Getting better everyday!

Dawn here. . . Aunt Tammy had to return to D.C. :-( We will miss her witty prose and you will have to tolerate my linear, void of interesting adjectives or unique titles, writing once again! (the pancake title still makes me laugh) I cannot thank her enough for keeping the blog updated.

Rainey is doing SO MUCH BETTER! Having her home for Christmas safe and sound was the best present ever and the only one I wished for. The first three days at home were pretty tough. . . she had migraine headaches almost everyday. Today was the first day without a headache in site! She has been walking almost daily and has reached her goal on the little blow 'thingy' that the nurses sent home with us. She looks better and has been able to 'get back to reading'. You know Rainey . . . she reads about one book a day. However, don't be fooled. . . her mind is set on getting back to where she was before the surgery health wise, academically, and of course, athletically. She won't ever give up and she does NOT want to look back! I'm pretty sure she was bound and determined to get up right after surgery and walk right out of that hospital! She talked about playing Lacrosse and Football after she is better! She's such a kidder!

She would love to have her friends come and visit. . . just please call ahead so we can plan. It's much easier for her if ya'all come at different times so she can rest in between. Board games, going on a walk , watching movies, and of course, looking at My Space seems to be the 'fun' things to do here! :-)

We cannot thank each and everyone of you for your kind words, your prayers, the groceries, (the wine!), the goodie baskets, and your continued support. It means the world to us to have such a wonderful circle of friends. Your blog postings were read everyday, sometimes twice. . . . Rainey's eyes would light up when she would hear what you wrote. I know it helped her to a speedy recovery. We would talk about all of our friends after each reading and how lucky we are to have you in our lives. Thank you. . . . thank you. . . . thank you!

I will probably post one more time after the doctor's visit on Wednesday, December 31st. Please do not hesitate to email me if you need an 'individual update' :-)

May you all have an enjoyable, exciting, and memorable 2009!!

Take care and keep smiling!

Day After Christmas Update

Rainey’s first couple of days home have been good. Of course, she gets tired and is not out of pain, but she’s being a total rock star: She has walked around her neighborhood, eaten well, and done her breathing exercises (and got the machine up to where she was before the surgery, I might add). Dawn and Rainey have gotten massages. Rainey has a weird knot on her neck that was at least partially caused by them trying repeatedly to put an IV in place, which they’re trying to get rid of with massage therapy.

This update is much less detailed because I am following my own anal instructions – my brother had a cold, so I stayed away Christmas Eve and Christmas, and now I actually have something. So now I miss my little buddy, too. Maybe one of you who can go see her can add to the blog in the comments? Smile.

Rainey may get to go to school in a few weeks, and may even be playing basketball within a month. (My favorite check out advice from the doctor when we asked him when she could play basketball again: “Well, so long as she doesn’t take repeated blows to the chest…” and he was serious.)

As you know, Dawn, Rainey, and Grandma Rita will continue to need your help – groceries, meals, errands, and the like. The next month will continue to involve a lot a healing. But with the help of all of you, I’m sure that they will make it through this better than ever.

Love,
Aunt Tammy

Christmas Eve Update

Rainey actually ate a piece of pizza last night, and had a huge breakfast this morning. She actually got out of the house to get a massage, too (her body started to hurt more and more, which is probably in part from this very active young lady not moving for about a week).

Thanks much to the Higgins family, who brought over everything that the family needs for a wonderful Christmas dinner!

So Rainey had a great day. Thanks for all of your thoughts and prayers that brought her home for Christmas.

Love,
Aunt Tammy

Help with Christmas Dinner for Dawn, Rainey, and Rita

Dawn, Rainey and Grandma Rita need help with Christmas dinner this year! (This is an earlier posting, but so far, we only have the wine and the pumpkin pie off the list.) Please pass this blog onto others so we can knock this out.

Here is a wish list. If you decide to bring something over, please note it in the comments section so that I know what’s left (and so we don’t end up with 50 turkeys):

- Grilled primed rib
- Turkey
- Asparagus
- Green beans
- Cauliflower mashed potatoes (I never heard of them, either; I guess you just mash up cauliflower)
- Jelly cranberry sauce
- Peach pie
- French Silk Pie

You can drop off stuff whenever you’d like. If no one answers, please leave it on the front or back door. Also, kindly please only use disposable plastic wear or the like so the family doesn’t have to worry about returning your nice cook wear.

When leaving what you will bring in the comments section, please give your name and address. (If you do not want to leave your address on the comments section, please e-mail me (Aunt Tammy) at tss2@georgetown.edu)

Thank you for making their Christmas merry!!!!

Rainey's HOME - Last Blog for the Night

All, Aunt Tammy and Rainey are going to go to sleep. Probably for about 15 hours. So no news is good news (just didn't want to freak anyone out with the lapse of postings).

More tomorrow - she had about 20 of her closest buddies to welcome her home. Much fun. Very cool.

Rainey’s Coming Out So You Better Get This Party Started!!!

We are 99% sure that Rainey is going to get out of the hospital this afternoon and is going home! Her hematocrit test came back at 34.8 and, honestly, we didn’t need the test results to see the difference. She’s tired, in a bit of pain, etc., but she’s our Rainey again.

So let’s give her a SURPRISE homecoming! I will be up at Dawn’s house at 3:00. Please show up with welcome home signs, in uniform, or whatever you want to do that you'd think she'd like. Please pass the word since not everyone has the blog address. Dawn will call me when they are five minutes away, and we’re going to line the street for our little buddy. My guess is that they will get there between 3:15 and 4:00. We'll kick everyone out soon thereafter so she can rest, but I know she really wants to see everyone.

YEAH! Thank you so much for all of the prayers and positive energy you’ve been putting out there for Rainey. It has obviously made all of the difference in the world.

P.S. We’re still doing the game room at 1:00. So help me, we’re doing the game room. That’s the only reason I’ve hung out here. It looks really cool, and you can only get in there with a patient. Smile.

Making a Break for the Teen Room at 1:00

Hey all, there is a teen room with a movie theater, games, etc. on the 2nd floor of the hospital. I have the best Christmas movie collection on the planet, and we're going to get there this afternoon at 1:00 if you would like to join us.

Check in to the right when you walk in the doors, and take the elevator to the 2nd floor. Turn to your left, and it is the first door to the right.

My cell is 202-550-3921.

