Slip Update from Chris

Just an update... I am feeling so much better today, the inflammation seemed to only be a 24 hr. thing. My doctors nurse was not concerned and said I should be feeling improved in a day or two. Have a great day everyone, we're expecting another snow storm to come through this afternoon till Saturday! Love. Chris

Update from Chris

Hello Everyone, I continue to hang in there... had a little incident last night, when Cate decided to use my bathroom. She removed my hospital toilet cover (adds height), used the bathroom but then put the cover back incorrectly. Later that evening, I went to use it, not knowing it wasn't secure. Well... it slipped from under me and needless to say, that small landing on my bumm totally caused inflammation on my whole lower back. I was uncomfortable all evening and feel like I just stepped back 1 1/2 weeks in pain level. I'll call my doctors nurse later and explain what happened. Hopefully this will be the worst of matters and I'll improve by the end of the week.

I've been walking around to keep from getting too stiff and it seems to help relieve the pain. Poor Catie, she feels to bad but it was an innocent mistake. She promised to not enter my bathroom from now on. I believe this is minor and I hope to feel stronger soon. Jeff is back at work this week and I am alone from 9am to 3pm, time goes by slowly when you can't do much. I am making the best of things and enjoy catching up on TiVo programs, reading and taking naps.Once I am feeling stronger, I hope to get my scrapbooking stuff out and continue putting my picture books together.Sue plans to visit today and bring me lunch! She and Uncle Doug have been a huge blessing, always calling to check on me. It's so wonderful to have family near by. Have a good week and keep warm!

Love,

Chris

Flying Solo

The day we have known was looming in our future has arrived. One we looked ftoward with both hope and fear and a wee bit of dread. The day I returned to work. The day I had to leave my sweet little patient on her own as I headed back to earn a living. Chris had her best night of sleep yet last night, 6 uninterrupted hours followed by another 2 hours. Add that up and you get 8 sweet glorious hours of rest. Just what the doctor ordered, and more importantly the patient needed. It's so nice to see her get up with a smile on her face, it makes me want to cry for joy.

I got the boys off to their appointment with the school bus, then helped Catie get ready for school. Chris wanted to take a shower before I left just in case she needed help. Well she didn't and she dressed herself as well. I left with Catie at 9:00, dropping her at school and headed to the office for the first time in two weeks. I had lots of follow-up on some of my prospects and clients, but for the most part things are under control. I really missed being able to talk to Chris whenever I wanted. I couldn't stop thinking of her, hoping she was doing OK. I checked in on her at noon to remind her of her noon med dose. She had already taken it and was doing well, just a little tired believe it or not. We spoke again at 3:00 and again at 4:00 to remind her of her med. She took a nap and said she felt really good.

We had another yummy meal courtesy of Barb from the neighborhood Bunco group. Chris helped Catie with her homework and then they read to each other. We are now settling in to a nice quiet evening together. I'm so happy the day went better than I dared imagine. Thank you Lord.

Sunday Update

We woke up this morning to a heavy blanket of beautiful white snow. Our back yard looks like a picture postcard, with the tree's draped in white. The snow has the texture of granulated sugar. Chris probably had her best nights sleep last night. She slept straight from 11:00 pm to 4:00 am, then again from 4:30 to 8:00. Thank God! Still hoping and praying that the combo of Tylenol PM and Extra Strength Tylenol is going to been the ticket. Sunday night will be the test, third time is a charm. Catie and I spent the morning shoveling out from the storm. It was a quiet day around the house, but a good one as well. Chris' pain level was pretty manageable and she is up and moving around quite a bit. Monday will be another big test as I head back to work and Chris will be flying solo from 9:00 to 3:00 when the boys come home from school. Please keep Chris in your prayers tomorrow.

It wouldn't be a Journey without a Quest

I hate to keep sounding like a broken record but, it's still all about the pain medication and sleeping. Our bold experiment on Thursday night was a semi success. The good news is that Chris didn't sleep any worse with only extra strength Tylenol at bed time than she did with Vicodin. The bad news is she didn't sleep any better either. So, the quest continues for that elusive good nights sleep. Chris spoke to the nurse again and she recommended Tylenol PM to help her sleep. So, off I went to the Pharmacy, my home away from home. Last night I gave her 1 Tylenol PM and 1 extra strength Tylenol (I should be getting a royalty check from them for all the free press they've gotten from me!).

