December 30- p.m. update

Here is the news from today:  Cami has been doing great with her physical therapy and had her wheelchair restriction lifted.  She is now okay to walk around her room on her own and around the hospital with supervision.  She was also given a release date of next Tuesday as long as things go smoothly over the weekend.  She is excited about coming home next week but a little nervous at the same time.  We are still thankful for all the support and encouragement we are receiving.  This news is definitely an answer to prayer.  Please keep the prayers coming and I will keep you all posted as we find out more.

Seth

Thursday 12-29

Hello all,

I thought I would try to send out a quick update each night for those that are still checking this blog.  A lot of things are still the same today.  Cami was busy all morning with different therapies.  She continues to make improvements in all areas, but is still the most discouraged by activities that focus on mental processing skills.  She knows that things will come back with time, but it is frustrating for her to have to think so hard about things that used to come so naturally.  On a more positive note, Cami was cleared to move to a regular diet.  She can now eat and drink anything she wants.  She was also able to have Granger visit for a little bit tonight which definitely was a highlight of the day.  Thanks for continuing to remember us in your prayers.

Seth

Wednesday 12-28 @ 6:33 p.m.

Here is the latest on Cami.  She made it through her first day here at RHI and did great.  She was busy all day with different therapists and is tired, but made gains all day long.  Another positive thing we took from today was that although she has a long ways to go, Cami is starting to see some improvements.  She actually is feeling much more confidant and comfortable with some of the physical therapy, but is struggling a little more with some of the therapy that requires more mental stimulation.  This is frustrating for Cami because she just has to think so much before doing anything and she still gets confused when trying to remember things.

There is not a lot of new news, but I will try to post a little each night after her therapy sessions.  Please keep praying for Cami to be able to sleep at night and that her mental capabilities will return to normal quickly.    

Thanks,
Seth

Tuesday Evening 12-27

Good News!  Cami was finally able to move to her new room at the Rehabilitation Hospital of Indiana.  She will be assessed by her doctor tomorrow and we will find out more about her rehab plan, length of stay, etc tomorrow.  She has made good strides while doing physical therapy at the hospital but still has a lot of work ahead of her.  We know the only reason she has gotten this far so quickly is due to all of your prayers and even though we have finally made it this far, there are still a lot of things that we ask for you to continue praying about.
- Good sleep for Cami, she is still having trouble sleeping at night.  Added to this I can't stay the night with her at RHI and she has a roommate.
- A positive outlook throughout therapy/ that Cami remembers this is going to take a while and remember how far she has come instead of focusing on how far she has to go
- Positive results from therapy sessions
- That Cami wouldn't be overwhelmed when thinking about another surgery and the possibility of going through all of this again.
-That we would continue to see God's hand in all of this.

Thanks again for continuing to check this blog and for lifting Cami up in prayer.

Seth

Merry Christmas

Just a quick update from today.  Cami was able to take a very short walk down the hallway with assistance from the nurse and a walker.  She was also able to finally eat some solid food and swallow her medicine instead of crushing up a bunch of pills and putting them in baby food.  Her spirits are high and we have seen a lot of little improvements.  Cami's central line was removed which means she is now completely ready for RHI as soon as a bed opens up.  

Thanks for continuing to think about us and remember us in your prayers.  We hope you all have a very merry Christmas.

Christmas Eve

Not much new today.  Cami was able to get out of bed a little today to use the restroom and take a shower. She still needed a lot of help to get around, but it was a big step.  She has also been able to eat a little more today, although it has been mostly liquids and is still having some trouble with the solid foods.  We originally thought we would be able to move to the rehab center today, but our goals is to know move on Monday.

We hope you all have a very merry Christmas, I'll let you know if anything changes.  

Friday @ 8:11 p.m.

Good news!  Cami was able to move out of the ICU and into the monitoring unit of the hospital.  We also found out today that she has been approved by the hospital and insurance to move into RHI (rehabilitation hospital of Indianapolis off of 38th street) as soon as she is dismissed, which could be as soon as tomorrow.  Cami is a little nervous and apprehensive about being more on her own, but is excited at the same time.  She eventually will be able to have visitors but I will have to let everyone know when she is ready.

As another praise, Cami asked for prayer that she would begin to feel like she was getting better.  Earlier today when I was talking with her, she admitted that she still doesn't feel great but also said that she could start to tell that she was feeling better and making some progress.

Seth

Friday @ 10:33 a.m.

