from davey:
FYI - I will be doing another update with Mac this Friday the 1st @ 1:20.
I got to see Katie for a few minutes Wednesday night in ICU. She was placed in ICU, "just in case", but should be moved to the floor (maybe even the same floor as the last week or so) later today. We had a visitor on Wednesday night that I wanted to mention. Dr. Hlavin (anb that is speled corekctly Errynee) came by after being on vacation. She was the neurosurgeon that did the initial emergency surgery on Katie on the 18th. She told us that she was really looking forward to getting back to work so that she could come and see the "miracle girl". Dr. Hlavin was all smiles and spent a few minutes with us and then left. Pretty cool.
So, today we rest from the surgery and prepare to go back to the floor. They are deciding right now which floor, which is dependant on what meds she will be on for her blood pressure (don't ask, I'm not a Dr.). Hopefully we will get to be on the same floor as before as we built some really good relationships with the staff there (lots of hugs as we left the floor yesterday). However, I am also excited about the possibly of having some new nurses to influence, you know, a whole new captive audience. Kind of like the poor Roman soldiers chained to Paul.
Another decision we are faced with is how to get Katie her nutrition. The IV nutrition is a short term solution. The next option is a peg line inserted into her stomach from her belly, this is a pretty basic "operation" and only requires a slight sedative and a local. This is a good option and would allow them to give her her meds by crushed up pill as opposed to IV. The best solution of course is normal eating, were just not sure if she will be alert enough in the next few days to consistently eat and swallow pills. If we get the peg line, it appears that it will have to be in for at least a month, which is fine, but there is always the risk of infection. So, I will have to make that decision here in the next few hours.
My plan for the girls as of right now is to let them see Katie on Saturday or Sunday. This will of course depend on how Katie is doing, but as of now I believe keeping them away is starting to do more harm than seeing Katie. As I've been bringing them along they are handling it surprisingly well, so I've been encouraged to up my timetable.
Spirits continue to be high as we revel in the goodness of the Lord. I continue to pray over Katie every time I'm with her, and together we remind God of his promises to be good to his people. So we rest in the assurance that He alone as the words of truth and there is no where/one else we can go for life (no offense Dr. Carlstrom, by the way he was super nice yesterday post-op and even asked about the kids).
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
post-surgery update
from davey:
Well Katie is out and everything went well. Dr. Carlstrom was very happy with everything and is expecting recovery to be fine.
She will be in ICU for at least tonight and then be moved back to the floor sometime tomorrow. No creative miracle today, but believe me we are more than happy with what the Lord is doing and has done.
Again, thanks for all your prayers as we continue to see the Lord work.
Well Katie is out and everything went well. Dr. Carlstrom was very happy with everything and is expecting recovery to be fine.
She will be in ICU for at least tonight and then be moved back to the floor sometime tomorrow. No creative miracle today, but believe me we are more than happy with what the Lord is doing and has done.
Again, thanks for all your prayers as we continue to see the Lord work.
davey - wednesday noon
from davey:
Another good morning. PT was here and had Katie up walking again. This time they used a walker and she probably walked 30-50 feet with minimal help. One of the nurses said, "you should be recording this". To which I said that Katie would kill me. However, I decided that I can always delete it, so why not. And sure enough, as I'm taping Katie see's telling me to "stop it", and not in her nice voice.
I recorded the girls this morning on the video camera and played it for her. Big smiles all around as the girls were talking about mommy being healed soon (we pray for her every night and every morning). I've been slowly telling the girls more and more about mommy. So, they know that Katie has no hair, that she has a hard time remembering things, and that she has a hard time seeing. So far they've handled all the info very well. We even prayed for the skull piece last night. As of right now I'm planning on bringing them down a few days after her surgery. Please pray for that.
Speaking of surgery, Carlstrom was in a few minutes ago and said that everything is a go for around 2:00ish. He says that they keep looking for infection, but can't find anything. So, we get to be back in the first waiting room that we were in during her first surgery, and then we will be back up in ICU. Hopefully we will get to see some of the nurses that were with her the first go around. Most of them have been by to see Katie which is so neat. I'll give an update this afternoon after the surgery.
Another good morning. PT was here and had Katie up walking again. This time they used a walker and she probably walked 30-50 feet with minimal help. One of the nurses said, "you should be recording this". To which I said that Katie would kill me. However, I decided that I can always delete it, so why not. And sure enough, as I'm taping Katie see's telling me to "stop it", and not in her nice voice.
I recorded the girls this morning on the video camera and played it for her. Big smiles all around as the girls were talking about mommy being healed soon (we pray for her every night and every morning). I've been slowly telling the girls more and more about mommy. So, they know that Katie has no hair, that she has a hard time remembering things, and that she has a hard time seeing. So far they've handled all the info very well. We even prayed for the skull piece last night. As of right now I'm planning on bringing them down a few days after her surgery. Please pray for that.
Speaking of surgery, Carlstrom was in a few minutes ago and said that everything is a go for around 2:00ish. He says that they keep looking for infection, but can't find anything. So, we get to be back in the first waiting room that we were in during her first surgery, and then we will be back up in ICU. Hopefully we will get to see some of the nurses that were with her the first go around. Most of them have been by to see Katie which is so neat. I'll give an update this afternoon after the surgery.
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
davey update-tuesday 5pm
from davey:
Well Katie finally woke up, but not on her own accord. Physical Therapy was in and they do not play nice. Basically two of them man-handle Katie into an upright position sitting on the edge of her bed. Then then got her to stand up and walk about 15 feet around her bed and to the door. Now they act all nice and friendly, but there was no negotiating with them, so Katie walked. Now she was getting help but the therapist was very pleased with her strength.
After the walk they sat her in a chair like yesterday and had her sit for about 30 minutes. During that time a nutritionist came in and ordered Katie some food. Mark had stopped by just before the PT's arrived and so he and I kept Katie company while we waited for her food. Basically it was much like Sunday with Katie trying to complete some very important thoughts but never quite getting there. So, I showed her a copy of THE PICTURE (just scroll up if your not sure of what I speak), and asked her if she knew who the person in the middle is. It took her a minute but she eventually said, "me". Very good, I said, so who is the guy beside you. To which she replied, "orange juice, you need sugar". To which I replied, "you worry about yourself". Many of you may not know that I am Type I diabetic and Katie's biggest fear in the world is me being by myself and going "low blood sugar" and slipping into a diabetic coma. So her first instinct for me is worry/protection. This is good, but I also feel bad that even now she is worrying (which is sin by the way! Phil 4). She couldn't get any of the kids names and after a while I told her to take a break. Mark and I thought we would use the break to pray for her and as he came close to her she said, "hi Mark". Wow, I get orange juice and he gets his first name (more on this little development later). We had a great time praying and claiming God's promises over her and when we were done she said thank you.
The food arrived shortly after that and I left Mark to watch Katie while I went to get the Speech Pathologist as she was wanting to be there when Katie was eating. So after tracking down the Speech lady I came back to an interesting development. Imagine walking in seeing your wife making out with your best friend. Apparently it wasn't that bad, at least that's what they told me. I guess Katie had decided to all of a sudden stand up and Mark had to get to her in a hurry as she is still not the most stable when she stands up. This next part absolutely cracks me up. While Mark is holding her up (picture them dancing, though not really, supposedly) she is pulling the old, "hey, what is that over there" trick, trying to get Mark to look away so she could slip by him. Fortunately Mark is not 3 years old and didn't fall for it. But it was funny.
Mark left and we sat down with the Speech Pathologist and ate some macaroni, fruit, and a chocolate shake. She loved the fruit and shake, but was only mildly interested in the macaroni (which was very bland and desperately needed salt). At the end of the meal the therapist asked her what her husband's name was and she immediately replied, "idiot". Just kidding, "Dave", is what she said. I guess she was feeling guilty about the whole Mark thing. It was cool for me to hear that as that is the first time she has said my name since the surgery. She has said "babe" a number of times which is what she calls me most of the time, but this was the first time she said "Dave". The therapist asked her what her kids names are, to which she replied, Tayler and Aubree. Again I was thrilled as this was the first time she has said their names. The therapist asked her if she had a baby boy, to which she got that look on her face that says, "what you talking about Willis!?!" We decided that was enough for today and dropped it.
Again, another great day with big improvements on the physical side as well as the cognitive. She is sleeping now as we have once again wore her out, though not as much interaction as Sunday so I'm hoping to have a good talk with her tomorrow morning.