I woke up early this morning, put on the coffee and trudged outside to get the paper. I was snuggled up next to the fire, newspaper on my lap and a streaming mug of Starbucks in my hand when Chris came shuffling out of the bedroom. I look at her with my usual sense of hope and ask "Well, how did it go last night Honey?" She looked a little better as she came toward we. She slept from 10:30pm to 1:00 am (or in Chris' terms she slept through Jay Leno and Craig Ferguson and woke up in the middle of Jimmy Kimmel!) Went to the potty then slept through until 4:00 am when she woke up with her back screaming. After 1,000 mg of Tylenol she was able to sleep til 8 o'clock. Not a perfect nights sleep but better. The good news is she doesn't have that awful groggy feeling like she did with the Vicoin. So once she was up and moving around she felt pretty good.

We are getting our first major snow storm of the winter this weekend. It's really beautiful watching the snow come down. The storm has started with freezing rain but it's starting to accumulate now. Chris is enjoying sitting by the window watching the wind blow the delicate flakes around like sand at the beach. Catie and I are waiting for there to be enough on the ground so we can get out and ski. The trails have been closed the last week due to lack of snow. We are expecting 8 to 12 inches so it's pretty exciting. For the first time, the kids are getting to experience a true winter wonderland.

Good Day Sunshine

Wow, I can't believe it's been two days since my last entry. Time sure does fly when you are busy. Yesterday was Chris' second night of decent sleep thanks to the Vicoden. However, it really takes a long time to clear her system. As a result, she is very groggy for most of the morning. After lunch she started feeling really good. In fact she ventured down stairs to the media room and we watched a movie together, the first time we've been able to do that in almost three weeks!

We also had my friends Leann and Christine from Quad MN stop by for a visit. The office pitched in and bought us nine days worth of meals from a company called Let's Dish. They have all the ingredients prepped and you go in and built your own meals, package them and label them with cooking instructions. It's pretty cool. We are so grateful to the many people that have pitched in and provided meals for us. In addition to my Quad family, our Church has been providing meals for the last to weeks and Chris' just found out that her neighborhood Bunco group want to bring us some meals as well. What an absolute blessing. We are so very grateful for this outpouring of support.

Today started out the same as yesterday for Chris, slow and groggy. We are contemplating having Chris try to sleep without pain med tonight and rely only on Tylenol. We will make that decision later tonight, but she really hates the way the pain med makes her feel in the morning. It all comes down to whether she will be able to sleep without it. Chris was very comfortable this afternoon. It was a beautiful sunny winter day. The temp has been in the 30's and 40's all week. I went for a quick hike at Minnewashta park then did some grocery shopping. When I got back Chris was chomping at the bit with cabin fever. She said, "I've got to get outside, I need to feel the sun on my face!" Well, we got her bundled her up and off we went. We slowly walked to the end of the driveway and stood facing the sun, basking in it's warming glow. Another first in the journey of recovery.

Winkin, Blinkin and Nod

Ahhh, the power of sleep. It is one of the most underrated, under appreciated parts of life. The new med for Chris was both a blessing and a curse. The good news is that Chris had a pretty good nights rest, two blocks of 3.5 hours each with a trip to the bathroom in between. The down side of the med was it took forever to wear off. I think she finally had a clear head around 1:00 pm this afternoon. We are grateful for the rest though. The afternoon has been really good. Chris was up and around for over 3 hours. We have had a nice chance to spend time together talking and laughing. I have really come to cherish these good stretches, they feed our soul and help us make it through the rough stretches.

The big news in the house is Catie got her hair cut shorter last night. She found a cut she liked in an old video, took a few digital photo's of the screen and took the camera into the salon so show the stylist. It's a really a cute cut.

I had a free half hour yesterday when Chris was trying to nap so I decided to go out and do a nearby Geocache. I figured out the location and was walking down the hill when I slipped on a mud patch sending me sliding toward a huge tree. I felt just like George of the Jungle watching out for that....TREE!!! I was able to break my fall and my left ring finger all at the same time! I'm now as busy as a one handed nurse...and that I can tell you is very busy indeed.

