More Photos

This is a picture of me in the operating room. I'm the one face-down on the table and the girl with the thumbs up is my nurse.



This is right after they shaved my head in the surgical suite. The white hat-looking thing that you see was a contraption that they used to hold my head still during surgery. If you look close, you can see where they screwed it right into my head. I've just recently found all the little scabs from the holes. Yuk.



Went back to church for the first time yesterday. When you're recovering from any kind of surgery, you tend to be home where it's quiet. At church, everyone seemed to be moving really fast and talking really loud. At first, it felt a bit confusing but I got used to it. One lady was so glad to see me that she grabbed my neck and hugged me really hard. Since she was 80 years old if she was a day, I refrained from yelling and pulling away. Let's just say that it didn't feel great. People were very gracious and glad to see me feeling better. I have a wonderful church family and have never taken their prayers for granted. Went to lunch and then came home and took a 4 hour nap. The excursion definitely wiped me out.

Today, I'm just glad to not have to go anywhere since my headache is back. It's right where the swollen place is on the back of my head. Unfortunately, I have a sore throat, too. I'm hoping it's just my allergies and I'm not getting sick.

In general, I'm feeling a bit better each day. I get tired pretty quickly but if I just stop and rest, things are fine. God is good!

Pictures

This is what my head looked like the morning before the surgery.




This is me in ICU. Apparently, I sat up in a chair for 2 hours. Don't remember it at all.




Lovely bandage on the back of my head. Looks like a feminine pad.




What is this? No one seems to know. My back started itching and when my husband looked, here's what we found. Looks like a contact burn of some kind. One person said it was probably the grounding patch. Another said it was a patch that they put on you that helps to pull the skin taunt. All I know is that it's healing but STILL itching.




Lovely stitches.




Preparing to get the stitches out.





This picture and the one below are right after I got home from having the stitches out.





Since we took these pictures, I've had a haircut to even out the back. The scar is healing nicely. It's even getting hair on it! My shaved hair is also growing back quickly. It just itches like crazy now.

I still have a lump on the left side of the scar that's really tender. They did a CT scan and found that there's no leak so I'm trying not to worry about it. It's just very tender and makes it hard to sleep on my back.

I've been out and about several times now. We went to my parents house for Thanksgiving lunch and I was wiped out but yesterday, we went to the mall to look at refrigerators and I did really well. I was super tired but feel good today. I'm enjoying being out of the house. Just have to make sure that I don't do too much.

I go back to the doctor on December 8th. I'm hoping that he clears for me to drive and go back to work. I don't know if I can work for a full 8 hours straight but I'll just work myself into it.

I've really been pleased with the outcome of the surgery. As strange as it sounds, I feel different. I'm much more emotional than before (for those of you that know me, I can see how that's hard to believe...). My head is really clear except when I'm tired. Then things seem to get fuzzy like before. Sleep remedies that. My hips hurt but I think that's because I'm walking normally now. The hip was used to dragging a leg, not propelling one. I still get headaches but they're different and move from spot to spot. Today, it's on the left back side of my head where the lump is. I'm sleeping a bit better than before but still can't get to sleep until several hours after I lay down. I'm not taking any more pain medication but I am taking a muscle relaxer twice a day. It helps my neck not be so stiff.

All in all, I'm really happy with the results. Time will tell if the changes are permanent.

Haircut

Today, I went for a haircut. Whoever shaved the back of my head did a pretty good job except that it was all uneven and looked like they did it with a blindfold on. So, today, I really didn't get a haircut but more of a "hair shape-up". It still looks really strange but at least it will grow back into somewhat of a shape.

After that, my mom took me to lunch then we went to Wal-Mart to get my muscle relaxer filled. To say the least, I'm exhausted. From what, I have no idea but I feel like I've run a race or something. I guess all of the relative inactivity from the past few weeks is catching up with me. Tomorrow, I'm taking things easy. Sleeping in and then taking a nap. Hopefully, that will help with my energy level.

I can't believe that it's been 2 1/2 weeks since my surgery. I feel so much better than before. Everyone that I see tells me that I look really good - like my "old self". I've felt bad for so long, I don't even remember my old-self. My head is getting clearer every day. I even started a book and could follow it much better than before. I didn't drag my leg around Wal-Mart. I wasn't completely blinded by the sunshine. I'm not choking when I eat or sleep. My chronic cough is gone and my fingers all have feeling and no tingling! I know that I keep mentioning these things over and over with each blog but it's still hard to believe that they're gone. God is SO good!

First Day Out

Well, today I woke up without the pounding headache. I still have a sensation of my head being 'full' but no pounding...yea! The place on the back of my head is still sore and pulling on my scar but I'm hoping that will go away soon.

