Sorry its been so long!

This is the post for a time I didn't think I was going to get to make. Mom has been home almost 2 weeks now, and is doing AMAZING! She had an appointment with her surgeon on Monday who informed her she will have her colostomy reversed in 2 months. Since average time is 3-6 months she is way ahead of the curve and healing beautifully. She is still getting home care from a nurse, PT and OT but that will probably change to out patient soon with as good as she is doing. I am amazed daily on the progress she is making. Her memory is getting better all the time, and she is walking more and more without the walker. She is convinced she can drive already, but we're going to try and start her with the golf cart first. She is taking her own blood sugar, in charge of her own medication every day, and is starting to take back the paperwork and bills for the household and the TV shop. The woman I saw on January 10th and the woman I see today aren't even on the same planet. She is a walking miracle, and we are beyond excited and grateful. God is truly magnificent with his healing and blessings.

Tomorrow Matt and I are going to go home to San Francisco, and then on to Tahoe on Monday. I have been gone from home since December 18th, so I am looking forward to just nesting for awhile, not living out of a suitcase and not traveling anywhere for the whole month of February! I feel like I did what I could to help my Dad and my sister, as well as transition my Mom from the rehab center to home as best I could. I am leaving them with a pretty clean house, a VERY organized pantry, and even a new dog to keep her company as she continues recovery. (Roxie is seen in the picture above) I honestly feel very blessed as a daughter to have had this time with my Mom though. I always new she was an amazing woman, but now I am just in awe over what she can do when she puts her mind to it. I have always loved her as my Mom, but now I am equally impressed with her as a woman. As glad as I am to be going home with my hubby, I will miss the time I have had here in San Diego with my family. Again, God is SO good!

So, I am signing off the blog for now. I am going to set it up on their computer so that hopefully my Mom can continue to update you as she continues her amazing recovery. Thank you all, from the bottom of my very grateful heart, for all of your prayers and well wishes. We would not be here without you, period. My faith has been renewed times 10, and I am truly humbled by what I have witnessed the past few weeks. It is hard for me to even write this post without those grateful tears filling my eyes up. We are so blessed as a family, and we are so blessed to have each and every one of you in our lives! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

With all our Love,

Sara, Matt, Tom, Candy, Dana, Glenn, DJ, Alex, and Roxie

A note from Candy...

I'M HERE AT HOME TO TELL EACH OF YOU THANK YOU FOR PRAYING ME HOME !! I got to come home yesterday after more
than a month in the hospital !!! We are home with both daughters and husbands on the way here ..we are having Christmas this weekend
when Matt gets here so LIFE IS GOOD AT THE NOLAN'S THIS WEEKEND !!!!

I can tell you each and every one how we have felt the prayers and the love being sent !!! Your each so special to us and we are
blessed with your LOVE !!!

We feel so cared for and loved by each and everyone of you !!!!

THANK YOU FOR LOVING US AND SENDING YOUR THOUGHTS AND LOVE TO US!!!

We feel very loved and very special THANK YOU !!!!

THE NOLAN'S

TOM & CANDY

THE FLAHERTY'S

GLENN & DANA

THE JENNINGS
MATT & SARA

She is home!!

The mama is home, has had her first lunch at the ranch in over a month, and is settling down for a rest. Tonight she has requested In & Out Burger (we will start cooking her a healthy diet tomorrow) which Glenn will pick up on his way home from work and we will all eat together as a family. I am going to give the computer to her later so that she can type her first post on her blog to you all! Thank you to you all! We are beyond thrilled!

It's finally here...

...the day we thought would never come - Mom comes home TODAY! Sara and my Dad are getting ready to take one last long drive up to Palomar, and will be returning with an extra special passenger. After 34 days in the hospital, 2 major surgeries, 2 missed holidays, more IVs than we can count (and a partridge in a pear tree), we will finally be getting our Mom/Grammy/Wife home where she belongs.

I have such a range of emotion this morning. I am supremely thankful, eternally grateful and spiritually humbled by the events I've witnessed. The last few months have been a trying time for our family, and we have certainly been buoyed by the power of prayer. We are all *so* thankful for the outpouring of support you're given us, and just touched beyond measure. A mere "thank you" seems wholly inadequate, but that's all I've got at the moment... :-)

Hopefully we'll get Mom online and writing her own blog updates in the very near future! Until then, please know how truly grateful we are for your support; you all mean the world to us.

~ Dana

A Quick one...

