We made it!

Sorry it took so long to post, but we made it in Tuesday night about 7. We were all wiped out and didn't unpack until yesterday morning. Jennie is very happy to be done traveling. Those two days were very rough on her.

Now that we have made it back into KY I am sure she will rest a lot which will hopefully allow her to heal quickly. I will be going back to work next week, but am going to spend the weekend here in Owensboro. I think Rita will probably do the same, although she has had to do a lot of work throughout the trip.

Thanks to everyone for all the prayers and support, I don't think any of us could have made it without the support everyone has shown.

On the road again . . .

After meeting this morning with Dr. Sutherland, we left Minneapolis today and made it into Rockford, IL a little after 7 tonight. Dr. Sutherland thought Jennie's wound looked ok and thought the infection would work itself out without any further antibiotics. We aren't sure what to think about this, and I guess only time will tell. Either way Jennie was anxious to go ahead and leave so we packed up and got out about noon.

We are going to try to get up early tomorrow to head back. It looks like we may have some rough weather to go through, hopefully it will dissipate some overnight.

We're waiting . . .

So there hasn't been much development the last few days. Jennie did get out of the hospital on Wed. and there hasn't been much change the last few days. She has been resting a lot and it seems that she is getting her strength back a bit more each day.

The only real significant activity was that the culture from her wound came back and she does have MRSA again. We were really hoping this wouldn't be the case, but hopefully we can get the medication quicker this time and it will be easier to treat than in the past. Last time she was on antibiotics for almost 6 months before we were able to kick it.

We have been going for longer walks each day, and today we even walked across the street to a local market to get a few supplies. Jennie is really moving pretty well, I think better than she has in the past post surgery. Our appointment is for 9 am on Monday, but we are trying to go ahead and get the medication for the MRSA before that. I will post if there are anymore developments, otherwise it will probably be Monday before I post again.

She broke out ! ! !

Jennie is finally back in the hotel tonight!!! The doctors decided to release her early this afternoon and we got her back here about 4. Hopefully she will be able to rest better here and that should help with the recovery. Her incision is still open a decent amount, and they were debating keeping her in the Hospital for another day or two, but I think she will be more comfortable here at the hotel.

We will still be here until early next week, it sounds like we might get a Monday morning appointment with Dr. Sutherland which would make it where we could possibly leave here that afternoon. If there is a problem with that date, we might have to wait until Wednesday of next week, and we probably won't know until sometime tomorrow. Either way hopefully that will be enough time for Jennie to heal a bit more before the ride home, and if there are any issues hopefully we can deal with them here before leaving. Thanks again for all the prayers and support, we hope to see everyone soon!!

Recovery Day 11

Sorry I was lazy and didn't post yesterday, but yesterday was another good day. They reduced Jennie's PCA in half and went ahead with all of her oral pain meds. They removed the staples from Jennie's incision yesterday and replaced them with steri-strips. Dr. Sutherland wanted this done after he came in and saw how irritated Jennie's skin was from the staples. The wound did open up some at the top after the staples were removed, but the residents expected this and said it would help the wound heal to let it drain a bit.

Today they will be lowering the PCA, but it sounds like they aren't planning on totally doing away with it in time for discharge today. Jennie was hoping to get out today, but I don't think staying one more night will be that bad. Hopefully tomorrow will be the day they release her. Her incision is still open at the top and the doctors are going to come back and pack itwith dressing. The gauze they covered it with is bloody, but we won't know if it is any worse until they come and take the covering off.

Over the last few days Jennie has met 2 other auto-islet cell transplant patients on the floor, and we have all enjoyed meeting these other 2 ladies and getting to talk to them and their families about their struggles. The first girl is Sara, who just had the procedure done on Thursday last week. It sounds like Dr. Sutherland was able to operate on her before the chronic pancreatitis got too bad, and she is recovering very well. Her mom is also a former nurse, so she and Rita have really been able to talk and bond through the last few days. The second lady's name is Sandy, and she had the transplant done in 2006 and just had the subtotal colectomy done the same day as Jennie's surgery. She is also planning on coming back in about 6 weeks to have the Roux-en-y procedure done also like Jennie. Her road has been a little more difficult like Jennie's, so it has been nice for Jennie to see another patient who has had to deal with these issues. Hopefully her recovery will be swift and these will be the last surgeries she needs. Please pray for both of the women also, they are both very nice and Jennie has really bonded with them in a short time.

