Still Blessed!

     I can honestly say that we have had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend!!

     We have had our dear friends, the Cashner family, - missionaries serving in Tain, Scotland -  staying with us for the past two weeks and it has been like a healing balm for our family.  After 9 days in the hospital and the stress and worry of Brieanna's surgery and recovery, it has been nice to have a "distraction".  I mean that will all the love in my heart:)
     Brieanna (and ALL the other kids) has enjoyed having the Cashner boys (Kyle-13, Konner-11 and Kade-9) here in the house as well.  I truly believe it has taken her mind off of some of the discomfort and even embarrassment she has faced since the surgery.  If "Steve" (the stoma) makes any noises the boys all think it is so cool - even to the point of muting the TV so that they can hear it!  They find it hilarious and it has made Brie feel so good.  She is even getting around a bit better as well!  Her progress,while slow, has been encouraging to watch.  Each day there seems to be improvement.

INSTINCT….Brieanna Two Weeks On!

     We were created with natural instincts.  If we touch something hot, we automatically pull away.  If we have pain, we cry out or at least react in some way.  As parents, we instantly, instinctively love that baby from the moment we know him or her exists in the womb.  I know in the world in which we live this is not always the case, but for most, life is precious.  We instinctively love our family and desire to protect them.
     In the two weeks since my daughter's surgery,

Heart, HOME, and Family…..Brieanna Day 9!

   

 Today was an early morning for us at the hospital.  I do not know if it was the anticipation of being allowed to go home today or what, but Brieanna awoke before 6am and could not get back to sleep.  As has been the case since we have been at the hospital, if Brie cannot sleep, neither can mommy:)
     Brie was unusually chatty this morning.  The hospital was still very quiet and Brieanna began to share her feelings about the whole operation and recovery process.  I wanted to share the things she told me for it gave me greater insight into her heart.  This is some of what Brie shared with me today:


     This has not been as bad as I thought it was going to be.  I cannot really remember the first couple of days, so that is not so bad.  =D I do remember waking up in the middle of the night just after the surgery and I felt someone was holding my hand.  

Almost Home….Brieanna Day 8!

   

     Straight away, I have to say that today was a wonderful day!  (you know as far as days at the hospital go)
     Brieanna slept better last night and her pain has lessened considerably.  We were up this morning and ready when Dr. Jaffray came into the room to check on Brie's progress.  He asked after her pain, explained a few things she should expect over the upcoming weeks and months and then asked her if she would like to go home tomorrow.  Of course Brie said "YES!"
     So exciting!  This hospital stay has been 8 days of emotional ups and down, twists and turns, expectations and surprises, but we are coming to an end.  We are so thankful that Brieanna has come through this with such strength.  She gets stronger physically each day and it brings such joy to Andy and I, well, to the WHOLE family!!  Brieanna with her new stoma, whom she jokingly has named "STEVE" will be back home with the family tomorrow afternoon! (She has named it so that any funny noises that might be heard coming from the small bag she can say "Steve did it!" lol)

Unplugged and Needle Free….Brieanna Day 7!

     WARNING….WARNING….WARNING….WARNING….WARNING….WARNING….

I want to start off this this post with a caution that it will be a lot of bragging on just how AWESOME my daughter is and how GREAT a God I serve…..

YOU

HAVE 

BEEN 

WARNED!!

:-)

     Brie was able to have the drip disconnected last night and that enabled her to have the use of her left hand again and allowed us to NOT have to cart cords and wires all over the room.  Brie was so happy!!  That meant NO BEEPING, NO ALARMS and maybe even some sleep!
     Brie was in a bit of pain last night at about 12:30am, so they gave her some medicines.  She was up again about an hour later and I helped take care of her needs.  By about 1:45am, she was back in bed and that was her until about 8:00am this morning!  What a great night!  When she did wake up, it was only for a brief time and then she wanted to go back to sleep….without any more pain medication!!  What a huge step.
     Once Brieanna was fully awake late in the morning, she decided she would go for a walk around the ward.  Now that she is fully off the drips and such, she is feeling so much better.  We took 3 laps through the halls before she was feeling a bit too sore to continue.  What a trooper!  She said "Take that physio chics!  Tomorrow we will do 5 laps!"
     I cannot believe the change in my girl - my daughter is back!

Thankful for Prayer….Brieanna Day 6!

     "...The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” 

(James 5:16).

Well, this morning was a bit rough for Brie as she was in quite a bit of pain and could not get comfortable enough to sleep well.  We were up and down most of the night:(
     The nurses were able to get Brie sorted and by about 6:45am she was able to get some rest.  As I said it was a rough night, but Brie weathered it quite well.
     Today has been bit of a lazy day for Brie in that the physiotherapists and stomas nurses have the weekend off.  Brie did take great strides, however, in the area of pain manageability and just general moving about.

Climbing Mountains .…Brieanna Day 5

   Late posting today, but SO much going on!

     Brie started out today very early and very ill!  About 6:00am, she was feeling nauseated and had been coughing.  The morphine in her system was starting to make her sick.  Despite the anti-nausia medication, Brie was sick twice.  Then she began coughing more violently.  Both of her lungs are partially collapsed due to hours of intubation and anesthesia.  The coughing and deep breathing will help those to inflate fully - both actions are extremely painful to someone who has just had abdominal surgery.
     Finally, Brie was able to get an hour or so of rest.  By 9:00am, the nausea was back as was the physiotherapists, the surgical team, the stoma nurse, pain management nurse and her regular duty nurse for vitals every hour.  The room was a hub of activity for a while.