I don't have much time to write a super long post, but as we speak, Dad and I are getting organized and packing up to go pick up Mom at the hospital! God is good!! We are so excited. They told us to be there between 10-11am but we have already received a phone call from Mom asking where we were. :) She wanted us there at dawn to get her out of there! I think she is worried that they might change their minds!

Once we get Mom settled in her amazingly clean house, I will write a better update. But I wanted, as we go to bring her home, to thank you all again from the bottom of our hearts, for all of your prayers and support. It has kept us afloat and moving forward, and when our spirits were tired and low you all gave us the lift we needed. I truly believe we would not be bringing her home today without the power of prayer and all the love that you have given our Mom! Thank you, thank you, thank you! I will write more later.

-Sara

The Maid Cometh!

It is Saturday morning and Dad got back from LA last night.  Mom had another fantastic day yesterday and I walked in to her PT class to see her doing wheelchair pushups like a champ!  She is motivated!  It wears her out, but everyday she gets a little stronger.  The holes in her short term memory are filling in little by  little, and she just feels so loved and blessed.  I think we are going to bring home a very grateful Mom who will start enjoying her life on a whole different level!

Right now we have 2 very sweet local Ramona ladies that have gone to town on cleaning the house.  Ramona gets very dusty so we started them in their bedroom and they are currently cleaning in a dust  bowl.  It will be so nice to have everything clean and ready to go when she gets here!

It's still looking like Monday is go day!  Please keep those prayers coming!  She really is ready to come home and we want her home with us ASAP!!

P.S.  On a side note.....we have finally brought Dad into the modern times.  South Bay TV & Video is now on Yelp!  If you have ever had him do anything for you TV wise, please go to his page and leave a review!  Every star will help him and we would like to try and get him some more local San Diego business as well so that he can stay closer to home!  The link is below!

http://www.yelp.com/biz/south-bay-tv-and-video-ramona

One more step to the ranch...

Today was a busy day for Mom. They had her going at 9am until 2pm with physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy (which for her is essentially memory specific since her speech is fine). I took DJ to school in the morning and and then went to the hospital to meet with her social worker to get all the release details. She gave me a list of stuff they would give us, along with some things we would need to buy ourselves. She seems to think Monday is going to be the day. At noon I went back and picked DJ up and the 2 of us went back to the hospital to have lunch with Mom. She gets so excited to see her grandkids, and I think it was good for DJ to see his Grammy too. At a 1:30 they took her for one last session and DJ and I went back to Ramona to trade places with Dana. So I spent the afternoon/evening with Alex while Dana got to hang out with Mom until after she had dinner. It was a good day.

While Dana was there one of Mom's therapists came in and said they were thinking about pushing the release date to Wednesday the 21st. Their thought was they could get her to a point where she didn't need any assistance at all with an extra 2 days. Needless to say, this upset Mom GREATLY! She started off being sad, then mad, then tears, and finally she told Dana that she needed to go talk to the therapist. Dana went in and explained that she lived down the road, I was going to be here for another 2 weeks, and that our Dad was in charge of his own schedule. She was not going to be alone and she would not truly know what she needed to learn to do at home until she was actually at home. She also mentioned that Mom's state of mind would be greatly diminished if they were to take this away from her now for 2 extra days. The therapist agreed and so Monday is back on the books. Amen! Dana teased Mom that she better make sure she doesn't slack off in therapy now!!

She will most likely have a home care nurse come a couple of days a week in the first few weeks to help with recovery and medical cares. Eventually she will have to go back to regular PT for her knee as well. But just getting her home will be such a weight off of everybody's shoulders and make her understand that she actually is making amazing progress. She is a little too hard on herself sometimes and we have to remind her that everyday she is getting better.

Although we are looking at the end of her hospital stay, we will still need to have lots of prayers in the upcoming weeks as hopefully life gets a little closer to normal! We are so grateful for all of your well wishes and love! It has truly lifted us up and kept us going. I look forward to the post where I can say she is home and post a picture of her back on her ranch!

Quick Post with good news!

Just got a call from the social worker at Pommerado Hospital. She wanted to make sure I, Dad or Dana would be available tomorrow to talk to her and go over everything we will need to do and know for Mom's release on Monday! They had not wanted to make it official because things can always change, but today she felt secure enough to make sure we would be in soon to go over the transfer! I am so excited! God is good and mama is coming home!!

Bring on the Merry Maids!