On a lighter note, here is a funny story that happened a few days ago. This happened just a day or two after Jennie began getting up out of the bed. Rita and I were both here and were getting the IVs unplugged, and getting Jennie's slippers and gown together as she was attempting to get out of bed. All of a sudden we hear a grunt and both of us looked over to see Jennie on the edge of the bed flailing her arms. Neither of us was sure what Jennie was doing, but after a second I grabbed her arm and helped her up. It turns out she apparently was falling backwards a bit, although neither one of us could tell at the time. We have since referred to this as the turtle incident because Jennie looked just like a turtle trying to get off his back. Luckily Jennie didn't get hurt and we can laugh about it now.

Please keep Jennie in your prayers, we are hoping she will be out of here soon!

Recovery Day 9

Today was another day with some significant improvement. They are starting to move Jennie back to oral medicine, which is the last major hurdle to get out of the hospital. It will likely take 2 or 3 days, as the doctors are taking it slow (a good thing).

Today they switched her off the continuous drip and onto her long acting oral medicine. The plan is to reduce the PCA slowly beginning tomorrow and switch her back to the rest of her oral meds. I feel like today has gone fairly well, and I think tomorrow will be the bigger test. Jennie hasn't been maxing out her PCA, so today she can increase it a little if the oral meds don't work as well, but tomorrow that option won't be there. She is bound and determined not to increase her oral medicine any more, which might make it even more difficult.

Anyway thank you all for the thoughts and prayers, we are getting close to leaving the hospital, which should help Jennie rest better and give her more time to heal.

Recovery Day 8

So the past 24 hours have been very productive. Jennie did get the NG tube and catheter both out yesterday, and they started her on a clear liquid diet yesterday. She tolerated the clear liquids well and today they moved her to a full diet. She isn't pushing it much though, and her most adventurous selection so far has been a few bites of grilled cheese and some mac and cheese.

If she tolerates this adjustment well also, they will try to begin weening her off the IV medications tomorrow, although that could take a little time with the high doses she is on. They did remove the insulin drip today after she began eating some normal foods, so really the pain medicine is the only major hurdle left. She is getting around pretty good and is getting stronger each day. With any luck she will be out of here early next week.

Due to that fact, we ask that you not send any more cards to the hospital. We will eventually get them, but after we leave it may take several weeks because they will be forwarded to Louisville. I am posting the Hotel address below which we will still be at for about the next week, or you can send cards to Philpot or Louisville, whichever you prefer.

Towne Place Suites

525 N. 2nd St

C/O Rita Jones

Minneapolis, MN 55401

Recovery Day 7

We are now officially a week out from the surgery, and today looks to be a day of progress. The team of surgeons came in this morning minus Dr. Sutherland and want to take the NG tube and catheter out today. I think just getting those out will make Jennie feel a lot better, and it will force her to get up to go to the bathroom, which could speed up the recovery a bit. They are also wanting her to start on a clear liquid diet, hopefully it will go over well.

Everything else has been holding steady, but Jennie is still pretty tired. Yesterday we managed to get in four good walks which is one more than the doctors were expecting, so she has good reason to be worn out. I will post if there is anything significant later.

Recovery Day 6

Today is another day with Jennie feeling a little stronger and becoming more mobile, but little other progress. Dr. Sutherland came in this afternoon and said that he hopes to get the NG tube and catheter out tomorrow. I would guess if that does happen Jennie might be out of here by early next week, although that is just my speculation. Even if we do get out then, we will likely spend most next week in the hotel recovering and waiting to see Dr. Sutherland in clinic before coming back home. Really how fast Jennie's recovery goes at this point is mostly dependent on her GI tract beginning to function again.

