January 4, 2007 - Karen had her surgery today!!  She was in surgery for 10 hours.  She is stable and in the cardiothoracic intensive care unit where she will be for about a week.  We thank God for the donor and pray for their family.  Please continue to pray for Karen--she has a long road ahead of her.  Thank you for all of your support and prayers. 

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January 5, 2007 - The first 24 hours have passed--Karen is doing as well as can be expected.  She is stable with strong cardiac and lung function. Periodically, she wakes up for a very brief period of time, recognizes us and follows commands.  This is important because it shows no signs of neurological damage during surgery. When she wakes up, she is aware she has had the surgery.  The doctors are pleased with her progress, though recovery will be agonizingly slow.  Due to overload of volume, the surgeons were not able to completely close the incision during surgery.  This is common with this procedure.  With luck, she will be taken back to the O.R. on Sunday or Monday to close the incision. We will make every effort to update this section either daily or every other day.  The family has temporarily relocated closer to the hospital while she remains in ICU.  Please keep Karen in your prayers. 

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January 6, 2007 - During our morning visit, Karen had a few episodes of unstable heart rhythms.  Needless to say, we were worried, but after administering medication, her heart rhythm stabilized into a nice, steady rhythm.  For the remainder of the day, she continued to maintain a steady rhythm and blood pressure.  The doctors again stress that all of this is to be expected. The doctors said they are beginning to wean her off of some of her medications.  Early in our visit this morning, Karen was semi-alert and even smiled when she saw us.  She also responded to questions by shaking her head.  As of right now, the doctors are planning on going to O.R. on Monday morning for possible closing of the incision.  Pray they are able to do this as this will allow her to wake up completely and have the breathing tube removed sooner. Thank you for all of your prayers - please continue to pray for Karen....

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January 7, 2007 - Today was the best day since surgery.  This morning when we arrived, Karen's condition was the same as yesterday when we left her in the evening.  Her heart function continues to be good, her rhythm continues to be steady and her blood pressure is normal and holding.  We have now learned that her medications have been almost reduced by half.  Throughout the day, she was semi-alert and responded to questions the best she could with the ventilator still in place.  She was able to communicate that she was not in pain.  During this evening's visit, she was alert basically the entire visitation and even eavesdropped on our conversations.  Her brother asked her if she could wink her eye at him and she responded by winking both eyes back and forth.  The follow-up surgery to close the incision is still scheduled for tomorrow--we will find out exactly what time in the morning.  She is now fully aware that surgery is over and is very anxious to have the ventilator tube removed from her throat.  She even communicates that she is thirsty.  Since she will be having surgery tomorrow, she will be going back under anesthesia.  Hopefully, the dangers of surgery are passing--now she will be contending with the possibility of rejection.  As always, please remember her in your prayers--she still needs them and there is still a long road ahead. 

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January 8, 2007 - Today was another great day - Karen went to the O.R. around 11 am to have her incision closed.  Her surgeon met with us about 1 pm, told us that everything was fine, she was closed up with no problems.  He said with any luck, she will be off the respirator tomorrow or the next day.  During our visits with Karen after she came out of the O.R. and awoke from anesthesia, she was again semi-alert and responding to us the best she could.  During our visit this evening, Karen was able to communicate that she wanted to know the time and that she was hot.  The nurse told us that bright and early in the morning, they will sit her up in bed and begin the process of weaning her from the ventilator.  They will use a C-PAP machine that is part of the ventilator.  She said Karen will try exercises that would be the equivalent of breathing through a straw.  Depending on how she does, they will allow her to come off the ventilator or try again later in the day.  Karen's nurse said she had good strength this evening in her arms, and this is encouraging for the procedures tomorrow.  As you have noticed, every day she makes tremendous strides in improving.  Continue praying every day she grows stronger and can come off the ventilator as planned. 

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January 9, 2007 - Karen is now off the majority of her post-surgery medications.  Only three remain, one of those being pain medication.  Ninety-nine percent of the support medication for her heart and blood pressure has been taken away.  Of course, the anti-rejection medications were started in the O.R. and will continue for the next 65 or so years.  This morning, respiratory therapy attempted a C-PAP trial to wean her off the ventilator.  Karen made a valiant effort but her chest and lung muscles simply need a little more time to re-strengthen.  She was left on the ventilator for the remainder of the day with another attempt coming tomorrow.  During the day, she exercised her new lungs by breathing over the ventilator.  She is determined to get the ventilator removed. She is also off of any sedation medication.  This evening during our visit, she was actually sound asleep on her own.  The nurses said she simply needs the rest.  Tonight was the most at rest we have seen her thus far.  She was sleeping on her own without any medication.  Tomorrow is another big day with another attempt at ventilator removal.  Hopefully, we can report more good news the next update.

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January 10, 2007 - Today was a little up and a little down.  This morning when we arrived, she was sitting up in a chair with a smile on her face when she saw us.  Once we got in, respiratory therapy came again for another C-PAP trial.  This time she lasted a little over an hour and a half breathing completely on her own.  Since her lung muscles are still weak and she was becoming extremely fatigued, she requested to go back on the assistance of the ventilator.  This is to be expected.  Respiratory said they would try to come back later in the day for another session.  During the day, she developed a mild grade fever that they begin treating with Tylenol and antibiotics.  Over the course of the day and evening, the fever came and went.  This evening, the doctors decided to do a bronchoscopy. This will allow them to obtain a fluid specimen and decide on a method of treatment.  With any luck, this will not hamper her ability at another C-PAP trial tomorrow.  Continue to pray that she grows stronger and her fever subsides. 

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January 11, 2007 - Yesterday's bronchoscopy showed no sign of infection in her lungs.  This, of course, is great news.  Better yet, the fever is gone and her temperature is back to normal.  Today's C-PAP trial went about like yesterday.  She lasted about an hour and became tired and felt anxious.  The rest of the day remained fairly uneventful.  Her vital signs remain stable.  In fact, last evening the swan catheter that leads from her neck into her heart, which constantly measures heart function and rhythm, was removed.  Right now, the only thing that Karen needs to do is continue to get stronger.  This update may be short and boring, but that's not a bad thing.  Like yesterday, keep praying that she regains her strength and can come off of the ventilator soon.  Thanks again for all of your prayers and support.

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January 12, 2007 - Today was a busy day.  This morning prior to our visit, we called the hospital to check on Karen and they told us she was having two of her chest tubes removed.  Upon our arrival at the hosptial, they informed us they were still waiting to remove two of the chest tubes and would try another C-PAP trial following the removal.  The nurses told us that removing two of her chest tubes will make it easier for her to breathe.  Later in the afternoon, one of her doctors arrived and removed two of her chest tubes.  There are still two remaining.  Karen said it was not that painful and she could tell a difference in her breathing.  Shortly thereafter, respiratory arrived for another C-PAP trial.  Tonight she lasted a little over two hours.  At the end of two hours, her blood pressure and heart rate became a tad elevated and the respiratory therapist decided to put her back on the ventilator.  He said she did wonderful but would like a little more time before removing the ventilator.  She will have another go at it bright and early in the morning.  During this evening's visit, she was pretty tired from the events of the day and was about to doze off as we were leaving.  Every day she gets stronger and another step towards freedom from the ventilator. 

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January 13, 2007 - This morning, they gave Karen another C-PAP trial.  For reasons unknown, she was only able to last about five minutes before her heart rate and blood pressure became elevated.  Once we arrived, there was further discussion with the doctors about a tracheostomy.  At this point, Karen herself feels like this may be the best course of action.  Later in the day, another C-PAP trial was attempted and she lasted about 20 minutes.  The remainder of our visit was spent with Karen while she rested.  We believe the tracheostomy may be done tomorrow.  They say this can possibly be done at her bed without another trip to the O.R.  As we have discussed with the doctors, this may allow her more freedom while being weaned from the ventilator.  This evening, Karen appeared relaxed and ready to go to sleep when we left.  As with any hospital, sleep can be hard to come by at times.  Keep checking for further updates. 

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January 14, 2007 - Today was another uneventful day.  Karen thought she would be getting her tracheostomy today, but because of a last minute non-elective surgery, the surgeon was unavailable today.  Although this is not a difficult procedure, her surgery team wants to be the only ones performing any procedure of this nature on her.  Needless to say, she was rather disappointed.  As of now, it is scheduled again for tomorrow morning.  Karen was rather restless today and had a difficult time staying comfortable.  A PICC line was placed in her left arm that will allow easy access to draw blood and to administer any necessary drugs.  This will allow the large port in her jugular vein in her neck to be removed.  This will help cut down on infection, because the PICC line is less invasive.  This evening when we went for our visit, Karen was sound asleep so we decided not to stay and allow her to get much needed rest.  As is the case every day now, her vital signs continue to be stable and right where the doctors want them.  Please continue to keep her in your prayers.

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January 15, 2007 - Today was basically a mirror image of yesterday.  Nothing new to report.  Karen was hoping to get her tracheostomy today but yet again the surgery team got tied up in another transplant.  Not much we can do about that. Once again she was disappointed.  We were told again that it should happen tomorrow. We'll see. She basically rested all day and tried one C-PAP trial this morning.  She lasted about 25-30 minutes and then became fatigued.  They keep saying the trach will make it easier but we won't know untill they do it.  Pray that they actually get it in tomorrow.  Her vitals continue to be impressive with no support medication at all. During the surgery her kidneys "took a hit" because she was on the by-pass machine for an extended period.  Her kidney numbers remained elevated for a few days but have now begun to normalize once again.  They still have some healing to do, but the doctors are extremely optimistic they will regain full function soon.  The kidneys need extra fluid to recover quickly and flush her system.  Her new lungs require dry conditions or else they will fill with fluid.  The doctors tread a thin line in keeping a balance to keep both functioning. As always Karen needs your prayers that she will continue to get stronger with each day that passes.  I can see that she is but she still has a long way to go.

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January 16, 2007 - Good news!  Karen's tracheostomy was put in today.  This is what she and the doctors have wanted.  They put it in early this morning and she was much more comfortable with the tube out of her mouth.  She still can't talk but she can mouth what she wants to say and we are learning how to read her lips. Around 1:30 this afternoon respiratory came in to start the process of weaning her from the trach.  They took her completely off support and she began breathing 100% on her own.  She did great.  She lasted a little over four hours.  This is twice as long as she's lasted thus far off of support. During this first trial with the new trach her vitals remained excellent and did not falter one bit.  Most of the time her oxygen saturation level remained at 100%.  The lowest it dropped to was 97%.  This shows her lungs are working just as they should.  Her heart rate and blood pressure never went up like they did when she was doing the C-PAP.  She became fatigued at the end of four hours and they decided to put her back on support.  Her transplant surgeon came in afterward and said she was recovering great and doing exactly what they expect her to do.  He said once she can breath on her own for 16 hours straight they will move her out of ICU and to the floor. The process of weaning her from the trach wil continue from there. As we have said before this is merely a matter of strenthening the muscles in her chest and diaphragm. Keep praying for her strength as she still needs lots of support.  

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January 17, 2007- Karen had a tough day today.  We were awaken this morning around 6:30 am with a call from the hospital. The doctor I spoke with said she had developed a condition in her abdomen overnight that required immediate surgery.  Needless to say this scared us to death.  Upon our arrival at the hospital we saw Karen briefly and spoke with one of her doctors.  She had developed pain overnight in her belly and a CT scan of the area showed something that needed to be dealt with right away.  They took her back for surgery and a few hours later the surgeon came out and spoke with us. She said that she found a small ulcer in her duodenum (lower part of her stomach).  It had burst and was allowing fluid and air to enter her lower abdomen area.  The surgeon said she was able to repair it, clear the fluid and all should be fine.  She said the ulcer was probably caused by the stresses of the transplant surgery and post surgery recovery.  Before the transplant surgery Karen was taking Nexium because of an ulcer a few years ago.  They will start her again on a medicine that should prevent any further complications of this sort. When we were able to visit Karen she was semi-alert because of the residual effects of the anesthesia.  She did know that we were with her and this surgery was over and everything was ok.  Needless to say she did not have a trach wean opportunity today but maybe they can begin again tomorrow.  She was also supposed to have had her first lung biopsy today to check for rejection.  That of course was also put off for a day or two. Pray that we get no more calls in the night or early morning from the hospital. This will set her back a couple days but she will be on the road to recovery again real soon.  As always thank you for your thoughts, prayers, and messages.  As is evident today we still need them tremendously. 

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January 18, 2007 - Today is the two week mark out of surgery!  Well if Karen had a tough day yesterday she had the complete opposite today.  This morning when we arrived she was wide awake and ready for a new day. Today was the first day she was allowed to have some ice chips.  Oh how she loved this simple pleasure.  She had two breathing trials early today.  The first one she lasted 30 minutes and the second she lasted around an hour and a half. When we arrived for our afternoon visit at 2:00 she was still wide awake and sitting up in a chair still eating ice chips.  She still can't talk but she is getting much better at mouthing words and we can almost hear the faintest of a whisper.  We were basically able to carry on a real conversation for the first time since her surgery.  We sat and I fed her ice chips and talked about the events of the last two weeks.  She remembers some of it but most she does not.  She remembers her brother John, her aunt Helen, and Donnie's parents visiting her but her sense of time is of course a little off. When we arrived for our evening visit she was still sitting up in her chair like she was awaiting our arrival; and of course still eating ice chips. We sat and talked until it was time to leave. By this time she was getting tired and ready to get back into bed.  She said she was going to sleep after we left.  The doctors discussed trying to do a lung biopsy tomorrow if scheduling permitted.  This can probably be done at her bedside. Pray for no signs of early rejection.  

