The last day of February, a full moon, and still snow in Iowa

For those of you keeping track, my name is Suzanne and it has been 9 days since my last post.
It's not like I don't want to post, it is just that the days in Denver are quiet and the progress is slow.

So, what's the latest...It seems that Dad's pressure sore is really turning out to be a pain in the ass. Until there is more healing, Dad's therapy is still limited, ultimately resulting in more time in bed and less time up and around. This, too, causes complications with some of the other medical issues. Because he cannot be up enough, he has been spending more time on the vent to keep his lungs open and the secretions down. There has been some infection in his secretions so Dad is on some antibiotics to keep things from turning in pneumonia. The antibiotics are causing some stomach issues, so his appetite is not up and he is still getting most of his nourishment from the tube. It just seems to be a cycle...Dad is reminding me a lot of the little mouse in the kids' book If You Give a Mouse a Cookie. When I spoke with Mom yesterday, the sun was shining in Denver so they were moving him out to the bridge to get some sun.

Mom called again last night, a little later than usual. She had to tell me that she had just suctioned Dad's trach for the first time. She admitted that she was not sure who was more nervous!

A little news from the home-front (Iowa that is.) My little girl turned double digits last week and as I hugged her at the exact time of her birth (one of the benefits of being her teacher...we were together at 8:20 in the morning), I noticed she was crying. She said was that all she wanted was for Zayde to be home. Anyone who doesn't think this whole ordeal is impacting everyone obviously doesn't know Dad well. The Yoder's certainly need to head west soon and I promised her we would.

On a side note about my double digit little girl...thought I would take this opportunity to share some new pictures of her. She cut her hair on her birthday and now has 2 ponytails to donate to Pantene's Great Lengths program which makes wigs for cancer patients. This is the third time she has donated which just shows that everyone has time in their lives for mitzvahs.

Since Mom and Dad haven't been home in awhile, I am also posting some pics of our latest snow storm here. We had ice first and then the snow on top, making for some very beautiful pictures.

This pic was taken right in front of our house looking down our street.

This is what the snow looked like hanging from the screen on our porch. I couldn't resist taking the picture because it is what I imagine Sully (from Monsters, Inc.) would look like if he were white.

Blessings to you and yours...

xxxoooetc.
suz

This post is for you, 'o favorite G-dsister of mine!

Apparently there has been some concern that i have not posted lately...i apologize. It is not that i am neglecting my duties as favorite daughter, it is simply that there has not been a lot of news to report lately.

I have been talking with Mom every night once she gets back to her apartment. She seems so wiped out just talking with her that i can only imagine how Dad feels. It does seem that every time she gives me news, the next day something has changed and it no longer applies. But, this is what i know...

Dad had been doing awesome as he was weaning from the vent...or so we thought. The x-rays today did not look as good as the docs would have liked, so he will go back on the vent at night for the next few days. But, the great news is that he has been doing fantastic during the day, up to 14-16 hours.

The other medical issues are being dealt with as well. He did have a wound vac put on his pressure sore and it sounds like this is helping with the wound debridement. I can only picture that this new device is the result of medical advancement and technology...thank goodness leeches are no longer used! And seriously, isn't debridement what happens when a man gets divorced?

Dad still has the feeding tube but he is eating more and more. Unfortunately, until the other medical issues are dealt with, he is still in a holding pattern with therapy. He is in a chair 3-5 hours a day, but there have been some minor glitches with him driving it himself. Again, the mantra continues to be "forward...slow but forward."

Mom says the weather in Denver is cold and snowy. Gee, that doesn't seem like a huge surprise! Elisa, Patrick, the boys, and the little Jones' princess drove to Denver last weekend and Dad's friend, Rob Tully, is going out tomorrow. I know it is the little things...the visits, the mail, the e-mails, and the thoughts...that really lift Dad and Mom's spirits.

So, Jules, this post was for you, and ALL our loved ones who keep checking this blog to stay in touch with Dad. Each of us Rosenfeld's are truly blessed to have such wonderful support systems in our family and friends. Together, we can move mountains!

"What you can do, we cannot do, and what we can do, you cannot do, but together we can do something beautiful." (Mother Teresa)

with love to all...
suz

This post is for Dr. Holtzman

Yesterday I was able to call in for Dad's first care conference. Dr. Hsu started by telling Dad that "treating you, Marty, is like treating five patients together." We all knew Dad always went above and beyond and gave 110% in everything he does.

