Recovery

Recovery is going well! I still have some pretty big problems with pain management, but today was a good day. It's a crazy roller coaster of pain which is really frustrating. Sometimes I'll just wake up in horrible pain and I can't do anything to get comfortable and I try to just go to sleep most of the day to get away from the pain. In the same day as pain rated a 6, I could have pain at a 2! I mean I don't expect that there will be no pain, but I do expect to not be in severe pain especially when I'm on so many drugs! I'm also trying to slowly get off the drugs as well so that I don't become dependent, but sometimes it's just too painful to be brave and try to go without the meds. Anyways, I think it might be getting a little better and I can definitely move much more easily. I still need hepl to get up out of the bed, but once i'm sitting on the bed I can get up and walk around and sit in chairs and am fairly mobile.

This past Sunday I had my first visitor! Adam drove down and spent lots of time with me! It was good to see someone else besides my parents :) I had a pretty good pain day that day so that was good because I was able to talk and not be so out of it on meds!

(Finally a picture where I look put together!)

My room is pretty nice! I rented a hospital bed so that is a great advantage!! I am entertained by my big HD tv of course, but also have a bird feeder outside my window and I have been learning what birds come to my window. They are soo cute!! Today my dad just put up a humming bird feeder because we've seen a few around the regular bird seed feeder, so hopefully we'll get even more birds. We also got a bird bath today that hopefully I'll be able to see the birds in the water as well! We also have a woodchuck that comes out and visits every once in a while and is sooo cute!

Leigh and Ryan came on Tuesday and visited for a bit and got me tons of great things! I got reeces peanut butter cups (mmm), surfer magazine, legos, a book about girl power, an eye cover that smelled sooo good, and a tamagotchi (blast from the past!!) so that was awesome!! I finished my legos so far and have been reading and enjoying all the things in the care package :) Since then I think my pain has been getting worse, so even though I'm ready for visitors, I'm going to try to space them out so I don't get tired and I don't get my pain at a higher level because I'm not much good for anything when I'm in a lot of pain!

Ok, I think that's enough pictures and bloging for one day! ttyl :)

Sightseeing in NY and other pre-op photos

Ok, now i'm posting some pictures and catching up from before when mom was posting. Mom and I went around NY and had a crazy whirlwind day starting at the end of the island to see the statue of liberty and walking all day practically seeing everything! We saw the flatiron building...(my grandmother worked there apparently which I never knew and never even noticed the building with all the times I've been to that area of NYC!) and I got two good pictures of it.

Then we were in a great position to look at the empire state building too!

After that we went to chinatown and little italy, but I didn't take pictures there.

A few days later we saw a broadway show, Legally Blonde! I felt so weird picking that over something like A Chorus Line or something more traditional Broadway, but I did watch most of the MTV show where the lead part of the broadway show was a competition between lots of different girls all trying to be the best Elle Woods. The girl that I was rooting for on the show won, so I did want to see it, so we went! It was soo good!! There were two live dogs in the show and they were so well trained and the singing was wonderful, so I'm glad I went! I got a picture of myself in front of the huge picture of the star of the show...

Mom took a picture of the doors of some music store that was near times square because they were really cool looking...

The next day my cousin Anne came and we had fun walking around the city, first through central park...

We went to the Museum of Natural History and saw this big statue of the pacific people section of the museum.

The statue reminded me of Michelle...it was in some movie we watched I think, anyways, I thought it was cool!

We also took a picture near the totum polls (spelling?) which were amazing! There were so many of them and they were so tall!!

Then the next day was my surgery day and I got to the hospital way early in the morning and took pictures just like my last surgeries with my cousin and my mom by my bed, helping me keep calm before they started the painful things like IVs.

But everyone was very nice and I was comfortable before my surgery. The last thing I remember is being wheeled into the OR and I was put on some other table and I was introduced the the OR staff (scrub tech, circulating nurse, etc) and then I was out!! :)

During my surgery my mom took pictures of Mike with a Range picture, Gracie in the waiting room when a huge bird landed on the window right next to her, and then after the surgery we got a picture of my mom, Dr Boachie, and my cousin Anne.

Several days after the surgery when I was in my room and I was getting better at walking around and sitting in a chair my mom paid for a really nice guy to do my hair (since I couldn't get by back wet at that point so I couldn't wash my hair!) and it was awesome! It made me feel so much better and he was able to do the washing part in my bed! He had this plastic cloth that he put down under my head which then funneled into a big basin for the runoff of water and then I sat in a chair for the style. He was a very small guy (in the picture i'm sitting and he's standing!) and he sung itallian songs while doing my hair and styling it! It was very cute and made me feel so much better!

My last picture for this blog is when Betty visited. Betty is Dr Boachie's nurse and she is so nice!! She came and visited all the time and made sure I had everything I needed and I was doing well! I can't remember when this was taken, but I still look pretty busted! I can't believe how many pictures I put up here where I look totally busted with my glasses and crazy marks on my face from the cap on my head and the tape on my cheeks to hold the tube down my throat in place. I had lots of "war wounds" from this one! :)

We're here in VA!

