FIRST SURVIVOR POSTING

So, Since the best benefit ever, Mom has been staying with me at my house. With the best assistant (my sis in law, AMY) we scheduled the first of my follow up doctor visits. With applications with SSDI and State Programs for assistance, I have continued my physical, occupational, and speech on my self. Climbing up or down the staircase, doing all "activities of daily of living" that I can, and doing worksheets given to me from the speech therapist.
Good reports from doctors seen. Cardiology pleased with blood pressures taking morning and at bedtime, will continue to adjust Coumidin (medicine that keeps my blood thin) based on weekly lab results.  One of my doctors, willing to wean me off anti-seizure medications (had been on them since early hospitalization) if my neurosurgeon was okay as well. He was agreeable when we met later that week. Yes, last week I met the brilliant man that saved my life. I told him I heard bits and pieces from family and friends, and with some medical knowledge I was pretty was up to date on what I had been through the past month ;but I wanted to hear from him.  He pulled out a blank sheet of paper and to describe my aneurysm and all the complications that occurred, telling me I "wrote the book on aneurysm". He encouraged me to go to visit the nurses and staff from the NICU (Neuro Intensive Care Unit). He praised on how they work on cases like mine but with much different outcomes. It was nice to hear a doctor thinking about the nurses!
Followed with the rehab doctor gave me some referrals including having my vision assessed at UH Eye Center. I have been having a problem in my left eye. It feels like something in it, like a eyelash feels. I could not identify even the special extra huge letters, the eye center had. I had what I felt was every test available for the eyeballs! Amy and I got their at 1 PM and we did not leave until 7 PM. They discovered 2 retinal hemorrhages, Obviously from the brain aneurysm. Now will see a retinal specialist on Friday. Good new is they are right here in Cypress!

Silent & Live Auction Items for this Sunday's Benefit!

We've been telling you about all the wonderful auctions items we'll have on Sunday, but maybe you're wondering, "Well, WHAT exactly?"

Remember, our Healing Hands for Arianne Benefit will take place this Sunday, August 4, at Cypress Saloon on Telge Road.  We open at 1:00, will have $10 BBQ plates, a bake sale, live music, children's entertainment, and more : )  DunVille Takes the stage as our headliner around 7:30 once the auction business has concluded.  The previous blog post will give detailed info about the benefit.

SILENT AUCTION:  1:00 PM - 6:00 PM.  
LIVE AUCTION:  3:00 PM

When you arrive on Sunday, you will need to sign in and receive an auction ID number before placing bids.  PLEASE allow time for this.  These are the items we have so far... believe it or not, the generosity of Ari's friends, family, and clients is STILL pouring in, so we'll have even more on the day of the auction.

LIVE AUCTION ITEMS!

Trips:

• Cast 'n' Blast Guided Hunting/Fishing Trip
• 3 Nights at any Hyatt Resort Worldwide with a a $250 Spa Gift Certificate
• Day Trip for two to Quantum Lakes (Bass Fishing)
• Weekend at Host Reserve in Leakey, TX

Sports:

• Autographed Brian Cushing Football (Texans)
• Autographed Clint Dempsey Print (US National Soccer Team Captain, MLS Star)
• His & Hers Homerun Basket: Astros Tickets, Jewelry and more!
• Texans Preseason tickets (4) with Blue Lot Parking
• Astros Tickets
• Skeeters Tickets
• Texans Tickets

Personal Services:

• $1000 toward Laser Hair Removal at Vintage Wellness
• Coolsculpting Treatment (3 available!)

Goodies:

• Yeti Cooler & Fishing Rods
• Wheelbarrow Full of Liquor
• Blue Label Vodka Basket
• Wine Basket

SILENT AUCTION ITEMS!