The purpose of the conference was for everyone involved to report on their particular view and work together to develop a plan for Dad's treatment. We heard from Dr. Hsu, PT, OT, nursing, family services, the case manager, the psychologist,...(now I know how it feels to make an acceptance speech and worry about forgetting someone!) In short, things are pretty much the same as I explained on February 1, although everyone believes Dad has made some great progress since arriving at Craig. The skin sore is still the biggest limitation, but Dad has been able to be up in the power chair about two hours twice a day. He was off the ventilator for eight continuous hours on Monday and the goal, obviously, is to work up to all day. Again, the entire team was very optimistic that Dad would be able to get off the vent.

The best part of the hour long meeting for me...after about seven weeks, I was able to hear Dad talk. Braydon spoke with him last week and I have to agree with what he said. He said Zayde sounded like Mufasa! (btw, Andrew, remember when we used to say "Mufasa" and you would reply, "oooh, it makes me shiver! Say it again!")

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=peEkaiRNZoM&feature=related

Dr. Hsu concluded the meeting by saying, "One of the best ways to observe Dad's improvement is simply to "look at the face of his wife." Thanks to one of their new friends at Craig, now everyone can see Dad's improvement. Also, click on the link to see a youtube video of Mom and Dad's re-committment ceremony from Feb. 4.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yxQxhZJK9JU

I'll end this post with a quote from Rabbi Harold Kushner, taken from his book When Bad Things Happen to Good People.

"If we think of life as a kind of Olympic games, some of life's crises are sprints.

They require maximum emotional concentration for a short time. Then they

are over, and life returns to normal. But other crises are distance events. They

ask us to maintain our concentration over a much longer period of time, and that

can be a lot harder." (p. 139)

Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad!

19 years ago today, Martin Rosenfeld and Trudi Lasky finally tied the knot in the Wiggins' living room. Let's just say it was about time. For those of you who do not know the story, Mom and Dad dated in high school after they met at a USY (youth group) convention in Des Moines (although Mom lived in St. Louis, they were in the same district.) Apparently, the story goes that he broke up with her and she was devastated. In fact, she painted a picture entitled "Willow Weep for Me" which is hanging in my living room. Years and years went by and I am not really sure who stalked who more.

Thirty-some-odd years later, Tiff joined the same youth group and went to a convention in, you guessed it, Des Moines. At some point a man showed up and asked the group of 400+ teenagers, "Does anyone know Trudi Lasky?" A little hesitant, Tiff took pictures and went home to St. Louis. It would be nice to say that it was love at first photo sight but, no. Before the film could be developed (remember those days?), the new puppy ate the roll....no pictures. But, a phone call soon followed and it was love at first voice.

Rabbi Yossi came today and they had a kinda-sorta re-commitment ceremony. They spoke a lot about new beginnings which, now that I think about it, really makes sense at 19 years. For those of you who are not familiar with the Hebrew language, each letter also has a numerical value. The Hebrew word for life, Chai, is spelled with the letter Chet (deep in the throat sound, not the English "ch") and the letter Yod (rhymes with good.) The numerical value of Chet has the numerical value of 8 and Yod has the value of 10. Therefore, the numerical value of the word "life" is 18. So, to me, it makes sense to begin a new life at 19 years, or 1 year after 18.

A couple funnies a la Dad...

Yesterday, when Mom told him the Rabbi was coming for a ceremony, he replied, "But I have nothing to wear." (ever the debonair fashion forward thinker!)

Today, Dad ask Mom what the physical therapist was doing. Mom said she was stretching his legs. Dad's, always on top of things, asked the therapist to stretch him to 6'4"!

Good news....he passed the x-ray swallow study and is able to eat more and more. However, much to his dismay, they have him on the diabetic diet. Would someone reading this please remind Mom that she has contraband tapioca pudding from Target in her fridge? :)

Good night all...it's getting late!

love to all! suz

P.S. Please keep checking in...one of Dad's nurses took some pictures and another family video taped the ceremony today. I hope to be able to post them soon.

"I've Got Your Back"

When this whole ordeal first began, Mom said those words to Dad...today, when he was finally able to say something, that was the first thing he told her. "I've got your back!"