Besides going back and forth to the doctor, today was my first day out. My husband took me to lunch and to Wal-Mart. It was strange but yet good to walk around Wal-Mart without dragging my leg. I'm really tired from the trip but, for the first time in a long time, not tired from dragging around a semi-dead leg. I'm still a bit unsteady and wobbly feeling but I can't describe how good it feels to walk limp free!

Wrote 5 thank you notes when I got home. It was more difficult than going to the store. I really had to concentrate on what I was writing. I think it was because I was really tired from the outing.

My big symptoms are still gone, praise God. People are still commenting on how good my face looks. My scar is still sore but getting better each day. I'm still not getting to sleep very fast. I lay there for a couple of hours at the least however, once I get to sleep, it seems to be a better sleep than before.

I am so grateful to God for his healing touch, for my family and friends who have prayed for me and are making sure that I don't have to want for anything. Just trying to rest and get well so that I can enjoy the holidays.

Oh, I get to go and get my hair cut on Monday. My hair is growing back really fast so she's going to even-up the mess on the back of my head. Yea!

Relieved

Haven't felt well for the past couple of days. Big pounding headaches. I have a place on the back of my head that's swollen and tender. It was there when I woke up on Monday morning so we called the doctor and they advised us to come in. Frankly, I was worried that there had been a leak in the patch. They looked at it and recommended that I go for a CT scan to see if there was a leak. Had the scan and then waited anxiously until my appointment the next day.

Tuesday, I saw the surgeon and he said that everything looked perfect on the scan. No leak! God is good. He said that at this stage, the blood clots that formed from the surgery begin to dissolve. When they dissolve, they release all kinds of chemicals into the spinal fluid and that it what he believes to be causing the headaches. This should go away in a couple of days. They also took out my stitches which was a huge relief. They were pulling something awful. Actually, my scar looks pretty good. I was also able to wash my hair for the first time since the surgery and the surgery haircut wasn't as bad as I thought. I need to go and get it all trimmed up evenly but I finally feel somewhat human again.

I know that I have a long road of recovery ahead of me but I have been so blessed up to this point, I don't even know how to express my gratitude. God has been beyond gracious with me. I am healing quickly and marveling at how good I feel. My symptoms that were at first relieved are still gone. I have tons of people who have been and still are praying for me. I'm being taken care of by my family and my friends. My husband has been perfect through this whole situation. Dr. White has been very kind and patient with me and my questions. The staff at Mercy were terrific.

Now, I must concentrate on getting rest so that I can heal properly. At least my hair looks better... :o)

Sleepy

Thought I'd come on and try to let you know about my experience. Unfortunately for you but fortunately for me, I was on morphine so I've got some big holes.

Day of Surgery - Before

Woke up at 4AM. in order to be at the hospital by 5:15AM. As usual, I didn't sleep all that much but strangely, I felt pretty rested. I fully expected to be nervous however, I wasn't. No anxiety or anything. Wes was very encouraging as I messed around before we left.

Once they got me checked in at Mercy, they took us on a walking tour of the hospital. Seriously. A tech came to get me and the other people that had signed in and we walked from one side of the property to another. Strange. I've always been put in a wheelchair. Guess they wanted us to enjoy one last walk...

Once we got to the tiny little surgery waiting rooms, they had me put on a hospital gown. Now, we waited. A nice young man (who was a former combat medic) came in to get my vitals, insert the IV and take blood. As soon as he saw my tiny veins, he opted to let someone else stick me. Another woman came in and got the vein on the first try. That was a blessing as they usually have to dig and dig and dig.

My parents and my daughter Alexandria and her fiance, Jeffrey, came back to see me. I think that my dad seemed more nervous than anyone. I'm very fortunate that my parents have always been with and supported me all these years of strange symptoms and hospital stays. Hopefully, this will be the last time that they have to do that for me. Alexandria got really teary when she came and it really touched me.

Shortly after they left, the nurses from surgery came to get me. It was around 7:40AM. One of my surgical nurses is very good friends with someone I work with. She was reassuring me that Dr. White was the best. Maybe I looked frightened but I didn't feel it.

Down the hall to the maze of surgery rooms. They wheeled me in and immediately started prepping me. Everything was fine until they put on the blood pressure cuff. That thing was so tight, I thought it was going to break my arm. They told me that everything was okay to take a big breath. That's the last I remember.

Day of Surgery - After

I could hear voices but I couldn't seem to get my eyes open. I heard them saying that they couldn't wake me up and that they had been on the phone with the doctor. (Originally, the doctor and his PA said that the surgery would be about 2-3 hours long and that I would spend 45 minutes or so in recovery. This would have put me in ICU around 11:30A to 12PM) What I didn't know was that I had been in surgery for around 4 hours and they had been trying to wake me up for a while. Finally I woke up to a pounding headache. I asked for some pain medicine but they wouldn't give me any. They said I would have to completely wake-up first. I was really frustrated by this because I was awake enough to carry on a conversation with them but not awake enough to take pain medication?

