A Shabestari Family Blog for
our mother and grandma,
A Shabestari Family Blog for
our mother and grandma,
Dr. Lorraine Ruzic Shabestari, DVM.
This page is to keep family and friends of our Mom updated on her condition and recovery following her severe accident on November 11, 2007 in Vacaville, California.
If you'd like to send a get-well card to our Mom, please address it to her NEW ADDRESS at:
Click below to view any of our Blog entry archives:
Thank you for visiting! Here is what happened to Mom:
As you may know, our Mom had an accident while working with her horse on Sunday, November 11th, 2007 at about 10:15 AM, in Vacaville, California. She was severely injured. This Blog is to relay both updates to her condition as well as the thoughts and feelings of us, her children, and her family and friends. We'd like to thank everyone for their wishes and prayers - your response has been both uplifting and inspiring to us as we struggle with this sad event. We welcome your contributions to this Blog, and if there's anything you'd like to say about our Mom, please e-mail it to david@shabestari.com and I'll post it.
Sunday, November 11th, 2007, 10:15 AM: Vacaville, California
She was working with her horse, an Arabian named Jasmine, at the boarding facility she uses. She was leading Jasmine into a large, circular pen. Apparently, Jasmine jerked forward suddenly and pulled Mom forward quickly. As best we can tell, this caused her to lose her balance and fall forward. On the ground was a piece of 2"x8" lumber that had been placed on it's side and partially buried into the ground. It's used as a threshold and to retain the loose material in the pen. Mom struck this board as she fell, and it hit her right where her liver is. Her liver was severely injured. Within seconds, friends came to her aid and 911 was called.
The Paramedics arrived quickly and a helicopter was ordered. She was flown to the UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento, California. The staff assessed her condition and performed various tests. At about 4:30 PM, she was taken to surgery, which lasted until about 7:45 PM. She was then moved to the SICU unit.
Shortly after the accident, we (her children) were all found and notified. Catherine, Dave and Steph in San Diego made arrangements to fly up from San Diego and arrived at the hospital just as Mom was finishing surgery. Pete in Salt Lake could not locate a flight, but arrived early the next day. Diane, Spencer, and their kids were in Vacaville at our Grandma's house, and drove to the hospital, where they were able to spend some time with Mom before she went into surgery.
The surgery went as well as could be hoped. The surgeon told us the damage to the liver was 'devastating' and that the fatality rate from such an injury was over 50%. Her abdomen was packed with absorbing materials, a drain was placed in her belly, and the incision was left open to allow for swelling. She was placed on a paralytic agent, to prevent her from moving while she healed, and also placed on a ventilator to assist her breathing.
During the surgery and the hours afterward, Mom was given over 100 units of blood. She was a given 4 doses of a powerful clotting agent called Factor 7. She was also given lots of plasma and platelets. Sunday night, Steph, Cath and I spent the night in the ICU waiting room. At about 2 AM, her surgeon told us he was going the the OR again to relieve some of the pressure on the belly and change the pads in her. This lasted about 30 minutes and went well.
Mom was returned to the SICU to rest. She was still draining off lots of blood and fluids, and taking in lots of blood. She was still on a paralytic drug. She was still on the respirator and had a belly drain, a central line, an arterial line in her leg, and in IV in her arm. Her vital signs were good and fairly stable considering the trauma to her body.
Monday and Tuesday were spent in the ICU, with the staff closely monitoring her vital signs and condition. She given lots of blood products and kept as still and comfortable as possible. Drains removed blood and fluid from her abdomen. Tuesday, the staff determined that her liver had stopped bleeding and scheduled a surgery to remove the packing for good and close the incision. This surgery went well, and Mom returned to her ICU room. She remained on sedatives, pain medication, and fluids. She also received a feeding tube during the surgery.
So, that's the update. Mom's prognosis is good, but guarded. We can expect her to slowly and gradually improve as her liver heals up and her systems return to normal. She can expect setbacks, such as possible infection, issues with swelling, pneumonia and more.
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This is board that Mom fell onto at the horse corral near Vacaville. The board hit her directly on her liver.
Recent Blog Entries:
From Dave, Sunday night, January 13, 2008, 6:00 PM
Hi all, sorry it's been so long since the last update, but that's mainly because there hasn't been much new to report, so that's good! Mom is way, way better. As Cath reports, she's now tube-free, beginning soft foods, and able to get around just fine on her own. It seems most likely, at least tonight, that Mom will be leaving UCDMC tomorrow to go to a re-hab center nearby. For a short time, she'll need some follow-up treatments and can be shuttled easily from this facility. We'll know a lot more tomorrow, so check back for more!
