Joanne Heim

Stairs

Joanne went up and down stairs yesterday! I couldn't believe it. After doing some walking around the therapist took her to the staircase and told her they were going to go up and down. I thought, "You've got to be kidding me!" But the therapist was determined. She kept telling Joanne, "You're strong. You can do it!" And she did it. Slowly, one step at a time, and with help she walked up five stairs and then turned around and went back down those same stairs.

The girls and Papa were in the gym and got to see it too. We kept looking at each other like, "This can't be happening." but it happened. Man, Joanne was totally spent after that. It was really good for the girls to get to see it, to see how hard their mom is working and that she is making progress. I took a bunch of iPhone photos but I have no idea how to post them. Maybe Kristen will post the one I sent her on her blog.

Today is a momentus day becasue Joanne gets to wash her hair. It has been a week. I don't think I need to go into any more detail then that, but at some point, before bed, Joanne will ahve a clean head of hair! I can't imagine how good that is going to feel to her. We have talked about bringing in a stylist to the hospital to give us a consult on a style that might cover Joanne's scar. Joanne has said that she wants to go short and maybe blond! I say, why not. She has been through so much and if a crazy, spikey, blond hairstyle would put a spring in her step then I say go for it.

Joanne's list of things to bring to the hospital (dictated):

1. Her mom

2. A heatpack (like the one Holly made her)

3. CD player and music (so many CDs have come in from friends!)

4. Lippy--Blistex or Burts Bees

5. Toothbrush and tooth paste

6. Face cleansing product

7. Lots of pictures or posters for the wall. Digital photo frame works well too

8. Flowers

9. Good jammies

10. Comfy clothes and slipper to wear during the day

11. A pillow pet to support her left (paralyzed) arm

12. iPhone

Fortunately for Joanne she has all these things in abundance!

Prayer requests (from Joanne):

1. Continued strength

2. Good sleep

3. And no more pain!

Toben

 

 

Dread Locks

Joanne isn't allowed to wash her hari for another 4 days. It's already been three. That's a week with no hair washing. On top of that they had put all sorts of stuff on the incision, like antibiotic gel that is now all in her hair. I have been kidding her that she is going to get dread locks. And I'm not entirely kidding! 

So she can wash her hair at the end of the week and then next week she goes back to the surgeons office to get all her staples out. Man I am looking forward to that day! Tomorrow she gets her feeding tub (PEG) removed which is the feeding tube into her stomach. Then when the staples come out that will be the last artificial thing to get out of her body. Then there will be nothing but pure, unadulterated Joanne! She has been hooked up, tubed up, or wired up for the last 10 weeks so this is a big deal.

These next weeks are all about therapy. She has about seven therapy sessions a day so she doesn;t have much time to get bored. She like that, but it does make her very tired. She is about ready for bed by seven or eight every night.

Anyhow, Joanne had a good day today and that counts for a lot.

It's bed time for me. Got to get up tomorrow and do it all again!

Prayer Requests:

1. Joanne's shoulder is still killing her. Please pray for pain relief in that arm.

2. Joanne is starting to get a little more sleep. If she got to the point where she was able to get eight hours a night that would be a dramatic improvement and would really benefit her in her therapy.

3. The girls are on Spring Break this week. We are trying to do some special things with them whole they are on break, but I would appreciate your prayers that this would be good week for them and that they would feel rested and ready to go back to school next week.

Toben

 

Room Change

So they ran out of beds up in ICU, and since Joanne isn't really in critical condition they moved her down to the surgical floor. It is every bit as nice as the ICU. The rooms are a little smaller but there is still room for the very cool recliner chairs that they have here. I think I want one for my birthday. Seriously, they are that comfortable. Plus Joanne is right across the hall from the "refreshment station" which means close access to soda, coffee, microwave, etc. Pretty sweet. We will only be here over night and then back to rehab sometime tomorrow mid-day. 

And I can't believe I am going to say this, but the diet Shasta cola that they stock here may actually be better than my beloved Diet Coke. That's all they keep stocked and I have to say that it has more cola flavor. I never would have guessed it! 

Joanne is all tucked in and medicated for the night. I am really hoping for a great night sleep for her. Today was pretty long and hard. Many tears when they came to remove the drain from her incision--freaked her out pretty badly. And more tears just becauseshe is tired of being poked and prodded and stuck with needles. She has said so many times that she just wants to go home. I totally get that. I know for a fact that we all want her home.

I also know for a fact that she is going to rock rehab and regain a lot of function. She has already made such amazing progress and I know there is a lot more to come.Joanne said today that at least rehab isn't boring like the regular hospital. They haveher up and moving by 7:30 every morning and keep her going until mid afternoon. the work is hard but it beats the heck out of sitting in bed for 22 hours a day.

Prayer requests:

1. Joanne is asking for prayer for renewed strength as she returns to rehab. Also strength for the family. I think she can tell that we're all a little weary ( I thought we had her fooled.

2. Easy move tomorrow from Littleton to rehab. Joanne has come to hate ambulance rides--too bumpy plus you have to ride backwards. Makes her pretty car sick. Sosmooth transport would be a blessing.

3. No infection at the wound site. 

Toben

P.S. One of Joanne's new nurses goes to Denver Seminary as does her husband. they are preparing to be missionaries. Plus her other nurse, Hainy, is totally cool too. They call joanne all sorts of pet names like honey and sweetie and she loves that.

Overdue Post

I apologize for not doing a surgery/bone flap update sooner. There has been a lot of activity over the last 36 hours! The short story is that the surgery went well. The bone flap in back, held in place by four or five titanium plates. Joanne looks amazing! I think "Team Joanne" had gotten sort of used to seeing her with her bone flap out. But now that it's back in place she looks amazing!

Joanne is still at Littleton. We are sort of hanging out today to see when she will be transported back to rehab. At the moment she has a drain coming from the incision that is taking care of some fluid build up. Her surgeon is supposed to be in later this morning to determine when it can come out. She can't go back to rehab until the drain is removed. So we wait.

