Physical Therapy and Food

Well, it's been another week, and Lissa made her second trip to the doctor on Thursday. The previous week, they lessened her nausea medicine, and pain medicine. Lissa was not able to take the loss of the nausea medicine, because she was very nauseated all week. She lost about 12 pounds, and didn't eat much of anything. So, the doctor put her back on that, and she seems to be doing better eating since.

Friday she went to her first physical therapy appointment, and her doctor there is going to have her take an MRI on her arms. They want to do more testing specifically on her right arm to see how much damage has been done to the ulna nerve. The left thumb may need some repair work as well. Please pray that these tests would be helpful and that the physical therapy could increase the capabilities that she has with her arms and hands... And that she would continue to keep eating.

Doctor's Visits

So Lissa, Ryan, and Ma Lyle visited the doctor on Thursday. The good news is that she made it home safely. The bad news is that from the sounds of it, it was a rough day. As they went into the X-ray room, Ryan told the technician that Lissa had broken ribs, but she did not hear that part as she had Lissa bend and move to tears. Then she realized that Lissa had 8 broken ribs. Four hours later they returned home. She'll be visiting the doctor weekly now, so prayers would be greatly appreciate that her next trip will be better.

The good news is that yesterday was a much better day. Lissa is looking forward to going to Christmas Eve with the Lyles and down to the Thurow's Christmas day. They will be very big days for her, but she doesn't want to miss any of the Christmas celebrations!

Leavin' on a jet plane

So my last day hangin' with Lissa and Ryan was yesterday. I'm already missing them. They are fun...even if restrained by bruised and broken bones and number arms. I must say that it was very exciting to see Lissa's progress in the six days that I was there. She is getting much more movement in her arms and her fingers than when I arrived. She is always trying to do more and more. Today she visited the doctor for the first time since she has been out of the hospital. I'll update you more when I get news of this.
It was truly great to "see" Lissa first hand. In some aspects she looked better than I had thought, and others just made me sad thinking of all the trauma her body has been through.

God is Great, God is Good...

...Let us thank Him for our food.

Lissa and Ryan want to thank all of those who have made and brought incredible dinners to their home. They are truly overwhelmed by your goodness and kindness and skills at making unbelievable dinners. And they want to thank all of those who have planned their future dinners as well.

Today was an okay day. She woke up this morning to hearing from cousin Joe in Iraq to check up on her. After picking on each other, we ventured out for another hair washing at Rachel's. I was a little nervous about driving her there with the snowy roads with such a fragile girl, but we did good. That tired out Lissa, so she slept for quite a while after that. We have just been hanging out this evening, which has been very nice.

Flashback to Saturday:

Saturday evening, we wrapped Christmas presents. Since Lissa was not able to wrap, which is what she loves to do. We popped in our favorite "White Christmas" to get in the Christmas spirit. Ryan labeled all of the name tags, and she vicariously enjoyed it through us.

I've also been enjoying what Lissa and Ryan call, Hannahkuh. Lucky for me, they have me for Christmas this year, and I get to open presents early. So, every night they sing me a little ditty with Happy Hannahkuh in it and I get to open presents.

Thanks for your continued prayers, cards, and encouragement. It means so much to Lissa, and really seems to lift her spirits when she tells me about each of you.

Drugs not Hugs

That's the theme for the day. Lissa has had some great visitors this weekend. Everyone wants to love on her, but even touching her hand is painful at times. Her pain medication is doing a pretty good job most of the time, but her whole body is still very fragile. Thankfully there are no casts or slings at the moment, but it doesn't mean that there isn't a lot of things broken inside. She is getting up and down by herself (with a lot of work), but cannot stand for periods of time yet without getting very tired.

Yesterday she was able to ride to her sister-in-law, Rachel's shop (about ten minutes away), to get her hair washed and cut. She was very thankful to get clean hair and as always a great cut by Rachel.

Today we had Grandma and Grandpa Thurow visit along with the Brewster family (sister's fam). Brother Rob stopped by to plow the drive way from all of the beautiful snow that has fallen, which Lissa enjoys through their big picture window.

Mom Lyle stopped by with Ryan's sister, Sarah, to check on the bandage on her side where they put the tube inside of her. She did very well today over all...although she gets pretty tired from even speaking for periods of time. But, make sure you don't say anything that you wouldn't want her to hear, because she knows what's going on at all times, even when her eyes are closed! Since the accident, she has super-human hearing!

She'll have to wait a little longer before she can be the center of the Ryan/Emma sandwich (like below).

Tingling, shooting, numb

Ryan is asking for prayer specifically for Lissa's arm. She is having a lot of pain shooting through her shoulder area. She would complain about the discomfort and pain during her hospital stay. It still seems to be bothering her. This is the arm that has some nerve damage. Her two little fingers were tingling and numb on her right arm. She is settled in at home, and Ryan’s Mom will be staying with her today as Ryan heads back to school. Ryan needs prayer as he also has a lot to catch up on.

She's coming back...

