May 31, 2007 at 10:00 p.m.  Another big step forward on the road to returing home, Karin's trach tube diameter was downsized today from 8 mm to 6 mm. They were unable to insert the speaking valve today, however, because she has an unusally small airway for an adult. So they are going to have one custom made for her which could take a week. The new trach procedure took most of the morning. Brandon asked her how it feels when she swallows and she said it felt fine and she has been asking for and enjoying a lot of ice chips today. Tomorrow Karin's swallowing will be re-evaluated by the Speech Therapy team, with the idea perhaps of increasing her intake by mouth. Karin is showing an interest in drinking more liquids and has been inquiring about what kinds of beverages are available in the refrgerator, etc. A good sign. Tomorrow, medical staff will teach them how to take a reading of Karin's blood sugar and will show them all her medications and explain what each is for. Between getting into and out of bed and using a portable potty chair, she did get in a little bit of walking today, albeit not actually walking down the hall with the PT folks - the new trach procedure just consumed too much of the morning. Tomorrow is supposed to be another dialysis day.

May 30, 2007 at 10:40 p.m.  Karin got out of bed this morning and into her chair and did her leg and arm exercises, but then she had to get back into bed for dialysis. Go figure, that's when P.T. came by so she did not get P.T. today, which means she probably missed out on another long walk out of her room and down the corridor. But after dialysis she got back into her chair and did more leg and arm exercises. Dr. Pherson came by and said that tomorrow he is planning to try to downsize the trach (from 8 mm to 6 mm, we think) and also give her a speaking valve. [From eMedicine: " Passy-Muir valves are special 1-way valve caps that allow automatic occlusion with exhalation for speech. Negative pressure (inspiration) opens the valve."] He may have to use two different trach tubes and modify them into one to accomodate the change he wants to make. Of course, he will have to do a broncoscope first to make sure everything is as it should be and to survey the location of the new placement. Christina Calkins-Mazur, Karin's good friend, had a 6 lb 10 oz baby boy today. Another reason Karin will want to get home. Brandon decided he wants to be able to give back something so he attempted to donate blood again, but not enough time has elapsed since his last donation so they would not draw from him today.

May 29, 2007 at 11:00 p.m.  Karin achieved the three month mark today. We arrived at the hospital around 11:00 a.m. in time to relieve Brandon so he could go home for a shower and change into clean clothes. He is still sleeping on a mat on the floor as cots are in short supply, and he looked pretty wiped out. Shortly after we arrived, so did the Physical Therapists. These three ladies had Karin get herself out of bed, with a minimum of their assistance. Their intent is to make the patient do as much of the work as possible. Then they connected her up to a portable oxygen bottle and had Karin walk out of the room into the corridor. They gave her the target of making it "to the white diamond in the floor over there." Karin took 40 steps and covered about 25 feet down the hall. Aunt Rosemarie followed behind pushing Karin's chair in case she needed to sit down and rest. When she reached the goal set by the therapists Karin sat down while they checked her oxygen saturation level, which turned out to be 98% right on the button. The PT ladies were very impressed with this progress on her very first long walk PT session. Back in the room they had Karin do 10 repetitions of leg kicks, "marching" style leg lifts, and toe taps. They also had her work on arm lifts, elbow bends and shoulder shrugs - both limbs and 10 reps each. Again they were impressed with Karin's level of effort. The PT prescription was for Karin to repeat all these exercises every three hours today until 8:30 p.m. But about an hour after the PT folks left, Karin self-initiated the exercise sequence and went through the entire reperatiore of maneuvers again on her own. Aunt Rosemarie also led her though as series of hand exercises which Karin performed flawlessly. We prayed with Karin, committing her to the Divine Physician's healing touch, and she indicated that she prayed along with us. All in all, Karin had another good day and showed signs of real progress today. Our hope and prayer is that Karin can sustain the progress from day to day and that her days until full recovery will be very much shortened.