Cool thing: Erin, who is our other favorite nurse from our weeks here, is on duty today so we got to catch up with her and Joanne was able to meet her for the first time. Erin was on duty during some of the darkest days of Joanne's stroke, so there is a special place in out heart for her. 

Joanne is exhausted and in pain.  They took her down to get a CAT scan at 4 a.m. this morning, interrupting her sleep. She has been up since then and is now trying to take a nap, but it is difficult for her because she hurts. Her shoulder and hip on her left (paralyzed) side are continuing to bother her a lot and then incision from the surgery is painful and itchy too. She is on some pain meds but all they seem to do is take the edge off and don't fully relieve her of the pain that she is in. This morning she told me that she can't even remember the last time she was pain free. That just breaks my heart. I would do anything to take her pain and put it on myself. She has a lot to do to recover/rehab and the pain that she is in makes it so much more challenging for her personally. 

It is also really weird to be back in room 556. This is the same ICU room that we had when we were here before. This is the room that we almost lost Joanne in. This is the room where we sat vigil and prayed and prayed that God would move to relieve the pressure on her brain. This is the room that we will never forget. It is nice to be here under such improved circumstances but a lot of memories remain. In some ways this trip feels like redemption and like victory.  God moved and Joanne won! We didn't lose her here and she has come so far. I guess it's really hard to explain the complexity of emotion I think our family is feeling right now.

The girls are now officially on Spring Break. We sat down this morning and mapped out coverage for them for this upcoming week. It's amazing how something as routine as a school holiday needs a spreadsheet to coordinate all of our activity. But that's where we're at. We need to be there for the girls and we also need to be here for Joanne. So Papa got out a piece of paper and we scheduled it all out. I hope the girls are able to have some rest and relaxation over the next week and that we can be present for them. Papa is going to spend a whole day with them and my mom will spend a couple of days with them too as will Gran. Also hoping they will get some time with Joanne--they miss her a lot and I think they are sick and tired of the current reality. They want to be home, they want their mom back, they want to turn back the clock to when everything was "normal." As a dad I wish I could give that to them. I wish I could be more available and present for them. 

Sometimes people ask the question, "If you could have any super-power what would it be?" I now have my definitive answer: I would have the power to be in two places at once.

Prayer Request:

1. That Joanne would not get an infection. If the bone flap gets infected or her body rejects it in some way that would be a bad thing. So please pray for healing and no complications.

2. Please pray that Joanne's pain would cease. Just hurting all the time is taking it out of her, wearing her down and significantly dampening her spirits. 

3. Please pray for a good Spring Break for the girls, that they don't feel "passed around" and that they have some rest and some fun. Goodness knows they deserve it.

Toben

Never Get Used to It

I don't care how long a live or whatever else has to happen with Joanne's medical issues but I will never get used to or be  OK with her being wheeled away to surgery. It is just a horrible feeling.  I want to go with her and be there until she is totally out. Today they gave her a whopper of a sedative before wheeling her away and she was starting to fade, but I just imagine that ride form the pre-op to the operating room must be very lonely and frightening.

Gran and my mom and I spent the couple of hours with Joanne before she went in. We tried to keep the conversation light and we prayed with her. Apparently the ambulance ride was tough and Joanne is so scared that her nerves were totally shot and she felt nauseated. But through it all she has maintained her sense of humor. May be a way of coping with the stress but it is good to see her smile even in the midst of all that's going on.

So now we wait. the surgery is about three hours and then she'll be in post-op for a couple of hours. Then she'll be back in the ICU. I found John (our favorite nurse) and it looks like he will  be the one taking care of Joanne today.  How cool is that! 

I'll update after I get to see her.

Toben

Brain Flap Tomorrow!

This is a short one, skipping everything else to get to a long prayer request:

Tomorrow morning at 9 MST Joanne will have her brain flap replaced. This is a very big deal with very mixed emotions surrounding it. For some of the family we are so excited to get this procedure done and behind us so that Joanne can move forward without this hanging over her. Joanne is very afraid but seems to be resolute that it is the right time to get this over with. She and her mom will be picked up by ambulance tomorrow morning at 6 and I will meet them at the hospital. We have been told that this is a "simple procedure" but it's hard to view it that way considering that it is a big incision and involves her head! Anyhow, please pray with us tomorrow that Joanne would be at peace, that God would guide the surgeons hand, and that her recovery would be swift. On a positive note Joanne will be back at Littleton ICU so the nurses and doctors that took care of her during her coma will be there to see the new and improved Joanne! 

Toben

 

 

Making a Break For It

I got to the hospital earlier than usual today so I got to be here for more of the action. Usually by the time I get here Joanne is done with her therapy for the day--they have been starting her as early as 7:30 a.m. with her last appointment sometime after lunch. But today I got here for her last PT of the day. So I got to see her take steps using a device that I can only describe as "half a walker". It looks like a walker but she only uses her right hand and arm to control it. It's sort of like a cane but not really.  Kristen is going to be here tomorrow so maybe she'll take a picture of it so you can see what I'm talking about. Anyhow, Joanne walked about 30 feet and then turned around after a short rest and came the 30 feet back. Nikki, the PT, rolled along beside her and helped her move her left leg but you could tell that Joanne was initiating the move and Nikki was just helping her finish it off. So very cool to see!

Earlier in the day Joanne decided that she was tired of her room and took off. She was int he wheelchair while they were putting fresh sheets on her bed and she just wheeled herself out the door and down the hall. It took me a minute to realize what was happening but I took off after her, caught up with her and asked her where she was going. She said, "I'm going to the gym." I told her it was time for her PT yet. She said that she didn't care and that she was feeling antsy and that she was going to the gym anyhow. Somehow I managed to talk her out of it and got her to wheel herself back into her room. But I just love the tenacity and the fighting spirit that I see in her. She is no wilting daisy. She's a fighter! And that's what's going to make her time here in rehab a success. By the time she's done here, she is going to walk out under her own power and you can take that to the bank.

