Russ,
Kristopher and I went to see Lynda after lunch. The nurse said she had
been restless and fighting the tubes (and the restraints) UG They
gave her some of the medication to raise her BP and started her on a
different sedating medication. They got the main line in but on the
side that she normally sleeps on so she's on her back and not happy
about it.
Her temperature is down to 99 now with the 4 major broad spectrum antibiotics. She has a gastric tube getting all of the gunk out and a million zillion other tubes and bags and accessories. She was calm and still when we were there but she would start tapping her foot when she heard my voice so I knew she wasn't in a deep sleep. LOL
They were going to do a CAT scan of her abdomen but she was not stable enough to do it so they're doing it tomorrow (hopefully). I feel there is a good chance she has a form of cancer (colon or stomach or related). She has broken out in hives from head to toe. She has done this a few times at NMRC in the last couple of months and with cortisone it went away. This, too is often linked to stomach cancer as I found out from a dear friend I taught with in Florida several years ago. Lynda had colon biopsies done when she was 9 or 10 years old. The doctor told us then that if she lived a regular lifespan (not expected at the time) that the polyps would most likely become cancerous. There were too many to remove and she had too many other problems at the time and then the stroke shortly there after.
She is classified as having ARD--Acute Respiratory Distress; sepsis (infection in blood) and aspiration pneumonia from stomach contents which developed like a wildfire. I feel that there was something that precipitated the projectile vomiting with the seizure which is totally uncharacteristic of Lynda.
Kevin drove down from Olive Branch and is visiting with her right now. He is studying to become a nurse. He's still working as a recreation therapist at Parkwood Hospital. Our first staff day is tomorrow and Russ is going to drive Kris back to Birmingham to catch his flight to Denver. I really hate not getting to spend the time visiting with him but I'm going to stay in Pontotoc until school is out and ride to Oxford with a friend of Russ's who teaches at the high school and lives behind the hospital in Oxford after school is out. I'll get to stay with Lynda until Russ comes back to get me. Then we'll do Friday at school and have the week-end with no conflicts. No results are back yet on the blood work about the type infection they are dealing with so they're just hitting it with some of everything.
I've spent the day thinking about all of the funny things Lynda did as a little girl and how she'll most likely get out of the restraints if she tries OR will still be able to pull something out even though she IS restrained. Those of you who know her know what I'm talking about. Stretch Armstrong can do anything. I have pictures of her at 8 years old hoisting herself up the chain link fence in our backyard in Batesville. I can still see her sitting on the top of her chest of drawers with each drawer pulled out like a series of steps or jumping on the bed in ICU with the leads pulled out after a bad seizure and the doctors predicting she'd be "out" for days. As you walk with her, she pats your back. Sing Happy Birthday, she claps for you. When we hit the overpass at Coliseum Drive, she clapped and knew she was almost home. When we went back to NMRC, the first parking lot was her signal to clap again because she was almost home.
Lynda has made many friends throughout her years in Oxford. I can truthfully say it has taken a village to raise Lynda and so many of you have helped us so much along the way. The doctors predicted her lifespan to be less than 13 years. She turns 42 in September. God has moved mountains through a child who doesn't speak. She has shaped my career path as well as that of Russ and her brother, Kevin. I know God never sleeps so I know she's never out of His sight. Regardless of the outcome of this episode, Lynda is going to be okay and has a promise of eternal life (and a REALLY BIG BEAUTIFUL MANSION for putting up with all of this earth stuff). Thank you facebook friends and life long friends for continuing to pray for Lynda's comfort (and my sanity--what is left).
Her temperature is down to 99 now with the 4 major broad spectrum antibiotics. She has a gastric tube getting all of the gunk out and a million zillion other tubes and bags and accessories. She was calm and still when we were there but she would start tapping her foot when she heard my voice so I knew she wasn't in a deep sleep. LOL
They were going to do a CAT scan of her abdomen but she was not stable enough to do it so they're doing it tomorrow (hopefully). I feel there is a good chance she has a form of cancer (colon or stomach or related). She has broken out in hives from head to toe. She has done this a few times at NMRC in the last couple of months and with cortisone it went away. This, too is often linked to stomach cancer as I found out from a dear friend I taught with in Florida several years ago. Lynda had colon biopsies done when she was 9 or 10 years old. The doctor told us then that if she lived a regular lifespan (not expected at the time) that the polyps would most likely become cancerous. There were too many to remove and she had too many other problems at the time and then the stroke shortly there after.
She is classified as having ARD--Acute Respiratory Distress; sepsis (infection in blood) and aspiration pneumonia from stomach contents which developed like a wildfire. I feel that there was something that precipitated the projectile vomiting with the seizure which is totally uncharacteristic of Lynda.
Kevin drove down from Olive Branch and is visiting with her right now. He is studying to become a nurse. He's still working as a recreation therapist at Parkwood Hospital. Our first staff day is tomorrow and Russ is going to drive Kris back to Birmingham to catch his flight to Denver. I really hate not getting to spend the time visiting with him but I'm going to stay in Pontotoc until school is out and ride to Oxford with a friend of Russ's who teaches at the high school and lives behind the hospital in Oxford after school is out. I'll get to stay with Lynda until Russ comes back to get me. Then we'll do Friday at school and have the week-end with no conflicts. No results are back yet on the blood work about the type infection they are dealing with so they're just hitting it with some of everything.
I've spent the day thinking about all of the funny things Lynda did as a little girl and how she'll most likely get out of the restraints if she tries OR will still be able to pull something out even though she IS restrained. Those of you who know her know what I'm talking about. Stretch Armstrong can do anything. I have pictures of her at 8 years old hoisting herself up the chain link fence in our backyard in Batesville. I can still see her sitting on the top of her chest of drawers with each drawer pulled out like a series of steps or jumping on the bed in ICU with the leads pulled out after a bad seizure and the doctors predicting she'd be "out" for days. As you walk with her, she pats your back. Sing Happy Birthday, she claps for you. When we hit the overpass at Coliseum Drive, she clapped and knew she was almost home. When we went back to NMRC, the first parking lot was her signal to clap again because she was almost home.
Lynda has made many friends throughout her years in Oxford. I can truthfully say it has taken a village to raise Lynda and so many of you have helped us so much along the way. The doctors predicted her lifespan to be less than 13 years. She turns 42 in September. God has moved mountains through a child who doesn't speak. She has shaped my career path as well as that of Russ and her brother, Kevin. I know God never sleeps so I know she's never out of His sight. Regardless of the outcome of this episode, Lynda is going to be okay and has a promise of eternal life (and a REALLY BIG BEAUTIFUL MANSION for putting up with all of this earth stuff). Thank you facebook friends and life long friends for continuing to pray for Lynda's comfort (and my sanity--what is left).
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