These 2 photos are from her last day in IMCU
She still has her C-Collar on in the picture above.
After her move to the orthopedic floor they removed everything except her IV and feeding tube.
I am so sorry I did not get to post an update on Abi, yesterday. When I finally got home after the hospital and picking up the kids and softball practice, I went to my computer and I had Zero internet access so I did some trouble shooting to no avail. Then I used my husbands laptop and he didn't have any access either. Ultimately I realized that the huge storm that blew over the mountains yesterday is what the problem was. So I decided to go to bed. I got up this morning and I have internet access again, WOOO HOOOO!
Today Abi is being moved to rehab in the University hospital. She will be going to a different wing of the second floor. Rehab is going to be super tough but she is a fighter and she can do this.
Yesterday my mom realized that the large mass on her lower back was really big. It just looked like her back was very swollen. After the doctor looked at it they realized it was a very big hematoma that could become very dangerous if not removed. This is essentially a bruise under the fatty layer. They ended up not numbing her at all. They used a 5 inch needle to stick her and drain it. It was excruciating for her and she screamed a lot. In the end they drained out 700 cc of blood. After a while she felt much better because that relieved a lot of the pressure on her spine and pelvis. She seemed to be in relatively good spirits.
After that I decided her hair needed a good washing. It had not been washed since the previous thursday. It was really hard washing her hair last week because of the c-collar she had worn for 12 days. It was removed on friday. The problem with having hair that is super thick and 44" long is that it gets really matted under the collar. So even with us washing and braiding her hair a few times a week, It was very tangled and a huge knotted mess in the back. I started washing her hair at around 1 pm yesterday. It took me about an hour to wash it. as soon as I was done with that part, Physical therapy came in and made her get up and walk from the side of her bed to the door and back. She was extremely agitated and frustrated. Part of it is the brain injury and not being able to process the emotions and frustrations and also be able to coordinate her body. The other part is the pain meds that make her a little fuzzy. Add into the mix the fact that she has been immobile and in bed for 15 days and you have an avalanche of emotions on your hands.
After Physical therapy was done with her, they put her back into bed and I again started on the process combing out her hair. It took me till 5 pm to get her hair combed out and braided. Seriously the longest it has ever taken! The matting and knots were horrible on that back section. It was not all comb-able and I ended cutting some of it out in the back but only a small portion. I am sure she will love me and hate me for it, but it had to be done. I still am not happy with the end result so I am going to re-braid it today.
During the time I was doing her hair, she also had some people come in to remove the sutures in her hip. Thankfully they weren't staples and it was a painless procedure. She also was having an IV put in that had popped out earlier in the day. Most of the time that I was doing her hair she slept right through it. even to the point of gently snoring, but if you ask her she would tell you I kept her awake the whole time.
She is also under the impression that she never gets to sleep before 4 am. For some reason she tells everyone that asks if she is tired the same thing. For a few days in a row that has been the story. We know better. She does not remember any of her time in the IMCU. She only remembers things from the last few days in her newest room. We will see what she remembers when she is moved today.
Also a lot of people have asked if she remembers the accident. She knows what happened to her because she has been told. But she does not even remember being at the lake that day.
Abi has some access to her phone. She has been texting a few people but she does not have her phone with her at all times. I think we are leaving that up to our discretion at this time. She wears out easily and she will need all of her strength for rehab. She can also take phone calls on her hospital room phone as well. However we will limit those too. She is not going to be able to do all of her therapy and talk on the phone at the same time. She had a hard time getting off the phone yesterday so they could change her dressing on her abdomen. Her Daddy finally had to threaten her with hanging it up. Typical teenage stuff!!!
Alright I will update more later. I am off to buy some new ribbons for her hair!
