Dear Family and Friends,
Again, I am home for some rest. I have been staying at the hospital in Gary's room since Dec. 24. He is progressing steadily and surely, getting some strength and coordination a bit more each day.
I am so grateful for our choice children, our three sons, Andy, Dave, and Pete and our three daughters, Christina, Cherisa, and Melissa. I am so grateful for each of their loving mates and for our beautiful grandchildren. Along with Gary's siblings, and my siblings, and the support of our family - and each of you - Christmas has been a most sacred experience. It has been somewhat sad, but overwhelmingly tender and spiritual. It has been an experience beyond explanation witnessing the ministering and serving that our children have performed for their father and father-in-law. The hugs and kisses and tender words of care from our grandchildren have been priceless. Each of them have always been supportive, loving and respectful of Gary's patriarchal position, but the opportunity of this latest circumstance has enabled them to serve to an even higher level of Christ-like love.
We have felt surrounded by the love and concern and faith and support of all of you. Your expressions of this through messages, calls, gifts, prayers, and contacts have been enormously felt. Gary and I had a quiet never-to-be-forgotten Christmas Eve together. The hospital was so still it felt as if we were about the only ones there. As I dimmed the lights in his room and listened to soft Christmas music, I watched the pure white snow falling outside the large hospital window. Gary was not feeling so great - he was very nauseated and had intense pain in his legs from his nerve rejuvenation. However, all was well and we felt of the the true representation of Christmas - the birth and atonement of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. I read a story to Gary and we opened a few gifts given to us my some friends. Gary and I were together in the hospital and our children and their families were having fun together at Cherisa and Darren's home and that was what brought us joy and peace.
On the Sabbath before Christmas, each member of our family - all thirty (except for me and Gary), in addition to Gary's siblings, gathered at the hospital in a special room provided for us by the hospital staff. Each family unit came up to visit Gary for fifteen minutes at a time as he was very subject to exhaustion. We had a special one-on-one time with each of our children and their mates and their children as we gave each of them a DVD copy of a fireside that Gary had spoken at in a Ward Youth Fireside in November entitled, "What is really important in life." During this time Gary was able to give one more father's blessings to another one of our children, our youngest son, Pete. The father's blessings that Gary has given thus far to our children have been one of the most memorable things that we have experienced during this challenging time.
Our daughter-in-law, Christine, Andy's wife, had arranged for a special "Make a Wish" for Gary - a round of golf with his sons at Pebble Beach in California. It was an emotional surprise to Gary as the video taped presentation took place in his hospital room. Everyone is rooting that Gary will regain his strength and mobility to be able to play a round of golf as this next year progresses. Gary has a wish to be able to "perfect" his golf swing - he knows he can do it! What a choice gift! Again, we are so blessed with such dear family.
Christmas Day was again spent with visits from our children and their families.
Well, to get back to the beginning, I have come home for a day. Gary has been moved to the 12th floor in the hospital for five days of intense rehab - Room 1202. He didn't physically qualify (it was the doctor's call at Utah's Valley's Hospital - even without seeing him) to come down to Utah Valley Hospital as we had expected. We are grateful that the medical staff at Intermountain Health Care in Murray knew that he needed quite a bit more therapy before he was ready to come home. He will still need several weeks of out-patient therapy once he does return home. We are indebted to the extremely caring medical personnel at this hospital that have looked after Gary. It is the best facility in the state for dealing with this disorder.
Gary's episode last night proved that he was not ready to be sent home. Soon after I left last night, he was brushing his teeth at the sink by his bed and lost his balance and fell down. It took four hospital staff - one male therapist and three nurses - to help him get back up since he is so weak. He is so slight of frame right now. I'm sure that he has lost more weight in the hospital not feeling like eating very much. He has to be shadowed all of the time because of just such an unexpected loss of balance. We are anxious to get him strong enough and well enough as soon as possible so that he will be able to continue with some new chemo that hopefully will extend his life. (Quite a happy incentive, huh?)
Gary has been strong and has exhibited a positive "upbeat" attitude. I've only witnessed him say two negative things through this whole ordeal: once when he was prostrate on our living room floor on Dec. 18th when he couldn't move and I couldn't move him - he said, "I'm such an invalid." The other time was to his cancer doctor last week when he was lying on his bed not able to move at all and he said to the doctor, "I'm a little down." But when the doctor said, "It's obvious why you should feel that way, but you're going to get better!" Gary perked right up after that and has forged ahead ever since.
Again, our future is unknown, but we do know for absolute that our Father in Heaven's hand is intervening in all aspects of this trial and that the strength of our Savior is felt continually and the peace and comfort of the Holy Ghost is ever present. These are the "gifts" of the season. We love you all and are grateful that you are all a part of our lives. My sister, LaDeane, gave me a Lenox snowflake for Christmas symbolically meaning that a "real" snowflake is fragile and can melt away quickly, but when they are all put together, look what can be done! We feel the strength of each of you - I know that I couldn't "make this alone."
