March 31, Midnight update

Quick update.

Linda has improved enough to make the move yesterday from the ICU at LDS Hospital up the road a few blocks to the Salt Lake Regional Medical Center (the old Holy Cross Hospital). She's now on the second floor in an acute care facility called Promise where she will remain for the next several weeks as she continues to heal and gain back her strength.

Before she left the ICU early Tuesday evening, she had what they are hoping to be her last dialysis treatment. Her kidneys have improved to the point where her doctors are feeling confident enough to suspend those treatments for now and remove the shunt in her chest. They also replaced her existing trach tube with a smaller one that will allow her to begin speech therapy. All this was done prior to loading her up in an ambulance and transporting her to Promise.

She's now had most of the IVs removed from her arms and is continuing to breath on her own for most of the day. This takes an incredible amount of effort on her part so the respiratory therapist is attaching the ventilator at night to help her rest.

With the feeding tube and ventilator repositioned from her nose and mouth, the sores on her nose and lips have almost completely healed. She looks beautiful!

She's becoming more and more aware of her surroundings and physical condition and is able to consistently answer questions posed to her by nodding and shaking her head. She's also begun to mouth letters and words within the last couple of days. She's remembering words and phrases during her sessions with her therapists, even when they try to trick her.

Linda's cute personality is slowly beginning to shine through the haze and if you're lucky enough to be on the receiving end of one of her smiles...it's as if you've been given a priceless gift. She was even able to roll her eyes at me after one of my stupid remarks and direct a special Allen family "gesture of love" to our brother Steve. :-)

Our sister Patti was able to make the trip from North Carolina to Salt Lake yesterday and was greeted with a big smile and a tight squeeze of the hand from Linda. We're glad she's here with us for a few days.

Linda's working hard and doing the things she's being asked to do. She's a fighter and we know that she's being blessed because of your love and support. Please keep her in your thoughts and prayers...we know it's making a positive difference. Thank you.

March 28, 6:30p update

It's been three weeks today since Linda was admitted to the hospital. The Strep A infection that attacked her body is largely under control but the lasting effects remain. The great news is that she's making progress each day and she seems very determined to recover fully.

Since her tracheotomy last Wednesday, she's been breathing mainly on her own, only needing a little help from the ventilator at nights. Along with the ventilator being moved from her mouth to her neck, her feeding tube has been repositioned from her nose to her abdomen. Both of these things have made her much more comfortable. Her kidneys continue to improve and they've cut back her dialysis treatments to every other day.

One of the most difficult things right now seems to be how weak the infection has left her. With her body beginning to heal, Linda grows impatient and frustrated at times with the fact that she's still unable to speak and engage in more physical activity. Those of you who know Linda can appreciate this. Patience isn't her strongest virtue. :-)

Linda's physical and occupational therapists continue to work with her and push her each day. They help her stand briefly and walk to her chair where she sits for up to 90 minutes at a time. They exercise her arms and legs and ask her to respond to questions that test her dexterity. After these twice daily sessions, she's physically exhausted and barely able to keep her eyes open for any length of time.

Her doctors are encouraged however and are considering a move to a transitional care facility close by. We should know more tomorrow and I will be sure and update you with the specifics as we get them. She continues to receive wonderful care from the professionals here at LDS Hospital and we're grateful for they kind and loving way they administer to Linda.

Her family visits her each day and Lynn is constantly at her side. And the outpouring of love and concern from each of you has been heartwarming. Linda is truly loved. Thank you.

March 26, 3:30p update

Sorry for missing the updates the last couple of days. Linda's at a point now in her recovery where she continues to make daily progress and, thankfully, there isn't a lot of new details each day. So, I'm going to be updating this blog every few days or as new news dictates.

Linda's tracheotomy on Wednesday afternoon went very well. With the ventilator tube out of her mouth her sores will be able to heal and she will be able to begin speech therapy.

Her kidneys are continuing to respond and she's doing well with her physical therapy. She's currently undergoing a 3 1/2 dialysis treatment which they will continue every other day. Her doctor's are planning on moving her feeding tube from her nose to her abdomen later today, which will make her much more comfortable. She's down to only 4 IVs and breathing tubes attached to her which is a great improvement! :-)

With her infection under control and her overall health improving, they're focusing their attention on helping her regain her strength.

Thank you again for all of your love and continued faith on Linda's behalf. We're excited to see her progress and thankful that she is still with us.

March 23, Midnight update

I'm amazed at the human spirit...

...and I love my sister.

Linda continues to make small improvements each day and seems to be more and more aware of her surroundings and current condition.

I was lucky enough to be able to spend another morning with her today. She was sitting upright in the chair by her bed when I arrived and, although she tired quickly, was able to hold her head up by herself and respond to the questions she was asked. Her nurse shampooed her hair and I washed her arms and hands with a warm washcloth. After we returned her to her bed, I had the chance to be alone with her for awhile, uninterrupted by the normal hustle and bustle of her nurses.

It had snowed lightly on my drive down from Park City, but now the sun was shining through her window and filling her room with light. For once, the rest of the ICU was quiet so I offered to read to her and she nodded her approval. I read an article from one of her favorite magazines and a "Get Well" card from one of her dear friends. After, I talked to her about a lot of different things; the events of the last two weeks, the spring weather we've been having, her granddaughters, memories from our childhood together, and the progress she's been making each day. When we finished talking, we watched a few funny video clips on my laptop computer. My kids can probably guess which ones. :-)

Her eyes stayed open and focused the entire time. She tried her best to smile once or twice and answered all of my questions with a simple nod or shake of her head. Even though she's unable to use her voice or move her mouth at this point in her recovery, she can speak volumes with her eyes and facial expressions.

