Praise to the Lord

Mom had her stitches removed yesterday!

She also was told that the pathology report was excellent and the tumor was benign! We are all so happy and praising the Lord for His wonderful mercy.

Mom is working each day at gaining strength. It will just take time and work but she is determined to do just that.

Thank you all so much for your prayer, support and love.

10:00pm Friday

The post we have all been waiting for...Mom can go home!!

She was told that she is doing so well that they are going to send her home. She was so very, very happy to hear the news. She is going to be discharged tomorrow morning at 10:00. So if you were thinking of visiting her at the hospital please save yourself the trip. She wont be there :-)

We will take tomorrow to get settled back into the house and then early Sunday morning Joe and I will be traveling back south again. It is so comforting leaving when we know Mom is back home. The Lord has been so good to us all through this difficult time and I think time will give Mom back the strength that she once had.

Many have asked how they can help and I've asked Mrs. McDaniel if she would be willing to coordinate logistics from now on as she will be closer to Mom then I will be. If you have any questions don't hesitate to contact Mrs. McDaniel.  I really appreciate her willingness to help out this way.

Thank you all so much again for the help and support that you have been to Mom and our whole family. "Thank you" just does not express enough the deep gratitude we feel for how ya'll have helped us through this time of crisis. God has showered His love upon us through you all.

10:30am Friday

Mom is doing very well in rehab. She has about 2 hours of work in the morning and rest time. Then lunch at 12:00. She slowly works her way through her meals as her taste buds are coming back to her. She has one more session in the afternoon.

Yesterday she was walking completely on her own with the physical therapist for a little bit and she did pretty well. There were a few times she was unsteady but it was progress. She also was working with some weights on her legs. She would lift each leg by itself and then she would pull her leg up to her chest. She said that was really hard to do and when she asked how heavy the weights were he said,"2 lbs." Mom thought for sure they were 10-20 lbs. :-)

Each day she is getting stronger.

2:00pm Wednesday

Mom is out of Strong Memorial!!! She is now in her new room at CMC.

The therapists here evaluated her and are getting a game plan ready for her. She will be having therapy in the morning, lunch rest and therapy in the afternoon.

Visitors are allowed from 4:00-8:00. Her room is pretty small and she has a room mate right now so if you do visit please just be mindful of those factors.

Thank you so much for all your prayers and support. Our family has truly appreciated all the love and help that we have been shown.

9:00pm Tuesday

Since Mom wasn't able to leave today it was hard trying to pass the time but we walked around the unit 4 times, she worked on writing her alphabet, got on Facebook, talked to some friends on the phone and Skype'd with Nathan, my husband, on his 30th birthday! We balanced it out will some rest time though out the day.

Mom was given a walker to walk with and she felt so much better just by having something to hang on to. She had two out of her three meals that really tasted good to her and that helped her want to eat!

Everything should be all lined up for us to leave here early tomorrow and go straight to the rehab center that is only 20 minutes from Mom and Dad's place, for those of you may not know. Much closer than 2 hours from home! :-)

I will find out all the details tomorrow of her rehab and then if you would like to visit Mom please give me a call on my cell. It is my Holly Ann Photography business #. 931-896-3292

Looking forward to the big day! :-)

We praise the Lord who has kept Mom safe through all of this journey.

12:00 Tuesday

Mom wont be leaving today :-(

Because of a bed available and CMC wanting her there by noon she can't go today but they will take her tomorrow. So....tomorrow should be the day.

9:00am Tuesday Morning

Mom's Dr came in this morning and told her they would be working on getting her released today! The CAT scan from yesterday came back and the hydrocephalus is much better and the CAT scan looks good. Praise the Lord for great healing He has done in Mom. We are so grateful!

All the details about transporting her to the rehab center are in the process of being worked out but it looks like she will be taking that next big step today, leaving here and starting rehab!

9:45pm Monday night

Today was another day of progress for Mom.

She walked around the floor again today and also saw both therapists. Their assessment of her condition is that she needs intense inpatient treatment for 5-7 days in order to get the best recovery possible. She is unsteady on her feet and unable to do many simple tasks that we take for granted like bending over and picking up our shoes. But the one thing that concerns me and the therapist were identify it is her "sequential processing". ( My description, not theirs.)

