Karin's Photo Gallery (click here)
  (last posted on 1/25/08)  

February 17, 2008 - 10:30 p.m. Karin continues to express frustration and sadness and anger about the lack of progress she perceives she is making. She really wanted to communicate this evening about how she is feeling and we hope and pray the ability to vent these emotions will help her regain her resolve to tough it out. While she was sitting up between 10:45 a.m. and 3:45 p.m. she was breathing with the aid of the trach mask, but she is now resting her system by using the ventilator to assist her breathing. Brandon re-read all of last week's Post-A-Notes to her to remind her of the support she has from so many others. Tim and Linda drove to Pittsburgh from the successful fundraiser in Lemoyne last night to be with Karin today, and Uncle Bob and Aunt Marilyn came by to encourage Karin. Brandon is hoping that the meeting with Palliative Care tomorrow will help Karin get through this difficult time successfully.

February 16, 2008 - 7:20 p.m. Karin did OK physically today, but she is having some personal emotional battles as she faces the first anniversary of her transplant and has yet to leave the hospital . . . and is currently in the CTICU with respiratory challenges. So it is understandable, and normal, for Karin to feel frustrated and weary and wonder when she will be well enough to go home. It would be a very rare person who would never loose hope under these circumstances. Karin was connected to a trach mask to assist her breathing for about 90 minutes today, but it was not comfortable for her. So the respiratory therapist put her back on the ventilator when dialysis began. Subsequently, Karin tried to remove herself from the ventilator, but Brandon and the nurse worked with Karin for about 2-1/2 hours to convince Karin to leave the ventilator in place. Brandon especially reminded Karin about their acquaintance Georgina who had been in UPMC for well over a year following a heart-double lung transplant, has a kidney transplant, too, but is leading a perfectly normal life today. Brandon has permission to stay at Karin's bedside in the CTICU room overnight. On a very positive note, the spaghetti dinner fundraiser was a huge success. It was so well attended that they ran out of food and had to go out to get more! We are grateful for all the hard work that went into this event and want to thank Paul Baumgardner and Scott Leiser for planning and organizing the fundraiser, the First Christian Church and its members for all their hard work and use of their facilities, the Square-D Corporation for underwriting the cost of the food, and thanks to everyone who attended the dinner. Several people who could not attend, like Laurie & Dave and Kathleen Kasper, sent in checks. Brandon's family and relatives were well represented, as were many of Karin's friends from Milroy. Tim & Linda drove to Lemoyne with Cliff & Chris Forsythe. The amount raised at tonight's dinner far exceeded the goal set by the organizers. I am certain the news of tonight's success will restore Karin's hope and provide the encouragement she needs right now to keep persevering. Please pray that the forces of darkness, doubt, depression, and dispair are dispelled and that the Comforter from Heaven gives Karin the peace that passes all understanding and that she is renewed with Heavenly hope.

February 15, 2008 - 10:25 p.m. Karin had a very busy day today. Around 10:30 a.m. she was taken to the Bronch Lab to have a bronchoscopy and biopsy, followed by surgery in IR to move her pick line. Afterward Karin had a good dialysis session at 3 p.m. which removed about 2 liters. Incredibly, Karin breathed with the trach mask most of the day and her numb3rs looked really good, but the "Respiratory Terrorists" thought it would be safer for Karin to breath using the ventilator overnight to rest her pulmonary system. Brandon got to speak with Dr. McCurry, Karin's transplant surgeon who is in charge of her case, about his concerns with dialysis scheduling. Dr. McCurry was very understanding and very helpful. Brandon also asked Dr. McCurry about what he can say to Karin to reassure her next week as they observe that a whole year has passed in the hospital since the transplant. What can he say to her to elevate her spirits and reassure her about her future and getting well enough to go home? Will there be a different medical plan of attack? Dr. McCurry was very sympathetic and said that he planned to increase the dosage of steroids since her kidneys are not functioning. The change in protocol has something to do with glands, too. Finally, something that brought a broad smile to Karin's face today was the news that a friend of Brandon's sister is getting married on Saturday, and the couple has announced that they will be celebrating their first dinner as husband and wife by attending the spaghetti dinner fundraiser for Karin in Lemoyne, PA - click HERE for details.

