BYE BYE ICU

A lot has happened in the last couple of days.  The focus has been on getting Hannah to urinate on her own.  Her bladder has been non-responsive since they removed the foley catheter on Thursday. As a result, she has had to be catheterized every 4-6 hours to relieve the urine from her bladder.  She has been trying repeatedly to pee but there was no luck. This has been just another struggle for her that was taking a toll on her emotions and struggle.  However, today, we threw a HUGE celebration when she finally passed urine on her own. As her doctors have told her- her bladder is waking up.  It is taking some time, and her ability to pee is not consistent yet- but now that she has been able to do it once- they are confident that she will resume to normal urination soon.  That was the last hurdle we had to cross to leave the ICU so tonight we are getting ready for a transport back to 4 South!  Hannah is relieved because it will mean a little more quiet, when she does not have to be woken every hour for more intense evaluations.  She does not have the use of her legs back yet.  Her left leg is tingly and numb and she really struggles to control it.  All in all, there have been some positive signs (peeing) and some not so positive signs- but we refuse to give up hope.  Hannah is determined to fight her way back.  While she is sad and defeated at times, she refuses to allow herself to focus on the negative for very long.  She has often said to me, “this sucks and is awful, and I am going to be sad for the next hour, then I have to put it aside and focus on the next thing I CAN do.” 

In addition to getting out of the ICU, the other update is that Hannah will be in a back brace.  It will provide support for her back and keep her more stable and keep her curve from worsening while we wait for the next surgery.  Needless to say, she is not at all excited about the brace.  It is a clamshell with a front part and a rear section.  She got to pick the color (blue of course)!  I am grateful that the weather is changing because I can only imagine how hard it would be to wear this plastic contraption in the warm weather.

In the next two days, we will meet with many doctors and physical therapists to evaluate Hannah and prepare the next stage of the plan. We should know more tomorrow and will provide updates when we can.  We remain really grateful for all the love, support, prayers, gifts, food and thoughtful acts from all of our friends and family.  We remind Hannah constantly of the army behind her, supporting her and cheering her on.