Update by Kim
Well the good news is that Shannon can breath easier!! Her lung infection is admitting defeat. (Remember those Mucinex commercials with "Mr. Mucus"? She's kicking his butt without even breaking a nail. I'm sure in her mind, she's pulled out her frying pan and smacked him in the head in true Rupunzel fashion) So again.... all the prayers. Thank you. We just keep seeing miracles.
She's being weened off the ventilator and onto humidified oxygen. After a while (a while= whatever time frame a doctor can't guess) when she's shown her lungs are strong enough, she will be breaking out of that SICU!
The bad news is that today is very much Monday. I haven't felt a day of the week in weeks, but today hit me hard. No one from the hospital called, so I'm guessing it was Monday there too. I'm not sure where else it's Monday, but it's good to know other people have it too. We were able to FaceTime Shannon this morning and she was definitely feeling Monday. She was pretty mad today. She told us she wants to come home, and we had to agree with her nurse that she can't come home. I didn't add 'any time soon', because there will be plenty of other Mondays for that bad news. She was already upset enough when we had to add that we still can't visit her because of coronavirus. She scowled at us, and then ignored us. I know she doesn't have any real idea what's going on outside her hospital room.
Her nurse told me later that it's a good thing she's upset, because that means she understands what's going on, she is experiencing her environment and doesn't want to be there anymore. She suggested that Shannon remembers life 15 days ago, when everyone seemed to be overreacting about the virus. A lot has happened since then, and Shannon slept through it and is not now experiencing what the rest of us are with regards to it. It probably still seems silly and over-reactive to her, keeping her family away.
It's hard to see her feeling all these things and not be able to comfort her. She does still end all her calls with "I love you", which is a tender mercy. No one wants to tell their children bad news, especially when it's going to make them angry. So having her say that lets us know she really is mad at the situation, not us.
Whenever "a while" ends, Shannon will be ready to move to a brain and spinal rehabilitation hospital. We are still struggling to know which one to have her in. None of them will allow visitors, which makes it easier to take the distance from us out of the equation. We want to keep her in the area, but are willing to have her be farther away from home if it's a better fit for her. The move could be sometime this week. She's getting well faster than we can keep up with.
Please continue to pray for Shannon! She truly is just beginning her long recovery journey. Pray for her lungs to strengthen and return to normal health, for her spinal cord and other injuries related to it to heal to the best possible scenario for her, for her to be able to communicate better and have more patience with both herself and those trying to help her. And for Shannon to feel the love and peace she needs to not feel alone in this while she's away from those that love and care for her. Pray for us to know which rehabilitation place will be best for her. We are so humbled by all that she has been blessed with and all of your support. We do not feel alone in this.
Thank you, sincerely.
I know Shannon is feeling alone and left behind, so today some wise words from a Disney favorite:
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