May 28, 2007 at 11:00 p.m.  Tonight's report is coming late because it took a couple of hours to post today's new pictures in the photo gallery. Karin had another good day today, although she spent the entire day in bed and no time sitting in the chair. Part of the reason for staying in bed was waiting on the dialysis nurse to arrive, and once he did, the procedure takes four hours to complete, then she is really tired afterward. Karin did quite well, contributing almost four liters in four hours. Since it was Memorial Day things were a bit low key in and around the hospital. Even parking was free! Linda put patriotic red-white-and-blue "footies" on Karin for the holiday. In addition to Brandon, Linda, and Tim being with her today, Karin was visited by her Aunt Rosemarie, her Webmaster uncle, and his brother-in-law, George Rodgers. Kola the dachshund was a no-show today. During Karin's dialysis, Rosemarie and Linda chatted and worked on a craft with beads. After dialysis, Karin received a full spa treatment from Aunt Rosemarie featuring a shampoo and deep scalp massage. Karin enjoyed the pampering very much, and we enjoyed pampering her to be sure. Pictures are in the photo gallery. God bless all our service men and women, past and present for their sacrifice, and the donor's family, and Karin and Brandon, and all their supporters and prayer partners.

May 27, 2007 at 9:30 p.m.  Brandon spent the night sleeping in a chair next to Karin's bed. Cots are in very short supply and they are on a waiting list. Today Karin and Brandon opened some more anniversary cards and reminisced about their wedding day seven years ago. Aside from doing some walking today (aka the "Anniversary Waltz"), Karin spent most of the rest of the day watching TV with Brandon, Tim & Linda. The really big surprise, however, arrived in a duffle bag. With the help of her dad, Brandon managed to smuggle Karin's little dachshund Kola into the hospital. After not seeing her favorite little lap dog for three months, Karin was elated and thrilled to be reunited with her favorite pet. Kola was a little intimidated by the sights and sounds and surely missed not being able to hear Karin's voice, but he spent the day comforting and entertaining Karin, nonetheless. Michelle from the CTICU came by to visit Karin and see how she is progressing. The nursing staff who have attend Karin have been genuinely caring. It is clear by their actions that most all of them care about Karin as a person, and not just another patient they treat because it's their job. As you remember our fallen soldiers this Memorial Day with a prayer of thanksgiving, please remember Karin and her family as well.

May 26, 2007 at 9:30 p.m.  Yesterday Aunt Marilyn stopped by and brought Karin the cutest fake potted plant - press the button and the plant "dances" while playing/singing a hip-hop tune. You can even play your iPod thru it. It really cheered Karin a lot as it begs you to dance along with the music. By the way Karin cannot have live plants nor live flowers. Linda spent the night with Karin and said she did not have a particularly restful night, but she did have a pretty good day today. Actually, she didn't get out of bed and into her chair until around noon - it IS Saturday, ya know! Once she was up, she was U-P - Karin "danced" three times with Tim and twice with Linda today (it must have been that "dancing plant" from Aunt Marilyn that inspired her). She also had some visitors stop in - Uncle Jack and Aunt Kathy. We are still asking for prayer for her kidneys to spring back into action, and that she will not be anxious about her new regimen and the challenges ahead.

May 25, 2007 at 7:15 p.m.  Karin had a very good day today. She has been off the ventilator for a week now, showing no signs of discomfort, and her "numbers" are good. Getting off the ventilator is really challenging. One former patient, a man who ran marathons, told the doctors it was the equivalant of training for a marathon race (26.2 miles). Karin has accomplished that hurdle, praise God! The Physical Terrorists came by today but did little more than evaluate her current condition. One made a remark as they left to the effect that "now that we know what you CAN do, look out when we come back because we won't be so easy on you the next time!" Forewarned is forearmed, as they say. Karin was able to get out of her chair and stand up at the window to look at the views outside. While we were there she also stood up and walked about 10 feet to her bed. Tim holds his hands near her to steady her just in case she would start to fall, but Karin is doing all the work. The social worker assigned to Karin came by today to ask Tim and Linda if they would serve as a resource to encourage and assist another family of a transplant patient. This is the second time the Lord has used them to help another patient/family make their passage through turbulent transplant waters. It seems Karin is making the transition to her new room "upstairs" and to a new level of care all in stride. She looked simply wonderful to us today. And we have really enjoyed all the Anniversary cards you have been sending to Karin & Brandon. As we were about to place our hands on Karin and pray over her before leaving this evening, the dialysis nurse arrived and she told us to take all the time we needed. So we did, and I encouraged Karin with a verse from Jeremiah 29:11 - "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

