A Grandmal Seizure..

If you ever have to call 911 all I have to say is its the most frightening experience you will ever go threw. On January 25Th my mom was complaining about flu like symptoms, everyone thought maybe she was just having an "off day". Around 7 pm she was crying telling me she felt like she had a high fever when I checked it everything came back fine, so I told her to get in the shower and maybe she will feel better after. After the shower we were sitting on the bed talking and I got up to get a drink in the kitchen she also got up and wanted to come in the kitchen as well when she started screaming for help...
She fell to the floor and was shaking uncontrollable, my dad stayed by my moms side while I called 911. 3 things ran threw my dads and my mind what could be going on..

• Another stroke
• Heart Attack
• Seizure

The ambulance came, it took 8 minutes for them to come, she was still unconscious but at this point was not shaking uncontrollable.

Back to IMC we go...

When we got to the hospital she was alert and awake. She was ok.

They ran every test under the sun to see what was going on. This is what we know for sure

• She HAS had a seizure called a grandmal
• Every test came back normal, nothing out of the ordinary
• The doctor was calm and said he was not surprised she has had a seizure due to the brain damaged caused by the stroke.
• It was NOT caused by medication overdose...

We met with a seizure specialist yesterday, the Doctor was very worried about how high some of the doses of medications she is on which on some, the side effects were a seizure. And now she is on seizure control medications. I feel so bad this is yet another thing she has to go threw, it at some moments seems so unfair to see her suffer like that. But I know that moments like this is only going to make me a stronger person, it also shows how delicate our lives are if I have learned anything it is to make each day count cause honestly you never know what is going to happen next. I know she would love to hear from her friends any support means EVERYTHING to her.

Our christmas and surgery..

Now that the holidays are over I can get back to writing.. Christmas at our house was probably my most favorite Christmas I have ever had. We decided as a family we would celebrate the true meaning of Christmas and put the whole Santa thing on the back burner. It really was so wonderful, we didn't have to worry about shopping for gifts for everyone, there were moments I got a little sad I would not get that cute shirt I would normally beg my mom and dad to get me, or Carl. But when Christmas eve came we all got together as a family and decided to enjoy each others company and bake a great dinner and bake cookies for Santa ( for braxtons sake) It hit me like a ton of bricks.. This is what it is all about.
Last year we did not even know if my mom would make it to Christmas and having her here a year later was so humbling to all of us, It really didn't matter about gifts or who traded with who, or who got the best gift. It was being around people you love and care about and enjoying each others company. It was a wonderful Christmas!




Yesterday 12/29 My mom had to go back to surgery. It was nothing major but It was again just another thing my poor mother had to go threw. The surgery is a little personal but I will try and explain it with my medical terminology. Sorry to any male that may be reading this.. After her stroke she went threw pre menopause, which at her age and with our family history should be right on, but her body decided to the opposite from stopping the flow.. So they had to take her in and with a laser machine burn the inside of the uterus to stop the flow. After 4 shots in the uterus and a laser machine she is home and in so much unbelievable pain. No women should have to go threw this! She is home laying in bed resting, but I know she would love to hear from her friends and family.

Sorry! Its been ages! Its her birthday!

I feel super bad for not updating in a while...
Annie is doing great! We have been going to physical Therapy 4 days a week still, and weekly meetings with the doctors.. Things we Know for sure are...

1. Good new is we have made it to half a year with no more brain ruptures which is highest the first 6 months after a stroke like she has had, she has not had another stroke and she is has not had any decrease in physical activity.

2. As for driving, She is now allowed to drive in the neighborhood during the day. And within the next 3 months if she shows mental improvement and passes her driving test she can drive on the road again.

3. She is now able to spend a couple hours a day alone, and can be by herself without someone always watching her. Which has been a great ordeal for her to get her privacy back!!

A couple things still in questioning is .....

1. The arm, the doctors called her in after they did a nerve test on her hand to see if there is any nerve activity functions that are traveling to her brain to tell the brain to move the hand, after a devistating result the doctors have told her there is nothing in that hand. We are already past 6 months which was the "window" for the brain to get that hand moving again and we saw no improvment. So they stopped all physical therapy on the hand. We are not giving up, we are going to continue to fight this, and I know if we do things will work out. Its most frustrating not being able to move your arm to open things are to hold things.

2. Mental stability. A couple of days ago she had 2 major falls in the middle of the night which has resulted to some serious questioning on mental stability. More to come with that...

