Things are moving along with Abbie...I still don't have a great understanding of what we are watching unfold, but she is forging ahead despite that. It helps that we have such great companions. Pam Wilson is the grandmother of Jordan, a near-drowning survivor in Tennessee. Jordan and his mom Jeannie were at Dr. Tennant's clinic in Dallas when we were in January. Pam called today and said, "I really need to compare notes!" I asked, "Really high muscle tone, still needing suppositories?" "Yes, and yes" were her answers. Not only that, but Jordan and Abbie's voltage readings are very similar, and we are seeing shifts in the same sequences at nearly the same times. So, to me this means that we are observing a pattern of healing. Jordan was injured much more recently than Abbie, and when we saw them in January he hadn't progressed quite as far into his recovery yet. But, here they are having vision gains, doing new things, struggling with similar challenges, and having voltage measurments that are incredibly in synch. This tells me two things: it doesn't matter where the starting point is, and and doesn't matter how long it has been since the injury. The recovery pattern seems indifferent to both of these variables, which brings great hope!
Speaking of Jordan, I would like to ask each of you to help "Make Room for Jordan"...his family is pretty far through the process of "Extreme Home Makeover" selection. One key factor is a petition, signed by as many people as possible, encouraging ABC to choose them. They have over 18,000 signatures so far, but would like to present 30,000 to the network. Please go to www.prayersforJordan.blogspot.com and look for the "Make Room for Jordan" link on the right side. He has an incredible, loving family. But, there are currently 3 adults and 5 children living in a 3 bedroom, 1.5 bath house, which is tight even before adding in all his equipment and supplies. I cannot think of a more deserving family, so I pray that you will make the time to add your name and your prayers.
The theme of this past week for me has boiled down to two words, "How's Abbie?" Everywhere I go, whether among strangers or old friends, I have answered that question more this week than in a long time. I went for some medical tests last Thursday, and the technician, Doreen, asked that before anything else. I'd never met her, but she said she and her coworkers follow Abbie's progress via this blog. We spent this weekend at Ihilani, a wonderful hotel, where Ray had a work retreat. I cannot count the times I was asked that question...in the elevator, in the buffet line, at the pool. Yesterday I went to an ICU to be with our precious friend, John, whose father is fighting cancer. John has coached the twins' baseball teams for years, and his dad was often at the games. I arrived to find his father sitting up in bed, but needing lots of oxygen through his mask. John said, "This is RJ's mom..you know RJ, the scrappy one." That made me smile, but what his dad said made me cry. From behind his mask he said, "Yea, yea I know RJ...How's your daughter? She's your youngest, right?" Here is this man fighting for his life, in great discomfort and stress, and the first thing he asks me about is Abbie?? This care, this kindness is so mind-blowing to me because it is perservering kindness. It has been almost three years now and people are still asking, people are still praying. It's very human to be kind and caring in a moment of crisis, it is divine to be kind and caring years later. We are so abundantly blessed because of you!
After my women's Bible study today one of the ladies shared a story with me while we stood by our cars. She spoke of an old friend whose daughter, Elizabeth, had nearly drowned at age three. It cost this woman her marriage, custody of Elizabeth, and many years of pain. She told me how this mom eventually got her daughter back and felt she saw many miracles in the 25 years Elizabeth lived after her accident, even though she never recovered beyond tracking with her eyes and making utterances. I could relate to seeing the blessing in all that, but honestly, on the drive home it made me cry out to God. "Please, Lord, if that is your plan for Abbie, would you tell me. I'm not asking when you will heal her, or even if you will...but if you are not going to heal her before Heaven, we will still rejoice in her miracles, treasure having her here and walk every step of this leaning on You...but could you prepare me for that?" I guess I prayed about this for twenty minutes or so before I was clearly impressed that the answer I was seeking would be found in the Scriptures.
As I arrived at school to pick up the kids, I pulled out my Bible study workbook, figuring I could use my waiting time to work on my memory verse for next week. As I opened to the right page, my heart started beating fast, and then I read the verse, knowing it was the answer. I am so thankful that God doesn't expect us to be brave all the time, to walk without ever fainting or doubting, and that when I cried out to Him for reassurance He so quickly answered.
He gave me Isaiah 61:4:
"They will rebuild the ancient ruins,
and restore the places long devastated;
they will renew the ruined cities
that have been devastated for generations."
Thursday, April 26, 2007
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
And Then One Day...
Recently my Uncle Tim and Aunt Lois spent a few days with us, and during this time Lois made a comment about how sometimes it seems that things aren't changing, nothing is happening, "and then one day" things are different. I look forward to many "one days" in Abbie's near future, and this weekend I got a taste of the joy they will bring.
I have been giving Abbie tastes of food for a long time, but we haven't really been working hard on oral eating for a while. I go through phases with that -- putting a lot of effort into it, seeing minimal progress, then stepping down for a while. This past Saturday I was using baby food carrots just to give her tastes of food with a tongue depressor. After a few minutes I noticed that we were actually going through some food. She was confidently swallowing, and if I helped support her lower lip just a bit, these swallows were very effective. By the end of the day, Abbie had eaten three ounces of food. That may not be much for a voracious toddler, but for a girl who hasn't eaten that much in over two years (since she was decannulated) this was a huge step -- one that she didn't really build up to, but rather just accomplished out of the blue..."and then one day"
That day was a great day for eating because she was very clear, and breathing easily. That hasn't been the story for this week. She's been kind of junky, with more secretions, which makes eating difficult. But, that doesn't mean we haven't been doing it, she just has to work harder and trust herself more.
Along with more congestion, her muscle tone has been much higher this week. It increased to the point that we couldn't put her in her stander on Monday because I couldn't get her ankle to bend enough to get into her standing boots. As the panicky feelings were rising from my stomach to my throat, I remembered that sometimes steps forward look almost exactly like steps backward.
To check this hopeful theory, I tested Abbie's voltage. I'll try to make this understandable...On the front of her body there are six energy points that we keep track of, often called "chakras". When Dr. Tennant was here in February we noted that Abbie would test normal on the forehead and the notch at the top of the sternum, but would then test low or very low from there down. That line of separation between normal and low corresponded to her liver, which still had a lot of healing to do.
As I've written lately, her liver has been hard at work and we are seeing the evidence of that in things like a great decrease in the amount of digestive enzymes she needs. When I tested her chakras yesterday she was normal on her forehead, top of sternum, and then high energy in the middle of her sternum and very high energy at the bottom of her sterum. When I measured below her navel I got the first low energy reading. So, it looks as though the "demarcation line" between normal or high energy and low energy is moving down her body. This is in line with Hering's Law, part of which states that healing occurs from the head down.
When I researched what the new low energy epicenter may correspond to, I smiled with satisfaction at seeing pieces fit together. In the past week we've been having to give Abbie glycerin suppositories occasionally, which is very odd for her. She's also suffered from gas and the skin around her nose is breaking out with little pimples. Well, the parts of the spine that correspond to her low energy center relate to the following symptoms: constipation, gas, skin eruptions...Her body keeps telling me what is going on, and reassuring me that what I see is just part of the healing process. I thank her every day for teaching me so much.
I have been giving Abbie tastes of food for a long time, but we haven't really been working hard on oral eating for a while. I go through phases with that -- putting a lot of effort into it, seeing minimal progress, then stepping down for a while. This past Saturday I was using baby food carrots just to give her tastes of food with a tongue depressor. After a few minutes I noticed that we were actually going through some food. She was confidently swallowing, and if I helped support her lower lip just a bit, these swallows were very effective. By the end of the day, Abbie had eaten three ounces of food. That may not be much for a voracious toddler, but for a girl who hasn't eaten that much in over two years (since she was decannulated) this was a huge step -- one that she didn't really build up to, but rather just accomplished out of the blue..."and then one day"
That day was a great day for eating because she was very clear, and breathing easily. That hasn't been the story for this week. She's been kind of junky, with more secretions, which makes eating difficult. But, that doesn't mean we haven't been doing it, she just has to work harder and trust herself more.
Along with more congestion, her muscle tone has been much higher this week. It increased to the point that we couldn't put her in her stander on Monday because I couldn't get her ankle to bend enough to get into her standing boots. As the panicky feelings were rising from my stomach to my throat, I remembered that sometimes steps forward look almost exactly like steps backward.
To check this hopeful theory, I tested Abbie's voltage. I'll try to make this understandable...On the front of her body there are six energy points that we keep track of, often called "chakras". When Dr. Tennant was here in February we noted that Abbie would test normal on the forehead and the notch at the top of the sternum, but would then test low or very low from there down. That line of separation between normal and low corresponded to her liver, which still had a lot of healing to do.
As I've written lately, her liver has been hard at work and we are seeing the evidence of that in things like a great decrease in the amount of digestive enzymes she needs. When I tested her chakras yesterday she was normal on her forehead, top of sternum, and then high energy in the middle of her sternum and very high energy at the bottom of her sterum. When I measured below her navel I got the first low energy reading. So, it looks as though the "demarcation line" between normal or high energy and low energy is moving down her body. This is in line with Hering's Law, part of which states that healing occurs from the head down.
When I researched what the new low energy epicenter may correspond to, I smiled with satisfaction at seeing pieces fit together. In the past week we've been having to give Abbie glycerin suppositories occasionally, which is very odd for her. She's also suffered from gas and the skin around her nose is breaking out with little pimples. Well, the parts of the spine that correspond to her low energy center relate to the following symptoms: constipation, gas, skin eruptions...Her body keeps telling me what is going on, and reassuring me that what I see is just part of the healing process. I thank her every day for teaching me so much.
Monday, April 09, 2007
The Stone Rolled Away
Happy Easter!! I hope it was a joyful and reflective day for you and your family. We had a wonderful Easter, which was such a relief to me. This is the holiday I have struggled with the most since it was the last major holiday before Abbie got hurt, and my memories of that Easter are so happy and vivid.
We enjoyed having church outside today, and even though I was tempted to think "I know this whole story", God brought me a new insight, just as I trusted he would. Pastor was talking about the morning of the resurrection, and mentioned the beginning of Mark chapter 16. Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of Jesus and Salome bought spices so that they might more properly anoint Jesus' body. On the way to the tomb they turned to each other and asked "Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?" (16:3) "But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which had been very large, had been rolled away" (16:4)
They noted their concern about the large stone, but they didn't let their inability to move it stop them from going to the tomb. They went anyway. Oh, that we would live like that! One of the biggest stones in our lives has been the statement "There is no therapy that can help this severe of a brain injury." But, we have been called to seek after Abbie's healing, even in places where there is no path yet. And, I am trusting that when we arrive, we, too, will see that the stone separating us from our Abbie was rolled away long before we even began our journey.
After church we went to our holiday standby, the Pacific Club, for a delicious brunch. There was a long line of little girls waiting to have their faces painted by a talented clown. Abbie indicated she wanted to do this, so Ray took her over to wait in the line. After five minutes they returned to the table, with Ray saying the line was too long. I took a few bites of food, then looked over to see Abbie crying. After asking her, she indicated she was upset about the face painting. So, we promised we'd go when the line went down, and she stopped crying. In the interim we were able to get pictures of her with the Easter Bunny, something I'd wanted to do but didn't have the emotional stamina to do at the mall in front of crowds of strangers. Some days you just want to be either normal or invisible.
After the pictures I saw only two girls waiting by the clown, so I rolled Abbie over there. I was stung when the clown said firmly the girl she was working on was the last one. I asked for just a small heart or something simple, but she again stated she was done. I was seething, wanting to scream at her that it wasn't Abbie's fault she couldn't stand in line with the other girls. It also wasn't her fault that she couldn't run, play, hunt eggs and laugh like the other girls. But, all I could do was retreat to our table and fight back the tears. Ray then arrived on the scene, and morphed into SuperDaddy. Mommies ask, but SuperDaddies dictate, and he wasn't going to take "no" for an answer. A few minutes later, Abbie rolled back to the table with a pretty white flower on her cheek. She was so proud, and so happy. What one minute of work and a little paint can do for a girl! I promised her we would try to keep it on her face for school tomorrow, which elicited a big grin. I smiled on the way home, talking with Ray about the meany clown, and Abbie's tears...how normal!! Every 5 year old girl wants a face-painting!
There was also excitement for the boys, little and big, at brunch. And, it was evidence of God's protection for us. The parking lot always gets so full that the valets pull cars into aisles, in essence double parking them. Our van was parked like this, behind a small limousine. About halfway through lunch I wondered, "When did they start a barbeque on the buffet line?" Then the white smoke turned black and began billowing. I heard the fire trucks arrive at about the same time I heard, "There's a limo in the parking lot totally engulfed in flames." Well, it was a boy's paradise -- a buffet line of tasty food, candy for the taking, flames and firetrucks all in one place!! But, I was concerned about the van as I began hearing reports that cars around the limo were being scorched. Thankfully, the limo had been moved forward about 40 feet to let people out of a parking stall. Our van was safe, unlike the three cars the limo was parked behind which were melted and scorched. Our van, with its ramp, has been such a blessing to us, and life would have gotten much harder if it would've been damaged by the fire.
Well, Abbie just awoke, so I need to go finish feeding her. When I told her that was writing to you all about her pretty white flower, that got a big response and a beautiful smile. And, yes I do have pictures of it but cannot promise when I will be able to download and post them (I'm shooting for this year sometime).
HE'S ALIVE!!!!
We enjoyed having church outside today, and even though I was tempted to think "I know this whole story", God brought me a new insight, just as I trusted he would. Pastor was talking about the morning of the resurrection, and mentioned the beginning of Mark chapter 16. Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of Jesus and Salome bought spices so that they might more properly anoint Jesus' body. On the way to the tomb they turned to each other and asked "Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?" (16:3) "But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which had been very large, had been rolled away" (16:4)
They noted their concern about the large stone, but they didn't let their inability to move it stop them from going to the tomb. They went anyway. Oh, that we would live like that! One of the biggest stones in our lives has been the statement "There is no therapy that can help this severe of a brain injury." But, we have been called to seek after Abbie's healing, even in places where there is no path yet. And, I am trusting that when we arrive, we, too, will see that the stone separating us from our Abbie was rolled away long before we even began our journey.