Tomorrow will be another big day for Linda. After another 3 1/2 hour dialysis treatment in the morning, she's scheduled for a tracheotomy (which will be performed at her bedside under local anesthesia) in the afternoon. At some point in between, the wound specialist will change the vacuum-pac dressing on her incision.

I was able to attend the status meeting this morning with her doctors, nurses, nutritionists, and technicians. Overall, they continue to be encouraged by the progress she's making and feel that the tracheotomy will be another positive step forward in her recovery. The "trach" will reposition the ventilator tube from her mouth to her neck, just below her vocal chords. This will allow her to begin some more aggressive physical therapy which will help increase her strength. Repositioning the tube will also help her lips and mouth heal from the sores created by the ventilator.

Linda continues to fight and respond to her treatment. Her family continues to be grateful to each of you for the love and support that you've shown.

Thank you.

March 22, 5:30p update

A quick update and a couple of clarifications from yesterday.

First, I mentioned that Linda is slowly awakening from her coma. To clarify, her nurses rate her coma level (her level of awareness and ability to interact) each day on a scale of 1-15. When Linda was admitted to the ICU at LDS, she was at a level 3. Now, based on her being able to respond to questions by nodding her head and the fact that she can keep her eyes open and move her hands and feet, they're rating her at a 13/14 level.

Second, I stated that her doctors intend on performing a tracheotomy later this week to remove her ventilator tube from her mouth and throat. To clarify, the tracheotomy will reposition the ventilator from her mouth (which will help the sores on her lips and in her mouth heal) to just below her vocal chords on the front of her neck (which will hopefully allow her to begin speaking again).

I apologize for any confusion.

As far as today's update goes, she's currently awake and undergoing a 3 1/2 hour dialysis treatment. The wound specialist was just here to change the vacuum-pac dressing on her incision (which is done every Monday, Wednesday and Friday) and noted that her wound is healing perfectly.

Linda's kidneys continue to improve! She began producing urine again a couple of days ago and is producing more and more each day. Lynn can't believe how excited he is for a little pee. :-)

They continue to "dangle" her a couple of times each day. She sat for just over an hour this morning in her chair as part of the work she does with her physical therapists.

We're grateful for the progress she's making each day. Thank you all for your love and your comments on the blog. I pass them along each day to Linda and Lynn. Linda smiles...Lynn just grunts. :-)

Until tomorrow...

March 21, Midnight update

A long two weeks.

It was two weeks ago today that Linda was taken to the emergency room at North Davis Medical Center in Layton with an extremely aggressive Strep infection in her abdomen. The infection had caused her kidneys to fail and she had suffered a series of small strokes. Her doctors at North Davis performed emergency abdominal surgery the following day (Monday) that literally saved her life. She was then transferred to LDS Hospital later that night where she has remained in ICU. During this time she has endured two more abdominal surgeries, numerous hyperbaric chamber treatments, several MRI and CT scans, countless IVs, and almost daily dialysis treatments. The number of doctors, nurses, technicians and therapists that have cared for her to this point is staggering.

Linda's family has remained by her side each day and, along with each of you, have waited anxiously for any small sign of improvement. Thankfully there have been many.

The infection in Linda's abdomen is now under control, her kidneys are beginning to respond, and she's slowly awakening from a deep coma. Although she hasn't been able to speak yet, her eyes are open and she can respond to verbal communication by nodding her head or squeezing your hand. She's moving her feet and legs as well as her hands and arms. And, with the help of her therapists, has been able to sit in a chair and on the side of her bed for a few minutes each day.

She's now breathing almost entirely on her own but has yet to reach the point where her doctors are comfortable taking her off of the ventilator. For this reason, they're planning on performing a tracheotomy later this week so that she will be able to have the ventilator removed from her throat. Linda's suffering from sores on her lips and in her mouth which will be able to heal once the ventilator is removed. Hopefully this will help her to begin speaking again as well.

Linda has responded positively to the treatment she's received in the ICU at LDS Hospital and her doctors now feel that she would benefit from more specialized physical therapy. They're planning on transferring her to Intermountain Medical Center later this week to take advantage of the facilities there. I will make sure and update you on those plans as soon as we know them.

Linda's a fighter and it's very clear that she's not ready to throw in the towel. We love her very much and are extremely grateful that she is still with us. We're also grateful for each of you and your continued love and support. Thank you.

March 20, 6:00p update

Today's update is a lot like yesterday's. Linda continues to make progress each day and it seems like she's settling into somewhat of a routine. She had another fairly rigorous physical therapy session this morning. They helped her walk to the chair again and she was able to sit up for just under an hour again. She's continuing to respond to voice commands and can complete most of the exercises she's asked to do. These sessions really wear her out and her doctors compare the effort it takes her to do these in her weakened condition to the amount of effort it takes a healthy person to run a half marathon.

Linda's learning that the difference between a terrorist and a physical therapist is that you can reason with a terrorist. :-)

She's been resting this afternoon and is currently in the middle of a 3 1/2 hour dialysis treatment. Her white blood cell count has been a little elevated over the last week due to some side effects from some of her medication. They've been watching this closely and are pleased that it's begun to drop to a more normal level.

Many of you have asked about the possibility of visiting Linda. Unfortunately, during her stay in intensive care, the only visitors allowed are her immediate family members. She's still on life support and tires extremely easily so even her family members are trying to keep visits to a minimum. We understand and appreciate your desire to see Linda and we will update you as soon as that becomes a possibility.

Thank you again for your support and concern for Linda. We know that she is benefitting from your collective faith and prayers.

Until tomorrow...