Well Katie finally woke up, but not on her own accord. Physical Therapy was in and they do not play nice. Basically two of them man-handle Katie into an upright position sitting on the edge of her bed. Then then got her to stand up and walk about 15 feet around her bed and to the door. Now they act all nice and friendly, but there was no negotiating with them, so Katie walked. Now she was getting help but the therapist was very pleased with her strength.
After the walk they sat her in a chair like yesterday and had her sit for about 30 minutes. During that time a nutritionist came in and ordered Katie some food. Mark had stopped by just before the PT's arrived and so he and I kept Katie company while we waited for her food. Basically it was much like Sunday with Katie trying to complete some very important thoughts but never quite getting there. So, I showed her a copy of THE PICTURE (just scroll up if your not sure of what I speak), and asked her if she knew who the person in the middle is. It took her a minute but she eventually said, "me". Very good, I said, so who is the guy beside you. To which she replied, "orange juice, you need sugar". To which I replied, "you worry about yourself". Many of you may not know that I am Type I diabetic and Katie's biggest fear in the world is me being by myself and going "low blood sugar" and slipping into a diabetic coma. So her first instinct for me is worry/protection. This is good, but I also feel bad that even now she is worrying (which is sin by the way! Phil 4). She couldn't get any of the kids names and after a while I told her to take a break. Mark and I thought we would use the break to pray for her and as he came close to her she said, "hi Mark". Wow, I get orange juice and he gets his first name (more on this little development later). We had a great time praying and claiming God's promises over her and when we were done she said thank you.
The food arrived shortly after that and I left Mark to watch Katie while I went to get the Speech Pathologist as she was wanting to be there when Katie was eating. So after tracking down the Speech lady I came back to an interesting development. Imagine walking in seeing your wife making out with your best friend. Apparently it wasn't that bad, at least that's what they told me. I guess Katie had decided to all of a sudden stand up and Mark had to get to her in a hurry as she is still not the most stable when she stands up. This next part absolutely cracks me up. While Mark is holding her up (picture them dancing, though not really, supposedly) she is pulling the old, "hey, what is that over there" trick, trying to get Mark to look away so she could slip by him. Fortunately Mark is not 3 years old and didn't fall for it. But it was funny.
Mark left and we sat down with the Speech Pathologist and ate some macaroni, fruit, and a chocolate shake. She loved the fruit and shake, but was only mildly interested in the macaroni (which was very bland and desperately needed salt). At the end of the meal the therapist asked her what her husband's name was and she immediately replied, "idiot". Just kidding, "Dave", is what she said. I guess she was feeling guilty about the whole Mark thing. It was cool for me to hear that as that is the first time she has said my name since the surgery. She has said "babe" a number of times which is what she calls me most of the time, but this was the first time she said "Dave". The therapist asked her what her kids names are, to which she replied, Tayler and Aubree. Again I was thrilled as this was the first time she has said their names. The therapist asked her if she had a baby boy, to which she got that look on her face that says, "what you talking about Willis!?!" We decided that was enough for today and dropped it.
Again, another great day with big improvements on the physical side as well as the cognitive. She is sleeping now as we have once again wore her out, though not as much interaction as Sunday so I'm hoping to have a good talk with her tomorrow morning.
tuesday update
from davey:
All right, all right. I've had a few people tell me that they start going into withdrawal if there isn't a post, so I'll do my best to satisfy your craving (something about this makes me feel a little uncomfortable).
Apparently we overdid it a little on Sunday as Katie has pretty much been asleep since then. On Monday, Physical Therapy was in and had her sitting up in a chair for about 30min, but that was about it for the whole day. Sue did have a quick interaction with her in which Katie mentioned Sawyers name. This is good as she has been struggling with names (Katie that is, though Sue does tend to call Sawyer by the dogs name, Scooter).
We are anxiously waiting on Katie to wake up as we know we will have some more good interactions with her. Carlstrom was in this morning and gave us 10x more time than any previous visit (perhaps he's been following the blog and has read my posts. I'm sure he has nothing better to do). So in the 5 minutes he was here he said that the surgery is on for Wednesday. In fact he has ordered the skull piece to be thawed, and once it's thawed you can't re-freeze it (freezer burn I'm sure).
So if the surgery does not take place tomorrow for some reason, they will use some sort of plastic. He has ordered another CT scan today so we'll know a little more tomorrow as Carlstrom will come in and re-asses before the surgery. Once the surgery is complete we will be back in ICU for a day or two. So, I've been spending the day trying to pack up her current room. Sue had put up a bunch of bible verses on the wall, and I had posted some get well cards from the girls. We kept the plants that were salvageable but most of the cut flowers had to be dumped as ICU won't allow them (believe me I felt bad dumping them).
However, we were able to put some of the newer flowers in a waiting room and now it smells like a flower shop, and looks much better. Katie's vitals continue to be strong and there is still no sign of infection or pneumonia (both common in post surgery situations like ours). Hopefully she'll wake up later today and I'll be able to give you an evening update with some more good stories. And prayerfully we won't have to have a surgery tomorrow but rather a baptism as I lead a neurologist to the Lord.
All right, all right. I've had a few people tell me that they start going into withdrawal if there isn't a post, so I'll do my best to satisfy your craving (something about this makes me feel a little uncomfortable).
Apparently we overdid it a little on Sunday as Katie has pretty much been asleep since then. On Monday, Physical Therapy was in and had her sitting up in a chair for about 30min, but that was about it for the whole day. Sue did have a quick interaction with her in which Katie mentioned Sawyers name. This is good as she has been struggling with names (Katie that is, though Sue does tend to call Sawyer by the dogs name, Scooter).
We are anxiously waiting on Katie to wake up as we know we will have some more good interactions with her. Carlstrom was in this morning and gave us 10x more time than any previous visit (perhaps he's been following the blog and has read my posts. I'm sure he has nothing better to do). So in the 5 minutes he was here he said that the surgery is on for Wednesday. In fact he has ordered the skull piece to be thawed, and once it's thawed you can't re-freeze it (freezer burn I'm sure).
So if the surgery does not take place tomorrow for some reason, they will use some sort of plastic. He has ordered another CT scan today so we'll know a little more tomorrow as Carlstrom will come in and re-asses before the surgery. Once the surgery is complete we will be back in ICU for a day or two. So, I've been spending the day trying to pack up her current room. Sue had put up a bunch of bible verses on the wall, and I had posted some get well cards from the girls. We kept the plants that were salvageable but most of the cut flowers had to be dumped as ICU won't allow them (believe me I felt bad dumping them).
However, we were able to put some of the newer flowers in a waiting room and now it smells like a flower shop, and looks much better. Katie's vitals continue to be strong and there is still no sign of infection or pneumonia (both common in post surgery situations like ours). Hopefully she'll wake up later today and I'll be able to give you an evening update with some more good stories. And prayerfully we won't have to have a surgery tomorrow but rather a baptism as I lead a neurologist to the Lord.
Monday, July 28, 2008
from davey-monday afternoon update
from davey:
Wow, what can I say. First of all I am so sorry that I didn't' get a chance to update the blog yesterday. I spent Saturday night with Katie (the first time I had done that) and so I spent most of Sunday with the girls and let Kyle and Karen go to church. So I really didn't get down to the hospital until later in the afternoon. All I can say is amazing!! The difference between Katie on Sunday over Saturday was truly breath taking. Like Meredith said there were just so many separate little things that it's hard to know which ones to put down. I would echo the "rude, rude, rude" story as a great one as it shows her ability to observe a situation and make an assessment and then a comment. Now, I would rather she make comments about other peoples behavior than mine, but at this point I won't complain. The best way for me to describe the change is that now she initiates more as opposed to being reactive. Another very good sign was her ability to eat some real food. We had bananas, yogurt, and grill cheese sandwich (and I do mean we, but I waited for her to be done in case there are some of you wachos out there who think I might take the food out her mouth for myself).
Today continues to be more of the same, though to a lesser amount as she is totally wiped out. The Dr's cautioned us that your good days will be followed by "sleep days" as it will exhaust her. I did have another 2mins with Carlstrom the neurosurgeon, though I think 2mins is a little generous. I can't tell you how many local people have told me that they have had the exact same experience with him. They also say in the next breath that he is very good. I will echo that, if your looking for Dr sit and chat and answer questions he is not the one. However, if your looking for brilliance, he's probably your guy. FYI a few years ago he lost his wife in a flood as she attempted to drive through some water, so please pray for him as I am sure there is some pain there. He says that he is tentatively scheduling the surgery to replace her skull piece for Wednesday, but it could be Friday. There is no real hurry to get it back in so he's willing to wait until everything is perfect (i.e.. swelling). So, here is my prayer- I know some of you probably think that I'm crazy for asking, but I am very serious about praying for God to close her skull back up. In the end, when Katie walks out of here, Dr's like Carlstrom will marvel at the human bodies ability to survive trauma. Now we know that is not what happened her, however, if he goes in on Wednesday and her skull is intact, no one will marvel at the human body. Instead, they will be forced to acknowledge something more than nature. I would imagine that I might have his attention for more than 2 minutes if he has to tell me that he does not have to do the surgery and I can say, "yeah I know, and I know why. Would you like to hear....?" We all believe that God can create with a thought, why not now for His glory. We only want to be used for His glory, so may he be glorified through us.