This si a big week because Thursday Joanne is supposed to get her brain flap replaced. We are trying to keep her healthy and infection free between now and then because if she has anything going on, they will postpone the surgery and that would be the pits. We need to get it done and over with so that Joanne can move forward.  So we are having as little actual contact with Joanne as possible, washing hands a lot and constantly applying hand sanitizer. I can tell you that my hands have never been so clean and germ free in my life. Even at that, I am keeping them to myself just in case. 

So that's about it. A few other things going on this week: Audrey missed school yesterday afternoon and today with a fever. She seems to be fine now and will return to school tomorrow. Report cards came out and Emma is devastated by the one B she got--all the rest are A grades. Audrey did great too and even pulled an A in math which is her hardest subject. The night of worship was totally awesome. I should have dedicated a whole post to it, but have been feeling tired and not very bloggy over the last couple of days. Plus Wade got us court side seats at the Nuggets. Did I mention that in an earlier post? It was incredible! We literally had seats on the court! What an experience. Wow, this is all so random.

Prayer request:

Please pray that Joanne stays healthy even while some of us around her are not 100% so that she can have her surgery on Thursday.  She will be operated on at 9 a.m. so any prayers you want to send up would be greatly appreciated. She will be back atLittleton Adventist and will be back in ICU. I am hoping that some of our favorite nurses from our weeks there will be on duty so that they can see how far Joanne has come. Please pray that the surgery will be routine and uneventful and that Joanne will be brave--she is very frightened about all of this.

Toben

 

First Steps

From Joanne's dad:

But the LORD directs our steps, Proverbs 16:9

 Few Papas are twice blessed.  My first was when Joanne was about a year old, taking her first wobbly steps toward my outstretched arms.   But today, watching from across the gym while she made her way around both sides of a 6 ft long grab-bar was far more emotional.  Yes, she had lots of support from the OT holding the therapy belt around her waist, sliding sideways on a stool with her legs before and behind Joanne; but Joanne DID IT.  First left; then right, clinging to the rail with her good arm.

 Only last night I was saying to Toben that the day Joanne might walk seems infinitely far away.  But Jehovah Ropha!

Chuck

 

Night of Worship

Here is the link to watch the video of the night of worship that we did on Friday.

http://www.calvarychapelcr.org/pages/nightofworship.html

Toben

Night of Worship

Please join us for the night of worship tomorrow night at Cherry Hills at 7. It's going to be an amazing time of praise.

Prayer request:

That friends and family will all be able to gather together to celebrate what God will do in Heather and Joanne's lives and what he has already done!

Toben

They Know We are Christians by Your Love!

Here is another great post Joanne's dad wrote:

By this shall all men know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another. John 13: 35

 Kristen and Ava (her 5 year old) have undecorated Joanne’s room to prepare for her move to a rehabilitation hospital.  When a patient leaves, the cleaning staff removes every piece of furniture and sterilizes the room from top to bottom – as if the occupant was never there.  It’s a sobering reminder to consider what we will leave behind when we are finished with our worldly abode.  “For we know that if the earthly tent which is our house is torn down, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens “ -2 Cor 5: 1; “ For we brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it either “-1 Tim 6: 7.  You are leaving behind a clear testimony of the love of God’s dear daughters through your overwhelming amount of cards and prayer flags.

I have now read about half to Joanne – when I can keep my emotions under control.  They fall into several categories:  first, the long notes from close personal and virtual friends who talk about how much Joanne has ministered to them.  I won’t embarrass Joanne by quoting from these – but you get the picture.  OK, here’s one:  “Though I have never met you face to face, this weekend my 9-year-old daughter and I spoke of you.  Through your life, your pain, your story, my sweet one received the truth of how much her Lord loves her.”  Then there are the hand-made cards from Joanne’s “crafty friends” – who could have successful businesses!  Next are the ones from countries like England, Germany, the Netherlands (thanks for the wonderful CD’s!), Canada, New Zealand, and Australia.  Tennessee and Virginia each have as many as Colorado.   Many are from ladies who have just met Joanne.  Some break our hearts by their sacrificial gift:  “I was introduced to Joanne’s blog by my sister.  I read it every day now to get updates from Toben so I can pray.  I know $10 isn’t much, but maybe it will help in some way.”  (Truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all the contributors to the treasury – Mark 12: 43)  Others teach us about continual prayer,  “You continue to be on my mind constantly.  I hear myself whispering words like “healing”, “hope”, “restoration”, “strength”, “miracle”, “peace”, “tenacity”, “compassion”, and then realize that another prayer has started.”  (Pray without ceasing - 1 Thess 5:17),

 There are a lot of people who may never read the above Bible verses, nor hear a clear sermon declaring the sacrificial love of God in Christ for sin.  But they have seen a clear reflection of it through your outpouring of compassion and sacrifice for Joanne.  This earthly father thanks you.

Chuck

Friday night

Hi everyone.  Kristen here.  Friday night's worship service is just a couple days away, and I wanted to let you know of a few options for that night.

First and best option:  COME and be there in person!!!

Second option:  Watch it live.  At 7pm (MT) on Friday night, you may click here to watch the service live via webstream.  HOWEVER, this comes with a catch.  There is only so much traffic available on this stream....ie first come first serve....and we really want close friends and family who are not able to be there in person to be able to view via live webstream.  You are welcome to watch live, but if you are able to utilize option 3 or 4, please do so.

Third option:  A recorded version of the service will be available to watch on-demand over the internet beginning Saturday afternoon.  Click here to watch on Saturday afternoon, or at a later date.

Fourth option (for all you podcasters out there):  An on-demand copy of the service that will be accessible as a iTunes podcast which can be found by searching for "Calvary Chapel Castle Rock" in podcasts. 

Thanks everyone, and we really hope to see you Friday night!