- Aunt Tammy

Come for the Surgery, Stay for the Pancakes

Rainey’s heart rate actually got into the 70s, which is obviously good news. Incidentally, it also makes for a better experience when one first gets out of bed to take care of business. As I said in the last blog, that’s when stuff has usually started going downhill for us (and since it’s the first thing in the morning, days have not been fun). So far, though, so good. And Aces is even eating some pancakes (Children’s Hospital is apparently renowned for their pancakes – voted the best in Denver; maybe it’s just me, but I’d prefer maybe the hospital be known for, I don’t know, something other than their pancakes… Just kidding; they are, but still.)

She is about to get another hematocrit test to see if her red blood cell count is doing better. If it isn’t, she’ll probably get another unit of blood. That said, I may not be a “real” doctor (as my bro points out), but she seems to be doing a lot better today, so I would be amazed if her numbers weren’t better. The doctors are pushing her to get out of here today. We’ll do whatever Rainey thinks she’s ready for, but if she can’t make it down to the teen room, I don’t see how she’ll navigate her house. So today, we’re preparing for a lot of work to see how she does.

More later.

Very Early Morning Update

Rainey got her last unit of blood about two hours ago. She also took another lap and (thankfully for her as well as us) had a shower. Coach Jamie provided much needed motivation to do a lot of the things we needed to do this evening. And I’m happy to report that Rainey’s heart rate has been steadily in the 80s for the first time since the operation (normal resting heart rate in the 50s, but we’ll take the lowering at this point – she’s been in the high 90s or 100s since the surgery, which is one reason she is so weak; imagine being on a treadmill for almost a week straight, even when you’re sleeping…yeah, I know).

Tomorrow, more walking, more exercises, more. So far, the day goes downhill after she first gets up. So good vibes, please, for Rainey around 8:00 or so. I won’t tell you what we do when she first wakes up, but I’m sure it’s the first thing that most of us do.

Evening Update

Rainey got her one unit of blood for her transfusion (she’ll get two). She is still pretty tired, but still has to do a walk tonight, and is going to take a shower. Our hope is for a good night sleep and a great day.

If all goes well, we might be able to get out tomorrow. I won’t walk you through the blocks that she has to get through before she gets out as some of them are, well, private, but we’re working on it.

More tomorrow.

Afternoon Update

BLUF: Rainey’s hematocrit test came back low, so they have opted for the blood transfusion.

LONGER DESCRIPTION: After being told that the hematocrit test would not take long to come back, we opted to wait for that before making the decision on the transfusion. Well, it took 3 tries to get the freakin’ results – the first two blood samples clotted, supposedly. When Rainey was on her walk, I went to talk to Jennifer, a kick butt nurse who recommended the Dilantin last night. “Whatever it takes to get the stupid results, we need to do that since we’re waiting on that for the transfusion.” Jennifer came in and got the job done. We had results in less than 30 minutes.

We just got the results, and her hematocrit test came back lower – a 22.8 (it was a 23.7 yesterday). Remember, this is the number that’s supposed to be in the 30s. So we’re going ahead with the transfusion. They should start within a few minutes.

Do you know that Simpsons’ episode where Mr. Burns got a transfusion from Smithers and ended up stronger than ever? That’s what we’re hoping happens with the transfusion. Fingers crossed.

Red Blood Count, and Never Trust a 14 Year old on Dilantin Pain Killer

BLUF: Rainey might have to have a small blood transfusion due to a very low red blood cell count that is probably causing a lot of her dizziness, nausea, and exhaustion.

LONGER STORY: Rainey had to get an x-ray down on the first floor today. She is having quite a bit of nausea, dizziness, and weakness. For one of the x-rays, the poor thing had to lift her arms, couldn’t lean against her mom, etc. Well, that was about it for her. She asked, “Can I please lie on the floor? Please?” in the most heart wrenching voice imaginable – she has gone of the floor a few times because of the cold factor. I said, “Buddy, it will hurt worse to get you up, and instead of being back in your bed in a couple of minutes, it will take 20.” I thought I had gotten through – you know, really reached her. But just so you know, you can’t reason with a 14 year old who’s doped up, hot, and in pain. About ten seconds passed. Luckily, I was kneeling by Rainey when she DOVE –yes, dove – to the floor. Had in not being for seeing antics like this from my two year old, I’m not so sure that I would have caught her, but I did. No harm, no foul. But I still feel betrayed and bamboozled by my best buddy.

The same doctor who diagnosed Rainey’s heart problem just came in around 11:15. He thinks one of the reasons that Rainey might be feeling so terribly is because of her low red blood count (determined by a hematocrit test; the number is supposed to be in the 30s, hers is 24), so recommended a blood transfusion. I spoke to my brother, who’s the chief medical resident at Swedish, and given her symptoms, he thinks it is a good idea. For instance, Rainey has a normal resting heart rate in the 40s. Since her surgery, it has been in the 90s or 100s. So for her, that means she’s working twice as hard even when she’s resting – like being on a treadmill since she got out of surgery. No wonder she looks at us with the “are you kidding me?” look when we tell her she needs to walk four times today.

She just got an IV put in, and they’re doing the hematocrit test see where the red blood count is (I would be amazed if it was in the 30s, or above 24, but better be safe than sorry and make sure this is what is causing her to feel like doo doo before we give her a blood transfusion). We’ll update when we know more.

We’re going to give Rainey a target to shoot for, and there is a cool “Teen Room” on another floor. It has games, a movie theater, etc. No one can go in there unless they are with a patient, so I joked that the second she got out of the ICU, we would keep poking her: “Are you well yet? Are you well yet? Can we go to the game room? Can we go to the game room?” Not sure if we’ll get there today, but we’re going to try.

One thing I forgot to write about was “Snow Pile.” About 20,000 Harley Riders bring by presents to the Children’s Hospital for Christmas. Each kid gets to send one representative down to a room full of toys sorted by ages, genders, etc. Dawn would have gone, but understandably didn’t want to leave Rainey, so I got to go. You get to pick a “shopping buddy,” so instead of all the older folks, I picked the 16 year old totally decked out in Christmas gear, Sky, who was very helpful. Rainey got a whole bag full of stuff, including make-up, nail polish, a blanket, a huge gorilla, and a purse (yes, Aunt Tammy actually picked out a cool purse to the amazement of everyone, including herself).

More later,
Aunt Tammy

8:30 And All Is Well…

We didn’t even get to watch a movie last night because Rainey was out like a light. Her pain was managed pretty well throughout the night.

Our hope is that she has a good day. She has yet to have one of those. Today, she has to walk four times (yesterday she walked twice), do some exercises with her arms and legs, and suck into this thing to help with her collapsed lung. The good news is that Aunt Tammy has the most kick butt DVD Christmas collection, and there is a movie theater in the “Teen Room” that will hopefully provide some incentive. (Check the blog later and we’ll see if we can get her down there with some of you – I know she would love that.)

