Thank you for all your prayers. God is taking such good care of us down here, that I know He is listening to all of your petitions on our behalf. This morning, I even found time to ride my bike a few miles before I headed off to the hospital for the day.
Yesterday afternoon, they removed my girl's catheter and she tried to use a bed pan. This afternoon, they put the catheter back. Please pray that they are able to remove it and she is able to pee on her own before discharge. We can deal with the catheter at home, and they will remove it later, but it will feel so much better for her to come home without it.
My girl walked all the way down the hall and back twice this morning, she walked in her room at midday, and she walked down the hall and back again tonight. Each time she puts on her brace and gets up and moves it hurts a little less. Just after surgery, she was reporting her pain at 7 or 8 on a scale of 10. This evening, she said it was a 2 or a 3. Praise God that the pain is subsiding even as they are weaning her off the pain medication.
Tomorrow my sister will arrive from Olympia, Washington with her daughter to visit us. We are excited that they have driven so far to see us.
Friday, June 4, 2010
Thursday, June 3, 2010
My girl walked today
This afternoon, my girl took her first steps since her accident. They were slow, and she had lots of support from two nice ladies from physical therapy, but she was on her own two feet moving under her own power. She is eating more, but she is still very sleepy and not very hungry. Some of that is the medication and some of that is just the healing process. She moved to a different floor this evening, which is a lower level of care and indicates that her condition is improving. Every time I see her, she looks better.
My girl is enjoying hearing from her friends on Facebook and on her cell phone. If she does not answer when you call, she is sleeping, or maybe even out for another walk.
We both are thankful for all your prayers.
My girl is enjoying hearing from her friends on Facebook and on her cell phone. If she does not answer when you call, she is sleeping, or maybe even out for another walk.
We both are thankful for all your prayers.
Why I am in California again so soon
For those of you who don't receive the email, here is what I have been up to for the last week:
I have been updating folks in scattered ways about has been happening since my girl fell off a roof early Monday morning. Adding copies of my emails to my blog gives everyone another way to follow me.
At 6:21 Monday morning, as I was getting ready to drive across town from my cousin P’s house to the start of a triathlon in Corvallis, Oregon, my phone rang. It was my daughter calling, barely able to speak saying she had an accident. She handed the phone to her supervisor, who told me that my girl had fallen off a roof and had been transported from Sequoia National Park, where she was employed this summer to Visalia via ambulance. They were about to move her to Fresno, where treatment would be better. At that point, they knew something was broken in her back, that her feet could move and that it was below the spinal cord. I made some phone calls, one to her father and another to her cousin’s wife in Fresno who is an RN. Cousin B spent the day Monday with my girl interpreting medicalese and running interference for a very scared patient. Knowing that a couple of hours would not make much difference, I did my triathlon before heading south.
I spent the rest of the day Monday, and late into the night driving through Oregon and a large part of California on I 5, switching to US 99 in Sacramento. All day I was on the phone with my girl and cousin B hearing what was going on and offering what comfort I could, then calling and texting everyone I could think of with updates and prayer requests. I spent the night in Merced, about an hour north of Fresno, when I could not drive any more. Tuesday morning, I was in my car early to be at the hospital before her surgery. Pre-op was at 6:30, and she wanted to see me before she went in. I spent about an hour with her in her room and in prep before they took her in. Cousin B arrived shortly after I did Tuesday morning, and we spent the day together at the hospital and shopping for a few things for my girl and some clothes for me. I had packed what I needed for two days and a triathlon. I almost left my computer at home. I still have my bike with me.
Surgery went very well Tuesday morning, and she has screws and rods in her back to realign her spine as it heals. They are permanent. The doctor projected three days in the hospital for recovery. He said the pain is most intense for the first two days after the operation. She has an open invitation to recover with her cousins in Fresno after her discharge until she is ready to travel. Tuesday night, friends from the park brought her bike and all her other stuff down, so it is waiting here for her. She has her cell phone, and she appreciates hearing from friends.
