problem. Sure doesn't make sense. Later me
The Nurse's POV
I just called the hospital to see if I could speak with Karen, and Julie, her ICH (intensive care handler/holder) told me that both Karen and Michael were asleep. They had the doctor's consultation earlier today to review the test results and to try and determine why this happened. Of course, they are very curious why someone so young and healthy would have had a stroke, and of course, nothing was determined as a cause.
She said that Karen is doing well and has been making good progress today. They plan on doing an angiogram Monday and shooting dye in through her groin up to her brain to see if she has any AEMs (arterial e__ malfunctions - sorry, I missed the middle word!) that they can't see on other tests because of the swelling on the brain. They will then have a better handle on what the rest of the week holds and when she will go to rehab.
Karen has met the physical, occupational, speech and cognitive therapists, and it is determined she will need all 4 types of therapy, especially to walk. However, the nurse did say that she told Karen that she saw no reason that she would not be able to walk down the aisle in July.
She said it was good that she has all the support from friends and family and to keep it up!
Lori
She said that Karen is doing well and has been making good progress today. They plan on doing an angiogram Monday and shooting dye in through her groin up to her brain to see if she has any AEMs (arterial e__ malfunctions - sorry, I missed the middle word!) that they can't see on other tests because of the swelling on the brain. They will then have a better handle on what the rest of the week holds and when she will go to rehab.
Karen has met the physical, occupational, speech and cognitive therapists, and it is determined she will need all 4 types of therapy, especially to walk. However, the nurse did say that she told Karen that she saw no reason that she would not be able to walk down the aisle in July.
She said it was good that she has all the support from friends and family and to keep it up!
Lori
Emily_Rose comment
hey! Its Emily! I am SO sad to hear about Grandma and auntie Karent=[[ I found out at church on Fiday and I was crying... but I couldnt let anyone see, so only a few tears here and there.. that is a really crappy begining of March.
Update 03/03/07 5:35pm
Ok....let's see if I do this right. Karen is resting right now and I am taking this chance to hack into the hospital computer here by her bed. There has really been little change from the last update Curtis posted, other than the fact that every hour she is getting more and more control of her left side.Her vision still seems to be limited but she did notice when she had blood drawn from the back of her left hand. It seems as though she is having most of her problems seeing in the lower area of the left side.All in all she is doing very well. We both want to thank all of you for your prayers and thoughts as we work through this.I will send Curtis another picture to post shortly and will keep you updated as we get more news.Thanks again,Karen and Michael
Day 2 Saturday 03/03/07 2:15pm
[Curtis Murdock reporting]
As of this morning around 8:30am, Karen is still numb on her left side. She has taken up residence in the ICU (Intensive Care Unit) After several CAT scans throughout the night, an MRI this morning revealed that the bleeding had stopped, which is a very good thing. She is gaining some limited muscle control of both her left arm and leg. She was able to lift both off the bed, but could not feel herself doing it. Her brain can send the signals, but she has to be looking to see if it is actually working. She did report that she could feel her arm being squeezed when her blood pressure was taken on her left arm - another good sign.
I just had a short phone conversation with Michael around 1:00pm. He had up come from ICU which is down in the basement of the hospital. He reports that things have not changed much and said that Karen was resting and that it was time for him to get a little rest himself. He was going to get a sandwich, go to his car, recline the seat, and close his eyes for a few minutes in his car while his cell phone recharges. He says that if you call him and he doesn't answer, it is not because he does not want to talk to you, it is because there is no phone reception in the bowels of the facility.
As of this morning around 8:30am, Karen is still numb on her left side. She has taken up residence in the ICU (Intensive Care Unit) After several CAT scans throughout the night, an MRI this morning revealed that the bleeding had stopped, which is a very good thing. She is gaining some limited muscle control of both her left arm and leg. She was able to lift both off the bed, but could not feel herself doing it. Her brain can send the signals, but she has to be looking to see if it is actually working. She did report that she could feel her arm being squeezed when her blood pressure was taken on her left arm - another good sign.