Walking wounded

Sleep is still eluding my lovely bride. Chris got pretty much no sleep last night. This is really starting to wear on her now. She called the surgeons nurse with several questions that had been bugging her, the biggest was her lack of comfort in bed and difficulty sleeping. The nurse told her to spend less time laying down during the day and more time sitting, standing and walking. She also prescribed her a new pain med. Apparently the codine in her current pain med may actually be keeping her up at rather than making her drowsy. Tonight will be the first night on the new med, I'm really praying for a good nights sleep for Chris. She is up and moving, even checking her e-mail now. Slow progress, but progress non the less.

Sunday Update

Not a lot of news today. Chris is still having a hard time sleeping at night. She lay in bed from 11:30 til 3:30 before she finally fell asleep. She did get a few hours of sleep, but not a full night by any means. The day was pretty good. She was comfortable for the most part and got a couple hour nap in the afternoon.

Good Night, Nurse!

Today was a pretty good day. Much like when you have a new born baby, you long for the day when the your little one sleeps through the night for the first time. Well, Chris and I kind of feel like that today. We did our usual routine of her sleeping in the bed and me on the couch. When I went in the check on her at 7:00am, she was just waking up. She rubbed her eyes, and asked me what time it was. Oh my gosh, I've been asleep since 12:30! Yea! A nearly full nights sleep, that's really big.

After her almost normal nights sleep, Chris had a quite day. No phone calls or visitors today. Today was also a pretty good day for pain management as well. I really think we have that down. I have a spread sheet that I use to keep track of when she needs to take her med's and how many MG of Tylenol she is taking. The limit per 24 hours is 4,000mg so the spread sheet really helps us to maximize the allowable dosage and keep her under the daily maximum. Chris loves to tease me about what a geek I am for charting this, but hey you can argue with success!

Alex is away for the weekend at a friends cabin on Pelican Lake, just north of Brainard. They are at a snow tubing park all day today and will be spending the night at the cabin before coming home late tomorrow. Catie and I went sledding at Waconia Park. The sledding hill they have there is huge, it almost feels like a mountain as you are climbing up. Then coming down you really hall butt, so we had a lot of fun. As I look over at Chris, she is reading people magazine, getting all the scoop on what is going to happen to Anna Nicole's baby. Not that she's interested, it's just Chris being a good supportive Quad/Graphics spouse supporting our biggest account! ;-) We are hopping for another night like last night so keep us in you prayers.

Generally Speaking...

She's generally speaking! Well, even though the night time is the hardest part, Chris had a better night last night. She still has a hard time resting pain free in bed, but she did get a better nights sleep, albeit in two 3 hour stretches with a three hour block of Boing! wide awake time in the middle of the night. As we sat and watched the Today show, I kept hearing "yep, heard that story at 2:00am this morning" at every breaking story.

Chris is having a really good day today. A shower always seems to help get the day off to a good start. It's a bid of a procedure since she can't bend our twist. I end of being her hands in getting dried off, lubed up with skin cream and lotion for her dry skin. She has had an almost non-stop stream of well wishers call today. It really helps to bring her spirits up. My Uncle Doug's wife Sue joined us for lunch today, which we really enjoyed. We look forward to more steady improvement through out the coming weeks and months.

The Days are good, The Nights are rough

Chris had a really rough night last night. The complexity of the lower Gastrointestinal tract have been a roller coaster ride for her since she can out of surgery. From yesterday afternoon to the morning hours of this morning she was in quite a bit of pain in this area. After much home remedy and several trips to the local pharmacy we finally had the ground shaking result we had sought for the last 4 days. I've been meaning to call Cal Tech and see if anything registered on the Richter scale out there! (sorry honey, but laughter IS the best medicine!) Chris is still in quite a bit of pain, but is much better this morning. She is taking it a little slower as the previous days adventure took a lot out of her.

We feel like we've finally figured out the optimum pain med schedule, something we have arrived at after much trial and error. The challenge is she is only allowed 4,000mg of Tylenol per 24 hour period to prevent damage to her liver. Each extra strength Tylenol is 500mg so you can see how quickly that can add up if you don't pay attention. Now, we just need to try and figure out how to help her sleep better at night. I'm praying that we can help her to do that tonight.

