A day of getting rid of things

Both the catheter and the dialysis catheter came out today.  YAY!!! 

Nancy had 2 good therapy sessions.  In OT I got her from the chair to the mat to the commode to the chair.  We were very pleased.  She was even getting a little tired when we did it so we should be good when she gets home. 

The gastroenterologist was in today and said we are in a waiting period to see what happens.  None of the tests were definitive so we wait.  He was going to write an order for her to get yogurt to help with the diarrhea.  That too may be a wait and see what happens.  Hopefully it will clear up soon.  It is getting better.

Still working on the appetite.  She is eating a little better (not much) but there is definitely room for improvement.  She has eaten the pasta that Bernie brought this weekend.  I'm going to make some chicken with a lemon caper sauce and see if she will eat that.  Any ideas gladly accepted.

Please keep her in your prayers and thanks for your continuing prayers and support.

Doing the Snoopy Happy Dance

DIALYSIS IS OVER!!!!!  Nancy didn't have dialysis today and they are taking out the dialysis catheter.  Now we just have to wait and see if she starts voiding her bladder.  They are going to remove the catheter tomorrow and see what happens.  If she doesn't start voiding her bladder they will have to put it back.  We don't want that.

We are starting to plan for her discharge from the hospital.  It is now scheduled for August 9.  We have ordered a transfer board and bed pads to facilitate transferring her to and from the wheelchair.  We are also starting to plan our work around here to get her ready to move to Virginia.  I've been working here to get the house ready for her return.  She is not going to recognize the place.

Her therapy today went very good.  I got there in time to make one of the transfers so the therapist could observe and give me pointers.  I'm going tomorrow to work on the transfer to the commode.  Since she doesn't have a bathroom on the first floor she will have to use a commode for a while.

Please keep her in your prayers and thanks for your continuing prayers and support.

Another Good Day

Nancy had 2 good therapy sessions again today.  She was the only one that got full sessions, everyone else got 45 minute sessions.  She is doing really good with the therapy.  She is able to do everything they give her to do.  Of course she says she is not very good at it.  But then she does it.  She wants to be able to do things like nothing has happened. 

The afternoon was spent visiting with friends.  Three people from the Church Choir, two from work and our friend Bernie drove in from Harrisburg.  Bernie came equipped with pasta with anchovy  sauce that Nancy loves. Thanks to everyone for visiting today.

The late afternoon and evening Nancy and I visited and she napped.  It was a good day.

We will find out tomorrow if she has to have dialysis so please keep her in your prayers and thanks for your continuing prayers and support.

What a day!

Nancy is doing fine.  She had a brief therapy session this morning and then had the rest of the day off.  Mark and I had planned on working here all day to get the house ready for her homecoming.  He was sick this week but drove up here yesterday anyway.  Poor guy slept most of the time he was here.  He went home this morning to take care of himself.  After he got home he slept  pretty much all day.  He is feeling a little better tonight.  I worked here until about 3:30 and then went to the hospital. 

Thanks to Eva and Ruth for visiting today and keeping Nancy company in my absence.  Nancy and I watched a little TV and she read the blog.  All in all it was a good day. 

She got the results of the biopsy they took during the colonoscopy it was benign.  YAY!  She will have a full 3 hours of therapy tomorrow.  We are still hoping that she is done with the dialysis. They are testing every day. 

Please keep her in your prayers and thanks for your continuing prayers and support.

And the Great Days keep coming

Nancy is doing great.  She had 2 productive therapy sessions today.  I'm now starting to do some of the transfers for the therapists.  Transfer=move her from the chair to the bed, bed to the chair etc.  I've been watching and helping.  Today I did my first solo transfer, it was just Nancy and me.  It went fine.  Nancy said she felt comfortable.  The therapist said he was comfortable with the way we worked together.  We still have some practicing to do but they are giving me pointers and hints.

No dialysis again today, what a great thing.  Her creatinine level was 2.4 today.  Yesterday it was 2.5.  The doctor is hoping to see it plateau and stay consistent. 

Please keep her in your prayers and thanks for your continuing prayers and support.

