IT'S INDEPENDENCE DAY!!!!

We're Outta Here...

We got the good news that Haley is being discharged. She met all the criteria and we snatched her out of the hospital at about 9:00 pm. Larry and Paige drove up to Maryland to help me get her out. We had a pile of stuff that had accumulated over our 8-day stay, so there were many bags, flowers and balloons to carry to the car.

Holla Day Inn Slumber Party

We got to the Holiday Inn and we got Haley relatively (not really) comfortable. We used the trick that we had learned from Bob the PA and put folded towels under the mattress to elevate it a bit. We gave her pain meds and prayed she would get some decent rest. She woke up at the exact time she was due her next dose, so sweet Paige, her bedmate, gave it to her and she fell back to sleep. When I woke up, Larry was already awake, sitting in a chair (he had brought Paige and me coffee, love that man!) and I noticed that it was 2.5 hours past her next dose. She woke up a few minutes later, and, as predicted, her pain was off the chart. Paige (the should-be nurse), gave her another dose and we waited for it to kick in.

The hotel's internet was down, so we ran to the local Starbucks so I could update this blog. We are planning to go buy a bunch of bed pillows so we can encase her in fluffiness for the trip home. If you are reading this anytime on Thursday early in the day, please pray for our trip home. It is 2.5 hours and she had a tough time tolerating the 1 mile trip home from the hospital. The speed bumps were especially painful.

We anticipate the need for much more help when she gets home. Our sweet neighbor, Julie has already washed the sheets and remade the hospital bed in the living room. This will be a long, difficult recovery, but we must keep in mind that there is great hope for Haley. The surgery was a success and she will be able to resume her normal life and pursue her dreams. With the Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, though, she will likely have other challenges, but we will take things one step at a time. I plan to continue this blog, as we are so desperately in need of continued prayer and support.

Here is a picture of Haley getting in the van last night.

Thanks, friends. I will update later today after we are home.