Good morning and happy Christmas Eve's Eve.  I am sitting with Cami and her parents in her room at the ICU.  Cami just ate a little cream-of-wheat and some "thick" apple juice.  She is taking small steps but making good progress in her recovery.  She is scheduled for some more physical therapy later on today and an order was put in to move her to a regular monitoring room.  She still has some anxiety and paranoia from her medication, but she is starting to feel a little better (even if she doesn't realize it).

Cami says, "Hi to everyone and thank you for all of your prayers.  I really treasure them more than I can express with words.  I am indebted to all of you."

Cami asked for prayer for two specific things this morning:
1. That she would start to feel like she is getting better.  She knows that she is getting better because we are telling her, but she says she can't really tell yet because she still feels so crummy.
2.  She would like everyone to pray that her anxiety would start to go away.

Thanks again for all of your prayers, I will update things later on if we find out anything else.

Seth

Thursday @ 2

Just a quick update here.  I have not had a chance to post much today since I have been with Cami.  She is still doing well, but is experiencing some side affects from the sedation medicine she had to take.  She is seeing and hearing things that aren't really there and it is causing her a lot of anxiety.  She says that she is still tired, she hasn't really slept since yesterday morning.  She is still very confused about a lot of things.  The doctors have also indicated that Cami will most likely need to spend some time in a rehab facility so that she can regain some of her mental and physical facilities.   On a more positive note, she was able to eat a little food today and was able to move a little when the physical therapist came by.

Please continue to pray for Cami.  Pray that she would stop hallucinating and hearing things.  Pray that she would be able to get some rest.  Pray that she would continue to gain some strength so she can start getting up a little.

Seth

Wednesday @ 5:02 p.m.

Cami is still doing great!  There hasn't been much change today.  She is very tired and very groggy and still gets confused easily.  Dr. Pritz has explained that she has been asleep for a few days and that she will eventually need a second surgery and Cami took the news very well, however I don't know that she fully understood what he was saying and that is a discussion we will probably need to have again later.  He has also indicated that there will be some side affects, but that it is a little early to tell exactly what they will be.    Right now just keep praying that she can relax, fall asleep, and rest.

Seth

Wednesday Morning 10:30 AM

Great news this morning.  Cami was able to take her breathing and feeding tubes out this morning as and was also able to get ride of a lot of the monitoring devices attached to her head.  She is resting right now but she was able to talk a little this morning.  There is still some sedation medicine in her system so she is still very groggy and a little confused, but that is to be expected after a long ordeal.  I'll try to post a few more updates today as Cami begins to feel a little better.

Thanks for all the encouraging messages, I am sure she will enjoy hearing them when she wakes up a little more.

Seth

Tuesday @ 10 p.m.

I just got back from sitting with Cami and she is still doing well.  She seems very aware of things around her and will either nod or shake her head to respond to some simple questions.  The tubes in her throat are very uncomfortable and I think she is frustrated that she cannot talk, but we are encouraged by how much she is able to respond.  She has smiled at me several times as I have sat with her and talked to her and even though she can't talk with her mouth, she says a lot with her eyes.  We hope to get her breathing tube out in the morning after the doctor is able to observe her again.  I'll be sure to continue to update this page as more information comes our way.

Thanks for the encouraging words and messages!  I read them to Cami when I am with her and I think she enjoys hearing from all of you.

Seth

Tuesday Evening

The news just keeps getting better!  I was in with Cami and she was really starting to respond well.  She turned her head to look at me and she nodded her head when I asked her a question.  She also squeezed my hand and I'm pretty sure she smiled at me.  A little while later Walt (Cami's dad) came in and she was able to move her right arm and leg and squeezed his hand.  They have allowed her blood pressure to go up to 110 and her fever has dropped on just over 98.6 degrees.  Since she is responding well and her pressure is okay, they are currently removing the pressure sensor in her head.  

This is just evidence that prayer does work!  Please continue to pray for Cami as she slowly continues to wake up and starts to realize her situation.  I'll continue to update the blog tonight as Cami shows more signs of improvement.

Thanks again for all of your prayers.  
Seth

4:15 Tuesday Afternoon

The right toes just moved!

3:15 Tuesday Afternoon

Good news!  Cami is starting to respond to her neuro checks.  She opens her eyes when we talk to her and can lift her left arm and wiggle her left toes.  She doesn't move anything on the right side of her body, but she did respond to pain on the right side for the first time.  The nurses think it might still be a while until she is completely awake, but it is good to see her moving a little and starting to respond to some very basic commands.

