Joe & Surgery #5 (long) :-(

December 14, 2000

All my prayers are for you and Joe. I know he'll make it.

Elaine

December 14, 2000

Thanks for the update on Joe. I have him in my prayers everyday.. It is so

upsetting to think that he is going through this but I have stronf faith and

I know that he and Joy will get through this and he will eventually be a

healthy person.. He seemed to have so much spunk prior to surgery and I look

forward to hearing that spunk even in writing. God Bless. Ellen

December 14, 2000

Hi all...

I had a wonderful talk with Joy last night, but the news was not promising...

Joe has yet another infection. They are going back into surgery today to clean out the infection and place drain tube #3 in the area... This drain tube will be placed deeper to get the infections that seem to be too deep for the current drains. While they are in there, they are going to check out the stomach once more. They think there may be another leak. The infections have been so massive that there is some concern that they may be weakening the stomach from the outside and eating their way in through the suture lines. If this ends up being the case, it will really complicate things.

Joe remains on the respirator. He is sedated to the point that he only wakes up when they move him or pour things down his respirator tube to make him choke and cough (which is to clear out his lungs) They have tried taking him off several times but he just isn't breathing deep enough on his own to keep his lungs clear... Dr W thinks it is a godsend to keep him sedated, because this way he wont remember most of this period of time. He says that when Joe is woken up, he will probably think it is within hours of surgery #3 instead of a long time later.

Dr W told Joy that she needs to look for an apartment in the area. Joe's recovery is going to be very long and drawn out and she is going to need a more permenant living arrangement. She has been looking for a fully furnished place close to OHSU that has a regular restaurant near by. The cheapest she has found that meets those criteria is $1500 per month. She is going to continue to look, but is kind of discouraged by needing to find a long term living arrangement.

Joe will need atleast 2 more surgeries after this one. He is going to need a feeding tube and to finally be closed up (because he is still wide open to try and drain the infection). He is going to be really out of it until the infection is gone and they can close him up, reduce the pain meds, and until he will be able to be well enough to move enough to get his breathing deeper... Joy is hoping he will be off the respirator by Christmas, but is really discouraged and knows that it might not happen. It has been really hard on her to sit by and not be able to do anything to help him... (Atleast when he was concious, she could get him things, talk with him, and give him emotional support)

Joy had her own pieces of advice for us preops... She says that if there is any way to loose the weight without surgery, do it. If nothing else works for you, get your surgery done before your comorbs are life threatening, because they complicate/legthen healing and recovery times. If you do wait and have serious comorbs, have your surgery open. This way, they can take a good look around and can catch things before they become problems. She feels that people with serious comorbs have a much harder recovery time if there are complications, and her opinnions are being backed up by the surgeons. She is still determined and confident about having her own surgery. She is going to have her surgery open and feel confident that her recovery will be easier than Joes (because she doesn't have the comorbs and she will have a lower risk of complications due to being open) Anyway, I am always happy to hear from her and to gain insite into the perspective of someone who has been hugely impacted by DS...

Keep Joe in your prayers today. His surgery is going to be right after another persons who is having a DS revision from a previous RNY (who could probably use some good thoughts and our support as well!). Dr W went home last night to get some sleep... That way he would be rested for both...

Thanks for listening, supporting Joe and Joy, and caring... It means the world to them!!!

~hugs to all~Rabecca, Portland ORDr Baltasar, SpainTo be switched in June, 2001BMI 38

December 14, 2000

Please give Joy thousands of hugs from me. I am praying, praying, praying

for Joe and for all other pre-ops, that nothing like this happens to any of

us.

God be with Joy, Joe (especially) and all of us~

Sandy K.

December 14, 2000

Dear Joe and Joy,

Deep heart felt sigh. All of us are praying and learning from this

horrible experience from you. Thank you Joy for taking the time in

what must be the worst days of your life to advise us. You both are

in my prayers.

Love Debi

> Hi all...

>

> I had a wonderful talk with Joy last night, but the news was not

promising...