I finally made it to ICU around 4:30PM. I think that was the loudest place I've ever been in a hospital. All kinds of monitor sounds, other people moaning and yelling out, etc. They did have a glass door on my room and when they closed it, it was relatively quite. I believe they hooked me up to every monitor known to man. It was strange because I had a hard time keeping my eyes open but for the first time in a long time, my head felt clear. No longer did things sound muddled and confusing. That was miracle #1. They gave me some pain medicine right away so I didn't have a lot of pain. I was shocked at the way I could move my head all around. Then, I noticed that I didn't have any tingling in my hands and fingers. That was miracle #2.

Wes stayed with me but my parents and my daughter were also allowed to visit. Immediately, they commented on my face. No longer did the right side of my face droop. Both eyes were the same size and my smile wasn't crooked anymore. That was miracle #3.

They brought my husband a form to fill out and when he was finished, he left the room to give them the paper. While he was gone, I saw his cell phone light up because he got a call. It was then that I realized that I could see his phone. His phone was in a place that I couldn't possibly have seen it before. I started looking around and realized that I could see everything. That was miracle #4. Later that evening and the next morning, I had two dear friends visit me. It was so good to see them and their comments about how my face looked was very encouraging. I spent the night in ICU and was moved to a regular room the next day.

I think the worse thing that happened and the worse pain I had was from the IV. My veins are really small and they tend to roll out of the way when you try and poke them. If you're lucky enough to stab one, they usually burst. Every single time the gave me anything in the IV, it hurt really really bad. Not just a sting but my whole forearm would hurt. In the ICU, at about 4 in the morning, I asked for some pain medication. When they inserted it into the IV line, I though I was going to come unglued it hurt so bad. It's kind of dark in the ICU so the nurse turned on the light. The IV had come out of the vein and everything that they had been giving me was going straight in my arm. It was huge and hurt really bad. Needless to say, they took out the IV. Now came the fun part. They tried to start another one. The first couldn't get a vein so she called another nurse. Who called another nurse. Who called another nurse. In the end, there were six nurses and 13 tries. Finally, they stopped poking and digging for a vein because one of them called my doctor and he said if I could take pills by mouth, they didn't need an IV. Needless to say, I had bruises and stick marks all over both arms.

Regular Room

To say I remember everything that happened when I got to a regular room wouldn't be true. I do know that within that first day, I stopped using the walker and noticed the most beautiful miracle of all - I didn't drag my left leg. It's been years since I could walk anywhere and not get exhausted from dragging my leg. I walked normally! Miracle #5. If none of my other symptoms had disappeared except this one, the surgery would have been worth it.

I remember everyone that came to visit but I can't tell you what we talked about. My husband said I carried on conversations with them but I don't have a clue what was said. Hope it's nothing they can blackmail me with! I took some walks down the hall and tried to sit up as much as possible. My head and neck hurt but not even close to what I though they should. I was trying to move my neck frequently so it wouldn't get stiff. I only took a muscle relaxer and pain meds a few times a day.

Another strange thing that happened. My back was really itchy and I was constantly asking my husband to scratch it. Finally, I lifted my gown and asked him to see if I had a rash or something. Well, there was something there all right. It was a huge red patch on my back near my neck. One nurse said it was the size and shape of a piece of toast. It started as really red and then became raised with a bunch of little blisters. What was it? Who knows. No one could figure anything out except that I had an allergic reaction to something that was laid on my back during surgery. It's still red and crusty and still itches like crazy but it's on its way to healing.

My surgeon wasn't on call all weekend so when he saw me on Monday, he let me go home. I was really ready. The ride home was painful but I glad to get back to my own bed. We have some wonderful friends that have signed up to bring us dinner through November 25th. I've received lots of emails, phone calls and cards.

To say the surgery has been a breeze wouldn't be true. My head still hurts (although it's not in the back but around the top and front), I have moments of weakness, my neck is really sore and I have a hard time sleeping on my back because the stitches really pull. I'm up and around most of the day but get so tired in the afternoon, I usually lay down for a nap as I feel as though I'm constantly sleepy. I can't read much but I'm watching TV. None of the symptoms mentioned above have come back. Time will tell about the others.

I get the stitches out on Tuesday and then I can finally wash my hair. We've tried a dry product on my hair and some nursing home shampoo but it's still greasy and over-all gross. They didn't exactly try to shave my head in any style so getting it back to all one length will be interesting. I'm going to get my husband to put some of my pictures on here this evening. If you don't want to see them, be forewarned that they will be in my next post.

Thank all of you for your prayers. Please pray for continued healing.

I'm Back

Well, day four at home and I made it through the surgery! Sorry that I haven't been on here sooner but it looks like my husband and daughter took care of the blog for me.

My head is still pounding a bit and my neck doesn't like looking at the keyborad so I think this might be enough for day one.

