Tuesday & Wednesday

Cheryl is home! She was finally released from the hospital on Tuesday evening after waiting all day. She made it home about 7:30 after having a flat tire on the way home. So, Bob to the rescue, the tire was changed and they were on their way. Her temperature is gone so she is no longer on antibiotics. She is still on oxygen. She is very weak but is so much stronger than the doctors and physical therapists say she should be at this point in her recovery. So, please continue to pray for her to gain strength and be able to return to her normal life soon.

Cheryl very much appreciates your concern and prayers. The prayers are obviously what made the difference. Saturday, the doctor told Cheryl and Bob that within her first few days of hospitalization, they had done all they could do for her. They did not know if she would make it or not. So, they are amazed and very pleased with her progress. Praise the Lord for answered prayer!

Saturday/Sunday

This weekend has been rough on Mom; because she was unable to move for a number of days, she has lost some of her muscle. She is beginning to walk around her room and the hospital floor with a walker, she can only go on short "trips" but every day they get longer! She is also able to stand up on her own without anyone helping her, other than holding the walker down. The doctors are so impressed with what she can do and how quickly she can do it. They were expecting her to go to a nursing home for 3-4 weeks after she was released from the hospital, but now they are saying that it won't be necessary. She is experiencing low grade fevers and they are looking to see if she has an infection(s) from the antibiotics, we are hoping that she will be home during the first part of this week!
Thank you for all of your prayers,
Trisha

Friday (10/17)

Today was an awesome day for Cheryl! She moved around a lot, she's more conscious of her surroundings, and she was moved out of the ICU! She misses her "babies" (Cameron, Mackenzie, Caleb, and Madison) and can't wait to get home to see them, and they along with Roselyn can't wait for their MeMe days to begin again. I want to thank everyone who has prayed for her, because I believe with all of my heart that is what brought her through all of this.

Love,
Trisha

Thursday

Another day with a lot of progress. Cheryl's feeding tube has been removed and she was on a clear liquid diet today. Plans are to start on food tomorrow. She still hasn't had a Dr. Pepper!(not because she hasn't asked for it!) She did get Sprite and tea but it just wasn't Dr. Pepper. She is asking to get up and walk. The physical therapist came in to see her today and was surprised at how strong she is. They plan to start getting her up tomorrow. Pray that this goes well and she progresses well because they have talked about her going to a nursing home for rehab and she DOES NOT want to. She seems to have a lot of determination to do things so pray that she is able to do what she is asking to do.

Thank you again for your prayers. The doctors are very pleased and surprised with her progress. The problem is that she wants to move along faster than they want her to so she is frustrated and bored. It is so neat to see how God has taken care of her and answered the many prayers on her behalf.

Wednesday again

Well, the tube is out! Cheryl is off the respirator and eating a few ice chips at a time. She is very thirsty and wants a Dr. Pepper but that will come soon. They removed the tube this afternoon. Please pray for her tonight as this is her first night of being there awake and alert.

Thank you again for concern and prayers.

Wednesday

Well, maybe the roller coaster is over. Second good day in a row...actually it's a really, really good day. Cheryl is awake and answering questions. She even told Trisha to leave her alone when she was squeezing Cheryl's arm! She's still the mom! The breathing tube is still in but hopefully will come out soon. She continues to breath on her own and did so all day yesterday, through the night last night, and continues to do so. There are still some things to do before the machine can be completely removed. The machine has been pumping the blood out of her lungs for a week so some things have to be done to remind her lungs to do this. The doctors say that her kidneys are rebounding very well. The pneumonia is gone but she does still have a respiratory infection which is improving very well also.

Monday & Tuesday

Well, the roller coaster continues...Monday was not such a great day. By the end of the day, the doctor used the words complete kidney failure and said she would probably be transferred Tuesday morning to Shands for dialysis. Depending on how she responded, it may even be four to six weeks of dialysis.

Then came Tuesday morning. The numbers indicating her kidney function were much improved...no transfer to Shands! She was once again taken off of sedation to see how she would react. More big news, the respirator was turned off and she was breathing on her own. She was agitated and moving quite a bit so she was put back on a very low sedation. She was also changed to a different sedation at the end of the day. It is one that will allow her to respond to commands better. She is showing small signs of responding, so they think this new medication will make this easier for her. They can completely remove the tube when she is responding better to commands. She continued to breath on her own throughout the remainder of the day. Also, her pneumonia has improved greatly. So now the challenges are that her kidneys continue to improve and to get her awake enough to respond and react as needed.

Thank you again for your concern and prayers. Please also pray for her family as these ups and downs can be draining on them.