INTEGRIS Jim Thorpe Rehabilitation

One of the most difficult things we all deal with in a prolonged illness and recovery, of any kind, is the waiting. We wait for progress that which is small and that which is large. We wait for news; we wait for just about everything. We even wait to see her, wondering when will be a good time. I know it seems for you, as it does for me, that it has been a very long wait for news. We just all have to accept that things do happen slowly. Very slowly. I think too that we do all have to consider that the waiting is perhaps the very longest for Janet.

Last Wednesday Janet moved from the Oklahoma Heart Hospital to the Jim Thorpe Inpatient Rehabilitation Center. She is in the west wing of the 6th floor in room 621 at Baptist Integress Hospital. Janet is receiving four therapy sessions a day. Her work sessions are in the areas of occupational therapy, physical therapy and speech therapy. These are very long hard days of exhausting work. But she is in a wonderful place.  I have posted a section on the right of films where you can see for yourself what an incredible program she is in!

I once visited a very close friend who was in a rehabilitation center following the removal of a brain tumor. He did not have his phone nor did he have even a laptop. Considering his profession was in IT that was a surprise to me. But I found the facility had serious rules there and very strict routines, all developed to benefit their patients. Although I wanted to, I did not visit often nor did I call much while he was there because I had seen firsthand how much pressure, stress and exhaustion his routine was causing. We all wanted him to devote himself to only one thing ... getting well. I missed him very much but I can tell you that today we are still very good friends and he is now only as far as my phone, my email, my Facebook page, or a lunch together. I do know from my personal experience that this time too will pass with Janet.  How long?  Well, it will be however long it takes!

Although Janet's phone is on her table we are asking that you hold off on calling her directly, texting her or emailing her. At least for now. She is having a bit of trouble working her phone right now so we don't want things to pile up on her. There will be time in the future for that again. You can call the hospital and ask for the desk on her floor.  If it is a good time they might put you through to her room.  But for now, let’s avoid the cell phone.

She is having a few visitors. Jim is going up in the evenings. Her brother, David, stopped in last Friday and he will see her again this week.  Her good friend Terri saw her yesterday and told me she ‘saw the Janet she knows and loves’.  She has told me that Janet is tired.  She said Janet is hurting but the laugh and the smile and the attitude is all there. She is losing the fluids that have caused so much swelling and has lost quite a bit of weight.  Although this is not how any of us want to lose weight, Janet is excited to be able to see her cheekbones again! J  She made it down the hall & back on her walker.  We are thrilled she is regaining strength on her right side and is able to use her fork and she even has cut up chicken. It is a slow and painful process to re-learn so many of the tasks we each take for granted but Janet is a fighter and Terri said she is ready to fight the fight. 

I am planning to wait a while before going from Tulsa to see her again.  I do hope to see her at least once before my own scheduled surgery in mid June.   I know how grueling Janet’s schedule is and I know how hard she is working.  After all this is a 7 day a week gig for her!  Having heard about David’s visit on Friday and then Terri’s report from Monday I know she is making great progress already! 

Her good friend, Susan, has not been there at all this week.  She has been down with a stomach virus and has graciously avoided sharing it with any one …. Especially with Janet.  This is something we all, also need to be careful of too.  If anyone is feeling the least bit ill, please don’t go. 

If you feel you need to go, it is very important to call the desk first and ask. She may be in a therapy session or she may be resting. But it is possible you could slip in at a time when she is not in a therapy session or resting. If so, I am sure she would love to see you but please stay only a very short time, perhaps only 10 or 15 minutes.  If you do decide to inquire through the desk you might also ask if she has had other visitors that day before trying to go yourself. We all have to remember why she is there and allow her all the time she needs for her recovery.   

I know Janet would very much love receiving cards and notes from you.  Your words of encouragement, your wishes to get well and your prayers all mean the world to her.  Please take a minute and send her a card or note when you can to: 

Janet Henthorn   Room 621

Jim Thorpe Inpatient Rehabilitation Center

Integress Hospital

3300 NW Expressway

Oklahoma City, OK 73112 

Phone: 405.949.3435 

You can also post your comments here on the blog knowing that Janet will, in time, be reading this herself.  If you wish to contact me directly you can email me at cyn_elliott@yahoo.com.

In this journey we have seen the power of prayer at work.  I know Janet is very appreciative of your prayers and of those in the many prayer chains she has been included in.  Let’s continue to pray for more great progress in Janet’s rehabilitation and the strength for her to work very hard.

