Monday, January 26, 2009

Finally!


Kami finally came home from the hospital Thursday night. She is eating (sorta) but still in a lot of pain afterwards. She is having a hard time sleeping but at least she is in her own bed. She has 3 or 4 dr appointments in the next 2 days so I'm taking tomorrow off to help cart her around. She is still on pain medicine so she can't drive. Hopefully she will feel back to normal soon. The nurse at the hospital told me she had seen patients in the hospital with pancreatitis for 2 days and others for 2 months. So...who knows how long this is going to take?! Anyway...just wanted to give another update.

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Quick update



Unfortunately, I don't have much to update but I know people have been asking questions. Bottom line is Kami is still in the hospital. She has classic pancreatitis and is in a boat load of pain. Eating makes the pain worse but she can't go home til she can get nutrition on her own. She has tried clear broth, jello, etc and even that hurts.

The sad thing is that even though she isn't eating she has put on nearly 30 pounds in a week. Is that insane or what? Today she told them they needed to figure out what the deal was with that. She is so swollen! They say it is highly unlikely it is the medicine SO they are taking her off her IV and hoping she can't let go of some of this fluid. Poor thing- like she didn't have enough to worry about without this!

Anyway- she will still be there a little longer-almost all her numbers are coming down to normal range except her pancreas. Oh yeah- the worst part- she dropped her phone and broke it this morning. Now THAT is traumatic!!!!! (maybe her fingers will get a little rest from texting)

Thursday, January 15, 2009

Good News-Bad News


Well, I haven't been very good at giving updates on Kami. Sorry! I haven't really had much time to even breathe! And my public apologies to my sister in law for not calling- I thought she would read the blog. Silly me I forgot her husband was home and had inherited the computer! Love ya Bren!

Anyway, yesterday they scoped her from top and bottom (loads of fun huh?) The good news is that she doesn't have colitis like they thought. The bad news is that she still has pancreatitis. The good news is that her liver function numbers are coming down. The bad news is her pancreas numbers are not. The bad news is that her blood pressure is still not stable. The good news is that they found she is low on some hormone so they are giving that to her. The good news is she is feeling a little better. The bad news is she isn't coming home yet. Ugh- I hate hospitals! I hate that it takes FOREVER to get results and answers.

The doctor did finally tell us yesterday that he believes that she had a stone in her bile duct that was keeping food from staying in her body. They believe that with all the fluids that they have been giving her that the stone has been flushed out (causing her liver functions to come down) The vomiting has stopped although she isn't tolerating solid food very well yet. She is still in a lot of pain from the pancreatitis- mostly after she eats or drinks. She feels more "alive" she says. Right before she went to the ER she said she felt like her body was shutting down. I guess in a way it was. The Dr. actually told us if she hadn't come in it was a good possibility she would have died in the next 24 hours. So....dont ignore your gut!

Thanks to everyone for your prayers and concerns. It is much appreciated! She is bored to tears in the hospital. Her husband has been really good about hanging out with her so I've let him take on that role but he has to work. He took 2 1/2 days off and I hate to have him use up his time. I stayed with her yesterday during the colonoscopy and endoscopy so he could go to work. I wanted to talk to the Dr. and get some answers. My NEW role is that I bring their dog to my house after work and feed her hubby so I'm at least making myself useful and staying out of the way at the same time.

I'll keep you posted!

Monday, January 12, 2009

New Diet!


Maybe a better title for this post would be "How I spent my weekend" but I figured the diet thing would get more peeks. Actually this diet isn't recommended. My daughter Kami has been sick for several weeks. Some days she would throw up a few times others all day long. The past week she got to the point where she could not keep anything down- I mean ANYTHING! Not even ice chips. She has been going to work every day and then collapsing when she gets home. She lost nearly 20 pounds in 3weeks!!!!!!

So, Saturday she called me and asked if I would come pick her up so she could use my shower- their hot water heater wasn't working. I picked her up and brought her a smoothie-trying to help hydrate her. Within 10 minutes she had lost it (is was worth a shot though!) After observing her and realizing how lethargic and weak she was and even having trouble walking, remembering, etc we called someone to give her a blessing. (Her hubby, my hubby and my son were all gone) After the blessing she said she had a feeling that something was really, really wrong. So...we headed off to the Emergency Room. I figured they would give her a couple bags of IV fluids and we would head home. In fact I told her husband to just fix the water heater and I would bring her home when she was done.

Apparently I was wrong. In the process of figuring out what was wrong they found that she has pancreatitis. Also, her liver functions were in the 3000's (100s are normal) They couldn't get her blood pressure up- it was so low that the red alert alarm went off and everyone would come running. (it was 77/45) They decided that they needed to admit her and find out what was going on with her liver and get her stable. That was Saturday afternoon. She is still there. She is a lot perkier than she was on Saturday night(picture was taken Sunday night) but she is still really sick and we don't have a lot of answers. They have ruled out Hepatitis at this point. They think there must be some kind of blockage that didn't show up on the ultrasound that is keeping her from keeping anything down and will possibly scope her tomorrow.