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January 19, 2007 - Today held another nice surprise for Karen.  This morning Karen was allowed to visit with Hunter and Carter for the first time since her surgery. They were overjoyed to see each other.  After the visit Karen was taken for her scheduled lung biopsy. The results should be ready tomorrow but the team that did the procedure said her lungs looked absolutely beautiful. Once she came out of sedation she was allowed to have a little bit of fluid in her mouth for the first time (other than the ice chips). She was allowed to soak a small cotton tipped swab in some orange juice and then suck on the juice.  This evening Karen's father watched the kids and Karen's mom and I went for another visit. Karen's parents and I have been taking turns watching the kids during visitation times. She was asleep when we arrived but respiratory soon came in to suction some of the left over blood in her lungs caused by the biopsy and woke her up.  She was glad they did because she wanted to see us. She was not able to do a trach wean today because the biopsy took a little steam out of her sails.  Respiratory said she will begin again tomorrow with her trach wean sessions. Again pray the lung biopsy results come back negative for rejection and Karen can really start working hard on the trach wean sessions. 

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January 20, 2007- Karen may have had a break through day today.  When we arrived this morning at 10:30 Karen was in the middle of a trach wean and breathing 100% on her own.  I asked her how long she had been on her own and she said since 6:00 this morning.  Already 4 1/2 hours and the longest thus far. She said her goal was to last until 10:00 this evening.  She was strong and her vitals were perfect. She lasted until 1:00 pm and only went back on the ventilator because her stomach tube had become bent and she had to be taken to another area of the hospital to have it replaced.  They would not allow her to stay off the vent while they did this.  I believe she would have made it through her goal time had it not been for the small procedure. She was also allowed more fluid today.  This morning the nurses allowed her to have a fountain drink from the cafeteria.  She sipped on drinks all day.  The remaining chest tube was also removed this morning. This evening Karen's mom went to the store and bought her some frozen popcicles and bottled Sprites.  During the evening visit she ate three popcicles in and hour and drank a little Sprite.  Her spirits are high right now because she knows she's getting stronger everyday and doing very well. There were no results on the lung biopsy that was done yesterday so we will probably get those tomorrow.  The goal for tomorrow is a long trach wean which would mean one step closer to ICU discharge.  Please continue to pray for no rejection and good breathing trials. 

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January 21, 2007- Today was another good day.  This morning she started her trach wean at 6:00am and lasted until 9:00am.  She started again at 10:30am and this time lasted until 4:30pm.  A total of a little over 9 hours.  The longest thus far. At the end of the afternoon trial she was getting tired and started feeling anxious. During the morning visit we were able to take the kids back for a little while so they could see mommy again. This afternoon we simply visited with Karen and watched while she devoured popcicles.  This evening when we visited she was getting tired. I hope she can sleep tonight but as anyone knows who has been admitted to the hospital it can be hard to do. The lights never go out completely and the nurses are always in and out messing with her. The swelling in her arms and hands has really receded but she still has some swelling in her legs and feet.  Hopefully that will go down soon as well.  Still no word on the lung biopsy but since tomorrow is Monday we should hear something then. I believe that if there was an acute rejection we would have known by now. She still feels anxious from time to time but everyone we talk to says it is completely normal after transplant surgery. We still see her growing stronger and making progress everyday. 

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January 22, 2007- Today was a full day of trach wean.  She went off the ventilator and started the trach wean this morning at 9:30am.  When we arrived for the morning visit she was sitting in a chair and breathing on her own.  Basically we sat with her all day while she continued the trach wean.  She stayed in the chair until 3:00 this afternoon and then got back in the bed.  She was able to last on the trach wean until 5:30 this afternoon.  A total of 8 straight hours on her own with no break.  The longest continuous stretch so far.  They put her back on the ventilator simply because she was getting fatigued.  What seems so easy (breathing) for us is still a challenge for her; but she continues to get stronger like I have said before. Once she was placed back on the ventilator she was asleep within 10 minutes. We also received good news on the first lung biopsy.  The results came back negative for rejection. This of course is what we have been praying for.  No word on when the next biopsy will be.  She also had a stomach tube that was in her nose from the last surgery removed today.  Every tube removed is a step in the right direction. Tomorrow should be another day of trach wean.  Pray for continued success. 

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January 23, 2007- Today Karen's trach canula was downgraded from a size 8 to a size 4.  This means that the opening in the trach is smaller and one step closer to complete trach removal. This also allows more air at times around the trach canula and Karen can make more sounds. There is one size smaller that she will eventually be downgraded to at some point in the future. This morning she lasted on the new size trach canula with a trach wean from 6:00am until 12:00pm.  She took a break for a couple hours and then had another trach wean session for another 2 hours. She also had another visit with the kids today. Hopefully tomorrow she will have better success with a long trach wean session.  Please visit the events and donations section as a new fundraising project has begun.  Suzuki has donated a new ATV 4 Wheeler that is being raffled by the Cobb County Sheriff's Office Reserve Unit.  All proceeds will go to Karen's benefit fund to help pay out of pocket expenses incurred with the transplant. 

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January 24, 2007- Today Karen started her trach wean session at 7:00am.  During our morning visit she was relaxed and even napped a little during her session. During our afternoon visit she was still relaxed and still on the trach wean.  She finally went back on the ventilator at 7:00pm. A total of 12 straight hours. Another personal best. This was the doctor's goal for today. She was tired when she went back on the vent but not exhausted.  I could see today her strength is returning.  She looked so at ease. This evening we sat and watched "American Idol". She was having a little pain in her incision site so the nurse gave her some pain medicine and she looked like she was about to go to sleep when we left. This update is a little brief but today was basically nothing but trach wean. There is now a picture of the ATV on the events and donations section.  Please check it out. Karen still needs your prayers as her next goal will be 24 hours off the vent and to a regular room.  She is getting cabin fever in the small ICU room with no windows.  She can't even see the snow that has been falling here.

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January 25, 2007- Today is the three week mark since the day of surgery and Karen had probably her best day yet.  She came off the ventilator this morning at 6:00am and as of this posting at 10:30pm she is still breathing 100% on her own. In fact the ventilator machine has been completly removed from her room in ICU. Her respiratory therapist said that if she needs support at some point in the night they will give her a C-PAP on her trach.  It simply forces air into her lungs and keeps them expanded and makes it easier to breathe.  She was relaxed all day today and when our evening visit was over she felt like she could soon go to sleep. She still has some pain from the incisions and the pain medicine makes her sleepy when they give it to her. I don't want to speculate but maybe real soon she will be in her own private room. We have been telling her of all the postings on the website and she is grateful for every one of them. Hopefully once she gets to a private room there will be internet access and she can see all the postings herself.  She says she is ready to start her blog section back. Today was a great day but of course she still has a good bit of recovering to go.  Please continue praying for Karen's full recovery.  

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January 26, 2007- Karen had another great day.  This morning when we arrived she was still breathing on her own and had been throughout the night.  She said she was able to get a good night's sleep and did not need the assistance of the C-PAP.  One of her doctors came in and said that if she continues to do good for the remainder of the day and through tonight they will be able to write the transfer orders for her to move to a private room. They want her to be off the vent for 48 hours before she is released from ICU.  This is pending though on if there is a bed available on the floor.  As of now the floor that she has to go to is full.  Let's hope for a discharge up there either tonight or early in the morning. She is so ready to get out of ICU.  This evening during our visit she remained relaxed with perfect vital signs and an oxygen saturation level consitantly at 100%.  That is perfect.  I also noticed she is receiving less supportive oxygen.  Thanks to everyone who is showing interest in the ATV raffle. Right now our only concern is her full recovery but once she is released the medical co-pays will start adding up fast.  Thanks again for all the support and letters of encouragement we have received during this difficult time. 

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January 27, 2007- There is not really that much to report today.  Karen is still breathing on her own and still doing well.  This afternoon she did require the assistance of the BiPap (formerly known as C-PAP; I was mistaken in the terminology). She only needed it for a couple of hours and then went back on her own.  There was not a private room on the floor available today.  Her doctor says more likely will be Monday or early next week before one becomes available.  We shall see.  This evening during our visit she was relaxed and we watched a little TV together.  Respiratory was planning on letting her sleep through the night with the assistance of the BiPap.  They say usually in cases such as her's it is common for the patient to become somewhat fatigued after a few days once off the vent. She is still doing remarkably well for the surgery that she had.  As I said there is not really much to report today but everyday she grows stronger and is one day closer to coming home. 

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January 28, 2007- If there was little to report yesterday today was even less eventful;  which is not a bad thing.  Karen and the kids were able to visit again this morning for about an hour and a half.  It has been a few days since they visited mommy so they were real excited to see her.  Carter could not stop giving his mommy kisses on the cheek.  This morning Karen was sitting up in her chair and breathing easily.  Later this afternoon she got back in bed and took a nap.  This evening she was on the BiPap and resting comfortably.  One of the doctors came in this morning and said hopefully tomorrow she will be in a room. We all hope so. As some of you may know Karen's sister-in-law (Donnie's sister Melissa) is expecting her first baby.  During this posting she is in labor and Emma Jane Faklaris is expected to be delivered sometime in the early morning hours of January 29. Please say a little prayer for Melissa and Emma.  Melissa and her husband Jason are anxiously awaiting their little girl.  

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January 29, 2007-  Another big day for Karen.  She is in a private room!!  She finally got out of ICU and into a room about 10:00 this evening. It turned out that they badly needed her bed in ICU because new patients were coming into the unit tonight with no beds available but there were also no beds available on the transplant floor. They were able to scramble and a bed opened.  She is on the transplant floor (9D) and in room 50.  There are basically no restrictions on visiting hours so we can come and go as we please now to see her.  We can even spend the night with her in the room if we want to. She has a nice big window with a view of the helicopter landing pad so she can sit and watch them come and go off the roof of the hospital.  It's supposed to snow here tomorrow and all this week so she is looking forward to watching it come down.  Medically she had another good day.  Nothing really to report.  Physical therapy will probably start working with her tomorrow or the next day and get her up and walking.  Slowly at first of course but gradually up and down the hall.  I will let you know how she progresses.  She still has challenges ahead like getting the trach out, building her strength back, and so on. She will also start getting a liquid diet tomorrow and then progress to a more solid diet. The future looks bright for Karen and she is working hard for a full recovery.  A note on Karen's sister-in-law Melissa and her baby. Emma Jane Faklaris was born this morning at 4:30am.  She weighed 8lbs 10ounces. Mom and baby are doing great and will come home probably the day after tomorrow. I found out tonight there is no internet service in the hospital rooms so Karen still will not be able to see the updates and postings until she is released but we are keeping her updated daily on what is going on.  Keep the messages coming.

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January 30, 2007-  Karen had an up and down day today. When we arrived this morning she was sitting in her chair watching the snow fall.  She felt real good.  She even got up today and walked into the hall and then back into her room.  Since she is in a private room now the kids are able to spend a lot more time with her; today they were together for about 5 hours. That's about all a 3 and 5 year old can handle in a hospital room. Respiratory therapy came in this morning and put a speaking valve on her trach to try and let her talk some.  Each time they have done this she has had difficulty speaking like she should.  Speach therapy then came in and wanted to do a test to see if her vocal chords were working correctly.  As some of you know, prior to her surgery one of her vocal chords was paralized due to the pulmunary hypertension. Her ENT doctor said it should heal after her transplant because basically she will no longer have high pulmonary pressures.  Because she had the ventilator tube in her throat for an extended time her other vocal chord now is also not working properly.  It is not totally paralyzed though.  Due to this she is no longer allowed anything by mouth. The reason for this is because the vocal chords aid in some way which direction liquids go; either to her stomach or lungs.  The fear is that since her vocal chords are not working correctly any liquid she takes into her mouth and swallows could be aspirated into her lungs and this of course would be bad. She is dissapointed because she was enjoying a variety of liquids up to this point but she understands the extra precaution.  Sometime next week after consultation with her surgeons a procedure will be done to correct this problem. Pray that it can be fixed with no further complications. Aside from this she did have a good day today in her new room.  I found out some interesting news today.  I asked the nurse if it would be ok to get her some fresh flowers.  The nurse said because flowers breed fungal bacteria she nor any other transplant patient are allowed to have real flowers in their room. So we took the kids to the gift shop and they each got her a balloon.  If anyone was thinking about sending flowers please send her a greeting card or something of that nature instead.  Even though the room is bigger than before it will fill up quickly if several people send balloons. As always thank you for your thoughts and prayers.  

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January 31, 2007- Karen continues to gain her strength back in a big way.  Today she was able to walk down the hall and back one time basically unassisted. She had a person on both sides of her holding her hands for support but not as a crutch.  When she got back to her room she sat in her chair the rest of the day. Medically she continues to improve every day as her strength improves. She still has a ways to go though of course. She is still enjoying her new room.  Today's highlight was the walk down the hall but hopefully soon that too will be old news.  Everyday she will hopefully do a little more. Yesterday after her walk she was pretty sore, but today she was not nearly as sore afterwards. This evening she went on the BiPap machine about 8:00 and was resting nicely when we left.  