For example, when asked to, "Go to the end of the hall, turn right, walk to the clock and stop. On the way back count all the people wearing blue shirts." She repeated back everything except where she was going to stop. The therapist asked, "Where are you going to stop at?" She sat and thought and said," I forget." It was less then 30 seconds after the command was given. Just little things like that just aren't my Mom. This is most likely due to all the swelling and fluid she has had on her brain but I just want to see her heal and be all better. Today I came to realize this will take much longer than I was anticipating. But that is ok. This again did not take God by surprise, just me.

She had another CAT scan today and tomorrow we will know what it said along with the request that Mom's therapy be done at CMC instead of Rochester.

If Mom is moved I am going to ask that everyone please be patient and call me if they would like to visit Mom. We want to put the highest priority on her therapy so that she can get well and unfortunately alot of visitors may hinder rather than help. Still I will not know of any changes until we have more answers tomorrow.

Thank you all for your love, help and support. Mom's strong network of support has been a great encouragement to her to hear of the many ways ya'll have expressed your love.

1:00 Monday afternoon

Mom slept some last night but the floor is louder of course and having a room mate made it difficult.

Her Dr. came in and saw her and said they wanted to do another CAT scan. This will give them another one to compare against so I'm eager to see the improvement. He did tell her she would not be going home today and Mom was having a really hard time with it when I arrived. She will see both therapist today and we will know how much work she will have ahead of her once we talk with both of them.

Because the tumor location it has effected the cerebellum part of her brain with manages the voluntary motor movements, balance and equilibrium and muscle tone. That is why she is unable to walk with help now and is still so unsteady.

She was able to feel Baby Weidman kick her this morning and she loved that.

11:00PM Sunday Night

Mom had another good day of progress.

She was able to take a walk around the whole unit today and they also removed her IV so she has no more cords hooked up to her tethering her to some monitor! She is doing well enough that they don't need that constant info. She has said that she ha a metallic taste in her mouth which of course makes everything not as good as it usually would be when she eats. Hopefully by having the IV out that taste will go away and she will enjoy eating more.

At 10:00 tonight she was moved to a regular room and I'm so happy. Prayerfully she will get a good nights sleep even with a roommate in the room.

Tomorrow will be another big day and she will be seeing the physical therapist and occupational therapist and they will have a big influence on what her future will involve as far as therapy and when she can go home. We are praying she does not need to be in rehab but that she can do the work either by visiting the center or by doing them at home. I know she is homesick and being in her own bed will go a long way to helping her get some rest. But at the same time she is willing to do what she needs to to do to heal.

Mom is still not strong enough to walk on her own but prayerfully that will all come soon.

11:30am Sunday Morning

Mom is still making great progress. She was able to get some sleep last night and I walked into her room to see her all curled up in bed and comfy. It was so nice to see because I knew she had slept some.

They have changed her vital checks to every 4 hours and taken her off the monitors which is another great step. She was suppose to go to a regular room but someone else needed it more so they are keeping her here for now.

She was able to eat a pretty good breakfast and she really enjoyed her fruit smoothie.

Thank you so much for your prayers. Please pray she will continue to gain the strength back that she has lost during this time and the lost dexterity due to the tumor. She will need therapy and we don't know how long that process will be.

10:00pm Saturday night

Mom had another good day of progress.

Please pray she gets a very good nights sleep. She is having a hard time actually sleeping due to the light and the noise and she is weary from not being able to sleep. Any rest she gets during the day is just not the same as a good nights sleep. Her progression is being slowed down I think just because of her lack of sleep.

She had stronger hand strength in her right hand and we are all praying that is will come back to full use so that she can once again play the piano like she once did.

She is now technically in a step down unit even though she is on the ICU wing of the hospital so that is progress too.

Mom can also have whatever food she wants so I'm planning on getting her a fruit smoothie that she wants tomorrow for breakfast. Food that really tastes good might actually help her to want to eat more :-)

Thank the Lord for His continued blessing of healing and care of Mom.

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Nathan did make it home safe and sound today. Thank you for all who were praying for his trip back.

9:00am Saturday Morning

Mom is doing well this morning. She was able to get a real shower for the first time and now she is sitting up and waiting for breakfast.

The Dr. tried to visit while she was in the shower so he will be back by later.

Praise the Lord for His mercy. Thank you all for your prayers. I believe she is doing well with decrease in meds!!

She did not get much sleep last night so she is tired but still gaining ground.

5:00 Friday Afternoon

Mom was sitting up in a chair when I arrived this morning and stayed there until about 12:00. She was tired of course but hardly any confusion. We listened to some Southern Gospel music and she know almost all the singers and would tell me different stories about them that she remembered from the movies she and Dad had watched together. It was good.

