Monday, March 28

Karen felt better this morning but not quite as good tonight. She still doesn't have much of an appetite but recognizes the need to eat to regain her strength. We are excited that she is home but also recognizing that she still has a long way to go and this recovery will take time! Please pray for an improved appetite and increasing strength.

Going forward I will only plan on posting new updates here every couple of days as things change. Thanks again for your prayers and support!

Rusty

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Sunday, March 27

We are still celebrating having Karen home.  She is not feeling too good today and having to really push herself to eat.  Climbing the steps continues to be a challenge, but getting a bit easier each time.  Thanks to all of our friends who have offered to assist with transportation to/from appointments and dialysis when I am at work.  We already have all of next week covered and part of the following week.

 

Rusty

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Saturday, March 26

It is great having Karen home! She slept great last night (her first night in her own bed in 2 months). Those $60k ICU beds aren't all they are cracked up to be! The stairs in our house are challenging right now until she gets her strength back, but she managed them fine...just took it slow and easy.

She is now scheduled for hemo dialysis from 6:30am-9:30am on Tue/Thu/Sat so I took her there this morning. Once she heals up from all the surgeries the plan is to go back to peritoneal dialysis (at home every night) which will help her return to a more normal schedule.

Enjoy your weekend and time with your family. I know we will!

Rusty

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Karen is Home!

It is hard to believe it but Karen is really home! We got to the house about 3:30 this afternoon. Russ walked in the door at 4:30 from NC State and surprised Karen! This was a total surprise to both of us.

We are looking forward to a great weekend together at home.

Thanks once again for all of your prayers and support! GOD IS SO GOOD!

Rusty

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Going Home! March 25

One of the residents from the transplant team just came by and told Karen that they are sending her home today (sometime this afternoon)! They have been talking about this for several days, but I haven’t said a lot about it since things seem to change from day to day. They feel like she is doing well enough that she doesn’t need to go through rehab. She is also feeling much better today. This is exciting for her to be able to go home, but also a bit scary for both of us as we test her limits with stairs, walking, etc. But God has been there for us through all of this and we know that he will continue to watch over us as we take this next big step!

Please pray for continued increasing strength for Karen and peace as we take this next step. Some of you have already offered to assist us with taking Karen to dialysis three days/week, doctor visits, etc. so we will certainly be calling on some of you!

There were some days when I didn’t know if this day would ever come. Once again, praise God for all that he has done it this situation!

Rusty Rose

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Thursday, March 24

Karen is not feeling quite as good today, but she did make an entire lap walking around this floor...her longest walk yet. She is also a bit frustrated. It is 5:30pm and she has been waiting all day to go to dialysis. It takes 3 hours once they start so it will be well into the evening at best before she gets back to the room and can go to sleep.

Now that she is in a regular room, she enjoyed the opportunity to see our grandbabies! (Livy and Maya Wednesday and Kessler Thursday). This brightened her days.

Rusty

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Moving on Up! Wednesday, March 23

Karen “graduated” to a regular room today!  She is feeling good and eating well and the change in scenery lifted her spirits.  Before the move she took a short walk with me down the hall and did very well.  I was also able to take her up in a wheelchair for a short visit in the sunshine on the 12 floor open air terrace before it got cloudy and windy and too cool.  She seemed to really enjoy that as well. 

 

The doctor said that they are still trying to get her into rehab but feel like the Sticht Center was reluctant to take her directly from Intermediate Care Unit (IMC).  He said that either they will decide to now take her into rehab (now that she is on a regular floor) or they may decide she doesn’t need it and send her home without rehab (but not without spending at least a few days in a regular room).  I will keep you posted on that.

 

I know that she wants to see all of you soon, but she is still not ready for visitors at this point as she needs to concentrate on continuing to regain strength and continue her recovery.

 

Praise God (again!) for all the blessings he has given us!

 

Rusty

 

 

 

 

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Tuesday, March 22

Karen had dialysis today (this time they took her to the dialysis area in the hospital instead of doing it in the room). She came back feeling pretty good this time and ate a pretty good dinner as well.