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February 1, 2007- Four weeks since surgery. Today Karen had somewhat of an uneventful day. She did walk further today than yesterday and should continue making strides every day.  She also had the foley catheter (bladder drain) removed.  Now anytime she has to pee-pee she will have to get out of the chair or bed and go.  But this is good because it will continue to build her strength.  She was glad to get it out. She can now accept correspondence directly to her room if you would like to send something.  Her address at the hospital is located in the contact information section. For the near future I can see a few days ahead that will be like today; continue to strengthen and walk.  If anything changes I will definitely post it. Last night I printed out the portions of the website that she had not seen since her surgery.  She loved every bit of it, including this update section and especially the guest book section where the messages are left.  Please keep the them coming.  She is getting all of them and each one gives her motivation. 

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February 2, 2007- Today began the process of getting the trach removed from Karen's neck. This morning respiratory therapy came in and capped off her trach.  They literaly put a cap over the opening of the trach in her neck. When this is done she breathes through her mouth or nose like normal.  She did ok for the first time but she said it felt weird to her.  She began coughing a little and then felt like she could not breathe so they decided to put her back on the trach breathing.  The staples that were in her stomach after the second surgery were removed today.  She did not have staples from her transplant surgery and all the incisions are healing nicely. Today she had an awakening of sorts.  Those who saw her frequently up to the surgery may have noticed how purple her lips would often be because of lack of oxygen caused by the pulmunary hypertension.  Today she saw herself for the first time in a mirror and absolutely could not believe how pink her lips were. Just one small sign of how her quality of life will improve once she recovers. She was also up and down out of bed and her chair today since her catheter was removed yesterday. Many of you have inquired in your messages wondering who is writing her updates. I am proud to say it is her beloved husband. Her mother and father have also put a great deal of input to help out. One of her wishes going into surgery was that the website be maintained while she is not able, and it has become a joy to do this every night.  Again thank you for the messages that continue to pour in. 

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February 3, 2007- Karen had a big surprise today.  Our friends Danny and Rachel Fortney flew in from Atlanta this morning.  They had been planning the trip for a couple of weeks but we had not told Karen and when they walked in her room her face lit up with surprise and excitement. We sat the majority of the day and caught up on her progress and such. They are staying Saturday night and returning home late Sunday afternoon. She had another pretty good day. She walked a little further today than she has thus far and felt better after her walk than she did before.  Her therapist said that was because she was using her lungs more when she is walking. Her motivation is still strong. Even while sitting in her chair or lying her bed she lifts her legs and arms trying to get stronger.  This evening she was getting tired and ready for the BiPap.  She was put on about 6:45 and soon fell asleep.  At least she does get better rest since she is her own room. 

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February 4, 2007- Today is the one month mark out of surgery.  Karen said goodbye to Danny and Rachel today as they headed back home.  She had a good day today.  She had more strength and felt better than yesterday.  As soon as we walked in the room we could tell she had more energy. She went for a walk and again walked further than she has before. Today she went all the way to the nurses station and back. I know you have no reference as to how far that is but the nurses are impressed she is already able to make it that far and back to her room.  They tell her that they can see her willingness to achieve her goals. The past couple days she has used a walker with no one holding on to her. Today Karen had another visitor when Marilyn Johnson and her friend Bonnie came up. Marilyn has been a good friend here in Pittsburgh. We cannot thank her enough for all she has done for us. Tomorrow night Karen's mom will be in charge of the update because I plan on staying at the hospital with Karen overnight for the first time. This coming week should be busy as the ENT doctor will look at repairing her vocal chord and respiratory can resume the process of working torwards trach removal. We will let you know as she progresses. For everyone back home in the warm sunny south, when you think it's cold there just remember this; right now it is -1 degree actual temperature here with about a foot of snow on the ground with more coming. The wind chill is in the neighborhood of  -20. Thirties don't sound so bad right now. 

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February 5, 2007 - It's mom's turn to write the update today, so here goes!  Today, Karen had a very good day!!  Her trach was downsized to a size 4, which begins the final step in getting the trach removed.  The speaking valve was put in place for a little while, not for speaking purposes because Karen cannot speak yet, but to begin the process of getting her used to normal breathing.  The trach will eventually be capped off and Karen will begin breathing out of her nose and mouth.  The trach cannot be totally removed until Karen has been off the BiPap machine for at least three days.  When we left the hospital tonight, Karen was still breathing without the aid of the BiPap.  This is a good sign...she is working really hard toward achieving her goal of being free of the BiPap and the trach.  Karen continues to get stronger each day.  Today, she was able to walk 30 feet further than yesterday, basically unassisted.  The nurses and other staff are impressed with how strong Karen is and her drive to get better.  Today, the physical therapists began working with her on "marching exercises."  While sitting in a chair, Karen lifts her legs up and down in a marching motion for 30 seconds.  This will build endurance and help to make her stronger. The therapists want her to perform these exercises on her own throughout the day and increase the frequency of the exercises as she is able.  Another big step that will take place this week is the procedure to repair her vocal cord.  Hopefully once the procedure is done, Karen will be able to speak again and on the road to being able to drink and eat. I don't think she misses the food so much right now, just the liquids.  I'm sure in time, she will begin to crave food once again and hope she will want those hot wings that she loves so much. Something happened today that really touched our hearts--Donnie and the boys went to get badly needed haircuts. The boys had on their red "Georgia" sweatshirts.  The hairstylists, noticing the sweatshirts and picking up on their southern accent asked where they were from.  When Donnie told them, they wondered why they were so far from home and asked if they were visiting relatives.  Donnie explained that they were here for Karen's heart and double lung transplant at UPMC.  At the same time Donnie and the hairstylists were talking, another customer was sitting in the chair next to them getting his hair cut.  It was only after the customer left that the hairstylist told Donnie that the nice gentleman had paid for Donnie and the boys' haircuts.  We were really touched by this gentleman's kindness--a total stranger. 

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February 6, 2007- Well so much for waiting for the trach cap trials and 72 hours off the BiPap and so on. As of about 9:00 this morning Karen's trach has been completely removed!!  Last night I spent the night with her at the hospital. She kept having episodes of desating (her oxygen level was dropping below 90%). Respiratory kept working with her and discovered that she was basically not using the trach at all to breath. She was breathing more through her nose and mouth. He gave her oxygen in her nose and immediately her saturation level jumped from 85% to 100% and remained there. This morning in discussion with her surgeon on the best course of action it was decided that the trach was more of a hinderance than a benefit and they pulled it out.  She is currently on 2 litres of oxygen in her nose through a canula and maintaining 100% saturation level. This is about a week or more ahead of schedule. Currently she has a bandage covering the hole in her neck where the trach was and in time it will grow together on it's own. She went for another walk today and again did well. It was the first walk without the trach and she did great. She walked without any assistance at all, completely on her own. This evening an ENT doctor came in to discuss the procedure with her vocal chord that needs to be repaired. They are planning on doing this tomorrow in the O.R. She will be put under general anesthesia for the procedure. The plan is to inject a substance into her partially working vocal chord to enlarge and strengthen it.  Once they do this she cannot use it for at least 24 hours while the small incision heals. After that hopefully she will be talking soon and resuming at least a liquid diet. Please say a prayer tonight for success tomorrow.  

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February 7, 2007- Today was a long day for all of us. Yesterday we were told that the procedure on her vocal chord would begin some time around noon today.  We arrived about 10:00 this morning and were told the procedure was scheduled for 2:30 this afternoon. By the time they took her and got started it was more like 3:30 or 4:00. The doctor believes it was a success but we will have to wait and see once she can try to talk and swallow.  She cannot use her vocal chords for 24 hours because of the incision into the one that was repaired. It needs that much time to heal. Since she was put under with general anesthesia for the procedure she was intubated (ventilator). When she came out of the O.R. she went to recovery where she remained intubated. She remained there for a few hours while we waited for a bed in CTICU to open up.  She had to be transfered back there for observation overnight and removal of the tube. She finally arrived in CTICU about 10:30 this evening. When we finally saw her she was awake and breathing on her own with the C-PAP on the ventilator.  When we left about 12:30 she was still on the C-Pap. The time of this posting is 2:30 in the morning and I just spoke with her nurse in CTICU.  The breathing tube has been removed, she is sitting up in bed watching TV and eating JELLO. I'd say she's doing pretty good for the long day she has had. Because she is spending the night in CTICU her room was given away on floor 9. Because of slim bed space the same patient cannot have 2 beds at the same time while in the hospital. Her room was actually given to the person that left CTICU so she could go in to CTICU. The plan is for her to move back to the floor tomorrow but as before that depends on an open room there. Her address at the hospital will change and I will post it as soon as I know more. For now hold any correspondence that you may have going to the hospital. If you have sent anything to her and she has not received it surely the hospital will be able to re-route it to her. She still continues to get stronger by doing exercises and walking. She is also doing breathing exercises to further strengthen her new lungs and prevent pneumonia. She is diligent about doing what she needs to. The goal for the next couple days is to further reduce her oxygen need and soon only breathing room air. Pray for a more solid diet soon and her continuing recovery.

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February 8, 2007 - Donnie is spending the night at the hospital with Karen tonight, so mom is writing this update.  When we arrived at the hospital this morning around 11 am, Karen was still in CTICU.  She was sitting up in the chair and drinking Pepsi and coffee!  She was relieved to get the breathing tube out of her mouth and was eager to get back up to the 9th floor.  They were finally able to get her a room on the 9th floor around 1 PM.  Unfortunately, the room is about half the size as her previous room, but we were just glad to get back up to the 9th floor.  The nurses said that they may be able to move her to a bigger room when someone is discharged.  Karen walked twice today and did very well.  I believe she could take off on her own if they would allow it!  We did not see the ENT doctor today as we had thought we would, so we really have no word yet on how well her repaired vocal cord is going to work.  We think the doctor will perform another swallowing test tomorrow.  If all goes well, she should be able to drink and eat real soon.  We hope they will also test out her vocal cords to see how well she can speak.  Please pray that all is well and she can speak and begin to eat and drink.  Karen received a visit today from a gentlemen who has had 2 heart transplants and is doing great.  He is a member of a transplant support group.  He just wanted to give her some words of encouragement, which he did, and when he left, Karen had a big smile on her face.  He also left his name and number so that anytime she wanted someone to talk to, she could just give him a call.  We want to thank all of you again for all of your prayers and support.  The messages sent to her website have been such a support to her...even though there is no internet access at the hospital, we are printing them out and taking them to her so she can read them.  Please keep them coming!  Karen has also received many cards in the mail--thanks to all of you.  By the way, her new room number is D-942.

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February 9, 2007- Karen's mom and I are now going to start alternating nights to stay with Karen so she has someone with her at all times. She had an exciting and busy day today.  This morning a nurse came in and started going over all of Karen' meds for when she starts taking them in pill form by mouth. At 11:00 this morning I went to a discharge class that is given once a week on what to expect once Karen is released; things to look for, things to stay away from and such. At 12:00 the ENT doctor came to her room to inspect her vocal chords. He looked through a scope and said the repaired vocal chord is now doing what it should. She started talking today but her voice is pretty raspy mainly because her throat is so dry. She then went for a barium swallow test to make 100% sure she will not aspirate anything into her lungs. She passed this test and came back up to her room ready for a drink. Once the nurse said it was ok she put down two cans of Coke in about 15 minutes. She got some ice cream and Jello from the nurse but wanted something a little more solid.  The nurse said basically anything is ok now for her to eat. She wanted a chicken sandwich and fries from the cafeteria and ate a little more than half of those and an ice cream sandwich and another Coke. This evening when her dinner tray came her dad sat with her and helped her eat meat loaf (yes she was that hungry) and a baked potato. Karen and her dad were able to spend some time together while I went back up to the house in Mercer to get Karen's mom and the kids. This evening Karen visited with the kids for a while and when we left she was getting tired. She got some sleep last night but as always it is a challenge even in a private room. Hopefully she will get some good rest tonight and have a good day tomorrow as well.

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February 10, 2007 - It's mom again--I stayed with Karen last night at the hospital.  I had hoped that she would sleep well, but she had a very restless night.  It seemed that she couldn't get comfortable and was wide awake all night.  She got up at 5:30 am and sat in her chair.  Even though she didn't get much rest last night, she had a very good day.  Early this morning, as we had hoped, she was moved to a much larger room with lots of windows. The room is very bright and roomy (her new room number is D-958).  This should make the remainder of her stay much more enjoyable.  Karen walked a total of four times today...she is strong enough now that we can assist her when she walks and do not have to wait for one of the staff members to come and walk with her.  This will make it easier for her to walk much more frequently, since sometimes it is difficult to get staff to help since they are so busy.  She continued to enjoy eating again today.  She ate well at breakfast, lunch and dinner.  She had her first Hershey Bar with Almonds, her favorite.  Since she is now able to swallow, she is taking all of her medications in pill form rather than liquid. She stayed awake all day in hopes that she can sleep tonight. Pray that she gets a good night's rest tonight. 

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February 11, 2007- Well last night was not a restful night for Karen. She is still having a hard time getting comfortable enough to get a full night's rest. Once she got out of bed this morning around 6:30 and in her chair she was able to get somewhat comfortable. Today was mainly a day of resting and walking when she felt like getting up and stretching her legs. She walked down the hall and back 7 times today. She was relaxed all day and she and I sat and watched a couple of movies that were on TV. This evening when the kids came up to visit, Carter walked with his mommy up and down the hall. Let's hope for a restful night tonight.     