After church we went to our holiday standby, the Pacific Club, for a delicious brunch. There was a long line of little girls waiting to have their faces painted by a talented clown. Abbie indicated she wanted to do this, so Ray took her over to wait in the line. After five minutes they returned to the table, with Ray saying the line was too long. I took a few bites of food, then looked over to see Abbie crying. After asking her, she indicated she was upset about the face painting. So, we promised we'd go when the line went down, and she stopped crying. In the interim we were able to get pictures of her with the Easter Bunny, something I'd wanted to do but didn't have the emotional stamina to do at the mall in front of crowds of strangers. Some days you just want to be either normal or invisible.
After the pictures I saw only two girls waiting by the clown, so I rolled Abbie over there. I was stung when the clown said firmly the girl she was working on was the last one. I asked for just a small heart or something simple, but she again stated she was done. I was seething, wanting to scream at her that it wasn't Abbie's fault she couldn't stand in line with the other girls. It also wasn't her fault that she couldn't run, play, hunt eggs and laugh like the other girls. But, all I could do was retreat to our table and fight back the tears. Ray then arrived on the scene, and morphed into SuperDaddy. Mommies ask, but SuperDaddies dictate, and he wasn't going to take "no" for an answer. A few minutes later, Abbie rolled back to the table with a pretty white flower on her cheek. She was so proud, and so happy. What one minute of work and a little paint can do for a girl! I promised her we would try to keep it on her face for school tomorrow, which elicited a big grin. I smiled on the way home, talking with Ray about the meany clown, and Abbie's tears...how normal!! Every 5 year old girl wants a face-painting!
There was also excitement for the boys, little and big, at brunch. And, it was evidence of God's protection for us. The parking lot always gets so full that the valets pull cars into aisles, in essence double parking them. Our van was parked like this, behind a small limousine. About halfway through lunch I wondered, "When did they start a barbeque on the buffet line?" Then the white smoke turned black and began billowing. I heard the fire trucks arrive at about the same time I heard, "There's a limo in the parking lot totally engulfed in flames." Well, it was a boy's paradise -- a buffet line of tasty food, candy for the taking, flames and firetrucks all in one place!! But, I was concerned about the van as I began hearing reports that cars around the limo were being scorched. Thankfully, the limo had been moved forward about 40 feet to let people out of a parking stall. Our van was safe, unlike the three cars the limo was parked behind which were melted and scorched. Our van, with its ramp, has been such a blessing to us, and life would have gotten much harder if it would've been damaged by the fire.
Well, Abbie just awoke, so I need to go finish feeding her. When I told her that was writing to you all about her pretty white flower, that got a big response and a beautiful smile. And, yes I do have pictures of it but cannot promise when I will be able to download and post them (I'm shooting for this year sometime).
HE'S ALIVE!!!!
Thursday, April 05, 2007
Chatty Kathy
That's Abbie's new nickname. She has been so vocal lately, that finally yesterday Debbie asked her "Are you telling me something or are you just talking." She was just talking, just enjoying the sound of her voice. She is also using that voice to demand more interaction, particularly from her brothers. I had a talk with them yesterday about how suddenly it seems that Abbie is changing quickly, and that we have to be prepared to change with her. We have all gotten pretty used to how things have been for quite a while now, but I let them know that she is no longer going to settle for a quick "Hey, Abbie!" as they come through the door.
She enjoys it so much when they read books to her, play with her, even just sit up on her bed and watch movies with her. I think she is now figuring out how to make sure it happens more often. I've sensed for a while that as she improves each day, it is going to squish our comfort zone a little, and that even good things can cause turbulence during adjustment. I am really excited about her forcing us out of our ruts. She always was a little (lot) bossy -- it takes a big personality for a little girl to be in charge of four older brothers! I am thrilled to see this part of her emerging!
Rolfing went well for both of us yesterday. I am so glad I got to experience it so that I can understand what Abbie is going through. I'll write more details later, because I am fading fast right now.
I do want to pass on that Dr. Tennant made a 25-minute DVD that gives an overview of his approach to health. Although he could probably lecture for an entire day on each of the points, Dr. Tennant did a great job at boiling everything down so you can get a complete picture. If you are interested in a copy, please email me at varasix@aol.com.
Also, for those in Hawaii, it turns out that Dr. Tennant will be teaching a Level 1 Biomodulator course in August after all. I believe it will be 8/23-26. www.senergymedicalgroup.com for more info.
I hope to be able to post again before Easter, but in case time gets away from me, I hope that it is a very special time for you and your family. Each Easter since Abbie was injured has had such a different flavor for me, and this one is turning out to be pure sugar. We are in a good place, and each day keeps getting brighter!
She enjoys it so much when they read books to her, play with her, even just sit up on her bed and watch movies with her. I think she is now figuring out how to make sure it happens more often. I've sensed for a while that as she improves each day, it is going to squish our comfort zone a little, and that even good things can cause turbulence during adjustment. I am really excited about her forcing us out of our ruts. She always was a little (lot) bossy -- it takes a big personality for a little girl to be in charge of four older brothers! I am thrilled to see this part of her emerging!
Rolfing went well for both of us yesterday. I am so glad I got to experience it so that I can understand what Abbie is going through. I'll write more details later, because I am fading fast right now.
I do want to pass on that Dr. Tennant made a 25-minute DVD that gives an overview of his approach to health. Although he could probably lecture for an entire day on each of the points, Dr. Tennant did a great job at boiling everything down so you can get a complete picture. If you are interested in a copy, please email me at varasix@aol.com.
Also, for those in Hawaii, it turns out that Dr. Tennant will be teaching a Level 1 Biomodulator course in August after all. I believe it will be 8/23-26. www.senergymedicalgroup.com for more info.
I hope to be able to post again before Easter, but in case time gets away from me, I hope that it is a very special time for you and your family. Each Easter since Abbie was injured has had such a different flavor for me, and this one is turning out to be pure sugar. We are in a good place, and each day keeps getting brighter!
Tuesday, April 03, 2007
Things are Changing
In a journey of mostly intangible and unmeasurable advances, it is nice to have a concrete marker once in a while. As Abbie has recovered from the illness she just had (or finished the cleansing she was doing, which is what I think was really going on), she has provided us a good, solid token of improvement. Once I was again able to feed her the normal menu of raw milk and eggs, I found that she only needed half the amount of digestive enzymes we were giving her before. In fact, the previous amount made her sick! So, to me this says that her liver is functioning significantly better, and things inside her are truly changing. Hurrah!
We have been enjoying a visit from my Uncle Tim and Aunt Lois. They were here last February, and it has been exciting to hear their numerous comments about how different Abbie is now, as if "she's just going to start talking to us any minute!" Tim noticed how engaged Abbie is in what is going on around her, and picked up on how much she wants to be part of the kid-chaos that is almost constant around here. Comments like theirs really spur us on to continue to push forward.
And, God showed me once again this week how faithful and merciful He is. You may recall me writing about my special friend Katie Chesire when her husband Walt was deployed to Iraq. She was alone with 6 kids ages 8 and under. During his deployment she developed Grave's disease, and the course of treatment the physician was recommending would've prevented her from having any more children, which was a heartbreaking thought to her. She found an alternative route to regain her health, Walt came home safe, and this weekend they welcomed Iliana Kailani Grace to their litter of kittens. I remembered crying for Katie, and now I wept with joy -- God has heard and answered their cries in the most precious way possible. He is more than able, and His love is unfathomable! That little girl, not even a week old yet, is a powerful beacon in my life, shining out the message "Steady on!!"
We have been enjoying a visit from my Uncle Tim and Aunt Lois. They were here last February, and it has been exciting to hear their numerous comments about how different Abbie is now, as if "she's just going to start talking to us any minute!" Tim noticed how engaged Abbie is in what is going on around her, and picked up on how much she wants to be part of the kid-chaos that is almost constant around here. Comments like theirs really spur us on to continue to push forward.
And, God showed me once again this week how faithful and merciful He is. You may recall me writing about my special friend Katie Chesire when her husband Walt was deployed to Iraq. She was alone with 6 kids ages 8 and under. During his deployment she developed Grave's disease, and the course of treatment the physician was recommending would've prevented her from having any more children, which was a heartbreaking thought to her. She found an alternative route to regain her health, Walt came home safe, and this weekend they welcomed Iliana Kailani Grace to their litter of kittens. I remembered crying for Katie, and now I wept with joy -- God has heard and answered their cries in the most precious way possible. He is more than able, and His love is unfathomable! That little girl, not even a week old yet, is a powerful beacon in my life, shining out the message "Steady on!!"
Thursday, March 29, 2007
Wild Week
The important stuff first...Abbie is doing much better! She is still on oxygen, but only about 1 liter. We are suctioning only rarely now, and we are all sleeping better at night. We figured out one of the causes of our stress was an oxgyen concentrator that is not working properly. So, I would have it turned all the way up to 5 liters/min, and she would still be in the low 90s. I worried that I may have to break down and take her to the hospital, but when I switched her to tanked oxygen, her sats were great on 1.5 liters. Argh!! As Kyle would put it, it really "grinds my gears" when I lose sleep and worry because equipment malfunctions.
She did so well on Monday that I decided to stick with our plan for Tuesday. The boys and I flew over to Maui for the day to see my aunt and uncle, two cousins, their wives and two kids. We had a blast lolling on the beach and playing in the water at Kihei. Every time I called to check on Abbie she was doing fine. After a terrific day, we took the last plane back to Honolulu, and I was exhausted by the time we landed. I was so looking forward to just dropping into bed. Then, Ray called..."You need to get home as soon as you possibly can. I am really struggling to keep her sats up."
Instantly the boys' "fun mom" disappeared as "tired worried mom" snapped at them to get in the van, buckle up and be quiet! It was a pretty stressful hour or so after I arrived at the house, but we got her stabilized and able to sleep. The events, though, coupled with my exhaustion pushed me past my breaking point. I was crying by the time I collapsed into bed, only able to say "I cannot do this anymore, my body is just giving out."
I slept well, and the morning brought a whole new wonderful day. Rolfing session #2! Sally had asked me to keep good notes of any changes during the week. So, all our medical adventures were detailed in black and white. I suspect that the last session may have precipitated some of Abbie's struggles over the weekend, because as long-constricted fascia is manipulated, trapped toxins can finally be released. Sally decided that perhaps we should not do as much work the second session.
Abbie started smiling as soon as we walked through Sally's door, and was wide awake on the table with a heart rate of 83, which is normally a very relaxed sleeping rate for her. Sally taught me a couple techniques to use when Abbie has a fever (Triple Heater 16 and Still Point for those familiar with such things), and then spent some time on Abbie's lumbar spine. Again, I saw more of "normal Abbie" emerge and I was transfixed. Most of the session focused on Abbie's thighs and hips. Sally described the fascia as being like pantyhose spread over the muscles. So the women out there can really relate to how Abbie's legs feel...you know that annoying feeling of panythose being twisted into the wrong position. That is what Abbie's legs feel like all the time as her fascia has become misshapen in response to tense muscles. So, we women can also imagine the relief Abbie felt as Sally loosened these bindings.
Sally gave me one other assignment at the end of last week's session. She wanted to see video of Abbie before she was hurt so that she could observe Abbie's structure and how she used her body. This made a lot of sense, but I wasn't excited about finding the video. I procrastinated that task until yesterday morning. I laughed watching her try to rock in a yet-to-be-assembled rocking chair. I howled watching her steal everyone's ice cream at Kyle's birthday party. I sat in stony silence of foreshadowing watching her play in a pool with RJ. What hit me the hardest was her voice...that sweet little girl voice, still using many words only understood by her family. That's not the voice I hear in my heart any more...I hear a more grown up, eloquent voice. I'd almost forgotten how little she was. The pain of watching these images lodged in that deep place that goes unseen and for the most part unacknowledged, especially by me. Two events later in the day would open that place up and clear it out.
The first was at Sally's house. I mentioned that she taught me how to get Abbie to still point. After we'd loaded Abbie in the car, I went back in to bid Sally farewell. Changing the sheet on the table, she asked if I had a couple minutes. Of course!! She said she wanted me to feel still point so I would better be able to do it for Abbie. As she'd told me earlier, Rolfing is teamwork, not just her working on me. So, as she cupped my head in her hands she taught me a specific way to breathe. I had to really concentrate on that, but got it right a few times. When I stood up again after five minutes on the table the difference was amazing. I'd walked in feeling like the entire weight of my body was riding on my sacrum. Now I felt much lighter. More importantly, recently I've caught myself holding my breath and grinding my teeth during the day. That "deep place" seems to be filled to the brim, and overflows now even during waking hours. As I walked out to the car I felt like I was really breathing for the first time in ages.
As I was leaving, Sally commented that because Abbie and I are so tied together, it would probably be good for me to have some work done as well. I was thinking the same thing, and hoped to squeeze into her schedule after her trip next week. She said she really felt we needed to do it soon, so she is fitting me in next Wednesday morning. I am so excited to begin this process to help Abbie and save myself!
So, I'd gotten some physical help to deal with the sadness of the video, but the even brought what I needed even more..spiritual help. Our small group is studying the Beatitudes from the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5. I chose to use my amplified Bible, and was so glad I did when I read verse 4, about those who mourn being comforted.
