Christmas at HOME!!!

Sorry for the delay in getting this post up but wanted to let everyone know that Mom is headed home in less than a week. And not just for a visit. She is coming to the end of her rehab and has made so much improvement, that they feel she is ready to go home!

She will be sprung next Monday, December 22nd. Nancy and her family will be arriving that night so the house will be full of people. In preparation, Susie took Mom over to her house this last weekend to get some of her Christmas decorations out and displayed around the house.

Speaking of outings, she has been spotted around town quite a bit these days. Last week she went to one of Megan's indoor soccer games and had a blast. There was pizza night at Mazzio's on Friday and a Christmas concert on Saturday night. I think she is very happy to be back in the mix of things.

Even though her children will be spread all over the country this holiday, we are all VERY thankful for her recovery and the people that made that possible. The entire staff at the Villages has been amazing and we could not have reached this goal without their help.

Thank you SO much for all of your support and cards and dinners you provided. It helped us get through what has been the toughest time for any of us. We appreciate each and every one of you!

Happy Holidays to you ALL!!!!

Much love,

Jennifer & Family

Back Together Again!

Well, here we are! I just arrived Saturday night into Tulsa and already Mom and I are stirring up trouble at the Villages. The next few paragraphs are straight from her mouth:

To my loyal fan base and hangers-on. 
Thank you for sticking with me through all these ups and downs. I have now graduated from drinking all my meals through a peg tube to plates with food colored tan or beige, with a touch of orange or green, all in a delectable pureed form.Tried some gooey hot tea today and decided, "No thank you." 

P.T. is progressing very well according to all my crew and passers-by in the hall. I am more critical of myself. Although, my dancing has improved since Jennifer came to town. We put on a little number for Jim last night and he loved it. I don't know which gets more laughs, my wooden-legged walking or my samba steps with Jennifer. 

Jennifer: She is hard on herself but most people are stopping by for a laugh at her quick-witted jokes.

Back to Mom: Thanksgiving is right around the corner and along with Jennifer, Jimmy & Kippy will be bringing their whole crew to town, including their 2 dogs. We are sure to have a full house and I am anxious to get a couple of trial runs home in before the cooking begins on Thursday. Already working out how to direct traffic in the kitchen from my throne, without whiskey sours. At least I can monitor the rest of the family's whiskey hijinks. 

Thank you so much for all of your cards and letters. I enjoy reading through them with Jim. He frequently sits down at night and reads through them all again. He has the toughest job in town and needs every word and picture for the smile it brings to his face and the chuckle he treasures, as do I. 

Thanks to therapy, I can now walk and talk at the same time, with a walker or the occasional hand rail. However, you wouldn't want to see my handwriting, at least not yet. 

Wishing all my "Thanksgiving Family" a great gobble, gobble, gobble and a tasty drumstick and keep me in your mind even though there is only a puddle of turkey on my plate!

The surgeons gave me no chance, but they didn't count on you!

-Josie

Friday, November 14th

SHE EATS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We have made big improvements this week. The speech and occupational therapists have been working hard with Mom on her swallowing and they slowly moved her into some applesauce and pudding at the end of last week. And then ever so slowly this week, they have started pureeing foods and giving them to her to test it out. She even had mashed potatoes and stuffing a couple of days ago! She is really enjoying and seems to be doing so well, they will start substituting some of her peg tube feedings with real food!!!!

We are very excited! She has also made it her job to entertain the staff at the facility and they all seem to really love working with her. I will be there a week from tomorrow and will try to post every day while I am there. I imagine Mom will have some ideas on what she would like written in the blog!

Keep it movin!!!!!!

Jennifer & Family

Friday, November 7th

I know my posts get more spread out but as I was explaining to a friend of Mom's, her progress is slow so taken day by day, it is hard to see the improvement. But over the course of a couple of weeks, I am happy to report that she has definitely gained strength and is more motivated to get better. My brother was there a week ago and pushed her to practice standing up and sitting down and walking and they are now making her walk to and from her PT every day (with a walker). We are hoping to hear something about a new swallow test soon but I do know that the speech therapist is giving her soft foods in very small quantities and she snagged a couple of bites from my sister's sno cone recently! She has called me a couple of times from her phone and definitely sounds more like herself every day but still a little croaky.

