ANYTHING for Janet, right?

Those of you who are on my personal email list have heard this story, but in case you haven't...

Most of you know the 3rd annual Western Montana CF Walk is June 7, 2008. A big reason my mom and dad were driving up to Hamilton this month was to help me organize and grow this event. However, with me gone for three weeks in prime planning season and now I'm down two power-house volunteers, fundraising has not gone as well as planned. (Has anything gone as well as planned this month?) So the week before I left Idaho--my mom still wasn't as sharp as she is now--she said to me "Jill, get some paper. I have some business you need to take care of. The D Team is NOT coming in second place for the fourth year in a row. You need to figure out a plan to raise $7,000 in the next three weeks." Yikes. So the very next morning, on very little sleep, I sent out my personal fundraising letter campaign. I know many of my parents friends and family have already donated to them or to me, or both. But I thought I would send out one more push for just a $3 donation from you stragglers and see if we can take the trophy this year!!

TO DONATE: https://www.cff.org/great_strides/GenericDonation/?i_appeal=COMTGS0208&i_unit=22&i_id=CFFORG115094Han

TO SEE DEREK'S VIDEO: http://www.onetruemedia.com/otm_site/view_shared?p=2aecf878059d71104dbe86

My favorite quote from another CF parent was: "You may ask me what kind of person I am to keep asking for money year after year, and my answer is what kind of parent would I be if I didn't?" I will stop fundraising when there is a cure.

Friday successes

Mom fits in the van!

My dad is running errands (limited to 2 hours!) while Connie and Nathan hang out with Mom.

There is an article about Rita in the works for the Challis paper.

Between my dad and the nurses we found, Mom is getting all her shots.

Still on the to-do list is finding reputable doctors for mom's follow up care: an orthopedist and a neurologist (or neuro surgeon? are these two different people?) in the Roseville area.

Home nurse will visit next Wednesday. No word on when my mom's physical therapy will start up.

Home safe at last...

I just spoke to my mom, who was reclining on her very own couch in her very own living room. She is doing great! Lots of neighbors and family have already visited and helped. Wonderful, super, thank you! The flight was fast, less than an hour and a half and it was the fire department's ambulance that picked my mom up from the hospital in Idaho. We have nurses scheduled for my mom's next three shots, but my dad has given it to her twice so we have options. Thanks for everyone who put up with my frantic phone messages last night. :)

Tomorrow the wheelchair van is delivered--keep your fingers crossed that she and all her paraphernalia fit inside.

PS-I am scheduled in Hamilton's very next blood drive, on June 10th. Go blood donors!!!

Emergency Help Needed!

My mom is in desperate need of someone in the Roseville area who can administer two shots for blood thinner per day at her home. They will pay for the service and are looking for someone with "shot" experience. Please reply as soon as possible.

Good Morning!

It's hard to believe that three and a half weeks ago my mom was given +/-12 units of blood products to live. In celebration of her survival, recovery, and homecoming I am going to find a place today where I can donate blood. Didn't know if others out there would want to make a similar tribute and attempt to "pay it forward". As Mom's trauma surgeon told her the last day I was in Idaho "You're the norm for me". It is overwhelming to know that families are going through this every day in every city.

Rock on, Mom!!

Greetings from New York

Happy Memorial Day. We're T -3 for Janet's departure day, and she feels ready to go home NOW! I am back in Syracuse with Dave and the animals, and I'll be heading back to work tomorrow. I won't be posting to the blog as much, but I just want to say thank you to all the people who have offered to grab the baton and run with it. It is so great to know that even though I can't be right next to my mom now, someone else who loves her will be. Meal preparers, house helpers, out-of-town visitors, respite providers--I feel like you are all part of our extended family. Thank you for your selflessness and generosity, and let us know if we can ever return the favor.

Oh, and please, drive carefully.

Calendar changes

Oops, I had my calendar messed up...my parents' anniversary is not until June. Which of course I knew, but if Outlook says it, I mindlessly believe it...

Elaine is taking over scheduling friends to visit/help out my mom and dad. She is best reached by phone rather than blog posts or email. If you've already emailed me your dates, no need to contact Elaine I have passed all that info on to her. 916-783-4922.

Amy Gustus, my parents' across the street neighbor, is making a separate meal schedule for Mondays and Wednesdays. 916-784-6577.

Neil Alexander should be arriving today, Bob has probably already left, and things are on a roll. Only three more days in Idaho! YAY!

Memorial Day Weekend

Just talked to my dad. This is a slow weekend at the hospital and my mom is feeling a little down, so any cheerful calls would be appreciated. Her hospital number is 208-529-7624 or her cell is 916-303-3175.

Details are shaping up for Thursday's big move. Thursday also happens to be my parents' 40th wedding anniversary. What a way to celebrate!!

Out of towners that I have put on the schedule are:
Neal Zimmerman Jun 9-15
Bruce Noda Jun 18-22
Jill, Derek, Anna Jun 24-Jul 8 (we are still flexible if someone else can take this time)
Elizabeth Liu Jul 13-18

Great News

Word from the rehab unit, room 624, is that one Janet Hansen will be traveling by medical ambulance from Idaho Falls direct to Roseville this coming Thursday. Anyone available next weekend to visit? Let's order up some sunny weather for Mom's homecoming!!!

Amy left this morning, Bob will leave tomorrow, Vickie a few days after that, and Neil Alexander will be arriving by bus on Monday. He and Barry can swap bus stories... Meanwhile my Dad and Sylvia hang tough through it all!

Dad's new cell phone

My parents each got a real cell phone (to replace my mom's old trac-phone).

My dad's number is 916-420-2303

Please continue to use my mom's old number until we find out if we can transfer it to the new phone or not.

Friends and Family...

Hi faithful followers of Janet's blog!

Many, many, many of you have offered to help once my parents are home. Here is your opportunity! I am setting up a schedule of visitors for June and July so that my Dad will receive some well deserved breaks (or my mom can kick him out of the house). My mom may be pretty high maintenance until she gets her halo off. So please email me directly (j_twardoski@hotmail.com) and let me know if/when you are available. For those of you who may be traveling from out of town, my parents want to offer their guest bedroom for the duration of your stay. For those of you in Roseville, probably just plan on a 4 hour visit and/or providing a meal. Ideally we will have a mix of folks who can visit during the work week (allowing my dad to run errands, etc) plus evenings, weekends, and overnighters. Once I have the grand plan set up, I will either email it or post it on the blog.

Staying with my mom will not require any medical training! Sorry for TMI, but by the time she gets home she should be totally independent to go to the bathroom. She will just need help with household type stuff that will be difficult from a wheelchair.

Another day of progress

I talked to Mom tonight, she sounds awesome! She said that she will most likely not fit on any commercial plane out of Idaho Falls. I told her that wasn't a very nice thing for someone to tell her, but she assures me it's just because of the halo. So it sounds like some kind of medical flight will be necessary to get her home. She will have the halo on about three months.

