Get Well Soon Maria

Visit with Neurosurgeon

2006-10-04T20:24:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone,

Just a quick post to let you all know about Maria's visit with her neurosurgeon on Monday - he took a lot of X-rays and determined that everything looks great and that she could likely get her braces (neck and body) off in two weeks - that is Monday, October 16th! That will be another HUGE step and make Ree's life much easier.

Maria has been having lots of visitors, and is up and about a lot - tomorrow we have a big outing for cousin Christina's birthday party. Her scabs are off her head and she is looking great. It was really fun to have Albee home for the weekend (Will was in town the weekend before, I don't think I mentioned that).

Other than that, she is just being patient and getting stronger every day - she still loves everything that people are sending, so thanks for that! Hope everyone is having a lovely evening. And for those of you who have sent me recipies, thank you!

Bands Are Off!!!

2006-09-28T16:42:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone,

So Maria had an appointment with the jaw doctor at Harborview today, and the good news is the rubber bands are off her teeth. This means she can open her mouth (as wide as she feels comfortable), stick out her tongue, brush her teeth, and speak better. The bad news is that her jaw is still wired, and she will not get it unwired for 2 weeks. Since her jaw is still healing, she still is not supposed to chew/bite things. . . her diet can be expanded a little (she can eat with a spoon and fork rather than through a straw), but everything still has to be pretty mushy, which is obviously still kind of a bummer (no sandwiches - she was really looking forward to some BREAD this afternoon). The appointment itself was kind of a nightmare as we arrived early for a 1:00 appointment and they didn't call us back until 2:30, and then the actual "un-banding" took about five minutes. Maria was very tired, and went home to take a nap so that she is well rested for Albee's arrival tonight - we are all looking forward to that!

If anyone has any fabulous recipes that are mashed-potato texture, lactose-free, acid-reflux-irritating free, and IBS appropriate, feel free to send them our way! Thanks!

Contact Info

2006-09-26T22:33:00.000-07:00

Hi Team,

I've noticed a lot of people asking for Maria's home address. I am hesitant to post it due to security risks (aka internet stalkers), but email me at carly.e.nelson@gmail.com and I will give you her address and new cell phone number. . . hope that helps! Once you have them, feel free to pass them around - I just don't feel that it would be prudent for me to post them.

Thanks! Hope everyone is having a lovely evening!!

Carly

Finally a New Post!

2006-09-26T16:14:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone,

Sorry I have been such a delinquent poster. . . but I am staying at Maria's house for a few weeks so I will be able to give firsthand updates again. Also, I think Barbara and even Maria might start posting soon, so we can look forward to that!

Maria has been home for a week now - her physical therapist has come twice, and her OT and speech therapy are due to start coming next week. She is sleeping in her own bed, taking a lot less medication, and is up and about for most of the day. She has been having a lot of problems with nausea, but we think that is due to the medication she is taking for her infection, and tomorrow is her last day on that medication, so hopefully it will stop soon. She has an appointment with the jaw doctor on Thursday, so she will get her jaw unwired then - that will be a HUGE improvement in her quality of life as she will no longer have to puree all of her food!

I will write another, more detailed update soon - my class is starting right now so I have to sign off. Thanks to everyone for your continued support - everyone is so very thankful - and thanks for reading even though I haven't posted in 10 days!!!

Saturday, September 16th

2006-09-16T12:48:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone,

I drove up to Seattle on Thursday, and have seen Maria quite a bit since then, so I wanted to give a more detailed update. . .

She has made a lot of improvements since she has been at UW - she can do her neck brace and turtle almost all by herself, is walking around totally on her own without a walker or cane, can drink out of a straw - basically a lot of things she couldn't do (or were very difficult to do) a week ago.

