No need for surgery on shoulder, just PT until it heals. I stood up today with help from the PT. Felt like I was supporting 900 pounds, as my feet are waking up again. But the beginning of a better chapter.
Everybody send me some news please, or call.
Love,
Sheryl
Friday, November 28, 2008
Thursday, November 27, 2008
from sheryl
first and last turkey day in the hospital hope i hope for sure.
just passing thru to greet friends on this special day.
jenn, kuba, geoff and heather brought me home cooking for my holiday meal this evening.
get back with you folks later. see you in december.
sheryl
just passing thru to greet friends on this special day.
jenn, kuba, geoff and heather brought me home cooking for my holiday meal this evening.
get back with you folks later. see you in december.
sheryl
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Happy Thanksgiving
Hi Everyone. Mom had an MRI today on her left shoulder. She was anxious about being in that tube for so long, but she did great. We hope to have the results in the next few days.
She should begin bearing weight on her feet Friday! Geoff and I have been giving her foot rubs to help desensitize the nerves in her feet, and she's been working on a CPM maching (continual passive motion) on both legs to get them ready to be vertical.
Kuba arrives this evening and will be here until Saturday night. Geoff, Heather, Kuba and I will head to Palo Alto for tomorrow afternoon to have Thanksgiving with our dad, step-mom and that side of our family. We'll be at the hospital with mom on both sides of that outing.
It's hard to be entering the holiday season dealing with this situation, but, in the spirit of Thanksgiving, I am eternally grateful for the life of my mom.
Hug your loved ones tomorrow.
love,
jennifer
She should begin bearing weight on her feet Friday! Geoff and I have been giving her foot rubs to help desensitize the nerves in her feet, and she's been working on a CPM maching (continual passive motion) on both legs to get them ready to be vertical.
Kuba arrives this evening and will be here until Saturday night. Geoff, Heather, Kuba and I will head to Palo Alto for tomorrow afternoon to have Thanksgiving with our dad, step-mom and that side of our family. We'll be at the hospital with mom on both sides of that outing.
It's hard to be entering the holiday season dealing with this situation, but, in the spirit of Thanksgiving, I am eternally grateful for the life of my mom.
Hug your loved ones tomorrow.
love,
jennifer
Monday, November 24, 2008
Boo or Boo Hoo?? (a message from Sheryl)
I appreciate the inquiries from such good friends at an extremely difficult time for me. I am hopeful that this trial will result in my full recovery. It is scary losing function of all four limbs at the same time, but much improvement has occurred since the onset of this nightmare. So, I remain encouraged.
For all you brave souls that stand by me and send me good energy, I tell you that it is making the difference. All the e-mails, cards, flowers, calls and personal visits from all over the country will never be forgotten.
Jennifer and Geoff have absolutely shadowed me through this whole experience. Jennifer has been an angel, being the daughter that I'm so proud of. Geoff is balancing his full-time work schedule with his share of the caregiving as well. He could model for men, who have loved ones in this kind of situation. As a man, he has shown selfless effort to support me in every way and to lend support to his sister, who is pretty beaten up by this, also. Heather is the third point of the triangle and she has been fantastic.
Selfishly, as I spend weeks forward in my hospital bed, I admit that I hope that all of you will continue to stay connected with me. I never realized how powerful contact from loved ones meant until I met this crisis. So, thank you for everything and anything you have done and will do to support me. I'm reaching out.
This Thanksgiving is going to be different, but only to make me better look forward to the holiday next year and to Christmas this year back in Oklahoma.
love,
Sheryl
For all you brave souls that stand by me and send me good energy, I tell you that it is making the difference. All the e-mails, cards, flowers, calls and personal visits from all over the country will never be forgotten.
Jennifer and Geoff have absolutely shadowed me through this whole experience. Jennifer has been an angel, being the daughter that I'm so proud of. Geoff is balancing his full-time work schedule with his share of the caregiving as well. He could model for men, who have loved ones in this kind of situation. As a man, he has shown selfless effort to support me in every way and to lend support to his sister, who is pretty beaten up by this, also. Heather is the third point of the triangle and she has been fantastic.
Selfishly, as I spend weeks forward in my hospital bed, I admit that I hope that all of you will continue to stay connected with me. I never realized how powerful contact from loved ones meant until I met this crisis. So, thank you for everything and anything you have done and will do to support me. I'm reaching out.
