Zachrich Family Times

Bettyjo Update

2009-07-01T08:49:00.001-07:00

Bettyjo went to see Dr. Willet yesterday, and while the diagnosis was expected, she got some bad news. He thinks the reason the wound on the neck is opening again is that "something" is trying to work its way out. It could be another stitch, which is most likely, it could be something else he just cannot tell from the exterior. She will begin treating it with silver nitrate, and and keep it covered as before. If it does not heal he may have to open it up a bit to allow what ever is trying to get out a path. We really thought that this part of the recovery was over, and we are all very disappointed that it is not. She will see Dr. Willet again in three weeks.

Bettyjo Update

2009-06-30T04:27:00.000-07:00

Sorry that is has been so long since I updated you on Bettyjo's condition. Since my last post there has been little change. She is still on soft food, but continues to expand her diet as she is able, but progress has been slow. One small step back has been that the wound on the exterior of her neck that was healed and closed, has for some reason re-opened. She will be seeing Dr. Willet today for that.

I would like to again thank you for all your prayers and support.

Bettyjo Update and More Vacation Photos

2009-05-02T05:59:00.000-07:00

The last two days of our vacation were very nice. The weather finally straightened up and we were able to be out on the beach. The photos I have included are: the slave quaters at the Boone Plantation, the view from our balcony, Brenda and Emily, the Boone Plantation near Charleston, the ocean from our balcony, and lastly our condo complex.

Bettyjo Update - When we got back from vacation a stitch had worked it's way out of the small remaining hole in her neck. After it was out the hole just healed up on it's own. She is still only able to eat soft food, and it may take two years for the esophagus to develop scar tissue, and then soften to the point where the Dr. could possibly stretch it so that she can eat more solid food. However, as with everything else, we just never really can tell what will happen.

Bettyjo Update/Vacation Photos

2009-04-06T18:40:00.000-07:00

Bettyjo went to have the minor surgery to her neck on the 31st. We arrived at 5pm, sat until 6pm when an ambulance pulled up and took a patient out of the office for a ride to Riverside and emergency surgery. Consequently, Dr. Williet was not able to do surgery on Bettyjo, as he had to meet up with his other patient at Riverside. The new date is May 1st. Please pray first for the guy that had emergency surgery, then for Bettyjo's operation to go off with out a hitch on May 1st, and that it is success full.

On another note we are on our first vacation in nearly three years as a family. We are currently in Myrtle Beach SC. The weather has not been great and Emily and I are not feeling very well. One unexpected blessing was that we spent the first night in Charlotte NC, and stumbled across the Billy Graham Library. When we got there it was just closing, but the guard offered to take us and a couple of ladies that arrived right before us on a personal tour. I would recommend that anyone who has the time and is going to Charlotte see it. What an amazing life Dr. Graham has lead, and it is the burial site of his wife Ruth. Above are a couple of photos.

Bettyjo Update

2009-03-15T17:00:00.001-07:00

On Friday Bettyjo had her feeding tube successfully removed. The external wound has not yet healed, but we are hopeful that it will be closed by the time we leave for Spring Break. Bettyjo will have one, hopefully last procedure on the 31st of this month to close up the hole on the out side of her neck.

Thank you for you prayers for Bettyjo's mom. She came through her surgery well and should be home later this week.

Bettyjo Update

2009-03-07T17:07:00.000-08:00

Well.....it looks as if we are meeting another mile stone this Friday 3/13/09. Bettyjo will finally get her feeding tube out after two LONG years. Yeah!!!!

Please be praying for a minor in office procedure she will have March 31st to close up the drain hole that is stubbornly remaining open after 4 months.

Also Bettyjo's mom will be having disk surgery on 3/12/09. Please pray that all goes well.

Good News!!

2009-02-20T13:26:00.000-08:00

I took Bettyjo to see Dr Willet this morning and he put a scope down her esophagus , and conducted an external examination. He thinks the blood clot may have been part of a stitch that came out. The best news is that from what he could see the esophagus was in good shape. Praise God!

Thank you for all your prayer and support.

Bettyjo Update

2009-02-19T08:47:00.000-08:00

I hate to post this but.......Betytjo brought up a blood clot last night and Dr. Willet wants to see her first thing Friday morning.

Please pray that this is not a serious set back. I will post again after her appointment.

Bettyjo Update

2009-01-14T11:18:00.000-08:00

Bettyjo saw Dr. Willet yesterday late afternoon. He was very pleased that she was eating something every day, and has had no leaks! The only minor problem is, that the hole where the primrose drain was, is still not fully healed. We will be treating it for 8 weeks, and if it is still not closed, he will do a minor surgery in his office to close it. She is now allowed to eat ground meat, and other soft foods. She must chew everything very thoroughly.

To celebrate, we went to Texas Roadhouse and Bettyjo was able to eat about 2/3 of a baked sweet potato, and 1/4 piece of salmon. Dr. Willet suggested that she cut back on her liquid diet as she adds calories by mouth. We are praying that the feeding tube will be out by Memorial Day.

To all of you that have been reading this blog and praying for us, THANK YOU!

Bettyjo Update

2008-12-31T06:30:00.001-08:00

Bettyjo has gone a full week eating pudding and applesauce, and drinking small amounts of water with blue food coloring in it, and has not leaked. We are very encouraged by this and hopeful that this trend will continue.

One real blessing is that we had a family outing yesterday that included eating out at Cracker Barrel. Bettyjo was able to order water an applesauce. This has not happened in nearly two years.

I have some additional good news to report. My Grandfather, who was diagnosed with cancer this year went for some testing earlier this week, and it appears that the chemo has stopped the growth of the cancer, and he will not be needing additional treatments for at least six weeks. He will be retested and re-evaluated at that time.

Bettyjo Update

2008-12-24T09:14:00.000-08:00

Well.....it looks as if Bettyjo got her wish for Christmas. She is now allowed to eat pudding, and applesauce with blue food coloring in it. So far the blue water has not leaked, and has gone down her esophagus into her stomach. Her food and water will continue to be colored blue for awhile, to make sure that it continues to go down and not out. Thank God for this positive step.

Bettyjo went to her family Doctor yesterday, and he wants her to increase her calorie intake to 2000/day. Which would be an extra can of Promote and a pudding snack pack. She is also having a painful time with her RA, which continues to flare up with the temperature spikes we have been having.

Please pray for continued healing, and that the RA would go into complete remission.

Bettyjo Update

2008-12-19T18:38:00.000-08:00

We saw Dr. Willet this afternoon. He was ok with the way she was healing. Not upset, not over joyed. He did a swallow test in his office with some water and blue dye. None of it came out the hole in her neck where the primrose drain was, and later tonight it could be seen in her feeding tube, so we know it must have gone down. Bettyjo is to monitor the dressing on the drain hole for 24 hours, if she does not see any blue she can begin drinking small sips of water with blue food coloring in it. She is to call Dr. Willet on Tuesday, and discuss the possibly eating some pudding for Christmas.

