I'm home!!

Hi everyone!! I want to thank you all for all the love,prayers and support over the past few weeks! It has meant a lot. Jay and I are doing well...he is happy that I am home as am I!! I am getting to finally sleep through the night and I am getting go low sodium healthy dinners that actually taste....and taste good!! thank you ladies!!! As you heard I am going 3 times a week to an outpatient dialysis center/hospital to get my treatments it is a long day consisting of about 5-6 hrs it isn't painful or anything it's just very draining......but then I get a day off which is nice! my other option was to split up the treatments and go everyday....I choose 3 long days. The doctor is talking like the plasma pherisis treatments should going from 3 days to 2 then down to 1 here in the very near future! Since I am a kid of a king and know that God has healed me and my kidneys I am speaking the same about the dialysis treatments!! I am choosing not to believe what the nurses statistics are...and fully believe that God has a bigger purpose for me and that he is going to use my situation as a testimony to show just how great he is and that I am going to be a miracle story that those nurses will be telling for years to give other patients hope...just how fast I healed and how short of a time I was in dialysis unit getting treated!!

Weekly update

Well, Annie is out of the hospital, and there isn't much more to the story than that. Whitney Griggs has organized a huge outpouring of ladies doing some cooking. I know Annie is very thankful for everyone who has chipped in for some cooking. No, I am not of those people... you don't want her back in the hospital do you?

She is doing her treatments on an outpatient basis now. She goes to Good Sam 3 times a week for the plasma and dailysis. So if you would like to give her a ride sometime, I bet she would enjoy the company.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! BREAKING NEWS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

BREAKING NEWS!


Annie is out of the hospital! She went home around 8:30 tonight. Kim is making sure she is comfortable and well fed and then I think she will be enjoying a great night's sleep.

Stay tuned for further details about her continuing treatments. They are now being done an out patient basis. I will not be posting something everyday now, but I will update often.

THANK YOU EVERYONE !

Saturday....

Annie has both treatments on Saturday. She can have visitors after about 4pm. If you are planning on stopping by, you may want to make it then.


Chance of departure this weekend : 80%

TGIF Friday 13 Feb.

Well, how about some good news? Yesterday when I visited Ann she was getting a echocardiogram. Sounds fancy right? Well, they basically take a really cool video of your heart. Here is a cool article:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Echocardiography


Anyways, to get to the point, the results came back great. Everything looks good. The cardiologist is very pleased with the results. This is just another good sign that Annie will be going home soon.

Oh yeah, about all this "going home" stuff. She maybe home as early as Sunday. I know many of you would like to send a card or more Calla lillies, but the hospital may not be the best destination. How about sending them to J & Annie's apartment? I can provide the address, just email or call.

Have a great Weekend!

Oh yeah... she is done with her treatments today and will be able to take visitors after 11 am.

Thursday 12 Feb 2009

Today Annie is having both treatments. she will be available for visitors after 3pm.

Tuesday 10 Feb 2009

Here is the latest news. Annie will not be able to receive visitors until after 4:30 today. She will be getting both treatments today. She has a little discomfort and pain from the surgery yesterday, but nothing to worry about. She texted me saying she is in great spirits so that is some awesome news.

Just got a text from her this morning and she says that she will be in the hospital for the rest of the week. FYI

Well, it has been an interesting day to say the least. Annie had a minor procedure to put in a more permanent (But still temporary) port for the dialysis. She held up well, but the downside was that she couldn't eat all day. The surgery was at 6pm and she didn't eat since 8:30. Needless to say, when Jay showed up with the KFC it was a good thing.

We are still waiting on the kidneys to really kick in, so that should come any day now. My previous estimates of a midweek release may not pan out, so I am hoping for something this weekend. She is in good spirits and the nurses say that she has the most decorated room in the wing. Which really is a testament to all of you. I can speak for both J and Annie when I convey their thanks to everyone.

Keep Praying

M

Sounds Like someone has a case of the MUNdays

well, Annie is doing one treatment today and she is wanting to get out of the hospital BIG TIME. The funny thing is, a hospital is a place for rest and healing, but how can you do that when they are constantly waking you up? She will be available for visitors after 4pm.

