no infection!! :)

I'm so soo relieved! I've been so nervous and upset ever since I heard the possibility of having an infection. I've prayed nonstop ever since..and I've heard a lot of other people prayed too. Well God answered everyone's prayers yet again!! It turns out that my infectious disease doctor didn't know that I had already had my surgery. And it was actually not my white blood cell count that was high, but my sed rate that was high. My doctor explained that after surgery, this always increases, because it's the way my body tries to heal the incision. She apologized for scaring me, because she thought my surgery wasn't until next week. But she said everything seems fine, the wound looks good, and that further blood tests are optional because she doesn't think the chance of infection is likely. Thank you so much for all the prayers. I get my staples out in 4 days then this should be considered all over :)

White blood cell count

Tonight we received a devastating phone call from Macey's infectious disease doctor. Macey had blood work done yesterday, and her results show that her white blood cell count is 31,000, double what it normally should be. Tomorrow she has an appointment with the doctor at 10am to find out why it is up. High white blood cell count usually indicates infection. We ask that everyone prays that it is something other than an infection that is causing this. We just want this all over with and if God is testing to see if we are all still listening, we are! Macey has gone through way too much for this to be anything serious. Please please Lord give us faith that she will be alright. The infection is in Your hands God. I will keep everyone updated tomorrow after she goes to the doctor.

Back Home!

I'm already back to Bakersfield! My neurosurgeon came into my room this morning, removed the drain from my head, and said I was free to go! I can't believe I stayed in that hospital for over a month before, because after just 2 days I was hardly able to sit in bed anymore! My nurse removed my bandage this morning, and I was able to see that Dr. Ceverha had actually saved the majority of my hair! Of course I was really excited to see that because I was not looking forward to a completely shaved head again. Although the surgery is all over, I'm still not completely out of the woods yet, because it was only one week after the last surgery that the infection showed up. Please keep praying that I heal without infection! Thank you so much for all the prayers so far! Have a wonderful 4th of July tomorrow.

God Bless :)

Good Morning!

Macey is doing very well this morning. She is in a little pain but obviously that is to be expected! She got moved to ICU last night around 10:30pm. Because of the 4th of July holiday, ICU is packed so it took a while for her to get a room and transfer out of recovery. The nurses said she will be transferred to the neuro recovery floor today, but it just depends when they get a room ready for her! Please pray for her comfort and for her to have minimal pain throughout the day. Everyone have a wonderful day! God bless :)

Already done!!

The surgery is already done! It only took about an hour and a half. Macey will be in recovery for another hour or so before we get to see her. Dr. Ceverha said the prosthetic skull fit like a glove, and he was very pleased. They are going to keep her in ICU for the night to make sure everything takes alright. Thank you Lord for saving one more miracle for our little Macey. Also we were informed by Ceverha that the trauma patient before her had been riding a bike and ran right into the back of a truck. He is in pretty bad shape. Please pray for him and his family, we definitely know what they are going through. Thank you everyone for such a long day of prayers!!

Just went in!

After 8 hours of waiting and not eating or drinking since dinner last night, Macey has finally gone into surgery. The nurses said it will be a 3 hour process from start to finish. They have to give her her new haircut :( so by the time she is in recovery it will probably be around 7. It's been a long day for everyone, so please pray Dr. Ceverha still has enough energy to perform a flawless procedure. Lord please watch over...Here we go!!!

The anticipation....

We are still waiting very patiently for Macey to go into surgery! The trauma patient before her must have quite the procedure. Thanks for everyone's concerns, I'll keep you posted!

Still waiting....

Well we have been waiting in the hospital since 8 am. Macey was taken back to be prepped and get IV around 11:30. Apparently there was an emergency surgery, that Dr. Ceverha had to preform before Macey's. Someone had been hit by a car very similar to her accident, so please pray for that family! The nurses tell Macey that she won't go in for surgery for another hour or so. In the mean time she is laying in the bed patiently waiting to go back. I will keep everyone updated as soon as I know more! Thanks for all the prayers :)

Surgery Tomorrow!

