Oct
2
Jody recovery report #5
I’m going to assume that everybody reading this knows what’s happened to Jody, what her prognosis is, and how to contact her. Feel free to ask me if you need the details.Status
Jody is now officially allowed to eat normal foods. (The speech therapists got tired of getting frantic queries from the nurses every time I fed her something that wasn’t on her “OK list.”) She had lots of soup and fruit yesterday. She also ate some cottage cheese, chicken, and mashed potatoes from her hospital trays, and cookies and ice cream from our massive stash of yummy treats brought by friends. Her sense of taste is starting to return to normal. She is stick thin but seems to have stopped losing weight, if not actually started putting it back on. She has started yawning again, which she hadn’t done since she was injured. (If anyone has a sensible explanation for this I’d love to hear it.) And amazingly, the woman who drank almost an entire pot of coffee daily has had none for days and doesn’t seem to crave it.
Jody walked 300 feet in PT yesterday with only a therapist’s arm to steady her. She also walked up and down a few stairs and stood up and sat down in her wheelchair without help. She can push the bed controls, adjust the position of her body laying down or sitting up, brush her teeth, feed herself with a fork or spoon, and hold and drink from a cup without a straw. All of these things require concentration and effort but the trend is obviously very positive. Her left arm is still lagging in sensation and voluntary motion, but the pain in her shoulder has mostly subsided and she is no longer taking regular pain meds. The therapists have taken her arm out of the sling.
Jody’s nausea continues to decrease and the nurses seem to have nailed down an effective schedule for administering anti-nausea medication. She hasn’t found her sphincter yet and that’s probably the hardest thing for her to deal with right now. The nurses are already planning the party they’re going to throw when she finally does. (And forgive me for being blunt, but those of you who are bothered by the clinical details in these reports just need to lighten up.)
Anecdote
Congresswoman Carol Shea-Porter to Jody yesterday: “Is there anything I can do for you?”
Jody: “Get us out of Iraq!”
Asks
Keep that soup coming. It’s working!
Again, those who want to help but haven’t yet found a way to do so should keep in mind that we are going to need a great deal of help around the house once Jody comes home from rehab in a few weeks.
Thanks
Andi Axman, Debbie Bauch, Jessica Chasney, Susan Dugdale, Merril Dwyer, Diane Eagle, Mark Goldstein, Michael Goun, Dr. Laurie Hill, Carol & Lee Hodsdon, Dr. Kathleen Kelly, Ursula Mackey, Polly MacMullen, Sue Mayer, Sue Mitchell, Sarah Nolan, Agnes O’Connor, Lynn Ontiveros, Dr. Sally Oxnard, John & Alison Parodi, John Peakes, Charlie & Joanie Pratt, Nolan Ring, Amy & Brad Robinson, Martha & Leo Roy, Susanna Scelso, Emily Schmalzer, Rep. Carol Shea-Porter, Andy Silva, Jean Stearns, Molly Supple, Eric Turer, Ellen Wight, and everyone I’m forgetting. We are incredibly fortunate to have such wonderful friends and family.
Special thanks to Dan & Rob at Exeter Motor Works on Rt. 27 (opposite the hockey rink billboard) for offering to replace the wiring in my car’s tailgate. They wouldn’t even let me pay for the parts! Please take your car there and tell all your friends to, also.
Forwarding and mailing list
Please feel free to forward this message in appropriate ways. If you received this from a friend and would like to be added to the mailing list for future updates, or to be removed from the list, please email me at roger [-@at@-] rogergoun.org.