Day 4, Thursday Dec 22, 2011
Dad and I got in around 8:30am again. Mom is awake and talkative, more alert then the last 2 mornings. Her sodium levels are at 130 so they are stopping the DDAVP (nose spray) for the morning and will just do one spray at night. They said that after her CT scan last night she threw up again on the way back to the room and her heart rate dropped again. The cardiologist came in and said that we don't have to worry about her heart rate dropping when she throws up. He said that it wouldn't cause any permanent damage. But when the cardiologist came in Mom raised her hand to shake his hand which is the first time she has done that. Dr. Sperry came in today and said that the CT scan last night showed a very small reduction in air and that Dr. Reichman didn't want to do surgery. But we are still waiting to see Dr. Reichman today to talk to him. If the air in her head is causing her to throw up, be confused and out of it then we would like to fix it. The nurses came in and gave her anti-nausea medicine at 9:30 and then some mirolax. Mom ate some strawberry yogart, strawberry shake, hot chocolate, her breakfast shake that they give to her at every meal & some orange juice to wash the mirolax down. She is now trying to rest (10am).
We have had an eventful morning. Mom was feeling very well. She didn't rest for too long. Dr. Reichman's PA's stopped by around 10:30 and talked to us. We asked if having the shunt done if it would affect her osteoporosis and they said no. They said that after getting the shunt it would take 24-48 hrs to recover in the hospital, but we are still waiting for the Dr to order the surgery. He is very back and forth about it. She said that he may make up his mind later tonight or maybe tomorrow morning. We asked if getting the shunt in if that would help her mental status and she said probably.
This afternoon was great, she got up and walked around twice and then got a bath. Dad & I left when she was getting her bath and Mary came. They ordered lunch and she ate cream of potato soup, a shake that Mary brought in, some more Italian ice and Karen brought her up some ginger ale. She did another lap with Mary before Dad and I got back at 2pm. Mom has been very awake and alert today, talking and asking questions. She enjoyed opening Christmas cards and reading e-mails that people have sent. She is napping now and we ordered 2 bowls of that potato soup for her and a strawberry shake for 6:30, after her little nap. The PA came in again and said that they will take another CT scan tonight and then Dr. Reichman will decide in the morning if they will do surgery. She seemed like they were leaning more towards doing the surgery.
Today Mom has been so much better. She is talking and eating so well. They lifted her low sodium diet today so she was able to eat her soup. She had the Rifes visit today, Karen & Mary, & Merrill Kingston come visit. She got a lot of e-mails which brightened her day and Sue Alder sent her a beautiful Wishes Angel. Mom was awake enough to sign over the power of authority to Dad so that he could sign to close on their homes that they are buying in Arizona. We are very pleased at how she is doing and just hope that when we come in tomorrow she will be the same. Her sodium levels right now are 134 which is right where they want them. And we just found out that they gave her the steroid at 8:15 am, 40 mg orally. Today was a great day for her, we hope for the same tomorrow.
Friday, December 23
Day 3 of Hospital stay
Day 3, Wed Dec 21, 2011
Dad and I got here around 8:30am. Mom was awake but not really talking. Kind of the same way she was last night after they gave her the steroid. They give her the steroid at 8am & 8pm every day. She is having a hard time talking and is trying to stay awake but keeps falling asleep. Her heart rate this morning has ranged from 44-49, but everything else seems fine. She could answer a couple of questions but not all of them. Her sodium levels this morning are 133, so they will stop the nose sprays now until they get her back up. The nurse just told us that when she was down getting her CT scan last night that she threw up and almost flat lined. We talked to the doctors this morning and told them our concerns about the steroid wiping her out and they decided to change her dose from getting 20 milligrams in the morning and night intravenously to taking a 40 milligram orally. They said that the CT scan showed a lot of swelling in her brain and no reduction in air. They came in this morning and gave her an x-ray of her stomach to see why she hasn't had a bowel movement. They are going to give her a medicine, mirolax, to help her go to the bathroom. She seemed interested in eating breakfast but after they moved her around for the x-ray she didn't want to eat. She's sleeping, or fake sleeping now. We are hoping that she will get better this afternoon. We'll see. Sometimes I wonder when we ask her questions that she is answering in her head but nothing comes out. We are reading her eyes again and talking for her more today. Yesterday she would talk for herself more. Still slow, but she would answer quicker then now. After you ask her a question right now if she has to think too much she closes her eyes for awhile. Hopefully she will wake up more later.
