Button Down the Hatches

Button Down the Hatches ...

Daily Photo #2 

 ... and full speed ahead, to pain management through button clicks! This is a photo of Lauren's button, which administers one of her pain medications during the first day of post op care.

Daily List #2

• Kind've just an extension of day #1
• Lots of pain, lots of doctors saying that this is "just how it is," lots of Dazbog coffee and lots of Lauren clicking her medicinal button.
• We were moved from the ICU to the inpatient care around 3pm today.
• Lauren is healing very well. She is sleeping much MUCH better (which is hospital talk for only a few hours) and is learning to breath again, which is hard and tedious but very impressive all the same.
• We read Psalm 145 which is just an awesome reminder about how amazing and praise worthy our God is not matter the circumstance, and we also read Isaiah 40, focusing on how the Lord increases His strength in us and lovingly gives power to the faint.
• Lauren and the nurses have managed to come to an agreement about how to deal with her nausea - thus she no longer feels constantly dizzy!
• 25 hours after leaving surgery and Lauren, with the help of a walker and two nurses stood up and walked around her bed!
• Our nurses names so far have been ... Mike, Rodney (who had a German accent but said he was from Colorado Springs, Melanie, M.J., Tanya (who said that she is going to marry Tim Tebow) and Anna (who is from Poland and taught us how to pronounce our Ukranian last name "Hlushak," in Polish "HA-glou-shach").
• 6 hours after Lauren walked a few steps with the nurses and a walker, she stood up nearly on her own and walked about 24 feet 3 times - astounding!!
• Of her several thousand wires, drips and tubes she is now down to only 8 wires and 5 tubes.
• She is smiling more today!
• Mrs Johnson (Lauren's mom) gave her a world renown back rub that helped Lauren get through a lot of trouble of figuring our what medicine was working and what was not. Good job MJ!
• Lauren ate her first meal in a while. A few bites of grilled cheese, some saltine crackers and a whole can of gatorade - yup, it comes in cans at hospitals.
• We have much better view out of our window now. Yesterday in the ICU we watched people park and un-park their cars. Tonight we watched the sun set over a south east view of denver and the beautiful mountains.
• Lauren says she loves you all and is very thankful that you care about her.
• Things to pray for: rest, healing, there is a little extra bleeding that is going on from one of her lungs - we'd like to figure out why it is bleeding and how to stop it, also her back is very achy and tense, please pray for comfort.
• More tomorrow.