Valentine's Day (Feb 14), 2008 - 10:15 p.m. Karin had a good day today. She had a good dialysis session this afternoon, and although she could not tolerate it this morning, she began breathing with the trach mask this afternoon after dialysis. Karin's first visitor today was Grandma Freund followed by Jody and Mark Burkholder and another friend, Laura. Karin really enjoyed their visit. They brought along dozens of Valentine cards from Karin's former co-workers at Members First Credit Union, other mutual friends, and the congregation at the Mt. Holly Church of God. Karin spent some time sitting up in the chair and also had a visit from Chaplain Carol. Tomorrow promises to be a busy day for her: there is a bronchoscopy and biopsy which they are trying to coordinate with moving her pick lines, too. Brandon anticipates she will be tired, but she really enjoyed having the company today. Today's visitors caused some big familiar smiles to spread across Karin's face. Another surprise for Karin and Brandon today was learning that Jody held a "Bunko Benefit" for Karin which raised $500 for Karin's Fund. By the way, Karin and Brandon introduced Jody to Mark. Brandon mentioned that he and Karin spent about an hour reading all the Valentines and e-cards, which were very uplifting and encouraging for them. Thank you to everyone who sent greetings. People have been inquiring about how much longer Karin will be in the hospital - although we don't know for sure, if she continues to make steady progress and does not have any set backs, she could be discharged as soon as the end of April, but short of a miracle, it is not likely she could go home before then.

February 13, 2008 - 8:45 p.m. Karin continues to make progress. She was sitting up in a chair for most of the day and at 7 p.m., when Brandon left to get some dinner, Karin was still breathing using a trach mask. He anticipates she will stay on the trach mask until about 10 p.m., when she will be switched to the bi-pap machine to assist her breathing for the night. During today's dialysis they removed one liter. Brandon had an opportunity to talk with the dialysis nurse and two doctors about improving the scheduling of dialysis. A volunteer from Palliative Care was also present for the discussion. Afterward they phoned the unit director to plan a better arrangement. Karin had a few anxious moments while on the trach mask the first hour. Usually, if she can get past the first 90 minutes she seems to be OK, so she and Brandon watched the movie "Racing Stripes" as a distraction and it worked. Getting to the hospital today was a challenge for Brandon because the hilly Pittsburgh streets were covered with a sheet of ice on top of the snow and he could not get up some of the hills so he had to back down and find alternate ways.

February 12, 2008 - 8:30 p.m. Your prayers are working! Karin is stable and out of danger and is breathing without difficulty using a ventilator continuously. She was more awake today, too. Karin remained in bed today resting comfortably. There are no results from the cultures yet. Palliative Care came by today and may have Andrea stop by tomorrow to play some guitar to cheer Karin up a bit. The respiratory specialists plan on starting to wean Karin off the ventilator tomorrow. Let's pray Karin does very well using the trach mask tomorrow and will be able to go back upstairs very soon. Let's also cheer Karin up with some Valentine e-cards and Post-A-Notes.

February 11, 2008 - 10:20 p.m.Karin is resting comfortably in the CTICU this evening and is breathing with the aid of a ventilator. She does not seem to be experiencing any complications with her breathing right now and her vital signs ("stats") are better. They are awaiting the results of blood tests and cultures grown from tissue samples taken during the bronchoscopy. The bronchoscopy did provide visual confirmation that there is no problem with the stenosis, praise God. Uncle Jack and Aunt Kathy visited Karin in the CTICU tonight. Brandon stayed until visiting hours ended then he headed promptly for Grandma's house because the Pittsburgh streets are snow covered. Please keep the prayers coming.
February 11, 2008 - 2:00 p.m. Karin is back in CTICU in Bed #6. Things were not going well for Karin this morning in the cardiothoracic unit on the 9th floor. This weekend Brandon had been concerned that something was happening concerning Karin's condition and he had made calls to get help from her Palliative Care team (which includes a social worker, chaplain, and psychologist) to express some of his concerns regarding her care. This morning while several people were trying to respond to his calls, there was a lot going on in Karin's room. He said it seemed like there were about "20 million people in her room at one time." Things got very busy there as they also did two bedside bronchoscopies (presumably to check on the stenosis where her new lungs are connected to her original plumbing) and even attempted to begin a dialysis session. Karin was short of breath and in distress feeling like she just couldn't breathe, running a high fever, her blood pressure was not good, and she was not tolerating the dialysis. Prior to moving her back to CTICU there was some talk of doing another biopsy later today, to check for organ rejection. In his understated way, Brandon said her vital signs dropped twice this morning and she was having trouble holding her own. Then when Dr. McCurry (Karin's transplant surgeon) hadn't yet responded to a page from Susan, Karin's nurse practitioner, they decided to call a "code" and move Karin back downstairs to CTICU where the Critical Care doctors will be able to evaluate Karin's condition further. Updates will be posted as soon as more information is available. We would appreciate everyone going to prayer and asking the Lord to minister to Karin with His healing touch. Thank you.
February 11, 2008 - 11:00 a.m. We have a special request to pray for Karen Arrowood, the other woman who received a heart-double lung transplant at UPMC last year. Karen's transplant is doing fine, but she is now having liver problems and she is going for liver transplant evaluation today and Tuesday. You can read about the details on her web site, www.karenarrowood.com, (when you get to this link, scroll down to the bottom of the page). Most importantly, please include Karen Arrowood in your prayers the next few days. Thank you.

