February 19, 2022 - Home Sweet Home

Saturday marked post op day #5 for Hope. . . 

Hope had a pretty decent sleep Friday night . . . the best one so far.  She still did wake up to use the bathroom and to deal with pain and back muscle spasms, but she slept from about 1:30 am to 5:00 pm and again from 5:30 am to 7:00 am.  

The waiting game continued Saturday morning.  We were told the surgeon was going to come by and see Hope sometime that morning.  I never cease to be amazed at how hard waiting is for us . . . well, at least it sure is for me, and for Hope, too!  I love verses in the Bible that remind me that the heart that trusts God must wait on Him, and it is good for us to wait! 

Lamentation 3:25-26
"The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him.  It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord."

Hope has been having weekly phone chats every Saturday morning with a dear friend that she calls Grandma May, for a few years now.  One of her reasons for wanting to go home on Friday was to be able to spend her usual time with her beloved Grandma May.  Those two are kindred spirits and they visit for one hour, reading stories, sometimes praying or singing songs, always catching up with each other and sharing prayer needs.  It is a precious friendship to Hope, and one we are so thankful for, as Grandma May has been an amazing godly example and Christ-like role model to Hope!

Grandma May graciously said she would love to still call and would just work around whatever was going on in the hospital.  God was gracious to allow 55 of their usual 60 minute phone call to happen without any interruptions . . . then the surgeon came!  After a quick goodbye to her beloved friend, we started our chat with the spinal surgeon.  After taking a look at her surgical incision sites, he was happy with how they looked and said that she could probably go home tomorrow.  Tomorrow!  My heart sank, and I immediately started praying and thinking about how to respond.  I didn't have time to respond before Hope piped up with a big sweet questioning grin, ". . . or to-daaayyy?!?"

The surgeon chuckled and asked if she would like to go home today.  After Hope's emphatic yes response, he said, "Well, I guess that would be okay."  He said the central line could come out, and he would start writing orders and prescriptions for Hope to go home.  After hearing different information about how long you had to stay for observation after a central line removal, I asked the surgeon about it.  He said she only needed to lie flat for 30 mins in bed to make sure there was no hematoma or bleeding, and then she could go home!  The pressure bandage would need to stay on for another 24 hours, but then that could be removed also.

Our nurse that morning was working a short shift, so she had also been Hope's nurse the evening before.  We were able to chat more with her on Saturday, including telling her a bit about Hope's journey since her brain injury, and share a bit about our faith and church.  When she told Hope that she was very strong, Hope replied just as I heard her another time earlier this week, "The Lord is the One who gives me strength!"  As the nurse changed the dressings on her surgical incisions front and back, Hope started talking about her many scars and how she had wrote a poem about them.  Hope asked if she wanted to hear it, and I was able to read it to her . . . Hope knew to tell me right where to find it on her phone.  For any English buffs out there, this is an English sonnet . . .

Physical Scars

Where did you come from and why are you there?
What story do you tell from long ago?
A surgeon's handiwork, a child's wound woe,
Physical marks of my life-saving care.
A second bellybutton that fed me,
A zipper for the pump, both in and out,
A fused spine, neck to tail-bone; trial of doubt,
A neck hooked to machines; save her life plea.
Some may see a painful traumatic past
Or an ugliness that won't go away.
I see beautiful reminders each day,
God's grace, comfort, purpose for me will last.
Physical scars that still tell my story
I choose to see scars all to God's glory.

It took some time to get all the prescriptions for medications at home, including an addition one for muscle spasms.  Also, for the central line removal procedure, and finally all the discharge instructions and such.  But when it was all done, mom had us packed and ready and waiting.  Hope fit in a quick lunch that she was able to eat and enjoy without the central line, "bee in her bonnet," causing her grief!  Gabi had to go to work, so she wasn't able to come for the momentous trip home, but dad was downstairs and waiting by the time we finally had everything done and had the green light to leave.  Hope had fun as we left the locked unit.  As the doors were open and before they automatically closed and locked again, I took this quick picture of her leaving the unit, and she hammed it up for fun, looking like an escapee . . . 

Coming out of the hospital, dad caught a picture of the excited hospital "jailbreak duo."  If you could hear the sound in the live photo, you would hear a very excited Connor dog barking in the background from inside the van.  Once I got him and held him for Trevor to get Hope into the van, he almost clawed his way through me to get to Hope.  He missed his girl SO much!!!

We arrived home around 3:30 pm, and Hope was tickled to get right into her own bed.  

Connor has not wanted to be too far from Hope since she got home!
We are needing to watch carefully to make sure he doesn't jump on her surgical site on the front in his excitement to get to her!

The drive was pretty hard on her, and she has continued to have quite a few back muscle spasms.  The muscle relaxant she was given, along with essential oils she has been using for a long time, has helped to cut down on the number, but she is still having them even when lying still, but mostly when doing transfers.  Her pain has been tolerable on the Tylenol and occasional Hydromorphone.  She is still unable to walk due to her feet just not working for her, so we are doing stand and pivot transfers to/from bed, wheelchair, toilet, and the recliner chair in the living room.  She is eating much better now that the central line is out.  We got her first shower at home done last night (Sunday night) after her pressure dressing on her neck was able to come off.  It was pretty "horrible" in Hope's words.  We ended up transferring her onto the shower chair outside of the shower, and then all three of us carried her into the shower.  It still hurt, but was better than any other option we could come up with.  We were so thankful to have a day at home with Trevor still here to do this rough first shower together.  He left very early this am (3:30 am!) to fly to Texas to speak at a GCC conference there.  Our prayer was to get Hope home from the hospital before he left, and God was so gracious to allow that . . . thanks also to the Lord using our brave Hope to ask the surgeon for a sooner discharge!  : )

Hope is sleeping much better at night since returning home.  Her incisions seem to be doing good.  The drain site on her back is still oozing a bit, and so we are watching that to try to keep it as clean and dry as possible.  So, from here, now it is a slow and steady recovery, Lord-willing!  The surgeon said to expect a 1-3 month recovery.  We're hoping that she can get back to some of her normal activities maybe after one month, and then maybe full recovery between 2-3 months.  But, one day at time . . . we have learned that long ago in Hope's journey.  Celebrate the gift of each day and rejoice in hope for what new mercies the Lord will bring every morning!  

Thank you for being so amazing to follow Hope's surgery week, and to lavishly cover Hope and our family in prayers.  Thank you for the many messages conveying love and care to our family. . . what a precious encouragement you are to us!  Your prayers have been instrumental in God's loving care for us, and we love each and every one of you.  We are very tired, and that too, will take some time to get back on track, but we are home and in the perfect place to begin the process of rest and healing!  God is so good, so faithful, and so full of grace towards our sweet Hope and her family that loves her so very much!  What a gift she is, and we pray that God will continue to do His faithful work in and through her life!

You are loved, dear ones!  Thank you for praying for Hope!