Holli's color has been better today with her blood level improving. We waited all day for her to be taken to xray for her special procedure. We finally went down at 4:30. They called up to the room to say that she did very well with conscious sedation. They have inserted a drainage tube that is hooked up to a drainage bag located near her left groin. The drainage looks like blood instead of infection but cultures will be sent to the lab. Heather will be staying tonight and tomorrow day with Holli so I can go home and get a little rest and get ready to come back tomorrow evening.

The doctor feels pretty sure that Holli has had a retro peritoneal bleed in the psoas muscle. Her hemoglobin and hematocrit dropped even more this morning so she is now receiving 2 units of blood and will also get some more plasma today also. Because her blood is still too thin she will go tomorrow to have the aspiration and drain inserted in xray. She ran a fever all night and they will continue her broad spectrum antibiotics. I can tell she is very weak because she is very quiet and sleeping alot. The nurses were in and out the room all last night giving plasma, starting another IV, drawing blood and doing vital signs. So it was another night of very little sleep. They did at least bring in a cot for me to sleep on. It brought back memories of St. Lukes Hospital in San Francisco of me sleeping on the cot next to Holli for almost 6 months. I will continue to keep you updated during our hospital stay.

Yesterday Holli started complaining about her left leg hurting whenever she would try to move it. Her left leg is her good side that usually she has no trouble in moving. Last evening we decided she needed to come to the emergency room since she has a history of DVT ( blood clots). When we got here after several xrays and blood work drawn we discovered that she had a urinary tract infection and that her blood level was too thin and running a fever. She was still having alot of pain in her left hip so the ER doctor had her admitted to the hospital. We got to our room about midnight and then at 2:30 AM she was taken to xray for a CT Scan. The CT scan showed fluid in her psoas muscle. The doctor said it could be either be due to a hematoma or abscess. Since her blood is too thin they are giving her frozen plasma today to thicken her blood so she can have that fluid drained tomorrow in xray. She is being given 3 different antibiotics and has a foley catheter in because her bladder was distended. We will be here at least several days depending on what they find from the aspiration of the fluid. Neither one of us got much sleep last night. I am having to sleep in a recliner by her bedside. The good thing is that speech, physical and occupational therapy are all seeing her during her stay here. I will keep you updated on her status. Please keep her in your prayers.

Sorry it has been awhile since my last update. Holli had a swallowing test several weeks ago that she passed. She is now starting to get meal trays that we feed her. She is on soft and pureed foods with thicken liquids. Usually she take but only a few small bites of her meals but her therapist said that she is not concerned at the moment about how much she is eating but getting her use to the process. We are continuing to work with splinting her right arm. It is getting a little easier to do range of motion on her arm and she will relax it at times to about a 90 degree angle.
Last weekend I went to my parent's home and my childhood home town to celebrate my Dad's 90th birthday. We had a great family party. Holli called me while I was at the party and sang Happy Birthday to her Pappy!! It thrilled him as well as all of us there. When I got back this past Wednesday Holli had made me a water color sign ( with a little help) using her left hand that said I Love You. It was my welcome back present. I now have it posted on my fridge at home.
I still have not heard back from my appeal to her insurance company concerning her going to Shepard's Center in Atlanta. Hopefully I will hear something this month.
Holli's friends in San Fran are wanting to use the money they have raised recently for Holli to get massages. I am in the process of lining up someone to come out here to give regular massages. Her therapist here thinks this is also a good idea and should help the tone in Holli's arm and neck. She knows someone that I will be talking to real soon.