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February 12, 2007 - Karen had a much better night last night.  She was able to get about three hours sleep.  Some of the anti-rejection medications she is taking can cause insomnia.  This morning, the medication nurse came by and  explained each one of the medications to Karen as she took them.  She is doing very well with swallowing all of her medications in pill form.  It looks like she will be on less medication than before the surgery, which is great.  Karen ate a good breakfast, consisting of cereal, banana, muffin, milk and O.J.  She is enjoying eating again.  She also ate a good lunch and dinner.  She was up and down the halls most of the day today...she walked longer than ever before  and walked a total of about 7 times.  She wanted to get out of the room a bit more, so we got a wheelchair and took a stroll up and down the halls, making sure we didn't get out of range for the heart monitor.  She enjoyed being out of the room a little more.  She stopped and talked with other patients' families in the hall.  We have come to know many them...the floor Karen is on consists of patients who have had either a heart transplant or lung transplant...Karen is the only one that has had a heart/double lung transplant.  We brought her camera to the hospital yesterday.  We have begun taking pictures of all of the nurses, techs, doctors, etc., for Karen's scrapbook.  Her surgeon, Dr. Toyoda, even came by and we took his picture with Karen. She was very tired tonight, as she had a very busy day today.   Please continue to pray for Karen--she is making great progress but still has a long way to go. Thank you for all of your prayers and support.

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February 13, 2007- Today was another busy day. Last night I (Donnie) spent the night with Karen and the nurses let me take her off the floor in a wheelchair. We went up to the cafeteria and had a fountain drink and just sat for a while so she could enjoy a change of scenery. During the night the nurse decided to turn her oxygen level down to 1 litre which is bare minimum. She did great and then he tried to let her breathe on room air only. She dropped her saturation level below the preferred level but that is to be expected; one because it was at night and everybody's level drops at night, two because she's new at this. During the day however she went without the oxygen for the majority of the day and did great. This is hopefully the pathway to complete freedom from the oxygen. She also had the remainder of the skin staples removed which allowed her to take a shower for the first time since surgery. Up to this point she has basically gotten sponge baths in her room. The doctor also removed two pacer wires that were still in her chest that led to her new heart. These were put in place during the surgery in the event she needed an external pace maker. This would have been necessary if her heart developed an irregular heart rythm that could not be corrected with medicine. Of course this never happened so they were able to remove the wires today. She still has one drainage bag remaining leading from her stomach area. One of the doctors said today they will probably clamp that off and remove it soon. When that happens she will no longer have anything attached to or coming out of her except the leads for the heart monitor that will not be taken off until the day of discharge somewhere in the unknown future. Her tracheostomy hole in her neck has almost completely healed shut. So much so that the bandage has now been taken off. When the boys came to see her today she had nothing on her face (oxygen tube used to be there) and nothing on her neck. Hunter told his mommy he thought she was very pretty. She still struggles with sleep at night. This is a side affect from her main anti-rejection medicine (for those wondering it's a drug called Prograf). As many side affects do this should go away eventually. Please pray that happens soon. By the way it is blizzard conditions here right now with about a foot of snow expected over night and tomorrow morning.  I hope we can get out of the driveway tomorrow to get to the hospital for Valentine's Day. 

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February 14, 2007 - It's mom- I spent the night with Karen last night.  She got a pretty good amount of sleep last night for a change; however, she did have a very vivid, scary dream.  This, too, is a side effect of the Prograf.  It should dissipate in time.  Karen walked several times today. She is anxious to start building her upper body strength and asked the doctor about getting physical therapy.  The doctor has written the order and it should begin in the next day or so.  Physical therapy has already been working with her on walking.  She is eager to get stronger and on her way to getting out of the hospital.  Donnie, the boys and her dad arrived at the hospital about 1 pm today.  Due to bad weather conditions, we have had to adjust our visiting times.  We have gotten about 12 inches of snow over the last couple of days and have had to leave the hospital early enough to get back to the house before dark, due to the treacherous road conditions.  For Valentine's Day, Donnie and the boys gave her balloons and candy, and me and her dad gave her a stuffed Koala bear.  She enjoyed her visit with the boys.  Karen has received so many cards, and we thank you.  The DHR Office of Child Support Services has been incredibly supportive--they have sent Karen many, many cards from their offices all over the state of Georgia.  We thank you so much.  Thanks again to everyone for all of the prayers.

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February 15, 2007- Karen again basically slept through the night last night so maybe she's getting over the insomnia. She had another good day with a little more progress to report. She still has the one tube in place from her stomach ulcer surgery. Today the drainage bag was taken off the tube but the tube has to stay in place for 6 weeks after the surgery. Basically it is no longer draining so everything that goes in comes out the way God originally intended. She went for the majority of the day without her oxygen again today and is using minimal oxygen support at night.  She asked the nurse practitioner today about her diet going forward from here. As many of you probably know prior to the surgery she was on a very strict sodium restriction and fluid restriction. She was basically allowed no sodium (salt) and very little fluid because both contributed to the heart failure. She was told today that basically everything she suffered through prior to the surgery is now out the window. She can now eat what she wants and drink as much as she wants. She was very excited to say the least. She went for a few walks today and was able to get another shower. Life is slowly returning to normal. I took the kids outside today to play in the snow we have received here lately. In most places in the backyard the snow came up to Carter's waist. Winter in the north!  

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February 16, 2007 -  Karen slept pretty well last night except for having another bad dream.  She seemed very tired today and said that she thinks the 3 or 4 days she went without sleep is catching up with her.  However, she felt pretty well and went without her oxygen all day.  She even walked without her oxygen and did very well.  Her surgeon, Dr. Toyoda, stopped by and said she was doing very well.  She is still having problems with her voice.  The repair to her vocal cord is only temporary and she will eventually need to get a more permanent fix.  She gets frustrated because her voice is so soft and raspy.  The eye doctor stopped by to examine her eyes--she has been having problems with blurred vision, but that, too, is a side effect of medication.  We hope that all of the side effects she is having will eventually go away.  Karen's aunt Helen and Uncle David sent her a package of Valentine's candy, and she snacked on that all afternoon and enjoyed it very much.  Thanks to Helen and David!  She has a pretty good appetite and seems to enjoy eating.  Karen had a very big surprise this evening!  Her best friend from kindergarten, Laurie, and her mom, Vickie, flew in to see her this weekend.  They live in Thomasville, Georgia.  Needless to say, Karen was very, very surprised.  The look on her face was priceless.  We had managed to keep this secret from her for a couple of weeks, although it wasn't easy.  Laurie and Vickie thought Karen looked just great.  Karen was so happy to see them and couldn't believe they were here.  They enjoyed visiting for a little while tonight and will visit with Karen Saturday and Sunday and fly back home on Monday.  Please keep Karen in your prayers.

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February 17, 2007- Last night Karen had what I would describe as a full night of restless sleep. From the moment she nodded off at around 10:30 she started talking in her sleep and never seemed to get settled down even though she was asleep the majority of the night. She had very realistic dreams again and it played with her mind a bit. When she woke up for the morning she even thought her cousin Earl Akridge was in the Emergency Room here in Pittsburgh. She said he was on a business trip and had been in an accident. It took a good bit of convincing on my part before she believed he is ok back in Atlanta.  This morning she still had a hard time decifering between reality and dreamland. I spoke with her nurse and the doctors that rounded today and they all say this is a combination side effect from the Prograf and the earlier lack of rest catching up with her. We were again assured that the side effects from the Prograf will stop at some point in the near future. She did have a good day otherwise though. More of about the same. She enjoyed a full day of visiting with Laurie and Vickie from Thomasville. The southern girls are still trying to get used to the cold and snow and absolutely refuse to drive because we have received a few more inches of snow since their arrival. Can't really blame them though because the roads were a little rough this evening coming home and as Laurie said she has never even seen snow on the ground. This evening Karen seemed to be struggling somewhat to breathe so her nurse drew some blood to do some gas tests. Everything was normal with the tests and her periodic labored breathing is still the result of Karen having to learn how to breathe normal again. Please pray the side effects from the Prograf (her main antirejection medicine) wear off soon.  

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February 18, 2007 - I (mom) spent the night with Karen last night.  She talked in her sleep the entire night.  Even though she appeared to be asleep, she was not resting at all.  This morning, she was still having a hard time distinguishing between what was real and what was not.  I talked to the doctors this morning, and they still say they believe it is side effects of the Prograf. Karen has always been very sensitive to medication.  At this point, they would like for her to stay on the Prograf and hope that the side effects will go away.  If not, there is an alternative medication they could use if they have to, but Prograf is the best.  We pray that these side effects will soon go away.  She was still pretty tired from lack of sleep over the last few days.  Her breathing was a little bit better today.  She did get up and walk once and did rather well.  Her friends from Thomasville visited again, and they enjoyed talking about old times.  The ENT doctors are supposed to come by tomorrow so we can talk with them about her voice.  Karen still needs your prayers. 

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February 19, 2007- This morning Laurie and her mom Vickie caught their flight back home to Thomasville after a nice weekend of visiting with Karen. It lifted Karen's spirits to see her lifelong friend for a couple of days. Last night she still had a difficult time settling down into a restful sleep. It is still difficult for her to distinguish reality from dreamland. I had a long discussion with one of the floor doctors this morning and it was decided that she will no longer receive a couple medications that she has been getting. She will no longer get an anti-anxiety medicine that she was getting to help her sleep. She will also no longer get her strong pain med. From now on if she has pain she will be allowed to have extra strength Tylenol.  Most of the pain from the surgeries is receeding but there is still some lingering pain. The thinking is that these medicines are now reacting adversly with her rejection medicine and causing Karen these problems. The goal is to keep her on the Prograf because this med was actually developed here at UPMC and this is the med they know best. We were hoping to see her ENT today to get some answers on why her voice volume has decreased over the past few days but they were a no-show. Hopefully tomorrow. Her transplant surgeon came by though and said she is still doing marveoulsly well and the problems with the meds is a common occurence in transplant patients. She did walk a couple times today and did great. This evening will be the first night without the anti-anxiety med so let's pray that she can get some sleep. She needs several nights of good rest.        

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February 20, 2007 - Karen had a much better night last night.  She had a bad dream and was talking in her sleep early in the night, but after about 4:30 am, she was able to get about four hours of restful sleep.  She woke up ready to get moving and doing whatever it takes to get out of the hospital.  She looked so much better today--she was more wide awake and her color was much better. She ate a good breakfast and then started working on her breathing exercises.  She is really eager to learn the correct way to breathe.  The doctor said it will take time.  She has not had anymore hallucinations since last night, thank God.  It was so scary seeing her like that knowing that there was nothing we could do to help her.  We hope that the medications that were discontinued will take care of this problem, because we really do not want to have to change the Prograf.  She walked 3 times today, once without her oxygen.  She remained off her oxygen during the day today. She uses it most of the time to sleep.  We hope to have something to report from the ENT doctor in tomorrow's update. Karen had a visit today from Trish Ziglear, the mother of one of Carter's classmates back at home at New Georgia Pre-K.  She has family in Pittsburgh and was in town visiting them. She brought get well cards for Karen and "we miss you" cards for Hunter and Carter.  Each one of the children in Hunter's and Carter's class as well as the other classes at New Georgia had made them a card. She also brought lots of stuff for Hunter and Carter from their classmates and teachers. They all miss Hunter and Carter. Karen really did enjoy her visit and appreciated so much her coming and bringing all of the goodies.  Hunter and Carter came to the hospital later this afternoon and were very excited to see that they had received goodies from their classmates and teachers.  They will certainly enjoy them! The teachers also sent Hunter and Carter folders with some school activities for them to do.  Many thanks to Trish, to Ms. Margie and Ms. Stacy (Hunter's and Carter's teachers), to all of their classmates and all of the other classes at New Georgia.  Hunter and Carter miss all of you. 

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February 21, 2007- Last night Karen did not sleep well so she was a little tired during the day today. She did have a somewhat active day though. She was able to get another shower which made her feel much better. Last night the ENT doctor came in and discussed a few options for Karen to consider. He said she basically has three options; the first is to do nothing and see if her voice gets better on its own; second, inject the other vocal chord later this week, or third wait and come back after she is discharged from the hospital to inject the vocal chord. He believes if he does the injection again it will help her voice. She had a visit in the doctor's office today and after another test there was further discussion of what to do. As of now she is scheduled to have her vocal chord injected again on Friday morning about 9:30 in his clinic. The goal is to do this without giving her general anesthesia and a trip to the OR like last time. They believe they can give her a local anesthetic and accomplish what they need to do. I believe that if the doctor decides Karen needs general anesthesia for the procedure she is going to refuse and explore other less evasive options. At this point she absolutely does not want to go back under and have to be intubated again if it is not necessary. The last time they did this there were no options because her swallowing was compromised. This time it is strictly to enhance her voice. It may not seem like a huge deal but it is affecting her breathing somewhat because she has to push so much air to try to make a sound. If she can speak easier then the doctor thinks she may be able to breath easier. She walked a few times again today and did great. She remains for the most part off her oxygen during the day and uses it at night. To help Karen sleep tonight the doctor said she could get a dose of Benadryl. We'll see if that helps. The doctor on the floor continues to be impressed with her progress and calls the things that have popped up lately as, in her words, "housekeeping items." Sounds good to us.