She does have an infection of some sort, so she is on an antibiotic as well as her pain medication, and doesn't feel great. However, she is very determined to keep up with her physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech therapy in spite of feeling sick and tired. This morning she took a shower with her occupational therapist, who remarked that Maria does a very good job managing her own care, i.e. doing everything she is capable of on her own, and telling her nurses and therapists what she needs them to help her with. After OT, the physical therapist came and helped Maria get in and out of Barb's car, in preparation for her trip home on Tuesday. It was a little scary at first for her to think about being in a car, but she was very brave and tried it, and was able to get in and out with no problems. If she feels up to it, she can go on an excursion with an activities coordinator from the hospital tomorrow - anywhere she wants to go. . . she is thinking the zoo:)

She has to have a consult with an oral-maxillofacial surgeon (aka jaw doctor) from Harborview before she can get her jaw unwired, but assuming that that gets taken care of on Monday, she is on track to go home on Tuesday. From there, she will have PT/OT/SP come to her house, and will still have a lot of therapy/rehab work ahead of her. After almost a month in the hospital, though, it will be nice to finally be home!

I'll try to keep everyone updated over the next couple days. . .

Wednesday, September 13th

2006-09-13T20:11:00.000-07:00

Hi Everybody,

So my news tonight is short and (mostly) sweet. The good news: Maria gets to go home on Tuesday! Woo hoo! Still a long road ahead, but she can do it as an outpatient, and sleep in her own bed at night and breath the healing sea air of Edmonds, finally! The bad news is that she has a bacterial infection, which is making her really sick, but they have her on some antibiotics and hopefully she will be feeling better soon.

That's all for now! I am headed up to Seattle tomorrow so I will post again when I have more info. Thanks!

Rehab, Day 6

2006-09-11T19:21:00.000-07:00

Hello again, everybody!

Maria has continued to do outstandingly well in rehab since my last posting. She started walking with a cane over the weekend, and today walked 45 minutes straight, with her physical therapist walking with her but not holding her up at all. She is still in a great deal of pain, but they are in the process of adjusting her neck brace and turtle (back brace) so that they fit together better - right now the neck brace has a front and a back and the turtle has a front and a back; what they want to do is attach the two front pieces and two back pieces so that they are always lined up correctly and thus are more comfortable (two pieces instead of four). She also had a cognitive test today, and did very well on it as well.

Not surprisingly, Ree is making friends with all of her doctors, nurses, and therapists. She had a lot of visitors this weekend, including Grandma and Grandpa Padden, who were very happy to finally see her, and lots of aunts and uncles and cousins. Katherine also made a trip over from Missoula, and she and her parents were able to spend a lot of time visiting.

It sounds like the food issue is going better. . . Barbara is getting very creative about things that can go in a blender - i.e. salmon (in mashed potatoes) and peach cobbler - yummy!

The rehab team will do another assessment on Wednesday, after which we will know more about what is coming up, and when Maria will be able to go home. . . no rush, as she is in the number one rehab facility in the US!

She continues to enjoy reading all of the notes and blog comments people are sending, and I'm told her room looks gorgeous with all of the flowers people have sent - so thank you!

Friday, September 8th

2006-09-08T17:18:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone,

The update since Maria's arrival at UW is as follows (disclaimer - this is all second hand to me now so it might not be 100% accurate):

The rehab team met with Maria on Wednesday when she arrived to do an assessment. They will be keeping her quite busy - physical therapy from 9-10, speech therapy from 10-11, occupational therapy from 11-12 and 1-2 (break for lunch), and a group exercise class from 2-3 each day. Pretty exhausting! Maria is working on getting her neck brace and turtle on an off by herself - doesn't sound too tough, but it was always a struggle for two or more of us to do for her, so it will be very difficult for her to do on her own.

She has had a lot of visitors already. . . lots of family, and Kelli came last night as well. Christina has taken over the night shift, so it will be nice for Ree to have someone there when she wakes up and needs her medication. They have made a schedule so that people can coordinate visitation - I will try to post when I know who the coordinator is for those who want to visit.

