Down to just one ball!!

Mom went into see her doctor today and overall, the visit went well. He looked at the one drain ball that has not been draining for several days now and decided to remove it. So, she has only one drain now. We will just have to play the waiting game now and see when it stops so it can come out too.
She says she is a big girl now and has fired all her sitters as of last week. WOW! She is doing really great! She continues to do as much as she can and her strong will and faith are definitely what carry her. She really enjoys visiting so if you are around, maybe give a call or stop by.
Than you for all your support and love.

Mom keeps amazing us all! She got her turtle shell on and went upstairs to cook some gravy for her potatoes! That picture was taken on April 6th. Yesterday, she went on a walk to the corner and back. What an amazing woman!! She is currently fighting yet another bacterial infection with I.V. antibiotics but is doing quite well. It sure seems like infection is the name of the game. We have no idea as to why she keeps getting infections... nor does her medical team. They stay right on top of it though, thank goodness. Her back really hurts were she has so many broken bones and the problem is that she can't wear her turtle shell because it rubs on her incision from surgery, but if she doesn't wear it- then her back kills? she can't win for losing on that one! She is just as cheerful as ever though. What an inspiration she is to us.
She loves to see everyone so if you are in the area, drop by and say, Hello.

insurance won... Mom is home

Well... Mom did not have to stay in the hospital for the full course of her treatment after all. Her insurance company wouldn't pay for her to stay just to receive an antibiotic. The tricky part? The antibiotic has to be administered exactly every eight hours. So- mom was a little nervous to come home because then she had to depend on her kids and hubby to hook the medicine into her picc line three times a day! AAaaagghh! Home health still comes about three times a week, but they said they would not be coming three times a day to give her the meds, so they trained a couple of us kids how to do it. scary huh? She is looking so much better, and feeling so much better. She is very happy to be home. She will be on this antibiotic for about five more days and then they will re-evaluate and see if they need to continue or if they killed it. We hope for the second one!

Eja would like a "get out of jail free" card!!

This probably won't come as much of a suprise to most of you but...Eja is doing very well. She has been on a SUPER anti-biotic now for 3 days and seems to be fighting the infection great. She says she feels better now than before the operation so that is great to hear. Every day they put her through physical therapy a few times a day and that is going really well. Basically, she feels like she is in a high security prison where she can't leave, can't do things by herself, limited menu etc. She has been cracking jokes about being a jail-bird and we all laugh. They anticipate she will be there for about another week until the infection is gone. They will re-evaluate then and make a game plan accordingly.
Thanks to all of you for your continued love, prayers and support.

Day 3 after surgery

It has been a few days since Eja's last surgery and she is just fighting away! They have her out of the I.C.U. now and in a normal hospital room. Her organs and vital signs are looking great so far.
One slight set-back however...her doctors have found an infection. They are being very aggressive with it and have her on a VERY high-powered antibiotic. The largest inconvenience that she has with this is the fact that she must stay in the hospital for the full course of this treatment. We don't know right now just how long but her doctor said, "Don't be in a hurry to leave."
I spoke with one of her nurses today and she commented on what a trooper she is. We must agree!
As before, if you could keep Eja in your prayers, that will provide her with the strength that she needs and that can't come from anywhere else. Thank you so very much!

Eja had her surgery this morning. It took about 2.5 hours to do it. Her doctor was pleased with how everything went. He said that there was an incredible amount of infection present but was able to remove it all. A portion of the liver that was injured in the accident was also removed because it was not healing properly. Her gallbladder was removed also. Her doctor placed some additional drain tubes and does not anticipate any further complications. She is in the I.C.U. and will be there for probably a day and then she will need to stay in the hospital for an additional 4-5 days.
Thank you all for your love and prayers.

7 am surgery..

Mom met with her doctor today and as long as her blood levels are where they are supposed to be- they will operate on Thursday(3-26-09) morning at 7 am. The surgery will include: removing the gallbladder, cleaning up the liver (scraping all infection off, scraping off the dead portion that was damaged, they will not be cutting on the liver- just cleaning it up really well) removing any puss pockets of infection, and removing the drain tube that is currently in her side and placing one in her abdomen. Her doctor is very optimistic that this will really help the liver finally be on the road to recovery. She will be admitted to the hospital Wednesday and they will be doing blood tests all day to make sure that she is ready for surgery Thurs. morning. After the surgery she will have to stay for four-five days. She has gone through so much and we hope this will be the last operation she will have to endure! She is one tough cookie! Thank you so much for all your thoughts and prayers. Mom is truly humbled by all the love and support that has been offered on her part. Thank You.