Scroll down for Update 4
Karin has come through 4 1/2 hours of surgery well and was released
from ICU on Tuesday. She will be returning home soon to face a second
surgery in two weeks and we, at RFSA, wish her all the best for a quick
and full recovery.
Important
Any donations towards her care can be made at the RFSA website,
please mark them "medical" as all other donations go directly to the
camps in South Africa.
Update 1:
Email to Brizer: Hello, this is Cara, Karin's daughter. My Mom has asked me to thank you and Graham for the kind donations. She asked that you please broadcast a thank you to your people who have donated thus far. She came through the 4 1/2 hour surgery quite well and we are halfway back to Pampa. We will do the other half tomorrow. Then she has 2 weeks to recuperate before the next surgery. She is in a ton of pain and is not even speaking correctly - yet! Money of course is the main problem as we are immigrants and do not qualify for any govt assistance. SO - the donations are a blessing. Please explain to your audience that Mom cannot use her arms or legs and it may be some time before she can thank people personally.
Update 2:
Email to zap: Hello, This is Cara, Karin Smith's daughter.
My Mom has asked me to send you a heartfelt thank you for your kindness to her in this horrible time.
The
first surgery was 4 1/2 hours , mainly because her bones are so thin
from arthritis. It was, according to the surgeon, successful. But she
is in terrible pain as the nerves that they have freed are badly damaged
and will take years to recover. The trip home from Dallas was a
nightmare for her but we felt it was better to have her at home and have
the second surgery (scheduled for Friday this week (February 7th)) closer to home.
The hardest thing for Mom is being totally dependent on others. She is
so independent that being unable to even feed herself is terribly hard
to live with.
The first
surgery was the vertebrae in the neck and the second will be the lower
back. The sciatic nerve is trapped and the pain has been unbearable for
some time now. Mom is a tough lady and is handling all of this with
courage and strength.
It is
going to be a long, hard road for all of us, but we adore her and are
all doing everything we can to make this easier for her.
Thank you for caring, it is wonderful to know that people, outside of the family, love and care for my wonderful Mom.
Please keep on praying for us all.
Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.
Cara
Update 3:
Email to zap: Hello again,
Thank you for your mail asking after Mom.
I have not sent an update out as I do not really know what to say.
Medically,
the second surgery was a success. They freed 2 trapped nerves which
were wrapped around themselves and crushed so badly one was almost
severed in half.
For Mom,
the "success" was not so great. The freed nerves are causing incredible
pain and she is refusing Morphine as she is terrified of being
addicted. When she came out of recovery she was asking what they put in
her leg and was begging them to "take it out". She was very frail
before the surgeries, but, it was decided that both were urgent and
necessary, so we had little choice but to go ahead. Now, it feels to
the family that she is falling apart. The Doctors assure us that all
will be will given time, but for now, both Mom and myself feel
helpless. Mom cries a lot and I am worried as I have never in my 33
years seen her like this.
I
am hoping that they will transfer her to the same rehab my husband is
in after his brain surgery so that they have company and it will ease
the strain of visiting two different hospitals every day.
As you can see, I am not able to give an upbeat report, and am hoping that things improve enough, soon, so that I can do that.
Thanks again for your concern and love for my special Mother
Cara
Update 4:
Email to zap: Hi
Mom is
not doing well at all. She may be transferred to Rehab tomorrow
(Friday February 21). The Neurosurgeon thinks that she will be there for at least 4
months. She is still unable to do the most basic things for herself
and needs 24/7 care.
My husband has been released from Rehab and will have "outpatient" rehab closer to home for the foreseeable future.
Thank you for your concern and care
Cara
N.B. I will leave this post up as a sticky post for a few days and then will bump it back up when I get new updates.
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