Aug. 14, 7 AM


Yesterday was a challenge, but we are here now. Catherine was a trooper through the whole thing. If I never travel on Amtrak again, it will be too soon. I want to tell you the whole story, but honestly am not sure I'm ready to re-live it yet! Suffice it to say, by the time we got into Penn Station in NYC, I was practically in tears! OK, here goes!...

I called Amtrak the night before to make our reservations....I upgraded to First Class because those seats were supposed to be better, and I was also assured that a red cap would be waiting for us with a wheelchair if I went in and told them our reservation number......I also called a car service, and they were to drive us to the "handicapped accessible" entrance to Penn Station....
So, first the orderly wheels her down to the car, and then we find that we can barely fit her into the car, since she is taller than before, and can't bend over, so he practically stuffs her head into the car to get her in ! The car ride, was pretty excruciating for her....Between bumps in the road, rush hour traffic, and the fact that we forgot to take her brace OFF while she was in the car, so it was poking her the whole time.....etc. etc. The driver was really nice and concerned, and asked if he should drive even slower, but we said no....at that point we just wanted to get there, and you really can't drive "slower" in NY because all the drivers are crazy, and if you leave literally (I am not exaggerating) more than 2 inches between you and the car in front of you, another driver will force his way into that space! The roads in NY haven't been patched in 100 years, I think....they were awfully bumpy, and she was gripping my hand like anything, so I know she was more than uncomfortable.....Also, we forgot to take her brace off, so that was jabbing into her the whole time....well, I wrestled the brace half off after some of the trip....The traffic was awful, so it took almost an hour to get there....I had stupidly put the bag with her pain meds in the trunk, thinking we would be there in 15 mins....so, at a red light, I asked the driver to pop the trunk, and I got out and got her meds and a ginger ale I had taken from the hospital with me (thank Goodness I had) Without realizing, I slammed the trunk so it would close the first time, and even that was painful to her..... So, finally we reach Penn Station, and I hop out and ask where you call for the redcap....I am directed to this little (un-manned)booth, on the outside of the building with a call button.....I called, gave my name and reservation number, and ask for the redcap, and she says to me, "where are you?" (I'm wherever this call button is located, you idiot!) So, I try to tell her where I think I am, and she says, "OK, I'll send somebody" So, I am thinking someone is on the way......Long story short....I keep calling and calling, and going back to the car, and I'm getting more and more freaked out, and there is no red cap in sight! I call and say, "Please, my daughter is in pain, please send a redcap" and all I get is, "OK" or "he's coming" After like 20 minutes of calling on a call button, and getting a person saying, "He's coming...", I call again, and get....no answer! (they knew it was me, so they just didn't answer!) I just pressed again, and I lit into whoever it was on the other end...."I paid $600 for these stupid tickets and I was told a redcap would be here, and blah, blah, blah.....(I have no idea what I said, but I was NOT happy" At least the person I got this time was more coherent than the others....(maybe they got their supervisor to answer), and she explained that there is no redcap assigned to me..they just call and the "next available" one comes......Well, at least that made some sense to me now, instead of just "OK", but that was definitely NOT what I was told on the phone the night before when I specifically made "handicapped reservations"......So I went back to the car, which the driver was kindly talking to Catherine, and running the a/c for her, and explained the situation. So Catherine finally said, "Let me try to walk it"....I had no idea how far it was, but it was like 3:30 by this time, and our train left at 4, (last available train for the evening), so I said ok....the driver was like, "Are you sure??" So we said yes, and he helped Catherine out to her feet, and me with the bags, etc. OH--insert here.....Catherine's dad came up this AM and got the bulk of our luggage to take home in the car....THANK GOD....because this way, all I was carrying was bags full of pillows to stuff around her, her pills, and other things she needed for the trip... I NEVER would have made it with that stupid 50 lb. rolling suitcase I started the trip with.....