I will be there soon and hope to help my dad figure out what the next logical step is and where we can go, hopefully home with some in-house care help. I will try and keep everyone updated as we hear anything.

Thank you,

Jennifer & Family

Monday, October 20th

I know it has been 10 days since my last post but there has not been much to report. Although we saw some improvements in Mom's condition, we seem to hit a plateau every once and a while. It is true that we were able to get her out of bed and practicing walking. Unfortunately, this is not without much assistance and we cannot get her to trust herself and therefore she is not making much progress on her own. She is getting out and about on the premises in a wheelchair and can be encouraged to participate in activities with some moderate encouragement. She does well with physical therapy when she has it but there are several hours a day and days at a time on the weekend where she is not seeing any therapists so it is harder to keep her motivated. She loves, loves, loves getting cards and reading letters from people and she is getting warmer to the idea of having visitors.

We are not sure what the future looks like but I promise to keep you updated if we find anything out!

Thanks for supporting us!
Jennifer & Family

Friday, October 10th

SHE WALKED!!!!!

My mom has been making GREAT progress this week! She has been working very intensely with all of her therapists this week and it seems to be paying off. When my dad went back today after running some errands, Mom was sitting in a wheelchair at the nurses' station. He asked what was going on and the nurse said Mom was just keeping her company.

And she has been getting ice chips this week and practicing swallowing. We are hoping this means she can have another swallow test soon. She has been craving burgers and Arby's sandwiches lately so will be happy if she can pass that hurdle soon.

And today, she not only took some steps on the parallel bars, she walked about 30 feet down the hall with her walker. This is HUGE. This is the first time since the fall that she has put any weight at all on her feet. And my sister said that she thinks this is the first time since this whole thing happened that my mom actually sees and feels her improvement and she has become empowered by that.

I don't have anything else to report. I think that is plenty to start off the weekend!

Enjoy and keep positive thoughts and most of all, KEEP IT MOVING!!!!!

Jennifer & Family

Monday, October 6th

I talked to her!!!!

This was a big milestone in my book. I was talking to my dad on the phone last night to check in on how the weekend went. He said she had a pretty good weekend despite not getting any therapy (I think it's crazy that physical therapists work banker hours!) and she was a alert and chatty. He was relaying information I was telling him about my daily life and finally just said, "Jo, would you like to talk to Jennifer?" and she said, "SURE!"

Although her voice was a little froggy, I could understand everything she said. She asked how work was going and what I was doing. She responded to my questions and I said she sounded really good and like she was really making improvements. She seemed a little annoyed as well that she had seen no therapists over the weekend but I made a point to stress that even if she didn't see a therapist, she could still practice the tools and exercises they give her and make herself stronger. And she responded with, "Oh, you think so, huh?" It was like music to my ears. My sarcastic, opinionated, wonderful mother. After all these months, hoping that she would get her voice back and get back on her feet, I finally feel like it is a possibility.

I know the road is still long and we have a lot of work to do, but I want to celebrate the victories we have. My dad has been amazing and even though my mom mentioned on the phone that she had to get better because dad was leaving there, with or without her, I know he will continue to stand by her side until she is able to get home. My sister Susie continues to spend all of her free time there, supporting my dad and Nancy is on her way back this weekend for another week. My brother and Kippy fill in when they can, which is so great.

I have taken the meal calendar down for now but we will still gladly accept any meals people would like to provide for my family. Just email me directly and we can get it arranged. jclapp1@yahoo.com

And again, always, thank you for keeping in touch and supporting us!
Jennifer & Family

Thursday, October 2nd

Just a quick note to let everyone know how we are doing. Mom has settled back into the Villages at Southern Hills and seems to be making some progress. She is awake and alert and is working on her physical therapy. She is also working hard with the speech therapist and had an assessment yesterday that sounded positive. The speech therapist said she seemed much stronger than just a couple of weeks ago. We are really holding out hope that this means she will be strong enough soon to pass a swallow test so that she can start eating and drinking again. She has been very desperate to have some tea and ice cream but so far has not been able to. My sister Nancy will be traveling back again this Saturday to help relieve our dad.

