Per Rich's request, here is an update from my late morning visit with Jeannette (Sam went to Willow to do errands with Rich)

When I arrived at St Elias, Jeannette was sitting up and Ann, former Willow librarian was visiting and feeding Jeannette ice chips. Jeanette was doing very well with the speaking valve, and she was alert and her old joking self.  After Ann left, the speech therapist came in. Part of her routine is to get Jeannette to eat normal food.  She did awesome, eating some cream of wheat with honey and milk.  She also got some bananas and plenty of water. After eating, Jeannette got to play 15 questions and do some other cognitive tests. She did very well on all of it and her therapist pronounced her ready for level 2 food. That is real food!  She wanted a soft boiled egg.  She will be concentrating on eating this week and move into more mental gymnastics next week.  Jeannette and I had a pretty good conversation after that.  She was explaining to me the Drs' proposed plan for future work that will make her the bionic woman. She was smiling and letting the nursing staff know how appreciative she was every time they turned her or adjusted her bed.  The tough part was that, now that she can communicate so well, she asked me to do something I wasn't supposed to...bend her knee. We'll all have to be careful that she doesn't trick us into doing something against Drs orders.  She had a busy morning and started to doze, and it seemed like she was fighting sleep to talk to me, so I reluctantly left. Sam headed to St Elias mid- afternoon, so the next report should be from her. Sully[...]

Morning Everyone.

Yesterday was a very good day for Mom.  She had her speech valve in for over 12 hours!  This is great news on several fronts.  She was able to communicate at length and learn more about her future treatment, make her comfort preferences known and talk to visitors and medical staff.  She had a playful look in her eye as she surprised visitors by saying hello to them as they came into her room.  The look on both theirs and Mom's faces was priceless.  She was able to have unlimited ice chips to soothe her parched mouth and throat and was even able to have a bit of chicken broth.  This is very important as this means she may be able to soon get her nutrition orally - a very important step.  This also means her lungs are getting stronger.  Both of these are important to her progress toward further treatment and recovery.  Way to go Mom - as always, you're an overachiever![...]

Another good day to report...and another few small steps in the right direction.   Today Jeannette was sitting up more, and she had some ice chips to eat, and  they were actually going to try her on real food except she had a little nausea so they postponed that.    The big news was the speech therapist was in, and worked on her with a "speech valve" that fit the trac she has, and for the first time everyone was really able to understand what she was saying.   This is a HUGE thing--for her to be able to communicate is like opening up a shell and allowing her to reach out and talk and let people know what's really on her mind.   Sam said she sounds like donald duck with the speech valve, but who cares?!  She was really talking![...]

A quick update, as it was a quiet day, and quiet days are always good days when you are talking the ICU.   Jeannette was a little stronger today, moving one of her arms around some, and she even cornered her primary doctor and asked him: "What's the plan?"   She might not be talking up a storm yet, but she hasn't lost her ability to get to the point![...]

Sully drove into Anchorage and visited Jeannette, and together with Joyce and Sam the four of them had a good visit.   Jeannette was sitting up today, and practicing deep breathing, an important chore that helps to keep the lungs clear.  She was in good spirits; and they managed a few jokes among themselves and they had Jeannette rolling her eyes, and trying hard not to laugh.   Jeannette was also practicing her speech, which is a difficult chore with the trac tube still in place.   But she had it in for a couple of hours, and she was talking much better, although still pretty much in a whisper.   But hey, another small things again, but big too.    [...]

From my special ops background, I'd have to say that today marks a special day in Rich's recovery, as operation Bald Eagle Escape went off without a hitch.  Sam was on target in her clandestine special ops all-white vehicle, and she extracted all important information and needed supplies from the doctors and medical team before executing the actual target extraction single handily.    The exit from the hospital went exactly according to mission plan and there were no surprises.  [...]

We had the quite stable day we all wanted, and things went well for both Jeannette and Rich.  At one point in the afternoon Sully and Sam were chatting with Jeannette, talking up a storm, and they had her rolling her eyes as they cracked each other up.  Later, Sully brought our dog, Griff, to the big hospital window outside, and "waved the dog's paw" at Jeannette through the glass.   It's hard to find levity in an ICU room, but somehow they all managed.    [...]

I arrived home after visiting with Jeannette and then Rich, getting here around 8pm, and I just talked with Sam a short while ago.   I'm exhausted.   It has certainly been one of those long days, but I am able to report that the earlier down turns and setbacks of this morning have turned around tonight and are very much improved.   But it was a very scary day.    Once again I am reminded of the roller coaster ride that has defined the healing experience in the Intensive Care Unit, and the ups and downs can be numbing.   But thankfully things for Jeannette made an upward turn this afternoon, and from my perspective, prayers were answered today.    [...]

The "good news" updates are easy to write, the words flowing like water then. But this morning the news is not "good" and yet, with the promise made at the beginning to everyone to keep you informed, I am letting you know that it is a day for prayer.   Jeannette has suffered a serious setback a short time ago, and as I am writing this she is being rushed into the imaging center, for MRI/CAT scans to find out what has happened.  Her pulse is weak, and her blood pressure has dropped suddenly and precariously.   They suspect a clot has dislodged somewhere, and with all her injuries there are many clots and that possibility has always been a concern.   I know nothing else at this time, except that this is not a day to make phone calls to Sam or flood the hospital for reports.  I am leaving for the hospital soon with a promise that I will update this later.      --John[...]

Back in town, and on the way home from the airport I had a chance to swing by the hospital and say "hi" to Rich, and then talk with Sam on the phone after I saw Rich.    I was there when the nurse came in to check on those all important numbers--and everything was near perfect in the measurement department.   No fever, excellent blood pressure, O2 count at 98%---all numbers that are textbook.  Yeah.[...]