Hello Everyone :)
I hope you are having a great week. We are doing good over here :) Some have asked for an update on Allison and I heard from her doctor at the Mayo Clinic yesterday so I thought I would take this opportunity to update.
Allison is feeling better, much better than before her surgery. As the doctor had explained, she continues with back pain that ranges from tolerable to some days very painful. We are going to try and start journaling her activities to see if we can find a pattern to what may make her feel worse some days than others. Dr. Bjarnason had predicted a minimum of 6 weeks of pain due to the nerves surrounding her IVC being irritated from stretching the IVC back open. And nerves are difficult to get under control. So, we are just taking one day at a time. But as I said, she see's, as do I, great improvement from the leg pain and abdominal pain from before. God has blessed her so much. ;) :)
Dr. Bjarnason's assistant emailed me yesterday informing of our "next step" regarding this healing process for Allison. She is scheduled for another venogram at St. Mary's Hospital in Rochester, MN, on Thursday, July 30, 2009. We are to arrive in Rochester on Wednesday and she will have her procedure on Thursday. If all looks good then we can probably leave on Friday, July 31st. It just depends on what Dr. Bjarnason finds. His purpose is to see if the stents are where he placed them, to examine them for any "build up" that can occur on any stents in anyone, and see if the 4 inch area of the IVC behind her liver has opened back up to normal size. He felt, at the time, it was shrinking down due to lack of use because of the large clotted off are of the lower IVC. If it is still smaller than he likes then she will have another procedure to place more stents in. He is also going to examine the right renal vein that comes off the IVC. It was completely occluded (clotted off). The right kidney is working well due to collateral vessels that have grown off the clotted vein but it is still something that has to be monitored.
So, that is our update. Allison has registered for classes at a local community college and classes there begin August 19.
Thank you so much, once again (and I really cannot say it enough) for all the prayers that have been offered on our behalf. We KNOW and feel as though we have SEEN the power of prayer in all this.
Love to All....
Jennifer
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Thursday, May 7, 2009
May 7, 2009 Update
Hello...
Alot has been going on since my last update. We went to Tampa for our oldest daughter, Ashleigh's, graduation from Florida College. We drove and Allison flew. We had purchased her tickets quite a while back because at that time she absolutely could not ride in a car for any length of time. Now she can but we still have to be very careful. It really felt like a whirlwind trip because it takes about 10 hours to drive and on the way we got caught just outside of Atlanta in the traffic that was stopped for about 1 1/2 hours due to that 18 wheeler truck being stolen and the truck driver riding on the back of the cab while the man who stole it drove across Georgia. So that was interesting. We felt like we would NEVER get to Tampa. Allison was there way before us. Ashleigh graduated on Thursday night and we had planned to come home Friday morning but that didn't work out. When we finally got everything loaded in her car and the van it was around 2 p.m. so it felt pointless to pack up at the hotel, drive 6 hours, get another hotel and then drive the remainder on Friday. So Ashleigh stayed out and did some more visiting with her friends and Allison, Aimee, Barry and I went to Anna Maria Island which is about 45 minutes from Tampa. We had about 3 or 4 hours there and it was nice. VERY relaxing. Allison couldn't get wet because her incisions haven't healed completely but she just laid on the beach and rested. Of course we were in our knee shorts and shirts. :)
Allison is doing pretty good. She has good days and bad days. Her pain was aggravated by the travelling, really from Minnesota to flying to Tampa and then riding back with us. That was her plan and her choice. The doctor okayed it. We stopped about every 2 hours and such but it took its toll. I don't know if I mentioned or not but she is severely anemic right now. Her hemoglobin is 8 which is half of what it should be. We are still working on getting her blood at a therapeutic level on the Coumadin and the doctor will address the anemia in a bit. Alot of the iron rich foods are foods that also thicken blood so that is complicated. We will get through though. We are so thankful for her opportunity for surgery and that it seems to have been successful. I only say 'seems' because we won't know for certain until our next Mayo visit and then the next milestones are varied over the next two years.