My dad is trying to get her a pass to leave the hospital and go the mall--wow, if you had told me two weeks ago she'd be trying to get to the mall....no way. Dad and Amy got their first night off to go to a movie with Bob. Yay! Care for the caretakers!! Mom is doing great with her transfers and getting out of bed by herself, etc.

Wednesday

Today my mom spoke to the rehab doctor and she said that mom has to meet certain goals before she can leave, including sitting in a chair for 6 hours (she's at 3 right now), doing minimal assist transfers, and getting in and out of a car.  Her transfers to and from bed are getting a lot better as she gets stronger, but today they tried car transfers and did not have a lot of success.  One car was too small and the other was too high.   Like Goldilocks, now we're looking for one that's just right.

Of course, my mom was not as distressed about the car transfer problem as she was about the temperature, and she has claimed to a few people that it was "snowing" while they had her outside for 15 minutes.  What a California girl!

She got her last IV-type thing out today, so she's basically medically stable.  She still has trouble with anxiety during the night (so we have slumber parties).  However, the doctor said that my mom will most likely get to go home with a bunch of special equipment instead of to another inpatient rehab facility.  Uncle Neil and Aunt Elaine are doing a bunch of research for us on medical equipment companies and wheelchair transportation, so we're starting to get prepared for the big trip.

I'm off to spend the night in the most uncomfortable recliner ever invented, but either Jill or I will post an update tomorrow night.

Montana update

I've made it home safely with my children. Barri tucked them in tonight and they were asleep before I could even go in to kiss them. Anna is now, once again, "Daddy's gurrrl" and refuses to be touched by anyone else or more than 3 feet away from him. Anyone want to tell her for me that he's leaving on Friday for 10 days?

I will remain the family blogger from home. So forgive me if the translations are not as accurate as when I was there. Today was a fabulous day for my mom. (and I left...what does that mean?) Seriously, she met with Dr. Vlack, the rehab doc, who said she was so impressed with Mom's progress that she didn't think Mom would need an in-patient facility in California. So the expected arrival date is still around June 1st, but most likely going HOME! She was in great spirits and practically kicked us out the door.

I will be organizing friends and family who can stay for short periods with my mom and dad once they are home and perhaps for the duration of while my mom can't walk (8 weeks). More details to come.

Mom's laptop showed up today and hopefully will be functional by tomorrow. I will let you know if the computer-wifi-email setup works from her hospital room so that you can start emailing her directly, or continue posting on the blog but know that she will be reading the comments personally. Her cell phone is now velcro-ed to her turtle shell...but if you call, don't forget to ask if it's a convenient time...

Eileen--green light on whatever you want to do concerning media coverage of Rita. Let me know what info you need.

Linda--green light on the email to the Missoulian. The more publicity, the better! Have you checked out the walk website? http://www.cfinmt.org/

Tuesday

Lots of small updates:

+all staples are out of her leg

+last staples (in her thumb and arm) will be out tomorrow

+first full day of PT and OT and she survived

+very fun DQ blizzard party with Bob and Vickie

+the rehab doc verified that mom will probably be here for two more weeks before she can even travel.  Whether she will go home or into another rehab unit in CA is unknown at this time.

+Mom is starting to have enough coherence to help us think of things that will help her be more independent.  For example, her own cell phone (possibly voice activated), the bedside table left in the same place each day (she has NO peripheral vision), velcro to attach the phone to her turtle shell, etc.

+we talked to several folks who had ideas about transporting mom (rent a motorhome?)

She is doing between 3 and 6 hours of therapy and doctor consults, plus sitting up in her wheelchair in the dining room at meals.  This makes it more difficult to accurately schedule phone calls so be aware that we will always answer the phone if we are in the room, but we/Mom may not be able to chat.  Also, we appreciate everyone who has sent or has thought of sending audio books, but since my folks were listening to an audio book when the crash happened, she told me today that she is not ready to listen to any yet.  However she is getting a new laptop and will probably be emailing and watching DVD's soon.  We are back on doing night shifts to lessen her nighttime anxiety.

The kids and I will be leaving tomorrow after we say goodbye to my mom.  Not an easy decision for me.  Well, I should sign off...these posts get less intelligent as I get more behind on sleep.  Thank you to everyone who has sent their love and support for my mom and dad, my kids, and my sister and me.  It is no surprise that so many people love my parents, but it is certainly overwhelming (in a wonderful way).

Pizza therapy

This is the therapy kitchen (go OT!) on the rehab unit.  The hospital dietician arranged for pizzas and milkshakes to be sent up for a family pizza party.  Mom had another rough night last night, but we're glad to have Vickie and Bob here to help us so we can stay overnight with her.

Sad Day

Unfortunately, Jill, Dad, and the kids did not find Rita today in Challis, despite making every effort possible.  They sat and had lunch at the campground (where there had been reports of a cat, but the description didn't exactly match Rita), walked up and down the side of the highway with Pounce and a bell, and my dad hiked through the brush near the crash site calling for her.  Although they didn't find Rita, they didn't find a body, either.  I remain cautiously hopeful that she will show up at somebody's house, but as you can imagine, my mother is pretty devastated with that on top of everything else.

On the good side, she got into the wheelchair for each meal today, and was also moved into a private room.  NEW PHONE NUMBER: 208-529-7624.  The call schedule worked great--thanks everyone.  Now I think people can call whenever they want to.

Bob and Vickie arrive tonight, which is going to be a great help.  Thanks for all the calls, boxes, cards, flowers, balloon, treats, and general support.

Sunday am

Well, my dad, kids, and I are off to Challis.  This may be our last trip but Mom felt we needed to go.  Amy will be staying with her today.  Last night she had new anti-anxiety meds and the night was the best in the past week.  She thinks maybe the all-nighters can stop.  

Saturday

Last night (with me) was ugly.  Mom was EXTREMELY uncomfortable and anxious.  So much so that we have a psych eval set for Monday to see if there is anything else we can do for her anxiety.  The doc on the 6th floor switched her anti-anxiety and sleeping meds around, plus they will give her her blood thinner at 8 am and 8 pm instead of sticking a needle in her stomach at 2 am, just after she's fallen asleep each night.  Good planning on that one, eh?  She didn't sleep more than 2 hours at a stretch, so wish me luck tonight.  :)

Mom's good friend, and dutiful blog poster, Vickie and her husband Bob Aanerud will be arriving into our welcome arms tomorrow.  I am hoping to get the kids home for a couple days early in the week to see their long lost father, to pay our bills, and check for Rita.  There have been a few calls from people who have found different cats but saw the posters and one or two from people who saw a cat in the area of the wreck that may or may not have been Rita.  We are following up on the calls as best as we can. 

Brian's First Post

Hi Everyone,

This is my first post on the blog.  Today was Janet's big move up to in-patient physical therapy.  She is anxious to return to California, but a lot of therapy will be necessary to prepare her.   She will receive various therapies three hours a day, but I don't know how she will handle this considering she can only sit on the edge of her bed or in a wheelchair for about 10 minutes.