Mom has showed more interest in talking to people so I am hoping she feels up to calling me soon!

I will promise to keep this updated as much as I can. Please email me if you are anxious for updates or want to send along messages to Mom.

Thanks,
Jennifer & Family

Sunday, September 28th

We have finally moved back out of St. Francis and back into the Villages at Southern Hills, which is a skilled nursing facility. They never could figure out what happened that sent us back to the ICU in the first place but have ruled out most things. So we are going to try and hit the ground running to get her back into a good physical therapy routine and get her to a place where she will be strong enough to go back home. We would really like to find someone who specializes in Parkinson's to help with her speech therapy but so far, have not been lucky in that search.

Thank you for all the notes. She definitely loves hearing about all of your lives!

Jennifer & Family

Monday, September 22nd

No huge news to report at this time, other than Mom has been moved out of ICU and into a regular bed at St. Francis. We are still working with a team of doctors to try and figure out what happened to her a couple of weeks ago but no answers yet. There is a chance they will do anther x-ray swallow test to see if we can get her off the peg tube and eating regular food by mouth but not scheduled yet. There is also talk to move her out of the hospital this week sometime and skip the LTAC and go straight back to a skilled nursing facility. Not sure if we will end up in the same one.

She has her personality back most of the time, mixed with some delusions, but we are hopeful to get her out and home some time soon!

Thank you for all of the kind emails. Will try and keep you updated here as much as possible!

Jennifer & Family

Friday, September 19th

GOOD NEWS!!!

We had the pulmonologist come in today and do a scope of Mom's throat to see if he could figure out why she had swelling. He said aside from a little scar tissue, likely left over from the trach, the throat looked good. So he had her extubated and taken off sedation! She is awake and alert and mad as a hornet, apparently. My dad said he would take mad over sedated any day. So we will start the process again to get her on to the next level so we can move back into a rehab facility of some sort and hopefully get her home soon!!!!

Thank you for all of your concern. We are relieved to have some good news after so many days of no news at all.

Keep you posted of the progress!
Jennifer & Family

Monday, September 15th

Well, I have to apologize again for not being more diligent on this blog but we have not had great news and I have been waiting and hoping that we might have some answers and I could explain what has happened over the last week, but that has not been the case.

Last Monday, my mother was having trouble breathing, having severe tremors and lost her inability to talk. So the nursing staff at the facility she was staying in decided she needed to go back to the ICU at the hospital. She was admitted and then eventually sedated and reintubated. We are extremely frustrated, disappointed and deflated in this recent development. On top of this, no one at the hospital seems to have any idea what happened or why. So we have no answers. She has had blood drawn, CAT scans, MRI's with no results pointing to anything. They are slowly trying to back her off both the sedation and the ventilation but it, again, is a very slow process.

So all I can tell you for now is, we are back at St. Francis in the regular ICU (there was no room in Neuro ICU) and waiting to hear what the next step is.

I hope to have some better news soon!

Jennifer

Friday, September 5th

There are no real updates to be given at this point. My mom is still residing at the Villages at Southern Hills. She is making progress, although slowly. But there has been talk this week about getting her hair done in the salon on the property so that she would be fit to receive guests, so that is a great step in terms of her state of mind. I think she is ready to talk to some people other than her family!

Today marks the first day we are experimenting with having someone from Care.com in to relieve my dad for a few hours. Many people had recommended the site to me and after several phone interviews, I settled on one. She is there now and I am keeping my fingers crossed that it goes ok because I think Dad could really use a little break. If anyone ever needs help, Care.com is a great tool and feels very much like online dating! You get to read through peoples' profiles and look at their pictures and then when you are ready, you can arrange to meet in person, or in my case, over the phone. The prices were much more affordable than a visiting nurses association which ended up being a total bust for us anyway. So I am anxiously waiting for 5pm, Oklahoma time, to call and see how things went.

My mom has really enjoyed the wonderful notes you have been sending (jclapp1@yahoo.com)! She loves feeling like she is "in the know" about everyone and loves seeing pictures of you. Thank you so much for all of your support through what feels like an endless process. We are truly indebted to so many people at this point, its hard to keep track!