Personal Products & Services:

• Skinceuticals
• Obagi
• Massage
• Neocutis
• ZOOM Whitening for teeth
• La Vee Vee Couture Fashion Boutique
• All About Feet
• Pink Papaya Basket
• Sonicare Toothbrushes
• Envision Salon
• $1000 Toward Wedding Photography with Monkey Tree Photography
• $500 Toward Portrait Photography with Monkey Tree Photography
• GC to Kat Mack Photography
• Portrait Session with Queen B Photography

Sports:

• All Star Martial Arts of Cypress
• Cypress Brazilian Jiu Jitsu

Home & Decor:

• Shabby Chic Two-Drawer Dresser
• Two Vintage Shabby Chalkboards
• Willow House Merchandise
• ManCave Basket
• Pink Zebra Basket
• Scentsy Merchandise

Jewelry:

• Premier
• Origami Owl
• Inspiranza
• Lia Sophia
• Diamond Pendant

Restaurant Gifts:

• Chick-Fil-A
• Carl's BBQ
• Alamo Draft House
• Bull & Bear

Other Goodies:

• Cigar Humidor (2)
• Koozies
• iPhone Case personalized with your photo of choice
• Buddha Bag
• Ladies' Handbag made of Western Boots & Belts
• Texas Flag
• Set of Blue Mason Jar Citronella Oil torches

Kids:

• Tutu & Rocking Horse Basket
• A Variety of Kid-Fun Baskets
• Paint-a-Pirate Ship Kit

IF YOU STILL WANT RAFFLE TICKETS, THEY'RE AVAILABLE!

Head on down to the previous post for details : )

A Quick Summary : ) Ari, Raffle Tickets, and the August 4 Benefit.

A quick summary for those of you new to the Healing Hands for Arianne blog:

The situation:

Ari unexpectedly had a brian bleed due to ruptured aneurysm (she's only 37!) in mid-May.  By the grace of God, her roommate Donna found her in the nick of time, and with the help of sister-in-law Amy, they got her to the hospital.  She spent a lot of time in the Neuro ICU at Methodist Hospital, most of this time she was sedated to keep her comfortable, as she had a shunt in her brain and  few other not-so-comfy medical devices helping her out.  Once she stepped down to the regular hospital floor, it wasn't long until she moved across the street to rehab.

In an astonishing display of fighting spirit and hope, she graduated from rehab and is now HOME as of yesterday : )

Arianne's friends have come together to help raise money... Ari is single and has no medical insurance, so we will need help to pay for her health-related expenses and services, as well as covering bills and basic needs while she is disabled and can't work.  We have lots of reasons to believe that she'll make a full recovery-- though she will be working to overcome the disabilities for about a year.

Raffle Tickets:

We are selling raffle tickets now, as well as at the August 4 benefit.  You can purchase them online at the following link:

Online Raffle Ticket Sales

Please feel free to share this link with others!  The prizes are:

• 6-8 night Diamond-Level Royal Caribbean Cruise for two to Canada, Bermuda, Alaska or the Caribbean.  You choose your destinations and dates.
• $500 Walmart Gift Card
• $200 Visa Gift Card
• ZOOM! Teeth Whitening
• CoolSculpting Treatmant

Tickets are $5 each, or five tickets for $20.  Purchase online, or stop by Vintage Wellness, located in the Cypress area at 130 Vintage Park Boulevard, Suite L, Houston TX 77070.

The August 4 Benefit:

We are SO EXCITED for this benefit!  It will be held at Cypress Saloon on Telge (in Cypress) on Sunday, August 4, 2013.  It'll start at 1:00, and we will be serving $10 BBQ plates until we run out!  For dessert, hit up the bake sale.  Please bring cash if possible to help us expedite the sale of BBQ and baked goods.

Silent Auction items will be available for viewing and bidding beginning at 1:00 and end at approximately 5:30.  We will have live music and fun contests all day, not to mention some AWESOME live auction items starting around 3:00.  Lots of professional sports tickets and memorabilia, furniture and home decor, hunting/fishing trips, Spa & personal services, and more.  We're hoping Arianne will be present at around 7:00 to draw the winners for the raffle!  We are able to accept credit cards for auction items, but Arianne will see more of the money if you come prepared to pay with a check or cash (no credit card transaction fees).