About 6 long months ago, I returned to Arizona after spending over a month in Long Beach during Macey's recovery. After being back in Arizona for only a couple short days, I received a phone call from my mom telling me Macey's skull was infected and they were going to have to remove it. After flying back to Long Beach, I will never forget walking back up to ICU and seeing my sister so devastated. Just when we thought it was all over, it wasn't. She just kept saying, "It's not fair!" I had such a hole in my heart for her and wished I could just take her place, many of us thinking the same thing. Six whole months to wear a helmet seemed like eternity. How could she go back to school to take her finals wearing a helmet? How would she walk through life with a perfectly functioning brain wearing this embarrassing helmet? But SHE DID! The stares, looks, and comments were hard to ignore, but Macey made it seem so easy. Everyone could recognize Macey from miles away, thanks to her bright pink decorated helmet that her friends helped her make. She walked through life never being ashamed, realizing wearing a helmet was a small price to pay for the miracle she had received. I honestly don't know if I could have walked through a college campus or go to the gym wearing that darn helmet. Vanity got thrown out the window and an appreciation for the simple things in life became the everyday norm.

Those long 6 months are finally over, and our jokes about burning that helmet can actually become a reality (although we aren't actually going to burn it!) Macey has made it through one more bump in the road. Tomorrow starts a new and hopefully final chapter to her recovery. She will check into Long Beach Memorial Hospital tomorrow morning at 8 am, although surgery most likely won't be until noon or so. We just please ask everyone get the power of prayer going tomorrow. Pull out those cute pink prayer bracelets to remind you that each day is a gift as we all have learned. We pray that the surgery goes smoothly tomorrow and every ounce of the infection is gone. Pray for Macey to stay calm; she has been very anxious and nervous for this procedure. I know this is God's final work in her miracle. We are so thankful for Macey to even be with us today. God has given her so much, and I pray this is just one more testimony of His work.

Check the blog tomorrow for updates on the surgery. Thank you everyone for all your precious prayers. God Bless.

P.I.N.K

P.I.N.K- it's the acronym that my friends came up with when I was first in the hospital-standing for Prayers In Need for Kibbee. I could really use some prayers right now. Next week, I'll be undergoing my fourth head surgery- a cranioplasty to put in a prosthetic skull where mine is missing. This means after surgery, I won't have to wear a helmet anymore, which will be such a relief. The thing that scares me is..I already had this surgery back in January, and the skull they put in was infected. Although I have no doubts that my neurosurgeon will perform this surgery with ease, I do worry about getting an infection again. So I'm asking anyone who reads this, to please pray. For not only a smooth and successful surgery, but for a recovery with no complications or infections. The surgery is Thursday, July 1st. I'll have McKenzie let everyone know how it went after it's over. Thanks so much everyone..please help me show everyone God's amazing ways and what's possible through the power of prayer.

One More Month

It's crazy how when they told me I'd have to wear a helmet for 6 months I thought it would be an eternity, but 5 months have already passed and only 1 month left until my surgery. My infectious disease doctor said that I've been off the antibiotics for one month and the infection has remained gone, which is good news, but I still have fears of it returning after my next surgery. Please pray that it stays gone and never ever comes back!! After 2 long weeks of stress and non-stop studying, I took 3 of my 4 finals. I don't know yet what I got in statistics..but I got a B in philosophy and an A in communications :) I start an online summer school class on Monday, which will help to get me caught up since I'm a semester behind. I went to see my orthopedist yesterday about my meniscal tear, and he told me they couldn't do an operation on it yet because my bones are still bruised from the accident, but they would probably be able to do the surgery in December. He also did x-rays on my knees, and told me that my right knee was broken in the accident!! I guess the doctors never noticed since I was unable to walk anyway. It healed on its own, but not correctly, so he said years from now it will probably give me arthritis and I'll most likely need a knee replacement. I asked if he could ever give me any good news and he said "Well, would you like me to lie and say everything is perfect and give you a lollipop?" Of course not...but I hope one day one of my doctors tells me everything has healed and I'm perfectly healthy..and a lollipop would be nice too :)