More news later,
Jennifer & Family

Monday, September 1st

We are coming up on a full week at our new facility (The Villages at Southern Hills) and don't want to get too excited but feel like maybe Mom has turned a small but pivotal corner. We have had such problems regulating her sleep patterns and think this contributed greatly to her confusion about reality. She has struggled over the past few weeks with delusion and anxiety. A very stressful and exhausting state to be in constantly, not only for her, but for the people caring for her. Because of her sleeping issues (staying up through the night in an excited state and sleeping during the day) we were having trouble with her success in working with any of the therapists. So Dad and Susie have been trying to employ techniques to keep her awake during the day so she will be tired enough to sleep at night. After a breathing treatment on Saturday to clear up extreme congestion, they had two solid nights of sleep and she seems more like her normal self. I even got to talk with her on the phone this morning! We are hoping this new pattern will help set her on the right path and speed up the recovery process. We are trying to figure out when the neck brace might come off to give her some more freedom and will hopefully have some answers on that front soon.

After posting on my facebook page about looking for some help to relieve my dad, I found that many people are using Care.com as a means to hire private trained professionals to aid in sitting with her when my dad and sister need time off. I know some of you have asked if you could help in this way but we have figured out that this is a much harder job and we don't feel comfortable asking friends to assist in this way, nor is Mom entirely comfortable with it either. I think she would like to be much more put together before she starts receiving any company!

Stay tuned, that could be right around the corner!

Thank you for your continued support!
Jennifer & Family

Thursday, August 28th

So we have officially moved to our new temporary home! My mom was moved this morning to a skilled nursing facility called The Villages at Southern Hills. It is located at 57th and Lewis and even though it is a little bit of a commute for my dad and sister, we think it is going to be a good fit for Mom. Along with being able to accommodate a more aggressive rehabilitation process, it has several more amenities than the last place. The therapists will come by in the morning to give Mom an assessment for therapy and hopefully be able to give us a timeline for getting her back in shape and home for good!

We continue to appreciate meals that are provided and as I said, most of the time, it is just my dad and sister eating so no need to supply food for a group. You have all been so supportive and really essential to my dad's well being and energy levels! And Mom continues to enjoy all of the fun letters and photos you are sending her through my email address. jclapp1@yahoo.com

As my friend Katrina always said, "Just keep it movin, girl!"

So, no matter the situation, whether good or bad, always keep it movin!

Jennifer & Family

Sunday, August 24th

Not much to report this week. We are continuing to work with the staff and Mom to prepare her for the next step, which we are hoping will be rehab care. My brother came in on Thursday to spend the weekend and give our dad a break. My mom has definitely been keeping him on his toes but he has been able to get her in the wheelchair quite often and outside for walks, which is good for everyone. We are working closely with the case manager to get Mom to the next step. We should hear something by this week.

Since August is coming to a close, I wanted to let people know, if they are still interested in providing meals, we are changing it up a little. For the most part, it is now only my dad eating and sometimes one other person, so not as much food is required. I would also like to switch it up to have meals delivered on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Again, if you have questions or would like to sign up, please email me at jclapp1@yahoo.com

Thank you so much for your support and help throughout this process. As always, my family appreciates everything. And my mother is REALLY enjoying the photos and letters you are sending to her through my email. It helps keep her connected to everyone. As soon as she is recovered, I am certain she will respond to all of your emails!!!

Jennifer & Family

Wednesday, August 20th

Sorry the posts have been less frequent as of late but there has not been much to report on. Mom is still residing at the LTAC facility at City of Faith but we are really hoping we can get her moved into either a rehab facility or something of that nature. Although Mom is getting physically stronger every day, it has been a very slow and rough healing process. She still is unable to swallow solid foods because of the slowness of the trach opening to heal. Spending more time sitting up in a wheelchair means she has finally been able to take some strolls outside and get some fresh air. My sisters and my dad have been reading the letters you have sent to my email address (jclapp1@yahoo.com) and showing her the pictures you have sent as well and she is REALLY enjoying hearing from all of you!

Hopefully, by the end of this week or the beginning of next we will have some news about the next step and where we will be headed. Until then, keep the stories coming!