May 24, 2007 at 7:00 p.m.  Karin made it through her first night "upstairs" in the Cardio-Thoracic Transplant Unit known as "D-9." This 17-bed wing is reserved for persons who received transplants of a heart, lung, or heart-lung after they have graduated from the CT-ICU. Brandon was able to spend the night in the room with Karin, sleeping in a chair beside her bed... but he has requested a cot when one becomes available! The night was not without some anxiety for both of them - the hubbub of the transition, a new staff of nurses, more patients per staff, and new surroundings in general made for a night of cat naps rather than deep sleep for both of them. So Karin was just a bit weary today when we arrived at 11 a.m. The nurses explained that they are going to be less aggressive about weaning Karin off the bi-pap at night to ease the first few days of transition, so hopefully she will have a better night's sleep. They are cutting back on the ice cream and popsicles for a few days for the same reason, but Karin did enjoy ice chips today. The respiratory nurse was in frequently to check Karin today and was pleased with Karin's CO and CO2 numbers. Before we left this afternoon, Karin got up on her feet and stood briefly, did shoulder shrug exercises, and flexed her arms a bit holding a 1-lb weight. As a reward Aunt Rosemarie gave her a foot massage, a back rub, and a temple rub, and Linda massaged her legs. Karin seemd to enjoy all the attention, for sure. It was such a blessing to see Karin's face light up as Tim read to her the e-cards that were delivered today. And she received a very special wedding anniversary card signed by ALL the staff in the CT-ICU - doctors and nurses and techs - wishing her and Brandon their very best. I will be posting pictures of Karin in her new room shortly, so check the photo gallery every now and then to see what has been added.

May 23, 2007 at 8:00 p.m.  Linda reported tonight that Karin was moved upstairs to room 922 around 8 p.m., after 85 days in the Cardio-Thoracic Intensive Care Unit since her transplant on February 27th!

May 22, 2007 at 11:00 p.m.  Brandon reported that today, 84 days after her transplant, the doctors were ready to move Karin out of the Cardio-Thoracic Intensive Care Unit to a room "upstairs" in the cardiac care follow-up unit on the 9th floor, BUT . . . there were no rooms available! So it might happen Wednesday. They believe the hole in her windpipe has healed itself - thank you for your fervent prayers. Brandon got to observe them do a bronchoscopy today. In fact Karin, who was sitting up in a chair, was also able to watch the monitor. They could see the doctor go down the trachea to where the bronchial tube splits, and then into the left lung. Brandon said it was really cool to see how healthy and pink Karin's new lungs looked. In the left lung the doctor also went into several different tunnels, then backed up and explored the right lung. Brandon said he could actually see the stitches where they attached the donor lung to Karin's old pipes - the stitches are blue and clearly visible. He said you could also see where they did the repairs when Karin's innominate artery burst on Good Friday (April 7th report). Brandon said if they could show cigarette smokers the inside of their lungs this way, they would all quit smoking immediately. Karin had a whole popsicle today, a 10 oz cup of ice, and some chocolate ice cream. She has been off the ventilator all day today, since 4 a.m., and they might even extend her to 24 hours off this time. The Respiratory Terrorists and doctors say they know Karin can go the 24 hours. Karin and Brandon had another excursion outside to a different flower garden today, ranging across the bridge to UPMC Montefiore hospital across the street. Karin has made amazing progress in a very short time, praise God! We will post her new room number as soon as we get it so you can send congratulations to her in her new digs.

May 21, 2007 at 10:40 p.m.  Brandon phoned tonight on his way home from the hospital to report that Karin remained on the trach mask until 1 o'clock this morning - a total of 21 hours!!!! The goal is 24 hours in order to be promoted "upstairs." There was some talk about leaving her on the trach mask for the duration of the night tonight. This is another milestone, because it represents the first time Karin will attempt to sleep breathing w/o the ventilator or bi-pap and only the trach mask. The medical staff is talking about moving Karin out of the CTICU to upstairs perhaps as soon as Wednesday, depending on room availability and her continued progress. Critical Care Dr. Murray said that because Karin is on a special kind of trach, the CTICU Critical Care doctors will follow up on her when she goes upstairs. They will wait until she is upstairs before downsizing the diameter of the trach tube. Brandon explained that for Karin right now it is like breathing through a straw and as they downsize the tube it will require more energy for her to breathe through a smaller tube. Right now she is on a #8 tube and it will be downsized to a #6, then a #4, then a #2 before the trach is removed completely. Please pray that she is able to have restful sleep regardless of which apparatus she is using and is able to handle the increased ventilator weaning.