Hi from Chris!

Hello Everyone!

It's me:) I told you I'd be in touch and I thank the good Lord for the gift of life again. The worst days seem to be behind me but the days ahead continue to be a challenge! I got home from the hospital Monday afternoon and I am still adjusting to not having the comforts of that hospital bed and those control bottoms!! I am amazed at how weak I am and have lots of highs and lows in my day. I was told that the first two weeks at home are the worst and I hope they are right. Evenings are the hardest, with trying to manage pain and keeping comfortable in bed. Poor Jeff hasn't had a good nights rest since I've been home (we laugh at how it feels like having a new born in the house or a new puppy, for those of you that don't have kids).

Jeff is home with me this week and next. My sister-in-law, Julie, is planning to drive up from Milwaukee the week of the 26th, after Jeff returns to work. Maybe I won't even need her by then but at this point, I am unsure. I am amazed that I have come a long way since the 5th but have such a long way to go before I am independent again. I totally hate having to relay on others for everything. Jeff is being my physical therapist too and makes me walk and do the exercises I trained with at the hospital.

I get around the house with a walker!! Ugh! My other sister-in-law, Jenny, suggested I sign-up for my AARP membership, before my rates go up! I've always known that I've been a busy body and rarely sit still, so being down and out is a new thing for me. I am learning (not by choice) to slow down and enjoy the stillness a day can bring. Talk about having the world stand still for a while.

I am so happy to be home with the kids again too! They are all so happy to have me back and constantly come by and give me hugs and kisses. Catie especially loves to snuggle with me on the couch and read books.

The local church our family has visited since Sept., Westwood Community Church, has arranged to bring meals for our family till Feb. 23!! What a blessing from a group of people that don't even know us! We haven't been regular attenders because I haven't felt well most of the time. I just let them know about my surgery and asked to be placed on their prayer list. To my surprise, two of their pastors came to the hospital to visit and pray with me! I am so happy the family doesn't have to worry about what to make for dinner for now. Hopefully by the time the meals stop coming, I'll be able to whip up a quick meal again.

I hope you've all had a chance to read Jeff's blog regarding my surgery and recovery. He's a funny writer and it was interesting the hear his side of this experience. I guess he'll continue to add postings, so I invite you to visit when you have quiet time. It's kinda fun to keep a journal and it helps me realize how much I've accomplished already.

Thank you all soooo much from the bottom of my heart for all your prayers, phone calls, cards in the mail, encouraging e-mails, wonderful e-cards, flowers and thoughts and hugs from afar! I treasure all of you and your love and support have done more than you'll ever know. Well... I must go rest... this e-mail has taken a lot of energy out of me. Sending lot's of love and hugs to all on this Valentine's Day! Chris:-)))))

Mamma Bird is back in the nest!!

Chris is home! I spent the morning with her before being released around 1:30 pm. We enjoyed a relaxing lunch in her room, a meal that she ate sitting in a chair, the first time I'd seen that since breakfast on Super Bowl Sunday. We had to buy a few aides to make her stay at home more comfortable so we got those on the way home. She is all settled in and comfy on the couch. The kids and I are sooo happy to have her home. It's just not home without Mom in the house!

Once Chris was all set on the couch we had a great conversation about the last week. We kind of went through the whole time line from both of our perspectives. There were so many gaps where we were apart and didn't really know that the other was doing and dealing with. It was really nice to sit and talk and laugh. Hearing her laugh and seeing her smile are the two things I missed the most while Chris was in the hospital. Even though she's moving slow, I feel like I have old sparky wife back. Life is sweet, thank you God for bringing her back to us.

The beautiful flowers that so many people sent are now spread throughout the house, bringing the same beauty, fragrance and joy to our house that they brought to Chris' room. I'll try and take some pictures tomorrow that I will post on the web site so I have a record of all the great arraignments.

The staff as Methodist Hospital was simply fabulous. They became a second family to Chris, loving her and caring for her as if she were there own sister. All in all as difficult as the surgery was on Chris, the hospital and Doctors and staff were a blessing that made it all somehow manageable. We are now looking forward the the first few weeks of recovery at home.