Jill, Amy, and I are currently staying with her 24 hours a day, but we cannot do this much longer and are considering alternatives.  Thank you all for your E-mails, phone calls, gifts, and cards; these raise our spirits as well as Janet's.

                                                           Love,

   Brian

Mom's new phone number

208-529-7623

Same mailing address, now in room 623

Friday

Fatigue continues.  Yesterday Mom got some of her staples out, which reduced her pain when moving in and out of bed.  However we found out that she will essentially be wheelchair bound for the next 8 weeks.  She cannot put any weight on her leg or her arm, so not even a modified walker would work.  She got a new fancy black brace on her arm that color-coordinates with her halo.  Lovely.

I can't even imagine how hard it will be for my dad to help her 24/7 once they get home.  My mom wants to be "home by next Thursday", but realistically she will not be the one making that decision.  She has made a lot of progress but I will be surprised if it's that soon.  We still can't plan more than a day in advance as far as what she will need from us.  She can't eat, adjust her position in bed, telephone, or even read by herself.  She can't sit up in bed unassisted and certainly can't get out of bed or transfer to the potty or wheelchair alone.  She can't turn her head, so unless you're standing at the foot of the bed, she doesn't know where you are.  She hasn't even seen the rest of her room, except during transfers--and then that's not really what she's concentrating on!  She can use the remotes to raise and lower her bed, call the nurse, and turn on the TV.  This morning she picked up the phone by herself for the first time.  She won't eat more than a couple bites at each meal.  We are really whipped and Amy has spent the last two over-night shifts with her.  The longest she sleeps is an hour or two and she's up for the day at 4 am.  And when you add her panic attacks on top of this....you are starting to get the picture...

Caretaker exhaustion

It seems that many people think that my mom has made a miraculous recovery, which she has to a certain point.  However, my mother is still in a bad way, although she is no longer teetering at the edge of death.  In fact, it has become more difficult for us (Jill, Amy, Brian) in these last few days as her immobility, fear, claustrophobia, and depression have set in.  She does not want us to leave her alone at all and she is constantly in pain, as well as having frequent panic attacks.  I spent the night at the hospital with her and she didn't sleep for more than an hour or two at a stretch.  She will most likely need to be in rehab here in Idaho Falls for at least two more weeks before being ready to go to Sacramento on a commercial plane.  

I would appreciate it if you would all continue to keep her, and us, in your thoughts and prayers.  Special thanks to Bob, and Bob and Vickie, for planning to come out here to help us take care of her these next two weeks.

Busy Wednesday

Yet another day of craziness in Idaho.  I keep thinking Mom will just do some rehab therapy, we will just bring her some ice cream in the afternoon, and all will be calm.  HA!  The health insurance folks are kicking my mom out of the hospital--she is too healthy.  Um, yeah...  Anyhoo, the four of us decided that she will move up to the sixth floor (in the same hospital, but considered an independent facility) tomorrow.  She will have to share a room, yikes, I feel sorry for her roommate already.  Every time we all visit at the same time Mom has a panic attack, so imagine someone who doesn't know us...  So, keep an eye out for a new phone number to be posted in the very near future.

Medically, my mom is improving every day, but still having a lot of trouble.  The halo is exhausting for her to carry for any amount of time.  She got out of bed three times today and is just whipped tonight.  The physical therapy goal for the Idaho facility will be to get her in a condition where she can withstand a commercial flight home.  Then she will enter another residential rehab center in Roseville/Sacto where her goals will be getting her functional at home.  She will need up to a year of follow up care.  She is still extremely distressed about Rita.

Back to shopping!

Great on the calling schedule.  Here is the update:

Thursday: 

Eileen: late morning Mountain time (2 hours earlier than East coast)

John and Grace: afternoon

Diana: evening

Friday:

Carolyn: 11 a.m

Jenny: afternoon

Saturday:

Linda: ?

Elaine: 10:30

Bruce: 2 p.m.

Sunday:

Linda R: evening (between 6-9)

We need one more for Friday and then 2 for Sunday.

My mom was feeling a little down this afternoon because the halo is so heavy and constricting.  However, she got up and into a wheelchair with the physical therapist and we wheeled down to the gift shop!  The other pic is Derek and Anna at the zoo.

Call Schedule

Awesome, I think this is going to work.  Here's what we've got so far, and we're ready for Thursday and Friday volunteers.

Weds:  Donna, Vickie, Bob and Sue, Sukey

Thurs: 

Fri: Carolyn

Phone number: 208-529-7332

P.S. If she doesn't answer, it might mean we're not there to hand her the phone, so please wait 30 min to an hour and try again.

Hotel change

Good morning! Just a quick note to let you know that the kids and I will be moving to my sister's and dad's hotel today. We will be in room 49 (at the Best Western Driftwood). I am leaving a note at the Hampton (old hotel) with my phone number in case cards, etc have already been sent here.

Bloggers, mobilize!

Now that my mom is in her own room, she is allowed to receive flowers, mylar balloons, and phone calls.  Sooo...we're hoping to use the blog to sign people up for phone calls so they are a little spread out.  If you are willing, please leave a comment to let us know what day of the week you can call.  We're going to try to have about 3 phone calls per day, so if you already see 3 people who volunteered to call on a certain day, please pick a different one.  Her phone number is 208-529-7332.  (As a reminder, she tires easily and sometimes doesn't make perfect sense when she is tired.)

Today my dad really impressed the whole hospital when he went to Home Depot, Staples and Barnes and Noble and came back with an awesome contraption to hold my mom's crossword puzzles where she can see them.  It's made of two different types of vices, a cookbook holder, and a clipboard, and it's attached now to her bedside tray.  I'll try to take a picture tomorrow.  It was quite a feat for someone who had no tools!

Amy

Monday morning

Mom spent the night in her new room (which is quieter and a bit lonelier), and then this morning the physical therapist came and helped her shuffle to the bathroom for the first time in over a week.  She was mad at my dad when he wouldn't help her do the same thing mid-morning, but it had taken two people and my mom is still very weak (and has a broken arm and leg!) so it is just too much for one person to help with.  We're hopeful that the PT will show us how to help her to walk safely as she gets stronger over the next few days.

When she's tired, my mom still gets a little incoherent, but she's certainly on a mission to get out of the hospital!  We've supplied her with hand-held solitaire and hope to get her a laptop soon.  I'll see if I can modify the phone handle so she can pick it up when I go in this evening.  Muscle control and sensation is still fairly low for her left arm and leg, and she can't turn her head to see where the phone is.  Anyway, I'll try to do another update when I get home late tonight.

Amy

Happy Mother's Day!

Mom is on a new floor.  All is well, better every day now.  Computers have all been shifted around (and Barri left) so posts may be less often.  Tonight we spent brainstorming activities that Mom can do left handed.  Dad is going to buy her a laptop so she can watch DVDs, play solitaire, email, and listen to audio books on CD.  Any other suggestions are welcome!!!  She has a phone but can't reach it by herself yet.  When she can, we will post her number.  