She has to get an x-ray fairly soon, so we’ll update in a few hours.

- Aunt Tammy

Last Sunday P.M. Update

Today was a bit of a tough day, mostly because we were trying to straighten out her meds – at least we’re on Colfax Avenue, which I think is the right place to work stuff like that out, doctors or no. We think that her meds were part of the reason for the headaches, etc.

Tomorrow should be a good day for visits. It really motivates her to know that people are here and that she has to walk down to the “Christmas tree” lobby to see them.

She’s been a trooper. That won’t surprise anyone. We’ll get through this with your help and prayers.

Okay, off to the girls’ slumber party. I think it is “Horten Hears a Who” tonight.

- Aunt Tammy

No Visitors for Now, Please

Hey all, Rainey’s having a bit of a tough morning between chest pain, a migraine, and nausea. Rainey has requested no visitors today; check back later as that might change, but for right now, she’s doesn’t feel up for it.

More later – I have to go get a fan and rig the window so there is no light coming in.

- Aunt Tammy

Sunday 8:45 a.m. Update

Hey all, Rainey had a great night. This morning, though, her head and her chest are contending for which is causing her the most pain. Right now, it's neck and neck for the winner.

She’s had a headache for much of the time, which comes and goes with intensity. If it doesn’t get better, they will do a CAT scan just to make sure everything’s groovy up there. We’re not sweating that yet because she looks pretty good to have anything going on up there. At least that’s what the physician’s assistant (PA) said. I’m going to ask my little bro, who is a 3rd year med resident and one of the best doctors I know despite his relative youth, about it, too. When they told Rainey we might have to get a CAT scan, she said, “Don’t worry about it. I’ll get over it.” She really cracks me up.

The chest pain is not on the incision, but on the inside – like someone is sitting on her chest. They just did an EKG to make sure that everything was okay. The PA said that this EKG looked better than her previous one, but they’ll show it to the attending doctor, too.

We’ll update soon on when she can have visitors today.

And despite the plane fire at the airport, Aunt Denise got home okay last night (she was not on that plane, but just got very delayed for obvious reasons).

- Aunt Tammy

Slumber Party

Proving that Aunt Denise is not the only one who can throw a girls’ party, Aunt Tammy, Mom, and Grandma are watching “She’s the Man.” Unfortunately, there is not enough Tylenol with Codeine to go around, but it’s still fun.

Rainey had to say goodbye to Aunt Denise, which was heard for both of them. Uncle Jay didn’t make the standby flight, so we get him for at least another day. We’re going to have a little slumber party, so this will be short.

We’ll update tomorrow on visiting hours, how Rainey is doing, and any funny stories.

Rainey's Open for Business (at Least for a Bit)!

If you’d like to come see Rainey, she should be able to see visitors from 6:30 to 7:30. She is on the 9th floor, room 906. Check in on your right when you come in the front doors, and then just come up to the 9th floor.

Please go all the way down the hall to the Christmas tree (the west side of the building) where there is a waiting room – DO NOT go directly to Rainey’s room. We’ll manage the traffic so that Rainey is not overwhelmed but gets to see everyone.

Just to let you know, she will have to get up and walk around 6:30 or 7:00. She takes her pain meds right around then, too, and is conscious, but a little out of it. Her walk exhausts her, which is why we’re doing such limited hours today.

Here’s what we need to do to allow Rainey to have visits, and take care of her:

- If you are sick at all, have recently been sick, or think you might be getting sick, please hold off visiting.
- Visits have to be short, especially depending upon how many of you are here.
- You will have to wash your hands when you go in the room.
- If you hug Rainey, please don’t squeeze hard – her incision is on her chest.
- It hurts her to laugh, so don’t try and be as funny as Aunt Tammy and rip her stitches out.
- If she needs to sleep, you can be in the room, and just be there with her; no talking, please.

They have valet parking in the front for $2, FYI.

We’ll play tomorrow by ear

Rainey's Out of the ICU!!!

BLUF: Rainey moved out of ICU!!! She is now on the 9th floor, room 906. NO VISITORS yet, please. Check back on the blog around 4:00, and we’ll let you know.

LONGER STORY: Rainey got her chest tube pulled out around noon. Rainey’s IVs were no longer working, so she had the option of getting another IV put in, or just trying to go without morphine for the procedure and just do Tylenol with codeine. The way they made it sound, the whole thing was going to be really quick, so I think given the description, Rainey made the right choice – let’s roll without the IV, which sounded worse than the procedure.

Lies. All lies.

In order to get it out, they had to tug. Yes, tug. And the damn thing was about 1 ½ feet long – it wrapped around her heart. She yelled at the nurse, “I didn’t do anything to you! Why are you doing this to me?????” Yeah she wasn’t too happy.

Our little baby is all grown up to the 9th FLOOR!!! She’s graduated from the ICU.She is exhausted right now, and will rest. She then has to walk again sometime around 2:30, which will wipe her out for at least an hour. Check back around 4:00 to see about visiting.

Saturday Morning Update

BLUF: Rainey had a good night. Although the drainage from her lungs has slowed down, it is bloody so they will probably leave the tube in today, which is disappointing but understandable. She will probably be moved out of ICU, though, perhaps later in the afternoon. No visitors this morning at least, but depending upon how she feels, the staff may allow a few visitors later today. Check the blog for updates.

LONGER VERSION: I am delighted to report that Rainey had a good night. So good, that if Aunt Denise weren’t leaving tonight, I would consider switching shifts – I get crap like the drainage tube being put in, unmanageable pain, etc. I get a text at 11:00 last night from Denise saying, “Now we’re having a ‘chick’ party watching videos and taking pictures! So far so good – let’s hope it stays that way all nite.” Now, I’m all for Rainey having a good night. I just wish we could throw a good day in there, too.

As for today, Rainey has already had to move, and she is soon going to have to walk here pretty soon, too, but is trying to rest now.

The drainage from her lungs has slowed (the nurse just told us that 1 liter came out in the first 5 minutes), but it is still bloody. This means that the tube will probably have to stay in today, which is obviously disappointing because she will be in less pain when it comes out.

