a change in elevation

yet another entry on amy's behalf...

it is somewhat ironic that the people from washington, land of mountains, are excited about a change in elevation.  especially considering that we are in wisconsin.  i'm not sure people in wisconsin have any idea what a mountain looks like.  although, this is a different kind of elevation.  lately the discussion surrounding amy's recovery has turned to how soon we can begin elevating her from 180 degrees to 90 degrees.

as of right now, she's been lying totally flat since the procedure.  that was some time around noon on monday.  that means at noon today, she will have been flat on her back for 48 hours.  you can probably imagine how miserable that is.  the nursing staff plans to begin elevating her about 10 degrees every hour until she is sitting up.  i'm not sure when that will begin, though.

otherwise, amy has been sleeping a little more consistently.  her pain is primarily in her head, between where the incision was made, and general headaches.  she's mentioned that her back, shoulders and torso are sore.  hopefully that will go away quickly once she is able to shift her body weight and sit up.  the nurses tell us that amy is doing really well, given the fact that she has been able to monitor and control her nausea.  amy may get angry that i mention it, but she hasn't vomited yet...which apparently is pretty remarkable.  she's drinking water and juice when she wants, but needs help doing so.

mom spent a lot of time with amy yesterday while us boys took a break and went to a brewers baseball game.  she mentioned that amy laid quietly while she read to her.  mom said that at one point she thought amy was asleep because she had closed her eyes and was breathing so quietly.  then, amy broke the silence by saying, "this sucks".  those are probably the two most insightful words that have been spoken all week.

dad ended up staying with amy all night last night.  when we came in this morning to relieve him he looked tired.  i'm guessing he didn't get a whole lot of sleep in these lousy chairs, either.  ben leaves this afternoon to head back to work.  it's been good having him here.  i think amy really likes having ben around, he lifts her spirits with their inside jokes.

i suppose that's about all the news i can muster right now...not a whole lot of change.  the nursing staff continues to rotate and take care of amy, although i still think katie is my favorite nurse for amy.  she seems to be the most in tune with what amy needs.

thanks again for all the kind support.