Day 42 // Ups & Downs

Hi all,

The last few days have involved some ups and downs- see below for a brief update!

ON WHEELS- We had mentioned last week that the OT/PTs put JoAnne in a leaning chair on wheels! On Sunday we rolled JoJo out to the garden that her room overlooks, and she basked in the sun and napped for over half an hour! We haven't seen her that content for a while. Kelty took a photo- see below!

SITTING- Today the PT sat JoAnne up on the edge of the bed! This is a really big step in her rehab, as the sooner she can sit comfortably on her hip, the sooner she can begin to try standing. This is still a long way off, but just sitting up for a few minutes was very impressive and exciting.

HIP- JoAnne's surgery on Monday went alright- they said there wasn't much tissue to remove, and that all looks pretty good as far as infection is concerned. They're attempting to get the skin to "granulate", which basically means to want to fuse together to heal... this could take a little while, but they're hoping that every time they go in, they'll see more of that happening. Her next cleaning surgery is slated for tomorrow (Wednesday).

STATS- The cleaning surgery on Monday caused JoAnne to lose a bit of blood, which is not uncommon. She's had a lower level of blood with the multiple surgeries, though, so this last one caused her blood amount to go a bit below the "ok zone". As a result, her blood pressure yesterday post-surgery and then again this morning has been very low (in the 80s- it's usually 130 or 140). They gave her a unit of blood and a bolus of fluids in an effort to bolster her BP. They're discussing a blood transfusion, but want to make sure that it's very necessary to do it, as it can compromise her immune system, putting her at risk for infection. We'll keep you posted on how this goes, but she has been a steady 100 since getting blood earlier and we're hoping it stays at that or higher from now on!

ETC- JoAnne has begun getting a rash the last few days, likely from a reaction to a medication that she's on. They believe that it's the gabapentin (for her phantom leg pain), so that's been discontinued until she gets back to normal. The rash has been very uncomfortable for her, and the benadryl she's on makes her sleepy/weird, so we're hoping they figure out the culprit allergy sooner than later...

STATE OF MIND- As simple as it is to report JoAnne's physical condition and status, it's more difficult to explain how she is faring emotionally, mentally, psychologically, etc. Some of it is because we don't know, but she's also able to tell us more and more about how she's thinking, what she's feeling, etc. She is definitely becoming more and more like herself every day- remembering more, aware of more outside the immediate moment, and trying to participate (and at times even lead) her own care. This is great, but it also comes with the realization of her current reality, which is scary, exhausting, frustrating, and anxiety-provoking. She's still not able to feed, care for or even entertain herself, so she is relying a lot on everyone around her to participate. She's still discussing her leg now and then, and today told me that she hasn't really "let it come home", as she has more important things to focus on and get through right now. Current names she's given for her R side/lack thereof: Betty Ford, The Grand Canyon, My Non-Leg.

Thank you all for your love, prayers and support. As wonderful as it feels to have more of JoAnne back every day, we all must remember she's not out of the woods just yet (something JoAnne herself told the Doctor today). 

Much love,

xo Team JoJo