Return to (Semi) Normal Life

Well, therapy is OVER!!!!! Four long hard months later CNS finally considered me ready to leave. I moved back down to Long Beach on Sunday and have been sitting in on my last semester classes. I feel like all my classes are being taught in a foreign language, because even though I've already learned some of what's being taught, I don't remember it at all. Finals in 2 weeks are definitely going to be a challenge. It's hard walking around campus wearing a helmet; I definitely get stared at or questioned a lot. Less than 2 months though and I'll hopefully never have to wear it again. My neurologist explained to me what's causing my left hand weakness. Over time, a scar has built up on my brain, and it's now blocking the neurons that are in charge of sending the signals to move my hand. It's only fixable through surgery, and I don't think I can handle another one, but we'll see. I will most likely need another surgery though, but on my right knee. My last MRI on it showed that I have a meniscal tear. I haven't seen the doctor since I'm in LB, but I looked it up online and depending on the severity of the tear, it can either be fixed through physical therapy or surgery. Looks like I can't escape therapy or the operating room. Lets just say I can't wait until things are back to normal again.

glass discovery

My case manager at CNS let me know yesterday that there's a good chance that next week will be my LAST week of therapy!! I really hope that turns out to be true because I am definitely ready to leave. After therapy I'm going to return to Long Beach and sit in the classes I was taking at the time of the accident so I can get the final notes and review sessions, and then take my 4 finals the end of May! I'm registered for the fall semester so after I finish my incomplete fall '09 courses, I'll be ready to continue on with school. Today I went to the doctor and left with stitches. You would think that with all my exams and x-rays over the past 5 months, the doctors would have found it, but another piece of glass was recently found in my left elbow. It was pushing on a tendon and giving me pain, so the doctor cut it out and stitched it up. Since the stitches are on a joint which is constantly bending, when the skin is pulled, the stitches could easily tear out, so I am advised to not bend my elbow for 10 days. I have a splint taped around it so I don't accidentally bend it, but it is so hard to do everything with one arm! Other than that, I seem to be healthy and getting stronger :]

Happy Easter!

I'm so sorry I haven't updated this at all!! McKenzie was much better at that than I am. I will try to sum up the progress of this past month: CNS is still going well, I think i'll be released soon because some of my therapists say "we're running out of things for you to do." I'm completely walking freely now, even the occasional jogging in physical therapy. Sarah, my physical therapist wants me to eventually jog on the sidewalk along the street outside the clinic, but I'm definitely not ready for that yet. My infection appeared to be gone so I no longer take antibiotics through an IV, but my most recent MRI showed that the infection is still there, so I will continue to take antibiotics orally. About a week ago I experienced seizure-like activity in my left arm, and ever since my left hand has lost its use, making it very difficult to do simple tasks like zipping, buttoning, and opening things. I'm seeing a neurologist soon to see what the problem is. On Thursday I had a CT scan to create the measurements necessary for my prosthetic skull, which I will now officially be receiving on July 1st! 3 months away but I'm still excited, yet nervous, for the operation. A lot of information for one update, I will try to update this more often!!

God Bless

Pictures

Just a few inspirational pictures of the angel herself! Macey's miracle is still on full force :)

Speech on Macey's Miracle

Macey continues to attend CNS Monday through Friday and is getting better each and every day. She continues to practice walking with her walker, which is a miraculous sight to see in itself. This weekend I plan to post a few pictures of from Macey's recovery on the blog, for those praying who haven't already seen them on Facebook. This past Wednesday my roommate Jordie did an inspirational speech at a Toastmaster's meeting on Macey's miracle. Attached is the link of her speech on Macey's timeline of progress. I want to personally thank Jordie for sharing this speech with Toastmasters and all of you that will watch it. She has such a gift to be able to speak to an audience and relay Macey's miracle with such poise. Thank you all for your continued prayers and support as always! Look for pictures on the blog within the next couple days.