Jennifer & Family

Thursday, August 14th

We have had a minor setback only because Mom did not pass her swallow test yesterday. Although this is not terrible news, it is pretty disappointing to her as it means she is not allowed to move on to solid foods yet. But she is spending some more time in a wheelchair which means she can go on walks when she feels ready. I was thinking, it may be nice for my mom to hear from all of you. So if I could ask people who are far away and have not had a chance to communicate, that you send me little bits about your life and what's going on and we will print out the emails and read them to her. You all are very aware that my mom likes to be in the know so anything would be welcomed. You can even send pictures if you like! Please email me at jclapp1@yahoo.com. All stories appreciated and funny ones encouraged!

Thank you!
Jennifer & Family

Wednesday, August 13th

We seem to be staying the course with Mom's recovery. We have had an increase in interest from the staff ever since we had "the talk" with them so the level of care has definitely increased and been welcomed by us. She has been enduring some more aggressive physical therapy which makes her tired at the end of the day. Along with sitting in the neuro chair several times a day, they have also started getting her into a regular wheel chair in order to practice holding her own head up. Once they are confident she can manage, they will start taking her on walks in the wheelchair.

She is also undergoing another swallow test accompanied by scans so that they can make sure all the healing has taken place at which point she can move on from pudding and applesauce into more substantial foods.

We are still asking that people hold off on visits as mom is sure that her hair is nowhere near presentable.

More when we have it!
Jennifer & Family

Saturday, August 9th

Well, it has been a week since we arrived at the new Long Term Acute Care facility. I must admit, the first 5 days were pretty bumpy as we were not really satisfied with the level of care that was being given, but after several conferences by phone and in person with everyone on the staff from nurses all the way up to the CEO, we finally feel like Mom is getting the attention she needs and a solid plan for recovery! We have met with the head of Physical Therapy and he has given us a course of action for exercises we can perform with Mom all weekend and she is getting some extra time every day in the neuro chair which we are excited about (although she would staunchly disagree, I think). Even though, as the days progress, our successes seem minor because we are always by her side, I think seen as a whole, they are quite impressive. I have been told that the trach is almost healed which means she should be able to move on to some pureed foods by early or mid week this week. We are also very thankful that she seems to have not lost her ability to talk and give us her FULL opinion on everything.

I know I sound like a broken record but I cannot stress the gratitude we feel for the people who have provided our family with meals throughout this time. As I am sure some of you know, this is more than a full time job and can be extremely stressful and exhausting. So these meals provide something to look forward to at the end of the long days and not only mean good food but good love from our friends who provide them. Thank you!

Jennifer & Family

Wednesday, August 6th

I have to apologize for not posting anything in the last few days. I was traveling for work and things were quiet at the hospital. There have been several improvements to her situation but I think we still have a long way to go. She has a smaller trach in and has been practicing sitting up a bit and getting ice chips and even a little applesauce last night to check her swallowing, which seemed to go well. The therapist said if the week goes smoothly, she will be able to have pureed food by the end of the week. The doctor who visited last night said there is a possibility for the trach to come out either today or tomorrow.

We continue to appreciate the food people have been providing. Again, remember if you are on the schedule coming up, we are no longer at St. Francis so please contact my sister Susie or me to find out where to deliver the food.

Thank you,
Jennifer & Family

Friday, August 1st

Well, it took a while but I think we are finally on the move! Mom had a good week and made a lot of progress with both the physical therapy AND the speech therapy. She was able to have a smaller trach tube put in a couple of days ago and then a cap yesterday on the trach so she is finally able to speak with her voice and has a LOT to say. Mostly that she wants ice cream, she wants those boots off, and mostly, she wants OUT! So she is being transferred at 5pm today to an LTAC (Long Term Acute Care) facility at City of Faith. We are hoping that once she is settled in there, they will be able to help her start weaning off the trach all together and learn how to eat again.

So anyone who is already signed up to bring food, please be aware that we are no longer keeping camp at St. Francis. You are still able to contact my sister Susie to make arrangements. If you need her phone number again, please email me directly at jclapp1@yahoo.com.

I have to tell everyone who has brought dinner thus far that your generosity has been such a blessing. My dad definitely looks forward to them when they are scheduled! My sister, Nancy, arrived this morning to stay for the week and help out. We will let people know when it is ok to visit my mom.

