Lucille Update #4: GREAT NEWS!

This info was just received from Rick regarding Lucille, his Mother:

This morning she went into surgery to remove those external supports on her legs. This is the same surgery she was to have on Monday but she had some problems (her blood pressure dropped and her pulse rate went over 200 bps) they canceled it.

The doctor just stopped by and told dad & me when they removed the supports this morning all went GREAT. When they removed the supports there was not any infection and they didn't put the internal supports in.

The doctor said they are putting temp. casts on her legs (back and sides only), he is not sure she will ever need the internal pins and screws. She will not have to see this doctor for 2 weeks, at that time they will check the bones again and make sure all is well.

We asked the doctor if she will be here in the hospital for the next 2 weeks and he said no, she should be able to go to a facility that would give her physical therapy (PT), like the place in Rockport. No I don't know when that will be I will let you know asap.

As I am typing this mom was taken back to her room, this means she came out of recovery very fast. Dad went up with her and I'm on my way.

I'll update everyone when I find out anything more.

Rick

That's the best news we've had since the day she fell in March. Let's hope the news continues to be good!

Lucille Update #3

Rick has just supplied me with some bad news and some good news regarding his mother, Lucille Carlson. (For those just joining us, Lucille fell from the porch of their trailer in March. This resulted in compound fractures of both legs near the ankle. She's in a Corpus Christi hospital.)

First, the bad news:
In April, Lucille moved from the hospital to another medical facility where she could receive long-term care and therapy to keep her healthy while her legs healed.

Unfortunately, things did not work out as planned and her health actually deteriorated, possibly to crisis proportions last week. Son Rick and daughter Linda returned to Rockport to support Dick and Lucille get through this phase.

Now the good news:
A week ago (9th) she was moved back to the hospital. She was severely dehydrated and getting fluids into her has improved her condition greatly. Further significant improvement is expected over the next few days.

That brings us to today, June 16th. Rick said:

Mom is going to surgery on Monday (6/16) to remove the outer stabalizers (rods/pins) on her legs that were installed on March 14, but at this point I'm not sure how they will support her legs once the internal rods/pins are in place. Guess we will find out on Monday. Removing the external hardware will allow her to be more mobile, via a wheelchair; however, she won't be walking for a long time. She has been confined to her hospital room for the last 3 months and wants to get out of that room badly. This surgery will also allow her to participate more actively in PT, and this, we are hoping, will let her build her body back up so when her leg fractures are healed the rest of her body will be ready too.

Late update (2:30pm) from Rick: The surgery has been postponed until, possibly, later this week.

The Carlson family is in need of our prayers and moral support during this difficult year.

You can contact them here:

Lucille Carlson
Site 40
4851 N. Highway 35
Rockport, TX 78382

We're High and Dry, Safe and Sound

We had no idea people thought much about us, but the well-publicized flood in Iowa and specifically here in Cedar Rapids has resulted in phone calls and emails from all around the country—often from friends we've not heard from for months. And some were from Rockport 35 RV Park friends, which does not surprise us!

"Are you OK?" is the question, of course.

We're thankful that the answer is, "Yes!"

We're about 6 miles from downtown and about 4 miles from the river at its closest point. There are 1,000+ blocks downtown, homes, businesses—everything—which are under water. The first floor of those buildings nearest the river are nearly full. I don't think the water reached the second floor anyplace. In short, it is a mess of huge proportions.

The good news is that the water is going down faster than expected—down maybe 10 feet from the crest. Some are now getting back into their homes to find a discouraging mess.

Our only inconvenience is that I have not had internet, so could not post. Now I have re-subscribed to dial-up service so am back on the air—albeit slowly.

I apologize for not getting the comments to this blog up earlier. "The system" is supposed to send me a message as soon as someone submits a comment. It didn't.