We have finally stopped for the night. Again we elected to press on to Terre Haute, IN, and stay at the Pear Tree Inn. We'd pondered hanging out in Effingham, IL, for the night but after stopping for a bit, we decided to go ahead.
It became an imperative shortly after leaving Effingham to get out of the state. Seriously, there is something very wrong with the air quality around that I-70 corridore. Just east of Effingham there is a horrid stench. When we got here to the hotel, I mentioned it to the lady at the front desk... she remembered us from our last visit... she said they have a tire manufacturing plant or something around there. I don't know what it is, but it stained the air so bad the moon actually looked orange as it was on the rise. NASTY!!
Anyhoo... thought I would check in and let you all know that we appreciate the positive thoughts for Pambo.
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MM
That which does not kill me postpones the inevitable.
"Tell me, does it move you, Does it soothe you, Does it fill your heart and soul with the roots of rock & roll? When you can't get through it you can listen to it with a 'na na na na', Well I've been there before" -"Been There Before" by Hanson
So we stopped along the way in Monroe, OH, because there are some fabulous road side attractions. Those pictures are from a flea market called Trader's World. It was closed today, but one of the workers saw us pull up by one of the gates and get out to take some pictures. He said we could go around to the open gate and come in to take more pictures if we wanted. We did... ended up spending a good hour or so there driving around taking pictures of things and we even got to talk to the nice 87 yr old guy who owns the place. We told him that it is FABULOUS and it made us really happy. He was quite amused by us.
Richard did decline our other request, at least for now... on the other side of the road from where the Trader's World is, there is an outlet mall that has Michael Kors, Coach, and Sax Fifth Avenue stores. I could do me a lot of financial damage in there.
Anyhow, surgery is at 10AM. Pam needs to be at the hospital before 8AM so that she can get some blood work done. Since we were coming from out of state they could not get it done in advance like one normally would.
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MM
That which does not kill me postpones the inevitable.
Oh yeah... almost forgot a very important part: I called our beloved Dylan a little while ago and he apparently took my little joke about needing a theme song for this trip to heart... he wrote us one! AND even better, he was nice enough to play it for us over the phone. IT ROCKS!!!
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MM
That which does not kill me postpones the inevitable.
Today is the day of the BIG SHOW!! We got up well in excess of the booty crack of dawn... perhaps the taint of dawn... to get ready for going to the hospital. Admission at 8, surgery at 10.
__________________
MM
That which does not kill me postpones the inevitable.
Thanks! Not really sure on that. Richard says they have at least 3 hours reserved for it, not sure if it is longer. The surgical "scoreboard" only shows 3 hours at a time.
Pam is already back in the pre-surgical area getting rigged up for the IV and they are doing the pre-surgical blood work. Have to ram all that into this morning since we came from out of state.
__________________
MM
That which does not kill me postpones the inevitable.
I'm thinking it might be late tomorrow before we really have a good fix on whether it worked or not. Later today and into tomorrow she is supposed to have a really wicked headache.
The way Dr. Casey explained it, since they will have to open up her skull and the dura (the sack inside the skull that holds the brain), air will obviously get inside what is normally a vacuum sealed environment. The oxygen and and carbon dioxide in the air will absorb quickly, but the nitrogen in the air will linger around for about 16-18 hours before it absorbs. The pressure from that will not feel well. I would imagine that the pain from that might mask the normal pain she experiences on a daily basis. We will have to see.
I'd suppose we might have some indication from the doctor when the surgery is done. They do a lot of nerve testing while they are doing the procedure. Essentially they have to move the nerve from its present location, so they monitor to make sure it and the nerves around it are responding appropriately. Some people have greater issues with that than others. I gather relative possibility of success tends to depend on how much they can successfully move the nerve and how much of the teflon cushion they can actually do. He told us of one lady who he couldn't do much for because when he tried to put in the amount of cushion they normally prefer to use, it was too much for her and caused her to have issues with her legs.
__________________
MM
That which does not kill me postpones the inevitable.
But I bet she can't imagine what it would be like to wake up and be pain free one morning, how cool will that be! Something most of us take for granted will be something she'll probably never take for granted for the rest of her life.
Thanks for the positive vibes, JR. We definitely need all we can get.
Hoping that they will come get me and Richard soon so we can spend a little more time with her before she goes in for surgery. Got about 50 minutes before her start time as of now.
__________________
MM
That which does not kill me postpones the inevitable.
Oh yeah... almost forgot a very important part: I called our beloved Dylan a little while ago and he apparently took my little joke about needing a theme song for this trip to heart... he wrote us one! AND even better, he was nice enough to play it for us over the phone. IT ROCKS!!!
__________________
"Tell me, does it move you, Does it soothe you, Does it fill your heart and soul with the roots of rock & roll? When you can't get through it you can listen to it with a 'na na na na', Well I've been there before" -"Been There Before" by Hanson
Sending good vibes from CT! P.S. - the "taint" comment made me laugh.
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"Tell me, does it move you, Does it soothe you, Does it fill your heart and soul with the roots of rock & roll? When you can't get through it you can listen to it with a 'na na na na', Well I've been there before" -"Been There Before" by Hanson
Looks like start time has been delayed for a little over an hour. Pam said something about they are waiting on the availability of a certain tool. I told her they are hosing off the hole saw. :lsughing: She told me I could shove it.
Anesthesiologist (sp?) is in asking tons of questions.
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MM
That which does not kill me postpones the inevitable.
She is sleeping right now, and yes... still wearing the shades. She says even if the surgery is successful she is still going to wear them just because she likes it now.
I am passing along all of the good vibes. For my part, I really appreciate you all being so supportive of her. I can't really imagine what all of this is like for her, but I know she has been really overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and support.
__________________
MM
That which does not kill me postpones the inevitable.