Thanks for continuing to lift her up in prayers.

Seth

Tuesday Morning

Friends and Family,


Thank you for all of your prayers, encouragement, and support.  Here is the latest news on Cami.  Cami is still in her medically induced coma, but she is very slowly starting to wake up.  SHe was opened her eyes and coughed a little, but she still isn't able to respond to commands at this time.  We do not know how long this waking up process will take, only that it is different for every person and could take up to three days from the time she was taken off her medication (yesterday around 8:00 am).  We just spoke to Dr. Pritz and he seemed to indicate that this is completely normal and that we shouldn't worry about this, but rather be a little encouraged with her progress at this point considering how much medication she had in her body.  She has not had any increase in the pressure in her brain and the blood clot still appears to be the same size which are also both positives.

In the meantime, Cami has developed a fever that the nurses have been working hard to keep down and they are having to continually adjust medication to keep her blood pressure down during the waking up process.  Just a few things to remember in your prayers.

We continue to be encouraged by all the comments, emails, and gestures from all of you and want you to know you have helped make a difficult waiting period a little more manageable.  I have also had several people ask permission to forward emails or Cami's blog address on to other friends/ family to ask for additional prayer.  By all means forward both of these things to anyone you wish, the more people that know our situation and are praying for us the better.

Thanks again for your support, I'll post more when I learn more.

Seth 

Monday Evening @ 5

Another thing to add to the prayer list: Cami's temperature has spiked which our nurses have indicated means there may be an infection of some sort.  They have started her on an antibiotic as a precaution pending bloodwork results.

Other than this, Cami's status has not changed very much today.  They have stopped the heavier sedation so she has had more brain activity, but she still isn't expected to completely come out of her coma for a few days as the medication that has stored up in her body wears off.

Seth

Monday Morning

Good morning all,

We were just back to see Cami and talk to her nurses.  We don't think her blood clot changed this morning so they have taken her off of all of her sedation medications so that she can start to come out of her coma.  We don't know exactly how long this will take, originally we heard 12-24 hours, but we were told it could take up to 3 days depending on how fast her body can metabolize the drugs that are in her body.  We were hoping to have a little more information this morning, but so far this is all we have been told.

So, we are back to the waiting game.  Please keep us in your prayers.

Seth

Saturday Morning

Good morning everyone.  Dr. Pritz just gave me the latest on Cami.  Not a lot has changed since yesterday.  The surgery to insert the pressure monitor on her brain went smoothly and they were able to insert a feeding tube yesterday afternoon.  The blood clot in her brain has not gotten any bigger or increased pressure in her brain.  The doctors will not do a CT scan tomorrow, but have ordered one for Monday morning.  If that scan shows that the clot has not gotten any bigger there is a very good chance they will start to bring Cami out of her coma on Monday and hopefully have her awake by Tuesday.  As with anything else the past couple of days, this is circumstantial and subject to change.  As you continue praying, please pray that the blood clot doesn't get any bigger and Cami's body starts to absorb it (this could take a couple of weeks, think of it like a bruise slowly going away).  Also please start praying for the point in time when Cami wakes up and has to learn the news that she will need another surgery.  She is a strong and brave woman, but I know that will be very hard for her to hear.  Keep praying for the doctors and nurses that are caring for Cami and that they are able to make wise decisions regarding Cami and her health.

Thank you again for all of you who are thinking about us and praying.  I know it is making a difference. It is encouraging to read all the posts and responses people have made to my posts and just to know that people are watching (this blog has over 5,000 views in the last 3 days) and praying.  We have really been blessed with great friends and family and this entire ordeal has made that more evident than ever.

On a final note, since things with Cami really shouldn't change over the next 48 hours (this is when they will do the CT scan and reassess the blood clot), I probably won't post much over the weekend besides a quick update tomorrow morning around this time and then again on Monday after we find out some more information.  

Seth

Friday Morning

We just talked to Dr. Pritz and here is our latest update.  Cami is currently in a medically induced coma and will remain in a coma through the weekend.  At this point we know that she will not have the surgery finished during this hospital stay.  The second surgery will not happen until at least January, but it all depends on how Cami does when she wakes up from her coma.  We won’t know about any of the side affects until after she is awake, but the doctor seemed to indicate that there will probably be some side affects.  We were informed that Cami does have a blood clot in the spot they were operating which the doctors say should subside on its own.  Later on this morning the doctors will insert a pressure monitor into Cami’s head to get a better reading of the pressure in the brain.  This will also monitor the blood clot to make sure that it doesn’t get any worse. 