And then- because I didn't have enough going on- my darling husband came home from a softball tournament injured. He was pitching and put up his hand (not the gloved one) to protect his head and the ball bent his thumb backward. (OWEEEE!!!!) Anyway, after not getting much sleep because of the pain and having a Dr. at church peek at it we headed for Urgent Care to get it x-rayed. Yup- it's broken!

The funny thing (or dumb depending on who you ask) is that he actually THINKS he can still play softball. He has rigged some metal thing up to cover his thumb so he can at least bat. Anyone else besides me think he might just be a tad obsessed? Thank heaven he hasn't found a way to still be able to pitch!
Needless to say- the weekend wasn't boring! I'll keep you posted!

Saturday, January 3, 2009

The Most Unique Gift under the tree...


Matt tends to put a lot of thought behind gifts. He is very practical though. This year he bought Cory a variety of sodas -all in glass bottles. (a very important detail when knowing Cory). The box weighed a ton and there were so many different kinds of soda it was crazy! Cory has a mini fridge in his room and always has a stash of bottles in there. (I'm a mean mom and don't buy soda much)
I thought it was a pretty unique gift and Cory definitely was surprised. Now I think I will have to get better dental insurance. Hmmmm....

Friday, January 2, 2009

Another Great Giveaway!

Lene is doing a great blogiversary giveway. See what she's got here.

David Bowman giveaway

You can ALL win a FREE signed 8x10 print of your choice (out of the three prints), by copying and posting to your blog or website this whole post! After you post then send an e-mail to David (contact@bowman-art.com) with your website or blog address telling him you posted it and that you read about this offer on my blog. Also send him your name and mailing address and he will send your signed 8x10 print of your choice :)David Bowman: has had a passion for art ever since he could pick up a pencil. He loves creating images of the Savior that inspire and uplift. Along with his Christian fine art, David has also written and illustrated a series of scripture storybooks for children titled "Who's Your Hero".
Check out his website at www.bowman-art.com to see more of his precious art."Innocence"The Savior tells us we need to become as little children to inherit the kingdom of God. I've often wondered what it is about little children Jesus loves most, and I think its their innocence. They are clean slates, seeing the world and others through untarnished eyes. Their hearts are pure, without the baggage of cynicism and self-doubt. In this piece, I've tried to imagine how a child would act upon meeting the Master for the first time. Without reservation or inhibition, I think he would simply want to play with Him. He would be at complete ease, allowing his pure little heart to soak in the love and laughter of His pure, infinite heart. Its no wonder Christ delights in these little ones and sets them up to be our examples."Security"One of the greatest human needs is a sense of security. In all aspects of life, we naturally gravitate towards anything that makes us feel safe. In this piece, I wanted to convey a sense of complete peace and calm like only the Savior can provide. It's a security that allows us to rest assured, without fear or worry, when we put ourselves trustingly in His arms. Little children have that inherent kind of trust in their parents, so it's fitting that the man and girl who modeled for "Security" are actually father and daughter. They generatedthe exact feel I was looking for."My Child"This piece conveys an intimate, up-close-and-personal feeling of the Savior's love. Notice how all the lines draw your attention and point towards Jesus' face in the center. I chose the name "My Child" because the only thing that could compare (even remotely) to Christ's compassion for us is the love of a parent for his/her child. This image is also intended to put things in perspective. Above all, we are God's children first. He allows us the privelege of experiencing parenthood for ourselves and we are entrusted to be the mothers and fathers of His children here on earth.

"Innocence" The Savior tells us we need to become as little children to inherit the kingdom of God. I've often wondered what it is about little children Jesus loves most, and I think its their innocence. They are clean slates, seeing the world and others through untarnished eyes. Their hearts are pure, without the baggage of cynicism and self-doubt. In this piece, I've tried to imagine how a child would act upon meeting the Master for the first time. Without reservation or inhibition, I think he would simply want to play with Him. He would be at complete ease, allowing his pure little heart to soak in the love and laughter of His pure, infinite heart. Its no wonder Christ delights in these little ones and sets them up to be our examples.


"Security" One of the greatest human needs is a sense of security. In all aspects of life, we naturally gravitate towards anything that makes us feel safe. In this piece, I wanted to convey a sense of complete peace and calm like only the Savior can provide. It's a security that allows us to rest assured, without fear or worry, when we put ourselves trustingly in His arms. Little children have that inherent kind of trust in their parents, so it's fitting that the man and girl who modeled for "Security" are actually father and daughter. They generatedthe exact feel I was looking for.

"My Child" This piece conveys an intimate, up-close-and-personal feeling of the Savior's love. Notice how all the lines draw your attention and point towards Jesus' face in the center. I chose the name "My Child" because the only thing that could compare (even remotely) to Christ's compassion for us is the love of a parent for his/her child. This image is also intended to put things in perspective. Above all, we are God's children first. He allows us the privelege of experiencing parenthood for ourselves and we are entrusted to be the mothers and fathers of His children here on earth.