May 20, 2007 at 11:00 p.m.  Brandon phoned tonight on his way home from the hospital with this report. He said that Karin had been awakened early again as planned at 4 a.m. to be taken off the bi-pap machine she has been using at night to sleep with some assisted air pressure. She is not comfortable enough yet to sleep when weaning through the trach mask so once they awakened her and took her off the trach mask she was up for the day and did not get much sleep. When he got there this morning around 10 a.m. Karin was feeling tired and was still in bed. She stayed there until about 12:30 p.m. before getting up. Even after transferring to her chair, she was feeling tired and seemed to be fighting to stay awake for much of the day. Still they are going to try to keep her weaning until midnight before putting her back on the bi-pap. They plan to take her off again at 4 a.m. The plan for Monday is to have her on the bi-pap for only 2 hours between midnight and 2 a.m. That means she will get 20 hours then 22 hours logged in weaning using trach mask. Pray that Karin will feel comfortable enough to get some extra sleep in the time she is off the bi-pap so she will feel more rested as she increases time weaning and so she will not feel so sleep deprived.
      Today when the doctor asked her if there was anything else she wanted or needed she pointed to the ceiling indicating that she wants to move out of the CTICU and upstairs to the transplant-rehab floor. She needs to be breathing off the ventilator for 24 hours for that to happen, but he said a move upstairs mid-week might still be achievable. Karin did get her hair done by "Mr. Brandon" and also worked for a short time on a word search with Brandon. Something interesting also happened. Karin was asked to participate in a study of patients who need assistance communicating when unable to speak because they are on a ventilator and for other reasons. She will be one of about 180 patients in the hospital with this need. Among gathering information on various other things, it seems the hospital is looking to update or acquire some new assistive communication devices for use by patients like Karin. Her feedback will be very useful to them. Karin will be questioned and observed several times next week by the study team. She is anxious to be able to be of some use and to be able to do something to inform the research team and hopefully to help improve patient care in this area for future patients.

May 19, 2007 at 11:00 p.m.  Tim reported that Karin had another good day, very similar to the previous couple of days. She weaned off the ventilator using the trach mask for another 18 hours again today, and got to go outside again for a while. The phone connection was bad so we don't have any details on that. Karin had visits today from friends back home, Amanda and Kathy Eckley. Karin's cousin Rachael Marks and her finacee Ryan drove in from Williamsport to visit today. It was a short report, but a good one.

May 18, 2007 at 11:00 p.m.  Brandon reports that Karin was in bed all day today. She was pretty wiped out, having started on the trach mask weaning at 4 o'clock this morning. This was a dialysis day, also. They did remove about 2.5 litres from noon until 4 p.m., but it left her weakened. Then about 7:30 p.m. she got her second wind and so she was off the ventilator and wide awake for about 18 hours today. Karin is not quite comfortable enough to take a nap while weaning on the trach mask, but as soon as they put her on the bi-pap she goes to sleep comfortably. They are hoping to get her walking a little next week, and it is still a goal to get her moved out of the CTICU by the end of next week. The weekend is typically a time of rest and receiving more visitors.

May 17, 2007 at 10:45 p.m.  Brandon reports that Karin started ventilator weaning using the trach mask at 6:30 this morning and went all day until 10 o'clock tonight, when she went on bi-pap for the night! Karin had a popsicle and ice cream again today and enjoyed them so much she ate most of the twin pop. There was a session with the Physical Therapists, Karin did two word-find puzzles with Brandon, and she got a shampoo from "Mr. Brandon", too. Brandon had a number of questions as a follow-up to the 2nd and 3rd surgeries for the doctor on-call today. However, he was not as informed about some of the particulars regarding Karin's case so it will have to wait until the regular critical care doctor or her surgeon returns to duty. One of the next steps they had questions about is when will Karin's trach tube be down-sized, because then she will be able ot eat things like pudding. The goal for tomorrow is an early, early wake-up call to start weaning at 4 a.m. to see if she can go until 10 p.m. again. Brandon said how much he and Karin appreciate having the NTAF fund established. Over a thousand people, businesses, organizations and churches have contributed to Karin's NTAF fund which is being used now to cover some un-insured expenses. If you have any ideas about fundraisers over the summer to replenish these resources, please contact Tim Marks at skid@acsworld.com

