What makes Dorie smile??

To hear that Dr. Katz thinks she'll be able to go home soon, instead of going to in-patient rehab at Southside Hospital! She is more than ready to get out of the hospital(any hospital) and be in her familiar suroundings...and thanks to the gracious hand of God and your prayers, her body is cooperating. She is doing much more with her right hand and leg. We'll keep you posted on this...I'll know more Monday.
Ian, Rebekah, and Ariana flew in from Grand Junction, CO yesterday afternoon. They stopped to see Dorie on the way out to Hampton Bays and had a very nice visit. Grandma was so pleased to see Ariana! It would be wonderful if Dorie could be released while the Colorado Penneys are here...a big help...they're here until the 8th of July.

Thank you all for your faithful prayers....please pray specifically that our Heavenly Father would restore memory and clarity of thinking...we have seen some nice improvement over the last few days!

All is well...

Well, we had a scare yesterday....Dorie collapsed after being helped from the bathroom. The nurse's aid was able to get her onto the bed, but it was unclear whether she merely fainted or it was a seizure. She did respond to the nurse after we had gotten her in the bed, but she was very sleepy(sometimes a bad sign). I left her sleeping peacefully a little after 12 noon. Later in the afternoon I got a call from good friend, Cal Wortman, who stopped by to visit Dorie, but he said she was sound asleep. I called the hospital to request info on Dorie and they put me through to her phone....I was surprised when she answered! And all was well, for which we are thankful to our Heavenly Father! In fact she was much more lucid than she had been the past few days. They are gradually switching over to a different anti-seizure medication, since we're thinking the first one was causing some out-of-character behavior.

It looks like Dorie will be moved to Southside Hospital in Bayshore soon for rehabilitation. I'll let y'all know when that happens. In the meantime, you may now call her....(516) 562-0100, press #2 when prompted for patient information, ask for Dorothy Penney, Cohen-4th floor.

Why are you cast down, O my soul?
And why are you disquieted within me?
Hope in God;
For I shall yet praise Him,
The help of my countenance and my God.
Psalm43:5

Unto the Hills, I Lift My Eyes

(Psalm 121)

Unto the hills, I lift my eyes--
From whence shall help arise?
My help comes from the Lord alone;
Maker of earth and skies.

He will not let your foot be moved;
He watches over those beloved.
Behold, He guards His chosen ones;
By sleepfulness, unmoved.

The Lord’s your keeper, night and day;
At your right hand, come what may.
Not sun, nor moon will cause you harm;
The Lord’s your rock and stay.

He shall preserve from evils sore;
Preserves you o’er and o’er.
Your going out, your coming in;
From now, and forevermore.

Rev. Brian L. Penney ~ 2007
(sung to This Endris Nyght ~ traditional English Carol )

The angiogram taken Monday was good, no sign of trouble. Dorie will not need the "coiling" procedure. We are now in the process of getting her to another hospital for rehab....probably Southside Hospital in Bayshore. That will be a blessing, since North Shore is not an easy ride!

Dorie continues to make good progress with her right leg and right arm, for which we are very thankful. However, she still has problems remembering people. More troubling is her conversation sometimes (especially when she is tired) can be very confused and confusing. Both doctors and nurses have asked me if she has had any mental or emotional problems in the past...which she has not...and I have told them that this does not sound at all like her. I asked Doctor Katz whether it could be the anti-seizure medication she is receiving, and he admitted that it is possible. They are going to switch to another and see how she does. Please keep this in prayer!

Where she wants to be...

Well, let's catch up....Dorie has been moved to the stroke unit of the hospital, another step in her progress. She is getting "normal food" instead of mush, can drink "normal water" instead of the special liquids thickened to the consistency of honey, and has a room with a view (well, the tops of trees and the sky anyway). They have been getting her up to do physical therapy, and what a joy it is for her to sit in a chair, instead of being stuck in bed!

Many thanks to Monique Pascucci and Judy Murphy for helping Dorie look more like herself yesterday after church....new pajamas and they were able to fix her hair (which has been a fright ever since she arrived at North Shore). Beautiful! And we had a crowd, besides the two beauticians...Kris & Lavaida Smith, Michael Pascucci, Joel, Grace & Sam, Alexis Smith(almost Stevenson), James and yours truly. Dorie was so pleased and thankful...she wanted to know where the cake and ice cream were...get the party rolling! Well, after all that excitement she was worn out and asked to get back in her bed. She was almost asleep when James & I left. It was a very good day for her...much better than Saturday, when she was feeling quite low.

Had a talk with her doctors yesterday, and today will find Dorie having another angiogram to see how well things look. I told her what Monday would bring, and her response was a two-fisted "yes"!! She knows that she is making progress and her release from North Shore (probably to St Charles for rehab) is just ahead. Please pray that her angiogram would go well this morning. Thank you all for remembering her before our gracious Heavenly Father.

Not running down the hallway...yet!