I also wanted to say that spent the morning reading through the pile of cards that have been delivered to me from Two Rivers and from the hospital. I am so grateful for so many who love and care for us. There is no way I'll be able to send each of you a thank you for your cards and gifts, so please know that we are very grateful to you all for your love and generosity.
Wow, what can I say. First of all I am so sorry that I didn't' get a chance to update the blog yesterday. I spent Saturday night with Katie (the first time I had done that) and so I spent most of Sunday with the girls and let Kyle and Karen go to church. So I really didn't get down to the hospital until later in the afternoon. All I can say is amazing!! The difference between Katie on Sunday over Saturday was truly breath taking. Like Meredith said there were just so many separate little things that it's hard to know which ones to put down. I would echo the "rude, rude, rude" story as a great one as it shows her ability to observe a situation and make an assessment and then a comment. Now, I would rather she make comments about other peoples behavior than mine, but at this point I won't complain. The best way for me to describe the change is that now she initiates more as opposed to being reactive. Another very good sign was her ability to eat some real food. We had bananas, yogurt, and grill cheese sandwich (and I do mean we, but I waited for her to be done in case there are some of you wachos out there who think I might take the food out her mouth for myself).
Today continues to be more of the same, though to a lesser amount as she is totally wiped out. The Dr's cautioned us that your good days will be followed by "sleep days" as it will exhaust her. I did have another 2mins with Carlstrom the neurosurgeon, though I think 2mins is a little generous. I can't tell you how many local people have told me that they have had the exact same experience with him. They also say in the next breath that he is very good. I will echo that, if your looking for Dr sit and chat and answer questions he is not the one. However, if your looking for brilliance, he's probably your guy. FYI a few years ago he lost his wife in a flood as she attempted to drive through some water, so please pray for him as I am sure there is some pain there. He says that he is tentatively scheduling the surgery to replace her skull piece for Wednesday, but it could be Friday. There is no real hurry to get it back in so he's willing to wait until everything is perfect (i.e.. swelling). So, here is my prayer- I know some of you probably think that I'm crazy for asking, but I am very serious about praying for God to close her skull back up. In the end, when Katie walks out of here, Dr's like Carlstrom will marvel at the human bodies ability to survive trauma. Now we know that is not what happened her, however, if he goes in on Wednesday and her skull is intact, no one will marvel at the human body. Instead, they will be forced to acknowledge something more than nature. I would imagine that I might have his attention for more than 2 minutes if he has to tell me that he does not have to do the surgery and I can say, "yeah I know, and I know why. Would you like to hear....?" We all believe that God can create with a thought, why not now for His glory. We only want to be used for His glory, so may he be glorified through us.
I also wanted to say that spent the morning reading through the pile of cards that have been delivered to me from Two Rivers and from the hospital. I am so grateful for so many who love and care for us. There is no way I'll be able to send each of you a thank you for your cards and gifts, so please know that we are very grateful to you all for your love and generosity.
from mark
from mark (davey's friend, elder at TRC):
Davey asked me to write a little about an interaction I had with Katie on Saturday, but the interaction on Sunday was so much better I will tell you about it instead! When I went in the room and told Katie that I came to see her and pray for her, she opened her eyes and looked right at me and smiled. She responded with "uh-huh" to a few small talk questions, which was nothing new from Saturday. Some nurses came in to do some things and she started saying' "that's so funny" over and over again. I asked her what was so funny and she said, " it's so funny that...uh...ya know". Then she started to look frustrated and said something like, " I can't think of it." She was laughing most of the time she was talking. Another one of her lines was, " It would be cool if......" . Her mom, cousin Amy, and I tried to play the fill in the blank guessing game, but couldn't come up with the right answer. She was really working hard to express her thoughts to us. We can definitely see that the thought process is starting to work and that she is a little frustrated that she can't finish all of her thoughts. No amount of progress will surprise me, but I've never seen anything so amazing. I think we can safely say that the prayers for restored speech, vision, and thought is being answered! Praise be to God!!
Davey asked me to write a little about an interaction I had with Katie on Saturday, but the interaction on Sunday was so much better I will tell you about it instead! When I went in the room and told Katie that I came to see her and pray for her, she opened her eyes and looked right at me and smiled. She responded with "uh-huh" to a few small talk questions, which was nothing new from Saturday. Some nurses came in to do some things and she started saying' "that's so funny" over and over again. I asked her what was so funny and she said, " it's so funny that...uh...ya know". Then she started to look frustrated and said something like, " I can't think of it." She was laughing most of the time she was talking. Another one of her lines was, " It would be cool if......" . Her mom, cousin Amy, and I tried to play the fill in the blank guessing game, but couldn't come up with the right answer. She was really working hard to express her thoughts to us. We can definitely see that the thought process is starting to work and that she is a little frustrated that she can't finish all of her thoughts. No amount of progress will surprise me, but I've never seen anything so amazing. I think we can safely say that the prayers for restored speech, vision, and thought is being answered! Praise be to God!!
Sunday, July 27, 2008
update from meredith - late sunday night
meredith here (again):
i don't think davey would mind me taking a moment to talk on this blog about my visit with katie tonight. if so, he knows where to find me...{grin}.
let me start by saying, i am continually amazed at the goodness of God.
when davey called me tonight with the update, it was un-believable. it was hard for me to believe that she was doing that good. last night, some friends & i went down to pray for katie. when we left she was sleeping and there was essentially no change. it was very hard to believe that she was sitting up & talking & aware of what was going on around her.
seeing is believing...
i headed down to the hospital & there she was sitting up in bed, telling secrets to the nurse. it was so amazing...almost like i was in a dream. she looked right at me (it seems her right eye is aligned, but the left is a little lazy) and tried to think who i was. something inside me jumped--it took my breath away. my first thought was just how beautiful she is--katie has this smile that lights up a room. i cannot begin to tell you how it filled me with joy to see that smile again.
there are so many things i could tell you, i just don't know where to start. it is funny, because davey said the exact same thing to me when he called. i am just amazed at how well she is tracking with everything. at one point it was katie, davey, & me in the room--when stacy came to visit, whom i hadn't met before. so i introduced myself & we shook hands, to which katie looks right at davey, points her finger & says, "rude, rude, rude!". we all laughed & so did katie.
the whole time i was there, she was trying to finish this sentence...it was like she could start it, but not finish it. i could see her getting frustrated. at one point, i started to rub her head a bit--she said, "that feels good". this whole visit just renewed my joy in a God that never leaves or forsakes us (Deut 31:6)--not that it was low, but almost like now i am overflowing...i can't explain it.
my favorite part of the whole visit was when davey was getting ready to go. he leaned over & prayed for her healing, rubbing her head & kissing her cheek. the look on katie's face was...priceless. it is almost hard to find the right words for it, but with one touch of davey's hand peace, love, comfort & joy washed over katie's face. i wish my eyes were a camera so you could see this display of love that was so pure, so beautiful.
each day i am amazed at her progress...God through this situation is amazing. it is your prayers & love & support that are helping get her through. i am continually reminded of the verse in james, 'the prayers of a righteous man can accomplish much!'
blessings~meredith
i don't think davey would mind me taking a moment to talk on this blog about my visit with katie tonight. if so, he knows where to find me...{grin}.
let me start by saying, i am continually amazed at the goodness of God.
when davey called me tonight with the update, it was un-believable. it was hard for me to believe that she was doing that good. last night, some friends & i went down to pray for katie. when we left she was sleeping and there was essentially no change. it was very hard to believe that she was sitting up & talking & aware of what was going on around her.
seeing is believing...
i headed down to the hospital & there she was sitting up in bed, telling secrets to the nurse. it was so amazing...almost like i was in a dream. she looked right at me (it seems her right eye is aligned, but the left is a little lazy) and tried to think who i was. something inside me jumped--it took my breath away. my first thought was just how beautiful she is--katie has this smile that lights up a room. i cannot begin to tell you how it filled me with joy to see that smile again.