God Bless

http://www.youtube.com/user/PositivePam89#p/a/u/0/1O73lK8pf2E

Much Due Update

I'm so sorry for my untimely update! School, work, and an internship are definitely keeping me very busy. Macey continues to go to therapy from 11-4 Monday through Friday at Center for Neuro Skills in Bakersfield! She is definitely worn out by the end of the day! Also Macey is working on walking with the help of a walker! She actually is no longer allowed to bring her wheelchair to CNS, so she can practice walking as much as possible. Also she has managed to perfect lifting herself up the stairs with her arms to sleep in her own bed after 2 whole months of hospital beds and the couch. CNS has been assessing Macey with tons of tests since she began going there. On Tuesday they held a conference to discuss what level Macey was at and what things she needed to work on. Macey is at a junior in college level, which is amazing news given she is only a sophomore in college! Such a smart girl! She has very minor cognitive and physical issues that she will continue to work on in therapy. They predict she will continue her therapy for another 2-3 months. Macey's spirit and outlook on life now is inspirational. I rarely ever hear her complain. She realizes she has been given the gift of life. Missing out on school, friends, and her old lifestyle is irrelevant to the gift she has received from God. Every time I think negatively about stress or just daily activities, I think of my sister and a smile comes to my face. Life is so precious we've learned, I thank God for every day I have been given. God bless and thank you for your continued prayers and support.

Home Round 2

Macey will finally be going home tomorrow after our minor setback. She will continue to receive antibiotics through an IV at home. These types of infections usually take about 6 weeks to completely heal. The results came back for the infections, and she has an infection called Pseudomonas aeruginosa. This type of bacteria is comes from the hospital and the infection most likely originated during the surgery of putting in the bone flap on January 5th. Macey is in good spirits thanks to the prayers for strength and courage. She is ready come back home, round 2!! Please pray for safe travels back to Bakersfield tomorrow. Lord please calm this storm and protect my family's journey back home. Thank you all for sticking with my family for this long! Your words of encouragement and prayers are indescribable. God sure has a powerful way of doing things :)

God Bless

Removal is Done

The surgery has been completed with no real bumps in the road. The neurosurgeon stated it was definitely the right decision to remove it, for it was very infected. He also found a small hematoma forming in her brain which he also removed. He is testing all the bacteria they removed to determine a proper antibiotic. Macey will most likely stay in the hospital for at least a week to monitor everything. She is in recovery currently. Lord please give Macey the strength and courage to overcome the pain of this procedure mentally and physically. Thank you Lord for gracing her with knowledgeable doctors and a wonderful nursing staff that closely monitors her every move. Once again Macey is so very blessed with Your presence and glory. Thank you Lord for this day.

Surgery

After talking to the neurosurgeon this morning, he has informed us the best decision is to remove the bone flap. He said that we could continue treating it with antibiotics, but as soon as we stop, the bacteria will most likely come back. Macey's skull and scalp are infected and the only way to stop the infection is to remove the bone flap. Since her surgery is an add on, she could go in anytime today. The nurse just came in and informed us she could go in as early as the next 30 minutes. She is devastated she has to go through this. Once the bone flap is removed she will have to wear a helmet to protect her for the next 6 months. After those long months they will attempt to put a prosthetic skull in. Lord please let Macey relax in your precious arms and calm her of this burden. Let her realize you have blessed her in so many ways and this is just one more blessing she is about to receive. Please let the power of prayer be in full force in order to comfort Macey throughout this stressful day.

Macey's favorite verse:

"Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight." Proverbs 3:5