Thunderstoms delay posting

Sorry I didn't post last night.  I'm from the old school where you don't use electronic devices during a thunderstorm and we were having on here in Marcus Hook.

Nancy is doing great.  She had 2 good therapy sessions yesterday.  I'm starting to help with the transfers so I'll get the practice.  She asked to sit up in her chair yesterday afternoon.  She said she didn't want to spend the whole day in bed.  I hadn't been to a therapy session for a while.  I went yesterday and I can see very much improvement.  She is really getting stronger and able to do more for herself. 

She is NOT having dialysis again today.  YAY!!!  She is on a day by day basis with the dialysis.  If the blood work comes back good she doesn't have to have it.  Her appetite is returning as are her taste buds.  I gave her a mint lifesaver yesterday and she said it was really minty.  They are the same lifesavers she has been eating for about a week.

Please continue to pray for her and thanks for your continuing prayers and support. 

And It's Another GREAT Day

NO DIALYSIS TODAY!  The kidney Doctor was in and said her blood tests were good and he was not scheduling dialysis today.  If the levels hold where they are she may not get dialysis on Friday either.  She was so much better tonight.  She stayed awake and we were able to carry on a conversation. 

Her appetite is returning.  The thought of food is starting to have an appeal again.  Today she put in her order for a Grilled Chicken sandwich on flatbread from Subway and a Coke Slurpee from 7 Eleven.  She also ate more of her lunch and some watermelon. 

She is doing really good in therapy.  I haven't been with her to witness her progress until today.  I got there around 11:00 and she was still in OT.  The therapist had her doing pushups in the wheelchair.  She was able to lift herself off the seat by pushing on the arms of the chair.  She is also able to lift her left leg now.  She has needed help until now.  It's amazing the progress she has made.  If she no longer needs dialysis who knows what progress she will make in the coming days. 

Please keep praying for her.  No dialysis would give her a big advantage in the recovery process.  Thanks for your continuing prayers and support.

What a Wonderful Life

Nancy is doing fine.  The colonoscopy and endoscopy went fine.  Although the prep was not at all pleasant.  She has multiple ulcers and one polyp.  We will have the results of the biopsy soon but there is no reason to believe that it won't be good news.  Our prayers have been answered.  We are still not sure how to prevent this from happening again, but at least we have something to work with.

Most of the day was consumed by the tests.  The prep was still going on when I arrived at 11:00.  She went for the tests at about 1:15 and was back in her room at about 3:15.  She was a little groggy this afternoon and early evening but had perked up by about 7:30.  She was watching the Phillies game when I left. 

Tomorrow she should be back on her regular schedule of therapy.  The kidney Doctor was in this morning.  They are doing blood tests and if the results are good she may be able to skip dialysis tomorrow. 

Please keep praying for her and thanks for your continuing support.

What a Day

Nancy had a really good day in therapy.  She wheeled herself around in a wheelchair.  She said Jaime really worked her hard in physical therapy and Pete increased the weight of the bar she lifts in occupational therapy.  With all of that she still looked good after it was all over.  She said she felt tired but not exhausted.  She didn't look tired as she sometimes does.  She is really trying hard.

Dialysis got started late this afternoon so that through everything off.  She was supposed to start the prep at 5:30 for the tests tomorrow.  It didn't get started until about 7:30 because of the late dialysis.  I doubt if she will get much sleep tonight.  She still has a good attitude though. 

Please keep her in your prayers.  The tests are schedule for early afternoon.  Thanks your your continuing prayers and concern.

The Search Begins

Nancy is doing fine.  She had a quiet day today after much company yesterday.  She is resting and getting ready for a big week. 

They are going to start looking for the cause of all of this.  If you remember when she went in the hospital it was because of a GI bleed.  The bleeding stopped and all the rest of the issues took precedence.  Now that she is stable and recovering from the surgery the doctors think (after Nancy and I raised it to them) it would be a good idea to do some tests to try and determine what happened to cause all of this. 

She will be having a colonoscopy  and endoscopy on Tuesday.  She started her clear liquid diet today and will start the prep tomorrow afternoon.  She will still have therapy tomorrow but we are not sure about Tuesday. 