Not coming home...

Chris had a really rough day today and as a result will not be able to come home as we had hoped. She is having some reactions to the combinations of medication that she is and is really struggling with nausea and dizziness. Catie, Nik and I visited her later in the evening and she seems to be doing a bit better now. We are praying that tomorrow is the day.

Saturday Update

Catie and I visited Chris tonight. She had tough day today. The Doc wanted to get her to eat some semi-solid food to get her Intestines working. Well, all it did was make her nauseous. She felt that way most of the day. Add to that a rash that is covering the her entire back and she is not having the best of days. She is however getting more proficient at getting in and out of bed. Amazing what having to get up to use the bathroom every two hours will do for motivation. The three of us took our longest walk yet, all four hallways on her floor out and back. We walked for about 45 minutes, before heading back to the room exhausted. The hospital staff is still hopeful that Chris will be released sometime later this afternoon. All depends on the elusive BM. We continue to pray that she is able to come home as soon as possible.

Live and Unplugged

Today was a pretty good day. I had two nice visits with Chris today. The morning got off to a bit of a rough start though. When I arrived a her room this morning she was asleep. So, not wanting to disturb her I pulled up a chair and stat with her so that when she opened her eyes she'd see me. About 15 minutes later the nurse came in a woke her up. She was really groggy. Turns out they gave her a sleeping pill the night before it really knocked her out. Her catheter was removed earlier this morning so once she was awake she needed to make a trip to the bathroom. It was hard for her as she was still sore from all the therapy yesterday, add to that the sluggish state that the sleeping pill left her in and she was moving pretty slow. Once we got her potty stop done the nurse asked her to take a walk, so even though she would have preferred to stay in bed she was a trooper and we took a short stroll down the hall and back. She showed me the best way to help her back into bed to avoid pain and we accomplished that. The trick is one steady motion from sitting to laying down, keeping her entire body aligned so nothing twists. Not an easy feat, but one that we will I'm sure master over the next couple of days.

This evening after work I came home to pick up the kids and we headed over to the hospital, stopping at Taco Bell to a quick bite to eat on the way. We got to the hospital and as is our tradition Catie and I took the stairs to the 7th floor and the boys took the elevator. Tonight was extra special because we beat them to 7! Yes!! Chris is now fully unplugged from all the hardware. Her IV is gone so she is flying solo for food, water and med's, exciting and scary all at the same time. It does make it much less complicated to get out of bed and move around. However, she now has to get up to go to the bathroom with is still a pretty big ordeal.

There are two main hurdles that Chris needs to get over before the Doc will consider releasing her. One is a bowel movement and the other is being on solid food. They can't do the second until she accomplishes the first. I'll spare us all the details but lets just say the coffee is perking, but she hasn't been able to pour. Walking is supposed to help the process along so when we got to her room she was eager to get up and walk with us. Boy did we walk. She was like the Energizer Bunny, she just kept going and going... We walked the length of all four hallways on the floor and back, just over 30 minutes in all. Toward the end she started to get pretty week so we headed back to the room. Once we got her all settled back in bed we sat down and visited and watch TV with her. It's funny, she doesn't think she has a good a day today as she did yesterday. That's only because she is living it, I've seen huge progress in the last 24 hours. I reminded her that even though she may not feel better than yesterday, she has accomplished more that she did yesterday. In fact every day has built on the previous day.

I am so grateful for all the moral support and prayers we have received from family and friends. We simply couldn't get through this with out it. I thank you all so much and ask that you keep us in your prayer over this entire experience. God Bless you all.

Thursday Update

Today was an answer to all the many prayers that have been offered up for Chris. She continues to shed the plugs and wires that have been the mainstay of her hospital stay for the past several days. Gone now are the IV fluids that have been hydrating her, as is the heart monitor and the big fighter pilot style compression boots that he helped keep the blood circulating and preventing blood clots. The oral pain medication is working well, with no side effects. Chris had a really good rehab session today. When I visited her this morning we was pretty nervous about it based on her experience from yesterday. But about an hour before her rehab session she said she started to feel stronger. She was able to get out of bed, VERY slowly, but on her own and get into the wheel chair. She walked a quite a bit at rehab with the help of a walker, but at a much faster pace (in relative terms) and with much less discomfort than the day before.