May 17, 2007 at 9:15 a.m.  Brandon reports that Karin is getting "antsy" to leave the CTICU and "move upstairs!" She wanted him to have the nurse page the doctor yesterday to find out when this move was going to happen. She had hemo-dialysis while sitting up in the chair and breathing through the trach mask yesterday (another first), and enjoyed popsicles and ice chips again! Karin is making big strides in her recovery progress. God is good, prayers are working!

May 15, 2007 at 11:00 p.m.  Brandon reports that Karin had another milestone day!  She was up early and weaned off the ventilator ALL DAY! About mid-day, the Critical Care doctor came by and said Karin could actually have some treats by mouth - a popsicle and some ice cream. So she started with an orange popsicle. Karin bit off tiny, bean-sized bites and let them melt in her mouth. Later, she indicated to Brandon that she wanted to try ice cream, but the nurse was very busy with another patient, so Brandon went up to the cafeteria and bought her some french vanilla ice cream and fed it to her in small bites. Again, she let it melt in her mouth before swollowing. This is the first food Karin has had by mouth in 78 days, and she let Brandon know how much she enjoyed the cooling wetness of it, but it turns out she has no sense of taste because the tracheostomy cuts off her sense of smell and without smell our taste buds don't work. Brandon said Karin is strong enough to scoot to the edge of her chair by herself and now rolls over on her side in bed. He had her standing up on her feet today doing some shuffling in place. Many of her muscles have gone unsused these past two months while Karin's body has been healing in other ways, so many muscle movements, including mouth and throat, will need to be exercised to get going again. Karin went to bed tonight using the bi-pap again for breathing. The milestones today were first food by mouth since the transplant, and going all day breathing without the ventilator!

May 14, 2007 at 10:15 p.m.  Brandon reports that Karin had a milestone day!  She was up early, and before Brandon even got there had physical therapy and occupational therapy. They had her "marching-in-place." When Brandon arrived, Karin was sitting up in the chair doing a trach wean. Then around 11 a.m. the head nurse came in and asked her, "Would you like to go outside for a while?" Of course, they both enthusiastically responded, "YES!" It took a while for all the equipment to get set up, but basically, the head nurse put Karin in her chair, hooked her up to a portable oxygen bottle and some fancy portable monitoring devices, then took Karin and Brandon up to the 3rd floor to an outdoor pavillion with tables, umbrellas, chairs and plantings. Karin could have used a visor or some sunglasses and she let Brandon know how much she enjoyed feeling a breeze on her face. This is the first time Karin has been out of her room (other than surgery or imaging) in 76 days! Seeing the blue sky relaxed her so much, her heart rate was only 105. They were outside for about 15 minutes and after returning to her room, Karin had a round of dialysis, took a short break, then did the trach wean until 9 p.m., when she went to sleep on the bi-pap machine. It was quite a day for Karin ... and Brandon wishes he had brought his camera with him!

Mother's Day, 2007 at 10:00 p.m.  Brandon reported tonight that Karin had a good night last night breathing on the bi-pap machine instead of the ventilator. Her stats dropped a little this evening at the end of the weaning period, so they started her on the bi-pap sooner and she went right to sleep. She seems very comfortable breathing with the bi-pap. Dr. Murray said today that if Karin continues to do well on the bi-pap, it is possible she could leave the CTICU and be moved upstairs to the Cardiac Rehab unit by the end of this week. Monday will be a big day for Karin because P.T. and O.T (Occupational Therapy) are both scheduled and they hope to be able to get Karin started walking again. Monday is also a dialysis day. Dr. Murray said her chest X-ray looked good and the incision from the third surgery looks good, even though Karin still has some staples remaining. The doctor has not said anything more about the hole in Karin's windpipe. Pray she adjusts to the increased physical activity and her kidneys will "wake up" and do their job, and she comtinues to function well on the bi-pap.

