Hey, guess what?
ROSE IS BORED. SHE WANTS VISITORS!!!!!

Call her!

She's Home!

Aside from being handsome, Nurse Larry is also an enforcer.
He would like to remind you that it is very important for his miracle patient to get the rest she needs.
Remember:
Please give Rose the weekend to get settled in
Always call before a visit
Postpone your visit if you are ill or don't feel well (as her immune system is weak)
Don't hesitate to ask Nurse Larry for advice. Nurse Larry knows best.

Thank you again for everything you've done for Mom- all of your prayers, all of your visits, calls, flowers, cards. We are so thankful that she made it back home so quickly!

I'm sure she's already in bed snuggling with her KittyGirl.
We'll keep you posted!

Jump For Joy!

Here's your poster child:

So, the nurses slapped some Durma Bond on Mom's leak.
Tonight, they are removing half of her stitches. Tomorrow morning they will remove the remaining stitches. She will start taking the antibiotics orally.
Yes, folks. If there are no "episodes" tonight, Mom is being released tomorrow afternoon!!!
No insulin shots required.
No need for the feeding tube (although it will remain attached for another 4 weeks just in case).
Unbelievable.
Mom would like to thank all of you for taking this journey with her. You made the operation much easier to face, the recovery much faster and the hospital bearable.

I know you all are anxious to see Mom. She wants to see you, too. But she's asking for the remainder of the week to settle in. Please wait until Monday before visiting the house. Also, my parents have requested that you call before stopping by. Thank you so much for being so understanding, so willing to help and so concerned about Mom. She's so lucky to have such a wonderful group of loving and caring people in her life.

And don't worry, we will keep you updated. We will keep you updated as long as Mom will allow it! And I promise to have more pictures of Mom up soon. I've been sick, so I've stayed away from the hospital the past few days.


You did it Mom!
See you at home.

Tooot Toooot!

Y'all are really missing the action!!! Mom had her first bowel movement this morning at 3AM. This was her first since pre-op!! I guess all of her plumbing is working like it should be!! I told her that I refused to visit her if she was still using the portable toilet next to the bed...luckily she is mobile enough now to use the big girls potty and flush that stinky stuff.

She is doing great today...still on an antibiotic for that mild infection. They did a CT scan on her yesterday and I am sure Sheila can tell a heck of a story about mom trying to guzzle down the 20oz of contrast fluid. Ugh! The CT scan was clean and from what I understand her guts are looking good. She is now experiencing some drainage from where her JP tube was removed. The nurses and doctor don't find this suspicious but normal for some of the fluids from her abdomen cavity to drain.

Mom is eating well. Walking good. But I can tell she is starting to get a little stir crazy...9 days of confinement is starting to have a toll. She was a little restless while I was there and could not get comfortable. We took a quick stroll in the wheelchair down to the cafeteria so mom could warm up some soy sausage, walked a few laps around the nurses' station, took a truckers bath, picked at old remains of sticky tape stuck to her skin that was driving her mad and then her gf showed up to lift her spirits.

Wide Awake, It's Morning!

Kelli, Mom called me at 6:30am, too. She didn't ask me to bring her gum though.
And I didn't actually answer the phone. I called her back at 7:30 when my eyes were open and I had some coffee brewing.

Me: Did you call me at 6:30 in the morning?
Mom: Yeah. (In the way that only Mom can say "Yeah")
Me: Just because you're laid up in the hospital doesn't mean you can call me that early. Don't ever call me that early again.
Mom: (Laughing.) I thought you'd be up!
Me: When have you EVER known me to be up that early.

That was the beginning of our fairly long conversation. And now I feel good about my mother's recovery. It was just like before she went in. We went back and forth and I listened to her just breathe for a little while. (Because sometimes that's what we do- just listen to each other breathe over the phone.) Things seem back to normal.

She will get the results of the blood cultures back today. She said, "Today we will know something."

I already know something....
Everything's going to be fine.

Love you!

*Edited to update:
Mom just called and the bacteria infection is called Klebsiella.
They gave her a new bag of medicine (she didn't say what it was) and she's going to get some shut-eye before Shelia arrives.

Mom is doing exceptional today! I enjoyed spending most of the morning and afternoon with her...

Mom called me at 630AM this morning to ask if I would bring a pack of chewing gum...Extra in spearmint or peppermint. Doesn't that woman have any since of time? I figured since I was wide awake I would go ahead, get dressed and drive on up to the hospital. It was early for me but I stopped at Dunkin Donuts to get some coffee for dad and I.

I arrived to find mom munching on a banana and a bowl of corn flakes with skim milk. She seemed thrilled to be eating food with a brand name like kelloggs instead of some tasteless generic hospital no brand. Soon after breakfast mom was putting her socks on and gearing up for her already 2nd or 3rd walk that morning.

Mom walked 3 more times while I was there. Each time she walked 4 or more laps around the nurses station and down the hall. The nurse detached her from the IV fluid bags just before lunch...once mom went wireless she was speed walking and I could barely keep up with her. Mom was her own coach today, I didn't have to ask or reminder her to do a thing. She was up every hour to walk, do her breathing exercises and potty on her own. I can just tell she is going to heal quickly and be an even stronger woman when this is all over.

We will continue to keep you posted on the results of the blood cultures. Dr. Danaker should be back tomorrow to let us know where we go from here.

Too Much Hospital

So, this morning Kelli relieved Nurse Larry of his duties so that he could get some work done this afternoon. As you can see from the video, it's clear that he needed some fresh air.
I called for an update a couple hours ago. Fever is back to normal but she's starting to feel a little warm. The blood cultures came back: 3 of the 4 were positive for bacteria. They just don't know what kind yet. So, they'll let them grow a little longer before deciding what to do. She's not feeling any pain from the infection. She's on antibiotics (piperacillen) and (tazobactam) every four hours. Her blood pressure was normal. Blood sugar was a little high today. She's been doing a lot of walking.
I'd asked if she'd had any visitors. No, she said. She's been able to get a lot of rest today.
I'm sure Kelli will update with more later.