Please forgive us, if when you see us we are not overjoyed. We have been at this spot before four other times, only to be disappointed. We may allow our excitement to come out after the first of the year when she has been drinking water, and eating for a couple of weeks with out incident.

Please continue to pray for full and complete healing.

Bettyjo Update

2008-12-08T05:19:00.000-08:00

We saw Dr. Willet last Friday. The hole that was the primrose drain is almost completely closed. She has a little seepage at the surgery site due to some stitches that are surfacing. Dr. Willet was pleased with what he saw, but is cautiously optimistic for the healing of the esophagus itself. He did not feel that she would be swallowing any thing by the end of the year, except possibly her own saliva, and maybe, maybe water. I know that Bettyjo was disappointed about that.

We will go back to see the Dr. on December 19th. While she would really like to to be swallowing some thing for Christmas, we certainly do not want to risk another infection.

After we saw Dr. Willet, Bettyjo and the girls and I went to see the lights at the Columbus Zoo, which were very good. I would say that they actually were much better than they had been in the past. It was cold, but we were all bundled up, and had Bettyjo wrapped in a sleeping bag in her wheel chair. I think we all had a really good time. It has been some time since we have done anything like this as a family.

Please continue to pray for complete healing, and that Bettyjo will be able to swallow soon.

Bettyjo Update

2008-11-24T05:57:00.000-08:00

Bettyjo had an appointment with Dr. Willet on Friday, that got canceled due to an emergency surgery that he was requested to preform on a boy from Costa Rica who was at Children's Hospital. Please include this boy in your prayers. We do not know the situation, but God does.

The appointment from Friday was rescheduled for Saturday (not a normal office day). Also please include Dr. Willet and his family in your prayers, as we know that extra time spent with us, takes time away from them. He removed the stitches from her neck, and was not pleased to see that the site where the primrose drain had been was not healed as it should have been. On the other hand he did not see any drainage that would indicate that the esophagus was leaking.

He gave us a treatment regime for the open drain site, told Bettyjo not to swallow for now, and wants to see us Friday. Not sure if he meant this Friday or next, as this one is the day after Thanksgiving.

Please continue to pray for full and final healing for Bettyjo. Please pray for our entire family, as we are all ready for this to end and are feeling discouraged right now.

Bettyjo Update

2008-11-14T08:45:00.000-08:00

Bettyjo will be coming home today (thanks Molly). Everything seems to be going very well. Her mom and dad will be staying with her while Bob and the girls are in NW Ohio for Bob's grandmothers funeral. The only small drama that occurred is that Bettyjo's feeding tube came out yesterday, which is normal as they only last a few months. The good thing is that it came out in the hospital, and not at home. The first time one came out it was a Sunday night at home.

Please continue to pray for a full and final healing, and that she will be able to eat some applesauce for Christmas.

Bob's Grandmother

2008-11-12T19:10:00.000-08:00

As you may know, by the prayer request that went out yesterday, my grandmother (dad's mom) was not doing well. Earlier this evening she passed away. My dad was there with her, and he said that when he arrived she asked how Bettyjo was doing, and that she worries about her.

She was a christian, so we know that now she stands before God in the company of all those that went before her, including her husband.

Please pray for comfort for the family.

Thanks

Bettyjo Update

2008-11-12T14:17:00.000-08:00

Bettyjo had a really good day today. Her pain and nausea both seem to be under control. They will be hooking her up to her food today, so please pray that it will not make her sick. This has been a real problem in the past. She is scheduled to move to a regular room some time tonight. I am hoping that she is able to come home at the end of this week or the first of next week.

Thank you for all of your good thoughts and prayers. They are being felt.

Bettyjo Update

2008-11-11T11:01:00.000-08:00

Bettyjo had quite a painful and sleepless night, which is odd because Dr. Willet said she would be sedated for the first night in ICU?? When I got here this morning she was wide awake and not able to speak due to a breathing tube. She had the tube, and in fact will remain in ICU for another day due to the possibility of swelling in the neck, that may cut off breathing, which would be a very bad thing. I say had the tube in because when Respiratory was in checking to see how she was breathing she coughed the tube up into her throat and they had to either put it back in or take it out fast as she could not breathe. They decided to go ahead and take it out. This has worked out well, as she is breathing fine, and thank God is able to talk. Any time you have surgery in the neck area, there is always the possibility of clipping the voice box nerve.

All things considered, she is doing really well today. Dr. Willet was in and he is pleased with how the outside looks, and is hopeful the inside will heal up as well.

If everything continues to progress, she will go to a regular room tomorrow.

Please continue to pray for complete healing.

Surgery Update

2008-11-10T20:01:00.000-08:00

Bettyjo came out of surgery at about 10:15pm, after waiting in the pre-op for four hours! Every thing went very well. The doctor was able to dissect the pouch and sew good tissue to good tissue. She will be in ICU for two days and then will be in hospital for another three or four days. I was able to see her in ICU, but she was very heavily sedated. However, she really looked pretty good under the circumstances.

Please pray that this will be the beginning of her full recovery.

Another Surgery

2008-10-26T12:50:00.000-07:00

Bettyjo got a call from Dr. Willets office Friday, and they want to do the major surgery that I spoke about in my last post November 10th. So at this moment we are just waiting. We are so grateful to Dr. Willet as he is actually doing this surgery during what was supposed to be his vacation time.

Please pray for complete success, and full healing. She wants to be eating by Christmas, even if it is just applesauce or pudding.

Surgery Update

2008-10-22T09:03:00.001-07:00

Bettyjo went into surgery at around 10:00am. The Doctor came out to speak with us at around 11:30am. He was able to get the scope down her esophagus and could see that she has a pouch (not supposed to be there) right above her upper esophageal sphincter mussel. The pouch is in very poor condition. He tried to put a stitch in it to close it up, but the tissue is in such poor condition that the stitches pulled through.

The disappointing news was that he was not able to do any repair this time.

The encouraging news is that he has devised a plan to open her completely up and dissect the pouch, and then put stitches into the good material on either side.

We have a follow up meeting with him next week, and I will keep you informed as to what is decided.

Thank you for all your prayers and support, it was certainly felt this morning.

The Day Before Surgery

2008-10-21T06:49:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow, Tuesday October 22 Bettyjo will have surgery at 10:00am at Riverside Methodist Hospital in Columbus. The surgeon will go in through her mouth and attempt to repair the esophagus from the inside.

We are all (Bettyjo, Brenda, Emily & me) very anxious to have this surgery over with, and very very cautiously optimistic. We have had so many disappointments in the past that it is hard to be optimistic.

Please be in prayer for us tomorrow, that this surgery will work, and that while the road to full recovery will still be long and hard, we will in fact be on that road.

Bettyjo Update

2008-10-01T10:44:00.000-07:00

Correction: There was a miscommunication as to what the ENT Dr. will be doing. He is not going to re-install the funnel. He is going to sew the hole in the esophagus shut, but will not open up her neck. He is going in through the mouth. This will be an out patient surgery, and will take place on October 22.

Once again, please pray that this procedure will work.