A few things that I have forgotten to include:

As you can tell from the huge gap in blog posts yesterday, Friday was hard. At one point, Rainey was really just trying to rest after she got some muscle relaxants, but the nurses outside were being kind of loud. Tamara, Rainey’s step mom, threw open the curtain and said, “Would you all keep it down???” Rainey got moved to a private room with a door shortly thereafter. Smile. It’s much better, and quieter.The hospital is amazed by Rainey’s fan club. When Rainey rolled into the ICU after surgery, the nurses showed up with a stack of letters from Rainey’s basketball team. “We normally don’t have mail waiting for a patient,” she said with a smile. (The night before surgery, Rainey went to see her basketball team play. Afterwards, Dawn was reminding me to put the address to the hospital on the blog. Coach Jamie was right there and rattled it off the top of her head. I knew she had obviously sent something, but I didn’t understand why if she just sent balloons or whatever, she would know the address by heart – she didn’t look like Rainman. Well, she had addressed 26 envelops so that Rainey would have a stack of mail when she got here.) And this was the first time the staff has seen a patient’s name written in the snow...

(Probably) Last Evening Update

Rainey got some great muscle relaxants midafternoon, which allowed our little trooper to finally rest a bit.

Until, of course, she had to get up and walk. I can’t say enough how humbled I am, and everyone is, by her strength. When the nurse told her that she was going to have to walk before the shift change (and this after she had already endured the worst day so far), she shut her eyes and steeled her jaw. No tears (although that would have been understandable and okay). Pure grit and determination.

About two hours ago, she got up to do that walk. And she just did it. Mercifully, she got pain killer afterwards, and is resting.

This is a marathon, not a sprint. A word on the family: Dawn hasn’t left the hospital (other than writing Rainey’s name in the snow with her pals), but is letting people help, she’s sleeping, etc.. Grandma Rita, Auntie Denise, Uncles Jay and Shawn, Tamara and her girls (Rainey’s step mom and step sisters), have been there everyday, all day. That said, everyone is doing a wonderfully well taking care of themselves and each other. And Dana, her father, has made sure that he stops by every day. They will make it through with your continued thoughts, prayers, and help.
This will probably be the last update for the day unless there is a major update. Our thoughts and prayers tonight are that she just sleeps through the night.

And one final story: Last night, she was awake in her dark room. She has a monitor on her finger that measures oxygen level, pulse, etc., that shines a deep red. Out of no where, Rainey says in a movie voice, "ET, phone home..." Dawn obviously laughs like crazy. She tells the nurse, "You’ve got to see this." Rainey does it again, and the nurse starts laughing hysterically. "I usually do that with babies, but they don’t get it. It is so nice to actually have an older person who gets and can give these jokes."

So Rainey still has it. If you ever doubted. Which I know you didn’t.

Lung Drainage Tube In

BLUF: The drainage tube has gotten rid of much of the fluid on Rainey’s right side, but the cost was a lot of pain. The tube may come out tonight or early tomorrow, but until then, she will continue to be in pain almost no matter what they give her. If there are no complications, she may get to move out of the ICU later today.

LONGER STORY: Rainey’s drainage tube is in, and so far over 1 liter of fluid has come out. Unfortunately, the pain of getting this done was, according to Rainey, the worst thing so far. The pain is finally more under control, and Rainey is sleeping. The good news is that she just had a chest x-ray, and most of the fluid appears to be gone, although her left lung is still collapsed. The tube will stay in probably through the night, though, just to make sure there is no further build-up – if they take it out too early, and more fluid builds up, she would have to have it put back in.

After the procedure, she started getting muscle spasms/cramps in her chest and back. This could have been a coincidence, and would have happened with or without them putting the tube in, or due to the tube. In some ways, what caused it really doesn’t matter. They are trying to control those spasm with muscle relaxants, and have been trying to do so for about three hours.

I know that you all know this, but I want to stress that Rainey did everything she could to avoid the fate of the drainage tube – as will come as no surprise to anyone, she was a true champ all day yesterday and today when the staff told what she needed to do to get rid of the fluid. She walked several times despite the pain, she breathed deep, ate and drank even when she didn’t feel like it, etc. There was just so much fluid, and her body wasn’t cooperating.

She won’t be able to have visits today, unfortunately. She is just too tired, and frankly in too much pain. We'll keep you posted on when she can start having more visitors.

She might get to leave the ICU if everything goes okay later today (things to look for now would be stuff like more fluid accumulating in the area, infection, etc.). Honestly, though, I think if they suggest moving her at all, she won't like that a bit just because of the jarring. We'll see.

Rainey's Chest X-Ray Not Better

The doctor just came in: Rainey’s chest x-ray doesn’t look better today, and it actually looks like there is more fluid on her right side, so they are going to knock her out and put a tube in to drain the area. She will have that tube in for a day or so, but it should get rid of all of the fluid. They are about to do the procedure, so we’ll update afterwards to let you know how it went.

Early Friday Morning Update

All, here’s your early morning update: Rainey’s jugular IV came out right after midnight. As you can imagine (although for the life of me, I don’t know why you’d want to), having a needle/IV in your neck is not comfortable. Rainey couldn’t really turn her head to the right. Having that out should help her sleep better.

Rainey is also being weaned off the morphine – she started doing Tylenol with codeine last night. So while she might be in a little more pain, the good news is that she won’t get addicted to morphine, which I don’t think Dawn or Rainey’s promising sports career could afford.

And something for which we all are thankful: Dawn took a shower last night.

We’re waiting to have the chest x-ray read. If it looks better, Rainey may be able to move out of ICU today

Thanks to a Wonderful Mom of a Teammate of Rainey’s...

….the food is being picked up for tomorrow. THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

No updates yet.

Evening Update

A couple of Rainey’s highlights today: She was very excited when her Dad dropped by midday. And she got to drink a little think of OJ and some apple juice. That’s her first thing other than ice chips, and I’m sure you can imagine how thirsty she is. And she walked for the first time (well, I mean the first time since the surgery, of course).

The nurses have requested that Rainey have no other visitors other than family (and truth be told, we’re even limiting family; Aunt Tammy is blogging this from her little brother’s until she relieves Denise in a few hours). We’ll update you when that situation changes. She just exhausted from moving and walking – still trying to get the fluid out of her lungs.

We will know if all of Rainey’s hard work to get the fluid moving is working after a chest x-ray, which will either happen tonight or tomorrow (they’ve been doing two a day, so we might know more tonight, and if we do, we’ll post the information).

Again, thank you for all of your support.

One thing that might help (and please check older posts for a whole list of ways to pitch in): My sister has a LOT of food from a Christmas party (Maggiano’s), but can’t get it to the hospital, and I have my parents’ car. They live right off 84th and I-25, so if anyone could pick that up and run it by the hospital tomorrow, that would be great. Please call me at 202-550-3921. THANK YOU!!!!