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February 22, 2007 - Karen got about 4 hours sleep last night...we were up until about 4 am and then she finally went to sleep.  She felt pretty good today and looked really great. She is so ready to get out of the hospital.  Karen has been trying to decide on whether or not to go ahead with the vocal cord procedure tomorrow.  Since the doctors have told her that before she moves back to Georgia, she will need to have this done, she will probably go ahead with the procedure tomorrow morning.  Please pray that the procedure will go well and that she will get her voice back.  It has been very frustrating for her not to be able to speak.  Right now, she can only whisper.  Karen is scheduled for a bronchoscopy on Monday to check for rejection.  If all goes well, we hope that she can come home from the hospital (to Mercer) on Tuesday of next week!!  We are so excited that she may get to come home.  It has been a long, hard 7 weeks thus far, but it is getting better!  Once she gets home, it will be a few weeks before we can move back to Georgia. She still has a long way to go to build her strength back and fully recover.  Donnie's parents flew in today to visit for about a week.  We are really glad to have them here.  They were a really big help to us the day of surgery and the two weeks following the surgery.  I don't know what we would have done without them!  They have gone to visit Karen tonight, and I know they will be pleased with her progress, since the last time they saw her, she was in ICU on the ventilator.  Please continue to pray for Karen as she continues to recover.  We thank you again for all of your prayers and support.  Everyone has been awesome.

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February 23, 2007- Karen had another evenful day today. She did not sleep that well last night but finally dozed off about 5:00 this morning and ended up getting about 3 hours worth. This morning she went for her vocal chord repair and did great. They got her throat all numbed up and started the procedure. Her dad and I (Donnie) were able to stay with her while the doctor did this procedure. After her throat was good and numb the doctor injected both her vocal chords with the gel to bulk them up. We watched everything on a hi-def flat screen monitor while they did it. Before the procedure she was not getting closure between the vocal chords when she tried to make a sound. This is why it was difficult for her. After the doctor injected both vocal chords he had Karen make an "eeeee" sound. We could plainly see the chords are coming completely together. Hopefully this will last longer this time since both chords were injected. She cannot use her voice for 24 hours while she waits for the injection site to heal. We'll see how she sounds tomorrow. Later in the day she walked and occupational therapy came in with some more exercises for her to do. This evening Karen and her mom and dad went up to the cafeteria for another change of scenery. Hopefully this weekend will be quiet and uneventful in preparation for Karen's bronch and rejection test on Monday. As Karen's mom said please pray she is able to leave the hospital early next week.

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February 24, 2007 - Karen had another sleepless night last night.  She seemed to be very anxious which caused her to breathe too fast.  Her oxygen level was dropping slightly, so the nurse turned the oxygen up a notch and this seemed to help.  I think she finally got about an hour of sleep around 6:30 am this morning.  She was pretty tired throughout the day and kept dozing in the chair.  She did manage to walk a couple of times and did really well.  The nights with no sleep make her really tired during the day.  It makes it difficult to do a lot of walking when she is so tired from lack of sleep.  She gave her voice a try today.  She can talk now but it is still a little raspy.   I think her voice will improve as she uses it more and more, and she will need a little help from speech therapy.  She continues to struggle with her breathing and is working hard to try to breathe the right way.  The boys came to see her again today.  Maw Maw and Paw Paw took them to see Monsters, Inc. on ice before they came to the hospital, and they really enjoyed it.  The plans are still to hopefully leave the hospital on Tuesday.  Please pray that the biopsy shows no rejection. 

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February 25, 2007- Last night Karen slept ok after about 2:00am. She settled down and slept a little and finally got up about 9:30 this morning. During the day she was still sleepy due to the previous nights of lack of sleep. Not much to report today other than she is ready for the bronch tomorrow. One of her doctors came in this morning and told her it is still his plan for her to go home on Tuesday. He believes she will recover faster and be less anxious at home (Mercer home for now). Needless to say she can't wait. Please pray the bronch tomorrow shows no rejection and her lungs still look good.  

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February 26, 2007- Karen got good news and bad news today. This morning and during the day she had a real hard time waking up. Her doctor thinks that the Benedryl is keeping her asleep during the day also so she is going to stop the Benedryl. She was also having a hard time breathing today when she was awake. She took a short walk before they came and got her for the bronch. She did ok but because she was so sleepy did not walk that far. They came and got her for the bronch around 2:00 and a little while later the floor doctor came and gave us some results. Because she was still so drowsy and her breathing was labored the pulmonologist doing the procedure had to intubate her. Her lungs looked good as far as the doctor could tell and a couple things have healed since the surgery. We will not know about any rejection or infection until the lab does their tests on the tissue that was taken from inside the lungs. We will hopefully have that information later tomorrow. Since she was intubated she had to go back to the CTICU after the procedure where she remained overnight. When we left she was still sleeping. The sedatives they gave her for the procedure had not yet wore off. Once she wakes up she will have to do the C-Pap again before they can pull the tube. Needless to say she will not be getting out of the hospital on Tuesday. At this point we are unsure of when this may happen. The difficulty breathing could be related to one of three things or a combination. She could have rejection, infection, or it could all be psychological.  If it is the first two they can treat it with medicine, if it is mind over matter Karen will have to force herself to learn how to breath the correct way. Whatever the problem is they want it fixed before she comes home. The plan for tomorrow is for her to wake up, get the tube back out and return to her room where she can resume the road to recovery. Please continue to pray for Karen because she still needs every one of them.

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February 27, 2007- Today Karen had to do something she absolutely did not want to have to do. Unfortunately she is still intubated and because of this she is still in CTICU. This morning when we arrived in ICU she was doing a C-Pap trial. She was doing ok but her respiration rate was extremely high. She was not turning the volume in her lungs that they wanted (because of her high respiration rate) so they put her back on the ventilator. The doctors discussed a few options and then tried something else. It did not work the way they wanted so they made a decision to put her back on the ventilator for the remainder of the day and give her some sedation to help her rest. They decided she needed a full day of rest and then try again tomorrow and hopefully she will be stronger. Basically for the rest of the day she rested in and out of sleep due to the sedation medicine. Late this afternoon we got the lab results from the bronch yesterday. There is no rejection and no infection; this of course is great news. Her kidney numbers are a little high but she basically had no fluids for about 36 hours so she is a bit dehydrated.  She was not allowed to have food or drink as of 12:00 midnight before the bronch yesterday. The procedure turned out to be late in the day and then last night I do not believe she got any fluids after the procedure. This morning they started giving her fluids through an IV. The fluids should help her kidney numbers. Right now the doctors are not quite sure why she is breathing so fast while off the vent. One reason is it still could be just what she has been used to and has to make a conscious effort to change it. They also now say that her diaphragm may have some damage which would not be surprising due to the number of times and where she has been cut open in the last two months. They say it will still need a little more time to heal and grow stronger. Either one can be fixed though. The main thing is no rejection or infection. She will possibly stay in CTICU again tomorrow and through tomorrow night while they continue to keep a close eye on her breathing and kidneys. Please don't forget Karen in your prayers. As is evident today she is still recovering from a major surgery and still has a long way to go. 

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February 28, 2007- Karen had a better day today. This morning when we arrived she was doing a C-Pap trial and doing ok. She was still breathing short and shallow breaths and more rapidly than the doctors wanted. Even though all this they decided to go ahead and take the breathing tube out. They did because they did not want her to go back on the ventilator and there was talk of putting the trach back in. Karen obviously did not want to go that route either. Once they pulled the tube she was more comfortable but still breathing too rapidly. I tried working with her to get her to consciously slow her respirations because it has been mentioned that the rapid breathing could be due anxiety or just what her body is used to. A few minutes later one of the doctors in the ICU came in and said they may have a medical reason why she is breathing so rapid. It has to do with the PH level in her body and the way she is getting rid of CO2. Her body is breathing rapidly to balance out her PH level. The doctor explained it in detail but it was way over my head as chemistry was never a strong point of mine. I got some of it but not enough to rehash it as it was explained. Basically they can medicate the problem and hopefully tomorrow we will see improvement in her breathing as the problem becomes resolved. We shall see. This evening they gave her some assistance by using the Bi-Pap machine with a mask over her nose and mouth forcing air into her lungs. She said it really did not help but her respiration rate was down this evening from this afternoon. Earlier her respiration rate was in the low 40's and this evening she was consistently down in the 20's. Her oxygen saturation was also back up to where it is supposed to be. Hopefully this problem will be coming to a resolution soon and we can get back on the road to recovery and towards discharge. She gets frustrated from time to time but she knew this was not going to be easy and there would be bumps in the road.  She understands this is a bump and not a setback. As always thank you for your prayers and well wishes. 

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March 1, 2007- Well today was not a day for much good news. This morning I got a phone call about 8:00 am from one of Karen's doctors in ICU. She said that Karen had to be reintubated because her oxygen saturation levels were dropping and she was having an increasingly hard time breathing through the night and into this morning. This of course was disappointing news. We got ready and went to the hospital and spoke with the ICU doctors. It was decided to go ahead and put the trach back in. The tube in her throat can cause problems including causing more damage to her already strained vocal chords. They are confident she will soon come off the assistance of the ventilator but it will be easier with the trach just as it was the last time. The trach was put in about noon today and from that point on she was basically asleep for the remainder of the day and into the night. The goal for tomorrow and going forward is to get her up again and doing the mask trials just like the last time she had the trach. The doctors still do not have a hard and fast reason why she deteriorated over the past few days but they believe it is a mix of several small things; anxiety, leftover damage in the lungs due to the surgery itself, her PH level, kidney function, and a few other things. They think with the bronch on Monday on top of all this it all came to a head and sent her over the edge and left her where she is now. The doctor said they were in a damned if they do and damned if they don't with the bronch. They had to know if there was rejection or infection but the bronch caused a toll also. The only way to test for rejection is with the bronch and if there was rejection and left untreated it would have killed her lungs completely. Now they have a better idea of what they are working with and can move forward with treatment. The doctor assured us that what she is experiencing is treatable and fixable with time. He estimates this will set her back a couple of weeks. This morning while she was still awake a bit before the trach was put in I sat with her and held her hand. She couldn't talk because the tube was in her throat but I talked to her and tried to reasure her that this is only a bump in the road and not a catastrophe. Obviously she is frustrated because she was so close to coming home but she knew going in to this there could be episodes like this. I just keep thinking that when she does come home it will make the homecoming that much sweeter. Please do not forget about her when you say your prayers at night. She does still need them.  

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March 2, 2007-  Today was somewhat of an uneventful day. Karen is still in ICU and will remain until once again she no longer needs the assistance of the respirator. This morning when we arrived she was in her chair doing a trach mask. For anyone who forgot what this is they place a mask over the trach opening and blow oxygen across the opening to give her some support. While doing this she is breathing 100% on her own. She said she was still struggling somewhat to breathe but her numbers looked a lot better today. She was taking slower and deeper breaths than what she has been. The doctor came in a little after lunch and said that one of the cultures that they took from a bronch the day before came back with an infection. She has a type of bacteria staph infection. They started an antibiotic drip that she will get twice a day for the next couple weeks to clear it up. They also found a blood clot in both her arms. They are uping her heparin (blood thinner) to dissolve the clots. The doctor did not express any concern about either. This evening they put her back on the respirator about 6:15 or so. Visiting hours are over with at 6:30 and when we returned for the 8:30 visiting session she was sound asleep. The evening shift nurse came in shortly after we got there to give her meds and do her assessment and Karen never flinched; she was so tired. She did not even know we were there. Tomorrow the plan is for more of the same as today. I called the nurse this evening when we got back to the house to check on her. Karen has not had this particular nurse yet. She said she had to go in and bother her and Karen woke up about 11:00 and was asking for ice chips. So much for getting a full night's sleep. I explained to the nurse that sleep has been hard to come by for Karen and anything she could do to help (like not disturbing her unnecessarily) would be appreciated.  She said she would try; yeah right!

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March 3, 2007 - Today when we arrived at the hospital, Karen was in the bed doing a trach mask trial.  She was finding it more and more difficult to breathe slowly and deeply.  Her respirations were way too fast, so respiratory therapy tried the bi-pap with her.  This didn't work either.  They ended up putting her back on the ventilator.  She was not having a good day at all today and remained in the bed all day on the ventilator.  She was extremely tired...I don't believe she got much sleep last night.  We had hoped to see her up in the chair this morning and breathing more easily.  Hopefully, tomorrow will be a much better day.  One of Karen's best friends from high school, Tammy (Cureton) Williams, flew in to see her today.  Karen was very happy to see her, even though she was extremely tired. Tammy made her a book with pictures going back to high school and up to the present time...Karen enjoyed this.  They have been friends for 20 years.  We hope that Karen will have a much better day tomorrow.  Please continue to pray for her...she is so ready to get out of the hospital but we know that she has a while yet to go.  Please pray that her breathing will improve and that she can get off the ventilator soon and back on the road to recovery.  Thanks again for all of the prayers and support. 

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March 4, 2007- It's hard to believe today is the 2 month mark. Karen said goodbye to her friend Tammy today with not much change from yesterday. This morning she tried another trach mask and lasted about 30 minutes. Her respiration rate went too high and they put her back on the vent. Yesterday and today we noticed she was making a sound in her throat when she got a breath from the vent. It sounds like a snore. The doctor said that when she is on the vent some of the air is escaping from around the cuff in her throat and coming up into her nose and mouth. They tried to move the trach around and do some other things with it but still had the same result. To fix it they removed the trach that was in and replaced it with a different type and it seemed to be working better. This afternoon before they changed the trach she tried another trach mask and had about the same result. They have to figure out why her respiration rate soars when she's off the vent. She's getting frustrated and she is so tired of the hospital. On the weekend there are different ICU doctors than are on during the week. Hopefully with tomorrow being Monday she can see some more results with the docs there that know her best. Yesterday we got some interesting news. UPMC did it's second heart/lung transplant of this year and the girl's name was Karin. Yes Karin with an I. The first 2 heart/lung transplants of 2007 were Karen (Karin). She is young like our Karen and I have been talking to her family. She has a web site like we do and they have invited us to share it. If anyone is interested in another story similar to Karen's her site is karinsnewheart.org. They are a real nice family from around this area. They are now praying for Karen's recovery and I assured them that we too would keep their Karin in our's. Karin does not have kids but she does have a toddler nephew and his name is (believe it or not) Hunter. Too weird. 

