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We arrived back at home in Charleston on Monday evening after a 10 hour drive. The only way that Jennifer was able to make the drive was with a double dose of her pain medication which allowed her to sleep the majority of the time.

Tuesday she was in quite a bit of pain, probably from the drive, so it was mostly a day of rest for her and a day to unpack for the rest of us.

Wednesday Jennifer was feeling quite a bit better and was moving around more. She even took a walk with her mother down to a neighbor's house. She was in a lot of pain that night and after talking with the nurse the next day we realized that Jennifer had most definitely exceeded her 5-8 minute walking limit, hence the pain.

On Thursday, Jennifer and her mother finally figured out how to use a foam pad at the correct angle to allow her to sit up a little on the couch so she can watch the television. She was not in quite as much discomfort today and did not need quite as many pain medications as before. The biggest issues at this point are the stiffness with her back after she lays in one place for an extended period of time and the ribs on her left side. We think they might have been bruised, either from the manipulation in the surgery or from the positioning during the procedure.

Jonathan

On the Road Again

After a very productive day of Jennifer walking up and down the stairs in the suite and walking around the unit multiple times she awoke with quite some pain the next morning. In fact it was quite some significant pain.

Over night we also received about 3-4 inches of snow in the St. Louis area. Thankfully the roads were clear and the road to the south and east were clear so we decided to try and get started on our trip back to Charleston. We called the front office and told them we wanted a late checkout. After about 2.5 hours of packing and loading the cars we were finally able to get on the road.

I had given Jennifer her normal pain medicine and tried to increase the frequency by altering the time of her doses to the maximum rates without going over the every 4 or 6 hours for each of the meds. On top of this she is getting, as the doctor recommended, a dose of Dramamine, which helps people who are on narcotics deal with car rides. It also makes them drowsy. Jennifer did really well for the first three hours reclined in the passenger seat but when we went to stop for a bite to eat she was in tremendous pain and also extremely stiff. She had on the WORST pain faces that I think I have every seen when she was walking through the restaurant. Regular stops will be needed as recommended to let her walk around every 1.5 to 2 hours just so she will not freeze up again.

We made it as far as Clarksville, TN which is a pretty close to what we had hoped to accomplish today given our late start. Jennifer was close to her wits end by the time we finally got to the hotel and she could not take riding in the car any longer. She would say that she has had one of her worst days so far pain wise and was wishing to God that we had flown.

When we got the hotel she was able to lie down and it was time for a few more of her pain pills. About an hour later with some dinner in her stomach and the pain meds taking effect, I think she was starting to feel a little better. Riding in the car is extremely stressful and a 13 hour car ride 9 days after having 13 vertebrae fused is a daunting task to say the least. I am still amazed that she is doing so well and only wish she was not in so much pain for several periods in the day.

Hopefully we will be able to make it back home tomorrow but only time will tell.

Jonathan

Jennifer again

Dear World,

It’s me. But not as sugar coated as Jonathan has been saying, at this point in time if asked if I would do it again I would say hell no. But asked again I am sure my answer will change. I still have a rash where they taped me up for the tubes going into my body. Half of my front side is numb. One my eyelids does not open all the way. We are hoping that all of that is due to being on my stomach for the majority of the surgery and we are hoping it will go away with time.

I finally started eating about half a cup of fruit two times a day. And I really like that with a little bit of grape Fanta.

I am glad to be out of the hospital where they kept trying to feed me milk, cream of wheat and anything else that would make my intestines explode. Jonathan has been wonderful at night with my pill regiments so when the pain is still there it is a little bit lessened. My family has been a lot of good company and a lot of help too.

Still scared about the drive home because apparently I am not going to be as doped up as I thought I would have been.

Every day I try to walk a track around the living room three times. It helps to walk but I am using a walker. Have not fallen over yet though so that is a bonus.

I also try to practice deep breathing into this tube and all I could get at first was 500 and the nurse said I should be at 4000, how disheartening. Then I had Jonathan try and he could only get to 1250. I think she was fibbing.

I enjoy all the flowers that people have sent. They made the empty hospital room and the stale hotel room a little more cheery. Okay I am tired.

Till tomorrow,

Jonathan

Free at last

Jennifer was discharged from the hospital yesterday at about 3pm. She had met all of her therapy goals and had advanced far enough in her diet that they were more than will to let her leave. She was in a bit of discomfort on the short car ride back to the hotel but she seemed to manage alright. She slowly walked from the car to the room in 35 degree weather and climbed a flight of 16 stairs. Quite an accomplishment given that she had only done maybe that distance and one or two small stairs in the hospital only the day before.

Her pain still comes when the medication starts to wear off but it seems to be under much better control now that I am able to rotate her medications on a schedule that does not allow time to exist where she has to just wait for the next dose. One of the only major complaints that I have about the care she received in the hospital was one nasty nurse and the delays, up to 30 minutes, in asking for help or pain medication and actually receiving them. For that reason I am glad that Jennifer's parents and I are now tending to her recovery.