Supposedly the doctors are going to enter an order tonight to move her to a regular room on the transplant floor but right now there are no beds available. So we wait! There is still talk of moving her to rehab at some point but that seems to be moving slowly (Baptist Hospital certainly teaches you to be patient!)

Karen is growing stronger each day and more able to move around on her own. If they wait long enough for rehab we may not need it!

Please pray for increased strength and encouragement. The long hospital stay is wearing on her a bit but she is hanging in there knowing we are getting closer to bringing her home!

Rusty

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Monday, March 21

Believe it or not, today marks two months that Karen has been in the hospital (with the exception of one week at home). She has been through a lot but we are very thankful for how far she has come!

Today is another good day and Karen is feeling good. We are still waiting on whether she will move and where!

Rusty

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Sunday, March 20

Karen is about the same today as yesterday. She ate a decent breakfast and lunch and is feeling pretty good. Unfortunately we spent most of Saturday waiting for the dialysis folks to show up and were not able to get her outside. Maybe we can get her back out when the weather warms up again.
Doctors are still considering moving her to a regular room or to Sticht Center early in the week. Sticht Center will be evaluating her next week to make sure she is ready for rehab.

To our P/B Sunday School class: Karen L will be out of town next week and not able to notify you when I update the blog, but I think you all are used to it now and can just check the site from time to time on your own:

www.karenskidneys.blogspot.com

The latest post is always at the top with previous posts shown on the right side. Thanks so much to Karen L for her dedication in doing this up to now!

Great to see many of you in church this morning and so much appreciate all the prayers and support!

Rusty

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Saturday, March 19

Friday we got to take Karen out on a patio in the sunshine for about 30 minutes and she loved it (first time she has been outside in about 6 weeks). Her comment: "This is better than any drug!" She even got a little bit of pinks in her cheeks from the sun.

Yesterday was a really good day (best day yet) and today seems equally good. Karen ate a big breakfast and is feeling good. Then mid-morning she sent me to get her a bag of Cheetos and then ate a baked potato from Wendy's for lunch. We are extremely thankful for the appetite (a definite answer to prayers!). We had hoped to get her back outside today, but have to work around her dialysis which is scheduled for the afternoon. She also sat up and read the newspaper today and I plan to bring her some books from home (from her personal librarian, Teresa's!)

The doctors are still considering moving her to the Sticht Center (rehab) early next week, but believe they will keep her in IMC through the weekend just to be safe. We are good with this and this will also avoid two moves.

Hope you enjoy the nice weather today. We hope to as well!

Rusty

Saturday, March 19

Friday we got to take Karen out on a patio in the sunshine for about 30 minutes and she loved it (first time outside in 6 weeks). She even got a little bit of pink in her cheeks from the sun.

Yesterday was a really good day (best day yet) and today has started off great as well. Karen ate a really big breakfast and is feeling good. We hope to get her back outside today but have to work around dialysis this afternoon.

The doctors are still considering moving her to Sticht Center rehab early next week, but believe they are going to keep her in IMC through the weekend just to be safe. We are good with this and this also avoids two moves.

Hope you all enjoy the nice weather today. We hope to as well!

Rusty

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Friday, March 18

Karen is feeling much better today. She ate really well at breakfast. They have also removed her feeding tube and she has not had oxygen support for several days!

The doctors just came around and they are considering moving her to the Sticht Center (rehab) early next week. Sticht center will evaluate her again to make sure she is ready. They are keeping her in IMC for at least another day but may move her to a regular room over the weekend as an intermediate step.

The nurses got permission for her to go outside today. I am taking a day of vacation today to spend the day with her so we plan to take her to the rooftop terrace sometime this afternoon to enjoy our 80 degree day.

God is so good!

Alert: I may not be able to post an update Saturday due to unavailability of work email!

Rusty

Thursday, March 17

Karen is not feeling quite as good today, but probably because it is time for dialysis again (treatment started after lunch). She did eat some breakfast this morning and walked down the hall a little further than yesterday. She has also been without her oxygen (nose cannula) since last night and has maintained her oxygen levels in her blood! Another step forward.

The doctors are beginning to discuss the next step and trying to decide if she should go to rehab before going home. We will be ok either way, as long as things continue to improve as they have this week.

We have so much to be thankful for!

