Post Op: Back at home

"We've only just begun!" That was the refrain from Elaine today from the moment she woke up. She is feeling better physically with every passing minute. More importantly, she is ready to move on with her life and she is so optimistic about her recovery. The nurse was calling Karen Carpenter (incidentally, that was what Elaine's dad always called her).

It has been a long week and Elaine is certainly still in some pain from the surgery and she is undoubtedly tired from her ordeal, but she has the best attitude about getting her life back. It has been a tough several weeks with her pinched nerve and incredible pain. She looks forward to when she can get back to living her life (relatively) pain free.

Elaine arrived at the house with Staci to a very excited welcoming committee of Fred, Brian, Christi, Taylor and Ben. The kids were so happy to see Nammie out of the hospital. She looked absolutely beautiful when she got back home.

We will keep you reasonably updated her on recovery. Elaine's optimism is infectious and we are excited for her continue her journey with considerably less pain!

Thank you to all of you for your thoughts and prayers!

Post-Op Update

Elaine had a restless night in the hospital. She had a neighbor a few rooms over that couldn't figure out where she was or why she was in pain. It made for a sleepless night in the hospital. The Doctor decided to keep her another night. Elaine is doing very well, but with her needing to start her Coumadin today, he felt it was important to keep her in for another night to watch it. While the risks were unlikely, they were serious and we all agreed it was for the best.

As the day wore on, Elaine began to swell on the opposite side of her incision. The doctor was relieved that it wasn't where he cut, but felt it was best to do a CT scan. As we began to notice the swelling, we were very thankful to be at the hospital. Fortunately the CT scan was clear, and apparently due to the position they put her in during surgery. They pulled and strapped her shoulder down low and tight, and had her neck up up. The more we learn and surgery, the less we really want to know what goes on in the OR! The bonus to the CT scan was that the doctor had a sneak peak at her disc replacement. He said everything looked perfect and he was very pleased. This was great news of course. We are very hopeful that Elaine will come home tomorrow, but that decision will be made tomorrow.

All in all, it was a great day. Elaine is still feeling some aches and pains from surgery. She is such a trooper though. She makes herself get up and walk, doesn't need prodding from the nursing staff. They have quickly learned too that when she decides she wants to walk, we are going to get her up and walk. We don't wait for them to get in there. I guess after 13 months of practice, both Fred and Staci are very capable and confident of getting Elaine out of bed and unplugging what needs to be unplugged, and walking. Elaine can't be kept down, and she continues to amaze us with her strength. No one can believe her attitude - clearly they haven't met Elaine before. They are inspired by all that she has been through and her continuous will to fight. They adore the family support she has as well, and the love story that is Fred and Elaine.

We don't anticipate having an idea on the actual success of the surgery for at least another week or so, but all signs are pointing towards at least some success. We will take any relief that we can get for her, and continue to hope and pray for more and more each day!