Thank you again,

Jennifer & Family

Tuesday, July 28th

We don't have much to report right now. It was a quiet weekend with not much change in our little Neuro ICU home. The speech therapist did come in yesterday and determined Mom will not be able to talk or eat until a smaller trach is in place. The pulmonologist told Dad on Sunday that if it was determined that she would need a smaller trach, he would schedule that procedure for today or tomorrow, but no word on that so far today.

Thank you to all the people who have provided meals for my family in the hospital. It is one less thing they have to think about. We are all taken care of until the 6th of August but have openings for the next week. Please email me directly at jclapp1@yahoo.com if you would like to provide a meal.

Keep those positive thoughts and prayers flowing!!!

Jennifer & Family

Friday, July 25th

Mom's ventilator tube was removed yesterday, leaving just blow-by oxygen, so she is breathing independently now through her trach. She is still not able to talk (make sound) until the speech therapist does an assessment. They will also do a swallowing assessment to move her toward being able to eat again. As soon as there is no necessity for going back to the ventilator, she can move to a regular hospital room. We have begun discussions on where to move for long term care and rehab.

The update from the speech pathologist is that she is just not ready to eat or be able to talk on her own yet. She was getting good breaths in but not out. They do not work over the weekend so will not be back in to check on progress until Monday. I think my mom is very frustrated and ready to move on but this takes a lot of patience and time.

Hoping for some good progress and healing over the weekend!
Jennifer & Family

Wednesday, July 23rd

Tuesday was a very busy day!
The ENT doctor changed out the trach tube and removed the stitches. This was followed by more x-rays and then downstairs for a CT scan, which looked good. She did a couple of hours of sitting therapy in the chair so gravity can help out her lungs. Anxiously awaiting the day when the ventilator tube can come out as Mom is quite insistent that she get some ice cream. As soon as that happens, my sister Susie plans to take her a snow cone from Josh's Sno Shack! Today they continue the effort to wean her from the breathing support.

Here is a recent photo of our Mom & Dad out enjoying beers with the family.

Thank you for keeping up with us and sending such kind messages our way!
Jennifer & Family

Monday, July 21st

We have definitely made big strides since Saturday. My mom is mostly breathing on her own but they are still using the ventilator to help along the way. The ENT doctor will assess the state of her trach tube tomorrow and based on that, will transition her into a different cuff which may enable her to talk a little bit. That being said, since she has been lifted from the continuous painkiller IV and put on a lesser dose when needed, she is very alert and present in the conversations the family is having. My family has been improving their lip reading skills and apparently my mom has been practicing her eye rolling on them. She seems quite feisty and for that, we are thankful. I received a report this morning that they had moved her into a chair which would be good for her lungs and even though she was not happy with that arrangement, the nurses commented that this was a big step. The doctors are not ready to talk about leaving the ICU yet or what the timeline looks like going forward but every day we see progress, that conversation is one step closer!

I know I keep switching things on you and it may seem confusing, but this online blog has been a learning process for me as well. I have decided just to publish the calendar of food volunteers myself. That way, all YOU have to do is email me at jclapp1@yahoo.com, tell me what you would like to bring and when. This will make it easier on everyone and ensure that they are not eating the same thing every time! Please do not hesitate to email me if you have any questions! I am always near a computer and happy to help since this is my way to volunteer from so far away in Seattle!

Please check the calendar at the top of the blog and email me if you would like to help.

Also, I have added a button just to the right of this blog post that says "Get email updates!" If you type your email in there and hit "submit", the site will send you an email any time I make updates.

Thank you so much to the people who have already provided my family with food and support. It is one less thing they have to think about in a day.

Jennifer

Saturday, July 19th

I have returned to Seattle for now but am getting updates from my brother at the hospital. His report this morning said the night was smooth. She had a little trouble breathing first thing this morning but we think that was attributed to little anxiety upon waking up. Otherwise, she has been on spontaneous breathing on the ventilator and they are lowering the power of the vent gradually so she is doing more and more of the work. My brother said she looked at him with both eyes this morning which was a good sign. And when my dad got there this morning they both said she clearly mouthed "Hi Jim" to him which is a huge step! The hospitalist arrived shortly after and she followed all of his commands. So he said the feeding through the peg tube (stomach feeding tube) was going so well that we can finally take the CorTrak (nose feeding tube) out. So that will happen today and we will just keep working with her and looking for progress!