Kristen.  (little sis)

Move to Rehab

Today was a big day for two reasons. One is that it is Joanne's birthday. But that was overshadowed by it being the day she moved to rehab--her new home away from home for up to two months! It is a little hard to leave Kindred but it is definitely exciting to be taking this next step. Apparently a lot of the Kindred staff brought Joanne a birthday cake and sang Happy Birthday to her before she checked out. There were so many amazing staff there. It's what really made that place work.

The new facility is amazing! I mean it is really, really nice. Reminds me more of Littleton Adventist where we started this whole journey. The halls are wide, the rooms are big, there is a lot of light and the place is spotless. 

On top of that the staff was amazing today. Within minutes of Joanne being in her room there began a steady stream of staff: a PA, the nurse supervisor, her nurse, the PT on OT.  All of them were so nice and professional. I think all of us were very impressed. I was especially struck by the fact that they all talked to Joanne and not to Gran or me. In other setting it has been up to us to answer for Joanne but the staff there just expected Joanne to answer for herself. That's a little thing but also very significant.

I wasn't going to have the girls come visit until tomorrow, but at the last minute I decided to bring them down. I just really wanted them to get to see their mom and I know Joanne  really wanted to see them. So, made the drive adn got them there for a little visit. THey didn't get a ton of time together but it was something. 

The real question: how is Joanne doing? Well I think she is doing well. She is tired, her shoulder is really bugging her, and she has other pain (head and hip) plus her foot is numb which is really bugging her. But I think I actually detected a slight up-tick in her spirits this afternoon. I think it must feel good to her to have a change of scenery and to be in the last facility that she'll be in before heading home (which is what she really, really wants). 

(Lots of) Prayer Requests:

1.  A good transition into rehab. We are off to a very good start, but now the really hard work begins for Joanne--the work of getting some function back. These next month will have a huge impact on what happens next. I am trying to temper my enthusiasm and the hopes that I have pinned on her time here, but to be honest, I am expecting miracles. So please pray for miracles too!

2. We have the worship service for Joanne and Heather on Friday. Please pray that God would bring the right people and that everyone who is there would be blessed. And if there is only one person there who doesn't know Jesus as their savior, if this time somehow nudged them toward saving faith that would be the greatest answer to prayer.

3. I think all of us on "Team Joanne" have experienced a peace that passes understanding through many of these days. But what we really need right now is an eneergy that surpasses understanding. I thnik we honestly look at each other and try to figure out who is the least exhausted and how we are going to make it. We need to stay healthy and avaiable, but we could use a burst of energy right about now.

4. Brain flap goes back in on the 24th. Joanne needs to be healthy and infection free to have the surgury done, so please pray that there will be no secondary complications.

5. The girls are really feeling the absence of their mom acutely and the absence of me to a lesser extent as I am with Joanne as much as possible. Gran and Papa are carrying the brunt of the parenting these days. So please pray for those relationships and for my precious daughters. I can't imagine how tough it must be for them--especially Audrey who is a 12 year old girls! That's hard enough without all the rest of this circumstance going on around her. Pray for their precious hearts.

Toben

Happy Birthday, Joanne!

Dear Joanne,

We hope you have a CHARMING birthday! We love you. Each time we hear our bracelets jingle today, we will say a prayer for you.

With love,

 

Thanks everyone for sending me your pictures! If you are coming to the Night of Worship on Friday, please wear your bracelets again. They will add to the musical praise we will lift up in Joanne's honor. --Janna

If you have a special birthday post for Joanne today on your blog, please link using Mr. Linky.

A birthday surprise for Joanne

Posted by Janna:

Tuesday is Joanne's birthday.

JOANNE: If you are reading this, STOP! Don't ruin your birthday surprise!

---------------------------

If you have ever met Joanne in person, she was probably wearing her charm bracelet. It's one of her "favorite things." It's pictured on her blog header and she has posted about it here, here, here and here .

It's full, beautiful and heavy. I mean seriously, take a look at that thing. It must weigh 10 lbs. Ok, maybe not. But still, that girl has got a lot of charms--each filled with a memory or special meaning. Oh, and it makes a magical, jingle-y music when she moves her arm/wrist. But I digress...

For Joanne's birthday (on Tuesday), I'd like to create a special blog-world-birthday-card post with pictures of you wearing your charm bracelets.

Here's how you can participate:

1. Email me a close-up photo of your charm bracelet (along with your name) by 8 p.m. on Monday, March 14. I will include it in a photo collage that I will post here on the Simple Wife. If you don't have a charm bracelet, you can take a picture of a special charm that you wear on a necklace. Email: [email protected]

2. Wear your charm bracelet ON Tuesday as a reminder to pray for Joanne. See Toben's recent posts for specific requests. Each time you hear the jingle of your bracelet, say a prayer for Joanne.

3. If you have a blog, do a charm-bracelet-birthday post on your blog on Tuesday. Write Joanne a special birthday message. Ask your readers to keep praying. And then leave a link to your post on The Simple Wife.(I will put up a Mr. Linky widget at the end of her birthday post.)

Hope you'll partake in the birthday fun. Help wish Joanne a "charming" birthday!

March Madness

This is the beginning of college basketball's March Madness. All the conference championships are happening today. Joanne is showing great kindness in letting me watch a little of the game. She's watching Facts of Life on DVD--one of her favorite shows. Gran and Papa were with Joanne this morning and said she had a really good morning--she got a bath and got her hair washed so she smells and looks marvelous! 

Gran and Papa started the process of un-decorating Joanne's room today. They took out bags and boxes of stuff...but the room is still decorated to the hilt. Kristen is coming tonight and will do a little more decoration removal. We only have three days to get everything else out of here before the move to rehab.

This is sort of March Madness for Joanne too. She will have her MRI, her birthday, a move to rehab, a brain flap replacement and more therapy then you can shake a stick at. I can't wait to see the progress she makes this month! If it is anything like the last month she will come a very long way. A month ago she couldn't sit up or talk or eat or any of the stuff that she is doing today. Because we see her every day sometimes it is hard to really see the improvements. But when I look back a month ago I am amazed at where she is at. So lets go March Madness!

