28-- CD...S&S Fisher...Family

Altoona Regional Hospital.
June 28, 2010.
Room #1069.

I finally was able to get my very lovely room around 5:30 a.m.! I was thankful again for Alisha spending the wee mornin' hours with me especially when everyone else was not around. I couldn't ask for such a wonderful friend who was willing to give up her night to be an encouragement to me!

Thanks Alisha.
Thanks SO much!

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

Monday, June 28, 2010.
Stephen & Steph Fisher

The wee hours o' the night had come and gone. Also, I didn't have the hospital lab top. It's so funny how this lap top has picture files on it. The only pictures that are on this computer are hospital pictures. Quite funny, eh? Anyway, I was able to get a hole o' Stephen and Stephanie Fisher to see if they would be willing to bring some things that I needed from the house that I hadn't had time to get in the short time I had to pack all my things. The things that they needed to bring that I needed were:
(1) My Hospital Lap Top.
(2) My Humira Injection.
(3) My Camera Card Reader.

They did such a wonderful job in finding all the things on the list and bringing them up to me. Wow! What great friends! (:

Steph helping me with my injection.

Stephen wishing he did the injection.

Can you find 7 differences between the pictures?

All o' us...We look SO good!

Stephen, Me, & Steph...what are our poses?
*Gas Pain Face*.*Twisted Uterus*.*Kim Kardasheon*

Monday, June 28, 2010.
Dad...Jesse...Justin...FAMILY!

Justin and Jesse stopped by to visit with me as well and to try to cheer me up. Well, let me just tell you that they did a heck o' a job in completing their assignment! They are such wonderful brothers! (:

The Three o' Us! (:

Me & My Li'l Brudder...MUAH!

Justin & I...Silly Faces!

"Wait, I forgot, my glasses!"

Me & My Daddy!

No, your eyes are not playing tricks with you. My father really did make it to the hospital to visit with me. We all know how much dad doesn't like to travel; however, he was such a great sport about coming down to visit me. We also got together and watched America's Got Talent. We were all dying laughing and it was a great time. I just love my daddy!! (:

Impression---
(1) Found Retroverted Uterus.
(2) Also showed a Tilted Cervix.
*In English*
Normally the uterus is in a straight vertical position. My uterus is tipped backwards toward the back of my pelvis. The tilted position makes it more prone to rub up against my intestines, making fistulas easier to form.

NORMAL ME (Not So Normal)

Treatment Plan---
~Surgery to reposition the uterus. A uterine suspension can typically reduce the pain experienced. This surgical procedure is used to reposition a tipped uterus from its backward facing position to a forward facing position.
~The UPLIFT procedure is a newer and improved method of performing a uterine suspension. It has been proven to have fewer postoperative complications than other uterine suspension procedures. Uterine repositioning provides lasting pain relief in most cases.
~The "Knee-chest" exercise may help reposition a tipped uterus temporarily. However, this exercise will not be effective if the uterus has become tipped because of endometriosis, fibroid tumors, or pelvic infections.

~ I also met with the surgeon here at the hospital; however since I'm not the typical "normal" Crohn's Case, he said if there would be any options o' surgery, he'd prefer I get transferred to UPMC.

~I will also be continuing to take the anti-inflammatory medications (Solu-Medrol) three times a day.

THE END!!!

27-- Crohn's...ER

Altoona Regional Hospital.
Crohn's Stay.

(*) Emergency Room---
Ace is away in Canadia, so I'm hear all by myself. So good friends o' ours (Billy & Amy Gladfelter) invited us over to their house for supper. We made stuffed shells, garlic bread, salad with the works, and then Muddy Buddies (or some know it as Puppy Chow) for dessert. We ate supper and then it we were going to play Battle o' the Sexes. Who wants to guess who won...the boys? or the girls? Well, about halfway through the game, I started to get sick. Eventually, I needed to get to the ER, the pain was just killing me! So Alisha Hawn decided she would take me up. So we arrived at the ER. Let me just tell you that the people in the ER are weird. A group o' them were naming the fish in the fish tank...a girl was there cause she had an ingrown toenail. She came in after me and got called back before me. Alisha and I felt over dressed in our t-shirts compared to what other people were wearing! (:

After two hours o' waiting, we finally got called back. They did some lab work, then they began to try to get an IV in. Between three nurses (each o' them got two tries), they finally had to get the doctor who was able to place the IV in my neck.

