Surgery Complete

Mama is recovering from surgery quite well. The surgeon placed two drains out of the three pockets of infection that they found and the third pocket is behind the liver (I'm guessing hard to get to) and they're hoping that it goes away on it's own. She will be in the hospital at least until Wednesday. 

Surgery

Mama had her CT scan last night and they found several pockets of infection so they are taking her into surgery now to insert drains into the pockets. Please pray that this surgery goes smoothly and that the infection can be taken care of easily. Love you mama, you can do it!

Back In The Hospital

Mama went to her appointment today with the surgeon and got some good news and some bad news. The good news is that it's not stool that is secreting from her wound. The bad news is it's pus which means there's a pocket of infection they have to find. She also is severely dehydrated so she has been admitted back into the hospital for a few days. They will be doing a CT scan to try to find the pocket of infection and decide what to do depending on those results. I will update the blog as we get more information on her situation. Please continue to pray and keep her in your thoughts. Love you mama!

Still Not In The Clear

Mama had a doctors appointment today as her incision still has not fully closed and it recently has started secreting fluids. The doctor that she met with today has referred her to a surgeon because the fluids look to be pus and stool, so something is not quite right. Her appointment with the surgeon is on Friday and I will update again once we hear what the next step will be. Unfortunately it will most likely result in another surgery (hence the surgeon:)). Please keep her in your thoughts and prayers as this is a step back and I'm afraid that it will effect her spirits. It is noticeable that talking about this news upsets her greatly so I would appreciate it if the conversations with her are kept upbeat and off this subject, I do not want to add more stress to her already stressful situation. I love you mama, please stay strong and know that we are all here for you!

Some Time Home

Mama has been home almost a week now and she seems to be doing okay. She has been overwhelmed with the amount of people that care for her. She is trying to create a routine here where she is still able to rest, do her exercises and visit with friends and family. Please check in with her or the family before stopping by as she might be in the middle of her rest or exercises. Dad and the boys went back to Texas to pack up their apartment and bring it back to Utah so they are on their way back home now. Please pray for a safe trip home and for mama that she will be able to regain her strength quickly. Thank you for showing her so much love and support now that she's back in Utah, it means a lot to her and the family.

Kayzer joined in on the road trip

Home Sweet Home

It is so nice to have mom and dad back home! They made it to Utah last night and the entire family was back together for the first time since May. My dad will head back out to Texas with my brothers this weekend to pack up their apartment and move it all back to Utah. I am so thankful to finally see her breathing on her own and no tubes or wires hooked up to her. I've missed her spunk and last night she was joking with us and had us all smiling. We are so grateful to have her here with us to keep us smiling!

LOVE YOU MAMA!!

Also, if you're able and willing, her online medical donation fund only has 2 days left. Please keep in mind that visitors must not be sick in order to ensure her health. Thank you to everyone who has kept her in your thoughts and prayers, this has been a long journey but she still has a long way to go.

https://fundrazr.com

Made it to Roswell NM

The road home has been difficult so far. Mama is very uncomfortable in the car for long periods of time but she's doing what she can to get home. Yesterday they reached Roswell New Mexico at about 10pm when they decided to call it a night. She did need some time this morning to recuperate before getting back on the road so they didn't hit the road until 2pm today. They will drive to Gallup New Mexico, which is about 5 hours from Roswell, and stop there. She doesn't feel that she can be in the car nearly as long as she was yesterday. They're getting closer but it is a slow process. Only four days left to donate to her online medical fund if you're able and willing to.

https://fundrazr.com

On the Road

Mama is on her way home! YIPEE!! They probably won't get to Utah until Wednesday or Thursday depending on how long she is comfortable in the car and how many breaks she will need. I cannot wait to have her home and I hope the drive goes smoothly. I will update the blog as I check in with them periodically. Please keep in mind that if you are wanting to visit her when she comes home that you are completely healthy, she is not in a good place to be getting sick at this point and that would only set her back. Also, if you are able and willing to donate to her medical fund, there are only 5 days left to donate online. Thank you for all that everyone has done for her and our family, we appreciate it more than you know.

