We have had an abrupt change in plans for Joy's procedures. The angioplasty scheduled for Tuesday Oct. 25th, has been postponed. Doctor Sanchez-Mejia and Dr. Redfield, an expert in infectious diseases, determined that the metal plate that is exposed on Joy's incision line along the edge of her scalp should be removed before any more procedures are performed. That will occur tomorrow, Monday. It had been contaminated with a MRSA infection but we have been treating it for several weeks with doxycycline and the more the infection went away, the more the plate installed to fasten her skull flap has become exposed. Dr. Sanchez commented that the skin appeared to be growing back under the plate which is approximately a half inch wide and an inch long and attached by surgical screws. This has been a problem since at least March, although we didn't really know what it was until a month or two ago. Why it was not diagnosed correctly by the doctors at Carmel Mountain Rehab when we first began to notice in March, I don't know.
We saw Drs. Sanchez and Redfield and Dr. Sanchez's assistant Brenda on Thursday, the 20th. Here's a picture of Brenda checking Joy's vital signs:
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| Brenda and Joy |
Brenda is a capable and caring medical professional and we feel lucky to have her working with Joy.
Dr. Sanchez believes we can schedule the angioplasty procedure sometime in the next month. We will keep you posted on that. He told me that there have been advancements in coiling and stenting procedures since Joy had her first angioplasty procedure back in early January and that he will be able to do things for her that could not have been done then. Then there is the matter of the repair of the voids in Joy's skull. I believe it will be several months before we attempt that, but we will continue to consult with Dr. Sanchez on when the best time would be.
We missed some physical therapy dates because Joy had a low grade fever for a couple of days and Nurse Sue's new dog suffered some bite wounds from her two other dogs, which led to surgery and made Sue unavailable. But we went Friday the 21st and had a good session with Rachel. Here are two pictures from that day:
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| as photogenic as ever |
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| learning to rake again |
Joy looks lovely and healthy these days. She seems happy and contented, although occasionally she asserts her will at what seem like inopportune times for us. For example she sometimes balks at getting into the car before and/or after an appointment or outing. This can turn into a test of wills, which I think is good for her. Although she is improving, she has a long way to go in terms of recovery. In the parlance of stroke terminology, she has "deficits." Her deficits are described medically as "aphasia," "apraxia" and to a lesser extent "dysphagia." She cannot speak except in occasional phrases, she can't do most simple tasks, and while she can swallow and will eat heartily, she tends to "pocket" her food at certain times, which means she doesn't always swallow things immediately and will hold food or liquid in her mouth for half an hour or more. Her deficits are abating slowly, but it is going to be a long process. There is much she will have to re-learn. That said, her progress is frequently noticeable in small and subtle ways.
One day last week, Sue saw that a great blue heron had landed on the wall of our spa, perhaps 25 feet from our back door. (It often feeds on the small fish in our neighbor's large koi fish pond next door.) She brought Joy over to the glass door to see the creature, which is nearly four feet tall when standing perched. Joy looked at it and said slowly, "Oh my!"
I bought Joy an Ipad this week and also one for her sister Susan. The money for this came from the generosity of Joy's co-workers who way back in January donated $1650 in gift credit cards to show their appreciation and help in her recovery. I will never forget the day that Cyndy Smith, Joy's friend and associate at Pitney Bowes, first came to visit Joy at Loma Linda UMC and brought the gift with her. It came at a very difficult time and it moved me to tears. (Cyndy and I went through quite a few tissues that day.) I'm hoping the Ipads can help in Joy's recovery. There are apparently a number of applications at the Apple Store for disabled people to help in their recovery. Susan and I will be looking into them. I am very grateful to Joy's co-workers and thank them from the bottom of my heart for their generosity.
Yesterday, Joy, Susan and Sue went shopping for shoes for Joy, since the ones she usually wears are getting old. Joy loves shoes and was a fearsome and legendary shopper for them before her ordeal. Think Imelda Marcos with coupons. Yesterday, she clearly favored a pair of stitched and studded red shoes with straps. Susan swore that she could tell that Joy fell in love with the shoes and was looking at them from all angles in the mirror. So they bought them for her, even though they cost $300. If Joy--who had a rule to never buy something that wasn't on sale--had known what the shoes cost, she would have had a heart attack. The good news is that we finally got our tax refund this week after filing late this year. Here are the (quite handsome) shoes:
I will try and post a quick update after Joy's procedure on Monday.
Love to you all,
Doug
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