Thanks to all the people who visited her this weekend.  She really enjoys the company.  Mark and I are planning on working on Nancy's house next weekend especially Saturday.  If anyone can go visit Nancy on Saturday please let me know.  I would like to make sure she has some company during the day.  Mark and I will still go to the hospital in the evening.

Please keep Nancy in your prayers as she faces the tests on Tuesday and continues to work really hard at rehab.  Thanks for your continuing prayers and support.

Another Great Day

Nancy is doing fine again today.  She had therapy this morning which went very well.  She is getting stronger every day. 

This afternoon she had several visitors along with Mark and me so she was kind of tired tonight.  She is in good spirits and continues to look forward to moving on from this ordeal. 

Please keep her in your prayers and thank for your support and concern.

Another Good Day

Nancy is making progress.  She had 2 good therapy sessions today.  They were back to back because of dialysis.  I got to the hospital about 11:00am she was already in her second session.  When I got there she was doing an exercise with a pulley for her arms.  She looked good and was really working on the exercise.  Shortly after that the session was over and we took her back to her room. 

She had dialysis at noon and when I got back to the hospital at about 5:00 she was pretty wiped out.  We chatted a little but she slept most of the time.  They came in around 7:40 to take her for an ultrasound so I left for the night.  She continues to be in good spirits. 

She is still putting out urine with the Foley.

Please continue to pray for her and thanks for all of your prayers.

A Beautiful Day

Nancy is doing great!  She called me at 8:00am to tell me that she had fluid in her bladder.  Which means her kidneys are working again.  They just have to figure out why she can't void her bladder. 

She had 2 good rehab sessions today.  She felt very good about them and said she was able to do everything they asked her to do and wasn't exhausted.

Tonight was company night.  Four of her friends from work stopped by bearing pizza.  Nancy ate a slice and a half.  This was after she had her dinner and a water ice from Rita's.  She didn't eat much of her dinner but still this was more than she has eaten for a long time.  Her friend Eva also came by which always makes her happy.  Eva has been really faithful about coming pretty much every other day.  Nancy looks forward to her visits.

They have set her tentative discharge date for August 2.  This is an extension of a week over the last time.  The rehab folks say she is making such good progress they feel the extra week will be very beneficial toward her getting more independent.

Please continue to pray for her and thanks for all your prayers and concern.

Back in Pennsylvania

After my brief visit home, I'm back in PA.  The day started with a call to Nancy having dialysis at 8:00am.  After the initial shock that they had done it again I got my stuff done in VA and headed back to PA.  I spent the whole drive planning what I would do once I got to the hospital.  I had several good conversations in the car but didn't need any of them.

Nancy informed me that hopefully the issue has been fixed.  She assured me that if they came in Friday before her therapy she was going to refuse to let them do dialysis.  Later this afternoon the dialysis nurse came by to assure Nancy that the problem with scheduling had been fixed.  Nancy told her that she hoped it had because she was going to refuse dialysis if they came before her therapy.  You go Nancy.

She was in good spirits and said she had good therapy sessions yesterday.  She had physical therapy today but the skipped the occupational therapy. 

Please continue to pray for her and thanks for your prayers and concern.

A Good Day

I'm posting from Virginia tonight.  I had to come home to get my car inspected.  I'll be back in PA tomorrow afternoon.

Nancy had a good day today.  She is no longer in isolation (c diff test came back negative) so she went for therapy today.  She had 2 good sessions.  Physical therapy this morning and Occupational therapy this afternoon.  She said she was tired but not exhausted.  She sounded GREAT on the phone.  Her voice was strong and she was in good spirits.

Please continue to pray for her and thanks for all of your concern and support.

Another Day of Mixed Emotions

Bottom line, Nancy is doing ok but not great.

The day started really great.  I talked to Nancy at about 8:00am they were doing therapy in her room.  She is temporarily in isolation because the test results haven't come back on whether she has c diff or not.  When I talked to her, her voice sounded strong and she was good.  I went to the hospital around 11:00am and she said she had had good therapy sessions.  She had eaten her breakfast sitting on the side of the bed and she was still doing fine.

They started dialysis at around 11:30am and I left to come back here to work.  I went back to the hospital at about 4:00pm and as usual after dialysis she was pretty tired.  She slept most of the evening. 