May 12, 2007 at 11:00 p.m.  Linda called to report that Karin weaned off the ventilator about 14 hours straight today! She got a shampoo and as Linda was drying her hair she was able to sit up on the edge of the bed and dangle her feet. Also, Karin had several opportunities to get up and stand on her feet and shuffle around. Linda remarked that she noticed that Karin seems to be getting stronger. Karin was anxious to try the Bi-Pap breathing technique for the first time tonight. They were not able to get her connected until about 10:30 p.m. and she seemed very comfortable in making the transition .... she was ready to roll over and go right to sleep. Another step forward and another milestone. This will be her first attempt at sleeping all night without the ventilator to assist her breathig, only the Bi-Pap machine - we pray she has a very good night.

May 11, 2007 at 1:40 p.m.  As reported yesterday, Aunt Marilyn did come for the early evening vist and that always seems to boost Karin's spirits. Karin continued to wean off the ventilator and in fact was still weaning when I left at 10 p.m.. She did 12 hours of weaning yesterday and was right back at it by 9 a.m. this morning and was sitting in the chair and visiting with her and Brandon's friend, Kevin, when I got here this morning. I was about 15 minutes later than normal this morning because I made a candy run before going to the hospital. This fundraiser seems to be going very well thanks to a lot of people who are selling it and especially Sheryl who came up with the idea and is certainly selling quite a bit herself. Linda showed up shortly after I did and that sure brought a smile to Karin's face. Just as I was preparing to leave her room to write this update the Critical Care doctor showed up so I stuck around to hear what he had to say. He is pleased with Karin's progress and indicated that if she weaned for the rest of today he would let her rest on the ventilator tonight and wean again tomorrow and then try the Bi-Pap tomorrow night. She got a disgusted look on her face and then indicated she wanted to do the Bi-Pap tonight (which is what he said he MIGHT do yesterday). He explained that he just doesn't want her to have trouble with not being able to tolerate the Bi-Pap and have to resort back to the ventilator. He would feel better if she weans today and tomorrow before trying the Bi-Pap. I think she understands his reasoning and will do what she has to do. More later.

May 10, 2007 at 3:25 p.m.  Karin is having another good day today! Although she only got out of bed and into the chair this morning at 10:30 she has been weaning off the ventilator ever since. I might add that she was again standing several times this morning with less support than previously. Physical Therapy was in and exercised her joints and now I know the routine so I can be the Physical TERRORIST! The critical care doctor was in to see her this morning and is pleased with her progress and told her that if she continues to improve the trach mask times he will consider putting her on Bi-Pap at night instead of the ventilator! She wanted him to do that tonight but he said she had to wean all day today and then again tomorrow and he might put her on the Bi-Pap tomorrow night. I think she is determined, and unless I miss my guess, will push herself if she has to, but quite honestly she seems to be just cruising right along now on the trach mask. Gram and Pap were here today and left at 2 p.m.   I think Karin's Aunt Marilyn may be planning on coming today after work too.

May 9, 2007 at7:35 p.m.  Karin had a good day yesterday after having the feeding tube inserted into her abdomen and I think she weaned off the ventilator about eight hours. Today was much the same. Physical Therapy was in this morning and had her standing again and then she sat in the chair until dialysis started at about 1 p.m. She started her weaning exercise at about 9 a.m. and was able to wean right through the dialysis session but is now taking a break. I think she will try to wean again this evening. She is really looking good and even though the weaning hasn't gotten a lot longer each day, I really do think she is making progress. In fact, today about an hour into the dialysis session, they were going put her back on the ventilator and actully did, but before the "Respiratory TERRORIST" could even put the trach mask away she insisted on continuing with the trach mask! I think this is a very positive sign. By the way we are "AFFECTIONATELY" referring to the RT people as the respiratory terrorists. The do a great job and are very compassionate yet, push her when they can. I have not been out of her room for more than 10 minutes all day, until just now (7 p.m.). I'm gonna go get something to eat right now so I can get back in for the next visiting period with Karin at 8:30 this evening.