We are a little concerned about her getting enough calories - she is supposed to have at least 2,000 calories per day and is having trouble getting them all in, as she can only eat certain foods, and they have to be in liquid form so that she can eat them through her squeegee/rubber straw contraption. . . but the jaw is supposed to be unwired in a little over a week, so she just has to make it until then and things will get a lot easier. Also, they are still adjusting her medications as she is still in a lot of pain. . . other than that, things are going as well as possible.

I'll try to post again as soon as I know more. . . thanks again to everyone for all of your support!

Wednesday, September 6th

2006-09-06T15:24:00.000-07:00

Goodbye Billings, Hello Seattle!!!

This morning at 7:30 am Montana time, a flight crew arrived at Maria's door to escort her via ambulance to the Billings airport, where she flew on a medical plane (Med Flight) to Boeing Field, and was transported (again by ambulance) to the University of Washington Medical Center. The Med Flight plane and ambulance transportation were LIFESAVERS - one of the things that causes Maria the most pain is having to hold her head/neck up for too long, and usually 20 minutes is too long. She was able to lay on the stretcher from hospital room to hospital room, so the journey was much more bearable for her (had she flown commercial, it would have been 8 hours of sitting up) - thank you flight crew, ambulance crew, and those who made the Med Flight possible!

Yesterday was a good last day at the Billings Clinic - Maria was visited by a lot of her favorite doctors and nurses, many of whom told her she was their favorite patient ever. . . not that that surprises any of us who know her:) She went on three long walks, and worked with her therapists on sitting down, turning, etc. . . all remarked that she wouldn't be an inpatient in Seattle for very long. The doctors have estimated a week or two, but they also thought she would be in Montana for at least a month, and she made it out in 16 days, so we'll see. . .

I'm back home now (it will be a very sad separation for me and my little patient:)) so I won't have much firsthand knowledge until I move back up to Seattle in a few weeks, but I will try to keep the blog updated as much as possible.

Her new address is:

Maria Dalbotten, Floor 8 North (Room 839, bed 2)
University of Washington Medical Center
1959 NE Pacific
Seattle, WA 98195

Thanks again for all of your thoughts and prayers. . . Maria is doing INCREDIBLY well, but still has a long way to go on her road to recovery, so she will continue to need all of our encouragement and support!

Monday, September 4th

2006-09-04T20:22:00.000-07:00

Happy Labor Day, Everybody!

On the two-week anniversary of her accident, Maria has been laboring (get it?)to get herself in airplane-ready shape for her trip back to Seattle later this week (exact date TBD, but it's looking like as early as Wednesday). Last night they took her off of her feeding tubes, so she has been getting all of her nutrition out of a squeegee/rubber straw-type contraption. . . lots of apple juice, potato soup, soy milkshakes, liquid diets are no fun for lactose intolerant people with acid reflux!! This morning they took her off of her last IV, the antibiotics, so she can now walk/wheel around with no tubes rolling along behind her.

Her nurse also took the last of her stitches out this morning, so she is making lots and lots of progress! Katherine left this morning, which was a bummer, but she was a great visitor and cheerleader for Ree (and chef for the rest of us). This afternoon, Barb, Char, and I helped Maria wash her hair and get all of the sticky residue off of her arms from where the IVs had been taped down. When I left to run over to kinkos to post this, they were trying to get her comfortable so that she could go to bed for the night - a difficult task as it really hurts her to move since they have taken her off of the morphine (despite her attempts to convince her nurse otherwise) and she now has to take what I'm told is a very nasty medication orally. Adding insult to injury, she only gets to take it every four hours (the morphine was every two) so she is definitely still in a lot of pain.

We had a visit from Jesse, one of our favorite ICU nurses, tonight - one of the highlights of the day! Maria is looking forward to coming home and seeing everyone. . . hopefully in a couple of days! Stage two of her journey (being in Billings, stage one was being in the ICU)is coming to an end. . . thanks to everyone for their continued love and support!

