Monday 8/8/11 A rougher afternoon.....

Today started out good. Mom ate some breakfast and was feeling pretty well. Her goal was to get up and sit in a chair at least 4 times and to walk at least 4 times. Being the determined, very tough woman she is, she knocked out 6.
By late morning she had been told no shower again today, so she bent over the sink so I could wash her hair. Next I gave her a "bird bath" as she always called it when we were growing up.
She said she felt like a new woman. She had some soup for lunch and a few bites of salad but by this afternoon was starting to experience pain. We asked a Dr. to come in and exam her. She was worried that she had pulled a staple, or hurt something internally. They felt very confidant that she had not. Painkillers may be good for pain, but they also keep organs "asleep" and some of them are still dormant. This can cause the pain and discomfort. She had pain on the 1-10 scale that was at a pretty healthy 7. She got up and walked some more trying to get some distraction and help.
She is now in bed and on her left side for the first time since having surgery. She is amazing, She brings me to tears seeing how determined she is as she pushes through the pain. She is anxious about a few things and I thought I would list them here and solicit some specific prayer for her.
1) The Dr.'s plan on turning the epidural off at 6:00AM. She is struggling on the epidural and very scared that she will have pain that will only be addressed with the slower pills and possibly get behind on the pain management. Please pray for a smooth transition. This is obviously necessary for her to get out of the hospital faster.
2) Pray that all her organs will be able to "wake up" and she will be less dependant on the meds and more comfortable overall.
3) Please pray for her as she must get a new iv tonight. If you have followed mom's blog in the past, you know what a difficult, "stick" she can be. She is on day 5 of the same iv and they usually change them after 3 days. She is really dreading this as she waits for it to get changed out tonight. Please pray for this specifically.
On a happy note, her nurse tonight is Ernie. ( Hey Uncle Frog. She shared with the nurse about her sweet brother Ernie that we all call Frog. She smiled when she spoke of her sweet brother. XOXO) Ernie is actually a nurse practitioner and they say he is the best on the floor for getting iv's in. Apparently, he is often called down to ER and OR for tough "sticks". He is the one doing it tonight so we feel grateful that God orchestrated it that way for her.
I would like to ask you to please continue to pray for her specifically tomorrow. She is very worried about it and dreading what may come. I happen to know that prayer can change things, so I am sending out a plea for prayer for her over these specific things.
I can't tell you enough how much I love this lady. I am so humbled by her strength and dignity.
I am grateful for dad's love and constant care for mom as well. The pain Dr. was amazed that dad has not left the hospital since mom's surgery. He shook his head on his way out today and said "Wow. Now that is dedication."My answer to him was simply "No. That is love."

With a grateful heart for all your love and prayers,
Kimberly and family