Take a look at: Tracy's Teddy Bear Christmas Tree and her Teddy Bear Angel

Friday, December 31st, 2004 ~ Tracy had a good night's sleep Thursday night! She was very happy to have her Dad home. Mom, Dad, and Bobbie got Tracy in Mawmaw's big tub so she could have a bath! Tracy had another very busy day with many visitors. Cousin Dolly and her husband came to see Tracy. Cousin Dolly used to be the librarian at Mater Dolorosa Catholic School where Tiffany and Tracy went when they were little. Cousin Dolly used to read to Tracy when she was in Pre-K. One of Tracy's favorite books was The Little Engine That Could! Trace's favorite part was "I think I can, I think I can!" Now you see why Tracy works so hard to get better. Later in the day, Aunt Cheryl and Uncle Mike threw Mom and Dad a party for their anniversary, Louisiana style, complete with a bon fire, fire works, tiki torches, hot dogs and chili, jambalaya, a deep fried turkey, and a special cake from Mawmaw and Pawpaw. Everyone did their part to assure that Mom and Dad's 25th anniversary was unforgettable. Tracy was able to join in the festivities. Together we welcomed in the new year, one of hope and many miracles. It was a great party and everyone had a wonderful time. It is great to be home with so many friends and family.

Thursday, December 30th, 2004 ~ Tracy slept OK last night with minimal grinding. Tiffany and Mom made sure she slept as well as she did. Bobbie helped with stretching and bathing Tracy. Tracy had a very busy day with many visitors. Cousin Gene and Terri came from Baton Rouge, Miss Baby Ann from next door and Uncle Johnny, Aunt Tillie and Cousin Teresa all visited Tracy today. Also Katherine Gebbia, Missy and her son Justin, and Amy spent some time with Tracy. It is great to be home with so many friends and family. Dad made it from DC and the flight was on time. Uncle Mike and Dad tested the fireworks and will be obtaining large quantities for a big show tomorrow night.

Wednesday, December 29th, 2004 ~ The three girls had a good night sleep and Tracy has decreased her grinding. Bobbie helped Mom stretch and bathe Tracy today and is helping with many other aspects of Tracy's care. Tracy spent most of the day in the living room with family and friends. She wore her right leg cast for 3 1/2 hours today with no difficulty. Mom and Tracy took a well-deserved nap this afternoon and seem to be really relaxing at Mawmaw's. Dad will be returning tomorrow afternoon and we are all looking forward to his arrival. Friday is not only New Years Eve, it is Mom and Dad's 25th wedding anniversary and we are planning a small party at Mawmaw's. More of the celebration tomorrow.

Tuesday, December 28th, 2004 ~ Tracy slept better last night as did Mom and Tiffany. Bobbie was able to come today and helped Mom stretch Tracy. Cousin Elizabeth also helped with Tracy's bath and stretching. Tracy went outside today in her wheelchair and spent some time in the sun. Jim, Tracy's Louisiana Massage Therapist was able to give her a much needed workout. He found Tracy to be more alert and participate with the therapy. He will be able to give her at least two more treatments before we all return to DC on the 4th. Dad will return on Thursday and he is looking forward to another flight, hopefully, there will not be any delays.

Monday, December 27th, 2004 ~ Tracy's night was mixed with increased tone and teeth grinding followed by sound sleep. Bobbie was not able to come today and Mom, Tiffany and Tracy took advantage of it and slept until 1100. They all needed a little extra beauty sleep. Cousin Caroline helped with Tracy's bath and stretching. She continues to be a great help. Tracy joined everyone in the living room in front of the fireplace for most of the day. The right leg cast continues to work however, the left one that Dad tried to modify was not improved and Tracy will not be able to wear it anymore. We will just have to wait for a new cast after our return to DC. Mom, Tiffany and cousin Kathryn were able to take a long walk around part of Independence. They really enjoy being back in the country. Hopefully Bobbie will be able to return tomorrow and Mom can go for a run. She really misses her spin bike.

Sunday, December 26th, 2004 ~ Tracy slept most of the night and is finally getting on the same schedule we had in DC. Mom, Dad and Bobbie bathed Tracy in Pawpaw's tub and she really enjoyed it again. She joined the family for a special lunch of Mawmaw's special Oyster Stew, although she was only able to smell it. From her reaction, she could tell it was really good. Dad, Uncle Mike and Uncle Frank modified Tracy's left leg cast and hopefully she will be able to wear it longer. Leave it to 3 guys and their tools to get the job done. Tracy spent the afternoon in front of the fireplace and continues to enjoy being around everyone. Dad returned to DC tonight and only was 1 hr behind schedule. He will return on the 30th and will stay until we all return on January 4th. Tiffany will be helping Mom with Tracy during this time. Once again we thank everyone for your gifts and prayers for us during Christmas.