Prayer Request:

Please continue to pray for Joanne's transition to rehab. This is a big move for her. She is encouraged by the fact that this is her last move before getting to head home--something she really wants to do. Pray that she will like the new facility and that she will be happy and comfortable there. Of course you can pray for the rest "Team Joanne" too. We are with her at the hospital so much that the things like relationships with the staff,  the cafeteria, internet access and the availability of free Diet Coke and coffee are a big deal! I know it may seem minor but every little detail counts when you are planning on spending hours every day for the next two months in a place.

Toben

Two Months!

Today is the two month anniversary of Joanne's stroke. It's one of those weird time things where in some ways it doesn't seem that long but in others it seems like a really, really, long time. Someone should come up for a term for this long/short time perception thing. Anyhow and needless to say, a lot has happened in the last 60 days. If you have followed this blog you know all about that.

I literally have tightness in my chest when I think back to what was happening two months ago today. At this exact time, Joanne was in ICU and we were just waiting to hear about how the radiologist had done in busting up her clot. She was out of it. Tomorrow marks the beginning of the truly dark days. Tomorrow is when her brain flap came out and the pressure in her head began to build to almost fatal levels. I feel sick just thinking about it. Yuck! So glad those days are behind us. We have some tough days ahead, but nothing like what we experienced in that first week.

Couple of things: Joanne is going ot have an MRI on Monday at 5. Not sure why they chose the dinner hour to do this procedure but they have. Here is the fun part: Joanne gets to take another ambulance ride for, get this, one block! the hospital she is going to is literally across the street from the hospital we are in now. I think all of us are asking, "Can't we just wheel her over there?" But of course the answer is a resounding "no!"

Then on Tuesday Joanne will move to rehab! I have some mixed feelings about this because I was really hoping the bone flap would be in before the move, but I also think she is ready for a change of scenery and to step up her therapies. I think the rehab facitity is actually a little shorter drive then the one we make now, so that's a very good thing. I am sure Kristin will take a lot of pictures of Joanne's new spot and will post them on her blog.

I can't imagine what it is going to take to un-decorate her room. It will be hours!

The biggest impact of the last two months have been the support of friends and family. This blog has had over 1.5 million hits. There have been hundreds upon hundreds of cards. There have been text messages, emails and phone calls. Others have given so generously to assist with medical expenses. And still others have provided countless meals. I can't tell you how blessed we all feel.

It's all so amazing and overwhelming and a blessing beyond measure. I literally believe whole-heartedly that it's the prayers of all God's people that have gotten Joanne to where she is today. Please keep it up!  It is likely that Joanne will spend about two more months in rehab so we still have a long way to go. After that there will likely be months more of out-patient therapy. Like I said the other day, it's going to be a marathon. Prayer will sustain her and the rest of us on "Team Joanne."

Prayer Requests:

1. Joanne's spirits are pretty low. Pray for the anti-depressants to really kick in and for Joanne to have a "peace that passes understanding."

2. Pray for a smooth transition to rehab. They are going to really work her so she needs a boost of strength and energy as she moves over there.

3. MRI on Monday and move to rehab on Tuesday measn ambulance rides. Joanne hates ambulance rides. Please pray for all the logistical details of these moves.

Toben

March 24

That's the date for Joanne's surgery.  I think we were all hoping it would be sooner than that and would happen before she went to rehab, but the surgeon wants to wait a couple more weeks, and so we'll wait. The hard part about today is that it was very taxing on Joanne. She had to take the ambulance both ways for an appointment that lasted about 15 minutes! This is actually about what I expected, but it was still lame that she had to go through so much for such a quick consult with the doc. 

Once again, it is my favorite time at the hospital. Dinner is over, Joanne is back in her gown, the lights are low and Joanne is watching the Facts of Life season one disc two. Everything is quiet and peaceful. In fact I think Joanne may have just nodded off. She wakes up every day about 4 a.m. (I know this because we tend to text back and forth when she wakes up) and is usually pretty shot by 7 p.m.. So she sort of drifts in and out of sleep until about 9 when the nurses come in and give her her night medications, make sure she is comfortable, etc.. Then she sleep until about 4. 

Of course she has reason to be even more tired today after all of the activity that she had. I know it might sound weird that an ambulance ride across town could be exhausting but she has spent the last two months in the hospital where big activity is taking the wheelchair outside for 15 minutes. So this was a big day for her activity wise. My hope is that she has a great rest tonight.

Tomorrow I get to spend much of the day with her. Ryan is at an event in Lancaster, PA so no live show tomorrow or Friday. I am looking forward to being here at the hospital in the morning. That's when all the exciting stuff happens--PT, OT, and ST. Gran has been on the morning shift almost every day for the last couple of weeks so she will get a little bit of a well deserved break tomorrow morning. 

I guess  that's about it. Thanks for all the prayers for Joanne's appointment today. I guess it went as well as could be expected, even if it wasn't maybe exactly what I hoped for. Oh, one good note is that the surgeon confirmed that once that bone flap is back in Joanne will experience somewhat rapid improvement as a result. Not quite sure why that is but I'll take him at his word. 

The next big question will be: when will Joanne go to rehab? Should have an answer for that by Friday? Who knows how all the medical machinations work. I'll keep you posted. I just hope they give us enough warning so that we can un-decorate Joanne's room. I think we are going to need to use the truck and trailer to get everything out of here that has collected over the last month! She still has the best decorated room in the joint.

Oh, and one last thing. Please come to the night of worship at Cherry Hills on the 18th. It would mean a lot to all of us if you were there! The music and the message are going to be incredible. Our hope is that God will be glorified in all we say and do and that we will all draw closer to him as we gather to worship the great physician who is and will continue to minister to his daughter Joanne.

Prayer requests:

1. Praise that Joanne survived her trip to the surgeon!

2. Peace for Joanne as she anticipates the surgery on the 25th. She is full of fear about this procedure and needs a peace that passes understanding.