there are so many things i could tell you, i just don't know where to start. it is funny, because davey said the exact same thing to me when he called. i am just amazed at how well she is tracking with everything. at one point it was katie, davey, & me in the room--when stacy came to visit, whom i hadn't met before. so i introduced myself & we shook hands, to which katie looks right at davey, points her finger & says, "rude, rude, rude!". we all laughed & so did katie.
the whole time i was there, she was trying to finish this sentence...it was like she could start it, but not finish it. i could see her getting frustrated. at one point, i started to rub her head a bit--she said, "that feels good". this whole visit just renewed my joy in a God that never leaves or forsakes us (Deut 31:6)--not that it was low, but almost like now i am overflowing...i can't explain it.
my favorite part of the whole visit was when davey was getting ready to go. he leaned over & prayed for her healing, rubbing her head & kissing her cheek. the look on katie's face was...priceless. it is almost hard to find the right words for it, but with one touch of davey's hand peace, love, comfort & joy washed over katie's face. i wish my eyes were a camera so you could see this display of love that was so pure, so beautiful.
each day i am amazed at her progress...God through this situation is amazing. it is your prayers & love & support that are helping get her through. i am continually reminded of the verse in james, 'the prayers of a righteous man can accomplish much!'
blessings~meredith
update--sunday pm
meredith here:
i know, all of you have been probably checking the blog as much as I have been checking my email for an update from davey...i was getting a little concerned since I hadn't heard anything all day. you know what they say...no news is good news.
i just got a call from davey and boy, is it good news.
davey spent the night at the hospital last night, so he spent most of the day at home with the girls. he just got down to the hospital about a 1/2 hour ago. he said last night was good. she tried to escape a couple times & they got her up in a chair this morning & stood her up. they weighed & checked vitals to make sure she is still healthy. i think everyone at the hospital is impressed with her physical strength & abilities.
davey said when he got back to he got back to her room this afternoon that it was unbelievable. she was sitting up and talking. he said, "we are almost there!" she still has some issues with her vision & speech, but to see her interacting & sitting up is amazing! he said she is doing so much he doesn't even know where to start. she is starting sentences...can't quite finish her thoughts at this point, but it is totally katie talking.
dawn (a close friend) and davey were praying over her and when they were done, she prayed for them! can you believe it? i have chills right now...my insides are doing the happy dance. it is unbelievable!
sing with me...OUR GOD, IS AN AWESOME GOD! WHO REIGNS IN HEAVEN ABOVE....
more to come....
i know, all of you have been probably checking the blog as much as I have been checking my email for an update from davey...i was getting a little concerned since I hadn't heard anything all day. you know what they say...no news is good news.
i just got a call from davey and boy, is it good news.
davey spent the night at the hospital last night, so he spent most of the day at home with the girls. he just got down to the hospital about a 1/2 hour ago. he said last night was good. she tried to escape a couple times & they got her up in a chair this morning & stood her up. they weighed & checked vitals to make sure she is still healthy. i think everyone at the hospital is impressed with her physical strength & abilities.
davey said when he got back to he got back to her room this afternoon that it was unbelievable. she was sitting up and talking. he said, "we are almost there!" she still has some issues with her vision & speech, but to see her interacting & sitting up is amazing! he said she is doing so much he doesn't even know where to start. she is starting sentences...can't quite finish her thoughts at this point, but it is totally katie talking.
dawn (a close friend) and davey were praying over her and when they were done, she prayed for them! can you believe it? i have chills right now...my insides are doing the happy dance. it is unbelievable!
sing with me...OUR GOD, IS AN AWESOME GOD! WHO REIGNS IN HEAVEN ABOVE....
more to come....
Saturday, July 26, 2008
saturday afternoon
from davey:
As I mentioned earlier I thought today would be a slow one, but we ended up having our best day yet. It all started with the speech pathologist coming in and starting Katie with some ice chips and then moving to malt cup (remember lizs' formula for success...Prayer, malt cups, and Tom Petty). Katie was slow to start but warmed up with the malt cup. While she was eating I went to the cafe and grabbed a sandwich with lots of onions (that will come into the story later). When I came back the therapist was just wrapping up and leaving. She was very pleased with Katie's response and her coordination. At one point Katie grabbed a hand towel and wiped her face. So, after the therapist left Kyle and I were there talking to Katie.
It was so funny as I went in for a kiss or two, Katie took her hand an waved it in front of her face because of my onion breath. Kyle started dying laughing and Katie along with him. I told Katie that she couldn't complain to much as every time I kissed her I had to deal with someone who had not brushed her teeth in a week!! Katie had her eyes open more that any other time to date and interacted with Kyle and I for about 10 minutes. This was really the first time that Katie had initiated the interaction. Up to this point all the interaction has been her responding to my requests (Katie squeeze my hand, Katie open your eyes). Needless to say I did not ask her to protest my breath (again I blame it on the sandwich as I did brush this morning!). It's so much fun, kind of like your child laughing for the first time, or taking a first step.
I can't wait to have my Katie back as I miss her so much!
As I mentioned earlier I thought today would be a slow one, but we ended up having our best day yet. It all started with the speech pathologist coming in and starting Katie with some ice chips and then moving to malt cup (remember lizs' formula for success...Prayer, malt cups, and Tom Petty). Katie was slow to start but warmed up with the malt cup. While she was eating I went to the cafe and grabbed a sandwich with lots of onions (that will come into the story later). When I came back the therapist was just wrapping up and leaving. She was very pleased with Katie's response and her coordination. At one point Katie grabbed a hand towel and wiped her face. So, after the therapist left Kyle and I were there talking to Katie.
It was so funny as I went in for a kiss or two, Katie took her hand an waved it in front of her face because of my onion breath. Kyle started dying laughing and Katie along with him. I told Katie that she couldn't complain to much as every time I kissed her I had to deal with someone who had not brushed her teeth in a week!! Katie had her eyes open more that any other time to date and interacted with Kyle and I for about 10 minutes. This was really the first time that Katie had initiated the interaction. Up to this point all the interaction has been her responding to my requests (Katie squeeze my hand, Katie open your eyes). Needless to say I did not ask her to protest my breath (again I blame it on the sandwich as I did brush this morning!). It's so much fun, kind of like your child laughing for the first time, or taking a first step.
I can't wait to have my Katie back as I miss her so much!
saturday mid morning update
from davey:
No big updates for this morning, I think we wore her out yesterday, so she has mostly been sleeping peacefully. Dr's continue to monitor her progress and are pleased. Her blood pressure continues to be controlled with meds, so that is something you can pray for. She has a little fever/infection which is probably from a UTI because of the catheter (this is basically inevitable). So, some little things to deal with, but the nurses continue to comment on her strength when they go to bath her and change her sheets.
Speaking of the nurses. We could not be more pleased with the care that we have received here at Methodist. From the staff to the nurses to the Dr's we have had nothing but very positive interactions. It's like they took a course in customer service. We actually had a Dr ask us this morning if there was anything that we thought they were missing. I almost said, "Yes, have you considered pneumonoultrascopicsiliconvolcanoconosis as a possible cause for the fever?", but I thought that might be pushing the smart-ass envelope just a little far (and I've never done that huh Sue!?!).
Chad left this morning to return home to Houston. I can't say enough about the support he and his wife Mindy have shown to our family. Chad spent every night but one with Katie since her surgery. This made it possible for me to be with my girls every night which is huge. Of course both of our families have been amazing, from my mom and dad watching my kids to my brothers all leaving homes and coming up her on a moments notice. And now with Kyle and Karen moving in with us, its more than words can express. Not that I doubted for a moment that our families would act this way, its just humbling and exciting to see it actually happening.
No big updates for this morning, I think we wore her out yesterday, so she has mostly been sleeping peacefully. Dr's continue to monitor her progress and are pleased. Her blood pressure continues to be controlled with meds, so that is something you can pray for. She has a little fever/infection which is probably from a UTI because of the catheter (this is basically inevitable). So, some little things to deal with, but the nurses continue to comment on her strength when they go to bath her and change her sheets.
Speaking of the nurses. We could not be more pleased with the care that we have received here at Methodist. From the staff to the nurses to the Dr's we have had nothing but very positive interactions. It's like they took a course in customer service. We actually had a Dr ask us this morning if there was anything that we thought they were missing. I almost said, "Yes, have you considered pneumonoultrascopicsiliconvolcanoconosis as a possible cause for the fever?", but I thought that might be pushing the smart-ass envelope just a little far (and I've never done that huh Sue!?!).