This Thanksgiving is going to be different, but only to make me better look forward to the holiday next year and to Christmas this year back in Oklahoma.
love,
Sheryl
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Saturday Update
Hi Everyone. Sorry it's been a week since our last post. In the last week, I have returned to SF from Indianapolis, and did not have internet access until yesterday. Geoff has been completely swamped with work, and, when we're at the hospital with mom, we aren't blogging!
Mom is continuing to progress. Her therapies are a bit lighter until she is able to bear weight on her feet next Friday. Until then, her OT and PT are still working with her mobility in her arms, hands and wrists. Her right wrist seems to be getting a little better, although only time will tell the extent of her nerve damage and what long-term affects it will have, if any. She wears a splint on that wrist, which keeps it at a neutral angle, so that the wrist won't "drop" and get stuck in that position. Mom is really good about doing her hand exercises in between therapy sessions. She's determined to have her right hand and wrist work again. Mobility in both hands, wrists and arms will be necessary for her to assist with her transfers (from bed to wheelchair, etc.), and being able to transfer will allow her to head back to OK more quickly. All of this motivates her to work hard on her own when her therapists aren't present and working with her.
Mom's rehabilitation doctor wants her to have an MRI of her left shoulder on Monday. Dr. Coufal confirmed that it was fractured, but Dr. Rome wants an MRI to know exactly what is going on. We'll keep you posted.
Mom's next appointment with Dr. Coufal is December 11. At that point, we should find out more about when she can go back to OK. I'm certain that she'll need to go back into rehab in OK until she gets steady enough on her feet to go home and get around safely and independently. Mom is eager to get back home... to Oklahoma in the short term, and ultimately to her house, with Thatcher and her friends nearby.
Geoff & I will be researching rehab facilities in the North Oklahoma City/Edmond area, so please let us know if you know of any.
love,
jennifer
Mom is continuing to progress. Her therapies are a bit lighter until she is able to bear weight on her feet next Friday. Until then, her OT and PT are still working with her mobility in her arms, hands and wrists. Her right wrist seems to be getting a little better, although only time will tell the extent of her nerve damage and what long-term affects it will have, if any. She wears a splint on that wrist, which keeps it at a neutral angle, so that the wrist won't "drop" and get stuck in that position. Mom is really good about doing her hand exercises in between therapy sessions. She's determined to have her right hand and wrist work again. Mobility in both hands, wrists and arms will be necessary for her to assist with her transfers (from bed to wheelchair, etc.), and being able to transfer will allow her to head back to OK more quickly. All of this motivates her to work hard on her own when her therapists aren't present and working with her.
Mom's rehabilitation doctor wants her to have an MRI of her left shoulder on Monday. Dr. Coufal confirmed that it was fractured, but Dr. Rome wants an MRI to know exactly what is going on. We'll keep you posted.
Mom's next appointment with Dr. Coufal is December 11. At that point, we should find out more about when she can go back to OK. I'm certain that she'll need to go back into rehab in OK until she gets steady enough on her feet to go home and get around safely and independently. Mom is eager to get back home... to Oklahoma in the short term, and ultimately to her house, with Thatcher and her friends nearby.
Geoff & I will be researching rehab facilities in the North Oklahoma City/Edmond area, so please let us know if you know of any.
love,
jennifer
Friday, November 14, 2008
Moon Boots and Bone Growth
Good News from mom's 4-hour visit with Dr. Coufal! Her left femur will NOT require a bone graft, as the bone is healing well on its own. It's pretty amazing, really. Perhaps it's because mom loves spinach so much. Whatever it is, it is great that she won't have to have another surgery and that she'll be able to move forward on mobility and use of her legs simultaneously... no waiting for the left leg to heal from an additional surgery.
LEGS: Mom's casts were removed and she is now wearing walking casts ("moon boots" as she calls them), which keep her feet at a proper angle with her ankles. For the next two weeks, she will work on mobility in her feet and ankles, and, after that, she can begin to bear weight - just enough to "push off" and assist with transfers to/from the wheelchair, bed, etc.
LEFT ARM: Dr. Coufal confirmed that mom's left arm was fractured at the head of the humerus, which hadn't shown up in her original exams after the accident. This explains the pain she's been experiencing. Apparently, the arm is healing well on its own and will not require additional surgery.
