Thanksgiving wishes

Here's a picture of Llama with her three little... er, younger... brothers taken at tonight's Thanksgiving dinner in Chattanooga:


Isn't she looking great? We're especially thankful this Thanksgiving for Mom's renewed health, and her fortitude and strength in rebounding from her unexpected surgeries. She couldn't have done it without your support, and we couldn't have either. So, thank you, Llamawatchers! Happy Thanksgiving to all!

A new friend for Llama

Last weekend, Atlanta played host to a massive international cat show, which Dad, Emily and I obviously had to check it out. Dad tried to convince Mom to go along, but she declined, which was probably her first mistake. Her second mistake was allowing Dad to attend with two kitten-loving enablers. What sealed the deal was the fact that Mom was away from the house and distracted on Sunday afternoon as the cat show was closing down, leaving Dad the perfect opportunity to steal away to the convention center again and sweet-talk his way into a discount on an unsold kitten. I'm sure you know where this is going by now...


Yes, that is a sweet little kitten you see peeking out from behind the laundry! She's another Tonkinese, which is the same breed as Kudzu and Crazy Steve. Mom had instructed Dad that under no circumstance was he allowed to bring home another cat, but who could resist those big ol' saucer eyes? Besides, everyone knows that pets are therapeutic -- maybe a kitten is just what Mom would need to speed her recovery along.

After the initial shock of learning that Dad had not, in fact, been at the office as he had claimed but rather at the cat show procuring her therapy pet, Mom warmed up to the new kitty:


After a day or so, Mom and Dad decided to name the new addition Koshka -- the non-Cyrillic version of the Russian word for "cat."

But what about Kudzu? you might be asking yourselves. Well, Kudzu and Crazy Steve both have done their fair share of sniffing, hissing at and just plain ignoring the interloper in the past couple days. Kudzu in particular seems unimpressed. However angry Kudzu may be, though, she seems to be alright with sharing Llama with the newbie -- just as long as she gets her usual spot.

Kudzu and Koshka sharing Llama real estate!

The first week back...

Well, Llama's been back at home for a little more than a week now, so I thought it was about time to check in. She returned to Emory briefly this morning to get the staples from her surgery removed, so she's finally all back in one piece and metal-free! She says she is feeling fine and is especially happy to be rid of the staples in her belly.

Otherwise, Mom is doing well and resting up for the holidays. We have a big Thanksgiving dinner coming up in Chattanooga and are particularly thankful that the dry-mouth problem Mom had after this summer's surgeries has not been an issue -- somehow I think soup for Thanksgiving just might not have cut it.

Thanks to all who have provided delicious meals so far, and to those who have signed up for future CareCalendar dates. Mom and Dad are very appreciative -- and so are we kids, when we get to eat with them!

afternoon recap + CareCalendar reminder

Mom and Dad arrived at home from the hospital around 3 o'clock this afternoon. Kudzu, Mom's kitty, was waiting by the couch for her person to return. It seems a week's absence is forgivable, because no sooner had Llama hit the sofa than Kudzu jumped up and assumed her usual position on Mom's chest. From Kudzu's perspective, all is right with the world again.

happy kitty = happy Llama!

Mom will be recovering at home for a while, and she'll just take it a day at a time in terms of how much she can do. All signs point to a faster rebound from this surgery, which we hope will indeed be the case. Hopefully she'll be back at church/book group/all her other activities in short order, but in the meantime, should you wish to bring Mom and Dad some food in the early stages of recuperation, you can sign up on the CareCalendar (security code: 7005). You can sign up for slots through the end of the month. Otherwise, if you want to visit, please call the house first to see how Mom is feeling and to let her know you'd like to come by.

Thanks again, as ever, for all your support and positive thoughts and prayers. We're all so pleased with how this final surgery went, and I'm sure much of the thanks is due to the care and support we've felt from all of you. It's wonderful to see how many people love our Llama!

Going home!

Great news, Llamawatchers! Dad informs me that Emory will release Mom this afternoon around lunchtime! In and out in under a week seems positively luxurious this time around. Yesterday afternoon they removed all of the remaining IVs, which was a good indication that today might be the day. Dr. Sweeney will stop by to see Mom one more time this morning, and then it's home sweet home!