There will be a jump-house and some other fun for the kids, so don't let them stop you from joining us! The Funky Monkey Photobooth will be there to help create memories of the day, as well as a nice scrapbook for Ari.  For our competitive supporters, there's volleyball and horseshoes.

There will be a $5 cover charge after 5:00 since our concert headliner, DunVille will start playing around 7:30.  We're pretty excited about these musical acts!

Feel free to share our Benefit Flyer (and this blog post) with all your friends : )

We can't wait to see you there, and help our friend.  We know that under similar circumstances, she'd absolutely do the same for us.  I (Kasey) had surgery last October, and Ari took days off work so she could drive an hour to come stay with my kids while my husband was at the hospital with me... then she stayed 4 days more to be sure we were good to go on the handling of my medical stuff!

Let's do all we can to get her back to a normal life : )

Home Trial

Today Arianne spent some time at home to evaluate her living space and see what challenges she may have upon discharge, so therapy can work with her on these things. I was only there for a short time but she seemed to do great. She walked the stairs twice! Her dad helped her install some things to make the bathroom a bit more functional. It won't be long and she will be home permanently!  Another bit of good news-  Arianne GOT HER TRACH OUT!!! But by far my favorite part of the day was sitting with her on the couch and hearing one of  her use one of her witty one-liners on her dad! We all had a good laugh and her mom said "Well she's back!" Yes she is! Thank you all for your prayers which have no doubt been heard. Arianne still faces some challenges but I have no doubt that she will overcome and will become even more of a blessing to those in her presence.

Speech has encouraged blogging, so I am hoping Arianne will take over this one and share her story of continuing recovery with you all.

- Amy

Visiting information

To answer everyone's question...Yes Arianne posted those pic of herself on Facebook!! I was just as excited to see those as all of you. I know many of you have been anxiously awaiting the day you could pay her a visit and I know that she would want to see all of you as well, but she has a lot of work to do in rehab. Arianne  has what they call aphasia, (she knows what she wants to say but sometimes can't find the right word) so she is doing a lot of work with speech therapy as well as PT and OT. Her days are full with therapy with rest breaks in between. As you can imagine all of this work is tiring and doesn't leave much time/energy for visiting.
But I know she appreciates all of your positive comments and words of encouragement on Facebook. Arianne will probably be home in less than 2 weeks and may not have such a vigorous schedule.
So keep sharing the love and well wishes via Facebook and she will respond as best as she can when she is able.
Many Thanks,
Amy

I finally heard her voice after 53 days!

When I stayed with Arianne on Tuesday, I could not believe how much progress she had made just in 2 days. She had gotten so much stronger. During our sleepover my goal was to get her trach downsized, so she could communicate and get her a swallow study so she could eat. I must have mentioned these things to everyone that walked in the room that day. The swallow study got done on Tuesday and she passed, so she was finally able to eat REAL food again. Her appetite is getting better everyday and hopefully she can get the feeding tube out before coming home. Then on Thursday she got the trach downsized and moved to the rehab unit. When I called her mom to check on her Thursday, she said someone wanted to talk to me. After 53 days it was so amazing to hear her voice again.  Ironically I had lost mine but I just listened to her talk for about 20 minutes. Tears were streaming down my face .
We stopped by her new digs on Saturday evening and she looked even better, when she saw us, she smiled that beautiful smile and said "Hey"! It was Mick's first time to talk to her since she got her voice back.
She is working really hard on the rehab unit. Ari still has her great sense of humor. Apparently some language centers in the brain have been affected so she is having some difficulty with finding the right word to say. She told us that sometimes an incomprehensible word will come out and she is like "Why did I say that?" I told her that we would start going to Brain Aneurysm Support groups to learn more and listen to others stories. Click here to learn more about Brain Aneurysm and recovery. The more we know the more we can all help Arianne.
Thank you all for the prayers, I can't help but feel that she is a miracle and I have all of you fierce prayer warriors to thank. We still have a long road but things now seem to be progressing in the right direction fairly quickly.
Many blessings,
Amy

Sleep Over and raffle tickets!