Thanks,
Jennifer

Friday, July 18th

No big changes today. We had a pretty calm night here in the hospital. She didn't sleep much but was calmer and not as upset. She even interacted with me, enough to mouth "no" to my pestering questions. Progress!

We are patiently awaiting the CorTrak removal (nose feeding tube) at 1:30 today since she has had a peg tube (stomach feeing tube) put in. She is stable today and we will be replacing her ongoing pain killer with something a little lighter in the hopes that it will allow her to be more alert.

Most importantly, I have designed a calendar on a free website in case people would like to help the family out by providing dinner to be delivered here to the hospital. Please see the link at the TOP of this page. You do NOT have to register, only provide your email address and it will guide you through the steps to select a day of your choosing. We are starting to look for volunteers for this Sunday night. As of right now, we have 3 adults and one child sitting with her so that would be the size of the meal. I then have regularly scheduled meals for Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays for the near future. The number of people may change but I will update the calendar to reflect those changes. Obviously, only one person or family can sign up per day, so once you register that "blue" time slot, it will no longer be available. If you have any questions at all or need help signing up, please email me at jclapp1@yahoo.com and I will be happy to help!

Thank you again for all the kind words and support! We really do appreciate all of it!
Jennifer and Family

Thursday, July 17th

Yesterday was a big day. After having the tracheostomy on Tuesday night, they were ready to take JoAnn off sedation yesterday and practice breathing on her own. So she is still trached but they turned off the power to the ventilator for quite a few hours yesterday. She did really well but did get pretty tired by the evening so they gave her a break and put her back on ventilation. She was fairly alert for most of the day as well. It was a little hard because she seemed confused and sad. She could not move or talk and was probably in quite a bit of pain, but by the evening she was moving her arms and nodding and shaking her head ever so slightly. We will try and work on some response movements so we can communicate with her.

She seems a little calmer this morning and we are hoping for good things to happen today.

The doctor just stopped in and said they are scheduling a feeding tube to be placed in her stomach so we can get all tubes out of her mouth and nose. This will be our 4th major surgery in a week so please keep her in your thoughts and prayers.

And now for the fantastic news: We just got a visit from our first physical therapist! Very excited to get her limbs moving again! Progress, progress.

I will update later today if we have any other news.
Jennifer

Updates on JoAnn

7/16/14 - Since we were not happy with the interface at CaringBridge, I have created this website as a way for all friends and family of my mother to be able to get the latest updates on her recovery.  To catch everyone up, I am reposting all of the updates I had previously posted on Caring Bridge, so I apologize if this is a repeat for some of you. Please use this site to communicate with the family so we have a centralized way to talk to people as there is much activity and we are all keeping very long hours by her side and have terrible phone reception in the hospital. I am looking into other sites to manage everyday tasks that people might want to help out with in the near future when my mom is back home and my dad has his hands full so stay tuned!
Jennifer

1st post:
JoAnn suffered a fall on Saturday, July 5th. She fractured her C2 vertebra and was admitted to the Neuro ICU at St. Francis Hospital. She has been here since then, fully intubated and sedated because of congestion and swelling of her airway. Two surgeries were performed last week to mend the fracture, with screws placed in the vertebra. The trauma from the fall has caused sustained swelling, which is why she is still intubated. We are hoping for a tracheostomy to be performed today to give her some relief from having tubes down her throat for over a week. 

2nd post:
JoAnn did get a tracheostomy last night to help alleviate discomfort from swelling and congestion. She has been breathing on her own through the trach for several hours today. They have also been practicing weaning her off the sedatives. Even though she is making progress, it is a very slow process and she is likely to remain in Neuro ICU for the next several days. Anyone wishing to visit, we ask that you please be patient until we are in a regular hospital room and she is able to visit with you. 

Again, thank you for all your support and we will will try and keep you updated. 

3rd post:
Just a reminder, there are no flowers allowed in the ICU and we aren't spending much time at home if people are interested in providing food. However, we will let you know if we set up a food schedule as we think our dad, Jim, may appreciate that help once he is caring for JoAnn at home.