>

> Joe has yet another infection. They are going back into surgery

today to clean out the infection and place drain tube #3 in the

area... This drain tube will be placed deeper to get the infections

that seem to be too deep for the current drains. While they are in

there, they are going to check out the stomach once more. They think

there may be another leak. The infections have been so massive that

there is some concern that they may be weakening the stomach from the

outside and eating their way in through the suture lines. If this

ends up being the case, it will really complicate things.

>

> Joe remains on the respirator. He is sedated to the point that he

only wakes up when they move him or pour things down his respirator

tube to make him choke and cough (which is to clear out his lungs)

They have tried taking him off several times but he just isn't

breathing deep enough on his own to keep his lungs clear... Dr W

thinks it is a godsend to keep him sedated, because this way he wont

remember most of this period of time. He says that when Joe is woken

up, he will probably think it is within hours of surgery #3 instead

of a long time later.

>

> Dr W told Joy that she needs to look for an apartment in the area.

Joe's recovery is going to be very long and drawn out and she is

going to need a more permenant living arrangement. She has been

looking for a fully furnished place close to OHSU that has a regular

restaurant near by. The cheapest she has found that meets those

criteria is $1500 per month. She is going to continue to look, but is

kind of discouraged by needing to find a long term living arrangement.

>

> Joe will need atleast 2 more surgeries after this one. He is going

to need a feeding tube and to finally be closed up (because he is

still wide open to try and drain the infection). He is going to be

really out of it until the infection is gone and they can close him

up, reduce the pain meds, and until he will be able to be well enough

to move enough to get his breathing deeper... Joy is hoping he will

be off the respirator by Christmas, but is really discouraged and

knows that it might not happen. It has been really hard on her to sit

by and not be able to do anything to help him... (Atleast when he was

concious, she could get him things, talk with him, and give him

emotional support)

>

> Joy had her own pieces of advice for us preops... She says that if

there is any way to loose the weight without surgery, do it. If

nothing else works for you, get your surgery done before your comorbs

are life threatening, because they complicate/legthen healing and

recovery times. If you do wait and have serious comorbs, have your

surgery open. This way, they can take a good look around and can

catch things before they become problems. She feels that people with

serious comorbs have a much harder recovery time if there are

complications, and her opinnions are being backed up by the surgeons.

She is still determined and confident about having her own surgery.

She is going to have her surgery open and feel confident that her

recovery will be easier than Joes (because she doesn't have the

comorbs and she will have a lower risk of complications due to being

open) Anyway, I am always happy to hear from her and to gain insite

into the perspective of someone who has been hugely impacted by DS...

>

> Keep Joe in your prayers today. His surgery is going to be right

after another persons who is having a DS revision from a previous RNY

(who could probably use some good thoughts and our support as well!).

Dr W went home last night to get some sleep... That way he would be

rested for both...

>

> Thanks for listening, supporting Joe and Joy, and caring... It

means the world to them!!!

>

> ~hugs to all~

> Rabecca, Portland OR

> Dr Baltasar, Spain

> To be switched in June, 2001

> BMI 38

December 14, 2000

Rabecca,

Thanks for posting. Please let Joy know that she and Joe are in my

prayers. It's really making me think about lap or open now.

Jeannnie

December 14, 2000

Hey Rabecca,

Tell Joy for me that I know what she is going thru. My foster

daughter 2 years ago lost her lower part of her leg in a motorcycle

accident. They reattached it but because of the road gravel and

dirt, etc, she had massive infections. They had a drain (on a pump)

deep into her leg. She had to go into surgery every other day for

them to debride and irrigate to clean out the infection. She had no

muscle or tissue covering this. Not even a flap. Just some stuff

called new skin that is used till you can have grafts. In 6 weeks

she had 29 surgeries. She remembers very little. When she came home

she came home on IV antibiotics. She spent from Labor day till

Christmas eve in the hospital and got a home leave for 2 days and had

ot go back into the hospital for more surgery. I was there everyday

and the stress and strain on me was almost unbearable but as a MOM I

had to be strong. Tell Joy it is alright to rest and not feel

guilty. It is ok to leave his side. If she gets sick who will take

care of her.

My DH and I are praying for healing in the Doctors hands and for

every drop of antibiotic that goes into his veins be victorious over

the infection.

Viau

planning surgery for April, 2001

Dr Ren

December 14, 2000