The Dr. came in and said they would be cutting back her meds and seeing how she would do. If she did well they would move her to a regular room soon. (Maybe tomorrow.) She might be able to go home by early next week. She was also going to start physical therapy today. So tonight and tomorrow will be critical days to see how well she truly is doing. Is she healing or just relying on the steroids. We are praying she is healing.

Matt, her physical therapist came to see her and said that she did pretty well. He wanted to know if there was anyone who would be with her all the time because he was not comfortable with her being home alone. He said she is strong enough to hold her own but not stead enough for him to be comfortable to be left alone. She may have to go to physical therapy for a while. But that will all be determined by how she is doing when they do release her.

She slept for about an hour before Dad and Joe arrived but she has been awake all day. She wanted to so that hopefully she will sleep well at night. I think it shows she is getting stronger because she can stay awake on her own without falling asleep.

Pray she will sleep tonight. She has always had a hard time sleeping without having the room being completely  dark and that is almost impossible to have in a hospital.

Her confusion is gone today which is great to see. She is more bored today because she is NOT use to sitting around all day or napping. We watched some Andy Griffith Shows online and that helped.

Thank you for your prayers and support.
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For all those who have asked. Yes, I am trying to take good care of myself and Baby Weidman during this time too. Thankfully there is a cafetiere here which has been a blessing.
Nathan will be heading back to TN tomorrow morning early but I'm not sure when I will be heading back.
Dad and Joe are doing pretty well. The drive is long and takes its toll but they are doing well overall.

7:30 Friday Morning

Yesterday Mom ate a lunch and supper of solid foods. She ate more with each meal which was great.

She slept in the afternoon while Joe and Dad where there and when it was time for supper the nurse came in to wake her up. She didn't wake up immediately like she always has and it really scared me. She came out of a really deep sleep and then for about the next 45 minutes she was very confused. I was so scare she had taken a step back. But as the evening went on she became better.

Uncle Jim and Aunt Barb came to see Mom and it really helped Mom. She had emotionally been down almost all day and I think it was because she was more aware that she is so weak and she was discouraged about being in the hospital. She is homesick and I think that may be a real battle for her.

Around 7:00 the nurse came in and said we all had to leave and come back at 8:30 for Hipa law and that meant that because of the drive Dad, Joe, Uncle Jim and Aunt Barb had to say goodbye. Mom was not expecting it and so she really broke down and was ready to cry. It was so hard for everyone to leave her like that.
I told her to eat her supper and she said," I don't want to eat alone." I tried to comfort her and said, "Why don't you eat now and I will go to the downstairs and eat now too.Then I will be back at 8:30"

So we all left.

When I went back to the room she was so glad to see me and said," I was afraid they wouldn't let you back in." I began to show her pictures of friends on facebook on my laptop and she really enjoyed that. It began to cheer her up and she began to talk. She had almost no confusion at all and what she was say made sense. It was like Mom was back to herself. It was so nice to see.

A good friend called and I was talking with her on the phone and then I asked if she wanted to talk to Mom and Mom really wanted to talk with her. She was able to carry on a full 10 minute conversation and she made sense the whole time.

It was almost 10:00 by then so I told Mom she needed to get a good nights sleep which she agreed to so I tucked her all into bed.

I believe she made some great progress today and I look forward to seeing her this morning. I think being able to have real food and getting out of bed is helping her alot. Please continue to pray the fluid and swelling will go down and that she will not be so discouraged about being weak. When she was young she never wanted to go to camp because she would get so incredible homesick and I think she might have the same reaction to the hospital as she become more aware.

11:00am Thursday

Mom continued to a little progress last night. I think she is a little less confused this morning.

They removed the bandage over the incision and they are letting it now air dry. She has 13 stitches in and it is about 4 inches long. They are monitoring her outward signs and I think we just in a long waiting time for the body to work with the steroids and heal. She is still very fragile and it is hard seeing her so weak.

Today they wanted her to get out of bed and sit up in the chair. She was weak and unsteady when she sat up and had to be helped to her feet just like Grandpa Compton when he was in and out of his wheelchair. It is hard seeing my Mom that weak but prayerfully she will continue to gain strength each and every day.

