HollyAlonzo – Never Giving Up Hope

Well here we are, season 8 of American Idol. I thought that Season 7 would be the last season I got to listen to, but I’ve made it a round to another one! There are parts that I can not understand like when Ryan is talking about a contestants story and it seems too fast at times, but when it comes to the music part, I can totally follow.

So far, I think that Idol is a disappointment. We have just made it through the auditions and there were not that many people withthe the “wow” factor that made it through. All I can hope for is that there are great people that they did not show.

I love country, and this year it doesn’t look like there will be agreat country singer on the show. The closest that came to country was Rose in Utah. She was good, but it wasn’t really country just sort of.

Next week starts Hollywood, and we’ll see how that goes. Maybe we’ll meet some new people there that will “wow” me.

Hello everyone. I just thought I should write to let you all know that I am here and still alive.

The road to recovery is such a long one. I was doing fantastic, and still pretty good I guess, but some days it seems like I’ll never get better. Sunday I took my last steroid. Finally got my appitite back under control. Usually Edward eats about 10 times more than I do. While I was on those evil things called steroids, I was hungry all of the time. I didn’t gain any weight on them this time, so that is very good.

But, ever since I’ve been off of them, even though it’s only been two days, I feel rotten. I am weak and shaky. It’s like my legs can’t hold me just walking through the house. Hopefully this is just withdrawal and it’ll get better soon. Also, the pain! Before I stopped taking the steroids I didn’t even have to take any Tylenol. But as soon as I stopped them, the headaches are horrible.

It’s mainly those two things that are bothering me. Today I have had a bit of a temperature. Dr. McElveen told me that I need to take my temperature twice a day, once in the morning and once at night. If it is over 100 twice in a row, I need to call him. So hopefully tonight it’s back down otherwise I’ll have to give him a call and see what he suggests. I really don’t think it’s an infection because the wound on my head looks very well and it’s not painful. I guess all we can do is wait and see.

I’m not out of the woods yet, if you would please continue to keep me in your thoughts and prayers I would appreciate it.

Thank to Lord for small miracles!

I am so thrilled! I have my hearing back somewhat. It’s still not perfect, but compared to the way I’ve managed to deal with for the past nearly two years, it is amazing now!

Last time I mentioned that the company sent the wrong hearing aid. They sent the certena instead of the versata. So, that was one reason why it didn’t work so well. The other reason was that it wasn’t turned up loud enough.

Well I went back today for an adjustment and got the hearing aid I was originally supposed to get. And, I got it turned up! It’s amazing how much I can join in on now and how much I have been missing. I would hear people go in and out of the door while I was waiitn for the bus. Just the door slamming over and over. I can talk to my husband when he is in his office. He no longer has to be facing me for me to understand him. Previously it didn’t even matter if he was facing me. He still had to speak loud and slow, and sometimes that didn’t even help.

I am just thanking God that I have my hearing back. Even if it’s only for a little while, I will cherish this. Never take anything for granted. Enjoy it while you can.

Hopefully this works. Today I scanned the picture of the tumor in and I think I have it resized right. Maybe if it’s not big enough, you can make it bigger on your screen? I’m really not sure about the visual capabilities. But here it is. 

Picture of the tumor before they removed it from my head.

 What do you all think?

Finally Home from Raleigh!

We left the hotel this morning around 10 and got to Asheville this afternoon. In reality I was only gone for a little over a week, but it seems like much longer than that. It’s good to be back at home though.

Isaiah is being very clingy with me. He keeps wanting me to pick him up, and I can’t really. I’m having to move in a way where he just lifts himself up on me.

But thanks for all of the continued thoughts, prayers, and support. It means a lot and I made it through this surgery fine. The dizziness and pain is tollerable. I only get exetremely dizzy if I am up moving for a while. I have to sit down and rest a bit.

Just want to let everyone know that I made it home safely.

Well Howdie everyone.  I am still in Raleigh, but  I am out of the hospital!

Dr. McElveen came by my room this morning and discharged me.  He just told me to take it easy and to make sure and watch for a sign of infection.  Signs that I need to worry about are if my temperature gets over 100 twice in a row, and also steady drip of liquid from my nose.  So if either of those happen, I have to call him right away.

It snowed all last night and most of today.  The roads were too bad to drive home.  My dad will feel safer driving home tomorrow when the roads are more cleared off.

So tonight we are in the hotel room again, and it sure is great to be able to relax without any interuptions.  The hospital is supposed to be a place to rest, and they are bugging you at all hours of the night for some reason or another.

Isaiah is being very gentle with me.  I keep having to remind myself not to pick him up.  It’s so tempting!  But, I guess I better play it safe and resist the erge to pick him up and give him a huge squeeze.  But he has been cuddling with me quite a bit today on my lap. 

Whenever I spoke with Dr. McElveen this morning, I asked him if they knew yet if it was a menigioma and schwannoma combination.  He said that no, it was just a menigioma.  I am just super glad that ugly thing is out of there now.  It was very deep and I am grateful that they got it out without doing any more damage. 

I know I keep saying this, but if all goes well I should be home by tomorrow.  Everyone take care until then!

Well here I am, still in the Duke Raleigh Hospital.  Hopefully, I’ll be leaving tomorrow.

