Better days…

 

A friend asked yesterday, “How’s Jennifer doing?”  So, I started listing off all the things she did during the day:

- went for a ride in Luke & Abby’s rental Jeep up into the woods of our farm and walked about 200 yards (slowly and with support).

- came back and did some therapy exercises in the yard 

- napped for 2 hours

- morning and afternoon coffee

- evening shower

- sat on the front porch and listened to an audio book

- grilled salmon and pasta feast in the evening

- FaceTime with pretty much all of the immediate family.

Pretty good day. 

(Woke up this morning after 10 hours of sleep still feeling exhausted—did we over do it yesterday, maybe, but I think that it just the nature of her body saying I need more restorative, healing sleep).

These are all answers to prayer.  Thanks to all.

She's home (West Virginia home)...

 We have been desperately scheming how to get Jennifer home from rehab.

For reasons that are not entirely clear, the WV Dept of Health has shut down visitation to chronic care facilities--definitely related to COVID spikes in the state.

So, the facility recognized that Jennifer was a candidate for early release--and let her go even earlier than we expected.

Sigh of relief...

Prayers and Promises

Jennifer is coming home!

Case Manager just called to say discharge is scheduled for Thursday 10:30am!

Thank you for prayers.

This came after this morning's rainbow and spectacular watercolor paintings by God.

Rough Monday

 Rough day all around.  This is the brief version.

Caleb left this morning.  He’s been my right-hand man, my primary helper and support since this accident.  We’ve spent morning, noon and night together for nearly two weeks.  Tough to see him go.

I came into a meeting with some of the rehab staff expressing my strong wish up front that we get Jennifer out as soon as possible.  We see improvements and are thankful for the care—but there are serious deficiencies as well.  My request and comments about dissatisfaction with the lack of therapy over the weekend and lack of continuity of care were met we defensiveness and a bit of hostility.  I get it—I’ve called into question the value of the care she’s receiving, but we are at a point of advocating for Jennifer.  

Then—got news from Julia that her dog ran away in Salt Lake City this morning. She spent much of the day putting up posters in the neighborhood and at some of the trailheads.  A runner called having spotted the dog and she was recovered in the late afternoon. Yay.

Then—got news from Luke that their dog may have eaten some rat poison.  Seems like the dose may have been quite small —but that’s stressful.

Then—despite Abby’s willingness to always help out a colleague in need by covering shifts in the hospital—she cannot find anyone to cover her shifts later in the week.

So Prayer points.

1.  Pray we could extract Jennifer from rehab this week.  So she could have time with the kids here at the farm before they must return to Salt Lake City.

2.  Pray Abby can get someone to cover her shifts.

3.  Pray Luke and Abby’s dog sees no ill effects from a possible toxic ingestion.

Reunion and dispersal

 Two weeks tomorrow since Jennifer’s accident.  She’s made remarkable progress. But not a lot has happened therapy-wise this weekend.  And it’s debatable whether her being there is actually detrimental to her recovery.  Case-in-point.  Last evening they woke her up at 9pm to give her sleeping medicine (melatonin).  Seriously.  

Anyway, we had the greatest, therapeutic picnic this afternoon. We did an end run around the “One Visitor Policy”—we gathered at a picnic table outside her room and opened her window.  Today, Jack was her “designated visitor”.  He stayed inside with her while we brought food to the window.  And he brought a water color set, took Jennifer outside and they painted together.  She painted a “burning bush” and Jack a scene from Lord of The Rings.

The Fellowship fragments over the next day as Julia flies back to her Utah MBA classes today and Caleb heads back to Fort Bragg tomorrow to resume his duties there.  Luke, Abby and Jack will remain through the week.  I hope that we will get Jennifer back to the farm before they leave.  Everyone has contributed to so many ways to Jennifer’s care (and mine).  Cleaning, cooking, shopping, organizing, modifying the house for accessibility with hand railings. Team Jennifer.

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As we slowly transition away from the acute intensive care to the chronic rehab care, I’m ending the “Updates”.  I will continue to post regularly, but the term “update” sounds like something you should interrupt your life to read—like Jennifer got AirLifted to University Hospital—but the news here is now less urgent.

