Motion

Today as Dad was holding and rubbing Mom's right hand, she was able to move her fingers slightly when he asked her to!

This is great news, obviously, and we hope just the beginning. The doctors have been doing MRIs to try to discern why Mom seems unable to move. There are certainly areas in her brain where damage has occurred, but the doctors aren't convinced that any of the damage is the sort that would prevent her from moving her limbs.

Mom's ability to move her fingers today is very encouraging to all of us. We've all been a little (okay, a lot) worried... including Mom.

Mom is still mouthing lots of words and sentences. It'll be great when the trach tube can be removed and she can start talking.

"I'm ready now."

Today Joy Waggoner, a woman from church who reads lips, visited Mom in the hospital. What a wonderful ministry she was able to provide to Mom and Dad through her ability! Unfortunately Mom wasn't at her most talkative during the time that Joy was there, but she did talk a little, and Joy "translated" for Dad.

A few good tidbits:

Joy: "Lou Douros was in this same Intensive Care Unit a while ago, and now he's fine!"
Mom: "Lou's never been 'fine.'"

(At least we know her sense of humor is intact!)

Dad: "The next step for you will be to do rehab at an acute rehab facility. But before you can be accepted, you have to be ready to do at least three hours of rehab each day."
Mom: "I'm ready now."

Our Mom is a very determined woman!

She did an hour and a half up in the chair today. Dad is very anxious to see her begin moving her arms and legs soon, as we still haven't seen any signs of that.

We're so grateful that Joy shared her abilities with our family today. Mom's been mouthing words for several days now, and I'm sure she was glad to finally be understood.

Smiles!

Dad reports that as of yesterday, Mom is giving little smiles! The physical therapists keep her up in the chair for up to two hours a day now, and she's also been mouthing more and more words and sentences each day.

She hasn't been moving her arms and legs since the three surgeries that occurred after she first woke from her coma. Please pray that she'll regain the ability to move her appendages soon.

Friends and Hymns

The latest from Dad is that today was a great day for Mom! Maybe even the best so far. Mom was mouthing a lot of words (including the names of us four kids), and seemed very alert fairly frequently. Lilly and Kim went to the hospital to visit her and got to go in and see her. When Mom saw Lilly come in, she clearly mouthed Lilly's name. I'm sure Mom's glad to see friends. Kim and Lilly sang the hymn "Be Thou My Vision" for her.

The doctors seem to believe that it will take a long time, but Mom will be able to make a good recovery.

Progress!

Yesterday was a hard day. Mom had her eyes open, but didn't seem responsive for the most part. It's been tough to see her backsliding after the progress she was making a week ago, but today I have good news to report! Physical therapists have continued working with Mom, and today they had her held up in a chair for an hour. They move her limbs for her to send reverse signals to the brain to help it "wake up."

Dad found Mom significantly more responsive today than yesterday. He asked her if she could mouth words for him, starting with the word "hello," and he is fairly certain that she mouthed the word clearly. She can't talk yet because her vocal cords are swollen from the breathing tube that has been down her throat for the past two weeks, but it's great news that she can mouth words!

The doctors need Mom to be able to cough strongly to loosen anything in her lungs before they can remove the trach tube. Whenever Mom coughs, we encourage her to cough more and cough harder! This afternoon Dad was encouraging Mom by saying, "Come on, cough really good!" Dad is almost certain that Mom--ever the Grammar Queen of the Palmer household!--looked at him and mouthed the word "well." And finally, my older sister Emily visited for Thanksgiving, and she clipped Mom's fingernails for her and put lotion on her hands. Mom mouthed, "thank you."

I guess our Thanksgiving just came a day late; Thursday was a low point for Mom (and thus for all of us), but today has shown us progress! We're thankful.

Surgery #5

Last night around 6 pm Mom went in for her tracheostomy. (The procedure is reversible.) I'm in Pennsylvania right now, spending Thanksgiving with my fiance and his family, but Dad called me last night to report that the doctors said the surgery went well. I'll continue posting updates whenever I hear news from Dad.

Surgery #4

This morning Mom underwent surgery to insert a permanent shunt. They haven't yet done the tracheostomy. The anesthesiologist reported that this morning's surgery went well, and a few hours after the surgery, Mom was awake and making eye contact with each of us again. We had been concerned that this surgery might leave Mom back in a coma for a few days, so we're very grateful that it didn't prove to be much of a setback.

More surgeries...

