Continued Progress

Kristi has has been home for 25 days now! The longest stint at home thus far since her surgery. I am very sorry for the lack of updates over the past couple weeks.  Those of us here working as her caretakers are busy when we're at her home making sure she's taken care of and keeping up with their laundry and dishes etc and then once we arrive back at our own homes we need to keep up with life there as well - leaves very little time to sit at the computer, however, we do value your continued prayers and want to keep you in the loop so you know how to pray specifically as well as join us in Thanking Jesus for His provisions and for her progress.

Rejoice always, pray continually,

Give thanks in all circumstances;

for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. 

I Thess. 5:16-18

We are super encouraged by Kristi's continued progress in the right direction.  She is counting down the days till two of her antibiotics will be over!  She has a little over two weeks left with them and then maybe the  nausea and restlessness caused by those meds and the anti nausea medications will go away.  The typical routine for the past ten days is that she wakes up feeling pretty good and has gained energy and is doing more things with her mornings. She is able to get up and sneak out of her room to allow Billy to keep sleeping from his late nights at work and make her way to the couch all on her own, and in the last couple days she's braved getting her own drink and carrying it to the couch. Even made herself a pitcher of iced tea!  She's still pretty shaky and weak so does not trust herself at the stove or even with a knife to cut up fruit! Those days will come though - I can see them on the horizon! This week she even left the house and went over to Katy's for a few hours while the house cleaners were there to perk up her home. She thought it was nice to have a change of scenery. THANK YOU to all of you who have given to have her house cleaned - this is a HUGE blessing.

Here's the week review in pictures!

Sunday night Billy was called in to work at Midnight which allowed him to stay home a little longer than normal on Monday and enjoy some time with Kristi

Charlotte has stayed the last two weeks and helped with the kids in the evenings and getting them up and off to school in the morning!

We could not have done it these past 3 weeks without Charlotte and Billy's mom Leona.  They've done a great job of staying on top of the kids needs so we can focus on caring for Kristi's.  You both have been a Blessing!

Lots of Physical Therapy these past two weeks and Kristi is getting stronger! We are grateful for Chris and his enthusiasm, listening ear, and desire to find treatments that will get Kristi back to living life again.  She has accomplished her first set of goals and has recently set a new goal of being able to walk into Isaiahs choir concert un-aided, without her walker or wheelchair, so we are doing lots of walking! plus she's met the goal of standing for five minutes, being able to sit at her dinner table with the kids and in the den to watch a movie with her kids. She told me yesterday that Chris is showing her she can do even more than she thinks she can.  Her legs are still very weak and it's hard to do any sort of steps.

Accomplishing her goal to walk to her mailbox and back

Doing Physical Therapy at Katy's house - she had a fan club there!

Another goal is to work on her gait - she still shuffles along instead of walking at a normal gait. She says she walks like our Grandpa Claude!

Yesterday we walked beyond her driveway to the neighbors driveway and back, she's making new strides every day!  Also yesterday she sat outside and colored - she was gifted coloring books and colored pencils for after her surgery and she's finally getting to the place she can focus long enough to color a picture. 

 

Although she is finding some renewed energy and a  little more independance each day she begins to feel worn out come early evening.  She finds herself counting down the hours till she can take her 9pm meds and go to sleep. She still battles the restlessness during the evening hours but not nearly as bad.  Her PT has given her some stretches that has helped with that a lot yet it seems to be a side effect of one of her anti-nausea medications. We did attempt AGAIN trying to go off of that one and she threw up. So it's just a must for this season of her recovery.

 

We continue to be touched by the out-pouring of love she receives by so many of you.  This week she was able to pay off her medical bills to Highland Oncology and an old bill to the OU Cancer Center and still had some to send towards her bill at MD Anderson. THANK YOU to so many who have given financially to them. There is a huge need and you are helping meet it.  THANK YOU to all of you who have provided frozen meals, pantry supplies, paper products, gift cards..... They have all come in handy and have met a need and allowed Charlotte and Leona to not have to worry about what to feed  the kids in the evenings or for any of us to have to squeeze in a run to the store for the basics. You don't understand what a huge help that is!  THANK YOU to those of you who came this last week to pull weeds, mow their grass and perk up their outdoors! This spoke volumes to Kristi and Billy. THANK YOU to those who continue to help cart the kids  too and fro from school and their many activities.  It has allowed them to continue doing things that are a part of their "normal"  in the midst of a time that feels so abnormal.

 

Our hearts are full and we are grateful that Kristi continues to recover versus having set backs and for all of you who have helped us keep life moving in a positive direction. 

 

Danina will fly in this next week to join the care team for the upcoming week. Please add her travels Sunday evening to your prayers. 

 

With a humbled and grateful heart, Amy for us all