Bettyjo Update

2008-09-30T12:04:00.000-07:00

Bettyjo went to her ENT physician today. She still has a hole in her esophagus, and is now developing an infection, possibly caused by some permanent stitches put in during the last procedure in May.

He wants to re-install the diversion funnel, through her mouth in an out patient procedure, on October 27th. The last time he installed it by opening her up, and the funnel itself caused a lot of pain. Please pray that will not be the case this time! And, that this procedure will allow the esphagus to heal.

Bettyjo Update

2008-09-07T19:42:00.000-07:00

Well....Bettyjo went back to the ENT, and he wants her to come back in a month to see if there is any change. She is currently still leaking from the neck. Her Family Doc. wants her to gain at least 12 pounds before she has any more surgeries. We have been adding a can of Ensure, which has given her a little more energy. She has been getting out a bit more.

Please pray that she will gain the weight needed, and that she will be strong enough for another surgery. This really is not what we wanted to hear, but there doesn't seem to be any other shot at healing.

Bettyjo Update

2008-08-17T15:07:00.000-07:00

Bettyjo found that she still has a hole in her esophagus. She will see the ENT later this month, to what the next step, if any will be. She has been getting out of the house some, but is still very weak. Her rheumatoid arthritis has her knees and fingers swollen, and it keeps her in pain.

Please pray for peace, no matter the out come. Also, please remember my Dad's mom, and my mom's parents in your prayers, as they face some pretty serious health issues.

Bettyjo Update

2008-07-29T10:54:00.000-07:00

Bettyjo went to see the ENT today. It looks like she may still have a hole in the esophagus, as he did see some air bubbles. The exterior wound is healing, all be it slowly. She no longer needs to have it covered. She will see our family Dr. in August for the blood clot. Hopefully the ultrasound will show that it is gone, and she can stop using the blood thinning medication.

Bettyjo Update

2008-07-15T16:36:00.000-07:00

Bettyjo has made very slow improvement since my last update. The wounds in her neck are healing very slowly. The constant change in the barometric pressure has caused her rheumatoid arthritis to flare up, which is very painful and causes a fever, so we are never sure if she has another infection or not.

One blessing is that while I have been traveling for work some this summer, her sister & parents have been able to stay with her. She has enjoyed spending time with them.

Thanks for your continued thoughts and prayers.

Bettyjo Update

2008-06-23T13:21:00.000-07:00

Bettyjo has been out of the hospital for about 2.5 weeks. The wounds in the neck are not healing as fast now as they had been a few weeks ago. Dr. Willet states it is because of the cumidin, that is treating a blood clot in her shoulder. She is still on the feeding tube, and is still not swallowing. I don't think she should try to swallow until the wounds in her neck are completely healed. We have had a bit of trouble regulating her medication, but that too is now under control. Her spirits are good, and she has been doing a few things around the house, and has been out shopping a few times.

Bettyjo Update

2008-06-05T18:01:00.000-07:00

Bettyjo came home from the hospital today. She is very tired and very weak. She will see Dr. Willet in two weeks, and we begin the process of wound care again. Fortunately Home Health Care will be out to pack the wound in the morning. It is a little too soon for visitors or phone calls. Next week would be much better.

Please pray for healing, and that no further infections develop.

Bettyjo Update

2008-06-04T09:44:00.000-07:00

Bettyjo had her trach removed today. She is struggling with it a bit, as she just got used to breathing through the trach and now she has to relearn to breath through her mouth. Flem keeps coming up through the hole where the trach was, and she is to put pressure on the hole when ever she talks or coughs to encourage it to seal.

The doctor has released her to begin swallowing her saliva. Pray that she does not get another infection.

She will resume tube feedings today, and hopefully she will be able to tolerate it. If everything goes well, I look for her to come home on Friday.

Bettyjo Update

2008-06-03T11:16:00.000-07:00

Bettyjo had her diversion funnel removed from her esophagus this morning. She and I both thought that she would be put under for the procedure however, she was not so it was pretty scary for her having a six inch funnel pulled from her mouth. Everything went very well. When I left the hospital she was in good spirits, was relieved from some of the pain of the funnel being in there. While she still requests that you not call her, she was much more able to talk, and do it pain free.

Tomorrow, she will have the trach removed, and they are hoping to get her back on her feeding tube, and off the TPN. The plan is for her to come home on Friday.

Please pray that this procedure works and that she is finally on her way to total healing.

Bettyjo Update

2008-05-31T13:12:00.000-07:00

Bettyjo will be in the hospital until the end of next week. They will be taking the funnel out Monday or Tuesday, and the hope and prayer is that the back tear in the esophagus will have healed. The problem is that the vomiting caused a tear lower in the esophagus and to the front. Apparently this is an easier spot to fix. Bettyjo will need a lot of home care as she will be coming home with a trach, a 4" open neck wound and will be on tpn (nutrition through IV).

Pray for all of us to be patient and that this round of treatment will work.

Bettyjo Update

2008-05-29T07:02:00.000-07:00

Bettyjo is still vomiting and no one seems to know just why. She is scheduled to come home tomorrow, but who knows. When she does come home, I will have to learn trach care, and how to hook up her TPN. We will also start the wound care regime again, as the very large wound on her neck is open and needs to heal from the inside out.

Bettyjo Update

2008-05-27T18:36:00.000-07:00

Bettyjo is taking nutrition through her Grushon port. Because of all the vomiting she has torn the stitches in her funnel and is leaking through the same old hole. She now has a blood clot in her right shoulder. However through it all was in good spirits when I left her this evening.

Dr. Willet was to come in later this evening with some new idea/ideas. So hopefully I will have something more to report tomorrow.

My grandfather has done well with his chemo, and is no longer passing blood. Hopefully the tumor in the prostate is shrinking. They will do a full body scan after is last chemo treatment.

My father is now passing blood and, is having some pain in his back. He has had kidney stones before, but says this pain is not the same. He will be going to a specialists on June 6th.

My uncle Don, had a hematoma on his brain from a fall in January and had suffered some stroke like symptoms, had brain surgery to repair the blood vessel and then was recently hospitalized again because of a seizure. He is out of the hospital and is doing much better now.

Please remember all of these, and their doctors in your prayers.

Bettyjo Update

2008-05-24T06:24:00.000-07:00

Bettyjo is still throwing up. No one, even Bettyjo seems to know why. They are considering putting her on TPN through her IV.

Bettyjo Update

2008-05-22T12:17:00.000-07:00

Good and bad news today. Bettyjo was able to talk a bit to me on the phone (please do not call her just yet). Hopefully she will be talking more soon. She gets a bit frustrated writing. Mostly because she has difficulty spelling. I am not the best speller either, so both of the girls are cursed. In addition they have run out of sites to put in IV's so they are going surgically install a Grushon Port. This will be surgery #10 in 14 months.

Bettyjo Update

2008-05-20T05:49:00.000-07:00

On Sunday I went to see my Grandfather. He is doing pretty well. He has not been very sick, but has lost all most all of his hair, and has some sores in his mouth, which are known side effects of the chemo. His spirit remains high, and both he and Grandma are handling the situation pretty well.