4:15 p.m. Update

BLUF: Rainey walked about 50 feet. She's exhausted and in some pain, but sleeping now with Mom.

Rainey’s (not wicked) step-sisters and Camren spent a bit of time with Rainey before she had to start walking again. They said that their impression is that she looks great, except that she looks totally exhausted. She said that everybody talks too much and too loud, so this very talkative family (including Aunt Tammy) is going to learn to be a little quiet.

One cute story: Rainey has a lucky button from Uncle Jay that she has been keeping in her sock (Uncle Jay wouldn’t tell me the story, but just said it was a button that helped him through a very tough time; all I have to say is that if you last string of hope is a button, you’ve really hit rock bottom). The ICU nurses wondered yesterday why she had a button in her sock, and Dawn explained that it was her lucky button. Fast forward to today: Rainey was getting her sponge bath this morning, and the nurse and Dawn took off Rainey’s socks. Rainey immediately perked up a bit and said, “Where’s my lucky button?” Dawn got a terrified look on her face, soon recovered, and said, “I have it right here, baby.” Rainey was having none of it. Jill, our Scottish nurse who is AWESOME and practices tough love on the family and Rainey, said, “Oh, I found one on the floor. I’ll get it back.” And she did. We’ve taped the lucky button to her hospital wrist band, figuring that’s better than a sock.

Especially since Rainey and her lucky button are walking. Rainey just walked from her room to a Christmas tree that’s about 50 feet away from her room. That’s a huge deal, and she is totally exhausted and hurting. Jill the nurse kicked everyone but Mom out so Rainey can just sleep.

Be sure to check the “older posts” for things that you can do for the family. If you don’t want to leave your information on the blog, e-mail me at tss2@georgetown.edu

1:04

Hahahha! Aunt Tammy left her computer here and I am taking time to give you an update! Rainey is sleeping after walking a few steps with her nurse, Jill. She is VERY tired and resting. Jill kicked us all out, but all for Rainey's sake. She is going to try walking more later this afternoon. She has to keep moving to get that fluid to move out of her lungs.

Camren and Michaela wrote "We love u Rainey" in the snow just below her bedroom window! All the nurses are cooing over it! It's looks pretty cool! I'll take a picture (when I can steal my phone away from Tammy) and post it for everyone to see.

I'll sign off for now before I get caught posting this. The wrath of Aunt Tammy and Neecer can be very scary sometimes. :-) Thanks again for your kind words and thoughts. . .. I'll post more when I can sneak the computer away again (but only if Rainey is sleeping)! Dawn :-)

10:45 Update

Rainey just got up for the first time. She is exhausted, but she did absolutely great. It hurt more than she thought it would, she said, and part of what she didn’t like was how dizzy and nauseous she felt. We told her between being doped up on morphine and not moving for a few days (all for a kid who never stops), that was normal. She is trying to rest now in the chair, and they'll keep her there for a bit so she rests, then it's time for more moving. And morphine...

We’ll keep you posted on how the fluid, lung, and the rest of Rainey are doing as news becomes available.

9:00 a.m. Update

BLUF: Rainey’s left lung is a little collapsed, and she has a lot of fluid on the right side. In order to get rid of that, today Rainey is going to have to do deep breaths, and move a lot.

LONGER VERSION:
Dawn is reading Rainey some of the gazillion letters from her basketball team. I have only seen Rainey cry a couple of times her entire time here, and almost every time it is because she is thinking of her friends and family. She really misses everyone.

The day nurse came on and let us know that today would be tough. Rainey’s x-ray didn’t look great – she has a lot of fluid on her right side, and her left lung is collapsed a bit. If she doesn’t get rid of it, the risk is pneumonia, which we obviously want to avoid. Our plan of attack today: Major breaths, moving, and morphine. The nurse is here now, so we’re going to get to work. Thoughts and prayers, please

7:20 a.m. Update

Realizing that some of you may not have the time to read the longer descriptions, I’m going to start entries with a BLUF: “bottom line up front.“ The longer story will follow the BLUF.

BLUF: Rainey has some fluid on her right side by her lung that isn’t draining, so this morning we are working on getting that out, both through having her on her side, and with medications. She is in pain that is being managed by meds, but still in a delicate stage. We have just been told that today will be very hard. Rainey will be in ICU into tomorrow. Mom is hanging in there.

LONGER VERSION:
Denise, Dawn and Rainey actually got a few hours of sleep during the night (Denise took the first shift with Dawn, with Tammy rolling in around 4:00). Dawn has been really good at obviously not only taking care of Rainey, but trying to do so with herself. We are very proud of both of them.

A chest x-ray this morning showed that Rainey had fluid on her right side by her lungs that was not draining (this explains a bit why it was hard for her to breathe during the night). Although this is not unusual, it also is not desirable. This unfortunately meant that, around 5:00 a.m., we had to turn Rainey onto her left side in the hopes that the fluid would drain through her drainage tube that is still inside of her. The nurse gave her a good shot of morphine a few minutes before we made her move. It was very, very hard, both for Rainey, and for people who love her to watch her in so much pain. I’ll just leave it at that.

The good news is that there are a couple of different pain killers that she is on, so within about fifteen minutes after she had to move, she got more drugs. And mercifully, she has pretty much been sleeping ever since.

Dawn just came out (during the nurse shift changes, everyone gets kicked out). The nurse just told her that today will be a very hard day, and Rainey will probably be in the ICU into tomorrow as well. So keep her (and us) in your prayers and thoughts.

Here’s a personal message from Dawn that I’ll just type in as she sits here: “Can’t thank you enough for all of you keeping track of the blog, watching Rainey’s progress, all of your encouraging words. At this point, I’m just speechless and tired, but know that we couldn’t have done it without all of your support. I’m a little frustrated because Tammy and Denise have taken away my phone and e-mail privileges. If I haven’t answered you, it is because they have me in electronic time out, not because I don’t want to respond. I love all of you.”

On visits: Rainey really just needs to sleep, so we’re going to honor that and let her rest. Understand that she is so excited to see all of you, and when we tell her about the comments on the blog, etc., her eyes light up. You mean so much to her. Our guess is that at some point tomorrow or Saturday, she will hopefully be strong enough for visits. We’ll keep everyone posted.