Her kidney doctor came in around 7:15pm to say that her kidneys were not working as good as he had hoped.  He asked me to give him my zip code so they could start researching dialysis centers in the Arlington area.  This bummed Nancy a lot.  After he left she said "that's not good."  We talked about it and I tried to explain that the Doctor was working under the assumption (that we probably gave him) that Nancy would be moving to Arlington about 2 weeks after she left the hospital.  He did not say that the dialysis would be permanent. 

She is starting to be concerned about becoming a burden.  I told her twice tonight that she would never be a burden to me.  She is my sister, I love her and will do whatever I have to to make sure she lives a happy life for however long we have left.  She did smile for me but I don't think her heart was in it.  I'll try again tomorrow.

I forgot in last night's posting.  Thanks Peggy for bring the cookies for the nurses.  They really enjoyed them and they commented on how nice that was and indeed it was.  A big thank you from Nancy and me.

Also, in the midst of all of this Mark and I have been having trouble with our air conditioner.  It went out the first time on June 29.  Then the power went off.  We got the power back on July 2 but still no air.  It got fixed on July 3 and went out again yesterday.  Mark had to leave for West Chester, NY yesterday and the repairman couldn't come until today.  Our friend Patsy volunteered to come to our house and wait for the repairman.  This is particularly noteworthy because Patsy is allergic to cats and we have 3 cats.  So a big THANK YOU to Patsy for being a great friend.

Please keep Nancy in your prayers.  The news tonight although not terrible was disappointing for her.  Thanks you for all of your concern and prayers during this ordeal

A Peaceful Day

Today was a peaceful day fill with visits from friends and family.  I was finally able to get my Mother's cousin over to see Nancy.  Nancy has been wanting to see her and she was scheduled to come last Saturday but she got sick and couldn't make it.  So today was the day and Nancy really enjoyed her visit.  This afternoon several friends stopped by which always boosts Nancy's morale.  She was a little tired tonight and said she didn't know talking could make you tired. 

She still doesn't have an appetite.  She is not eating very much.  She does like Rita's Water Ice and ate most of the one I got her.  She then drank some of what had melted. 

The physical and occupational therapists came to her room to give her therapy.  She is in semi isolation until they determine what is causing her to have diarrhea.  So today everyone was decked out in blue plastic gowns and gloves.

Her spirits continue to be good and she is looking forward to getting the show on the road. 

Please continue to pray for her and thanks for all your support and concern.

Continued Fallout

Nancy continues to be affected by the events of yesterday.  She is still extremely tired and worn out.  She slept most of today so there isn't much to report.  We did get to talk with the kidney doctor.  He said things were looking good and he wants to do some blood tests tomorrow and if the results of those come back ok, he may write an order for her to skip dialysis on Monday.  We talked to him about what happened on Friday.  He said it shouldn't have happened like that, she should have gone to therapy first and then had dialysis.  We asked him to make sure it doesn't happen again. 

She continues to be in good spirits.  Mark was here so we talked  about what we wanted in our new home.  It is exciting to plan our new living arrangement. The thought of being able to see Nancy every day and have her be a part of our everyday lives is very exciting for both Mark and me.  We are looking forward to our new family unit and establishing a home for the three of us.

Please continue to pray for her and thank you for all your support and concern through this ordeal.

A Day of Mixed Emotions

The day started out with Nancy receiving dialysis at 6:30am.  When I got there at 8:30 she still had over an hour to go.  I knew this was not good because dialysis always exhausts her.  To have dialysis and then be expected to go to physical therapy was not going to be good.  That proved to be true.  When the techs got her out of bed for therapy they didn't do a very good job and it took them a while.  She said she was scared for the first time. 

We got to physical therapy.  She went through some of her exercises and got more tired by the minute.  The therapist got her out of the chair and put her on a mat.  It took 3 of them to get her back in the chair.  I took her back to her room for lunch.  Her lunch was there but she couldn't eat because she was so tired.  I took the tray and she laid her head on the table.  She didn't want to get back in bed because she only had about 20 minutes until she was scheduled for occupational therapy. 