They came in today around noon to give her a bath and wash her hair. She has been sleeping all morning waking up on and off. Dad and I left to get lunch while they bathed her when we got back around 1pm Karen was here and they were starting her on her walk. As we walked with her they told us that as they laid her down to bath her she threw up again and her heart rate dropped to the 20's again. Her food had come so we got her back into bed and tried feeding her some. Karen fed her and Mary came so my Dad headed home to get stuff done. She didn't eat much but was able to take her pills. They gave her one for nausea and then her steroids. They said that they didn't give her the steroid this morning but just gave it to her orally. She has been sleeping since. It's about 3 and she is sleeping, never ate much. Definitely a step backwards today.
She woke up more this afternoon. We got her to take her laxative and eat some more. She ate 2 of the Italian ice things, which she really likes and Karen got her a ginger ale to help with her naususness. Dr. Reichman came in this evening and talked to us, he said that they will wait another day and take another CT scan tonight and see if there is any improvement. If not then they will make a decision if she needs to have surgery to remove the air for Friday. We would just need to decide if they want to do a temporary shunt or a permanent shunt. Temporary would be on the top of her head and permanent would be in the back of her head. Mom's concern is the shaving of her head, but we talked to a hairstylist and talked about putting hair extensions in to cover it up, so she is feeling a little better about it, but still doesn't want to do the surgery. But if her body doesn't absorb the air then they will have to. Karen left around 5pm and Jessie and Steve came for a bit. Then Dad came back around 6:30pm and Mom was awake from around 4- 6:30ish. We were hoping to get Mom up to walk her around, but they were doing a shift change so they couldn't. Mom has fallen asleep now, but hopefully they will wake her up to get her walking around. They also want her to be able to have a bowel movement and we hope that walking around would help with that.
She took her walk around 8pm, we had to wake her up to go, but she walked all the way around. She was a little confused on what year it was when they were asking her the year, she kept saying her birth year, but later was able to give the right year. After her walk she got her anti-nausea medicine, her blood drawn and then she was able to eat. She had her italian ice, some chocolate shake, some peach yogart & some chocolate pudding. She is still awake and talking and Dad and I are going to leave for the night so we can get here early to hopefully catch Dr. Reichman.
Dad and I got here around 8:30am. Mom was awake but not really talking. Kind of the same way she was last night after they gave her the steroid. They give her the steroid at 8am & 8pm every day. She is having a hard time talking and is trying to stay awake but keeps falling asleep. Her heart rate this morning has ranged from 44-49, but everything else seems fine. She could answer a couple of questions but not all of them. Her sodium levels this morning are 133, so they will stop the nose sprays now until they get her back up. The nurse just told us that when she was down getting her CT scan last night that she threw up and almost flat lined. We talked to the doctors this morning and told them our concerns about the steroid wiping her out and they decided to change her dose from getting 20 milligrams in the morning and night intravenously to taking a 40 milligram orally. They said that the CT scan showed a lot of swelling in her brain and no reduction in air. They came in this morning and gave her an x-ray of her stomach to see why she hasn't had a bowel movement. They are going to give her a medicine, mirolax, to help her go to the bathroom. She seemed interested in eating breakfast but after they moved her around for the x-ray she didn't want to eat. She's sleeping, or fake sleeping now. We are hoping that she will get better this afternoon. We'll see. Sometimes I wonder when we ask her questions that she is answering in her head but nothing comes out. We are reading her eyes again and talking for her more today. Yesterday she would talk for herself more. Still slow, but she would answer quicker then now. After you ask her a question right now if she has to think too much she closes her eyes for awhile. Hopefully she will wake up more later.
They came in today around noon to give her a bath and wash her hair. She has been sleeping all morning waking up on and off. Dad and I left to get lunch while they bathed her when we got back around 1pm Karen was here and they were starting her on her walk. As we walked with her they told us that as they laid her down to bath her she threw up again and her heart rate dropped to the 20's again. Her food had come so we got her back into bed and tried feeding her some. Karen fed her and Mary came so my Dad headed home to get stuff done. She didn't eat much but was able to take her pills. They gave her one for nausea and then her steroids. They said that they didn't give her the steroid this morning but just gave it to her orally. She has been sleeping since. It's about 3 and she is sleeping, never ate much. Definitely a step backwards today.