That is the latest update. Things are getting better and we are all adjusting to a new style of life. Just grateful she is still her!! OH AND ITS HER BIRTHDAY ON AUG. 21ST! I know she would love to hear from all her friends!!!

Travis is back! ..and other news:)

Travis has made it home! I think with him being home and helping out is going to make the biggest difference! There is so much going on, I feel I have not had enough time to post as I have wanted to. I will give you the latest updates...

• Emotions are something you dont want to mess with! Since the stroke the emotions and her chemical balance are completely off course and out of control. We were warned of this, but would never know how much crying would be involved. We are generally worried about her and her emotions. We have in rolled her in counseling to help control the crying and are also taking classes on breathing techniques to learn how to control the brain to trigger the crying to stop. And if you know my cute mother she crys when she is happy and sad... too say the least.. we go threw a lot of tissues...
• Walking and balance is a new ball game.. We however dont have to be standing by her side now when she walks, but sometimes it is scary when you see her fall.. Its a work in progress but getting a lot better as well..
• The arm is still a mystery.. Sometimes she can shrug her shoulder and sometimes she cant do the slightest movement with it. But I have noticed a huge change with her arm.
• The memory is the biggest problem, short term memory is 70% Gone. She forgets where she is, what she is doing, if she has eaten anything. ect. Its where patients plays a huge part. The doctor cannot determine anything as of now if that will get better, but I sure hope it does..

If there is one thing I have learned about this whole situation it would be the power of love for another person. I love her so much, I thank the lord who has let me keep her here just a little bit longer so she can be a grandma to my little boy and all her future grand kids. She gives me such great daily advice and I am so happy and grateful to have her :)

A Brand New Annie :)

Here she is! I think this is the first post I have posted with a picture of her?!
She is doing very well. We are keeping up with her therapy's and have been seeing the progress! She is now able to move her left arm up and down, she is doing excellent with walking with minimal help needed, and more important she is remembering how to be independent again. We have sadly gave princess and moomoo to the animal shelter and have heard they now have new homes. Which has been a huge change when the animals leave. But its getting better.
Today we went to Riverton Hospital and got her blood work done to check her Vitamin D levels and her Liver Levels to make sure those have gone back up. She has another appointment next week with her brand new doctor Romney, we will see if the huge blood clot in her left leg has gone down. She is staying very optimistic and positive and looking forward to travis coming home in 5 weeks!
Severe Head Aches at home have also left us a little worried about her, we keep a very close eye on her to make sure no fever or any problems arise. But besides that, she is doing great. Again we cannot thank everyone who helps and gives our family constant care.

Overload...

It has been insanely crazy at home! We have had to adjust to a whole new routine that has needed EVERYONES help including neighbors,friends and family to be with her. She cannot be left alone, so we have to schedule people to come over and take turns rotating on what days people can come over. Its been extremely overwhelming especially with my dad now gone. I hope things will get better and we can control the situation a little better, but for now its pretty intense. I cannot thank people enough for coming over and being with her, everyone has gone the extra mile to make sure my family is doing ok and I cannot believe the overwhelming responds of everyone helping us out.
Good news.. She is now gaining shoulder muscle back into her left arm. Slowly but its improvement. She also is able to walk longer distances and not be so tired out. Her sleep pattern is completely off and she has no sense of time, which has been a little hard for her. Its slowly getting better. She is also going to a total of 3 days of therapy a day. Its been great for her. I hope my next post things will have settled down a little, but I will try and keep everyone updated!

Day 2 :)

We have now been home for 2 days.. So much has happened!

• We met with Dr. Robney, her new Doctor, he is specialized in Internal Medicine and has her on all the new and "latest " Medications to make sure she is on the best of the best to help her with recovery.
• We also met with Dr. Micheals who is her Heart Doctor who will be fallowing her to make sure everything is going well with the new implant in her heart.
• Also, we set up her new Physical Therapist at TOSH, the clinic in Cottonwood.
• We will fallow up with Dr. Dodds in about 3 weeks to make sure no knew conditions have popped up!

Too say the least.. She is going to be very busy! Which if you know annie, she likes to be busy!! It has been a huge adjustment at home, we all new it would be. Its hard to see her crying because she cant get dressed by herself anymore or get up and go to the bathroom without help. She has always been so independent so its hard for her to let people come in and do things for her. She CANNOT under any circumstances be left alone for the next 6 months or until Dr. Dodds decides its ok for her to be left alone. So we are all switching turns to spend time with her, which is fine by me:) She is doing great though, lots of ups and downs, but she is doing great.