Wednesday, they made a brace for her, which she will wear for the next three months any time she is not on her back in bed. It will enable her to get up Thursday morning and attempt walking. She is concerned about the pain when she moves out of bed, because any time she even turns over or someone changes the sheets she hurts.
My plan is to stay in Fresno until my girl is ready to fly north, which I anticipate will be about three weeks. The doctor wants her to stay in Fresno until the staples come out, and I am not sure how long it will take after that until she is ready to sit on a plane for a few hours for the flight home to Spokane. I will be racking her bike and mine on the back of my little Fit and heading north again someday.
Today, Thursday, I will be spending the day with my girl again in the hospital. We thank you for all your prayers and the concern that everyone has expressed for her and for her recovery.
In answer to the other question everyone is asking, she was in her friends’ room next door chatting when her roommate left for the night and locked the door. This was not the first time that creative means were used to reenter her room. There were no screens on the windows, so my girl once again set out to crawl across the roof to her window. Unfortunately, this time the metal roof was wet and she slipped and landed on a pile of snow. Her friends heard her scream, and help was on the way immediately.
Throughout the whole experience, we have seen God at work, keeping this from being as bad as it could have been. She has lots of friends who have been praying for her in several states. We are hearing about friends and connections in Fresno we never knew about, or forgot were here. The story is not done yet, but that is as far as we have made it now.
I have been updating folks in scattered ways about has been happening since my girl fell off a roof early Monday morning. Adding copies of my emails to my blog gives everyone another way to follow me.
At 6:21 Monday morning, as I was getting ready to drive across town from my cousin P’s house to the start of a triathlon in Corvallis, Oregon, my phone rang. It was my daughter calling, barely able to speak saying she had an accident. She handed the phone to her supervisor, who told me that my girl had fallen off a roof and had been transported from Sequoia National Park, where she was employed this summer to Visalia via ambulance. They were about to move her to Fresno, where treatment would be better. At that point, they knew something was broken in her back, that her feet could move and that it was below the spinal cord. I made some phone calls, one to her father and another to her cousin’s wife in Fresno who is an RN. Cousin B spent the day Monday with my girl interpreting medicalese and running interference for a very scared patient. Knowing that a couple of hours would not make much difference, I did my triathlon before heading south.
I spent the rest of the day Monday, and late into the night driving through Oregon and a large part of California on I 5, switching to US 99 in Sacramento. All day I was on the phone with my girl and cousin B hearing what was going on and offering what comfort I could, then calling and texting everyone I could think of with updates and prayer requests. I spent the night in Merced, about an hour north of Fresno, when I could not drive any more. Tuesday morning, I was in my car early to be at the hospital before her surgery. Pre-op was at 6:30, and she wanted to see me before she went in. I spent about an hour with her in her room and in prep before they took her in. Cousin B arrived shortly after I did Tuesday morning, and we spent the day together at the hospital and shopping for a few things for my girl and some clothes for me. I had packed what I needed for two days and a triathlon. I almost left my computer at home. I still have my bike with me.
Surgery went very well Tuesday morning, and she has screws and rods in her back to realign her spine as it heals. They are permanent. The doctor projected three days in the hospital for recovery. He said the pain is most intense for the first two days after the operation. She has an open invitation to recover with her cousins in Fresno after her discharge until she is ready to travel. Tuesday night, friends from the park brought her bike and all her other stuff down, so it is waiting here for her. She has her cell phone, and she appreciates hearing from friends.
Wednesday, they made a brace for her, which she will wear for the next three months any time she is not on her back in bed. It will enable her to get up Thursday morning and attempt walking. She is concerned about the pain when she moves out of bed, because any time she even turns over or someone changes the sheets she hurts.