She is progressing more everyday and is a little faster at tasks each day and more able to care for herself. The bed in the Residence Inn is just a piece of foam which creates some discomfort for her as it does not support her too well. The couch has actually turned out to be a firmer platform for her to lay down upon. She has walked around the room about 8-10 times today and eaten some fruit and several popsicles. The last major hurdle will be the drive home in a few days.

Jonathan

End games

Jennifer has made exceptional progress today meeting all of her therapy goals from walking around half of he floor of the hospital to dressing herself to walking up and down a few stairs. She has continued to gain strength in her arms which will help her to get out of bed without twisting.

She has not been eating the food that they have been bringing her as she is on a full solid diet that I don't think I would eat either. The fellow changed her diet to a soft diet and she seems to be eating a bit of this with each meal. She is able to sit in a chair for up to 30 minutes now which greatly aids in eating.

A problem she had last night is with her pain management. She only gets pain medication now if she asks for it and then only every four hours. This is fine if someone is there to remind her but when she is asleep and wakes up in pain it takes at least 20-30 minutes for the nurse to get to her and get the pain meds and then at least as long for the medication to take effect again. This will be a great improvement when she is finally discharged as we will be better able to respond to her immediate needs and not make her wait in pain for up to an hour. That was probably her pain low point for her hospital stay. She wants to come home.

On the positive note, her "plumbing" is all working now as of this evening so she will probably be discharged tomorrow after they do some more stairs, take some x-rays and remove her central line. I will be glad to not have to leave her to have to wait for someone to answer her call with a 20 minute delay.

Looking forward to the discharge.

Jonathan

Baby Steps and Bounds

Jennifer made wonderful progress today. She spent the night on her own last night and did a great job. The staff was kind of short due to the weather we are having here and the fact that it was a Sunday so she did have to wait a bit when she was requesting assistance. The nurse she had last night was much better though than the previous nurse.

When I saw her this morning the fellow had already been by and removed the dressing from her incision and the two drains that were in place. She was also advance in her diet from the IV nutrition to clear liquids to solid food all in a matter of 18 hours. She is also totally off of IV pain medication and is on oral meds which has helped tremendously with her nausea and allowed her to be more alert. She is also making great strides in her physical therapy and walking further and further each of the three times that the therapists saw her today. Two times by the physical therapist and once by the occupational therapist. She also learned how to use her assistance devices so she will not have to reach once she gets out of the hospital.

She has also begun using the bathroom again on her own. It seems like a minor detail but is probably one of the largest steps toward regaining her independence and leaving the hospital. The fellow thought that at the rate she was progressing that she would be out of the hospital either tomorrow or the next day.

I am very proud of her for never saying she would not try something and for constantly pushing herself toward making a successful recovery from this major undertaking.

Jonathan

Stand on your own two feet

Jennifer is making rapid progress toward recovering and being able to have the tubes and hoses disconnected to her. Switching from the morphine to another IV pain killer has greatly helped with the nausea but she is still having problems feeling sick. The resident told us yesterday that it is probably due to the fact that Jennifer is narcotic naive and it is just going to be that way until she can get onto some oral pain meds.

I again stayed with her last night and she slept most of the night except for when the nurses or techs were in the room. The nurse she had last night was not the best caregiver. She was fine medically but just did not have that personal touch and did not listen to what Jennifer was telling her about how she should be adjusted. She really felt like a just a body in a bed. I will speak with the charge nurse this afternoon to try and make sure that Jennifer does not have her again if possible.

The good news this morning is that her GI is waking up and they have begun transferring her off of the IV narcotics to oral medication. She is also taking clear liquids as she progresses back to normal foods. She sat up for quite some time this morning with the physical therapist and was even able to stand for a little bit. The nausea is the only thing that prevented her from going farther but hopefully that will be taken care of now. She wants to make progress and is pushing herself to make that progress. Her spirits are good toward making a recovery and leaving the hospital.

Thank you to everyone that has been so supportive with your thoughts, prayers and generosity. We constantly wonder how much more difficult this whole process would be if we were on our own.

Jonathan

Surgery +1

Jennifer is recovering on her first day after surgery. The first night was smooth for the most part with a very attentive nursing staff. Jennifer's vitals and outputs were monitored every 20-30 minutes and she was able to sleep in between. She was able to lie on her side for about an hour last night but was uncomfortable in that position. This morning she was moved around a bit more and was given her first physical therapy session where she was able to sit up in bed and rolled both directions as well as lift her legs.

The morphine PCA was making her nauseated toward early morning so she had a difficult time this morning while we were waiting for a change in medication. After switching to another drug she the nausea decreased and she was able to lie on her side in order to shift positions. When Jennifer's parents showed up this morning I was able to leave in order to take a nap and get a shower myself.