OK, so next disaster....where we had pulled up was an odd place....it had these large cement planters all over, which helped to sort of block off an area like a small "official" parking lot, where there were a few Penn Station trucks and cars parked....there was also a long covered taxi line, a ramp that led into the station, and another area that looked like a parking garage, (it went underground) but it also was official....the Pepsi truck that fills the vending machines, etc. was in there......So, just around the time that we are deciding whether or not to get Catherine out of the car or what (she's not supposed to stay in one position for too long, and at this point she's been stuffed in this car for like an hour and a quarter) this blind man comes along with a cane, and he is getting himself all tangled up in the cement planters....he is really close to our car....I overheard him ask some young ladies what street he was on...but after they talked to him, he was still not making progress down the street, but just avoiding the oddly placed cement planter/obstacles, going around in circles.....So we decide to take Catherine out of the car, so the driver and I get out of the car. The driver goes up to the blind man and very politely tries to explain to him where he is, and how to get out, and they guy starts saying, "I don't need your help! Blah, blah, blah..."--very nasty to my driver.....So the poor man just turns back to me and we shrug our shoulders at each other, and we proceed to get Catherine out of the car.....In the process, this blind guy gets circled around again, and starts whishing his cane precariously close to Catherine, as I'm trying to get the bags, etc....there is no wheelchair in sight.....So I say to the man, something like "Please go to the left, I have another handicapped person here, and I don't want you to hit her, she just had surgery...."or something like that...so he says (in a psuedo-friendly voice) "Another handicapped person??? Who's the other handicapped person?" So I say, "My daughter" So then he says, "But who's the other handicapped person?" He keeps following us, and saying it again and again, so I say, "Look, sir, I'm sorry if I insulted you, I just need to keep people away from bumping into my daughter" and he's like "Insulting me? Who's insulted? I just want to know who the other handicapped person is." Oh my God, it was a nightmare! Catherine was like, "Mom, just stop talking and keep moving!" So, we finally got away from him....we're walking toward the station, no redcap in sight.....the walk was long, but people were very nice to us, trying to tell us what elevator to take, etc. We get into the station proper, and we're looking for where Amtrak is, as opposed to the million other options in the station...Long Island RR, etc......then we're trying to find the waiting room....a lady ran ahead for me and told me I was going the right way, and finally we got put in a waiting room, handicapped seating area (even though it said you had to show your tickets to get in the waiting room, they let us through, (I think they could see I was beside myself at this point) The first thing I see in the waiting room is a redcap and a wheelchair, so I said, "We have been waiting outside, and I have been calling for the last half hour for a redcap with a wheelchair"....(no big response from said redcap......) So, they let me go out of the waiting room, and leave Catherine there, to go to the machine to pick up my pre-paid tickets, which I did, and then I bring them back in.....all of a sudden, "OH....you're FIRST CLASS????.....Let me take care of you, you're not supposed to be in this waiting room....I'll take care of you..."
(now that they think I have money to tip them, I guess....) So they put Catherine in a wheelchair, and are about to wheel her to the special first class waiting room, when they see that the train is coming in about 3 minutes, but there is no track up on the board, so they decide to just keep us there, and then take us directly to the train.....So finally they get the track number, and start wheeling Catherine through the catacombs to get us to the track....we stop in front of an elevator, which was too crowded, so we decide to wait for the next one....it must have been 200 degrees in that hallway waiting.....finally we get down there, and the train is there, and we have come out by the back of the train....well naturally the FIRST car is the first class car, so he wheels her all the way up there......OK, on the platform, it is like 4 feet wide....the left 2 feet is smooth cement and the right two feet is (I can't think of what you'd call this, but) like a "stamped" steel.....steel with bumps all through it.....so the whole way down the length of the train her left wheel is on smooth and her right wheel is on bump, bump, bump, bump (it was too narrow to get both wheels on the smooth surface).....Oh my God, if I had been carrying a gun, you would have heard about me on the evening news.....I wanted to kill someone/anyone/EVERYONE! So FINALLY we get to the entrance to the train (on the regular trains you have to step up three giant steps to get on, so I "made sure" (notice the quotations) the night before that they would get her on with a wheelchair lift, so she wouldn't have to do stairs...but the Acela is close to the ground, so they stop her at the train door, and tell her to get up with her cane and walk onto the train....You know the expression "Mind the Gap"? I mean there is like a 9 inch gap between the platform and the train, and she has used a cane for like 2 days, so far!!! I was a nervous wreck.....but, she got in without incident, and we got a seat (first one seat, and that one hardly reclined at all) So I asked the steward, and he said some of them recline more than others, and found her another one...so we moved!! Catherine had planned to sit near the window, with me near the aisle, so that I could get in and out as needed to get her stuff in the overhead....but of course, without being able to bend, she couldn't get into that seat without hitting her head on the overhead luggage racks, so she ended up on the outside and I had to climb over her everytime we needed something....Thank God the Acela is less bumpy than the regular....but it is not what I'd call "smooth"......The best thing about First Class was that you had free water, and they brought it to you, so I didn't have to walk to the cafe car....you also got a free meal, but they served it the minute we left Washington, which was too early for Catherine, so we just didn't get that....I was not at all impressed with the first class seats, they hardly reclined at all, and the armrest between us did not go up, so there was no way to put her down on her side, or anything, she basically was sitting on her back from 2 PM to 9 PM....we did walk as best we could (I climb over her and get her brack out of the overhead, put it on her, walk her up and down the train aisles (at stations, because the Acela is not bump-free at all) So, since we're at stations, we have to dodge oncoming and off-loading passengers, (but they did most of the dodging...everyone was really nice to her) then I'd have to get the brace off, put it back in the overhead, reposition her, and then climb over her to my seat......Needless to say, I gave Catherine some of her drugs a little early at this point....(I had had a long conversation with her pain management dr. that day, so he told me exactly how to dose her, and what I could do early if I needed to, etc....I was so thankful for his help!) So, most of the way she slept fitfully.....I held her hands tightly so that if they fell when she dosed, it wouldn't wake her up....I had her iPod in one of her ears, and we made it to Washington.....Just before Washington, I asked if they would call ahead and make sure a redcap was there with a wheelchair...they said they would, but I didn't trust them, so I called Greg and asked him to do it too, (I probably said something like, "I don't care if you have to lasso one of them, or hold them up at gunpoint....just make sure someone is there to help us..." (because our original plan was to just have Greg circle the station and pick us up in front of the building) Anyway, the second after I hung up with Greg, an Amtrak lady came up to us holding a walkie talkie, and was like, "Ma'am, would a golf cart be ok, or does it have to be a wheelchair?" So, I knew they really were making plans for us (at that point, we were in the first class section, and so they were finally taking us seriously) Anyway, I called Greg back and he met the guy, and they made plans to meet Greg's car, etc....As we pulled into the station, I could see the golf cart!! So we both got in, and I held her as we went.....it was lovely to have the ride, but the ride was LONG!....and it was up steep ramps, and down steep ramps and around and over and through! I held her for dear life as we went, but they got us out to the front of Union Station, and it was really Catherine's first breath of fresh air! It was a lovely Washington evening....warm, but not hot...anyway, Greg finally arrived in Catherine's car....he is so gentle and caring....so he came with a bunch of stuff....pillows, food, drinks, you name it...and he helped her into the car much better than the other people....We drove about half way home....I think either the pain was a little less, or she could just see that the end was in sight...she seemed a bit better going home....I was "stuffed" into the back seat with all our stuff, and all the stuff Greg had brought for "just in case"....it was probably laughable to see me! We stopped at a rest area after half an hour (half way) and we got her out and walked her with her brace up and down the sidewalk...then we got in and got her home.
For those of you who have not been to our home before, we have the unpaved "Driveway from Hell" at our house....But my neighbor cut in a new driveway to her house, so we used that driveway to get up the hill....
and finally we were HOME!!

