Cochlear Implant - Surgery Day
Part I

Monday, June 10, 2013

 

 

Surgery for my Cochlear Implant had been on the calender for almost two months and it was hard to believe the day had finally arrived.  We had arrived in Houston about 5:00 Sunday afternoon and our youngest son Stephen and his precious girlfriend Kristina arrived about 6:00.  After a late supper at Chili's with our dear friend Linda Reed, we all got a good night's sleep.  Of course the rule for me was, "Nothing to eat or drink after midnight."

 

We were up at 6:00 and Ron washed my hair and helped me with a sponge bath.  Then he dressed me.  Notice the buttoning of the shirt.  His only excuse: he says he has more practice undressing me than dressing me. 

 

 

 

Once everyone: Ron, Kristina, Stephen, and I were all ready, we headed to Memorial Hospital - Medical Center.  For Day Surgery patients, they have a great system with valet parking that gets you right to the admitting entrance.  I was preregistered so we went straight to the 2nd floor for Day Surgery. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We were there well ahead of my 8:00 appointment.  The waiting room was well stocked with what Ron said was surprisingly good coffee, so along with his Kindle, he was set. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We were shown to the day surgery waiting room and selected our spot. Ron had been given a number for my case and he would be able to follow my progress by that number, on a lighted board similar to the arrival/departure boards at the airport.

 

 

 

 

 

Shortly after 8:00 I was taken to PreOp, Room 10, where preparations began for my 10:00 appointment in surgery. 

My surgery wardrobe was laid out on the bed, and if Ron thought he had it hard buttoning my shirt, it was nothing compared to putting the surgical stockings on me.  We won't include that photo.

 

 

 

 

I was soon in my stylish outfit for the day and a long  line of friendly, happy, outstanding medical professionals began making their way through one, two, or three at a time.  First, there was gregarious, flamboyant Tonya with her bouncy red hair.  Tonya took my vital signs and went over many questions to be sure all medical history was correct.  She also alerted me to the fact that those questions would be asked over and over all day.  She was right.

 

Tonya was soon followed by Rolandalin, whose name I loved as much as the sweet person bearing that unique name.  When I asked her to pronounce her name, it was lovely.  I couldn't hear well, but I  loved the lilt in her voice as she pronounced her musical name for me.  By the end of the day I told her that if I ever write a book, she will be a character in it.  (In fact she might be the leading lady.)   She started my IV and took care of assorted procedures to keep progressing me toward a future of hearing. 

 

The true star of my story for that day though, would have to be my surgeon, Dr. C. Y. Joseph Chang.  One could not ask for a more pleasant, friendly, and skilled surgeon.  He has never made us feel rushed, and has always put us at ease.  He is a kind, gifted man. 

 

 

Dr. Chang went over a list of Postoperative Care Instructions and asked if we had additional questions. 

 

 

 

Dr. Chang opened a sterile package and got out a marker to mark the correct ear for surgery.  Hospitals are finding ways to be sure the proper area gets the surgery.  The previous week for my elbow surgery, the surgeon had to "initial" me before surgery.

 

During all this time, Ron and Stephen had been with me.  David arrived from San Antonio and it was good to get to see him before surgery.  He had been hung up in a Houston traffic jam and I was not sure he would arrive before surgery.








Following Dr. Chang was Elton, a young man from Dr. Chang's office who had taken my medical history on my first visit to see my surgeon.   He remembered me when I told him I am the lady who hears music in her head.  I think I freaked him out the first time I told him about it.  He went over additional questions. 







Here, David (our third son), looks on as two of the three people from the anesthesia department made their appearances.  They had many questions, and I think were glad that I had proved the previous Monday that I could tolerate anesthesia with no problems.  Prior to surgery a week earlier on the elbow, it had been over twenty years since I'd had any surgery.  I explained to them about a ridge in the top of my mouth that was badly scraped in the surgery 20+ years ago and slightly scraped in surgery the previous week.  They didn't scrape it!  Good job, guys! 