https://fundrazr.com

The Plan

For right now, the plan is... mama will be coming home next week. My dad is going to drive her back to Utah and will take a few days to get her settled in the house then he and my brothers are going to be driving back to Texas with the trailer and will load up their apartment and drive back to Utah. It's going to be a long process and I'm not sure how she will do in the car for an extended period of time so please pray that the transition goes smoothly. I cannot wait to have my mom home although I'm not sure how she feels about it because she knows that at home, she will be pushed more and more to get up and walking which will be a good thing for her. She is doing physical therapy every day this week as she won't have that luxury when she comes home so she will continue her exercises and daily routines with the family by her side. Thank you so much for all of the prayers and financial support as that is going to be a difficult hurdle to overcome but if she's overcome these major medical issues, she can do anything! The fund raiser site is only available for 11 more days so if you are able and willing to donate to her medical fund, please take advantage of that while it's still available. Thank you to all who have donated and please continue to keep her in your thoughts and prayers.

https://fundrazr.com

More Good and Bad News

The good news is, mama has been doing pretty well with her physical therapy as well as all of her medical issues. She was able to take three small steps over the weekend. GO MAMA! The bad news is, the insurance will only allow her to stay in the rehabilitation facility for a few more days. They have given their apartment complex their 30 day notice and will be moving back to Utah sometime during those 30 days. Luckily home health is going to be helping her set everything up so that she can hopefully function while at home. We don't yet know if the insurance will cover in home physical therapy sessions or anything additional at this point. Please keep her in your prayers as she's not comfortable with leaving the facility quite yet because she still is not able to walk. If you are able and willing to donate to her medical fund, it would be greatly appreciated! Thank you all for your continued support and prayers!

https://fundrazr.com

Good and Bad

Lets start with the good and end with the bad. Mama has been moved out of the long term care facility and into a rehab center. They will focus mainly on her physical therapy so she can get moving again. This makes her very nervous as the physical therapy that she had been doing in the long term care facility was very painful and difficult for her. It's not going to be easy but she can do it! She's also lost a total of 60 pounds so far. On to the bad... She's been vomiting the past day and they're not sure if it's from one of her medications or if it's because she's so nervous about the move and extensive physical therapy that she's going to be doing daily. It could be a mixture of both. Please pray that she will have a positive attitude and will breeze through physical therapy so she can come home again. Love you more than words can express mama, stay strong!

If you are able and willing to donate to her medical fund, the link is below. Thank you!

https://fundrazr.com

Discouraged

I apologize for not posting for this last week, I know there are a lot of people who have been wondering how mama's doing. She's trying her best to stay positive but unfortunately she has been getting a little discouraged because the physical therapy is not going as she had hoped. From what they told her, she would be at least standing this week and that did not happen. She can't yet get her feet on the floor because of the pain in her knees. The doctors have talked about transferring her to a rehab center where they can focus on her physical therapy for up to 4 hours each day and that scares her. The physical therapy that she has done hurts so she's worried about the pain she would feel for 4 hours each day. When mama is well enough, her and my dad will be moving back to Utah and will also be looking for employment at that time. Please keep them in your prayers that when that time comes, they will be able to make that transition smoothly and that they both will be able to find a job doing what they love. If you are able and willing, the link to donate to mama's medical fund is below. Thank you for keeping my family in your thoughts and prayers!

https://fundrazr.com

Physical Therapy

Mama has been eating fairly well on her own so the feeding tube has been removed. YIPEE! The physical therapist said that on Monday they are going to have her try to get up and stand so I hope that goes well with all of her pain being in her knees. Please continue praying for her and her recovery.