February 10, 2008 - 9:00 p.m. Karin is not doing as well upstairs as she had been doing while in the CTICU a couple of days ago. Brandon said he just let Karin sleep all day because she needed it, so she did not even get out of bed, let alone attempt to do any walking. The good news is that her heart rate is back to normal and her oxygen levels are good and the fever she had yesterday seems to be gone. However Karin is complaining that she is short of breath, even when using the bi-pap machine. Brandon is concerned that it could possibly be caused either by the stenosis where her new lungs were attached to her existing plumbing or by bacteria. The day Karin was moved back upstairs they did not have orders to administer her antibiotic, so she failed to get her dose that day. They are going to check her carbon dioxide levels this evening. A phlebotomist came by to draw blood today so Karin's blood gasses could be checked, but he was unable to locate a vein so he just walked out and left! Understandably, Brandon sounded a little down this evening.

February 9, 2008 - 8:45 p.m. Karin has not had an easy transition on her first day back up to the 9th floor (Room D-924). It was about midnight last night when dialysis finished, so even though it saps her strength and makes her weak, she did not sleep well last night. She wanted to take a walk today really badly, so Brandon got a nurse to help him get her up on her feet. She admitted to feeling weak but she walked to the scale in the hall and got herself weighed. She is down to a scant 90 lbs. The walking was slow going and it took all she had to cover a distance of only 12 feet today. After exerting herself with strenuous exercise, the bed looked pretty good to her. Then dialysis showed up at 2:15 p.m. - only 14 hours after finishing yesterday's session and Karin exerting herself. Dialysis did not go so well - they had to stop one hour early because the poor girl's heart rate was elevated and her blood pressure had dropped. So she is resting and trying to get her heart rate and BP back to normal. She is breathing using the trach mask and will be connected to the bi-pap machine for the night. Karin had no visitors today. At least tomorrow is Sunday and she will not have dialysis, so we pray it will be a better day for Karin.

February 8, 2008 - 5:00 p.m. Karin has moved back up to the 9th floor - Room D-924. It was a pretty quiet and routine day, and the move, which took place at 4:45 p.m., went very smoothly. Prior to her move Karin did some marching in place at her bedside in the CTICU. She did not have any visitors as of dinner time today. Clearly, Karin is doing well and making progress and she seems to be responding to both the medications and your prayers. Remember, too, that the spaghetti dinner fundraiser in Lemoyne, PA is only one week away! Please make every effort to attend - click HERE for details.

February 7, 2008 - 5:00 p.m. Brandon called early tonight to report while Karin was sleeping following a dialysis session. He said Dr. Bajukis had been reviewing Karin's chart and asked her and Brandon if they felt Karin was ready to go back upstairs. He got an affirmative response from them both and he agreed. It will probably not happen today because it will depend on room availability. Brandon also said they switched her back to the tube feed she was originally on and that she spent some time sitting up in her chair today also. When asked about Physical Therapy today. Brandon replied, "I was her P.T. today". He said Karin said her legs feel like lead to her when she tries to do some walking in place now. He tries to help her do extra foot work every time she transfers out of bed into the chair. Hopefully she will be able to get more regular walking help from the P.T. team once she is back upstairs, because it is so debilitating for her to have had to spend so much time bedridden.

February 6, 2008 - 8:50 p.m. Karin had another good day. She was awake and breathing with the trach mask at 6:05 a.m., but did not get out of bed until after dialysis was done (10:45 a.m.) and she rebounded around 12:30. Because of an early dialysis Karin missed out on Physical Therapy - AGAIN - one wonders why no one at such a renown, top-ranked hospital can't get Karin's daily dialysis coordinated with her daily therapies - she has to have both every day of the week, it's not like they just got the word. It's a simple matter of scheduling coordination but no one takes responsibility in spite of Brandon calling it to their attention repeatedly. Anyway, Brandon got Karin out of bed and into her chair from 12:30 until after 6 p.m. He shampooed Karin's hair then when the afternoon visiting hours ended he went out and did some light grocery shopping and checked in on Grandma. Up to the time he left, there were no visitors. Basically, Karin was more awake today and seems to be doing fine again in terms of breathing, but she is not getting in any walking or physical exercise activity in the CTICU.

February 5, 2008 - 10:20 p.m. It was another good day for Karin. She breathed without any difficulty using the trach mask for 15-1/2 hours today. Karin will be using the bi-pap for breathing support for the night. She was out of bed and in her chair from 6:30 a.m. until dialysis started at 3 p.m. They removed a generous 800 ml, too. Aside from being awake all day, Karin also did a little standing beside her chair and she took a few steps. When Karin has to lay in bed and/or remain in her chair for prolonged periods (days), her legs loose muscle tone and they feel like lead to her. Getting back to walking is real work for her. Tim and Linda and Grandma visited until mid-afternoon. They were followed by Uncle Bob and Aunt Marilyn. Karin also had visits from her social worker, Jacqueline, and Pastor Carol. Yesterday she got a clergy visit from Pastor Steve, who usually handles the hospice duties. If Karin continues to show consistency in maintaining this good progress, she could be moved back upstairs by the end of the week, assuming they have a room for her on the 9th floor.