Exciting medical news is all the bad things in her blood are decreasing and she sat up today with her legs hanging off the side of the bed (with much help).  Gotta run for my time with Mom!  Bye!

Janet the Angel

Derek turns four in Idaho Falls

The day could not have been more exciting. My Mom got her nose tube out. She also tried to negotiate with yet another doctor, trying to move up her estimated departure date (June 1). When he said "Doctors can't negotiate" she threw back "Well, I'm going to miss the my daughter's Great Strides Walk. Could you donate?" Can you just imagine the look on his face? She got the green light from her speech therapist to eat any kind of food she wants. A piece of Derek's birthday cake has recently been delivered.

She is still not sleeping well, but is more coherent and coordinated with each passing hour. Mom, Amy, and I spent a relaxing (!) afternoon together, watching chick flicks on the family channel. Derek, Barri, Dad, and Anna came in so Mom could watch Derek open his gift from her--he loves it, a Leapster video game. Mom was tired so we left and Dad treated to a Transformer birthday celebration at the local go-kart place. The kids were too short for the go-karts but they had about 6 bounce houses and the kids bounced for an hour.

Middle of the night treat

My reward for being with Mom in the middle of the night is that I got her first smile. I told her to make sure to save one for my Dad, and she did! He got there at 4:30am. She is getting pain meds to sleep, but not sleeping very well. Dr. Krell was in the ICU until 3am (busy Friday night) and starting at 4am my mom was ready to talk to him because she was "marshalling her forces". At 5am she was ready to get in a chair to show him how strong she is and "start her negotiations".

Amy and I found out that during the night Thursday (right before she got her tube out) she reached up to her face by sliding her arm restraint down and leaning her head over (more difficult than you could imagine in the braces she's in) and yanked all two feet of tube up out of her small intestine and out her nose. The nurse had to put in back in. They'd like to keep her on it a day or two more until she's really eating well.

And finally, in case you were wondering, she is using this time in the hospital to hone her motherly manipulation...luckily for me it's all pointed at Amy right now. Mom told her last night it was time for her to "get pregnant". Then at 1am (after Amy left) she told me she needed to call Dave. I asked her if I could just give him a message and she said "I want to give him the green light on grandchildren." Wow. Dave, I don't know if you want to pick up the phone today....

Cuties!!!!

Big Plans

It's about 8:30 p.m. and this is my (Amy's) last post for today.  They got my mom into a chair this afternoon for about two hours.  She had about 4 bites of her Baskin Robbins mint chocolate chip ice cream, and proceeded to offer it to everyone she saw, like her nurse, her doctor, and the assistant.  She is very anxious about not being able to move her head, and asked the doctor for a "special exception" so she could get it off.  In fact, she asked to talk to the doctor every thirty seconds until I finally went and interrupted his rounds--what a nice guy.  Of course, he said she couldn't have the halo off, couldn't get the feeding tube out of her nose, and couldn't yet move to a room upstairs.  She wasn't happy about it, but we're all hopeful she'll get 2/3 of those by Sunday (what a mother's day!)   

This evening she was asking for and drinking ice water and milk, and at first wanted some food.  However, the feeding tube interferes with her swallowing, and we're guessing that her throat is really sore from the ventilator, so she didn't end up eating much.  She begged us to take the feeding tube out of her nose and it was so awful to say no.  It was a relief when she fell asleep, as I think she was more agitated due to fatigue from her big day.

Tomorrow there might not be too many posts because it's Derek's birthday.  We're having a Transformers party.  I'm going to try and post some new pics of Derek and Anna due to popular request (I'm not ignoring you, Christine!)  The swim goggles were in a care package from Vickie A.  Oh, and the card I forgot to mention was from Nancy C.  We've gotten quite a few today, but I haven't seen who they're from yet.  Hope everyone has a nice mother's day weekend--we certainly are going to if everything continues on course.  The grasshopper pie from Baskin Robbins has been ordered!

"I'm on it!"

So I had to be pried from my mom's room with a crow bar, but my dad and sister didn't like my attitude when my blood sugar got too low yesterday.  So I'm on lunch break, which is making my mom jealous.  She's able to talk now and she's HUNGRY!  We have to wait for the speech therapist to come at 2 p.m. before she has permission to eat, but we're fairly sure she'll be eating  mint chocolate chip by tonight.  

She's doing fantastic--her throat is sore from the tube, so she only speaks a few words at a time, but her ears and mind are going a mile a minute.  She started with thank you, moisture, ice cream, Dave, dark, and then jumped right up to "I want to see my grandkids!"  So Jill and Barri hustled the kids out of the hotel pool and raced over, but obviously not fast enough for my mom, who asked "Where are they?"  So Derek and Anna arrived and told "Robot-Gigi" how happy they were to see her, and Gigi said, "I love you."  After they left and the nurse came in, my mom said, "Did you see my grandkids?"  

Another funny story was when my sister was whispering to let my mom sleep.  Jill said, "Mom, are you listening?"  As anyone who knows my mother knows her acute hearing, they won't be surprised that she said yes.  After that we didn't bother whispering!

We asked her if she knew where she was, and she did.  Then we asked if she remembered the boxes and e-mails we had told her about.  She started listing off all the people who'd sent stuff.  When the nurse from yesterday stopped by to say hi and tell mom she was going to Boise, mom told her to "Be careful."  Good advice.

I think my favorite moment of the morning was when my mom asked how long it would be until she could move to a normal room, and the nurse said that if she started eating and her bloodwork looked okay, she could be moving in just a couple days.  My mom said, "I'm on it."  My mom's back--spirit included!

We'll post a pic of Mom in her halo soon.

ICE CREAM!

Breathing parameters were good. Responsiveness is good, even better than last night. She can squeeze fingers and isolate moving one foot at a time. Krell said, yeah we might try to pull that tube this morning. Then my dad and I left the room for 15 minutes while they changed her bed. We were in the waiting room and after 14 minutes and 59 seconds I said "We can go in" As if we were connected, we immediately stopped talking and jumped out of our chairs. We got to her room and my sneaking suspicions were confirmed--they pulled the tube! As everyone reads that, I'm envisioning a "wave" going across the country as everyone jumps out of their chair and throws their arms in the air and yells "whoo-hooo Janet". Her first words were THANK YOU (to the RT), MOISTURE (to the nurse), and ICE CREAM (to whoever will deliver the goods). Gotta run, she just told my sister that she wants to see her grandkids. I'm at the hotel and I have to get them out of the pool. As SpongeBob would say "BEST DAY EVER"

9 a.m. on Friday

We're cautiously optomistic this morning. Jill just called from the hospital and said that my mom is more responsive this morning than last night. She can now wiggle just one foot and squeeze the nurse's hand slightly, but that tongue is still our most reliable yes/no indicator. Jill said that when my mom wants to get their attention, she waves everything she can, particularly her foot. She is totally off the sedative, and now on about a fourth of the pain medication than she was on two days ago.