A Visit With Jannet

I visited Janet at the Oklahoma Heart Hospital yesterday.  It was more than going to see her again because this time it was a real visit.  It was my first time to see Janet awake and able to talk to me.  There are no words to describe how much this huge change meant to me...I will leave it that it was another prayer answered to have this time with her. 

Elated, more prayers answered, her feeding tube was removed yesterday morning!

Janet is still very weak.  Although she is managing time up in a chair and is able to stand with assistance she is still unable to walk.  Her knees and ankles are still quite swollen from the fluids used when she was chilled.  The nurse told me there is really nothing for her to do about this except to try to keep them elevated.  Over the course of the past few weeks Janet has had many drugs administered and it will take time for them to wear off for this and other side affects she is experiencing.  Once again more time is the answer. 

 

Without the feeding tube, her nurses are monitoring what and how much she eats.  Counting calories!  She was munching on a lovely bowl of fruit a friend brought to her and a few almonds.  As three almonds slowly disappeared she told me how much she loves them.  But then she told me now hard it is to eat and to breathe at the same time.  She is working to manage the two together.  She also told me it is very hard to talk and to breathe too.  I could see she was reserving and managing her comments to save on air.  The nurse came in, Janet reported the three almonds for the count.

Today, perhaps tomorrow, she is going to be moved from the intensive care unit to a regular room.  Janet told me she is going from the hospital to a rehabilitation facility and in her words, “I think I need that but I know it will be hard work”.  Her nurse joined our conversation and told her of one she had personal experience with.  Janet was interested and upbeat when hearing about it.  The nurse also told her she could be moved to one even before she can walk.  Janet has said she believes exercise in a pool and using parallel bars to walk with would be a great help to her.  Later this week I am going back to Oklahoma City to spend a day with Jim looking at some possible places.

  

Janet shared with me that she is going to have to learn to write again.  Our conversation went something like this…

Janet, “I can’t write.”

Me, “you can’t?”

Janet, “No, I tried, can’t do it. I’m going to have to learn”

Me, “You will.”

Then with a big smile she said, “Yes, I will, but I can still type” 

I wondered how she knew that, but she was pleased so I was too.

I do believe Janet will learn to write again.  We also know this might be but one of the daily tasks that we all take for granted she will be working to relearn.  It will take time.  Janet knows her one job now is to get better and that it is going to be hard work.  The one thing she is not looking forward to is the bypass surgery in her future.  And who of us would look forward to that?  But she does know it is a necessary part of her over all wellness plans.

Janet relayed a conversation she had with her doctor. I believe you should know about it too.  He came into her room and said to her, “You know you are a miracle, don’t you?  You were not supposed to live.”  It was then that she told me she knew many people were praying for her and how grateful she is for their prayer.  I told her I believed it to be hundreds, maybe thousands and I asked if she knew about this blog.  She said she knows some and asked me to include some things in this posting including her gratitude for so much prayer.  She said she knows it is not only the blog, but the people she knows and even greater the wider circle of people they know and those beyond that other's know.   Janet has a strong faith and she knows, along with incredible medical care, that the power of prayer has saved her life.

I have missed her so much.  It was good to see her and to talk with her.  Yes, I have seen her a lot but this is the first time in weeks we could actually talk.  We talked about a scrapbooking event that is coming up and she said she knows she can’t go, but said that she will be back.  She talked about her Mary Kay business knowing it would be a while before she can get back there too.   Our banter was mostly just normal things for us. 

Janet did have a lot of company yesterday.   When I arrived, around 5:30, she was exhausted.  She told me she appreciated seeing those who had come by very much but said that her day had really been too much for her.  Her doctors and nurses want to put a sign on her door prohibiting any visitors and she is really hoping that does not happen.    For now, the doctors have asked that the number of people who visit and the length of time they stay be very limited.  She does not have much stamina and wears out very easily.  Wisely, Janet asked us all to leave even telling Jim to go home and feed the animals and have an early night. 

She has loved the cards she has received so I thought I would include an address for you. 

Janet Henthorn

Oklahoma Heart Hospital

4050 West Memorial Road
Oklahoma City, OK 73120

When she moves to a rehabilitation facility I will update an address for you.  Post your comments here, as it won’t be long before Janet reads this entire blog.  I know she will love seeing that you have been here for her every step of theway.