Here is what I read: "Blessed and enviably happy [with a happiness produced by the experience of God's favor and especially conditioned by the revelation of His matchless grace] are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
We truly have been comforted in ways as unfathomable as his grace, and that comfort continues as does our mourning. It's not acute anymore, it's not eyes-swollen sobbing or deal-making with God, but it does continue. When we imagine who she would have been. When we miss who she was. When we count the cost our family, especially the boys, have paid. But, through this we have been "especially conditioned by the revelation of His matchless grace", and the depth of that blessing really cannot be measured.
I read a book today that sums up our brain injury journey..."Oh, The Places You'll Go!!" by Dr. Seuss. If you ever wonder what this life is like, read that book - we've experienced almost every page so far.
On the opposite end of the spectrum from dear Dr. S., lies Aeschylus, who lived from 525 BC - 456 BC A dear friend sent me this quote that sums up where I've been personally in the last couple months:
"He who learns must suffer. And even in our sleep, pain that cannot forget falls, drop by drop, upon the heart. And in our own despair, and against our will, comes Wisdom by the awful Grace of God."
She did so well on Monday that I decided to stick with our plan for Tuesday. The boys and I flew over to Maui for the day to see my aunt and uncle, two cousins, their wives and two kids. We had a blast lolling on the beach and playing in the water at Kihei. Every time I called to check on Abbie she was doing fine. After a terrific day, we took the last plane back to Honolulu, and I was exhausted by the time we landed. I was so looking forward to just dropping into bed. Then, Ray called..."You need to get home as soon as you possibly can. I am really struggling to keep her sats up."
Instantly the boys' "fun mom" disappeared as "tired worried mom" snapped at them to get in the van, buckle up and be quiet! It was a pretty stressful hour or so after I arrived at the house, but we got her stabilized and able to sleep. The events, though, coupled with my exhaustion pushed me past my breaking point. I was crying by the time I collapsed into bed, only able to say "I cannot do this anymore, my body is just giving out."
I slept well, and the morning brought a whole new wonderful day. Rolfing session #2! Sally had asked me to keep good notes of any changes during the week. So, all our medical adventures were detailed in black and white. I suspect that the last session may have precipitated some of Abbie's struggles over the weekend, because as long-constricted fascia is manipulated, trapped toxins can finally be released. Sally decided that perhaps we should not do as much work the second session.
Abbie started smiling as soon as we walked through Sally's door, and was wide awake on the table with a heart rate of 83, which is normally a very relaxed sleeping rate for her. Sally taught me a couple techniques to use when Abbie has a fever (Triple Heater 16 and Still Point for those familiar with such things), and then spent some time on Abbie's lumbar spine. Again, I saw more of "normal Abbie" emerge and I was transfixed. Most of the session focused on Abbie's thighs and hips. Sally described the fascia as being like pantyhose spread over the muscles. So the women out there can really relate to how Abbie's legs feel...you know that annoying feeling of panythose being twisted into the wrong position. That is what Abbie's legs feel like all the time as her fascia has become misshapen in response to tense muscles. So, we women can also imagine the relief Abbie felt as Sally loosened these bindings.
Sally gave me one other assignment at the end of last week's session. She wanted to see video of Abbie before she was hurt so that she could observe Abbie's structure and how she used her body. This made a lot of sense, but I wasn't excited about finding the video. I procrastinated that task until yesterday morning. I laughed watching her try to rock in a yet-to-be-assembled rocking chair. I howled watching her steal everyone's ice cream at Kyle's birthday party. I sat in stony silence of foreshadowing watching her play in a pool with RJ. What hit me the hardest was her voice...that sweet little girl voice, still using many words only understood by her family. That's not the voice I hear in my heart any more...I hear a more grown up, eloquent voice. I'd almost forgotten how little she was. The pain of watching these images lodged in that deep place that goes unseen and for the most part unacknowledged, especially by me. Two events later in the day would open that place up and clear it out.
The first was at Sally's house. I mentioned that she taught me how to get Abbie to still point. After we'd loaded Abbie in the car, I went back in to bid Sally farewell. Changing the sheet on the table, she asked if I had a couple minutes. Of course!! She said she wanted me to feel still point so I would better be able to do it for Abbie. As she'd told me earlier, Rolfing is teamwork, not just her working on me. So, as she cupped my head in her hands she taught me a specific way to breathe. I had to really concentrate on that, but got it right a few times. When I stood up again after five minutes on the table the difference was amazing. I'd walked in feeling like the entire weight of my body was riding on my sacrum. Now I felt much lighter. More importantly, recently I've caught myself holding my breath and grinding my teeth during the day. That "deep place" seems to be filled to the brim, and overflows now even during waking hours. As I walked out to the car I felt like I was really breathing for the first time in ages.
As I was leaving, Sally commented that because Abbie and I are so tied together, it would probably be good for me to have some work done as well. I was thinking the same thing, and hoped to squeeze into her schedule after her trip next week. She said she really felt we needed to do it soon, so she is fitting me in next Wednesday morning. I am so excited to begin this process to help Abbie and save myself!
So, I'd gotten some physical help to deal with the sadness of the video, but the even brought what I needed even more..spiritual help. Our small group is studying the Beatitudes from the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5. I chose to use my amplified Bible, and was so glad I did when I read verse 4, about those who mourn being comforted.
Here is what I read: "Blessed and enviably happy [with a happiness produced by the experience of God's favor and especially conditioned by the revelation of His matchless grace] are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
We truly have been comforted in ways as unfathomable as his grace, and that comfort continues as does our mourning. It's not acute anymore, it's not eyes-swollen sobbing or deal-making with God, but it does continue. When we imagine who she would have been. When we miss who she was. When we count the cost our family, especially the boys, have paid. But, through this we have been "especially conditioned by the revelation of His matchless grace", and the depth of that blessing really cannot be measured.
I read a book today that sums up our brain injury journey..."Oh, The Places You'll Go!!" by Dr. Seuss. If you ever wonder what this life is like, read that book - we've experienced almost every page so far.
On the opposite end of the spectrum from dear Dr. S., lies Aeschylus, who lived from 525 BC - 456 BC A dear friend sent me this quote that sums up where I've been personally in the last couple months:
"He who learns must suffer. And even in our sleep, pain that cannot forget falls, drop by drop, upon the heart. And in our own despair, and against our will, comes Wisdom by the awful Grace of God."
Monday, March 26, 2007
A Better Night
Thank you for praying! Last night was significantly better than Saturday night. Abbie only needed two liters through the night, and I gave her nebulizers at 9pm and 5am just to keep her secretions loose, not because she was really struggling. Her fever did rise again to 103 around 5am. That's the number at which I normally break down and give her some Tylenol.
I am a big fan of tea tree oil, but recently found out that rosemary oil has the same properties but is much more potent. Last night I rubbed some diluted rosemary oil on her chest, and I think it did make a difference. I put a special essential oil blend for respiratory issues on her big toe, and that also helped her. It's funny that a few minutes after putting it on her big toe, you can smell the oil on her breath.
So, she has been sleeping now for two hours under Debbie's watchful eye, with sats of 99 and heartrates in the 90s. (That sure beats the 200 I saw on Saturday night!) I believe we have turned the corner -- thanks so much for your prayers!
I am a big fan of tea tree oil, but recently found out that rosemary oil has the same properties but is much more potent. Last night I rubbed some diluted rosemary oil on her chest, and I think it did make a difference. I put a special essential oil blend for respiratory issues on her big toe, and that also helped her. It's funny that a few minutes after putting it on her big toe, you can smell the oil on her breath.
So, she has been sleeping now for two hours under Debbie's watchful eye, with sats of 99 and heartrates in the 90s. (That sure beats the 200 I saw on Saturday night!) I believe we have turned the corner -- thanks so much for your prayers!
Sunday, March 25, 2007
Out of the Blue
When I am writing an update at 2am, you know it can't be all butterflies and sunshine. Our family had a wonderful day today, with a surprise visit from old Los Alamos friends, the Desko family. They lived up the street from us back then, and it was to Cheryl that RJ proudly announced Abbie's arrival by crowing "We got a grill!!"
We spent several hours down at the Outrigger Canoe Club, which afforded us a spectactular view of postcard-worthy day. We kept Abbie under the umbrella all day and for the most part kept her well-shaded. Or so we thought. She was kind of whiny the last 30 minutes we were down there, and all the way home, which is very unlike her. Once we got home it didn't take us long to determine the source of her discomfort, because it was looking right at us. The bright pink shade of the right side of her face let us know that we hadn't protected her from the sun as well as we thought.
We found some good aloe, got her all settled and then let Genevieve take over while Ray and I took the twins to a UH baseball game. We arrived home at 9 to find Chase helping with Abbie, who was on three liters of oxygen and stuggling to breathe. Her sats were in the mid-80s, and the OJT nurse part of me kicked in as I started barking orders at everyone.
Turns out she had crashed about 10 minutes before we arrived home, at the beginning of a feeding. We quickly gave her a nebulizer treatment and kicked the concentrator up to 5 liters. The neb helped get her sats back up into the mid-90s fairly quickly, so I then started a fast drip of water, vitamin C and some essential oils.
I switched her to a tank of oxygen because I don't trust the concentrator to actually put out a high flow of O2. All that excitement was five hours ago, and Abbie and I have yet to settle down. She is trying hard to sleep, but I keep having to wake her to keep her sats up --either to suction or to move her around. The highest the regulator on the tank will go is 4 liters, so I am trying my best to just make it through the night on that. The last hour has been particularly challenging, as even with a second nebulizer treatment, I just can't keep her sats up. She's running about 101 degrees, and is pretty exhausted. Please just pray for her to bounce back. This all came out of the blue, so I'm hoping it's just a little bump and not a form of the head/chest infection that has been going around lately.
I know that right now Abbie's angel is before the throne of God (Matthew 18:10), but I also know how powerfully your prayers have trimmed the sails in this journey. So, although it's been a busy night, I am at peace knowing she is in very good hands!
We spent several hours down at the Outrigger Canoe Club, which afforded us a spectactular view of postcard-worthy day. We kept Abbie under the umbrella all day and for the most part kept her well-shaded. Or so we thought. She was kind of whiny the last 30 minutes we were down there, and all the way home, which is very unlike her. Once we got home it didn't take us long to determine the source of her discomfort, because it was looking right at us. The bright pink shade of the right side of her face let us know that we hadn't protected her from the sun as well as we thought.
We found some good aloe, got her all settled and then let Genevieve take over while Ray and I took the twins to a UH baseball game. We arrived home at 9 to find Chase helping with Abbie, who was on three liters of oxygen and stuggling to breathe. Her sats were in the mid-80s, and the OJT nurse part of me kicked in as I started barking orders at everyone.
Turns out she had crashed about 10 minutes before we arrived home, at the beginning of a feeding. We quickly gave her a nebulizer treatment and kicked the concentrator up to 5 liters. The neb helped get her sats back up into the mid-90s fairly quickly, so I then started a fast drip of water, vitamin C and some essential oils.
I switched her to a tank of oxygen because I don't trust the concentrator to actually put out a high flow of O2. All that excitement was five hours ago, and Abbie and I have yet to settle down. She is trying hard to sleep, but I keep having to wake her to keep her sats up --either to suction or to move her around. The highest the regulator on the tank will go is 4 liters, so I am trying my best to just make it through the night on that. The last hour has been particularly challenging, as even with a second nebulizer treatment, I just can't keep her sats up. She's running about 101 degrees, and is pretty exhausted. Please just pray for her to bounce back. This all came out of the blue, so I'm hoping it's just a little bump and not a form of the head/chest infection that has been going around lately.
I know that right now Abbie's angel is before the throne of God (Matthew 18:10), but I also know how powerfully your prayers have trimmed the sails in this journey. So, although it's been a busy night, I am at peace knowing she is in very good hands!
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
Rolfing
I know I've already written once today, but we don't get many days like this one...when changes happen within an hour! I recall the day Abbie was decannulated two years ago, and in an instant she went from a girl with a trach, to a girl with a band-aid. But, mostly this journey has been about celebrating incremental steps and patiently watching the miracle unfold.
Today we met a woman named Sally, who has been a Rolfer for 20 years. Rolfing involves working with the fascia, or connective tissue, in the body. I did't quite know what to expect, so just sat quietly on the opposite side of the table. Sally put her hands under Abbie's head and within a minute Abbie gave a big sigh of relief. We were off...
The session consisted mostly of Sally pressing, holding, or slightly rotating certain parts of Abbie. As Sally focused on Abbie's diaphragm, Abbie's breathing got deeper and more relaxed as the session progressed, and by the end of it her ribs, which had been concave and jutted out at the bottoms, were rounded and normal again. I couldn't believe it! Those ribs have vexed me for many, many months, wondering how we were going to get them back into proper shape, worrying about the commentary they were on Abbie's ability to draw in normal breaths. To look down and see a normal healthy chest almost took my breath away.
Sally also worked on the area between Abbie's hips and knees. Abbie has quite a bit of external rotation in her legs, despite the all the therapies and exercises. With a few minutes of "processing" Sally had Abbie's legs soft and at rest with both knees pointing to the ceiling.
The soft palate of Abbie's mouth is quite narrow, partially because she has not been eating and talking, and partially because she is taking after her brothers and ensuring at least one orthodontist's kids get their college funded by our family. Sally did some work inside Abbie's mouth, and I also saw changes there. I could not believe that I was watching things change right before my eyes!
I feel so blessed to have someone like Sally five minutes from our house! When she asked what drew me to Rolfing, I pulled out the "Energy Medicine: The Scientific Basis" book and she smiled. The author was her physiology teacher. Small World...No Coincidences!
We have appointments scheduled for the next two Wednesdays, and I am very anxious to see what those session will bring. It is refreshing and joyful to have immediate gratification, I must admit! And, to see the solution for so many "unsolvable" problems, like shortened heel cords and diminished lung capacity. Can it really be this simple? I guess I've found that's the way God usually works, simple but profound.