Dr. McElveen and Margaret came by this morning and saw me.  They looked at my wound and said that all is heeling well.  They had me sit up and make sure I wasn’t leaking.  But Dr. McElveen said I should be going home tomorrow.

I’ve been a little more dizzy this morning, but now that I am sitting up, it isn’t so bad.  Whenever I got up and walked down the hall, I got a pretty bad headache but as soon as I rested for a couple of minutes it was fine again.

Good thing I am not in too much pain because they are kind of stingy here with pain medications.  Even after surgery all I was able to get was some codene injections and darvaset pills.  I guess they don’t want you too drugged up so that you can’t do anything.  Sometimes it sure would be nice to escape the pain though.

The right side of my face is temporarily paralised.  I can move it a little, but not much.  It’s amazing that they were able to save that nerve.  I told the doctors all along that my face was numb and it was scaring me.  They all just put me off and said it wasn’t the tumor.  Well now I have no facial numbness so that tumor was definetely causing it.  Just shows that you always need to listen to your body.

I’ll be back to write more when I can.  For now I am sitting up and doing well.  Pray that all goes well and we get to go home tomorrow.  It is supposed to be snowing in Asheville, so if we get to go home, please pray for a safe trip home.

I am back in business.  My husband has done a great job of letting you all  know how the surgery went and I want to thank him for that.  I will read any and all comments when I get home on my regular computer

I was informed that I was not able to get the ABI because the tumor was so  agressive and destroyed everything.  But we all  know that I have God on my side.  As long as I remember that I’ll be ok.  We just have to keep the faith.

I saw Dr. McElveen’s partner, Dr. Cuningham, today.  I liked him a lot.  He said that Dr. McElveen will be by tomorrow to give the orders, but it looks like I will be able to go home tomorrow.  They took the dressing off of my head today and all looks well.  My hearing on the left side is a little worse but I think that is because of the swelling and me feeling like I need to pop my ears and can’t.  THey told me not to pop my ears or blow my nose for a while because they don’t want me to cause a spinal fluid leak.

Sorry if my post is a little scrambled right now, but I am slowly getting back into the swing of things.  They did take a picture of the tumor while it was in my head before they took it out.  My mom has that picture, so when I get hoem I’ll scan it in and post it up here for you all to see.

If all goes well I should be going home tomorrow.  I’ll be sure to let everyone know.  Thanks for everything.

Hey all, as I write this, its 11:34 pm the night of Hollys surgery.
I’m currently sitting at Hollys bedside in iCu and will remain here all night keeping watch on her.
I have to say, that I think that I’m the only person that they have ever let stay with a patient the entire night through.
I want to apolajize for all my mestakes in the last few entries, I know that they have tons of spelling mestakes and I’m not a very detailed writer like Holly, but, I have to say that this is the first time that I’ve been able to actually sit down and write something with out a baby or someone talking to me. It has been very hard to keep you guys up to date on everything while everything was going on, but, I have done my best.
I will say now, that Holly is sleeping very well and that now I’ve got some time to actually write in the blog.
I’m sory if I haven’t responded to all your text messages, but, I’ve done my best to respond to all I can it’s been a very long day but, I still can’t sleep.
Holly should remain in ICU for most of the day tomorrow then some time on friday she will be able to go back up to the fifth floor.
Now, I’m sure you guys want to hear more about why she wasn’t able to get the ABI.
Here is what the doctors told me.
I’ll write it again and spell the big words the best I can Holly will have to do some mayjour editing when she gets out.
ok here goes.
from what they told me the tumer was a very hard one to remove and it had been in the brain for so long, that it had destroyed the balance nerve as well as the coklier nerve where they were going to put the ABI dR. Maclevine said that there was no place to put it in so they were unable to inplant it in the right side.
they said that they might possibly be able to put it into the left side, but, not to wory about that side until absolutely necessary.
Thats all I know at this time.
The one good thing that did come out of this surgery, was thta tthey were able to remove theentire tumer releaving some preasure off the brainstem as well as preserving the facal nerve.
well guess I’ll sign off just thought I’d make up for lost time and let you guys know in a little more detail
Take care and thanks once again for all your suport.
Until tomorrow gn.

Well hello everyone I know that you’ve been all waiting to hear how Holly is doing.

Well around 6:30 this evening Dr. Macelvine wanted to see us in the OR so, he said that it was a very very very dificult surgery and that it was not an easy tumer to remove.

they said that instead of being a shynoma, it was a naminganoma.

This would have eventially caused facal peroulsys.

How ever, the tumer was so deep, that it destroyed the balance nerve as well as the auditory nerve which means that they were unable to put the ABI in they said that there was no place to implant it.

They said that if they could have, they would have.

I think that that is the hardest part is knowing that they were unable to put the implant in sense Holly was really wanting to have some hearing on the right side.

They did say that if they were able to remove the tumer on the left side, they may be able to place an implant but that they wern’t going to worry about that side until totally necessary.

This is a very sad update, but, the best thing was that they were able to remove the tumer while still preserving the facal nerv.

Currently, she is in recovery we have not gotten to see her yet, but, will be able to go in soon.

I’ll keep you up to date as things progress.

Thanks for all your support.