She is doing the breathing parameters right now to see if we can pull the breathing tube out. Her muscles are strong enough to breathe on her own, but the big test today will be if she can cough enough on command to move something from her airway (precaution against choking once the tube is out). So think strong breathing thoughts!

Her bilirubin is down (this causes jaundice), which is a great thing, but her liver enzymes are slightly up. So we're not out of the woods yet, but we're hopeful that with her improved response, she will be able to overcome this.

Thanks to the beach house women for the bear and balloons; Vickie for the care package; Lisa and Marge for the UC Davis stuff and the Harry and David basket; and Mary and Ted for the "Chocolate Heaven" box. Thanks also to John and Grace, the hospice thrift store, and Sukey for the cards (I'm forgetting one, but I'll list it tomorrow). A huge thanks to Uncle Bob F. and Vickie and Bob A. for planning to fly out to be with my mom and dad towards the end of May.

night shift

Mom is still responsive. No new blood work until tomorrow morning (checking on liver, etc). New breathing parameters tomorrow morning. She could have the tube out by 9am. Still worried about high white blood count, maybe there is an infection somewhere. The new family joke is instead of telling each other "I love you" we stick out our tongues. (This afternoon I told her I loved her, then asked her if she loved me....oh yeah, I got a big tongue!!!) They are trying to keep her pain meds as low as possible tonight to have the highest level of consciousness possible to get the tube out tomorrow. Down side to this is she is pretty dang uncomfortable and now she is able to TELL US. Oh yeah, she was trying to form words around her tube for the first time. Unfortunately, we couldn't figure out what words. Let's hope tomorrow is as positive as today was. Your emails and cards and care packages are super. Once we knew she could hear us today, we reread ALL the emails and comments until she waved her foot and we said "Should we let you rest?" YES.

Mom's Back!

It's 5:30 here and we've been flying high for about two hours...my mom has been responding consistently to questions and commands. Jill is over there now, and she said that my mom is sticking out her tongue in response to questions like, "Are your legs uncomfortable?" She can't lift one finger at a time yet, but she can move her left arm or foot on command. Jill said that the nurse kept encouraging her to leave mom alone to sleep, but mom had her eyes wide open and would move her foot until Jill came over to talk to her.

So this is definitely an up on the emotional roller coaster. There is some kind of poetic justice to the fact that she mom can stick her tongue out at all of us now. :) She's certainly earned that right!

Fantastic news!

5 minutes ago Janet responded to the doctor by sticking out her tongue and squeezing his hand. Brian, Jill and Amy are with her and happy tears are flowing. This is Barri, im sure that when they get back from the ICU that they will give us a full update of the great news!

Yay for Janet's liver!

Dad just got back. He was there for doctor rounds this morning. The report is her liver is working since her ammonia levels are good or at least not bad. Also I think her face is more expressive every day, and she is flailing her arm and leg less on less sedation. Hopefully this is good for her recovery, as it is less alarming for us to watch and she doesn't bash her arm against the bed rail as often. Krell will lower sedation and pain meds to check brain activity today.

tiny update

Amy is on shift for the next four hours. Mom seems stable, another positive thing this morning is that they have turned the vent down so she is almost breathing on her own again. There seem to be lots of improvements since surgery, but just not as dramatic as they had hoped. Everyone please send liver-strength!

I have figured out how to post as myself, so you will now be able to tell which sister is posting. We print out the comments every day to read to my mom, and I think my dad is just overwhelmed (in a good, but emotional way) with how many different people have emailed and commented. The amount of support we feel is just...no words to explain it... Many of you say how you check the blog all day, and we do the same for new comments and fun stories to cheer us up. Barri will be here for lunch, the kids have been wilting here without him. I guess I haven't been giving them enough candy or something.

Thursday 10 a.m.

This is Amy. I just got back from seeing my mom this morning (my dad is on shift now), and we're grateful to report that she hasn't gotten worse.  Her liver enzymes are about the same and she still looks yellow from the jaundice, but her temperature is normal and her white cell count has gone down a little.

Rounds are usually around 11 a.m., so we'll get the word from the doctors sometime around then.  Thanks again for all your comments...I think Jill, my dad, and me are all enjoying the advice and stories as much as my mom!  It's nice to have something to smile about now and then.  

Wednesday night

This is Amy and I'm on niece and nephew duty tonight while Jill and my dad are at the hospital.  Mom came through the gall bladder surgery and was already opening her eyes by the time I left at about 8.

There are some mixed thoughts from the doctors. The surgeon (Dr. Carter) said that mom's liver is really swollen, so we'll just have to "wait and see" if it gets better and functions correctly now that the yucky gall bladder is out of the way.  It would be a very bad thing if the liver fails, as there is nothing to do about it medically.  The doctor said it would be "unrecoverable."  We all went through quite a lot of tissues over that one.

On the other hand, the director of Intensive Care (Dr. Krell), seems to be thinking a little more positively.  His intuition is that she will improve, and he also doesn't think she had a stroke (different than Dr. Cach, the neurosurgeon).  Her breathing continues to get slightly stronger each day, and they will continue the treatment for pneumonia.

Today was a tough day, and we appreciate all the comments and calls.

Amy

gall bladder surgery

Anyone who prays, let's get started.  The surgery is more complicated than we thought at first and could have some unimaginable consequences.  Gigi needs a miracle.

Yay poop!

A smidgen of good news--mom had her chest tube out this morning.  It was in there to drain fluids from her chest cavity after the surgery on her lower back.  Also, yesterday she was breathing too fast, but today she's back to normal, probably due to the pneumonia treatment taking effect (antibiotics and draining her lungs).

She is going to kill me for saying this, but she also had her first bowel movement since the accident.  That sh** makes me happy because the T12 (vertebra in lower back) was smashed to smithereens and the spinal cord there controls bowel and bladder function.  Yay poop!

Love,

Amy 

P.S. Make sure you scroll down because I'm putting some pictures on the blog.

bye bye gall bladder

(Jill)

We met with Dr. Cach this morning.  He seems to be sure it was a stroke, but not a massive one.  The next step would normally be to put her on blood thinner but with her back surgery they can't for at least 2 weeks.  Her condition should improve, but she could always get another clot.  She is moving all her limbs, so we hope this will reduce the chance of that happening from inactivity.

Dr. Carter will be taking her gall bladder out today at 4pm.  Her liver enzymes are bad again and the gall bladder showed some thickening.  It will be laproscopic, but the tricky thing is that Dr. Cach will have to unattach the halo for them to move the chest plate for surgery.  

She failed her breathing tests again this morning, but still getting stronger.  She was sitting up this morning when we went in.

Our deep gratitude to Amy G. for setting us up with her aunt to watch the kids.  They passed the "good behavior test" and she offered to watch them again if we needed.  Such a relief to have someone we trust around.

10 min update

Just got back from my 4 hour shift with Mom, although I didn't spend much of it with her. I waited while she got another CT scan. If the scan results allow, she will be given postural drainage and percussions (Derek was excited about that--that's what he gets 3 times a day). The culture showed no pneumonia and her fever is down today, less than 100. When I left she was hopefully about to get her gall bladder and liver ultrasounded. Her art line is tough to stay functional, so it is out now. Good news about that is that her blood pressure has been good, but they will stick her for each blood draw. Hopefully they will get a new line in soon.