Dad, Christopher and I just spent a good afternoon with Mom at the hospital. Her eyes were open quite wide today, and she looked at each of us for long periods of time as we held her hands, patted her arms and legs, and talked to her. She could squeeze her eyes very tightly shut when the nurse asked her to, and she could also stick her tongue out on command. These probably sound like silly little things to be excited about, but this is a big improvement from just a day or two ago.

They didn't do a tracheostomy today, but they have determined that the procedure will unfortunately be necessary. Before doing that surgery--which leaves an open wound--they need to do the surgery to insert a permanent shunt (an internal "brain drain," if you will). They'll be doing that tomorrow.

We are hoping and praying that the doctors will be able to arrange the tracheostomy directly after the shunt surgery tomorrow, so that Mom only has to go under the anesthesia once. We're so glad to have had her so awake and alert today, and the repeated surgeries seem to cause setbacks in that process. However, it may not be possible to have the surgeries occur immediately in succession.

This morning Dad got to be at the hospital when physical therapists came in to work with Mom for the first time. They moved her to a sitting position in a chair! She's not able to move or sit by herself right now, but the therapists told Dad that the fact that they are beginning the therapy process is a good sign.

Thank you all for your comments, thoughts, and prayers. It's so meaningful to all of us to see how much Mom is loved.

Trachea

Tomorrow morning a doctor will be sending a small camera down Mom's trachea to see if the swelling in her trachea and vocal folds has gone down enough to remove the breathing tube. If the swelling hasn't gone down, they still need to remove the breathing tube at this point, so they will have to do an additional surgery called a tracheostomy. Please pray that the swelling has gone down when the doctors inspect Mom's trachea tomorrow morning! We've seen how additional surgeries cause more setbacks in Mom's recovery.

The good news for today is that Mom is definitely responding with eye blinks when we ask her to. We are really hoping that a tracheostomy is not necessary so she can continue healing and improving.

Sleeping

Hand squeezes and blinks are few and far between since the third surgery took place. Mom is mostly unresponsive. Please pray that there will be better news to report soon.

Surgery #3

Yesterday Mom had to undergo a third surgery. This one was to remove the first drain from her brain and insert a new one in a different location. Since the surgery, Mom has been in a deep sleep again. This afternoon the doctor re-positioned the new drain and made some adjustments to alleviate the pressure in Mom's head. By evening, Mom had awakened just enough to open her eyes a little and squeeze Dad's hand again.

Dad's still her main squeeze

Dad's latest report: Tonight, Mom was able to squeeze Dad's finger pretty hard with alternately both her right hand and her left hand when he asked her to.

These times where her eyes are open and she's communicating with us or moving are few and far between, because Mom still needs a lot of rest. She can wake up for about fifteen minutes at a time before she falls back into a deep sleep. But each day seems to bring more waking hours and more new things Mom can do.

Determination!

This morning, my determined mother reached up and pulled her breathing tube all the way out of her throat! She was being moved after having a routine CT scan performed, and I guess she decided to take the opportunity (while her hands weren't restrained as they usually are) to really let us know how much she dislikes that tube. Her trachea is still swollen, so the doctors had to re-insert the tube. We know that process is uncomfortable for Mom. However, I can't help thinking it's encouraging that Mom can move her arms and has the strength to yank that tube out -- even tearing the tape around her head that was holding it to her mouth.

In the afternoon, I got to spend some time with Mom while she was the most awake she's been so far. She could open her eyes much wider than yesterday, and Dad was coaxing her to communicate "yes" or "no" with eye blinks. I really think she hears what we say and is trying to respond. Dad asked her if she was in pain, and other questions like that. When I came into the room, Mom lifted her right hand up a little, and moved her eyes to look at me. I asked her to just blink if she loves us, and she blinked four or five times really rapidly, just fluttering her eyelashes. I guess it could have been a coincidence, but we're pretty convinced she's able to do these blinks intentionally to respond to us. Isn't that exciting?

One week

Today marks one week now since D (Disaster) Day. After showering this morning, I came down to find a typewritten note from Dad on the kitchen table. The page contained details for today's schedule from beginning to end. Dad is trying to pull things together for us--into some semblance of normal life and organization--and he's doing a great job. We're all remaining optimistic about Mom's recovery. If you know my Mom, you probably know that it's hard not to be optimistic about her! It's hard to imagine anything other than a good recovery. She is such a very determined woman.