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Restful Day

Luckily today has been pretty relaxing for mama. They didn't run any surprise tests so she was able to rest as much as possible. My cousin Jennifer flew to Texas from Colorado to visit her and I know that she loved to see a familiar face. They have her scheduled to take an actual shower tomorrow rather than her usual sponge bath and she's still having a hard time with her appetite. Please pray that it comes back quickly so she can start eating on her own regularly. If you would like help with her growing medical bills, the link to donate is below. Thank you everyone for all you've done for her and our family!

https://fundrazr.com

She's Doing Well

When I called to check on mama this morning it was a big surprise to have her answer the phone and she sounds so good without the trachea tube in. Her voice isn't back to normal yet but she isn't having to take a breath in between each word she speaks which makes a huge difference. She's having a hard time getting used to eating again so nothing sounds good and nothing tastes good which means the feeding tube is still in. Today she told me that if it weren't for the arthritis pain in her knees from laying all day, she would be feeling pretty good. I am continually amazed by my mama and I'm so blessed to still have her here with us after all she's been through. I love you mama!
If you are able and willing to help with her continually growing medical bills, click on the link below to donate. Thank you!

https://fundrazr.com

Trachea Tube Romoved

Mama has had quite an exciting day. The doctors removed her trachea tube early this morning and she was able to eat breakfast rather than being tube fed. She's definitely enjoying being able to taste her food again and the thing she asked for was a diet coke which she can't have quite yet. They are going to keep the feeding tube in for another day or so until they make sure she's eating enough to remove it. They have been moving her her out of her bed and into a chair for a few hours a day which helps relieve some pressure from her back, meanwhile she has been working with a speech therapist and physical therapist daily to get her strength back. My dad's company has given him an additional two weeks off work to stay with mama and that has made quite a difference in her. She was nervous to be left alone during the day and now that she doesn't have that anxiety, she's improving bit by bit. Her fever has also come down and is hoovering just above normal but it's better than it was the past few weeks. We'll take any improvements, no matter how small, as a victory!

"Strength does not come from winning. Your struggles develop your strengths. When you go through hardships and decide not to surrender, that is strength."

I love you mama, never give up!

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More Improvements

Mama has amazed us all yet again. She passed her "swallowing test" with an A+ from what the doctors say and she's able to have a liquid breakfast tomorrow instead of the tube feeding. If she does well with that then they will take out the trachea tube either Tuesday or Wednesday as she's been breathing on her own for the last two weeks as well. I'm so proud of her! I can't thank everyone enough for all they've done for our family during this time and it has meant the world to us, I hope you all know that! Please continue to keep her in your thoughts and prayers that she will continue to improve and if you would like to donate, the link is below. Thank you!

https://fundrazr.com

Singing Happy Birthday

Mama has been moved to the long term care facility and they've put her through the ringer already. She's had many tests and also a replaced trachea tube as well. The best birthday gift that I have gotten was to hear her sing happy birthday. It was fairly hard to understand but I couldn't be happier to have her here to even attempt to sing it. I love my sweet mom more than words can express and I can't wait for her to overcome this rather large obstacle so she can enjoy life again. Please keep her in your thoughts and prayers, she's got such a long way to go still.

A Tough Day

It has been a tough day for mama. She's exhausted to the point where it's hard to breath. They didn't see anything out of the normal from her scan so that's the good news. They have changed her pick line twice because the first time wasn't in the correct position and she had another CT scan again today so she's been awake and in pain all day. She was speaking pretty well with the valve on but she was so exhausted and the valve on makes it harder for her to breath so they took it off fairly quickly. She is such a wonderful person and it is so hard to know that she is struggling. I love you mama, please stay strong!

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Plateau

Today has been another restful day. Mama went in for her scan but we won't know the results until tomorrow. Please continue to pray for her as she's getting very discouraged that she is not progressing. I love you mama!!

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Recovering

I got to talk to mama again today. She's doing okay, still has a fever and is pretty sore from surgery yesterday. It's still very hard to understand her when she speaks, it sounds like a whisper and I'm sure it will for a while. They have drawn some blood and put radiation into the white blood cells and injected it back into her body so they can do a scan tomorrow and hopefully see where the white blood cells are going to fight off the infection... Why haven't they done this already? As of now, they are planning on moving her to the long term acute care facility on Friday if all goes well with the scan. Please pray that it works and we get as good of news as we can. Thank you for all that everyone has done for her!