Good news, I found a babysitter for the kids tomorrow. She is the aunt of a family friend and a grandma. Her grandkids will be there to play with. Thanks, so many of you, for all the ideas.

ps-don't get me started on the family who brought their contagious daughter into the ICU waiting room with hand-foot-mouth disease. Don't worry, I let the nurses know to clean it up good and I forbade my dad and sister from being in that room for the next 24 hours.

Dr. Krell vs. Dr. Cach....

Dr. Krell is adamant that the brain slowing could be caused by the enzymes from liver damage and pneumonia.  Amy confronted him on the fact that he and Dr. Cach are saying such different things and Dr. Krell's opinion is that she would not have such good motor skill if she had a stroke. So.........Amy asked Mom's nurse which dr. she would trust and Abbie said "Dr. Cach likes to give the worse case scenario and then everyone is happy when things go better than expected"  Amy will talk to Dr. Krell again during rounds.  Mom will get an ultrasound on her liver.

I'm getting notes from people who know people in Idaho Falls.  Maybe you can help us--I am looking for someone who can help me get a babysitter for the kids, just for an hour, tomorrow morning during our meeting with Dr. Cach.

Word from Amy

Amy just called from hospital.  The nurses had Mom sitting in a chair for 3 hours before Amy and Dad got there.  Holy Smokes!!  I imagine that felt wonderful after laying on her back for 5 days.  She failed her parameters again, but still improving.  Main problem is her breathing rate goes up too fast when they take the sedation down.  

Results from EEG are in.  Showed a general slowing of the brain (um, thanks).  There are several signs that point towards, if she had a stroke, it was a small deep one.  No motor areas were affected, there is no droop in her face.  She can really move her arms and legs--even the broken ones.  It is a struggle for the nurses to keep the sedation as low as possible for better consciousness but high enough that she doesn't bang her arm on the side rail of her bed.  She likes to get her good leg and kick all the pillows off the bottom of her bed and then hang her foot over the side.  Also there is no seizure activity.  A stroke would certainly explain why one morning she was following commands and then has been unresponsive ever since.

Reason for unresponsiveness?

Dr. Cach called Amy this morning.  We have a meeting with him tomorrow morning.  He thinks Mom may have had a stroke.  She will get another brain scan today.  

Hansen power

Just talked to Barri's sister, who was an ICU nurse in Seattle for 2 years.  She told me the nurses and doctors take better care of the patients whose families are there watching (even if they will be talking about us and rolling their eyes for weeks after my mom gets better).  So in that regard, we are doing all that we can!  And can I just say, there was a point on Saturday when Amy had on gloves and was helping...although that won't surprise anyone who knows Amy!  Also I walked in yesterday and a nurse from a different station called out to me "Oh, would you take these back to your mom?" and hands me three bags of IV antibiotics.  I loved the look on the doctors face when I walked in with her drugs and told him I should probably start getting a paycheck now.

There are definitely less tears, and more positive thinking around here.  

another late night

Dad spent tonight with Mom.  He reports that nothing has changed, although he requested that we be included in rounds tomorrow and also have a meeting with Dr. Cach (neurosurg).  After her tests today they didn't put her on quite so much sedative, so she does flail a bit when she's awake.  Her eyebrows are the most expressive part, sort of knotting in confusion sometimes.  I can't help but feel like she is asking for help and we can't give her what she wants--the arm untied and the tube out and the halo off and a bowl of mint chocolate chip ice cream.  What a relief it will be when the tube is out.  She gave the respiratory therapist a run for her money today by pushing the tube out the side of her mouth.  She didn't stop until the RT untaped it and retaped it where Mom had pushed it.  

Amy will be with my mom tomorrow morning til lunch time.  If Mom does well on her weaning tests in the morning, it could be an exciting day.  If there is big news, I will try to make my posts shorter and more frequent.

I have had a request to explain how we are keeping two toddlers happy in a hotel room...well they are pretty much in heaven.  They have no chores, no bedtimes, no rules, sleep in the same room as mom, eat chocolate muffins in bed watching cartoons every morning, swim in the pool at least twice a day, get everything they could possibly want from Grandpa (and Dad before he left, like pool noodles), fill their sippy cups straight from the ice machine, ride an elevator 15 times a day....  hmmm...  how could they NOT be happy?  Before Barri left he made my dad promise that he would take the kids to the go-kart place sometime.  I asked them tonight if they wanted to go play in the park tomorrow and Anna pipes up "go-cars".  Now that it's just mom, there are some new rules.  No whacking pool noodles in the hotel room.  No touching Gigi's computer.  Fruit snacks do not constitute an entire meal.  etc.

You folks are awesome

Hi, this is Amy again. I haven't written for a few days because we were in Challis and then we moved hotels, but I'm baaack!

Jill's done a great job of keeping everyone informed, but I just want to let you know how awesome you all are. We print out every e-mail and blog comment and read it to my mom (often multiple times). You can't even imagine the difference it makes to know how many people are routing for her. Your support has lifted my spirits today, which has been difficult for me since my mom isn't responding to anything yet.

Keep those reverse Monday e-mails/blog comments coming. My mom loves (we imagine) hearing all those details about who went where when.

Cinco de Mayo

Things are well today.  Dad, Amy, and I are rotating shifts so that one of us is with Mom at all times.  A new ICU Director is on today and he wants that tube out!  This is good, as long as we don't jump the gun.  (She failed her weaning tests again this morning)  He called for a second round of tests, plus a test to see how much swelling is in her throat if they were to take the tube out.  Before the tests at noon, she was breathing on her own for an hour.  Plus all last night she started all her breaths on her own.  This is all improvement!  Although she failed her tests at noon, her test results are stronger than even this morning.  She has a gag reflex that she didn't have two days ago and throat swelling is not an issue.  Dr. Krull (ICU dir) talked to Dr. Cach about her unresponsiveness and they decided to wait one more day.  We are a little relieved, since to reintube would be a MAJOR problem with the halo.  Her vitals all look good and stable.

Mom still has a low grade fever.  Her unresponsiveness may be due to apoxia (? lack of oxygen at time of accident) and that caused her liver to spew out enzymes.  Those enzymes can cause brain slowness (no EEG results yet) and the levels of those enzymes are decreasing over time.  That would explain the jaundice too, but it's all unconfirmed.

We will not be able to update the blog quite as often as before, now that Barri is gone.  Please don't worry!!!

late night

Mom's vitals look good tonight.  We were worried about her blood pressure, but it was equipment malfunction.  She has a fever.  The follow up on her unresponsiveness was to do an EEG this afternoon, where they turned off all the lights, hooked up a zillion electrodes on her head, then flashed strobe lights.  She wasn't real impressed with that.  Amy said she was waving her good arm and leg around.  With her slow responses, she couldn't blink her eyelids fast enough and got pretty ticked off.