RIGHT ARM: The fractured humerus has healed well and mom is able to bear weight with this arm. However, she does still need to do very thorough PT in order to correct the nerve damage she sustained (which has caused her wrist to "drop"). Coufal feels that she will have full use of her arm with plenty of PT to stretch the nerve out and get the hand working again.
Mom will go for a follow-up exam in one month. Dr. Coufal said, at that point, she should be able to travel in a wheelchair and regular car. This is good news on many fronts, since insurance isn't willing to cover mom's 3-hour round-trip ambulance ride to Brentwood today. Gotta love our healthcare system.
Mom is exhausted after such an eventful day. We're all happy that things continue to move forward in her recovery. No setbacks!
love,
jennifer
LEGS: Mom's casts were removed and she is now wearing walking casts ("moon boots" as she calls them), which keep her feet at a proper angle with her ankles. For the next two weeks, she will work on mobility in her feet and ankles, and, after that, she can begin to bear weight - just enough to "push off" and assist with transfers to/from the wheelchair, bed, etc.
LEFT ARM: Dr. Coufal confirmed that mom's left arm was fractured at the head of the humerus, which hadn't shown up in her original exams after the accident. This explains the pain she's been experiencing. Apparently, the arm is healing well on its own and will not require additional surgery.
RIGHT ARM: The fractured humerus has healed well and mom is able to bear weight with this arm. However, she does still need to do very thorough PT in order to correct the nerve damage she sustained (which has caused her wrist to "drop"). Coufal feels that she will have full use of her arm with plenty of PT to stretch the nerve out and get the hand working again.
Mom will go for a follow-up exam in one month. Dr. Coufal said, at that point, she should be able to travel in a wheelchair and regular car. This is good news on many fronts, since insurance isn't willing to cover mom's 3-hour round-trip ambulance ride to Brentwood today. Gotta love our healthcare system.
Mom is exhausted after such an eventful day. We're all happy that things continue to move forward in her recovery. No setbacks!
love,
jennifer
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Brentwood Tomorrow
Hi All. Well, mom didn't go to Walnut Creek today, after all. Her appointment was cancelled because Dr. Coufal got called into trauma this morning. They've rescheduled for tomorrow morning, same time (9:15) in his Brentwood office, which is about twice as far as Walnut Creek.
Mom had a very light day today, since she was scheduled to go to her appointment, so she's especially bored! It's hard for her to be by herself for extended periods of time, since she's stuck in bed with no stimulus and nothing to do.
We'll post more of an update tomorrow after her appointment.
love,
jennifer
Mom had a very light day today, since she was scheduled to go to her appointment, so she's especially bored! It's hard for her to be by herself for extended periods of time, since she's stuck in bed with no stimulus and nothing to do.
We'll post more of an update tomorrow after her appointment.
love,
jennifer
Back to Walnut Creek
Mom is heading back to Walnut Creek this morning for a follow-up visit with Dr. Coufal. (Yes, we finally heard back from his office yesterday.) Ambulance is still the only way for mom to safely travel, so they are scheduled to pick her up at 7:45AM for a 9:15 appointment. Geoff will be at CPMC this morning, up until the ambulance arrives, and will follow them to Walnut Creek and be there for the appointment. It's very likely that mom will, at least, get her casts (one on each leg) off at her appointment, and may also have some x-rays done to see how her bones are healing up. We should know a lot more after her appointment regarding her bone graft surgery and weight bearing status, which will lead to a better idea of her rehabilitation plan.
Fred, Patsy and Marilyn left on Wednesday. Mom had a great time having good friends around. From what she tells me, they had a lot of laughs, which is always good for healing! Linda heads out there this Saturday, and mom is excited to see her, as well.
More updates after mom's appointment today...
love,
jennifer
Fred, Patsy and Marilyn left on Wednesday. Mom had a great time having good friends around. From what she tells me, they had a lot of laughs, which is always good for healing! Linda heads out there this Saturday, and mom is excited to see her, as well.
More updates after mom's appointment today...
love,
jennifer
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Halloween Pic...
Mom had been asking me to post this, and I finally did it! She had a nice weekend with Fred, Patsy and Marilyn and now it's back to business as usual. Heather and I were away for the weekend in Sonora and Yosemite. We finally got a little bit of a honeymoon. All for now.
Take care,
Geoff
Saturday, November 8, 2008
Progress...
