We have good news to report. On Sunday LaRee's NIF level was a 28! This is unbelievable to see someones breathing levels jump so quickly like this. So Monday they put her on initiated breathing for 2 hours. Meaning LaRee initiates the breath and the machine does the rest. This is the beginning of the weaning process! This process is long and slow building back the muscle strength around the lungs to sustain 24/7 breathing. And this process is exhausting to the patient as well. If a patient is weaned to quickly it could set them back a couple of weeks with muscle weakness, and severally discourage the patient.
LaRees infection that she contracted last week seems to have gone down as of Tuesday, Hurray! And LaRee in general is still the same with all the medication they give her she is pretty tired and confused at times but that is to be expected.
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Friday, October 24, 2008
Update #14
Things are still much the same as they where a week ago. Good days and bad. LaRee is only lucid about 30% of the time due to her drugs. She is still hallucinating. There is not much news to report in the way of movement in her body other then that which has already been reported. Her NIF level is still a 16 or 17 depending on the day. The Dr. has given her medication so she will not remember most of this last week. Thank heavens!
Monday, October 20, 2008
UPDATE #13
Since our last update LaRee has had some really good days and some really bad days that have been a concern to the family. We seem to have worked throught the bad days however and as of this weekend LaRee seems to be comfortable and resting well. She was given a new set of medication on Friday. The Dr. changed the medication on Thursday due to the fact that the morphine drip was loosing its affect. The first medication change caused severe hallucinations and discomfort in LaRee. She struggled to communicate with us due to the amounts of medications she was being given. We are now grateful that the new change in drugs given to her on Friday seems to be working better. Her NIF level has maintained at a 12! Which is very good news. LaRee needs to get to a 30 before she can be weened off of the ventilator.
She slept through the night last night with the exception on 1 bad hallucination! This is progress. They have begun last week to sit LaRee up in a chair for 1 hour each day to help with her physical therapy. This process totally wipes her out and leaves her exhausted.
LaRee seems to have platued right now with her continued progress of movement in her body. The healing takes time however and we will patiently await for the day when she can move her arms and legs!
She slept through the night last night with the exception on 1 bad hallucination! This is progress. They have begun last week to sit LaRee up in a chair for 1 hour each day to help with her physical therapy. This process totally wipes her out and leaves her exhausted.
LaRee seems to have platued right now with her continued progress of movement in her body. The healing takes time however and we will patiently await for the day when she can move her arms and legs!
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Update #12
LaRee had a great night last night. She slept nearly the whole time with the exception of the nurses who would wake her up routinely. Her new set of medication seems to be working much better for her. It keeps her pain around a 5 and her hallucinations at a controllable level.
The last few days LaRee has had some ups and downs. In fact one of her worst nights was on Friday night due to the fact they where trying out new medication on her. Lets just say that it did not work! LaRee is so very aware she listens carefully to all that goes on around her. For instance she heard the PT say that she would wear her boots every 2 hours for 2 hour to prevent foot drop. Well once our LaRee heard that she decided to keep her boots on for hours at a time for as long as she can until she can't stand it. The other night she left them on for about 13 hours! She is a very obedient patient!
We as a family feel GREAT about the facility we chose for her. Her nurses for the most part are WONDERFUL angels. We still have somebody with LaRee around the clock. And she still very much appreciates having a family member stay through the nights.
As far as LaRee's movement she can nod her head yes and no pretty well now. She can use a lot of her facial muscles to make expressions and she can now make a clicking sound with her mouth. When she does that, it means that she wants something. Which is a big help to us. When we are with LaRee and she is awake there is a lot to do for her. It is like a full time job, rarely sitting down. Her body and nerves are constantly changing the way that they feel and her pain level is constantly moving and shifting. Recently she has enjoyed getting eye drops and chap stick applied every 1/2 hour or so. In addition to communicating with her via an Alphabet chart. We LOVE the alphabet chart, it has allowed us to truly understand LaRee's needs.
LaRee is still on life support. Her body does not move from the neck down. We do not know how long she will need Life support for. We look forward to the day when she can be taken off of the breathing machines and moved to a true Rehabilitation center!
Saturday night LaRee had a special visitor. One of her brothers clients is a man who had GBS about 10 years ago. He and his wife where gracious enough to come to the hospital and spend some time with LaRee. It was so helpful for her to see somebody that lived through it and could walk, talk and move again. The nurse later commented that LaRee seemed more peaceful and attributed a large part of it to this mans visit. We as a family where so grateful that LaRee could have this experience!
When LaRee isn't sleeping she loves for someone to talke to her, read to her and mostly keep her body comfortable with moving it around and lightly rubbing painful areas!