Jonathan

Surgery is complete

Jennifer had her surgery today. We arrived at 5am. and were able to registar at preop with no problem. The lady that helped us was very cheery given the hour of the day. We then proceeded to wait in another area to be taken up to the second floor for the preop. About 6am we were taken up one floor to the preop area where Jennifer donned her gown and surgery duds. Jennifer was calm through the whole process while her vitals were taken and everyone checked and double checked her information while filling out paper work.

At this point I had to leave Jennifer and she spoke with the anethesiologist and was taken to the operating room for surgery.

We waited through the morning and were update every hour by one of the nurses in the OR as to her progress through the surgery. The surgery took about 5.5 hours and she was in recovery for about 3 hours. Dr. Lenke came up and spoke with us after her surgery and said that they were able to straighten her curve very well but did have to fuse one more vertibrea than he originally thought from T2-L2. Dr. Lenke also said that she had very good bone structure and was pleased with the result.

Tonight we are suppose to have an ice storm here in St. Louis and I am headed back to stay with Jennifer for the night. She is puffed up in the face but looks well considering the circumstances.

Jonathan

Tomorrow

12 hours until my surgery. Today I had my center line put in, which required an IV and some "happy drugs". My right arm hurts, but the good news is that I can still play PlayStation's Guitar Hero, and apparently pretty decently since I just passed a tough level. It's the little things that count right now!

For dinner we plan on seeking out a Mexican restaurant. Then I'd like to grab a famous St. Louis "concrete" (custardy ice cream) for dessert.

We'll be at the hospital at 5am tomorrow...must go pack now. Jonathan should be taking care of this blog when he has some free moments. At the very least he'll put up a quick blurb on my status after the surgery.

Thanks again for all of your prayers and well wishes!

We're Here!

Well we arrived Monday evening after 13.5 hours of driving. We thoroughly enjoyed our first few days at the Park Avenue Mansion and would recommend it to anyone. The owners were a delight and their breakfasts were sumptous. Yesterday we browsed through stores and scoped out downtown. Today we enjoyed the City Museum...not at all what you would think it is. Its a large cluster of caves and mazes built into an old warehouse. Something of a big kids playground. A great way for me to enjoy one of my last days of full mobility before Friday!

We have now moved into our "apartment" at the Marriott Residence Inn and are awaiting my parents arrival, which should be within the next two hours. We'll probably be at the hospital though, as I have to have xrays taken, my "before" pictures done, and need to meet with the surgeon. I guess after today I'm in it for the long haul!

Thank You

Over the past week, that being my final week at work for some time and our last week before leaving for St. Louis, I have been moved by the amount of support I have received from friends, family, and co-workers. I would like to take this chance to say thank you to all of you. Your prayers and well-wishes make it easier to approach this next week with confidence. A year ago I thought this was an event that I would be facing alone with my husband. Now I feel as if I have an entire support group traveling to St. Louis with us. THANK YOU!

My Company

I have enjoyed working for my company from day one. Not only are the people pleasant (including the managers...thankfully!), but the company respects you as an individual. Yes, we are employee owned, but so are other companies, and I doubt many of them would be willing to help you cook meals during your recovery (yes, meals!). It seems that my company never fails to find more ways to make me even prouder to say I work for them.

Last Hurdle Cleared!

So long as I stave off any and all colds, my surgery is a Go for January 12th. I had some concerns that it may be canceled due to some heart palpitations I had been having, but I received clearance for surgery from my cardiologist yesterday. I also received a few weeks worth of Beta Blockers to start taking once I am back in Charleston after the surgery. As it turns out, I've become mildly anemic, and that can cause a very quick heartbeat. The Beta Blocker dosage he gave me is tiny, 25mg, and should just help to slow my heartbeat and allow me to be more comfortable during much of the day. We'll see how it goes, I have to meet back with him in 7 weeks. In addition, I was only able to give 2/3 units of blood. My father just donated the last unit yesterday for me. Thanks Dad! Work is keeping me insanely busy as well. No surprise considering I will be out for 3 months.

I honestly thought that the last 2 weeks before I left for St. Louis would be smooth sailing. That everything relating to the surgery would be completed long beforehand. Unfortunately that has not been the case. Instead it's been one thing after another. It all started with Wheel of Fortune, come to think of it! I thought it had ended with clearance from the cardiologist (imagine not knowing whether or not you were going to have life-changing surgery 1 week before the day!). However, yesterday I came to learn I needed a "Spine Kit" and that my surgeon needed my xrays. It's all worked out now, but talk about cutting it close (haha).

Though we will be hitting the ground running once we arrive in St. Louis, we are going to spend two nights at a nice B&B in town (http://www.parkavenuemansion.com/tour.htm). Why not try to sleep well while I can? I look forward to having someone else cook me a great breakfast in a beautiful city mansion.