It's been two weeks since the accident, and Rich and Jeannette continue to hang in there.   Rich is having a good day, and they just removed his "chest tube" which had been in since his initial treatment.   His lungs are looking good, and the plan now is to remove his ventilator tomorrow.  They could have done it today, but he's doing so well they have scheduled his surgery for his broken arm in the morning, and they will pull the ventilator after that.   He needs a couple of plates to fix the broken bones in his arm, and hence the arm surgery.   He's awake, and scratching his head, watching some tv and remaining the fidgety Rich we all know so well.   [...]

Rich continues to improve, and they are planning to remove the ventilator tomorrow.   All his numbers are where they want them, and there is little to report on him tonight.   [...]

Afternoon update.   Starting with Jeannette, she was more awake today.  She can communicate with blinking, and she is scheduled for another round of surgery this afternoon (around 245pm or so) to once again clean our her abdominal area.  This was pre-planned for today, and is not something unexpected.     Right now her "gut" seems to be their top concern today, making sure that the repairs are correct, and that there are no sources of infection.  Her gastric tube has been problematical, and they are going to address that as part of today's procedure and they may remove it completely.   Her white blood cell count is up some today, but the surgery should address that issue directly.    [...]

As the month of July comes to a close, tonight is one of hope and optimism.   Sam said that things tonight are "mellow" and in the world of the ICU and high tech medicine, a "mellow" night is a good thing I've come to learn.  A very good thing.[...]

A quick, but important update.   Rich's infection was isolated a short while ago and it was determined he has "extended-spectrum beta-lactamase" producing bateria, which is a drug resistant bacteria.  The good news in this is that they had already started treating him with a broad based antibiotic, and from the indications he is responding to that treatment and those all important 'numbers' are improving.[...]

Rich's temperature hit 98.6 a little while ago, and even I recognize that as a great number to see.   They have him still sedated, with the ventilator breathing deep, working the fight against the pneumonia according to the doctor's careful orchestrated plan.   The feeling I get from talking with Sam is that she is well pleased with his new hospital, and the staff that is working on him.   She likes the aggressive nature of the treatment, the "go after it" mentality that seems to be working.    Although he is "out of it", his little feet are dancing in the bed, and he's clearly fidgety.   Of course, for those of us who know Rich all so well, nothing less would be expected.[...]

Jeannette's evening surgery went well; it was short and everything went as planned.  Dr George, a top rated surgeon in Alaska, did the surgery and Jeannette tolerated it without issues.  Her external fixture (ex-fix) was removed and with that metal removed it will allow her MRI to be done on Tuesday.  That's the plan as it stands right now.   - John[...]

Jeannette's news is positive tonight; for more than a few reasons.   She woke up enough today that the nurse was able to ask her to "wiggle her toes" and she did.   That means several things; she is awake enough to hear, and to process information, and it also means that here is no nerve damage preventing her from moving her toes.   With both legs broken and with a fracture in her neck that's an especially good thing.  All of her numbers continue to look good, and she has the "A-Team" of doctors working to get her better.   [...]

The weekend is behind us and the new week has started, and already there are some big things to report.  They have moved Rich!   Yes, operation "Bald Eagle Transport" occurred a little while ago, and Rich is now across town, two doors down from Jeannette, in his new ICU cubical at the Providence Trauma Center.   It's a good place to be.   This is a HUGE load off of Sam, as now she can monitor what is going on with both of them, instead of tearing up the highway between Palmer and Anchorage.   One of the things we have learned is that having a family member there, watching the staff, is a big help, and probably adds to the quality of care.   Perhaps its the old adage, "..the squeaky wheel gets the oil" but clearly, when Rich or Jeannette needs something, having a family member there to make sure the nurses are on task is useful.    [...]

There is not all that much to report tonight, as it was a quiet day and there were no major events or procedures being done on this Sunday.   Quiet days are good days we have come to learn, and today was a good day.   The big news was that Jeannette seemed to come up to a level of semi consciousness this evening, at least to the point her eyes opened, and they seemed to follow Sam.   Although they have stopped giving her the big sedatives, it will take time to work themselves out of her system and she's very much still out of it.   But progress is progress, and its nice to be able to report the small steps when they happen.[...]