Thursday, 01/16

     The days are beginning to run together.  Yesterday I was home with Austin.  Jesse stayed with Caren all day, until Rick returned from work.  Thanks, Jesse!  You have been such an immense help.  Love you, bud!
     The concern has increased that Caren's breathing is insufficient and dangerous. So many teams have been up to assess her situation.
      The cardio/vascular surgeon visited Caren today, and informed her that her ribs are not just cracked, they are totally displaced by 1-2 centimeters.  This is what is causing the excruciating pain of breathing.  Also, every time she is moved, it causes tiny pricks to the lungs, causing even more pain.  The idea of a drainage tube/chest tube is a distinct possibility.  It sounds like a terrible movie line, "They'll be back [to confirm]."
      Meantime, along comes PT, puts a gait belt around her [go figure, broken ribs/gait belt], and she walked from bed to bathroom.  I snapped a picture of her return walk from the bathroom.  Her very long hair was piled on top of her head in a huge 'fro.  In respect to Caren, that pic isn't made public, :-)   The above picture is Caren's Badge of Courage.  Caren is one of the strongest women I know.  There are so many facets to her courage and the levels of her commitment to accomplish on whatever she sets her mind.  I am blessed and honored to be her mother.
     We had the joy of a visit from Candice today.  While we were visiting, Joel came in and FINALLY, after several days, got an IV in place for Caren.  It will be used to sedate her for the chest tube procedure.  Thank you, Candice, for being with us at just the perfect time.  To us, it was significant that Candice was present while a 'Joel' got a viable IV site.  We believe!
     We got word that the tube would not happen Thursday.  It will be 'sometime' tomorrow.  Since we had to wait, why not get a shower, under a real shower head, in the real bathroom? Those 'Shirley Temple' finger washes in bed just aren't adequate.  The nurse calls the Trauma Team.
     Yay! We got the verdict around 7-ish.  The shower is on.  (Once the drainage tube is in, there will be no shower allowed.)
     Just as we were getting Caren into the shower, Rick walked in from work.  I'm too short to reach Caren's hair.  All three of us entered the shower - Rick cleaned and untangled Caren's hair while I took care of the rest.  The very warm shower was so delicious, Caren sat there and cried.   It came to my mind how much we take for granted - the simple joys of having warm running water available in the convenient form of a shower, for example.
     Today's activities have totally zapped all Caren's energy.  She was arranged in bed for the night.  As I leave for the evening, Rick was getting something for Caren to eat.  She would be NPO as of midnight.
     When I got home to update Caren's blog, it was physically impossible to put two words together to make a cohesive thought into a sentence. I remember falling into bed, and the alarm ringing a short time later.  At least, that is how it seemed.