Mom was very hungry this morning and they changed her to a solid food diet. She has not eaten since last Friday when she got so sick. They have had her on IV fluid only. She slowly fed herself some fruit. She used her right hand which is the side the tumor was on. She does not have full control over her hand so sometimes she would miss the plate and when she got the food to her mouth she would just let her hand flop to her lap. Prayerfully as the fluid drains she will have better control. She may also need to be in physical therapy after she gets out but we are not sure yet.

Thank you all for your prayers and support. The Lord has blessed Mom with an amazing support team in all of you and I thank you for loving her.

We know that this trial has not surprised the Lord and the words to the Ron Hamilton song Rejoice in the Lord say what I'm feeling better than I can. God has not made a mistake in our lives and we still love Him for all that He has given to us.

God never moves without purpose or plan
When trying His servant and molding a man.
Give thanks to the LORD though your testing seems long;
In darkness He giveth a song.

I could not see through the shadows ahead;
So I looked at the cross of my Savior instead.
I bowed to the will of the Master that day;
Then peace came and tears fled away.

Now I can see testing comes from above;
God strengthens His children and purges in love.
My Father knows best, and I trust in His care;
Through purging more fruit I will bear.

O Rejoice in the LORD
He makes no mistake,
He knoweth the end of each path that I take,
For when I am tried
And purified,
I shall come forth as gold.

11:00pm Wednesday

Mom had more strength today than yesterday and there was an improvement in how she was doing. Although she was still confused and not herself completely we were encouraged. Yesterday was a real scare. In some ways it is like she has Alzheimers. She talks about things out of order and with confusion.

They ordered another CAT scan and it revealed the fluid was the same in the ventricals and the cyst was also the same. The Dr. said they will increase the steroid and give it more time. He would only consider doing the stint if she became more sleepy and vital stats changed. He said the he has seen this before in this type of tumor.

Praying she will improve. She rested quite a bit of the day and it is really important that we let her rest so we are limiting visitors just for her best interest.

All throughout the day when she would talk she was asking about someone else and how they were doing or what they were doing. She probably asked about everyone in the church directory!! Her great big heart and love for everyone is still intacted! She also asked about you if you are expecting or recently had a child. But sorry Maria, she thinks you are going to have twins :-)
If you would like to show your love for Mom please don't hesitate to send her a card to the house for her to read when she does get back home. If you need her address just email me for it at prayerhaspower@gmail.com

Thank you all for your love and prayers.

7:15am Wednesday

Mom was monitored very closely all day yesterday. The Dr. is watching to see how she reacts to the steroid they gave her.
They did not put the shunt in at this point but said they would if they needed to.

Dr. Silverstine who did the surgery was out of out yesterday but is to be back today. He will evaluate her today.

Please pray Mom will be able to rest and heal.

10:21am Tuesday

They have put Mom back on bed rest for now while they monitor her reaction to the steroid to reduce the fluid and another drug to slow the production of spinal fluid.

She is getting great care by her nurse and the other staff. They are checking on her often to see how she is improving. They ask her different questions about what year it is, her last name and sometime she is correct with her answer, sometimes she is not.

They said it is not uncommon for a patient to do really well the first day after surgery and then to have a dip the 2nd and 3rd day the resident said. This all is within the range of "normal" it just is hard to see the change.

7:45 am Tuesday

Mom did not get moved to a regular room because one did not become available. Around 5:00pm yesterday they sat her up in bed and for the first time she got out of bed and walked to the bathroom. She was pretty steady on her feet but wiped out when she got back to bed. She slept for several hours straight.

She got up about 6 times to use the rest room but became slowly more confused and weaker. I noticed it and so did her nurse. The last time she could not correctly answer where she was. The nurse called the Dr. and they ordered a CAT scan of just her brain. She went if for that about 6:30am.

The Dr. came in at 7:30 and said they will be watching her very closely and if the increase in steroid doesn't see an improvement they will take her back into surgery and put a small tube in to drain the spinal fluid that is building up a little. It will only be in as long as is needed. Dr. said this is just a small bump in the road nothing big. She may be able to ride this out and not need the tube but they will watch and see.

Please pray that she can because she really did not like the thought of going back into surgery.

Thank you for praying for Mom.

8:16am Monday Morning

Mom was able to get some good rest last night. She had a follow up MRI around 11:00pm and after they brought her back to the room and settled her in she was left to sleep for most of the night. So from about midnight to 6 she slept pretty well.
At one point when her nurse came in and asked how her pain was and if she needed more medicine Mom said she was ok. That was the first time when offered medicine that she didn't take more. I think at that point she was able to sleep well.
This morning she told me she thought she got some sleep because she felt better since sleeping. Praise the Lord!
She is still very tired this morning and even with more activity around the hospital she is sleeping/resting.