This week, I know Janet would enjoy a card or a note from you.  I know she will read each one as she regains her strength.  And one more thing I might ask.  Each time you pick up a pen to write something down, perhaps that could be a reminder to say an extra prayer.  Knowing writing is a task Janet will be working to do again, give thanks that you are able to and pray she will master this task again soon.

Prayer is powerful!  Thank you for your prayers.

Janet is Improving

David visited Janet in OKC yesterday, Tuesday, to find that the ventilator is gone!  Again, more prayers answered! 

Now Janet is able to speak, although her throat is sore and she is still very weak.  She is unable to walk on her own yet, still needing rest and to regain her strength.  We are hoping her feeding tube and all related tubes will be removed soon and that she will be a bit freer when she is strong enough and able to navigate around her room on her own.   She is spending time up in her chair and focusing on the television. 

David spent about two hours with her and she was responding to various questions.  He asked her about family member’s names and other things he knew she should know the correct answers for; most of his questions she was able to answer correctly.  There were a few things she was a bit off on, but that was not totally unexpected to us.  With more time, we hope more memories will straighten out a bit more.

With each day now it seems we are seeing big improvements.  Comparatively we know they are.  It seems that way to us now following our long wait for the smallest pieces of positive news along the way.  Janet is not yet entirely sure what all has happened to her but she knows she is not in very good shape yet.  And of course, she is making noise about going home.  Something Jim has told her is not going to happen right now.

The many nurses who have cared for her around the clock are very excited about her progress.  There is excitement for her up and down the other pods on the floor and individually they are looking in on her.  The team at the Oklahoma Heart Hospital takes their jobs very seriously and they care deeply for their patients.  I think more than any of us these wonderfully skilled people know they are seeing miracles in Janet’s progress.  We are still grateful she is under their watch as she improves.

So much behind us; so many prayers answered.  Having come through the trauma of a second heart attack and two prolonged events during her first day with two more following, the chilling and rewarming of her body for the induced coma and the extended period of sleep after, not to mention the struggle to keep her blood pressure and heart rate in control we all feel very blessed to have Janet awake and as far as she has now come. 

With all of our many blessings we know Janet’s heart is still very fragile.  As Janet learns more about the events of the past weeks, we pray for her to have the patience and understanding of her need to continue resting and gaining her strength.  We hope for the same patience and understanding of all who love and support her through this time.   Her doctors have told us she will need to stay under professional care until her heart can be repaired.  Getting well can be a full time job and it is not easy for any of us to ask for help.  We pray for Janet to have understanding for herself, that she will direct the determination we all know she has towards her own health and for her to have the patience to endure. 

For our many blessings we praise God.  We appreciate your prayer as Janet’s journey continues.

More Prayers Answered

Last evening, about 7:00, we received an elated call from Jim.  He had walked into Janet’s room and she was sitting up in a chair.  He told us she was alert, knew hot from cold, responded to his voice and responded to his daughter, Troy!  Her nurses said she had had a very busy day.  Although not ready to come off of the ventilator, this is incredible progress!

More prayers answered!  Janet has regained consciousness!  We continue to pray for positive responses and that she is soon able to breathe on her own.  We thank the Lord for the blessings he is bestowing on us.

Progress!

On Saturday, another quick trip to OKC and back for David and I.  First, I need to make one small correction to yesterday’s post.  Along with the balloon pump, Janet’s temporary pace maker was removed last week too.  Well, unlike many of the other huge apparatus we have now kissed goodbye, this one was a small device and no one had mentioned its absence to me.  I am not the best for peeking around but I do ask questions and yesterday that one came up.  So we will count this as another prayer answered!  Thank you…

A blessing to Janet, and one I know she would appreciate, is that her room is now much quieter with the absence of these machines.  It also makes a difference for us when we visit.  Where there were once as many as fifteen bags of medications there now are only a couple of bags hanging.  With the balloon pump and icing machines no longer at the foot of the bed, the room seems so much more open.  Best and most obvious to me is that the crash cart is no longer in the room now either. 

Everything the medical staff could possibly need is on this hospital floor.  From a complete lab to portable x-ray machines, all the way to equipment for CT scans, for echocardiograms and that for obtaining an EEG.   Most of the time, the equipment comes to Janet.