Dad and Mom arrived at Craig Hospital in Denver on Wednesday via air ambulance and I met

them on Thursday. Craig is a small hospital (about 85 beds) that is dedicated solely to the rehab of spinal cord injury and brain injury patients. They are a very holistic hospital, taking into account how one "issue" plays into the treatment of others. Dad has one primary doctor there and EVERYTHING must go through him. Dr. Shu spent 1 1/2 hours with Mom and I on Friday explaining everything.

Dad was completely reassessed in his first couple of days there. At this point, we know that Dad has 31 separate issues that need to be managed (he wasn't the healthiest guy to begin with.) Although some are minor, the biggies are his heart, his lung function (he is still on a ventilator), his spinal cord therapy, continuing to manage his diabetes, and a humongous pressure sore he has on his lower back.

The pressure sore has been the biggest hurdle so far. Although the doc is not completely sure of the degree, he is estimating it to be at least at level 3 or 4 (0 is normal skin, 5 is when the sore reaches the bone.) However, they cannot assess the damage until they are able to (sorry to be gross) complete debridement (or removal of damaged tissue.) The fastest approach is surgical debridement...BUT Dad is on coumiden (blood thinner) and the risk of bleeding is too high. So, they are using topical enzymes to take care of this...but, it takes a long time (weeks!) Until then, there is a possibility that things are getting worse underneath. They are very cautious and will do whatever needs to be done.

The kicker is that until this sore is taken care of, he cannot sit any longer than 1 hour per day...thus, therapy is difficult....

The good things....Dad was put in a power wheelchair today and he told the nurse, "It felt great to be up." They are also working on getting other adaptive devices for him to use (a remote for the TV he can simply blow on.)They are also very confident and working very hard to get him off the ventilator. (This is slow because he has a collapsed lung and no intercostal muscle use. It is unsure if his diaphram is working. He will be able to breathe without the vent because of his neck muscles.) As this process continues, he will be able to talk more and more.

At this point, Dad is a quadriplegic but he does have use of his shoulder muscles and biceps with a little muscle control in his wrist. For those of you in the medical know, he had a level 4/5 complete spinal cord injury, classifying him as a level A according to ASIA (American Spinal Injury Association.) Although no one can predict the future, statistics say he will most likely never be able to walk, drive, or transfer himself. Let me say that again...statistics say that...Mom says something else. "We are still waiting for our miracle and will continue to surprise others with what we can do together."

I also spoke with the occupational and physical therapists. I thought they could do work with him to gain more movement...i was wrong. They can work with him to build strength in what he currently has; they cannot make anything "come back." If (when!) more comes later, they work to strengthen that. Only the body can heal and make more "come back."

So, that's the bottom line (can't really say I made a long story short.) BUT, he is definitely where he needs to be...the staff at Craig are amazing people totally committed to their patients AND their families! There is therapy for everyone...Mom included!

The other blessing in Denver is Mom and Dad's friend, Laya (our family calls her Linda...just an FYI in case I slip sometime.) She and Mom sat next to each other in homeroom at U. City High. Although Mom says they "did not run in the same crowd," you can't tell that by looking at them now. Laya had one of her rabbis come visit yesterday and he was awesome! (For those of you in Des Moines, he looks much like Rabbi Jacobson! In fact, they were in the yeshiva together, they are both named Yossi and both married to Chani's! I guess some things are meant to be!) I was taking notes as he was talking...a few things especially struck me...

"G-d pitches and we swing. We don't know will throw but we swing anyway. We can fail 7/10 times and still make it to the Hall of Fame."

He told the story of a tightrope walker his grandfather knew. He asked, "How do you do it?" The tightrope walker answered simply, "The rope will move, sway back and forth. But, I just keep looking ahead and put one foot in front of the other. I focus on my feet and my goal but I don't look at what is in between...that is the scary part."

So, as life continues to blow us off course, we Rosenfeld's are simply going to look at our feet and at our goal...

Blessings to you and yours! Suz

P.S. Check out the boxes to the side. I posted Dad's mailing address at Craig and also Mom's new e-mail address. But, when e-mailing, be patient...she is still new at this! When in doubt, you can still e-mail me and I will make sure she gets it.