Rehab

Mom s making her therapy debut as I write. Although we will be involved in her therapy, we are taking some time away to allow her some much needed independence. This weekend, visiting should be great...we hope she is up to some grandkiddin' . Keep the faith!
Amy

Moving on...

First of all we would like to thank everyone for being so supportive of Mom over the last week and a half during surgery and ICU. She is doing very well; your words of encouragement and love have definitely made a difference.

Second, Mom's surgery went very well on Monday and she was moved to a regular room soon after. We are hoping to get her moved to the rehabilitation hospital today. Once moved we want to give her a day or so to get settled in her new room and familiar with the hospital facilities that she will be using for therapy. The staff at the hospital has advised that visitors are encouraged to come and spend time with her, however, if she focuses more on the visitors than therapy they may cut back on visiting hours.

Right now we are focusing on day to day goals. Today's goal is to get mom to rehab. Tomorrow's goal is to get her acclimated to her surroundings. We would like to ask that visitors please wait until Friday or the weekend to start coming by. Also, please call me before.

Alan Torbett
214.450.7160

Baylor Institute for Rehabilitation
3505 Gaston Ave.
Dallas, TX 75246

Directions, parking information and phone numbers

Post-Op

After a short operation, Mom is recovering in ICU. She is awake, talking and joking. We hope to move to a regular room very soon. ICU waiting area is not optimal for sleeping or any normal activity for that matter....we look forward to being a little more private and able to do a lot more visiting with Mom. Keep the prayers coming as well as comments, they are working!
Amy

Surgery today

Mom is scheduled for surgery this morning to remove the drain from the prior surgery, and implant a more permanent one. This should speed her release from ICU and hopefully by the end of the week, she will be moved to the Baylor Rehabilitation Institute. Surgery should begin around 10am, and I will update periodically as to her progress today.

Amy

Weekend Update

Mom wants everyone to know that she appreciates all of the thoughts, prayers and well wishes posted here. She is continually getting better day by day and we are hoping for a release from the ICU this week. We will post any updates on that as soon as we know more. Thanks to everyone who has shared their feelings and prayers. They are priceless.

Alan a.k.a. "Shag"

I just finished freshening mom up, she even put on her own lipstick! PERFECTLY! with no mirror...She knows of her blog and calls it her "blob" she wants to know minute by minute who says what, so keep the comments coming.
With the weekend coming, we are looking forward to seeing mom's siblings who have not been able to come up yet. Having said that, those are going to be the only visitors the Dr. will allow...flu is rampant and mom is easily tired...she has to work twice daily with the rehabilitation specialists and it is quite frustrating for her to do if she is overtired. The well wishes and sweet comments are great therapy and we are so appreciative. We will see you all when we get her out of ICU!
God Bless!
Amy

Even better today!

Even better than yesterday! She is poking fun her nurse "Gene, Gene the nursing machine" as well as myself. Not much more at this time.....I will try and post again later this evening. Thanks again for the great comments!

God Bless!
Adam

Still doing well!

First, Mom asked us to post a thanks to Rudy and Romana for lunch today. She could not believe that they drove all the way from Gunter to fill our bellies. It was great having something other that hospital food.

Second, Mom continues to amaze us as well as her Doctor's. She sat up a little and had her first meal since surgery. She will most likely spend the weekend in ICU. Having said that, the Doctor would like to limit her visits for all of us to reduce risk of the flu or other possible infection. We anticipate that she will be transfered to a rehab facility early next week. Thank you for posting the kind words, she actually read all of them today. I will print them each morning for her so keep'em comin'.

God Bless,
Adam

The lowdown

Alyssa and I stayed all night in hopes of catching the Dr. and we were unsuccessful....we are back at bat again this morning and are hopeful that we can get some insight as to what to expect in the next few days. Still no change in status...Stable, and sleepy...more in a bit.....
Love,
Amy

This evening we are awaiting a conference with the Neuro-Oncologist. Mom's vital signs are still stable. We had very little wake time with her today but when she is awake she seems inquisitive and somewhat aware of her surroundings. We look forward to having some more information tonight.

Wednesday a.m.

Mom is just about the same this morning. The t.v. has been on in her area since surgery, but today, she told the nurse "t.v." and then held up four fingers....ever the Fox4 fan! She also wanted to touch her head...maybe tomorrow.
If you have trouble reaching us by phone, it is because we are taking care of one another which is such a testament to the mother we have. Christie's kids love her, and to honor that love we are devoted to ensuring that we each have time with mom and time together. Thank you so much for the great response to the blog and we hope to see our mom's dear friends when she moves to a regular room. Keep up the prayers and positive thoughts!

Amy

Thank you!

Thank you so much to my sweet sister- in- law Christy Sullivan for creating and setting up this blog! Knowing you are by our side is such a comfort! I love you sistah! !
Amy

Surgery

Mom had surgery on Monday evening and is in ICU recovering. It is still early and we are still anxious when we talk to the Dr. However, she is stable at this time.

As you can imagine, Mom has lots of fans, and updating by phone is overwhelming and we want to try to devote our energy to taking care of each other and our Dad.

If you know of someone who cannot access the internet, please give them a call for us.

Family and Friends

We have set this blog up as a means of communication for family and friends of Christie. This will allow us to continue to take care of her needs and communicate with everyone minute by minute of where she is at in her prognosis, progress, and answer any questions you might have on a daily basis. Feel free to post comments, questions, prayers and any messages that you have for Christie. She will be delighted to see them.

Please know that as much as we would love to talk to each one of you individually, that is precious time that we need to spend helping her recover. We are truly appreciative of all the support and prayers. We will notify you when she will be able to have visitors.


Thank you for your understanding,

The Torbett Family-
~ Amy, Adam, Alyssa, Alan and Bill