Wednesday is when they were due for their first major snow storm, but that has not stooped the Miami Valley Hospital staff from taking care of Brenda. SHe had her last major SPA treatment. She did great and rested for the remainder of the day.[...]

Merry Christmas!!

Sunday, was the start to Brenda's physical rehab. The physical therapist helped her to sit up, but Brenda was able to hold herself in that position without the therapist's help. Next step is standing up. That afternoon they capped her trache and worked on breathing through her nose, she also said "hi". She finished out her day by sitting upright in the stretch chair for an hour. [...]

Thursday morning Brenda was able to sit up on the edge of her bed with her feet on the ground for 5 minutes. She had Phase II surgery which included small graphing on her ears, face, stomach, left keg, and right foot. She left for surgery around 8:45 a.m. and at this point she was able to breathe on her own. Dr. Perry said her surgery went well. He said the grafts are spreading, but he is going to wait another 2 weeks to give a clear judgement on how well the grafts are doing. During that time period he wants her to be able to stand up, walk two steps, work on breathing through her nose, and be able to swallow. [...]

Thursday morning Brenda was able to sit up on the edge of her bed with her feet on the ground for 5 minutes. She had Phase II surgery which included small graphing on her ears, face, stomach, left keg, and right foot. She left for surgery around 8:45 a.m. and at this point she was able to breathe on her own. Dr. Perry said her surgery went well. He said the grafts are spreading, but he is going to wait another 2 weeks to give a clear judgement on how well the grafts are doing. During that time period he wants her to be able to stand up, walk two steps, work on breathing through her nose, and be able to swallow. [...]

Tuesday Brenda had another 3 hour dressing change. Dr.Perry is pleased its her progress. The surgery scheduled for Thursday is when they will work on her ears  and other areas that need it. It was another 3 hour recovery period after the cleaning and medication was needed to control her heart rate. However, she was able to sit up later in the day with the help of her therapist. [...]

Sunday, Brenda had her dressings changed in the morning. That afternoon she was able to sit up in her stretch chair for 2 hours and 15 minutes. Later, the respiratory therapist came in to help her with breathing through her noise. She needs to be able to do this do that they canput a stop on her new trache, which enables her to talk.[...]

Brenda had a new trache put in yesterday. This one, when the doctor allows, enables her to speak. In fact, she was able to whisper hi, but it was so low only the doctor who was closest to her could hear. She was able to sit up in her bed for about 20 minutes. This is the first step in a long recovery for her speech. Her speech is not top priority, the doctors are more worried about infections and her skin grafts. Because she has gone so long without talking it will take a while for her muscles and things to basically "remember" how to speak. Later in the day she was able to sit up in her stretch chair for about an hour. This helps a lot with her breathing. [...]

Wednesday she was able to sit up on the edge of her bed before going to the SPA. She slept when she came back and then the physical therapist came in. Brenda had to sit up in the stretch table for 45 minutes. At the end of it she pointed to the bed to signify that she was tired. [...]

Monday, Brenda had trouble controlling her heart rate and blood pressure. They had to give her medication to get it back to normal. She also had to have her dressings changed, which is very stressful for her. It took her a few hours to calm down. [...]

Saturday, Day 21, Brenda is able to breathe in moist room air without the use of the oxygen from the machine. Due to Brenda's critical condition they are not going to work on the spine yet. Today, Day 22, Brenda was placed in a "stretch chair". They had her in a sitting up position for 45 minutes. Brenda was actually able to look out her window. They will continue doing this every day. Friday night they stopped the antibiotics for the staff infection, because all of Brenda's cultures and vitals look good. Her sugar level is back to a normal range, this will be monitored daily and treated accordingly. Thursday morning around 7 she is scheduled for another skin graft. Doctor Perry said that, if possible, they may get her in for a few minor skin grafts before Thursday. She had her dressings changed and is running a slight fever that is being treated. She is still critical and we ask that you keep praying. Next update will be on Tuesday. [...]