Dr. Willet attempted to put in a new, more permanent trach in this morning, but it initiated the gag reflex and Bettyjo threw up. This has caused some of her stitches to break loose, and he was not successful in getting the new tube in. It seems that this entire battle is up hill.

Bettyjo Update

2008-05-17T09:21:00.000-07:00

Bettyjo was dong well yesterday. She was completely off the ventilator. She has some pain, but it seems to managed well, and she is tolerating it well. She is still in ICU. The plan was to get her to a regular room, but none were available. Hopefully today. She has a valve for her trach that will help her talk but it has been a bit cumbersome. She can also put her finger on the trach and exhale over her vocal cords to talk, but it is going to take some practice.

Bettyjo Update

2008-05-15T07:21:00.001-07:00

When I got to the hospital this morning, Bettyjo was doing very well. She was much more alert, and very aware of what is going on. The pain management team was in and they are adjusting and monitoring her pain meds very closely. One thing that concerned me was that there was some discussion among the pain team and the nurse on duty regarding documentation of the pain pump. I have the feeling that Bettyjo may have been getting much more pain meds that she should have been? The wound on Bettyjo's neck looks good, and they have been weeing her off the ventilator. Hopefully she will be able to get out of ICU Friday or Saturday. Which in one sense is too bad. Her care here in ICU has been terrific. She has had great nurses, in a clean room. However, getting out of ICU is one step toward going home, which would be the best by far.

Thanks again for all your thoughts and prayers. I do have one request. If any of you have the opportunity, please send Bettyjo a card or note. I try to read all the comments on the blog to her, but I know that cards and notes really perk her up. Thanks.

Bettyjo Update

2008-05-14T16:36:00.000-07:00

Bettyjo has come out of surgery and is doing very well. Dr. Willet was able to repair the blood vessel a close her back up. She is still reacting very badly to the pain meds. A pain specialist has been consulted, and a new cocktail is being put together.

Bettyjo Update

2008-05-14T15:27:00.000-07:00

Bettyjo had a very very bad day today. She is not tolerating the pain medication well, and earlier this afternoon, she had a coughing spell after a trach procedure and busted a blood vessel in her neck causing Dr. Willet to take her in to surgery to repair it. I will update again this evening with the results of the surgery, when she is back in her room.

Bettyjo Update

2008-05-13T19:12:00.000-07:00

With all the pain medication and the trauma of having a funnel in her esophagus and a trach and being on a ventilator the pain meds Bettyjo is on keeps her pretty much sedated and had caused her to be a bit confused today. However she was a little more alert tonight when I left. Her one request was to be able to see some VHS videos of our family vacations and of the girls when they were small. Sot he Chaplin at Riverside arraigned for her to have a VCR in her room and we watched videos most of the afternoon. For those of you reading this who have small children, cherish the time you have, because the time you have REALLY does go by much too fast.

Hopefully Bettyjo will be able to come off the ventilator Wednesday, and will get into a regular room.

I can't express enough our thanks for all your thoughts and prayers. I want you to know they have been felt.

Bettyjo Update

2008-05-12T18:01:00.000-07:00

Sorry this posting is so late. Bettyjo went into surgery at about 3:30pm and came out at 6:45pm. When Dr. Willet briefed us on the surgery, he stated that when he go her opened up, the flap that Dr. Alam did in Feb. was completely dissolved by the infection she had in March. He first put in a trach tube, and then was able to put in the funnel which will help divert her saliva and will hopefully allow the esophagus to heal. The trach will stay in until the funnel comes out.

She will be in ICU for 24 to 48 hours, and will be in the hospital for a few more days. Bettyjo is alert and is able to communicate by writing on a piece of paper. Dr. Willet is hopeful that she will be able to speak without any trouble when the trach comes out.

Bettyjo Update

2008-05-10T14:29:00.000-07:00

Bettyjo is doing much better. She has been re-hydrated, and is taking some food. They are going to keep her in the hospital until her surgery on Monday, which is just as well. They are better equipped to keep her hydrated, and generally monitor her health.

Her surgery is set for 3:00pm. I am guessing that it will be a three or four hours long. I will post the surgery results to the blog, when she is out of recovery.

Bettyjo Update

2008-05-09T06:39:00.000-07:00

Bettyjo went to the ER at Riverside yesterday. She was dehydrated, and possibly has a flu of some sort. They put in a liter of IV solution on a fast drip, with a continual drip since then. She was admitted, and will most likely be in the hospital until she has surgery on Monday. Some time in the night she started to feel better, and is doing well currently.

Bettyjo Update

2008-04-30T16:57:00.001-07:00

Bettyjo will be having surgery on May 12th. Not sure what time yet. Dr. Willet will install a funnel and will attempt to fix the hole that is currently leaking. This procedure has a 50% chance of working, and is possibly the last known treatment for her condition. Anything else tried will be experimental. Hopefully the last infection did not do much damage and this will work.

My Grandfather is doing well under the circumstances. He has not been very sick, but is very tired after the chemo. He is now starting to loose his hair, which is to be expected. We will be traveling to North Creek Saturday for my Grandparents 67th anniversary party. Hopefully all will go well.

Bettyjo Update

2008-04-22T13:25:00.000-07:00

The funnel is in, and Dr. Willet is going to work her into his schedule sometime over the next 1 to 1.5 weeks, as this will be about a three hour surgery. He will open her up and attach it at the top and bottom, and will attempt to close the current hole.

Bettyjo has had about three very bad days, and just wants to sleep all the time. She is going to our family Dr. tomorrow to find out why. I hope it is something simple.

My grandfather came through the chemo ok. He did not get as sick as I thought he might, but is very tired. Cancer was found in his lungs, stomach, lymph nodes and hip in addition to his prostrate gland. Hopefully the chemo has shrunk it.

Bettyjo Update

2008-04-13T17:10:00.000-07:00

The funnel/tube that is supposed to divert saliva a down Bettyjo's esophagus did not come in this past week. Hopefully it will be in this week and Dr. Willet can install it early next week. We are a little disappointed that Dr. Alam has apparently not called Dr. Willet back. We were hoping the two of them could collaborate on Bettyjo's care, so that the very best action plan could be developed. As most of you know, Bettyjo has a feeding tube that goes directly into her stomach from the out side in. Last night it came out unexpectedly while I was on my way back from visiting my grandfather. Fortunately a lady from church was able to take her to Riverside ER where a new one was inserted. They did not get home until 2:30am. Thank you Karen.

On another note, my grand father starts chemo Monday, and will have it Tuesday, and Wednesday as well. With out the treatment he was given two to eight months. With the treatment, the doctor would not say. My mom and aunt are planning an anniversary party for my grandparents at the first of May, they have been married 67 years.

Thank you for all your notes, thoughts and prayers. We really do appreciate it.