The hospital bed was all set up, Greg had bought nice new sheets (not hospital white!) and he even bought us a bouquet of flowers....Everything was set up nicely for her to watch her tv, get her water and meds, etc. (We have rented a hospital bed, so it's nice to have it)

The night was great. I set the alarm for every 3 hours and made sure she had her meds on time, so she woke up today in good spirits.....Up until now, I have been with her in the hospital from about 7 in the AM to 8 or so in the PM, and then I was going "home" to my hotel room and falling dead asleep until the next morning at 6...but now, I am getting up every 3 hours.....11:30P.M., 2:30A.M., 5:30A.M., etc. So it's a little more challenging for me...but I really want her to have her pain meds on time, and get her under control.

Well, I know this blog has been very long....thanks for letting me "vent"

Catherine is in good spirits this AM...she is in relatively little pain, has had a phone call or two already, and has had breakfast....she has eaten more today than she did in the hospital, too.

I think in a day or so we will be ready for visits, phone calls, etc. I know she will enjoy hearing from you, and has already started using her Blackberry. She has a lot of unanswered calls, so you might just want to call again, I'm not sure when or if ever she will catch up! Ditto for me...I have not looked at my email yet, and don't know if Greg has or not.

Well, let me sign off so you get this post.
Cindy

Tuesday, Aug. 12, ...Good News

We are going home to Virginia tomorrow!!

We haven't seen Dr. B today yet, but everyone says we are going home tomorrow. It's Tuesday, so Dr. B has 2 surgeries today. We thought we might see him between surgeries, but he didn't come, so maybe later this evening, when he's done....

Anyway, there is a ton to be done before she leaves--packing up both the hospital room and the hotel, checking out of both, making train reservations, and car reservations to get to the station, etc. etc. But hopefully I will get it all done.

Here is the picture I took last night of the flowers, balloon and bear that arrived yesterday...I cut the flowers off of the picture accidentally...the white ones are from Ashley, and the colored ones are from K2.....

We probably won't send any more blogs until after we get home....Catherine's dad is coming tomorrow to take our stuff home in his car...so that I can just have Catherine to be responsible for on the train, and not Catherine AND luggage....so, anyway, he will probably take the computer with him, to save me carrying the extra weight home.

So, this will probably be our last blog for another 24 hours or more....
Thanks to everyone! Talk to you soon from VA

Cindy

Surprises!

Had to get on again this evening, as a gentleman came in with a huge surprise for Catherine. A beautiful bouquet of flowers, a "Get Well Soon" balloon, and a "big brother" for K2M bear!
So now she has a bear for each elbow! (we sometimes use the bear to support her arms instead of a plain pillow) Thanks to the engineering department for the great gifts. The delivery man opened the flowers, tied the pillow to the end of the bed, and gave Catherine the bear....so, at dinner time, when she sits up again, I will get a picture of her with all her gifts.
Be back later!
-Cindy

Monday 1:10 PM--Ups and Downs

Catherine had another terrible night with pain issues....the nights are so hard for her, and I am not able to be with her then, so it's really a pain (no pun intended!) for me too. I hate to see her with tears dripping down her cheeks first thing in the AM....I might just stay over tonight...we'll see if I am up to it! So far, no one has come in to the room (I should have stayed last night, since there was no one else in there....(her roommate went home on Sunday) I don't know if we'll be lucky enough to have this room to ourselves again tonight...

Anyway, Dr. B came in this AM and the first thing he told us was that everyone at K2M sent their love....(And he also proudly announced he beat Dr. Woo in arm wrestling----what exactly do you guys DO at these CSSG meetings???) Anyway, he said Catherine can probably go home pretty soon (as soon as her pain is under control) and that we don't have to stay in town to wait for a post op appointment...so I guess when we get the ok, we can just go to the train station directly from here! I know getting home and having a more calm schedule will help her.