Next week we look forward to Ian, Rebekah, and Ariana visiting. They'll be flying in to La Guardia on the 29th and staying until July 8th. Of course, Dorie is excited about the prospect! Ariana will have turned the big ONE by then (on the 24th), joining cousins Sam & Micah. And we are very grateful to our Heavenly Father that Dorie is awake, alert and ready to enjoy the Colorado Penneys!

Praise the Lord, each day brings some improvements! Yesterday, Marge & Jerry Exizian, members of our church, visited Dorie and helped her with her lunch! Yes, she had some real food, chewable and drinkable, but still has some Ensure through a gastric tube! Of course that meant that the doctors were sure her swallow reflex was working well enough to allow her to eat. Good thing, Dorie was complaining on Tuesday of being hungry and thirsty, "Brian, couldn't you PLEASE, ask them if I could have something to eat, I'm starved!"

Today, sister-in-law, Lillian Penney and her mom, Elma Beccaria, joined James and I as we visited Dorie. We were pleased to hear that she is eating more, and that they had gotten her up yesterday morning! The PT team came in while we were there and Dorie was able to use the walker ( with a goodly dose of assistance) to walk out of the room, into the hallway, turn around and back into the room. And that was quite a work-out for someone who has been through what she has! She really enjoyed her little jaunt, and it's encouraging to her to realize that muscles that weren't obeying her mind are now beginning to do so. Praise the Lord, for He is good!

Special thanks to Monique Pascucci, who suggested I call her dad, Dr. Guy Abbate. What a wealth of knowledge and encouragement this dear Christian brother is! He gave me some things to think about and to ask the doctors. Really, if you don't know what questions to ask, you end up walking around in the dark! Thanks Dr. Abbate! Although, I have mentioned before, Dorie's aneurysm "fixed itself", there is the possibility of a re-bleed. That being so, the question becomes, "what course will be taken to prevent that from happening?" I asked Dr. Le Doux, and the answer is that now is the time to monitor and promote stability, get her stronger, and then a "coil" will most likely be called for. This seems reasonable. So right now we pray for improving strength and safety from any complications.

Curious Sam....

wondered why Grandma was in that strange bed when he saw her this past Sunday afternoon....and so does she! Dorie is getting anxious to get up, start eating and drinking, take a shower, wash her hair, do physical therapy, and play with her grandchildren!

She was pretty tired yesterday when Pastor John Fleischmann (Christ Evangelical Lutheran Church, East Moriches, NY) and I visited. It seems they check her frequently during the night and so she doen't always get a good rest. I introduced Pastor John, whom Dorie hadn't met before, but has heard a lot about. (a little background....Pastor Fleischmann and I met at a pastor's luncheon more than a year ago and have been meeting for fellowship and discussion. One area that we are both interested in is worship and worship music..."traditional and historic", as oppossed to "contemporary". We are in the beginning stages of planning a minstry that would promote such things. We plan to have a website with worship resources, a place to showcase new psalm & hymn selections, midi files to practice psalms & hymns in four part harmony, articles on liturgy, and a speakers bureau. We hope to develop a choir, seminars on worship, and study materials. As I say, we are just beginning, but you can take a look at the blog Heart & Voice listed under my profile to see a couple of new songs.)

Well, our visit was shorter than it would have been, but good. Dorie seems to be at a plateau with her short-term memory, which is frustrating to her; however, she is moving her right leg and arm more purposefully all the time. We're hoping PT can start soon! Dorie doesn't have a regular room yet(still in neurosurgery care unit), so no phone. But visitors are welcome...thank you!!

Just a note: thanks to all those who have visited this site, and to those who have posted. Please forgive me if I don't respond, but please know that your kind words and prayers are deeply appreciated!

The doctor says....

Dorie is making good progress...but there are things to watch very carefully. They removed the drain (hurray!) that keeps the pressure in the skull at a reasonable level. Any fluid that might build up around the brain should be reabsorbed, but that is what they will be watching closely. So far so good, the next few days will tell. Also of concern is a small clot in her right leg. Of course, they cannot give her blood-thinners because of the way the aneurysm sealed itself, so they must watch (with ultra-sound) that it doesn't start travelling. If it does, they will put a filter in the main vein in the leg to catch it. Another area of concern: her short-term memory. Dorie did not remember the two-hour visit with her brothers from upstate, Carlton & David, from Sunday evening. Hopefully, there will be improvement there.

They may be getting Dorie up for physical therapy sometime this week...that is a great encouragement to her. And she is looking forward to the arrival of Ian, Rebekah, and Ariana from Grand Junction, CO on the 29th. She loves her grandchildren (that's Micah with grandma a few months ago)! She was delighted to see Sam this past Sunday...even though she didn't remember it yesterday.

Although Dorie will get some physical therapy at North Shore, we're hoping to get her closer to home soon....and that prospect looks very good! Thank you all for your prayers, calls, cards, and visits!

This blessed Lord's Day...

After worship yesterday we went to visit Dorie, and again were amazed at her improvement! She is speaking more clearly and initiating conversation, she is able to move her right arm and leg more...the Lord is answering our prayers in a wonderful way!

