Getting discharged today from the hospital! Finally!! Just waiting for the doctor to show up and give me one last look and I'm out of here! Can't wait to see Burton and be back in the mountains. I'm like totally over being a valley girl!
Thanks so much to everyone who visited, called, emailed and fed me while I was down here! Special thanks to my mom who has been indispensable in this process. You all helped me keep my spirit strong so I could get thru the first and worst part of this process.
On to the next.... will keep everyone posted.
xo,
char
Address is: 545 Williams St, Muprhys CA 95247. Land line is: 209.728.8766.
Donations for medical costs and healthy meals instead of flowers/gifts would be appreciated. I have set up a link to PayPal where you can donate. (You don't need to have a PayPal account) Here is the link:
https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=L5AP83PXC47FN
Thanks so much!
2.11.2011
2.07.2011
Home Is In Sight
All your positive energy, good food, prayers, donations and well wishes are working! I'm so grateful! My incision and pressure sore have been healing up fast and it looks like I will be leaving for home sooner than the doctor projected! Hopefully sometime in the next week. Glad for that. Pretty boring here since I'm the only one on the unit under 80 and I'm not allowed to wheel any further than the parking lot.
Dr. Grant came in on Friday for a post-op check up and sent me for some x-rays. He said that everything is looking like he envisioned. My spine is still pretty fragile and far from being fused together but is heading in the right direction.
I pretty much breezed thru physical and occupational therapies. Because of the strict movement restrictions they have run out of things to do with me. Past experience has helped also. I can dress myself, turn from side to side and get in and out of bed now. Still working with my new center of balance. Finally got the okay to take a shower after two weeks. Oh man! I can't even explain how amazing it felt. Had to shampoo my hair a few times to get out all the grease! I think I stayed in there until all the hot water in the hospital was gone. I'm reminded once again to appreciate all the little things one takes for granted. Seems to be a reoccuring theme in my life.
So what happens when I get home? The doctor will be ordering a hospital bed for me to use in my house since I can't sit up on my own and I will be very restricted in my movement for a few weeks yet. He will also be ordering home health, physical and occupational therapies, and nurse to keep me going at home. The doctor will take some more x-rays at week 6 and possibly lift some of the movement restrictions then. So I am still far from being back to normal but making the next big step soon. My mom has extended her trip and will be with me for about another 10 days and thru the transition.
Looking forward to being back in the clean mountain air, eating Outer Aisle Food again and playing with my favorite buddy Burton! And all of you too of course! Thanks a million for everything!
xoxoxo,
char
My location (hopefully for not much longer) is: 1111 E Stanley Blvd, Livermore, CA 94550. Room 301. Land line is: 925.373.4060 that will connect you to the nurse station and they can send you to the room. My cell works too. They keep me pretty busy so if I miss you I will get back when I can.
Donations for medical costs and healthy meals instead of flowers/gifts would be appreciated. I have set up a link to PayPal where you can donate. (You don't need to have a PayPal account) Here is the link:
https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=L5AP83PXC47FN
Thanks!
Dr. Grant came in on Friday for a post-op check up and sent me for some x-rays. He said that everything is looking like he envisioned. My spine is still pretty fragile and far from being fused together but is heading in the right direction.
I pretty much breezed thru physical and occupational therapies. Because of the strict movement restrictions they have run out of things to do with me. Past experience has helped also. I can dress myself, turn from side to side and get in and out of bed now. Still working with my new center of balance. Finally got the okay to take a shower after two weeks. Oh man! I can't even explain how amazing it felt. Had to shampoo my hair a few times to get out all the grease! I think I stayed in there until all the hot water in the hospital was gone. I'm reminded once again to appreciate all the little things one takes for granted. Seems to be a reoccuring theme in my life.
So what happens when I get home? The doctor will be ordering a hospital bed for me to use in my house since I can't sit up on my own and I will be very restricted in my movement for a few weeks yet. He will also be ordering home health, physical and occupational therapies, and nurse to keep me going at home. The doctor will take some more x-rays at week 6 and possibly lift some of the movement restrictions then. So I am still far from being back to normal but making the next big step soon. My mom has extended her trip and will be with me for about another 10 days and thru the transition.
Looking forward to being back in the clean mountain air, eating Outer Aisle Food again and playing with my favorite buddy Burton! And all of you too of course! Thanks a million for everything!
xoxoxo,
char
My location (hopefully for not much longer) is: 1111 E Stanley Blvd, Livermore, CA 94550. Room 301. Land line is: 925.373.4060 that will connect you to the nurse station and they can send you to the room. My cell works too. They keep me pretty busy so if I miss you I will get back when I can.
Donations for medical costs and healthy meals instead of flowers/gifts would be appreciated. I have set up a link to PayPal where you can donate. (You don't need to have a PayPal account) Here is the link:
https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=L5AP83PXC47FN
Thanks!
2.02.2011
Tuning It In and Turning It Up
So sorry if I worried anyone with my last post. I was a bit frustrated but things are looking up! Been in the the acute rehab in Livermore now since Friday and I have it pretty dialed in now. My mother and I have been taking a lot of matters into our own hands and it has been helping my recovery.
I got up in my own wheelchair yesterday for over two hours and felt really good. I'm almost transferring all by myself although it takes about 10 baby scoots to get where I want to go. When I sit up I'm so straight again, it feels amazing! I am relearning my balance again. The nausia has completely gone away. I still get a bit dizzy but it's getting less and less. I wheeled outside with my mom and I gotta say the front entrance of the hospital looks a lot more inviting then the basement entrance! And now that I have wheeled around the facility, it isn't as dilapidated as my first impression led me to believe. Was having a lot of issues with one nurse in particular but after a few complaints to the head nurse she has been taken off my schedule. And I am now allowed to pee anytime I want! As far as my pressure sore goes... My mom and I decided to take off the hospital dressings and rewrap it the way I know works. The nurses have not been happy with me about that but since we have been rewrapping it, the sore has decreased in size quite a bit and is pretty close to being all healed up! So it took a few days and a bit of grief but things are back on track! You really just have to be your own advocate.