Chad left this morning to return home to Houston. I can't say enough about the support he and his wife Mindy have shown to our family. Chad spent every night but one with Katie since her surgery. This made it possible for me to be with my girls every night which is huge. Of course both of our families have been amazing, from my mom and dad watching my kids to my brothers all leaving homes and coming up her on a moments notice. And now with Kyle and Karen moving in with us, its more than words can express. Not that I doubted for a moment that our families would act this way, its just humbling and exciting to see it actually happening.
saturday am
from davey:
Well, it could have been worse. Obviously they had to cut out a bunch, but I think they honored the spirit of the story. Oh well, good thing Katie's healing doesn't depend on my ability to do a good interview! I just want to make sure that we (mostly myself) don't get caught up in the hype and lose sight of what this is really all about, and that is God's love. It doesn't matter to God if the whole world sees what he is doing or not, he would take care of Katie even if no one was looking. He has no ego to satisfy.
However, we do bear the responsibility to make sure that when God does display his power for all to see, that we openly acknowledge and testify to what we know to be true. So, to all who read this, please understand that God is the only reason there is a story here. This is ultimately His story. My life, Katie's life, is really just a very small part of what God is doing in His kingdom. We are no more significiant than anyone else who loves and serves God with all they have (remember the widows offering Mark 12). So please, glorify God with your words, your thoughts, your LIFE.
Man do I have a face for radio or what!
click here to watch the video.
Well, it could have been worse. Obviously they had to cut out a bunch, but I think they honored the spirit of the story. Oh well, good thing Katie's healing doesn't depend on my ability to do a good interview! I just want to make sure that we (mostly myself) don't get caught up in the hype and lose sight of what this is really all about, and that is God's love. It doesn't matter to God if the whole world sees what he is doing or not, he would take care of Katie even if no one was looking. He has no ego to satisfy.
However, we do bear the responsibility to make sure that when God does display his power for all to see, that we openly acknowledge and testify to what we know to be true. So, to all who read this, please understand that God is the only reason there is a story here. This is ultimately His story. My life, Katie's life, is really just a very small part of what God is doing in His kingdom. We are no more significiant than anyone else who loves and serves God with all they have (remember the widows offering Mark 12). So please, glorify God with your words, your thoughts, your LIFE.
Man do I have a face for radio or what!
click here to watch the video.
Friday, July 25, 2008
update from davey--
meredith here:
i just got a call from davey & local channel 5 news is coming down to the hospital to interview him for tonight's 10pm newscast. they might feature it on their website, if not does anyone know how to record the footage & get it posted to youtube?
could someone in the local area get this done for us? if so, comment below that you are willing. i am still working on locating a digital video camera to tape it and then upload...
please pray that Katie's testimony & Davey's interview remains pure & protected--not edited or misrepresented. Glory to God!
i just got a call from davey & local channel 5 news is coming down to the hospital to interview him for tonight's 10pm newscast. they might feature it on their website, if not does anyone know how to record the footage & get it posted to youtube?
could someone in the local area get this done for us? if so, comment below that you are willing. i am still working on locating a digital video camera to tape it and then upload...
please pray that Katie's testimony & Davey's interview remains pure & protected--not edited or misrepresented. Glory to God!
update friday noon
update from davey:
More good news. This morning as I was talking with Katie I asked her if she would like some ice to chew to which she responded yes. I went and got the Speech Pathologist who is responsible for rehabbing her voice and throat/eating.
Katie ate a few spoonfuls of ice, then proceeded to drink some water out of the spoon and then using a straw. Each time she swallowed and the liquid went down the right tube. Then the therapist moved on to apple sauce. Katie was not at all thrilled with the sauce and I had the brilliant (though not particularly healthy) idea of getting a malt cup. She loved the malt cup. She ate quite a few bites and all without aspiration. This is very big. Her body is remembering how to function and doing it very well. She continues to get stronger and we are pleased.
I spoke to her Dr that is over her care (Dr of internal medicine) and he said that it is a miracle that she is where she is now. He couldn't be more happy and he can't wait for more miracles to happen. Not sure if he's a believer, but perhaps he will be soon. He believes that Katie will probably be in this room until they can get the skull piece put back in place. If it wasn't for that they would be looking to get her to the rehab wing by next week.
So we're taking it day by day.
Speaking of the skull piece....Lord, Bring us to our knees to bring them to their knees
More good news. This morning as I was talking with Katie I asked her if she would like some ice to chew to which she responded yes. I went and got the Speech Pathologist who is responsible for rehabbing her voice and throat/eating.
Katie ate a few spoonfuls of ice, then proceeded to drink some water out of the spoon and then using a straw. Each time she swallowed and the liquid went down the right tube. Then the therapist moved on to apple sauce. Katie was not at all thrilled with the sauce and I had the brilliant (though not particularly healthy) idea of getting a malt cup. She loved the malt cup. She ate quite a few bites and all without aspiration. This is very big. Her body is remembering how to function and doing it very well. She continues to get stronger and we are pleased.
I spoke to her Dr that is over her care (Dr of internal medicine) and he said that it is a miracle that she is where she is now. He couldn't be more happy and he can't wait for more miracles to happen. Not sure if he's a believer, but perhaps he will be soon. He believes that Katie will probably be in this room until they can get the skull piece put back in place. If it wasn't for that they would be looking to get her to the rehab wing by next week.
So we're taking it day by day.
Speaking of the skull piece....Lord, Bring us to our knees to bring them to their knees
FYI - a mini-update
from meredith:
i just got off the phone with Davey who is headed down to the hospital. he is doing an update on the radio with Mac on WOW 98.3 at about 1:30pm this afternoon.
Trenton, can you record & do an mp3 link again? you totally rock for doing the last one!
Davey also said that they will be having the therapist come today to get Katie up in a chair...that won't be a problem! i'm assuming we will get another detailed update after davey arrives at the hospital.
i just got off the phone with Davey who is headed down to the hospital. he is doing an update on the radio with Mac on WOW 98.3 at about 1:30pm this afternoon.
Trenton, can you record & do an mp3 link again? you totally rock for doing the last one!
Davey also said that they will be having the therapist come today to get Katie up in a chair...that won't be a problem! i'm assuming we will get another detailed update after davey arrives at the hospital.
Thursday, July 24, 2008
oh man...
meredith here:
i have been spending the past hour prepping dinner and praising God to David Crowder's Remedy at the top of my lungs...knowing in my heart that it is my job to praise Him, which ushers in His Healing presence....here is the latest update from Davey.
oh ...usually doctors find out about this condition katie has post mortem....um, yeah. God is good....oh soooo good--no question.
update from davey:
"We were all sitting in a waiting room near Katie's room letting her rest when her nurse came out with a big smile on her face. As the nurse was walking by she looked in and there was Katie standing by her bed. Apparently she had gotten out of her restraints (one on each wrist and tied to the bed, explain that) and climbed out of bed and was standing there. So, now we don't have to wonder if her legs work.
I also wanted to take the time to express my thankfulness to Meredith for all her work on the blog. Much of this "community" experience and support has been a direct result of her work and for that we are truly grateful to you and her.
My parents and brother left this afternoon and Kyle and Karen got moved in. Please pray for their daughter Ava (approx 2yrs old) as this move will probably affect her as much as anyone.
p.s. - Dear Lord, bring them to their knees."
i have been spending the past hour prepping dinner and praising God to David Crowder's Remedy at the top of my lungs...knowing in my heart that it is my job to praise Him, which ushers in His Healing presence....here is the latest update from Davey.
oh ...usually doctors find out about this condition katie has post mortem....um, yeah. God is good....oh soooo good--no question.
update from davey:
"We were all sitting in a waiting room near Katie's room letting her rest when her nurse came out with a big smile on her face. As the nurse was walking by she looked in and there was Katie standing by her bed. Apparently she had gotten out of her restraints (one on each wrist and tied to the bed, explain that) and climbed out of bed and was standing there. So, now we don't have to wonder if her legs work.
I also wanted to take the time to express my thankfulness to Meredith for all her work on the blog. Much of this "community" experience and support has been a direct result of her work and for that we are truly grateful to you and her.
My parents and brother left this afternoon and Kyle and Karen got moved in. Please pray for their daughter Ava (approx 2yrs old) as this move will probably affect her as much as anyone.
p.s. - Dear Lord, bring them to their knees."
update thursday--high noon
from davey:
Just saw the neurologist. Let me just say that Dr. Carlstrom is not a man of many words. We usually get about 2 mins of his time and half of that conversation is him walking out the door. Don't get me wrong, he appears very competent (not that I would really know if he was a quack), but he mostly says a few things and is off.