We have already gone on 3 walks for the day, which is very good. Hopefully we can squeeze one more in before the end of the night. Jennie also wanted me to make sure that I put on here about the largest ulcer rupturing as soon as Dr. Sutherland touched it to remove it. We are very lucky it happened in surgery instead of before, or we would have been rushing in for emergency surgery, which is never good.

Rita and I have switched, and I will be spending the night tonight, so I will hopefully get the post up earlier tomorrow before I go back to the hotel for some sleep. Thanks for all the support, her room is really starting to liven up with all the cards and photos.

Recovery Day 5

Today Jennie seems to be doing much better. We have been for two walks in the hall today, and I can tell she is getting a lot stronger. They have taken her off the oxygen and they removed her central line today. She has also begun having bowel sounds, and the doctors have mentioned removing the NG tube possibly tomorrow depending on how she progresses through the day and overnight.

They didn't mention it, but I would guess they will be removing the catheter about the same time, it seems like they usually do. It seems like her hemoglobin is stabilizing also, it actually went up from a 9.1 to a 9.3 today which is very good to see. Hopefully the transfusions are over. We have also begun receiving cards from everyone, and her room is quickly being transformed. Thanks for all the thoughts and prayers, it is great to hear the words of encouragement from everyone.

Recovery Day 4

There hasn't been much change in the last 24 hours. The two units of blood yesterday have gotten her hemoglobin up to a 9.1 which is much better than the 7.3 from yesterday. Today the NG tube has started really irritating Jennie's throat, so we got some chloraseptic spray to see if it will help. Jennie has gotten up and sat in the chair twice already today, which really wore her out.

The only issue Jennie is having at this point is that we still aren't hearing any bowel sounds, which will determine when she is able to start a clear liquid diet and get the NG tube removed. I know she will feel much better once that happens, especially if we can avoid getting the TPN (IV nutrients). They will have to start them before long if her GI tract doesn't start working, but she doesn't do very well with it.

I was finally able to get the pictures we received into a slideshow and burned a DVD of it for Jennie this morning. She loved it! Thanks to everyone that was able to send pictures. If we get any more in the next few days I will add them, so don't be discouraged from sending them.

Recovery Day 3

Jennie is still doing pretty well today. Her hemoglobin has dropped from an 8.0 yesterday to 7.3 today, so they are going to give her two units of blood. At this point we are unsure what the cause is, but Dr. Sutherland hasn't come in yet today so hopefully he will have some ideas when we see him. Jennie is not feeling as well today, but I think that is likely due to the low blood count so with any luck she will feel better after the transfusion has begun.

PT would like for her to get up and walk a bit today, but I doubt that will happen until after the transfusion because she is just so weak. I will post again if we find anything major out, but it looks like today will be another day with lots of rest and just letting her body heal a bit on its own.

Recovery Day 2

Today Jennie is doing well. They have increased her pain medicine several times, and it seems to finally be keeping her fairly comfortable where she can get some sleep. They also increased the suction on her NG tube which is helping to keep her from getting so nauseous. Other than that, she has sat at the edge of the bed again, and seems to be getting a little stronger. I don't know how much real progress we will see today, but hopefully she can get a lot of rest and rebuild her strength. I am sure once tomorrow gets here and Physical Therapy comes in they will be trying to push her even more.

Anyone that would like to write, her address is:

University of Minnesota Medical Center - Fairview

500 Harvard St

Attn: Jennie Boggess Floor 6D Room 6-514

Minneapolis, MN 55455

Please don't send any gifts, only cards. We are limited in space both in the room and for the trip back and the Hospital won't let her have flowers in her room. Thanks again for all the support and prayers, hopefully we will be out of the Hospital and back on our way to KY soon!

Recovery Day 1, Round 4

Last night was a difficult night for Jennie. Even though we talked with Dr. Sutherland and his staff multiple times about making sure she had a high enough level of pain medicine, Jennie came out of surgery with not near enough medicine, similar to the last surgery.

It took us about 3 hours before we were able to get the on-call doctor to come up, and when he did he was afraid to increase the pain meds too much. For some archaic reason even though the hospital is totally computerized now, they can't seem to access her previous records from the other surgeries to determine what level of medicine she required in the past. Anyway, when the team of doctors came in this morning they did increase the medicine enough to give her some relief, it just seems ridiculous that she was in pain for 10-12 hours with little relief.

