Day 14-July 31

We woke up early today in preparation for the aid coming to do a bath and the PT coming at 0900 to do exercises. It was pouring rain with flood warnings so both were late. Grandma and I did her shower. Really, she did it independently and stood the whole time (a first for her). We got her dressed and I put her hair in curlers. Her nephew is getting married tonight and she's planning to attend, so we're getting her hair ready for the big night.

We had a wonderful time with the PT who talked quite openly with Grandpa about her current hurt of having her 3rd miscarriage. He was able to spend a little time with her and give her his book. Please pray for chris the PT that she'll find comfort in Jesus and the cross during this time.





By the time the home health group left it was already time for lunch. So we had lunch with Grandpa and then he went down the mountain. We did our devotions together, late, and read through Romans 8. We were encouraged by:

"26Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. 27And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. 28And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. 29For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified."

We both got a nap this afternoon, then got ready to go to the wedding. Thankfully the rain slowed down, because the wedding was at a campground. We left for the wedding and we had sun and cooler weather. Grandma got out of the car and enjoyed the short wedding. We had bbq for dinner and caught up with family. We took lots of pictures and Grandma just glowed. She was the surprise for the wedding and made the groom cry as he saw her pull up. God is soo good. She did well with walking and sitting in the heat. Her tank held out and we were home by 9pm. We all fell into bed realizing what a GREAT day God had given us. He has been so faithful.

Keep praying that the fluid will drain from her right lung, for ongoing encouragement, strength and endurance as she moves forward after I'm gone. Pray for Grandpa that he will want to serve her and put her first.

love,

shauna

Day 13-July 30

Grandma had a fitful night sleep and said the Lord woke her up only to find her oxygen was off her nose. She was grateful for that.

She was ready to go this am, so we did a full set of standing, sitting and arm exercises after breakfast. We ordered wedding pictures from Aub's wedding, Josh's wedding and my wedding, so she can work on albums.

The doctor decreased her BP pills to help with her dizziness and the home health nurse came by and her blood is too thin, so we're adjusting her coumadin. Nothing to be alarmed about, just skipping a dose tonight. We did another set of leg exercises out on the porch this afternoon and Grandma has been extra careful with her lung exercises! God is sooo good.

We had some time in the word and were encouraged by Psalms 30: 2

2 O LORD my God, I called to you for help and you healed me.

Grandma had her cleaning lady here for 3 hours and the house looks GREAT! I think that helps Grandma rest better knowing the cleaning is done. She's getting excited about attending her nephew's wedding tomorrow night (she wasn't going to go 2 days ago, but now she's calling everyone telling them she's coming!) Can you tell she's feeling better?

We're doing pork chops for dinner and probably another game of upwords tonight.

Please continue to pray that her BP levels out, that her Coumadin levels get normal and that her right lung clears of fluid. Pray for me as we spend our last few days together that I prepare myself for leaving and this home/family for her care once I'm gone.

God is so very good!

shauna

Here's grandma posing!

Day 12-July 29

I took the morning off and went down the mountain to do some shopping. This put Grandpa in charge of Grandma. They didn't sit around, of course. They changed the sheets on the bed and went through all her cards/gifts while she was in the hospital. I think this was really encouraging to both of them. We enjoyed lunch together and then Grandpa left for the office.

The PT came this afternoon. She was wonderful and did exercises with Grandma standing in the kitchen and sitting in her chair. She said she was used to much sicker patients and was enjoying how strong Grandma was and said she planned to get her using stairs and walking outside soon. She will come 3x/week.

Grandma had her nails done this afternoon. Someone came to the house and filled her nails and painted them. Grandma felt like a million bucks. We had a nice dinner together and played upwords this evening.

Grandma continues to have bp problems and gets dizzy. We held her pm dose tonight which helped some. We plan to call the doctor tomorrow if it persists.

She's getting tired of exercises and waiting, so please keep praying her endurance, strength and the desire to stick it out a bit longer. Please pray for wisdom and patience for me.