PS - in case anyone was planning on mailing anything to Billings tomorrow, DON'T!!! If you already sent something, don't worry, we've asked the hotel to forward it on, but from now on, please send things to Maria's parents home address. . . or her address at the hospital in Seattle, I'll post it when I know it. Thanks!

Sunday, September 3rd

2006-09-03T14:52:00.000-07:00

Hi All,

Sorry about the lack of posting yesterday. . . things were pretty busy over here. Maria's big news is that she moved out of ICU yesterday - late yesterday afternoon we wheeled her and all of her things down the hall and around the corner into a room with a private bathroom, a big window, and a big windowsill for all of the flowers, balloons, and cards that people have sent that we were finally able to deliver to her. Other "pros" about the room include that it is much bigger, she can have as many visitors as she likes at one time (in ICU they limited it to 2), we can come and go as we please (in ICU we had to call first), and she can have visitors 24/7 (in ICU we had to leave from 7-8:30 am and pm each day while the nurses changed shifts). The "con" is that her nurses have 5-7 patients at once, whereas in ICU they only had 2 - Maria and one other - so they were very attentive (thus the title of intensive care). But it is so nice to be out of the ICU - after Dave and Albee left yesterday, Barb, Char, Katherine and I all had dinner with Maria in her room - a first!

She had a really good night last night - didn't even need the morphine every two hours like she has the past few nights. She has had a lot of activities both yesterday and today - long walks down the hallway with her walker, with Katherine the rower acting as coxswain, cruises around the hospital in her wheelchair, working with the physical therapist, etc. This afternoon she even talked to Albee on the phone! Her head and neck hurt her alot when she is sitting or standing, but she is very determined to push through the pain and be back on her feet (literally) ASAP. When I asked her why she was walking so fast during our walk this afternoon, she told me "because I am so mad." But at the rate she's going, she is right on track to move to Seattle next week. . . so get ready!

She continues to enjoy having all of your comments read to her - she has mentioned a number of times that she would like to be able to see the blog. . . but alas, no wireless internet in the hospital, so that will have to wait until Seattle. Thanks again, everyone, for all of your support! Maria is looking forward to seeing everyone soon!

Friday, September 1st

2006-09-01T16:38:00.000-07:00

Happy Friday Everybody! Today marks the 10th day following Maria's accident, and she has made incredible progress. When I first saw her last Thursday night, I could not have imagined that she would be where she is today - walking (quite a few steps, with a walker), talking (very clear sentences), and drinking (water and juice). This morning Maria had physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech therapy, all of which went very well. She took the swallowing test again, and passed this time, which is why she is able to drink now. We went to buy her some nectar-style juice from the natural foods store, as the nurses told us that it is better for her to have thicker liquids, so that it is easier for her to control swallowing. We also got her some soy milk, yogurt, ice cream, etc, so that we can attempt to make her a milkshake tomorrow (she has requested a banana soy milkshake - yummy!).

Barb and Jesse (one of our very favorite nurses, a total doll) took Maria on a little walk around the hospital, and outside around the fountain where Dave, Albee, Auntie Char and I were sitting. . . we were supposed to be a surprise for Ree, but she didn't appear all that excited to see us:) She definitely wanted to go on the walk - it seems as though she likes to have activities scheduled throughout the day - but it is still very exhausting for her to sit up for very long. After chatting for a few minutes, she asked to go back inside and take a nap.

Also this afternoon Albee and I watched the rerun of last night's VMAs (MTV video music awards, for those of you who are not familiar) with Maria, and showed her how J-Lo was wearing a headscarf - we are thinking that it will possibly be a new trend, and Ree will be right in style wearing her scarves while her hair grows back. . .

