Fourth Surgery Update 7

June 7, 2011

“Tamara is improving and getting better than normal. Her recuperation is just wonderful. We are excited about that,” Dorene said. Tamara has a blood clot in her leg and started getting shots in her stomach twice a day on Friday June 3 to thin her blood. She will have the shots until her blood reaches a desired level. The shots are very painful and leave little black and blue marks on her tummy. Her leg is getting better. She has to take blood thinners by mouth for six months.

Tamara moved to rehab on late Saturday afternoon. Dorene is still staying around the clock with her in the hospital. Dorene slept on the floor on an inch mat and a sleeping bag from home until they moved to rehab. There she got a pullout cot and put her pad and sleeping bag on it. She was able to sleep better.

Rehab had Tamara wash clothes today in the washing machine there. It is very hard for her to do anything. Stairs are hard for her. She couldn’t walk very well. Her legs just turn off. “Monday I could see she was walking very slowly, but when she was with me she walked fast,” Dorene said. So Dorene took her outside where Tamara was able to walk better. So today (Tuesday) they took Tamara outside.

At first Tamara couldn’t walk. She barely lifted one leg. She rested on a bench. Then Dorene encouraged her to step down on a curb and step up again. Tamara put her walker up on a curb but could not step up. Her legs were just like rubber. Dorene and the physical therapist boosted her up the curb. “I want to do that again,” Tamara said. She went down on the curb then tried to step up. After about three tries, she was doing it on her own. She went around, up and down the curb about ten times. “This afternoon we took her out to walk on the grass barefooted. This was a great accomplishment. She has depth perception issues” Dorene said.

“She is better today and is making progress. She is a walking miracle,” Dorene said. Tamara will be in the hospital longer than the last time. She may be released from the hospital next Tuesday. She is afraid to go home. It is so hard. She will probably go home with Dorene for a couple of weeks until she feels strong enough to go home.