Dad has dubbed the house in Roseville the EGG. That stands for Extremely Generous Gift, but it also represents new life -- the gift of Mom's life gradually coming back to us after such a close call. Isn't my Dad clever? Christopher and I will be spending lots of time there. He can do school there, I can fix lunch for all of us, and I can even do some work for my Dad's company on a laptop while we're there each day. Most importantly, we'll be really near Mom.

Waking up

Saturday was the first day the doctors began to let Mom awaken from her induced coma. They reduced the level of the medication that was keeping her asleep (propofol), and watched her vital signs to see how her body responded. Her blood pressure rose too high at that time, so the doctors waited until Sunday to try again. By the time we got to the hospital on Sunday morning, Mom was completely off the propofol, and was beginning to be responsive! By last night, she was opening her eyes slightly (she can open her right eye wider than her left right now), and moving her limbs a little! She moved her toes, and even slowly scooted her foot over to cross her legs at the ankle. We have been so relieved to see that she seems capable of motion on both sides of her body, and seems to hear us, too. The aneurysm occurred in or near the part of her brain that controls hearing, vision, and motor control... so we're understandably thrilled to see her opening her eyes, hearing, and moving!

Sunday afternoon, Kim came to visit us all, and she got to go see Mom and sing to her. She sang "Be Thou My Vision," which is one of Mom's favorite hymns. I hope Mom was able to hear and enjoy it. Later that evening, Lou came to the hospital too, and got to go see Mom as well. It's been a real source of encouragement for our family to know that not long ago, Lou's life was saved in the very same hospital unit where Mom is right now.

Last night, Mom was able to lift fingers when asked to by a doctor, and she could open her eyes on command as well. Mom seemed to respond best to Dad; when he talked to her she would turn slightly toward him and try especially hard to open her eyes. One of the neatest things to see happened as we were getting ready to go home for the night. Dad told Mom it was time for us to go home and get some sleep. As he let go of her hand, Mom distinctly lifted her hand off the bed toward his. Of course, after seeing that, we stayed longer. :)

This morning, I asked Mom if she could lift her right index finger for me. I had been holding her hand, and I rubbed that finger a little. She lifted the finger on command! I wondered if I had imagined it, but when Dad and Jonathan came in to see her too, I asked her again and she repeated it.

It's Monday evening now, and Mom's already made a lot of improvement today. She's opening her eyes wider than before, and seems to be shaking her head "no" to answer yes or no questions. The doctor started this with her by asking questions and seeing if she could respond. She really does seem to be communicating this way for now. While Emily, Christopher and I were in the room with Mom, I got concerned that maybe we were bothering her or keeping her from resting. I held her hand and asked if she'd like us to leave for a while and let her get some rest. She turned her head all the way to one side, and then all the way back to the other side. We were pretty happy that she wanted us to stay. She's been stretching her legs out, moving her arms a bit, and lifting her hands. She can also hold her eyes open for longer than she could yesterday.

Mom is still on a respirator, which is obviously bothering her a lot. She's actually been initiating most of her own breaths since Friday or Saturday, and by Sunday she was initiating all her breaths. The respirator just helps her finish those breaths deeply enough. Today they tried to remove the tube from her throat, but they found that her trachea had become so swollen that it was very difficult for her to breathe. Unfortunately, they had to re-insert the tube, which I know is really uncomfortable for Mom. They have restrained her hands so she can't reach up and grab it out of her mouth -- but she still keeps trying! She also resorts to trying to push it out of her mouth with her tongue. We sure hope the swelling will go down soon so they can get that painful tube out of her very soon. She has a bit of bronchitis right now, so we're praying for that to heal quickly too.

Emily, Little Jonathan (my nephew), and Aunt Susan are heading back down to Southern California tomorrow. Emily has an appointment with her midwife that she can't miss. Jonathan leaves to return to school in Texas on Wednesday. I'm sticking around to help in any way I can for as long as I'm needed. (I'm fortunate that my music students have been so flexible and understanding about my sudden departure and leave of absence.) Right now, all of us in the family are kind of taking things a day at a time. We're glad to see her waking up slowly, and anxious for her to continue in her recovery. We sure miss having our wonderful Mom in her full and usual capacity - full of energy, loving us and talking to us, and living life to the fullest.

The first few days...

