Doing our best to get through winter....

My sister has been in the hospital again, twice in December and once in January. This is my grandson, my sister and him share a very close bond , he stood by her bed when she was hospitalized a few weeks ago and every time she would open her eyes he would say I love you Aunt Pat over and over. Broke my heart to see my sister this sick and my grandson so sad. She is being put on the liver transplant list, please say a prayer.....

This is my grandson carrying his Aunts purse from the hospital room, I told him this picture's a keeper.....maybe show his first girlfriend......                              

I took Mom out riding around the farm yesterday to gather some wood that had been cut and piled up. I had to look around a bit because I forgot where some of the piles were. I did manage to bring in a little over a rank, tomorrow I'm hoping to get at least two ranks in. Hubby has been gone since Christmas and is (fingers crossed) supposed to be home this weekend but just in case they don't get the job done and we get another cold spell I'll feel better with the wood shed full again.

Testing and Surgery at the end of this month

My grand daughter has had a medical problem for the last year (off and on) her Dr said it was time to see a specialist and talk about surgery. We went to St Johns Mercy (they just took the St. from the hospital name so its now Mercy).

This is what we saw first on our way to the admitting station, Sid loved it, relaxed her right off the bat. :)

She was such a big girl, laughed and talked to the nurses, one of the nurses ask her is she always in such a good mood and she replied this was a learning experience and its always fun to learn something new, she is so much like her mother..... :)

This about did me in! they had to put her to sleep to do some of the tests and when they brought her back into the room seeing her like this broke my heart....then waiting for her to wake up was pure agony. (my Mom and I both wake up so slow form anaesthetic)

She had fun when we were leaving some of the nurses said since she was such a big girl (some tests had to be done while awake) they brought her in stickers a toy and let her bring home her mask. In this picture she was back to herself....hamming it up.

Sid is going to have to have surgery on Oct. 30 (my moms birthday). This picture of my grand daughter and daughter brought back so many memories of the many times my daughter and I were in and out of the hospital (we now know Sid has the same medical problem). In fact all these visits to the hospital when my daughter was a child is one of the many reasons she decided to go to medical school. It will be better for my grand daughter though, there will be no years of waiting to see if she will out grow it and the worry about scarring on her kidneys there is now a surgery available! This means there will be no wait and worry for years with Sid the Dr said its a 40 minute surgery and problem solved. She has to be put to sleep and again I worry about waking up, I know with Gods care she will be just fine but getting put to sleep is a fear I I cant get out of my mind. Keep us in your prayers on Oct 30 please.

 

 

Pats eye surgery

Thanks for all the prayers that I ask for with regards to my sister needing eye surgery before her deadline and to also find a place that would let her make payments. The surgery clinic called last Monday (payments are fine and they also covered a good portion of it) and scheduled her for Thursday for the first of five eye surgery's (this one is the most important surgery), we had to be there at 5:00am so we had to leave by 3:15am so it made for a long (but happy) day.

I had to sneak a picture of her in recovery, she was still not awake yet (that's the only way I can get a picture of her)  this is the position she has the stay in until her follow up Wednesday. When she woke up she was hurting (this was to be expected) we spent the night in the hotel that adjoins Barnes Hospital. This made it so nice, after they let her out of recovery I used one of their wheel chairs and wheeled her to our motel room.

We had to see the Dr once more to check the pressure in her eye before they would release her to go home. The clinic just so happens to be on the 14th floor and I so do not do heights! The above picture was looking out the clinic's window.

This was the view from our room, not as pretty as the view from the Doctors clinic, but at least its only the 5th floor so my tummy feels sooo much better! We went home Friday but had to make a return trip Sunday, her eye started hurting more and she developed a headache and started vomiting. The Doctor had to drain a little of the gas bubble he put in her eye, it was put there during surgery to protect her eye for the next couple of months while healing. The bubble is still there, it had just expanded a little causing pressure, the Doctor said this sometimes happens. The pain is now gone she has stopped taking her pain meds and she can open both eyes, with the gas bubble in her eye we will not know if her vision will return for about 6 to 8 weeks. As the bubble slowly dissolves her vision should improve, as long as the bubble is there though the Doctor said its like looking through the bottom of a glass soda bottle, her vision will be distorted. Again thanks for all the prayers they were very very much appreciated! God Bless!  :)

Prayer for my sister

I am glad this week is almost over, we have spent most of it in the ICU with my sister. This is the same sister that needs eye surgery that we finally got scheduled for next month, anyway she started throwing up blood Monday morning. Her daughter and I took her to the emergency room, they did see her as soon as we walked in (she was still throwing up blood). The ER doctor thought it was a stomach ulcer and admitted her, the next day more tests were ran and it turned out to not be an ulcer, the bleeding was in her esophagus. They said this was a secondary problem so they checked her heart, liver and also for hepatitis, the tests came back and my sister needs a liver transplant. Have you ever felt like you just jumped over a hurdle only to find there is a worse one around the bend? They put her on a donor list for a liver but three of her children and myself are going to be checked to see is we are compatible to give her a third of one of ours (hope one of us is). If not at least she will be on the donor list. I know this does not seem as important now but she can no longer have her eye surgery because she can not be put under. My sister and I have talked about it and she says its okay if its not meant to be that her eye surgery go through then we will deal with it the best way we know how. I know I ask for prayer for my sister with regards to her eyes and I would ask again for prayer please that one of us is compatible or it works out with the donor list. The doctors ask if my sister drank (she never has) they said it was her diabetes and her diabetes also caused the problem with her eyes. I hope we can find a cure for this disease I hope for a cure so our grandchildren do not have to go through this it is such a terrible disease!