Hi everyone,

Surgery update... Jeannette went in at 1:00 pm. Surgery is expected to take 10 hrs[...]

Evidently, the Post Hope site was down for a bit. Hopefully, it is up and running as Jeannette is counting the days until the iliostomy take down. She will infuse at Providence on Wed and top off magnesium and hydration in Thurs. Still on track for Friday's reversal.

Jeannette has scolded me on an error in the previous post. It was supposed to be 26 April. I blame auto correct. Now to the good news. Everything so far is on track for the 10 May surgery. Jeannette's magnesium has been trending up. It was 1.3 on Monday and 1.5 on both Wed and Fri. These are all-time highs. Jeannette is VERY ready not to be a bag lady. Keep the Keidas in your prayers. Jeannette goes in to Providence on the 8th to start the "take-down" process.

Update on Sam's and Mary K's visits. Sam will be in AK from 8-18 May. Mary K will close her business office and be in AK from 8 thru 12 May. Today Jeannette's numbers are all good but her biggest fear is she will wake up from surgery and still have the bag. Rich is off to the indoor driving range to hit a few golf balls. Yesterday, Jeannette went out to lunch with the FOBs. No, it doesn't mean forward operating base but foxy old babes. I'm sure they are both forward and know how to operate! Sully

Here is the latest. Jeannette is headed in to Providence on 8 May to prep for an iliostomy take down! Call the SWAT Team!!!! Well, actually it is stomach repair and reversal of that d$?n bag. She is ready. Hopefully, this will solve the problem of 3X a week, 6.5 hour Magnesium infusions. Surgery, by Drs George and Sedlak, will take place on the 10th after Jeannette gets a lovely magnesium top-off on the 9th. Sam will arrive on the 9th. Mary K TBD. Rich is doing well. He has been cleared to move pianos and other strenuous activities. He has been skiing on the lake. Keep them both in your prayers. More updates as additional info becomes available. Sully D12

Another quick update--these are so much easier when the news is good!  Rich is coming home!    He's off the pain meds, eating solid food, and taking his own shower and making trips up and down the hospital hall.   Jeannette has the house ready, and everything this morning is upbeat and continuing to go the way the doctors want it to go.   [...]

The BIG NEWS is the all-important Rich-gut is working again, and so all of the news from the hospital is great, and things continue to improve.   Rich is eating real food again, and while there is some pain associated with the recent surgery, he's not one to complain and for the most part he's off the heavy meds.   Jeannette is there throughout most of the days and into the evenings, and Rich tries to take care of her and she is trying to take care of him.   Everything seems to be going right along the planned path as the doctor laid it out prior to doing the surgery, and the two of them seem to me to be taking this round of hospital stays in stride.   What's another night or two in the hospital?   -  John[...]

Just a short update; Rich is doing remarkably well, and three days post surgery he is feeling all in all fairly decent.  He's walking again down the hall, sitting up a lot, and even took his own shower today unassisted.   All the signs are good so far--the BIG wait is to see how things go when his gut "wakes up" and starts working.  Right now he still isn't eating any food--but so far everything seems to be going well and his spirits are high.    If you go and visit him at the Valley Hospital he doses off fairly often; and like any surgical experience, getting rest is part of the healing process.  - John[...]

Today Rich Keida entered the Mat-Su Regional Medical Center to have a colostomy reversal procedure accomplished, one more step in the long recovery process all related to the accident last July.    Jeannette and Sam were there all day, and the word from the "trenches" via Jeannette is:  'Rich came out of surgery at two thirty and is doing well. He is in recovery right now and will then go up to his room in about an hour.   Dr Senta told us that everything looked good.  There were some adhesions; parts of the small intestine stuck to each other.  These had to be separated - this is why the surgery took so long. He was pleased with the outcome tho and expects a full recovery. Rich will be in the hospital a minimum of seven days.--Hugs Jeannette'  [...]

With the new year comes new hope and things are off to an awesome start!  The crisis of the last few days is behind us, and Jeannette is once again doing well, eating real food and in quantity too, and feeling better with each day and really and truly looking great.   To me, it's just another modern miracle to go with the Christmas season!    Jeannette returned home and enjoyed New Year's eve in Willow, and the big news is after her detour to the hospital she is now hungry again, eating a steak dinner last night and sleeping a reported 8 straight hours!   She is able to get out of her chair, actually do a little standing up exercises, and walking carefully and with help, all big steps in the scheme of things.   Even better, Rich and Jeannette now have a better idea of how things should be going, what blood tests need to be checked and how often, and her new regime of medicines seemed to be much better matched to what she needs.   [...]