Home Sweet Home again...

After 18 days at Northwestern Memorial, I was so happy to go home! I arrived home the day before my birthday (Dec. 18). The kids were so excited that I was home and that we could celebrate. It was very low-key, but nice to be home in my own bed. Lots of hanging out & cuddling on the couch with the kids watching movies...

On December 23rd, I had to return to Northwestern for a day of appointments. I got clearance to remove my sutures and staples. I was sent for an ultrasound of the hematoma in my left thigh & unfortunately, it had grown 7 cm from the previous scan. The infectious disease docs felt that I was still bleeding into that area, making it difficult for me to walk due to the pressure. They wanted me to go to the hospital on Monday, December 28th to have it drained. They also told me to me see Dr. Bendok on Jan. 4th.

The day after my staple removal, I noticed that there was a squishy area developing at the base of my neck again (where I had the original collection of fluid). I immediately paged the neurosurgeon & was told that as long as it wasn't draining to relax and keep my appt on the 4th.

Christmas Eve was wonderful. I went to see the lights in Lincolnwood with my family, went to church & then to my Aunt's home in Niles. It was great to eat good homecooked food & be with family. Christmas morning was great. The kids got everything they had asked for. I even got five pairs of pajamas! That afternoon, we went to my cousin's house in Naperville & once again celebrated with family and food! We sang our traditional songs & had a fabulous time.

Yesterday, December 28th, I went to have the hematoma in my left thigh drained. They felt it was still bleeding into that area and put in another drain. They decided to admit me to be given platelets and to watch the bleeding. On admission, the resident was mashing the fluid collection in my neck & about an hour later it started leaking. The neuro group was then called. They ordered a stat MRI to make sure that the meningicele did not reoccur in the brain. I got platelets and went for the MRI last night. Today I am still waiting for full results. However, they said that the big cyst did not come back in the brain. Rather, it is just under the skin. However, they don't know where it's coming from. Therefore, I have many different doctors coming in to see me today. I hope to be home tomorrow!

I hope your holidays were merry & that everyone got what they wanted from Santa. I will post more later after seeing all the docs...

There's an end in sight!

(from Kim tonight via phone) Well, I'm still hangin' out at NW hospital... I developed yet another complication on my left thigh where they took a skin graft during the repair on the hole where the spinal fluid had been leaking. There's a seven-inch incision on my thigh and there is a 13 cm hematoma. It's very painful & makes it very difficult to move. The doctors prefer not to do surgery, but rather hope that the blood clot will re-absorb in the next 3-4 weeks. As it shrinks, the pain will lessen.

The doctors mentioned me going to rehab for a week. I told them that was NOT an option. I need to go home! So, they are arranging home health care with physical and occupational therapy. If all goes well, I should be home by Friday. I will still need IV antibiotics until December 21st, yet Steve is going to play nurse (changing 6 IV bags a day). So, I will be home for Christmas - yeah! I'm definitely looking forward to 2010. It's GOTTA be better than this!

I'm anxious to get my cataract taken care of. Too bad I couldn't have just had it done while I was laying around here!

Thanks to everyone for the prayers & hospital visits. It is so appreciated & has helped give Steve an opportunity to keep up with things at home. Tyler and Alyssa are anxiously awaiting my return... I have only been home five days since November 8th, when I left to go to MD Anderson for my surgery!

Mission Accomplished!

Great news! Kim is out of surgery and all went well. They repaired two places where spinal fluid was leaking and cleaned everything out. They expect that she will be in the hospital another 5-6 days for recovery.

Finally!

After waiting in the pre-op area for three hours yesterday, Kim's surgery was cancelled. The surgeon's other cases took longer than expected. So, she was rescheduled for today. The surgery started at 5:52 p.m.

Another surgery...

After several days of having the lumbar drain in, the doctors decided that it was not working. An MRI showed that there is still a really big pocket of fluid (spinal fluid and blood) that runs all the way down her incision. They have decided to open up the incision and clean it out. They will also look for the hole where the spinal fluid is leaking so they can repair that. They are planning to do that surgery today. Keep prayin'!

Back in the hospital : (

The past few days, Kim had been experiencing some leakage from her incision. Yesterday she went to our local hospital ER (Condell) to have it checked out. She fully expected to be given some oral antibiotics and be sent home. Turns out it is more serious than that. They talked about opening up the incision and cleaning it out. So, she decided she would rather be at Northwestern hospital in Chicago where all of her doctors are. She was transferred there last night by ambulance. The neurosurgeons there said that she is leaking spinal fluid. There is also a localized infection, but they think that can be controlled with antibiotics. She was being given three different heavy-duty antibiotics through her IV. The biggest concern is that if spinal fluid is getting out that infection could get in and cause meningitis. The most aggressive approach would be to open up entire incision to find where it is leaking & fix it. However, because she was not exhibiting any symptoms of being "sick," they are going to start with less aggressive approach. Last night, at bedside, they inserted a lumbar drain into her spine. They can extract spinal fluid in a controlled manner and hopefully divert it away from where it was leaking so her incision can heal (thus preventing the opportunity for infection). They will keep testing fluid to be sure there is no infection. She will remain in Neuro ICU during this time & they will re-evaluate in approximately five days whether this approach is working or if they have to open it up. The doctors said that this happens in 1-2% of cases, not because they did anything wrong at MD Anderson. They also put in another stitch along the incision where he saw a little hole.

Her legs hurt because of where the drain is located - so many nerves there along the lower spine. Other than that and having a headache, she's doing pretty well. Kim is pretty bummed to be back in the hospital, but is glad she is at NW being treated well. It is a VERY good thing that she went when she did. Untreated, it could have been much worse. Unfortunately, the kids won't be able to visit her. Like most hospitals recently, they are not letting kids under 18 visit patients due to the prevalence of flu.

Keep prayin', folks! We'll keep you up to date...