Well Dana pretty much said it all yesterday with her post. Our Mom is back! She still has a way to go with her strength and works hard everyday in physical therapy to get there. It looks very good that we will get to take her home on Monday, and we are BEYOND thrilled! This week marks a month she has been in the hospital and her ranch misses her!

Right now I am waiting for Merry Maids to show up and give us a quote to get this house nice and sparkly for her homecoming. Since I am here Dad finally got a chance to go up to LA until Friday to get some work done that he has been putting off for the last month, so I have the house to myself to organize and make perfect. She has requested In & Out for her welcome home dinner on Monday, so that is what she will have! (After that though, I am making her healthy things to help her heal....no arguments!!)

As sad as it was for her to remember Charlie's passing, it is an amazing sign that her memory is coming back. I hate that she had to relive it again, but I am SO grateful that it seems like her brain is functioning normally and all of those memory issues are shrinking every day that passes. As Dana said, we really thought we were going to lose her twice during this process so the leaps and strides she is making now is nothing short of a medical and prayer miracle! And I truly believe it is all possible because of the prayers and good thoughts from all of you! God is SO good!

Thanks again and I will post more later when I go visit Mom at the hospital! Keep the prayers coming for a Monday departure date so she can go home, home on the ranch!

Just another miraculous day in paradise...

First off, it was an amazing 85 degrees here today, which certainly sets a beautiful stage for a few fabulous events...

Mom's memory is almost fully restored. I had previously written that she had forgotten that Charlie (her dog) had passed away late last year. Well, in a good news/bad news situation, today she remembered that sad event. Dad and I had been skirting around the topic, but Mom knew something was amiss. I must have had a weird look on my face (I'm a terrible liar; no poker face, either) because she said, "You guys just need to stop this and tell me the truth!" She knew; the memories were there. We all had a good cry, remembered what a great dog Charlie was and told some funny stories about her. It actually went much better than I ever figured it would.

Mom is actively counting down the days until she can come home - we're all still hoping that the 19th will be her last day in "captivity". She has been working so diligently in physical therapy, and she's really come a long way. I am so thrilled with the turn-around she's made... for a while there, I thought we were going to lose her. Twice! Thank you Lord, for restoring my Mom in both body and soul...

With a grateful heart,

Dana

This says it all....

My Mom received a sweet card from their great friends Bob and Patty today. It contained a little poem that I thought really summed up what we feel from all of you and what we wish back to you as well.

I wish you enough sun to keep your attitude bright no matter how gray the day may appear.

I wish you enough rain to appreciate the sun even more.

I wish you enough happiness to keep your spirit alive & everlasting.

I wish you enough pain so that even the smallest of joys in life may appear bigger.

I wish you enough gain to satisfy your wanting.

I wish you enough loss to appreciate all that you possess.

I wish you enough hellos to get you through the final good-bye.


**We wish you enough from the bottom of our hearts!!

Love,
The Nolan/Flaherty/Jennings clan

More good stuff.....

Everyday seems to bring more and more great news with Mom. Dad and I were surprised this morning when we got a call from her at the house. It seems like a small thing, but it is the first time she has done it so we were thrilled. She wanted us to bring her stuff from home which I will do as soon as I am done with my work phone calls from today. Dad said she sounded GREAT on the phone, and it seems like she is getting more and more "normal" everyday.

We spent about 4 hours with her yesterday and it was like talking to the Mom I remember. She is SO looking forward to getting out of the hospital, and she is scheduled to go home one week from today! God is good! I spoke with her physical therapist yesterday who told me she is doing really well (much better than she thinks actually) and walked 150 feet with 1lb weights on her legs. Her appetite is greatly improved and she is really making an effort to eat well and get stronger. She is having a much easier time getting herself in and out of bed now, and she seems stronger every day. She also got a much desired shower and hair wash yesterday which made her feel AMAZING. Amazing what a difference such a small thing can make.

Over the weekend she only had therapy once a day, but Monday through Friday they have her going twice a day for about 3-4 hours a day. They are working her really hard but they are so kind doing it that I think this place was the perfect place for her. I am so grateful to Palomar Hospital for taking such good care of our Mom! (HUGE improvement over Pommerado Hospital, I have to say....I am not a big fan). Everyday brings Mom that much closer to being home at her ranch, and I am so thankful! Keep those prayers coming and I will keep the GOOD updates coming too! Thank you to you all from the bottom of my heart!

What a difference a week makes!!

