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..."

Girl, you are sick!

    I must start off today's blog saying that Whatever you are going through, there is someone else out there whose storm is much bigger than yours. I know that whatever my family is going through right now that God will bring us through it because he said in Hebrews 13:5 that he will never leave you nor forsake us. I am asking for prayer for the Jackson family. One of my mother's neighbors that lives a couple of blocks over buried her husband on March 25, 2010 and in the wee hours of the morning on April 6, 2010 she lost her son in a violent robbery. As a mother and wife; I don't know if I could handle burying my husband one week and preparing to bury my child the next; but inspite of all she is going through I am praying for her and hoping that she knows God is still in control and that although her heart may be heavy laden, God is still Good! So to my family and friends, please keep this family in your prayers.

     Today, was a very long day for my family. The morning started out with my nephew, A.D. (scilla's son) having surgery on his eye at 6:30 a.m. The surgery went well and he is recovering in the hospital with an overnight stay, he will be discharged around lunch on Wednesday. Scilla was able to get into her chair and her friend, Carolyn wheeled her over to be with A.D before his surgery.

    After returning to her room from visiting A.D, the nurses took her vitals and her oxygen levels were very low and had been the last couple of times they checked. A CT Scan was ordered. LeeLee went over to the hospital to accompany her to the scan around 10 a.m. I arrived at the hospital around noon and went over to visit A.D before visiting Scilla. While visiting with Scilla, she was in good spirits and enjoying Mimi's company until the doctor came in. The doctor walked into the room and said "Girl you are sick", Scilla had a look of horror on her face and she began to cry and my heart sank to the floor, for we had no idea what the doctor was going to say. The doctor went on to tell us these things:

1. Scilla has a blood clot that has traveled to her right lung from her legs.
2. She also has fluid in her right lung.
3. The fluid in her lung is what led to the pain in her abdomen that I wrote about last week and also what was causing the breathing problem and her waking up in the middle of night feeling as though she was choking.
4. She will need to have a Vena cava filter put in to trap any future blood clots. She will also need a 6 month treatment of Coumadin, a blood thinner.
5. She will need a Thoracentesis or tap on right lung to remove the fluid.

After giving us the above information the doctor put Scilla on bed rest for the rest of the day. She had the Vena cava filter put in around 4:30 Tuesday afternoon by a vascular surgeon. A Vena cava filter is a metallic, umbrella-shaped device that catches blood clots to prevent them from traveling to the lungs and causing a pulmonary embolism.

Above is a picture of a Vena cava filter

    The Thoracentesis will occur around 8 a.m on Wednesday morning and I am praying that after we tackle this that we will have nothing but upward progress from this point forward.

     I feel as though I have been catapulted from next to the baby to the big sister. Anyone who knows me is aware that by nature I am a nurturer and although I am next to the baby, I have always tried to act like the "momma" to everyone else, including my 2 older sisters! With Scilla's accident, I am definitely feeling the stress of being the "big sister".  She called me when she needed someone to go with her to have the CT Scan this morning and of course because of the short notification, I called and made arrangements for LeeLee to get to the hospital within the next 15 minutes. I was the only one there when they gave the news about her lungs today and it took a lot to remain strong. I arrived at work late, only to be called by Scilla who was upset and in tears at about 4 and had to leave early (thank you to my supervisor for being understanding). Once at the hospital; I was the one, along with her husband who went to have the filter put in. She has since called me around 10:30 tonight to make sure that I will be at the hospital around 8 a.m for her lung tap. I am not a morning person, but I know if I am not there, she will be calling to see where I am at. Also in taking on the "big sister" role, Scilla has given me a lot responsibilty; I am helping her with insurance, the kids, and so much more. Who knew being the "big sister" was so much work, I can only imagine how my mom and her husband feel!

   Prissy is such a fighter. Her faith in God continues to sustain her and she is relying on him to bring her through. I ask that everyone who knows God, continue to pray for her. I hope no one takes this the wrong way, but not everyone has your best interest in mind and we know that people talk and they say things and spread rumors that are not true. We do not want anyone who is not praying for healing, restoration, or her well being speaking negativity or false reports into her life. So to my wonderful family and friends continue praying for her.

"walking in faith..."

Monday, last day of spring break....

    Today is my last day of spring break and I am sad to see it come; seeing as though I have not really had a break and also because it means I will not get to spend as much time at the hospital with Scilla. Over the course of the break, I spent at least 3 hours a day (more on most days) at the hospital. I enjoyed my time with Scilla and got to go to therapy with her and practice her exercises.

