Saturday, October 11, 2008

K.I.S.S (Keepin' It Soooo Simple) Saturdays

Well, I'm back.

For the most part, yesterday went fairly well. I got to the hospital at 645am so I was sure to see my mom before she went into surgery. I just felt, given the complications associated with the surgery, that I should be there before she went under. I love her surgeon, Dr. Hunt. He's adorable and he's my knee doctor too, yippee! He was with my mom when I got there. I told him to take good care of her and then looked directly at my mom and said to her "no funny stuff in there, ok?" I was subtly referring to her last big surgery (a double knee replacement) 3 or 4 years ago when her heart was stopping, unbeknownst to her, and she ended up going home 14 days later with a pacemaker. Yikes.

After we left my mom, my brother, dad and I went to get a bite to eat in the hospital cafeteria. As I was heading to a table, I see Dr. Hunt! I'm like "why aren't you with my mom????"!!!! He laughs and says "I'm on my way to be with her right now". I told him that of course he needed nourishment for the surgery, so I would forgive him eating, lol. It was just sort of weird to see the surgeon who was supposed to be operating on your mom casually finishing breakfast!

After about an hour and a half, we get paged that mom is out of surgery, so we head up to the surgical floor for the doctor consult. Dr. Adorable told us that the surgery went very well, miminal blood loss and no heart issues. He also told us that they had to put her to sleep instead of giving her a spinal epidural because they couldn't get the needle in her back. She has so much arthritis in her back, compressed disks and tight muscles that they couldn't get it in. Remember this little tidbit for later in my story, ok? Dr. Adorable then tells us that mom should be out of recovery in about an hour. Ok, Dr. Goodlooking.

Two and a half hours later, still no word about my mom. I finally convince my dad to go to the waiting room desk to find out what the heck is going on. The volunteer at the desk calls up to surgery and asks about my mom. They put her nurse on the line to talk to my dad. Apparently, after surgery, she was having some trouble breathing. Then the nurse noticed that one side of my mom's mouth was drooping and she was talking with a lisp. She asks my mom if she normally has a lisp. Ahhhh, that would be negative. The nurse tells my dad that it's possible she has had a stroke, but the nurologist is on her way to assess, so we needed to sit tight. To make a long story short, after a CT scan, they deduct that she has NOT had a stroke, but for some reason, there has been some nerve damage to that area of her face. It is seen in patients having neck surgery, but the nurologist was rather puzzled since my mom didn't have neck surgery. I did not have a chance to talk with the nurologist before I had to leave, but apparently they expect the paralysis to correct itself eventually. So, it seems that for now, all is well. But it was soooo scary for a while there after they told us she might have had a stroke. It was sooo hard to see my dad break down while he told me what the nurse had just told him. He's a tough, non emotional guy, so when he was welling up, my heart broke. He was so scared.

Back to the attempt at the spinal epidural. I am wondering whether or not it's possible that there was some nerve damage done when they were attempting to get the needle in her back. I am not a nurse, but many of you out there are. Is this a possibility? Could there be nerve damage done in a spinal attempt? I am hoping to hear more about this today when I call the hospital. In the meantime, thank you for all your prayers and encouragement. For the most part, mom is doing well and was joking a bit when I left her yesterday. I think I will leave her alone to rest today (of course my dad will be with her), and hopefully will be able to stop by to see her tomorrow. She might go home as soon as Monday.

Well, so as not to leave you cardless two days in a row, I thought I'd show you this simple little card I made last weekend. It really is a favorite of mine. The sentiment is from a JustRite 2x Stamper, one of about 20 I recieved from being a finalist in the JustRite Stampin' Champion contest I was in a month ago. These are cute little stampers, but since I've written so much today, I won't elaborate on them until later this week, ok? Suffice it to say, I think I love them!

Hugs,
Amy



13 comments:

  1. Wow - what rough day you & your family went through! I know how exhausting that can be. Praises to God that she made it through without major complications!

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  2. Thinking special thoughts and prayers for your Mom's recovery. Hang in there ..

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  3. Amy...I know just how your dad felt. I remember when we found out my hubby's bladder cancer had come back the first time. We both just stood in the garage with our arms around each other and had a good cry. I am so thankful we had each others shoulders to cry on. Happy to hear your mon is doing OK. will keep her in prayer.
    Angel Hugs...Chemo angel Bobbie

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  4. That is a day that is better over. I hope all you family is recovering for the problems. Best of luck and good wishes to your Mom an Dad.
    Heather

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  5. Anonymous3:38 PM

    Thanks for letting us know. In my prayers. Hugs to you and your Dad.