Barri saw Mom for the first time tonight and was alarmed at how she looked.  She has a lot of tubes and stuff.  The halo is pretty impressive too.  Can't wait til she's up and hair washed so we can send out a picture of it and her.  We got the preliminary results from EEG which showed no signs of seizures--that's good--but we won't get the full report til the morning.    This should tell us if she has some kind of brain slowing thing that I can't remember the name of, but that doesn't have any long term effects.  If she has it, that would explain the low level of responsiveness.  

Sunday afternoon

Things are up and down still. Bad news is Mom has pneumonia. Good news is that it is probably due to aspiration at the crash, rather than a nasty bug picked up from the hospital. They are culturing it to determine what bugs are causing the infection so they use the appropriate antibiotic. There is both mucus in her lungs and fluid from her abdomen pushing on her lungs. She failed her weaning parameters again this morning so she is still on the ventilator. Today she is taking her own breaths, as she did yesterday afternoon.

Dad and Amy looked for Rita again this morning with no luck. They--and Sylvia--got here this afternoon. Amy is with Mom right now and Dad is checking in to their cat-friendly hotel. Derek and Anna can't wait to go play with Syl.

Her unresponsiveness was the biggest concern this morning. She went in for another brain scan. Dr. Whatmore (ICU director, I think) said that any time a person has a neck injury like this they have had some sort of trauma to the brain also. BUT, the scan was still clear--very good news! And, although I read her emails and talked to her all morning, it wasn't until my dad walked through the door and talked to her that her eyes flew open and she began to be restless in bed. She is still not responding directly to questions, but Dr. W thought that could due to the pneumonia, fever, and meds making her confused. She was very agitated in bed, but by moving her good arm and leg that will reduce the swelling, help circulation, and help muscle tone. Some of you probably know how much she hates to be confined or restricted. Her entire right side is bandaged or casted, she can't turn her head, she has the halo-turtle shell and her good arm is tied down so she doesn't rip her tube out. Guess that would explain why she's agitated!! Dr. W said she will be on the ventilator for 3-4 more days. I think that is due to the pneumonia, but their biggest worry is re-intubating her if they take it out too soon. With the halo her neck is totally immobilized and intubating is easiest if they can lift the chin, etc.

The line in her arm where they take blood samples came/fell out this morning. This meant they would have to stick her every time they wanted a sample. Well, mom told them what she thought of that, waving her arm around when they were trying to get a sample this afternoon. So they brought in an anesthesiologist who numbed her arm, then they got a new line in. Yay!

We will be staying in two different hotels. Dad, Amy and Sylvia are at:
Amy and Brian Hansen
Best Western-Driftwood
575 River Parkway
Idaho Falls, ID 83402
208-523-2242 Room 48

Jill, Derek, and Anna (and Barri, but he will only be here one more night) are at:
Jill and Barri Twardoski
Hampton Inn
2500 Channing Way
Idaho Falls, ID 83404
208-529-9800 Room 234

She had built up too much fluid from when they were trying to get her blood pressure up for surgery, so they gave her something today to start getting rid of it. Of course, now the worry is that her blood pressure will go down, but so far it is staying up in a healthy range. Since she will still have the tube, they gave her a feeding tube today. She gets electrolytes and vitamins and stuff delivered straight to her small intestine. Hopefully that will help with her strength. That also means that they are pretty sure she's done with surgeries.

My mom and dad really love hearing from everyone. Your emails and phone calls have meant a lot to them. I'm sorry if we don't call everyone back right away, one example of how busy we've all been is that my dad has never even read this blog. I don't mean just today's, I mean ANY of it!!! We'll be with my mom until 6:30 and then again from 8:30 to 10:30 tonight.

update from Challis

Rita is still missing.  The only new information is that she definitely survived the crash because the Deputy that responded saw her run away.  Amy and Dad spent 8 hours looking along about 2 miles of the highway.

I forgot to report earlier that Dr. Carter was very positive about Mom's recovery except there is some concern from the orthopaedist concerning nerve damage from her broken arm.

Saturday evening

(JILL)
After the halo was put on we were at a high point. Tonight is a low point. I think mainly due to lack of sleep and mildly worse news than expected.

My mom will not be taken off the ventilator tonight. Of course, I hadn't realized how high my hopes had gotten until it didn't happen. Dr. Carter (intensivist?) came by (I hid behind Mom's bed after visiting hours were over), so then he had to talk to me! He was awesome. Mom had weaning parameters done this afternoon: forceful exhale, forceful inhale, cough reflex, etc. Her results were very poor, which is exactly what Dr. Cach had thought yesterday. Dr. Carter says 2 or 4 days on the ventilator will not make a difference in Mom's long term health. One good thing is that she will breathe on her own during the day (like she did the second half of today) and they will put her back on the machine at night to rest up. Each morning she will have another trial of weaning parameters until she's strong enough to get off the tube. For the parameter tests, they lower her sedative so she is wide-eyed and tries her best. I read her some short stories tonight, even though I think she was asleep, until I came to one about a car wreck....SKIP.... Mom's O2 level is up to 100 so that is better than it has been. And her blood pressure is lower, but Dr. Carter said that could be because of her position on the bed the machine wasn't registering it properly.

Due to the halo, Mom will most likely have headaches until she gets used to the weight of the metal around her head.

Also, Dad and Amy have not found Rita yet. They found the crash site and, hooray, Dad's stapler, which had been thrown into the sagebrush! Everyone is very nice in Challis. We found out today they have a dog catcher, who they will give Rita's description to. They will be hanging lost posters up around town and the highway. I hope to hear from them tonight. There is no cell coverage in Challis. We found out that we had written down the wrong mile marker, so when we drove down on Thursday night Barry and I were not looking for Rita in the right place.

GOOD NEWS!!--Janet is an Angel

This is Jill.

Mom is waking up from a double dose of sedatives and pain meds. She needed them for the procedure of screwing on the halo. She tried to open her eyes when I talked to her. You can google "halo neck brace" to see some pictures of approximately what it looks like. The smaller neck brace has been removed and her chin and neck are not squished. Her brace goes all the way over her belly and lower back to support the back injury also. I didn't talk to Dr. Cach after the procedure (he may be avoiding me because we Hansens seem to ask a lot of questions...) but he must think she's doing well because the nurse still thinks they will extubate today or tomorrow. She should be sitting up by this afternoon. She hasn't needed any blood products since 2 units of plasma last night.

If they extube today, she will be eating on her own by tomorrow and I assume will be MUCH more responsive! If they don't, she will have a feeding tube put in tomorrow as her signs show that she is HUNGRY!

Barri is going home tomorrow, maybe on the bus. The kids and I will stay here. Plans are still only being made about 6 hours out.

Amy and Dad have picked up Sylvia and will be out this afternoon looking for Rita.

saturday am

(This is Jill) 

Dad, Amy and I saw Mom this morning for an hour.  Her eyes seem to be more swollen, so she can't open them.  We played the recorder of Derek and Anna for her again, but no response.  Barry is taping a new one right now, we'll see if Anna puts her newest word on there "Dammit".  That will make my mom's eyes roll!