He has reviewed the MRI and it was not an aneurysm nor was it an AVM, the two most likely suspects for bleeding in the brain. The Dr says that its basically a dissection of her arteries in her head that have ruptured and caused the bleeding. He says that this is incredibly rare (neither he nor anyone else that he knows has ever seen it, and there isn't anything in the literature either).
He said that vision and speech are going to be her biggest struggles due to the location of the bleed. This is not a surprise to us as we have seen Katie struggle with these two things the most. So keep praying about these things.
Here is the cool part...
Toby, the nurse that has been following the blog and is a solid Christian, pulled Carlstrom aside outside the room after he left and asked him what he thought about the progress. He told her that Katie absolutely should be dead, they are all completely amazed that she is alive let alone talking and looking around. They have no explanation or answer for any of this. Don't doubt for a second that your prayers are making a huge difference and that ultimately we have the answer.
So, they are going to take out her stitches and staples and continue to let the wound heal. He has once again pushed off the replacing of the skull piece to next week. Pray that God would do a creative miracle as I want all the Dr's to really be brought to their collective knees.
thursday AM update
from davey:
Another good night. Chad has been spending the night with her and he said that she was a little restless as the pain meds would wear off. A byproduct of having the sedative out of her system is pain, so Katie is now on morphine (very small dose). The good side of that is she is still more responsive on the narcotic as opposed to the sedative. So, when she is in pain she lets us know, which is a good sign.
She continues to open her eyes more and more and says things like, "that's weird". Mostly she's referring to her sight. When there is pressure on the brain one of the first things to go wrong is your eyes as that "nerve bundle" is sensitive to pressure. So until the swelling goes completely down she will have issues with her sight. However, the fact that she knows something is different with her eyes is a good sign.
Another cool thing from last night is that her brother Kyle and cousin Amy were in to see her and Kyle reminded everyone about a funny story from their childhood and Katie started smiling/laughing. So, she is remembering things from 20+ years ago. All in all yesterday afternoon was the best she has been to date as far as her speaking and interacting with us.
The MRI was taken yesterday mid-day and we should get the results sometime today when the neurosurgeon has a chance to look at them. Again, we are not really concerned about them at this time. Mostly we want to see that the overall swelling is going down.
Kyle and Karen are moving in today as my parents and brother Johnny drive to Kansas City this afternoon to catch a flight home. Thank God for family (Clarksons). I'm very excited about having them in the house with us as they are both wonderful with my kids. Pray for Karen as she is going from having one child to four and one is two weeks old. The good news on the baby is that Mindy (first aunt who watched Sawyer) and my mom both say that he is quite possibly the easiest baby to care for ever. My family (Blooms) has been awesome. Each day I come home, another project on my "honey do" list is done. My wife is going to vote me husband of the year when she gets home and sees all that is done (I will hunt any of you down who let her know that it wasn't me who did the work).
The nurses have allowed me to bring in some music and other things from home to comfort Katie. The music has probably been more beneficial to me than her but she does seem to enjoy one of her soft blankets. One song that has been fun to listen to is Tom Petty's, "Won't back down". Now most of you are wondering why that one, of all the awesome worship songs out there, I would comment on. Obviously Petty did not have any desire to glorify God through it, but when I view it through my "spiritual glasses", the words are really powerful. Especially considering the present circumstances (don't worry, I've been playing lots of other more overt worship songs). I continue to pray healing over her body and mind believing God for his promises and declaring those promises to her body and we are confident in the outcome. No fear!
Another good night. Chad has been spending the night with her and he said that she was a little restless as the pain meds would wear off. A byproduct of having the sedative out of her system is pain, so Katie is now on morphine (very small dose). The good side of that is she is still more responsive on the narcotic as opposed to the sedative. So, when she is in pain she lets us know, which is a good sign.
She continues to open her eyes more and more and says things like, "that's weird". Mostly she's referring to her sight. When there is pressure on the brain one of the first things to go wrong is your eyes as that "nerve bundle" is sensitive to pressure. So until the swelling goes completely down she will have issues with her sight. However, the fact that she knows something is different with her eyes is a good sign.
Another cool thing from last night is that her brother Kyle and cousin Amy were in to see her and Kyle reminded everyone about a funny story from their childhood and Katie started smiling/laughing. So, she is remembering things from 20+ years ago. All in all yesterday afternoon was the best she has been to date as far as her speaking and interacting with us.
The MRI was taken yesterday mid-day and we should get the results sometime today when the neurosurgeon has a chance to look at them. Again, we are not really concerned about them at this time. Mostly we want to see that the overall swelling is going down.
Kyle and Karen are moving in today as my parents and brother Johnny drive to Kansas City this afternoon to catch a flight home. Thank God for family (Clarksons). I'm very excited about having them in the house with us as they are both wonderful with my kids. Pray for Karen as she is going from having one child to four and one is two weeks old. The good news on the baby is that Mindy (first aunt who watched Sawyer) and my mom both say that he is quite possibly the easiest baby to care for ever. My family (Blooms) has been awesome. Each day I come home, another project on my "honey do" list is done. My wife is going to vote me husband of the year when she gets home and sees all that is done (I will hunt any of you down who let her know that it wasn't me who did the work).
The nurses have allowed me to bring in some music and other things from home to comfort Katie. The music has probably been more beneficial to me than her but she does seem to enjoy one of her soft blankets. One song that has been fun to listen to is Tom Petty's, "Won't back down". Now most of you are wondering why that one, of all the awesome worship songs out there, I would comment on. Obviously Petty did not have any desire to glorify God through it, but when I view it through my "spiritual glasses", the words are really powerful. Especially considering the present circumstances (don't worry, I've been playing lots of other more overt worship songs). I continue to pray healing over her body and mind believing God for his promises and declaring those promises to her body and we are confident in the outcome. No fear!
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
update-wed. afternoon
from davey:
In case you don't know, we were moved out of ICU last night (Tuesday) and are now in a "regular" room. Katie continues to move forward on the physical front. All her vitals are good and getting better. Her white blood cell count is down and her fever (which the Dr's think is more of a response to the surgery rather than an infection) is down. Her blood pressure is good, though it continues to be managed with meds. Today a therapist sat her up and Katie chewed up a few pieces of ice, which is a big step forward. However, she fell asleep after a few minutes and was not able to eat anything solid so she continues to get nutrition through the IV. It looks like she will be able to eat pretty soon.
Our interactions with her continue to be very encouraging (read Chad's posts). This morning I was rubbing her back and feet and she said, "that feels great, thanks babe, I love you". And the voice that said those words was the same as the voice that said those things before the surgery. Those who know Katie well know that rubbing her was basically my second job. She continues to be frustrated with the restraints, and we are hopeful that we will be able to remove them shortly. She also asked me how her headache was? I'm assuming she meant her head and I told her that everything is going great. I played a short video of the girls for her and she was very excited to hear their voices, though she didn't open her eyes to see them. She told me "thanks".
Speaking of the girls, there is an area that is in need of prayer. Last night I had to tell them that it might be a few months before mommy was able to be home. Tayler cried for quite a while and Aubree was really quiet. We spent the last few minutes before sleep praying and talking about mommy. All in all they are doing very well, my concern is that as family leaves they will be less and less distracted and be able to think too much. Oh, well, we'll cross that bridge when we get there.
Right now she is off getting her MRI which will give us some more details regarding bleeding and swelling in the brain, though we are not real concerned about it.
Again, I can't begin to express enough thanks and gratitude for all of the prayers and encouragement that we have received. It's actually a little overwhelming, but please keep it up. This blog is actually the best way to contact us as we are all reading it quite frequently. It's fun to sit around as an extended family and look at the comments that you are posting.
Again, please don't send flowers as Katie will not be able to enjoy them for quite a while. Rather send a gift to Two Rivers Church and they will make sure that the family gets it.
In case you don't know, we were moved out of ICU last night (Tuesday) and are now in a "regular" room. Katie continues to move forward on the physical front. All her vitals are good and getting better. Her white blood cell count is down and her fever (which the Dr's think is more of a response to the surgery rather than an infection) is down. Her blood pressure is good, though it continues to be managed with meds. Today a therapist sat her up and Katie chewed up a few pieces of ice, which is a big step forward. However, she fell asleep after a few minutes and was not able to eat anything solid so she continues to get nutrition through the IV. It looks like she will be able to eat pretty soon.
Our interactions with her continue to be very encouraging (read Chad's posts). This morning I was rubbing her back and feet and she said, "that feels great, thanks babe, I love you". And the voice that said those words was the same as the voice that said those things before the surgery. Those who know Katie well know that rubbing her was basically my second job. She continues to be frustrated with the restraints, and we are hopeful that we will be able to remove them shortly. She also asked me how her headache was? I'm assuming she meant her head and I told her that everything is going great. I played a short video of the girls for her and she was very excited to hear their voices, though she didn't open her eyes to see them. She told me "thanks".