We are having a sleep over! Arianne has been moved out of ICU and onto the floor. I don't think she is going to be here long though, she is doing so well that she will probably be moved to the rehab unit soon. She has made such progress even since we were here on Sunday and she took her first walk. She is getting herself to the bathroom but needs help with the IV poles and her other tubes. Communication is still an issue(another reason I am staying because she pushes the button but can't talk) and we are pressing the staff hard to get her trach downsized. She could be home in about 2 weeks but will probably need 24 hour supervision for a while.  I am now boldly asking God to give her peace and patience as she progresses down this road and may she always know that she is not alone and that she is deeply loved, most importantly by her Maker and many others as well. Amen.

Also Raffle Tickets are now on sale. You can contact a Benefit Host, get them from Vintage Wellness by calling 281-320-2888 or order them online at https://squareup.com/market/healing-hands-for-arianne/raffle-ticket.

Progress, Progress, Progress

Hey everyone! I know it has been a while but I have lots to report to you! First and foremost Thank you for all of the prayers because they are being answered, for Arianne - steps toward recovery are being made. The family is doing pretty well, we are adjusting to our "new normal" ( A good friend shared that with me after her recent life change)  and for me personally, I have a little more peace and I am not trying to "fix" everything, because I am realizing that I can't. But I can rely on God to help me do "the next right thing". (Mick- my wonderful husband taught me that.)

Enough of that y'all want to hear about Arianne!  The second shunt has been working well, and neurologically she seems to be moving everything. PT and OT have been working with her and when we showed up today Arianne was standing in the hallway with  PT assisting her walking. It was and awesome sight!  Man God's timing is Awesome! So we cheered her on as she walked back into the room and then she proceeded to sit in the chair for another 2 hours.

The next issue to be dealt with is the trach. Speech Therapy was there on Saturday and gave her a beside swallow test. She did fairly well but they want to confirm with an official swallow study tomorrow. They also recommended that her trach be downsized so she can hopefully start talking, but we have to get the medical team to agree. She still is coughing up quite a lot of mucous, so we will see.

Speaking of talking, y'all know Arianne loves to talk, so this communication issue is frustrating her. I am getting a little better at the lip reading, but I am trying to get her just to tell me a few words not a whole sentence. :) She has been trying to write but spelling is a problem, she seems to be able to read and point to choices, but she has more to say that the choices that are offered. I think she is also having some short term memory problems which is common for brain aneurysm survivors.

Emotionally Arianne has good days and bad days but we have had to realize that although we have had 49 days to adjust to this, Arianne has only had about 7 to 10. I hate to see her sad but I know that it is all part of the grieving process that is necessary for her to go through. But when she smiles that beautiful smile, it gives me hope. As we were leaving today, I acknowledged how difficult this must be, and that yes it is going to be hard  work, but I assured her that she is not alone and that she is so loved by so many people. And that God still has a plan for her.

Until the next update, keep praying, posting encouraging comments, I think you can even send a get well gram by calling Methodist or maybe it is online and they will deliver at note to her room. And please put August 4th on your calendar! The benefit is another miracle in the works and should be a wonderful time.

With Gratitude,
Amy

Good News!!!!