Other than the pain issue, it seems like Jennie is recovering well from the surgery. She still has a lot of abdominal pain as would be expected, but her hemoglobin has stayed fairly high and there doesn't appear to be any complications at this point. They are also taking additional steps to prevent her from getting MRSA again, we just hope that it works.

Thanks to everyone again for the prayers and support, hopefully Jennie will make a lot of progress in the next few days.

Surgery is done

Dr. Sutherland came out just a few minutes ago and it appears the surgery went pretty well. He was able to remove the ulcers, a little more of the stomach, and he was able to cut one of the Vagus nerves. He was unable to find the other Vagus nerve, but he seemed to think the one would likely do the trick. If it doesn't work, he said the other one could be done without opening her wide open again.

He also noticed a large amount of adhesions and removed as much as possible. We are not sure why she is developing the adhesions so quickly, but the slow recovery the last 3 times due to MRSA is bound to factor in. Anyway, Dr. Sutherland was pleased with the surgery and the fact he was able to finish in less than the 4 hours he estimated makes us feel good about it. Thank you all for the prayers, hopefully the recovery will go smoothly.

Prayer Group

Since yesterday was the National Day of Prayer, here are a few pics from Rita's work at a special Prayer Vigil they had for Jennie yesterday. It is amazing to see how much support we have, and it really helps to make things easier. Thanks to everyone again!

Surgery is finally underway . . .

Just a quick note to let everyone know that they finally took Jennie back to Surgery about 3:45 pm CST and the surgery is expected to go 4-5 hours. I will let everyone know if we get any further updates, but it will likely be a while.

In the mean time here are some more pics from Rita's work. They sent quite a few, so I only uploading a couple of them, but Jennie has loved them! Thank you all so much for providing a few laughs today, especially since the delay in the start time made it that much worse.

Family Pics

So the Family decided that for this surgery the theme would be "Fighting for Jennie". Here are a few of the family pictures. They really seem to have made Jennie's day, and I am still getting them in my e-mail so I will post updates as available. If anyone has any pics just send them to me, I know Jennie will love to have additions when she gets out of Surgery!

On the surgery side, Dr. Sutherland's morning surgery is running behind so they are waiting to put Jennie under until he is ready for her. I will let you know when we have some idea of a time frame.

Meeting with Dr. Sutherland

Today we had the pre-op appointment with Dr. Sutherland and Jennie did the boost test to determine how well the islet cells are working in the liver. We haven't heard anything tonight, so we assume her blood count was acceptable and that she won't need a transfusion prior to the surgery.

The surgery time is set for 1 pm tomorrow, and we have to be at the hospital at 11 am to get her admitted. I will likely be doing several posts tomorrow as we get updates. Jennie and I both appreciate all the prayers and support we have received. Just knowing how many people care and are following along I think helps both of us a lot.

Back in Minnesota again . . .

After two days of many hours in the car, we finally arrived in Minneapolis a little before 8 pm tonight. For anyone that may not know the game plan yet, we will be meeting with Dr. Sutherland again on Thursday in preparation for the surgery on Friday at 1:00 pm. We anticipate Jennie's blood level being low on Thursday, so we will probably spend several hours getting a unit or two of blood.

As for the trip, we made it to Bloomington, IL yesterday which is about an hour and a half south of Rockford. We got a later start than we wanted, so we decided to try and make up the extra time this morning rather than rushing to find a room at midnight or later. We did get out about 9 this morning, and after a short stop in Wisconsin Dells for some Outlet Mall shopping, we made pretty good time on the rest of the trip. We had a few short bouts with heavy rain, but it wasn't too bad. Unfortunately the Minnesota Twins were playing tonight about the same time, and the stadium is only a few blocks from the hotel, so we spent a little extra time in heavy traffic.

Tomorrow we will finish unpacking, as we are all pretty tired from the drive. We are going to have to go to the store and purchase groceries and the rest of what we need, but other than that we will likely take the day easy and try to let Jennie relax as much as possible before Friday.