Trache Trip-Part 3

Hi Everybody!

I decided to go ahead and blog a bit more and include more photos from the last trip we made to Denver! I just want y'all to get an idea of what these trips are really like for us and why all your prayer help us so much!

I'm still hearing bits and pieces of what went on during this trip, as I was under a couple of days, so I lost track of time! Seems Dr. Yakes did the embolization first and once they noticed the swelling, it was decided a trache was neccessary. I was "kept under" and not allowed to wake up from the time I had the embolization until after the trache was done. The doctors didn't want me to be uncomfortable having the tubes in my mouth for a long time I guess.

Once I was able to finally sit up in a chair, Mark said I was a big pain in the butty butt butt! (My nephew Mark used to laugh when my mom would tell him she was going to spank him in his butty butt butt if he was a bad boy). Apparently I was a bit crazier than usual w/all the meds I was under and I was not being very cooperative. I can't imagine anyone w/a hole in their neck that had been starved for five days and had blood in their hair from the procedure would be alot of fun, do you? Poor Mark - he does tolerate a lot from me - he is a saint! Mom and Mark did their best to "wash" my hair while I sat up in a chair. They wanted to get the blood out of my hair and get me to feeling better. I also had to wear a type of "support stockings" to make sure I didn't get a clot in my legs from laying in bed all that time.

You'll see a photo of Mom and I - doesn't she look great? It was a great help having her there! She said all her brothers and sisters called asking about how I was doing! I know Marks family was calling as well! In one photo you'll see a nurse feeding me ice chips (yum! - Not!) and in another the nurse is cleaning my trache tube.

Mark had read in the paper where a statue of Our Lady of Fatima was touring different churches, so he and Mom went to the church - so here are photos of them there!

It snowed (9 inches) the whole week I was there, so I'll include some of those photos! Mom was delighted to see the snow! We don't get much of that in S. Texas! There is a photo of Mark outside @ Whole Foods Mart and that's him in our rental car!

I wish I could have been out in the snow! I was so happy when it was finally time for me to leave the hospital! I had to stay @ Swedish a week to make sure my trache would be healing properly! After not having food for 5 days, I finally got some "blue" applesauce - as they needed to make sure the food was going to the right place after having the trache! What an experience this has all been! Definitely the hardest thing I've ever gone through. We always tell people that when Mark and I said "I do", we sure didn't know it would get this bad! I'm aware that people go through worse - but this has been no picnic that's for sure! Mark has been incredible through it all - he could have walked away from me, but instead, he had loved me through these very hard times! His faith, strength and love help keep me going!

As always, please do keep the prayers coming in our direction! I feel we are getting close to the end! If Dr. Hepworth (ENT) was wanting to "debulk" under my chin area already, then the fear of massive bleeding must almost be behind me! I've recently heard how several of Dr. Yakes patients have finished their procedures successfully! How awesome is that?! Hopefully that will be me soon!

Take care, God Bless and love to all of you!

Cyndi