    Today makes 4 weeks since the accident occured and it has been a stressful and exhausting 4 weeks. I can tell that mom really needs some rest. She flew off the handle at me for no reason at all, but I did not take it personally because I know she has a lot on her plate right now. She really needs a break and sometime to rest, but it is hard when you are trying to take care of an 8 month old baby and her 39 year old baby, Scilla. I told my mom she needed a break and she should just take a day to rest, but of course she said "no". Anyone who knows my mom, knows that she always puts the needs of others before her own and she rarely ever says "no" when someone asks her to do something. This frustrates me because I want the best for my mom and I really want her to have time for herself and to learn to put others on the back burner; because if you are not well rested or healthy, how can you properly take care of someone else. Not only is my mom stressed, but also Greg, my sister's husband and her kids. I also feel the stress in my life and I can relate to how my mom feels because I flew off the handle for no reason  tonight and after I calmed down, I apologized to my wonderful husband, Eric because I know it is just that we have a lot going on in our lives right now.

     On another note Scilla said today that she should be coming home in about 4 to 5 weeks, but we will know more about that when her weekly conference happens on Thursday. She is doing a very good job at steering her wheelchair and increasing her upper body strength. She is now able to give us some leverage by lifting herself up some to assist in placing the sling underneath her to transfer her from her chair to the bed using the lift. She is also able to grab the bed handles and assist in pulling her up in the bed. Although she is making great improvements, doctors are still trying to get her pain under control. It is very painful for example for her to lie down and reach across her body with her arm and hold herself on her side.

    I know the last two post have not been exactly interesting, but please know that Scilla is doing great and we ask that you continue to pray for her healing.

Our first holiday without Prissy's presence...

  I have not updated the blog in the past two days because I have been tired and just haven't had the time. So where do I begin? I guess I will start with Saturday.

   Saturday was a very good day for Scilla. She was in good spirits and did really well in her therapy sessions. She asked for a home visit, but the nurses said that it required prior doctor approval and also she hasn't had any practice transfering from a car to her chair and vice versa. She really wanted to come for Easter, but was not able to.

   Easter Sunday was a very emotional day for her. I arrived at the hospital around 2p.m and she was sleeping. She woke up when I entered the room and I told her I loved her and gave her the basket Mimi and I made for her. She told me she was in pain and asked for the nurse. I went to get the nurse and when she came she said that it would be another 3-4 hours before she could have pain medicine and Scilla started crying, which tugged at my heart strings. Seeing her in tears made me sad and I wanted to cry with her, but had to suck it up and hold it end, because I try not get upset in front of her. The nurse and I comforted her and repositioned her in the bed. She was feeling a little better and she and I talked, looked at the newspaper and watched t.v. . I was planning on leaving at 4p.m. because Easter dinner was being held at my house and of course I wanted to be there as a host. Scilla did not want me to leave and got mad when someone called to ask when I would be leaving; she said "you should of just turned off your and then they couldn't call you" (very funny!). Everytime I got ready to leave, she would convince me to stay an extra 30 minutes until finally I was so hungry that I had to leave or else I was going to pass out! As I was gathering my stuff to leave, she looked so sad and I hated to go; as I turned to walk out the door, she said " I guess I will just go to sleep".
     We all really missed her presence on Easter and she was in everyone's thoughts and prayers and we all wished she could be with us on that day. As the family laughed, hunted eggs, ate, and chatted she remained on all of our minds and hearts. We love our Prissy and hope that this is the only holiday that she misses.

What's with the nurses???

    I know there are some great nurses out there who love their jobs and put patients first, but for every great nurse, there are 3 lazy nurses who care nothing about patients, but are only there because the money is good and the work a-plenty. I strongly dislike most 3rd shift nurses because they don't really do any work and are lazy.

     Since my sisters hospitalization, we have had several problems with nurses on 3rd shift both at the main hospital and Roger C. Peace. At one point at GM(greenville memorial), she requested pain medicine more than once and it took them 8 hours to get it to her. At RCP, they have also gone long periods of time between requesting medicine and actually administering it, and we all know my sister can not feel below the waist and has no control over her bowels or stomach muscles and last night they left her on a soiled bed. The nurse was not on her job and I have requested to see the nurse supervisor ASAP! Notes were also taken, because this is unacceptable. The CNA's were pissed when we they came in this morning and my sister's best friend went on a rampage when she arrived this morning. My sister said to me today that the nurses on 3rd shift administer meds and then they go sleep and do not bother to check in on patients or anything. She said they remain sleep until the next time for them to administer meds, which is in many cases 4 to 6 hours later. I am so ready for her to come home, so we can take care of her and hire someone whom we know will do their job. THESE NURSES ARE REALLY PUSHING MY BUTTONS! I AM GRATEFUL FOR THE GREAT NURSES MY SISTER HAS, BUT THE ONES WHO ARE NOT ON THERE JOBS, PLEASE TAKE HEED, YOU WILL NOT GET AWAY WITH NOT DOING YOUR JOB, WHEN IT COMES TO MY SISTER'S HEALTH AND WELL-BEING!

