wordless Wednesday...

Not much going on today, so I will include 2 pictures and take this opportunity to ask for prayers for Baby Emma, who had her shunt put in on Tuesday. Please pray that the fluid drains as the doctors would like and that her wound from her back surgery continues to heal. Also pray for baby Elyjah who will be having cateract surgery on the 29th, he is only 5 months old, but was born was 4 months early.

Above is after church on Sunday at my house

Aunt Scilla and her favorite girl who makes Aunt Scilla's world go 'round and 'round!

Home Evaluation...

    Today was a pretty good day for Prissy! I got a wake up call at about 7:30 a.m. from her; she wanted me to meet her and her therapists at her apartment for her home evaluation.  Here are the results:

• The first problem I saw was that the handicap sidewalk entrance is a small distance from her apartment and someone had partially blocked it.
    
• Once on the sidewalk, she wheeled down to her apartment and had no problem entering because the doors were wide enough for her to enter comfortably.
    
• Once through the door, came the next problem in my opinion; carpet throughout the entire apartment except the bathrooms and kitchen.
   
• Her hallway is narrow, but she fit through with no problem. Her furniture is really big and some pieces had to be removed to allow her to pass through to her bedroom.
   
• The bedroom is a good size for an apartment, but her bed is too high and the options are to either remove the railing from the bed and put the box spring and mattress on the floor or get a new bed. Also in the bedroom, her bed will need to be shifted to the wall so that she can have enough room to enter bed on the side that is not against the wall.
   
• The bath in her bedroom is OK, but the height and width is of concern as to whether or not her bath bench will fit. The guest bath has a better tub, but she may have trouble getting into it.
• My biggest concern is the kitchen. Her apartment has a galley style kitchen that is very small. Something VERY SIMILAR to this picture I found on google:

Prissy's kitchen is very narrow like this one and it presents a lot of concerns for me and I do not feel comfortable with her even attempting to try and go in there to cook or get anything out the fridge for that matter. She would have to most likely back her wheel chair into the kitchen to even open the refrigerator. Also to put anything in the oven she would have to be on either side and could run the risk of burning her legs and not knowing it. While there, she rolled into her kitchen and got stuck because her chair is just about the same width of the kitchen and Greg had to help get turned around.

       Although there are some issues with her current apartment; it is not enough for her therapists to say that she will not be able to come home in May. I am hoping and praying that her apartment is temporary and that we are able to find her an accessible home that will allow her to be independent and do one her favorite things, cook!

Still trying hard...

   Today was an okay day for Priscilla. She is getting frustrated with trying to achieve some of her therapy goals. Getting into the car is easier for her than getting out. The past two days she has practiced transferring in and out of the car, but today she was in a lot of pain afterwards.  In her frustration she wanted to give up and said she just needed a van. I kept telling her how well she was doing and trying to encourage her to stay positive and continue to work hard.

    Scilla is having a better afternoon and  her pain is better controlled after her hardwork this morning. They also changed her wheelchair to one that is more compact and foldable; also this is suppose to be closer to the one she will actually take home. Scilla doesn't really care for this chair because it a specialized chair and for her it feels constricting and she feels like she is squeezed into it. The following are pictures from practicing transferring in and out of the car :

She was super excited to try getting in the car for the first time since her accident.

Rolling up to the car on Monday, April 19, 2010 for day 1 of practice.

Resting. We had no idea something as simple as getting into a car after her accident would be so hard. It makes you thankful; I hope it gets easier for her.

Day 2, Tuesday, April 20, 2010. Trying to get out of the car. This has proven to be the most difficult part of the transfer. It caused her a lot of pain and frustration and we are hoping that God continues to give her strength, healing, and faith that she CAN DO IT!

"Walking in faith..."

Coping...

    I didn't write on Sunday because I was just so tired and emotionally that drained that I needed a day to just rest and relax with the people I care about the most.

      After having a very rough day on Saturday; Sunday was a much better day for Scilla emotionally. she was very cheerful and smiling; she laughed and joked with us which was a big change from Saturday. She did not have her drainage tube removed on Sunday because again she was putting out too much fluid.