The last few days LaRee has had some ups and downs. In fact one of her worst nights was on Friday night due to the fact they where trying out new medication on her. Lets just say that it did not work! LaRee is so very aware she listens carefully to all that goes on around her. For instance she heard the PT say that she would wear her boots every 2 hours for 2 hour to prevent foot drop. Well once our LaRee heard that she decided to keep her boots on for hours at a time for as long as she can until she can't stand it. The other night she left them on for about 13 hours! She is a very obedient patient!
We as a family feel GREAT about the facility we chose for her. Her nurses for the most part are WONDERFUL angels. We still have somebody with LaRee around the clock. And she still very much appreciates having a family member stay through the nights.
As far as LaRee's movement she can nod her head yes and no pretty well now. She can use a lot of her facial muscles to make expressions and she can now make a clicking sound with her mouth. When she does that, it means that she wants something. Which is a big help to us. When we are with LaRee and she is awake there is a lot to do for her. It is like a full time job, rarely sitting down. Her body and nerves are constantly changing the way that they feel and her pain level is constantly moving and shifting. Recently she has enjoyed getting eye drops and chap stick applied every 1/2 hour or so. In addition to communicating with her via an Alphabet chart. We LOVE the alphabet chart, it has allowed us to truly understand LaRee's needs.
LaRee is still on life support. Her body does not move from the neck down. We do not know how long she will need Life support for. We look forward to the day when she can be taken off of the breathing machines and moved to a true Rehabilitation center!
Saturday night LaRee had a special visitor. One of her brothers clients is a man who had GBS about 10 years ago. He and his wife where gracious enough to come to the hospital and spend some time with LaRee. It was so helpful for her to see somebody that lived through it and could walk, talk and move again. The nurse later commented that LaRee seemed more peaceful and attributed a large part of it to this mans visit. We as a family where so grateful that LaRee could have this experience!
When LaRee isn't sleeping she loves for someone to talke to her, read to her and mostly keep her body comfortable with moving it around and lightly rubbing painful areas!
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Update #11
Last night LaRee was tired and slept the majority of the time. But when she did manage to wake up she was just as alert as the night before. She would nod yes and no (ever so gently), mouthed the words “Hi” to her brother and was blinking very well. Occasionally when we asked a question there would be no response. However we are so grateful that we can more clearly understand her method of communication. To our understanding she was sleeping on her own and had not been given a drug to help her sleep.
LaRee was transferred today to Regional Hospital in Tuckwilla. This is not “Rehab” this is an offsite ICU type facility called ALTAC “Long term Acute Care” There are only two ALTAC facilities within a 5 state region and they both happen to be located in our state. We are so grateful for that!! Members of our family visited both locations and did some research to pick the best one of the two. We feel confident that we have made the best decision and even managed to secure her a private room!!
I was reading in “Diagnoses to Recovery” last night and found it most interesting. We have discussed this book in previous emails. It was published last year and written by a doctor who actually had GBS. LaRee seems to have one of the more severe cases (according to the book). And one of the main challenges in her recovery will be her mental and emotional well being. Please keep that in mind as you continue to serve, visit and pray for her.
LaRee was transferred today to Regional Hospital in Tuckwilla. This is not “Rehab” this is an offsite ICU type facility called ALTAC “Long term Acute Care” There are only two ALTAC facilities within a 5 state region and they both happen to be located in our state. We are so grateful for that!! Members of our family visited both locations and did some research to pick the best one of the two. We feel confident that we have made the best decision and even managed to secure her a private room!!
I was reading in “Diagnoses to Recovery” last night and found it most interesting. We have discussed this book in previous emails. It was published last year and written by a doctor who actually had GBS. LaRee seems to have one of the more severe cases (according to the book). And one of the main challenges in her recovery will be her mental and emotional well being. Please keep that in mind as you continue to serve, visit and pray for her.
Monday, October 6, 2008
Update #10 Benevolent Account Instructions
Regarding the Benevolence fund set up for Laree at the Bank of America, you should simply be able to go to any branch of the Bank of America and ask to make a deposit to the Laree Keenan Assistance Fund—no account number needed—however if you experience a problem and the banker says they need an account number then see instructions below:
“When someone from another state goes to the bank to make a donation to the LaRee Keenan Assistance Fund, the out-of-state Bank of America cashier taking the deposit needs to call “One Call” within the bank to get the account number. The local bank indicated that it is an extra step, but it should not create a problem”.
“When someone from another state goes to the bank to make a donation to the LaRee Keenan Assistance Fund, the out-of-state Bank of America cashier taking the deposit needs to call “One Call” within the bank to get the account number. The local bank indicated that it is an extra step, but it should not create a problem”.