A Dr. from Pain Management came to see Catherine today, and we have her on a new regimen of drugs....only trouble is, she woke up a little nauseous, so we have to be careful to give the new stuff on a little more full of a stomach.....her lunch is here, but she's not ready to try it yet. They just gave her some anti-nausea pill.....

After Dr. B came in, the physical therapist walked around the hall with Catherine. She said Catherine would probably only use the walker a few more weeks, then graduate to a cane, and then to nothing. The pain guy visited, the chaplain visited, but then the best guy in the whole hospital came to see her---Franco....the hairdresser! He was about the size of Danny DeVito! and he washed Catherine's hair (while in bed) and blew it dry(sitting in a chair), and even put curls in it, with a curling iron. After a night of pain, Catherine looked like she was in heaven having her hair washed! I will put a picture of them up. Notice the height....she is in a chair and he is standing next to her!!

It is such a madhouse in here....a Dr. just came by to look at Catherine, plus the physical therapist....and she hasn't even had lunch yet....it's hard to get any rest here...We told PT to come back in an hour....maybe by then her stomach will settle, and she will be able to eat something...

Sorry no blog from Sunday, but Ashley, Catherine's friend from Virginia Tech, who is coming to NYU for graduate school in a few weeks, came and visited on Sunday. She doesn't get many visitors, so that was really nice for her....

I know these blogs must not be that coherent...it takes me like hours to do them, due to all the interruptions....since the last paragraph, she has felt better, eaten her lunch, had a check up visit from the pain Dr., had a volunteer visit her from the lending library....you name it, they've been in here!

Thanks for your continued support....keep those comments coming!
Oh, forgot to tell you, we had the worst storm today....hail falling into the East River, thunder, lightning, rain like crazy....it was quite a show....glad I was already here by then.

OK, bye for now.
Cindy

Saturday, 7:30 PM

Today we made some real progress! Catherine's pain is finally under control, she got up twice today....first time walked around the bed and got in on the other side....next time, she got up and sat in a chair for about 20 mins. I took her picture with her K2M bear, which she uses frequently to keep her spirits up....
Today she got to have ice chips for lunch (better than nothing!) and liquids for dinner. She had chicken broth, orange flavored Italian ice, and the famous hospital staple--red jello---Man, that stuff must have tons of red dye #2 in it! Her teeth are bright red after she's done!
They have been putting some gel on her face (she has a lot of "war wounds" on her face from the surgery) and they have not really gotten any better in all these days....so today I brought some Melaleuca Catherine had packed in her makeup case, and, already the sores are starting to look a bit better...
It was beautiful weather today in NY--very fall-like--I dropped my laundry off today and so, around 3 PM today I picked it up--all washed, dried, and folded! and took it back to the hotel--it really wasn't any more expensive than going to a laundromat....cheaper, in fact, since I don't have any laundry soap or dryer sheets with me....I just didn't want to leave Catherine alone for the time it would have taken me to it by myself.....But this was the first time I felt comfortable leaving Catherine for a few hours...I can really see she is starting to progress now....I think they may let her have a meal tomorrow, hopefully at breakfast, but, we'll see.....I am about to leave the hospital now, and go to Anna's house (cousin Anne's good friend) to pick up a package that Greg sent there--a few things Catherine and I forgot when we came up--
Catherine felt well enough to look at her Blackberry today...so maybe some of you have replies to your emails....I know the other day she looked at it once, saw that she had 47 or so unread emails, and kind of got overwhelmed....but I hope this blogging is giving you all some information, even if we're not able to individually respond to everyone yet.


Thanks for your thoughts and prayers. I read your comments to her each day, so feel free to add them.
-Cindy

Friday, 1:30 PM

Hello, all. To tell you the truth, yesterday was really a rough day. They really weren't able to get control of Catherine's pain all day. So she was pretty miserable. Finally, by the evening, they figured out a "cocktail" of various painkillers that started to really take effect last night after I left. They have a special "pain management team" here, who come in regularly and check on her....

Anyway, today Catherine's pain is much better (down to what she has been describing as between 3 and 4.5 on a scale of 10), however, she is much more groggy because of it. It is hard for her to stay awake even to eat her breakfast or lunch....