She woke up more this afternoon. We got her to take her laxative and eat some more. She ate 2 of the Italian ice things, which she really likes and Karen got her a ginger ale to help with her naususness. Dr. Reichman came in this evening and talked to us, he said that they will wait another day and take another CT scan tonight and see if there is any improvement. If not then they will make a decision if she needs to have surgery to remove the air for Friday. We would just need to decide if they want to do a temporary shunt or a permanent shunt. Temporary would be on the top of her head and permanent would be in the back of her head. Mom's concern is the shaving of her head, but we talked to a hairstylist and talked about putting hair extensions in to cover it up, so she is feeling a little better about it, but still doesn't want to do the surgery. But if her body doesn't absorb the air then they will have to. Karen left around 5pm and Jessie and Steve came for a bit. Then Dad came back around 6:30pm and Mom was awake from around 4- 6:30ish. We were hoping to get Mom up to walk her around, but they were doing a shift change so they couldn't. Mom has fallen asleep now, but hopefully they will wake her up to get her walking around. They also want her to be able to have a bowel movement and we hope that walking around would help with that.
She took her walk around 8pm, we had to wake her up to go, but she walked all the way around. She was a little confused on what year it was when they were asking her the year, she kept saying her birth year, but later was able to give the right year. After her walk she got her anti-nausea medicine, her blood drawn and then she was able to eat. She had her italian ice, some chocolate shake, some peach yogart & some chocolate pudding. She is still awake and talking and Dad and I are going to leave for the night so we can get here early to hopefully catch Dr. Reichman.
Tuesday, December 20
Day 2, Dec 20th
I got here around 9:30am and Mom was sleeping. She ended up waking up on and off, Dad tried to get her to talk but she would just look. She didn't seem like she knew who I was . Her sodium levels today are around 139. Around 10:30am she woke up when my Dad had left the room. She tried to take her blood pressure thing off her arm so I told her that she had to leave it on, she asked why, and I told her so that they could take her blood pressure. She seemed confused. The "sitting" nurse came in and asked if she wanted to eat the food that was sitting in the room. He tried the milk but she didn't seem interested. He offered the yogart and she didn't say anything but kept eyeing it. So we opened it up and she tried a bite. She continued to eat the yogart and I helped guide her, then eventually she grabbed it herself and ate it on her own. We switched out her milk to skim milk since they gave her 2% milk, so she ended up drinking but didn't want the straw. After she finished the yogart she drank the apple juice threw a straw and then was back to sleep.
Mom woke up for a bit and talked to us. She was able to say who I was & i was able to show her pictures from my blog and she fell asleep as I was showing her the pictures. She keeps going back & forth from awake and asleep. She'll wake up and look at you and smile then close her eyes again. If you ask her a question that she has to think about she closes her eyes and doesn't open them until you start talking again. It's been hard talking to her. I feel like we are talking at her not with her at times. You have to read her eyes and facial expressions a lot for answers.
Just returned from a late lunch around 3pm, Mary, her sister, came to be with her while we left and they got her up and bathed her & had her walk around. She walked further today then she has since she has been here. She has been awake a lot and is using more words at a time. She still knows that I'm here and who I am. She is eating now all by herself. She is remembering things better and talking more. She hasn't thrown up today and as I hear from Jess and Dad it isn't fun when she does. They said that when she would throw up then she would end up flat lining and conk out. So we are hoping that she does well and doesn't throw up today. She was awake for about 4 1/2 hours but is sleeping now (5pm).
Mom had one of her cousins visit tonight and then the nurse kicked us all out at 6pm for the shift change. So Dad and I left and grabbed something to eat, when we returned she was up and eating and talking. They said that she was pulled out of bed and sat in a chair for about 20 minutes and is still doing well. Around 8pm they gave her 20 miligrams of steroid intervenusly. Shortly after she started falling asleep and talking less. BJ and Tara stopped by and she woke up some more and talked a bit, but her answers were shorter. She stayed awake for a good amount of time and has continued to go in and out of sleep. It's 10pm now and we are packing up now to leave for the night and let her sleep. They will do another ct scan tonight to measure the amount of air in her head. We'll be back in the morning.
Mom woke up for a bit and talked to us. She was able to say who I was & i was able to show her pictures from my blog and she fell asleep as I was showing her the pictures. She keeps going back & forth from awake and asleep. She'll wake up and look at you and smile then close her eyes again. If you ask her a question that she has to think about she closes her eyes and doesn't open them until you start talking again. It's been hard talking to her. I feel like we are talking at her not with her at times. You have to read her eyes and facial expressions a lot for answers.
Just returned from a late lunch around 3pm, Mary, her sister, came to be with her while we left and they got her up and bathed her & had her walk around. She walked further today then she has since she has been here. She has been awake a lot and is using more words at a time. She still knows that I'm here and who I am. She is eating now all by herself. She is remembering things better and talking more. She hasn't thrown up today and as I hear from Jess and Dad it isn't fun when she does. They said that when she would throw up then she would end up flat lining and conk out. So we are hoping that she does well and doesn't throw up today. She was awake for about 4 1/2 hours but is sleeping now (5pm).