The physical and occupational therapists have been very helpful and knowledgable. My spine has to stay very straight while healing so I'm not able to lift, bend, or twist at all. So I am learning all new ways of doing all the little everyday tasks like dressing. Today we go into the fake kitchen to learn the do's and don't's in there. It's been challenging to retrain myself and is slow going. The restrictions on my movement will be in place for about 3 months. So looks like I will be needing lots of help once I come home since almost every normal task incorporates lifting, bending or twisting. Still not sure when they will release me to travel back up the hill but my best guess is in about 7-10 days. I will keep everyone posted as soon as I know something more.
Lots of people have been dropping by which has been really good in keeping my spirits up. And I have been receiving all kinds of super kind grind (aka food) which I have been thoroughly enjoying and has been keeping me strong. The doctors are saying the incision is healing faster than normal! Thanks again everyone for all the awesome support, love and nutrition.
Funny side story... My mom brought me some east coast pizza (my favorite.) I can't stand microwaved pizza becasue it turns it into rubber. So yesterday morning she walks into my room with a big bag. I asked her what it was and she said it was a toaster oven to heat up my pizza! I was laughing and touched that she would go that far just to heat up my pizza. So she set it up in my bathroom and just as she finished the nurse came in and asked what was going on. Well I guess having small appliances in your hospital room is not okay because it caused quite a commotion all thru the unit! We were reprimanded by quite a few people and the hospital manager even paid us a visit to educate us on the serious fire dangers of small appliances. We promised to take it out of the room and that we would behave but once they all left my mom plugged it back in and toasted up the best piece of pizza I ever ate! We are such rebels!
So that is about it.... till next time. Thanks again to everyone for everything. I can't say it enough. It all means so much to me!
xoxoxox
My location is: 1111 E Stanley Blvd, Livermore, CA 94550. In room 301. Land line is: 925.373.4060 that will connect you to the nurse station and they can send you to the room. My cell works too. They keep me pretty busy so don't be upset if I don't get back right awayl
If you would like to monetarily help I have set up a link to PayPal where you can donate. (You don't need to have a PayPal account) Donations for healthy meals instead of flowers/gifts would be appreciated since hospital food sucks! Here is the link:
https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=L5AP83PXC47FN
I got up in my own wheelchair yesterday for over two hours and felt really good. I'm almost transferring all by myself although it takes about 10 baby scoots to get where I want to go. When I sit up I'm so straight again, it feels amazing! I am relearning my balance again. The nausia has completely gone away. I still get a bit dizzy but it's getting less and less. I wheeled outside with my mom and I gotta say the front entrance of the hospital looks a lot more inviting then the basement entrance! And now that I have wheeled around the facility, it isn't as dilapidated as my first impression led me to believe. Was having a lot of issues with one nurse in particular but after a few complaints to the head nurse she has been taken off my schedule. And I am now allowed to pee anytime I want! As far as my pressure sore goes... My mom and I decided to take off the hospital dressings and rewrap it the way I know works. The nurses have not been happy with me about that but since we have been rewrapping it, the sore has decreased in size quite a bit and is pretty close to being all healed up! So it took a few days and a bit of grief but things are back on track! You really just have to be your own advocate.
The physical and occupational therapists have been very helpful and knowledgable. My spine has to stay very straight while healing so I'm not able to lift, bend, or twist at all. So I am learning all new ways of doing all the little everyday tasks like dressing. Today we go into the fake kitchen to learn the do's and don't's in there. It's been challenging to retrain myself and is slow going. The restrictions on my movement will be in place for about 3 months. So looks like I will be needing lots of help once I come home since almost every normal task incorporates lifting, bending or twisting. Still not sure when they will release me to travel back up the hill but my best guess is in about 7-10 days. I will keep everyone posted as soon as I know something more.
Lots of people have been dropping by which has been really good in keeping my spirits up. And I have been receiving all kinds of super kind grind (aka food) which I have been thoroughly enjoying and has been keeping me strong. The doctors are saying the incision is healing faster than normal! Thanks again everyone for all the awesome support, love and nutrition.
Funny side story... My mom brought me some east coast pizza (my favorite.) I can't stand microwaved pizza becasue it turns it into rubber. So yesterday morning she walks into my room with a big bag. I asked her what it was and she said it was a toaster oven to heat up my pizza! I was laughing and touched that she would go that far just to heat up my pizza. So she set it up in my bathroom and just as she finished the nurse came in and asked what was going on. Well I guess having small appliances in your hospital room is not okay because it caused quite a commotion all thru the unit! We were reprimanded by quite a few people and the hospital manager even paid us a visit to educate us on the serious fire dangers of small appliances. We promised to take it out of the room and that we would behave but once they all left my mom plugged it back in and toasted up the best piece of pizza I ever ate! We are such rebels!
So that is about it.... till next time. Thanks again to everyone for everything. I can't say it enough. It all means so much to me!
xoxoxox
My location is: 1111 E Stanley Blvd, Livermore, CA 94550. In room 301. Land line is: 925.373.4060 that will connect you to the nurse station and they can send you to the room. My cell works too. They keep me pretty busy so don't be upset if I don't get back right awayl
If you would like to monetarily help I have set up a link to PayPal where you can donate. (You don't need to have a PayPal account) Donations for healthy meals instead of flowers/gifts would be appreciated since hospital food sucks! Here is the link:
https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=L5AP83PXC47FN
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