Linda, exhausted at the end of the day.

Thank you to mom's boss, Mike, and his family for the beatiful flower arrangement!

Linda's getting a little stronger every day, saying she feels less like a Texaco oil truck is sitting on her chest and more like a Volkswagen bug. Her bruises are starting to dissipate on her arm, leg and neck, but she still has some bruising to heal on her chest. She is working diligently on her breathing with the spirometer, and is getting the little indicator higher than ever. We go on little walks to get her the exercise she needs for rebuilding her lungs as well as her stamina. She is certainly not bed-ridden, as we have gone on a couple of excursions and even been out to eat a few times. These activities, however, can be exhausting and are therefore usually followed by a brief nap at home. The good news: she is certainly catching up on movies missed at the theater, thanks to the marvelous invention of the instantly gratifying "on demand" channel!
P.S. Thank you to Nancy and Mike for the delicious banana bunt cake, as well as for the fun visit (and Ruby, too!).

Yum.

Thank you, Donna, for the wonderful "edible arrangement!" And of course it tastes as good as it looks! Such a fun surprise to have found this on her doorstep!

Thank you Lora and Jesse Bitting for the adorable flower arrangement that arrived today!!!

Watching the news with my mom after a good night's rest (thanks to the hospital bed).

She is improving her deep breathing abilities, as well, by consistent use of the spirometer, but the battle certainly isn't over yet.

Getting some sun... and some sleep...

Busy Day...

Linda had two doctor appointments today (involving a good deal of scurrying around the hospital) which went quite well on several levels. While I did push her in the wheelchair, she walked as much as she could and was not too terribly exhausted by the x-rays, blood tests, and ultimate examination. Her x-rays revealed that she still has some fluid remaining in her right lung from when she was sick before her surgery. Because this lung is partially collapsed, she simply must continue (and frankly, work harder) on her deep breathing exercises using her spirometer. Her surgeon briefly graced us with his presence during her exam, and was very happy with how her incisions were healing (He is wonderful, truly!). The doctor even informed us that Linda was the topic of that morning's conference in which she was the case study for 35 cardiologists. Ha.
Thank you to Linda's brother, Oklahoma Senator Johnnie Crutchfield, for the tremendous flowers! They are absolutely beautiful and were such a surprise!
A huge thank you to Melanie, whose food can do no wrong, for our marvelous dinner; the ravioli pasta dish was "the best [Linda] had in all her life" (direct quote), and who I can totally vouch for. Thank you, thank you, thank you. We look forward to eating it again tomorrow night, if it can even last that long!
And of course, thank you to the two lips for making my mom's day brighter (and mine for that matter)! We love you and thank you for all of your help and support, as you have always given it so selflessly and wholly.

A good day...

Exactly one week after surgery, Linda is right on track in terms of the progress projected by her doctors.  We got a couple of the 5-10 minute periods of walking in, as this is what was directed by her physical therapists.  Next week the periods grow by about 5 more minutes.  She is quite mobile in terms of getting around the house, but is easily exhausted.  

She cannot lift more than about 5 pounds, and to be safe I prefer her to lift nothing above about two pounds (I'm a worry wart).  She is such an independent person that relying on others to lift things for her can be hard to remember to do (and to ask of someone), but we constantly remind her that we are there to do these things for her.  Better safe than sorry.  We say this especially now because her next door neighbor in the hospital had opened up her chest incision (even when it was healed) because she refused to take it a bit easier.  

Getting a good night's rest has also been quite the hardship, but hopefully this will be remedied by the hospital bed that was delivered to her home tonight.  

Because she had a bit of fluid already in her lungs when the surgery was performed, she needs to work even harder at her deep breathing exercises to bring both lungs back to full capacity.   

War Wounds

DISCLAIMER: Here are a few photos taken today that perhaps should not be seen by the squeamish...

Her neck is bruised because this is the area of the internal bleeding. Believe it or not, it is healing quite nicely.

This incision is located under her arm and along the side of her right breast. Also healing beautifully.

And for the finale, her main incision... The doctors call this a "mini." Not so mini to us, but still looks better than it did. Beneath the incision, her sternum is held together by titanium wire. Yikes.

Mellow Birthday Bash for Leighbo and Celebration of Mom's Return Home (double the fun, right?!)

Grandma enjoying some chocolates and looking lovely, as always...

Mum trying to enjoy a glass of caffiene free pepsi (no caffiene allowed)...

Drew and Becky lounging...

She has her appetite back!