Gameday Llama

Llama's got her game face on today -- she's getting better and she means business! This morning she decided she wanted to go for a walk, so, dangit, she gathered up her IV pole and took a few laps around the floor on her own. Even more impressive, she has been promoted to a diet of regular hospital food! (Generally not something to be excited about, but she's glad to have taken a step in the right direction.) She had a serving of mashed potatoes, a corner of a chicken pot pie, and a spoonful of some particularly unappetizing minestrone and called that lunch. Who knows what delights dinner may bring!

Dr. Sweeney will be back in tomorrow to make rounds and assess the situation. Mom is looking great -- no fever, no more nausea, moving around easily -- so we're hopeful that we can maybe get her home tomorrow evening. In the meantime, she'll be tuned in to the Wake Forest vs. Georgia Tech game this afternoon -- light a candle for Wake on her behalf! Go Deacs!

LlamaWatch 101

I meant to mark the 100th post when I reached it, but I was so caught up in the developments of yesterday afternoon that I completely forgot. This post is no. 101 on LlamaWatch -- thanks for staying with us through it all! Mom really appreciates it and so do we.

As I type, Mom and I are settling in for Days of Our Lives. A tasty lunch of jello, a mini Italian ice, broth, tea, ginger ale, and apple juice just arrived, though it's not likely that she'll consume it all -- she's been instructed to take it slow. Apparently her stomach is telling her to take things slowly as well, because she experienced some nausea this morning -- perhaps a lingering effect of some medication she took last night to help her sleep. As a result, she hasn't been walking much today, but she's feeling better now and taking it easy in bed.

At this point, it looks like Mom will be hospital-bound for at least part of the weekend. She's hopeful that she'll be home by Sunday evening, but it still seems too early to say anything with certainty. Needless to say, she's relieved that Emory has cable -- even if she's here longer than she wants to be, she won't have to miss any important football games!

Signs of progress!

If the Gym at Peachtree Presbyterian doesn't have a poster girl already, the folks there should totally sign Mom up for their next ad campaign. I talked to Dad on the phone around 9:30 this morning and he and Mom had already taken four laps around the floor! Emily came and spent her lunch hour here, and Llama logged another two loops. When I arrived around 4:45 this afternoon, Mom was resting in bed after another three laps with Dad at her elbow. And she doesn't even seem tired! What a champ.

Otherwise, Mom has been eager to move on from her diet of sucking on waterlogged green sponges on sticks. Since she has gotten some signs that the plumbing is beginning to work again, so to speak, one of her doctors just informed her that she can graduate to clear liquids this evening. Wahoo! She hasn't had anything to eat since Sunday lunchtime, so who can blame her for being excited about a little hospital broth and jello?

Aside from these highly anticipated and much appreciated signs of progress, it's been another slow day in the hospital. Days of our Lives is in a multiple-day rut, Mom says, and she's not able to focus her eyes well enough to get any significant reading done. Frustrating though these days can be, we're all grateful that this stay at Emory has been an uneventful one.

CareCalendar: back by popular demand!

As of this evening, Emily has reactivated the CareCalendar account so Mom's adoring public can sign up to feed the Llama! There are slots available every Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday starting next Tuesday and continuing until December 1. (Thanksgiving excepted... we should have her covered that day!)

Although Mom's diet should eventually be without restrictions, we're going to play it safe to start and adhere to the same guidelines as last time. Here are the ingredients to be avoided: foods that may cause blockages, such as apple skins, celery, Chinese vegetables, coconut, coleslaw, corn, dried fruit, grapefruit, meats with casings, nuts, orange rinds, popcorn, potato skins, raisins, and seeds. Also, raw vegetables (i.e. salads) are on the no-go list, for the time being. Solid foods are fair game this time around, though, so don't feel the need to stick to soups and stews!

You'll be able to indicate on the calendar what you're bringing over. Please make a note so that others who may want to contribute can keep track of what's been coming in the door. Don't forget to include directions for preparation!