Saturday, December 25th, 2004 ~ Christmas! We were all up late last night celebrating Christmas Eve with many family and friends. Tracy slept most of the night and we awoke to snowflakes here in Cajun Country! Crazy weather! We had a great Christmas morning and feasted on biscuits and sausage gravy, compliments of Aunt Cheryl. After breakfast we opened the many gifts that crowded the tree. We are so blessed and grateful for everything and everyone. We spent most of the day in the family room lounging by the brilliant fire and eating yummy food. Tracy received many beautiful gifts and we thank everyone for their thoughtfulness. Mom and Dad never rest and continued with Tracy's therapy today by getting her up on the balancing ball to stretch. She did a great job and is really enjoying being around family and her puppy, Snow. Christmas eve, Mom, Dad and Tracy's personal assistant, Bobbie, gave Tracy a bath in PawPaw's big tub. She really loved it and we will try to give her several more during our visit. Mom, Tiffany and Dad went to Mass Christmas eve at 4 PM and was able to see many of our family and friends. Mawmaw, Pawpaw, Uncle Mike and Aunt Kathy Sue kept Tracy company in front of the fireplace. We have had a constant flow of family and friends visiting and everyone is so pleased with Tracy's appearance. She has come a long way but still has a long way to go. We are also very grateful to have all of Dad's family home and we wish all of Mom's family could be here. We wish all of our family and friends a joyous, peaceful and Merry Christmas.

Friday, December 24th, 2004 ~ Christmas Eve!~ Tracy had another good night and everyone rested well. Mom, Dad and Tracy's personal assistant, Bobbie, gave Tracy a bath in PawPaw's big tub. She really loved it and we will try to give her several more during our visit. Tiffany made it in last night and we all are very thankful she had a safe trip and enjoyed herself at Rick's graduation. Mom, Tiffany and Dad went to Mass at 4 PM and was able to see many of our family and friends. Mawmaw, Pawpaw, Uncle Mike and Aunt Kathy Sue kept Tracy company in front of the fireplace. We have had a constant flow of family and friends visiting and everyone is so pleased with Tracy's appearance. She has come a long way but still has a long way to go. Well tonight Santa Claus comes and we are all anxiously waiting for his visit. We are also very grateful to have all of Dad's family home and we wish all of Mom's family could be here. We wish all of our family and friends a joyous, peaceful and Merry Christmas.

Thursday, December 23rd, 2004 ~ 2 Days Until Christmas!~ After the 8-hour trip from DC yesterday, Tracy had the best night sleep in a very long time. We think it was because of her feeling so much at home in Mawmaw's bedroom. Mom and Dad also had a peaceful night and slept-in to 8:30. This was exactly what the doctors ordered. Tracy's personal assistant, Bobbie, returned to give Mom help with Tracy and will be here everyday. They bathed and stretched Tracy and then brought her out in to the living room. Aunt Kathy Sue provided an air mattress and Tracy has been resting in front of the fire and Christmas Tree all day. She wore her cast on her right leg for 3 hrs and Mom and Dad positioned her upright on the ball for 20 minutes. We already started to receive many visitors and relatives. It is truly great being in Independence. Tiffany is still trying to get here from Texas and is flying in tonight.

Last Thursday, Tracy had an appointment with the Plastic Surgeon to reassess her wound. Dr. Buescher was REALLY very pleased and impressed by Tracy's healing progress!!! She said that the area where there was a track was completely filled in and sealed off. She estimates another 6 to 8 weeks of healing before we can take off the wound vac and stitch her up. We are hoping to get back to outpatient therapy by the beginning of February! Just in time to hitch the horses up to the sleigh and ride through the snow banks! Mom says that she will get there if she has to ride her bike and pull Tracy behind her! We have an appointment on January 6th with the orthopedic surgeon from Georgetown University Medical Center that Margaret-Ann from KCI recommended. He is world renowned in the use of integra skin, a bioengineered product that is used in wound closure expedition. (For more information, go to integraskin.com). Tracy wore her casts today for about two hours. Both her casts are bivalved, which means they can be put on and taken off with velcro straps. Thank you for your continued prayers and positive energy. We are really blessed to have such wonderful friends!

Recap I: Friday, November 12th, Tracy had surgery at NNMC in Bethesda. Dr. Liston, general surgeon, performed a special procedure/surgery (Nissen fundoplication) to resolve Tracy's severe gastrointestinal problems which include reflux. This reflux adds to Tracy's discomfort and increased tone, which creates a need for Tracy to take a myriad of stomach medicines and also a high dose of baclofen to decrease her tone. This chronic reflux also puts Tracy at greater risk of aspiration pneumonia and makes her desire to eat less desirable. Dr. Liston also repaired Tracy's old tracheosomy site which did not completely close and revised her keloid and scar. He also put in a new G-tube (feeding tube). He used subcutaneous stitches (under the skin) and used dermabond (superglue for the skin) on her trach incision. Her abdominal incision goes from her belly button to her ribs, but should heal well. He used subcutaneous stitches and steri strips on top. The stitches will dissolve and the steri strips will fall off in a few days.