I wish I had a photo of the surgery suite.  What an array of high technology equipment!  It would also be great if I could tell you what all happened in there, but, I slept through it, thanks to the anesthesia team. 

At this point, I am going to stop and soon with Part II, I will pick up following the surgery.  As you can tell, I had excellent care at each step of the way.  God is good!
 

 

 



A Wonderful Welcome Home From Family

Wednesday June 12, 2013

Did I really just have my second major surgery in just over a week, two days ago?  I am feeling great!  Pain in minimal, and most of that is related to the elbow injury.  I don't remember if I mentioned that when the Orthopedic Surgeon told me what all my elbow surgery would involve, I said, " That sounds pretty major."  He said, "This is major surgery."  I was so focused on the Cochlear Implant Surgery, that I guess I had not fully grasped the extent of surgery to repair my elbow.  But all in all, today on a scale of 1 - 10 of the pain (10 being worst) I would give the elbow a "1" and the ear a "0.5" because it is so minor.  Much of the discomfort with the elbow is just the awkwardness of the whole mess, (splint, sling, etc.) leaving the shoulder sore.

This morning I was up early.  After breakfast, Vickey cleaned the incision and then washed my hair!  It was allowed by the doctor.  Then she medicated the incision.  A little after 9:00 our daughter-in-law Barbara arrived with the 5 youngest children while the oldest two were at art class.







The grandchildren wanted to see how Grandma was doing, but they also needed to be sure she still had a good supply of toys and snacks.  Art activities are always in progress with this bunch, even while eating Oreos.

 

While they were here, our oldest granddaughter got all my hanging plants watered, filled the ponds and bird baths, and she and her sister filled the bird feeders.

 

They stayed for a long visit and after they headed out to pick up the big boys, I was ready for a nap. It had been a long, but fun morning and a very important time of reassuring these young ones that Grandma is OK.

 

 

Following my nap, my mom showed up with a delicious meal for us to enjoy together.  Vickey and I were so glad to have a relaxing visit with Mom over lunch.  Like the grandchildren, Mom needed to be sure I was really doing as well as advertised. 

 



 

Four of the grandchildren are taking swimming lessons close to our house each afternoon so we told Barbara she could leave the baby with us while they go.  Many of you have expressed concerns about me doing the yard work, so I asked our oldest grandson to come this afternoon while the others were at swimming and mow the backyard for me.  He did a superb job with a sweet attitude.  He is like me in his enjoyment of working in the yard.  I think it is not the favorite chore for either of us, but it ranks way above many others. 

 

He and his baby sister are very fond of each other and when she tired from playing she went to her diaper bag, got her blanket and chose her brother's lap for snuggling.  We are so blessed!

The rest of the day involved another nap, a supper of leftovers, and a relaxing evening helping Vickey start a quilt project.  The incision is to be cleaned and medicated 3 times a day and Ron is gladly turning that responsibility over to Vickey.

So much that has happened over these last months shows God's perfect timing.  Why did I break my elbow?  I tripped on the cord of the Weed Eater.  Is God using that in my life?  Yes.  I know that the obvious splint and sling are helping me and others protect that side of my body.  The ear surgery is not as obvious and even I would probably turn over onto the side with the ear surgery (since there is so little discomfort) if it were not for the arm issue.  Did God break my elbow?  I don't think so, but He is using it each day to remind me to slow down and heal.  In God's timing, Vickey is here this week and not in Albuquerque where the smoke is bad from fires in that area.  She suffers from asthma and is better off here this week.  I could go on for pages listing things that show us God's Hand in the midst of hard times.  I know that God is with me each step of the way.

Cochlear Implant is Implanted and I Am Home!

