Savanna Update
Hello everyone. Finally I am getting around to a long overdue Savanna update. I just can’t believe we have 24 hours in a day because there never seems to be enough of them for me. We are now three weeks post surgery and Savanna is doing wonderful and has been for the last 2 weeks. She had been bugging me to go to school barely a week after surgery, so I finally relented and let her go back after 2 weeks. She is now back to her regular school schedule. I think her doctor is as amazed as the rest of us how wonderful she has done. She went to see both her orthopedic doctor and her lung doctor this past week and received great reports from both of them. I am so pleased with the doctors the Lord has put in our life. I always say Savanna is the only child I know that gets excited about going to the doctor. I can’t even tell her till the day we are going because otherwise that’s all she’ll talk about for days. If I even mention one of her doctors names in front of her, she insists that we are going to see them!
I also wanted to let you all know that Tim had his hernia surgery a week ago Friday and he is doing great as well. I meant to send out an email to let everyone know it was scheduled, but I’ve been too busy to get around to it. Poor Tim; he was expecting to have a Savanna size crowd awaiting him in the recovery room and all he got was me. Of course he likes to be extremely dramatic about that kind of stuff and try to milk it for as much attention as possible. I was so exhausted after taking care of him and Savanna last weekend that I decided I was changing my name to something other than “Honey” or “Mama”. The funny thing about Savanna is that she will call my name relentlessly until I come in there; whereas most able bodied children will come and get you, she just lays there calling my name until I come see what she needs. It’s usually something really important, such as her video is over or she dropped something on the floor! Come to think of it, her Daddy is the same way. He even called me on the home phone from his cell phone (from his recliner in the game room) because I would not come and see what he needed. Now you might understand why I call Savanna “Little Tim” when she starts acting all dramatic about something.
We are so thrilled with the progress that Savanna is making. It is refreshing to see her sitting in her chair and not be collapsing. She looks like such a big girl now! I am so blessed to have all of you praying for us and am so thankful that God honors those prayers. When I think back of when she was in the hospital after her surgery, I remember thinking how much it was going to break my heart when she would ask me to hold her. I knew the time would come, as she always wants me to hold her and I knew that being just a few days post surgery and all of the IV’s and wires they would have attached that I would not be able to hold her. Well, the time came the day after surgery. She looked up at me with her swollen face and Angelina lips and said, “Mama hold you.” I got tears in my eyes as I told her that I couldn’t hold her yet and tried to explain why. I stopped right then and prayed that the Lord would hold her for me, wrap His arms around her and comfort her only the way a mother could do. She seemed to understand at that moment and was at peace with it. Luckily they let me climb in the bed with her the next day and hold her.
Savanna has been moved up to the pre-K class at school and what a difference! She loves it and the kids are so sweet to her. We are getting ready to get her some type of communication device that will attach to her wheelchair and will allow her to do all kinds of amazing things. Turn on lights, use a phone, communicate with others when they can’t understand her, etc. It’s a little hard for me to imagine since I have never seen one, but we should be getting it this week so I’ll let you all know how we do with it.
As for surgery, she will probably have another surgery in about 6 months to lenthen the growing rods. She will still have to be hospitalized, but it shouldn’t be too difficult of a surgery. The rods are already in place; this will just involve making a small incision and lenthening the rod at the top of her spine. I would imagine she will only be in the hospital a few days for that one. Her doctor said she went from about a 90+ degree curvature to about a 65 degree curvature with this one surgery. She has simply been amazing with her recovery. I have no other explanation than it was a God thing. She only took her pain medicine for about 1 week, and that was mainly at night to help her rest. She went thru several days where she had severe contractures in her legs and that was worse than the surgery. I guess with the pulling on the spine it caused her other muscles to contract. We had a few sleepless nights with her legs hurting her really bad, but she seems to be past that now. She has rarely complained about her back hurting at all. Every once in a while someone will ask her if her back hurts and she’ll say yes. When you ask her if she wants some medicine for it, no. That’s funny to me since she doesn’t have to taste the medicine as it goes directly in her g-button.
As for my other child, Tim will be on light duty at work for the next 5 weeks. He is not allowed to lift anything heavier than 10 pounds, so he can’t even pick up Savanna. Please continue to keep us in your prayers as the next 5 weeks could be a little challenging. Not only that, but I am short-staffed at work so I am working a lot more than I usually do. I would also like to ask you to remember my sister-in-law Kelly in your prayers. She has been so strong and filled with such grace since losing my brother but this Tuesday would have been her and Mike’s 20 year anniversary. It just reminds me that we just never know how long any of us has and to live each day counting our blessings. I am so thankful to be surrounded by such a loving and supportive family, church family and wonderful friends. As I have told you all before, Savanna says her prayers every night and I can’t quite understand what she says. I can understand, “Dear God, thank you”…….. and then “in Jesus name, Amen!” Well last week, I asked her what does she thank God for when she prays? Her answer: Jesus, Mommy and Daddy; in that order. If we could all have the childlike faith of Savanna!
In closing, I am attaching a few pictures for you. First is a picture from her Princess Birthday Party and then a picture of her since her surgery, sitting in her chair. Now she still does not have head control, but we are working on getting her better support for her head and neck in the wheelchair.
Thank you all for your amazing love and support and I hope you have a blessed week.
Mindy
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