Friday, February 29, 2008
Friday (day36)
Good evening all. Shawna continues to coast along in the step down unit of floor 6. Today they downsized her trachea but haven't removed it completely due to the light secretions they have to remove with suction. Shawna absolutely hates those moments. When I was present this afternoon I could feel her tensing up even at the mentioning of suctioning. Still a good sign of awareness. She went downstairs to have a contrast chest and brain CT scan. The chest cavity drain was no longer draining anything and they wanted to see if there was any more isolated pockets of infection. Dr Wells wanted to see if there were any pockets of water in her brain and check the blood flow for obstructions in case there was anything more he could do for her. No results as of yet but Shawna came back to her room and didint need any more drains installed( maybe at this time). She was breathing without oxygen assistance at 99% before they turned on the hose to give her some humidified air so the airway doesn't get too dry. We also learned from a recent exray at the physiotherapists request that she did have a broken arm just above the elbow. At this point it is calcified and almost healed. It healed just a freaction out of alignment and may require surgery later to reshape the bone. At this point there is no need to operate as it is pretty close to being healed and will not need to be casted. Shawna again continued with the hand squeezes when asked and again move her feet a bit when asked. I could almost say I made her smile when we told her how proud of her we were and then she went back to sleep. It is quite exhausting for her and we are thankful for the care she recieves in the step down unit. Above all we know the care that our Father has for her that not a hair can fall from her head without his will. We have been richly blessed by the sparing of her life and her constant recovery. We are also thankful for even the small amounts of communication we can have and I'm sure she enjoys that too. She doesn't hyperventilate or get super excited when I talk to her but she continues to try to open her eyes. A rich blessing that she can remain calm. We'll let you know more when we hear from the doctors about the CT scan. Thankyou for your prayers and messages. Al and Deb
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6 comments:
To the Bethlehem family:I am drawn to tears every time I read your update regarding Shawna's progress. Praise God from Whom all blessings (great and small) flow. What miraculous steps she is taking every day. It must be so amazing to feel those gentle squeezes and see the movements of her leg. We continue to keep your family in our prayers and praise God for the strength He has given each of you during this time. You cannot imagine how many lives you are reaching through this blog and through your patient endurance at the hospital. Thank you for keeping us informed each day - I look forward to "hearing" how Shawna's is doing every evening. We don't know you personally but our son Dennis was in Shawna's class at Guido. May God continue to hold you up.Elaine Van Dyk
What an awesome God we have! Our kids ask us on a regular basis how Shawna is doing (even though they have no idea who she is). Thank you again, Al for adding to this blog so faithfully every day. We continue to keep you in our prayers and we think of you often. May the Lord keep giving you the strength you need as you travel between home and hospital.
Al and Mirjam Schulenberg
Carman, Manitoba
God bless you all abundantly with strength, patience,courage and endurance as you carry on.
Bert & Anne Van Straten
Dear loved ones of Shawna:
It is now six weeks since Shawna's accident, and we stand amazed at the great things our God has done. For you as family giving you strength each day to go on, for Shawna in the healing process, and for us all as family of believers in the strengthening of our faith. How great is our God! Where would we be without Him? We pray daily for you as family and for Shawna's continued recovery. It is so good to know, that she is carried each day in the Father's arms, and that nothing, nothing at all can separate her from His Love.
We wish you all a blessed Sunday again, and renewed strength for the week ahead.
with love from the van Ykens.
Glad to hear Shawna is doing well.Always nice to read your updates everyday and hearing good news.Just a reminder anything we can help out with just call.God be with you always.The Spurgeons
Glad to hear things our improving. We are all lucky to have such a wonderful Father who takes care of His children. May God bless the further recovery stages. Praise God. We continually pray for the families that hold shawna so dear in their hearts, and for the constant patience of each day that passes.
All the best.
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