Tuesday June 11, 2013

There is so very much to share, that there is just no way to do it in one posting, and it has been a long day - well, a long 3 days!  The days were amazing as everything came together and I wanted to let everyone know I am home and doing very well.  I have lots of stories to tell and thanks to son Stephen and others, MANY photos to share.  I will warn the squeamish that at the end of this blog there will be a photo of the incision as it looks tonight.  If my husband could clean it and photograph it tonight, I think you can all take it, but I am issuing  the warning.

 
First off I must say that each step of the way was paved with the prayers and actions of my amazing family and friends.  Our son Stephen and his girlfriend arrived at the home of our friends in Houston shortly after we did, without telling me in advance that they would be coming from Dallas. 






Then our son David let us know he would drive over from San Antonio Monday morning arriving just before I went into surgery.  I know they said they were coming for me, but I also know it was for both of us and you can't imagine the load it took off  Ron to have them there!

We are so blessed.  Our son Jeff had been at the hospital with us here the previous week when I broke my elbow and Ron admitted he just let Jeff take over.  Most of us know surgery is in many ways harder on those waiting than on the patient.  I slept through it all;  they didn't.  These three helped make the day bearable for Ron.

How blessed we are! 

 

Our son Bob from Albuquerque, New Mexico would have been with us if possible, but he did the next best thing (which is a tremendous blessing), he sent his wife to help me for the next week.  We picked her up at the airport this morning in Houston and brought her home with us.  Vickey has already been helping in many ways, lightening Ron's load.

 

 

 

 

 

AsI must tell you that Ron is squeamish and when it came time to remove the dressing this morning, he decided to allow our sweet hostess, Linda Reed (who is not a doctor, but is the mother of one), to remove the dressing. As always, she stepped up and did what needed to be done, and did it well.  We have been thoroughly blessed by Linda and her husband John (who unexpectedly had to make an overseas business trip at this time).  Our friendship with them came through a friendship between our son Stephen and their son, Dr. Josh Reed, M.D. (doctor and friend extraordinaire).

 

 

So here I am leaving the hospital yesterday, with my family escort (and Kristina taking the photo).  Then a close-up of the dressing, followed by a photo of the incision after Ron cleaned and medicated it tonight.

 



 

 

Healing and Helpers

Saturday June 8, 2013

The two previous postings were delayed some due to my reaction to my pain killers.  My reaction?  SLEEP!  Every time I would get in front of a keyboard to type, I would get very sleepy!  So each was composed over several days.  I am still taking the pain killers although I am improving each day.  The two times I thought I could skip the medications, caught up with me.  Starting tonight I will try one pill instead of two, but I do believe sleep is a great healer and you may remember from earlier postings, sleep was not coming easily the first few nights.  The only prescription I came home with was for pain.  Other than that, all I take is allergy medications.

Here it is Saturday evening and surgery is Monday morning!  That is 1 1/2 days away!  Today I was talking about a "countdown" to surgery, but I said that the broken elbow took the focus off the Cochlear Implant surgery so the time has just been flying by, uncounted! 

Tuesday we came home from the hospital about noon.  Ron had an afternoon appointment with the dermatologist to see about a  place on his nose.  Daughter-in-law Barbara (Jeff's wife) came with the two oldest girls and spent the afternoon.  They were so much help as I figured out what things I could and couldn't do and what places were comfortable and which weren't.  Barb fixed lunch and generally met my needs.  The dermatologist had taken a "chunk" off Ron's nose for biopsy so neither us us really felt like eating - both exhausted.

Our 48th wedding anniversary was Wednesday, but we did little celebrating.  Ron went to the office and my mom and the same two granddaughters came to care for me.  I napped off and on all day.   Mom baked a cake and Rebecca and I made frosting.  Our friends the Lawlers picked up supper for our anniversary.  I had a rough night and spent most of it in the recliner.