Like my BLING?

Can you guess where they tried?

What about up here?
I didn't get any feet pictures...sorry.

My sister...it was freezing back there.

Nurse Amy...
She couldn't get IV access.

Nurse Donna...
She was SO super sweet.
Wouldn't you know I coached her daughter in gymnastics?

Nurse Kelly
No luck for Kelly either.

So they graciously called in my doctor so that she could try to get it. Alas, seventh time is the charm!! (: I really do like the number seven; however, in this case, three is a better choice.

I am SO thankful for having such a wonderful friend who was willing to sit up in the hospital with me all night till 5 a.m. This girl has really been so wonderful to sit and talk to with. I'm so lucky to have her as a sister! (:

Alisha & I.

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

Here is the CT Report---

Impression---
(1) Mild short segment wall thickening o' the terminal ileum in the RLQ.
(2) Thickening o' another short segment o' distal ileum.
*In English* Indicating acute exacerbation o' Crohn's disease.
(3) Possibility o' a stricture.
(4) Prominent RLQ mesenteric lymph nodes with proliferation

Treatment Plan---
~ Prednisone (Steroids) an intense/powerful anti-inflammatory medicine that will help decrease the inflammation caused by the Crohn's exacerbation (flair), as well as help with the possible stricture.
~ They have admitted me so that they could have a closer watch on me. Apparently, I'm not their average "Crohn's Case"! Also, the prednisone that I was on at home wasn't enough, so they have increased it and also decided to use a more powerful level o' the steroids (Solu-Medrol). Hoping they can get ahead o' this whole thing.

THE END!!!

Monday (Day 18)

UPMC Montefiore.
My New Room---N1262
My Phone Number--412.802.3226

See My Room? My last name is Finnegan now...

On my way to the OR...

Because we didn't know what room we were going to be in we had to carry our luggage all over the hospital. We did have a lot o' bags; however, we put the majority o' the bags underneath my gurney so Ace didn't have to hold all o' them.

Down in the "pre-op" area with the two anesthesiologist. They did an excellent job...mainly because they knocked me out and I don't remember a THING!! YAY!

I got back from surgery and hooked up to IV pain meds, which I can click the clicker every 6 minutes.

Alonna, RN, monitored my post-op status
for my first night. Ugh, it was very painful,
I'm not gonna lie.

Uh...Eww....

Just got back from surgery..."resting"...

My nose looks all deformed and stuff.

I was NPO (nothing by mouth) so they gave me a plastic stick with a green spongey thing on the end. I could dip the green sponge in water and then use that to moisten my mouth.

Me & Baby...Baby helps me when I need to cough.

Me and MY BABY...he makes me feel all better.

Because I have a PICC Line, the "lab tech people" don't have to jab me every a.m. to take my blood, which is a huge blessing! This is how they drawl the blood. They use an empty syringe and pull back so that all the blood into the syringe. The blood taken here is called discard blood, and it is thrown away.

Drawling the Waste Blood from PICC Line.

All the equipment that she used. You can see all the flushes, and all the tubes that are needed for my lab drawln. I needed a Chemisty, CBC, PT/PTT, INR, and then an ESR.

All the equipment.

The view from my window...

Lots o' buildings and houses...

/\/\/\ MONDAY VISITORS /\/\/\

I certainly was not expecting any visitors to come down to visit me because o' it being such a long drive. Pastor Coleman was on a missions trip to St. Vincent where he took a bunch o' the older kids (Johnny, Jared, Ginny, Joy). Yet, he made the 2-3 hour trip down to Pittsburgh to visit me and I believe Bob Clark. Poor Pastor, I doubt he will ever want to leave the county or leave the church again, cause he left and everyone got sick (Bob Clark, Alisha Hawn, Me), got in car accident (Vera Alleman), and Jana got her last treatment.

Pastor & Me.

I met her at camp and we always had a hot glass o' tea together. She is from Upper Michigan, but she has family in Butler. So she spent the week in Butler with her family. Then she stopped by to visit me, which was oh so very good o' her. She really made my day. I hadn't seen her in forever. So it was so awesome to see her. I love this girl.

Me & Mama A.

/\/\/\ Food to Eat /\/\/\

Ace got a li'l hungry, so here is what he ordered"

• Cheese Burger.
• Fries.
• Brownie.
• Ketchup.
• Mustard.
• Mountain Dew.
  

/\/\/\ THE END /\/\/\