3. Joanne is still in a lot of pain in her head, shoulder and hip. Please pray for some relief for her. More then that, please pray for a good pain management strategy. Things are a little hit and miss right now--tough to stay ahead of the pain without keeping Joanne too doped up.

Toben

 

 

Big Day Tomorrow

Joanne goes to the neurosurgeon tomorrow. A lot hinges on this appointment because he will determine when the brain flap will go back in. Our hope is that he will want to put it in soon so that we can get it over with. Joanne is very fearful about this surgery so the faster we can get it behind us the better. On top of that, we have been told that we can expect to see a boost in her ability/recovery when that gets put back. Also, it would be great to have that done before she goes to rehab. 

Had a great lunch today with a guy who's son has had a lot of medical issues. He really helped me out on a few things:

1. We are in a marathon, not a sprint. I thought I knew that, but he helped me realize that I was sort of thinking middle distance. We're not talking weeks or even months but maybe a year or more of rehab/therapy for Joanne to recover all the function that will eventually come back. That being the case, we have to be ready to go the distance physically, mentally, and spiritually and we have be ready to help Joanne in these areas too. I have been looking two months out because that's about how long Joanne will be in rehab and telling myself, "You just have to make it two more months." But there is nothing magic about two months. I have to be prepared to go the distance, however far that distance might be.

2. This is going to be the hardest work that Joanne ever does so we need to use any means necessary to get her through it! That means cheer leading, incentivizing, tough love, and who knows what else. there is no one approach that we can take and we need to mix it up to keep it fresh for her. And "Team Joanne" has to mix up who does what too. Gran can't always be the cheerleader and Papa can't always be the tough love guy and I can't always be the incentivizer. It means that we all will have to play all those roles over the next months, mixing it up and keeping it interesting.

3.) On a more personal note: It's ok to feel how I feel. I think I have put certian expectations on myself as to how I should be feeling but the truth is that I am pretty numb, even after two months. My friend says I am still in the "shock and awe" phase. There are a lot of scary thoughts that flash through my head, but the reality is that I am in survival mode and as such I am probably going to not feel a lot of the things that I feel like I should be feeling. He says those feelings of sadness and fear and anger whatever else when the time is right.

What a great and helpful lunch. Just what I needed today.

Prayer request:

Great appointment with the neurosurgeon. Simple as that!

Toben

The Problem of Pain

Here is what I don't think I will ever get used to: seeing Joanne in pain. It is not a thing I have had to see too often. When she had the girls, she was in a lot of pain, but there was something really good that came at the end of that pain, and it had a definite end point. Like, this is going to hurt a lot for a few hours and at the end of it you are going to have this whole new little new life, your daughters!

From time to time Joanne has had back problems and sort of moves gingerly around the house. But enough Advil and some rest seems to get her back on her feet. Hard to watch but again, in the scheme of things it's pretty minor. At least it is in relation to what she is dealing with now.

And every once in a while she would cut her finger in the kitchen or knock her head on something. So I have seen her in some pain, but it has always been clearly temporary and relatively minor.

But the pain she is in now seems somehow different. She has been in some form of constant pain for the last couple of weeks, and the pain seems to be getting worse. Today in a text message I asked her what hurts. Her answer was "head, arm, shoulder, hip, bladder." I tested back , "That sounds like just about everything!" Her response, "Yep." I hate that there is nothing I can do other than fuss at the doctor and nurses to get her meds figured out so that she can be comfortable. And they could easily get her out of pain. Problem is that then she would be stoned, and it's hard to do therapy when you're whacked out. So there is this fine line to walk.

And Gran had to deal with all this through most of the day! I'm not sure how she didn't just go berserk! She had to watch her daughter in pain and couldn't do anything about it. Plus delays in meds are enough to drive anyone batty! The tough part is that Joanne is just simply going to be in pain through this process.  That's a big part of rehab. So those of us on "Team Joanne" have to help her cope with the pain that comes naturally in this process, we even have to push her to work through it. Rehab is going to be brutal and she needs to be able to rise to the occasion and that's going to take some pushing from us. But we have to help her medically as best we can too.

That's the problem with pain. Too much is bad; some is to be expected. Where to draw the line? If you have the answer for this one, let me know.

So, here's what happened: she got a lydocaine patch on her shoulder, she got her pain meds doubled, her anti-depressant was increased, and she got a new sleeping med. Whew! Man I hope this works! We don't want to see her in pain, but we don't want to see her therapy compromised. Not to repeat myself but when she goes to rehab they are really going to step things up. She is going to be pushed beyond what she thinks she can handle. And we need her to fight for it, to give it all she's got.

Prayer Requests:

1. Pain management for Joanne. Not to much, not too little, but just right.

1.5 Joanne is depressed and discouraged. If you pray for one thing, pray for this: that Joanne's sprits would be lifted and her discouragement would fade into the background. She has come so far but it seems like she is hitting a bit of a wall. Honestly she has been at this for two months now so it's no wonder that she is ready to be done with all this. Pray that she can focus on her progress and not on her limitations.

2. Strength for "Team Joanne." As much as we want her out of pain the days are coming where we are going to have to show a little tough love. If she wants the best possible results in rehab she's gonna hurt. We need courage and wisdom to know how to help her through this time.

3. Positive meeting with the neurosurgeon on Wednesday and all the details to go smoothly. She is going to go via ambluance and transporting her from one place to another is no small task. We really want the surgeon to want to put the brain flap back in pronto!

Toben

Best Thing About Sunday

Sunday is bath day at the hospital. Because Joanne is so far along they can actually roll her down to the shower and she can take an honest to goodness shower with great water pressure and all. You may not know this but Joanne loves a good shower. So this was a real treat this morning. Then we got Joanne dressed in a cool outfit and and Audrey sprung into action to do Joanne's hair. It was a team effort and now Joanne looks and smells great and is comfortably in bed watching Cake Boss on TLC. And Audrey is snuggled up in bed with her. Love that!