Rusty

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Wednesday, March 16 - Another Good Update

Ashley went by at lunch time to see Karen and reports that she was sitting up in the chair again (2^nd time already today) and eating some lunch (still not a lot, but much better than previously).  In addition, PT had her walking down the hall using a walker!  This is a HUGE improvement since she could not even stand up by herself last week.  Just wanted to share the good news with all.

 

Rusty

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Wednesday, March 16

When I got to the hospital this morning, Karen was sitting up in the chair and eating a little bit of breakfast.  She didn’t eat a lot, but was taking the initiative on her own.  The fact that she ate anything and did it on her own without being pushed, is a big step forward.  She continues to be very alert and breathing well (still with the nose cannula) and her wonderful sense of humor is back.  She keeps the nurses laughing!  They started PT yesterday and she seemed to do well with that.   

 

I really feel like we are heading in the right direction.  She is still not quite ready for visitors (plus visitors are limited to immediate family in the IMC unit) but don’t think she is too far off from being ready to see some of you.  We will let you know, but this will probably have to wait until she gets moved to a regular room or rehab.  Praise God for all of the healing and improvement we have seen!

 

Today is Russ’s 19^th birthday, so we are excited about that even though he is back in Raleigh.  Happy Birthday, Russ!

 

Rusty

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Tuesday, March 15

Karen is having another good day today, alert and breathing well with just the nose cannula for oxygen!  That makes three good days in a row now, so feeling good about that.  She even spent several hours yesterday without any supplemental oxygen and did ok.   They did a “mini” dialysis treatment on Monday to pull off extra fluid then her regular dialysis treatment today.  The purpose is to manage down her fluid retention which seems to be working and helping.  They plan to start doing some physical therapy with her today or tomorrow to build back strength.  At this point she is very weak and unable to stand on her own but physical therapy should help address that.  Still no appetite!  The plan is to keep her in IMC (Intermediate Care) for the time being.  With all she has been through, they want to be cautious before moving her to a regular room where she is not monitored as closely.  We certainly agree with that plan.

 

We are thankful for these steps forward!

 

Rusty

 

 

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Monday 3/14

Karen is having another good day today. When I arrived she was sitting up in bed watching Jeopardy and answering questions! Very alert and breathing well. We are hopeful that she has taken another step forward from the slump last week.

Rusty

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Sunday

Last night and this morning Karen has been more alert and conversational. Her breathing also seems to be easier than it was earlier in the week. We pray that this is a permanent improvement and not just another "up" in the up/down recovery cycle. Regardless we are thankful for the improvement and celebrating today and not worrying about tomorrow (Matthew 6: 34).

She is still in IMC (Intermediate Care) and fluid management is the primary focus right now as well as nutrition. She still has no appetite but continues to receive tube feedings.

The outpouring of prayers, cards, well-wishes and support is amazing! Thank you all.

Rusty

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Saturday Morning

Karen seems to be breathing better this morning.  She is having her dialysis treatment this morning, so very sleepy but seems to be feeling a bit better than the last few mornings.  My understanding is that in an attempt to reduce fluid retention, they may be doing some “mini” dialysis treatments between normal Tue/Thur/Sat treatments.  These will be shorter than the normal 3 hour treatments and the goal will be fluid reduction. 

 

Rusty

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Friday Noon

No real changes today.  Doctors are continuing to see what can be done to accelerate her recovery.

 

Rusty

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Thursday Early Afternoon

Karen’s breathing has been much better today than yesterday, but she had dialysis early this morning which usually helps this by removing excess fluid.  They pulled off a bunch of fluid through her dialysis so this has left her very tired.  She is mostly sleeping today, but will wake up and answer questions.  The transplant doctors came by this morning and did say they are concerned that she isn’t progressing this week and will be doing some additional tests to see if they can get things moving.  She still has some level of pneumonia (has actually increased some) so they are considering changing meds for that.  She is also retaining a lot of fluid in her abdomen which contributes to the breathing issues.  They will be running some tests on that as well to see if they can address that.  Still no appetite.

 

Rusty

 

 

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Wednesday PM

Karen's breathing has improved as the day progressed but the hard breathing has really worn her out.