Bettyjo Update

2008-04-05T05:36:00.000-07:00

Bettyjo saw Dr. Willet yesterday. He is going to order the diversion funnel for Bettyjo, which should be in next week. Surgery will be the following week. He may have to open her up on the vertical, and if he does she will have a trach installed for at least the time she is in surgery and maybe a little longer. In addition to this possible complication, the hole is so high on her esophagus, very near the tongue that Dr. Willit is not sure that Bettyjo will be able to stand the funnel, as it may cause her to gag. The only bright spot to the Dr. appointment is that he said that he is not ready to give up.

On another note, a while back I had asked you to pray for my grandfather and some surgery he had. Well......a biopsy has shown very aggressive cancer. He will see an oncologist Monday for a more concrete diagnosis.

Bettyjo Update

2008-03-28T09:42:00.000-07:00

Bettyjo is on some kind of antibiotic, and the infection seems to be under control. She will be seeing Dr. Willet next Friday, to discuss options.

I think the whole family is just........sort of numb right now. Everything we had been planning for the next year or so hinged on her getting better. And, now that is not so certain. I know, I know that nothing is for certain, even our next breaths, but when you are told by your Dr. that 95% of patients that had the first flap procedure (October 2007) have success, and of the remaining 5% , 90% of those having the radical reconstruction have success that means that only 1 in 200 are at the point Bettyjo is at.

Bettyjo and I are going shopping tonight for some material for her to make a curtain for the kitchen, she and Brenda are going to a movie tomorrow while Emily and I attend the Crew (MLS Soccer) home opener with tickets I won in a drawing at work.

Bettyjo Update

2008-03-22T04:51:00.000-07:00

We received the very worst news possible last night. Bettyjo's options are 1) a tube can be inserted past the hole so that saliva will not go down it, and "hopefully" it will heal. 2) they can take her stomach out attach it to her arm and attach it to he side and slowing stretch her stomach to make a new complete esophagus. 3) she can give up. They will put in a permanent feeding tube, and she will never eat or swallow again.

I am not going to ask for prayer at this time, because it seems that God will do what God will do, and I guess we will just have to accept it. Maybe prayer is really accidental anyway.

Bettyjo Update

2008-03-19T13:58:00.000-07:00

Thanks to all of you reading the blog. And, to those of you leaving comments. I read them to Bettyjo and they are encouraging.

At the moment Bettyjo is in a lot of pain, from this last surgery, from the infection, from the previous surgeries, from the rod and screws in her neck and from the rheumatoid arthritis. She had an MRI last night but no one has been in to brief us on the results. I say no one, because both Dr. Willet and Dr. Baird (infectious disease) will use it to see multiple things. She is still getting IV antibiotics, and well...........we are just waiting. Not much fun, and getting very old.

Bettyjo Update

2008-03-16T15:36:00.000-07:00

Bettyjo came out of surgery well. Dr. Willet said that she had a large puss sack behind her esophagus and a small amount on her voice box. He said that he really was not able to see anything for all the puss and blood that was coming out. In fact when the Anaesthesiologist pulled the breathing tube out it also had puss on it. Dr. Willet drained all the puss, flushed it out and then put in a Primrose drain. He will consult Dr. Alam either today or Monday, and will order another CT scan for Tuesday.

Bettyjo Update

2008-03-16T10:41:00.000-07:00

Bettyjo's neck started to swell yesterday, and this morning it was very swollen. We took her to Riverside for a CT scan, and it revealed an abscess behind the esophagus most likely caused by the stitches dissolving too quickly. This has allowed some material to drain into the neck, causing the infection.

Dr. Willet will do surgery to drain the abscess, and will install a drain. She will be in the hospital for a few days.

Please pray for success of the surgery, and that the flap and the repaired esophagus will not suffer permanent damage from the infection.

Bettyjo Update

2008-03-11T17:46:00.000-07:00

Bettyjo went to her ENT in Columbus today. He removed the stitches, and was pleased with what Dr. Alam had done at the Cleveland Clinic. She will have a swallow test some time with in the next week or so. The troubling news was that they may have to stretch her esophagus to make it fully functional, in an out patient procedure.

Please pray that the swallow test goes well, and that the esophageal stretch will be successful, if it needs to be done at all.

Bettyjo Update

2008-03-07T07:09:00.000-08:00

We made it home yesterday. The trip was very uneventful. The roads were in really good shape, even in Cleveland where there was about 8" to 10" of snow on the ground.

But.......the best news of all came today. Bettyjo was able to swallow a few sips of water! Yeah!!!

Bettyjo also got a call from Dr. Willet's office, to say the Dr. Alam had contacted them and they have discussed follow up care. Bettyjo will see Dr. Willet next week.

Bettyjo Update

2008-03-06T05:46:00.000-08:00

Bettyjo is being discharged this morning from the Cleveland Clinic. We did not leave yesterday as Dr. Alam wanted to see her before she left, and he was in surgery most of the morning. He saw her at about 3:30pm yesterday and was very pleased with her progress. The next hurdle will be the ride home, which I hope will be uneventful. It looks as if we will have decent driving day weather wise. Dr. Alam is allowing Bettyjo to follow up with Dr. Willet our original ENT in Columbus, which is a blessing as we will not have the 3 hr trip to the Cleveland Clinic for stitch removal and wound monitoring. In addition we have full faith and confidence in Dr. Willet.

Thank you all for your prayers over the past week. They were felt, appreciated, and answered.

Bettyjo Update

2008-03-04T17:11:00.001-08:00

All of the drains are now out, she is off the pain pump, and they have removed the bandage on her arm where the tissue for the new esophagus was taken. According to the Doctor everything looks good, and she should be able to go home tomorrow (Wednesday). If the Cleveland Clinic can get her discharged by 1:00pm we will be on our way home. If it is 1:00pm or later, we will spend the night in the condo together, and will come home Thursday.

Thank you all for your prayers. It seems that they have been answered!

Bettyjo Update

2008-03-03T16:46:00.000-08:00

Bettyjo has only one drain line left in, that did not produce anything today, and she is transitioning from the pain pump to less pain meds through her feeding tube. She has taken several walks around ICU, and seems to be coming along very well. Tuesday, they will unwrap her arm to take a look at the skin graph they put on the place they took her new esophagus from. One of the interns was in tonight, and he felt that if the arm looked good, and they can remove the remaining drain line, she may get to come home on Wednesday.

Please continue to pray for healing, and safe travel home. One other thing, my grandfather will be having surgery on March 12, please pray for success in the surgery and a quick healing.

Bettyjo Update

2008-03-02T12:03:00.000-08:00

Bettyjo got up out of bed for the first time since her surgery. She has had some tubes removed, and at least two more are scheduled to come out tomorrow. They gave her some ice chips to attempt to swallow, but they would not go down, which really is ok for her first try. There may be some swelling yet preventing it. They have regulated her pain meds, gave her a bath and washed her hair, so when I left the hospital she was feeling quite well. I am heading back to spend some time with her this evening, and will head back in the morning.

Please continue to pray for healing for Bettyjo, and for travel as my parents and the girls have just left to head back to London.