When the kids and I came to visit after dinner we all took a walk down the hallway and back. Praise the Lord what an awesome sight it was to see her up and moving. I was actually able to give her a gentle hug while she was standing. She can't hug back yet, letting go of the walker at this point would be a bad idea! When we left last night she was tired from all of her activity today, but her spirits were definitely up. Thanks to everyone that has sent flowers, her room is like a flower shop, arrangements are everywhere. The nurses all say they look for excuses to visit the room just to see the flowers and and enjoy the aroma! Not exactly sure when she will be able to come home, but the tentative date is this Sunday 2-11-07. Please keep Chris and the Kids and I in your prayers, we still have a long road to travel.

The Journey of a 1,000 Miles...

Begins with a single step. Today was an important day in Chris' early recovery. They took her off the supplemental oxygen, Disconnected the IV pain medication and started her on juice. She was on Oxygen due to a low Hemoglobin count from blood loss during surgery. Now that her red blood cell count is back up the Oxygen is no longer needed. One of the keys to Chris getting released from the hospital is making the transition from the IV morphine drip to a pill form of pain medication. This also brought her one step closer to coming home. Getting her back on real food is also key, so starting to drink juice and tea is getting her closer. The Biggest step of all is actually taking a step. Chris was able to sit up and stand by the bed for over 2 minutes. That feat accomplished, they wheeled her to therapy and she walked with the help of a therapist and a walker about 20 feet. This doesn't sound like much to some of you, but in light of all she's been through, I'd have to call it an answer to countless prayers. When the kids and I visited, she seems in good spirits. We had a nice visit, however she was pretty tired from the days activities so we left around 8:45 so she could get some rest. The kids and I as well as countless family and friends continue to pray for her full recovery.

Tuesday's Progress

First I want to thank all of you that have sent Chris flowers. They have really brightened up her spirits. I was able to visit Chris both in the morning and evening yesterday. The difference between Monday and Tuesday was dramatic. She was fully alert and talkative last night. Alex even got her to laugh a couple of times. The kids were really happy to see her, Even though Catie admitted to me on the way home she was a little scared when she saw Chris will all the tubes and wires hanging off of her. The Doc's big goal for her today is getting her out of bed and walking a little bit. I can't believe they are pushing that hard for her do walk, she is still in a ton of pain. It kills me to see her suffering like that. I just wish I could transfer the pain to me. Anyway, please keep her in your prayers today, she will need all the strength she can muster.

Settled into her room

Chris is settled into her hospital room. I spent an hour with her, feeding her ice chips. She is pretty heavily medicated so she is resting comfortably. She was really sweet, mumbling to me making sure the kids were OK. The nurse said she will pretty much sleep all night, and will actually begin light physical therapy tomorrow. I'm planning on stopping by and visiting her on my way to work. Good night my sweet bride.

Methodist Hospital
6500 Excelsior Blvd.
St Louis Park, MN 55426
952-993-5255 Nurse Station
952-993-5786 Chris Room

Out of Surgery

Chris just got out of surgery and is in the recovery room now. I spoke with the surgeon Dr. Holte and he told me the procedure went very well. There were no complications. He ended up doing a bone graft from Chris' hip to add some extra strength on the posterior side. He also said he was amazed how thick the disc was between the vertibre and the tail bone. He ended up putting a 17mm bone graft which is large for someone her size. Not a problem, he just thought it was interesting. Hopefully I will be able to see Chris in the next hour or two. I can't wait to give her a hug and kiss.

Progress Report

Just recieved word from the nurses they are done with the anteriour part of the procedure and all is going well. They are now starting on the posterior part of the operation. We continue to pray that the skill of the surgeons will bring us the return to health for my loving wife. We also pray that she handles the post surgery recovery well and comes home soon. I love you my dear.

Back...to the Future

The day for the long awaited back surgery for Christina is here. After many months of testing and interviewing surgeons and hospitals we finally are ready to move forward. It's a scary time for Chris, as she gets ready for the biggest surgical procedure of her life. We arrived at the hospital (Methodist Hospital) an the wings of countless prayers and well wishes from family and friends. The outpouring of love and support Chris as received has been a true blessing.