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Fifth Surgery

The doctors feel confident enough that mama's fever is from the infection in her lungs so they did her fifth and hopefully, final surgery today. They did leave a small opening for draining purposes and she will still have her trachea tube in until they are sure she won't need another surgery. Please pray for her as my dad has to go back to work soon so she won't have any family there throughout the day and that scares her. When I called this morning to check on her she asked to talk to me and it was great. She sounded like she was whispering but I could understand most of what she was saying. I miss talking with my mama daily!
If you are able to contribute to her medical fund, they would greatly appreciate it!
https://fundrazr.com
Also don't forget about Mandi donating half of your purchase through her etsy store as well, just be sure to mention that it is for Carilee.
https://www.etsy.com/shop/fancyjanes
I can't thank you all enough!!

Possible Closure Tomorrow

Luckily today has been another day of rest for mama. They are still talking about closing the incision completely tomorrow so I believe that means they're not too concerned with the fever although she still is 100 and even above at points. The nurse today played an awful trick on her to get her moving and that put her pain level through the roof. She claimed that she needed to change the cooling blanket that was under her so they swung her legs over the side of the bed and made her sit up, keep in mind that she hasn't done anything but lay in the hospital bed for over three weeks now and her legs/feet already have arthritis... If she could have screamed, she would have! The nurse's response was "well the faster she gets up and moving, the faster she gets out of here" which we all understand but she's already working with a physical therapist, there's no need to push her any further and cause a major set back. I can't imagine the amount of pain that put her in. I love you mama, please stay strong!
In order to raise money to help with the continuous growing medical bills, my wonderful friend Mandi has offered to donate the proceeds from a few items out of her etsy shop. All items listed will have 100% go towards Carilee. Also, if you would like to purchase an item that is not listed, she will donate half of the proceeds as well as long as you mention that it's for Carilee! The link to her etsy shop is listed below and you can also find it on instagram @fancyjanesetsy .Thank you so much Mandi!
https://www.etsy.com/shop/fancyjanes

Resting

Not much has changed today for mama. Her temperature is hoovering around 100 but she has finally been able to rest. Stephanie will be coming back home tomorrow afternoon and hopefully my dad will take care of himself without someone there to remind him to take his medication and eat. Please continue to pray, it's going to be a long road ahead.

https://fundrazr.com

Ultrasound Results

Today they switched mama's trachea tube to a smaller one so that it will be easier for her to begin speaking again. They are keeping it in until they are done with her surgeries so they don't have to keep taking it out and putting it back in. She's doing well just tired and loopy still. There is talk of closing the incision completely on Monday so we'll see what happens with that. We heard from the doctors in regards to the ultrasound results and there were absolutely no blood clots in her legs, including the one that was there last week so that's good news! Keep it up mama, we all love you!!

https://fundrazr.com\

No Relief

Mama is still dealing with her fever... she's getting very discouraged that she's not improving. She asked Stephanie to have me send pictures of the "new foster dog we have" although we have not taken another foster in the last two months because of our wedding and this situation. She's very confused and I'm sure all of the medications she's on doesn't help that at all. She had another CT scan this morning and they couldn't see any new abscesses or anything to be concerned about. They also did an ultrasound on her legs to check for blood clots and we have not yet heard back from the doctors on those results. Please continue to pray for her!
https://fundrazr.com

She Speaks!

SHE SPEAKS! Mama has been working with a physical therapist as well as a speech therapist and yesterday Stephanie called me when mama was talking. She thanked me for coming out to help her and I about burst into tears! I miss talking to her every day but she'll get to that point again, it'll just take time. Her voice is deep and raspy but part of that is because of the difficulty of speaking with the ventilator tubes still in her throat and the valve that is put on the tracheotomy is a lot harder to breath through so it takes a lot of her energy to speak. I'm so proud of her! She seems to be more anxious today and I believe it's from the lack of sleep. She's exhausted and only picking up bits and pieces of things. She over heard the doctors speaking with my dad and from what she heard, she was having three different surgeries in one day when what was said was they are going to take her staples out today, have her CT scan tomorrow and possibly close her incision completely on Monday. Hopefully she'll be able to rest soon because she needs it. Her fever has come down a few degrees which is great so please continue to keep her in your thoughts and prayers that it'll clear up soon. You're putting up a good fight mama, keep it up!
https://fundrazr.com

Still Has A Fever...