Hello All,
A short update from CPMC. Mom is making some good progress. She is now able to dress with some assistance, transfer herself into a wheelchair, eat and drink. She still has a long way to go, but has been remarkably upbeat the last day or so. The thought of her next surgery is a point of stress, as is the possibility that she may not make it back to 100%. I am hoping that she will, and she is doing everything she can to get there, she just had some rough injuries. We have to remember that we are just a couple of weeks into rehab, and that this will be a slow process. The medical system is as frustrating as ever. We have been waiting two weeks for a call from her ortho, and have heard nothing. Her treatment is being adversely affected by his lack of follow-through, and we are getting pretty fed-up. This whole thing has been tough to navigate. I hope we see some improvement in the health care system over the next four years, although I don't think anything short of single-payer is going to do much. Anyway... Mom appreciates all the cards and calls, and will be having visitors over the weekend. Heather and I are heading up to Sonora for the weekend to pretend that we are on a honeymoon. Not that the last two months haven't been great...
Love,
Geoff
A short update from CPMC. Mom is making some good progress. She is now able to dress with some assistance, transfer herself into a wheelchair, eat and drink. She still has a long way to go, but has been remarkably upbeat the last day or so. The thought of her next surgery is a point of stress, as is the possibility that she may not make it back to 100%. I am hoping that she will, and she is doing everything she can to get there, she just had some rough injuries. We have to remember that we are just a couple of weeks into rehab, and that this will be a slow process. The medical system is as frustrating as ever. We have been waiting two weeks for a call from her ortho, and have heard nothing. Her treatment is being adversely affected by his lack of follow-through, and we are getting pretty fed-up. This whole thing has been tough to navigate. I hope we see some improvement in the health care system over the next four years, although I don't think anything short of single-payer is going to do much. Anyway... Mom appreciates all the cards and calls, and will be having visitors over the weekend. Heather and I are heading up to Sonora for the weekend to pretend that we are on a honeymoon. Not that the last two months haven't been great...
Love,
Geoff
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Update from Indianapolis
Hi Everyone. I'm back in Indianapolis for a while. I have a catering job tomorrow night, which is good since I haven't been working since the accident. (Good for my sanity and for bill-paying!) It's been nice to be HOME. My kitty, Star, is pretty happy about it, too. Kuba will be here tomorrow night for the weekend, so it will be great to spend time with him as well.
Things are still good with mom. She continues to have intensive therapy each day, and is making progress. It's still surreal what has happened and how it has affected her. To celebrate things like her being able to put her shirt on by herself is a brand new thing. But, we celebrate nonetheless, as it is huge progress for her given her injuries.
We still have not heard back from her orthopedic surgeon. We are beyond disappointed. I have called him no less than 3 times, Geoff has called and faxed him a letter, the rehab case manager has called twice, and mom's rehab doctor has called once. We are in the process of getting a second opinion (and finding mom another surgeon) for her bone graft, but we need to get inside Dr. Coufal's head to find out some important stuff, that affects mom's therapy and rehabilitation plan... things like when can she use her right arm more, when can she bear weight on her legs and how much, when will her casts come off, etc. As I said, we are incredibly frustrated, as his lack of follow-up with us is, at this point, compromising mom's treatment and slowing down her progress. Argh.
Mom is getting her hair done tonight. Cut and color. She's been itching for this since she became alert. It's not easy to find a person, who does hair outside of a salon. This woman was doing mom's roommate's hair, so I got her to come back and do mom's. Hopefully, she'll do a good job! Regardless, I know it will feel good for mom to get a good shampoo and a haircut. She also had a massage today, so it's been a bit of pampering for her.
The rehab hospital did x-rays of mom's legs and left arm a couple of days ago. Her left arm has really been bothering her, so they want to find out what's going on, if anything. They did x-rays of her legs, as that's another thing we're unable to obtain from Dr. Coufal. We should know more tomorrow, after her rehab doctor, Dr. Rome, reads the films. We'll keep you posted.
Mom's friends, Fred, Patsy and Marilyn, are heading out to SF tomorrow. Thank you!! They'll be driving, so won't arrive in SF til Saturday night but will be there until Wednesday. Mom is really excited to see them. The following Saturday, her friend, Linda, will arrive until Monday, so mom will have lots of company the next week and a half.
That's it for now.
love,
jennifer
Things are still good with mom. She continues to have intensive therapy each day, and is making progress. It's still surreal what has happened and how it has affected her. To celebrate things like her being able to put her shirt on by herself is a brand new thing. But, we celebrate nonetheless, as it is huge progress for her given her injuries.