The last few days seem to be a step or two backwards but I think we have to expect some of that on this long journey to recovery. We just remind ourselves that God is still in charge and working in this situation!

Rusty

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Wednesday Noon

Not as good a day as we had hoped for. Karen has had some difficulty breathing again this morning. Some tests are being run to determine cause and treatment.

Rusty

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Tuesday PM

Karen's breathing was better after dialysis today, but as usual the dialysis left her very weak and extremely sleepy. Still no appetite.
As I previously stated, it looks like her best days will be the day after dialysis (Wed, Fri, Sun). The worst will be the days of dialysis (Tue, Thu, Sat) both before dialysis because she needs it and after because she is so exhausted from it. Monday somewhere in between!

Tomorrow will be a better day! Continue to pray for an appetite and increased strength.

Rusty

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Tuesday AM

Karen had a bit of difficulty breathing this morning but seems to be easing up.  It appears to relate to swelling/excessive fluid retention, but she is now on her scheduled dialysis treatment and that should help with removing the fluid.  Saturday to Tuesday is the longest stretch of time between dialysis treatments so that is probably why there is more of an issue on Tuesday mornings with swelling and therefore breathing.

 

No other big changes from yesterday.  She was awake much of the day yesterday.

 

Rusty

 

 

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Monday AM

Karen slept pretty well for her first night in IMC. Her appetite is still pretty non-existent so we continue to work on that. Doctors have discussed some approaches to help with that as well. Keep praying for this!

Karen sat up for about 2 hours this morning and is doing well and is watching TV.

I may begin reducing my postings to once per day unless there is some news to share. I expect changes to be fairly gradual from this point forward but will certainly let you know of any significant events.

Rusty

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Sunday PM - Finally In IMC!

We finally got Karen into Intermediate Care (IMC). When we left ICU, our favorite nurse, Ben,
played "Pomp and Circumstance" on his ipod and Karen waved at everybody with a royal wave. All the nurses laughed! Ben said this is a great way to end his weekend and 3 days of work! I think he was as excited as we are that she "graduated" from ICU!

The IMC is very nice and is more like a private room with a window looking out at Ardmore. I think it will be much easier for her to sleep.

This was a great way to end the weekend for all of us with some definite signs of improvement.

Rusty

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Sunday Morning

WOW, prayers work fast! I just put on the blog last night to pray for Karen's appetite. Her nurse called first thing this morning to tell me that Karen had eaten her entire bowl of grits and 3/4 of a nutrition pudding cup (this is a lot compared to what she has been eating). I am now with her and she is more alert this morning and her vital signs are good. We are still in ICU waiting for a bed in IMC.

Thanks again for all the prayers, cards and emails!

Rusty

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Saturday PM

Karen did well today but is very tired. She sat up twice for about 2 hours plus had dialysis for 3 hours so her fatigue is certainly understandable.

Still no open beds in IMC so she remains in ICU. Not having any appetite is the next big challenge. She really doesn't want to eat at all but really needs to in order to continue to heal and recover. Please pray for an increased appetite and for her patience with me as I push her hard to eat more!

Rusty

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Saturday AM

Karen is doing pretty good again today. Sometime today she will get dialysis. She is eating some Biscuitville grits (that I brought this morning) like a good southern girl! Her appetite is still not very good but she is trying (and I am pushing).

She is still on the waiting list to go to IMC (intermediate care) but there are 6 people on the list. Nurse doubts she will get moved today, but that is ok because she is getting excellent care in ICU. The only down side is that she is ready for a change in scenary which would help clear her head a bit.

Rusty

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Friday PM

Karen continued to do well throughout the day. She sat up for about 2 hours during the middle of the day and then rested well in the afternoon. When Russ came home late this afternoon from NC State, she was alert and upbeat.

The doctors have decided to move her to Intermediate Care (IMC) but at this point there are no beds available so they will keep her in ICU until a space becomes available. Her nurse told us that it sometimes takes several days before a bed becomes available.

Thankful for another good day!

Rusty

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Friday AM

Karen is much brighter today than yesterday (consistent with my expectation that Wed/Fri/Sun will be good days due to dialysis schedule). The plan is to get her up in a chair later today.