    On a lighter note, therapy is still progressing well and her therapists commented today that she has made awesome progress. They want her to make sure to roll every couple of hours to prevent pressure sores and also they want her to make sure she wears her brace/boot thingys to prevent ankle and heal rolling.

     She also said she feels like she is going to walk again someday, even if she has to has some assistance. She also says she felt tingling in her right foot. In talking to her therapists today, they told her that every spinal cord injury is different and no two injuries are the same. Doctors and therapists say they can't gaurantee anything because no one really knows what will happen in the future and that they can't really give her any hope that she will walk again, because they have to prepare her for the worse and give her the diagnosis in which medical research supports which is that she will be paralyzed and never walk again.

Please continue to pray for my sister and all the patients at RCP and GM that they will have nurses who are caring, responsible, and has the best interest of the patients in mid.

"walking in faith..."

She got her roll on, but wasn't suppose to...

     After a long night on Wendesday, Prissy had a pretty good day on Thursday. Most of it was because for most of the day, she was in bed. The doctor came in to visit and ordered bed rest for Scilla today until she can have an ultrasound done on Friday to see what is causing the swelling and tenderness in her stomach. The surgeon who visited this afternoon said it could be several things:

• air trapped inside
• a pancreas problem
• a gallbladder problem
• or a problem with her lapband

      As mentioned in the title today for recreational therapy, her therapist allowed her to get into her wheelchair and roll herself around. The therapist didn't read the doctor's orders of bedside therapy today, but despite that  Scilla was able to get into the chair using the sliding board (a pic I found online below).

She did very well using the sliding board, but still needs a lot of work. Her therapists are working hard to build up her confidence. She gets really nervous and afraid; she has yet to learn to balance herself independently and this contributes to her anxiety when transfering using the board or even just trying to sit up unsupported which she still can not do yet. Her therapist said as soon as she can gain confidence sitting up unsupported and transfering into her chair; she will then be able to go on outtings or for family visists. While today was her first day using the sliding board, they will still continue to use this very cool machine for transfering also, it is called the maxi lift :

      As stated above she did get her roll on today, she still needs work "staying in her lane" and "turning" before she gets her lincense or permit to drive to her wheelchair. But overall she did okay today and here is a little video of her "getting her roll on"! I don't know why, but the video is not cooperating, it worked in the preview!

"Walking in Faith..."

Weekly Conference...1 day early!

    Every Thursday, all my sister's doctors, therapists, and case worker have a weekly conference to discuss her progress and the course of treatment for her. Well this week, because of the Easter holiday, her conference was today, Wednesday.  This is her 2nd conference and here is what we learned after being briefed by my sister's case worker this afternoon:

• She is not progressing as fast as she should or they would like for her to, so they are going to see if her stay can be extended at least 3 weeks perferably 4 or more if needed, for a total of at least 7 weeks at RCP (the norm or average is 4 weeks), we are currently in our 2nd week.
• Also they are still saying around the clock care will be needed, but this may be temporary.
• They are hoping the extra time at RCP will get her where she needs to be and then once she is home, she will continue with her therapies.

     As I am writing this blog, I am on the phone with Priscilla, she is having really bad pain, tenderness and bloating in the abdomen, but it could be several things, considering it is only the area where she has feeling; it could be:

1. pain from her back
2. pain from needing to empty her bladder or bowels

I hate to hear her in such pain and wish I could do something about it. She is hurting so bad that she does not want to lay down, she doesn't want pain medicine, she just wants to feel better. She asked me to pray with her and I did and I know that our God is awesome and she will begin to feel better soon. She didn't have a good night on Tuesday night and I am hoping tonight is better, but the way it looks now; I am not so sure.

   I told my mom that I will be so glad when she comes home, but that does not leave much time for us to come up with a plan for her, as far as where she will live or how to get her in an accessible home. Also again today she wanted my mom to rub her back; my mom was massaging it when Scilla said to her
 "Rub it like a momma rub" meaning she just wanted mom to gently slide her hand across her back while she relaxed. As mom and I rubbed her back, of course we had an extra set of small hands that wanted to rub too! Mimi helped rub Aunt Scilla's back, but for her it was just an excuse to play in lotion.

I have two pictures to share today, the first one is of my babe, Prissy about to take a phone call, she is sleepy and ready to get back in bed after an afternoon full of therapy:

And this one is of her, LeeLee (our baby sister) and "Louie"( my mom's foster child, might as well say he is LeeLee's baby, because he loves her to death and was his main caretaker the first 6 months of his life):