Mom had one of her cousins visit tonight and then the nurse kicked us all out at 6pm for the shift change. So Dad and I left and grabbed something to eat, when we returned she was up and eating and talking. They said that she was pulled out of bed and sat in a chair for about 20 minutes and is still doing well. Around 8pm they gave her 20 miligrams of steroid intervenusly. Shortly after she started falling asleep and talking less. BJ and Tara stopped by and she woke up some more and talked a bit, but her answers were shorter. She stayed awake for a good amount of time and has continued to go in and out of sleep. It's 10pm now and we are packing up now to leave for the night and let her sleep. They will do another ct scan tonight to measure the amount of air in her head. We'll be back in the morning.
Day 1 in Utah
I traveled to Utah yesterday and got in at 8:30pm. Got to the hospital to see my Mom around 9:30pm. She was awake and happy to see me. She gave me a couple of hugs and held my hand. We waited till she was asleep and left before they gave her her nasal spray to help with her sodium levels. We were told that her sodium levels had fallen to the normal range between 135-145, and she reached 145. When she came into the hosptial her sodium level was at 166 on Saturday, Dec 17th. So we left and went to bed ready to come back for another day.
Monday, March 8
FHE Testimonies
Dear Bryson,
Last Monday for FHE we talked about testimonies and at the end of the lesson I had you write down the things that you know and this is what you said...
I know that Jesus ate bread and water
I know that Jesus died for me
I know that Heavenly Father loves me
I know that President Monson is a true Prophet
After we wrote it down we each went around and said what we wrote as we bore our testimonies. You were so cute. I love you!
Love,
Mom
xoxoxo
Last Monday for FHE we talked about testimonies and at the end of the lesson I had you write down the things that you know and this is what you said...
I know that Jesus ate bread and waterI know that Jesus died for me
I know that Heavenly Father loves me
I know that President Monson is a true Prophet
After we wrote it down we each went around and said what we wrote as we bore our testimonies. You were so cute. I love you!
Love,
Mom
xoxoxo
Testimony
Dear Megan,
Last week for FHE we talked about testimonies. We each wrote down 5 things that we know to be true. This is what you wrote...
I know he helps us
I know he died for me
I know he lives
I know he loves us
I know we are his children
Yesterday while we were getting ready for church I was telling you how today is the day that people get up during Sacrament and bare their testimonies. You decided that you wanted to go up to bare your testimony. On our way out the door you couldn't find your paper with the hand on it, so once you got to church you redid it. You kept asking when you could go up. Once the member of the bishopric had finished sharing his testimony I told you that you could go up. That is when your nerves set in. You did not want to go up. You started to cry and you didn't want to do it anymore. After a lot of coaxing and Daddy agreeing to go up with you, you finally got your courage up again and decided to go. You and Daddy went up to the stage and while you were waiting for your turn I was nervous for you. I was shaking in my seat as if I was the one up there. But I was so proud of you as you got up there and you read off your 5 things that you know and then came back to sit down with us. You couldn't stop smiling and I know that you felt good. You said that during the rest of Church all the grown ups kept telling you what a good job you did. I am so proud of you. I hope that you will continue to share your testimony throughout your life as you grow up.
I love you so much!
Love,
Mom
xoxoxo
Last week for FHE we talked about testimonies. We each wrote down 5 things that we know to be true. This is what you wrote...
I know he helps usI know he died for me
I know he lives
I know he loves us
I know we are his children
Yesterday while we were getting ready for church I was telling you how today is the day that people get up during Sacrament and bare their testimonies. You decided that you wanted to go up to bare your testimony. On our way out the door you couldn't find your paper with the hand on it, so once you got to church you redid it. You kept asking when you could go up. Once the member of the bishopric had finished sharing his testimony I told you that you could go up. That is when your nerves set in. You did not want to go up. You started to cry and you didn't want to do it anymore. After a lot of coaxing and Daddy agreeing to go up with you, you finally got your courage up again and decided to go. You and Daddy went up to the stage and while you were waiting for your turn I was nervous for you. I was shaking in my seat as if I was the one up there. But I was so proud of you as you got up there and you read off your 5 things that you know and then came back to sit down with us. You couldn't stop smiling and I know that you felt good. You said that during the rest of Church all the grown ups kept telling you what a good job you did. I am so proud of you. I hope that you will continue to share your testimony throughout your life as you grow up.
I love you so much!