Bettyjo Update

2008-03-01T12:22:00.000-08:00

Bettyjo is being moved from Recovery to ICU this afternoon, as they do not have a bed for her in the step down ICU. She needs to be there so that a nurse can check her esophageal flap every hour and make sure it has blood flow. This is usually done for 48 hours after surgery, as this time has passed I am not sure just why they are not moving her to a regular room. The nurse I spoke with said that she may go to a regular room tomorrow.

Please continue to pray for healing.

Bettyjo Status Report

2008-02-29T10:11:00.000-08:00

I arrived at the hospital this morning at around 8am. She was still in recovery, however they had just taken the breathing tube out before I arrived, and she was able to talk with out any real trouble. I was able to sit and talk to her for about four hours. Between the incision in her neck, the wound to her arm created to form the esophagus, the skin graph taken from her leg to patch up her arm, she is in a tremendous amount of pain. They anticipate moving her to ICU step down this afternoon, as soon as a bed becomes available. Every thing seems to be going as planned and the new esophagus seems to be thriving. The best news of the day is that the vocal cords were not damaged in the surgery, and she is able to talk.

Please continue to pray for relief from pain, and a speedy recovery.

Surgery Day

2008-02-28T14:01:00.000-08:00

Bettyjo went into surgery at 7:30am and came out at 2:50pm. Dr. Alam reported that the surgery went well. However, when they opened her up the spine had some dead material that needed to be cleared away by an orthopedic surgeon.

Normally the Dr. would put in a trachea tube, because of the overall swelling in the neck, but he did not want to do that to her, so she will be kept in recovery over night, and kept sedated. He has also administered an anti-swallowing drug. They will bring her around tomorrow, and she will be moved to ICU setpdown. In about three days he will have her try to swallow some water and ice chips. Dr. Alam is fairly confident that this surgery will be successful.

Please continue to pray for Bettyjo, as she is sedated in recovery, and that this surgery will work.

We Made It To Cleveland

2008-02-27T15:44:00.000-08:00

Well......we have all made it to Cleveland, and are in the condo that has been graciously loaned to us. Bettyjo will have to be at the Clinic at 6am, surgery will be at 7:30am. The surgery will last 10 hours, and she will be in the hospital 7 to 10 days. The first 2 to 3 days will be in ICU step down, and then will move to a regular room for the remainder of the time.

We are both pretty nervous, please pray for peace of mind. I will post again Thursday after the surgery, and Bettyjo is in ICU step down.

Travel

2008-02-25T11:08:00.000-08:00

Bettyjo and Molly Rosati will be traveling to Cleveland on Tuesday, please pray for safety as the weather does not look to be favorable. Bettyjo will have a number of tests on Wednesday, and the surgery is set for Thursday Feb. 28th at 7:30am. I will be going up after work on Wednesday.

I will post an update after the surgery to let everyone know about the outcome.

Cleveland Clinic Appointment

2008-01-30T08:35:00.000-08:00

Bettyjo saw Dr. Alam at the Cleveland Clinic today, and he has scheduled surgery for February 28, 2008 @ 7:30am. The surgery will take up to ten (10) hours to complete. He will take a patch of skin from her left forearm, along with a vein for blood supply. He will remove the damaged section of esophagus, and form an esophagus from the patch. She will then have a skin graph on her forearm.

She had some pre-admission testing today, but will need to be at the Clinic on the 27th @ 9:40am for the remainder of her pre-admission testing.

She will be in the hospital for at least a week, and the estimated total recovery time is six (6) months.

Please pray for Dr. Alam, the surgery team, and most importantly for Bettyjo that this will be the last surgery/procedure for this condition, and that her healing will be complete. Pray for the girls and me as we juggle schedules, traveling, ect. and that we will all be patient and "wait upon the Lord"

Bettyjo Update

2008-01-18T15:31:00.000-08:00

Sorry it has been so long since my last update. The last two weeks have gone by very slowly, waiting for some direction from the ENT. However, Bettyjo got a call this afternoon telling her that she does not have a bone infection, and that we have an appointment at the Cleveland Clinic on January 30th at 9:00am. We were told to reserve the whole day for testing. I am hopeful this means pre-admission testing, and not we'll see if we can help you testing. We will be going up the day before and spending the night so we are both fresh for the entire day.

Please pray that they will be able to help us, and that whatever they propose will work!

Thanks to all of you who have been keeping up with this blog, and if you can please leave us a comment to let us know you were here.

Bettyjo Update

2008-01-03T13:24:00.000-08:00

Bettyjo got a call from the ENT today. It looks as if she will be going to the Cleveland Clinic for the reconstruction. Before it is set she will need to have an MRI (she had one done on 12-31) and a test to see if she still has the bone infection. If she still has the bone infection, she will need a series of IV antibiotics that will last 6 to 8 weeks. If not, hopefully she can get in right away to have the reconstruction surgery.

The reason she had the MRI was to find out why she is having so much pain between her shoulder blades. Hopefully it's just from the surgery in July, and not another disk going out.

Bettyjo Update

2007-12-18T09:42:00.000-08:00

Bettyjo just came from her ENT. He has recommended total esophageal reconstruction. There is a doctor at The James (OSU Cancer Clinic) that does this type of surgery, but Dr. Willet is not sure he will agree to do it since Bettyjo is not a cancer patient. The other option would be the Cleveland Clinic.

Bettyjo Update - Setback

2007-12-15T07:53:00.000-08:00

Tuesday the ENT told Bettyjo that she could begin swallowing her spit. She had her 19th treatment yesterday, and late last night she noticed that her shirt was all wet. It appears that the esophagus is not healed and the fistula that was formed earlier is still pushing material to the exterior of her neck. We went to the ER last night and was met by the ENT. He took a CT scan and it appeared that the fluid was tracking to outside of the neck and was not pooling in the neck, and we are to keep the track open until he consults with our regular ENT on Monday.

Needless to say we are all very stunned by this. The wound on the outside looked good, and she was tolerating the Hyperbaric Chamber well. We really..........just don't know what to think or feel. I hate to say this...but my faith is really shaken. I don't know what possible reason God could have for allowing this to continue. I can say with all my being, we have had enough.

Bettyjo Update

2007-12-03T17:08:00.000-08:00

Bettyjo completed her 11th hyperbaric oxygen treatment today. The wound to outside of her neck is almost completely healed. Bettyjo said that she feels a tightness in her neck. We are hopeful that the mussel in her neck is closing the esophagus. She has 9 more treatments and then a swallow test.

Thank you to all those that have been taking her to OSU East for treatment.

Please pray that she will be healed and that she will be able to swallow something for Christmas.

Bettyjo Update

2007-11-19T10:25:00.001-08:00

Bettyjo has gone for two hyperbaric treatments, and is completing her third as I type. The external wound seems to be healing nicely. The real question is, with the esophagus and the mussel attached to it. Unfortunately, we will not know what is going on inside until this round of treatment is done, and a swallow test is given. I have attached a couple of photos of the actual chamber Bettyjo is using.

Thank you all for your continued support in meals, rides, dollars and prayers. It has made a tremendous impact on our entire family.

