news on jodie

[Guest guest]

Hey everyone,

It has been a while since my last email. But, I don't like to send out emails

too often, especially if there isn't much to say.

Well, emotionally, I think Jodie has done remarkably well for being stuck in the

hospital for so long. I can hardly stand to go there every day. I know it

makes her feel better to not be alone all day. But, it's just sooooo long and

so frustrating. Again, yesterday, she was saying she just wants to go home. I

know it. She knows she can't. But, I know it's how she feels, so I figure at

least if she says it, it can help let off some of the pressure of the whole

situation. But, all in all, she's just been withstanding it very well, I think.

Such a prolonged and no-end-in-sight hospitalization is really, really tough to

deal with. I know how it is for me, and couldn't imagine having to be Jodie in

this situation.

Anyway, away from the emotions, and strictly back to the medical nuts and bolts.

Friday evening she was to be transferred out of the ICU, after 11 p.m. At

around 11:20 she vomited, which she had been doing all day, and aspirated, also.

They didn't know what had happened for a while. All of the sudden her

blood/oxygen saturation rate just dropped to the low 60s. Below 90 is not good.

I have never seen her levels below the high 80's. And this was just immediate,

no gradual decrease. She was put on oxygen, via a nasal canula, at 10 liters,

then they added a mask. Her sats stayed right where they were for about 15

mins. Around 20 mins, she started to slowly improve. By about 45 mins she was

in the low 90's. She was given a breathing treatment, and within an hour a

half, she was back at 99%. The next morning she was breathing room air again.

It was scary because they weren't sure what caused her sats to drop. They were

considering the possibility of a pulmonary embol

ism, which I don't know what that is exactly, but from the sound of it, it

seems pretty serious and bad. She was x-rayed and taken for a CT scan. I went

home before the CT scan at around 1 am. I talked with her about it yesterday

and she remembered none of it. I told her what happened. She didn't even

remember that I was there through all of it. Consequently, I went to bed at 4

am, got up at 5:45 pm, and didn't visit her again until Sunday morning.

Today she is having a procedure to remove the gall stones from her gall bladder.

Finally! Since she has been nauseous a lot over the past week and throwing up

on and off. They are hoping this will help stop the nausea and vomiting. I saw

her abdomen incision last night, it had been about 3 weeks, since I last saw it.

I try to keep enough

time in between peeks at it (during dressing changes) to allow for healing and

change. It does look much more healed. It still is very sensitive and painful

for Jodie, just when the dressing is changed. It still has several more weeks

to fully scar over and heal. But, it's well on it's way. I really hope she

doesn't need to be reopened

in the same place and have to go through the healing process again. I couldn't

imagine that they'd cut her open again in the same place.

She still is draining a lot of fluid out of each of her drains, from her third

surgery. It seems to be in endless supply. It's as if it just is

self-propagating. I don't know, but that's what it seems like to me.

Well, I guess that's about it for now. Thanks for your responses and prayers.

If you'd like to send a card (or ???) the address is: Jodie Virago, ICU Room

20, 4th floor, St. Joesph Medical Center, 7601 Osler Dr., Towson, MD 21204.

Thanks!!!

peace, melissa

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