Ruthie update: 4/7, 10:45 pm

Just talked to Will for the evening report. First of all, it sounds as though Ruthie's pain is still elevated, but that the nurses seem to be getting a moderate handle on it. On a scale of 1 to 10, her pain level is about an 8.5 or 9...so it's still very high, but the edge has been taken off a bit.

The doctor told Ruthie at around 5:30 today that he wanted her to try to walk tomorrow. The nurses have also wanted her to move around, so tonight, they helped Ruthie walk from her bed to the door...and back! It was painful for her, but she set her mind to it and pushed through the pain and did it! The nurses were surprised that Ruthie could actually walk this length so soon after her surgery. Her doctor will be amazed when he finds out about this tomorrow. GO Ruthie!! Hopefully, she will be moving around even more tomorrow.

Ruthie wasn't ready to eat dinner when the nurse brought her a meal earlier tonight, but Will was just returning from picking up a special order of chicken wings for her from a nearby restaurant when I spoke with him on the phone. Good to hear that Ruthie has her appetite. :)

Although Ruthie is not ready to talk on the phone, she is able to get texts and check her Facebook messages, so feel free to send her messages and share lots of love with her that way.

Please pray...

*that her pain level would lessen (a consistent prayer for now)

*that Will and Marsha (Ruthie's mom) would get a good night's sleep. There is a couch in the hospital room where Will will be sleeping tonight, so pray that it would be a comfy place for him to get some rest.

*that Ruthie will continue to make progress with her mobility. She has already made so many strides so far!

*for Libby and Lile and the rest of the family as they grieve the loss of Libby's dad.

As mentioned earlier, here are 2 photos that Will sent my way:

This first one is of the big ugly wire that was removed from her neck. It's amazing she was able to do much of anything knowing that this was sticking out and piercing her spinal cord!

This next one is a scan of the fusion of her spinal cord between C1 and C3 - the result of what the doctors were able to do in surgery yesterday. Incredible. So thankful for the doctors and medical staff at Mayo to perform a highly specialized surgery so successfully!

Check back again tomorrow for further updates.

And send Ruthie some love! :)

-Katherine

Ruthie update: 4/7, 3:30pm

Ruthie is now out of ICU and in her own private room! She will be equipped with high speed wireless internet access and hopefully will be able to read all the wonderful comments and encouraging messages so many people have been sending her way. She is currently in a considerable amount of pain (some of that from being transferred), so keep praying for comfort and rest for her body.

I will be posting a couple of photos soon...one is of the wire that was removed from her neck and the other is a scan of the fusion that was done between the C1 and C3 vertebrae in her neck. Stay tuned.

-Katherine

**if anyone is interested in knowing where to send cards, etc. until she leaves this weekend (hopefully!), please email me at katherineboydfalk@gmail.com for room information.

Ruthie Update - 4/7, 10.30 am

Hi friends, I just talked to Will on the phone, who asked that I mention this first in an update:

Ruthie's sister in law, Libby Rainwater Lindsey, found out this morning that her father, Aylmer Rainwater (of Ruston, La.), passed away this morning on his way to work, when he had a heart attack in his car. (This news comes less than a year after Lile and Ruthie's father, Lloyd Lindsey, passed away.)

Lile found out about Aylmer's death this morning, while sitting in Ruthie's room. Please pray for Alymer's wife Virginia, Libby and Lile (Ruthie's brother), and their families. Also pray for delay-free travel today, as Lile flies home to be with Libby and her family.

Will said the main concern with Ruthie is pain management. Trying to get her pain under control is a delicate process, and since she's been on pain medicine for years, her tolerance is high.

This morning she sat up in bed, which was very painful (and caused an intense headache), and ate jello, but she needs to keep sitting up and rolling on her side because, as Dr Courier told Will this morning, it's healing for her to move. Dr Courier hopes to have Ruthie walking by the end of the day, so they can transfer from the ICU to a regular room.

Ruthie has a bit of spinal fluid leakage, which they're keeping an eye on, but Will said the doctors aren't too concerned.

Will got a few hours of sleep and sounds more rested today on the phone, but he's saddened by Alymer's death and asked for everyone to pray for Lile, Libby and Virginia.

Ruthie surgery update: 10:30pm

Just got off the phone with Will and again he gave an encouraging report! He was finally able to see Ruthie around 7:30pm (it had been around 12 hours since he had seen her before the surgery) and said that she was doing well. She has been coherent and was happy and amazed to hear Will tell her that the doctors had said the surgery had gone perfectly. It has been such a long road to this point and the way things have transpired today has been such an answer to prayer!

Will did comment that Ruthie is in a lot of pain, however, and that the pain will probably continue to be heightened throughout the night and tomorrow. The doctors have increased her medications to make her more comfortable and to take a bit of the edge off; this has also made her pretty drowsy tonight, so hopefully this will enable her to rest and get some solid sleep.

It seems as though she may be moved out of ICU sometime tomorrow afternoon and into a "regular" room in a different section of the hospital. The doctors will continue to keep a close eye on her to monitor potential infections/spinal fluid leakage. Will keep you posted as that develops.

Will said the doctors gave them the wire that was removed from her neck and that he couldn't believe how BIG it is...he described it as a thick cable with several wires twisted together and not at all like the skinnier wire he had pictured in his mind. How wonderful that it is finally out of her and that her body can begin to heal and strengthen again!

Ruthie's brothers and aunt will be heading back home in the morning. Will and Ruthie's mom will be with her until she leaves Mayo, which Will thinks may be Saturday or Sunday. What a gift that she has been surrounded by a precious family today who love and treasure her so deeply.

Some other things to be so thankful for:

*Ruthie will NOT be needing a halo to stabilize her neck and instead is in a neck brace. This had been something she had requested specific prayer for (see earlier blog post), so we are grateful that this prayer has so graciously been answered!

*The nurse who has been with Ruthie today used to live in East Nashville with her husband and knew the exact area where Will and Ruthie live. Just another example of how God continues to provide comfort and a sense of "home" in the smallest of ways to Ruthie and Will while they are at Mayo.

Some things to keep praying for...

*That the intensity of Ruthie's pain would be alleviated
*That she would be protected against infection or any other type of complication
*That Will, Marsha (Ruthie's mom), Tim and Lile (Ruthie's brothers), and Aunt Raven would all get a good night's sleep and be refreshed again in the morning. Pray for safe travel for those who will be leaving tomorrow. They have been incredible warriors for Ruthie!
*That the rest of Ruthie's recovery would go as smoothly as today's procedure did.

Thanks again for checking in to read the updates on sweet Ruthie...I know she feels so incredibly loved and encouraged by all of you, and that so many of us have also been loved well by her.

More tomorrow.

-Katherine

Ruthie Update - 4/6, 4:48 pm

Will talked with the surgeon on the phone, and the surgeon said it went 'perfectly'. What a wonderful word to hear! There were no complications; Ruthie's in recovery; and Will can see her in about an hour. More details to come when Will speaks to the doctors in person... -Caroline

Ruthie Update - 4/6, 3:49 pm

Will said everything went well, as far as they know. (They're hoping Dr Courier will scrub out soon and have a more detailed update.) Ruthie will be in recovery until about 6.30 pm, when Will will be able to see her in the ICU. -Caroline

Ruthie Update - 4/6, 1:30 pm

Ruthie's doing well, and they've started the fusion of her neck.