Tonight during the shift change (hour and a half when ICU patients can't have visitors), Barb, Dave, Albee, Char and I are going to dinner at a very nice restaurant here in Billings, due to a generous gift certificate from the Padden/Dalbottens' Hanna Park Road neighbors - SUCH a thoughtful gift - to celebrate Dave and Albee's last night in Billings - they are off to Seattle and NYC, respectively, tomorrow. Katherine arrives from Missoula this evening as well, so Maria is excited to see her.

I think that's pretty much the update for now, I will try to keep you posted over the weekend, but I am losing my laptop when Alb leaves tomorrow. . . so it's back to Kinkos:( Keep rooting for Ree - our next hurdle is to get her out of ICU - hopefully by the next time you hear from me!

PS - Madge, sorry about the pics, I saw "mkay" and got a little confused. . . kind of like how I saw a picture of your dad playing a guitar and called it a piano. . . this is what sleep deprivation will do to you!

Thursday, August 31st

2006-08-31T15:24:00.000-07:00

Pics of the Day - thanks to Max Kay

Maria singing O Danny Boy (Uncle Rich on Piano) at Grandma and Grandpa Padden's 60th Anniversary Party, January 2006

Maria dancing with Grandma

Good afternoon, everyone -

Just a quick update on Ree's night last night and day today. She had a pretty good night last night, Alb and I had a sleepover in her room so we could monitor her a little bit, and while she was pretty good for the most part, there were definitely a couple of times where it took both of us to keep her in bed- she kept telling us that she "really had some things to take care of," or that she "just wanted to go downstairs for a minute." When we told her she couldn't get out of bed, she asked us "can't you just change your mind for once?" At one point, she told Alb and I that she just "needed some space from us" :) She definitely has times of being very aware, and then times of being very confused - the doctors tell use this is normal, because her brain is still very swollen.

She had speech therapy this morning, and then went for a tour of the hospital in her wheelchair - even outside a litle bit, but it was too hot for her. She sat up in a chair for half an hour - quite an accomplishment, as yesterday it was hard for her to hold her head up for very long. . .

She is enjoing having people read to her - we read a lot of cards and blog postings last night, and right now Dave is reading her "Little House in the Big Woods". . . she asked Alb and I for a DVD, so we are off to Target. . . Ree told the nurse that she was going to "do something fun with her parents tonight," so we'll see what we can come up with!

As always, thanks for your thoughts and prayers!

More Pictures

2006-08-30T10:19:00.000-07:00

Maria and cousins at the beach - Cousins Weekend 2005

Maria and girls in Edmonds at Christmas

Jenny, Ree, and Albee in the NYC apartment (hallway)

Ree on the "Big Raft" - thanks Kelli, I'm sure she will love that we posted this:)

Ree with Abby, Kelli, Christina and Francie at Camp, circa 1996?

Senior Pic - looking gorgeous!

Maria and Kiira at Dicks - yum!

Getting ready to go out in NYC on her birthday, June 2006

Looking hot in Nick's trendy glasses

Jenny, Ree, Alb and Jen at the Yankees game

Wednesday, August 30th - Morning Update

2006-08-30T10:08:00.000-07:00

Good Morning Everyone,

Just a quick update on Ree's night last night - her big news was that she climbed out of bed, fell down, and climbed back into bed all by herself before the nurses came in. While in a way that makes us laugh because it is so typical of that girl to be so mischievous, it is also pretty scary as she easily could have hurt herself. Also a bummer for her as she will learn that lesson the hard way because they will have to strap her back to the bed now - at least at night - which will not make her happy. That's about it for now - Barb and Dave are meeting with the hospital care manager this morning, so I will try to update when/if they have a plan for getting Maria back to Seattle. At this point, Barb is thinking there's no rush as we are liking the doctors, nurses, staff, etc., and there's really no point in moving other than that Maria is getting antsy. . .

Tuesday, August 29th, Part II - Off the Vent!!