So....that is our update for now.
Have a great day :)
Love,
Jennifer
Alot has been going on since my last update. We went to Tampa for our oldest daughter, Ashleigh's, graduation from Florida College. We drove and Allison flew. We had purchased her tickets quite a while back because at that time she absolutely could not ride in a car for any length of time. Now she can but we still have to be very careful. It really felt like a whirlwind trip because it takes about 10 hours to drive and on the way we got caught just outside of Atlanta in the traffic that was stopped for about 1 1/2 hours due to that 18 wheeler truck being stolen and the truck driver riding on the back of the cab while the man who stole it drove across Georgia. So that was interesting. We felt like we would NEVER get to Tampa. Allison was there way before us. Ashleigh graduated on Thursday night and we had planned to come home Friday morning but that didn't work out. When we finally got everything loaded in her car and the van it was around 2 p.m. so it felt pointless to pack up at the hotel, drive 6 hours, get another hotel and then drive the remainder on Friday. So Ashleigh stayed out and did some more visiting with her friends and Allison, Aimee, Barry and I went to Anna Maria Island which is about 45 minutes from Tampa. We had about 3 or 4 hours there and it was nice. VERY relaxing. Allison couldn't get wet because her incisions haven't healed completely but she just laid on the beach and rested. Of course we were in our knee shorts and shirts. :)
Allison is doing pretty good. She has good days and bad days. Her pain was aggravated by the travelling, really from Minnesota to flying to Tampa and then riding back with us. That was her plan and her choice. The doctor okayed it. We stopped about every 2 hours and such but it took its toll. I don't know if I mentioned or not but she is severely anemic right now. Her hemoglobin is 8 which is half of what it should be. We are still working on getting her blood at a therapeutic level on the Coumadin and the doctor will address the anemia in a bit. Alot of the iron rich foods are foods that also thicken blood so that is complicated. We will get through though. We are so thankful for her opportunity for surgery and that it seems to have been successful. I only say 'seems' because we won't know for certain until our next Mayo visit and then the next milestones are varied over the next two years.
So....that is our update for now.
Have a great day :)
Love,
Jennifer
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Thursday Update On Allee
Hi Everyone....
Sorry for no update for a couple of days. We've just been trying to get caught up on sleep and take care of Allison. She is doing as well as to be expected. Her pain seems to be staying around a 7 or 8 when her medication wears off. This is normal and to be expected. We are still doing the Fragmin shots and the Coumadin by mouth to try and get her INR to a therapeutic level. She needs to be at 2.5 - 3.5 and currently she is at 1.7. We saw the doctor here in Birmingham Wednesday morning and he increased her Coumadin dose. We will go back to see him Monday. We're hoping for good news. She has come down with 4 or 5 swollen lymph nodes and a sore throat so the doctor gave her an antibiotic on Wednesday to knock that out. She is still moving slowly. The incisions are in the bends of both legs and her abdomen is completely black and blue due to the Fragmin (Louvenox type) shots being given there. That is one thing we did not expect at all. Only a couple of more days of that though.
Additionally she is very anemic. Her hemoglobin is currently 8. The doctor does not want to begin addressing this yet until we get the thickness of her blood under control. I can tell it is affecting her. She is pretty weak and tired and tires VERY easily. All things considered I know these things aren't too terrible and we are thankful. They are somewhat annoying for her but given what great news we got with the successful surgery and no need for any artificial grafting we can get through it. :)
Allison's spirits are doing okay. She is VERY thankful for the relative simplicity of her procedure and such. There is no doubt for that. She already feels physcial improvements and that is wonderful :) I think she is just ready to get going with her life if that makes sense. Lord willing she will go back to college in the fall. She'll be going close to home. She was able to get out for worship services last night and that was good for her. She is hoping to feel well enough to make it to her big sister Ashleigh's graduation from Florida College in Tampa next Thursday. The doctor told us that it would be physically safe but it is just how she feels.