May 8, 2007 at 6:00 p.m.  A call to Linda with a bad cell phone signal enables us to do only a brief dinnertime update: Yesterday Karin continued weaning about two hours concurrent with the dialysis procedure. Then after a short quiet time break she resumed weaning until after 9 p.m. for a whopping daily total of about 11 hours! Hallelujah! She now has a feeding tube in her abdomen instead of the nasal ones and her face is looking beautifully emancipated. Little comforts mean a lot when so few things about your personal care and space are under your control so we are rejoicing in this new comfort. Tim said she was still a little groggy from the abdominal feeding tube insertion procedure but without skipping a beat (no pun intended) they put her into her chair and began her weaning off the ventilator again today. They certainly are not letting any grass grow under her feet! Prayerfully that will help her feel the tickle of grass beneath her bare feet all the sooner.

May 7, 2007 at 3:30 p.m.  Tim writes: "Just in case I don't have the opportunity to write something a little later this evening I wanted to get this information posted. When we arrived here this morning, Karin was already sitting up in the chair and weaning from the ventilator and Physical Therapy was in and had her standing twice. She began the weaning exercise at about 8 a.m. and the dialysis nurse showed up just about noon to start her session. Linda was able to convince Karin to at least try to do the dialysis while still weaning and as I write this message at 3:15 p.m. she is doing that. Dialysis was going smoothly and it looks as though they will remove about three liters of fluid. We are not sure if they will still insert the new feeding tube or not today. But she should be through with the dialysis session at about 4 p.m. so they may still be able to do the new feeding tube procedure. We'll see! Today is certainly shaping up to be another GOOD one for Karin's progress, even if she doesn't wean too much longer. We will certainly encourage her to keep going if dialysis hasn't worn her out too much. She is one hard working young lady and it is good to see her moving forward again. We can see her responding to your prayers."

May 6, 2007 at 11:00 p.m.  Linda reported that Karin had another great day weaning off the ventilator - she went about 9 hours! Karin spent an hour reading the Post-a-Notes people have been writing to her. She also did a word-search puzzle today. Karin used the message board to let them know that when she gets to eat real food again, she is craving fruit salad (it has been 68 days since Karin has had anything by mouth). She had another hair-wash-and-blow-dry session today - it really seems to relax her. It was a quiet, visitor-free day, with only the Three Musketeers - Brandon, Linda, and Tim - there with Karin. Tomorrow (Monday) the doctors are planning to remove the two feeding tubes from Karin's nose and insert a new one into her abdomen, so please remember to pray especially for that medical procedure to go well. Thank you, and God bless all of you for your continued concern, prayers, and support.

Cinco de Mayo, 2007 at 9:10 p.m.  What a "HIGH" today has been! Karin was sitting in the chair and had begun a weaning exercise at 9 a.m. this morning. One of the transplant team surgeons came in about 11 a.m. and removed the drain tube from her chest which was placed there during the 3rd. surgery a little over a week ago. He seemed pleased with the wound healing process but it will still take some time to heal completely. The important thing is for it to remain clean and heal from the inside out.
      Though it occassionaly took some coaxing, Karin was able to breath on her own until 8 p.m. this evening. - 11 HOURS, and I know we really could have talked her into more because her "numbers" looked good and she wasn't even breaking a sweat. Earlier in the day she had asked if we would wash her hair again this evening so we thought she deserved a break and some pampering! Apparently having her hair washed relaxes her. Last night I was kidding her about all the pampering and told her that in addition to the IV drip of Heparin she is receiving, someone must have started one with "Pamperin"! She just smirked.
      I better get back in there to make sure Brandon and Linda are doing a good job, you know it is so hard to get good help these days!
      For those of you who have not been following Karen Arrowood's progress closely, I am happy to say that they are most likely spending tonight in their own home in Georgia for the first time since mid-December! Keep those prayers coming for the "Special K's" and of course their donor families! Thank you,Tim.

May 4, 2007 at 10:30 p.m.  Linda phoned this evening to report that Karin had another good day. The Physical Therapy people stopped by and got her to stand up for a while, which went well. She got to practice weaning off the ventilator for only about two hours today so that dialysis could be done. The new tunnel catheter and all the lines worked well and they removed between two and three liters today. Karin enjoyed visits from her Uncle Bob and Aunt Joni and their daughter Kristin with Bobby. Aunt Marilyn stopped by today, too. Perhaps today's highlight for Karin was a shampoo and cream rinse from her personal cosmeticians, "Mr. Brandon" and "Mr. Timmy" (see picture of previous treatment). Their services are now known as the "2-Guys Salon", or is it the "2-Guys Saloon!" Karin did not receive today the new feeding tube which will go directly into her abdomen. That will probably happen on Monday. Thank you for all your prayers, e-cards, Post-a-Notes, and support. They are so uplifting and encouraging and truly make a difference.