We got to occupational therapy and explained to the therapist what had happened in the morning.  He was extremely understanding and immediately got her onto a mat so she could rest.  She did a few light exercises and then he said she had, had enough and put her back in her chair and took her back to her room.  During her time in OT the chief of OT had contacted the dialysis folks to find out why they had done her dialysis in the morning when on the PT/OT schedules she was scheduled of therapy in the morning and dialysis in the afternoon.  We haven't heard the results of that inquiry.

Now for the good news.  Her kidneys are starting to work again.  That was such good news it almost wiped out the horror of the rest of the day.  At one point she said to me "this was a terrible day and I'm glad it is over." 

If this happens again I may be taking on the medical community.  They do NOT want to mess with me where my sister is concerned.  Trust me.

Please continue to pray for her to have the strength to go on, and for her kidneys to continue to work.  Thanks for your concern and support.

3 Sets of 15 Reps Each

Rehab went much better today.  Nancy was not nearly as worn out.  She is getting stronger with each session.  She got in her wheelchair at a little before 9:00 am and with the exception of getting on a mat in rehab was in the chair until about 3:30 pm.  She hasn't been out of bed that long since June 24.  This was only her second day in rehab and I could see a big difference in her stamina. 

Speaking of rehab, I can't say enough good things about the Rehab Center at Taylor Hospital.  Everyone there is outstanding.  I don't know how they do their recruiting but they seen to have gotten the best of the best.  Never before have I seen such a collection of so many fantastic people in one place. 

Nancy's attitude continues to be the best.  She is amazing!  She is working very hard and continues to maintain her high spirits and faith.  What a woman!  I've heard her say over and over "Whatever it takes."

Please continue to pray for her and the issue with her kidneys.  Thanks for all that you have done.

First Day in Rehab

Nancy started rehab this morning.  When I arrived at about 8:45 the occupational therapist had already been in her room and had her sitting up on the side of the bed.  She was back in bed when I got there and already a little tired. 

We went to physical therapy at about 9:00.  They started her on some exercises to strengthen her left leg.  They were all very nice and understanding.  After about 45 minutes in PT she went to Occupational Therapy.  There they asked her a lot of questions and let her wash her hair with a waterless shampoo.  Then they got her out of the wheelchair using a board she slides across.  After resting for about 10 minutes they got her back in the wheelchair using the board.  Each time she got a little better at it and was able to help them more. 

They took her back to her room at about 11:30 and she stayed in the chair until at least 12:30 while they set up the dialysis machine.  She was on dialysis the rest of the afternoon.  I came back here to continue the work here at the house to get ready for her.  Any time she spends here will be temporary. 

She has agreed to move to Virginia.  She is going to retire and get a much earned and deserved rest.  Mark and I are looking forward to establishing a home with her.  She will have followup visits with doctors once she is released so we will probably stay here until those are finished.  That will give us time to go through some of her stuff and for her to decide what she wants to take.  Obviously this will be a big project and take some time.  I've already started getting rid of things I know she just didn't have the time or energy to clean out. 

Please continue to pray for her, as her kidneys are still not working.  Thanks for all of your prayers and support through this difficult time.

Nancy moves to rehab

The day started with Nancy at Crozer Chester Medical Center.  When I got there about 11:00 she said no one had mentioned her moving today.  The physical therapist had been in and she said she was too weak to stand.  The physical and occupational therapists were coming at 1:30 for another session.  Nancy decided that she was ready to have her cell phone so when the therapists arrived I came back to the house to pick up her phone.  I planned on going back to the hospital around 3:30.

I was approaching the hospital when my phone rang.  It was Nancy to tell me that she was moving at 5:00.  She wanted clothes.  I turned around in the driveway of the hospital and came back to get her clothes.  Clothes in hand I returned to the hospital.  In my absence a beautiful flower arrangement had been delivered from the people she works with.  That was the second one.  The practice she works for has several offices and one of the other offices had sent flowers earlier in the week.  So I carried the flowers out to the car and when they came to move her brought the flowers back to the house.  I will take them to Taylor rehab now that she is settled. 