Sunday 8 Feb 2009

Hey everyone. Annie has had her treatments for the day and will be able to see visitors after 11 am. Look out though, she is ready to be out of here! The latest results of the blood work indicate that her platelet count is on the rise and the kidneys are coming back online. So, for a beautiful Sunday morning, there is nothing but good news. Have a great day and I hope you can visit her soon.

M

Saturday 7 Feb 2009

Annie has both treatments today and should be available for visits after 3pm. Enjoy the sunny balmy 50 degree Cincinnati weather! Annie is in great spirits and is looking forward to going home soon.

and the Telephone Rang!

Hey everyone, if you are reading this, I am assuming that you have Annie's Telephone number. She has her phone with her. So if you would like to communicate via phone, call her. If she is doing a treatment or has visitors or if your gift wasn't good enough at Christmas she may not answer. To guarantee a phone answer, see the post below about Lillies.

Annie's Daily "Shout-Outs"

Annie would like to thank everyone for all their cards, flowers, balloons, and visits! She mentioned the Griggs' Family Cards and gifts and the Cargills as being very special.

Her favorite flower is the Calla Lily. I have no idea what this is... but thankfully Wikipedia does.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calla_lily

I think she was hinting by saying that....

For those of you planning to visit... she is finished with her treatment today. So anytime you would like to visit, bring it! Tomorrow she will have both treatments so, it would be a good idea to plan on an afternoon visit? I am guessing on that one. I will update tomorrow as soon as I know whats happening. I wont be able to update until around 1pm Saturday. FYI.

What are All those Treatments?

As some of you are wondering, what exactly is she doing all day in the hosptal? Well, besides watching football and working on her karate, she has two treatments she is recieving.

The first is Dialysis. This is basically where a machine does the work of the kidneys. Remember Biology 101? Well, niether did I. The kidneys are the two body parts responsible for cleaning your blood. As Annie's kidneys improve, the need for this treatment decreases. Currently, the kidneys are getting better and this treatment has been reduced to every two days. The doctors do not forsee her Dialysis continuing long term.

Here is a link for a great article :

http://www.medicinenet.com/dialysis/article.htm

The other procedure is Plasmapherisis. Which is an interesting procedure. Here is a cool article about it :

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plasmapheresis


Annie is no longer on a "Renal Diet". She is on a NSA No Added Salt diet. Sounds good to me. So if you bring her Wendy's Fries, be sure to lick all the salt off first.

Thursday 5 Feb 2008

Last night was an action adventure night in Annie's room. First a welcome visit by the Griggs Family. That definitely put Annie into a great mood. Jason and Whitney have two of the coolest kids... Madeline & Camille. Talk about personality! Madeline made a really cool card, be sure to check it out when you visit Annie. Camille showed up. And if you know her, you know I just said a lot. I wonder who she takes after? Liz and Erin showed up to wind the night down. So Annie definitely had her girls around her last night. Kim, after tending to James and his needs (that's a different blog) came out and helped out with everything. Be sure to ask Kim to show you the blanket she has been working on. She has come a long way. I would say that is dedication, or she is really cold.

Some news about Annie: Her mom is in town! So when you visit, you will get to meet Linda. How about some health news? Things are getting better. I apologize for being short on details, but I like to get to the bottom line. She is recovering. The docs (she has 3 doctors) are tweaking the different meds and optimizing what she is getting. She is able to walk around with a walker. Don't be surprised by that if you visit. Strength is coming back. She is working with a couple of physical therapist to help her get back to normal. One of the things the doctors are looking for is her platelet numbers to increase. So if you are praying, please include that.

I know the big question is: When is she leaving the hospital? In talking with her last night, I will tell you that she is leading the charge to get out of there. Maybe mid next week? Not sure. But I am basing that only on gut feeling (I'm not a doctor) and the fact that I like to watch people. I am watching the doctors move her from machines doing things, to her doing things. Example: the Dialysis. She is doing that less often which to me means that the kidneys are starting to do their job. The plasmaphersis is looking like it won't have to happen everyday soon. I think those are two important factors.