Mama is doing okay today but her fever is pretty high still. She's scheduled for a CT scan on Thursday to make sure that the abscess does not have any additional fluids and that there aren't any new fluids they can see. That is her biggest concern right now so please pray for some relief from the fever. On a better note, she has yet to go back on the ventilator for breathing assistance. She has been off for 2 days and 8 hours! In order to help raise money for mama's medical bills, I am going to be giving her 100% of every photo shoot that I do within the next 2 months. If you would like to schedule please call text or message me and we'll get it scheduled. $100 for a group of 5 people or less. $150 for groups of 6 or more. https://www.facebook.com/MC.Photography.Utah
Please continue to keep her in your thoughts and prayers. Thank you to all who have contributed to her fund as well!
https://fundrazr.com

Another CT Scan

Mama is doing pretty well today although it was hard for me to hear her updates over the phone rather than being there by her side. She has been off the ventilator since 11am yesterday! WOOT!! They were able to put a cap over the tracheotomy to enable her to speak and she was able to get some sound out which exhausted her. She is going to be working with a speech therapist and it is going to take a lot of practice to get back to normal. She went in for a CT scan to see if they could indicate if the gallbladder is leaking or if the abscess they have been draining was from the lung infection and the results showed that the abscess has not been producing more fluids so they don't believe she has a leak from the gallbladder or anywhere in her intestines. They are leaning towards the infection in her lungs at this point. Lets hope she can get over that pretty soon so she can start the healing process. She has been resting most of the day luckily. Rest as much as you can mama, you need to maintain your strength. Thank you to all who have contributed to her fund, mama and dad appreciate it more than words can express!
https://fundrazr.com

Emotional Sunday

Stephanie and I stayed with mama last night so that I could spend as much time with her as possible before I flew back to Utah today. She hardly slept because of her fever but she was off the ventilator for another 7 hours during the night. She's getting even stronger! She was finally able to fall asleep around 6am and slept until 11am before they took her off the ventilator again which woke her up. Luckily she was awake and coherent enough to understand the past few days and that I was going back to Utah soon. She was somewhat prepared for it and when the time came a few tears were shed but I let her know that I would be back out there in a few weeks as long as I am able to and that she just needs to stay strong. I'm sure before the next time I'm out there, she will be in a long term care facility and possibly even speaking already. They are going to do an MRI tomorrow to see if she is not closed up properly from the gallbladder removal so that option is back in the mix of things and she might have to have surgery number five to fix that issue. Words cannot express how much I love and miss her already but luckily my dad and Stephanie are there with her now. I'll see you again soon mama... stay strong!

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Buck snapped this photo while we were visiting back in May 2013. I sure do love my mama!

The Source of Infection

The doctors have done more testing and found that the source of the infection is in mama's lungs. Luckily the infections doctor had put her on the antibiotic to help with that a few days before we found out that was the source of infection. Her "numbers" should be at 10, yesterday they were at 20 and today when they tested again they were at 14 so she's getting to where she should be. Good news! She is more alert today and has been joking again. I love this side of her and I'm so proud of her for being so strong and trying to stay as upbeat as possible at a time like this. I know it has to be pretty depressing to wake up in a hospital bed and find out you have been there for two weeks and will be there for at least another week if not two... she is so strong! She has been on a break from the ventilator for 5 hours now and doing well. I think she's really trying hard since they've told her they will allow her start talking after she's able to breath without the ventilator for 24 hours. Their first hospital bill came in from the E.R. visit and YIKES! If anyone would like to add to the fund, here is the link. https://fundrazr.com
I will also try to put together a fundraiser of some sort when I get back to Utah so if anyone has any ideas or would like to help, please let me know. Thank you to everyone for your thoughts and prayers, keep them coming... she has to kick this infection and it won't be very easy with how sick she is already.

Scary Day!