The custom made halo and back brace will be one piece.  It opens when she is laying down for bathing and cleaning.  I haven't seen it yet, I am going over in a few minutes to make sure I'm there for the procedure of attaching it to her head.  They will do that in the xray department, which is different than they usually do.  The nurses say that most times they do in in bed in the ICU.  I'm sure they want to make sure her neck is aligned when they attach it with the screws.

No other news besides the nurse again said that she thinks Mom is breathing pretty well on her own so may have the tube out sooner than the neuro doc said yesterday.  Mom will start PT on Sunday or  Monday on her good side.

Amy and Dad drove a rental car up to Challis today.  They will pick up Sylvia, talk to the sheriff's office, get the rest of their stuff, and camp out to look for Rita.  If needed, they have a hotel in Challis and will continue to look tomorrow.  

We will be changing hotels tomorrow to one that accepts cats.  Later this afternoon I will post that address and number for calls and correspondence.  

Amy's here and it's 2 a.m.

Hi everybody. This is Amy and I've arrived in Idaho Falls and went in to see mom, who was sleeping peacefully and looked as comfortable as possible for the situation.

Jill and I had a chat with the nurses and they seemed to think mom might get off the ventilator (extubated) in the next few days, which is different from what the doctor said. The nurses said, "Well, Dr. Cach is a brain guy, not a lung guy." They said mom's lung has reinflated (it was deflated on purpose for the surgery), and they think she is breathing better on her own than she was before.

Today (May 3rd), mom will be getting a halo put on to stabilize the fractured vertebra in her neck. Jill and her fam will be around here to take good care of her. Dad and I will be driving the 3 hours to Challis (accident site) to look for Rita and to get Sylvia, as well as collect the last of the stuff from the car. We will probably stay overnight, especially if we haven't found Rita. There's no cell phone coverage in Challis, but you will still be able to contact Jill and Barry on their cell or at the Hampton Inn, which can be reached at 208-529-9800, Room 234.

Thank you for all your blog comments and e-mails. We will be printing them out to read to both mom and dad to lift their spirits (and ours, too.) Many of you have offered to come out to help, which we appreciate so much. Right now we can't make any decisions past what we're doing the next day, but you can be sure that you're "on the Hansen list" when it gets to the point where we're lining up help for her recovery. Since mom's in the ICU, no flowers, plants, or latex balloons are allowed. If you want to send something, mylar balloons, stuffed animals, pictures, and cards are allowed. The address of Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center is 3100 Channing Way, Idaho Falls, ID 83404.

Finger hugs!

Post-op update

Hi all,

This is Jill.  Mom is out of her second surgery and it went faster than anticipated.  Dad and I met with the social worker and the neurosurgeon afterwards.  Back-wise she is doing great, lung-wise not so great.  He (Dr. Cach, neuro) is projecting her to be intubated for up to 14 days.  It is typical for a person who receives multiple traumas to have weak lungs.  She is having a specially made halo neck brace that will connect to the turtle-shell back brace (not in place yet).  She will get the halo tomorrow and that will allow her to sit up in bed a little.  The halo and brace combo she will have to wear for three months, then a different kind of turtle shell for two more months.  Her lower back will take a year to heal.  They don't yet know if there was any damage to the nerves at the injury site, T-12.  There are still no signs of any head trauma or internal damage.  So she will be in the ICU for the whole time she is on the ventilator.  There is no phone in her room, but once Amy gets here we will work out our hotel situation and post the best way to contact us.

The next four days she will have a lot of pain, but will be on several pain meds due to the breathing tube.  Her level of awareness is low, but she can respond to questions with a slight nod or finger movement or eye blinks.  She is very immobilized and drugged to allow her neck and back to heal.  After tomorrow we will probably start reading to her, if friends and family want to send some fun, upbeat messages about what you are up to that we can read to her (like her Monday emails but in reverse!).  From what I've heard, she will not remember much from this period afterward, but it is a relief to see the recognition in her eyes and to get a finger hug.

One possible option for tomorrow is that Amy (who flies in tonight at 11pm) and Dad will drive to Challis (2 1/2 hours one way) and visit Syl, look for Rita, etc and if necessary stay over Saturday night, while Barry and I are here to check on Mom.  

Mom will have a pretty long recuperation period.  There is the possibility of Mom being flown home to CA after the tube comes out.  She will need lots of follow up with lots of doctors.  Although planning anything for more than 24 hours in advance is quite fuzzy.

All this sounds bad, but after seeing the car, we are lucky to have my mom still around.  Derek was awake when we stopped to get their stuff and he looked at the tow truck driver and asked "Is he going to fix Grandpa and Gigi's car?"  I said "No, I think Grandpa is going to have to buy a new car."  Derek was thrilled "OH YEAH!!  A NEW CAR!"  He and Anna also enjoyed their sneak preview of all the toys and treats G&G were bringing to Montana.

My dad is staying with her now until shift change at 6:30.  We will be available on my cell phone at 406-396-7279.  The kids are napping and Barry is out buying a digital voice recorder so Derek and Anna can make a recording to play for their adored Gigi.

Contact Info

Janet is in surgery for her back right now. A common question has been how to get a hold of Brian. He does not have direct access to a telephone, but you can try Jill's cell at 406-396-7279 or Amy's at 315-412-2363. We'll give you updates when there is a better telephone number.

Thanks for all your thoughts and prayers.

May 1st Car Accident

On May 1st, Janet and Brian had a car accident in Challis, Idaho, on their way from California to Montana. Their car flipped over. They were air lifted to Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center in Idaho Falls for treatment. Brian has some abrasions. Janet has multiple broken bones. She has broken her leg (femur), pelvis, arm, thumb, a vertabra in her neck, and a vertebra in her spine. So far there is no paralysis, brain injury, or damage to internal organs.

The people of Challis were wonderful and supportive, and the vet there has Sylvia the cat, who is doing fine. Rita the cat escaped after the accident, but everyone will continue looking for her at the site.

Janet had surgery the evening of May 1st to put pins in to stabilize her leg, pelvis, and arm. The surgery went well, and today (May 2nd), she has another surgery scheduled for her back. They will remove bone fragments and put some pins in her lower back, and attach a halo to her neck and head to immobilize the fractured vertabra in her neck.

Jill, Barry, Derek and Anna drove down from Hamilton the night of May 1st, by way of Challis. They got Janet and Brian's things from their car and put food out for Rita by the accident site. Jill thinks she might have heard a meow, but it was dark and Rita didn't come out of hiding. They are now staying in a room at the Hampton Inn Idaho Falls right next to the hospital. Brian spent the night keeping Janet company in Intensive Care.

Jill and Brian are attending a doctor's meeting right now before Janet's possible back surgery. Amy is flying in tonight. We will keep you all updated, especially when Janet gets a room and a telephone. Thanks so much for your thoughts and prayers.