Pictures!

   

Being the spunky patient Tara is, she took the white board into her own hands. It wasn't that long ago her pain was at a "0".  Man, how I wish that was the case today.  Surgery can change things so quickly!

                                       She's much cuter than Vanna White, don't you think???

Our "last meal" on Valentine's Day - last time Tara would feel like eating for awhile.. our Italian feast compliments Dennis Crandall and "Pino" our new Italian restaurant friend!

                                         Josh brought Tara flowers for Valentine's Day...

                                    
                                                 Tara's Monday night visitors.. her "team"

              They're going to take my daughter away.... she's all smiles and ready to go!  Does she have any            idea how much this is going to hurt??

                                                            
                                                    Recovery....with her ever watchful Dad

           This is a good view of the catheters hooked to her head - 2 in, 2 out - "drain me, feed me" system.

Our new druggie on morphine - if she isn't on morphine; it's really brutal.  Those 4 catheters create much pressure on the brain and cause pain. She has a very hard time finding a spot that will be comfortable for her head. She will have them in for 3-5 days; all of which she'll have to be in ICU.  From then on, she will have IV antibiotics; but the resident doctor said home health care can bring the antibiotics to her; instead of us going to the hospital 3 times a week - that's a relief!

Thanks so much for your prayers - we're not out of the woods yet; but the doctor said this is "the best they can do" to treat this infection.  Now we just pray that this treatment for the infection works.  Only 3-7 percent of patients in Tara's position get infected; so she beat the odds again, but this time not on the right side of the scale!  There are little holes in the bone where they have inserted the catheters. He also said they had to "stretch" the skin on top of her head - it's thinner because of radiation and the surgery was done once, so it's more difficult to recover the second time around.  All these things equal pain for Tara; but thank heavens for pain meds.  I just hate to see her like this and eagerly await the Tara I had on Monday.  She still has her sense of humor; she's calling the catheters her new "hairdo" and "hair extensions!"  So, the old Tara is in there waiting to surface... just got to get through this week...