HOME SWEET HOME!!!

Elaine came home today!

Melissa and Ben brought her home about noon today. She is very excited to be home. She will have therapy twice a week in home for about 8 weeks, and have to go back to the doctors every 2 weeks for x-rays.

We all want to thank everyone for all the support we have had over the past 30 days. This has been a life changing event, but all the thoughts, prayers, and support has really helped Elaine and all of us through this. Elaine said she was just going to have to make the best of it and she really has. It is amazing that she has come so far in so little time.

Thanks again for all the prayers.

Progress Report

Elaine continues to amaze everyone with her recovery. She walked (hopped) with the walker 200ft, she has praticed sitting up in a normal bed, she has practiced getting in and out of a car, and she even made hot tea and muffins in their rehab kitchen.
Elaine is very excited about her progress. She is counting the days until she can come home and get back in the classroom.
Neurology and Orthopedic continue to check her progress and have reported that she is healing very well. She has about 9 weeks left for the halo and to be able to put weight on her right leg.
She will have in-home rehab at least three times a week to help get her through those 9 weeks.

August 21st!!!

They gave us a tentative release date of August 21st. Recent x-rays confirmed that her spine and pelvic bone are both healing well. The neurologist say she will wear the halo until mid October. She should be able to put weight on her pelvic bone at the same time.

Therapy continues to go well. Besides increasing Elaine's mobility, therapy has also brought back her appetite and "wears her out " enough that she sleeps better through the night.

Every day she is able to do more and more. It is truly amazing to see progress so well.

Tuesday

Elaine was worn out by therapy again. She was so tired after her morning session, she had to nap before she could eat her lunch tray. All the hard work is really paying off. She was able to take ten steps(hops she can' put any pressure on her right foot) today with the use of a walker. We hope by Friday there will be an assessment to chart her progress and hopefully give us a better timeline for her rehabilitation.

I can't think everyone enough for all their continual thoughts, calls, and prayers!!!

Weekend Update

Elaine is continuing to progress very well. She had Therapy on Saturday that really pushed her. Today was her rest day. I got to see her sit up in her bed and pivot into a wheel chair by herself tonight and then she sat up and ate her dinner. She still doesn't have a real strong appetite but I think that will grow as her activity level does this week. She'll have at least 3 hours of therapy a day Monday through Saturday. We get a schedule the day before to let us know. It really varies. Sometimes it is all together , other times it will be spaced out between 7:30 and 4:00. I know it is going to be tiresome week for her, but I look forward to seeing her progress even more through this next week of therapy.

If you want to call her, her telephone number is 336-702-5366.

Below I will list her address exactly how it needs to be, if you want to send her a card or letter at the hospital.

Elaine Partin
North Carolina Baptist Hospital Sticht Center Room 366
Medical Center Boulevard, Winston-Salem, NC 27157

Sticht Center

GREAT NEWS!!!!!!!!!!

Elaine has been moved to the Sticht Center. She is on the 3rd floor, room 366.

She will be in Therapy most of the day from 7am to 3pm, Monday through Saturday. Sunday is her "free" day.

Ben and Melissa toured the facility today and were very impressed. They have everything...a full gym, stairs and a ramp set up, even a car to teach patients how to move their body in different situations.

We are not sure of the duration of her stay, but I will continue to post info about her progress.

Therapeutic Therapy

Occupational Therapy worked with Elaine for about an hour. Elaine stood up twice with their help and the use of a walker. She was able to do so with no dizziness or pain!!! She has to be extremely careful not to put weight on her right leg. Physical Therapy also came by and worked with Elaine on sitting up on the edge of the bed and doing some stretches to increase her mobility. Hopefully she will be moved to the Sticht center soon, we'll find out more about that tomorrow.

2 long weeks...
We've gone from the shock of the accident to the multiple injuries; the thoughts of invasive surgeries, and now to therapy on the way to full recovery.

Through this all we have had so many people keeping Elaine and us in their thoughts and prayers. Thank you again for all your support and prayers.

Still waiting on PT

Somewhere the communication broke down between PT and neurology. Neurology was waiting on PT to get Elaine up and take an x-ray of her spine to release her for Physical Therapy. Well, PT wouldn't get her up until Neurology released her. And so it went back and forth. But at 7:30 last night and once again this morning, neurology got the x-rays they needed and Elaine is now ready for PT. PT came by and did the evaluation this evening. They think that Elaine will be ready to move to their Sticht center in a few days. The Sticht center is an inpatient PT recovery center. Patients there undergo at least 3 hours of PT a day.

Elaine is now rolling over by herself, sitting up by herself, and feeding herself!!!!!!!!!
More prayers have been answered!!!