What I really wanted to do was thank everyone who has been praying for me and my family. On the day of the surgery, I had an overwhelming peace. Not one bit of nervousness. Only God can do that. Between my family and friends, I've had more prayers and support that I deserve and I have been thanking God for each one of you every single day. I'm a lucky girl to be so loved.

In a few days, I'll try to get back on and tell you my experiences. Oh, if you think I didn't like my short hair before, you ought to see it now. Yuk.

Discharged

We had anticipated Dana's discharge today but were concerned about the rash she developed on her back. We still don't have a definitive answer but we are down to two scenarios. 1, It was told to us that sometimes in surgery a pad will be placed near the incision site on the back in this case, attached by glue on the whole surface. This pad is then pulled to keep the skin tight around the incision. 2, Tap that holds the drapes in place. Kinda funny to me that we have talked to three people in that surgery room, one being the surgeon and non of them can recall which it was. We are to the point that we figure Dana has a sensitivity to the glue.
One nurse explained that sometimes where skin gets pulled or stretched can open up the skin enough to allow the glue into the skin and cause irritation.
Interesting thing is, the leads they glue to the chest on some of the sites have caused a similar affect but only on the outside edge of those pads. She has square red borders on some of those sites. I do not believe she is sensitive to latex because everyone touched her with latex gloves on may parts of her body and no problem. Other areas like her IV were covered with clear flexible tape but no redness. The area around her incision had tape but no marks. In this case I saw the covering on the incision removed and replaced 5 times before they changed it but no redness. That had to cause some pulling on the skin even more so than the other sites. Why no rash there? Well some day well will get to the bottom of this dilemma but since the rash is not spreading the doctors are not concerned enough to investigate further. Just keep an eye on it they say.

So the story of the discharge. This morning the PA came in looked at Dana's back, incision and asked a few questions. She said Dana was ready to go home and after the surgeon came by after two surgery's, he would discharge her. He showed up just after 12:00 and gave us the green light to go home today. Shortly after, the nurse came by to take vitals and let us know that she had one other patient do discharge before she could work on Dana's paperwork. I'll be back in one hour she said as she rolled her blood pressure machine out the door. She returned about two, went over the orders, gave us prescriptions and said a wheelchair would arrive to take us down shortly. Up to this point we had been extremely patience with delays. Dana had been up and out of the bed for the longest period of time since her stay, from 10:00am till 2:30pm. She had visited with 5 visitors and was tired before that from the longest and fastest walk we had taken so far. The wait seemd forever for her and she wanted to lay back down to rest but if she had they would have been right there getting her right back up. As it turned out, whe could have layed down for 45 minutes and taken a nap.
I believe that if the attendant had not showed up when she did, Dana was going to find alternative ways to escape from that room. The stairs were close to her room and I could just envision her taking flight down three floors and walking right out. She could have walked it because everything is working so much better and besides, she had just finished walking further than that this morning. She used to lag behind me when we walked but this time I was not having to slow down much at all.

The trip home was good except for the bridge on the turnpike just north of 39th street. I would like to get a hold of the engineer who designed the sections of that bridge. There are 19 of them and it is like a low level roller coaster. I slowed down to 50mph and the car still bounced as it crossed each section of that bridge. Looked over at Dana expecting to see a life size bobble head sitting next to me. If you have traveled that section you know what I'm talking about. It's almost as bad as I-40 between Morgan road and El Reno.

So we get home and settling in but Dana is watching TV and getting up and down like I have not seen in years. I'm doing some chores and she gets into bed and falls asleep almost as her head hits the pillow. It's great to see her in her favorite bed, a safe and warm place to be. I personally think she way over did it today, we will find out later tonight or tomorrow. She is a trouper.

I need to add two additional benefits we see from surgery. 1, no more chronic coughing and 2, no choking while sleeping or eating. Not that she has had a lot of sleep but not once during her short spurts has she choked. Oh by the way, she slept from about 11:00pm last night till 5:00am this morning. The most sleep she has had since I can remember. Hopefully she can get a full nights sleep tonight so she can get up and start cleaning our house, it's her most favorite thing to do...LOL Just kidding, oh stop it, she really hates it. No I will be gladly handling the cleaning until she is able and then I will still help even when she tells me that I don't have to. The way she was running around the house today, I'm gonna have to keep an eye on her and hold her back. She really does have a new lease on mobility and I'm thinking she is gonna want to do all the things she had a hard time doing before. Well not cleaning but all the other things.

Well after Dana fells up to reading everything I have told about her journey so far I fear she will ban me from this blog so this may be my last. I hope not because while I have had some time away from work I have actually enjoyed writing about this experience we have gone through. I must confess that I do not write much and am not good at it but I have enjoyed sharing with you. It will be interesting what she has to say about what she recalls when she feels like sharing with you. As clear as she is now, she may remember the events of the past five days. So far, everything we have talked about has been spot on. Oh, I need to let you know that we have re connected in conversation also, she is so easy to talk to now. This surgery has been so good for us in so many ways. Such a blessing from God to be bestowed on us at this time in our lives. If you knew Dana before, you will see a new woman in so many ways when you see her again.