February 4, 2008 - 8:55 p.m. Overall, it was a good day for Karin. She got some great news - the biopsy shows NO SIGNS OF REJECTION! Praise God!! They cannot detect any infection either, in spite of Karin manifesting outward symptoms which would lead you to think there is infection in the lungs. The doctors can't figure it out, so they are giving Karin antibiotics as a precaution anyway. It's time for Dr. Jesus to do some more of His miracle work on Karin. After last night's report, Aunt Pat and Uncle Dan stopped in to visit. Karin really likes Dan's beard - she says he looks like a Mountain Man. Another family member says she likes Dan's long Amish-looking beard because it reminds her of her first boyfriend, Jacob Yoder. Pat and Jack Bordner, Brandon's mom and dad, stayed with Karin most of the day while Brandon attended Grandpap Freund's funeral service. He was laid to rest this morning. Karin stayed awake all day and she has graduated to using the trach mask to breath. In fact, Karin was on the trach mask from 8:30 a.m. until almost 9 p.m., when the "respiratory terrorists" connected her to the bi-pap machine for the night. This is wonderful progress. Karin did stay in bed all day, however she had a very good dialysis session. Karin had a visit from her Social Worker, Jacqueline, who talked with her about Grandpap's funeral and helped her process his passing. She also was visited by Palliative Care today, and the orthopedic appliance people are going to re-fit her back brace. It does not fit her any more because she has lost some more weight and Brandon cannot get it snug enough. so they are going to re-fit it for her. Another thing that made this a great day for Karin was a special Valentine's day gift she received from Bill and Marguerite Schmidt. It is a blanket with hearts and flowers and Mickey and Minnie. Karin was hugging closely it to her and enjoying it immensely while this report was being made.

February 3, 2008 - 8:35 p.m. Brandon reports that Karin was awake for more of the day today and that she was also more cheerful. She spent about 5ive hours using a C-pap machine to assist her breathing and enjoyed a visit from some of her favorite visitors today. Brandon's parents, Jack and Pat Bordner, and Linda all spent time with Karin early today and they managed to get some pretty good smiles out of her. Smiles from Karin have been a little scarce lately so that was very encouraging to Brandon. Brandon said he was just leaving the hospital to go to pay his respects at the funeral home when Karin's critical care doctor was making his rounds so there is no update on medical findings or lab reports at this time. Aunt Pat & Uncle Dan were expected to visit Karin this evening.

February 2, 2008 - 5:30 p.m. Brandon called this afternoon on his way to the funeral visitation for Karin's Grandpap Rege Freund. He said Karin had been put back on bi-pap. This is good news. This morning they cut back the ventilator support and she did so well, they just switched her over to the bi-pap when she got into her chair at 4:30 p.m. Dialysis removed a liter of fluid today. So it seems Karin is doing better today. Thank you for your prayers for her and for Brandon and for Linda's family during this time of grieving.

February 1, 2008 - 3:30 p.m. Brandon called this afternoon to report that Karin is doing a little bit better today, but not much. She is tired and didn't sleep well last night. Vascular did come in and map her arms using doppler ultrasound. She is receiving an antibiotic for infection, as well as some other fluid, by IV. Brandon says it is confusing whether Karin's fluid levels are high or low and he is getting some contradictory feedback about that. He is not sure whether there will be a dialysis today or not. Karin is also on blood pressure medication to keep her BP up. He has not been told about her biopsy report results yet. Last night he caught Dr. McCurry (Karin's transplant surgeon) after a day of surgery. Dr. McCurry was on his way into the CTICU to check on Karin. Brandon hopes he will help to get some answers about dialysis random scheduling, etc. Karin lost her Grandpap, Rege Freund, who passed away last night after a short illness. He was one of her faithful visitors and she and others will miss him greatly. [9:00 p.m. addendum:] Karin got out of bed this afternoon and spent about 90 minutes sitting in a chair. While she was up they put an air mattress overlay on her bed to try to alleviate the discomfort of bed sores from being on her back so much lately. Karin received some magnesium and they decreased her blood pressure medicine but when her BP began to climb again, they increased the meds accordingly. Karin is breathing with the aid of a ventilator day and night now. When Karin's father, Tim, left today, she gave him the "I love you" sign, and also asked Brandon to be sure to let Grandma know "I love you." She is back in bed and fell asleep immediately in spite of sleeping most of the day.