Bettyjo Update

2007-11-12T07:08:00.001-08:00

Thanks to all of you for your continued support and prayers. Bettyjo went to church this past Sunday and did really well. She was very tired afterwards, but was glad she went.

We had some good news last week. Bettyjo was approved for the hyperbaric oxygen chamber. She will go to OSU on Wednesday for the final assessment and get her schedule and treatment plan. Thursday she will have her first treatment. There will be 20 treatments, five per week, for four weeks. Please pray that the treatments are successful.

Bettyjo Update

2007-11-07T09:40:00.000-08:00

Bettyjo has been to the wound clinic for the second time on Monday. They think the external wound is healing, but we have had no word on the approval of the hyperbaric chamber. On Tuesday she went to the ENT who didn't exactly agree with what the wound clinic was doing. I suspected this would be the case, since the wound clinic did not agree with the packing the ENT prescribed. If Bettyjo does not get into the hyperbaric chamber she will discontinue going to the wound clinic. We both have much more faith in the ENT. Good news is that the open wound in her neck is getting much smaller, and the mussel that was placed in the esophagus is living and healthy.

Please continue to pray that this will work.

Bettyjo Update

2007-10-29T11:22:00.000-07:00

Bettyjo went to the OSU Wound Care Clinic today. They will be assisting Dr. Willet with her healing. It is not certain that she will qualify for the Hyperbaric Chamber though. Dr. Kaide changed the type of packing and will see her once a week until it is healed. If she gets qualified for the hyperbaric chamber, she will go every week day, for four weeks. Each session will be two hours long.

Please pray that our health insurance will approve the treatment, and that it will work.

Bettyjo Update

2007-10-23T08:20:00.000-07:00

The ENT came in last night and made an incision in Bettyjo's neck to allow for more drainage. He also wants her to begin treatments in a hyperbaric chamber that will cause the wound to heal more quickly and give the mussel that is plugging the hole in the esophagus more oxygen. There is still some infection in the wound as he did drain some additional puss from it last night as well. He has not given any indication as to just when she will get out or what the recovery time will be.

Please continue to pray for healing and restoration for Bettyjo.

Bettyjo Update

2007-10-18T12:58:00.000-07:00

The past couple of days have been rough. She has been very sick to her stomach, needed a lot pain medication, and has slept most of the time. But, today......she seems to be getting some strength back, has stayed awake longer, has not needed as much pain medication, and has taken a couple of walks around the hospital floor.

It remains to been seen if the surgery was a success. The ENT has not been.........well enthusiastic about her healing. There is still fluid draining from the wound, and it is still cloudy meaning that most likely there is still some infection. She will remain in the hospital over the weekend, and our ENT is on call, so he will be checking on her. He has not given any indication as to when she might be discharged.

Bettyjo Update

2007-10-16T07:39:00.000-07:00

Monday they gave Bettyjo two units of blood. Both her white and red cell counts were down. That seemed to make her feel a little better. Her wound is draining quite a bit, so with all of this she will be in the hospital at least a few days longer.

Please continue to pray that she will have a complete healing........soon.

Bettyjo Update

2007-10-14T15:29:00.001-07:00

The girls and I just came from the hospital, and Bettyjo is looking good. She does have some pain from the surgery, but other than that she is doing well. The Doctor seems pleased with the results so far. The real test will be if the surgery worked or not, and we will not really know for several weeks.

Please pray that it is successful, and that she will fully recover.

Bettyjo Update

2007-10-12T17:48:00.000-07:00

Bettyjo came through surgery well. The ENT did have one complication that was a surprise to him. When he opened her wound in her neck up, he ran into a pocket of puss that was logged in her spine. He said that he is very surprised that she did not have spinal meningitis. Instead of taking a mussel from her chest and running it to her neck, he used a mussel in her neck. The reason was that if the esophagus leaked he did not want the mussel in her neck to form a resting place for infection.

A part of me all along thought that if the wound in her neck would heal, she would have a full recovery (back to normal) but the ENT stated that he wants her to at least be able to drink water and swallow her spit. This has me very concerned. We understood that nuts, popcorn etc. would be off limits, but it never dawned on us that Bettyjo may have many more restrictions.

Please continue to pray for her healing, and for the girls and I as we continue down this very difficult path.

Bettyjo Update

2007-10-10T06:51:00.000-07:00

Well......the day of surgery is fast approaching. Bettyjo will have surgery this Friday at 2:30pm.

Please pray that all goes well with the surgery, and that recovery will be fast, and uneventful.

If anyone would like to send her a card while she is in the hospital, I know she would appreciate it. She will be in Riverside, most likely for three to four days.

Bettyjo Update

2007-10-04T12:13:00.000-07:00

Bettyjo will have surgery on the wound on her neck next Friday October 12, 2007. The Dr. will take a mussel from her chest and run it up to her neck to form a flap over the hole in the esophagus.

She is having a bad day today, and is in a lot of pain. We are not really sure just why. Is it from the past surgeries, the RA, in activity, or possibly a virus.

We still have not heard anything from our Family Dr. regarding the blood tests she took last Tuesday. I am not sure what the hold up is, but the receptionist keeps telling us that they have the report and are waiting on Dr. Garwood to read it?? We are considering changing Family Doctors, so if any one has a recommendation it would be appreciated.

Bettyjo Update

2007-09-29T08:07:00.000-07:00

It has been a tough week here. On Monday Bettyjo was in a lot of pain , felt very ill (flu like) and selpt. On Tuesday, she sneezed and air came out the wound in her neck. Her color was very bad and she still felt ill, so she went to our family Dr., and he ordered some blood work to see if she was getting all the nourishment she should be getting. I am not certain why, but as of today our family Dr. has not returned two calls to his office for the results! We'll try again on Monday.

Yesterday she went to see the ENT about the hole in her neck, and he is not hopeful it will heal on it's own. He told her to go back on 5mg of Prednizone and to get more fluid in her. He said we could do this at home using her feeding tube, or go to hospital ER and have an IV. We went to Riverside for the IV arriving at about 7:30pm. At 10pm Bettyjo still had not seen a doctor. I realize that to them an IV infusion is not high on the priority list, but she was in bad shape and the entire ER filled up and emptied with folks no worse off that she was. At 10:pm she could not set in the waiting room any longer so we left. I gave her a predinzone at home and will put some Gatorade as the ENT had suggested in her tube later this morning. This will take more time, but at least she is comfortable.

Bettyjo Update

2007-09-25T06:59:00.000-07:00

Bettyjo had a rough day yesterday. Her arthritis was hitting her knees really hard, she was in quite a bit of pain, and slept all day. We are not sure why she was so tired yesterday. It might be that she needs more fluid, more nutrition, or that she was exhausted by her trip to church Sunday night, or some combination of the three. She is putting a call through to our Family Dr. to see what he thinks, and see if he will draw some blood to make sure she is getting all the nutrition she needs.

Yesterday she was to begin drinking some water with food coloring in it to detect leaks, but was not able because she slept most of the day. While the hole in her neck is healing, she seems much weaker and more frail. Please pray that she can begin eating soon, as I think it will help her to regain strength.