This is visiting day: Joanne had two visitors (Wendy and Jen) before 9 and the Franklins are headed this way with burgers--now that Joanne is on a regular diet she can eat whatever she wants, and one of the first thing she asked for was a good burger and some fries. And Jaime and Kristin are on it! They are bringing the boys too and we are all going to hang out in the cafeteria. It's been a long time since we have all been together. Really looking forward to this!

The girls and I had a bit of a lazy morning--didn't leave the house till almost 9:30.  Made possible by the fact that other friends were visiting so we knew Joanne wasn't alone. But we texted with her a lot and I even called her. It is so amazing to be able to keep in such close touch with her even when we're not here. That is a game-changer!

Anyhow, we are here at the hospital until this afternoon when Gran and Papa show up. Then the girls and I will head home for the evening to get them some down time before heading back into their week (and for me too!). If I've said it once I've said it a million times: I can't imagine what we would do without Gran and Papa.

Sleep update: The last two nights Joanne has slept well. Thanks for all the prayers!

Prayer Request:

Joanne goes to see her neurosurgeon on Wednesday. We'll find out when the brain flap will go back in. Please pray that they want to put it back in soon, maybe even before she goes to rehab. We have been told that we will see a real jump in her progress after the flap goes back in. She has a lot of fear about the surgery so please pray for peace for her as we approach this procedure. Also, Joanne will be transported via ambulance to her appointment and that's a lot of activity for someone who isn't used to that! Pray that it is a smooth and pain-free experience.

Toben

 

Too Tired to Blog...Almost.

Today: 

Text message from Joanne at 4 a.m. that she really needs me at the hospital. She was too hot and uncomfortable. And she lost the call button. I called the nurse's station and they gave her the button back and turned on the AC but Joanne was still pleading for me to come down. So I did. On the road by 4:30, hospital by 5.

Hung out with Joanne until 6:30 then drove home to shower and get the kids to school. Home by 7, out the door by 7:30. Dropped the girls at school and drove to our house to feed the cats then headed for Colorado Springs to make radio. Arrived at Family Talk at 9. 

Made radio, back out the door at 11:30, hospital by 1. Joanne's iPhone 3G battery has been lasting about an hour on a full charge so I got a Genius Bar appointment at Cherry Creek, grabbed Joanne's phone and slid in at the last minute. 

Battery confirmed dead. $99 to replace the phone...if they had one, which they didn't. Got upsold to the 4G, flew through the buying and set-up process. In the car by 2:15 to go get the girls. Got to the car line by 2:50. Girls in the car by 3:10 and back to the hospital at 3:45. The girls had a nice (short) visit with Joanne and then they headed out at about 4:30. Joanne's dinner at 5. My dinner down in the cafeteria 5:30.  

5:45 start blogging. 

5:50 feel sorry for myself

5:51 tell myself to man up and deal with it! 

6:05 stop blogging.

 Selfish prayer request:

It would be a miracle if I got to sleep through the night. I don't have the heart to take Joanne's phone away and I can't bring myself to turn my phone off. If Joanne really needs me I will be there for her, regardless of time of day. So let's just pray that Joanne doesn't really need me tonight!

Toben

P.S. I put almost two hundred miles on the car today and went through half a tank of gas!

Late to the Game

I am on the night shift tonight. After being at the hospital just about all day yesterday we decided to try a new rotation to see what would happen. So Gran came this morning to be with Joanne and I drove the girls to school before driving down to work. Then I drove back from work and picked up the girls and Papa came to relieve Gran and hang out with Joanne through dinner. I ate an early dinner at home and then left to spend the evening with Joanne until she is all tucked in and ready for sleep. Whew! It felt really weird not rushing to the hospital to be with her today. It felt weird to be the one picking up the girls. It almost felt a little decadent to be so late to the game.

I am here and actually feeling good instead of the exhaustion that usually hits like a ton of bricks around this time. Of course on work days I have usually been at the hospital for about 6 hours by this time of night with another couple of hours ahead of me. Tonight I feel totally energized and ready to jump in on anything Joanne needs. 

So far those needs have included straightening up her room. The beautiful vase of roses she got yesterday was sitting in the middle of the floor (I am sure there is a good reason for that). In Joanne's bed I found a full sized bath towel, and extra top sheet and an empty pillowcase. She also needed me to rub Icy Hot on her shoulder and forearm. That stuff stinks! I have washed my hands three times but the still feel (and smell) Icy Hot! Also, we needed to get her teeth flossed, brushed and then hit her with a little mouthwash. After that we hit Audrey up on Skype. Audrey is missing Joanne so much and she needed to see her mom tonight. Tomorrow night she'll be here at the hospital with me but it is almost impossible to make it work to get the girls to the hospital on week nights. Totally throws there schedule out the window. The final step: heating up the corn bag in the microwave. Holly made this flannel bag of deer corn that holds heat like nobodies business. Joanne has been living with it on her shoulder ever since she got it. Ok, I think that's it.

Now it's time to sit and hold hands, to meet the night nurses and make sure they know how precious the girl is that they will be watching over tonight. It's also time to make sure they are up to speed on her night time meds. Still looking for a solution to Joanne's sleeplessness and subsequent 2 a.m. text message conversations we've been having. 

Joanne will be in LTAC at least through next week. She sees the neurosurgeon next Wednesday and depending on what he wants to do regarding her bone flap she'll either get that done before transferring to rehab or at some later date. We are pushing to have it done ASAP. I think it would give Joanne a real boost to have that procedure behind her. It's really been on her mind a lot.  Get it? Brain flap...on her mind? Oh never mind. 

Prayer requests:

1. SLEEP FOR JOANNE

2. SLEEP FOR JOANNE

3. SLEEP FOR JOANNE

Toben

 

 

 

What to Write About...

I don't really know what to talk about today so I'll just fire away:

Sitting here in Joanne's room with Joanne and her dad. He read her a few of the cards that have come in and is now working on loosening up her shoulder. She has so much pain in her left shoulder. It has tightened up to the point that she has almost no flexibility in that shoulder.  So the heating pack is on it and he is gently rotating her shoulder in and out. To be honest the majority of the work we do with Joanne's body is taking care of her left (paralyzed) side. She reports that much of the time her left side feels "tingly" and  "jangly." So we use heat, stretching and massage to try and keep things loose. 