One more partner in our journey, one more piece for our puzzle, and one more day for the scrapbook!
Today we met a woman named Sally, who has been a Rolfer for 20 years. Rolfing involves working with the fascia, or connective tissue, in the body. I did't quite know what to expect, so just sat quietly on the opposite side of the table. Sally put her hands under Abbie's head and within a minute Abbie gave a big sigh of relief. We were off...
The session consisted mostly of Sally pressing, holding, or slightly rotating certain parts of Abbie. As Sally focused on Abbie's diaphragm, Abbie's breathing got deeper and more relaxed as the session progressed, and by the end of it her ribs, which had been concave and jutted out at the bottoms, were rounded and normal again. I couldn't believe it! Those ribs have vexed me for many, many months, wondering how we were going to get them back into proper shape, worrying about the commentary they were on Abbie's ability to draw in normal breaths. To look down and see a normal healthy chest almost took my breath away.
Sally also worked on the area between Abbie's hips and knees. Abbie has quite a bit of external rotation in her legs, despite the all the therapies and exercises. With a few minutes of "processing" Sally had Abbie's legs soft and at rest with both knees pointing to the ceiling.
The soft palate of Abbie's mouth is quite narrow, partially because she has not been eating and talking, and partially because she is taking after her brothers and ensuring at least one orthodontist's kids get their college funded by our family. Sally did some work inside Abbie's mouth, and I also saw changes there. I could not believe that I was watching things change right before my eyes!
I feel so blessed to have someone like Sally five minutes from our house! When she asked what drew me to Rolfing, I pulled out the "Energy Medicine: The Scientific Basis" book and she smiled. The author was her physiology teacher. Small World...No Coincidences!
We have appointments scheduled for the next two Wednesdays, and I am very anxious to see what those session will bring. It is refreshing and joyful to have immediate gratification, I must admit! And, to see the solution for so many "unsolvable" problems, like shortened heel cords and diminished lung capacity. Can it really be this simple? I guess I've found that's the way God usually works, simple but profound.
One more partner in our journey, one more piece for our puzzle, and one more day for the scrapbook!
Teamwork
Since we were on vacation last week I decided to wait to really begin Abbie's new neurodevelopmental program until this week when we could be consistent from the start. It's only been three days and we can already see that our intution about her response was correct. We are already noting changes, she is improving every day and it is incredibly motivating for each of us -- which is good because this program requires all of us to contribute.
I have been so impressed with my boys, each taking an arm or leg to help Abbie complete an exercise. I honestly hadn't planned on including the twins in the patterning team, but they refused to be left out. They are doing wonderfully, listen to instruction well, and most importantly, give Abbie constant encouragement while she works. Her program has blossomed into a "Team Vara" project, and that is a blessing for all of us.
Some particulars: one of her activities is "phrase building" where I make up a three word phrase then say the first word, followed by the first and second words together, then finally the first, second and third words. I use anything from "Abbie dances ballet" to "pigs smell stinky" (from our recent trip to the zoo). I call them her "stories", and we have to do them as often as possible, with her looking right at my mouth. At the end of the first day of program Abbie was wide awake long after bedtime. So, I said, "Time for stories! If you want them, you have to look right at my mouth." Within about a second her eyes were locked onto my face and we began. This was really exciting to me because we are stil working so hard on her vision!
Many of the exercises are physically demanding for Abbie, from being moved in a crawling pattern to her favorite, "tuck-in/blast-out" where we curl her into a little ball and then "blast out" all her limbs. In just three days we have seen such an improvement in her tone, especially in her arms. She also knows all of the patterns already, so often we have to tell her to relax and let us do it for her instead of trying to help us.
It's also been interesting to see changes in areas we haven't been working on directly, like her mouth. We do have exercises for her mouth, but I lost the special piece of equipment that we use while we were in Dallas, and we're awaiting the arrival of a new one. So. right now she's off the hook for those exercise, but I think the general stimulation of the program is causing her mouth tone to improve, cutting down on drooling and suctioning immensely!
As much as we cherish her, our whole life does not revolve around Abbie. With four other kids we get joy and laughter from all directions. An example is a conversation I had with Matthew on the way to the store a couple nights ago. He said that girls "freak him out." I was wondering if he is entering the "freaked out because I'm starting to like them" phase, so I asked what was so troublesome about girls. He said, "Ugh! Mom, hardly any of them even know how to play dodgeball!!" I got a good giggle from that, and a bit of relief too. In his mind it's still all about playground prowess.
Also want to pass on some terrific news I got this morning. Our friend Jim Winand is at Dr. Tennant's clinic, being supported as he fights stage 4 colon cancer. His wife, Remle emailed me that she almost called yesterday morning to tell me they were quitting because it was so hard and Jimmy was in so much pain. Then, in the afternoon they met with Dr. Tennant...they are in the healing range, his body has responded, and they think the cancer may already be gone (they will be testing for that at the end of the week.) Praise God!! Please continue to pray for Jim's pain to abate, and for their homecoming to be soon. You can check in on them at www.pray4jim.blogspot.com
God is so good to us, it overwhelms me!
I have been so impressed with my boys, each taking an arm or leg to help Abbie complete an exercise. I honestly hadn't planned on including the twins in the patterning team, but they refused to be left out. They are doing wonderfully, listen to instruction well, and most importantly, give Abbie constant encouragement while she works. Her program has blossomed into a "Team Vara" project, and that is a blessing for all of us.
Some particulars: one of her activities is "phrase building" where I make up a three word phrase then say the first word, followed by the first and second words together, then finally the first, second and third words. I use anything from "Abbie dances ballet" to "pigs smell stinky" (from our recent trip to the zoo). I call them her "stories", and we have to do them as often as possible, with her looking right at my mouth. At the end of the first day of program Abbie was wide awake long after bedtime. So, I said, "Time for stories! If you want them, you have to look right at my mouth." Within about a second her eyes were locked onto my face and we began. This was really exciting to me because we are stil working so hard on her vision!
Many of the exercises are physically demanding for Abbie, from being moved in a crawling pattern to her favorite, "tuck-in/blast-out" where we curl her into a little ball and then "blast out" all her limbs. In just three days we have seen such an improvement in her tone, especially in her arms. She also knows all of the patterns already, so often we have to tell her to relax and let us do it for her instead of trying to help us.
It's also been interesting to see changes in areas we haven't been working on directly, like her mouth. We do have exercises for her mouth, but I lost the special piece of equipment that we use while we were in Dallas, and we're awaiting the arrival of a new one. So. right now she's off the hook for those exercise, but I think the general stimulation of the program is causing her mouth tone to improve, cutting down on drooling and suctioning immensely!
As much as we cherish her, our whole life does not revolve around Abbie. With four other kids we get joy and laughter from all directions. An example is a conversation I had with Matthew on the way to the store a couple nights ago. He said that girls "freak him out." I was wondering if he is entering the "freaked out because I'm starting to like them" phase, so I asked what was so troublesome about girls. He said, "Ugh! Mom, hardly any of them even know how to play dodgeball!!" I got a good giggle from that, and a bit of relief too. In his mind it's still all about playground prowess.
Also want to pass on some terrific news I got this morning. Our friend Jim Winand is at Dr. Tennant's clinic, being supported as he fights stage 4 colon cancer. His wife, Remle emailed me that she almost called yesterday morning to tell me they were quitting because it was so hard and Jimmy was in so much pain. Then, in the afternoon they met with Dr. Tennant...they are in the healing range, his body has responded, and they think the cancer may already be gone (they will be testing for that at the end of the week.) Praise God!! Please continue to pray for Jim's pain to abate, and for their homecoming to be soon. You can check in on them at www.pray4jim.blogspot.com
God is so good to us, it overwhelms me!
Friday, March 16, 2007
Family Vacation and Fellow Travelers
We are back after a wonderful getaway to Kaua'i, with many details to share. But, before I dive into that I know many of you have been faithfully praying for Caleb, ("Kamakana" to his family), so I want to give you a current status.
I was able to meet his dad and mom, Brandon and Kehau, as well as his baby brother last Thursday. I didn't know what to say at first except, 'We have been where you are." Brandon shared details of the event with me, saying that Kehau was at Bible study when Caleb was found. After they arrived at Kapiolani, Brandon was taken to a separate room (I knew just the room he was talking about.) They then came in and told him that his son had been pronounced dead. Hearing this, Brandon went running to the trauma room to pray over his son and call him back. As his prayers were going up, Caleb's heart started beating again. God said, "YES!" As they asked about how Abbie is, I shared that although to human eyes it may look to some that we are still awaiting our miracle, God said "YES!" to us on May 3, 2004, just as their pleas were answered last week. Now, for both Caleb and Abbie it's just a matter of walking the path marked out for them. I would have NEVER have chosen for it to take this long, but as I continue to see every day, there are abundant reasons.
I visited Caleb again today, in time to hear the nurse say they are turning the vent setting down to 8, and beginning to feed him more through his NG tube. I watched as he consistently over-breathed the ventilator, and also as his respiratory rate rose dramatically as visitors talked to him. "Look!" I said to Kehau, "Look at his numbers...he is listening!" Caleb has not had any swelling in his brain, so given what he has been through he is doing terrific!! I witnessed the same grace that carried Ray and I surround Brandon and Kehau. Please keep all of them in your prayers. They have set up a blog for Caleb: www.prayforcaleb.blogspot.com
Now to Miss Abbie...this was the first time that we had nursing help during a vacation. I was hesitant about this, not wanting her to be "left out". Ray was equally firm in wanting me to get a chance to relax and spend time with the other kids. Since he is on Kaua'i for business every week, he was able to coordinate to have a fantastic nurse come each of the four days we were there. The first day I hung out with Kathleen and Abbie quite a bit, just to build up a comfort level. I learned what a broad background Kathleen has, but more importantly what a caring person she is. When Ray came to lure me to the pool, Abbie scowled as I explained that I would be right back. By the fourth day Abbie smiled as she heard Kathleen arrive in the morning! I decided that instead of trying to convince Kathleen about how great Abbie is doing, I would let Abbie do most of the convincing herself. Boy, did she!
Towards the end of the first day, Kathleen said, "She can see me, can't she?? And..she's listening to everything we say!" She was surprised at how in-tune and responsive Abbie was. The third day Kathleen almost teared up as she told me, "I asked her if she wanted to do her ballerina stretches, and she nodded her head 'yes', so we did them!" By the end of our stay in Kaua'i Kathleen knew, as the rest of us do, that Abbie is right there, just trying to make her body work again.
It seems that we may be getting a break from the "high liver phase" middle of the night wake-ups. The third night we were there the time shifted to 4am, and the first night we were home we all slept through the night!! When we arrived home a new air purifier was waiting, so I placed it at the foot of Abbie's bed that night. I don't know if it was solely responsible, but that night she slept all night with sats of 99. Her tone is incredible -- soft, open hands, loose arms resting down by her side, legs that bend and move easily.
And, it seems we've hit another skin healing spike, both with her burn and with her trach stoma. The burned area is now all level, with no little valleys or pockets left. The few discolored spots left are fading quickly. There will come a day when all will be perfect skin again! Yesterday I heard this really funny whistling noise, and then realized it was air coming through her trach. The opening has gotten so small that it creates a little symphony when air passes.
Carol came to give Abbie healing touch yesterday and was overjoyed with how she looked. At the end of a very powerful session she said, "You know, since you went to Texas I think her healing is coming faster and faster." I totally agree, and we are so excited!
I was able to meet his dad and mom, Brandon and Kehau, as well as his baby brother last Thursday. I didn't know what to say at first except, 'We have been where you are." Brandon shared details of the event with me, saying that Kehau was at Bible study when Caleb was found. After they arrived at Kapiolani, Brandon was taken to a separate room (I knew just the room he was talking about.) They then came in and told him that his son had been pronounced dead. Hearing this, Brandon went running to the trauma room to pray over his son and call him back. As his prayers were going up, Caleb's heart started beating again. God said, "YES!" As they asked about how Abbie is, I shared that although to human eyes it may look to some that we are still awaiting our miracle, God said "YES!" to us on May 3, 2004, just as their pleas were answered last week. Now, for both Caleb and Abbie it's just a matter of walking the path marked out for them. I would have NEVER have chosen for it to take this long, but as I continue to see every day, there are abundant reasons.
I visited Caleb again today, in time to hear the nurse say they are turning the vent setting down to 8, and beginning to feed him more through his NG tube. I watched as he consistently over-breathed the ventilator, and also as his respiratory rate rose dramatically as visitors talked to him. "Look!" I said to Kehau, "Look at his numbers...he is listening!" Caleb has not had any swelling in his brain, so given what he has been through he is doing terrific!! I witnessed the same grace that carried Ray and I surround Brandon and Kehau. Please keep all of them in your prayers. They have set up a blog for Caleb: www.prayforcaleb.blogspot.com
Now to Miss Abbie...this was the first time that we had nursing help during a vacation. I was hesitant about this, not wanting her to be "left out". Ray was equally firm in wanting me to get a chance to relax and spend time with the other kids. Since he is on Kaua'i for business every week, he was able to coordinate to have a fantastic nurse come each of the four days we were there. The first day I hung out with Kathleen and Abbie quite a bit, just to build up a comfort level. I learned what a broad background Kathleen has, but more importantly what a caring person she is. When Ray came to lure me to the pool, Abbie scowled as I explained that I would be right back. By the fourth day Abbie smiled as she heard Kathleen arrive in the morning! I decided that instead of trying to convince Kathleen about how great Abbie is doing, I would let Abbie do most of the convincing herself. Boy, did she!
Towards the end of the first day, Kathleen said, "She can see me, can't she?? And..she's listening to everything we say!" She was surprised at how in-tune and responsive Abbie was. The third day Kathleen almost teared up as she told me, "I asked her if she wanted to do her ballerina stretches, and she nodded her head 'yes', so we did them!" By the end of our stay in Kaua'i Kathleen knew, as the rest of us do, that Abbie is right there, just trying to make her body work again.