With the urologist signing herself off of Janet’s case, the neurologist entered the scene on Friday night.  He performed a complete neurological exam on Janet and followed it with both a CT scan of her brain as well as an EEG on Saturday morning.  Just as the family has had questions I know many of you have too.  With great joy I can share with you that more prayers have been answered!  His findings were that there is electrical activity in her brain.  More, he found that there is no neurological reason why Janet is not yet waking up.  Nor is there any neurological reason why she is not yet off the ventilator.  For both he has said that Janet just needs more time.  Every person is different, everyone responds differently and some just need more time than others.  So we continue to wait and to pray.

Although not yet conscious, Janet had her eyes open much of the day.  Jim found this a huge positive sign and a great comfort.  He has been remarkable throughout all.  Many of you may know that Janet and Jim are in the midst of a massive remodel of their home.  Jim has continued to see this through with new walls now painted, new flooring installed and blinds yet to hang he is nearly ready to have the furniture moved back in.  Each day he has told Janet of the progress at home, knowing she will be so pleased when it is completed.  His daughter, Troy, has been at the hospital often.  She has also been out at the house often just hanging out with her dad.

This week an automatic email came out from Janet announcing a new Mary Kay book.  This prompted us to remember Janet’s business!  Knowing she would want her customers taken care of her friend, Susan has been working with Jim to gather names and messages.  Jim and Janet’s long time friend, Janeen, has been sitting with Janet and Jim each evening after work.  Her friend Terri has been looking in on her many mornings.   I will be eternally grateful to all three of these wonderful gals for looking after this family and for helping me in spreading this blog of information to Janet’s many other friends. 

Janet is among the most blessed with friends.  Jim has expressed to me how grateful he is for the many who have called, messaged, offered help, and who are praying with us.  He has said, Janet has so many friends that are like her family and he is right.  My sister-in-law is very blessed.

Waiting is hard, it is hard for us and we know it is hard for all of Janet’s friends.  The nurses have expressed how much they know this but that Janet needs time, rest and prayer for now.  Each of us are spacing our visits to Janet while balancing our tasks at home and at work.  We have been told this wait can be weeks, and possibly more weeks.  We are so grateful to know how many will be there when the time does come for Janet to go home and for now how many prayers are being offered.

Some have asked why I chose this blog as a medium.  Some have suggested Carringbridge (which I am familiar with) or similar pass worded sites.  Frankly, this is a simple medium you can get to through your email, your Facebook page or your phone.  You can comment and share your thoughts.  You are welcome to email me pictures of Janet (cyn_elliott@yahoo.com) and I will share them here.  This blog is not set to be found on Google or other search engines.  You are likely reading it because you are a friend of Janet, her family or her friends and someone has sent you the link. Please click to follow this blog and you might consider entering your email address so when I update it you will automatically be notified.  I will try to post at least once a week for you.  Our progress happens slowly.  Today 102 people have viewed this page, so far.  In the past week it has been seen 929 times.  Not only are we trying to give you accurate and up to date information, I know we have gathered a huge circle of prayer for Janet with this blog. 

We have had many prayers answered but we are still on a long road.  We are asking specifically for prayer that Janet will breathe on her own and that she will soon wake up.

“For where two or three gather together as my followers, I am there among them."  Matthew 18:20

Progress this week!

David and I both went to visit Janet yesterday.   Although he had been there during the week, it just felt time for us both to go again.  The 100 miles between us once seemed just a short hop across the turnpike.  There are days now when I feel it is just so far.  I know you know.

Each day has been filled with progress, slow as it seems on day by day basis.  Collectively Janet has come a long way.  One by one, prayers are being heard.

The chilling pads were removed early in the week.  Although her body temperature was brought back to normal by Saturday afternoon, the pads remained to help control her temperature.  The body will try to rewarm itself and having the pads still in place actually prevented her from spiking a fever. 

Janet’s heart is now beating without the assistance of the balloon pump that was removed on Tuesday morning.   She still has the temporary pace maker in place.   Knowing that her heart is beating on its own and we’ve had several days without incident is truly an answer to our prayers. 

Through the week her nurses have been reducing her medications.  Janet is on insulin to control her blood sugar and is receiving only an occasional dosage of pain medications. Her blood pressure and her heart rate are stabilizing on their own now.  More prayers answered!  What a difference to see only a couple of bags hanging above her, when just a few days ago so much more was necessary.