I'm feeling the affects of lack of sleep and adrenalin drop off so I'm going to close for this day with the hopes I will get to share more as time passes. I would just like to say this; thank you all for the love and support, prayers and thoughts you have shown our family as we have gone through this. We are truly blessed to have such good friends.

Wes

Settling in and getting better

After getting settled in her room, we were blessed to have some great visits from family and friends. Dana was doing really well at noon when I got back to see her. She was walking without a walker and acting like she was going to break out a dance move. She walked down to the end of the hall and back which tired her out. Her bandage was getting stiff so she asked the nurse to change it. After the change she started having more pain than ever. After trying to deal with it for 5 hours, we asked the next shift nurse to take a look at it to see if she could do something. She peel off the two layers of tape and came up with the idea that placing three clear bandages that are used on an IV might work better which it did. Dana had instant relief with the new bandage. If you are ever in the same situation, don't be afraid to ask for help. I think what happened was the the first change had a wide very stiff tape that caused pressure on the incision causing the muscles to stiffen up. The thinner flexible tape worked best.
Dana has been the perfect patient. She had done everything nurses and doctors have asked. She had been pleasant even when in the worst pain. She is pushing herself to get home by walking as much as possible and using her breather every time she sees it.
I could not be more proud of how hard she has worked to get better. Her attitude is so completely positive. You can see that she has regained so many functions that she lost and it has changed her persona. She has a spring in her step (a slow spring) but it is there and a glow in her eyes that I have not seen in many years. I did not see how her condition had slowly diminished so many activities for her. It got to a point that the simplest thing became a huge effort for her. She would put off doing even the simplest of tasks because it took so much effort and energy. I did not realize the affect it was having on me. I was getting so discouraged because I was beginning to feel like she was avoiding doing thing with me because of me but it was just too much of an effort. It is such a joy for me to think about how much easier her daily tasks will become as she progresses and heals. What I have seen so far are leaps and bounds beyond my wildest dreams. A year down the road who knows, maybe we will be playing tennis or hiking in the mountains or just walking at the mall without coming home in total exhaustion. The possibilities are exciting.
On the other side of interesting happenings, Dana had developed a strange square rash about 8 inches below her incision. It is extremely itchy red and blistering. It is a definite pattern like a large bandage had been placed there, removed and caused some kind of allergic reaction. We have conjured up all kinds of things that might have caused this. We surmise that a pad or apparatus that was bolted to her head to hold her head still during surgery was cleaned with something that her body does not like. She had a similar reaction to steri strips over laperscope incisions when she had her gallbladder taken out. It would be good to find out what she is allergic to.
Well we had a fantastic time with the ladies of ECI. I can see why Dana love to work with them. I can only imagine how much easier her daily duties at work will become now that she is doing so much better than her last day at work, it was very hard for her. As I type this we are waiting for pain meds and a change on her covering over the rash. There is a chance that she will go home tomorrow so I want to be here early in the morning to see the doctor. Not that Dana is not capable of understanding but I have missed that last two times he has come in and I have a few questions for him.
I want Dana to play a trick on her other doctors like the eye doctor and go in for an exam with out telling them about the surgery and see what they say when they test her peripheral vision and find out it has reversed its direction and is much better than the last exam.

Well we removed the covering to look at the patch and the rash looks about the same. We will have to see what the doctor says about it tomorrow. Time for some rest if you can call it that.

signing off for now, Wes

Moved to a room

Dana moved to a room this afternoon after sitting up in a chair for two hours. She is taking more food and using the bathroom on her own. I know that sounds funny but it is very important to regain those functions and she has. We have had some visitors today and we love to see everyone. She falls asleep quickly but wakes up just as fast. Makes me wonder if she is getting any rest at all. Dana is really doing well, much better than I expected. We had another breakthrough that her boss noticed. Dana's right eye would droop when she was tired. Denise was looking at her and commenting on how good she looked. No drooping and her face was symmetrical for the first time in a long time.
I don't know if things will keep getting better after the swelling goes down but I thought that things would improve at a much slower pace. Dana took a good look at her self in the mirror and she was amazed at how good she looked. That really made her happy and even though smiling hurts at this point, she was, with no complaints about the pain.
Dana has a device on her legs SCD (sequential Compression Device)that pumps air in and out like a continuous massage that she wants to have at home. I'm sure that it cost way too much but she loves it. Frankly I think it is what is keeping her awake.
Well she just got some more "don't care about anything" medication so we will be trying to sleep for a few more minutes.