Well, I'll stop for now. I'm sure you can all tell from the differences in posts that I'm a 'talker' and Barry isn't - haha.
Thank you, again and a million times, so much for all the love, friendship and support you have all shown to us during this difficult time. God has blessed us far above anything we ever imagined with the help you gave, the love and support you have shown and the wonderful news and treatment Allison received. To Him be all the glory.
In Christian Love,
Jennifer
p.s. Some have asked about sending Allison a card.
Our mailing address is:
PRESSNELL
366 JUSTICE ROAD
WARRIOR, AL 35180
Sorry for no update for a couple of days. We've just been trying to get caught up on sleep and take care of Allison. She is doing as well as to be expected. Her pain seems to be staying around a 7 or 8 when her medication wears off. This is normal and to be expected. We are still doing the Fragmin shots and the Coumadin by mouth to try and get her INR to a therapeutic level. She needs to be at 2.5 - 3.5 and currently she is at 1.7. We saw the doctor here in Birmingham Wednesday morning and he increased her Coumadin dose. We will go back to see him Monday. We're hoping for good news. She has come down with 4 or 5 swollen lymph nodes and a sore throat so the doctor gave her an antibiotic on Wednesday to knock that out. She is still moving slowly. The incisions are in the bends of both legs and her abdomen is completely black and blue due to the Fragmin (Louvenox type) shots being given there. That is one thing we did not expect at all. Only a couple of more days of that though.
Additionally she is very anemic. Her hemoglobin is currently 8. The doctor does not want to begin addressing this yet until we get the thickness of her blood under control. I can tell it is affecting her. She is pretty weak and tired and tires VERY easily. All things considered I know these things aren't too terrible and we are thankful. They are somewhat annoying for her but given what great news we got with the successful surgery and no need for any artificial grafting we can get through it. :)
Allison's spirits are doing okay. She is VERY thankful for the relative simplicity of her procedure and such. There is no doubt for that. She already feels physcial improvements and that is wonderful :) I think she is just ready to get going with her life if that makes sense. Lord willing she will go back to college in the fall. She'll be going close to home. She was able to get out for worship services last night and that was good for her. She is hoping to feel well enough to make it to her big sister Ashleigh's graduation from Florida College in Tampa next Thursday. The doctor told us that it would be physically safe but it is just how she feels.
Well, I'll stop for now. I'm sure you can all tell from the differences in posts that I'm a 'talker' and Barry isn't - haha.
Thank you, again and a million times, so much for all the love, friendship and support you have all shown to us during this difficult time. God has blessed us far above anything we ever imagined with the help you gave, the love and support you have shown and the wonderful news and treatment Allison received. To Him be all the glory.
In Christian Love,
Jennifer
p.s. Some have asked about sending Allison a card.
Our mailing address is:
PRESSNELL
366 JUSTICE ROAD
WARRIOR, AL 35180
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Sweet Home Alabama :)
Hey Everyone...
We got home around 10:30-10:45 last night. I was exhausted and couldn't think straight to do the computer thing. We saw the doctor who organized the whole evaluation and treatment of Allison yesterday morning at 10:00. He was able to see some blood work that had been ordered did not get done so we went for bloodwork and then were free to leave. I think when we sat down in the Minneapolis airport we were around 3 hours until our flights home. It was nice to sit and rest. Allison didn't have to walk because they had a wheelchair for her everywhere along the way. We were also able to pre-board 1st so she got the front seat on each flight which made it easier for her to not be cramped in her seat and to move her legs a bit while sitting for a while.
When we got home my Aimee, mom (dad had picked us up at the airport), Sarah, Lauren, Becky & Billy McDuffee and Allee's friend Mark were all at the house with balloons waiting to see Allee. It was great. My mom had spent the day straightening the house and doing laundry so I feel RICH :)
All in all our trip was such a gift from God. He has blessed us in more ways than we ever knew and protected Allison so much without us knowing she even needed protecting. We give Him all the glory. Completely Him.
