A long phone call with Sis

10/12/05

Well, after talking with Liz on the phone for a long time this evening, I have some more details about not having details....

First off, Liz wanted to thank everyone who has been sending positive thoughts and prayers and emails and flowers etc etc. She said the whole support network she's been so lucky to have is just incredible and she didn't have words to describe how much it means to her. She really wishes she could speak with everyone and tell them thanks personally. I usually read her the emails and messages that people have sent her, and she was completely in tears tonight when I did so. So, directly from her, thank you, your support is an incredible strength to her right now. Brian has been able to spend lots of time with Liz, due in large part to the huge help his fellow firefighters have been in covering shifts and whatnot for him. He doesn't know what he'd do without their help, it's been a huge thing for them both.

She and Brian are really grieving a lot, they said they had no idea it would be this hard losing Corinne. Still, I told her that the last thing Corinne heard was her parents telling her how much they loved her, and what a beautiful thing that must have been for her. Still, every time they go to the NICU, they wish they could see both girls there instead of just the one.

Between grieving, having trepidation about how small Kaitlyn is, Liz still being sick, etc, there is just a huge amount of emotions flowing through both of them. As a result, they're kind of hiding out at home and don't really check emails or even answer the phone most of the time. They know everyone wants to help, and they're extremely thankful, but she says it's just really hard for her to talk to people on the phone or in person just yet. And as I said, when I read her the emails and messages, it brings her to tears it means so much.

Kaitlyn is stable after the surgery, which is very encouraging. She has had some difficulties, her lungs are still partially deflated as a result of the surgery. They've given her two brain scans to check for bleeding of the brain. The first one did show something, but they couldn't tell exactly what it was. A second scan later still showed it, but it wasn't increasing in size, which is a very good thing. So there are still a myriad of issues they're dealing with on a daily basis, but the doctors remain encouraged overall.

Liz is still running a fever of just under 100, it seems to come and go but luckily nothing like how it was when she was in the hospital. They were very concerned originally about some rigidity in her abdomen, which is why they went to the CAT scan. They basically found out that it was fluid buildup. Since then, the wound has opened and the fluid has come out. While it makes for some messy bandages, we're hoping that it will soon begin to heal. She told me she slept for more than 15 hours today. Brian wakes her up every now and then to pump, but she's so exhausted she then goes straight back to sleep. She's thankful, though, that she's back at home. We were joking that, when she was pregnant all she wanted to do was sit up, see her house, and go outside in the sunshine, but the doctor wouldn't let her. Now, the doctors say she can do all of that, but she's so exhausted all she wants to do is lie down. It's pretty ironic.

And that's the news from the McCarthy household.

Gary