On Thursday, I went to the office with Ron in order to send out the monthly statements for our business.  I would rather have stayed home but as we pulled out of the garage, I spotted not just this Great Kiskadee in the top of our Royal Poinciana tree, but two others.  God keeps sending bright spots when things look dark.  At the office our oldest grandson was there to help me because Ron had another doctor's appointment.  Isaac and I have worked out a fairly good system for him helping to clear up what I don't understand from the customers, but we put our two person team to another challenge Thursday.  He is not old enough to run the machines so he would line up the keys in the machines and I would run the machine to cut them one-handed.  We may have to take this act on the road.  About noon Ron returned and my mom picked us up to take Issac home and pick up his sisters.

Friday my housekeeper came and later mom came  so again I was well cared for.  Our friends the Lawlers again brought our supper but didn't stay to eat with us.  During the week a couple of friends dropped by and that helped pass the time. 

Ron had an emergency job Saturday morning, so Mom and the little girls came again.  After Ron got back, Mom went home and the girls stayed a while.  I napped a little and worked on packing off and on.

Here it is Saturday evening and it is hard to believe it is 36 hours until time for the Cochlear Implant.  Splint on my arm is giving me fits tonight and I can't believe how much longer it has to stay on.  Tomorrow we head to Houston!

Wrong Monday - Wrong Hospital - 

Wrong Surgery

Friday June 7, 2013

OK.  Maybe it wasn't  exactly wrong, but it wasn't, the time, the place, or the June surgery that I had been planning for, over the last several months.  Thankfully, my Cochlear Implant surgery is still on schedule for Monday, June 10, in Houston at Memorial Hermann Hospital - Medical Center.  But, totally unplanned, I found myself having elbow surgery on Monday, June 3, at Valley Regional Hospital in my hometown of Brownsville.

My previous blog explained how I ended up with an extra surgery in June.  In that blog I shared my experiences up through the night before my elbow surgery.  I went to sleep about midnight and slept lightly until about 2:00 a,m,  By lightly, I mean that even deaf, I believe I was aware of every time a hospital employee entered my room, which was often. 

About 2:30 I gave up on sleep and asked the nurse to hand me my laptop so I could work on my blog.  She cheerfully did so and even plugged it in for me and handed me the mouse.  Right after she closed the door I thought, "Oops! I forgot to ask her to turn on the light!"  Up until that time, someone would pop in every 10 - 15 minutes.  This time, I was left alone for a good night's sleep, which was totally escaping me!  I was not to get up without assistance (with good reason), so there I sat in the dark, with my laptop in bed with me, but without enough light for typing.  Typing one handed is hard enough with the lights on and there was no way I could manage in the dark.  So instead of catching up on my blog, I caught up on reading emails and Facebook postings. About 5:00 the nurse was in my room and turned on the lights for me.  I got a little writing done, but by then I was getting tired.

The previous week we had made arrangements to take my car in to have a rust spot on the roof repaired and the roof painted, so Ron took it in early Monday morning, then had a friend pick him up and take him to get a car and come to the hospital.  We were told that my surgery would be in the afternoon due to an already full surgery schedule. Our friend Shirley who is a volunteer at the hospital told us she had seen the surgery schedule, and I was listed on the schedule for 3:00.  Around 10:30 I asked Ron to go to Staples and buy a replacement mouse for my laptop since my old one had died.   While he was gone and I was continuing work on my blog, an aide arrived at 11:00 and said, "Are you ready?"  "For what?" I asked.  "Your surgery, of course."  I explained that we thought 3:00 but it seems all surgeries for the day had gone quickly with no problems and they were ready for me.  So I was whisked from my room without my husband and had to leave things out that I had not intended (i.e. laptop, Kindle, camera, etc.). 