Well, after a crazy week at MacWorld in San Francisco, I have landed back in San Diego where I will be staying for the next 3 weeks to help out when Mom transitions home on the 19th. I went straight from the airport to the hospital and got to spend a good couple of hours with my Mom. Dana and Dad had been telling me how much better she was doing and how different she would be when I saw her, but I was still dumbstruck at the positive changes I saw.

Talking to her tonight was just like talking to my Mom on any normal day. She is back!! Her memory is still a little bit spotty, but she remembered a good deal of what we had talked about. She did reference Charlie Dog quite a few times though, which broke my heart a little bit, but I just played along for the time being. She is SO excited to come home. She has the countdown on a white board in front of her bed, and is working incredibly hard to get there as fast as possible. I watched her get out of bed and walk, unassisted, to the bathroom with her walked and I wanted to cry with happiness. Her color looks amazing! She is able to dress in her own clothes again, and is kicking some serious booty in therapy. Dad and I wheeled her down to the dining room and had dinner with her, and she ate quite a bit. Her appetite and taste buds are definitely back! Since she missed out on the cream of mushroom soup I made when I was hear last week I am making another batch tomorrow morning and bringing it to her tomorrow.

The change in her outlook, color, strength, and determination is a sight to behold and it just make me so happy. I can't wait to get her back to her ranch, although I am so sad to have to tell her about Charlie at some point. We are planning to have a cleaning crew come and give the house a good scrub down before she comes home as well, although I am SO impressed with the household my Dad has been keeping. The house looks amazing, so we will just be making sure the nooks and crannies are all clean for her.

I will make sure and keep this blog updated a lot as I am here the next few weeks. After a full week of MacWorld, school and work I am pretty much beyond exhausted tonight, so I think I will be calling it a day. Mom is doing so well and I really believe it is because of each and every one of you! Your prayers and love has been received and appreicated more than you will ever know! Mom said tonight that she feels the love and the prayer physically healing her from the inside out. I totally believe her and agree that we are all so blessed to have each an every one of you in our lives! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! More to come....

Another super day...

Gosh I love writing these happy posts!

Today Mom wheeled herself down to the dining room and ate her lunch and dinner there at a table. This is fantastic, really - she hasn't had a meal sitting at a dining table in who knows how long. She is really making some terrific progress fairly rapidly now, which I just love! I had a great phone conversation with her today, and it was just so NORMAL. It felt really good to just chat with her about things that we used to talk about: her grandsons, the horses, how badly she wants to get out of the hospital, etc... (Okay, so that last one is a new addition!)

She still doesn't remember that Charlie had to be put down last year, and is talking daily about how much she wants to see her. For now, we're just kind of deflecting the dog talk; the truth will have to come out sometime, but we'll deal with that a little later down the line. If you happen to talk to her on the phone and she mentions Charlie, feel free to just kind of ignore the topic and change the subject... :-)

Much love from all of us to all of you!

~ Dana

More progress!

Things continue to get better for Mom as the days march on...

Yesterday DJ got a chance to enjoy an extended visit with his Grammy; I think it was a very nice experience for both of them. He reported that she worked very hard during her speech, physical and occupational therapy sessions. She is MOTIVATED! By the time I showed up with Alex in tow, she was napping from her efforts. She did wake up quickly, though, and enjoyed seeing Alex for the first time in almost a month. (Nobody was very keen on having a one year old traipsing around the hospital, but yesterday we made a quick exception.) Alex gave Grammy some "loves" and received several sets of kisses in return. So nice!

I'm seeing small improvements in Mom's memory. The speech therapist that visits her daily works mostly on memory enhancing exercises with her, as speaking isn't an issue. Some things she still needs a prompt to remember, and others she flat out doesn't remember at all. The nurse said that she'll continue to improve in this area with every passing day, so we're very thankful for that.

Sara flies back in to San Diego tomorrow, so I'm sure you'll see more blog entries from her instead of from me. As always, thank you so much all that you've done to support our family; we will never forget the kindness, faithfulness and hope that we have been shown!

~ Dana

Not an update, but...