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  6. Oh Amy you and your mom and your entire family are in my heart and in my prayers. We've never met but I feel I know you through your great blog and girl I wish I could just give you a big hug.

    I also want to share this with you: I was sitting here reading along when my 6 year old walked up and exclaimed, "Mommam you love polka-dots and I love birds; can we get that art!?" Amy your work not only inspires me but my little ones too.

    Hang in there friend!

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  7. Oh wow...cute card! And I'm not a nurse, so couldn't tell ya. Seems to me like that would be a possibility. I've had spinal taps etc,and my own mom was paralyzed one one half of her face for a few weeks but it came back. Not sure what it was exactly, but I'm sure you're mom will be okay. It's good to hear that she's in good spirits b4 you left!! =)
    Will say a prayer for her and your dad. Hugs!

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  8. Hi Amy! Love the card - the colors are amazing, and your layout is too perfect! Thanks for sharing it. Also, thanks for sharing the story about your mom's surgery. I am not a nurse, but my first thought, once you confirmed that it wasn't a stroke, was that perhaps she has contracted a virus called "Bell's Palsey." I had that when I was pregnant with my first daughter. It was explained to me that it is a virus that is easily contracted, and I would think be rampant in a hospital setting. If it is Bell's Palsey, the symptoms do eventually disappear. I had effects on the left side of my face. I had a hard time eating, water would drool out of the left side of my mouth, I had difficulty talking, and I couldn't close my left eye. The whole side of my face looked as though it was much more relaxed than the right side of my face. It was weird, but it all eventually went away. Your mom will be in my prayers for a quick diagnosis, and a very speedy recovery. Hugs!

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  9. Sorry to hear of your Mom's surgery complications, Amy -- hope she is better and home soon. Very cute polka-dotted bird card!

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  10. I am so bummed to hear about your mom, but so happy that it was not a stroke. Been there , done that with myself. This is scary stuff in itself. I would stay on top of the possibility of nerve damage. Seems to be a very big possibility to me. I am a vet tech, not a nurse, but there are so many sensitive nerves in the spinal column and when they stick needles in there it is dangerous somewhat even when there isn't a problem. They cannot see where they are putting the needles. They didn't do an MRI of course before trying. Did they do one after to see if there is damage? And idea for future reference. Get it now! Mention mal-practice. They will do it to protect themselves. But you will get the same result..and don't be a fool if there is a case. You are entitled to get funding to provide care for her if there was a problem or an accident. Hospitals carry insurance to cover this and that is why they do. It's not wrong when there is a problem. When my husband had a closed head injury we didn't sue thinking long term insurance would cover his bills. WRONG, after 6 years they settled, and for only $6000. Didn't even pay off our car. We lost our home, car, and everything. Then he died. I lost him, too. So take care of her. I hope you get your answers. Email me if I can help in any way. I will continue to pray. In Christian love, Linda Crowder

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  11. I'm sure praying for your mom and for the family as you all support her. I don't know what kind of damage an epidural can cause, but I do know that a spinal tap can cause problems like you mentioned.

    I like the bright little birds on your card. It's such a "happy" card. It's sure to make the recipient smile.

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  12. Anonymous7:05 AM

    Keeping your Mom in my prayers (and your Dad too) Hope there wasn't damage done during the epidural. Thanks for sharing your beautiful card!

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  13. Hey Amy! You might have already had your question answered, but thought I'd give it a shot anyway. I'm not a nurse, but I am a physical therapist. The nerves in the lower back do not innervate the face AT ALL, so in short, no, any damage caused by some mishap with the epidural would have caused problems with the lower extremities, but not the face or arms. It sounds like maybe there was some type of reaction to the anesthesia? I have heard of that happening. It also sounds like it could be Bell's Palsy. Look into that a bit. If so, it will resolve on it's own with time with no lasting complications. If you have any PT-related questions, please send me an e-mail. JenniferTapler@msn.com. P.S. - I'm going to miss all of your wonderful VERVALICIOUSNESS!!!! Best of luck in all that you do. Aloha.

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