Tuesday 1/5/21

No posts for the past few days ->  Lazy blog host.

Anyway, very good news.  Kelly has made an almost remarkably miraculous recovery.  All lines and tubes are out.  She is walking pretty well with a walker.  We hope that she will be discharged on Thursday.  She has to stay here in Cleveland for an outpatient appointment on next Monday.  Then, we hope to be on our way home on Tuesday, a week from today.  

1/17/21

Above is the post I wrote to let people know of Kelly's great progress.  I did everything but hit the PUBLISH button which adds it to the blog.  I'm really sorry if I made anyone worried due to lack of information.  I also thought that everyone was in on the texts but I discovered that that was not the case.  So again I'm sorry.  I didn't do a very good job with this blog seeing as how I had practice with two other serious medical blogs for Kelly; first her epidural abscess in Buenos Aires and second, her first heart and aorta surgery here in Cleveland.  Hopefully I won't have an opportunity for more practice.

Anyway, we are back here in Albuquerque thankful for the blue skies.  Kelly is doing her rehab walking around our back yard with the dogs.  She can't start more vigorous PT \ OT for another 5-6 weeks and she can't drive or sit in the front seat of the car for another 6 weeks so now it's "Driving Miss Kelly". 

Bottom line is that she will certain make a full recovery thanks in part to all of your support, kind thoughts and love.

Thanks to all, 

Love,

Kevin

Saturday January 2, 2021

Not surprisingly, it was raining.  It's always raining here.  I grew up in northern Indiana and it was bad but this seems to be at another order of magnitude.  So I decided to take the day off today to enjoy spending time with Kelly and to sleep.  

Kelly is doing great today and sounds like her old self.  She remains pretty weak and her fine muscle control sucks - but both are a world better than yesterday.  She tried to look at things on her cell phone but kept dropping it on her chest incision - ouch - until she put a pillow over her chest.  

She'll probably be in the ICU for two more days because she has a spinal drain in.  I don't think she needs it but they see that she has gotten better and so want to keep it a while longer.

That's all for tonight.

Friday 1/1/21

 Good news.  Sorry that I haven't added anything for a while but I really didn't know anything.  I couldn't see her until visiting hours which start at 11:00 AM here.  They took her breathing tube out a little while ago.  She is able to move all 4 extremities but she is still very weak - barely against gravity.  Her right arm and hand are just barely movable.  She is able to talk a word or so but doesn't want to.  I'm sure her throat is very sore.  She knows who and where she is but not quite the date or month.  Of course I didn't even realize that it was NYE until I got home last night.  No bangs, booms or fireworks here that I could tell of.  She is very uncomfortable in her body which is common with people who haven't had oxygen to the brain for a while.  That will go away in a day or so.  What she needs most is sleep - of course in the ICU that is one thing you don't get with hourly neuro checks.  Hopefully tomorrow she will be able to sit in a chair and if she does OK with that she can move to step down where she can get some PT.  She will need that for a while and it will likely delay our return to Albuquerque - don't know yet.  I hope you can follow this stream of consciousness - I am happier than yesterday when I was truly miserable.  Thanks to all.