Monday, January 14, 2008
From Diane, in Sacramento:
We just got back from Sacramento and Vacaville. We stopped by to see mom yesterday afternoon. She promptly wanted to get up and do laps around the trauma nursing unit floor. Alyssa counted her laps! She was very talkative. She is also eating semisolid food (yogurt, thickened apple juice). I brought her some baby food today. They don’t want her to drink fluids until she is swallowing better. She seems very steady on her feet and walks around her room without the walker. They have been giving her some breathing treatments but its mostly breathing humidified air for 10-15 minutes. At dinner time, I asked the nurse if we could take mom on a fieldtrip to the cafeteria. So we packed her in a wheelchair and the warm quilt Dave gave her and she came and watched us eat dinner!
Wednesday, January 16th, 2008, 3:30 PM
From Dave in San Diego: Well, today was to be Mom's release day, but as of now, it hasn't happened. She is still in her room, awaiting some test results, so I suspect she won't go today - perhaps tomorrow. Cath, Steph and I will all arrive tomorrow night, so we'll be able to get a better grasp on what's going on. Essentially, Mom is well enough to go home. She just needs to build her strength back up, and start eating solid food. More news will follow as soon as we have it! Thanks for reading!
Friday January 18th, 2008, 5:30 p.m.
Hello Bloggers, it's Catherine. Dave and I arrived this afternoon to see mom. Dave and Steph drove up yesterday and I flew in to Sacramento last night. She wasn't in her room, but rounded the bend with her walker soon after. She seemed to be in good spirits. The team has decided to wait a few days to discharge her because blood tests show that her Coumadin levels are fluctuating. This is the anti-coagulating medication she takes to prevent blood cots. They want to find the proper dose for her before she leaves. Part of the problem is that mom used to get this med through her IV and now they crush up a pill and put it in her liquid diet, so it is not as efficient. Mom doesn't have the ability to swallow a pill yet. We also spoke to the Speech Therapist who said that mom will stay on her current diet for two more weeks and then have a follow-up swallow study. Mom's liquid diet is something between liquid and solid, as true liquids have a high aspiration rate, and she doesn't have a strong enough swallow for solids. So she can't actually have true liquids either. She gets a lot of liquids that have been thickened with a substance similar to corn starch. Dave took Steph and the dogs back to their hotel in Vacaville and I am waiting for Dave's return. Mom said she would like to go to the TLC Suites in Sacramento (an Assisted Living Center) for a week or two when she is dismissed, then possibly go to Vacaville and stay with Grandma for another two weeks before returning to her condo. Mom had her first real shower in her bathroom for the first time since before her accident, which she would have enjoyed more if the temperature didn't keep fluctuating. She seemed happy about it anyway, and was able to do it all on her own! All for today.
Sat. Jan. 19th, 2008
It's a quiet day here. Dave and Steph left for San Diego early this morning, as traveling with the dogs was not a good idea after all. I got mom a few things at the store that I thought she would like to eat and arrived around 10:30 a.m. Mom was walking down the hall with her walker when I arrived. She got a triangular handle installed over her bed for exercising. She's eaten a little bit and we re-did her fingernails. She is going to take a walk and a shower in a little bit. We have seen the nurse once, and a woman who checked her vitals, which were excellent. Even her blood pressure is normal. They will move mom to the TLC Suites Monday if her Coumadin levels are stabilized (or so we are told). Other than that, there is not much to report. Mom agreed today that it would be ok to drive her truck back to her condo in Redwood City. I think she is more worried about me getting to the airport Monday, than her having her truck to drive later on. I told her it didn't matter, but she told me it was ok to drive it down there, so I guess I will stick with that plan. I can't see her her driving any time soon anyway, and would prefer that she didn't!
All for now!
From another Yellowstone Friend:
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David,
Hi, my name is Ken and I am a friend of Catherine. We met
at Yellowstone 1995. I have never met your family, but I am
thrilled to have met Cath. She is a very sweet person and
worked very hard at Yellowstone. Catherine if your reading
this thanks for directing me to the site of Mom's blog. The
photos are very cool! So, to the Shabastari Family
especially Mom. I wish you well on, a continued
successful recovery. Maybe someday I will be able to visit
Cath and hopefully can meet more members of your family. You
all seem so supportive of each other, and I wish Mom and all
of you well.
Sincerely,
Ken Meade
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Sunday Jan. 20th, 2008 5:30 p.m.