I want to answer some individual phone calls I have received on both my phone and hers, but, you wouldn't think this was true, but it is such a hectic schedule here! And everything takes time and energy...the chaplain visited this AM, her breakfast came, physical therapy came, they wanted to take Catherine for an x ray today, but that didn't end up happening, because they wanted a standing x ray, and she really isn't up to that yet....although she did stand up for a moment this morning! with the physical therapist....oh, they came in to take out her drains in her wound...I saw her incision a bit as they changed it and it looks fantastic (I remember the last time-Catherine's first surgery, I mean-- it kind of made me queasy to look at it, but this time it looks much better) Anyway, so they are not going to do an x-ray. But that is only a fraction of the things they come in to do! Take her vitals, roll her over, take blood, you name it, someone is here for it!! Today they brought her a menu that she can start making her own choices for meals!! So she chose manicotti for dinner...the first REAL food...
Anyway, to finish my first sentence...I'm not really able to call a lot of people during the day, because she is still pretty "needy" and I like to be by her side when people come in to poke and prod her, rather than be outside in the lounge on the phone....but please don't worry about her....even though she's having a bit of ups and downs, I think things are going ok all in all.
I think she is going to stand once more this afternoon if she's up to it. That is the big excitement for today! I am "getting down there" on clean clothes, so I am going to have to go to the laundromat. I just don't know when to do it....Last night, as it was getting time for visiting hours to be over, Catherine all of a sudden started to have more pain and issues (I think some of it is nerves because she is so far from home, etc.) Anyway, I didn't want to leave last night because she was rating her pain as a 7 out of 10, and, since yesterday morning when I came in, she was crying, I didn't want her to have another upsetting night, so, anyway, they let me stay till the pain subsided and she drifted off to sleep (about 9:30 PM) I left her cell phone with her last night in case she got scared in the night, but she didn't need to call me....Cousin Helen had to leave early this morning, so I got here at 7:15 AM, just to make sure that she wasn't upset this AM....even tho visiting doesn't start till 10:30, they let me right in, and Catherine was sleeping when I got here, so that's how I know they got her pain under control at some point last night...
OK, hope this is coherent...people are in and out....they just rolled her, and she is asking for me to come and hold her hand, so I need to get off. keep commenting here...this is the best way for me to deliver your messages to her.....it is too hard for me to use her cell, my cell, her Blackberry, etc.

-Cindy

Catherine's View

Aug. 7, 6 PM

Catherine got in a room at midnight last night, she is in room 619 bed 2....

Catherine had a productive day today....it started off bad, with a little chest pain, and anxiety, but after her mother (me) and her mother's cousing Helen (different cousin from yesterday) got here, she calmed down, and has been doing great since. She has been up sitting on the edge of the bed twice today with the help of the physical therapist! It's a little bit of a challenge getting to the upright position, but once she gets there, she is able to sit up for maybe 10 minutes or so. She was given a liquid diet today, so she has had some broth, some watermelon flavored ice, and some ginger ale for lunch. We are now waiting for dinner! Catherine said Dr. B was in early this AM before his flight to DC for the CSSG thing he's going to.....so send him back to us soon! I guess Catherine didn't get a video taken of her surgery, so you guys at K2M will just have to wait till it comes out on Blu-Ray or DVD!! :)
Hey, speaking of DVD's --Catherine got to view the DVD from all you K2M people twice today...she really enjoyed it....Her cousin Anne and I were quite amused that it arrived Fed Ex to "Catherine Ross--operating room" Needless to say, they didn't bring it in there! So Anne and I viewed it in the waiting room on Tuesday AM....but Catherine really enjoyed it today!

Catherine's dinner arrived, and she is being fed right now by my cousin Helen, so I can type, but I am going to try to get her to make some comments and type them for her...

Thanks for all the good messages and the video was awesome! Love you all

OK, she's more interested in dinner right now, since she got vanilla ice cream and red jello tonight! (yippee!) (Life's little pleasures when you're in the hospital!)

OK, thank you all for your comments on this blog....she enjoys them so keep them coming!
Talk to you tomorrow.
Cindy

3:30 PM visit, Aug. 6

Just got out from seeing Catherine again....she seems weak and tired, but, no wonder....Apparently the physical therapist has been in there and she has already done some leg exercises, and then they actually got her to roll to the edge of the bed, dangle her legs and then sit up!....so I think she is exhausted....She got TV at the 1:30 hour, (better than our hotel--here she has cable!) But she can't really see it...she has earphones, so she has been listening to some TV...at least I hope that passes the time some for her....This time when I went in I put her glasses on her, although she seems tired and I'm not sure she will be able to see it well....she seems to be having a little trouble focusing her eyes....maybe having the glasses will help her eyes to focus...
Anyway, she is waiting for the anesthesiologist to come in and see her, because we think he is the one who can give her the ok to go to a regular room....but he is probably in a surgery....so, long story short, we haven't heard anything about her leaving the recovery (ICU) area. That means I am stuck out here in the waiting room for 2 hours, and then I can go in for 15 minutes....They have her rolled to her other side now; she doesn't like this side, and is not as comfortable as before, but I'm sure they'll roll her again in a little while...
She started telling me again that she feels "crooked" and today she said when she first woke up she thought to herself, " They must not have been able to get much correction, because I feel so crooked" An x-ray of part of her spine is hanging off the bed with surgical tape....I felt so bad about what she was saying, I pulled the tape off, and showed her her x-ray, against the light of the window....she was amazed (as was I--I had to do a double take and make sur the x-ray had Catherine's name on it--it looks so good....nothing like the S shaped x-rays I am used to seeing that make me feel sick when I see them.....Anyway, I know she was glad I showed them to her....even though I have told her that everyone is very pleased, I think she needed to see that x-ray for herself....I'm sure I wasn't supposed to remove it, but I did...I also pushed the envelope on the 15 minute visit...they had to come by twice to ask me to leave....