It seems that we may be getting a break from the "high liver phase" middle of the night wake-ups. The third night we were there the time shifted to 4am, and the first night we were home we all slept through the night!! When we arrived home a new air purifier was waiting, so I placed it at the foot of Abbie's bed that night. I don't know if it was solely responsible, but that night she slept all night with sats of 99. Her tone is incredible -- soft, open hands, loose arms resting down by her side, legs that bend and move easily.
And, it seems we've hit another skin healing spike, both with her burn and with her trach stoma. The burned area is now all level, with no little valleys or pockets left. The few discolored spots left are fading quickly. There will come a day when all will be perfect skin again! Yesterday I heard this really funny whistling noise, and then realized it was air coming through her trach. The opening has gotten so small that it creates a little symphony when air passes.
Carol came to give Abbie healing touch yesterday and was overjoyed with how she looked. At the end of a very powerful session she said, "You know, since you went to Texas I think her healing is coming faster and faster." I totally agree, and we are so excited!
Thursday, March 08, 2007
Neurodevelopmental Assessment
Yesterday was the first time we had seen Linda Kane, Abbie's neurodevelopmentalist, in 16 months. I was very curious to see what her impression of Abbie would be, because we had not kept up with the neurodevelopmental program she'd designed for us, but I felt like Abbie had made lots of progress in spite of that.
Linda was thrilled with how Abbie looked, what she's doing now, and commented that she is "in a much different place" now. Yipee!! She made a comment that matched almost exactly something I'd verbalized to Ray the night before. Abbie is now in a place where she is ready to recieve all the input we will be giving her through the program. She'll be able to take the input, use it, synthesize it, and move forward. It is so exciting and motivating! We can't wait to get started!
Part of the assessment is recorded in a grid that covers six areas (gross motor, expressive language, fine motor, visual, auditory, and tactility). Each of these areas has nine levels of mastery. Abbie had a total of five level gains on this assessment, with additional progress within some other levels. This was amazing to me since this would be a good assessment even if we'd been faithful with the program.
Of course, on the day we saw Linda, Abbie was not feeling well. She began vomiting on Monday afternoon, so I put her on clear liquids for the rest of the day. We tried her normal food on Tuesday morning. That effort lasted about 10 minutes. I suspected that she might be in the midst of a liver cleansing period because it's been 7 weeks since we went to Dallas. The liver replacement cycle is 6-8 weeks, so we're right at the point where a whole "new" healthy liver may be ready to get rid of all the toxins she's had stored in there for so long now. So, I started giving her liver cleansing liquids, and also began giving her an overnight drip of extra water and a liver cleanse I blended up for her. She's been much happier on this regimen, but I suppose if I were nauseated I would be much happier on chicken broth, water, and juices than milk and eggs!
As I was reading through my new favorite book, "Energy Medicine: The Scientific Basis" there was a whole chapter on structural integration. Dr. Oschman covers in detail the effects of misalignments in the body (I was thinking of Abbie's hips) and problems with the fascia (connective tissues). Abbie's shortened tendons and adhering fascia in other parts of the body may be really impeding the flow of energy in her body, and therefore may be hampering her healing. The best approach to recitify this is something called "Rolfing", or "Structural Integration". After completing the chapter, I was convicted that Rolfing treatments could really help Abbie, so I googled Rolfing in Hawaii (thank you Lord, for Google) and found three practitioners on Oahu. The first one on my list had a phone prefix in my area, but a woman answered the phone and said he'd moved to Seattle. I was about to hang up the phone in disappointment when she asked if she could help because she is also a Rolfer. Hurrah! She lives very close to us, so I made an appointment for 3/23. I asked Linda Kane what she thought of Rolfing, and she enthusiastically endorsed it, saying many of clients have seen great benefit. "But," she cautioned, "it's really difficult to find a practitioner." I smiled and told her that God has already provided for that need! I am anxious to try this. You can read about this approach at www.rolf.org.
So, we had a wonderful day yesterday. Abbie's appointment was in Waimanalo, which gave us the opportunity to relish that beautiful drive. The weather was perfect, all was well...and then Ray came home with news that seemed so incongruent with the joy and beauty we'd been surrounded with all day. A co-worker called him on the way home because her little nephew drowned the day before, and is now fighting for his life in the same PICU where Abbie's journey began. I couldn't reconcile, as I looked out at the fading golden light of evening, that at that very moment a family gathered in a windowless room, overwhelmed with the grief and fear I recall too vividly. Please, please pray with us that the Lord would restore Caleb to his family!
Linda was thrilled with how Abbie looked, what she's doing now, and commented that she is "in a much different place" now. Yipee!! She made a comment that matched almost exactly something I'd verbalized to Ray the night before. Abbie is now in a place where she is ready to recieve all the input we will be giving her through the program. She'll be able to take the input, use it, synthesize it, and move forward. It is so exciting and motivating! We can't wait to get started!
Part of the assessment is recorded in a grid that covers six areas (gross motor, expressive language, fine motor, visual, auditory, and tactility). Each of these areas has nine levels of mastery. Abbie had a total of five level gains on this assessment, with additional progress within some other levels. This was amazing to me since this would be a good assessment even if we'd been faithful with the program.
Of course, on the day we saw Linda, Abbie was not feeling well. She began vomiting on Monday afternoon, so I put her on clear liquids for the rest of the day. We tried her normal food on Tuesday morning. That effort lasted about 10 minutes. I suspected that she might be in the midst of a liver cleansing period because it's been 7 weeks since we went to Dallas. The liver replacement cycle is 6-8 weeks, so we're right at the point where a whole "new" healthy liver may be ready to get rid of all the toxins she's had stored in there for so long now. So, I started giving her liver cleansing liquids, and also began giving her an overnight drip of extra water and a liver cleanse I blended up for her. She's been much happier on this regimen, but I suppose if I were nauseated I would be much happier on chicken broth, water, and juices than milk and eggs!
As I was reading through my new favorite book, "Energy Medicine: The Scientific Basis" there was a whole chapter on structural integration. Dr. Oschman covers in detail the effects of misalignments in the body (I was thinking of Abbie's hips) and problems with the fascia (connective tissues). Abbie's shortened tendons and adhering fascia in other parts of the body may be really impeding the flow of energy in her body, and therefore may be hampering her healing. The best approach to recitify this is something called "Rolfing", or "Structural Integration". After completing the chapter, I was convicted that Rolfing treatments could really help Abbie, so I googled Rolfing in Hawaii (thank you Lord, for Google) and found three practitioners on Oahu. The first one on my list had a phone prefix in my area, but a woman answered the phone and said he'd moved to Seattle. I was about to hang up the phone in disappointment when she asked if she could help because she is also a Rolfer. Hurrah! She lives very close to us, so I made an appointment for 3/23. I asked Linda Kane what she thought of Rolfing, and she enthusiastically endorsed it, saying many of clients have seen great benefit. "But," she cautioned, "it's really difficult to find a practitioner." I smiled and told her that God has already provided for that need! I am anxious to try this. You can read about this approach at www.rolf.org.
So, we had a wonderful day yesterday. Abbie's appointment was in Waimanalo, which gave us the opportunity to relish that beautiful drive. The weather was perfect, all was well...and then Ray came home with news that seemed so incongruent with the joy and beauty we'd been surrounded with all day. A co-worker called him on the way home because her little nephew drowned the day before, and is now fighting for his life in the same PICU where Abbie's journey began. I couldn't reconcile, as I looked out at the fading golden light of evening, that at that very moment a family gathered in a windowless room, overwhelmed with the grief and fear I recall too vividly. Please, please pray with us that the Lord would restore Caleb to his family!
Monday, March 05, 2007
A New Clock
Sometimes it takes a few days of observation to start putting pieces together. Last week Abbie started something new. Around 7pm every evening. all the tone in her body would disappear. We could do anything we wanted with her arms and legs, she became an absolute rag doll. By the morning her tone would have returned. This went on for about five evenings in a row, and then the time of relaxation shifted to 9pm. When that happened, she awoke in the morning as soft as she'd been the night before, and stayed looser than normal through the day.
Intrigued that the time was usually so exact, and that a two hour shift had changed the effect I wondered if it was related to the organ phases in her body. As I've described before, there are twelve circuits we are treating, corresponding to twelve organs. Each of these circuits has a "high phase" and a "low phase" during the day. I went to the textbook from Dr. Tennant's seminar and found that at 7pm the pericardium circuit goes into high phase, and at 9pm it's the "Triple Heater" circuit (related to eastern medicine...too long to explain here). That was sort of interesting, but didn't mean much until I looked a little deeper.
Being a circuit, there are more things affected than just the namesake, so I found that located on the pericardium circuit are the cardiovascular and parasympathetic systems, while the Triple Burner has the lymph, eye and sympathetic system. Hmmm....parasympathetic and sympathetic. These systems are at the base level of control, and have not been operating correctly since Abbie's injury. Could it be that we are getting progress in these systems which is showing up in their high phases?? No one can say for sure, since Abbie is the first to travel this path, but it is interesting.
The Organ Phase clock may also be playing into Abbie's oxygen need. Lately she's been needing extra oxygen from around 11am to 3pm in the afternoon. There's no real change in her respiratory system, and her lungs sound the same, but her sats drop. Looking at the chart again, this time I was more interested in the what circuits were in low phase at that time, because their names were very familiar to me...Gall Bladder and Liver. Abbie has trouble maintaining voltage in these circuits. So, I am thinking that during their low phase, since they already lack voltage, they just drop off the cliff. As soon as their low phase is over, Abbie's sats generally pop right back up and she doesn't need oxygen any more.
So, Abbie's new clock may have a lot to tell us about why some symptoms present and then disappear, what progress she's making, and just how much the electrical system impacts overall health.
On that note, if what I am talking about sounds like gobbly-gook, but you'd like to understand it better, please get ahold of the book "Energy Medicine: The Scientific Basis" by James Oschman. Dr. Tennant gave me this book to read while I was in Dallas. I am still working my way through it but am absolutely amazed so far. It's expensive for a paperback, but worth every cent!
We are taking Abbie to see Linda Kane, her neurodevelopmentalist, on Wednesday. Everything I am learning re-convicts me about the importance of doing a ND program with Abbie. It is going to challenge us timewise, but we are committed to getting it done each day. I will be curious to see what Linda's assessment of Abbie is since we haven't seen her in a while. Please pray that Abbie would be bright and alert on Wednesday morning.
School continues to go well. I am so impressed with the graduate students who are working with the kids. Each and every time we go they have done something to improve the program. It has also been exciting to watch their development as therapists, as they begin to independently assess and problem solve.
All our days are good, and I pray the same for you!
Intrigued that the time was usually so exact, and that a two hour shift had changed the effect I wondered if it was related to the organ phases in her body. As I've described before, there are twelve circuits we are treating, corresponding to twelve organs. Each of these circuits has a "high phase" and a "low phase" during the day. I went to the textbook from Dr. Tennant's seminar and found that at 7pm the pericardium circuit goes into high phase, and at 9pm it's the "Triple Heater" circuit (related to eastern medicine...too long to explain here). That was sort of interesting, but didn't mean much until I looked a little deeper.
Being a circuit, there are more things affected than just the namesake, so I found that located on the pericardium circuit are the cardiovascular and parasympathetic systems, while the Triple Burner has the lymph, eye and sympathetic system. Hmmm....parasympathetic and sympathetic. These systems are at the base level of control, and have not been operating correctly since Abbie's injury. Could it be that we are getting progress in these systems which is showing up in their high phases?? No one can say for sure, since Abbie is the first to travel this path, but it is interesting.
The Organ Phase clock may also be playing into Abbie's oxygen need. Lately she's been needing extra oxygen from around 11am to 3pm in the afternoon. There's no real change in her respiratory system, and her lungs sound the same, but her sats drop. Looking at the chart again, this time I was more interested in the what circuits were in low phase at that time, because their names were very familiar to me...Gall Bladder and Liver. Abbie has trouble maintaining voltage in these circuits. So, I am thinking that during their low phase, since they already lack voltage, they just drop off the cliff. As soon as their low phase is over, Abbie's sats generally pop right back up and she doesn't need oxygen any more.
So, Abbie's new clock may have a lot to tell us about why some symptoms present and then disappear, what progress she's making, and just how much the electrical system impacts overall health.
On that note, if what I am talking about sounds like gobbly-gook, but you'd like to understand it better, please get ahold of the book "Energy Medicine: The Scientific Basis" by James Oschman. Dr. Tennant gave me this book to read while I was in Dallas. I am still working my way through it but am absolutely amazed so far. It's expensive for a paperback, but worth every cent!
We are taking Abbie to see Linda Kane, her neurodevelopmentalist, on Wednesday. Everything I am learning re-convicts me about the importance of doing a ND program with Abbie. It is going to challenge us timewise, but we are committed to getting it done each day. I will be curious to see what Linda's assessment of Abbie is since we haven't seen her in a while. Please pray that Abbie would be bright and alert on Wednesday morning.
School continues to go well. I am so impressed with the graduate students who are working with the kids. Each and every time we go they have done something to improve the program. It has also been exciting to watch their development as therapists, as they begin to independently assess and problem solve.
All our days are good, and I pray the same for you!
Friday, February 23, 2007
Her Own Story
Aloha! I know I've been missing in action for quite a while now. I was just getting my legs back under me after our journey to Dallas, and then I accompanied Ray to Las Vegas, where he had a conference. My mom flew in from Oregon to keep the kids for us so that we could get away together, the first time since Abbie's injury. What a blessing! The chance to sleep in a little bit and operate without a set schedule was a wonderful break. We returned home last Wednesday afternoon, in time to welcome houseguests that evening. That week also brought Dr. Tennant back to Hawaii to lecture and teach. To say it 's been a whirlwind...well, I feel a little like Dorothy at this point.