2006-08-29T17:27:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyody,

Just a quick update to let you know what a GREAT DAY Maria had today. Of course she would likely not describe anything about her current condition as great - as anything less than hell, really - but relatively it was a pretty good day. She started her morning with a rehabilitation massage from Dr. Mom at 5 am, and Albee and I gave her a mani-pedi and another foot massage (more like half of a pedi, as she got bored after the first foot was painted) later in the morning. One of her doctors informed us around 11 that her chest X-ray was "a thing of beauty" and that they would take her vent out at some point during the day, so long as she wasn't too swollen. So while we were all at lunch they did a scope, determined that she was not too swollen, and took her vent out. The vent was in one nostril, and she had her feeding tube and another tube into her stomach in her other nostril, and they hadn't planned on taking the other tubes out; however during extubation (sp?) she got a bloody nose so they went ahead and took everything out. They put her on a little bit of oxygen, but within a couple hours that was gone too. She sat up in bed for quite awhile, watched some TV with Albee, then took a little rest. With the vent out, she can talk a little bit, although it's difficult as her teeth are wired shut, but she asked Albee when she was going back to New York, and when Albee said Saturday Maria very clearly stated "me too."

While unfortunately that will not be the case, when Barb and I were with her later this afternoon her rehab doctor came in and told her that he thought she could go back to Seattle A LOT sooner than he had anticipated. Of course the final decision will be up to her neurosurgeon, but the rehab doc wants to make sure that she can sit up and "dangle" (feet hanging down, like they would if she was on a plane) for a period of time, so Ree demonstrated how capable she is by trying to climb out of the bed:) She gave a lot of double thumbs up the more he talked about Seattle, Harborview, UW, etc. . . no dates yet, but it sounds like in a couple of weeks - we'll know more tomorrow after talking to Dr. Dolan (the neurosurgeon, aka God) and the Care Manager, and after they talk to the people in Seattle. Five minutes after the rehab doctor left, the jaw surgeon, Dr. Mancuso, came in and, as he apparently had not gotten the memo about Seattle, started talking about how he would check on her every Wednesday for the next month. Maria was NOT pleased - until her nurse reassured her that he just didn't know that she was leaving sooner, and that she can get a new jaw doctor in Seattle. They took the bandage off her jaw, and everything looks great - she is looking more and more like her gorgeous self every day. Also, after talking to Maria in her room, Dr. Mancuso asked to speak to Barb in the hall - when she came back in, Ree asked for her notepad and wrote "what did that doctor say?"

The only bummers are (1) now that she's off the vent, they want her to sit up more so that she can cough on her own, which means she has to be awake, which means no pain med/anti-anxiety med - no fun; (2) now that the feeding tube is out, they want to put her on a liquid diet and let her drink through a straw, but the jaw surgeon doesn't think she can do that today, maybe tomorrow, but they might have to put a feeding tube into her stomach. Also no fun, but hopefully more comfortable than through her nose. She won't be able to eat at all tonight, but apparently that is normal for anyone who has been extubated.

With all of the doctors' visits, sitting up, etc., she was pretty exhausted by the time I left her with her 'rents and Albee (Will left this am) a little while ago, but I did get a big smile when I told her about all the people who are waiting to come to visit her in Montana, who won't be able to since she gets to go home so soon, and that they will all have to throw her a big party in Seattle instead:) Also, Albee and Barb and Dave have been reading her all of the cards people are sending, and she loves hearing them, and hearing about all of the people who have commented on the blog- we are thinking of printing out the comments and reading them to her tomorrow.

Our big outing tonight (the nurses change shifts from 7-8:30 each morning and night, and during those times she can't have any visitors, so we have to entertain ourselves outside the hospital for three hours each day) is to go to the mall to get Ree some tank tops and t-shirts she can wear under her turtle, since she no longer has to wear the hospital gown if she doesn't want to - woo hoo! She has made so many big steps today, I get tired just writing about it - I can't imagine how exhausted she must be. Keep sending her all your positive energy. . . and get ready for her welcome-home-extravaganza! Hopefully we will be able to set a date soon. . .