Her pulmonologist has daily been working with the ventilator to remove it.  Yesterday he tried turning it to a C-pap setting.  But at this setting Janet would have to initiate the breath for the machine to complete it.  Her doctors believe they will be able to remove the ventilator; Janet is not ready to breathe on her own yet.  A few more prayers and a bit more time and I believe we will see that machine go soon.

A feeding tube was added this week, something the doctors told us last week was not needed.  Progress!  She needs food!  Earlier in the week there was concern about her kidneys but she now has a good urine output again.  So good, the urologist has signed herself off the case!   Another concern earlier this week was pneumonia but she has been given antibiotics and we have been told this is also not a concern now.  Two more prayers answered!

 We know Janet’s many friends are waiting and praying with us.  Our family is very grateful for the wonderful people surrounding us all, near and far.  We know the waiting is excruciating.  Not only for us but for Janet’s many friends too.  We know too that prayer is powerful. 

Thank each and every one of you for waiting with us and for your prayer.  In that, we ask that your prayers for Janet include the return of Janet’s ability to breathe on her own so the ventilator can go away.  She is no longer receiving any medications to sedate her.  We also ask for prayer that Janet will soon regain consciousness on her own. 

Janet has fantastic medical care.  The doctors continue to do everything possible for her.  We have been told this is going to take time. We have been told It can take weeks and weeks.   I know how powerful prayer is …. And that is what we need the very most now.  Let us all pray that this coming week brings us more answers to our prayers for Janet.

Janet's Heart

On Saturday, April 16^th David’s sister, Janet Henthorn, suffered a massive heart attack.  She was at the emergency vet’s office when it happened for which many of us are grateful that she was that much closer to where the paramedics could get to her.  Janet was taken to the Oklahoma Heart Hospital in Oklahoma City.  Her doctors immediately put two stints and a balloon into the right aorta of her heart.  She remained on the balloon pump as it assisted her heart in beating, one pump for one beat, until on Monday she had been weaned from it and the pump was removed. 

For those who know Janet (and for those who may not), she is the eternal optimist and the one you can always count on to be there for you.  She is compassionate, practical and pragmatic; always the first one to tell you that you need to take care of yourself.  Janet has always been there in support as those in her life have faced personal tragedy, family and/or health challenges, work challenges, and so many of the trials of life. 

Janet was released from the hospital on Wednesday, April 20th to go home.  Her job was to rest and recuperate until she would be strong enough for surgery to repair the damage in her heart.  There is a process for all of us who face major health issues.  As we progress through the emotions of disbelief (this can’t be happening to me), anger (Why is this happening to me?), and fear (what will happen to me now) we all, hopefully, get to the determination stage and vow to do everything possible to get well.  This is, as many are aware, often a full time job to do.  Janet was elated to be home on Wednesday evening and I know she was in contact by phone, text and email with many of her friends.  I believe that many understood she was progressing through some of these stages because, as always, that optimism was heard in her voice and writings.  There just was not enough time for Janet to work through all the normal emotions for her situation. 

On Thursday morning, April 21^st, her heart again began to fail.  Her husband, Jim, called 911 and she was taken immediately back to the Oklahoma Heart Hospital.  Her husband Jim actually beat the ambulance as he contacted her brother, David, to come immediately back.  While in the ER, Janet’s heart stopped and she was down for 30 minutes as the ER staff worked to revive her.  We know she was shocked 15 times.  Immediately following this event her doctor placed a third stint in her right aorta, reinserted the balloon pump and added a temporary pace maker.  Thursday afternoon, her heart went into sinus rhythm and again she was revived by cardiac massage and this time only two shocks. 

Her doctor’s decided to place her in a Therapeutic Induced Hypothermia, lowering her body temperature to 33 °C which is equal to 91.4 °F.  Her thighs and abdomen were wrapped in water blankets where cooled water was gradually moving her body temperature down.  Additionally cold water was circulated into her veins.  The process took several hours and the time was marked at 5:15 pm Thursday which was exactly when they would allow the process to reverse 24 hours later and allow her body to warm again.  Through this time there has been equipment on her ankles that help circulation and she was placed on a ventilator.  Janet was given drugs that placed her in a state of paralysis and sedatives strong enough so she would not wake through this procedure. She also has a central line allowing immediate change and delivery of medications.  Yes, this has been an induced coma.  The purpose was to allow the blood to flow through her heart and brain with as much oxygen as possible___ and with as little strain on or work from her heart as possible. 