Catherine asked me to bring her watch the next time I come in....I know she is a little confused on the time, because at the 1:30 visit she was talking about "yesterday, the day after my surgery" and I had to tell her, "no, honey, TODAY is the day after your surgery" So now, when I go in, I remind her what day it is, and what time it is....but I will bring her her watch...I'm not sure if they'll let her wear it, or let me leave it, but we'll see...
OK, I get to see her at 6 tonight and at 8 tonight, and then that is it for today....I am hoping they may move her into a room tonight, but we;ll see

Keep her in your thoughts....she's hanging in there!
-Cindy

Aug 6

Hey, all! This is Cindy, Catherine's mom....it's a miracle! (what? Catherine's recovery?) No, the fact that I actually got on this blog and am posting something without Catherine or my niece Anne to help me!! It took me a few tries, but I think I am doing it!!

OK, on to Catherine...Anne and I got here to the recovery room this morning at 9, which was supposed to be the time for me to get in to see her....I got through the hospital gown part, and the hand washing....and then they told me, no, I couldn't see her, because they were taking her throat tube out, turning her, etc. etc. So I didn't get to see her till about 10 this morning....but she is doing great....she couldn't talk very well (throat dry, etc.) So the first thing she says is, "Sorry I can't talk that well" (She's apologizing to ME!!) What a trooper! Anyway, she looks great....(I think she feels like hell, but...) she is very coherent, etc. etc. She says she feels like she's doing a back-bend....(in other words, she's feels so straight, she feels bent backwards!) Anyway, after I saw her for a half hour and wiped her lips, which are chapped, Anne got to go in (at 11:30 AM) When she came out she said Catherine asked her to wipe her eyes (goop in them) Anne's baby Zoe has an eye goop issue, so Anne wiped really firmly and got the goop out, so Catherine apparently said to Anne, "I knew you'd be better than my mom....my mom was just dapping so gently at my lips, it hardly helped...." So, apparently I am a failure as a lip wiper!! But I know my Catherine is in there!!
Anyway, I get to go in and see her again in 5 mins. so I am getting off now, to get ready to see her.
Cindy

Here's Mike after the surgery. Range (a K2M product) is the system (?) they used in Catherine's back.

Ta DAAH!!!!

Here's Dr. Boachie giving us the good news. He said it was very long, but everything went very well (including kyphosis!). I can't believe how good he looks after 9 hours of surgery! I will let Mike fill everyone in on the details in terms of instrumentation used, but I believe they used 28 screws and 4 rods! Hopefully we will be able to visit Catherine around 8. They are waking her up now and moving her to the recovery room. We'll keep you posted!

6 PM Both Mike and Gracie are out of the OR, and they say Dr. Boachie is scrubbing out now, and will be out to see me soon.

Work in progress

It's 5 PM and we're still waiting out here, but we feel lucky to have 2 K2M people here to keep us informed. Mike has been in there pretty much the whole time, but he occasionally text messages Gracie, who then tells us what's going on, so we are past..."exposing" they've done the ostio-whatevers, (cleaning out the old stuff) , putting in the pedicle (spelling??) screws, and they have the 2 long rods in, the ones that will correct the problems on the top of the back....now we think they are working on the shorter ones that will correct the "spondy" (lower back issues) We were originally told that they wouldn't be done till about 7 PM, but now that they are going in from only the back and not the back and side, they say it will be sooner.....However, they also say Dr. B is a "perfectionist", so I guess he will take his time....which is fine with me!

Mike just came out and said they're finishing up now, so we should post soon!
-Cindy

Natural History Museum

It was a gorgeous day yesterday, about 80 degress and breezy. Who knew it cold be so nice in NYC in August! Yesterday we walked through Central Park and then went to the National History Museum. Here's Catherine and Anne in front of a big totem pole in the Native American section.

Catherine and Anne in the pre-op room. As usual, Catherine was completely calm. Only Cindy and I were freaking out!

In the OR!

Hi everyone,
We arrived at the HSS at 6am this morning. Catherine did all of her pre-op stuff and then went in to surgery at 8:30. All went well except for the minor hiccup of some missing chest e-rays. Anne (Catherine's cousin) cabbed back to the hotel to get them. So we are now hanging out in the gorgeous waiting room of the hospital which overlooks the East River and Roosevelt Island. We met Mike (Catherine's colleague from K2M who will be in the surgery with Catherine.) He delivered the lovely DVD that Catherine's office prepared and sent up. I have to admit, I've never seen a fed-ex addressed to some one in the operating room..." Catherine Ross, Operating Room".... that was pretty cool. I'm sure she will love to watch it after her surgery.

We just talked to Mike (from K2M) and Gracie (from K2M/Dr. Boachie's office), who are sitting here in the waiting room too. Gracie just came from the OR and said that right now they are doing the "exposing" and will then remove the old hardware, do some "bone work" and then on to "re-instrumentation". Okay, Mike is suiting up and getting ready to head into the OR now. I think Gracie will be coming out periodically so she can fill us in on how things are going and we'll try to post some updates thoughout the day.


Catherine is very excited that they are filming her surgery. Apparently, Dr. Boachie will be using it in an upcoming lecture to teach other spine docs how to operate on challenging cases. Catherine was joking last night that we should write "I heart K2M" in black shaprie on her back so that we'd be able to recognize her back surgery....but we decided not to do that after all:)

Here's a little comic relief to lighten the tension of the next few hours.... Cindy just told me that actually they did write something on her back. Dr. Boachie wrote his initials so that there would no confusion over who he was operating on I guess....but Cindy said to Catherine, "hey, there's something written on your back, but it doesn't say 'I heart K2m'. Catherine said, 'what does it say? Cut here??' to which Cindy replied, 'I'm pretty sure Dr. B knows where to cut!'