To catch up on Abbie: Dr. Tennant and I came to the same conclusion on the same day. Abigail Faith is going to write her own story, and perhaps in retrospect we will understand it all. We are walking a path not traveled before -- no one has ever tried to heal an anoxic brain injury using the methods we are employing. So, we keep track of her voltage, track her progress, and note indications of change, but just when we think we know where we are going, Abbie throws us a curveball.
In some ways, though, it is much easier not having a path to follow -- there are no parameters, no targets to meet, no timelines. Mentally, this really gives me a break and allows me to sit back and be a spectator to what is unfolding in Abbie.
Abbie is currently on day 3 of Omnicef for an adenoid infection. She spiked a fever last Wednesday, and by Friday was sounding like a full-grown pig rooting for its dinner. There wasn't a whole lot of sleeping at night for her or me. During the night on Friday the congestion in her sinuses seemed to be really interfering with her breathing, so I called our beloved ENT on Saturday morning. She squeezed us in and ran a scope through Abbie's nose to find swollen adenoids with some blood on them. Abbie is feeling better and sounding more like a piglet these days than a full-grown porker.
Although she is still on oxgyen we took her to school today. She and I had a conversation about it at 4am, where she was very clear about her desire to go. I am glad we went. After a brief catnap Abbie perked up and did well with her switch. She and I had a good time during "recess" as well. I had her sitting right in front of me as we played with a vibrating frog. I turned it off and put her next to her. I asked her to find it and turn it on. She quickly found it visually, and after I'd reassured her that I'd hold her if she used her arm, she lifted her arm up to turn it on (I helped with the aiming a bit). She did this a number of times when we asked her. It may sound minor, but it's new, and that's what counts!
Our houseguests, John, Donna and Sarah Belew, journeyed from Georgia to spend a few days in paradise. I remembered John as the "new lieutentant" when I was at Fort Lewis. The fact that he's now a major makes me feel old. John has regularly posted encouraging and strengthening messages at Abbie's site, so I was excited to see them. One evening he asked to hold Abbie as we talked. To see someone else love your child so tenderly is overwhelming. To me, it reiterated that we've never been abandoned, never been alone. John holding Abbie was the literal picture of how she has been carried all this time by hands not our own.
The Lord often teaches me lessons in short phrases of four or five words. I suppose it's because he's well aware of my limitations. This week, though, perhaps because I've been stretched so thin lately, He's down to just one word. His word for me is "remain"! I was reading John 20 and noted that Mary remained at the tomb after John and Peter left. Because she stayed Mary was the first to see the resurrected Christ. That same day I heard a message about how a tree in winter just stands there, looking as if nothing is going on. But, because it remains, spring comes and it blossoms. So, I am grateful that my current assignment is just to remain. He is not telling me to walk, fight, knock, proclaim...for now I stand, resolute but still, waiting for the spring that I can sense moving in.
To catch up on Abbie: Dr. Tennant and I came to the same conclusion on the same day. Abigail Faith is going to write her own story, and perhaps in retrospect we will understand it all. We are walking a path not traveled before -- no one has ever tried to heal an anoxic brain injury using the methods we are employing. So, we keep track of her voltage, track her progress, and note indications of change, but just when we think we know where we are going, Abbie throws us a curveball.
In some ways, though, it is much easier not having a path to follow -- there are no parameters, no targets to meet, no timelines. Mentally, this really gives me a break and allows me to sit back and be a spectator to what is unfolding in Abbie.
Abbie is currently on day 3 of Omnicef for an adenoid infection. She spiked a fever last Wednesday, and by Friday was sounding like a full-grown pig rooting for its dinner. There wasn't a whole lot of sleeping at night for her or me. During the night on Friday the congestion in her sinuses seemed to be really interfering with her breathing, so I called our beloved ENT on Saturday morning. She squeezed us in and ran a scope through Abbie's nose to find swollen adenoids with some blood on them. Abbie is feeling better and sounding more like a piglet these days than a full-grown porker.
Although she is still on oxgyen we took her to school today. She and I had a conversation about it at 4am, where she was very clear about her desire to go. I am glad we went. After a brief catnap Abbie perked up and did well with her switch. She and I had a good time during "recess" as well. I had her sitting right in front of me as we played with a vibrating frog. I turned it off and put her next to her. I asked her to find it and turn it on. She quickly found it visually, and after I'd reassured her that I'd hold her if she used her arm, she lifted her arm up to turn it on (I helped with the aiming a bit). She did this a number of times when we asked her. It may sound minor, but it's new, and that's what counts!
Our houseguests, John, Donna and Sarah Belew, journeyed from Georgia to spend a few days in paradise. I remembered John as the "new lieutentant" when I was at Fort Lewis. The fact that he's now a major makes me feel old. John has regularly posted encouraging and strengthening messages at Abbie's site, so I was excited to see them. One evening he asked to hold Abbie as we talked. To see someone else love your child so tenderly is overwhelming. To me, it reiterated that we've never been abandoned, never been alone. John holding Abbie was the literal picture of how she has been carried all this time by hands not our own.
The Lord often teaches me lessons in short phrases of four or five words. I suppose it's because he's well aware of my limitations. This week, though, perhaps because I've been stretched so thin lately, He's down to just one word. His word for me is "remain"! I was reading John 20 and noted that Mary remained at the tomb after John and Peter left. Because she stayed Mary was the first to see the resurrected Christ. That same day I heard a message about how a tree in winter just stands there, looking as if nothing is going on. But, because it remains, spring comes and it blossoms. So, I am grateful that my current assignment is just to remain. He is not telling me to walk, fight, knock, proclaim...for now I stand, resolute but still, waiting for the spring that I can sense moving in.
Monday, February 05, 2007
Looking Ahead
Near the end of our trip to Dallas. I like this picture because it says much to me about what is going on inside Abbie – looking out, waiting for tomorrow, patiently hoping, quietly knowing.We got the lab results for Abbie's hormone tests late last week. As expected her cortisol levels were very high in each of the four samples we took (four different times of the day). Dr. Tennant wrote that there's not much we can do about this until "the injury heals". The initial let-down in my quest for a "quick-fix" booster was quickly counteracted by a re-reading of his message. Until the injury heals...we are now approaching her care with that end point in mind...a healing of the injury! There is also an issue with her TSH being very high, yet her having normal thyroid levels. Apparently, this can indicate a problem with iodine loading, so we'll also be testing that soon. Abbie's DHEA levels were very low, and this hormone is especially needed when cortisol levels are high. In doing research I've found all sources recommend that DHEA supplements not be given to children, but then I found this revealing summary on MedlinePlus,
Children (younger than 18 years):
The dosing and safety of DHEA are not well studied in children. In theory, DHEA could interfere with normal hormone balance and growth in children
So, if the biggest theoretical concern is that DHEA supplementation could interfere with normal hormone balance, then this certainly doesn't apply to Miss Abbie who is nowhere close to normal right now. We're getting pretty used to researching things "not well studied" and I'm sure we'll be able to come up with a prudent approach for this as well.
I am actually running out the door right now to go see my friends Remle and Jim -- please pray for them! The whole story is at www.pray4jim.blogspot.com . Jim is fighting colon cancer, and after surgery last week found out he is stage 4. At times like this I plead with God to use every ounce of what He's taught us over these past few years to help me minister to others finding their way in the dark.
Abbie's Hands
These are Abbie’s nice soft hands. Exciting for two reasons: her hands are relaxed and in a good position, and the tone in her arms is low enough to allow her to keep her hands together easily. Again, this is something she could not easily do last month.
She is also getting stronger, and sometimes I have to consciously remind myself that what she is doing easily now used to be impossible. The other day I was pulling her to a sitting position in bed and her head did not lag at all, she just pulled it right up with her body. When we were at the park last Saturday she was sitting between my legs facing out – after a while I noticed I just had my hands near her, to catch her “just in case”, but she was sitting up on her own.
She is also getting stronger, and sometimes I have to consciously remind myself that what she is doing easily now used to be impossible. The other day I was pulling her to a sitting position in bed and her head did not lag at all, she just pulled it right up with her body. When we were at the park last Saturday she was sitting between my legs facing out – after a while I noticed I just had my hands near her, to catch her “just in case”, but she was sitting up on her own.
Getting Readjusted
I found this on the front porch of the home we stayed in while in Dallas. We normally entered through the garage, so it was a week before I opened the front door to find this amazing message – on one page I had the reminder to believe, and on the next page the reminder that love always wins! He has always prepared our path long before we walk it!
I apologize for being late in getting a “Post-Dallas” update written. Last week was a whirlwind of activity and readjustment. We got Abbie’s long awaited stander on Tuesday. There were some other pieces of equipment that we’d also been wanting to get for Abbie, and they all arrived on the same day! It was like Christmas in January. She looks wonderful in her stander, and we can now truly see how long her legs are – she really is a ballerina-to-be! We also got a special needs stroller for her. What a blessing! I recently purchase a carseat for her, in case we needed it during our trip. So, now we can go out and about without the clunky old wheelchair.
We did just that on Saturday, when I took her to Waimanalo Beach Park to watch RJ’s baseball game. That park, I still can’t decide if the patch of land was stolen from the sea, or given up by the mountains, and I marveled that we got to relax in such a beautiful spot. Abbie enjoyed being in the sun and meeting a new puppy. She was quite upset at the potluck, because she is so frustrated. Although I know it is a good thing, it still hurts my heart to hear her cry!
Last week almost marked Abbie’s first day of “school”!! Her two-day-a-week program at the University of Hawaii began on Friday. Her favorite things were watering the plants (she grinned as soon as she saw the dirt), and singing the songs. Three hours is a long time for Abbie to work hard, and she was exhausted when she got home. But, last night when putting her to bed I told her she needed to get to sleep to be ready for school, and down came the eyelids. She really enjoys it, and I am excited to see how she will develop over the next few months! I am also happy that we are part of a training program for future therapists, so that when they graduate and are working they will be very comfortable and confident in working with kids like Abbie.
We continue to see small signs of the work that is going on inside Abbie’s body right now. I will often catch her chewing now, bringing her bottom jaw completely up to her top and clicking her teeth. She couldn’t do this a month ago. Her vision is also improving to the point where today there was confusion about which was her good side. She always sees much better to the right, but today she was consistently looking, and seeing to the left.
I apologize for being late in getting a “Post-Dallas” update written. Last week was a whirlwind of activity and readjustment. We got Abbie’s long awaited stander on Tuesday. There were some other pieces of equipment that we’d also been wanting to get for Abbie, and they all arrived on the same day! It was like Christmas in January. She looks wonderful in her stander, and we can now truly see how long her legs are – she really is a ballerina-to-be! We also got a special needs stroller for her. What a blessing! I recently purchase a carseat for her, in case we needed it during our trip. So, now we can go out and about without the clunky old wheelchair.
We did just that on Saturday, when I took her to Waimanalo Beach Park to watch RJ’s baseball game. That park, I still can’t decide if the patch of land was stolen from the sea, or given up by the mountains, and I marveled that we got to relax in such a beautiful spot. Abbie enjoyed being in the sun and meeting a new puppy. She was quite upset at the potluck, because she is so frustrated. Although I know it is a good thing, it still hurts my heart to hear her cry!
Last week almost marked Abbie’s first day of “school”!! Her two-day-a-week program at the University of Hawaii began on Friday. Her favorite things were watering the plants (she grinned as soon as she saw the dirt), and singing the songs. Three hours is a long time for Abbie to work hard, and she was exhausted when she got home. But, last night when putting her to bed I told her she needed to get to sleep to be ready for school, and down came the eyelids. She really enjoys it, and I am excited to see how she will develop over the next few months! I am also happy that we are part of a training program for future therapists, so that when they graduate and are working they will be very comfortable and confident in working with kids like Abbie.
We continue to see small signs of the work that is going on inside Abbie’s body right now. I will often catch her chewing now, bringing her bottom jaw completely up to her top and clicking her teeth. She couldn’t do this a month ago. Her vision is also improving to the point where today there was confusion about which was her good side. She always sees much better to the right, but today she was consistently looking, and seeing to the left.
I am going to post a couple more updates because I can't seem to get the pictures to go where I want them if I have more than one...you Blogger professionals...Help!!
Sunday, January 28, 2007
On the way home
(Written yesterday, 1/27)
We’re sitting in foggy San Francisco, halfway home! What an amazing two weeks we had in Dallas. After Abbie and I went for our final hyperbaric dive yesterday afternoon, she had another MEAD test done, to check her voltage.
During the first week we were thrilled to see the three circuits, or meridians, that the brain is on go up into the healing range of voltage, 50-70 millivolts. And, we were shocked to see her total body voltage go up to 43, since that’s about the ceiling, as total body voltage never gets up into healing range itself.
Ooops!! Did Abbie just hear someone say “never”? It seems that she did, because in her normal fashion, she has proven that word should never be used in connection with her. On Friday, her total body voltage was at an astounding 53!! Healing range! Dr. Tennant has never seen body voltage this high, and really never expected to….then he met Miss Abbie. It was fun to watch him react to those numbers. In addition to that Olympic-level overall voltage, 8 of her 12 circuits are also in healing range, with the other four hovering just below that threshold. Her three brain circuits all remain in the healing range, which Dr. Tennant said is also very unusual. He normally sees 2 of the 3 at one time, but never all three. Ha – another “never” Abbie gets to kick to the curb.