Well, it's been a fun-filled day. I bought a suitcase for mom and packed a bunch of clothes for her from Grandma's, just in case she does end up being discharged this week. Then I went and checked out the TLC Suites, or The Chateau at Capitol Avenue. This is a very nice assisted living high-rise in downtown Sacramento (the nice, safe part), approximately 2-3 miles from the hospital. I was greeted by an elderly male resident, who opened the door for me! The bottom floor opens up into a lounge to the right with big chairs, small sofas, tables, etc for reading a playing games. To the left is the dining area. Straight ahead is the main office, and I walked in and told the lady that my mom might be moving in this week, and she said, "You mean Lorraine?" Nancy Hopp, the executive director, had already come to visit mom at the hospital, and eagerly gave me a tour, including mom's room. I was surprised how nice everything was. Mom will be on the 4th floor. She has her own room, with plenty of space, a big bed, patio, small kitchenette, and a large bathroom. It resembles a nice hotel room. Nancy told me there are a variety of activities throughout the week, or the residents can do as they please. they know all about mom's medication and special diet. Overall, I was pleasantly surprised by the facilities!
Then I got to the hospital just before noon and locked myself out of mom's truck! A feature I am not accustomed to, as it is impossible to do that with my CRV. Luckily, the parking structure sent someone up within about 10 minutes and she and managed to slim jim our way in! Mom was getting ready to walk when I arrived. Later on she took a shower and ate some yogurt and Keifer. We had a visit from Guinevere from SICU, and she insisted we come up there and visit in case mom gets discharged tomorrow. So mom took a shower and we did her hair and makeup, put on her new blue bathrobe, and took off in a wheelchair. First we hit up the cafeteria so I could get a late lunch. Then I showed her the main lobby of the hospital and we went out the front for a bit but it was pretty cold. SO we came back in and took the elevator up to the oh-so-familiar 2nd-floor SICU waiting room, which was PACKED. Then I asked to come in, and in we went. Everyone was so happy and surprised to see mom without her trach, all made-up, and talking. We saw Guinevere again, Marcia, Chris, Rick, and many of the other nurses and staff. Mom chatted away and made some jokes. The staff couldn't have been more thrilled to here that she maybe released. Marcia said, "Seeing her makes it all worthwhile." There were lots of hugs and good-byes and then back down we came. I re-did mom's toes, and we watched some travel shows on PBS. I also thickened some chocolate milk, which she downed pretty rapidly. Her biggest complaint is her diet! But it is really important for her to try and eat as much as she can because it strengthens her swallow, Also, since she can't drink water, she gets dehydrated, which leads to constipation and low blood pressure. The doctor last night also said that people who are healing actually burn a lot of calories because of all the repair that is going on inside the body. So mom should be eating high calorie foods. The ensure drink she gets 3 times a day is very high calorie, but mom rarely finishes it because she says it makes her choke. Other than that, we have tried to consolidate her things in case she moves tomorrow. She should be all ready. I wish I could be here, as I have been here for every other procedure and move, but I have to get down to San Jose to catch my flight and will be dropping off mom's truck at her condo. Mom told me last night, "Thank you for all you have done. If it weren't for you, I think I would have fallen apart." Marcia from SICU was right. Seeing mom get better makes it all worthwhile! All for now.
Tuesday, January 22, 2008, 1:15 PM
From Dave, in San Diego:
SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT! Mom has LEFT the hospital! After 9 weeks, including 7 weeks in the Surgical Intensive Care Unit, Mom has left the hospital. We, her kids, are all so happy with this outcome. Thanks to all who helped her recovery!
Mom has checked into the TLC Suites in Sacramento, California. This is an assisted-living facility that provides a minimal level of care. There are no nurses here. Mom will take the time she needs to exercise and get her strength back, so she'll be fine when she goes to her own home. Way to go Mom!!
Monday, February 3, 2008, from Dave in San Diego
Another SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT: Mom has gone home! To her own house!
Yesterday, Diane and Spencer picked up Mom from the TLC Suites in Sacramento and drove her home to Redwood City! Mom is now back in her own place, after almost 3 months, and is doing remarkably well. She can't eat solid food yet, and is a little weak and hoarse, but otherwise just fine. Thanks to all for your wishes, thoughts and prayers; they all aided Mom's amazing recovery!
I'm going to make Mom a giant card with the names and locations of everyone who has been reading about her! If you would like your name to be included, please e-mail me at david@shabestari.com, and put 'For Mom's card...' in the subject line. Thanks in advance to all!