On another note, so many people have written encouraging notes, texts, emails.  I can’t count them all or respond to each one.  But I want to share a couple of them…

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Remember when Jennifer was on the ventilator and the Respiratory techs were doing Spontaneous Breathing Tests to see if she would breathe on her own.  And she wouldn’t.  The ventilator would go silent and she wouldn’t breathe.  Then the emergency back-up mode kicked on and an Emergency Alert would come on and say “Apnea Alert.”  We asked people to pray and in response we got this note from one of Luke’s classmates at Christ School:

“Dear Dr. Jennifer- you have to wake up, so many of us are here, waiting to see that miracle in your life today…you have to breathe on your own, your husband Dr. Scott, your children, your family, your friends and your pretty little patients are waiting for you; we need you back and soon…we have a God who never fails, and just know that He is there and here with you. May you see His Light and glory and raise up and defeat the enemy.  You have the power and the victory because the Lord is with you. We are waiting on you dear mum…please wake up; Arielle and Adriel needs to see their grandmum and not just in pictures, they need to hold you and say they love you. Please wake up. Dear God, do a miracle in the life of Dr. Jennifer for your name’s sake and the glory of your name. Amen.

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And today I got an email from a former Bundi teammate from many years ago who is having a severe medical trail.  She said this…

The other thing I wanted to share were Jennifer’s own words that she sent to me just a few months ago, when I’d just received my cancer diagnosis.  They were strengthening words for me, so here they are back to you in ways that we could have never expected-

What is Happening to you is sorrowful. It is not your fault. God doesn’t have to show you the tied-with-a-bow reason it is all OK.  And Love is still the most true thing. You are loved. And God is good.

Life is so fragile isn’t it? And such a gift. Your accident reminded me so clearly - that even though I have this cancer diagnosis, my life is actually no more or less fragile than anyones, and the Lord is truly the only one who numbers our days…

Update #16 - 18Sep 2240

 Slightly disappointing day.  WVU Football Game Day.  Today, VaTech a big rival, came to town and everything shuts down—apparently including rehab centers.  Jennifer got one hour of Occupational Therapy, but that’s all.

Julia did go up and visit from noon-6pm.  Tomorrow she must fly back to SLC to resume her MBA classes.  She had two pretty full days with Jennifer.  A good mother daughter visit.

Today, Julia read to her from EveryMomentHoly, a compilation of liturgies for every conceivable situation.  She read from “A liturgy for the Feeling of Infirmities.” 

There were several phrases that really resonated with Jennifer

- “…a small share of the malady of a frayed creation” (so Grace at the Fray)\

- “may the decline of our bodies incline our hearts and souls ever more vigorously toward your coming kingdom.”

Luke and Jack arrived after a 30 hour continuous cross-country drive from Salt Lake City.  So good to be with them. Tomorrow we hope to all go up and picnic in the grass outside of Jennifer’s window.  

Update #15: 17Sep 22:45

 

A better day in rehab today.  

I didn’t expect that Jennifer’s comment about her situation being a “dystopian reality show” would result in a response which would transform her bleak room into a floral sanctuary.  Thanks all.

Physical therapy worked a lot with her today on balance and movement.  She’s moving better, but still needs a wheelchair or walker to go even short distances (e.g., the bathroom).  The NeuroPsych doc spent over an hour with her giving both encouragement about the possibility of full recovery as well as speaking frankly about how it is impossible to predict what the timeline will look like.  It’s looking like it’s possible that we might be able to transition out of the inpatient rehab in the middle of next week and move her home to our little farm house.  Then we would begin outpatient rehab visits.  It’s beginning to become clear how we are going to be moving continuously from one follow-up visit to another—PT, OT, TBI Clinic, Eye Clinic, PMR…

Meanwhile here at the Farm — or as the kids call it, “Bag End”, Bilbo Baggins and Frodo’s little corner of the Shire—we are preparing for her return.  Setting up a bedroom on the first floor which requires bringing a bed downstairs—through the window because the stairs are so narrow.  Julia and Caleb worked themselves to exhaustion today…cleaning, moving Jennifer’s clothing downstairs, baking cookies, sorting and trashing.  And Jack and Luke (and Botu, their Golden Retriever) are doing a marathon 30-hour drive from Salt Lake City to Buckhannon.  Oh my.