London Homecoming

2007-09-22T17:08:00.000-07:00

The girls are attending the homecoming dance tonight. Bob's mom and dad came up last night and went the Varsity Football game, as Brenda cheered. They then went to the JV game on Saturday morning where Brenda cheered again. We played Jonathon Alder, and lets not say anymore about the games. UGH!! Bob's mom and dad then attend Emily's soccer game, as she is on the LHS Girls team. They won there game 3-1.

The girls are now at the dance, I hope they have a good time.

Bettyjo Update

2007-09-22T17:02:00.000-07:00

Bettyjo went to the ENT Friday, and as expected has taken a very very conservative approach to her care. He removed the small scab on her neck and used a silver nitrate stick (acid) to agitate the wound and cause it to heal together.

She will be allowed to drink small amounts of colored water on Monday. If that goes well, after one week she will be allowed to eat some applesauce. He does not want her to have any thing with refined sugar because if it does leak into her neck it could encourage an infection.

She has enjoyed driving again (she must wear the collar), and being free from the collar while in the house.

Please pray for continued progress.

Bettyjo Update

2007-09-18T10:44:00.000-07:00

Bettyjo went to the Ortho today, and the gap between the two vertebra is filling as the Dr. expected. She is to see him again in three months. Until then she will need to wear the collar while in the car, but can take it off while she is at home. Hopefully, she will have the same encouraging news on Friday when she sees the ENT.

Bettyjo Update

2007-09-17T10:20:00.000-07:00

We had a scare last night. Bettyjo's feeding tube popped out. She called the doctor and he told her to push it back in and see him in the morning. If she couldn't get it in, she would have to go the emergency room because the stomach would seal up and then he would have to surgically re-install it. Praise God that she was able to get it in and that the doctor was able to easily insert a new one this morning. She will be seeing the Ortho on Tuesday, and the ENT on Friday. Please pray that we will get good news from both appointments.

Bettyjo Update

2007-09-11T06:45:00.000-07:00

Bettyjo's status has not changed much. She had a low grade fever yesterday, but the Tylenol she took seems to have done the trick. We are not sure if she had a virus, or if the fever is a result of her RA symptoms coming back. Good news is that the wound in her neck is getting smaller, and shallower. Hopefully when she goes back to the ENT on the 21st he will allow her to begin swallowing. I think that when she starts eating real food she will get some energy back. The liquid diet she is on now is only meant to keep her alive.

Bettyjo Update

2007-08-31T12:39:00.000-07:00

Bettyjo went to the ENT today, and received some bad news. He wants her to continue not to eat or drink for another 3 weeks. This will allow time for her to be off the Predizone, along will additional packing of the wound, and possible healing. If this does not work, he is proposing another surgery, that will take mussel from her chest to graph to the wound in her neck. Neither of us are quite sure of the particulars of this, and we are hopeful that we will never know what they are.

Bettyjo Update

2007-08-28T09:53:00.000-07:00

Bettyjo went to the Ortho today, and was told that the area between the disks is starting to fill in with bone, which is good. However, she will need to remain in the Miami J collar for another 3 weeks. Ironically, her next appointment with the Ortho is exactly 6 months from the date that she had the first surgery.

We have begun to reduce the predizone, 1 mg at a time. She is now down to 4mg and will go to 3mg on Thursday. The reason for the reduction is that the ENT feels that it is inhibiting the healing of the esophagus. This is allowing her Rheumatoid Arthritis to come back to full strength, and she is in a lot of pain as a result. Now, I am not sure if the pain medication she is taking, is more for the surgery related items, or for the arthritis. Either way it is not good.

Please pray that the pain will subside, and that the esophagus will finally heal, and that the disks will fuse properly.

Bettyjo Update

2007-08-20T12:54:00.000-07:00

Bettyjo went to the ENT last Thursday, and he stated that he thought the predizone she is on is keeping the esophagus from healing. So....she will be stepping the predizone down for the next four weeks. After that it may be another 3 or 4 weeks to completely heal. We are looking at another 6 to 8 weeks on the feeding tube. Not exactly what we wanted to hear.

Maybe when she goes to the Ortho she can take the collar off.

Swallow Test Results

2007-08-04T09:34:00.000-07:00

Bettyjo got a swallow test done Wednesday, and water came out the wound in her neck. She talked to the Doctor on Thursday, and he want to see her in two weeks. So.....we'll see what course of action we will take then.

Bettyjo is getting very discouraged.

Please pray for patience for all of us, and that she would be encouraged.

Bad News/Good News

2007-07-31T16:11:00.000-07:00

Bettyjo had been eating some soft foods, and drinking some water. Earlier today she began leaking from her neck again. She will be having a swallow test tomorrow and will see the ENT later this week.

Bettyjo went to the Ortho today, and it appears that she may be out of the collar in 4 more weeks. Originally it was to be 8 more weeks.

Please pray for total healing, and mental strength, for all of us.

Good News

2007-07-28T12:32:00.000-07:00

Bettyjo went to the ENT yesterday. He was very pleased with the healing that has taken place with the open neck wound. It is almost completely healed. He has allowed her to begin drinking water, and on Monday she can start eating some very soft foods. In two weeks she is to start eating ground meat etc. Please pray that the esophagus will not leak and that she will have an easy time getting back on food, and that she does not develop an infection.

She is still having pretty substantial pain from the rod in her neck, and will be going back to the Ortho next week, hopefully we will have good news from him as well.

Updates

2007-07-19T12:26:00.000-07:00

Bettyjo is still in considerable pain as a result of the rod being placed in her neck. The good news is that her incisions are healing well and with out infection. Se will be going to the ENT next Friday, so please pray that she will be able to swallow something (even water would be progress) after that visit.

Please pray for my dad who had rotator surgery this week. The damage was more extensive than originally expected, and he is in considerable pain. The worst thing is that he is not supposed to drive for two weeks and will be stuck at home while my mom works. However, I expect he will be driving before then.

Lastly, please pray for my grandmother as she has had some serious vision problems, and will be having an MRI and CT scan to diagnose the problem.

Bettyjo Status

2007-07-11T14:34:00.000-07:00

Bettyjo went to the Ortho today, and received some disappointing news. He wants her to stay in the hard collier for 10 more weeks, till around September 19th. The staples came out today, and the Xray shows the rod going from c4 to t2.

Bettyjo Status

2007-07-10T10:40:00.000-07:00

Bettyjo received a call this morning that Dr. Miley was ill and would not be able to keep his appointment with her today. It is rescheduled for Wednesday.

Dr. Willet (ENT) saw her today and was very impressed at how well the open wound in her neck is healing. He changed the way, and packing material type. We will see him again in two weeks. He said that it appears that the original bone graph was what was keeping the wound from healing the first time around.

Bettyjo Status

2007-07-08T09:33:00.000-07:00

She is in a fair amount of pain yet from the surgery. The incisions themselves look good, and we have been keeping up on the prescribed antibiotic. She will be going to both the ENT and Othro doctors on Tuesday. I hope to be posting good news to this blog site then.