I just received this from a wonderful friend. It warmed my heart, and I wanted to share it with you all:

CIRCLE OF FRIENDS

When I was little,
I used to believe in the concept of one best friend,
And then I started to become a woman.
And then I found out that if you allow your heart to open up,
God would show you the best in many friends.
One friend is needed when you're going through things with your man.
Another friend is needed when you're going through things with your mom.
Another will sit beside you in the bleachers as you delight in your
children and their activities.
Another when you want to shop, share, heal, hurt, joke, or just be.
One friend will say, 'Let's cry together,'
Another, 'Let's fight together,'
Another, 'Let's walk away together.'
One friend will meet your spiritual need,
Another your shoe fetish,
Another your love for movies,
Another will be with you in your season of confusion,
Another will be your clarifier,
Another the wind beneath your wings.
But whatever their assignment in your life,
On whatever the occasion,
On whatever the day,
Or wherever you need them to meet you with their gym shoes on and hair
pulled back,
Or to hold you back from making a complete fool of yourself …
Those are your best friends.
It may all be wrapped up in one woman, but for many, it's wrapped up in several…
One from 7th grade,
One from high school,
Several from the college years,
A couple from old jobs,
On some days your mother,
On some days your neighbor,
On others, your sisters,
And on some days, your daughters.

I seem to babble on a lot about how blessed we are with our circle of friends, but it is a message that bears repeating. All of us have been so humbled and touched by the generosity we have been shown... phone calls... emails...delicious meals... offers to babysit, wash dishes, do laundry... Just knowing that you're all out there loving my Mom and praying for her recovery warms my heart - THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!

I should have a full update tonight. Today she is visiting with DJ after he's finished at school; that should be fun for both of them!

~ Dana

Wednesday, 1/7/09

Sorry I never made it online last night; I was too tired... :-)

Yesterday was another good day. Mom's appetite has certainly returned - last night she asked me what there was to eat (and this was after she'd already had dinner). As she's already lost close to 80 pounds, it's great to see some semblance of hunger. This will help her energy levels continue to rise, which is always a good thing.

She had lots of therapy yesterday, but didn't remember too much of it. She's doing much better with getting out of bed and walking (with her walker and someone to help), and just really has a super attitude about everything. We marked off one of her countdown days, which made her happy. She wants to GO HOME!

Sara is coming back on Saturday, which will be so helpful. Now that the holidays are over for everyone else (hey - we haven't celebrated yet!), schedules are back into full swing, and it gets hard to juggle everything. Having another driver/babysitter/hospital visitor will really help ease the burden...

I should have more information tonight. Mom keeps kicking me out early, saying, "You need to be home with your family!". That's so Mom...I love it.

~ Dana

Monday, 1/5/09

It's been another good day... :-)

I didn't get up to the hospital until 7:00pm, but I got the day's rundown from both Mom & Dad. She had a full day of therapy (including a long-awaited hair washing!) and had already eaten dinner. Her taste buds are back, which is super. She even had a trip to the proper bathroom, with only her walker and my Dad to assist her. (This is a major achievement for somebody who couldn't get out of bed two days ago.)

She's in such a sweet "lovey dovey" kind of mood; she feels so blessed by her friends and family. Her mind seems so pure and unadulterated by anything negative, and she is just fawning over Daddy. She loves to have him with her, and of course, he is obliging her every wish! Ahhh... love!

There continue to be holes in her short term memory, but even from yesterday I can see improvement. Tomorrow she will be busy from 9:30 am until 2:30 pm with various therapists: physical, occupational and something else I can't remember. (Maybe *I* need therapy?) This program seems to be very well run, and is certainly helping Mom regain strength and confidence. Small steps!

A little more good news: we have a tentative home date of 1/19. I made Mom a countdown of the days until then, so she can mark them off one by one. She really wants to be home, so she is motivated to work hard and get stronger.

She kicked me out of her room at 8:45, and told me I needed to be home with my boys. I guess a little more of that Mom-ness is resurfacing all the time...

As always, I am so thankful for all of your support; I know my Dad and Sara feel the same way. May God bless you all as richly as you have blessed our family during this difficult time!

~ Dana

Sunday, 1/4/09

Today was a pretty spectacular day in regards to Mom's recovery. (You have no idea how nice that is for me to type!)

I was there for her initial PT session, which I thought was only going to be an evaluation. Nope! They had Mom out of bed, taking a few steps behind a walker, propelling her own wheelchair down the hall and then doing some leg exercises in the gym room. This is the most activity she's done in over a month, and it completely exhausted her. She did beautifully, though, and did everything that her trainer asked of her.

I am still seeing some holes in her short term memory. She has a difficult time with names of people she doesn't know well, and has a tough time with the date. She has absolutely no memory of either of her surgeries. We talked several different times today about why her tummy was so sore, and why her right knee is so stiff. Every day seems to bring along more and more progress, both physical and mental. For that, I am grateful...