In pre-op I asked the nurse to call my friend Shirley at the front desk to let her know what was going on, but Shirley was at lunch.  Someone said they would get a message to her.  The anesthesiologist came in to meet me and go over all the medical issues involved.  I liked this man instantly and he immediately put me at ease.  As I went over my list of drug allergies, I also mentioned shrimp, because although that isn't a drug, it can be a red flag where iodine is involved.  He of course instantly understood that and was sympathetic to my situation of living near the coast in South Texas and not being able to enjoy shrimp.  I told him it was OK, I was sure they would serve it at the Marriage Feast of the Lamb.  He began to laugh and said, "Great big, fried ones!" and I knew he understood my reference to a special time after the Christians are all gathered in Heaven.  Ron was escorted in about this time and knew I was in good hands if my anesthesiologist and I were having a Theological discussion. 

It turned out Ron had arrived back in the room, gathered some of the valuables and went wandering looking for me.  A precious nurse friend, Gayla found Ron looking frustrated and got him into pre-op to see me before surgery.  Shortly after that, Craig Smith, our Music Minister at church arrived, followed by my mom.  About this time the hospital became aware of the fact that NO lab work had been done on me since I had arrived on Saturday, so they scurried around to do that while I reassured the anesthesiologist that although it had not been done, I had just had it all done in Houston the previous Monday for the surgery I was to have there soon. 

Craig led in prayer before he and Mom were ushered out.  Craig had found out that the anesthesiologist it a Baptist pastor in San Benito.  Maybe after I can hear, I will try to visit his church some Sunday.  Ron left and I was  wheeled into surgery.  The last thing I heard was, "Five seconds after we give you this..."  Next, they were waking me in Recovery Room and soon I was back in my Room 309.  I didn't mention that when I arrived I shared this double room, but the lady left while I napped Sunday and from then on I was alone.  (Another gift from God.)  Probably no one wanted to be in the room with "the lady who talks too loud".

Much of the afternoon was spent napping and relaxing.  The precious nurse friend Gayle dropped by for a visit.

Sweet daughter-in-law Barbara came by in the evening, bringing flowers and our two oldest grandsons, as they were heading to a Boy Scout Award Ceremony.  It was good to see them.

Not much more of interest happened while there.  I slept some that night and the doctor visited the next morning.  He talked about the surgery and where we go from here.  No lifting or pushing with that arm for two months!  We got a detailed print out of the doctor's description of the surgery (to give to the surgeon in Houston if he wants it).  The surgery was very involved since not only had I broken those two bones (one in the joint) but had done some dislocating.  I understand I will have a very long scar down the back of my arm from half way between the shoulder and the elbow, to halfway between the elbow and wrist.  No one likes to have scars, but as far as I am concerned, I just weigh the choices.  Do I want full use of that arm?  YES!  Is a scar involved?  YES!  OK.    I will see Dr. Olson, the surgeon again on June 18, at which time he will remove a lot of staples.  Shortly after that I will start Physical Therapy.  Side note:  God's timing was again good.  Dr. Olson was leaving on vacation the next day and would not have been available for a while.  I believe he was the best choice for my surgery.  God continues to prepare the way ahead of me.

We checked out about 11:30 Tuesday morning. As we were leaving, we ran into our friend Shirley on her way to visit me.

Roadblock, Detour, or Speed Bump

on My Path to A Cochlear Implant?

Tuesday June 4, 2013

When we start down an unfamiliar path, we don't know what is around the next corner   We can look at a map, but there can always be the unexpected: a roadblock, a detour, or maybe just a speed bump.  This is how I have often felt with my hearing loss,   We are often ready to accept minor changes to the route, but on the route to my Cochlear Implant, I was really afraid I might have plunged off a cliff Saturday evening.  Maybe it was just the feeling of falling...

I do love to work in the yard.  I love that look of a nicely manicured lawn.  Earlier in the week I had mowed the backyard, and Saturday morning I started edging and kept at it until I ran out of the nylon cutting line.  So I set about pulling weeds and trimming bushes and trees, until I could get Ron to refill edger with cutting line.  Late that afternoon after it began to cool off, Ron got the edger back in good shape for me to finish.  While I edged, he hauled my piles from my morning efforts.  I had stepped out the gate to edge along the front side of the fence where I had been working.  Suddenly I think the cutting line wrapped around a link in the fence and threw me for a loop.  Literally.  It was that feeling of falling,,,because I was falling!  Did my life flash before my eyes?  No, my Cochlear Implant surgery flashed before my eyes. 