Today was quite scary... mama has been feeling pretty sick with the increase of food they have been pumping into her stomach and her acid reflux. She got to the point where she vomited which scared us all because of the balloon that's in her throat for the ventilator. YIKES! She still has a fever and they think that the fluid that's coming out of the drain could be from a leak where they removed her gallbladder so they have sent some of the fluids off for testing and hopefully we will know tomorrow when the doctor makes his morning rounds. We have been given the okay to give her ice chips so she told the doctor that he is her new best friend. My dad was pretty helpful with our wonderful nurse, they had to jimmy rig one of her tubes that was leaking causing them to have to change her sheets frequently which hurts her so hopefully that will help. We got a good laugh last night during the rain storm... she asked for us to turn the light off so she could sleep and when I pushed the switch down, the light went brighter and it startled her so I said "wow, did you see that lightning?" She gave me a look like, seriously? So I started laughing and told her that I accidentally switched the light on higher. She starting smiling and slapped my hand a few times. I sure do love my spunky mama!
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Found Infection...

Mama had a CT scan today and they found a pocket of infection in her abdomen so they have inserted a tube to help drain the infection. Her fever has come down in the last few hours but it's still not quite normal temperature so we're hoping that was the cause and she will be able to start recovering. She had a break from the ventilator twice today but she's been so exhausted that it only lasted an hour each time. She's doing great and staying as strong as possible but she needs rest in order to recover. They have increased her tube feedings to the "goal amount" and she's complaining about acid reflux. They have been giving her zantac for it but she still feels sick. It could be a side effect from the contrast she had pumped into her stomach before the CT scan or the increased amount of food so they have lowered her amount in the tube feeding for now to see if that helps her feel better. The last few times she's woken up she has had a lot of anxiety because she has to stay laying down and she can't drink anything due to the ventilator so they have given her a little bit of anxiety medication to help her relax enough to sleep. She amazes me!
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Finally Able To Sleep

Mama has been resting pretty well this morning even with the doctors and nurses coming in and out of the room. These past 2 weeks have been very difficult for her so I'm glad that she's finally getting the rest she needs. The doctors have ordered a CT scan to see if there are any infection pockets in her abdomen that could be causing the fever so they have been giving her contrast through her feeding tube and after that sits for an hour they will take her down and start an IV contrast as well. Hopefully they can find the cause of the fever soon. Love you mama!
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An Attempt At Rest

We thought today would be a little more laid back but it turned out the opposite for mama as they have had to change her pick line, bandages, bedding, had her breathing without the ventilator for about an hour to slowly get her strength back and it seems like each time she falls asleep, they are coming in the room to change her medications or to check on things. Poor mama! She was able to start tube feedings and has been handling it well. Stephanie flew in today so we stayed with mama this afternoon so that my dad could run home to get his medications and try to sleep. Hopefully she'll be able to rest tonight. They have a cooling blanket under her that pumps 40 degree water to try to bring her fever down so she's been shivering all day and they are still trying to find out what is causing the fever but can't seem to find an infection anywhere. Hopefully they will get it figured out soon as that is the biggest concern right now. Once the fever is gone she can be moved to a long term acute care facility to help wean her off the ventilator and continue her care. I have the best mom I could possibly ask for!
If you are able to help with funds I'm sure they would greatly appreciate it.
https://fundrazr.com

A Step Back

We had to take a step back and put mama on the ventilator again. She had a very rough night last night! They put the tube through her trachea and will try to wean her off the ventilator slowly but not quite yet. She spent the day recovering from the difficult past 24 hours and has been resting. She's able to mouth her words well enough that we can understand most of what she's saying and she will also nod when you repeat it back correctly. Today she asked the nurse if she had white animals and if they could catch them to make sure and feed them. There's something about her when she's on meds or after passing out she always talks about animals. She had me laughing during that! She then said "I can't believe this is happening, it's not fair". I felt awful at that point but she's tough and is putting up a good fight. I don't know how I would be able to handle all of this if it weren't for my amazing husband. Last night I left the hospital feeling physically ill from watching her struggle for hours and after talking with him I was able to calm down enough to sleep for a few hours. I sure do miss him but I'm so lucky that he understands that my family needs me at this time. Keep it up mama, we're all rooting for you!
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One Long Day