Wednesday, December 22nd, 2004 ~ 3 Days Until Christmas!~ Tracy slept well last night with only a short period of grinding her teeth. Mom and Jenny showered and dressed Tracy and packed everything for their 2 week visit to Louisiana. We made it to Reagan National at 12:30 and everyone there was very helpful. Tracy was the first one on the plane and tolerated the 2 hr flight well. We made it to Mawmaw and Pawpaw's by 7:30. It is great to be with all the Anzalones in Independence for the holidays. Tiffany planned to be her tonight, but the weather delayed her until tomorrow. It is always better to be safe when it comes to flying. Tracy is settled back in Independence as if she never left.

Tuesday, December 21st, 2004~Winter Solstice~ Well, the pressure is beginning to mount! 4 more days until Christmas, and only 3 more shopping days. Does anyone know the real meaning of Christmas? What are you asking Santa for? Mom would like Tracy's wound to heal so that she can take Tracy back to outpatient therapy where the magic of Christmas takes place every day through the many miracles... and she's adding to the list for Tracy to talk to us on Christmas morning. Tracy slept well last night, better life through chemistry! The antibiotics and the antispasmodics for her UTI (urinary tract infection) are on board and working well. It is evident that Tracy is feeling much better. However, Tracy is till grinding her teeth. Mom checked back on her tracking sheets and Tracy has been grinding since December 4th. This morning, Mom and Jenny bathed and dressed Tracy. She had Speech Therapy at 11 AM with Paige. During Speech, Tracy was very sleepy and did not participate much in the thermal stim therapy. This afternoon, Kate, Tracy's Occupational Therapist, came to do OT with Tracy. She got Tracy in side lying and taught Mom how to tape her shoulders with Kinesio-tape. After OT, Diana came to do Physical Therapy. Dad, Mom and Diana got Tracy seated straddle on the large peanut. Tracy was able to get a good inner thigh stretch and tolerated about 20 minutes. Dad supported Tracy from behind and helped Tracy to sit up tall. Tracy got a little nauseous, while on the peanut. Dad thinks it is a combination of the antibiotics and motion, since he was rocking Tracy forward and back while on the peanut. Mom, Dad and Tracy leave Wednesday (tomorrow) for Louisiana to spend the holidays with family. We will update the page from deep down in the bayou!

Thursday, Tracy had an appointment with the Plastic Surgeon to reassess her wound. Dr. Buescher was REALLY very pleased and impressed by Tracy's healing progress!!! She said that the area where there was a track was completely filled in and sealed off. She estimates another 6 to 8 weeks of healing before we can take off the wound vac and stitch her up. We are hoping to get back to outpatient therapy by the beginning of February! Just in time to hitch the horses up to the sleigh and ride through the snow banks! Mom says that she will get there if she has to ride her bike and pull Tracy behind her! We have an appointment on January 6th with the orthopedic surgeon from Georgetown University Medical Center that Margaret-Ann from KCI recommended. He is world renowned in the use of integra skin, a bioengineered product that is used in wound closure expedition. (For more information, go to integraskin.com). Tracy wore her casts today for about two hours. Both her casts are bivalved, which means they can be put on and taken off with velcro straps. Thank you for your continued prayers and positive energy. We are really blessed to have such wonderful friends!

Tiffany is finished with her work this semester. She got two A's and a B (ouch) and will most likely kill me for putting this info on the page! Needless to say, we are proud of her accomplishments and happy that she made it through her first semester at LSU (her Dad's alma mater!) Rick, Tiffany's boyfriend, graduated from Texas A & M (an Aggie!) last Friday. We are very proud of his accomplishments and we wish him good luck and many blessings in his career pursuits. Tiffany plans to meet us on December 22nd in Independence where we will all spend Christmas and New Years together (December 22nd - January 4th). Mom and Dad's 25th wedding anniversary is on New Year's Eve. It will be fun to celebrate it in Louisiana where they met 26 years ago. It will be great to be with all of the family. Nana is finished with physical therapy. She is able to walk without her cane. We are so proud of her. We are looking forward to Uncle Johnny and Nana coming to see us the end of January. Thank you again for all of your prayers and happy thoughts! Best wishes for a very spiritual and healthy holiday season!