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March 5, 2007- Karen had a little bit better day today. This morning she was able to do a trach mask session from 6:00 am to 11:30 am. Much improved from yesterday. The doctor came in and said that the infection in her lungs is contributing to her difficulty breathing right now. He also said that since she was markedly improved from yesterday he believes the infection is well under control and should be getting better. She slept a little better last night and slept some today after the trach wean. Today is kind of a small update but not much more happened today. She still expresses she is ready to come home so she is not giving up the fight.

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March 6, 2007- Karen had an even better day today. This morning she got up at 5:45 am and started her trach wean session. Upon her mom and dad's arrival at 10:30 am she was still breathing on her own and doing well. She lasted this evening untill about 8:00. A very good day indeed. Hunter and Carter visited with Mommy tonight for the first time since she returned to the ICU. They were real excited to see each other again. The boys have been asking to see her but we felt it would be better to wait until she was feeling better. We thought today would be a good day for the visit. We have also found another way to send Karen a greeting. There is a way to send her an e-card through the hospital. You generate it, the hospital prints it out and they bring it to her room. The website is ecards.upmc.com.  There are different fronts that you can choose from, and then you put a personal greeting on the inside. Thank you to all of you who have sent Karin messages on her website. Her family is greatful. They have a Georgia connection as well. Karin has a relative that lives in Dallas across from the Hardy Dealers on Dallas Hwy, the same city that we live in. As always please keep Karen in your prayers. 

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March 7, 2007- Today was a little less eventful than yesterday. Today when Karen's mom and I arrived she was sitting in a chair on the vent. She had just tried a trach wean and did ok. She didn't last too long though. She tried again a little before noon and lasted about 30 minutes. This afternoon she started the trach wean about 4:00 and was doing much better. The goal was for her to go into this evening and as of this post she was still breathing on her own without the vent. Karen played cards with her dad tonight for about an hour and really enjoyed it. Tomorrow of course the goal is a full day of trach wean. She's still a little weak and still needs to gain strength again. 

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March 8, 2007- The days are starting to get somewhat repetitive. Today was another day similiar to yesterday. This morning she started her trach wean at 7:30 and lasted until about 3:30. The doctor wants her to go a couple hours more everyday off the vent until eventually she comes off again completely. She seems to be having a harder time this go around though. The doctor said he believes she still has some muscle fatigue from the surgery and afterward. He compared her situation to the first time coming off the vent like she was running a marathon. Imagine this time running the marathon again with hardly anything left in reserve from the last one just ran. She feels like she's running out of steam but we are supporting her and giving her encouragement along the way. The doc believes the infection is under control and has changed her antibiotic because they have more narrowly defined the bug that she has. This evening during our visit she was fairly comfortable and watching TV. Hopefully she will get a good night's sleep and be ready for tomorrow. Karen also wishes to send a Happy Birthday wish to her mother-in-law Jill. Happy Birthday Mom!! We miss you!! 

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March 9, 2007 - Today was a full day of weaning from the ventilator. Karen stayed off the ventilator for 10 hours today.  This was fantastic!  When we arrived at the hospital, she was sitting up in the chair and looked great.  The doctor said she is doing fine and just needs to work hard on regaining strength.  He also said that she needs to go two full days without the ventilator before she will be ready go to back to the 9th floor.  Her feeding tube has stopped working and she will have it replaced tomorrow. She and her dad played cards again today--she really enjoys that as it passes the time.  She gets pretty bored at times.   She talks every day about how ready she is to go home and that she misses everyone.  The boys came to visit her again tonight--she was pretty tired and slept most of the time.  She will work hard again tomorrow on getting off the vent.   Please continue to pray for her as she struggles to gain her strength and work her way back to getting out of the hospital.  We want to send a great big "get well" to the other Karin across the hall in CTICU. She is another special lady who had a heart/double lung transplant 10 days ago.  We continue to pray for her and wish her a speedy recovery.

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March 10, 2007-  Today Karen had another long day of trach wean. She still says she is struggling to breathe so the doctor decided to do another bronch today to peek inside her lungs. He allowed Karen to look at the monitor while he did it and explained to her what he was doing as he went. He said her lungs looked absolutely beautiful and are functioning just as they should. Hopefully this will give her some peace of mind. The doctor still insists that any difficulty in breathing is due to muscle fatigue and she simply needs time to rebuild her muscles. She did last today off the vent the amount of time that was her goal. Everyday she needs to last two hours longer than the day before. She is struggling right now but she fighting hard to achieve her goals. She still needs every prayer possible as she is still recovering. 

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March 11, 2007-  Sorry for the late post. Today Karen met her goal of 14 hours off the vent. She started the trach wean this morning at 9:00 and lasted until 11:00pm. The nurses and respiratory therapists see that when we have to leave once visiting hours end she gets much more anxious and does not do as well as when we are with her. So now they are making an exception and allowing us to stay throughout the entire day with her and ignore the restricted hours during the day. Last night since her goal was to last on her own until 11:00 and visitation normally ends at 10:00 they did allow us to stay an hour later with her. She struggled but she did meet her goal. Her mom and I did not get home last night untill about 1:00 in the morning. Karen's goal for the 12th is 16 hours of breathing on her own without the vent. Her breathing still seems labored but it is getting deeper and slower everday. Please do not forget our other Karin in your prayers. She is still doing well after her surgery but as we know by our Karen it will be a long struggle for her. Also don't forget about her website; the link is on the March 4 update. The ATV raffle is about to end so if you have not gotten your tickets yet or want to get more please get with someone who is selling tickets. Good luck to everyone who have purchased tickets and thank you. The picture of the ATV is on the events and donations section.  

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March 12, 2007- Karen continued to make progress today by staying off the vent all day and into the evening. Today she went down for a CT scan of her lungs and to have her feeding tube fixed. The CT showed a bit of pneumonia lingering but as the doctor has said the past few days the infection is under control and no longer growing bacteria in the lab. She resumed tube feeds today after five days of basically only receiving IV fluids for nutrition. Once the trach is downsized they will do another swallow test to see when she can start eating again. Even though Karen still complains of difficulty breathing her doctors are confident she simply has muscle fatigue and she is rebuilding her ability. All the tests they have done recently confirm this. Tonight one of the primary nurses in ICU tried to make a deal with Karen. She challenged Karen to go through the night tonight without the vent and tomorrow if the weather is nice she will take her outside to a garden they have at the hospital. Oh yeah, the snow is basically all melted here and tomorrow could get up to around 60 degrees. The ultimate goal for tonight is for Karen to get some sleep while still breathing on her own and continue into tomorrow. One of the requirements for Karen to get back to the floor is for her to breathe one full day, one full night and then one full day again on her own without assistance from the vent. Please pray that she will be able to achieve this goal if not tonight very soon.

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March 13, 2007-  Karen continues to make progress again toward freedom from the vent. Today her goal was a lofty 18 hours off the vent and during the day she was breathing fairly easily and not really complaining about struggling. She was able to take a few catnaps during the day today while on the trach mask. Last night she said she would not be able to sleep while off the vent and she proved to herself today that she can. As was the case last night the ultimate goal each night is to last through the night without the vent. Since she did so well today respiratory said that they are going to try the Bi-Pap machine tonight instead of the vent. If she is able to use the Bi-Pap tonight and stay off the vent and then tomorrow on her own again she will basically be considered free from the vent. She has been working extremely hard to get to this point again and she is so close. Please keep praying for her continued success.   

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March 14, 2007- Last night Karen achieved her goal of staying off the vent during the night. Respiratory put her on the Bi-Pap machine and she slept all night with it. Today she had a good day with nothing real exciting to report. She was in her chair when we arrived this morning breathing on her own and basically watched TV all day while taking little catnaps here and there. This evening respiratory came in and put her on the Bi-Pap about 10:00. She was tired so hopefully she will get another full night's sleep. One of her doctors came in today just to say hi and look in on her. She asked about going back up to the floor and he said they wanted to simply watch her for just a few more days in ICU while she remains off the vent. Once they are comfortable with her condition and a bed opens they will let her go back up. As was the case before, bedspace on the floor determines when she will make the transition. Bottom line is she is improving every day and has fewer episodes when she feels like she cannot breathe. Our other Karin made some improvements today as well. She is becoming more responsive with her family and this evening after their visit with her they all had smiles on their faces from ear to ear. Things are looking up in the ICU.

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March 15, 2007 - There is great news to report tonight--as of 9 PM tonight, Karen is out of ICU and in a private room!!  She is breathing much better now on the trach mask and is using the Bi-Pap at night.  We are so excited that she has finally made it back up to the floor.  Now we can start staying with her all the time, which makes her much more comfortable.  Donnie is spending the night with her tonight, so I (mom) am doing this update.  Karen began the day by getting out of bed and sitting in her chair.  We brought the boys for a visit this morning.  They were so happy to see their mom and she was happy to see them as well!  After our morning visit, the nurses took Karen for a short walk.  She did very well, considering she hadn't walked in 2 1/2 weeks.  Now that she is back to the floor, she can begin her daily walks again and work on building her strength back.  She will work on getting off the Bi-Pap and eventually getting the trach removed. As Karen was rolled out of her room in ICU tonight, the other Karin's family had asked the nurse to roll the bed in front her room so that Karen and Karin could make eye contact...they smiled and waved at each other--this was a special moment!  We hope it won't be long before they can spend time together and talk about their experiences.  Karin is a very special young woman, and we will continue to pray for her each day and hope she progresses by leaps and bounds.  Karin's dad nicknamed Karin and Karen our "Special K's."  So, everyone please keep praying for our "Special K's" as they recover--they both have a long road ahead of them.  Again, if you would like to send Karin a message, her website is karinsnewheart.org.  I'm sure she would love to receive messages of encouragement.  Karin's family and friends have sent many messages to our Karen and we appreciate them so much.

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March 16, 2007- Karen had a good night in her new room last night. Once she got settled in she soon fell asleep and basically slept through the night. Today we watched a couple movies on her laptop and she went for a walk. She did good for her first walk since being back on the floor. All the nurses on the ninth floor were glad she was back and came in to see her either last night or today whether they were her nurse or not. The nurse that she had today said she has not lost much strength since her stay in ICU and believes she should be back on track in no time. This evening she was on the Bi-Pap and resting comfortably. For now the plan is to wean from the Bi-Pap during the day and only use it at night to sleep. Eventually that too will go away. Her goal over the next several days is to walk and continued improvement in her breathing. By the way, all the snow that melted, it's back. Half a foot today with temps back in the 20's. Fun, fun, fun!! 

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March 17, 2007 - Karen did not sleep well last night--I had hoped that she would have another good night's sleep like she did last night. She finds it difficult to get comfortable...I guess it's hard when the only way you can sleep is pretty much flat on your back.  I sure hope she can sleep tonight.  Even though she did not get much sleep last night, she got up and walked 2 times today.  She went about 30 feet further than yesterday, which is great!  The more she walks, the stronger she will get.  Other than getting up and walking, today was a pretty uneventful day.  Things are usually pretty slow on the weekends.  We asked the doctor this morning about getting the trach downsized...he said it would probably be a couple more days.  Karen is anxious to get this done, because once the trach is downsized, she can have another swallow test to see if she can drink and eat.  Right now, she is still on ice chips only.  She is still on tubefeeds, which gives her nutrition.  Donnie is spending the night tonight, and when I talked with him a few minutes ago, he and Karen were watching a movie.  I think this helps pass the time.  She gets pretty bored at times, especially when there's not much on on TV.  I have tried to get her to read or do crosswords, but she still finds it difficult to concentrate.  Prior to the surgery, it was very difficult for her to concentrate.  Hopefully, this will get better soon.  I can only imagine how hard it must be after being in the hospital for over 2 months.  Please pray for Karen that she will have a speedy recovery and can get out of the hospital soon.  Thank you everyone for all of the prayers and support...it means so much.  We want to say a special thanks to Karin's husband and parents for coming to visit Karen on the 9th floor yesterday.  They brought her a get well balloon--this was very nice and lifted Karen's spirits. Today is Brandon's birthday (Karin's husband) and we want to wish him a very Happy Birthday!  Karin is up sitting in a chair and working on getting off the vent--we wish her well and hope to see her on the 9th floor soon! 

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March 18, 2007-  Being a Sunday today was another fairly uneventful day. This morning Karen and I watched a movie (her new form of entertainment). After the movie she decided she wanted to take a walk. She did real good and then came back to her room. The rest of the day went by with nothing else to report. Once I left Karen and her dad were going to watch another movie. Let's hope she gets some sleep tonight.