Today has been full of ups and downs for mama. They took her off the ventilator earlier this morning and put her on an oxygen mask which she did pretty well with when she was awake. Her breaths per minute are in the normal range and her oxygen levels have stayed where they should. They have taken her off the pain medication drip because it slows down her breathing so they've set her up on a pump so she can click the button when she feels pain, however she can't click the button yet. She wakes up every few minutes telling us that she's in pain and asks for help pressing the button. They've also taken out the tube in her nose that went to her stomach and the line in her leg that was giving them some of her vital readings but they've switched those readings to cuffs and things that are less invasive. Because she has been in more pain today her hear rate has increased so they gave her some anxiety medication which has made her sleep but the problem with that is she's not awake to tell us when she's in pain. I'm afraid she's going to wake up in more pain than she can handle and it's going to be a lot more difficult to get it back under control. Did they jump the gun when they took her off the ventilator? It's possible. I hope this doesn't set her back... They're going to put her on a C pap machine tonight to help give her a little assistance while sleeping. Stay strong mama!!
Thank you all for your continued prayers and thoughts, please keep them coming. This is such a tough road!
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Tough Mama!

I have one seriously tough mother! She was off sedation all day and did great. She got a bit frustrated with us not understanding what she was trying to say but she's unable to write or point to the letters on a keyboard. Hopefully it won't take too long to wean her off of the ventilator so that she won't have that frustration anymore. They have slightly increased her pain medication to help her sleep tonight which is good because she has been fighting it all day. She asked us questions like when did this happen, what do I look like and can I see myself and she took it all pretty well. The point that made me happy was when she started mouthing the words to Dan Hill's "Sometimes When We Touch" that was playing on the radio in her room. I think today has been the hardest so far for myself and I'm sure these next few days will be just as hard. Pray for all of us to get through this next step.

There has also been a fund set up online if you'd like to donate, I'm sure they would greatly appreciate it!

https://fundrazr.com

Sedation Vacation

Mama still has a fever but everything else is stable. They took her off the sedation today to see how she handles things and the doctor would like her off of it all day if possible. The sooner they can get her stable and off sedation the sooner they can take her off the ventilator. Her heart rate went up a bit so they have given her some anxiety medication to help with her stress level. They also stopped the assisted breathing on her ventilator for about 20 minutes and she did really well. At that point the doctor asked her if her breathing was tired and she shook her head yes so they started the assistance again. She has been awake for the last 4 hours and now she's finally closing her eyes to rest. My wonderful dad hasn't left her side. I am so proud of her and how far she's come!

Still Sedated

The doctors wanted to test mama today and see how she would do off sedation. At about 1:30 they stopped her sedation meds and it only took her a few minutes to come around. She opened her eyes and was doing okay for the first few minutes but after a while she started to get upset and tried to talk. I was asking her simple yes or no questions if she knew what had happened, she shook her head no. I explained that she was in the hospital and that she has had a few surgeries. The look on her face was pure terror so I asked if she was scared... she shook her head yes. I tried my best to calm her and explain that she will be okay, that I will be here for her and that I love her so much. She lifted her hand and started writing letters on my shirt. She wrote 'I love you" and started crying. Her heart rate started to elevate at that point and it continued over the next few minutes. They decided to put her back on sedation for the time being and next time they try taking her off, they might give her some anxiety medication to help with her stress level so that she can be off sedation and off the ventilator quicker. She continues to amaze me!

Realization

My dad won't leave mama's side during the night so I went back to their apartment to get what sleep I could and came back early this morning. She's doing well, blood pressure and heart rate are in the normal range and her temperature is about 100 right now. She was able to wake up a little bit last night and I think she finally realized that I was there with her. That got her heart rate up a bit higher than they would like it to be because she wants to talk and gets frustrated because she can't due to the ventilator and sedation. Today will be a day of rest for her and they are slowly going to cut back on a few things including the sedation and ventilator to see if she able to handle it but that probably won't start until later today or possibly tomorrow. There is a charitable fund set up at America First Credit Union in her name (Carilee Ellis) if you would like to help them financially you can go to any branch to donate and I'm sure they would greatly appreciate it!

