Suzie's Update

Now that Elaine is in Preston and Lynn is now sleeping at home.  John and I went up there last night and deep cleaned the house from top to bottom.  He no longer has dead box elder bugs inside his windows.  We cleaned the bathrooms, vacuumed, swept, and mopped.  Just wanted you all to know we did that so you didn't have to worry about it while you try to plan your vacation here (Colette and Melanie).  We also went and saw Elaine last night.  She looked really good and she had clothes on no more hospital gown!! She was very positive and was excited to see the girls.  It also has been a good thing for Lynn.  He can now take care of things at home before going and seeing her.  He seemed excited to plant his garden today.  He is no longer cooped up in that hospital room!!

She's On Her Way!!

I'm not tech savvy enough to figure out how to add this to Brenda's post, but I have evidence. She has FINALLY escaped the U of U hospital!! My mom and dad made a pit stop at our house so she could stretch her legs and have a restroom break. They only stayed for a minute and then continued on their way to  the Preston Hospital. The long drive is wearing her out, but her excitement was still evident. Let's hope for a short stay in Preston before she can finally head home!

At Last

Lynn and Elaine are heading north today! Because of some insurance hiccups Elaine wont be doing physical rehabilitation at the hospital. She is heading to a facility in Preston. It will be nice to be closer to home and it's just another step in the right direction. It's a good day!

As soon as we have more information we will post it here. 

Walking with Austin

Lynn and Elaine have become close to some of the people who work at the hospital. They definitely have their favorites. One of the favorites is Austin, a physical therapist. I think that Elaine liked him early on because he is tall and strong and she felt really safe when he was working with her. Now though, he remains a favorite because he is simply a good person. He is real, kind, and always positive.

I am so glad that Lynn was able to talk Elaine into a couple photos while she was walking with Austin today.  All through the walk they talk and even laugh at their inside jokes.

Kayl loved walking with Grandma.

Lynn pushes the chair just in case she needs a break.

She didn't need it today! 

                                    

She is doing so well and is making huge strides. These photos were taken on her third walk for the day. She just gets better and better every day!

She hasn't been moved to physical rehabilitation yet but it should happen really soon. She has one remaining chest tube that is still draining a little liquid. Once her doctor is willing to remove the tube she will be able to leave cardiovascular rehabilitation in the dust.

Another Step Forward (hopefully)

Yesterday afternoon my mom had another minor surgery. They inserted tubes in both her sides to help drain more fluid that has built up around her lungs.

After talking to my dad today, it seems they have already helped quite a bit. The plan is to leave the tubes in until Friday.

This brings up one of my concerns that I'm sure others have had also. Why does fluid in or around her lungs keep occuring? I asked my dad to clarify the situation. He said some of the fluid was existing that they hadn't been able to get out yet, some is new. Her lungs have not been able to fully expand yet due to the fluid, once they get rid of enough of it to allow the expansion, it should help prevent more buildup. This along with increased physical activity should resolve the issue.

He also delivered the good news that by the beginning of next week, mom will most likely be transferred to the rehab floor where she will be able to participate in a more rigorous physical therapy program. She has proved she can handle the move through a lot of hard work and effort on her part. When I called around noon today she was already about to start her second walking session of the day. Go Mom!

Stronger

The best news that we can report is that Elaine keeps getting stronger. She now walks with a walker and she consistently goes a little further each time (usually twice a day). This is exactly what she needs to be doing. She is evaluated on a daily basis and just as soon as she can tolerate three hours of physical therapy a day she will be moved down to the rehabilitation unit.

If she could be persuaded,  I would like to put a picture of her on here. Her hair is growing fast and is so beautiful. One of the nurses compared her as she is today to the family picture here in her room. She said she thinks she is more beautiful today, with shorter hair, because you can see so much of her natural beauty. I completely agree!

We are so very grateful for all your continual prayers on Elaine's behalf. Love to all!

Breathing Deep

As mentioned before, breathing has been a bit of a struggle for Elaine. They give her a medicine to help remove excess fluid but when the doctors looked at x-rays today they determined that there was just too much fluid that was preventing her from breathing deep enough.

Elaine's platelets have been low and as long there isn't a reason for bleeding it's been okay. The platelets help the blood clot. In anticipation of removing the fluid off of her lungs the first thing they had to do was give her platelets. As they were prepping her the doctor asked Elaine if she had any concerns. She just looked him in the eyes and told him she trusted him. I think she made his day.

The next step was to do an ultrasound on her back so they could see exactly where the fluid was settling. Once they had the right spot they inserted a catheter as small as a needle between her ribs on her back and they successfully removed 1.25 liters of fluid.

As they were finishing the doctor asked Elaine if she could feel the difference and she said that she could. It was visibly obvious to Lynn and I that she was definitely able to take deeper more effective breaths. The doctor then said, "that couldn't have gone better." We were all able to take deeper breaths with that statement.

While I was there today I heard two different nurses say how sweet Elaine is. Her days aren't easy but she is always willing and so kind. She is an amazing example to everyone.