Wes

Recovery Day Two

From Wes,

Last night Dana's IV vain collapsed and they could not get another one started after 13 attempts so they decided to give oral meds now that she can swallow and shots instead.
Even with Ambien she did not sleep more than 10 minutes at a time. It was funny because she would be talking, fall asleep mid sentence. When she would wake up she would pick up from where she was in sentence and finish what she was saying.
Physical Therapy got her up and had her sit in a chair for an hour. At about 50 minutes she started getting dizzy but she lasted the whole hour.

Her progress is very good with close to equal strength in both arms and legs. Her left side has been weaker for 25 years. She mentioned that her left leg no longer feels like concrete and when the physical therapist had her lift her left leg she could do it equally as well as her right foot. The burning sensation down the left side of her left foot is less than recent so we are so excited that these improvements have come so soon.

She is in a lot of pain in her neck and her throat is sore and it hurts to swallow. Much of that is due to swelling from the wound and will lessen as the swelling goes down.

I just want to express my gratitude and thankfulness to all the staff at Mercy Hospital. Especially to Dana's care nurses, they have been so kind and helpful.
The Doctor just stopped in to see her and said she is ready to go to a room so she is moving to 369 in just a few minutes. I will uptate later this afternoon.

Wes

Sleeping beauty.

On my way into the hospital I heard the sweet sound of a baby being born. At Mercy everytime a baby is born a lullaby is played to celebrate the occasion. What a sweet reminder of how precious a new life is.
When I made it to the ICU mom was sleeping. I knew dad was on his way up so I didn't want to disturb her.
Her vitals were good. But I'm sure she still hates her hair.
The ICU waiting room is busy this morning, I love to people watch. Pretty soon after I got seated I made friends with the sweet receptionist, Michelle. She's a doll.
I can't wait to see my zipperhead momma! But alas I will wait to wake her until her love, my father gets here. :)
Goodmorning everyone, an update will be on it's way shortly.

Recovery

From Wes her husband and caretaker,

Surgery was longer than we expected but waiting is one of the most difficult things to do when your me. The PA said three hours in surgery was about normal then the doctor said two was about average. Well after four I was beginning to get a little anxious. If we had not had friends and family here to visit with, it would have felt like forever and my stress points would have been much higher. Recovery was more of the same. The doctor came out to tell us that all went as planned and that Dana did good through the surgery. He said she would be in recovery for about 45 minute and then into ICU. About 3.5 hours later we are told she is going to ICU. We get to ICU about 10 minutes later and have to wait another 30 minutes to see her.
Alex and I go to visit first and Dana is talking but feeling pain in the front of her head. She has spikes of pain, smiling makes her neck hurt and she feels sleepy but very coherent. We leave to let your parents come visit. With H1N1 hitting hospitals so hard they are only allowing two people in the room at a time and no kids under 18. Alex and her boyfriend leave and when Ron and Sharon finish their visit, they also leave.
I go back to stay with her, (now 4:30ish). Dana wants some ice chips and lip balm, her throat is sticky and sore. I'm testing friends and family with updates and Dana from a quite state burst into tears..."I just noticed the numbness in my hands and tingling in my fingers is gone!". The nurse comes in to see what is going on and were both in tears telling her about what she just discovered. Man, God is good!
The nurse gives me a form to fill out. This is the same form that Dana filled out at the Neurologist and at admission this morning. Wouldn't it be easier if they just made the form in triplicate and sent it to the departments that needed it?
So I take this form to the nurse at the nurses station to ask a question. As I re-enter Dana's room and she is crying. Odd thing about these ICU rooms at Mercy, you can not hear anything in the room until you pass through the sliding doors. When I get in the room, Dana is hard to understand because she is crying and talking at the same time. It might be a man thing but women are hard to understand when they are crying and talking at the same time. I'm almost positive other women can understand this type of communication but, well I'm a man.
"I can see your phone" I realized at this point that my phone is on the tray that is almost behind her. It hits me that for years she has had diminished peripheral in her right eye and that she has just realized that she can see more than she could just hours before. An overwhelming joy has consumed me in that instant and now we are both crying and rejoicing. For a brief moment I almost think I was beginning to understand her while I was crying and talking but,could this really be happening toa man?
During shift change they ask that all family and visitors leave for an hour so I head out to eat dinner while this happens. David and Sara Sutton meet me and I tell them about what happened. When I return Suzy Biggs is visiting with Dana and there is a lot of kidding and light laughing going on. A good sign that she is doing better. They visit for a little bit and then Suzy heads home. The nurse gives Dana some more pain meds while I start this blog and return some calls and texts. I think I have texted more this day than all the rest of the time I have owned a cell phone.
Just as I get semi comfortable in the recliner chair and start texting, Dana gets hit with a wave of nausea. This could be bad so I get the nurse and she quickly loads a syringe with something to to stop her from erupting. She has really done well up to this point and what ever they shot into her IV did the trick and good thing because I'm beginning to think I'm a sympathetic vomiter. Well she is in and out of sleep. Its funny because when she wakes up she thinks she has been awake all the time and she finishes sentences that she started before she fell asleep. She is doing better know so I think I will close my first attempt a blogging and try to sleep in this very uncomfortable recliner of a chair. More to come as her recovery progresses.