Lots of love,

Shauna

Day 11-July 28

Today was another good day, though Grandma seems tired. I don't know if she's discouraged, bored, or neither but she's not as eager to go today. She slept well and ate a good breakfast.

We were bombarded with home health today. The occupational therapist came by (a delight) and feels the facility is safe and Grandma has what she needs. She also didn't see any physical limitations at this time. She did see lacking strength and endurance, so she will work on this with Grandma. She also works on upper body strength and will focus on this and specific exercises to work her lungs to help facilitate losing the fluid on her lung. She will start next week and come 2x/week in between the 3x/week physical therapy. The home health nurse came and did an oxygen study with Grandma. She remained above 90% with sitting, standing and walking on oxygen. She dropped to 86% with walking without oxygen, thus showing she needs to continue on oxygen. We both think it's related to the fluid and once the fluid is gone, her oxygenation should stay more stable. Every thing else looked good with her lowest BP yet: 136/72. She will return on Thursday to do vital signs and to check her blood levels for her coumadin.

The physical therapist was going to come by and I told her we already had OT, nursing and the health aid coming so could she come tomorrow and she agreed. She will focus on strengthening Grandma's legs. We had a nice lunch and I arranged "sitters" for next week to come for 4 hours each day to help Grandpa since I know he can't sit still. We have 2 days left to cover, so I'll keep working on this. Grandma reminisced about Grandpa when they were first married, and many stories of their kids when they were little. That was a special time. She fell asleep looking at the Penney's catalog, so I covered her up and left her alone.

We figured out what was wrong with Grandma yesterday: her BP dropped from 160's to 130's and I think her body didn't compensate very well. So she was dizzy every time she stood up. We ended up holding her evening dose and she's feeling much better. She and I did evening exercises and she even helped make dinner. We got all of next week staffed with friends to come and visit, so that will help Grandma rest easier and give Grandpa some help as well.

Grandma and Grandpa and I had a nice time last night talking about life, my walk with the Lord and my marriage. They were so encouraging and we ended in prayer. God is sooo good to me to give me time with my precious Grandparents. I feel like I've been blessed so much with being here.

Please continue to pray for:
Grandma's right lung, full of fluid.
Endurance and strength for Grandma
Grandpa preparation for next week
Ongoing wisdom and guidance for me

Lots of love,
shauna

Day 10-July 27

What a GREAT day we had today! We woke up early this morning preparing to go to Grandma's doctor's appt. We had a nice breakfast and a safe drive to Knoxville.

We arrived at the medical building where I dropped Grandma and her oxygen tank in the foyer, parked the car and waited for a wheelchair to arrive. The office visit was quite thorough including a chest x-ray and at least 20 minutes with the doctor. He was careful to explain everything to both me and Grandma and walked me to the hall to show me the x-ray since he knew I was a nurse practitioner. He was caring and had a great bedside manner! What a special doctor for Grandma! Thank you Lord.

We brought a list of about 12 items and he was careful to answer all of our questions and didn't appear rushed! He also reassured me re: Grandma's lung. He said her right lung is better than it was in the hospital. He also said it's not urgent that he'd like to continue her on a water pill, continue working on lung exercises and being mobile to see if her body will just absorb the water. So that's my major prayer request. If by 4 weeks it's not resolved, they will stick a needle in the lung again to drain it. Sure would love to avoid that!

Everything else looked great and she can now check her blood sugar in the morning only. He changed a blood pressure medication to better control it and said to see him in 4 weeks. I was very impressed by the care he gave Grandma.

We celebrated and went to Cracker Barrell for lunch and then came home. Grandma was exhausted and got a nap. We did a round of exercises and then had a spaghetti dinner delivered from a friend. What a nice treat. We visited for the evening and then went to bed.