Got all that? OK. Now, here's how you log in to claim your spot:

Click here or copy and paste the following url into your browser's address field: http://www.carecalendar.org/logon/16650

Once you're there, enter the following information:

Calendar ID : 16650
Security code : 7005

Et voilà! You're all set. Bring on the tasty meals! If you have questions or concerns about food, scheduling, or anything else CareCalendar-related, don't hesitate to contact Emily at emilyapoe[at]gmail.com.

sitting pretty (and maybe walking some, too)

Good evening, ever patient Llamawatchers! Please accept my sincerest apologies for keeping you waiting for so long. These things happen, as I'm sure you know...

Today has been a good day for Llama, though it seemed to start out a bit slow. Her temperature has returned to normal, which is great, but the best part of today is that she is now free of uncomfortable tubes! (Most notably the nasal-gastric one. Oww.) She's still wired up to the IV pole, but since she's no longer tethered to the wall she should be able to start cruising the hallway. This afternoon she sat up in a chair for a while, and tonight, once Dad arrives, he'll squire her about the ninth floor and see how the walking goes. I suspect it will go pretty well, since Mom's been pumping iron with her personal trainer Michael at Peachtree Pres for the past two and a half months and is now strong like an ox. (Or a llama. They're strong too, right?)

Dad shows Mom the blog every morning, so feel free to send a note of encouragement and he'll see to it that she gets it! No report yet on when the Llama will be loosed, but we will keep you advised as we learn more. Thanks, as ever, for all the positive thoughts and prayers!

Tuesday night update

I don't have too much to report this evening, except to say that Mom continues to look good and feel as well as she can after yesterday's operation. She did a few prolonged stints of sitting up in a chair today, and will probably get up on her feet and about the hallways tomorrow. I'm sure walking around will be a big improvement over the hours of inane daytime television she got watch from her bed this afternoon. The TV schedule has changed since Mom's summer stay, and she is none too pleased about that.

Mom was running a slight temperature this afternoon, although Dr. Sweeney and members of his team have assured us that this is nothing to be alarmed about and is a pretty typical post-operation occurrence. They'll keep an eye on it, regardless. Llama is in good hands at Emory!

I'll post again tomorrow afternoon with a progress report -- she's hoping to lose a few tubes and start walking again, so I'll be sure to let you know how all that goes!

The morning after

Dad is at the hospital with Mom this morning and had nothing but good things to report when he called me. He even put me on the phone with Mom, who sounded like her usual lovely self. She said she had gotten some sleep despite the constant stream of nurses checking in through the night. This time around, she's hoping she feels well and awake enough to get some reading done while she's laid up -- she brought a bag with about six books, which should hopefully last her through this relatively brief hospital stay.

Dr. Sweeney told us yesterday that today's goals would be to get Mom sitting up and maybe even walking a bit. I'll check back later in the day to let you know how those endeavors go. In the meantime, keep thinking good thoughts for Llama or leave her a note on the blog!

All settled in (minus an old friend)

We finally got to see Mom at about 4:45 p.m. when they brought her up from recovery and wheeled her down the hallway on the ninth floor. Emily and I could tell she was feeling alright because she held up one finger (number one!) at us as she rolled by. Once the nurses had her settled in the bed, Emily, Dad and I got to visit with her for a while.

Although Mom is in a bit of pain, she is in good spirits, looks great, and has her old friend the PCA pain pump back at her side. The Poe Sister sideshow had her smiling and laughing in no time! Dr. Sweeney came by to check on Mom before he left for the evening and told her all the things he had told us earlier in the waiting room downstairs -- that the surgery was straightforward and he was really happy with how it had gone. It seems as though everyone involved is having an easier time of it this go-round. He was glad to see that Mom was already joking and being sarcastic, even through the post-surgery fog. Shortly after Dr. Sweeney departed, Dr. Wright Caughman stopped by to check on things and was also relieved to see that Mom was in such excellent condition.

As a result of today's surgery, however, there was a minor casualty -- Mom no longer has a belly button! Dr. Sweeney said she must have misplaced it somewhere between here and Moscow. Dad's initial reaction was to call his wife an alien, while I took a more sympathetic approach and pointed out that there is a very famous and successful supermodel who also lacks a belly button. Karolina Kurkova was all over the news for it last year, for whatever reason. We assured her that once all of this is behind us, her bellybuttonless midsection will look just like Karolina's:


Right? I see a second career developing...