Weekend News

Elaine is progressing well. They have completely removed the traction and were able to take out her IV. She is now able to sit at a 45 degree angle. Tomorrow will be a big day for her. The physical therapist will come by and evaluate her and work on teaching her how to sit up and move from the bed to a chair. She can not put any weight on her right leg, so she has to move carefully. She also has to learn to move with the halo on. The halo limits her mobility and it also adds a lot of weight that she is not used to.
Overall we are very excited about her progress. We have had a great week of healing. Just a few days ago, we were still looking at an invasive surgery and an extremely long rehabilitation period. The power of prayer has gotten her this far and I know it will continue to heal her quickly.
I look forward to letting you know how her first day of therapy goes.

Prayers Answered!

NO SURGERY!!!
Elaine received the best possible news today! Surgery is not needed since the current solution is working! Elaine will have a brace from her pelvis to her knee. They will remove the traction and the pin and she will start physical therapy soon. They added an external (electrical) bone growth stimulator for bone fusion in her neck to support her progress.

Your thoughts and prayers are working-- we are so happy with her progress and this wonderful news!

Thursday Update

Elaine had another good day. She really appreciates all of her visitors. The Doctors took another weight of her traction and everything still looks good.

It is so nice for all of us to hear from everyone. It means so much to get the support that we have. I originally put this blog up to help everyone learn about Elaine's status. Funny how it works both ways though. Hearing from everyone, knowing how many people are keeping Elaine and us in their prayers, helps Elaine and helps us too. Thanks again to everyone for all the support you continue to give. I also want to thank Kathy Stuart for publishing the information in the A-T News.

Tomorrow is the when we will find out about the surgery. I'll let everyone know as soon as I do.

Wednesday Night

Elaine has had a good day. The surgeon that we have been waiting to return to perform the surgery flew in today to do another pelvic trauma surgery and also examined Elaine's condition. What we learned is that her pelvic bone did not shatter and separate. There are no displaced bones in her pelvic area. This is really great news!!! There is a fracture completely through the pelvis with some small fractures (spider webs). The key is that everything is still aligned. Over the next couple of days, they will remove 5kg from the traction and watch the results. On Friday they will remove the last weight and take more x-rays. They are watching to see if the femur pushes back in on the pelvic bone and also if the pelvic bone stays in line with the pressure from the femur. So, what this means is Elaine, in the best case scenario, will still have a recovery period where she can not put any weight on her pelvis, but will NOT need a surgery to correct the bones. They will mend on their own. They will determine all of this on Friday afternoon after they examine the last x-ray. If surgery is needed, it will still be performed on Monday.

So... Keep the prayers coming. We are all so happy that Elaine may not need an invasive surgery, but we have to wait and see.

Wednesday

Elaine remains very uncomfortable. She has a few small tears at her lower back that feel like glass; however, she must lay in the same position for her other injuries. Her spirit is high despite her pain.

Dr. Webb flew in today to perform another trauma surgery and will fly back out this evening. He only performs surgeries on Mondays and Wednesdays. He will fly back in on Monday for Elaine's surgery. The staff will meet with Elaine and family today to review the details of her upcoming surgery so we should know more by tomorrow.

Good news for Elaine's vitals--she was taken off of oxygen and the electrodes were removed today. Her heart rate remains stable--more prayers answered!

Tuesday

Great news!!! Elaine is now in a private room. She is in room 1112 in the Reynolds tower. Visitation is from 8am to 8 pm. I am sure she would love to have some visitors.

The oral tablets helped regulate her heart beat and they have removed the chest tube. Unfortunately she is extremely nauseous today.

I'll give another update this evening when I get by to see her after work.

Monday Night Update

Long day... Elaine is feeling very uncomfortable today. It breaks my heart to see her laying there with nothing I can do for her. She feels discomfort from the screws in the halo, her leg, and her hip and deep breaths hurt her ribs. Plus, she is really tired of just laying there. She tells us all of this, and then squeezes your hand and says "I guess I just gotta make the best of it." It amazes me the strength that she has. It's amazing how you look at her laying in the bed with such a long battle ahead of her and she still says "make the best of it." Melissa and I were talking about how thankful we are that we are looking at a recovery and not a funeral. We thank God that this was a life changing accident and not a life ending. I am very thankful but it's tough to see her like she is. I think what gives me strength is her strength and how she seems so calm and collective. Anyone who checks this blog obviously knows how wonderful a woman Elaine Partin is, but until you see her now, you've only begun to realize how amazing she really is.

The doctors are still keeping her in acute care for another night. They have her on an IV medication to regulate her heartbeat. Her heart would speed up and they had to regulate it. They are going to switch from the IV to an oral medication tomorrow morning. Once they switch her to an oral medication for her heart rate they can hopefully switch her to a private room. They also hope that they can remove the tube from her lung tomorrow morning. There hasn't been any drainage from her lung today and her oxygen levels are up, so that is really good news.

The therapist came by today and put an ankle stretch on her right ankle. It is like a stiff flip flop that keeps her foot flat. A lot of times, the Achilles tendon will tighten and when you try to walk after recovery it makes it difficult. The ankle stretch keeps the tendon stretched out to make sure her foot will stay flat.