Obviously things did not go entirely as we had hoped, but we also know that things could have gone a lot worse.  I know that God is in control of this situation and that in the end, things will work out, even if it isn’t in the way we originally planned. 

Here are a few things that we are asking for specific prayer about:
The blood clot in Cami’s brain.  Pray that this doesn’t get any bigger and goes away on its own without another extra surgery.
That Cami continues to heal as she is in her coma.
Peace of mind for everyone that is waiting
Pray for Cami for when she finally wakes up and has to absorb the news that she will need another surgery. 
Pray for minimal side affects and that the ones that do present themselves would be short term. 
Please pray for wisdom and discernment for Dr. Pritz as he has to make some tough but important decisions over the next few days. 

There shouldn’t be much change today as Cami is resting so this will probably be my last blog for a while.  If something big happens or changes, I will be sure to let everyone know.  We are so grateful to have so many friends, family, and, in some cases, complete strangers praying for us.  

We thank you all for your prayers,

Seth and Cami

8:45 Update

Well there is some good news and some bad news for the day.  The good news is that the surgery is over for today.  The bad news is that due to the amount of time the surgery was taking and the amount of bleeding towards the end of the surgery, the doctors were not able to remove the AVM today and it will require another surgery.  Cami is being kept under sedation and they will not be waking her up until at least tomorrow morning.  They will run some more tests tomorrow and make some decisions based on what they discover at that point.  We really don’t know a lot of details right now, but I will be sure to keep you posted. 

We covet your prayers now more than ever.  It will be a long night of waiting to find out more information and for Cami as she recovers. 

Thanks again for your prayers.

Seth 

7:50 Update

We just had another update and things are still going well.  The surgeons still have not determined if they will be able to finish the surgery today or if they will need to finish at a later time.  Please continue to pray for stamina and endurance for the surgeons, it has been a long day of work and they have yet to finish.  In our meetings beforehand, Dr. Pritz indicated that the last part of the surgery will be the most intense as they get to the smallest and most hard to reach vessels.  Please continue to pray that things would continue to go smoothly and that ultimately they would be able to finish the surgery today with no complications.

Thanks,
Seth 

5:30 Update

I just got the most recent update on Cami.  There is still no estimate on a stopping time, but things are going smoothly and the surgeons are still working.   

2:30 Update

We had another little update.  Cami is doing well and everything is going as planned.  There is still no estimate on when things will be finished, just that things are going well.

12:30 Update

We just got the latest update.  Cami is stable and the surgery is continuing as planned.  Thanks for all the encouragement you all have been sending and for the prayers you are offering.  I'll keep you updated as I hear more. 
Seth

11:15 Update

I just received another update from hospital staff.  Things are progressing well and they have moved on to the cranial part of the surgery... not sure what that means exactly, I thought the entire thing would be cranial since they are operating on her brain, but praises that things are still going well.  Thanks to those who have been praying and for those that continue to pray.

9:15 Update

The doctors wanted to do a CT scan before they started surgery so things were delayed a little this morning.  She just went back to the OR and has started her day of surgery.

Prayer Requests

Here are a few of the prayer requests that we mentioned in our last email for those who are looking for some specific things to pray for.

-For a successful removal of all of the AVM in Cami’s brain in one surgery.  We don’t want to go through a second surgery.
-Peace of mind for everyone waiting during surgery. 
-Wisdom, endurance, focus, etc. for the doctors, surgeons, and nurses.  This is a very tedious surgery and will mostly be done by one surgeon the whole time. 
-The most likely risks of the surgery are numbness/paralysis/weakness on the right side of her body (especially her leg), vision problems (blindspots), potential speech problems (not quite as likely)
-Other risks that are not likely, but we’d still like prayer for:  not waking up from anethesia/death
-Peace of mind for Cami as she wakes up and strength to face whatever challenges might exist after surgery.




Thanks again for your prayers.
Seth

8:17 Update

Just a quick update here.  Cami is still in PreOp and is scheduled to start surgery at any time.  Her spirits were high this morning, a testament to all the prayers coming in.  Thanks to everyone is praying, we'll keep you updated as we find out more.
Seth

Prayer Times

Here is the link to the wiki page I used to set up a schedule for prayer.  http://pray4cami.wikispaces.com/   Thanks in advance for praying for us.  It has made a difference up until now and we believe that it will continue to make a difference on Thursday.  
Thanks again,
Seth and Cami