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March 19, 2007 - Today was pretty much another routine day - walking a couple of times and watching TV and movies.  We talked to the doctor and respiratory therapist about the trach.  The trach cannot be downsized until Karen has been off the Bi-Pap machine for at least 3 days.  Right now, she only uses it at night, but she still must wean herself from it.  The trach she currently has is a bit uncomfortable and makes her feel like she can't breathe. It is a rather large trach with a foam cuff, which is different from the kind of trach she had the first time.  She needed this type of trach because the first one they put in during this last stay in ICU had a leak around it.  Her oxygen level is at 99-100% most all of the time, so we know she is getting plenty of oxygen. She just feels like she isn't.  Hopefully, she can get the trach downsized soon so she will feel like she can breathe better. The doctor said that walking is very important to build strength and to help strengthen her diaphragm, which is not working as well as it should.  It is very important to strengthen the diaphragm because it helps keep the lower lobes of the lungs open.  The doctor said that Karen's chest x-rays have improved since she was in ICU.  One of the ENT staff came by today and said she will be doing a swallow test tomorrow to see if Karen can start drinking liquids.  Let's hope she can.  She's getting pretty tired of ice chips!  Thanks to all of you who have sent e-cards--she really enjoys reading them.  It is becoming a little harder to keep her spirits up, so please keep and cards and messages coming!  Please continue to pray for her and we thank you again for all the prayers. 

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March 20, 2007- The days sort of run together and it gets difficult to keep track of what day of the week it is. Last night Karen slept a little and had another day about the same as the previous few. She feels like she is just sitting around doing nothing. She walked this morning a little further than she has since she came back up to the floor. After her walk she and her dad watched a movie while I came back to the house and got her mom and the kids for a visit this evening. When she saw the boys she got a big smile on her face. The nurse practitioner came in once I got back and gave us an update on the trach. Since she needed a different kind of trach this time the thinking at this time is to leave this same size in until she is completely weaned from the Bi-Pap machine. Once she is weaned from the Bi-Pap they will remove the trach completely. If you recall last time they stepped down to smaller sizes over the course of a couple weeks. They are still going to do a swallow test soon to see if she can have food and liquid with the largest size trach. She is sick of just ice chips so let's hope she passes the swallow test. The nurses are still impressed with her strength but she still has a bit to regain. We are quickly running out of new release DVDs that she is interested in so we are about to have to go deeper into the video library for entertainment. The way her room is set up is crazy; the TV is about a 10 inch on an arm connected to the wall and does not reach over her bed. Talk about out of date!  If she is lying in bed she has to crain her neck at a 90 degree angle just to see the TV. Doesn't make sense since she has nothing else to do for the majority of the day. We have complained to the nurses but they say it is hospital administration that is dragging their feet. At some point they are going to install flat screens on the wall in the rooms. Of course this does nothing for Karen now. They let us use a larger set with a DVD player on a rolling stand when she wants to watch a movie; but this set is for everybody on the floor to use so they will not let us hook it up to her cable in her room and use it full time. Needless to say I'm on a first name basis with the employees at the local Hollywood Video store. Please don't forget this is the last week for the ATV raffle. The drawing is this Friday at noon and if you need tickets please get them soon. Since Karen has been in the hospital a little longer than we expected we are depending on this raffle to be a big success. Again check the events and donations section for information. Thank you again to everyone for your continued support and prayers.

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March 21, 2007 - I (mom) spent the night with Karen last night.  I think we got about 3-4 hours of sleep. I lose track after awhile..the nights, like the days, seem to run together.  Karen continues to work on building her strength.  She walked a couple of times today. She is still not as strong as she was before this last trip to ICU, but she is getting a little stronger each day. The best news of the day was that she can eat and drink now!!  She had the swallow test early this morning, and she was swallowing fine with the trach in place.  The first thing she wanted was some Sprite....oh, how she enjoyed that.  She ate a few grapes and strawberries for lunch. It will take a little time for her to get used to eating again.  She says it's a little bit harder to eat with the trach in place.  Hospital food such as it is, I'm sure that the majority of the time we will be bringing her in something to eat.  She's still pretty bored--I told the nurse practitioner that she enjoyed beading, and she suggested that we bring in her beads and let her work on making some jewelry.  The tremors she has been having from the Prograf are much better, so we think she might be able to do it.  Karen says she's not so sure because she can't see as well as she could before the surgery (this, too, is a side effect of medication, which will get better in time)...I told her we should at least give it a try.  Karen had hoped to at least be out of the hospital by the first day of Spring, which was today.  However, the first day of spring here is nothing like the first day of Spring at home....here, it was in the 40s and at home, it was in the 70s!  The nurse practitioner said that Karen might be able to go outside on the terrace for a little while tomorrow or at least take a ride over the bridge to Montefiore Hospital, which has all glass windows.  I cannot imagine what's it like to be couped up indoors for almost 2 1/2 months.  Donnie took a couple of movies in tonight for them to watch.  I hope she gets a good night's sleep tonight.  She continues to need your prayers, as she has a long way to go. 

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March 22, 2007- Good luck tomorrow for everyone who bought a raffle ticket for the ATV. Last night Karen slept basically all night. Today she went for a walk and when she got back to her room she was really feeling pretty bad. Respiratory put her on the Bi-Pap for a couple hours and then took her back off again for the remainder of the afternoon and evening until bedtime. We watched a couple more movies last night and today. As I said before we are quickly running out of new release movies to see so if anyone has seen a good one lately please pass the title along and I will check it out. This afternoon when her mom arrived Karen started to experiment with the possibility of making her bead jewerly again. When I spoke with her mom this evening she was having some success at it. It requires fine motor skills and as we have said the Prograff gives her small tremors. Hopefully she will get interested in her hobby again and it will provide some boredom and anxiety relief. Something I have not mentioned in a while but I please ask that everyone keeping up with Karen also do not forget about the family of the person who donated her heart and lungs to Karen. This family is now coming up on the three month mark since the tragic loss of their loved one. Tonight please say a little prayer for them whoever they are.  

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March 23, 2007-  Karen seemed pretty tired this morning.  She says she didn't get much sleep last night.  We've noticed that when she says she doesn't sleep, that she actually does sleep some of the night.  I can't say for sure if she did or not last night, because I was so tired I fell asleep around midnight and didn't wake up until the nurse came in at 4 am to draw blood.  She appeared to doze off and on after the nurse left the room up until about 7 am.  She didn't eat a whole lot of breakfast this morning, just a few bites.  She says she doesn't have much of an appetite.  She did get up and walk fairly early today and did pretty well.  Karen and her dad watched a movie this afternoon and then her dad helped her walk, and she did pretty well then also.  She still complains that it is difficult for her to breathe.  The doctors tell us that it will take time for this to get better and that she must build her strength back by walking.  I left the hospital around 1:30 pm to go back to Mercer to pick up Donnie and the boys. Karen wanted to see the boys today so they visited with her for about 2 hours.  She enjoyed their visit.  Last night, Karen managed to make 2 beautiful green bracelets (green is the transplant color) for the other Karin and her mom, Linda.  Donnie and John went to see Karin in ICU this afternoon and took the bracelets to them.  They loved them!  Karen did a really good job on them, especially since she still has some of the tremors from the Prograf.  When we left the hospital tonight, Donnie and Karen were going to watch another movie.  This seems to help Karen pass the time.  Let's hope for a really good day tomorrow and pray that Karen will feel really good.  When you say a prayer for Karen, please also pray for Karin.  She is improving every day and we know that she will continue getting better every day.  On another note, we want to congratulate Dawn Chandler on winning the ATV!  She is Karen's Mother's Sister's Husband's Brother's Wife (Karen's Aunt Helen's Sister-in-Law). A few pictures were taken during the raffle drawing and I will try to have some of those posted soon.  Thanks to everyone who purchased tickets, to all of those who helped sell the tickets, a great big thanks to Donnie's dad, Jimmy, for initiating this event, and to the Cobb Co. Sheriff's Office, the organizers of this event.

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March 24, 2007- Karen had a pretty good day today. This morning she got up and started working on her bead jewelry. She started by making a lanyard (id holder) for her nurse. She (her nurse) loved it. Karen is trying to make lanyards for all the female nurses that have taken care of her on the floor. Her hands were shaking some from the Prograf but she was able to manipulate the beads and the string just fine. We went ahead and took all of her beading materials to the hospital so she can make whatever she wants. She felt good today with hardly any mention of difficulty breathing. Hopefully the lack of idleness will help in keeping her more comfortable. This afternoon when her mom got to the hospital, she along with her nurse got her hair washed and she was still feeling pretty good. Her stomach has been a bit swollen lately and when the doctor came in he ordered some x-rays. He initially told her to take in only clear liquids for 24 hours for precaution. The x-rays showed nothing of concern and her doctor came back and told her to eat but lightly and no carbination (soda). I think she can handle the small restriction considering the larger ones she has faced recently. He even mentioned that the swelling seems to have gone down from yesterday to today. Today was a better day than most in the past week. Let's pray that she can continue making progress now.

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March 25, 2007 - Yesterday evening, Karin's mom, dad and brother, came to visit Karen.  They gave Karen and I (mom) beaded bookmarks and gold hearts, which we appreciated so much.  Karin's dad took a picture of me and Linda with Karen.  They are very special people and we appreciate their support.  Karen and I watched a couple of movies last night and went to bed about midnight.  Karen got a good night's sleep, which meant I did, too!  She ate a bowl of cereal for breakfast.  She still does not have a good appetite and sometimes gets nauseated while eating.  This will get better. She walked before lunch today and did really well.  Her dad took her to walk this afternoon.  She continued working on her beads today and seemed to really enjoy it.  This helps take her mind off her breathing and helps with her motor skills.  She has made lanyards for most of her nurses and they love them!  She made a bracelet for one of her personal care techs.  Dr. Krespo, Karen's pulmonologist, came by to see her today.  Dr. Krespo said that Karen was doing really well.  She said that most heart/double lung transplant patients spend much longer in ICU than Karen did.  She said that the reason Karen feels like she cannot breathe is because her diaphragm is not working properly.  She said it will just take time to heal.  She said the best thing for Karen to do is walk, walk, walk. She said that if the diaphragm doesn't get better, there are treatments for it.  We just need to give everything more time.  Our friend from Ingomar United Methodist Church in Pittsburgh, Marilyn Johnson, came by to visit this afternoon.  She thought Karen looked really good.  Marilyn has been so good to all of us and we appreciate it so much.  She is the person who helped us find a place to stay up here.  The Corbett's home as been a blessing to us.  The Corbett's are wonderful people and we can never thank them enough for letting us stay in their home. We want to say big thank you again to everyone who has helped raise money for Karen's fund, to those who have donated, sent cards and gifts.  A special thanks again for your continued prayers and support.

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March 26, 2007- Karen had a good day again today and seems to be making improvements. Last night she did not start the Bi-Pap until 11:30. That's at least 2 hours later than what she has been doing. They are really going to start weaning her off of it now. She slept good last night and got up this morning feeling pretty good. She took a walk this morning and went further than she has since being back up on the floor. When we got back to the room she wanted to watch another movie. After the movie we took her for a ride off the floor in a wheelchair. There is a bridge that connects the two hospitals here and most of it is glass on both sides and on top. We sat and enjoyed the sun that made a rare appearance here today. It actually made it to 75 degrees and when I got home I found a bike with training wheels in the garage and the boys and I played outside. Anyway back to Karen; when we got off the elevator on her floor she got out of the wheelchair and walked the rest of the way back to her room. Later in the day her nurse took out her bladder catheter so now she will be getting even more exercise by getting up and down to the bedside potty again. Tonight I have another prayer request. As I have said before we have made friends with other families here going through the same ordeal we are. There is a young man (about 34) in CTICU. His name is Jeffrey Clowser. He had a heart transplant about the same time Karen had her surgery. Karen and Jeffrey were directly across the hall from each other prior to their return trips back to ICU at about the same time. Out of respect for Jeffrey and his family I am not going to give any details his family has shared with us but he is in very grave condition and needs all the prayers he can get. Please say a prayer for Jeffrey and his family tonight before turning in and please continue to keep them in your thoughts and prayers.     

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March 27, 2007 - It's mom doing this update. Karen had a great day today!  She got up ready to get walking. She walked 5 times today!  The last time she walked, she walked unassisted! She is slowly regaining her strength.  She even got dressed in real clothes (she is able to now that the foley catheter has been removed).  She is getting a lot more exercise now that she has to get up to use the potty.  Her appetite is slowly improving.  The tube feedings have been discontinued now that she is eating.  She gets really restless now just sitting in the chair...she says it's because she is so ready to get out of the hospital.  Who can blame her?!  The nurse practitioner talked with her today about the Bi-Pap.  Karen agreed to give a try at sleeping without the Bi-Pap tonight.  Let's hope and pray she will be successful.  Once she is off the Bi-Pap for good, the trach can be removed after about 3 or 4 days. Karen received a visit today from Karin's Uncle Ralph and Aunt Rose.  They brought us T-shirts that say "Member, Special K's Fan Club".  Aunt Rose made them.  Karin really has a great family.  I went to visit Karin for a few minutes today in CTICU.  She was doing a breathing trial when I arrived.  Her husband, Brandon, was fanning her....I remember so well when Karen was doing her breathing trials....we did the same thing with her.  I had not seen Karin since Karen left CTICU a couple of weeks ago.  She looked great and had made so much progress since the last time I saw her. Keep up the good work, Karin.  We will keep you in our prayers.  When I left the hospital today, Karen and her dad were going to watch a movie.  When I talked with her dad a little while ago, he said that after they watched the movie, he took her for a ride in the wheelchair for a change of scenery.  She enjoyed that, I know. Karen did not make any jewelry today, because she had used up all of her silver and white beads that she uses so many of when she makes jewelry.  I stopped by Michael's on the way home and picked up some more so she can continue her beading tomorrow.  Donnie had mentioned in yesterday's update to pray for Jeffrey...today, he is still in grave condition, so please keep him and his family in your prayers.  We would also ask that you pray for another family....we met a nice lady named Judy whose husband had been in the hospital for 9 months with an artificial heart.  They had been trying to get him well enough to get a heart transplant.  Sadly, he passed away last night.  Please remember Judy and her family in your prayers.  We have met so many people whose loved ones are very ill and are fighting to live.  Please pray for all of them.  Thank you again for all of your prayers.