Please continue to pray for Grandma's right lung. I would love to say that God drained that fluid and healed it as a testimony to her doctors. We are working hard on her lungs. Also pray for ongoing strength, endurance and encouragement as she works so very hard. I'd love prayer for peace and wisdom. Please pray for Grandpa as well. He will have next week without me before Aubry comes and he has a hard time sitting still. Please pray that he's ready to care for her and to stay home more during that interim week!

love,

shauna

Day 9-July 26

Grandma was up at 0830 and ready for her breakfast. By the time I got to her, she'd already checked her fasting blood sugar. We ate our breakfast and then watched the videostream again of First Baptist Powell. A GREAT sermon on the sufficiency of grace in salvation and our need for Christ's pursuing! What a blessing!

Grandma did her breathing exercises, we got a shower, I put her hair in rollers and she got herself dressed! She was quite winded after the shower, so we know we need to work more on time up out of the chair, standing or walking, to increase her stamina.

Cathy came over to make lunch: roasted chicken, buttermilk biscuits, strawberry mandarin orange salad, fried okra (Grandma did it and showed me how). Jeanine and Caroll Parks came over this afternoon as did Gary Ragan and his fiance (getting married this coming Friday, which we will attend)! We had a nice afternoon of fellowship. We had a calm evening, leftovers for dinner and a healthy grandma! Not much to report which I'm happy with. We went to bed a little early knowing we have a big day on Monday getting to the doctor!

Please keep praying for recovery, strength and that right lung! God is so very good!

shauna

Day 8-July 25

It's Saturday so we get Cathy and Grandpa at home with us today.

Cathy made her famous blueberry french toast and eggs.

Grandma slept well last night in bed and said, "I just hung on to Grandpa's hand all night." God is sooooooo good!

We had a nice breakfast together and morning devotions.

Grandma had two sets of visitors and got a round of exercises in.

She had the home health nurse stop by to check on her lungs and she said they were sounding okay and to continue working on her lung exercises. We got 2 full sets of exercises in and Grandma walked around the house quite a bit yesterday.

We watched the Apple Dumpling Gang with Cathy last night and both grandma and grandpa seemed to enjoy it! Grandma's nephew and wife (a nurse) came last night to visit for a while and were amazed at how she's improved. She was so encouraged. Grandma is now eating at the dinner table for every meal and doing quite well. She got herself ready for bed and into bed on her own last night, just another marker of her incredible progress and strength! Thank you Lord.

Overall another good day! Keep praying. Love you lots,

shauna

Day 7-July 24

Grandma slept much better last night. We had a good morning of our daily routine in the word, exercises, pills, blood sugar checks. We had a nice lunch on the porch with grandpa and a nap after lunch. She still has this weird decrease to her breath sounds on the right lung but the doctor isn't doing anything about it until Monday when she sees him. Her BP has been high, so he did allow me to increase one of her medications to adjust for this. We've decreased her crummy prednisone which makes her shake and increases her blood sugars and I've seen a good response. It's also helping with inflammation in her lungs, so I can't say it's all bad!

Grandpa bought grandma a railing for the side of her bed and a wedge and she took her nap in bed! She was so excited, yet scared at the same time! But she did fine! He was home for the afternoon so looked at me and said, "You have 2 hours of free time, so you better take the car and go somewhere." So I did! I went down the mountain to my two favorite spots, the old mill and the pottery store. Had a nice time away, but really would rather be with Grandma, so came back early.

The home health physical therapist came by and assessed her. Turns out he was the PT that saw her at the rehab place. He said she's a different person. That he couldn't barely get her to open her eyes and now he's watching her walking all around the house. What a testimony to God's goodness! PT will come 3x/week to help her with strengthening exercises.

We got Grandma settled for the night and Cathy had arranged with Grandpa that she would take me to Cade's Cove for a drive and picnic. So we did that and had a good time. Grandma ate food that Grandpa prepared for her, checked her own blood sugar and took her pills. She's getting SOOOO independent!

I was able to help her get to bed in her BED for the first night! She was so excited! Tucked her in and fell into bed as I was exhausted as well! But God is good and she keeps improving. She really is getting her strength, I see it when she lifts herself out of the chair and does her exercises without being so winded!