For the months leading up to the surgery, I have tried to be careful.  I have avoided people who were ill.  I have thought I was taking care of myself, but I was being "done in" by an edger!  As I was falling, I was hoping to land on my lower arm, but instead, came crashing down on my left elbow.  Immediately I knew I had done major damage. I didn't "hear" anything break, but I knew I broke or dislocated something in the area of my elbow.  Pain engulfed me and I began hollering for Ron, hoping he was still in the yard and would hear my cries for help.  I saw him hobbling around the corner of the house with a look of pain and fear on his face. 

It was quickly evident he could not get me up off the ground without causing further pain and damage to me, so I asked him to get someone to help or to call for an ambulance.  He said I was obviously going to have to go to the hospital, so he opted for the ambulance.  Our wait was longer than expected but eventually one arrived.  The attendants later told me that the ambulance from our area was tied up and they were sent from another area.  These two young men, Oscar and Mario (I think) took excellent care of me as we headed for Valley Regional Hospital.  Both men had a gentle, kind attitude, and were very friendly.

 

 

 



Quickly, I was taken to a curtained cubicle in the Emergency Room. For the next several hours, an excellent staff met most of needs in a timely manner. I say most, because although I had been offered strong pain medications in the ambulance if I needed them, I chose to wait for the ER. It was a couple of hours before I was given anything in the ER to ease the growing pain.  Thankfully our son Jeff was able to come be with us until about midnight, when I was moved to a room on the third floor.  Jeff said he had left three of his kids crying when he came to check on me, because they had wanted to come be with Grandma.

 

What can be nice in the hospital at midnight on a Saturday night while suffering from a broken elbow?   Meeting this precious, kind, gentle nurse, Amanda.  Every time I would meet a new hospital employee, I would have to explain my deafness and ask them to speak into my amplifier.  Amanda quickly adjusted and worked at seeing that all the staff on her shift worked hard to communicate with me.  I got less than 15 minutes sleep all night Saturday as I dealt with pain, but a wonderful staff took good care of me.  With each injection of pain killer came one for nausea, but neither injection was enough to do the job.  By Sunday morning, the nausea was pretty bad.

Sunday morning, the orthopedic surgeon arrived.  He had reviewed the x-rays by phone at home Saturday night, so we knew the elbow was broken.  (technology is great!)  Dr, Olsen explained that there were two broken bones.  The top of the smaller bone in the lower arm was broken, and a bone in the joint was broken.  I may not have this exactly right since I was highly medicated and sleep deprived. He would need to wait until Monday to do the surgery, since they did not have the new socket in stock at the hospital, and he would need it on hand in case mine could not be repaired.  We explained to him about my scheduled Cochlear Implant surgery for June 10th.  He said the decision would be up to Dr. Chang, but as far as he was concerned, he saw no problem.  I told him I was to have no aspirin products and he said he could work around that.

I was too nauseated for breakfast.  Mom came by on her way to church.  Again, the nausea kept from eating the lunch I was served (Ron was being well fed).  Later Ron went to a near-by Kentucky Fried Chicken and got me some mashed potatoes.  I just ate about three bites,  Those didn't stay with me long, so when the nurse offered a different pain medication, I was ready to switch.  The new one did a lot better on the pain and decreased the nausea.  Our good friends the Lawlers came for a refreshing visit.  Supper looked, smelled, and tasted great, but again. about three bites of mashed potatoes was my limit. 