We went to visit with Arianne yesterday and she looked GREAT!! She has now been off the vent for 2 days, she is just on a little bit of oxygen.  The tracheostomy tube remains and a little pneumonia has her coughing up a lot of secretions. It seems the doctors have found a medicine that seems to keep her comfortable but not too sleepy.  Physical therapy and occupational therapy have started working with her, today they stood her up on the side of the bed and started working with shapes, textures and colors.  My lip reading skills are not so good and I think she may have gotten a little frustrated trying to communicate. We tried writing but that didn't work, however she was able to hold the marker in her right hand! They have given us some other communication tools but those didn't seem to help yet either. I read her cards that had been sent, and she cried when I read one from cousin Catherine. So we cried together and I kissed her and told her how much you all love her. She still needs to have a permanent VP shunt placed and that will happen early this week, so I pray we don't have any set backs after the surgery and I pray that the shunt works properly this time. Also benefit promo's have been airing on KSTAR 99.7 FM! Many thanks to Christine Amato for making that happen. Please feel free to comment or offer words of encouragement and I will print them and share them with Arianne.

Benefit Info

 Healing Hands for Arianne

“Healing Hands for Arianne" has been set up by friends and family of Arianne Jones, a young woman who suffered a ruptured brain aneurysm which resulted in subarachnoid hemorrhage on the evening of May 19, 2013.

Arianne is an Aesthetic nurse at Vintage Wellness Center in Vintage Park.  She is a very caring and compassionate person who always put the wellbeing and happiness of other people first.  With her outgoing personality and sweet gentle way it is hard not to love her the minute you meet her.  Ari never meets a stranger and loves and gives at fault sometimes with everything she has.  She is the kind of person that would give her last dime to help a stranger.  She is single and does not have health insurance, so as you can imagine we need to raise as much money as possible not only to help her with her medical bills, but to also help with her monthly bills (house, car, utilities, etc).    We are planning a benefit for Sunday 8/4/13 at 1:00 PM at Cypress Saloon on Telge (12710 Telge Road Cypress, Texas 77429)  and are looking for donation items and/or services to be raffled and auctioned off on this date to help with her expenses while she is out of work. 

For more information and to stay up to date on Arianne’s progress please visit:  Healinghandsforarianne.blogspot.com

Monetary donations can be made at Amegy Bank under - Arianne Jones Benefit Fund.

Please continue to pray for Arianne’s complete and full recovery.  Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, BELIEVE you receive them, and you will have them.  Mark 11:24

We thank you in advance for helping us help her!

Shunt not working

Arianne's VP shunt is not working so they replaced the EVD or ventriculostomy which is the external brain drain to relieve the pressure in her brain. I visited with her last night and she definitely seemed more alert than she had in the past. However her pneumonia is back and causing her to cough a lot which seems to wear her out. I came across this video which was really great at explaining what has been going on with Arianne.

And the Roller Coaster Continues....

I am not as talented at this as Kasey but I am finding it therapeutic and now know why people blog..  In the last week Arianne has had a permanent VP Shunt placed because her body was not reabsorbing the cerebrospinal fluid which can cause pressure on the brain. Her neurosurgeon gave us good news and said that she "should" make a full recovery in 4-5 months.. So I am remaining cautiously optimistic. She is off isolation, her pneumonia is improving and although she is still on the ventilator, she is starting to breathe over it more. She is moving both arms and both legs but her grip is definitely weaker on the right. Her mother and I asked that the remainder of her hair be shaved since she will most likely be in the bed for a few more months. So she is officially Rocking the Sinead O'Connor look! Although I think that it makes her pretty eyelashes stand out even more. She was really alert Thursday and Friday and it was very encouraging to us all. Then today, not so alert because her shunt is not functioning properly. So she is going to surgery in the morning to have it repaired.  This entire journey feels like one step forward and two steps back. Another nurse today commented that Arianne had had a "rough" course.

On a more positive note, I worked at VBS this week and the theme was
"Stand Strong!!" How appropriate, we learned that God's love, Friends and Family, Prayer, Trust and the Bible all help us Stand Strong. So I am working to remember this daily...

On another positive note, there is a benefit planned for Arianne if you haven't heard yet! I will post the flyer here when I get it. It is going to be amazing! Her friends are putting together a great time, that will be a great help to Arianne. Along those same lines, I am so grateful and in awe of the generosity that has been poured out for Arianne. Thank you so very much everyone for your monetary donations, your words of encouragement for her and for us and your prayers.  When I see her, I always tell her about how much she is loved and how many prayers are being said for her.