Wes

The day she became a zipperhead.

Greetings. This is Dana's daughter, Alexandria. Today my mother became a zipperhead.
It was an early morning. My fiance' and I arrived at the hospital this morning around 6:30am on this crisp morning. After being directed down the hall to her room we came in to find her calm and ready to stop hurting.
She still hates her hair.
Returning to the waiting room we found more of our friends and family who came to support her. We have such a support system within our family, friends and church family. About 20 people came to keep us company throughout the duration of her surgery.

Surgery lasted 2 hours longer than projected but the DR. said everything went as expected. I will update on her condition after we get to see her.

Thanks for your prayers,

Alexandria

The Last Supper

Today was an exhausting day. Still haven't completely unpacked the new office. Almost completely packed my bag. Cleaned up the kitchen and tackled the microwave. Got dizzy from bending over and looking up so anyone that comes over here - just don't look at the top inside of the microwave.

Bought dirt and flowers today for the new window boxes. I wasn't terribly smart and took the car. Now, the car is full of dirt. However, the boxes look beautiful with the flowers in them. Fell over again today while I was planting the flowers. I bent down to pick up the empty flower boxes, got dizzy and toppled right over. Landed on the step ladder and now have a bruise on my stomach. Glad no one was driving by. Just sat there for about a minute until the dizziness passed.

My parents took my husband and I to dinner tonight for my last supper before surgery. Mexican, my favorite. Nice to have good conversation, good food and a relaxing couple of hours.

I've received lots of nice comments on Facebook and had phone calls and texts from friends to remind me that they're praying for me. God has blessed me with more good friends than a person deserves and they've all been such an encouragement to me these last few months.

As my daughter would say, all I've got left is a "wake-up". I've got to be at the hospital at 5:15 a.m. That's WAY early for me so hopefully I'll be more sleepy than nervous although I will admit that the nerves are kicking in today. I think it's from talking to everyone about what's going to happen. Though no one knows what the outcome of the surgery will be, I'm grateful for the opportunity to try for some relief. God is my strength and my refuge. Whom then shall I fear?

"Well, there's all kind of trouble weighing me down
I hear the voice of confusion trying to turn me around
But I'm bound and determined to see this thing through
Until the end of my struggle, here's what I'm going to do

I'm gonna keep the rocks silent for one more day
I don't know about you
But I'll keep praising His name
I'm gonna keep the rocks silent for one more day

Now, I've been fighting the good fight mile after mile
But my burden is lifted after just a little while
You see I'm bound and determined, I made up my mind
I may not know the answer but in the meantime

I'm gonna keep the rocks silent for one more day
I don't know about you
But I'll keep praising His name
I'm gonna keep the rocks silent for one more day

Now, I don't know much of nothing about the end of of my days
But I know a little something about the power of praise
'Cause I've been bound and determined, right from the start
To keep a rock in my hand and praise in my heart

I'm gonna keep the rocks silent for one more day
I don't know about you
But I'll keep praising His name
I'm gonna keep the rocks silent for one more day"

A Day and a Wake-Up

Tuesday before surgery. Didn't sleep well again last night. Tossed and turned all night because I couldn't get comfortable. I think I kept my poor husband awake.

Took my oldest dog to the vet today. We really thought something was terribly wrong with him because all of his hair is falling out and he's got this terrible bumpy rash all over. Then there's the smell. When I called to make the appointment, I asked them if it could be mange. No, they said. If he's an inside dog, it won't be mange. Took him in and low and behold, he has mange. It's the kind that you're born with and it lies dormant until you get some other infection. In his case, a yeast infection. Luckily, it can't be transferred to humans or other dogs. Poor thing got two kinds of medicine and a medicated shampoo. I'm just glad that he's going to be feeling better.

I almost fell today in the vet's parking lot. Stumbled and then did a little dance while trying not to fall or drop the dog. Bet the people driving by wondered what that drunk person was doing in the parking lot.

Spent a good part of the day running errands and picking up last minute stuff. One last day of getting the house as ready as it can be. I'm exhausted so I hope that I can sleep tonight.

As my daughter would say, I've got "one day and a wake-up" before my surgery. The nurse called again today to see if I had any additional questions. She reminded me, again, not to bring in my bag. Also reminded me that I can only have 2 visitors at a time in my room and no one under 18 is allowed to visit me. That's Mercy's rules right now because of the swine flu going around. At least I won't have to worry about having a room full of those pesky friends of mine who are just waiting to gather round and make fun of my scar. :o) One of them actually said that we could still go shopping and that she would just bubble-wrap my head to make sure that I was safe. Another one said that if I didn't remember her when I woke up, she'd just remind me that she was my very best friend and that I cleaned her house every Friday. Um, I don't think so... Yes, my friends are weird but I love every one of them. Well, at least until they said that they would get me a HoverRound to go shopping in but that they would make sure that it has a basket so that I can carry all of their purchases...