The Dr. and team came in to talk to her this morning and said the follow up MRI looked good and that they were able to remove the whole tumor. He called it a hemangioblastoma and said that it is mostly likely benign. It has been sent to be tested and they will know for sure in about 1 week. Praise the Lord for His mercy.

The Dr.said he wants to see her up and moving around today and he also has said she can be moved to a regular room. Her nurse said that will happen when a room becomes available and that might take all day so I don't know when she will be move. The Dr. said she might even be released to go home by Wednesday.

The Lord is so good. Dad, Joe, Nate and I want to say a huge thank you to all of you who have been praying, visiting, and helping. It has been a overwhelming time and yet all of your support and care has eased the burden. Thank you. Words seem so unable to express how we feel but Thank You!!!

2:45pm

Mom is out of surgery now. She was brought back to ICU room around 1:30pm.

Her nurse said she did very well and is looking good. She is talking and carrying on normal conversation and aware of everyone who is in the room.

The tumor was smaller than a 1/4 of the Dr.s' thumbnail but praise the Lord it is gone!!

Thank you for praying! We serve a wonderful Healer.

7:30 am

Mom was taken into surgery this morning around 7:30 to remove the tumor.

Her surgery time was changed several times even this morning but we were thankfully able to all be taken to the basement where she was just before they took her into surgery. The Dr. came and talked with Dad, Mom, Joe and I before surgery. She was ready to have the surgery done and have it behind her.

We were told it would take a minimum of 3 hours and then she would be in recovery.

Joe, Nate and I arrived last night around 3:00am and were able to go see Mom in her room. She was awake and looking stronger than she had sounded on the phone earlier. Nothing felt so good as to hug her!! We were all able to visit for about 30 minutes then we came to the hotel about 5 minutes from the hospital were we got a couple of hours of sleep before Uncle Jim called and said,"They are taking her to surgery at 7:30." We had been told 9:30 so we all jumped up and got over to see her just before she went into surgery. The Lord worked all the timing out and we are so thankful we were able to see her again this morning.

Thank you for your prayers. Will let you all know more when we can.

12:45pm

Joe has arrived at our house in TN and we will be leaving here soon to head to NY.

Thank you for praying. Mom is in Strong Memorial ICU. I don't know how many visitors she can see but when i talked with her on the phone she sounded tired and groggy. Probably mostly due to the medicine she is on.

11:00 EST

Mom is in ICU now and trying to rest but her back is hurting. Please pray she can get some sleep.
Because she is in ICU she wont be able to receive flowers or fruit so if you were thinking of sending her anything please send her a card instead.

She will be having a full body CAT-today so see if there are any other cysts anywhere else on her body. Then they will decide what kind of surgery needs to be done.

Thank you for praying.

8:30 EST

The Dr. will be coming around 9:30am to visit and talk with Mom. The MRI was done last night and he will be going over that with Mom then. We will know more after that.

(Correction-Joe lives in AR but last night I was in so much shock I didn't even know what state my brother lived in and wrote the wrong state. Just wanted to set the record straight..)

8:00am EST

Joyce is "resting peacefully right now" according to Aunt Barbie who is in the room with her. They are waiting to see the DR.

March 2

If you are reading this blog it is because you love my Mom and we want you to know we appreciate that so much. I hope this will help to keep information up to date and everyone informed.

This is what we know so far.

Dad took Mom to Cayuga Medical this afternoon, March 2. They did a CAT-scan and said there was a tumor at the base of her skull. It is operable. There is swelling on her left side but the tumor is on the right side. She was sent by ambulance to Rochester. Aunt Barbie was able to ride with her and when she arrived they were going to do a MRI. This was at 11:40pm EST. The doctor will talk with her in the morning and let her know what they are going to do.
She is on medicine now to help with the pain and nausea.

Joe will be driving over from MO and when he arrives Nathan, Joe and I will be driving to NY.
I will update this blog as often as I can so everyone can be praying and know what is going on.

Thank you so much for praying and I ask that you continue to hold Mom up in prayer. God was not taken by surprise by this event even though the rest of us where. He has a plan and I know Mom wants the Lord to be glorified in all of this so please pray that Mom's request will be granted.

Thank you all. Holly, for all of us.