Tomorrow will be a very busy day for Mom. On the acute rehab floor, the patients get three hours of PT every day. Tomorrow's adventures will include getting a shower (big excitement!), getting dressed and doing more exercises. Hopefully she'll keep her sense of humor and blaze through everything they give her to do.

I had hoped to give my Dad the night off tonight, but Mom quietly asked when her "sweetheart" was coming back. She is always so excited to see him, and loves to have him around. My schedule will be getting a little more complicated with Glenn heading back to work, and DJ going back to school, but we'll make it work. It has been so super to have Glenn off for such an extended period of time to watch Alex...I think they both really enjoyed the one-on-one time together. Sara will return to San Diego next Saturday; I'm betting she'll see a whole new Mom by then!

Okay, with all this happy news, I will sign off and go find my pillow. Thank you all for your continued well-wishes, unending prayers and personal support... we do so appreciate you!

~ Dana

Here..Here..

Very well said Danie! A good day all around and we have the best group of friends and family ever! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Success on many levels!

How about those Chargers?

Tonight I got to spend some good one-on-one time with Mom; she is definitely better with every passing day. Both Sara and I agree that there is a better feeling with this new hospital - the nurses are attentive and helpful, and the acute rehab program sounds like just what Mom needs. She had a fairly good evening considering the very busy day that she had. As we were saying our good nights, we reminded her that this is the last stop before she gets to come home!

I have a special request for you... please keep my Dad close to your heart and in your prayers. He has been Mom's rock, and has rarely left her side through all of this. I know the hours are long, and the emotional drains are plentiful. Please ask God to keep him refreshed and renewed, and to continue to give him the strength necessary to support Mom.

As for all of you praying for Mom, praying for our family, sending uplifting emails, offering to cook meals, watch Alex, entertain DJ, muck stalls, do laundry, etc, etc... well, what more can I say than, "WE LOVE YOU!" In times of great need, you really find out who your friends are. I am so thankful for all of you out there who are making a difference in our lives. Many thanks, from all of us.

~ Dana

A transition for the mama...

I thought I would write a quick update. Dad and I are at the hospital with Mom, who just had an amazing visit with Jim and Ruth. I don't know what Ruth said, but their bond is deep and I think it did Mom a world of good to see her. Dad and I enjoyed our visit with them too. Today Mom was able to pull herself up and sat on the side of the bed for about 20 minutes. Her speech continues to get clearer and more controlled. She was actually able to feed herself some lunch (a tuna sandwich) which was so great to see for me. She has not have the strength to do that at all up until now, so praise the Lord for that one!

She ended up having the CT scan which came back clear enough for her surgeon to request her transfer to the acute rehab center in Escondido. We are waiting for the ambulance to come get her as we speak. There was some fluid build up that showed up on the CT scan that they think will drain better once she is up and around in rehab. Its going to be hard and I don't think she will like it much, but I really feel like it is the best place for her to be.

Speaking of which, the ambulance has arrived and we will be getting ready to follow them over to the new place. Please say some prayers today for a smooth transition and continued healing and recovery as she starts this new phase of healing! Thank you again for all of your continued love and support! It means the world to us!

Another Day to hope....

Sorry we have not written in a while. I know everyone in my family is finding that by the time we get home from the hospital we are beyond exhausted. The emotional rollercoaster is something fierce and we are all feeling the effects. I have only been here for a week and am so worn down that I can only imagine what my Dad and sister must be feelings right about now. Every day seems to bring changes for the better, although not as good as we were hoping or as fast as we were praying for.

Yesterday was a frustrating day for our family. After hounding Mom to eat so she can get more strength back, the hospital started fasting her after breakfast for a CT scan in the afternoon. We were hoping that the CT scan would reveal that all is well in her tummy and she could get transferred to the rehab center sooner than later. All day we waited with no food for Mom at all. Finally, at around 7, we harassed the nurse to go find out what was going on. Turns out the CT scan was broken and they were not sure when it would be back up again. All day with no food and no one thought to come and tell us that so that we could let her eat again. Needless to say we were all livid. This hospital is not high on our list of places to go for care, and everyday they seem to justify our opinion of them.

Yesterday Mom got a visit from one of her best friends Sheila, as well as a much anticipated visit from her grandson DJ. As tired as she was it was a very sweet smile on her lips when she saw both of them, and I think it did well for her spirit. Today she gets a visit from her "sister of the heart" Ruth and Dad's best friend and Ruth's husband Jim. Mom and Ruth are definitely cut from the same cloth so I am really looking forward to them getting to talk, pray, cry, do what ever they need to together. Sometimes Ruth gets through to our Mom on a level that even we do not, so this visit is such a blessing. I don't think any of us will mind seeing their faces either!