So keep praying for her recovery, her right lung and for me as we go another week!

lots of love,

shauna

Day 6-July 23

We had a good morning today and finally heard from the home health nurse who planned a visit at 10:30 am to assess Grandma's needs at home. Unfortunately she didn't show up until noon, so we waited on all our other morning activities for her.

But she was kind, capable and very thorough. She took Grandma's INR (measurement for her blood thinner) and it's a little high but nothing scary. Checked her oxygen saturation which remained above 90% with walking (where we want it). She and I are concerned about Grandma's lungs so made a call to her doctor to see what he'd like to do about this. I called yesterday and never heard back from them, so I'm hoping to hear from them today.

Everything else in her assessment was quite positive. She did set up:

1. Nursing 3x/week

2. Home health aid 2x/week (help with bathing/dressing)

3. PT (physical therapy) 3x/week (still need to come to do an assessment-strengthen lower half)

4. OT (occupational therapy) 3x/week (strengthen upper half, help Grandma learn to do daily chores independently)

I think this will be great after I leave since no one else medical will be here. She'll get lots of help from Aubry and her visitors, but the above will keep her moving forward medically, physically, etc. So praise the Lord it's all getting put into effect before I leave. Grandma seemed quite pleased.

Because of the nurse commenting on her lungs, as I have, I saw Grandma get right into her lung exercises with much more frequency and vigor!!! So we'll keep this up, believe you me!

This afternoon after lunch we planned to do exercises, but she was too tired from her busy morning. So she's been sleeping for an hour and we'll do a set when she wakes and one before bed to keep her moving forward. Her spirits are quite high today, so I praise God for that.

We did receive a call from the home health nurse after she spoke with Grandma's doctor. No changes were made, but they will do an x-ray on Monday at her appt. I will be joining her for this appt.

We did 2 full sets of exercises in the afternoon and practiced getting in and out of bed. I also had grandma check her own blood sugar, which she did fine with.

Please keep praying for me: wisdom, peace

Please keep praying for grandma: ongoing strength and endurance and turning the corner re: her lungs.

Our scripture for today as we reflected on how far God has brought her, Psalm 23:

The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters,
he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

God is good! Thanks for praying, please keep it up.

shauna

Day 5-July 22

We had a good day today!


Grandma was in good spirits, we were able to get through the daily routine without problems and ongoing strength and endurance for grandma.


She had multiple visitors and enjoyed her time with them. One visitor went through open heart surgery last year and was able to encourage grandma as she's up and walking around and feeling "stronger than I ever was before surgery."





Grandma prepared her own lunch today (thus the picture).


She also did her first set of exercises lying in bed.





She continues to be winded easily, requires oxygen and continues to have decreased breath sounds on the right lung. I believe this is her biggest area needing recovery so please keep her lungs in your prayers.





We are now trying to coordinate "sitters" for the week between when I leave and Aubry comes. Pray we get one friend to come each day for the 5 day work week!



Our scripture for today came from Joshua 1:1-9
1 After the death of Moses the servant of the LORD, the LORD said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses' aide: 2 "Moses my servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them—to the Israelites. 3 I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses. 4 Your territory will extend from the desert to Lebanon, and from the great river, the Euphrates—all the Hittite country—to the Great Sea on the west. 5 No one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.
6 "Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their forefathers to give them. 7 Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. 8 Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. 9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go."

love,


shauna

Day #4 (July 21)

Grandma woke up in the middle of the night thinking the washer was not working right. There wasn't anything wrong, but she was quite anxious. We were able to give her a benadryl and she seemed to sleep better.

She woke up this morning "feeling funny." and I wasn't sure if it was lack of sleep, the benadryl or something else. I listened to her lungs and her right lower lobe had less breath sounds than the rest of her lungs. This is concerning for me, so we worked hard on breathing exercises yesterday. She was able to get a morning nap which helped her as well. We did morning exercises and she's really getting stronger.