Transplant team just came by. They don't feel she is ready yet for a regular room but are considering moving her to Intermediate Care (IMC). They will let us know what they decide later today. They do feel she is progressing but just reminded us that recovery will be slow. We are thankful for these small steps forward.

Rusty

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Thursday Evening

After sitting up for 2 hours this morning followed by dialysis this afternoon, Karen was pretty well wiped out today. Hopefully she will get some good rest tonight and feel better tomorrow!

Rusty

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Thursday Morning

Karen is about the same as yesterday but perhaps a little more tired. The dialysis is absolutely necessary but it wears her out on the day she has it and then the longer it is after dialysis the more tired she is. So her best days will probably be the days after dialysis (Wed, Fri, Sunday). She is scheduled for dialysis today.

She has been sitting up again in the chair this morning to regain a little strength. She is sitting up about 2 hours per day. She has also been allowed to drink a Coke (which she loves)!

The transplant team just came by and has decided to keep her in ICU at least one more night so she can gain a little more strength and be watched a little closer. We all agree that this is a good idea.

Rusty

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Words from a Greeting Card

Karen received a card today with a some words that, in my opinion, describe Karen so well and I wanted to share them with you all. Here it is:

"You've been through so much lately, and I know it has taken a lot out of you and at times it must seem like things will never be normal again. But I know that you'll handle it, because you're one of the bravest people I've ever known. You might not see yourself that way, but I do...You have an inner strength that keeps you hanging on in situations that would try the best of us. That's not to say that it's easy, just that you're a fighter..." (Author: Linda Lee Elrod).

I know that Karen would say that her "Inner Strength" comes from her faith in God.

Thanks to Debbie for this wonderful card!

Rusty

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WEDNESDAY PM

Karen continues to do well tonight. She is sleepy/tired from sitting up so long this morning but still alert and communicating well (and still showing her sense of humor) but still very weak.

The plan is still to move her from ICU tomorrow after she gets dialysis subject to her continuing to do well tonight and tomorrow.

Thanks for all the comments and emails celebrating her progress. God is good!

Rusty

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OK - IT SHOULD SAY WEDNESDAY AM

For the title of the post below I put "Thursday AM" instead of "Wednesday AM!" Interestingly, this morning Karen asked me if it was Wednesday and I said, "No, its Thursday!" Obviously she is more with it than I am! Way to go Karen! (Thanks Wooten for your email setting me straight!).

Wednesday AM (Corrected Per Post above!)

Already a good day! Karen is sitting up in a chair drinking juice and eating ice chips. She is also initiating some conversation and speaking out loud. I also see some of her sense of humor back today. She told me I wasn't any better than her when I couldn't think of the word for the juice she was drinking "crangrape."

Transplant team just came by and are pleased with her progress. If she continues to do well they plan to move her out of ICU tomorrow. She may also spend some time at the Sticht center (rehab) before she goes home.

Great progress from yesterday. Praise God!

Rusty

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Tuesday evening

Karen continued to do well with her breathing. She was very tired today from a combination of breathing on her own and dialysis. They did sit her up in a chair for about an hour late this afternoon and she even ate a popsicle (the first thing she has eaten since having the breathing tube removed). She gave me a big smile and I am sure this tasted so good to her throat!

She is still not initiating any conversation but will respond by nodding her head or mouthing an answer. She is just so weak.

Please pray for a good nights rest after a long day and for strength!

Rusty

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Tuesday Morning

Things went well through the night with the breathing!  We are extremely thankful for this and for all of your prayers.  At this point Karen is only receiving oxygen through a nose canula (sp?) which is the little thing that just barely sticks into her nose to provide oxygen.  It was wonderful to see her smile at Ashley when she came to visit last night and this lifted all of our spirits.  She is still very weak and not really talking much yet, but is mouthing words to answer questions.  Today she is having dialysis at some point but not sure when.  She is now on a Tue/Thur/Sat schedule for dialysis.  That is certainly something she needs but is also very tiring for her.  I am not sure how long she will remain in ICU, but thinking for a couple of days.  Doctors said that we should count on a couple of weeks more in the hospital.

 

Rusty

 

 

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