May 3, 2007 at 8:00 p.m.  Tim writes: When we got here this morning at 10:30 a.m. Karin was already sitting in the chair and breathing on her own with the Trach mask. She asked her mom to file her fingernails. Gram and Pap showed up and stayed until quiet time at 2 p.m.  Karin was still weaning at that time and eventually did almost eight hours of weaning today! The Critical Care doctors made their rounds while we were there and talked about the possibility of placing a feeding tube directly into Karin's abdomen. Realistically Karin will need the liquid nutrition for at least another month and they feel she may be more comfortable with this type of tube rather than the one (actually two) in her nose. Karin indicated that she wanted to do this so the doctor said he would send someone around to discuss the procedure with her and possibly schedule tomorrow. Even though tomorrow is also a regularly scheduled dialysis day, I think they intend to get her up in the chair and begin a weaning exercise early in the morning. Editor's comment: It sure would be great if they can continue to keep these procedures coordinated enough to maximize her time weaning. Remember the goal is to get to 24 hours a day in order to move out of ICU. Of course sometimes scheduling interruptions just cannot be avoided but please pray for efficient use of each day for Karin's progressive recovery. Anyone who has had a nasal tube like this taped to the end of your nose for even a short time knows that after a while you begin to feel like a cross-eyed Pinochoccio so please pray that the feeding tube insertion procedure can be scheduled in a timely way, performed safely and that Karin feels more comfortable with this new placement."

May 2, 2007 at 7:00 p.m.  When he went back in to visit at 4:00 p.m., Tim said Karin was sitting up in a chair and weaning off the ventilator. Since dialysis was on the schedule for today this was a surprise but a good one. It seems dialysis wasn't going to be able to see her until 6 p.m. so they managed to squeeze in about three hours of weaning time before that. We love these action packed days because they make the most of Karin's time to work on getting well. Karin seems to have turned another corner in the last two days with regard to her demeanor. Tim said she is acting more like her pre-operative old self. He is not sure if it is a medication adjustment that has made the difference or a combination of things but it is so good to see. We are rejoicing with him in this answer to prayer!

May 2, 2007 at 3:35 p.m.  Tim reports: "When we got here this morning Karin was just getting back to her room after having the tunnel catheter re-wired! She apparently had been sedated and slept most of the morning but by the time we left at 2 p.m. she was awake and seemed to be in a pretty good mood. She was listening to Tim McGraw singing "Live Like You Were Dying" on her I-pod for a while and when we were leaving she wanted a Sudoku book to work on! She seems to have more strength than she has had lately and maintains a very positive attitude! They are going to try to do a dialysis session this afternoon and hopefully will have started by the time we get back in at 4 p.m."

May 1 , 2007 at 10:45 p.m.  Tim reported tonight that Karin had a decent day today, in spite of the fact they could not perform a dialysis because of recurrring problems with the lines that connect her to the machine. They plan on replacing the tunnel catheter tomorrow to correct that matter. Karin had been sitting up in the chair for a while this morning while weaning off the ventilator, but had to be put back into bed for the attempted dialysis. She then resumed "ventilator weaning" again later in the afternoon and got in about three hours before the respirator therapist stopped the session. Karin seems to be able to move without wincing, although she is still coughing some from the pneumonia. She can now communicate by handwriting, which makes it faster and easier to get her message and meaning clearly understood, but still uses the electronic speller sometimes. Her attitude was good today and she seems a little stronger physically and in reasonably good spirits. We hope she will be in dancing form again before long.
     The candy sales are going strong. Tim took delivery of more stock today and will be happy to supply assortments by the case on one day's notice. (see for details).

To read previous Daily Update Reports beginning with Karin's transplant February 27th, click below:
April 2007
February-March 2007
Have you seen the Special Request for Karin & Brandon?

We will continue to update Karin's progress and add pictures as we receive them.