We had a nice lunch and her blood sugars stayed within normal range, so she was encouraged. We're also down a full 10mg on her Prednisone, which raises blood sugar, so I think that helped.

She had someone come over to do her hair yesterday and I tell you, my grandmother was back. She was joking with the lady and I could tell felt more like herself after her hair was curled and styled! Praise the Lord for this little help!

She had 6 other visitors late afternoon who brightened her day and I saw her turn from barely speaking without catching her breath, to full sentences AND adding in humor! God is so good.

On my end, I was quite anxious most of the day because of her lung issue. I prayed and prayed that God wouldn't allow this to set her back. We worked our tails off on her lung exercises yet I allowed Satan to convince me that this would send her back to the hospital AND that the decision of good or bad was resting solely on my shoulders. So I drove down the mountain to get more diabetic safe foods and cried the whole way down. I spoke with my mother in law, Pat, which was a God-send and kinda let it all out, since I've been holding it in for Grandma's sake. I turned on worship music and really felt like I could turn it over to the Lord.

Anyway, she had no sign of breathing problems and her lungs sounded better last night. We had dinner at the table together, did another set of exercises and Grandma slept soundly last night! So God is so very very good.

Please continue to pray for wisdom for me, for ongoing strength for Grandma and for 100% resolution of her lung issues!

love,

shauna

Day 3, July 20

Grandma had her best day yet, yesterday!

She was eager to get up and at 'em and my challenge to her for the day was doing more exercises. So we did 2x what we did the day before in the morning alone. She used her breathing machine and decided to walk around the house even more yesterday.

She doesn't think she sleeps in her naps, but I'm telling you she napped for 2 hours yesterday (and I napped for 1). We're worn out, I guess.

She had cereal for breakfast and a better (low carb) lunch, but her blood sugar after lunch was ove 200. So she was really discouraged. So I made dinner last night and all we had was beans and salmon and her sugar after dinner was 127 (goal after dinner is 140). So we talked about needing to watch carbs and I was able to show her that doing this controlled her sugars.

After our nap, I went on the front porch and sat in the breeze and worked on some study stuff for church. I invited her to join me after she woke up and we both rocked on the porch and enjoyed the Smokey Mtns afternoon breeze. I think she felt good being outside.

Later that afternoon she had a friend come and visit and bring her a huge chocolate cake (she didn't know we were watching sugars). Oh well! They had a nice visit and then we spent the evening with grandpa. We did another set of exercises, 2 reps each. So that makes a total of 4x what she did the day before! Praise the Lord!

Another praise is Grandma's ability to get in and out of chairs. She wasn't able to get out of her sleeper chair at all without help for the first 2 nights I was here. Last night she did it on her own with a lot less effort. This was the same with her other chair. So she really is gaining is strength!

Please continue to pray for:

1. Continued physical healing, I feel the weakest thing for her is her lungs

2. Continued strength and endurance

3. Continued grace and peace, that she may not get discouraged during this long process!

"And I am sure of this, that He who began a good work in you will be faithful to bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ."

love shauna

Day #2 (July 19)

Grandma had a good day today (July 19).
She seemed to have rested well and had a good breakfast. Grandma, Cathy and Shauna gathered for "church" in the office and watched the live stream of First Baptist Powell. We worshipped together and heard a great sermon about "Christ Alone." Fitting for this season of our family's life: that Christ is sufficient and only what we need to get through this.

Grandma sported a new outfit from Cathy and looked like she was going on a yacht for the day. We did morning arm exercises and stretched that chest of hers quite a bit (probably a little too much). We had a nice lunch and were able to start checking her blood sugars. After meals, they're running a little high, but not too bad. So we're being careful with food right now since she's not on any medication for these blood sugars.

All day we were waiting anxiously by the phone as my cousin, Janea, was in labor with her first child. So we would get updates on her cervix, then epidural placement, then pushing, then low blood sugar so stopping pushing, then finally at 5pm a baby girl born: Haleigh Reece, 7lb 10 oz and both mom and baby doing great. This cut our visit short with Susan and Dale as they left early to be with her in labor.