Hopefully today will bring a visit with her original surgeon (when he left she was fine and recovering so won't he be surprised at what happened to his patient) and a CT scan on her tummy to make sure everything is ok. We have LOTS of questions for Dr. Martin, that's for sure. Mom was taken off the hard core pain/sedative medicine yesterday so I am hoping to find her a little more aware and awake today. We should know more about when she might be moved to the rehab center as well, so as I learn more, I will update the blog.

I have to take a moment to say, with a truly humble heart on a very personal level, how grateful and touched I have been at the support and love thrown our way during this time. People I haven't seen since high school (Christy, Diana and Kelly), friends of friends that we have recently gotten to know better (Dave, Mel and Josie), new friends (Emily, Sheila), old friends (Tom and Elizabeth, Shelley, Lisa, Shannan..I know I missing some, but I am tired so I know you will forgive me) have just reached out with their prayers and caring and it just means the world to me. If I have not had a chance to respond to you directly, I apologize. Its been crazy! But know that each and every one of you have made this whole process that much easier on me and I feel your prayers and support every day! Thank you, thank you, thank you! You are appreciated more than you will ever know!

-Sara

I am in total agreement with my sister. Yesterday was a rollercoaster of emotion that I have never felt before. And I don't quite know what to do. I feel extremely helpless. Today Dad and I will be going over to visit Mom in her new room on the intermediate care floor. Yesterday it seemed like her taste buds were coming back (she enjoyed some carrots, meat and mashed potatoes at dinner) so I have just made her some homemade cream of mushroom soup we will bring to her today.

Later on, Dana will bring DJ to see his Grammy which I hope will give her a much needed spark. Her 2 best friends Sheila and Ruth are scheduled to visit today and tomorrow as well. It is my hope that new faces and reminders of how loved she is will give her the strength to keep fighting. We can't do it without her help and she is just so very tired. Yesterday we tried to remind her about her Mom (our Mimi) who so loved life and fought for every second of it she could keep. I told her that Mimi would be kicking her bootie up and down the hall for not fighting as hard as she could to stay with her family. I know she has been through so much (a lot of which she does not even remember) but we need her to give us her best shot too.

Today I ask for prayers for strength for all of us, and for Mom's fighting spirit to come back 10 times stronger than ever. This is the woman that quit smoking cold turkey. I believe if she puts her mind to it she can heal up faster than anyone thought possible. Please send all your strength vibes to our family today! We need it!

Sara

I probably shouldn't even post...

...as my attitude is pretty pathetic. This is such a frustrating process; we continue to get the run-around from doctors, and really have no idea of a realistic timeline for Mom's recovery. Her admitting physician was in yesterday, and has the bedside manner of an angry rhino. Her neurologist's personality most closely resembles a piece of cardboard, and she's had some nurses who probably ought to find a career path that doesn't include interaction with living beings. (To be fair, she's had some wonderful nurses as well.) The surgeon who performed the initial drains and did her intestinal surgery will be back tomorrow, and will hopefully take charge. Mom was fine when he left, but most assuredly is not fine now.

As Sara wrote, yesterday was packed full of ups and downs. Some of the fog is starting to clear for Mom, but there are still many holes in both her long and short term memory. It has been a rollercoaster for us, too, as we watch Mom make progress and then retreat back. One of the unfortunate results of her recent lucidity is her awareness of how difficult her recovery is going to be. She has undergone so much and is just so weak... we are trying to keep her focused on the positives. We just don't want her to quit fighting!

Thank you all for your continued support; it means so much to all of us.

~ Dana

And some more good news...finally!!

Today has truly been a new year for this family! The turn around in Mom is pretty remarkable. Since they have started weaning her off of her sedation and seizure meds, she is much more "with us" now. She is actively asking us questions (that make total sense) and talking, making jokes, enjoying jokes, and seems to be totally aware of what is going on. She is scheduled to be moved to intermediate care as soon as a bed opens up, hopefully later today. The PT guy came in this afternoon and she did everything that was asked of her and he was encouraged by her efforts. She has also been eating more. Dana got to brush her hair and I have been rubbing her feet with lotion, so life is not TOO horrible in ICU.

