This is Lauren and I apoligize for not keeping up with the blog these past couple days, we were all exhausted and needed some rest but Im back and ready to update you all.


Sunday- Lindsey had to go to radiology and get an X-ray.  Mom waited in radiology for a picture of her back.  The nurses came in to get her height, Lindsey was 4' 11'' but because of the surgery she grew a whole inch.  Her Physical Therapist, Amanda, helped her practice going up and down the stairs. She did very well.  She told her she was ready to go home. The nurse came in and took out her IV in her left hand. Sadly this was also my last day at the hospital with Lindsey because I have to work.  I decided to push her around in a wheel chair for as long as I could.  (My mom started to wonder if we had left the hospital.)  When we returned from the long wheel chair excursion one of the anesthesiologist came in to remove her epidural and she would be getting all of her medication from a pill from this point forward.  Lindsey was planning on going home but in the evening her pain level was a 10.  The doctors and nurses told us, sometimes the transition from the epidural to medications are not easy.  Because my parents had an hour and a half ride home the nurses suggested we stay until we get her pain under control.

Monday- This was both a good day and a bad day.  In the morning Lindsey was still in horrible pain which prevented her from coming home right then. The doctors said they would keep her until her pain level was tolerable.  Eventually the nurses gave her the right combination and doesage amounts of medicaton so she was comfortable and she was on her way home.

Ralph took some pictures of a storm on Monday before we left:

 Wow, what a strom...

This is Lindsey's mom:  The car ride --- I was dreading it.  I kept thinking if she can't be kept comfortable in a hospital. how is she going to be comfortable driving down pot hole filled Michigan roads.  I did get a chance to speak with another spine surgery patients mom before Lindsey's surgery and she told me "Bring lots and lots of pillows for the car ride."  So before Lindsey's surgery I bought lots and lots of pillows.  When Lindsey got into the car she was incased with pillows.  I sat in the front seat.  As we got a little ways down the road and I noticed Lindsey was sleeping and her head kept falling forward.  I told Ralph to pull over at an exit I was going to sit in the back and hold her head I did not want her to jar anything. So the rest of the ride home I sat in the back seat with Lindsey.  We finally arrived home.  Family was waiting there to greet us.  They helped us get Lindsey into her room downstairs and bring all the stuff in from the car.