Last Post for a Few Hours

Rainey and Dawn have been kept up to date on every single post that you send. It truly means the world to them. And when Dawn doesn’t hear for a few hours who has written something, she asks. So please do keep writing and posting. I know that you have to do a whole sign in thing. It took me 30 seconds. And I never sign up for this kind of thing. But just so you know, they get every message, and smile. It truly helps. I’m sure that we’ve missed a lot of folks in terms of sending on the link, so please let people know that they can go to: http://raineydayupdates.blogspot.com/ for updates and to help (go to “older posts”).

I saw Rainey a couple of hours ago, and she was actually pretty alert. She was RAINEY, which I didn’t expect until tomorrow or the next day. She was feisty and kind and smart and…well, Rainey.

The next 24 hours are still critical, so we’re making sure that she gets enough rest. Hopefully, if things continue to go well, she will be out of ICU on Friday, and then can have more visitors.Thank you once again for all of your prayers and good thoughts. It is keeping them going.

Rainey is Off the Breathing Tube!

About an hour ago, Rainey got off the breathing tube. Dawn actually went down to quickly grab something to eat, and during that time, all signs were “go” to take out the tube. The nurse said, “It’s a good thing Mom isn’t here for this,” because it’s a little traumatic. But as usual, Rainey was a trooper. It hurt, but she had her heart pillow that she could hold to her chest. She gasped for a few seconds and whispered that she couldn’t really breathe, but that was the extent of it. She soon got more drugs, oxygen through the nose, and then she has been in and out of it again.

Here’s a story that will go down in the annals of Rainey folklore: Her chest was hurting, and felt like there was too much pressure on her chest, so she wanted the bed lowered. One of the doctors who performed the surgery was there, and he was a quicker draw on the bed switch than I was. He dropped it really fast, and when Rainey tried to say something, he assumed that she said that it was too low, so he immediately jarred her back up the opposite way. Well, at this point, Rainey looked like she was going to punch the doctor out, and said in a pretty clear, and very irritated, voice, “TOO FAST.” He took it in good humor, and the nurses said from the sidelines, “Yeah, that’s the mean doctor.” Shows how smart she is, though – never yell at your surgeon BEFORE the surgery. Afterwards, all bets are off. I'm just glad she didn't have a softball to throw -- it would have been the first time a doctor sued a patient...

We’re starting to regret showing Rainey the sign for using the morphine drip (do a “thumbs up” sign and press your thumb towards your pointer finger, and you’ll get the idea) – any time Rainey wakes up for a second, she’s doing the sign. The nurses are practicing a bit of tough love, though, and saying that we have to be careful not to overdo the morphine since she just started breathing by herself. She has to remember to breathe, and if she gets too much morphine, that may not happen when she’s wasting away in morhphineville. The nurses said another option at that point was oral Tylenol, but they didn’t think she would be able to keep it down. The next option? Anal Tylenol. That’s right. Anal Tylenol (I guess the proper term is “Rectal Tylenol”). I am happy to report that we decided Rainey’s dignity was more important at that point than the small gain to be made from Rectal Tylenol, so she’ll be able to walk out of the ICU with her head held high. (And by the way, tomorrow they will make her walk.)

As she started warming back up, and with some of the medications she is on, she started getting a very low fever. Switching out blankets and an icepack on her head seems to have taken care of that issue, though.

Aunt Denise, Grandma Rita, and I (Tammy) looked at Rainey’s chest to see how things looked. We’re happy to report that, although the incision was obviously covered with tape, it is very small – maybe three inches down the center of her chest.

One last funny Rainey story for now: You know how sometimes if you are really tired, or really drunk (none of Rainey’s friends should know what this feels like; YOU ARE ATHLETES), or really hung over (again, only for those over 21 who aren’t going pro), and everything is too bright, too loud, too busy? Well, I think we just figured out that’s what it is like to be a 14 year old after heart surgery on morphine. We were trying to answer a question Rainey had, and three of us were going at once. Rainey kind of raised her hand a little and said, “Shhh… You guys are annoying me.” And then she was out.

So we’re being quiet. And waiting.

Rainey Actually Woke Up for a Short Time!

Rainey was not supposed to wake up at all, or breathe on her own, anytime before tonight. Bucking the odds once again, she actually woke up for a short time when Dawn and Denise went in to see her! She signed that she loved them. Then she made a sign with her thumb that they didn’t understand at first: “Is that an ‘A’?” Rainey shook her head no. “Thumbs up?” No again. And then Denise remembered that we had joked with Rainey about how to get more morphine. So Denise asked, “Are you in pain?” Rainey shook her head yes.

They immediately got the nurse, and the nurse asked Rainey to show her where she was hurting, but to do so she would have to take Rainey’s arms out of the restraints (she is in restraints so that she doesn’t pull out her breathing tube or IVs). “Rainey, I want you to show me where you hurt, but you can’t pull out the tube, okay?” Nod. And Rainey pointed to her chest. She was rewarded with a good dose of morphine.

Rainey has been in and out (mostly out) since. She has passed two of the three tests she needs to do to get off the breathing machine completely (meaning the tube pulled – she is already breathing by herself). Once she can lift her head, they can pull the tube. Since none of this was supposed to happen until this evening, Rainey once again is showing that she’s an overachiever. You’d think she’d at least take this opportunity to chill out, but then, I guess she wouldn’t be our Rainey.

More later as news becomes available.

Ways You Can Help

All, below are posted a variety of ways that you can help. Dawn has not asked for any of the below, but a few of her friends have intervened to come up with some ideas. To stress: All Dawn and Rainey have asked for are your prayers and love, which you have obviously provided to get her this far. Below are just some ways that you can help if you want to do even more.

Also, the specificity below is not meant to offend, but to help you help them as much as possible. I work with Marines, so I might be a little tone deaf. If something sounds too directive, please forgive me in advance – I don’t mean it that way.The family is overwhelmed by your love and support, and appreciate all you have done.

If you are interested in bringing over a dinner, please read this blog

Starting on Thursday the 18th (save for Christmas eve, Christmas day, and New Year’s Eve, which have separate blog requests, see below), the family will need dinners. The only dietary restrictions are that Dawn is on a low carb diet, which means she can have meat, cheese/dairy, and veggies (mostly the green ones, like asparagus, broccoli, green beans, etc.; no apples, bananas, corn, beans, pasta).

If you want to do this option, please leave what date you would like to provide dinner in the comments section of this blog. No need to coordinate a time – if no one is there, please leave the dinner on the front or back steps. Also, kindly please only use disposable plastic wear or the like so the family doesn’t have to worry about returning your nice cook wear.