I hope you don't mind me sharing part of my journal with you with this update. (Actually, it is only a hundredth part of what I really write in my journal.) We have hope for a New Year - for you and for us. We have much to be grateful for..............our oldest grandson, Nate, is flying out on January 1st to Brazil to begin his mission; our youngest son and his wife are expecting their third child, a boy, the middle of February; Gary is responding to the treatments and therapy well (there is a 45-year-old man in the same rehab with Gary that also has Guillain-Barre ["geann"] Syndrome that has been staying in the hospital receiving therapy for 9 & 1/2 months!); our children and grandchildren are loving and obedient and kind and respectful to each other and to us and to all with whom they come in contact. Through the kindness of our High Priest Group Leader, Paul Welker, our family will be staying together at a hotel in Salt Lake City this weekend for some "together time." Even though they have been together for the most part, I haven't been able to be with them as much as I would like. Some of our children from out of state will be returning to their homes this next week as the holidays come to an end. Then I will need to take all of our Christmas decorations down and begin with life as surreal as it seems to be at this time. There's a song that I relate to every year from Michael McLean's Forgotten Carols, "I Cry the Day I Take the Tree Down." It will be especially so this year..........
Forever with love - Glenda .......and Gary
skip to main |
skip to sidebar
Farewell before mission to Brazil
Grandpa and Grandson
Farewell before mission to Brazil
What is Guillain-Barré Syndrome
Guillain-Barré syndrome is a disorder in which the body's immune system attacks part of the peripheral nervous system. The first symptoms of this disorder include varying degrees of weakness or tingling sensations in the legs. In many instances, the weakness and abnormal sensations spread to the arms and upper body. These symptoms can increase in intensity until the muscles cannot be used at all and the patient is almost totally paralyzed. In these cases, the disorder is life-threatening and is considered a medical emergency. The patient is often put on a respirator to assist with breathing. Most patients, however, recover from even the most severe cases of Guillain-Barré syndrome, although some continue to have some degree of weakness. Guillain-Barré syndrome is rare. Usually Guillain-Barré occurs a few days or weeks after the patient has had symptoms of a respiratory or gastrointestinal viral infection. Occasionally, surgery or vaccinations will trigger the syndrome. The disorder can develop over the course of hours or days, or it may take up to 3 to 4 weeks. No one yet knows why Guillain-Barré strikes some people and not others or what sets the disease in motion. What scientists do know is that the body's immune system begins to attack the body itself, causing what is known as an autoimmune disease. Guillain-Barré is called a syndrome rather than a disease because it is not clear that a specific disease-causing agent is involved. Reflexes such as knee jerks are usually lost. Because the signals traveling along the nerve are slower, a nerve conduction velocity (NCV) test can give a doctor clues to aid the diagnosis. The cerebrospinal fluid that bathes the spinal cord and brain contains more protein than usual, so a physician may decide to perform a spinal tap.
Is there any treatment?
There is no known cure for Guillain-Barre syndrome, but therapies can lessen the severity of the illness and accelerate the recovery in most patients. There are also a number of ways to treat the complications of the disease. Currently, plasmapheresis and high-dose immunoglobulin therapy are used. Plasmapheresis seems to reduce the severity and duration of the Guillain-Barré episode. In high-dose immunoglobulin therapy, doctors give intravenous injections of the proteins that in small quantities, the immune system uses naturally to attack invading organism. Investigators have found that giving high doses of these immunoglobulins, derived from a pool of thousands of normal donors, to Guillain-Barré patients can lessen the immune attack on the nervous system. The most critical part of the treatment for this syndrome consists of keeping the patient's body functioning during recovery of the nervous system. This can sometimes require placing the patient on a respirator, a heart monitor, or other machines that assist body function.
What is the prognosis?
Guillain-Barré syndrome can be a devastating disorder because of its sudden and unexpected onset. Most people reach the stage of greatest weakness within the first 2 weeks after symptoms appear, and by the third week of the illness 90 percent of all patients are at their weakest. The recovery period may be as little as a few weeks or as long as a few years. About 30 percent of those with Guillain-Barré still have a residual weakness after 3 years. About 3 percent may suffer a relapse of muscle weakness and tingling sensations many years after the initial attack.
Is there any treatment?
There is no known cure for Guillain-Barre syndrome, but therapies can lessen the severity of the illness and accelerate the recovery in most patients. There are also a number of ways to treat the complications of the disease. Currently, plasmapheresis and high-dose immunoglobulin therapy are used. Plasmapheresis seems to reduce the severity and duration of the Guillain-Barré episode. In high-dose immunoglobulin therapy, doctors give intravenous injections of the proteins that in small quantities, the immune system uses naturally to attack invading organism. Investigators have found that giving high doses of these immunoglobulins, derived from a pool of thousands of normal donors, to Guillain-Barré patients can lessen the immune attack on the nervous system. The most critical part of the treatment for this syndrome consists of keeping the patient's body functioning during recovery of the nervous system. This can sometimes require placing the patient on a respirator, a heart monitor, or other machines that assist body function.
What is the prognosis?
Guillain-Barré syndrome can be a devastating disorder because of its sudden and unexpected onset. Most people reach the stage of greatest weakness within the first 2 weeks after symptoms appear, and by the third week of the illness 90 percent of all patients are at their weakest. The recovery period may be as little as a few weeks or as long as a few years. About 30 percent of those with Guillain-Barré still have a residual weakness after 3 years. About 3 percent may suffer a relapse of muscle weakness and tingling sensations many years after the initial attack.
No comments:
Post a Comment