Merry Christmas!

Nicole is home and doing great! She got to have a real bath and wash her hair on Thursday. This of course made her feel like a new "woman"! We have had many visitors and have gone on a few visits too. Other than her two breathing treatments each day, she is on no pain medication. Nicole got to see many friends this morning at church, who were very surprised to see our family. We will continue to celebrate this Christmas and are very thankful to have the time to appreciate our many blessings! Take care and we will write again soon. Love, The Larson Family

Nicole is out of ICU and ............

is at home resting comfortably in her own bed in Magnolia. Yes, we are home! We were told this morning that the reason we had not been moved out of ICU was because they had no empty rooms available on the regular floor. The Titanium Rib team came in to review all of Nicole's x-rays this morning. The decision was made that she would be going home in record time. We were so excited about the news. After a 3 1/2 hour ride home, dinner with dad, brother Shane and friend Steve, she sleeps. We want to thank all of you again for your continued prayers during this past week. As one of my friends shared with me today, "don't you just love it when God shows off"!

Visitors and more.......

Nicole's friend Chrystal and family came to visit today. She was very excited to see familiar faces. Apparantly the food here is pretty good because Nicole has gained 3 pounds since last Tuesday and is standing one and 1/2 inches taller.
In addition, the doctor removed her last drainage tube. We had a small freak out a little while later. Nicole had a good coughing spell, then told me she felt wet behind her back! When I looked behind her, the bed was full of blood! I don't do this part well. The nurse was very close by and was very calm about the whole epidsode. He told us this was completely normal after the drainage tube is removed. We we sure glad to hear this! After a cat scan today, another doctor came to report that her lung is looking good. Dr. Campbell will come by tomorrow and give us the news of how the rest of our week will pan out. From what two of the doctors told us today, there is a very good chance that we will be going home by the end of the week! Good night....Sleep tight!

Walkin' in a Winter Wonderland!

Yes, Nicole has sat in a chair and walked to the toilet twice today. What started out to be a little set back has ended up much better. She has worn her bipap machine all day and her blood gas test came back good. Mark flew back home today to take care of business. He was a huge help to both of us and we sure will miss him. Looks like one more night in ICU. The nurses here are great, so we are not conplaining. Nicole just filled out her own menu for meals tomorrow. Her choices were quite interesting! It is girls night out, with movies and game playing on the venue. In the meadow, we can build a snowman.................!

Kind of a long night

Last night Nicole did not rest as well. All of the rest she had been getting must have caught up to her and last night Nicole wanted to keep Mom up. She is back on her bipap machine to help reverse some atellecticis in her left lung. We are told that this is not uncommon in her situation, but that it is blockage in the passage ways of the lung and can be serious if not addressed. The pressure from the bipap, the chest physical therapy and the caugh assist machine should help reopen the lung passage ways.



On the more positive side there is much more to report. She started eating last night. Nicole ate mashed taters and mac & cheese. We even shared an ice cream treat before bedtime. During this mornings rounds, one of her surgeons came in and removed one of the drains from her wound. There were two and now only one is left. The pain ball was also removed as well. This is a major step forward and will help keep the risk of infection down. They want her to sit up in a chair a bit later today to help with her lung and to start stretching the rest of her body that has been lying in bed for three days. If she continues to drink fluids, the nurse will take her off the IV.



Nicole is making great progress just as we knew she would. She continues to astound with her strength and ability to persist through the adversity. We could not be more proud of our daughter.

Mashed potatoes are on the way.......

Friday at 5:00, Nicole is anxiously awaiting real food! Dr. Campbell came in this afternoon and told us he was very pleased with her progress. She has been sitting up at small intervals. We can tell she is getting close to feeling better because Nicole is knocking moms hand away when irritated with what is happening that she does not like . The doctor ordered a cough assist machine every couple of hours to help clear her lungs. It is working great. The nurse says we are getting close to being moved out of ICU into a regular room. Hooray!

Good Morning Magnolia

Nicole had a good night. She was comfortable and rested well. Terri stayed with her and helped with the repositioning, med checks, and chest pt that occurs every 4 hours. The Doctor's came by between 7:30 and 8:00 this morning to check on the patient. They want to give Nicole some blood to bring her numbers up a bit and to help perk her up. They have also given the OK for a clear liquid type diet. Nicole has been asking to eat but we don't think jello is what she had in mind. It will have to do for now. She is waking up very often now, wanting to know what day it is and being quite playful at times as well. Her pain levels are low, she only complains a bit when she gets moved about which happens about once an hour or so. We are happy with her progress, she is making good headway toward recovery.

Another Afternoon Update

At 4:30 this afternoon, the nurses came in and removed the catheter for Nicole. They were able to roll her over onto her side while they changed her bedding. She was not too happy about being rolled around quite that much, but tolerated it better than we thought. Nicole continues to rest quite comfortably. We are all pleased with her progress and want to thank you all for your thoughts, prayers, and offers of support.



Mark, Terri & Nicole

Progress is made

At about 2:30 today, the nurses and doctors came in and with little help from Dad and alot of help from Nicole, they took her off the ventilator. She is on her bipap machine now with a little O2 being fed into the line. She is resting comfortably. Nicole is a true trooper, upon getting the tubes out of her nose and throat, she asked for some water and to be set up. She has been given some medications to keep her calm and to help her rest. Terri did not write this posting and wants you all to know that Nicole's Daddy is responsable for the gramactical and spelin errrors in this here postin.

Prayers have been answered. Nicole is in ICU resting.
She did better than expected and the doctors did not
find anything unusual while inside. Her ribs were not
fused as first thought, so they did not have to separate.
They did not have to put a chest tube in, which was
expected as well. The doctors brought out the x-rays
of yesterday and compared them to today after surgery.
It is just a miracle. Nicole is taller and more important,
her left lung now has room to expand. We are not going
to get our hopes up, but the doctors say we may be home
for Christmas! Please pray now for no infections to
set-in and for her pain to be eased as she recovers.
Feel free to call Terri 281-924-4802 or Mark 281-808-
4356. We are thankful to all of you for your support.
Special hugs to big brother Shane, Granddaddy,
Grandma Diane, Linda Stuckey & Lynne Halfin for
being here with us. We love you all!