Taylor rehab is a great place and the folks all seem very nice and attentive.  She starts rehab tomorrow morning.  She can have up to 2 people go with her.  I will be going tomorrow since it is her first day. 

She will continue to get dialysis at Taylor.  They will bring the machine to her room and do it there.  She will be getting dressed each day so no more hospital gowns except to sleep. 

Please continue your prayers and thanks for all you have done.

A Blessed Day

NANCY STOOD TODAY!

The day started with me showing up at the hospital to find an empty room where Nancy should have been.  She had been taken to have the catheter for the dialysis replaced.  Her nurse wasn't sure how long it would take and said she might go straight to dialysis.  He agreed to call me when she got back to her room.  So I left and came back here to the house.  Nancy called at about 1:30 to say she was back in her room.

I traveled back to the hospital.  They were unable to get the new catheter in so that is why she was back in her room.  They said they would retry tomorrow.  After about 20 minutes they came to get her.  They said they had a cancellation and were going to try the catheter again.  So I came back to the house.  Nancy called about 3:30 to say she was back in her room.  They decided it was too soon to try the catheter. 

I traveled back to the hospital.  As I was walking down the hall to her room I saw them wheel a gurney into the room.  They were coming to take her for dialysis.  We spoke for about a minute and she told me that the physical and occupational therapists had been in and she had stood up twice.  They took her for dialysis and I returned to the house.  Since dialysis takes about 4 hours haven't heard from her. 

Princess, Nancy's cat, has enjoyed my being here most of the day.  Every so often she will hunt me down to get her head rubbed and scratched.  She and I have been doing a little bonding while I have been here.  She has decided that I'm not such a bad guy but still not a replacement for Nancy. 

Thanks to everyone for their prayers and support.  Please continue to pray that Nancy's kidneys will begin to work on their own and that she will continue to make progress as she moves to rehab.  That move will probably take place tomorrow.  She is schedule to go to Taylor Hospital for rehab. 

A Beautiful Day

Nancy continues to improve.  The nurse said today they are planning on taking her off the heart monitor.  She is in good spirits and looking forward to rehab.  She may be moved to rehab as early as Tuesday. 

She still is not having any pain.  They changed the dressing this afternoon and she said it did not cause her any discomfort. 

Her kidneys are still not working and she is still having dialysis.  So please continue to pray for her and send healing energy to her kidneys. 

Thanks again for being such a great support system.  You all are GREAT!

Doesn't she look GREAT!

I forgot to add this last night. 

Things Keep Getting Better

Nancy was moved out of the step down unit today.  She still has the heart monitor but is constantly improving.  Her surgeon was in and said everything looked fine with the surgery.   The most amazing thing today is that she is PAIN FREE.  Only 2 days after having her leg amputated she has no pain.  Even when the surgeon changed the dressing she said it didn't hurt.  She is no longer taking any pain medication.

Her kidneys are still not working but the doctors is confident that it is only temporary.  She will continue on dialysis every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. 

We continue to need your prayers and thank you very much for all your prayers to date.

A Beautiful Day

Nancy continues to make progress.  Dialysis usually tires her out a lot.  Today she had dialysis and it didn't seem to phase her.  When we got there she was awake and very alert.  She napped a little but not as much as she has been.  The doctors say all her signs are good and she is making good progress.

Yesterday she was in considerable pain (of course she had just had the operation) the nurse got her pain medication approved for every 2 hours.  Today not so much pain.  This afternoon she asked the nurse when she had gotten her last pain shot.  The nurse told her that it had been in the morning.  Nancy assured the nurse (who has been very attentive to Nancy's pain level) she was just curious because she wasn't in any pain. 

Nancy has worked out a mental system.  When she feels a little pain she repeats verbally relax, relax, relax and the pain goes away.  What an amazing woman my sister is.

Thanks for your prayers that have gotten her this far and please continue to remember her in your prayers.

WHAT A STRONG WOMAN

We arrived at the hospital at 8:30 am to find Nancy in good spirits waiting for her surgery.  As we waited for her to be taken to the operating room she dozed and seemed very calm and peaceful.