As soon as I know what room she will be in I will let everyone know. I am sure Elaine would love to see some new faces over this next week as she awaits pelvic surgery.

Thanks again for all the prayers, thoughts, and calls. Keep 'em coming...

Monday Update

Elaine had a decent night. She was able to rest for most of the night. Chad's Mom had a waterless shampoo at her shop. Melissa and Anna Ruth washed and styled her hair and Elaine says she feels much better. Ben spoke to the head nurse and we hope that Elaine will be able to move to a private room at the end of the day depending on how she does today.

Sunday Night Update

Elaine has had a pretty good day. She is stable and was able to eat a little bit of food for dinner. We found out that we are going to have one of the best pelvic trauma orthopedics in the nation doing her surgery. Unfortunately he is out of town until next Monday. So for the next week Elaine will remain in acute care. The orthopedics assured us that she will be fine to wait and Dr Webb is worth waiting for.

Elaine remains in unbelievably high spirits. She has a long road ahead of her, but we all know that God will carry her through her recovery.

Ben wants to say a special thanks to everyone for all their thoughts and prayers. He really appreciates all of the contact through the blog and all the people that have called and have stopped by. It means so much to the family to see everyone support us and Elaine as you all have. Elaine has always been a caregiver to everyone she has met. I truly believe she touches the lives of each person she meets in a special way.

Thanks again for the prayers and the support. I will continue to post daily about her progress through the days and when we get a definite time for surgery. This next week will really just be a week of waiting for Dr. Webb to return.

Sunday News

Melissa helped the nurse give Elaine another bath. They had found a few more pieces of glass under Elaine. She is now all cleaned up and resting.

Ben spoke with the Neurologist and got a positive update. They took more x-rays and are happy with the halo. The halo is adjusted correctly and is doing it's job well.

We are still waiting to find out more from the Orthopedic about surgery, but again they say there is no rush on the pelvic surgery.

Considering her injuries, the Doctor says she is in great condition and remains stable.

Sunday Morning

Sorry for not giving an update yesterday evening. They did get the halo fitted on Elaine. They also allowed her to have water and ice, even some soft foods. Melissa gave her a bath and put some lotion on her. Ben and Melissa spoke with the Trauma Dr. yesterday evening. They are waiting for the best trauma pelvic surgeon to return from a conference/vacation to do her surgery. With her leg in traction, they say there is no reason they can't wait until Dr. Webb gets back to do the surgery. We are still not sure if he will be back Monday or not.

We appreciate all the calls, posts, and prayers.

Mid-Morning Update

We got an update from the neurologist(s). 4 neurologists reviewed the CT scan and have decided the best treatment for Elaine's vertebrae fracture is to affix a halo. The Halo will allow them to make sure the vertebrae heal in perfect alignment. Right now the second vertebrae is pushed forward slightly. With the use of weights on the halo for at least 6 weeks, the fracture will heal with alignment to prevent any spinal cord damage and loss of mobility.

Here is a website with information about the halo for you:
http://www.healthtouch.com/bin/EContent_HT/cnoteShowLfts.asp?fname=07181&title=USING+A+HALO+BRACE+AFTER+SPINAL+CORD+INJURY++&cid=HTHLTH

Elaine has been moved from ICU to a "step down" unit on the 11th floor. It is acute care still with limited visiting hours.

We will keep the information coming.

Please keep Elaine in your prayers.

Saturday Morning Update

Elaine had a long night of testing last night. Doctors here are taking excellent care of her. They did several CT scans with and without contrast for the Trauma Dr, Orthopedic Dr, and the neurologist. We do not know about surgery yet, we hope to know by 8am. They are going to fit her with a new neck brace, the one that the Drs here prefer. They did put a pin through her tibia in her right leg to pull her leg out from her pelvis to relieve pressure.

Elaine's Road to Recovery

I want to start by thanking everyone for all of their thoughts and prayers.

As all of you know, Elaine was involved in an auto accident on Wednesday July 18, 2007.

Elaine had three main injuries from the accident.

1. There is a small fracture between her 2nd and 3rd vertebrae.


2. She has three broken ribs on her right side, collapsing her right lung.


3. Her right side of her pelvic bone was shattered.

As of now 11:00pm Friday July 20th, here is what we know:

Elaine is now at Baptist Hospital in ICU 4B. They have collar on her neck to immobilize her. The Doctor thinks that the collar will support her neck to allow the vertebrae to fuse back on their own. Her lung is staying inflated on it's own and her ribs will heal. The main concern is the pelvic bone. A general surgeon has seen her and will speak with an orthopedic surgeon through the night and hopefully we will know more about that surgery in the morning.

Elaine remains conscious and in great spirits.

Again we wanted to thank everyone for all their thoughts, calls, and prayers.

I will be updating this post regularly from the hospital and please post and let us hear from you.

You can also reach us through our cell phones.

Ben 336-870-1614

Melissa 336-880-2345

Jimmy 336-880-1597/336-312-1107

John 336-847-1226

Melissa(John's Wife) 704-254-5667