My plan is to stay in Fresno until my girl is ready to fly north, which I anticipate will be about three weeks. The doctor wants her to stay in Fresno until the staples come out, and I am not sure how long it will take after that until she is ready to sit on a plane for a few hours for the flight home to Spokane. I will be racking her bike and mine on the back of my little Fit and heading north again someday.
Today, Thursday, I will be spending the day with my girl again in the hospital. We thank you for all your prayers and the concern that everyone has expressed for her and for her recovery.
In answer to the other question everyone is asking, she was in her friends’ room next door chatting when her roommate left for the night and locked the door. This was not the first time that creative means were used to reenter her room. There were no screens on the windows, so my girl once again set out to crawl across the roof to her window. Unfortunately, this time the metal roof was wet and she slipped and landed on a pile of snow. Her friends heard her scream, and help was on the way immediately.
Throughout the whole experience, we have seen God at work, keeping this from being as bad as it could have been. She has lots of friends who have been praying for her in several states. We are hearing about friends and connections in Fresno we never knew about, or forgot were here. The story is not done yet, but that is as far as we have made it now.
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Kites and cherry blossoms and more
These won't make you sneeze.
We visited at the right time to see the cherry blossoms and the kite festival.
It was a good day to take a boat ride.
There was some construction going on with the seawall in front of the Jefferson Memorial, so we followed this superhighway around to the other side.
Tall skinny monuments fit better in pictures.
They reflect nicely too.
Franklin Delano Roosevelt has the largest monument. We walked through it backwards, which I realized when we reached the beginning of his first presidency. Much thought was put into the design which memorializes the man and the times.
His wife was an accomplished woman on her own.
The man became larger than life.
More cherry blossoms.
Mr. Jefferson has an nice memorial on the far side of the tidal basin.
Close up shots are fun too.
The day ended with lots of kites flying around the base of the Washington Monument.
One group helped kids make kites to fly.
After making kites, we flew kites.
My parting shot for the day was the famous kite eating tree.
We visited at the right time to see the cherry blossoms and the kite festival.It was a good day to take a boat ride.
There was some construction going on with the seawall in front of the Jefferson Memorial, so we followed this superhighway around to the other side.
Tall skinny monuments fit better in pictures.
They reflect nicely too.
Franklin Delano Roosevelt has the largest monument. We walked through it backwards, which I realized when we reached the beginning of his first presidency. Much thought was put into the design which memorializes the man and the times.
His wife was an accomplished woman on her own.
The man became larger than life.
More cherry blossoms.Mr. Jefferson has an nice memorial on the far side of the tidal basin.Close up shots are fun too.The day ended with lots of kites flying around the base of the Washington Monument.
One group helped kids make kites to fly.
After making kites, we flew kites.
My parting shot for the day was the famous kite eating tree.
Monday, April 19, 2010
A monumental day
One day I took two boys to see which famous places we could see. The first one we found celebrates the Marines.
Two boys and a stick. We found lots of sticks.
Our next stop was a short drive and a long walk away. We climbed the hill on our own feet except for a little carry at the end.
We found several Kennedys and a fascinating flame.
There must be some family ties in here somewhere.
We drove around a long time before we found a place to park near this guy. 
I stood on a famous step to read about a dream. 
We found lots of letters in the names on the Vietnam Wall.
If we look close enough, we can see a reflection, or so a little boy said.
Ducks. Oh, and a pointy monument.
More than one monument has a wall of names.
The Korean memorial tells it like it was.
Two boys and a stick. We found lots of sticks.
Our next stop was a short drive and a long walk away. We climbed the hill on our own feet except for a little carry at the end.We found several Kennedys and a fascinating flame.There must be some family ties in here somewhere.
We drove around a long time before we found a place to park near this guy. 
I stood on a famous step to read about a dream. We found lots of letters in the names on the Vietnam Wall.
If we look close enough, we can see a reflection, or so a little boy said.
Ducks. Oh, and a pointy monument.
More than one monument has a wall of names.The Korean memorial tells it like it was.
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