Surgery was scheduled for Monday but no time could be given yet.  No eating or drinking after midnight didn't really matter since I was doing little of either.  When my accident happened, I had been doing a couple of hours of hot, dirty yard work.  I had not yet been cleaned up since arriving at the hospital.  Sunday evening a nurse named Alma came in to give me a bath,  That was the best news I had gotten since arriving.  The bath was given to me in bed, complete with a wonderful hair washing.  Alma gets at least two gold stars!  The only thing was that my shirt (one of my favorites) had to be cut into pieces to get it off of me, along with my bra.  After the bath, getting my nice clean body into a clean bed was a perfect way to end a rough day.  At this point I think I will wrap up this entry and continue later with the surgery.

 

 



Blessings and More Blessings!

Saturday, June 1, 2013

God is good!  So are my friends!   In an earlier blog entry, I mentioned that I had been piecing a Quiet Quilt to mark this time in my life.  I collect fabrics.  Lots of fabrics!  In quilt stores, many sell pre-cut fabric in what they call a "Fat Quarter".  This is a quarter yard of fabric, but instead of cutting  a quarter yard across the width of the fabric, giving you a piece 9" inches by 42", they cut across the fabric at 18" and then cut it in half the other direction, giving you a piece 18" x 21".  That is a much more useful shape for a quilter to work with.

Over the years, I have collected hundreds of "Fat Quarters" and I cut smaller squares, triangles, or other shapes from them and often just use one square each from multiple fabrics in the quilts I make.  This is especially true of children's quilts.  There may be fabrics with dogs, cats, birds, fire engines, trucks, flowers, Popsicles, and any number of other child-pleasing pictures.  They love to look for their favorites on the quilts.  Other fat quarters are cut into strips and used in log cabin quilts or other designs.

After I lost my hearing in January, my evenings were no longer spent with the TV on as I watched news programs, or old comedy shows,while sewing, so I turned to my fabric "stash" (as quilters call their collections of fabrics) and began to wonder what new project I could start.  It needed to be simple since, in all honesty, my hearing loss at that point basically had me in a state of shock and I found it hard to concentrate on something complex.  As I went through some of my stacks of fat quarters, I began to notice that I had collected many with scenes on them that looked peaceful and decided to make a quilt using only fabrics that were pictures depicting things that I could enjoy without the ability to hear.

Since many of these "pictures" depicted in the fabrics were a little large, I chose to make the pictures in my quilt 6 inches by 8 inches.  Then I would "frame" those pictures (quilters call those frames sashing).  I began cutting out the pictures and putting them on my design wall, rearranging them, and tried to decide what size I wanted it to be when I finished it.  We have one bedroom with a day bed in it and I had never made a quilt that seemed "just right" to go on it.  I had made one right after I bought the day bed, and I love it, but it made the room on my yard seem dark and the quilt was now showing a lot of wear.  My new Quiet Quilt will go on that bed. 

This morning, Saturday, June 1, I spent 2 1/2 working on my yard.  when I quit and went into the house, the housekeeper said, "Pattie from the quilt group" called and she is bringing your Quiet Quilt. 

This is a photo of Pattie with my Quiet Quilt.  I made the quilt, but Pattie made it extra special for me by doing the hand quilting.  While I was waiting for Pattie to arrive, I was thanking God for the talent and creativity He gave to her and that I am able to hire her to complete some of my projects.  An unexpected blessing came when I went to pay Pattie.  She told me that someone had already paid her for her work, and wished to remain anonymous. I was totally speechless and blessed.

When I told Patti how I wanted the Quilting done, I gave her a list of the songs I had been listening to in my head since my hearing loss in January. I asked that she quilt those song titles into the sashing under the pictures. In the sashings that go up and down between the pictures, I asked her to quilt assorted musical symbols. In the yellow corner squares, she quilted in music notes.

Not only is One Day one of my favorite Hymns, but it is also the song that my son David sang as a solo in our church shortly after I lost my hearing.  Along the outer sashings, Pattie quilted a couple of my favorite scriptures.

Saturday, June 1, started out as a day filled with blessings and I had no way of imagining what was to come at the end of that day. But that is a story for another day.