Monday, December 20th, 2004~ Well, the pressure is on! 5 more days until Christmas. Does anyone know the real meaning of Christmas? What are you asking Santa for? Mom would like Tracy's wound to heal so that she can take Tracy back to outpatient therapy where the magic of Christmas takes place every day through the many miracles... Tracy did not have a very good night's sleep last night. Her grinding has gotten progressively worse. Mom checked back on her tracking sheets and Tracy has been grinding since December 4th. We were attributing the grinding to her stomach, however, after getting the results back from Tracy's urine culture, we realize that Tracy has a UTI (urinary tract infection). No wonder she was grinding. They hurt like hell! Tracy is now on medication and is already looking like she is feeling better. Hopefully, she will sleep well tonight. This morning, Mom and Jenny bathed and dressed Tracy. She had Speech Therapy at 11 AM with Paige. During Speech, Tracy continued to grind her teeth and was not comfortable in her wheel chair. Paige worked on relaxation techniques with Tracy such as deep breathing and resisting grinding. Paige was trying to teach Tracy to channel her energy into positive means to cope with pain, etc. such as deep breathing. Mom was in charge of timing Tracy's ability to resist grinding by taking a deep breath. Gloria and her two daughters Kat and Sam came by to say hello. Trace loves when the kids visit. She has always enjoyed being around kids. This afternoon, Mom and Dad took Tracy to the neurologist to get Tracy's baclofen pump refilled. Joy, Tracy's Physician Assistant, refilled her pump and maintained Tracy's baclofen dose at 1750 micrograms a day. Tracy's tone should subside once her UTI is resolved. This afternoon, Katie, Tracy's Occupational Therapist, came to do OT with Tracy. She got Tracy in side lying and had her weight bear through her elbow. Tracy was able to support herself for about 5 seconds on each side. After OT, Diana came to do Physical Therapy. Dad, Mom and Diana got Tracy on seated the large balance ball. Tracy was able to demonstrate good head control in this position and tolerated 45 minutes. While Diana was doing PT, Tracy's volunteer through Brain Injury Services, Nichole, came by to meet Tracy. She is a very dynamic 27 year old who is really looking forward to spending some time with Tracy. We are very blessed to have such wonderful support and thank Michelle from Brain Injury Service of Northern Virginia for finding Nichole.

Thursday, Tracy had an appointment with the Plastic Surgeon to reassess her wound. Dr. Buescher was REALLY very pleased and impressed by Tracy's healing progress!!! She said that the area where there was a track was completely filled in and sealed off. She estimates another 6 to 8 weeks of healing before we can take off the wound vac and stitch her up. We are hoping to get back to outpatient therapy by the beginning of February! Just in time to hitch the horses up to the sleigh and ride through the snow banks! Mom says that she will get there if she has to ride her bike and pull Tracy behind her! We have an appointment on January 6th with the orthopedic surgeon from Georgetown University Medical Center that Margaret-Ann from KCI recommended. He is world renowned in the use of integra skin, a bioengineered product that is used in wound closure expedition. (For more information, go to integraskin.com). Tracy wore her casts today for about two hours. Both her casts are bivalved, which means they can be put on and taken off with velcro straps. Thank you for your continued prayers and positive energy. We are really blessed to have such wonderful friends! Tiffany is finished with her work this semester. She got two A's and a B (ouch) and will most likely kill me for putting this info on the page! Needless to say, we are proud of her accomplishments and happy that she made it through her first semester at LSU (her Dad's alma mater!) Rick graduated from Texas A & M (an Aggie!) last Friday. We are very proud of his accomplishments and we wish him good luck and many blessings in his career pursuits. Tiffany plans to meet us in Independence where we will all spend Christmas and New Years together (December 22nd - January 4th). Mom and Dad's 25th wedding anniversary is on New Year's Eve. It will be fun to celebrate it in Louisiana where they met 26 years ago. It will be great to be with all of the family. Nana is finished with physical therapy. She is able to walk without her cane. We are so proud of her. We are looking forward to Uncle Johnny and Nana coming to see us the end of January. Thank you again for all of your prayers and happy thoughts! Best wishes for a very spiritual and healthy holiday season!

