Recovery-Update 11
Sorry it's been so long since the last blog entry. Now that I can be with Katie around the clock, my time here is much more busy and productive - and has she ever been productive! Katie has a pillow that she has to hug when she's coughing. I think it's supposed to help make her coughs stronger/more forceful to help her get air into her lungs and start working to get the gunk out. Getting the gunk out is going to help prevent pneumonia along with the plastic contraption I mentioned earlier. Her day time nurse was very patient and kind. She helped Katie do a full lap around the floor. I can't remember whether she said they'd like her to do 3 or 4 laps around the 5th floor by the time she goes home. She said, obviously it's something you have to work up to.
Katie was a champ. She said she felt better standing up and walking around than she did laying down. Once we finished doing that I sat with Katie and started reading my blog entries to her. While I'd share the comments people were leaving before, it was the first time she'd heard the actual blogs I was writing and the first time she was able to focus long enough to make it through them. I think it was helpful for her to hear and remember how it's all played out and how far she's come. Julie (Katie's sister) left just as we sat down to eat dinner. Katie and I talked about what has transpired. She looked up at me and said, "I think I want to go for another walk after we eat. It's probably not going to be very far but I want to try." I'm consistently impressed with the strength God is giving her!
So, after dinner, Katie and I set off walking and by the time she was done she had walked a little more than another lap around the floor! Day 1 - two laps around the floor! I kept asking her if she wanted to stop, especially near the end because she looked so drowsy at times. Her eyes rolled into the back of her head a couple of times. She said, "it hurts when I lay down and it hurts when I walk. At least when I'm walking I'm getting closer to going home" so we kept walking.
When we got back to the room we were able to video conference with Dan, Marcia, Julie, and Elena. They couldn't see us (we didn't have a video camera) but they could hear us and we could hear and see them. That helped Katie a lot but even still, she was in and out. After the video conference we started getting her ready for bed. As we were doing this, the nurse we've been waiting for showed up. Emily is a former college roommate of Julie's and she works here, on the 5th floor of this hospital. She has a great smile and a sweet spirit. She'd heard about Katie's surgery and when she found out that she'd be working while Katie was on her floor she started reading up about Katie's condition. We're about 2 hours into Emily's shift and it's been great. She's been so helpful and I think just seeing a familiar face who can help us navigate through some of this has really lifted our spirits.
The tubes and the resulting pain is still the major issue. We've spent the last 35 - 40 minutes trying to get Katie comfortable so that she can sleep. We'll make some adjustments and then a few minutes later we have to re-figure it out because it's not working. Katie is tired but the tubes and the incision make finding a comfortable position very difficult. There's also the fact that the PCA nurse is going to have to come in every 4 hours to take her blood pressure. I feel like we're racing against the clock to get Katie comfortable and asleep to get the most sleep in between those times.
She is such a trooper though! I am in awe of my wife! As always, thank you for your continued prayers! Though she can't read the blog just yet, from time to time she is having me read it and getting her caught up on what I've been doing with her blog :) She's enjoying hearing from everyone!
Katie was a champ. She said she felt better standing up and walking around than she did laying down. Once we finished doing that I sat with Katie and started reading my blog entries to her. While I'd share the comments people were leaving before, it was the first time she'd heard the actual blogs I was writing and the first time she was able to focus long enough to make it through them. I think it was helpful for her to hear and remember how it's all played out and how far she's come. Julie (Katie's sister) left just as we sat down to eat dinner. Katie and I talked about what has transpired. She looked up at me and said, "I think I want to go for another walk after we eat. It's probably not going to be very far but I want to try." I'm consistently impressed with the strength God is giving her!
So, after dinner, Katie and I set off walking and by the time she was done she had walked a little more than another lap around the floor! Day 1 - two laps around the floor! I kept asking her if she wanted to stop, especially near the end because she looked so drowsy at times. Her eyes rolled into the back of her head a couple of times. She said, "it hurts when I lay down and it hurts when I walk. At least when I'm walking I'm getting closer to going home" so we kept walking.
When we got back to the room we were able to video conference with Dan, Marcia, Julie, and Elena. They couldn't see us (we didn't have a video camera) but they could hear us and we could hear and see them. That helped Katie a lot but even still, she was in and out. After the video conference we started getting her ready for bed. As we were doing this, the nurse we've been waiting for showed up. Emily is a former college roommate of Julie's and she works here, on the 5th floor of this hospital. She has a great smile and a sweet spirit. She'd heard about Katie's surgery and when she found out that she'd be working while Katie was on her floor she started reading up about Katie's condition. We're about 2 hours into Emily's shift and it's been great. She's been so helpful and I think just seeing a familiar face who can help us navigate through some of this has really lifted our spirits.
The tubes and the resulting pain is still the major issue. We've spent the last 35 - 40 minutes trying to get Katie comfortable so that she can sleep. We'll make some adjustments and then a few minutes later we have to re-figure it out because it's not working. Katie is tired but the tubes and the incision make finding a comfortable position very difficult. There's also the fact that the PCA nurse is going to have to come in every 4 hours to take her blood pressure. I feel like we're racing against the clock to get Katie comfortable and asleep to get the most sleep in between those times.
She is such a trooper though! I am in awe of my wife! As always, thank you for your continued prayers! Though she can't read the blog just yet, from time to time she is having me read it and getting her caught up on what I've been doing with her blog :) She's enjoying hearing from everyone!
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