Warmest Regards,
Amy

Update for June 17th

I know a lot of you want to know what is going on with Arianne. Truthfully I am trying to get a better picture myself. Please rest assured that I will let you all know when "major" things happen or when you all can talk to her or see her. This is going to be a VERY long road. In fact as I was crying to the nurse tonight she said Ari's path has taken the hard road, but they see her as turning a corner for the better, so I guess I need to just rest in that. What I can tell you now is that her lung infections are clearing up, the tracheostomy, although better than the "mouth tube" is still very irritating to her and it makes her cough a lot so she is on the strong pain medicine still, which makes her sleepy and out of it. But she needs this because the coughing fits increase the pressure in the brain. Her last angio showed no more Vasospasms and that the blood is still being diverted from the aneurysm by the coil. It was a rough visit today, seeing her so sleepy frustrates me, I just want her to wake up and be whole again.

Thank you all again for your love and support.

Amy

June 12 Update: A few changes, but visitation is still not advised.

Ari is still very tired, and we have been advised to expect periods of brief alertness, but then her brain will shut down because it needs rest.  Amy and Mick visited and she seemed to be looking through them at first... but then smiled at Mick with recognition in her eyes.

She is/was on a drug called Dilaudid, which is a powerful narcotic pain reliever.  They are slowly weaning her from that so that she can be more aware, and will be giving her codeine through her feeding tube to keep her comfortable.  They will resume the Dilaudid if her pain is not controlled with the codeine.  You may be wondering what is causing her pain... that would be the different conditions/devices I'll describe in the next few paragraphs.

She cannot talk due to the tracheostomy  (instead of being "intubated" via mouth, she has had a surgical procedure to place the tube directly in her throat) .  She is still on the ventilator to assist with breathing.  Her pneumonia has improved, and she seems to be breathing better (and looks better) than she has.

Ari is getting a permanent groin catheter with an IVC filter that will help catch any blood clots that may form, since she never got to a therapeutic dosage of the blood thinner that her care team had tried when the pulmonary embolus was first detected.

She had a new EVD placed (this is the drain that is helping relieve fluid pressure on her brain, known as hydrocephalus).  The old one had gotten clogged, and she still has some swelling in the ventricles of her brain since her body is not regulating the absorption of cerebrospinal fluid well right now.

Ari is still in isolation, and visitation is NOT advised at this point.  If she can get the rest she needs to allow her body to heal, we can see her sooner.  She is in ICU, so she cannot receive flowers, gifts, etc.

The conditions keeping Ari in ICU right now are the hydrocephalus/brain drain (EVD) and her need for the very strong pain medicine.  Once she can graduate from the Dilaudid and the EVD, we hope to have more regular updates of progress for you.

Thanks so much to everyone who is concerned and praying for Arianne.  We are trying our best to keep updates posted for you... we understand very much that you look forward to news of progress.

--Kasey

June 7 Update: Things are looking up a little.

Yesterday Ari had her trach (breathing tube surgically placed directly into her windpipe, not via her mouth) and PEG tube (feeding tube) placed.  Both procedures were successful and she tolerated them well.

She was stable enough to undergo the CT Scan, which revealed pulmonary embolus (blood clot in lungs), so they are starting her on a blood thinner called Heaprin to try and make the clots dissipate.  There are some risks involved with drugs like this, but in Ari's case her caregivers feel the possible benefits outweigh the risks.

Her care team has been able to lower the amount of oxygen they're giving her, and keep her at 97-98% saturation, which they're happy with.

This morning, Ari's respiratory status is STABLE and the nurses feel as though things are looking up. She's being weaned off the paralytic medication(s), but they do not plan to remove it completely just yet.  She will be in her "medical coma"-- where she is purposefully kept under sedation-- until maybe Sunday.

Visitation is still discouraged for the time being.