On Tuesday, November 7, shortly after noon, my Mom suffered a burst brain aneurysm. The bleeding in her brain caused her to have a stroke. She temporarily lost most of her ability to speak, and began to lose use of her limbs. She was immediately taken to the hospital in Grass Valley, and she was shortly flown by helicoptor to a hospital in Roseville. She has been in the Trauma Neuro Intensive Care Unit since Tuesday evening. She has undergone two surgeries - one to insert a temporary drain for the blood and fluid beneath her skull putting pressure on her brain, and another more extensive procedure to find and repair the burst vessel. She has been in a coma since Tuesday night. Today (Sunday) she is gradually beginning to wake up, but we know it will be a slow process.

Of course, after hearing the news about Mom, all of us kids wanted to come home from our various parts of the country. On Wednesday, I flew from Boston to Sacramento, and Jonathan flew from Dallas to Sacramento. Melinda, a family friend, picked us both up and brought us to the hospital to see Mom. Dad was really glad to see us walk in. We got to see Mom right away. People keep telling us that she's in the best hospital she could possibly be in, and we believe them. Her doctors and nurses are wonderful about letting us spend time with her. They're also very gracious about answering all our questions. If we sanitize our hands and wear gloves, we can hold her hands and touch her to let her know we're with her. We talk to her when she seems to have the energy to listen.

Emily and her 19 month old son Jonathan drove up from Southern California with my Aunt Susan, Mom's sister. So, we've all been here as a family, spending each day in the hospital lobby and taking turns seeing Mom. Emily and Susan are heading back to their homes soon, and Jonathan will return to school. I'll be staying to help out for a while.

Now, for the good news about Mom's condition. Mom is doing really well, all things considered. A number of things contribute to her current condition being what it is, and we're really grateful for how God takes care of His children even when circumstances are difficult. First of all, my Dad had just returned from a business trip to Florida. We can't imagine much harder this would have been if Dad hadn't been here when this happened. As it was, Dad was able to be with Mom really soon after it happened, and sit with her in the hospital. I'm sure his presence provided her with a lot of comfort, as she was still conscious at that point. Secondly, Mom was already in town when the vessel burst. She was having lunch with a wonderful friend, who did all the right things. She got Mom to the car while she could still move, and drove her straight to the hospital. If Mom had been at our home with Christopher when this happened, it could have taken three to four times longer for her to get help -- we live quite a ways out of town, and Christopher doesn't drive yet. Third, while Mom was waiting for a bed to open up at one of the three hospitals that can deal with this kind of neuro trauma, the first hospital with an open bed was, we subsequently learned, the BEST place for Mom to be right now. Finally, Mom is a great candidate to make a good recovery from the stroke. She is otherwise healthy and fit, very determined, and basically just a tough nut to crack!

Our family has been absolutely surrounded with the love and prayers of friends. It's been really amazing to see how much my Mom was loved. I always knew she was the best ever, but I didn't know how much everyone else loved her, too! Mom's pastor and his wife have come to see us at the hospital, Lou and Melinda have been there several times with us, and Matt and Amber, along with Emma and Gregory, came up and spent a day at the hospital with us. My Dad's general manager at his work happens to be an M.D., and he's been an invaluable resource to us for both information and encouragement. My Mom has given so much to so many in our community - particularly to the home schooling families in our area. All of these families are showering us with really tangible ways to express their love and concern. The phone calls, the offers to help, the meals... it's incredible. Most of all, we're grateful for the prayers.

Believe it or not, people have even offered us a HOUSE (and cleaned, furnished, and stocked it for us!) just about ten minutes away from the hospital. Using this house will let us be really near Mom while she needs us. We know the recovery process is going to take time.

Prayers are appreciated, friends. Thank you.

Introduction

I want to use my first post on this blog to briefly introduce myself. I know that my Mom's circle of friends has changed enormously in the years since I've moved away from California, due largely to the creation of the homeschool co-op. Many of you may have never met me! Well, Sandy is my amazing Mom, and I'm her second oldest daughter (I'm 23 years old). Although I've been living in Massachusetts for the past three and a half years, I'm going to be back here in California for a while to try to help my family in any way I can while Mom recovers. I've been keeping a personal blog for several years, and now I've started this blog as a convenient way to keep everyone up-to-date on Mom's recovery. My family has been overwhelmed by the concern shown by so many people who love and care for Mom, so we wanted to provide a way for all of you to hear first-hand how she's doing. You'll be able to leave comments or share memories and stories about Mom if you want to. When she is awake and alert, I know she'd be encouraged by any comments or prayers you leave here.

I hope this is helpful to you all, my Mom's friends. Thank you for the many ways you've expressed your love and concern for her in the past few days.