Kristen came down for much of the day today. She was here from about 8 to 3 and it was so nice having her around. Joanne  loves it when Kristen is here because they laugh a lot. Today's laughter had something to do with Joanne's inability to eat cake without making a total mess. When I got back from running errands Joanne, her gown and her sheets were covered with crumbs. Had to get a nurse in to change it all out and get things cleaned up. Apparently she had spaghetti for lunch and that was quite an adventure too. But at least we can laugh about it. There have been plenty of tears shed so whenever the laughter comes it feels healing, and makes everything feel a little less worrisome. 

Oh, and Joanne kicked Kristen's butt at Wii bowling. She did it in the last frame with a strike! Boy did we hassle Kristen about loosing to a stroke victim! More laughter.

Other then that, the day has been pretty normal. Not much to report. Joanne is still talking although slowly and quietly, kind of like you would talk if you were really, really sleepy. We had a visit form our Kaiser rep today and she was really nice. Gave Joanne a bit of an evaluation as we try to work out when she will move for LTAC to rehab.  Joanne goes to the neurosurgeon in a week to see about getting her skull replaced. So Joanne will be in LTAC at least through that appointment. 

Joanne still tires incredibly easily. Just being on the slant board for 15 minutes at 50 degrees causes her to need to lay flat and rest for a while before going on to any other activity. Sitting up int he wheelchair is also exhausting. She can do it for about an hour but then complains of headaches and dizziness and wants to go back to bed. We have to really push her to make it to two hours (which is how long she is supposed to stay in the chair). Today Kristen and I took her outside for a little walk. We threatened to take her to Starbucks a few blocks away but the staff didn't think it was that funny--apparently a patient did that once and they thought they had lost him! So now when you leave the hospital they give you a walkie-talkie so they can track you down!

Prayer requests:

1. Pain is still a big issue. We are trying a few new things, like moving from Tylenol to Advil but it would be such a blessing if Joanne could be pain free for much of the time, versus the persistent level of pain that she is in.

2. Still would love for her to get a good solid night of sleep. She only stays asleep for a few hours at a time with long periods of being awake. The pain contributes a lot to this and it is when she feels most lonely, so the emotional pain late at night is a reality too. The doctor prescribed a new sleep aid for her tonight so we'll see what happens.

Toben

 

 

 

Read more from Joanne

posted by Janna:

Each day Joanne's voice grows stronger. And I'm sure that you've been excited, as I have, that her "voice" is reemerging periodically here on the blog and on Twitter. So I won't be posting from The Simple Wife Archives any longer. But, I do encourage those of you who are interested to continue reading from the list of categories and monthly archives (found on the left-hand sidebar).

Kristen (her sister) continues to share about Joanne's journey on her blog. Using her amazing photography talent, Kristen has captured some powerful photos of Joanne's journey. So be sure to keep checking out the posts found there.

I also encourage you to purchase one of Joanne's books. If you enjoy her blog, you will LOVE these books. Buying her books is another way we can Help the Heims.

Living Simply, by Joanne Heim

Misplacing God, by Joanne Heim

1,000 Gifts

Read about Joanne's 1,000 gifts here.

No Rest for the Weary

Got a call from Joanne at 3 a.m. asking me to come to the hospital. She was lonely and in pain in her hip, shoulder and head. So I got up and headed to the hospital and got here a little before 4. So we hung out, just holding hands until the sun came up. I tell you what, I am not really a morning person and getting up so early is painful! But if Joanne needs me, I'll come running. She's is eating breakfast and then her day of therapy will start. Joanne's mom should be here around 9 so I'll head home and get a shower and then come back to the hospital. 

Wish we could keep her pain under control. She is on two different pain meds and they don't seem to be taking care of things. We are keeping a corn filled bag bag (that Holly made) heated in the microwave and one her shoulder and that seems to be helping her a little bit. 

On to other things: thanks to everyone who has clicked the "give" button on Joanne's blog. The support has been overwhelming and will be of significant help in cover some of Joanne's medical bills. At this point it looks like her total bill will clear a million dollars! Can you believe that? Thank God for insurance, but there will still be a portion of that that we will have to pick up. I am literally blown away by what you all have done! Saying "thank you" doesn't really express my gratefulness. But thank you!

I am struggling with how I am parenting. Yesterday I saw the girls for a total of about 15 minutes. I got them dropped off at school and then got home about 8 p.m. Audrey was awake but Emma was already crashed out on the couch. I got her into bed and sat with her for a minute but she was out of it. I got to talk to Audrey very briefly while I ate dinner but it just doesn't feel like I am parenting. That bugs me. Problem is I don't know how to fix it. I need to be with Joanne as much as possible but I miss my little ladies. 

Progress update: Despite her pain, Joanne is continuing to make forward strides. She is talking up a storm and doing well with her PT, OT and speech therapies. Can't imagine that it'll be very long before she heads to rehab. She is also on a solid food diet so that opens up a world of possibilities as far as what she can est. This afternoon Kristen F. is bringing Joanne Chic-fil-a for lunch! And Jaime has promised her a burger and fries one of these afternoons! The hospital food isn't bad, but it is  a little...bland.

Joanne's spirits are pretty low these days. She is tired of the hospital and wants to go home. Unfortunately she has a lot more hospital time ahead of her. Not positive how much, but it could be a couple of months of rehab. Poor girl. She has so much work ahead of her. The best thing we can do is keep bringing that encouragement and pump her up, focusing her on the positives. She really has come so far! Need to keep her attention on that and not the discouragement of what she can't do.

Prayer requests:

1. Pray that we can get Joanne's pain meds figured out so that she isn't hurting so much. 

2. I think we could all use a good night sleep, especially Joanne! 

3. Pray that God would lift Joanne's spirits and that he would direct friends and family as to how to best help her.

Toben