Speaking of the girls, there is an area that is in need of prayer. Last night I had to tell them that it might be a few months before mommy was able to be home. Tayler cried for quite a while and Aubree was really quiet. We spent the last few minutes before sleep praying and talking about mommy. All in all they are doing very well, my concern is that as family leaves they will be less and less distracted and be able to think too much. Oh, well, we'll cross that bridge when we get there.
Right now she is off getting her MRI which will give us some more details regarding bleeding and swelling in the brain, though we are not real concerned about it.
Again, I can't begin to express enough thanks and gratitude for all of the prayers and encouragement that we have received. It's actually a little overwhelming, but please keep it up. This blog is actually the best way to contact us as we are all reading it quite frequently. It's fun to sit around as an extended family and look at the comments that you are posting.
Again, please don't send flowers as Katie will not be able to enjoy them for quite a while. Rather send a gift to Two Rivers Church and they will make sure that the family gets it.
update of sorts...wed. AM
meredith here.
i was able to go and visit katie last night...it was quite the story on how i ended up down at the hospital...you can read the story at my blog site. click here to read.
i just got this information forwarded from davey, who got it from chad:
when i visited last night, chad said that they were planning on the MRI for today...they are postponing the surgery to put the skull piece back on b/c there is still swelling.
so you know what to pray for prayer warriors:
focus on brain swelling & a creative miracle for that skull piece...wouldn't that give the doctors & nurses pause?!?
please pray for chad...i think he has been doing the night shift at the hospital (mostly). in my opinion, that has got to be a hard shift to have. pray for stregth for his body & a clear mind. anyone with kids knows how hard it is to focus our thoughts with little to no sleep.
i was able to go and visit katie last night...it was quite the story on how i ended up down at the hospital...you can read the story at my blog site. click here to read.
i just got this information forwarded from davey, who got it from chad:
"Hey…I wanted to capture some of these things….
Meredith stopped in about 10:30 last night to pray for Katie…Katie got active & was moving around. Her last sedation was yesterday @ 4:00, she is scheduled every 8 hours, but at midnight the nurse decided to give her a lesser amount…
Slept until about 5:00 am this morning…at about 5:00 I watched “Houdini” get out of one of her restraints…it took her about 10 minutes, but she managed to wiggle her way out…
She moved around a little, would rub her head & eyes a lot…She started to interact and attempted to talk…you can tell she’s frustrated…
Here were her a few things she said …
“it’s a little confusing”...“I just don’t understand”...“it’s weird”… “hard”...“it doesn’t make sense”
I asked her if it’s hard for her to find her thoughts…she pointed at me and said “that’s good”
Also, she tried to sing a bit…I asked her if she wanted me to sing with her and I made the comment “we don’t sing” (you know our singing voices)…that got a little laugh out of her.
About 6:00 now and seems to be falling back asleep.
Woke back up at about 6:30am till 6:45…meredith here again:
She grabbed my hand and said…“I love you” & “you’re a good boy”
Then in the next few minutes she also told me…“you’re a good guy” and “you’re a good man”
I asked her if she knew who I was, but didn’t really answer. At one point it kind of sounded like “ke”… I’ll assume she wasn’t talking about “kyle”.
It’s 8:30am right now….
Her new nurse just came in for the morning….her name is Toby…She introduced herself and said by the way “I’ve been reading her blog”… she goes to Johnston E-free and a friend of a friend forwarded her the link…so she has been praying for Katie…she was excited to find out that she will be the one taking care of Katie today…so am I.
Katie’s resting right now." -cc
when i visited last night, chad said that they were planning on the MRI for today...they are postponing the surgery to put the skull piece back on b/c there is still swelling.
so you know what to pray for prayer warriors:
focus on brain swelling & a creative miracle for that skull piece...wouldn't that give the doctors & nurses pause?!?
please pray for chad...i think he has been doing the night shift at the hospital (mostly). in my opinion, that has got to be a hard shift to have. pray for stregth for his body & a clear mind. anyone with kids knows how hard it is to focus our thoughts with little to no sleep.
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
update from davey- tuesday AM
update on Katie's progress (from Davey)-
This morning Sue when in and Katie was once again on the move. Sue was trying to get her to lay down and Katie kept telling her "don't do that", and "stop it". Finally Sue said, "are you disgusted with me?", and Katie responded, "yes, disgusted!". So, the family is doing a good job irritating Katie back to health. No MRI yet as they can't get her to hold still for 45 min. The Dr's are waiting for a consult from the anasteologist (sp?) to see if they can fully sedate her for the procedure. There is still a little swelling on her head and so they are holding off on putting the skull piece back in. Shouldn't be long though. Dr's and nurses continue to be pleased with Katie's progress and some therapists (i.e. speech, rehab) are scheduled to be stopping by in the coming days to begin assessing her situation and putting together a plan.
Way to help the family-
As Davey's family is slowly beginning to head back to their respective homes, there is a big need to help with the kids. Fortunately Katie's brother Kyle and his wife Karen have offered to move in with Davey and to help with the kids. Kyle is basically Katie's business partner and will be handling her real estate dealings, and Karen is a stay home mom and will be able to help with the kids especially with school coming up and Sawyer being so little.
So, here is how you can help.
Dawn Stallman (close friend of the Bloom family) is organizing meals for the Bloom's/Clarkson's for the immediate future. We would like to provide dinner for them every other day for as long as people are willing. Please coordinate through her and she will keep the family up to date. If you are out of town and would like to help in this way, Dawn will help you find a restaurant that can deliver.
Cell Phone - 515-314-0683
Email - dstallman@hotmail.com
This morning Sue when in and Katie was once again on the move. Sue was trying to get her to lay down and Katie kept telling her "don't do that", and "stop it". Finally Sue said, "are you disgusted with me?", and Katie responded, "yes, disgusted!". So, the family is doing a good job irritating Katie back to health. No MRI yet as they can't get her to hold still for 45 min. The Dr's are waiting for a consult from the anasteologist (sp?) to see if they can fully sedate her for the procedure. There is still a little swelling on her head and so they are holding off on putting the skull piece back in. Shouldn't be long though. Dr's and nurses continue to be pleased with Katie's progress and some therapists (i.e. speech, rehab) are scheduled to be stopping by in the coming days to begin assessing her situation and putting together a plan.
Way to help the family-
As Davey's family is slowly beginning to head back to their respective homes, there is a big need to help with the kids. Fortunately Katie's brother Kyle and his wife Karen have offered to move in with Davey and to help with the kids. Kyle is basically Katie's business partner and will be handling her real estate dealings, and Karen is a stay home mom and will be able to help with the kids especially with school coming up and Sawyer being so little.
So, here is how you can help.
Dawn Stallman (close friend of the Bloom family) is organizing meals for the Bloom's/Clarkson's for the immediate future. We would like to provide dinner for them every other day for as long as people are willing. Please coordinate through her and she will keep the family up to date. If you are out of town and would like to help in this way, Dawn will help you find a restaurant that can deliver.
Cell Phone - 515-314-0683
Email - dstallman@hotmail.com
i just got a message from davey, he said there were no changes in the night and that she is doing good. i have added a new box on the right for prayer focus. hopefully this can help give us some specific things to partner with Davey in praying for Katie.
he said that every time he goes into see her, he lays hands and prays over these things for her/over her. since the same Holy Spirit lives inside of us as we pray for these, it is as if we are in the room with him--praying over her. to me, that thought is amazing!
right now there is some swelling around the surgery site, so pray that will go down so they can do surgery tomorrow to put the skull piece back on. better yet, pray for a creative miracle from God...that he will create new bone so they won't even have to perform the surgery! He created the world...he surely can give our sister a little piece of bone for her beautiful head!
thanks for all your prayers & comments....they are overwhelming.
blessings, meredith
he said that every time he goes into see her, he lays hands and prays over these things for her/over her. since the same Holy Spirit lives inside of us as we pray for these, it is as if we are in the room with him--praying over her. to me, that thought is amazing!
right now there is some swelling around the surgery site, so pray that will go down so they can do surgery tomorrow to put the skull piece back on. better yet, pray for a creative miracle from God...that he will create new bone so they won't even have to perform the surgery! He created the world...he surely can give our sister a little piece of bone for her beautiful head!
thanks for all your prayers & comments....they are overwhelming.
blessings, meredith
Monday, July 21, 2008
update 5:15-from davey
from davey:
"Things continue to be good. I told Katie about the radio interview and how her story was being used to glorify God and she said "good". I continue to pray healing over her body on a regular basis, and we continue to see progress. At least 4 times today she has sat up and looked around, to which the nurses immediately get her a sedative to keep her laying resting.
