Wednesday, October 8, 2014

October 7, 2014 -- 5 Weeks Post Op!!!

Hope is 5 weeks out from having her major back surgery!  Her slow progress continues. . .

Hope worked hard last week towards increasing her time in the wheelchair a little bit everyday.  She worked up from 2 hours on Monday to 3 hours by Friday.  It was hard on her, and she is having to push through the pain each time, but. . . the pain is usually a little further down the timeline as she continues to progress slowly!  

Hope also had an outing each day of the weekend.  This was another bump to get over, as the driving and being wheeled over uneven walkways and such, makes being up in her wheelchair more painful.  She feels every bump, jiggle and turn in her spine, and she is more sore overall after being out.  However, she was able to go to the last part of her cousin's 5th birthday party on Saturday evening, and then to church on Sunday morning!  We had to rush home right at the end of the service as she had first asked to go home due to bad neck pain about 30 mins before the end of the service.  But she was brave and made it to the end without complaining, and then her auntie and I rushed her home so she could get flat again in her bed for a rest.  Although each outing was short, it was wonderful to get her out of the house!

Hope also had her first time back at school yesterday (Monday)!  She went in for 2 hours in the afternoon, and again was out for about a total of 3 hours.  She was definitely more sore today after having 3 outings the last 3 days.  The majority of her pain was in her neck and her shoulders today.  I think Hope would love to continue having school in bed indefinitely (who wouldn't!), so it was good to start moving back to a normal school setting for her.  She is going to go again tomorrow afternoon, and then once more this week on Friday morning.  Based on how she does, we will set a plan to continue to progress to full days, possibly next week as she tolerates.

Hope also was able to return to using her recliner chair yesterday!  We had tried her favorite chair after returning home from the hospital, but she would start having horrible spasms within minutes of sitting in her recliner.  She tried it again for the first time in a few weeks, and she had no spasms!  She still tires and gets a sore neck in it eventually, just like in her wheelchair, but it does give her another option for getting out of her bed.  It is encouraging also because it reminds us that although it's slow going, she is making progress!!!

Hope has been sleeping better than before.  She is starting to fall asleep between 11 pm - 12 am, instead of well after the 12 am mark!  And she is only calling for us a couple times before falling asleep, and a couple times throughout the middle of the night. . . much better than the 10 times before falling asleep, and another 10 times throughout the middle of the night!  So mom and dad are getting a little more sleep too!  Yeah!

Hope is also continuing to eat better.  She is continuing to work on brushing her teeth standing at the sink. . . it's a challenge, but we're working on figuring out new tricks!  Hope's balance when sitting continues to improve as well.  She is not nearly as confident as before surgery, but she is able to balance when sitting for the most part.  However, we could not leave her alone on the toilet, like we did before surgery, as she can suddenly shift and could fall over.  But we are encouraged with how far her balance has come this quickly!

Hope will need to work on building her standing strength again, and eventually we want to work again on taking steps.  But for now, we are focused on building her endurance in the wheelchair, and then fitting in standing/stepping when doing her activities of daily living for now, as she tires quickly and remains quite sore to push forward too much in these areas quite yet.

Hope's incision still looks great!  No signs of infection.  It is still quite painful to touch, even lightly.  It is also itchy (which is a good sign of healing), but if you rub it too much, it swells. . . so it can be a bit frustrating for her at times. . . especially when she's trying to focus on school or trying to fall asleep.  She says that her incision area feels numb still. . . I'm assuming that the nerves and tissue is still healing from the surgical incision.  Her left side and stomach area are also still quite sore to even light touch. . . the muscles and bones are still getting used to their new position!

Thank you so much for continuing to keep Hope in your prayers!  Sleep and pain control, as she continues to heal are her biggest requests.  Also wisdom for how to progress her time in the wheelchair as well as managing outings, and eventually when to add in standing/stepping to her rehab at home.  Please pray for her return to school as well.  We are so thankful for your faithful prayer support and walking this journey with us!  God is great and greatly to be praised!!!

For all our Canadian friends and family, have a very blessed and memorable Thanksgiving as you celebrate all the many good gifts that God has lavished upon us in His grace and love!  For ALL our friends and family, thank you for continuing to follow the story that God is writing on Hope's life . . . HE IS WORTHY OF ALL PRAISE . . . and YOU ARE VERY LOVED, dear ones!!!

Psalm 100

Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth!  Serve the Lord with gladness!  Come into His presence with singing!

Know that the Lord, He is God!  It is He who made us, and we are His; we are His people, and the sheep of His pasture.

Enter His gates with thanksgiving, and His courts with praise!  Give thanks to Him; bless His name!

For the Lord is good; His steadfast love endures forever, and His faithfulness to all generations.

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