--Kasey

My BFF-SIL

Sister in Law just doesn’t quite capture my relationship with Arianne. I like to think BFF-SIL is my new title. Arianne and I met in the 10^th grade through a mutual friend, I thought she was pretty, sweet and popular and was excited that she wanted to be friends because I was new to the school.  The details are a little fuzzy but one night in a Jack-in-the –box bathroom we shared a moment and from that night on we were BFF’s. Our dads were both rockers and we both grew up listening to live loud music coming from our living rooms. We would reminisce about album covers we remembered. We both wanted to go into the medical/nursing field. We had much in common, and her bright smile, and witty one liners won me over! Needless to say we shared road trips, first boyfriends, first heartaches as well as all the other great things best friends do together. On one of the road trips, we went to Austin and met her brother Mick, whom she absolutely idolized and loved. Well 5 years later I am now Arianne’s sister in law and she has a nephew, then three years after that another nephew. Our boys love their Aunt very much. One Christmas when we couldn’t get together until a few days after Christmas, my boys were very concerned and ask “When are we going to see Aunt Ari?” Yeah, they know where all the good stuff came from and who spoils them.  Life has gotten so busy for the both of us and I miss her. So keep fighting my BFF so we can make some more memories… I Love you.

June 5 Update: Some new information, visitation is discouraged.

Amy spoke with Ari's care team today, she is not doing very well right now.

Arianne's body is having trouble keeping her blood saturated with oxygen, even though she is on the ventilator which is breathing for her and giving as much oxygen as possible.  Her oxygen saturation is getting as high as 92, but anything below 96% is cause for concern.  Normal people's oxygen reading will be very close to 100.

The doctors would like to do a CT Scan and check for pulmonary embolus, but Ari is not stable enough for a CT Scan right now.  If there is a blood clot somewhere in her lungs, it could be the culprit for her not having the ability to get that oxygen exchanged and circulated.

She is now in isolation because she has an infection in her blood and sputum (the mucus coming from her lower airways).  In order to even touch her, you must follow strict infection control guidelines including gowning up.  VISITATION IS DISCOURAGED AT THIS TIME.  Ari is very sick with an infection, so we need to give her time to fight this off.  Her immune system is not healthy enough to fight off even the inconsequential "bugs" that would be no problem for a healthy person.

On a more positive note, her last two ultrasound tests have indicated that there is NO vasospasm.  The arteries in her brain have stopped spasming.

She isn't sedated as heavily as she was, but she is on medications to keep her from moving too much, because when she is awake she goes into respiratory distress.

Her brain is continuously monitored so that her care team can understand if she needs more pain control medicines.  They are trying to stimulate her as little as possible right now.

Please continue to pray for Arianne.  She is very, very sick.

--Kasey

No real change to report.

Hello all, I know many of you are looking for a "new update", I just wanted to let you know that we simply don't have a lot to report.

Because Ari still has a breathing tube, her care team is thinking about a tracheostomy, which would make the intubation apparatus inside her mouth unnecessary, and make the assisted breathing a little easier to handle over a longer period of time.

Hopefully we'll have more news soon.  Thank you all for your continued prayers and support.

--Kasey

Donations Can Now Be Made!

We're very grateful to those who have asked how you can make donations to help Ari, since she will have mounting expenses while she is unable to work or care for herself.  Amy, Ari's sister in law, had set up a bank account for the sole purpose of a Benefit Fund.  We have linked that bank account to a specific PayPal account so that funds can be managed easily, and "administrative costs" can be kept to a minimum.

Look to the right hand side of the blog, and under Arianne's picture, you'll see the link for donations.

If you prefer to donate in person, please go to Amegy Bank and specify that you'd like to donate to the Benefit Fund for Arianne Jones.  You will not need the account number.

Her friends and family thank you from the bottom of our hearts.  It'll be a much smoother road to recovery if we can lessen this burden for Ari's family.

May 30 Update: Ari needs rest. She's sedated again, it's best not to visit right now.