Sunday, December 19th, 2004~ Tracy had another good night's sleep. She is still grinding her teeth, though. Dad thinks that Tracy may be ready for a bite guard. The last time we checked with the oral surgeon, the recommendation was that a bite guard may increase Tracy's tonic bite reflex. We will look into a reassessment in the new year. This morning, Mom and Dad showered and dressed Tracy. She has Physical Therapy at 2 PM. Diana, Mom and Dad got Tracy seated on the large balance ball. Tracy tolerated almost an hour of sitting and balancing on the ball with support. She turned her head several times to the right upon command. She is not able to keep her head to the right at this time. We will work on this goal every day. Tracy's neck goes into spasm which consists of turning her head to the left, with extension. Through verbal commands and coaching, we are trying to help Tracy to overcome these spasms. Tracy needs a lot of repetition in reaching this goal. Katie, Tracy's Occupational Therapist, is feeling a little under the weather and is not coming for OT this evening as scheduled. We hope that she feels better soon. Tracy will have Speech Therapy with Paige Monday morning. Tracy wore her right leg cast today for three hours. We are leaving the left cast off because it is causing increased pressure on Tracy's right toe and we do not need another pressure sore. We are still battling with the sound on her right ischial tuberosity since last March! It is healing well. This evening, Emil will come over to give Tracy a massage. Tracy really benefits from his massages and stretching sessions.Thursday, Tracy had an appointment with the Plastic Surgeon to reassess her wound. Dr. Buescher was REALLY very pleased and impressed by Tracy's healing progress!!! She said that the area where there was a track was completely filled in and sealed off. She estimats another 6 to 8 weeks of healing before we can take off the wound vac and stitch her up. We are hoping to get back to outpatient therapy by the beginning of February! Just in time to hitch the horses up to the sleigh and ride through the snow banks! Mom says that she will get there if she has to ride her bike and pull Tracy behind her! We have an appointment on January 6th with the orthopedic surgeon from Georgetown University Medical Center that Margaret-Ann from KCI recommended. He is world renowned in the use of integra skin, a bioengineered product that is used in wound closure expedition. (For more information, go to integraskin.com). Tracy wore her casts today for about two hours. Both her casts are bivalved, which means they can be put on and taken off with velcro straps. Thank you for your continued prayers and positive energy. We are really blessed to have such wonderful friends! Tiffany is finished with her work this semester. She got two A's and a B (ouch) and will most likely kill me for putting this info on the page! Needless to say, we are proud of her accomplishments and happy that she made it through her first semester at LSU (her Dad's alma mater!) Rick graduated from Texas A & M (an Aggie!) last Friday. We are very proud of his accomplishments and we wish him good luck and many blessings in his career pursuits. Tiffany plans to meet us in Independence where we will all spend Christmas and New Years together (December 22nd - January 4th). Mom and Dad's 25th wedding anniversary is on New Year's Eve. It will be fun to celebrate it in Louisiana where they met 26 years ago. It will be great to be with all of the family. Nana is finished with physical therapy. She is able to walk without her cane. We are so proud of her. We are looking forward to Uncle Johnny and Nana coming to see us the end of January. Thank you again for all of your prayers and happy thoughts! Best wishes for a very spiritual and healthy holiday season!

Saturday, December 18th, 2004~ Tracy slept through the night last night and didn't wake up until around 9:00 AM! She was really tired after her Occupational Therapy session last evening with Katie. This morning, Mom and Dad bathed and dressed Tracy. She has Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy today, but has no Speech Therapy until Monday. During Physical Therapy, Diana, Dad and Mom got Tracy prone (on her tummy) on the wedge to stretch her hips and legs. In this position, Tracy is able to weight bear through her shoulders and arms by supporting herself on her elbows. Tracy set a new record time of 40 minutes! During Occupational Therapy, Katie retaped Tracy's shoulders with Kinesio-tape. Katie was very pleased with Tracy's positive response to the tape. Then, Katie tried something new with Tracy which is known as therapeutic body brushing. Therapeutic body brushing is often used on individuals who overreact to tactile stimulation. A specific non-scratching surgical brush is used to make firm, brisk movements over most of the body, especially the arms, legs, hands, back and soles of the feet. A technique of deep joint compression follows the brushing. This technique is is usually performed three to five minutes, six to eight times a day. The time needed for brushing is reduced as the individual begins to respond more normally to touch. This type of touch also provides a calming effect, which in turn reduces tone. Sensory integration disorder or dysfunction (SID) is a neurological disorder that results from the brain's inability to integrate certain information received from the body's five basic sensory systems. Sensory experiences include touch, movement, body awareness, sight, sound, smell, taste, and the pull of gravity. Distinguishing between these is the process of sensory integration. This evening, Mom, Dad and our good friend Katie had a wonderful dinner made by our good friend Jackie Jordan! We thank God for wonderful friends and family, we could not make it through each day without them by our side! Thursday, Tracy had an appointment with the Plastic Surgeon to reassess her wound. Dr. Buescher was REALLY very pleased and impressed by Tracy's healing progress!!! She said that the area where there was a track was completely filled in and sealed off. She estimats another 6 to 8 weeks of healing before we can take off the wound vac and stitch her up. We are hoping to get back to outpatient therapy by the beginning of February! Just in time to hitch the horses up to the sleigh and ride through the snow banks! Mom says that she will get there if she has to ride her bike and pull Tracy behind her! We have an appointment on January 6th with the orthopedic surgeon from Georgetown University Medical Center that Margaret-Ann from KCI recommended. He is world renowned in the use of integra skin, a bioengineered product that is used in wound closure expedition. (For more information, go to integraskin.com). Tracy wore her casts today for about two hours. Both her casts are bivalved, which means they can be put on and taken off with velcro straps. Thank you for your continued prayers and positive energy. We are really blessed to have such wonderful friends!

Tiffany is finished with her work this semester. She got two A's and a B (ouch) and will most likely kill me for putting this info on the page! Needless to say, we are proud of her accomplishments and happy that she made it through her first semester at LSU (her Dad's alma mater!) Rick graduated from Texas A & M (an Aggie!) last evening. We are very proud of his accomplishments and we wish him good luck and many blessings in his career pursuits. Tiffany plans to meet us in Independence where we will all spend Christmas and New Years together (December 22nd - January 4th). Mom and Dad's 25th wedding anniversary is on New Year's Eve. It will be fun to celebrate it in Louisiana where they met 26 years ago. It will be great to be with all of the family. Nana is finished with physical therapy. She is able to walk without her cane. We are so proud of her. We are looking forward to Uncle Johnny and Nana coming to see us the end of January. Thank you again for all of your prayers and happy thoughts! Best wishes for a very spiritual and healthy holiday season!