Update # 9
Laree is about the same in terms of her condition. We are still waiting for test result to determine if secondary complications have developed ie: infections. In the meantime she is being treated with antibiotics. The family had a meeting with the Dr's on Friday to get an update on her condition. When Laree is stabilized she will be moved to an off site hospital where they manage critical care patients w/ respirators. It is like an extension of a hospital but off site. Laree is able to move her head back and forth ever so slightly and blink once for yes and twice for no. Though these activities wear her out quickly and her ability to do so comes and goes through out the day.
On Sunday a family member reported that the respirator therapist announced she had "over breathed" her respirator slightly for a few breaths. This was great news. We know that we have a long road of recovery ahead of us with LaRee but we are grateful for the small moments of communication we get with her now.
LaRee is being taken care of on many fronts right now as her husband had to leave on business for several days. A certified public accountant is handling her financial affairs and her father is assisting with all medical decisions. Some friends are looking to do fundraisers, others are keeping her house clean, all while the building of her new home continues to progress. Her daughter Chloe is staying with a family member while her Dad is away. The family is making sure that life continue's to move forward for LaRee so that she does not worry as she is fully co-hearent and cannot express her concerns regarding all of these matter to us. We give her daily updates as we are sure she has many questions and concerns going through her mind each day. We want to make sure she knows everything is being handled so that she can focus on getting well.
Many, many thanks to all of you!
On Sunday a family member reported that the respirator therapist announced she had "over breathed" her respirator slightly for a few breaths. This was great news. We know that we have a long road of recovery ahead of us with LaRee but we are grateful for the small moments of communication we get with her now.
LaRee is being taken care of on many fronts right now as her husband had to leave on business for several days. A certified public accountant is handling her financial affairs and her father is assisting with all medical decisions. Some friends are looking to do fundraisers, others are keeping her house clean, all while the building of her new home continues to progress. Her daughter Chloe is staying with a family member while her Dad is away. The family is making sure that life continue's to move forward for LaRee so that she does not worry as she is fully co-hearent and cannot express her concerns regarding all of these matter to us. We give her daily updates as we are sure she has many questions and concerns going through her mind each day. We want to make sure she knows everything is being handled so that she can focus on getting well.
Many, many thanks to all of you!
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Update #8
LaRee is still in Critical Care. She is able to respond Yes or No by blinking! We have seen some slight movement in her neck and mouth as well. However over the last few days LaRee seems to be developing an infection. We are not exactly sure what kind of an infection it is at this point. This is concerning to the extent that LaRee's system is already very weak and an infection could complicate her condition. Our hope is that the infection will be minimal and easily contained so that LaRee may continue on the road to recovery. We will keep you posted on this in the days to come. As we visit LaRee it is a constant reminder to us that she is truly in a fragile state and needs our continued prayers and support. We know that LaRee appreciates all of your support and we as a family communicate the many wonderful emails, cards and well wishes to her on a daily basis.
Please feel free to leave your comments on this blog as we will keep them in a journal for LaRee.
Love,
Her Family
Please feel free to leave your comments on this blog as we will keep them in a journal for LaRee.
Love,
Her Family
Update #7
Recently we received a letter from LaRee's sweet friend. Following is an excerpt from her letter:
I am interested in helping with any fund raising that you might seek to pursue. I know Laree might not want that, but with .......her out of work for so long...please know that there are many, many of us who want to help. Is there an account set up to receive donations for them?
Laree’s husband was made aware of this sweet friends suggestion and gave his consent to the action of setting up a benevolent account in Laree’s name. After her husbands approval an account is now set up at Laree’s Bank. Please note: Any funds received will be allocated to the Keenan family by a Certified Public Accountant to pay for medical expenses and regarded by the family as sacred funds.
Laree’s Benevolent Fund Information:
Deposits can be made at any Bank of America in the continental United States to the:Laree Keenan Assistance Fund
With much grattitude,
LaRee's Family
I am interested in helping with any fund raising that you might seek to pursue. I know Laree might not want that, but with .......her out of work for so long...please know that there are many, many of us who want to help. Is there an account set up to receive donations for them?
Laree’s husband was made aware of this sweet friends suggestion and gave his consent to the action of setting up a benevolent account in Laree’s name. After her husbands approval an account is now set up at Laree’s Bank. Please note: Any funds received will be allocated to the Keenan family by a Certified Public Accountant to pay for medical expenses and regarded by the family as sacred funds.
Laree’s Benevolent Fund Information:
Deposits can be made at any Bank of America in the continental United States to the:Laree Keenan Assistance Fund
With much grattitude,
LaRee's Family
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