Grandma has an i-phone so the three girls spent the afternoon playing games on our respective phones. Grandma cat-napped between labor updates and then we did leg exercises in the afternoon. All in all, she was active getting to and from the bathroom, seemed to be breathing well and was eager to do some exercises. She sat at the table for lunch and seemed to do fine.

I took a break in the afternoon and went for a long walk. Had a nice talk with Aubry and enjoyed these gorgeous mountains and cool weather for July (70's and a breeze).

We enjoyed leftovers for dinner and grandma watched from her chair as I proceeded to beat Grandpa and Cathy at the first game of upwords (a miracle, if I say so myself) and then Grandpa took the 2nd game home.

We wrapped things up and went to bed aroun 9:30. I think we were all tired, but Grandma especially seemed worn out last night. She got settled oh her chair and seemed to sleep well for the first half of the night. She had practice kneeling at 0130 when she tried to get up to the bathroom without much help and I found her kneeling with Grandpa trying to help her up. The chair was slippery and she wasn't able to get up. So we got her up and to the bathroom and made a pact that no matter what, they wouldn't feel bad about waking me to help her. I could just see Grandpa's knee going out and Grandma sleeping on the floor. No bueno! So she agreed. She said she had fitful sleep the rest of the night, was praying a lot and "solved the world's problems." So hopefully we'll get a couple extra naps today for her.

But she's breathing well (her lungs are nice and clear), her heart is pumping normally. She's eating well and has an appetite. She's gaining strength and I think is overall encouraged. The balance the 4 of us need to find is: how to push grandma to keep her moving forward without overdoing it physically or discouraging her emotionally. So I could use prayer on that! God is good and he is faithfully walking with us.

The scripture for today is from Exodus 15: 1-2: "I will sing unto the Lord, for has triumped gloriously; the horse and his rider he has thrown into the sea. THE LORD IS MY STRENGTH AND MY SONG AND HE HAS BECOME MY SALVATION; This is my God, and I will praise him, my father's God and I will exalt him."

lots of love,
shauna

Day 1-Grandma comes home! July 18

Grandma came home from Fort Sanders Hospital on Saturday, July 18, 2009 in the early afternoon. She was scared to get up the stairs into the house, but did great and found a comfy spot on the lounge chair in the living room. In the mean time I was en route from Seattle through Memphis to Knoxville. Aunt Susan and Dale arrived from Atlanta and celebrated her arrival with Grandpa and Aunt Cathy.

Susan came to get me from the airport and we made it up the mountain just fine.

I arrived to see Grandma sitting in her chair, legs elevated, on oxygen wearing a BIG SMILE!!!

I settled in my room and dinner was about to be served. She ate a good meal but found it hard to chew through the chicken. She walked with her walker quite well and was in good spirits. We did exercises with her breathing machine and took a few new medications last night.

Grandma hadn't had a real shower in over 5 weeks, so Susan and I got her in the shower and she felt the hot water and seemed to really enjoy it. We had a little slippery issues getting out of the tub but we got her out, put on a new nightgown and robe and got her settled in her make shift bed, the leather recliner.

We enjoyed family time together last night and then headed for bed around 10 pm. I set up a baby monitor next to Grandma so she could call my name when she needed to get up to use the restroom. This worked well. She only used the restroom once, so we each got 4 hours chunks of sleep in between potty breaks! To be honest, I was nervous last night being it was her first night home. So I prayed quite a bit last night and got up to check on her a few times. But each time I checked her breathing wasn't labored and she was sleeping quite soundly.

God is sooo good. The verse God brought to mind for yesterday was Joshua 1:9, "Have I not commanded you, be STRONG and COURAGEOUS! Do not tremble or be dismayed for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go!" And indeed he was.

Here's a picture of the cat SOOOOOO excited to have his "lap" back.

love, shauna