Her surgery got a late start and didn't begin until 10:26am (scheduled for 9:30).  The surgeon came out at about noon to say the surgery was complete and had gone well.  They had to do an above the knee amputation.  Once she has completed her recovery in the hospital she will have to go to rehab.  Nancy was in recovery for about 2 hours and was returned to her room a little after 2pm.  She was still very groggy but awake.  She continued to sleep for the next hour and a half.  Right after she returned to her room they brought a lunch tray for her.  When she woke up at about 3:30 she asked what was on the tray.  She ate some frozen yogurt that she really enjoyed and some pears.  At about 5:00 they brought her a dinner tray and she ate some chicken, broccoli and angel food cake.  She has put in her order for a root beer Italian Ice from Rita's for tomorrow. 

All in all she is very awake and alert and has accepted the amputation like a champ.  At one point early this evening she raised her head off the pillow and looked down at the bed.  I asked her what she was looking for and she responded "the stump".  They had covered it with a pillow so I lifted the pillow and touched her leg, she said she could feel my touch and then I showed her on the pillow where it was.  She said ok and laid her head down and that was it.  She didn't mention it again and was ok for the rest of our visit.  WHAT A STRONG WOMAN SHE IS! 

All of the people taking care of her are wonderful.  They are like family. 

Another Quiet Day

Nancy was good today but very tired.  She started the day with dialysis and that always makes her tired.  Mark got here at about 11:30 this morning.  I hadn't told her he was coming because when he couldn't make it yesterday she was very disappointed.  When he came in her room she got a big smile on her face and was very happy to see him. 

We got her TV hooked up and she was planning on watching A Capital Fourth.  When we were both younger she used to come to Virginia and we used to go to the National Symphony Concerts at the Capital.  It was a lot of fun and we both enjoyed it.  As we got more mature we both decided we would enjoy it more on the sofa at home where it was air conditioned. 

Her surgery has been scheduled for 9:30 tomorrow morning.  Please keep her in your prayers.  Thanks again for all of your support and prayers through this trying time.

Movin on up

  YAY! Nancy is out of the ICU.  She is doing fine.  She was very tired today.  They changed the catheter for the dialysis this morning and that kind of wore her out.  She slept most of the day.  She is eating real food and is in good spirits.

The surgeon was in today to get her consent for the surgery.  It will be an above the knee amputation, not what we had hoped for but it will be ok.  After the surgery and some recovery time she will go to rehab.  I can't say it enough, she is an amazing person.  The surgery is scheduled for Thursday.  We are not sure what time yet but should know sometime tomorrow. 

Thanks for your prayers and please continue to pray for her.

Quiet Day

Things are pretty much the same today and as my friend Patsy would say That's a good thing.  Nancy is in good spirits and doing fine.  Her blood oxygen level, heart rate and blood pressure have stablized.  She is almost off the blood pressure medicine.  Her dialysis was over by the time I got to the hospital at 12:30.  That always tires her out so it was a quiet day.  We did have a couple of good conversations and I continue to be amazed by her.  She has such strong faith and trust she is an inspiration to us all. 

Please keep praying for her continuing recovery and a good outcome for her surgery.  Thanks for all of your support.

I'm with you, you'll be ok.

Now that Nancy is off the respirator she and I have had a chance to talk.  She told me a story tonight that continues to give me goosebumps every time I think about it.  Last week when she was hooked up to all of the equipment and all you could hear in her room was the sound of machines, she said it sounded to her like someone whispering in her ear "I'm with you, you'll be ok."  I'm convinced that God speaks to all of us, we just have to make time to listen.  I thank God for letting her know He was there and watching out for her. 

She is doing fine.  They are continuing dialysis to remove some of the fluid while trying to get her off the medication supporting her blood pressure.  We're still not there yet but making progress.  Her blood oxygen level is good and her heart rate has stablized.  She is in good spirits and very calm. 

Her leg continues to present issues.  The clot has blocked the blood flow and it is too late to do anything to restore the flow to her lower leg.  Which means  they will have to amputate part of her right leg.  She knows this and continues to be very strong and believe that everything will work out and she will be able to cope.  I too believe that if anyone can do it Nancy can.  And of course Mark and I will have her back and be there to support her.

Please continue to pray for her.  The surgery will probably be sometime this coming week.