daggiesmom

Joanie had surgery today to close the hole & came through it just fine. She is still heavily sedated but can communicate is aware of the positive outcome. They were able to take her off the vent after surgery & she is breathing on her own. BP, respiration, heart rate, etc are all stable & looking good. The next couple of days are going to be crucial but all signs are positive for a complete recovery w/no loss of lung function. Thanks again for the prayers & please keep 'em coming a bit longer. Rgds, Brian

Just back from the hospital. Joanie's condition is stable and she is able to get up from bed and walk around a few times a day. Although she still occasionally coughs some blood, the quantity is very small. We should learn tomorrow when the surgery will be performed, likely Tuesday or Thursday. Thanks again for your continuing prayers & support.

The doctors held a conference this morning to discuss their options and have concluded that they will need to operate and put a new patch in place. They feel that a stint, a less invasive procedure that they considered, would not be effective given the size & nature of the hole. They will continue Joanie on IV antibiotics until next week and then schedule the surgery when they feel the infection is gone. We don't expect any change in status over the weekend but I will certainly update you if there is one. While this is not the news that we were hoping to hear, Joanie has accepted that the status quo cannot be allowed to continue untreated. She is also very grateful for everyone's support and said to convey her thanks.

This is Brian, Joanie's husband, and she could once again use your prayers & good thoughts. As she may have mentioned, she has been fighting a low grade fever for almost 2 weeks now. Her doctor had prescribed a course of antibiotics and the fever would come & go. She stayed home for a couple of days last week but felt well enough to return to work on Monday. On Tuesday afternoon at around 4:00 PM, she started coughing up blood & immediately took herself to the emergency room at Beth Israel. Fast forward to today when they did a broncoscopy . The good news is that there is no sign of the disease returning. In addition, the embolization they performed yesterday seems to have stopped the bleeding. However, the patch that was put in place in December was degraded, presumably by the infection, and is in need of repair. They are exploring several options for achieving this and tomorrow is aboout the earliest that they will have a decision on what course of action to take. She is in relatively good spirits, medically stable and, surprisingly, feeling pretty good. I'll update you, her friends, as soon as I know more. In the meantime, your prayers and positive thoughts would be greatly appreciated. Thanks. Best Regards, Brian

Kathleen, It is perfectly fine for you to want to take care of Mom as you want to. I wouldn't let their opinion shape your promise to Mom. As long as you can take care of her, fine. If they want to help, fine, if not, well that's up to them. This is just such a difficult time and complicating it with caregiving issues, I think, wastes the time you have left. Just continue to be a great daughter. In the end you'll have no regrets. Joanie ((()))

That is SO WONDERFUL to hear! Celebrate big time and start planning that wedding. I'm just delighted for you Joanie

Wow Frank, you're OLD Congratulations to you and Connie on new little Bennett. Hope you're feeling well. Let us know. Joanie

Thanks for all your help and advice. Appreciated very much by everyone. Feel well. Joanie ((()))

Yeah, I like Maxine! Somedays, I AM MAXINE!!! Keep it up. Joanie

Getting out of ICU is a step in the right direction! Glad to hear that. I'll continue the prayers and you continue to get better, OK!!!!! Joanie

Job problems are a terrible pain! Before you jump to conclusions, try to calm down and organize your thoughts. Go over in your mind what you want to know/say to her and also try to anticipate her responses so you'll be prepared for any answers you get. Like the others have said, it could well be a job switch/readjustment, etc. You're not sure yet. Sometimes things change in the blink of an eye, and sometimes for the better. Remember we're all here for you. Keep in touch, ok? Joanie

I'm praying hard for you, Rich. You are so loved here and we need you back in good form ASAP!!!!!!! Heal soon, OK ((())) Joanie

So sorry to read of your Dad's passing. He was such a fighter - 6 years is truly someting. Peace and prayers to you and your family. Joan

Just wonderful news for your Dad!!!!! August 1st is a great day. Celebrate all around! Joanie ((()))

Yeah Peggy, correct ALL THE WAY!!! Attitude is everything. Joanie

Could be an infection that antibiotics can fix. Usually green/yellow/gray is an infection. Make sure it is not blood. Just call the dr. and tell him to be on the safe side. Don't worry. Joanie

I LOVE SPANKY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! MOVE OVER!!!!!! Joanie

yeah, guilty for sure. I try to think before I speak, but it doesn't always work! Usually, though, it's not anything really important. When it is important I try to think it out first. Did you ever notice that the older you get, the less you care what you say? What is that?????? Joanie !

Ok, today was just a wonderful day for me. The boss who gave me so much trouble, who I wrote about a few months ago, today we are told she's "resigning." Now, of course, no one knows if it's voluntary or not, but who cares. She's gone as of the end of August. This makes my life so much better! The new person, of course, could be good or bad, but at least it'll be a new beginning. That's good. I've invested almost 12 years with this place. I'm now 53 years young and it's not easy to get a new job under my circumstances. A good while back I had a good talk with the Man Upstairs and told him either a- let them give me unemployment or b- get rid of her. Well, prayers answered! Don't get me wrong, I don't wish for trouble, but this woman truly made my life HELL every chance she got. She demanded sick notes from the dr. for the littelest things. She told me to change dr. appointments, which I refused to do. I had to get a note telling her that I couldn't be around dust and couldn't lift heavy objects. That really cranked her chain! The best was not letting me take St. Patrick's day off to go to the parade with my daughter. It turned out to be her last St. Patrick's day. I'll never forget that one. Can't wait till they take up the collection. OOPS, I'm in the Ladies Room! Good things REALLY DO HAPPEN TO ME SOMETIMES!!!! Joanie

Karen, Pat, Shirley & Kris, So good to see you all. Yeah, I bet it's a bit hard to post here. Heck, I find it hard to post here, but anyway, it's good to hear from all of you. I pray you're all doing well. XOXO Joanie

Congratulations on another year! And many more to come. As far as SOB, it can't hurt to tell you Dr. about it. Sometimes I experience that too, especially when it is humid and hot, which it has been around here. I use Advair and it does help. Please run this by your doctor. Keep up the good work! Joanie ((())

Jen, Prayers that Dad is comfortable and your family is comforted in knowing that. We're all behind you. Joanie ((()))

Reading your write up and glad to hear that he is getting good care. It sounds like they really are doing well by your FIL. This truly is a family disease, it hits everyone. I'm praying for your FIL and all of you that God will guide you all in your decisions. ((())) Joanie

Ready to go, Andrea!!! So glad another book is coming out. I have three ideas in mind already. Cool! Joanie

Thanks to all of you for you kind replies last week when I was down. I really appreciate all you kind words. I think that part of what I was feeling was also physical as on Friday, after coming home from work I took my temperature, and sure enough, I had a low grade fever. That always puts me down. So, after taking my 3 pack of Zithromax over the weekend, I'm feeling physically better. Mentally, I'm better too. Had a nice weekend and took some pictures. I'm going to try to post them to share. Thanks again one and all. Luv ya! Joanie