She wants to know how much longer she has to be here and we are trying to explain that is somewhat up to her and how fast she feels heals up. They want her to be able to stand up and walk with her walker before she can go home. She asked us "how much do they want me to party hearty before I can go?"

The downsize is the more aware she gets the more frustrated she is to be here. It is breaking ou hearts to hear her cry and just want to go home and not be able to help her at all. She seems to go through waves of being a little more positive and will then go into a wave of sad and frustration. Its hard to know what to do except just be there for her. This is definitely the hardest thing that I think my Dad, my sister and myself have ever been through. We could use some prayers as well.

As you start 2009, please, please, please keep those prayers coming to us here at Pomerado Hospital. We need everyone!

Our first bit of good news.....

Mom has woken up and the nurse had her sitting up in bed for a few moments. The reduction in her meds has been immediately evident to all of us. She is more lucid, make a smart alec remark earlier, and has been much more clear with her communications. A few strange statements has come out of her mouth, but for the most part she seems to be a little more with us.

The last week, since this low blood sugar thing happened, we have been worried about her memories quite a bit. When asked about Alex she seemed to maybe not remember him which made us fear her shorter term memory had been damaged. Today Dana asked her if she remembered Alex and Mom said "he's your son" to her. Thank you again God! She remembered DJ too. These are good signs. We don't want to get ahead of ourselves, but we see some improvement today and that makes us feel good.

Keep those New Year prayers coming please!!

Hopefully Happy New Year

Dad, Dana and I have arrived at the hospital and are sitting with Mom at her bedside. Not at all what I thought we would be doing on New Years Day, that's for sure. The nurse has been successful in getting Mom to eat most of her dinner and breakfast, which is great, and her last blood sugar was 145. We really, really like this nurse a lot. She is very kind, but also firm and I think that is kind of what Mom needs right now. Yesterday the EEG was completed, and although (to our great frustration and annoyance) the doctor did not come specifically to talk to us about the results, they have ordered her seizure medication to be tapered off which means they probably found no more seizure activity in her scan. Thank you God! We are still waiting for her admitting doctor to come in for a family consult where we can ask questions about where he thinks she is now, and what her future treatment will be. The nurse took out her nasal cannula today for oxygen and was encouraged that she seemed to be just fine without it.

The last we heard from the nurse, it was mentioned that her admitting doctor thinks going straight from ICU to the acute rehab center would be the best things for Mom since she has lost so much muscle mass already. Their insurance carrier has already approved this as well. The facility would be in Escondido at the sister hospital to Pomerado, and would include physical therapy, conditioning, diet and general transitioning to help get her ready to go home. She has to be deemed medically stable before this can even be considered, but the social worker here on the ICU floor mentioned yesterday that there was a bed opening up on Friday that she could potentially have if her doctor thought she was ready. We will know more about that when we get to talk to him. The lack of open communication between doctors and family/patient is really frustrating to us.

In all honesty, we feel like getting her out of this hospital would be the best thing for her. Getting her muscles and strength going again is going to be key, and I think just getting out of the doom and gloom of the ICU will be golden. They have her on so much pain medication and sedatives, we really won't have a chance to get a feel about what her state of mind is until she gets off some of them. All she really wants to do now is sleep, so its really hard to figure out how her brain is firing just yet.

As we start this new year, I need to tell you (and my sister has stated it as well) how profoundly grateful and humbled we all have been to the response for our Mom. Every one of your comments, calls, prayers and just your love in general has touched us all much more than you know. We could not have made it this far without you and we all really look forward to being able to show Mom the emails and posts from all of you so she can know just how loved she is. Happy New Year to you all and thanks again for all your support!

Love,

Tom, Dana and Sara
(Glenn, DJ, Alex and Matt too)

Out with the bad, in with the good.

I have bid a fond farewell to 2008, and am fervently hoping that 2009 brings health, healing and happiness for Mom!

Last night was kind of rough... Mom didn't know who I was. All three of us were in her room following her EEG; we'd been talking about silly things. She turned to my Dad and asked him, "Where's Dana?"

I told her, "I'm right here, Mom. Who are you looking for?"

She turned to me and said, "Dana".

I asked her who she thought I was, and she replied, "I don't know."

It broke my heart just a little bit. I am hoping that the memory issues are just from the cocktail of drugs that she's on, and not from any sort of permanent problem.

We'll all be in to see her a little later this morning. I'm hopeful that we'll see the fog start to lift as the doctors scale back the meds, and that the improvements start to come fast and furious.

~ Dana