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March 28, 2007- Last night Karen was able to sleep all night without the assistance of the Bi-Pap. She and I watched a couple movies and were up until about 1:00am. Once the last movie was over she went to sleep easily and pretty much slept soundly until her nurse woke her up at 4:00am for blood draw and vitals . She had a hard time getting back to sleep and about 6:00 this morning she was getting real restless so the respiratory therapist put her on the Bi-Pap. She only stayed on for 2 hours though and came back off at 8:00 this morning. The rest of the day was real nice. After she got her daily spongebath and her dad arrived, we took Karen for another ride off the floor. This time we were able to take her outside. This was the first time Karen has been outside the walls of the hospital since her surgery almost three months ago. She felt the sun on her face, the breeze blowing across her arms and the lack of that special odor that only the inside a hospital can provide. She loved it and wants to go out everyday now if the weather permits. Once we got her back to the room I left and got the kids and Karen's mom. When we arrived back at the hospital Karen and her dad were sitting next to the elevator awaiting our arrival with the kids. She was so excited to see them. During their visit Karen wanted to take another ride around the hallways so we got a wheelchair and rode her around. Carter sat in her lap the whole time and just rode around with her. Tonight the goal is again no Bi-Pap. I think she will do good again tonight. As her mom said she is getting tired of sitting and knows what she has to do to achieve freedom.  

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March 29, 2007 - Karen slept all night last night without the Bi-Pap!  Early this morning, she seemed to struggle a little, but she succeeded in staying off the Bi-Pap.  The nurses came in as usual at 4 am to do their regular routine, then about 6 am, x-ray was there to take a chest x-ray, then at 6:45, breakfast was here, and so on and so on.  There is not much chance of getting any rest once the nurse starts at 4 am.  Karen did doze a little off and on between the all of this.  She began the morning by doing her usual walking.  She seemed a little tired, she says, because she did so much yesterday.  The nurse practitioner came in to see Karen and was proud of her for staying off the Bi-Pap.  She said if she can stay off over the weekend, that they may pull the trach on Monday!  This would be great, so let's hope and pray Karen can manage to stay off the Bi-Pap.  Around noon, her dad and I took her for a trip outdoors again...over the bridge to Montefiore Hospital and out the front door to the flagpole and benches.  It was a beautiful, sunny day, just a little on the chilly side if the wind was blowing. We wrapped her up good in blankets.  She enjoyed the sunshine and watching people come and go.  We spent about an hour outdoors and then returned to the room so she could eat lunch.  After lunch, she worked on her beading again...she is making some beautiful laynards for the nurses. While she was working on her beading, Karin's parents and husband came to visit and brought some of their friends to meet Karen.  Our families have become special friends...Karin has a large family, and I think we have met most of them, which has been a pleasure. I left the hospital about 3 pm to do the shift change with Donnie!  He will spend the night tonight. When I got home, he and the boys were outside playing and enjoying the beautiful weather. Pickles (the dog) was even out enjoying the sunshine.  She had a problem with the snow, because she couldn't figure out where to use the bathroom!  She's happy to see grass again.  Karen's dad said he took her outside again later this afternoon after I left, and they spent about and hour and a half outside.  She has become very restless in her room, so we have to find places to take her to get a change of scenery.  Next Wednesday will be 3 months that she has been in the hospital, so I can understand her restlessness.  Let's hope she gets a good night's sleep tonight.  On a sad note, our friend Jeffrey passed away last night.  Please remember his family in your prayers. 

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March 30, 2007- Karen had a nice day again similar to yesterday. She slept pretty good last night from around midnight till, you guessed it, 4:00am when they came in for blood draw and vitals. Of course she woke up and could not go back to sleep. Her nurse said that tomorrow morning they will wait untill 6ish to come in and do all this. Anyway, she got up in a chair and dozed off around 9:00 and 30 minutes later they came in to get her to go to x-ray. She did not come back untill 10:30. We went outside again today and it was a nice, clear, sunny day. At first she wanted to sit facing the sun and then actually got too hot so we turned her away from the sun. Like I said it was a nice day. Once we got back to the room she and her dad were going to watch another movie. Thank you Jennifer for the gift card from Best Buy that bought Karen a brand new TV/DVD combo. She loves it. This evening she got out a little more and went up to the cafeteria where she and her mom ran into Karin's parents. They gave an update on Karin and she is doing great. Don't forget her website; the link can be found in the March 15 update. Our Karen is now working on night number 4 without the Bi-Pap. Early this morning after she woke up it was a struggle for her but she fought through it determined not to give in. Her numbers (saturation levels) remain excellent. She has periods throughout the day when her breathing gets tough as well but she is working hard. She told me last night that at times it feels like someone has their hands around her throat keeping her from breathing. I can't even begin to imagine how hard it is for her. Donnie's parents came up today since Spring Break is here and they will stay untill Tuesday of next week. The boys were excited to see MawMaw and PawPaw again.  

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March 31, 2007 - Last night, the Bi-Pap machine was removed from Karen's room!  She has now been five days without it.  I think they will probably remove the trach on Monday--let's hope so.  Karen slept pretty good until 4 am....she struggled with breathing when she first woke up.  Respiratory came and suctioned out her trach and this helped. She finally settled down a little around 6 am and dozed off.  She ate a good breakfast and was feeling better by that time.  It was overcast and a little cool outside today, so we didn't take Karen outside.  We took a stroll to the cafeteria and to the first floor to the gift shop.  When we got back, Karen worked on her beading.  After lunch, Donnie, the kids, and Donnie's mom and dad came to visit.  Donnie's parents had not seen Karen in about a month, and they thought she look great--they said she looked even better than she did prior to her surgery.  The boys were really glad to see her and showed her their new toys that maw maw and paw paw had bought them.  The maintenance staff came today and hooked up Karen's new TV to cable.  It is very nice, and she is really enjoying it.  Thank you so much, Jennifer!  Donnie is spending the night tonight and they were going to watch some more movies.  Let's hope and pray she rests really good tonight. 

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April 1, 2007-  This morning Karen had a tough time. She slept good last night from midnight till about 6:00 this morning. She ate her breakfast and then around 9:00 she went for an x-ray. When she got back from x-ray she really started struggling with her breathing and got sick to her stomach. We called her nurse and respiratory therapy and they came in. Respiratory tried to suction her but was having a hard time. After several attempts they were able to get a good amount of secretions removed through the suction tube. She absolutely hates being suctioned because it makes her gag to the point of getting sick. Her nurse said that probably in the last 12 hours or so secretions had built up around her trach on the inside and was causing her the added difficulty in breathing. Once they were finally able to clear her airway she settled down somewhat and even dozed off. This afternoon she wanted to get out of her room so we went for a long ride and when we got back she dozed off again. This evening she was feeling much better and she and her mom went up to the cafeteria and around the hospital just to get out some more. As we have said let's hope her trach can be removed in the next couple of days. She continues to walk everyday and is getting stronger. 

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April 2, 2007 - Today was a really good day for Karen.  She got a good night's sleep and woke up feeling pretty good.  Early this morning, we took a stroll to the cafeteria and she walked after we got back.  The nurse practitioner came by and said they will probably pull the trach tomorrow!  Boy, Karen cannot wait to get rid of that thing!  She should be able to eat better with it out, so maybe her appetite will improve.  It was a bright, sunny day today and the temperature was about 65 degrees.  We took her outside for about 1 1/2 hours, and she really did enjoy it.  It was a little breezy which kept it from getting too hot.  We ran out 2 tanks of oxygen just sitting outside!   We'd better enjoy the warm weather now, because it's going to snow again this weekend...can you believe it??  I thought the snow was long gone, but I was mistaken.  When we got back, Karen ate her lunch and rested for a little.  Donnie, the boys and Donnie's parents came to visit again and she enjoyed it so much.  Donnie's parents will be leaving tomorrow to go back home.  We will miss them!  Karen and Donnie were going to watch movies tonight.  So, today was pretty uneventful, which is a good thing!  Please keep Karen and Karin in your prayers.  They have a long recovery ahead of them. 

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April 3, 2007- For the second time during her hospital stay, Karen's trach has been removed. Last night she slept good again and when she woke up she was anxious to get the trach out. When the nurse practitioner arrived for the day, I spoke with her and she said she would look at Karen and see what she thought. After assessing her she said Karen looked well enough to remove it but needed to consult with Karen's surgical physician. As it turned out he is out of town and another physician had to be called. He was in surgery though and said as soon as he was done he would come look at Karen. Well of course he was in surgery longer than expected so he sent a partner to look at her. Finally it was decided to remove the trach. Respiratory came in and had a little difficulty. This time she had a special trach in because the other type was allowing air to escape. Karen was the only patient in the entire hospital with this type of trach in. More experience had to be called in but to make a long story short after 3 attempts, it was removed. Karen said she can swallow better now, breathe better and is even talking again. I had to leave the hospital before it was removed, and about 8:00 this evening she called me on the phone and I could hear her just like I was sitting next to her. It was nice to hear her voice again. We went outside again today and sat for a little while before all this was done. It was a nice warm sunny day with a slight breaze blowing. The perfect kind of Spring Day. As Dora said, that is about to come to a crashing halt with snow and highs in the 20's during Easter Weekend. So much for hunting Easter Eggs outside.   

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April 4, 2007 - Today is the 3 month mark since surgery.  Karen slept well last night.  After eating breakfast and going to x-ray, we took her to ride around the hospital in the wheelchair - to the lobby, cafeteria and bridge to Montefiore.  Karen is finding it difficult to stay in her room!  Then we watched a little TV and ate lunch.  After lunch, it was more of riding around the hospital.  We went to a new area this time, the gazebo at Montefiore.  It is a really pretty, glass gazebo.  Since it was really cold and windy, we weren't able to take her outside today.  Each time before we roll her around in the wheelchair, she walks from her room to the elevator, which is a pretty good distance.  Once she gets to the elevator, she sits in the wheelchair and we roll her around.  Today, she even walked from her room all the way to the bridge to Montefiore, which was fantastic.  She is really getting her strength back now.  All of the nurses keep telling her how great she looks and how good she is doing.  Later this afternoon, the nurse and respiratory therapist came to change the dressing on her neck where the trach was.  They were totally amazed--the hole had closed overnight!  They just couldn't believe it.  The hole was so big because of the type of trach she had and they never expected it to close this soon.  It is so amazing that she can talk now--all of the previous attempts to speak were not very successful.  I guess the vocal cords have had a little more time to heal.  It is so good to hear her voice!  Sometimes, she forgets that she can talk and still mouths the words instead of speaking them!  The nurse practitioner was not here today, and we didn't see any of the other doctors today.  Hopefully, we can talk to a doctor tomorrow to see if we can get any idea of how close Karen is to being discharged.  They still have to work on weaning her off the oxygen.  Please continue to pray for her as she works hard to get better and better.  Thanks again for your prayers, cards and e-cards...she really enjoys reading the cards.

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April 5, 2007- GOOD NEWS!!! GOOD NEWS!! KAREN IS OUT OF THE HOSPITAL AND BACK HOME IN MERCER!! She was released today at 2:00 this afternoon. She feels great and is overjoyed to be out and with her family again. This morning she got up about 6:00 feeling good and shortly therafter took a shower. She walked to and from the shower from her room. Once she got dressed she took another long walk and we went for another ride. When we got back to the room we spoke with the nurse practitioner about the possibility of getting out before Easter. She was optimistic but said she would have to speak with the surgery physician. I asked her about going home today and she said there was no reason why not. The surgery physician said she is doing great and let her go. After discharge instructions were given and everything in her room was rounded up we wheeled her out of the hospital and to the car to head for Mercer. She has a follow-up appointment next Wednesday with the surgery physician. This is standard after release of any transplant patient. Her next biopsy is scheduled for the week of April 26th. There is not a set day yet. This will be an outpatient procedure unless they feel they need to keep her for some reason. Please pray this one goes better than the last. From what we have heard it usually does. Karen and her dad decided to suprise her mom and not tell her we all were coming. When Karen walked in the door the kids started yelling, "mommy's home, mommy's home!!". Her mom saw her and could not believe she was home. She hugged her and started to cry. Karen is settling in again and enjoying watching the new snowfall we are receiving today. Since she is now out this will more than likely be the last entry on the Post Surgery Update section. She will start her blogs again soon. As before she probably will not blog everyday and for the first few times we will probably have to type for her as she dictates. She looks forward to talking with friends and family again soon. Her voice is getting better but still requires a little effort. Today is a great day for all of us as we bring our wife, mommy, and daughter home again but she still needs our prayers for continuing recovery. I want to again thank each and every one of you for everything that you have done for us. Even the simplest of things did not go unnoticed during our time of need. Again thank you.