I just had a short phone conversation with Michael around 1:00pm. He had up come from ICU which is down in the basement of the hospital. He reports that things have not changed much and said that Karen was resting and that it was time for him to get a little rest himself. He was going to get a sandwich, go to his car, recline the seat, and close his eyes for a few minutes in his car while his cell phone recharges. He says that if you call him and he doesn't answer, it is not because he does not want to talk to you, it is because there is no phone reception in the bowels of the facility.
Friday, March 2, 2007
An Update
I just got off the phone with Michael, and got to talk to Karen for a little bit too. She sounds upbeat, but says her body feels very disconnected - she cannot feel anything on the left side of her body, can't move anything voluntarily on the left side, and can't see out of her left eye. Michael said she cant see out her left eye, but she told me she could see with both eyes open and her depth perception is all messed up. If someone holds her left hand, and tells her, she can squeeze it to death, but you have to tell her she is being touched. The doctors are doing an MRI and CAT scans every 4-6 hours to keep an eye on the hemorraghing and to determine any possible cause, and likened what happened as a bruise to her brain. She will recover with physical and occupational therapy, the question that remains is the amount - 90%, 95%, or what.
She is at Harbor View Hospital in Seattle (apparantly it is a teaching hospital, so very good); 206-731-3085. Michael has his cell and her cell on him, too. She is in a holding area of ICU tonite until they get her into a room. Question still remains how long she will be in the hospital, it will be at least through the weekend. They had just given her some medication to help her sleep, Michael is just drained right now. Still deciding whether to fly up there or not, and for how long...
Keep you posted with anything else ~
P.S. - No, I haven't started reading the bag o' goodies yet...
She is at Harbor View Hospital in Seattle (apparantly it is a teaching hospital, so very good); 206-731-3085. Michael has his cell and her cell on him, too. She is in a holding area of ICU tonite until they get her into a room. Question still remains how long she will be in the hospital, it will be at least through the weekend. They had just given her some medication to help her sleep, Michael is just drained right now. Still deciding whether to fly up there or not, and for how long...
Keep you posted with anything else ~
P.S. - No, I haven't started reading the bag o' goodies yet...
A really crappy March
Hello all -
Some of you may or may not already know, I went with my mother yesterday to a doctor's appt where we found out she has breast cancer. It's very small, she has a good attitude about everything, and her doctor is fantastic. If I had only known that I would be sent home with a bag of reading materials and homework...
This morning, however, I got a call from my mother that said my sister Karen is in the hospital. She flew up to Seattle last nite for a business trip, and to visit her fiance for the weekend, and this morning she had a stroke. Fortunately, she was taken immediately to a hospital, and airlifted from there to a bigger facility. The amount of blood leakage was small (as strokes go), but right now she is paralyzed on her left side. She is able to talk, slurring just a little bit (like she's drunk), and joked with the doctors and nurses that she got to take this really cool helicopter ride without her fiance.
We are holding our breath for the first 24 hours to see how things go, but I wanted to let everyone know, and ask for thoughts and prayers. Can hardly wait to see what the 3rd day of March holds for us ~
Lori
Some of you may or may not already know, I went with my mother yesterday to a doctor's appt where we found out she has breast cancer. It's very small, she has a good attitude about everything, and her doctor is fantastic. If I had only known that I would be sent home with a bag of reading materials and homework...
This morning, however, I got a call from my mother that said my sister Karen is in the hospital. She flew up to Seattle last nite for a business trip, and to visit her fiance for the weekend, and this morning she had a stroke. Fortunately, she was taken immediately to a hospital, and airlifted from there to a bigger facility. The amount of blood leakage was small (as strokes go), but right now she is paralyzed on her left side. She is able to talk, slurring just a little bit (like she's drunk), and joked with the doctors and nurses that she got to take this really cool helicopter ride without her fiance.
We are holding our breath for the first 24 hours to see how things go, but I wanted to let everyone know, and ask for thoughts and prayers. Can hardly wait to see what the 3rd day of March holds for us ~
Lori
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