Also, please give your name, address, and phone number. (If you do not want to leave your address on the comments section, please e-mail me at tss2@georgetown.edu)

Want to help with Dawn and Rainey’s Christmas dinner? Read this blog posting

Dawn, Rainey and Grandma Rita need help with Christmas dinner this year! Here is a wish list. If you decide to bring something over, please note it in the comments section so that I know what’s left (and so we don’t end up with 50 turkeys):

- Grilled primed rib
- Turkey
- Asparagus
- Green beans
- Cauliflower mashed potatoes (I never heard of them, either; I guess you just mash up cauliflower)
- Jelly cranberry sauce
- Peach pie
- Pumpkin pie
- French Silk Pie
- Red or white wine

You can drop off stuff whenever you’d like. If no one answers, please leave it on the front or back door. Also, kindly please only use disposable plastic wear or the like so the family doesn’t have to worry about returning your nice cook wear.

When leaving what you will bring in the comments section, please give your name and address. (If you do not want to leave your address on the comments section, please e-mail me at tss2@georgetown.edu)

Thank you for making their Christmas merry!!!!

If you are interested in bringing over groceries, please read this blog

Dawn, Rainey and Rita will need a few grocery runs over the next few weeks. If you would be willing to do this for them, please let me know, as well as when you would be available to do so. We will contact you with a list of the essentials that they need.

When leaving what you will bring in the comments section, please give your name, address, and phone number. (If you do not want to leave your address on the comments section, please e-mail me at tss2@georgetown.edu)

If you are from out of town or want to send a gift, please read this blog

A lot of you have contacted us who live out of town, are horrible cooks so don’t want to bring food (I’m in that category), or the like. Obviously, Dawn and Rainey are already overwhelmed with your love, and that’s all they want. A lot of you, though, have told me that you want to send something, so here’s some things that they could use:

- Rainey brought 15 books from the library, and is already through several of them. She would love an Amazon or Barnes and Noble gift certificate. (dawn.gaffin@adams12.org)
- Although Rainey is so beautiful she doesn’t need it, she loves Sephora products (http://www.sephora.com/browse/product.jhtml;jsessionid=EJ3WXBWSZCL5QCV0KRRRHOQ?id=P37590&categoryId=B55&SubId=GCard)
- Target Store gift certificates
- An AT&T gift certificate (Rainey is saving for a new phone at the end of February when she gets a better deal)
- A Netflix subscription (maybe the three movie at a time subscription for a month or two since she’ll not be as active for at least a couple of months)
- Movie theater passes
- Fruit basket
- Go to the blog about meals, and pick a night to have one delivered
- Or we plan on reimbursing folks for grocery runs, so if you’d like to donate to that cause, let me know

When leaving what you will bring in the comments section (on things that she doesn’t need more than one of, like Netflicks subscriptions), please give your name, address, and phone number. (If you do not want to leave your address on the comments section, please e-mail me at tss2@georgetown.edu)

If you’d like to help with their New Year’s, please read this blog

Here’s what the girls need to celebrate New Year’s night:
- Crab legs
- Champagne
- Apple champagne
- Smoked oysters in a can

If no one answers, please leave it on the front or back door. Also, kindly please only use disposable plastic wear or the like so the family doesn’t have to worry about returning your nice cook wear.

When leaving what you will bring in the comments section, please give your name, address, and phone number. (If you do not want to leave your address on the comments section, please e-mail me at tss2@georgetown.edu)

Rainey's Through Surgery!

The doctor just came out, and said that Rainey is “doing fantastic.” He said that the surgery went very well, that her heart is “hyper dynamic” (we knew that; she’s like the Grinch AFTER his heart grew three sizes that day, without going through the grand larceny bit), and that she is incredibly healthy.

Dawn will get to go into see her soon, and the doctor has warned her that Rainey, well, won’t look quite like Rainey. She’ll have a breathing tube, as well as a couple of tubes to drain fluid from the surgery. She did not have to get a transfusion, other than them giving her back her own blood and adding some clotting factors.

She will be in the ICU today and tomorrow. After that, she’ll be in the hospital probably Saturday through Monday or so.

When things stabilize here, I will start posting some things that the family needs so people can start helping.Thanks again for all the prayers and thoughts!

Echocardiogram test good!

Rainey came through her echocardiogram test with flying colors, so they will sew her back up now. The doctor will watch the vitals once that is done to make sure that everything is okay, then will come out and update the family. The nurse thought that Rainey would be in the ICU within the hour.

Rainey won’t be conscious until later today or tonight, though, FYI. My guess is that she’s dreaming about playing one of her many sports. Or maybe all of them. At once.

Getting Close to the End of the Surgery!

Latest update: The doctor has successfully cut a bigger space for the artery so that it can have more room for the blood to flow through it (the blood flow is what keeps the artery larger, so she doesn’t have to have a stint or anything like that). They are starting to warm Rainey’s body up (they had to decrease her body temperature for the procedure), and once she gets warmer they will take her off the heart monitor. Once she is off the heart monitor (in about 45 minutes, or 11:25 mountain time), they will run a test to make sure that there is no leakage and everything is working as it should. Then, they will sew her back up.

Bottom line – so far, so good! She’s coming through like a trooper!

Next update soon!

Successfully on Heart Monitor

The wonderful nurse, Ester, just came out to give us an update. The surgery is going according to schedule. Rainey is opened up, and they have her heart on a machine/monitor. They are now isolating the left artery that’s the problem. So far, they do not think that they have to move the artery – just enlarge it. That’s obviously what we’re hoping for as it is less invasive. Right now, they think that they may be done by around noon.

More as soon as we know more.

Rainey's In Surgery Now

Greetings all,

Rainey just went into surgery around 7:30. She was at the hospital at 6:00, and after checking in, was up in her pre-operation room. She had to get into a hospital gown that was a bit too revealing for Rainey’s taste. Showing her ability to think ahead and being the smart young lady she is, she shaved her legs last night.

The staff was amazed by how many relatives were there to support Rainey. Rainey and Dawn were in very good spirits. Lots of laughing for much of the time. They gave Rainey a little cocktail to help calm her down, and we took bets on if Rainey could stay up long given this kid falls asleep after a glass of warm milk. Amazingly, she stayed up. The anesthesiologist was a very nice woman who explained to Rainey how they would knock her out. Rainey could even pick the smell that she wanted for the gas mask (first choice, watermelon, second choice, strawberry).

She was wheeled down to the operating room right around 7:35. Although there were a few tears with Dawn and Rainey being the last ones together, Rainey looked very strong as she left the pre-op room. Not surprisingly, stronger than most of the adults present.
We probably will not have many updates for a few hours, but promise to keep everyone posted.