Last Day At Work

Today was my last day at the office and everyone took me to lunch. It was really bittersweet. I absolutely love my job and the people that I work with so it's been hard to give it up for the surgery. On the other hand, these last 3 months or so have been difficult at best. I'm usually very organized in my job. I always try to stay on top of things. Lately, I can't focus. I have to write down everything or I'll forget it. I have to ask the other girls how to do simple everyday things. I can't remember who called or what I'm supposed to do with the information they gave me. Needless to say, I've made mistakes and I'm not proud of it. The others in the office have virtually carried me along each day that I've worked. I know that it increased their workload and I've hated it. But you must know that not one of them has complained. No one has put any blame on me. They've just picked up the slack. They have no idea how this has helped and encouraged me. I love all of you and will miss you terribly. I know your individual needs and will keep all of you in my prayers as I recover. I'm looking forward to the day that I can come back to the office - clear-headed and ready to tackle the job. Thank you all for loving me.

My husband is working hard on our new office and spare bedroom. Vacuuming, cleaning carpets, etc. The contractor came today and finished painting our new window frames on the front of the house and on the kitchen window. For the next two days, I'll be cleaning everything up and getting the house ready for surgery. Is that even possible? Well, at least I can try. Oh, and my sweet husband had the contractor put window boxes on the two new windows so tomorrow, I'm going to buy some flowers!

Got to take our dog to the vet tomorrow. I'm NOT looking forward to it but I hate to see him suffering.

3 days until surgery. The surgical nurse called me today to give me the dos and don'ts for the day of surgery. I've got to be at the hospital at 5:15 a.m. and the surgery will be at 7:30. I can take my blood pressure medicine that morning but nothing else. She told me to not bring a bag for a couple of days because I won't need anything. Great. At least I'll be able to have visitors in the ICU. I very much doubt that I'll be awake or even remember that they were there but I'm grateful that my family will be able to come and see me.

It's becoming more real now. Seems like these last few days are flying by. I'm going to try and enjoy the next few days and not fight with my hair!

New Office

Pretty eventful morning in our neighborhood. Our neighbor had to call an ambulance for her husband. I hated to see her so upset but glad that we could be there for her until the ambulance came.

Church was difficult today. Loud sounds are really hard on my head. The music seemed unbearably loud today and I had to leave the room for part of the music worship. Once I came back in, the loudness seemed to overwhelm me. It was a great sermon but difficult for me to follow. I was seeing him speak and could hear him but sometimes he wasn't making any sense. I was continually having to re-focus. By the time I left, I was completely exhausted. Made it through lunch but came home and crashed for a few hours. Once I got up, I felt better and not so over-whelmed.

Also had trouble with my words today. Words came out all backwards sometimes. My husband would just smile and repeat what I said. Sometimes I feel like I have a mouth full of marbles.

Well, we have a new office in our house. My daughter recently graduated from college and moved into her own apartment. My husband's office was in the smallest room of the house and he decided to take over her now empty room. Her walls were dark purple (which was actually pretty) but he wanted to paint them. He painted the woodwork white and the walls a kind of greenish/gray color and we got new blinds. Today, he finished getting all the cables fixed to hook everything up and we moved the furniture in. Well, HE moved the furniture in while I supervised. Things are still not quite as they should be but at least we have more space. Now, to find out how to put the bedroom furniture into that tiny room....

Tomorrow is my last day at work. I'm really torn about it. I love my job and hate leaving it but it's become really stressful these last few months. I find it terribly hard to concentrate and am making all kinds of stupid mistakes. My bosses are really great and haven't complained once but I know that I'm not working up to par.

4 days until surgery. A lot of people asked me about it today at church and reminded me that they would be praying for me. God has given me tons of encouragers and I am very thankful. On the other hand, the more that I talk about the surgery, the more apprehensive it makes me. I'm just trying to get the house in order and that seems to take my mind off everything. I ask that you pray for me in four different ways:

1. Please pray for the doctors and nurses that will taking care of me in surgery, in ICU and when I get into a regular room.

2. Please pray that there is no leak of the patch and that I won't pick up any kind of infection.

3. Please pray for my family. Mainly my husband who will be my primary caregiver. He runs a large fine arts facility and has an extremely busy work schedule in the next few weeks and I know that he will be torn as to where he needs to be.

4. This has nothing to do with my surgery but one of our dogs, our 15 year old, is sick. We plan on taking him to the vet again this week but anticipate that we may have to put him down. As silly as it sounds, he's almost like a child to us so this will be very difficult.

By the way.......I still hate my hair.