As I thought more about what this all means, and wondered if Ray and the boys would see big differences when we get off the plane, I realized that this truly is just like a pregnancy. When the EPT test stick turns pink, no one else can see anything different about you, and until you end up repeatedly hugging the toilet, it may not even seem like a reality. But, the process has begun, and over the coming months life begins to blossom and the evidence becomes abundantly clear that a baby is on the way. These voltage tests were our stick finally turning pink – the outward signs are just beginning, but the healing process leading to Abbie’s complete re-birth is definitely underway. And, the great part is, I can still eat anything I want!
As we were leaving the clinic on Friday Abbie was playing around with Debbie and giving her beautiful smiles. Jean’E, one of Dr. Tennant’s nurses, wanted to capture this on film, but by the time she got the camera Abbie wouldn’t smile at all. After we gave up and put the camera away, Debbie noticed a tear coming down Abbie’s cheek. She asked her if the reason she wouldn’t smile for the camera was because she didn’t want to leave all her new friends in Dallas, and Abbie immediately started clucking. I think she realizes as much as we do what a special and important trip this was, and how incredible the people are that God blessed us with in Dallas.
Abbie also developed a new love while we were in Texas…the fireplace. We were so blessed to stay in the home of some precious friends while in Dallas, and they had a gas fireplace that was on every moment Abbie was there. If she wasn’t sleeping in her bed or getting a bath, she was lying in front of the fireplace. When Debbie asked her if she wanted to take it home with her, Abbie immediately and forcefully indicated ‘YES!” Alas, it would not fit in the suitcase, so we’ll just have to make do with votive candles at home.
While we were at the clinic we found out that Dr. Tennant will only be teaching one Level 1 Biomodulator course in Honolulu, rather than two. It will be held at the Radisson Hotel in Waikiki, February 15-17. The evening of the 15th will be a free lecture about healing and voltage, while the 16th and 17th will be the training course for the Biomodulator. If you live in Hawaii and have been thinking about attending, I can’t encourage you strongly enough – for two reasons: now that we’ve spent time in Dallas I am even more convinced about the potential this technology holds for true healing, and since it will be the only course offered in Hawaii this year I would hate the opportunity to pass you by. For more information you can contact Barbara at 817-939-8188. Of course, if you can also email me with questions (varasix@aol.com)
There were many heroes in this trip, but the one that rises above them all is Debbie. She has been “on-duty” for two weeks straight, taking care of little details, big diapers, and always making sure Abbie had what she needed. There’s no way in the world we could have done this without her, and we will be forever indebted to her.
We went to bed around midnight last night, and my alarm was set for 5am, but around 4:30am something very interesting happened. I was awakened by two urgent cries from Abbie, and looked to find her rolling off her pillow, heading toward the floor. When I reached over to grab her I could feel her holding herself for all she was worth, trying to keep from falling. This is a huge step in many respects: she realized she was falling and was able to quickly alert me, and she used muscular protective responses to keep from falling. She couldn’t do these things just a short time ago. Even scary things are giving us rays of hope these days – what incredible days these are!
We’re sitting in foggy San Francisco, halfway home! What an amazing two weeks we had in Dallas. After Abbie and I went for our final hyperbaric dive yesterday afternoon, she had another MEAD test done, to check her voltage.
During the first week we were thrilled to see the three circuits, or meridians, that the brain is on go up into the healing range of voltage, 50-70 millivolts. And, we were shocked to see her total body voltage go up to 43, since that’s about the ceiling, as total body voltage never gets up into healing range itself.
Ooops!! Did Abbie just hear someone say “never”? It seems that she did, because in her normal fashion, she has proven that word should never be used in connection with her. On Friday, her total body voltage was at an astounding 53!! Healing range! Dr. Tennant has never seen body voltage this high, and really never expected to….then he met Miss Abbie. It was fun to watch him react to those numbers. In addition to that Olympic-level overall voltage, 8 of her 12 circuits are also in healing range, with the other four hovering just below that threshold. Her three brain circuits all remain in the healing range, which Dr. Tennant said is also very unusual. He normally sees 2 of the 3 at one time, but never all three. Ha – another “never” Abbie gets to kick to the curb.
As I thought more about what this all means, and wondered if Ray and the boys would see big differences when we get off the plane, I realized that this truly is just like a pregnancy. When the EPT test stick turns pink, no one else can see anything different about you, and until you end up repeatedly hugging the toilet, it may not even seem like a reality. But, the process has begun, and over the coming months life begins to blossom and the evidence becomes abundantly clear that a baby is on the way. These voltage tests were our stick finally turning pink – the outward signs are just beginning, but the healing process leading to Abbie’s complete re-birth is definitely underway. And, the great part is, I can still eat anything I want!
As we were leaving the clinic on Friday Abbie was playing around with Debbie and giving her beautiful smiles. Jean’E, one of Dr. Tennant’s nurses, wanted to capture this on film, but by the time she got the camera Abbie wouldn’t smile at all. After we gave up and put the camera away, Debbie noticed a tear coming down Abbie’s cheek. She asked her if the reason she wouldn’t smile for the camera was because she didn’t want to leave all her new friends in Dallas, and Abbie immediately started clucking. I think she realizes as much as we do what a special and important trip this was, and how incredible the people are that God blessed us with in Dallas.
Abbie also developed a new love while we were in Texas…the fireplace. We were so blessed to stay in the home of some precious friends while in Dallas, and they had a gas fireplace that was on every moment Abbie was there. If she wasn’t sleeping in her bed or getting a bath, she was lying in front of the fireplace. When Debbie asked her if she wanted to take it home with her, Abbie immediately and forcefully indicated ‘YES!” Alas, it would not fit in the suitcase, so we’ll just have to make do with votive candles at home.
While we were at the clinic we found out that Dr. Tennant will only be teaching one Level 1 Biomodulator course in Honolulu, rather than two. It will be held at the Radisson Hotel in Waikiki, February 15-17. The evening of the 15th will be a free lecture about healing and voltage, while the 16th and 17th will be the training course for the Biomodulator. If you live in Hawaii and have been thinking about attending, I can’t encourage you strongly enough – for two reasons: now that we’ve spent time in Dallas I am even more convinced about the potential this technology holds for true healing, and since it will be the only course offered in Hawaii this year I would hate the opportunity to pass you by. For more information you can contact Barbara at 817-939-8188. Of course, if you can also email me with questions (varasix@aol.com)
There were many heroes in this trip, but the one that rises above them all is Debbie. She has been “on-duty” for two weeks straight, taking care of little details, big diapers, and always making sure Abbie had what she needed. There’s no way in the world we could have done this without her, and we will be forever indebted to her.
We went to bed around midnight last night, and my alarm was set for 5am, but around 4:30am something very interesting happened. I was awakened by two urgent cries from Abbie, and looked to find her rolling off her pillow, heading toward the floor. When I reached over to grab her I could feel her holding herself for all she was worth, trying to keep from falling. This is a huge step in many respects: she realized she was falling and was able to quickly alert me, and she used muscular protective responses to keep from falling. She couldn’t do these things just a short time ago. Even scary things are giving us rays of hope these days – what incredible days these are!
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
Into the Second Week
Aloha from Texas! The weather has warmed up and we've even seen the sun recently. Abbie is doing wonderful things for us. Her face is changing every day, so much so that she very rarely drools any more, even when placed in prime drooling positions, like on her back with her head laid to the side. She is also requiring suctioning very rarely now, which makes me think she is controlling her secretions much better. The other night she slept without any oxygen, as Dr. Tennant suspected would happen soon. As her voltage rises, there is more oxgyen dissolved in her blood so that even when her voltage dips in the middle of the night, as all of ours does, she is able to maintain her sats.
Last week Dr. Collins made another observation about hormonal imbalance in Abbie, having to do with her legs. She normally keeps her thighs together, with her knees together in sort of a knock-kneed position, and then her calves are apart in a "V" shape. I always assumed this was just because of her tone, and while that is what is partially causing it, a hormonal imbalance in the underlying root. He said that if you look at anyone who walks from the knee down, sort of shuffling along, they will always have a hormonal imbalance. Dr. Tennant was not present when we had this discussion. The next day he was looking at Abbie laying on the floor and said, "You know, I am beginning to wonder of the position of her legs may be related to her hormones..." I smiled and said that Dr. Collins made the exact same remark the day before. So, I am even more hopeful that correcting her hormones will help her in a variety of ways. For those therapists out there, Dr. Collins said that hormonal imbalances greatly affect the IT band (making it tight, like Abbie's), and with correction the tension will release and the external rotation will be eliminated.
Dr. Collins spent some time working with Abbie's feet and legs while she was recieving Light treatments. In just a few minutes, using gentle movements, he had Abbie's legs and feet looking like my little Abbie's legs and feet -- the ones that used to run around my house hunting for mischief and love. The power of seeing that familiar, but long-missed sight was overwhelming.
Abbie has just recently begun to use her arms more purposefully, with extension (stretching out) movements, rather then just jerky movements where her elbows remain bent. All these things, and this is really just the launching pad. As I talked with Dr. Tennant about the meridians that are in the healing range (50-70 millivolts), I wanted to know what I had to do to keep them that high, and for how long they needed to stay there. He remarked that what he is seeing is that people get up into that range for a week or so, to begin the healing process, and then revert back to normal operating voltage as the healing progresses. In other words, the healing voltage is like the boost to get a rock rolling down a hill. Once it is going, it just needs normal momentum, or voltage, for the process to continue. Abbie has never had the momentum, or voltage, to get the healing rock moving down the hill. Now she does, as we can concretely see in her voltage tests. So, the rock is rolling, and now it's just a matter of supporting her through the process while her body does the work. She has crossed the threshold! I am still absorbing this, because it changes everything.
I mentioned in the last posting that I've been affirmed in my belief that Abbie and I are linked. This was evidenced again late last week. I wrote about her voltage going up to 42, and both of us feeling awful. In the days that followed it dropped to about 35 and we both felt much better. Then, one evening I was getting the same sensations -- room spinning, head hurting, and I mentioned to Dr. Tennant, "I would bet her voltage is up again, just based on the way I am feeling." We did a test, and sure enough, she was back up to 43. Dr. Tennant said he really never sees total body voltage higher than that. This solidifies the fact that I need to trust myself, trust my intuition and the guidance I receive about Abbie. If you see me out and about, looking pretty sick, rejoice! It means Abbie is doing lots of healing work.
This trip has been a whirlwind of blessings, and I have learned so much. It is hard, though, being away from Ray and the boys. Thanks to all of you who have brought meals, and who have prayed for them in my absence. Our family is definitely a team, and it's difficult when we are apart.
I will try to post again before we head home on Saturday morning. But, if I don't make that happen, thank you for all of your prayers and support throughout this unique part of Abbie's journey. We are blessed indeed!
Last week Dr. Collins made another observation about hormonal imbalance in Abbie, having to do with her legs. She normally keeps her thighs together, with her knees together in sort of a knock-kneed position, and then her calves are apart in a "V" shape. I always assumed this was just because of her tone, and while that is what is partially causing it, a hormonal imbalance in the underlying root. He said that if you look at anyone who walks from the knee down, sort of shuffling along, they will always have a hormonal imbalance. Dr. Tennant was not present when we had this discussion. The next day he was looking at Abbie laying on the floor and said, "You know, I am beginning to wonder of the position of her legs may be related to her hormones..." I smiled and said that Dr. Collins made the exact same remark the day before. So, I am even more hopeful that correcting her hormones will help her in a variety of ways. For those therapists out there, Dr. Collins said that hormonal imbalances greatly affect the IT band (making it tight, like Abbie's), and with correction the tension will release and the external rotation will be eliminated.
Dr. Collins spent some time working with Abbie's feet and legs while she was recieving Light treatments. In just a few minutes, using gentle movements, he had Abbie's legs and feet looking like my little Abbie's legs and feet -- the ones that used to run around my house hunting for mischief and love. The power of seeing that familiar, but long-missed sight was overwhelming.
Abbie has just recently begun to use her arms more purposefully, with extension (stretching out) movements, rather then just jerky movements where her elbows remain bent. All these things, and this is really just the launching pad. As I talked with Dr. Tennant about the meridians that are in the healing range (50-70 millivolts), I wanted to know what I had to do to keep them that high, and for how long they needed to stay there. He remarked that what he is seeing is that people get up into that range for a week or so, to begin the healing process, and then revert back to normal operating voltage as the healing progresses. In other words, the healing voltage is like the boost to get a rock rolling down a hill. Once it is going, it just needs normal momentum, or voltage, for the process to continue. Abbie has never had the momentum, or voltage, to get the healing rock moving down the hill. Now she does, as we can concretely see in her voltage tests. So, the rock is rolling, and now it's just a matter of supporting her through the process while her body does the work. She has crossed the threshold! I am still absorbing this, because it changes everything.
I mentioned in the last posting that I've been affirmed in my belief that Abbie and I are linked. This was evidenced again late last week. I wrote about her voltage going up to 42, and both of us feeling awful. In the days that followed it dropped to about 35 and we both felt much better. Then, one evening I was getting the same sensations -- room spinning, head hurting, and I mentioned to Dr. Tennant, "I would bet her voltage is up again, just based on the way I am feeling." We did a test, and sure enough, she was back up to 43. Dr. Tennant said he really never sees total body voltage higher than that. This solidifies the fact that I need to trust myself, trust my intuition and the guidance I receive about Abbie. If you see me out and about, looking pretty sick, rejoice! It means Abbie is doing lots of healing work.
This trip has been a whirlwind of blessings, and I have learned so much. It is hard, though, being away from Ray and the boys. Thanks to all of you who have brought meals, and who have prayed for them in my absence. Our family is definitely a team, and it's difficult when we are apart.
I will try to post again before we head home on Saturday morning. But, if I don't make that happen, thank you for all of your prayers and support throughout this unique part of Abbie's journey. We are blessed indeed!
Thursday, January 18, 2007
We're Here!