Success!

Dr. Sweeney just emerged from the O.R. to let us know that Mom's surgery was finished and had gone very well. They started the surgery a little later than planned, around 9:15 a.m. Compared to the last surgery, this one was apparently pretty straightforward, even if it took a couple of hours.

Mom is in recovery now, where she will be for the next few hours. We'll get to go back and see her after she's been recovering for an hour or so. In the meantime, we're gonna go get some lunch! I'll report back later today after we get a chance to talk to the Llama.

Here we go again

Welcome back, Llamawatchers! As you probably know, Mom will go to Emory in the morning for one final surgery. Dr. John Sweeney will again be taking care of her, which is a great comfort to us all. Mom's is the first operation of the day, so it will probably start around 7 a.m. and continue for several hours. I'll be sure to post an update in the afternoon once the procedure is complete.

Until then, I'll leave you with a picture of Mom and Dad taken a few nights ago after an Atlanta Symphony Orchestra concert:


Don't be fooled -- it takes a lot of work to look this good! Mom has been training at the gym at Peachtree Presbyterian to get in tip-top shape for tomorrow's surgery and the recovery to follow. Start thinking good thoughts for all of us now, and I'll let you know how things go tomorrow!

Breaking News: ANOTHER Poe lawyer!

Just about 20 minutes ago, we learned that Matt passed the Georgia bar exam! That brings the grand total of people in our family certified to practice law in the state of Georgia to three! And three out of five ain't bad. Here they are, the three Poes esquire:

Emily, Matt and Dad at Matt's law school graduation, May 2009

Needless to say, we're all thrilled and so proud of Matt. Emily called and told mama, who cried tears of joy at the news! Hopefully this will set the tone for more good news next week!

Llamawatch returns!

Stay tuned for updates...

photo courtesy of Susannah Ware/Dreams Awake Photography

Goodbye, Llamawatch!

As I wrote in my most recent post, the time has come for Llamawatch to sign off... but before I put the blog to rest, I wanted to share this excellent picture of Mom and Dad from our family beach vacation in South Carolina. It's a beautiful sight, especially after all we've been through this summer!


Thanks again for following Llamawatch with such dedication. Like I mentioned before, if you want to check up on Mom at any time you can contact me through the blog by leaving a comment or you can just look us up in the phone book. And if you've got a big trip coming up, remember Llama's story and get yourself some travel insurance!

Beach-bound Llama!

Mom had another appointment with Dr. Sweeney yesterday -- her last one for a while -- and he gave her the all-clear to hop in the car this Friday and head to South Carolina for a week of relaxing at the beach with the extended Poe family. Wahoo! She can also get started on a light regimen of physical therapy, which will mostly consist of walking, for now.

Dr. Sweeney continues to be very happy with how everything is healing. After we return from the beach, Mom will have an appointment with the gastrointestinal doctors and will then schedule another time to see Dr. Sweeney to talk about the next steps in her treatment and recovery.

Mom holding the other cat, Crazy Steve, who probably weighs
about as much as Mom is allowed to lift at the moment.
Does cat-lifting count as physical therapy?

In short, things are on the right track. Mom has been a total champ throughout this whole ordeal, and y'all have been an invaluable support and resource for both her and us. Thank you all for the food, flowers, cards, good thoughts, prayers, hugs, phone calls, visits, emails, and countless other things and acts of kindness -- you sustained us through a really tough couple of weeks and months.

With that said, it seems that the time is right for Llamawatch to ride off into the sunset, to be put out to pasture with scores of other seldom-updated blogs. I'll probably post some pictures of Llama and the fam on vacation next week, but beyond that, if you want to check up on Mama, you can get in touch with any of us Poes online, over the phone, or the old fashioned way. You know where to find us! Thanks again for being wonderful friends through all of this -- we hope to be able to repay the kindness someday.

Still Life with Llama and Cat

Finally captured on film (or digital memory, whatever) -- Kudzu and Llama, together again! Things are getting back to normal...