Wednesday, 01/08

Caren's personal goal today was, "Move forward, not backward." First thing when I arrived Caren said, "Mom, I keep saying that I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." That's my girl! Determined and positive. So many people have been in today, yet Caren has difficulty staying awake - because of the meds. Caren had the desire to help with getting out of bed, but by the time the team was ready, Caren was too tired as of 3-ish. Apparently Caren was moved to a sling chair later in the evening after we'd gone home. The main accomplishment today: Anesthesiology talked to Caren about pain management choices - a nerve block or an epidural. It has been decided that Caren is to receive an epidural for pain management. They will not be able to do a nerve block because of the broken transverse processes. We MUST avoid getting pneumonia, so it is imperative that Caren be more mobile. Since Caren was given blood thinners this morning, the epidural will occur on Thursday. Also, Rick and I were concerned that her L eye was also becoming black. I knew that injuries, by sheer force of gravity, usually drained downward. The trauma doctor explained that it would also drain to the L eye (from the R) through the sinus cavities. Th! Caren ere is a specific name, but I don't recall it. We appreciated the explanation, and felt less anxious. Oh! Caren was seeing the dr.'s jacket as green instead of navy. That gave the trauma team something to think about as far as concussion care, :-) So much for Wednesday. Each day is a gift. I look forward to progress on Thursday.