Been A Long Time!

 Hello Dear Friends,

I was just reading my last blog post.  So much has happened since that post.  For those that don't know, my entire family got sick with Influenza A in December.  I got very sick.  I had Influenza A, pneumonia, a strep infection in my blood,  and sepsis. 

Hubby took me to the emergency room on December 26 and I was lifeflighted to a bigger hospital 100 miles away on December 27.  I'm told that I would not have survived if I wouldn't have been lifeflighted.  I was put on a ventilator for many weeks and even during that time, the doctors and my family didn't know if I would survive.  I was in a medically induced coma, my organs had shut down, I was on continual dialysis, and lost all of my muscle mass during that time.  I have very little memory of December, January, February, and March.  

I spent seven weeks in the ICU, five weeks at a skilled nursing facility, and I am still in physical, occupational, and speech therapy.  I couldn't talk or move my body, arms, legs, fingers or toes because I had lost all my muscle mass and strength.  The skilled nursing facility worked with me to get me moving,  standing, walking, and feeding myself.

My family says I am a miracle.  My kidneys are working and show no signs of injury from my illness and I'm getting stronger every day.  I have neuropathy in my extremities, a hoarseness in my voice from being on the ventilator so long, and other weaknesses that may or may not resolve.  My doctors tell me I need to wait and see.  I was also told that it will take more than a year and a half for me to fully recover.  I worry about getting sick again.

I thought the hardest part would be getting strong enough to move my body, stand, walk, and feed myself.  No one mentioned that I would also have memory and cognitive issues, PTSD and depression during my recovery too.  

I hope to be back with another post soon.

Your continued thoughts and prayers are so appreciated.  

December

Hello Dear Friends,

I can't believe it is Christmas already!  I am not ready at all and everything is on hold for a bit now.

My oldest daughter started getting sick last week.  A trip to prompt care confirmed Influenza A.  She has been very sick.  By Friday, Baby H and I both were sick too.  Hubby started getting sick on Saturday.

So far, my son-in-law and oldest grandson have not gotten sick.  We've canceled all of our Christmas plans so we don't pass this on to the rest of our extended family.

I'll be back after the holidays to catch up.  Praying you stay safe and healthy.

Wishing you a Joyous Christmas and a Happy New Year!

No Change, but Still Thankful!

Hi friends,  

I hope you are all doing well.  

Baby H saw the pediatric cardiologist on Friday.  There have been no changes with the ventricle hole, but the doctor did say the velocity of blood flow is increasing and that is a good thing.  She said Baby H looks really good and healthy.

Baby H gained another 6 ounces and now weighs just under 14 pounds.  He is considered small for being almost five months old, but given his medical issue and the fact that his parents and big brother are also small, the doctor is pleased with his weight gain.  The doctor said she still only wants to monitor him and, unless he has a problem, will see him again in January.

My oldest grandson started afternoon preschool just before Labor Day.  He gets really upset when he has to leave his brother to get on the bus.  He says he likes school, but doesn't want to leave his brother.  I let him pick a picture of his brother to carry in his backpack and talked with him about why he gets so upset.  

Thursday morning, my oldest grandson and I picked tomatoes.  We picked all that you see on the counter.  He was excited to pick so many tomatoes.  My grandson took some home and we shared some with my mom.

I've been stitching in the evenings and have almost all of my ornaments for Christmas gifts stitched.  

I changed a couple floss colors to add some pink to match my daughter's pastel themed tree.  I will FFO these when I have a finishing day.

I need some suggestions for Christmas ornaments for my youngest grandson.  I have stitched Prairie Schooler's Button Up for my oldest grandson.  Any ideas you care to share would be great!

This gorgeous Monarch butterfly visited my garden today.  I enjoyed watching it go from flower to flower.

The hummingbirds have been crazy!  We have the hummingbirds that are here all summer plus the ones passing through on their migration south.  We usually have hummingbirds here until the middle of October and I'm hopeful they'll be here for several more weeks.

Thank you for your continued prayers! They are so appreciated!

Wishing you a great week!