She continues to try to talk, but can usually only get out a few words as a time. However, you can obviously see her mind at work, which is the important thing. I can't begin to say enough about the love and support that we have received from everyone here and abroad.
I honestly spend a good portion of my day looking at the blogsite for notes from you all. I am humbled and amazed at how compassionate and caring all of you are (got your card Mertz!).
I also can't say enough about our 2rc family. I have never been involved with a more caring and devoted group of people (no offense to other groups of people I have been involved with). "
"Things continue to be good. I told Katie about the radio interview and how her story was being used to glorify God and she said "good". I continue to pray healing over her body on a regular basis, and we continue to see progress. At least 4 times today she has sat up and looked around, to which the nurses immediately get her a sedative to keep her laying resting.
She continues to try to talk, but can usually only get out a few words as a time. However, you can obviously see her mind at work, which is the important thing. I can't begin to say enough about the love and support that we have received from everyone here and abroad.
I honestly spend a good portion of my day looking at the blogsite for notes from you all. I am humbled and amazed at how compassionate and caring all of you are (got your card Mertz!).
I also can't say enough about our 2rc family. I have never been involved with a more caring and devoted group of people (no offense to other groups of people I have been involved with). "
update-10:30am **updated**
from davey:
"Saw Katie this morning. Her cousin Amy and I went in and spent a few minutes with her. The neat thing this morning is that she sat up on her own opened her eyes and looked at the both of us. The great thing is that her eyes looked much better. Both were on me, where as before one was a little "lazy". She is still not totally with it and struggles to put words together in thoughts. But we do believe that she knows when we are there and she knows who we are.
A lot of people have asked me if she is out of the coma. That's a hard question to answer. The best way to describe it is this. Picture Katie's conscience like a swimming pool. The bottom of the pool is the coma and the surface is full consciences. She's somewhere in between. Sometimes she is closer to the bottom and sometimes she is closer to the top.
I just received a call from J. Michael McCoy, a DJ from 98.3 WOW FM, called me and is going to have me on the radio today around 3."
For those wanting to listen on the web, www.983wowfm.com
**a big thanks to trenton for recording the radio interview & posting it...you can listen to it by clicking on the link on the right side of the page.
"Saw Katie this morning. Her cousin Amy and I went in and spent a few minutes with her. The neat thing this morning is that she sat up on her own opened her eyes and looked at the both of us. The great thing is that her eyes looked much better. Both were on me, where as before one was a little "lazy". She is still not totally with it and struggles to put words together in thoughts. But we do believe that she knows when we are there and she knows who we are.
A lot of people have asked me if she is out of the coma. That's a hard question to answer. The best way to describe it is this. Picture Katie's conscience like a swimming pool. The bottom of the pool is the coma and the surface is full consciences. She's somewhere in between. Sometimes she is closer to the bottom and sometimes she is closer to the top.
I just received a call from J. Michael McCoy, a DJ from 98.3 WOW FM, called me and is going to have me on the radio today around 3."
For those wanting to listen on the web, www.983wowfm.com
**a big thanks to trenton for recording the radio interview & posting it...you can listen to it by clicking on the link on the right side of the page.
thoughts from meredith at 6am
from meredith:
my thoughts are scrambled at best this early in the morning, but i felt called to come and share my heart...so here i am. i haven't received any update from davey since last night...i know he was going home to spend some time with the kids & get some rest.
for those of you that couldn't make it to the prayer service, i wanted to give a little snapshot of what it was about. rob (pastor of TRC, elder w/ davey & life long friend of the bloom's) shared an update about where katie has come from & what concerns still lay ahead.
i will share these updates merely to give you a guide to what to pray for--you have to pinky promise to please continue to pray from the perspective of faith & hope. although this update below makes the natural perspective to want to think that things are grim, we already know that 'what is unseen is greater than what is seen' and we are to fix our eyes on what is UNSEEN (2 cor. 4:18-"So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal").
-MRI scheduled for today(monday). doctors say katie has suffered from permanent brain damage, but they do not know to what extent. PRAYER FOCUS: continue to petition God for complete & total restoration of her brain & it's function. command life & regeneration of the brain & all it's functions in Jesus's name.
-the vessels in her next are crooked & twisted. some are weak, some are strong...it is a jumbled mess. the surgeron says he has only seen one other case that was this severe. there is no surgery to fix this--but he has seen a case where the vessels straighten out. rob said, "what can you bet that person was a christian and had something other than medicine working in their favor?" awesome God FAVOR! PRAYER FOCUS: continue to ask God for complete healing in this area of vessels in her neck. remind God that if He can move mountains, that He can straighten out a few vessels for our sister. (He loves to be reminded of His word-not that He forgets, but He delights in hearing his children speak His word...i can't find the reference for this verse, but i'll find it!)
the prayer service was emotional...but i would say it moved from sadness to hope throughout the service. we had some time of worship & then open mike time for those that wanted to share & pray. here are a couple passages that others shared.
there were many others that i didn't get written down. what is so amazing to me is that update that davey posted for sunday AM was right in line with how the mood changed in the service. if you haven't read that update, click here and then here.
i keep being reminded of that verse, "a prayer of a righteous man is powerful & effective." our thoughts, our quick prayers, our long prayers...they are all so effective in the restoration & healing of our dear Katie.
my thoughts are scrambled at best this early in the morning, but i felt called to come and share my heart...so here i am. i haven't received any update from davey since last night...i know he was going home to spend some time with the kids & get some rest.
for those of you that couldn't make it to the prayer service, i wanted to give a little snapshot of what it was about. rob (pastor of TRC, elder w/ davey & life long friend of the bloom's) shared an update about where katie has come from & what concerns still lay ahead.
i will share these updates merely to give you a guide to what to pray for--you have to pinky promise to please continue to pray from the perspective of faith & hope. although this update below makes the natural perspective to want to think that things are grim, we already know that 'what is unseen is greater than what is seen' and we are to fix our eyes on what is UNSEEN (2 cor. 4:18-"So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal").
-MRI scheduled for today(monday). doctors say katie has suffered from permanent brain damage, but they do not know to what extent. PRAYER FOCUS: continue to petition God for complete & total restoration of her brain & it's function. command life & regeneration of the brain & all it's functions in Jesus's name.
-the vessels in her next are crooked & twisted. some are weak, some are strong...it is a jumbled mess. the surgeron says he has only seen one other case that was this severe. there is no surgery to fix this--but he has seen a case where the vessels straighten out. rob said, "what can you bet that person was a christian and had something other than medicine working in their favor?" awesome God FAVOR! PRAYER FOCUS: continue to ask God for complete healing in this area of vessels in her neck. remind God that if He can move mountains, that He can straighten out a few vessels for our sister. (He loves to be reminded of His word-not that He forgets, but He delights in hearing his children speak His word...i can't find the reference for this verse, but i'll find it!)
the prayer service was emotional...but i would say it moved from sadness to hope throughout the service. we had some time of worship & then open mike time for those that wanted to share & pray. here are a couple passages that others shared.
psalm 32:5-8: "Find rest, O my soul, in God alone;my hope comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken. My salvation and my honor depend on God ; he is my mighty rock, my refuge. Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge."
eph. 3:14-21: "When I think of all this, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth. I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.
Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen."
john 3:16: "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."
psalm 63: "O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary
land where there is no water. I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory.
Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you. I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands. My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you.
On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night. Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings. My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me."romans 8:15-17: "For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba, Father." The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory."
there were many others that i didn't get written down. what is so amazing to me is that update that davey posted for sunday AM was right in line with how the mood changed in the service. if you haven't read that update, click here and then here.
i keep being reminded of that verse, "a prayer of a righteous man is powerful & effective." our thoughts, our quick prayers, our long prayers...they are all so effective in the restoration & healing of our dear Katie.
Sunday, July 20, 2008
new blog
hey all, i thought it best to switch over to a blog fully dedicated to Katie's progress & recovery. All the previous posts are linked in the right had column in order for those that need to catch up. I will keep a link on the confessions of a slacker mom site up in the right hand corner for those that are just 'tuning in' for updates.
once again, we are all so overwhelmed with the amount of love & support you have all shown the Bloom's. continue your prayers for Katie's complete & total restoration and recovery!
once again, we are all so overwhelmed with the amount of love & support you have all shown the Bloom's. continue your prayers for Katie's complete & total restoration and recovery!
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