Our Lissa is coming back mentally. She called me today, and for the first time since the accident she sounded like herself. It was really good to hear. As you all know, she's a very busy woman, and is struggling with not being able to do all the things that she normally does. It still takes a lot of effort for her to get up and still is not able to use her arms very well, especially her right one. She is able to use utensils with her left hand to feed herself... and has started eating a little.
Prayers would be appreciated for continued healing, specifically with her arms, fingers, and ribs. Also, Lissa needs to find a good balance of pushing herself a little more each day, without it being a detriment to her healing.

Home again!

Yesterday Mom, Dad, Lissa and Ryan journeyed home! They were able to leave the hospital at 5:00 PM. Ryan and Dad were able to sweet-talk the pharmacist in Iowa to get all of her medication expedited so they could get on their drive almost 200 miles home. They brought Lissa back safely. Dad said that she did pretty well up until the very end when he could tell that she was very uncomfortable. They were able to get home without running into bad weather.
We are all thankful to have her out of the hospital, but please continue in your prayers for her. She has a long road ahead of her, and she needs to watch her breathing carefully. I'll be there on Friday to update you first-hand.

Update

So, I spoke with mom today and she said that they are going to try to take Melissa home tomorrow. That is why she asked for prayers for the icy roads. They took her off of her IV's today. They will probably run another chest X-ray tomorrow to make sure everything is still okay before she leaves. So, it will be quite the adventure to get Lissa into the car tomorrow for their journey home. We'd love for her to be home near friends and family, but please pray that the journey is safe for them. I'll give an update as I find out their progress and will be there on Friday to give updates first-hand.

Midwest Winters

Well, we are still here in Iowa City. It is cold with freezing rain. First, pray that this freezing rain stops.

Melissa got her chest tube out this a.m. first thing. Then later took her completely off her I.V. She is just taking oral medication for the nausea and pain. She did get up and take a shower and washed her hair again. It does take a lot out of her. She was comfortable this afternoon and she rested for several hours. She just ordered food. She hasn't eaten very much, but oatmeal seems to be the food of choice - with brown sugar and raisins, of course.

She had a nice visit with the doctor who took her tube out this a.m. The young doctor is better known by Ryan as a drill sergeant - but she certainly knows what she is doing. She attended medical school in Canada and has been a doctor for 2 years.

Siblings wanted to come out again today, but I told them not too because the roads are icy. There are warnings on the TV all the time. That's the news for the day. (Update by Mom).

And just for kicks, here's a picture of our bright-eyed M.Pierre Palpant and M.Sue
Lyle. We can't wait to see our Lissa like this again!

Smiles

Melissa took a couple of walks today including taking a real shower. We braided her hair today. The goal now is to get her off the I.V.'s Hopefully they will be able to manage the pain and nausea with oral medicines. The group of doctors who come to see her everyday looked at what the lung tube is draining, and it is slowing going down. They said that we just need to be patience, and it would probably come out in a couple more days.

Today she received a lot of cards from her coworkers at school and also her students. They really put a smile on her face. She had a little story to tell about each of her students who made cards for her. She teaches them keyboarding and they were using some of the skills that she taught them. (Update from Mom)

Thank you to all of those who put smiles on Lissa's face!

They say it's your birthday!

Well, it IS a week of challenges and celebrations. Today we celebrate Ryan Lyle. This Super Star's birthday is today. Happy Birthday, Ryan! You have many fans...including me, because you take care of Lissa and give me rides on your bike.

On the Catwalk

It is 3:45 p.m. (Iowa time) and Lissa has had a big day. She still struggles with the nausea at times, and they are trying to keep that under control. A neurosurgeon checked with her today to see what's up with her right arm (the one that was trapped under the van). He checked her out really well and was coming back with his team to check into it further. Unfortunately she was experiencing extreme nausea at the time they came, so they said they would check back latter when she was feeling better. She was pretty bummed about that.

She was feeling much better this afternoon. When the PT came in to work with her she said she was going to put on a walking show down the hall today. The PT wanted to know where to buy tickets and Lissa said her Dad was out selling them now. She did walk down the hall with Mr. Lyle pushing the IV ahead, Mrs. Lyle was taking care of the tube that is in her lung, while the PT let Lissa hold her arm, and I pushed the chair in back of her just in case she might need it. She never did. The PT did work with her right arm and gave some suggestions on what to do. I think her arm was doing a lot better when she was done. The normal feeling may take a while to come back, but hopefully the exercises will help the pain she has from it.

The drainage from the lungs is slowing down - it is about 215 - and the doctor said when it gets close to 100 they would be able to remove the tube.
That is the latest news from here. -Update from Mom

My mom also told me that she noticed swelling going down in her face. She held the phone to Lissa's ear so that we could talk for a few minutes. I'm not sure that it was really Lissa though, because she was spoke so soft and gently...to ME! :)

Mom and Dad

While we're celebrating the life of Lissa, we're also going to give a shout out to the ones who created her. Mom and Dad celebrate 37 years of marriage today!

Mufassa...say it again.