Friday, December 17th, 2004~23 Months Since Tracy's Cardiac Arrest!~ Tracy slept again most of the night except for about an hour around 3 AM! We get up and turn her and this seems to wake her up. She is definitely coughing less, which is really good news. This morning, Mom and Jenny bathed and dressed Tracy. She has Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy today, but has no Speech Therapy until Monday. During Physical Therapy, Diana stretched Tracy's right hip and hamstring. She spent some time with Tracy, working on head turning to the right. Tracy really was trying to turn her head to the right and to overcome her spasms. During Occupational Therapy, Katie removed the Kinesio-tape which she placed on her shoulders on Wednesday. Katie was very pleased with Tracy's positive response to the tape. She plans to tape her shoulders again tomorrow. Katie spent some time stretching Tracy and ranging her shoulders, arms, and wrists. Then Katie, Jenny, and Mom got Tracy on the large balance ball in a seated position. Tracy did a good job with head control and seemed to relax. Then Katie had Tracy turn her head to the right as well. Tracy was really trying hard, and turned her head several times to the right. Katie then positioned Tracy in a supine position (lying face up) on several balls and the peanut, and rolled them back and forth so that Tracy could stretch her shoulders and pectorals. Tracy really seemed to enjoy this position. She took some deep breaths on command. Yesterday, Tracy had an appointment with the Plastic Surgeon to reassess her wound. Dr. Buescher was REALLY very pleased and impressed by Tracy's healing progress!!! She said that the area where there was a track was completely filled in and sealed off. She estimats another 6 to 8 weeks of healing before we can take off the wound vac and stitch her up. We are hoping to get back to outpatient therapy by the beginning of February! Just in time to hitch the horses up to the sleigh and ride through the snow banks! Mom says that she will get there if she has to ride her bike and pull Tracy behind her! We have an appointment on January 6th with the orthopedic surgeon from Georgetown University Medical Center that Margaret-Ann from KCI recommended. He is world renowned in the use of integra skin, a bioengineered product that is used in wound closure expedition. (For more information, go to integraskin.com). Tracy wore her casts today for about two hours. Both her casts are bivalved, which means they can be put on and taken off with velcro straps. Thank you for your continued prayers and positive energy. We are really blessed to have such wonderful friends!

Tiffany is finished with her work this semester. She got two A's and a B (ouch) and will most likely kill me for putting this info on the page! Needless to say, we are proud of her accomplishments and happy that she made it through her first semester at LSU (her Dad's alma mater!) Rick graduated from Texas A & M (an Aggie!) this evening. We are very proud of his accomplishments and we wish him good luck and many blessings in his career pursuits. Tiffany plans to meet us in Independence where we will all spend Christmas and New Years together (December 22nd - January 4th). Mom and Dad's 25th wedding anniversary is on New Year's Eve. It will be fun to celebrate it in Louisiana where they met 26 years ago. It will be great to be with all of the family. Nana is finished with physical therapy. She is able to walk without her cane. We are so proud of her. We are looking forward to Uncle Johnny and Nana coming to see us the end of January. Thank you again for all of your prayers and happy thoughts! Best wishes for a very spiritual and healthy holiday season!

Thursday, December 16th, 2004~ Tracy slept most of the night except for about an hour around 3 AM! She is coughing less, which is really good news. This morning, Mom and Jenny showered and dressed Tracy. She has no therapy today, but has an appointment to see the Plastic Surgeon to reassess her wound. Dr. Buescher was REALLY very pleased and impressed by Tracy's healing progress!!! She said that the area where there was a track was completely filled in and sealed off. She estimats another 6 to 8 weeks of healing before we can take off the wound vac and stitch her up. We are hoping to get back to outpatient therapy by the beginning of February! Just in time to hitch the horses up to the sleigh and ride through the snow banks! Mom says that she will get there if she has to ride her bike and pull Tracy behind her! We have an appointment on January 6th with the orthopedic surgeon from Georgetown University Medical Center that Margaret-Ann from KCI recommended. He is world renowned in the use of integra skin, a bioengineered product that is used in wound closure expedition. (For more information, go to integraskin.com). Tracy had a break from her casts today, but we will try to have her wear them this evening. Both her casts are bivalved, which means they can be put on and taken off with velcro straps. Thank you for your continued prayers and positive energy. We are really blessed to have such wonderful friends!