First update:

Well it was a rough day, the reports that I received were that Ari was more sleepy and having some right sided weakness the nurse and RT were concerned. They called the neuro-surgeons back in and they agreed that she seemed worse. They did a CT scan which was unchanged (a good thing) but wanted to get a better look, so they want to do another angiogram.

Unfortunately due to another emergency she got pushed back and they will do her first thing this morning. She is sedated and on the breathing tube again, mostly because she was going to go to surgery anyway but also to "protect the airway" should her Neuro status decline further. They also now have her on continuous EEG monitoring to make sure she is not having seizures. Mostly they feel this is related to the Vasospasms. I can't say it enough but I am so grateful to the Hospital Staff for doing such a great job.

Second Update:

Ari had her angiogram today and they did an angioplasty which is when they try to dilate the blood vessels with the balloon. She is going to remain intubated and sedated for the next 3 days and they want her to rest. I encouraged her parents to use this time to do the same. Patt said that the doctor told her that the vaso-spasms can be life-threatening and we have "wait and see."......And Pray.

--Amy's updates from today, posted by Kasey.

The first week or so...

Arianne's sister in law, Amy, kept everyone up to speed via Facebook posts.  Here's a quick rundown of the first few updates:

1: She had a brain bleed that was repaired yesterday (coil placed via angiogram). She remains in ICU. She is sedated but She squeezed the nurse's hand today on command and when asked if Her name was "smith" she shook her head no. 

2: Still feeling optimistic but as the doctor said today she is still very sick... They are closely watching her heart and lungs as they have some fluid on them. This is still a very long road. She smiled though when we arrived today and opened her eyes, she was responding to the nurse's questions. She has the tube in assisting her breathing, but she was making her "fish lip" face for us and giving the thumbs up! She was trying to talk but can't because of the tube which I am sure is very frustrating especially for Ari.

3: No major changes really, we got some great education by the nurses today. She is still a "sick chic" basically the vessels in the brain can spasm from the blood that was on the brain, these spasms can lead to further neurological damage. They are doing everything possible to prevent this obviously but it is still a risk.. The heart seems to be getting a little better, but they are still watching that too. They let up on her sedation and I asked to see her pretty green eyes, she opened them for me. I told her she's gone viral on Facebook and that all of you are praying for her, she gave me a little smile. She's quite uncomfortable when they pause the sedation so they turned it back on.

4: (From May 24) Today at 3 pm I got a call that they detected that Ari was having Cerebral Vasospasms (spasms of the arteries in the brain) this is the complication they were watching out for, so tonight she had another angiogram to see the severity of the spasm. When I spoke to the nurse he said it was a slight spasm and they placed her on a couple of new meds to help with the spasms. Otherwise her vital signs were good. As of now they were not able to check her neuro status because she just got out of surgery.

5: (May 25) She got her breathing tube out.. She is awake and talking! Still on heavy meds, and gets confused but she knows who we all are! She still has many tubes and wires and is quite uncomfortable, so we are trying to make her rest. We are all so excited to see her awake but we are trying not to overload her.

6: (May 27) We had a good visit with Arianne today, I managed to detangle the crazy bird nest lady hair and get her some cute braids. She was sitting up in a chair contraption today. She no longer has the breathing tube nor the feeding tube nor the chest tube. She is still having vaso-spasms which they are giving her meds for. She is on pain meds but it is hard to tell whether it is that or brain issues that make her "goofy" sometimes. Her night nurse said the pressure in the head is up tonight and she is more sleepy, so pray for the pressure to go down.


For more information on what's happening with Ari's body, I've linked to reputable sources on the different conditions.  At the outset of this whole ordeal, the doctors said she'd be in ICU for 1-2 weeks at least, so we are still kind of in the predictable pathway.  We simply don't know yet what to expect in the future, we're in "wait and see" mode.  We don't have a real prognosis yet.  We don't know if there is any neurological deficiency-- we don't know if her brain is damaged.

--Posted by Kasey