Update on Nancy's surgery

Hi everyone,

Just wanted you to know that Mama's surgery went well yesterday. The doctor was able to relieve the pressure on her Ulna nerve in her left arm, and she is at home recuperating. Her follow-up appointment is next Tuesday, so we should know more at that time. Please continue to keep her and Jodie in your prayers.

All my best,
Beth

Update on Jodie

Jodie has been doing well since her last seizure in May. She was briefly hospitalized while they tried to figure out the source of her infection that spiked the fever; but after several rounds of testing, they never determined the source.  She was released home to IV antibiotics and has been feeling good ever since.  

She's been being herself lately and bossing me around.  The other morning I got up and when I passed by her room I looked in and she had her "mean face" staring at me and was motioning me in there with her finger.  She told her therapist "Hey, Dale" a few weeks ago during therapy and this morning she told Geneva, her sitter, "good morning".

 

I've been having pain in my arm and shoulder lately and the doctor says that I have a compressed ulna nerve and am scheduled for surgery here in Greenwood on Wednesday, the 22^nd - and it can’t come soon enough.  It feels like someone is hitting my funny bone 24/7. I've been putting it off long enough and now the pain is so that I can't wait any longer.  Doc says I'll be in a hard cast for 10 days and several weeks of recovery afterwards.  Please say prayers for me next Wednesday and the days following as I recover. I know my darling children and grandchildren will help nurse me back to feeling better.

Jodie went back to Methodist Rehab to see the new physiatrist doctor they have on staff, Dr. Parrilla.  Jodie and I both really liked her a lot after our first visit.  She asked a lot of questions and was real attentive to Jodie and made us feel comfortable.  She Botoxed Jodie’s hands a few weeks ago and the left one is doing great and there is some looseness in the right.  Doc does not want to do much with the right leg right now because if her right leg gets too limber, it would make it more difficult to stand or walk - well, her walking is a few steps with her therapist.  Since the Botox, Jodie seems much more relaxed.  

 

We have a kitty named Whiskers (an adopted pound kitten) that defies everything you ever heard about cats.  She is not aloof but rather nosy – so much so that she gets in purses and drags out whatever you have in there.  When the nurses gave Jodie home IV meds after her last seizure, they had to put Whiskers in the bathroom because she would not keep her nose out of what they were doing.  Jodie and Whiskers have had a few issues lately – the kitty was in Jodie’s bed and Jodie was trying to kick it out.  Whiskers was quite happy in the bed and wasn’t going anywhere – finally Jodie took her knee and pinned the cat to the bed.  The cat went nuts trying to get away and a few scratches occurred.

 

All the grandkids were at the house a week or so ago and, as usual, they were wild.  Jodie loves them so much but often they get rather loud and rambunctious – she gave them a few looks, which did no good at all.  Finally, when they left she looked at me with the most “WOW thank goodness they're gone” look.  Loud, sustained noises make her nervous, but those wild ones make enough noise to make a rock nervous.  They are so darn cute, sweet and precious that they can get away with lots of things around me and Jodie.

 

If you haven’t seen Jodie’s recent paintings, go to www.msbia.org and click on the Art of Recovery link on the left sidebar - Jodie has several paintings featured on the site, Color Me Happy and The Four Ladies (there's a link on the sidebar of this blog).  If anyone would like to bid on her paintings, please do so - it's a tax-deductible donation to the Brain Injury Association of MS. Last year Jodie's friends, Jason and Lisa Clark, bid on and won Jodie's painting.  She has more that she is working on and a couple completed works.   If anyone is interested, I will post them on the blog soon and you can let me know if you'd like to order a "Jodie original"! 

 

For the 5^th anniversary of her accident (April 4^th) Beth & Jenn decided we would have a cake to celebrate her life and how far she has come.  It was very special for all of us to have her with us and to be celebrating life and God's blessings.

 

I ask that you please continue to keep Jodie in your prayers. Your continued love and support mean so much to all of us.  We hope you're all having a great summer and don’t get too sunburned.

With God's love,

Nancy

PS:  My girls have now set me up on Facebook, so visit me there, too: Nancy Senner Tharp.  We're trying to figure out how to set up a Jodie's Journey group on FB so if you know how, let us know!!