Sorry for the overdue update, I've not been able to keep a connection long enough to post. So much to tell...Our trip was a definate adventure, but I'll get to that later. I want to start off with all the great things that have happened in just the first two days here.
Abbie's recovery is all about voltage - remembering that normal bodies function at around 22 milivolts. A couple weeks ago we measured her at home and she was up to 11, an improvement over the 2 she'd been at two weeks before. Well, we arrived in Dallas on Monday afternoon, and both Dr. Collins and Dr. Tennant worked on Abbie quite a bit Monday evening. We went to the clinic Tuesday morning, and when Abbie's voltages were checked we got two pieces of very good news. First, her overall body voltage was up to 30! This was an amazing jump. The test that gave us that number also measures 12 specific meridians in the body. You can think of meridians like copper wiring in your house, they wire certain organ systems together just like your wire connects several appliances. Dr. Tennant brought in the test results with 3 meridians circled. These three meridians had voltages that reached into the healing range of 50-70 millivolts. I was happy about that, but didn't grasp the import until he said, "These are the three meridians that the brain is on. There is certainly healing going on in her brain right now." I was stunned. The hope so long deferred is becoming a reality!
Abbie and I then went for our first hyperbaric dive in the clinic. I enjoyed the soft-sided chamber because it allowed us to lay down and snuggle together, and because the oxygen was delivered through a cannula, I didn't have to struggle to hold a mask on her for an hour. Coming to Dallas I felt that HBOT would be one of the primary benefits, and was already trying to figure out a way to continue once we return to Honolulu. As we talked that evening, however, Dr. Tennant explained that if we can keep Abbie's overall body voltage in the normal range (above 20 millivolts) she won't need HBOT. Wow! That would be a load off my shoulders -- one more blessing.
I guess I should explain who Dr. Collins is. He and Dr. Tennant have been working together for the past few years in developing a specialized light diode, which is what they are using to treat people in the clinic. Like Dr. Tennant, Dr. Collins is extremely brilliant and it has been our good fortune to be here concurrent to his visit (he lives in Columbia, SC). He has been very helpful in giving us concrete steps to begin Abbie's journey back. For example, the first night he saw her he noted that she didn't have much of a sucking reflex. He said that we had to get that back before we tried to move further down the road -- Abbie's needs to meet the developmental milestones in order again. So we started working hard on that while she was receiving Light treatments, and by the next day she was sucking hard on my finger. His insistence on the importance of the milestones makes me think that we will go back to the neurodevelopmentalist, whose specialty is creating programs to meet milestones in order.
Dr. Collins also made a couple interesting observations. Just last week Matthew asked me why Abbie's face looks so different now. I told him it is because her muscles aren't working quite right yet, so it makes her face look chubby. Dr. Collins thinks her face looks "steriodal" -- puffy like someone taking steriods. This is due to her having excess cortisol in her system because her body is still in "alarm mode". He noted this on his initial examination of her -- her body still is splayed out, arms to the side, back a little arched. Our goal is to get her out of alarm mode and back into a fetal position, so she can relax and heal. We spent yesterday collecting saliva to send off for a hormone test so we can see exactly where she's at. Dr. Tennant has found recently that dealing with hormones is critical to recovery.
Yesterday we awoke to SNOW! I couldn't believe it! We also awoke to find that Abbie and I felt terrible. She was subdued and somewhat cranky towards dinner time, while I had a horrible headache and felt like the room was spinning. We measured her voltage after dinner and found it to be an incredible 42! Dr. Tennant said that explained why she felt so bad -- someone with that much voltage is bound to have a headache. I asked him how we could support her through this and he told me that when he has adult patients hit levels like this and they need to be functional for work he actually has them drink a caffeine-free Coke to bring the voltage down a bit. So, it seems that Miss Abbie is taking off like a rocket ship, which is exactly how she arrived in this world the first time, so it seems fitting. Dr. Collins explained that I feel so awful for two reasons: I have been treating Abbie so I get enough of the frequencies to stimulate my body to begin dumping toxins etc, but I don't get the full range to help my body do this work. Also, I am very tied to Abbie, and her journey affects me physically. He has found that in every child he's treated, there is always one parent who is physically tied to the child and helps/hinders/experiences the process with the child. As I thought about it later I realized that I've always known this, and recalled writing about how Abbie and I were like E.T. and Elliot, whose heart rhythms were in synch at the end of the movie.
I have learned so much more from getting to spend time with Drs. Tennant and Collins, but I feel like I should stop rambling for now, and tell you more in the next update.
Our trip here was an adventure. We flew from Honolulu to Seattle, where we were met at the gate by my long-time friend Wendy and her friend Stan. His "United Crew" credentials had allowed them past security as standby travelers. What an effort to make for a ten minute visit at 5am!! We then took off for Denver. Abbie did very well on both flights, although I am so glad we had coordinated oxgyen. She required 4 liters to Seattle and 3 liters to Denver. As we were landing in Denver, I thought "This trip is going so well..." Ohhh, the danger of thinking that thought!
We waited on the plane for the wheelchair to be brought up. It finally arrived -- in pieces. Despite being covered with "Do NOT Disassemble signs", the ground crew in Seattle had done just so. Fearing that may happen at some point, we had also gate-checked a stroller. Unfortunately, it had been lost. The captain, seeing our predicament, went down to check the belly of the plane himself in the snowing, 3 degree weather. No luck. I told him we would have to let it catch up with us because we had a tight connection to DFW. He got a funny look on his face and picked up the jetway phone. After a moment he quietly replaced the receiver and slowly turned to me, hating to say these words, "I'm sorry, they just closed DFW for the day because of ice." So, we had a broken wheelchair, no stroller, and no flight. Wow.
We ended up at an empty gate area across the way and I set off to find how to get a new flight booked. I found the end of a 400 person line, and realized I couldn't leave Abbie and Debbie that long. So, I returned to them, and figured that I could at least start trying to coordinate oxygen, because I'd learned it sometimes requires a 24-hour notice. I called the United Medical Desk to begin this process, and the sweet woman on the other end of our line saved the day. She asked "Is no one from United there helping you??" Ummmmm - no. She then told me about the "Special Services Room" for handicapped passengers. I found a skycap to direct us there, and behind a silver Star-Trek door lay an oasis. Power outlets for Abbie's pulse-oximeter and suction machine, and even better, an agent to rebook our flight. An angel named Jan spent two hours on the phone and got us booked in first class seats for the next day. She also gave us $70 worth of meal vouchers. I spied a twin mattress leaned up against a wall and asked we could use it. When they said "OK" we began to set up camp. We ended up just staying overnight at the airport rather than trying to find wheelchair transportation (impossible) and claiming all our checked baggage. Abbie did wonderfully, and it was not bad at all. Debbie was a real hero in this whole ordeal, basically going with no sleep for three days. But, in the end we got the wheelchair back together, got to Dallas, and are pinching ourselves that we are actually here. Miracles happen, and Abbie is one of them!
Will keep you posted as we go. God has been so good to us, and has sustained us throughout Abbie's journey. But, this year feels like the gates of Heaven opening and blessings unnumbered streaming down upon us.
Abbie's recovery is all about voltage - remembering that normal bodies function at around 22 milivolts. A couple weeks ago we measured her at home and she was up to 11, an improvement over the 2 she'd been at two weeks before. Well, we arrived in Dallas on Monday afternoon, and both Dr. Collins and Dr. Tennant worked on Abbie quite a bit Monday evening. We went to the clinic Tuesday morning, and when Abbie's voltages were checked we got two pieces of very good news. First, her overall body voltage was up to 30! This was an amazing jump. The test that gave us that number also measures 12 specific meridians in the body. You can think of meridians like copper wiring in your house, they wire certain organ systems together just like your wire connects several appliances. Dr. Tennant brought in the test results with 3 meridians circled. These three meridians had voltages that reached into the healing range of 50-70 millivolts. I was happy about that, but didn't grasp the import until he said, "These are the three meridians that the brain is on. There is certainly healing going on in her brain right now." I was stunned. The hope so long deferred is becoming a reality!
Abbie and I then went for our first hyperbaric dive in the clinic. I enjoyed the soft-sided chamber because it allowed us to lay down and snuggle together, and because the oxygen was delivered through a cannula, I didn't have to struggle to hold a mask on her for an hour. Coming to Dallas I felt that HBOT would be one of the primary benefits, and was already trying to figure out a way to continue once we return to Honolulu. As we talked that evening, however, Dr. Tennant explained that if we can keep Abbie's overall body voltage in the normal range (above 20 millivolts) she won't need HBOT. Wow! That would be a load off my shoulders -- one more blessing.
I guess I should explain who Dr. Collins is. He and Dr. Tennant have been working together for the past few years in developing a specialized light diode, which is what they are using to treat people in the clinic. Like Dr. Tennant, Dr. Collins is extremely brilliant and it has been our good fortune to be here concurrent to his visit (he lives in Columbia, SC). He has been very helpful in giving us concrete steps to begin Abbie's journey back. For example, the first night he saw her he noted that she didn't have much of a sucking reflex. He said that we had to get that back before we tried to move further down the road -- Abbie's needs to meet the developmental milestones in order again. So we started working hard on that while she was receiving Light treatments, and by the next day she was sucking hard on my finger. His insistence on the importance of the milestones makes me think that we will go back to the neurodevelopmentalist, whose specialty is creating programs to meet milestones in order.
Dr. Collins also made a couple interesting observations. Just last week Matthew asked me why Abbie's face looks so different now. I told him it is because her muscles aren't working quite right yet, so it makes her face look chubby. Dr. Collins thinks her face looks "steriodal" -- puffy like someone taking steriods. This is due to her having excess cortisol in her system because her body is still in "alarm mode". He noted this on his initial examination of her -- her body still is splayed out, arms to the side, back a little arched. Our goal is to get her out of alarm mode and back into a fetal position, so she can relax and heal. We spent yesterday collecting saliva to send off for a hormone test so we can see exactly where she's at. Dr. Tennant has found recently that dealing with hormones is critical to recovery.
Yesterday we awoke to SNOW! I couldn't believe it! We also awoke to find that Abbie and I felt terrible. She was subdued and somewhat cranky towards dinner time, while I had a horrible headache and felt like the room was spinning. We measured her voltage after dinner and found it to be an incredible 42! Dr. Tennant said that explained why she felt so bad -- someone with that much voltage is bound to have a headache. I asked him how we could support her through this and he told me that when he has adult patients hit levels like this and they need to be functional for work he actually has them drink a caffeine-free Coke to bring the voltage down a bit. So, it seems that Miss Abbie is taking off like a rocket ship, which is exactly how she arrived in this world the first time, so it seems fitting. Dr. Collins explained that I feel so awful for two reasons: I have been treating Abbie so I get enough of the frequencies to stimulate my body to begin dumping toxins etc, but I don't get the full range to help my body do this work. Also, I am very tied to Abbie, and her journey affects me physically. He has found that in every child he's treated, there is always one parent who is physically tied to the child and helps/hinders/experiences the process with the child. As I thought about it later I realized that I've always known this, and recalled writing about how Abbie and I were like E.T. and Elliot, whose heart rhythms were in synch at the end of the movie.
I have learned so much more from getting to spend time with Drs. Tennant and Collins, but I feel like I should stop rambling for now, and tell you more in the next update.
Our trip here was an adventure. We flew from Honolulu to Seattle, where we were met at the gate by my long-time friend Wendy and her friend Stan. His "United Crew" credentials had allowed them past security as standby travelers. What an effort to make for a ten minute visit at 5am!! We then took off for Denver. Abbie did very well on both flights, although I am so glad we had coordinated oxgyen. She required 4 liters to Seattle and 3 liters to Denver. As we were landing in Denver, I thought "This trip is going so well..." Ohhh, the danger of thinking that thought!
We waited on the plane for the wheelchair to be brought up. It finally arrived -- in pieces. Despite being covered with "Do NOT Disassemble signs", the ground crew in Seattle had done just so. Fearing that may happen at some point, we had also gate-checked a stroller. Unfortunately, it had been lost. The captain, seeing our predicament, went down to check the belly of the plane himself in the snowing, 3 degree weather. No luck. I told him we would have to let it catch up with us because we had a tight connection to DFW. He got a funny look on his face and picked up the jetway phone. After a moment he quietly replaced the receiver and slowly turned to me, hating to say these words, "I'm sorry, they just closed DFW for the day because of ice." So, we had a broken wheelchair, no stroller, and no flight. Wow.
We ended up at an empty gate area across the way and I set off to find how to get a new flight booked. I found the end of a 400 person line, and realized I couldn't leave Abbie and Debbie that long. So, I returned to them, and figured that I could at least start trying to coordinate oxygen, because I'd learned it sometimes requires a 24-hour notice. I called the United Medical Desk to begin this process, and the sweet woman on the other end of our line saved the day. She asked "Is no one from United there helping you??" Ummmmm - no. She then told me about the "Special Services Room" for handicapped passengers. I found a skycap to direct us there, and behind a silver Star-Trek door lay an oasis. Power outlets for Abbie's pulse-oximeter and suction machine, and even better, an agent to rebook our flight. An angel named Jan spent two hours on the phone and got us booked in first class seats for the next day. She also gave us $70 worth of meal vouchers. I spied a twin mattress leaned up against a wall and asked we could use it. When they said "OK" we began to set up camp. We ended up just staying overnight at the airport rather than trying to find wheelchair transportation (impossible) and claiming all our checked baggage. Abbie did wonderfully, and it was not bad at all. Debbie was a real hero in this whole ordeal, basically going with no sleep for three days. But, in the end we got the wheelchair back together, got to Dallas, and are pinching ourselves that we are actually here. Miracles happen, and Abbie is one of them!
Will keep you posted as we go. God has been so good to us, and has sustained us throughout Abbie's journey. But, this year feels like the gates of Heaven opening and blessings unnumbered streaming down upon us.
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