Tuesday, August 29th

2006-08-29T06:10:00.000-07:00

Hi Team,

Just wanted to give you a quick update - not much new, but Maria had a good night, still in a lot of pain but we are hoping to get her on a PCA (?) - i think that stands for personally controlled something - it is the little hand held device that lets Maria give herself her own pain medication - when the nurse mentioned it last night Ree gave two thumbs up.

Not much else to report, but Albee and I thought we would post some pictures of Ree to spice the page up a little bit - if you have any cute pics you'd like me to post, send them our way. . . my email is cnelson@lawschool.gonzaga.edu. The ones included so far are from Sally (Maria the Starlet), Sarah (Albee and Ree) and Christa (Maria on the streets of NYC with a box of gingersnaps) - thanks ladies! We are loving the ones people put on their profiles, but they're so tiny. . .

Monday, August 28th

2006-08-28T16:50:00.000-07:00

Hi Team,

So today has been a rough day for Maria. Since she woke up and was so aware last night, we decided to have someone in her room the whole night with her in case she woke up again. Barb and Dave stayed until 10:30, at which point Albee and I relieved them so that they could attempt to get a good night's sleep. Willem traded off with Alb and I until about 2:00 am, at which point he went home and Alb and I stayed with Ree until 5. She slept for most of the night, but was awake for short periods of time a few times and wrote us a couple notes ("I want to breathe and take a nap"). We helped the nurse give her a bath, and when the nurse looked at her legs she remarked that she won't have any problems in terms of rehab for her muscles,etc. She also said that when she saw the picture of Maria she thought, "Oh, this girl is so beautiful, and from New York," as if they wouldn't have anything in common, but then saw Ree's black, calloused feet and realized she is a "barefoot girl" and that they would have more in common than she thought. Anyhoo, Barb arrived at the hospital at 5 am to relieve us, followed closely by my mom (Marybeth) and Dave, while I took a nap and poor Albee had to do some work.

She was awake a lot this morning, very agitated and tired. They can manage her pain pretty well, but she is very uncomfortable. My mom left this morning, and when she said goodbye to Maria she said "I know you wish you could leave here, too," and Ree squeezed her hand and gave the thumbs up. She received a lot of mail today - Barb and Albee read it all to her and she loved to hear how everyone is thinking about her.

They moved Maria into a normal bed around noon, which is great because she is not constantly in motion. She is in the neck brace and a "turtle" (body cast/back brace sort of thing) so that she is pretty immobile and her neck fracture can heal, but she's not strapped down anymore. However, around 4 pm they diagnosed her with pneumonia - she has a fever, and the docs are doing a lot of tests (blood, urine, lungs, etc) to find out if she has any other infections which are causing the fever, or if it is just the pneumonia. She remains on the vent, but is capable of breathing on her own - they just want to wait to extubate (sp?) her until the risk of infection has gone down. Once she's off the vent, they can move her out of ICU, so long as everything else is going OK.

Anyway, that's about all the news from Billings today - we have made friends with another ICU family, there is a 24-year-old girl who is a noncompliant diabetic who almost died yesterday, and she has two sisters who are pretty sad and quiet, but they each have husbands and little babies that we've been talking to - Maddox (9 months) and Talia (7 months) - they are pretty cute, and the dads are pulling for Maria just like we are for their sister-in-law.

Last thing - an anonymous benefactor wants to buy Maria a present - he was thinking an iPod but then wondered if she would prefer a hand-held DVD player instead. Albee wants me to make a poll - but I can't figure out how - so if anyone has an opinion please feel free to post it (and if your vote is for the iPod, please specify nano or video).

Thanks again, everyone, for all of your thoughts and prayers! Keep them coming - now that she is awake, she is going to need a lot of strength and patience in the coming days!

She's Awake!!!

