Another Monday Update

Cabin fever has set in. Kim is able to move around easier, but she wears out quickly, and she is restricted by the pain and pain medication she takes. While it is easier, the road is still long.

Here's some fun stuff:

AJ in the cargo hold of a FedEx 727

AJ piloting a C-130

AJ piloting a Blackhawk Med-Evac Helicopter

AJ posing in front of six F/A-18 Blue Angels Fighters just prior to their demonstration on Sunday, April 13, 2008. We were FREEZING!

Monday Update

It has now been two weeks since the surgery. Kim has made fantastic strides toward normalcy during her recovery. We are reminded that despite the very good days like this past Saturday, that she is still recovering. Yesterday and this morning have been difficult from a pain management standpoint and from a complications standpoint. The result of the pain meds, without going into a lot of detail create discomfort in several other areas. This part is no fun, and having been there myself on a much smaller scale, I empathize.

She will visit Dr Mencio tomorrow morning to update her prognosis and make sure she is on track.

Thanks again to everyone for your support, well wishes, meals, etc.

God Bless!

Thursday Update

Kim is showing some steady improvement. She is sleeping on the couch because it seems to be the most stable platform for her back...she can use the back of it to brace herself. It's also easier for her to get up from it.

A moving target is the pain management. Her doctor has her letting the pain wake her up, so she is going way beyond her 4 hour limit on her primary pain killer during the night. She is also experiencing longer times during the waking hours between doses. This seems to be consistent with her doctor's intent, and she is beginning to ween herself off.

She is able to move around without the walker some of the time, and she even went out with Debi, her sister for lunch the other day. Needless to say, it wore her out.

Please continue to keep Kim in your prayers...she is recovering, but it is a very long road given the extent of her surgery.

Here's a shot of the kids for your worktime distraction...

Yikes

My unofficial count...

20 titanium screws
2 titanium rods
1 really really long incision

Kim deserves the pain tolerance reward...

Home and Glad

Kim made it home this afternoon. The longest walk of her life was between the car and the bed...the walker would not slide like the one in the hospital and the act of lifting her arms even as I lifted the walker from behind was excruciating. We learned something on that one.

I installed the orthopedic toilet seat after removing the old one and fixed the threashold between the bedroom and bathroom. It is not ideal, but is much safer for her since she has much difficulty raising her legs.

After she was settled, I was able to have some long overdue maintenance done on my bike, and a team mate was lucky I came by--he was stranded 5 miles from home b/c of the rain. Now, my bike is safer, and he doesn't have pneumonia.
At any rate, Kim has a long recovery ahead of her. It's one of those things that will seem endless, but once it has happened, we'll all think that it really wasn't that long...that's what I keep saying anyway.

Thanks to Dianne Petty (sorry I goofed this credit up earlier) for the yummy lasagna this evening, and thanks to everyone else for everything that you are doing for us. We feel so blessed that Kim has such wonderful friends.

I will do my best to acknowledge everyone in a subsequent blog soon.

Meanwhile, God bless, and take care.

With love,

Jay

Going Home

This is a quickie. Kim is walking around with a walker...she is off the IVs, and other than pain management issues feels pretty good. Therefore, we decided that she will leave the hospital one day early so that she can be in familiar surrounds. More later...

Pictures

If you're looking for pictures today...you aint gettin' 'em! Silly me trying to do everything left the camera in the other car...

Today included a trip to radiology for an x-ray...the tech made a comment about all that hardware....

...a shower...lots and lots of pills...and exposure to breakdowns in large organizations...I'll leave it at that, ok...

Kim's IV has been removed, and now she is free to roam...not gonna happen after all the exploits of the day however.....

Some moments are very good, and others we wish weren't part of the process of healing, but each moment is a step toward normalcy, home, and no more checking of vitals.

At any rate, prayers are being answered in many ways...some of it is in the small victories that peep around the corner, and others are in angry responses to the sensations of pain that Kim is feeling...she will simply refuse to let them prevail, and they will dimish hopefully sooner rather than later....

BTW...Pam, Kim's nurse during the day is absolutely wonderful!