Quick update!

It's me again, Maggie! I just thought I'd update y'all again on momma's status. She is making progress each day. While it's still painful for her to move around, it's getting easier for her and she is becoming a pro at log rolling. She's also working on what the hospital called no BLTing (bending, lifting, or twisting).

She has been walking at least a mile a day and has been working on her back exercises! Each day that I changer her dressing I'm able to see improvement which is marvelous and encouraging! She hasn't been able to get up to her craft table yet, but I know it's on the top of her list to be able to. Right now though we're just working on walking, strengthening her back, and getting her rest to continue her healing!

I have some pictures to share with y'all of our walk today...I also included some pictures of her incision sight..so again if you don't like that kind of stuff, well, I'm sorry and I put them at the very bottom so you can at least just see the pics of mom on the walk today! The story behind the stick is that my nephew (her grandchildren) out in Florida go on daily walks with their mom and they get sticks to use as their guns, like their dad (who is a gunner on the AC-130U). So when mom saw this stick on our walk she just couldn't resist taking pictures to share with her grandkids! Hope you enjoy!!

 Can you see the similarities? Also, they both normally have their water bottle close at hand to sip water as needed on their walks (hence mom holding her water bottle in all of the pics!) 

Safe landing!!!

It's me again, Maggie! I just want to start this post off with a caution!!! This blog contains actual images of mom's back! It isn't too bad, but if you get queezy at the site of wounds etc then I just wanted to give you fair warning!


So mom is home! I got off of school around noon and got there at about 12:40. She has been told no showering or getting her back wet, but I asked if I could use their shower room anyways (since they had a place to sit and a removable shower-head) just to get her hair shampooed. I knew if we didn't get her hair cleaned there that it would probably be a while until we'd be able to again since our shower is upstairs, and she's not go be climbing those death traps!!! ;) So, I was able to talk the nurse into letting me get her cleaned up, and we did, and not a single drop went rolling down her back!!! (yes, I'm patting myself on the shoulder!) 


A very nice young man came to transport mother from her room down to our vehicle. He was very pleasant to speak with and was extremely patient with mom and helpful in getting her situated; for which I was very thankful!


I got mom home, got her prescription filled, and got a decent dinner made too!!! My younger brother was able to bring my bed downstairs so that I can sleep with mom and also so she doesn't have to take those stairs up! 


The cat is so happy to have mom back home...he is sleeping at her feet as I type! :)


Here are some pictures, and as I said above there are some of her wound, so consider yourself forewarned! Thank you all again for your love, support, and prayers! They're greatly appreciated! 

Still here...

I hacked my mother's blog to update you all on her health status. Her surgery went very well, however, the Dr was astounded by the size of the herniation. He described it as being a, "honker". They are keeping her in the hospital tonight because they're worried that she could be getting pneumonia. So being the good daughter (and nursing student) that I am, I have been making her turn, cough, and deep breathe and use her incentive spirometer. Her pain has increased today from yesterday but the Dr says that's not too surprising because of all of swelling in her back and all along her spinal cord plus she doesn't have the effects of the anesthesia any more. Mom walked about 2 miles today and has more feeling in her quads and knee then she has had in the past 4 weeks. They're hoping to discharge her tomorrow, so we'll see how she does...just pray she's able to kick the fever and avoid pneumonia!! I'm also praying she's able to get some sleep. I traded seats with her earlier today (she sat in the upright chair and I sat in her bed) and her bed is the most uncomfortable bed EVER! Her hospital bed is even more uncomfortable than the practice hospital beds (ancient beds I might add) that we have for our nursing program! So I'm hoping that she's able to catch up on some much needed rest, if not now, then when she gets home to a real bed. I have a few pics to share from my phone that's real SMART -- since her phone isn't too smart ;) and then that's it for me! Hope y'all don't mind me taking over mom's blog and throwing some words together! Thanks for your thoughts and prayers! They're greatly appreciated!

Her poor cheeks were so red, I told her she was  the perfect example of what a butterfly rash looks like!

 The wound! When I showed mom the picture she said it looked like corn on the cob laying in a pool of mustard...I suppose I can see where she's coming from!!!