    Now to today, Monday! Scilla called me early and said she hates these days that when she is sad or doesn't feel happy. She has been talking with various family members and  has realized that her accident has affected everyone in a major way, especially her husband and kids. Sometimes when life changing events happen, we have a tendency to internalize everything, but it is better to talk to someone or have some type of outlet to remove our stress and vent. As a family, we are beginning to look into our options as far as counseling for some members of our family. As African Americans many people in our community frown upon counseling; but it is not a bad thing. I think that more African Americans should take advantage of the health options available to us to help us live a more healthy and fulfilling life.

   Scilla did not get moved back to Roger C. Peace today because she is still draining too much and we are hoping that by Tuesday her drainage will be back under control and she can return to RCP. I was informed today that Her rehab doctor visited and said that she is now a 2-person case (she used another word, but she basically meant that she would need 2 care givers instead of one), but we don't understand why because nothing has changed or gotten worse since she has been back at Memorial.

   Scilla did have a small therapy session today. It is amazing what we take for granted when we are healthy and all is well. In her session today she worked on balancing, leaning on her arm/elbow for support and then pushing up using her arm/elbow. She also worked on sitting upright, as she tried to sit upright and stretch as in lifting her head and raising her shoulders, she commented on how good that felt and I could only imagine that it must have because of her surgery, she is often sitting with what looks like a curve in her spine. She also practiced lifting her arms and Mimi got to help today by standing in front of her aunt Scilla with her hands open as targets for Scilla to hit.

    I have been thinking a lot lately about how blessed so many of us are and how often we take for granted so many things that seem so minute to us. As I watched Scilla today and witnessed her fear of trying to sit in  an upright position as she tried to balance herself; I tried to encourage her, but I kept thinking that sitting up, balanced in an upright position, with the ability to support yourself is something we all take for granted; but when she is able to accomplish that; it will be a major milestone for her.

    We also learned some things for her therapist, Sue on today. Scilla told her about her legs feeling like they were hanging off the side of the bed and tingling. Sue said that is normal and could be one of two things:

1.  Phantom sensation, basically she hasn't had her injury long enough for her brain to know that her that part of her body doesn't work. So in her mind, she is still trying to move her legs, but can't. The therapists also said that it should not be possible for her to move her legs because from what they know; her injury was complete, meaning that her spinal cord was completely severed. Had Scilla's injury been incomplete, her chance's of walking would have been greater.
2. Maybe there is some regeneration going on in her spine or maybe there was just a small nerve or portion in her spine that remained connected during her injury and that could be the cause of what she is feeling; again this is very unlikely seeing as though doctors are sure that her spinal cord was completely severed.

   This has turned into a pretty long blog tonight, so I think I will end it here by saying thank you to everyone who continues to pray for our family because we all know that God has the final say in any situation.

"Walking in Faith..."         

2 surgeries today...

Today has been a very long day! As I wrote in yesterday's blog, Priscilla was scheduled to have a surgical procedure done at 8 a.m. this morning. So of course, I rushed out of bed and made it to the hospital shortly before 8. To my astonishment I beat my mom there; and to think I am not a morning person! Anyways back on topic, they did not take her down for the surgery until 10 a.m. and once in surgery I left to go home to get my baby, only to get a call from my mother and Scilla around noon; saying that they would need to perform a second surgery, most likely later on today.

    We were orignally told the second surgery would occur around 5 or 6 p.m. this evening, but it was moved up to 3:30 p.m. The Thoracentesis was unsuccessful due to the large size of the blood clot and fluid, which kept clogging the needle. So the same doctor who treated Scilla in the ER on the day of her accident came over to talk to us. And here is what she said :

