DAY 7 // To Eleven

Hi guys,

Just a quick update today, as JoAnne had no procedures and has been resting peacefully...

LABS- the nurse informed us today that JoAnne's WBC count (which was 1.7 yesterday) has jumped to 11.2 today. Yup, JoAnnehas gone to ELEVEN (for those Spinal Tap fans out there). Her hemoglobin, hematocrit and platelets have also gone up a bit, which is also very encouraging, but the WBC is key because this means that she will be much less at risk for bacterial infection in her upcoming surgeries, able to fight with her own immune system. A typical reference range for WBC is 4-10, and 11 means that she is building soldiers to fight her bacterial battles for her. YAY. Jani keeps saying "typical JoAnne... she overreacted".  =)

EX-TUBATION- as you guys know, JoAnne was intubated after her first surgery, as she's so heavily medicated and sedated that her lungs are likely unable to function on their own. It's not desirable for someone to be on the ventilator for too long a stretch, though, so the surgeons have been discussing taking her off to see how her lungs do on their own. This means she will be awake and conscious (though pretty doped up). They may attempt this in the next few days, and we will let you know if this happens. It's likely, though, that her lungs will still need support, and they'll put her back on ventilation. If this is the case, they will likely employ a trachea tube rather than her previous breathing tube, as a trach tube has fewer risks of infection, is more comfortable and overall much safer. More news on all this as we learn it.

INTRODUCTIONS- all of JoAnne's nurses and doctors have been SO great, but every now and then we meet one that doesn't  know certain things that would make her stay more comfortable. We'll put up more photos of her soon in her room, but today we put up a sign with a few photos that will let anyone who comes in know a bit more about JoAnne. It's a brief list that we'll develop more soon, but it's a start! See photo attached.

TRANSITIONS- assuming things continue to develop as they have here at the hospital, I may transfer these emails over to a blog format. That way, the updates can remain there for perusal and reference, you all can check in any time, we can easily post photos and other great stuff, and people can comment on the posts so that others can see as well. I'll let you know about the blog set-up in the coming weeks, and will of course continue to email anyone who prefers this mode of communication. It's been so hard to get all of your sweet well-wishes just to me/J/P/K- I want to be forwarding them out to the universe so that you can all read the amazing effort that's going on around the world. 

I'll be in touch tomorrow after Joanne's wound vac procedure, as we'll hopefully know more from the surgeon and osteo surgeons about her upcoming leg procedure, and if any ex-tubation attempt has occurred, I'll be sure to tell you all about it.

Much love to you all!

Hannah, Price, Kelty & Jani