Love,
Mom
xoxoxo
Sunday, September 20
Shots
Dear Bryson,
We took Connor to go get his first shots this week and you were all prepared to hold his hand while he got his shots. But after he got the first shot I looked over at you when they were getting the shots ready for his next leg and you did not want them to poke him again. You were so concerned since he was screaming, you kept saying "no poke". It's great to see you so concerned for your brother. I love you!
Love,
Mom
xoxoxo
We took Connor to go get his first shots this week and you were all prepared to hold his hand while he got his shots. But after he got the first shot I looked over at you when they were getting the shots ready for his next leg and you did not want them to poke him again. You were so concerned since he was screaming, you kept saying "no poke". It's great to see you so concerned for your brother. I love you!
Love,
Mom
xoxoxo
Sunday, June 7
First E.R. Visit
Dear Megan,
I am very late on writing about your recent visit to the E.R. on June 6th. We had been out looking at vans all day and stopped by Sams Club to pick up a few items and eat some dinner. Daddy was fasting so he left us to eat some pizza while he ran to grab the items we needed. As we were eating you slipped off the bench and hit the bench behind you. You started crying, so I came over and hugged you and told you that it was alright. I asked you where it hurt so I turn you around and your hair hds blood all over in it. Luckily Dad was at the checkout, that I told him you were bleeding and took you the bathroom leaving Bryson eating all by himself. We got you all cleaned up and once I could get a good look at the wound I knew that you were going to need staples or stitches. The employees at Sams Club were very helpful. We spent the night in the E.R. You were very brave and ended up with this...
Thursday, April 30
Swimming
Dear Megan & Bryson,
We just finished up swimming lessons for both of you and you guys did GREAT!
Bryson you loved playing in the water, especially with the balls and were not afraid of the water at all.
Megan, you really grew a lot with this swim lesson. You are now jumping in all by yourself, and even going under water without plugging your nose.
I am so proud of both of you! I love you guys!
Love,
Mom
xoxo
We just finished up swimming lessons for both of you and you guys did GREAT!
Bryson you loved playing in the water, especially with the balls and were not afraid of the water at all.
Megan, you really grew a lot with this swim lesson. You are now jumping in all by yourself, and even going under water without plugging your nose.
I am so proud of both of you! I love you guys!
Love,
Mom
xoxo
Ear rings
Dear Megan,
You have been wanting your ears pierced for a while, but I keep telling you that you have to be at least 8 before you can get them pierced. I had found a pair of clip on earrings that matched your Easter dress and thought that you would love to wear them. Of course you did, and you had to show everyone your earrings.
Then a couple of weeks later we went down to watch Dad race and you were eating your cereal, fruit loops, in the car and when I got you out of the car you were sporting lovely fruit loop earrings. You are one pretty creative girl. 
You wore them for most of the day and whenever they would fall off you would frantically find them and put them back on. I love it! Hopefully you will love having your ears pierced as much as you like pretending to have them pierced. I love you!
Love,
Mom
xoxo
Shorts & Flip Flops
Dear Bryson,
Ever since we have had warmer weather and you have been able to wear short sleeves you have been obsessed with it. The first time I put you in short sleeves you kept pulling on the sleeves like they weren't long enough, but now you get so excited to wear short sleeves and shorts that you will tell everyone. We also got you some flip flops and you love to wear them and wherever we go you show people your flip flops. You gotta love the spring. Now if only I can get you to give up another blanket so you aren't so hot at night we would be doing good! I love you!!
Love,
Mom
xoxo
Ever since we have had warmer weather and you have been able to wear short sleeves you have been obsessed with it. The first time I put you in short sleeves you kept pulling on the sleeves like they weren't long enough, but now you get so excited to wear short sleeves and shorts that you will tell everyone. We also got you some flip flops and you love to wear them and wherever we go you show people your flip flops. You gotta love the spring. Now if only I can get you to give up another blanket so you aren't so hot at night we would be doing good! I love you!!
Love,
Mom
xoxo
Tuesday, April 28
Reading Queen
Dear Megan,
I just wanted to let you know how proud I am of you. You have been reading so good lately. I love watching you take a book and try and read it all by yourself. You do have your small stack of books that you will read over and over again since you can read them cover to cover. But you really are becoming an excellant reader. I know that you will continue to get better and I hope that your love for reading will stick with you. I love you!
Love,
Mom
xoxo
I just wanted to let you know how proud I am of you. You have been reading so good lately. I love watching you take a book and try and read it all by yourself. You do have your small stack of books that you will read over and over again since you can read them cover to cover. But you really are becoming an excellant reader. I know that you will continue to get better and I hope that your love for reading will stick with you. I love you!
Love,
Mom
xoxo
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