We still have not heard back from her orthopedic surgeon. We are beyond disappointed. I have called him no less than 3 times, Geoff has called and faxed him a letter, the rehab case manager has called twice, and mom's rehab doctor has called once. We are in the process of getting a second opinion (and finding mom another surgeon) for her bone graft, but we need to get inside Dr. Coufal's head to find out some important stuff, that affects mom's therapy and rehabilitation plan... things like when can she use her right arm more, when can she bear weight on her legs and how much, when will her casts come off, etc. As I said, we are incredibly frustrated, as his lack of follow-up with us is, at this point, compromising mom's treatment and slowing down her progress. Argh.
Mom is getting her hair done tonight. Cut and color. She's been itching for this since she became alert. It's not easy to find a person, who does hair outside of a salon. This woman was doing mom's roommate's hair, so I got her to come back and do mom's. Hopefully, she'll do a good job! Regardless, I know it will feel good for mom to get a good shampoo and a haircut. She also had a massage today, so it's been a bit of pampering for her.
The rehab hospital did x-rays of mom's legs and left arm a couple of days ago. Her left arm has really been bothering her, so they want to find out what's going on, if anything. They did x-rays of her legs, as that's another thing we're unable to obtain from Dr. Coufal. We should know more tomorrow, after her rehab doctor, Dr. Rome, reads the films. We'll keep you posted.
Mom's friends, Fred, Patsy and Marilyn, are heading out to SF tomorrow. Thank you!! They'll be driving, so won't arrive in SF til Saturday night but will be there until Wednesday. Mom is really excited to see them. The following Saturday, her friend, Linda, will arrive until Monday, so mom will have lots of company the next week and a half.
That's it for now.
love,
jennifer
Monday, November 3, 2008
Monday Update
Happy Monday. I'm sure it's a good thing that we don't have as much to report each day on the blog. We are past the daily drama of extubation, feeding tubes, balancing medication, and moving out of ICU and Mom has moved in to a more stable environment.
She had lots of visitors this weekend. Ari & Andrew, two of Geoff's best friends from Norman, came to see her Saturday, which she loved, because they made her laugh so much. She also had visits from more friends - Jillian, Sam, Tina, Jon, Sherry and their adorable son, Ben - in the last several days. It's great for her to have visitors in the evenings, since that's the time of the day that is boring for her. Therapies are usually over by 4:30, so the rest of the day can be long. Hopefully, she'll be able to use the phone on her own soon, and feel up for calls, so she can pass some time catching up with everyone. She is still loving the e-mails that are being sent to her personal account (sherylwow3@aol.com), so keep them coming!
Still no word from Dr. Coufal, her orthopedic surgeon, so we have no updates regarding her final surgery. We will be calling him again today, as we'll do everyday until we hear back from him.
Heather, Geoff & I carved pumpkins in Mom's room on Friday night, so she has them displayed on her window sill. They have cheery faces and are pretty cute little guys!
I'm heading back to Indianapolis on Wednesday for about 10 days. I am really missing home - Kuba, Star (our kitty), my friends, our house, our bed, my pillow, my pots & pans! It will be nice to be there for a while.
More updates later.
love,
jennifer
She had lots of visitors this weekend. Ari & Andrew, two of Geoff's best friends from Norman, came to see her Saturday, which she loved, because they made her laugh so much. She also had visits from more friends - Jillian, Sam, Tina, Jon, Sherry and their adorable son, Ben - in the last several days. It's great for her to have visitors in the evenings, since that's the time of the day that is boring for her. Therapies are usually over by 4:30, so the rest of the day can be long. Hopefully, she'll be able to use the phone on her own soon, and feel up for calls, so she can pass some time catching up with everyone. She is still loving the e-mails that are being sent to her personal account (sherylwow3@aol.com), so keep them coming!
Still no word from Dr. Coufal, her orthopedic surgeon, so we have no updates regarding her final surgery. We will be calling him again today, as we'll do everyday until we hear back from him.
Heather, Geoff & I carved pumpkins in Mom's room on Friday night, so she has them displayed on her window sill. They have cheery faces and are pretty cute little guys!
I'm heading back to Indianapolis on Wednesday for about 10 days. I am really missing home - Kuba, Star (our kitty), my friends, our house, our bed, my pillow, my pots & pans! It will be nice to be there for a while.
More updates later.
love,
jennifer
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