• Scilla would be having a big surgery called Video-Assisted Thoracoscopic surgery (VATS). VATS is  performed using a small video camera that is introduced into the patient's chest via a scope. With the video camera, the surgeon is able to view the anatomy along with other surgical instruments that are introduced into the chest via small incisions or "ports".  The surgery should take no longer than 2 hours.
• Using VATS, they will drain the fluid from the fusion in the lung area using a suction and lightly scrape the lung.
• After doing the above they will be putting in a chest tube to keep draining any excess fluid. The chest tube will remain in for about 3 days or until the lung reinflates.
• While the tube is in, she will have a chest x-ray every morning to check the lung inflation progress.
• The blood clot itself will eventually reabsorb into the blood stream.
• With the VAT surgery, she will have a breathing tube during surgery and overnight. She will spend the night in ICU tonight, then she will be moved to a room at GHS on Thursday. The recovery period is 5 to 6 days, which means she will remain at GHS for this time period.
• Priscilla will return to Roger C. Peace sometime next week after her week of recovery at GHS.
  I think the time spent at GHS will add to the time in which she will have to spend at RCP, so the orignal 4 weeks before coming home has probably been pushed back, but we will know more about that when we get back to RCP and that is the least of our worries right now; we just want her to get better.

     The surgery went very well and they removed about a liter of fluid from her right lung area. They inserted the drain and she is resting in ICU in the heart instittute for the night. As stated above, she will be moved to a room tomorrow.  The doctor said she will be in a lot of pain and they are going to try to control it and hopefully once the drain comes out and the lung reinflates she will feel a whole lot better because she should no longer have problems with her breathing. I am so glad everything went well and I am hoping that from here on we make progress and no regressions because she is ready to leave the hospital. Please continue to keep Priscilla in your prayers.

"Walking in faith..."

How do you tell a 16 year old girl her mom may be paralyzed? & My reactions

      So, as mentioned in the previous post I went to pick Shakelle up from school. I got to the school and waited patiently for about 2-3 minutes (which seemed like an eternity) and no one came to my assitance, so of course I was getting irritated, so I knocked on the desk to get 2 ladies attention and in my mean voice said " I have an emergency and need some help." After getting assistance, I told the lady in attendance what was going on and she acted fast and went to get the Early dismisal approved, which happened very fast. So Shakelle was walking towards me and she was soooo happy, just smiling and I began to turn red, because I didn't know if I should tell her now or wait! She saw the look of horror on my face and began asking wait and so I told her and she broke down and I had to drag her to the car and literally put her inside. On our way back to the hospital, we got the news that they were taking her to ICU.
  

    *My Quick Reactions and Others*
          When my mom called me, I was still enjoying my wonderful sleep, this is not the wake up call you want to receive! I jumped up out of the bed and was panicing and felt like I was going to cry, but my God is so good, he said Betty, don't cry, pray! So I immediately started to pray and ask God for strength and healing. After that I called Eric, my hubby to come home from work to babysit our daughter and I tell you, he was not getting home fast enough and I was getting pissed by the minute...lol (Side Note: I love my hubby and he has been really supportive and he got there as soon as he could).
       I must mention this in reactions, I have always said that I could feel my moms pain and she tells us all the time, she feels ours. At the time of my sister's accident, my mother was inside of Bi-Lo to get milk for work. Her legs froze and she could not move and one of the clerks who knows her said "Ms. Pat, are you ok" and my mom replied " Yea, I'm ok, it's couldy out and these old knee's just acting up" But she was really feeling my sisters paralysis as it was occuring...(My God, My God)

*Return to regular programming*
   So we get back to the hospital and goes to the ICU, by this time all my aunts, uncles, cousins, and sister's closest friends have arrived. We are all waiting to see what the Doctors have the say. In comes Neuro-trauma specialist #1, Dr. Kanos. He comes in the ICU and says he has reviewed the x-rays and CT Scans and other stuff and says, " I am going to be blunt with you, she is paralyzed and it will be permanent, but I would like to bring in my colleague who is a specialist at this, I do this all the time, but I really want to get his 2nd opinion."
  So next comes the orthopedic surgeon, he says no broken bones besides the back and yes paralysis!
       After the ortho-surgeon, we wait hours and finally in walks a man in a suit, Dr. Hodge, Nuero-Surgeon number 2 and he gives the same diagnosis and schedules surgery for Tuesday, March 16, 2010 at 3pm.
              After Dr. Hodge leaves, they move her from ICU to the neuro-trauma unit, which is ICU for people with Nuero injuries.