I apologize for not being specific on details regarding her treatment. The doctors don't really commit to definite dates and schedules. It annoys the melancholy part of my personality, but I do understand their perspective. I know she is in good hands and will make a full recovery soon.

M

Who is Ashley?

Ashley is Annie's daytime nurse. She is a young lady orginally from the exotic West Chester. She did her nurse training at Good Samartain Hospital. Me being not too fimilar with how that works, I'm not sure if that is good or bad. But judging from her bedside manner, confidence, and intelligence, it is all good. She is a wonderful nurse that has been such a blessing to everyone.

So if anyone visits during the day, you will get to meet the "Fantastic Ashley". Tell her Matt sent you.

Wednesday 4 Feb 2008

I recieved a text from Kim P. this morning with some good new. Apparently Annie is feeling much better and getting back to her normal self. She won't be doing one of her treatments today, so feel free to visit anytime this afternoon, evening, night... anyone up for a nite owl?

Does anyone have a DREAM home magazine they can dropp off?

Update

Okay.. here is a quick update on her condition. It is all good news! She is getting better. Today apparently the weatherman decided to be about as accurate as Geraldo in opening Al Copone's vault. So the sudden snow storm defintely affected the nurse schedule. The daytime nurse is staying here tonight due to the traffic conditions out there. Her night nurse is a nice woman named Debbie. The daytime Nurse is Ashley. Bethesda North has some great nurses... just ask Paul & Jenny. Last night, she moved from the ICU to the 2nd floor Med floor (or something like that). The nurses that welcomed her last night were really sharp. One went to nursing school at Malone College in Canton. But she has settled in and right now she is sleeping. For those of you who visited her in ICU, the room will look fimilar to you. It is a private room with a couch for someone to sleep. Nice wood floors it is a little bit cozier than the ICU room. (Thats what Kim says).

Kim would like to say hello to everyone out there and that she is happy to be here and happy to help out any way she can. She is crocheting a blanket for herself because she is really cold in the room right now.

I will keep everyone posted as well as I can. That will include daily updates as to when the best time to visit will be. Let me know if you have any questions. Call or Email.
crownvic01@yahoo.com

Keep on Praying.

About those visits.....

Visits are fun and so are visitors! The reason behind the calling ahead is simple. Annie will be doing a couple of treatments that will not allow her to have visitors during them. You could end up waiting for up to 4 hours to see her. So, please call ahead before you visit, but please visit.

Here is a link for directions and a map:
http://www.trihealth.com/BNH/Directions/directions_index.aspx?id=100300

Here is a link for the regs concerning visitors:
https://www.trihealth.com/BNH/VisitorInfo/visitorinfo_index.aspx?id=100300

Annie is in room 2320. Which is a looooooonnnnnnnnnngggg way from the front door. So bring a Sherpa and Magellan.. You will get there.

Whats Goin On?

Thank you for stopping by the blog about Annie.

How about Question & Answer Forum (FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions)

Why Is Annie in the Hospital?

Annie has HUS. Check here for more info:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hemolytic-uremic_syndrome


When will she get out?

Right now the doctors are doing several treatments. The treatments are working, however, it will take some time. We are optimistic that a full recovery is coming very soon.

Can I visit?
Sure! I will post a quick article on the procedure for visits.

Why hasn't Jay/ Annie called me back?
As you can imagine, this is quite unexpected. Jay is beside Annie pretty much all day. Except for a few dinner breaks (Hey, you can only eat so much vending machine food). If Jay and Annie could express their deep appreciation for every prayer, call, or visit through a website, they could. Unfortunately, through this medium this isn't possible. This website is set up to convey information in a timely manner to a large group of people. Please don't take it as an insult if you haven't recieved a phone call back. From my experience of spending some time with them, there is never a dull moment. Among all the tests, nurses, doctors, janitors, interns, etc it is quite hectic. Each one of you is an important part in Annie's healing. Your prayers are important!

I hope this helps! Please call Matt Springer for the latest updates.

Thanks!