Okay, so that is all for now. We will try to keep everyone posted throughout the day!

Aug. 1

Today was Friday, and Catherine only had one very quick Dr. appt. at 9AM, so that left the rest of the day free. So we took a whirlwind tour of NY with Catherine as tour guide. First we went all the way down to the WTC site. They seem to be moving along with things....there wasn't much to see, like there was the last time Catherine was there....of course, just seeing the size of the area that was blocked off for reconstruction, or whatever they're doing there, was impressive....but I didn't get to see the cross made from I beams, or any pictures, or anything. Later Catherine, looked it up on her Blackberry and found out that the cross has been moved to a church down there, but we didn't know at the time, so we missed that.
After the WTC, we walked down to Battery Park and saw the Statue of Liberty....we didn't take the boat ride or anything, because the line was (literally!) a mile long, so we just took pictures from the park. After that, we went back uptown, stopping at Chinatown, Little Italy, where we had lunch, the Flatiron district, where I wanted to see the Flatiron building (I think my mother, Catherine's "Nana" worked there years ago), and the Empire State Building. Then we continued up and over to Times Square...apparently they have moved the building where you can inquire about sane day tickets....so we finally found it, but by then it was too late to start thinking about any shows....we were exhausted! It is so hot in this city! I don't know how the New Yorkers stand it...you see men in the subway stations (the hottest places) in long sleeved shirts, buttoned up with a tie, and jacket.....I am standing there in shorts and a tee shirt, and I feel like I'm dying!! Anyway, we came "home" after that, and got home maybe around 3 or 4 PM...we have been in the room ever since....mostly napping! I have a blister on my foot from all the walking, and Catherine is having a back pain (thanks to the bending films we think) Anyway, Bettye called today, as she promised she would, and said the lady that she needs to ask about my staying in the room was unavailable today...so, since a weekend is coming up, she won't be able to find out for sure until Monday, but she said it is the top thing on her "to do list"--so I should know by Monday AM.....
Our plans for tomorrow are the movies (it is supposed to rain on Saturday) and, we found a UU church on our "route", so that is on our agenda for Sunday.
On Monday, Catherine's cousin, Anne is planning to come up and spend a few days with us. So, we are looking forward to that, as well.

Posting stuff has been really difficult due to the fact that this hotel doesn't have Internet service, so we are somehow running the computer off the Blackberry. Also, I was afaid to bring Catherine's good (work) computer to NY, in case it got stolen, so we are using her VT one that is now about 6 years old....all in all it is very tempermental, and, although Catherine tried to teach me how to do it all tonight, so I could get on to post on her surgery day, I had to hand it over to her....I was getting a million error messages, etc.etc. So, don't worry if there is no posting right away on Tuesday.....until Catherine "comes to" after surgery, I probably won't be able to get this thing going!! I'll try to learn to do it this weekend!!

July 31

On Thursday Catherine had several dr. appointments....we took the bus successfully and got to the hospital complex on time....Every appointment went smoothly....pre op registration, the pulmonary guy who gave Catherine her (evil) breathing machine (have to breathe in and get the little balls to rise to the top--she says it's hard!) Then we met Yamuna (Catherine's friend who used work with her in Leesburg, but now lives and works in NY for Dr. Boachie. Anyway, we had a nice lunch hour with her. She told Catherine she was going to film the surgery for a meeting next week... Catherine was excited to hear that. After lunch we had another appt. with a dr. who said Catherine was in good health, and a low risk for any complications with the surgery...so that was good. Finally our last appt. was with Dr. Boachie. A really nice lady, Bettye, who is a clinical nurse with Dr. B came in and spoke with us and answered our questions....She said she thinks she can get permission for me to stay in the room with Catherine the whole time, even though she is no longer a pediatric patient. That would be great for me, because I was with Catherine the whole time for her other surgeries, and I would rather do that again if I could. She said she would "advocate" for me, and was pretty sure she could get that, so I hope so. After that, Yamuna came back in to take a bunch of pictures of Catherine....like "before" pictures. Th en Dr. B. came in and looked at all Catherine's records, CT scans, etc. He had Catherine take some additional Xrays....bending ones...Catherine said the Dr. B went with her to have the Xrays taken. He really wanted to see how much flexibility (if any) was in the top of her back....so I guess he really "helped" her to bend (a lot!) She felt like she was being folded in half, but, when Dr. B came back in the room and measured, he said there was quite a bit of flexibility in there. The good news about that, is that he feels he can get pretty good correction without doing the extra incision up her side. That will make the operation much less risk and easier to recover from. He might be able to get a little less correction than he could have with the multiple incisions, but the amount seemed too small for the extra risk involved. So the current plan is just to go through the back to do all of the operation. So, all in all, I think we had a lot of good news. After the doctors', we went grocery shopping, came "home" and re-heated some leftovers from the night before for dinner.