 A few minutes after going for a mile long walk. She's been a pro and put up with my bossing her around very well! :) 

 This was last night when they finally decided she could handle solid foods. She was given salmon, squash, fresh fruit, and diet coke!!! It was a meal right up her alley! Thankfully the hospital food here actually hasn't been too awful!

In With the New.......

Lets see if i can squeeze a quick post in before heading in to surgery this morning.

John was able to get me a few photos of the morning he left to go back to school from his "smart phone" and e-mailed them to me. 

We celebrated his 24th birthday the night before a week or so early.....and this is the hat is was hoping for.  I know....what can I say except we all have our own quirky fashion statements i guess!!

The piece I made the piece i am wearing out of twisted fabric flowers and an old doily, just to entertain myself.  And i like it just as much as John likes his bearded beanie ;D 

it sure is quiet now that everyone is back to college in their respective states. 

Thank you for your prayers!!

my grandson share our love for fashion

Out With the Old........

How were your holidays?  Mine are a bit of a blurr.

It all started with John surprising me by coming home a week early and just showing up at Sam's hockey game at the Santa Anna Star Center!  I was watching the Mustang's practice, turned my head, and there was John!  Moments earlier I'd been talking to him from what i thought was southern Illinois!!  Maggie had known for a few weeks of his real plans! She kept that secret soooo well, even had me convinced she was shopping with her friends when she was picking him up at the airport.  I love those kinds of surprises cause its usually me keeping the secret from everybody else.

December 19th I had sudden severe low back pain that wouldn't ease up with anything.  It felt through the hips like it feels moments before your baby is born.  And since I've given birth eight times naturally, I KNOW that pain!  After four hours, I went to the ER where I was diagnosed as having sciatica due to stress which had brought on an "anxiety attack". (Anyone would be suffering from anxiety after 7 hours of that searing pain with no relief.)  The doctor told me to reduce my stress, just relax and I'd feel better.  He did give me a shot and sent me home.

Fast forward, My trusty family doctor knew immediately what was probably going on when I saw him about 11 days later.  I kept falling so it took me awhile to be steady enough even with a walker to get to him. MRI confirmed our suspicions.  The disc between my L3 and L4 had ruptured and was was putting a lot of pressure on my sciatic nerve, and cutting off some of the blood flow to my leg.  To fix that, I'll be having low back surgery on Wednesday to clean it all up.  I do look forward to having feeling in my leg again and hopefully control over my knee. 

It sounds crazy, but it has also affected my ability to think and remember short term things!!  They say that will improve once the pressure is off the spinal cord also. I'm talking about things like, my kids telling me about Christmas....what we ate, what we did, etc.  I'm even finding out about people who came to the house, I got up and talked to, but have no memory of. Getting the fridge ready for my absence, I found what appeared to be split pea soup.  Maggie said that yes, she'd made some and we'd all eaten it.  I commented that it was too bad I'd missed out on it.  She laughed and told me that I had eaten it and thoroughly enjoyed it!!  Phew!!!  She cooked quite a few things that I loved but have absolutely no memory of.  Bless her heart!!  So life these days is exciting as I learn all sorts of things from the past four weeks. Other things are as clear as day.

David and his fiance, Elise, came on New years Eve to visit a week. I loved having extra people milling about, and laughing.  While they were here, we took off one morning for White Sands Nat(don't remember the rest) where The six kids sledded on the sand and I laughed and laughed.

A couple of days later, they all went to Tent Rocks and climbed to the top....I stayed home.  Then that weekend we went to Taos for a hockey tournament and a visit to the Taos Gorge Bridge. But you know what??  Somehow on the trip home from Alamagordo, NM where White Sands is, my camera fell out of the van so no pics of anything else from me.  


I've even managed to create a few cards, just have no way to photograph them for you.....yet.It was just a point a shoot Cannon, but it sure is missed. 


I hope I haven't bored you to death!!  Hopefully I'll get some artsy stuff on here soon......my kid's phones are "smart" so we'll see just how smart they can be;D