Staying Strong

It is so painful to finally be here in Texas and see just how bad things are. Words cannot explain how heartbroken I am to see her lying in a hospital bed on a ventilator, completely helpless.
This is not how anyone wants to see their mom... I can't wait for her to be back to her regular happy and loving self.
Luckily she is strong and doing pretty well. Her blood pressure is a tiny bit low and her heart rate is a little bit high. She has a fever from the surgeries today which is expected so hopefully she will level out throughout the night. When I got to her apartment I saw this sign that said "Some people look for a beautiful place, others make a place beautiful". That sign is so true to her, she lights up any room she's in and I love that about her. Soon mama, you will light up every room you walk into again!

Fourth Surgery

Mama is out of surgery. They were able to close the incision but they did have to cut the muscle on her sides to fully close. She's going to have the ventilator for at least a few more days until they can wean her off and they think she'll be in the hospital for at least two more weeks and in a care facility for a few more weeks after that. They do believe that this will be her last surgery for now unless the pressure starts to build and cuts off her kidneys. They will be watching her closely. It turns out that most of the blockage was caused by her diverticulitis and it's possible that the C-diff weakened the intestines and colon. Another hour or so and I can see my mama!!

Finally in Texas

I made it to Texas after quite a bumpy but beautiful plane ride and we're waiting for her to get out of her second surgery. The first surgery for her blood clot went smoothly and they're going to try to close her up today and see if the pressure isn't too much. I will update again once we know more.

Third surgery

Mama is doing okay today. She's heading in for surgery for the blood clot now. I'm waiting in the airport now and time is creeping by. I'll be in Texas until the 20th and I'm definitely going to miss my husband and sweet puppies until then but I need to be there for my mom and dad. Please pray for her during her surgeries today! I can't wait to see you mama!!  

A bump in the road

The Doctors found a blood clot in her Left leg which explains why her poor big toe has started turning purple (DVT). They plan on going in at 8:30 am tomorrow morning to put in a clot-trapping filter. The filter reduces the chances of the blood clot (if it were to break off from the lower body) from entering the heart or lungs and causing a pulmonary embolism. She is scheduled for the closure surgery tomorrow as well at 1 pm. Please pray for her as well as my dad, he is having a very hard time with this being there without family support. Stay strong mama, I'll be there tomorrow!!

Third surgery scheduled

They have decided to sedate her again so she doesn't get too frustrated trying to communicate. Her white blood cell count is up and we are not quite sure where the infection is. She will have another Doppler to check for clots in her legs and they will not perform the surgery today. They have her surgery scheduled for tomorrow at 1pm to flush her out again and hopefully start closing the incision in her abdomen. The doctors say that she'll need multiple surgeries just to close the incision each time the swelling goes down. They'll try to connect the bowels at a later date. I will be in town at 1:30pm tomorrow and will post another update once she's out of surgery. Pray for her!! I'll see you soon mama!

She's awake!

Mama is doing pretty well today. She woke up yesterday evening and was trying to communicate but she's unable to speak due to the ventilator and she's so swollen and has little feeling in her fingers right now that she can't write. When she wakes up today we are going to try a keyboard and see if she can hit the keys to communicate. The doctors are very happy with the improvements that she's made especially after seeing the condition she was in when she was brought into the E.R. They thought she would have gone in a completely different direction and I'm so glad that is not the case. We usually speak daily whether it be over the phone or by email while we're both at work and I've definitely been missing our conversations. There's been many times that I'll get an email or text and I automatically assume that it is from her but once I open my email or phone and realize that it's not, reality is there to slap me in the face again. I will be flying out on Friday morning and I cannot wait to see her and my dad. This past week has been an emotional roller coaster but I couldn't be happier with the improvements she's making. I'll be there soon mama, stay strong!