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Update on Sandy

dheffleydheffley Member Posts: 25,000
edited July 2012 in General Discussion
All,

I have been delinquent in an update on Sandy for many reasons. One, since she has returned home and I have returned to work, I get less than 5 hours of sleep a night and have been burning the candle at both ends. Two, I didn't really know what to report because some things were worse than I had originally realized, and some things had stopped or reversed and I didn't know if it was temporary or permanent. Here's where things stand as of today.

Sandy's right arm had once again stopped working completely and was getting in pretty bad shape. It had started the "toning" process where it swells and starts contracting into a curled up position. None of the rehab seemed to help and it looked as if it wasn't going to ever be usable again. This week, while doing outpatient rehab, it started looking better and they did feel some muscle movement that they read as a sign that once again, it is starting to respond. This is still the major concern and it is the area I ask for specific prayers in her behalf.

Sandy's right leg is showing slow but steady improvement. She is able to walk more and more each day and with time I believe it will make a full recovery. The foot has the least movement, the knee is about half of normal, and the hip joint is strong and doing very well.

Sandy's speech is good unless she is tired or in some way excited. She still has some trouble getting the right word out of her mouth or being able to recall the word she wants to use, but for the most part, she can carry on a good conversation.

I had though since she could get "yes" and "no" out by the fourth day, she was coherent early on and fully aware of what had happened to her. I did find out that was wrong. She recently told me that she didn't remember being in the hospital at all, and that they had told her she had been in rehab for a week when she first started to be able to realize she had a problem and wasn't at home. This was shocking to me, yet on the second day back home from rehab, she asked me if her father was still alive. When I told her when and how he had died, she began to cry. She told be she couldn't remember if it was a bad dream or it had really happened. I knew then that she wasn't running at full speed mentally, and little things like wondering where the cat was when she too had passed away last spring, lead me to realize, the memories were affected and it will take time to recover them.

Her spirits are good and her faith has maintained her through these difficult times. Your prayers and good thought have also produced miracles and healing on a level I have never experienced. I hate to ask for more because all of you have done so much, but being a selfish man and Sandy being the love of my life, please continue to pray that her recovery continues. I know and believe that she would never have found the road to recovery without the prayer offerings in her behalf all of you have sent up. It also touches my heart deeply to know that other people care for and love her enough to keep her in their prayers.

Lastly, I want to thank, from the bottom of my heart, all of you for the flowers, cards, gifts, prayers and good thoughts for this kind and precious woman. Being a very private person, she was shocked to see all of the cards in rehab. She would read each one and ask me who had sent it. Some she knew, many she didn't. She, who believes all people are good inside, would tell me it proves we are blessed to have friends and family who are good people with caring hearts. In this area, she is beginning to convert my own beliefs. Maybe there are more good people in the world than I realized!

Thank you all again, and know you are all in our prayers too,

Danny

Comments

  • dheffleydheffley Member Posts: 25,000
    edited November -1
    They found nothing they can hang their hate on other than some inconclusive biopsy results that will have to be redone.

    We have an appointment on the 27 with a specialist at Baylor. I hope he can give us some better information.
  • dheffleydheffley Member Posts: 25,000
    edited November -1
    The new doc found a very, very bad infection in her colon. She is on very high doses fo antibiotocs since last Wednesday, and she's doing much better.[:D]

    She still will get the itailian Stallion scoping in 5 weeks.[}:)]
  • HandLoadHandLoad Member Posts: 15,998
    edited November -1
    Best wishes and Prayers for you both.
  • nunnnunn Forums Admins, Member, Moderator Posts: 35,988 ******
    edited November -1
    How do you get an infection in the colon? It stays full of septic material most of the time anyway. You'd think it would be immune.

    I hope she gets better soon.
  • dheffleydheffley Member Posts: 25,000
    edited November -1
    quote:Originally posted by nunn
    How do you get an infection in the colon? It stays full of septic material most of the time anyway. You'd think it would be immune.

    I hope she gets better soon.




    No clue, and I kind of wondered the same thing, but he said it was more common than we know, and usually goes undiagnosed. He said that looking at her records, he would guess she's had it at least two months, maybe three.

    Whatever the cause, she's doing better and I'm glad!!!!!!
  • A J ChristA J Christ Member Posts: 7,534
    edited November -1
    Thanks for the update.

    Glad its something fixed with antibiotics.

    Will continue to keep the both of you in our prayers.
  • grumpygygrumpygy Member Posts: 53,466
    edited November -1
    Just had to look this up. I would guess that it was caused by her earlier hospital stays and antibiotics that they used.



    quote:A bacterial colon infection caused by C. diff usually occurs in older adults during a hospital stay, or while they're residing in a long term care facility. It also often occurs after the patient takes an antibiotic medications.

    Taking an antibiotic not only kills harmful bacteria you may have in your system, it kills helpful bacteria - the "good" bacteria that facilitates digestion and other * functions. Without enough of these "good" types of bacteria, C. diff runs rampant in your digestive tract. Once C. difficile bacteria get established, they produce toxic substances that attack the cells and the lining of the intestines and the colon, causing inflammation.

    If a bacterial colon infection caused by C. difficile is mild, it may get better when you stop taking the antibiotic. However, if your symptoms are more severe, you may need another type of antibiotic to kill C. diff.

    The antibiotics that most often lead to C. difficile infections of the colon include fluoroquinolones, cephalosporins, clindamycin and penicillins.

    Clostridium difficile bacteria are all around us. They can be found in water dirt, and plants. They can be floating in the air, or embedded in the feces of humans and animals. Like the germs that cause gastroenteritis or stomach flu, they tend to spread in places where sanitation is lax.
  • we_dig_itwe_dig_it Member Posts: 6,614 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    I hope she gets to feeling better.......
  • retroxler58retroxler58 Member Posts: 32,693 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Danny.... We're keeping Sandy and yourself in our thoughts and prayers...
  • montanajoemontanajoe Forums Admins, Member, Moderator Posts: 57,892 ******
    edited November -1
    Prayers will continue.
  • CaptFunCaptFun Member Posts: 16,678 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    diverticulitis ?
  • dheffleydheffley Member Posts: 25,000
    edited November -1
    quote:Originally posted by CaptFun
    diverticulitis ?




    No, I have it, but he said hers was just a very bad infection right now. No Chrones, no Diverticulitis. no IBS, no IFD, just an infection. She did have polyps on her last scope two years ago, and he said when they do this one they might find more, and they might find some of the other bowl diseases, but for now, he thinks it's just the infection.
  • CaptFunCaptFun Member Posts: 16,678 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    quote:Originally posted by dheffley
    quote:Originally posted by CaptFun
    diverticulitis ?




    No, I have it, but he said hers was just a very bad infection right now. No Chrones, no Diverticulitis. no IBS, no IFD, just an infection. She did have polyps on her last scope two years ago, and he said when they do this one they might find more, and they might find some of the other bowl diseases, but for now, he thinks it's just the infection.


    Well, our best wishes for you both. My Mom had a similar problem that for years no Dr. could pin down. Turns out it was a cracked tooth leading to a low level infection in the gums and the immune reponse to that inflamation was causing all the intestinal distress. As soon as she got the tooth fixed (which was not giving her any trouble) and cleared the AntiBiotics from that surgery she has been all good. Different Drs had told her everything from diverticulitis to lactose intolerance to nut allergies.


    I'm so sure that with Obama care Drs are going to get so much better and advanced, nobody will ever suffer again....

    [xx(]
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