Update on John.....We are still in Roannoke Memorial Hospital room 884, waiting for acceptance into rehab. There are many criteria to get into rehab and it seems as soon as he meets one another comes up. We are doing anything and everything they ask of us, so as you can imagine it is very disappointing for John from week to week being told there is one more thing he has to overcome before he can leave the hospital. John is medically stable according to the doctors, however he is still very ill and the potential for life threatening situations is always present. The Wegener's Granulomatosis is in remission. He has several holes(fistulas) in his stomach and bowel so he is not able to get any nutrition by mouth. He continues to receive nutrition through an IV. He has an open abdominal wound which the surgeons say will be 6 months to a year before they could even think about repairing the belly, so it will be at least that long before he can eat. He battles with pain everyday, but they seem to have it under better control. He is able to move his hands and his arms at the elbow. He can now wiggle his legs and raise his head a little. As Bob mentioned before he is using his TV remote and is able to call for the nurse during the night when we are not there. He is receiving physical and occupational therapy everyday and is making progress. They are kicking his butt!!!!!
We are so thankful to have John stable. We are very blessed to have family and friends support us through this catastrophic event. We have a long road ahead of us and I am asking if anyone is able to spare a few minutes sometime, please come and see John. Everyone is welcome as often as you can come. Visits from family and friends make the days and months seem a little shorter and John would be so happy! We are trying to keep him positive and he needs as much encouragement as he can get.
If you have any questions or comments for John please post them here and I will make sure he gets them. He is starting to ask for his blackberry so hopefully it won't be too long before he can get back to checking the ESPN page for the latest scores and sporting news!
Please continue to keep John in your prayers.
We have so many wonderful people in our lives and just know we appreciate you and your thoughts and prayers. May God bless you.
Lisa
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Don and I stopped by to see John yesterday. He always seems to brighten up and always smiles when someone comes in to see him, even when he is in pain. He is so blessed to have Lisa as an advocate for him to see that he gets the care and attention that he needs. I would also like to congratulate Lisa on passing her state board exam and now she is a legal Registeren Nurse. The family is so proud of her. She is so strong. With all that has gone on with John and her Dad, I don't know how she had sense enough to pass her exams. Again, Congrats to Lisa DeWeese, RN. We love you, Mom and Dad
ReplyDeleteWe visited John for a few hours on 7-29-09 and it was such a delightful visit. Although the healing process has been slow, each time we see him he looks so much better. John is in such great spirits and seemed to love having visitors. Today John wheeled his own wheelchair down the hallway! We are so proud of him and can't wait to see his progress in rehab. Courtney & John Davidson
ReplyDeletep.s. I wrote the comment about being concerned : )
John, I want to come see you and spend some time with you however, my doctor told me that since my resistance is down and your is too that we could make each other sick. I want you to know that Tina and I wish you a fast recovery and we will keep you in our thoughts. I will do my best to call you more often to check in on you. Hang in there buddy.
ReplyDeleteJoseph Shepherd
Dear Joseph and Tina,
ReplyDeleteThanks for calling and checking on John. It meant alot to John to hear from you.I hope you get to feeling better.
Lisa
Dear Courtney and John,
ReplyDeleteIt really cheered John up to see you both. I am sad to hear you are moving away but very excited to hear your good news! We wish you all the joy and happiness being parents will bring you. Please keep us updated on how things are going. We appreciate all your support.
Lisa