Tiffany is finished with her work this semester. She got two A's and a B (ouch) and will most likely kill me for putting this info on the page! Needless to say, we are proud of her accomplishments and happy that she made it through her first semester at LSU (her Dad's alma mater!) She arrived Tuesday at College Station where she will attend her boyfriend Rick's graduation from Texas A & M on December 17th. We are very proud of his accomplishments and we wish him good luck and many blessings in his career pursuits. Tiffany plans to meet us in Independence where we will all spend Christmas and New Years together (December 22nd - January 4th). Mom and Dad's 25th wedding anniversary is on New Year's Eve. It will be fun to celebrate it in Louisiana where they met 26 years ago. It will be great to be with all of the family. Nana is finished with physical therapy. She is able to walk without her cane. We are so proud of her. We are looking forward to Uncle Johnny and Nana coming to see us the end of January. Thank you again for all of your prayers and happy thoughts! Best wishes for a very spiritual and healthy holiday season!

Wednesday, December 15th~23 Months Since Tracy's Accident!~ Tracy was up four or five times last night! She is coughing less, which is really good news. We found that Tracy's Upper GI Series was completely NORMAL, meaning there was no reflux exhibited. Bottom line, her Nissen procedure was a complete success! We also x-rayed her hips to see if Tracy had any Heterotrophic Ossification, a fancy word that means that she has some extra bone formation in her hip joints. GOOD NEWS AGAIN! Tracy's hip bones are completely normal. We have an appointment to see the Plastic Surgeon on Thursday to reassess her wound. By process of elimination, it seems as though her discomfort is due to her healing wound. This morning, Mom and Jenny bathed and dressed Tracy. She had all three threapies today, starting with Speech at 10:45 AM. During Speech, Paige continued to work on the goal of swallowing, using the thermal stim method (laryngeal mirror) to the back of Tracy's throat. She had a really good speech session, letting Paige work in her mouth upon command and tactile cues. Even though Tracy seemed a little uncomfortable sitting in the chair (wound), (grinding her teeth) she was able to relax and focus on Paige. Tracy demonstrated some good swallowing in response to the stimulation. Kate, Tracy's Occupational Therapist, came later in the day to work on OT. She taped Tracy's shoulders again with Kinesio-tape. Tracy responds well to the tape, keeping her shoulders back and down and resisting her spasm to pull them up and forward. After OT, Diana, Tracy's Physical Therapist came to work with Tracy. She did stretching and range of motion exercises with Tracy and then Dad and Diana positioned Tracy on the edge of the mat. Tracy again seemed a little uncomfortable on her wound, but she relaxed when they shifted her to the donut pillow. She tolerated about twenty minutes in this position. Tamra, Tracy's case manager from Brain Injury Services came by in the evening to meet with Mom. She is very good at coming up with innovative indeas for Tracy such as pet therapy, therapeutic horse back riding, and pool therapy. We really appreciate all that she does. We have an appointment on January 6th with the orthopedic surgeon from Georgetown University Medical Center that Margaret-Ann from KCI recommended. He is world renowned in the use of integra skin, a bioengineered product that is used in wound closure expedition. (For more information, go to integraskin.com). Tracy wore her casts for four hours today and for six hour last night. Both her casts are bivalved, which means they can be put on and taken off with velcro straps. Thank you for your continued prayers and positive energy. We are really blessed to have such wonderful friends!

Tiffany is finished with her work this semester. She arrived yesterday at College Station where she will attend her boyfriend Rick's graduation from Texas A & M on December 17th. We are very proud of his accomplishments and we wish him good luck and many blessings in his career pursuits. Tiffany plans to meet us in Independence where we will all spend Christmas and New Years together (December 22nd - January 4th). Mom and Dad's 25th wedding anniversary is on New Year's Eve. It will be fun to celebrate it in Louisiana where they met 26 years ago. It will be great to be with all of the family. Nana is finished with physical therapy. She is able to walk without her cane. We are so proud of her. We are looking forward to Uncle Johnny and Nana coming to see us the end of January. Thank you again for all of your prayers and happy thoughts! Best wishes for a very spiritual and healthy holiday season!

Tuesday, December 14th, 2004~ Tracy slept well again last night with minimal coughing. We have REALLY good news! Tracy's Upper GI Series was completely NORMAL, meaning there was no reflux exhibited. Bottom line, her Nissen procedure was a complete success! We also x-rayed her hips to see if Tracy had any Heterotrophic Ossification, a fancy word that means that she has some extra bone formation in her hip joints. GOOD NEWS AGAIN! Tracy's hip bones are completely normal. This is all good news! She still continues to grind her teeth. We have an appointment to see the Plastic Surgeon on Thursday to reassess her wound. By process of elimination, it seems as though her discomfort is due to her healing wound. This morning, Mom and Jenny showered and dressed Tracy. She did not have any therapy today due to her long day at National Naval Medical Center. We have an appointment on January 6th with the orthopedic surgeon from Georgetown University Medical Center that Margaret-Ann from KCI recommended. He is world renowned in the use of integra skin, a bioengineered product that is used in wound closure expedition. (For more information, go to integraskin.com). Tracy was unable to wear her casts at all today, but we will try putting them on her this evening. Both her casts are bivalved, which means they can be put on and taken off with velcro straps. Tracy's therapists, nurse managers, and physician met with us today at NNMC to discuss Tracy's plan of care. They are doing an excellent job providing consistent therapy and in managing Tracy's care. We were able to review and discuss the therapy goals that each set for Tracy and a method to track her progress. We are really excited to finally have a consistent therapy regimen for Tracy and look forward to a continued relationship with her therapists. We look forward to Tracy's continued efforts in reaching her rehab goals in the new year. Thank you for your continued prayers and positive energy. We are really blessed to have such wonderful friends!

