Merry Merry!

yes, the weather was gorgeous and warm on Christmas day!!!




Sharon was able to enjoy Christmas for the most part, which was great! she did really well in the morning and was so excited about her stocking and the presents under the tree. As the day wore on she became (understandably!) more tired you could tell she was hurting but she was a trooper nonetheless. She is also very very frustrated by the fact that she can't just walk and play like she usually does. She has been putting weight on her legs and we are very hopeful that she will be walking again soon because she wants to so badly!
We got some great shots with Great Gram and the whole NC Pierce clan. Gram was devouring candy while we were there...multiple pieces at once, always with one in her mouth, one open in hand, and another being opened simultaneously...she was in heaven! Grandma Baer is here for the holiday and spent the day with us at the Messicks where we had a great dinner of Mom's tacos...yum!
We leave today to go back to Charlotte for more hyperbaric treatments. RJ's office is closed so he's got time to do some dives with her (i cannot since i am pregnant) so we're going to take advantage of it. The dives should definitely help her healing from the surgery and of course we're also hoping it will continue to help with her speech...

WHEW....

Okay, so we are home!
Yesterday was quite a day, but it really went as well as any surgery/hospital visit could. We pulled up the hospital at 6:19am and pulled away from it last night at 6:23pm!
Last year was a nightmare in every way with nurses and hospital staff making our stay truly miserable. This year was the complete opposite! I think it was a combination of different nurses etc, and the fact that we were completely on top of what Sharon needed and wouldn't take "no" for an answer.
They got her in very quickly for surgery (same wonderful doctor as last year...the surgery went very well, no glitches at all. you can see what was taken from her bones...) and the anesthesiologist (who i immediately dubbed "Hubba Hubba" for his looks!) listened to our concerns about Sharon's need to have one of us with her as soon as she started to wake up and he came to get me as soon as she was in recovery which made things MUCH smoother for all of us. The recovery nurses listened to me and did whatever i asked which was so nice! They believed me when i said Sharon was upset and crying because there was too much noise and stimulation in the recovery room and so worked very quickly to send us to a private room where we could just let her relax. The nurses on that floor absolutely let us be alone in the room (rather than coming in every 30 minutes to freak Sharon out again), coming in only to give meds and the occasional vital check. The entire staff was completely on board with our hopes to go home last night (after all of them saw how upset she was in recovery, they totally believed us that she would do much better in her own home no matter how much pain she was in!). They all worked together and did what they could to make that happen. Our hope was to leave around 5:30 when she got a bunch of pain meds given, and we were pretty close to that time so it was wonderful.
Through all of this, Sharon was her usual tough self! She certainly didn't like recovery, but once we got her settled in the private room with the lights dimmed movies/TV available, she really did settle down. She cried only when she was in pain and did a great job of letting us know when she needed meds. She ate like a champ and never let go of her newest baby (the picture is a bit blurry, taken on a phone). her dearest friend Jack gave her this baby for Christmas and it has not left her arms since we handed it to her after surgery. When we told her we were going home she lit up and said "GO!!!". The hour-plus car ride was tough on her hips, but she was a trooper and was almost her old self as soon as she got home and sat on her couch. She even did really well last night. RJ played nurse and made sure he brought her meds in every 4 hours but she really did sleep well with just a couple of wakings due to pain.
Today i'll sponge bath her and get her cleaned up and we'll see how she does.
We are so very glad this is over and that it looks like she'll be in good shape to enjoy Christmas!!!

4pm

Hello - this is Jacks again.
It looks like the Baers will head home this evening - this is what they all wanted - for Sharon (and Jaye and RJ) to be in their own beds tonight. Sharon is groggy but not crying so hopefully this will go smoothly.

Update

This is Jacks again - it is around Noon. Jaye just sent word that they are in a room (not in the ward like they thought they would be - YAY!) and Sharon is crying but doing much better than last year. They are watching tv and biding their time.

Surgery Went well!

Hello this is Aunt Jacks. It is 8:40 am and I just got word that the surgery went well! Great news!!!!! I will post more information as I get it - keep up the prayers!!!!!!

impending surgery

So, with all the fun winter and holiday posts, i do have to let you all know that Sharon will go in for surgery on Monday. Remember this time last year? she had that massive hip surgery and was in the cast and went through a LOT....well, now it's time to take out the screws and plates that were put in during that surgery. There are 5 screws and one plate on each hip. They will go in through the same incisions they used last year. It will take no more than 2 hours if all goes well. They'll pull out all of the hardware, stitch her back up and then we'll see how she does. The HOPE is that the recovery time will be minimal but we just won't know until Sharon lets us know! Of course the biggest worry for Rj and I is the surgery itself and the anesthesia...that's never easy to sit through. We also are really hoping that Sharon comes out of it all very well and we are able to manage her pain that day enough so that we can come home Monday night and sleep at home instead of in the hospital (which was an absolute NIGHTMARE last year..) The doctor is very much on board with this plan which is a big help!
I'll let you know more as it gets closer (we won't even know what time her surgery is until later this weekend when it gets scheduled) and someone will put updates on this blog during/after surgery.
In the meantime, she is really enjoying this season!!! She loves all things Christmas and it's wonderful!

A lesson in receiving

So, we may have seen this picture before, but it bears repeat viewing! This is Sharon with a dear man named Tom who gives time each week to come and work with Sharon with his healing hands. Specifically he does myofascial release on her right side. Sharon adores him! Unlike her therapists, he doesn't make her "do" anything she doesn't want to. She just gets to relax while he works on her arm and back. He will accept nothing in return, which is a constant struggle for me because i feel the need to repay him somehow. But he is a quiet and gentle soul with a true gift of healing, who tells me "your gratitude is more than enough". And i have to believe that. So, while he is helping Sharon immensely, he is also teaching me to recieve...
Thank you Tom, from the bottom of our hearts! And if all who read this could just send up a special prayer for Tom, i'd feel like he is getting something in return :)

Happy Birthday Pop Pop!

So Pop Pop had a Panther's birthday celebration and they were kind enough to win their big game for him also! Sharon enjoyed the cake and some good rough-housing with Anna, Daddy, and Pop Pop afterwards.
We've been trying to get decorated for Christmas but aren't quite there yet...we now have our tree and it's up so that's a start! Sharon is really loving the season this year which is wonderful! She's excited and seems to really get it. It really does make it that much more fun!
Hope you all are well and staying warm!