2006-08-27T17:38:00.000-07:00

Big News Everybody!!! Maria just woke up! Albee and Dave were in her room with her, when all of the sudden she opened her eyes and was awake and totally with it! She had a lot of questions (half talking, half writing, because it's hard for her to talk with her jaw wired shut), but they held her hands and reassured her. . . she asked where she was, what had happened, if she would be able to walk, etc. Barb came in and she talked to her mom for awhile, but by the time my mom and I arrived she had worn herself out and was asleep again. Will just ran into the ICU, which is pretty quiet, yelling "Maria!" Finding her asleep, he yelled, "I can't believe I missed it!!!"

But we know she will be up and chatting again tomorrow, she will get out of her rotating bed (finally) and be able to lay still with her neck brace and back brace in a norman bed. . . maybe even sit up a little bit. We are all so excited for her. . . a miraculous and SPEEDY recovery!!! Go Ree!

Sunday, August 27th

2006-08-27T10:53:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone,

This morning Maria had her third and final surgery - this one to repair two fractures in her jaw. She went in at 8 o'clock this morning, and we got word shortly before 11 that everything went, according to the orthodontic (?) surgeon, "better than textbook." He said she will have her "cute chin and dimple back!" He put a plate with 4 pins in her chin, but it took less time than expected, which is good, and was able to confirm that all her teeth are still there and the roots are healthy. Her jaw will be wired shut for four weeks, which won't be fun for her but is nothing too major in the scheme of things.

Ree is still in the recovery room, but Barbara, Dave, Albee and Willem are all waiting to go in and see her as soon as they are able. Since the accident she has been in a special medical bed which keeps her really still and rotates her from side to side every five minutes - she was pretty agitated at a couple points yesterday and gave us a thumbs up when we asked her if it was because of the bed. The doctors told us she should be able to move out of the bed after this surgery, so we are hoping that when we see her she will be in a normal hospital bed - if not today then hopefully tomorrow.

In other news, Maria was awake and communicative for a good part of the day yesterday. . . we got a lot of hand squeezes when we told her all of the people who were thinking about her!!! She opened one eye last night, and is really trying to talk. . . now that this last surgery is behind her she can really start to heal.

Thanks again, everyone, for your thoughts and prayers and comments and well-wishes. . . please keep them coming!

Address

2006-08-26T14:10:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone,

A lot of you have asked for Maria's address to send cards, flowers, etc. At this time she cannot have flowers or balloons in her room, but we are making her some bulletin boards so that when she wakes up she can see all of our expressions of love and encouragement (cards, signs, etc).

Please send your cards to Barbara and Dave at their hotel, they can deliver them to Ree. Their address is:

Riverstone Billings Inn
c/o Barbara Padden, Room 304
880 North 29th Street
Billings, MT 59101

She does have a CD player in her room (a lot of people have asked about music), but try not to go overboard as she will have to eventually (hopefully soon!) have to cart everything back to Seattle - and she will still need lots of cards and CDs then as well!!!

Thanks again, everybody!!! Barb just read all of your comments and loved them - we know Maria will LOVE LOVE LOVE to see how much everyone is thinking about her and pulling for her. I'll send out the next update tomorrow after she is out of her surgery. . . keep your thoughts and prayers coming!

Carly

Saturday, August 26th

2006-08-26T10:24:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone,

Thanks for visiting Maria's blog. We are going to use this site to keep everyone updated on her condition and progress - which she is making every day! Today is the first day that Albee and Willem have been here, so Maria has had a good morning. She stuck her tongue out at Albee and gave Will the thumbs up sign when he asked her if she would like to hear some tunes. She tried to open her eyes and mouth for the first time since the first surgery, which was early Monday morning. Five days is a long time for Maria to be so quiet, so we know she is anxious to be talking soon!! Jaw surgery is tomorrow, so in 24 hours she will have all of her surgeries behind her and we can let her body rest and start to heal itself. Thanks for all of your love, support, thoughts and prayers - we know it is making a difference in her recovery!!

Carly