Dorie happily received visitors from Christ Covenant Church: Joanne, Rosa, andChloe. She was especially excited to see Joel, Grace & Sam. #1 grandson, Sam, was fascinated to see Grandma in the hospital bed. James and I then spent some time with Joel, Grace & Sam (Father's Day) after we left the hospital. While we were relaxing in Amityville, I got a call from Dorie's eldest brother, Carlton. He and other brother, David, had driven down from upstate and spent about two hours with Dorie. Of course, they were very pleased with her progress!

Friends, if you would like to visit Dorie, you may. They only ask that visitors are quiet and two at a time. Children under 12 are not allowed at this time. No phone service yet. Here is how to get there:

North Shore University Hospital
300 Community Drive
Manhasset, NY11030
(516) 562-0100

Take exit 33 off of the LI Expressway -495. Turn right at hospital entrance #3, make a right at the light to enter the praking garage. When you enter the main entrance continue down the main hallway to the "Tower Elevators". Go to the 4th floor and look for the purple wall and the signs for the Neurosurgery Care Unit (NSCU). Simply follow the purple wall around to the entrance. Ask for Dorie (Dorothy Penney) at the nurses station. There is a small waiting room back down the hall should you need to wait to visit.

We are not sure at this time how long Dorie will be at North Shore; we're hoping that she can be moved closer for rehab...maybe St. Charles in Port Jefferson. We'll keep you posted. The Penney family is thankful for all our brothers & sisters in Christ who continue to uphold Dorie in prayer. We cannot help but marvel at the grace of God!

More than we expected...

Behold the mighty hand of God on this one whom He loves...I was amazed to get a call from sister-in-law, Lillian Penney, yesterday morning. She was at the hospital with Pa & Pat...when they walked into her room they found her without the breathing tube, breathing on her own, smiling at them, and responding with understanding. I hadn't planned on going to the hospital yesterday, because James was feeling miserable from his allergies and I thought I'd stay home with him. When I heard Lillian's news, I hurried to the hospital, dropping James off with my brother, Jonathan. When I walked into the room Dorie smiled, and when I asked how she was doing, she mouthed the words, "I want to go home...now!". She said this a number of times during the visit. Well, she has always been pretty feisty! Although she is, of course, not fully up to speed, this was an amazing answer to our prayers.

Her three doctors came while I was in the room, and they were pleased with her progress...but even they were astonished when I told them that she was conversing (in a whisper, because her throat was sore from the breathing tube)! I pray that her progress is seen by all as the love of God the Father, through the grace of His Son, by the power of the Holy Spirit. Please continue your "effectual prayers"!

Dorie's progress ~ June 15th

When I visited Dorie yesterday, she no longer had the naso-gastric feeding tube, but one that enters the stomach through the abdomen. We hope to see the breathing tube moved soon to the trachea, so she will be more comfortable. The sedation was lowered quite a bit, so she was awake. She was responding to my voice and was squeezing my hand. She still has trouble with the breathing tube and fights against it.

Another very hopeful sign was she was moving her right arm! Now we pray that her right leg becomes as active as the left! Also, the nurse who checks her each day with ultrasound to test for spasms of the blood vessels in the brain has seen none. Encouraging!

Thank you for praying!

P.S. The picture is from a recent trip upstate. The farm shown here is right across the street from her cousin's home and her grandparents former farm in Candor, NY. She's gone country!

What happened to Dorie?

Dear friends & family, in order to keep you updated on Dorie's condition, we've created this blog. You are free to post comments or ask questions, of course, but be patient with me in expecting a speedy reply. For those who are not aware of her situation here is an overview of what has happened:

On Wednesday evening, June 6th, as we sat down to dinner, Dorie complained of numbness and tingling in her right leg and arm. She tried lying down for just a moment, but was convinced there was something serious going on. She urged me to call the ambulance, which arrived within minutes. After checking her, it was thought best to airlift her to Stony Brook University Hospital. James and I met her in the emergency room after they had done a cat scan and an MRI They found what they concluded was a brain aneurysm. The doctors there told us that they would do a procedure to seal off the aneurysm on Thursday. All this time Dorie was awake and alert with only minor discomfort.

Thursday, June 7th gave us a surprise, because when I called, we found that she had been flown to North Shore University Hospital. It was explained that North Shore was better equipped to take care of her. However, very soon after arriving there, she experienced a very severe headache and suffered a seizure (the aneurysm had burst). It was a blessing that it happened there, rather than in transport, since they were able to place a drain in her skull to relieve pressure right away. She was put under heavy sedation, placed on the ventilator, and hooked up to various monitors.

Friday, June 7th the neurosurgeons expected to do the coiling procedure or brain surgery first this in the morning, but tests showed that, as the doctor said, "she fixed herself". The aneurysm had sealed itself and invasive procedures are not needed at this time.

So for now they are letting her rest, but the next step is to switch from the breathing tube in the mouth to one in the trachea. They will be doing that sometime within a week. They will also begin reducing the sedation so she can wake up. Then we will know her condition a little better.

Please continue to pray for Dorie! James & I thank you for your prayers and your kindness to us at this time.

P.S. that's Dorie with our granddaughter, Ariana...aren't they beautiful!?