Twas the Night Before Rainey's Surgery...

Hey fans of Rainey,

“Aunt” Tammy here, officially taking over the blog for Dawn so she can take off the superwoman cape for at least a couple of days and focus on what we all know is most important – Rainey. We will update this page several times throughout the next few days to keep everyone posted.

Today, Rainey went to her pre-operation series of meetings and tests. Children’s Hospital is amazing (although I was warned about the “tight” security, I walked right in, and then the guard and I got yelled at; so FYI, if you come later in the week, you’ll want to check in at the desk to the right first). Rainey is truly in the best hands. She went through a variety of tests, and had the procedure explained to her in all its crazy detail.

Tomorrow morning, Rainey and crew will be at the hospital at 6:00 a.m. She will be in surgery by 7:30, and they expect the procedure to take about four hours. They believe that they will not have to move the artery in her heart, just enlarge it, which sounds good to us. She probably will not be conscious until sometime that evening, and will remain in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) Thursday as well. The good news for Rainey is that she will be heavily, heavily medicated for that time. Then, we just see how she is doing. They want her to get up and walking as soon as possible. I’m not so sure that Rainey didn’t bribe the doctors to say that, though, just so that she can get back to her basketball team. I also think the kickin' game room had something to do with it, complete with a small movie theater, games, etc.

On visits: We will post some times on this blog that would be good for Rainey, and also try to manage the numbers and times so that she has a chance to get enough rest. She will not be up for any visits anytime before Friday, however, other than with her immediate family. She will obviously want to see all of you as soon as possible, though, so we’ll update you on her progress so we can make that happen.

On help: Denise, Dawn’s sister, is commandeering Dawn’s phone for her own good, so if you call, you’ll probably get one of us. Tomorrow morning, Denise and I will map out some things that would be helpful for Dawn and Rainey, and they will gratefully accept your offers of help. For instance, we’ll be scheduling lunch/dinner drop offs and the like. Stay posted and we’ll let you know how you can pitch in (and if you have any ideas we don’t mention, by all means, let us know). (All of you know Dawn, and she’s a giver, not a taker; so all of this is not her request, but her family’s to help Dawn through the next few weeks.)

FYI, the address of Children’s Hospital: Attention Rainey Gaffin, Cardiology Institute, 13123 East 16th Avenue; Aurora, CO 80045 • (720) 777-1234

We’ll try to get something posted after the surgery starts, and then again anytime we know anything substantive.

Thanks for all of your thoughts and prayers. It means a lot.

P.S. For those of you who do not know me, I was on Dawn’s first competitive softball team about a gazillion years ago. Dawn wanted me to put a disclaimer in that I sometimes have an inappropriate sense of humor for which she is not responsible.

December 15th, Second Opinion

Went to visit with a Dr. David Mitchell at Skyview Medical on Lincoln and I25. . . AWESOME doctor! In terms of a second opinion. . . the MRI is pretty clear as to what is happening with Rainey's heart. . . her left coronary artery runs between her aorta and her pulmonary artery. . . sooooo. . . when she exercises, it basically 'squeezes' her artery causing the fainting episode (along with the scary unconscious piece too). Check out the link below to find out more specific information about this diagnosis.

http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/332/7550/1139

We go to Children's tomorrow for her pre-op! It's an all day event. Rainey is working diligently to finish her finals and get ready for Wednesday. I'll post more about visiting times, room #, etc. after tomorrow's meeting with the hospital staff. I'll post more soon! Dawn

Thanks!

Thanks to every one for your postings! It really helps Rainey when she reads all of your positive comments and well wishes!

Wednesday, December 10

Just finished the visit with Dr. Collins at Children's Hospital. . .Rainey's surgery is scheduled for Wednesday, December 17th at 7:30 a.m., with pre-op 'stuff'' on December 16th. Rainey got to pick the day. . . she didn't want to ruin Christmas and she wanted to be home in her bed in time for Santa! Just like her! She is such a trooper! She's going into this with her game face on!

They answered all of our questions (all 31), gave us a tour of every single wing that Rainey would be in, and the best part. . . showed Rainey the "Teen Room". . . they think of everything. When her friends come to visit (a few days after the surgery, of course), they can go to this room to play XBox, pool, basketball, play music, and there is even a movie theater that will hold up to 16 kids. It was amazing.

Both doctor's gave a synopsis of the surgery . . . her left coronary artery has to be moved . . apparently it was hooked to the wrong spot. . . a spot further away from where is supposed to be. This decreases blood flow to the heart which, of course, decreases oxygen to the body. This is very rare and they usually only see 2-3 cases per year. So far, they think they just have to move the artery to the right attachment point. . . they shouldn't have to enlarge it or add to it. They have done many other surgeries that are 'related' to this type.

We are so very thankful that we found this now. The surgery should take 2-4 hours with 1 hour of prep time. Prognosis: She will be in the hospital for 6-7 days and may return to school within 1-2 weeks. She must let her sternum heal properly (about 6 weeks) before she can return to full exercise (of course she must take things gradually and be sensible).

Thank you so much for all of your postings. Rainey thoroughly enjoyed reading all of your comments and words of encouragement. That's what she really needs right now more than anything else. I hope this 'blog thing' works for everyone. Take care!

We finished the cardiac MRI/MRA last Wednesday, December 3, and they found that her left coronary artery is: too small and attached in the wrong spot, that she was born with this condition, that it is very rare, that she has a VERY healthy heart and is a healthy kiddo . . . but we all knew the latter already, right?

Right now, her cardiologist is suggesting that she have open heart surgery to 'fix' this problem. They assure me there is a 100% recovery and that she will be back up and running before we know it. I don't think they think things through when they say stuff like that to a Mom!! I'm sure you can imagine the things running through my head. They are not sure how she performed like she did with this heart condition. . .she is my little miracle. . . always has been. She's got her 'BBB' face on Dave! Rainey feels great, looks great, so she is very confused about everything that is happening and of course the 'why'. She's worried about the basketball season, the dance next week, her friend's party, and other such teen stuff. . . keeps things in perspective when we look at stuff through their eyes, huh? We are going into this with a positive attitude and expectations for only the best.

I'm working to get a second opinion to cover all basis and make sure I have the absolute best surgeon possible for Miss Rainey. We have an appointment with the Cardiologist tomorrow, December 10th, to talk about pros and cons, the next step, and to schedule surgery. I promise to keep you posted. Check this sight daily for information.