Allison's INR is being slow to come back up so she is on Fragmin shots twice daily, oral medication and Plavix. We already have an appointment at 8:00 a.m. on Wednesday with a new Internal Medicine doctor so he can help us.
I'm hoping to rest a bit today.
Thank you all for your love, support, prayers, prayers and more prayers. Knowing you are there has gotten me through on many an occasion. It seems as though we are over the hump and on our way to new horizons.
I love you all...
Jennifer
We got home around 10:30-10:45 last night. I was exhausted and couldn't think straight to do the computer thing. We saw the doctor who organized the whole evaluation and treatment of Allison yesterday morning at 10:00. He was able to see some blood work that had been ordered did not get done so we went for bloodwork and then were free to leave. I think when we sat down in the Minneapolis airport we were around 3 hours until our flights home. It was nice to sit and rest. Allison didn't have to walk because they had a wheelchair for her everywhere along the way. We were also able to pre-board 1st so she got the front seat on each flight which made it easier for her to not be cramped in her seat and to move her legs a bit while sitting for a while.
When we got home my Aimee, mom (dad had picked us up at the airport), Sarah, Lauren, Becky & Billy McDuffee and Allee's friend Mark were all at the house with balloons waiting to see Allee. It was great. My mom had spent the day straightening the house and doing laundry so I feel RICH :)
All in all our trip was such a gift from God. He has blessed us in more ways than we ever knew and protected Allison so much without us knowing she even needed protecting. We give Him all the glory. Completely Him.
Allison's INR is being slow to come back up so she is on Fragmin shots twice daily, oral medication and Plavix. We already have an appointment at 8:00 a.m. on Wednesday with a new Internal Medicine doctor so he can help us.
I'm hoping to rest a bit today.
Thank you all for your love, support, prayers, prayers and more prayers. Knowing you are there has gotten me through on many an occasion. It seems as though we are over the hump and on our way to new horizons.
I love you all...
Jennifer
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Just wanted to let all of you know that Allison got back to the hotel around 1:30 Saturday and is continuing her recovery here.
Her back is hurting her alot but the doctor told her to expect that for around three weeks.
She has two follow up appointments on Monday morning and barring any problems with her blood level, we will be driving north to Minneapolis tomorrow afternoon and flying back to Birmingham tomorrow night.
Thanks for all the well wishes and prayers.
God truly does answer prayers.
Barry and Jennifer
Her back is hurting her alot but the doctor told her to expect that for around three weeks.
She has two follow up appointments on Monday morning and barring any problems with her blood level, we will be driving north to Minneapolis tomorrow afternoon and flying back to Birmingham tomorrow night.
Thanks for all the well wishes and prayers.
God truly does answer prayers.
Barry and Jennifer
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Allison is recovering well so far
Allison had a somewhat rough evening last night with the pain in her back and nausea, but she seems to be feeling alot better this morning after they gave her some medicine for the nausea last night.
She was able to get some good rest and is feeling much better right now.
If things continue to progress well, we will be at the hotel this afternoon and tomorrow. She has two follow up appointments Monday morning and we should be able to fly home Monday evening.
Barry
She was able to get some good rest and is feeling much better right now.
If things continue to progress well, we will be at the hotel this afternoon and tomorrow. She has two follow up appointments Monday morning and we should be able to fly home Monday evening.
Barry
Friday, April 17, 2009
Allison out of surgery
Allison got out of surgery at around 4:35. The surgeon said everything went very well and is very optomistic about the outlook for her complete recovery.
She will stay in the hospital overnight and probably be released sometime tomorrow.
She will have a couple of follow up appointments on Monday morning and Lord willing we will be coming home Monday evening late.
Thanks again for all the prayers.
Barry and Jennifer
She will stay in the hospital overnight and probably be released sometime tomorrow.
She will have a couple of follow up appointments on Monday morning and Lord willing we will be coming home Monday evening late.
Thanks again for all the prayers.
Barry and Jennifer
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