October 26: 1030am

I've havent been keeping up with the updates as promised, partly because the news has been so up and so down that it almost seem things are changing before the first words can be written.    I think since the successful surgery to repair the small hole in the "fistula?" the hope has been that she would continue to get stronger, and with her headed home after it has succedded things seemed to be moving in the direction to finally put this all behind her.  But, of course, NOT SO FAST!   A few little "not so minor" things popped up, and like NASA working the moonshot, each of them needs to be addressed and solutions figured out.   But, where to begin?

THE LEG-Jeannette's bionic leg has come loose up near the hip joint; I'm not sure exactly what or exactly where, and I suppose you would have to examine one of her hundreds (is it thousands?) of xrays and/or CAT scans or MRI's to know exactly  what.   But the result is the leg feels like it is broken again, the pain intense and her unable to walk on it.   So, more surgery is planned, and while the doctor in charge of legs has a fix in mind, it is another operating adventure and it's coming up fast.   The date has bounced around some, with a surgery tentatively scheduled for Monday.  

THE STOMACH--Jeannette suffered another setback at home, that started with just feeling down, and then she was unable to eat, and then the episodes of vomiting and nausea came back in droves.   From my layman perspective it almsot seems she caught a virus, one of those 24/i72 hour bugs that can floor anyone.   But who knows?   What we do know for sure is that the problems all peaked on Thursday with a fast trip to the Providence Emergency room in the middle of the night, a hundred more tests to figure out what was going on, and then before it was all said and done she was a resident once again in the hospital at Providence where she is now.    Hopefully the battery of new tests she went through will figure these new problems out--without any doubt she's tired, tired of being unwell and ready for the saga to end.   Perhaps something new is churning and the docs are all peering at the thyroid and B12 numbers for starters.   Or, perhaps she caught a 'bug' that the rest of us with better immune systems might have fought off?   Who knows...but I think its important for those of us who visit to make sure our hands are clean and we haven't been exposed to someone with a cold or flu before we make the hand's on personal contact!

THE SHOULDER:  A new pain has slowly started on her back and shoulder; and that has required x-rays and CAT scans to try and figure it out.   It's intense, and another thing she does not need.  

Through all of this Rich is there, 24/7, watching what the doctors do, checking the "orders" to make sure they make sense,  and he is an amazing person!   He's caught a lot of things, and his brain is far sharper than the hospitals computer.    Perhaps the computer file is so big its overloading their hard drives?    He is a saint to me--the way he monitors Jeannette and makes certain her treatment is always top notch is absolutely amazing!   And, like many of us, he is worried and oh-so-wanting things to move forward.   Everything seems connected---she can't walk because of the leg, so if s he can't walk she can't exercise.   And exercise normally makes you hungry, so she's not hungry.   And even if she was, she can't eat a big meal, but even if she could, she can't because the surgery for the hole repair has to fully "heal" first, and she can't afford to put undue stress down there until it does.    As Rich says: "This is slowly approaching the "more than anyone can bear" level of suffering."  

And yet, Jeannette troopers on, and I think Rich isn't far from the truth when he says: "I think I will try and find her a WONDER WOMAN costume at the Halloween store!"  Yes indeed, she is.   She is a wonder woman, and more than that, she is a wonderful woman fighting an incredible battle.   If somebody made a book on what she has experienced and the love they share it would be a best seller.   What can we do?   Well, please keep the prayers coming!   It's past time for the miracle--we need the leg 'thing"  to get fixed, the stomach "issue" to resolve itself, and for her "shoulder pain" to disappear.   We need her to be able to eat again and enjoy the food she is getting.  There are cruises to enjoy and vegas shows to watch and golf balls to drive.   She just needs to get this "healing thing" done!   -- John

readmittance into the hospital once again.