Update #14 - 16Sep 23:05

 

DAY 1 - Encompass Rehab 

Long day for Jennifer.  They woke her for her first shower in eight days.  She described it as “life giving.” That said, the next comment was that “I feel like I’m in a movie set of a dystopian reality show.”

She participated in speech and cognitive evaluations, recumbent bicycling with the occupational therapist, as well as an evaluation from the rehab attending doctor.

To be honest, it’s been a pretty slow start, with today being primarily just an evaluation day.  While we’ve heard good reports about this facility, we’re concerned that we are heading into a WVU Football weekend (VA Tech, a big rival)—which we experienced last weekend when the entire hospital basically shut down for the event.  Jennifer is also not really being given the space and quietness to get the restful sleep she desperately needs.  Lots of phones ringing and nurse call alarms are really disturbing her.  It’s not what we had hoped for.

So we need wisdom and patience—pray for that. Julia gave us a comprehensive report on her 8-hour day with Jennifer. And then we (Julia, Abby, Caleb and I) strategized for the weekend travel logistics and our plan for advocacy for Jennifer at her facility.

Closing with another quote of the day-

Occupational Therapist: What was your occupation?

Jennifer: You mean What IS my occupation?  I am a pediatrician.

Update #13: 15Sep 22:35

 

Breaking News:  Jennifer has been transferred to the Encompass Rehabilitation Hospital!  Answer to prayer. Thanks all for the prayers.

The day was long.  Waiting, waiting. But then we got the news and things accelerated quickly.  The most amazing intersection occurred at 5pm:  Jennifer rolled out of the front door of the towering University Hospital in a wheelchair; Julia and Abby arrived from their long SLC-CLT-PIT flight in a car rental; and Josiah and Barbra Bancroft rolled in from Philly on their way to lead a Sonship weekend in Kentucky.  What a reunion!  Mom sucked in the balmy summer air she has been dreaming of and we all feasted our eyes on her sitting in the front of that Jeep, clothed in her WV “Home” t-shirt.

Since only one person could be part of the in-processing at the rehab center, I went to dinner with Josiah and Barbra while the kids took Jennifer to Encompass.  The report from Abby is that Jennifer’s room is “bleak.”  Barren. No decor. No furniture save the hospital bed.  Perhaps it will motivate Jennifer to work harder to graduate from the program and get home.

So now we enter this new phase.  Jennifer will be in intensive Physical, Occupational (and perhaps Speech?) therapy.  We can send only one visitor to joint her from noon-8pm.  Tomorrow-Julia (who leaves Sunday to go back to her MBA classes at U of Utah); Friday-Abby…and beyond that not yet determined.

Luke and Jack (and Botu) are planning to drive from SLC starting Friday.  Those guys are crazy.  Couldn’t talk them out of it.

Prayer Requests for Rehab:

• Continuing progress in regaining strength, balance, coordination, and sight.
• Good relationships with the staff for Jennifer.
• That Jennifer would be encouraged by the visits of her kids, one-at-a-time.

And finally, a Quote of the Day (from early this morning):

Me: Who should we call?  I can’t remember who wanted to talk to you today…

Caleb: Everyone wants to talk to mom.  We should start auctioning off slots to talk to mom.

Mom: Limited time left. Hurry up. 

Update #12: 14Sep 7:45pm EDT

 Another day of watching and waiting.  

We continue to wait to hear about a transfer to an inpatient rehab facility—and it all seems dependent on the insurance authorization. 

And today…nothing.  No word.  And pretty much nothing happening for Jennifer in this hospital now.  Only vital signs and continuing respiratory therapy.

She did have the 10 staples removed from the 3 inch laceration in the back of her head—which occurred UNDER her helmet.  Difficult to understand how that happened.  Seems like severe shearing forces as the helmet hit the pavement.  So many things we probably won’t ever understand.

The morning started off pretty rough.  Jennifer feeling despondent about life in general.  Hearing details about what is going on in our teams in Africa—which were meant to encourage—just caused distress.

However, good FaceTime with our kids, Jennifer’s mom, and Ree’L & Jason buoyed her spirit.

And while no therapist came, Caleb took matters into his own hands.  He got her behind the walker and they walked twice as far as the day before.  She felt the paradox of liberation and general exhaustion.  Then back to bed to recover and watch Ted Lasso while I ran some errands.

Please continue to pray we can get into the rehab facility tomorrow and get the next step going.