Tiffany is finished with her work this semester. She arrived today at College Station where she will attend her boyfriend Rick's graduation from Texas A & M on December 17th. We are very proud of his accomplishments and we wish him good luck and many blessings in his career pursuits. Tiffany plans to meet us in Independence where we will all spend Christmas and New Years together (December 22nd - January 4th). Mom and Dad's 25th wedding anniversary is on New Year's Eve. It will be fun to celebrate it in Louisiana where they met 26 years ago. It will be great to be with all of the family. Nana is finished with physical therapy. She is able to walk without her cane. We are so proud of her. We are looking forward to Uncle Johnny and Nana coming to see us the end of January. Thank you again for all of your prayers and happy thoughts! Best wishes for a very spiritual and healthy holiday season!

Monday, December 13th, 2004~ Tracy slept well last night with minimal coughing. She still continues to grind her teeth. It is so frustrating because Tracy is unable to tell us what, if anything is bothering her. Mom and Dad think it is her wound. This morning, Mom and Jenny bathed and dressed Tracy. Paige, Tracy's Speech Therapist, came to work with Tracy bright and early this morning. Tracy seemed a little preoccupied; but was trying real hard to work on her swallowing. She had several strong swallows. She did not seem interested in drinking the lemon flavored water (hydrolyte). Maybe her throat is irritated from the reflux. We hope to find out what is bothering her when we do the Upper GI series tomorrow. We will look into the recommendation that Margaret-Ann, the KCI representative made to explore the Integraskin product to expedite Tracy's wound closure. (For more information, go to integraskin.com). There is an orthopedic surgeon who uses this product extensively at Georgetown University Hospital. We will look into this more in depth this week and give an update. The good news is that Tracy wore her casts again for another SIX hours today and tolerated them well. Both her casts are bivalved, which means they can be put on and taken off with velcro straps. Gloria and her two adorable daughters came over to vist Tracy today. It was great to spend some time with them. The girls, Kat and Sam really loved Tracy's teddy bear Christmas tree! Emil also came over and gave Tracy a much-needed massage. He also gave Mom a Tai yoga massage which she really needed. We are really blessed to have such wonderful friends!

We decided to postpone Tracy's Modified Barium Swallow (MBS) on Tuesday and will reschedule after the first of the year. She will still have the Upper GI Series on December 14th. The Upper GI will confirm if Tracy is experiencing reflux, especially after her Nissen procedure. We will also get x-rays of Tracy's hips to make sure that there is no Heterotrophic Ossification (HO) going on. This occurs when one is sedentary for a long period of time like Tracy has been. After her tests, Tracy's physicians and therapists are planning to meet to discuss Tracy's plan of care. This is the first time that all of the professionals will sit down and discuss Tracy's care. Tracy's wound is healing well. We will take Tracy to see the Plastic Surgeon at National Naval Medical Center on December 16th. Hopefully, she will say that it is time to surgically close the wound and we can get rid of the wound vac machine and move on! That would be the best Christmas present that Mom could get this year! Tiffany is finished with her work this semester and is ready to get some much needed sleep. This weekend, she went to Independence to visit Mawmaw and Pawpaw. She leaves for College Station tomorrow, for Rick's graduation from Texas A & M on December 17th and then will meet us in Independence where we will all spend Christmas and New Years together (December 22nd - January 4th). Mom and Dad's 25th wedding anniversary is on New Year's Eve. It will be fun to celebrate it in Louisiana where they met 26 years ago. It will be great to be with all of the family. Nana is finished with physical therapy. She is able to walk without her cane. We are so proud of her. We are looking forward to Uncle Johnny and Nana coming to see us the end of January. Thank you again for all of your prayers and happy thoughts! Best wishes for a very spiritual and healthy holiday season!

Sunday, December 12th, 2004~ Tracy slept from 4 AM to 10 AM with no coughing! She did cough quite a bit up until 4 AM. Mom and Dad took advantage of the quiet time and got some sleep too! She still continues to grind her teeth. It is so frustrating because Tracy is unable to tell us what, if anything is bothering her. Mom and Dad think it is her wound. This morning, Mom and Dad showered and dressed Tracy. She did not have any therapy today. Mom worked a little with Tracy's swallowing. She did a little better today, and had about an ounce of lemon water (hydrolyte). This afternoon, Margaret-Ann, the representative from KCI (makers of the wound vac) came by to take a look at Tracy's wound and to give us some recommendations to expedite the healing proc