Everyone knows how beautiful Lissa's red hair is. I like to call her Mufassa (from the Lion King), because she has such a gorgeous full mane. My sister-in-law, Ann, told me that even after going through the accident with remnants of grass and blood in her hair, her hair was still gorgeous.

Our mom had some good news to report this morning... Lissa got up and they washed her hair, which was quite a feat in itself. They had no conditioner and you can't imagine the tangles. Ron and Ryan went to Walgreens and we got some Johnson and Johnson No More Tangles. That stuff is awesome. There is no way we could have done it without it. I have her hair pulled to each side and she looks a little like Pippie Longstockings. :) It takes all she has to get up and walk or sit up. Her right arm bothers her a lot and we have to position it just right. The occupational therapist and physical therapist will be in this afternoon to start working on some of these issues. Her lungs continue to drain, but the Doctor said it is looking good. Her drainage has to reduce more before they will pull the tube out of the lung. After that her body should be able to absorb the extra fluid.

Please continue to pray. Each new day brings new challenges for Lissa and new accomplishments at the same time.

Start from the beginning...well, almost.

Many people have asked for updates on Lissa. I thought I would create a blog where you can get daily updates and specific prayer needs for her. This is not to eliminate emails and phone calls, but so that we can follow through with our promise to update.

So this is Lissa and Ryan on their wedding day a few years ago. They are beautiful, inside and out.

In case some of you have not heard in full, I will do my best to give a synopsis of what happened on December 1st, from what I have heard, because that is all that I have while I'm currently separated from the situation physically.

I got a call early Saturday morning (December 1, 2007) that Melissa (we call her Lissa), was in a very bad accident. She and Ryan were on their way to watch his brother (Jared) play in college football playoffs in Pella, Iowa. Most of Ryan's family (parents and many younger siblings) were in their van. There was very bad weather in the Midwest, specifically in Iowa, where they were driving. While they were driving, they hit some ice and rolled the van three times. Everyone in the van was released from the hospital, except for Melissa. We are so thankful that the rest of the family was okay, after being so shaken up, bumped and bruised. We are extremely grateful for their protection. The oldest Lyle sibling, Rachel, was on the phone when this happened with her family and had to hear this traumatic event. After the accident, there were some very scary moments when Lissa was unconscious. Even though she had her seat belt on, somehow she was partly out of the van (still in the seat belt), and her arm was pinned under it. She was unconscious, but Ryan and his father were able to miraculously lift the van from her and she came to consciousness after Ryan (frantically) repeatedly yelled her name, while Mrs. Lyle (who is a nurse) held her head.

Thankfully, there were other cars who stopped to put the Lyle children into their car and had a tarp to put over Lissa in the freezing rain while they waited for an ambulance to come. An ambulance arrived in 20 minutes and she, Ryan, and Mrs. Lyle were taken to the University of Iowa hospital, while Mr. Lyle and the children were taken to another. They were able to get the last ambulances out for the day thankfully.

Lissa is in a great hospital, and they have said that she has been their best patient. She broke 8 ribs, 4 of which have 2-3 breaks each. Her arm did not break, even though it was pinned under the van. Her arms are pretty beat up and she has some bad gashes in her head, (which have been stapled) but her skull was not fractured. She did get a pretty bad concussion though. She had a lot of internal bleeding, specifically in her lungs, and they are trying to keep the blood out of them. They are monitoring her oxygen levels very closely.

Yesterday they tried to take her off of oxygen, but she was not able to breathe well enough on her own, so they put the oxygen back in her. She has also been extremely nauseated, and they are changing pain medication to adjust.

She has been able to take a few steps after a lot of work (and getting sick), which was a miracle. Every part of her body has been severely traumatized and is very swollen, even her eyes. She's still in very rough condition, but I know that she is a trooper. She's been making the nurses laugh and cracking jokes during the few moments that she's awake. And she's still good at telling Ryan what to do, like scratch her nose when it itches. He does not leave her side. He is a saint.

I do have a strong confidence and hope that she will be taken care of. She has so many people there who love her so much.Ben and his wife, Rozz, just returned from out there for a couple days. Rob, Ann, and Karen drove out to see Lissa. Rachel was also out there to pick up her siblings. And Mr and Mrs Lyle have taken such good care of her as well.

We all know that Lissa is a tough cookie. She is showing her true self here in her positivity and humor. I have a great confidence to know that she'll be all right, but she has a long way to go.

If you can, please pray that the nausea would lessen so that Lissa can focus on the physical therapy to help her body heal and that she would be able to rely less and less on the oxygen machine. And also pray that Ryan would be blessed by moments of progress and interaction with Lissa and that he would be able to rest.

I was so thankful to speak with Lissa yesterday. She could not say much, but she did say that she could tell that people were praying.

I will update you again tomorrow, when I hear from those at the front lines...

Ryan and Lissa

This is my sister, Lissa, and my bro-in-law, Ryan.

They are pretty fantastic people. I created this blog so that you as friends and family could be updated on Lissa, prayer requests, and encouragement. I will do my best to post daily. More to come...