There is a wonderful website that has been published by the only family who has ever been through this process two times at OHH.  It has been written from the family’s perspective and the nurses at OHH really recommend it for family and friends….. http://bigchillsurvivor.com/wordpress/?page_id=2  Janet will not go through the process again.  The patient who went through this 2x did so on two separate incidents many months apart.  I know you will find this web site informative to understand what Janet has been through and amazing in that the medicine is incredible.

Since the time that Janet has arrived at the OHH on Thursday morning she has been tended round the clock by a single nurse.  The nurses have been incredible.  They never leave her side unless they slip over to the desk to order a medication.  While with her they are constantly monitoring her, mixing her medications, remixing them and seeking the right combination that will work for her.  They have told us that the right combination is different for each person.  We were at one point informed that they were using every medication available to them to control Janet’s blood pressure.  And the ‘control’ has been the search to keep it high enough for her.  Additionally they are monitoring her sedation meds, pain meds, so many it is impossible for us to count.  The cooling process has caused her to be puffy, much as if she were on a large dose of steroids.  This may become some worse before it gets better even after she is warmed.  The nurses are also monitoring the output of the fluids and so far that too has been at good levels.  Her blood sugar has been a great concern, at one point hitting 635 caused by the Epinephrine   that was necessary for maintaining her blood pressure.  High blood sugar makes the blood thicker and more difficult to circulate.  We were all joyful when her blood sugar was worked down to below 250. 

On Friday afternoon, Janet’s heart again went into a sinus rhythm (ventricular fibrillation) and once again she was revived with cardiac massage and this time with only one shock.  More, her blood pressure came right back up, a positive sign our nurses told us. 

The warming process was not totally completed until 3:00pm on Saturday afternoon, April 23^rd.  But it was about 1:30 when she first tried to wake up.  She had been off all sedatives since some time the night before, but at one point they had to be added back to allow her to relax and control her blood pressure and heart rate.  When she was beginning to wake her nurse began talking to her and asking her to open her eyes, then she grabbed each of her family members and asked for help.  We all talked with her, telling her not to try to talk because of the ventilator tube but just to be calm and open her eyes.  She tried very hard to do it.  She did return a squeeze on command of first her right hand then her left.  We know waking up this way had to be terrifying for her.  Her nurse was carefully monitoring both blood pressure and heart rate as David talked with her, telling her where she was, that she was in good care, that we needed her help to calm herself down.  We, the family, found great hope in this progress and our nurse was pleased, although careful to warn us not to be too overly optimistic yet.

We were warned Saturday night, as we have been Sunday and today as well that Janet could go into another ‘event’ and have to be revived again but that they expect it now to be like the last one was, with hopefully only one shock and a quick return of her blood pressure. 

As of today, Monday, April 25^th, her doctors would like her to wake up naturally.  She is trying and I know this morning that her husband, Jim, talked a good 15 minutes to her about the remodel progress at home and the animals they have … all the while Janet was obviously finding calm in his words.  Janet’s friend, Susan, took a Mary Kay Miracle set and nail polish.  She and Janet’s nurse have given her a facial and done her nails so Janet will feel like Janet likes to feel.

Late Saturday, David and I returned to Tulsa without a plan.  Although we hear her doctors tell us family all needs to be there, her nurses tell us we really need to go and get some rest.  We struggle with that. We know we could receive a call at anytime to return for any number of reasons.  For now visitors have been limited to family and a very few of Janet’s very close friends.  We really hope the time will come soon when we can expand that for her but for now, rest and quiet are very important for her recovery.

I have no doubt that Janet is receiving the very best possible medical care she could have. Her nurses and doctors are amazing people.  She has a wonderful network of friends who I know are holding her close in their prayers.  David and I are grateful too for the information chain as we know more of Janet’s friends have been updated as we could share with some.  We very much appreciate the many prayer chains Janet is on and your individual prayers as well.  We are thankful for the phone calls, emails and texts we have been sent to us and for everyone’s patients as we have tried to answer.  We appreciate the snack basket from Janet’s co-workers so very much. 

During our past 6 days we have known that every factor is an ‘if’.  Janet’s doctor’s and her nurse’s have been kind and very frank with us that she is a very sick lady, that they are doing all they can for her, and they really do not know what the outcome will be.  Our first hope is that she will wake up and get well enough for her heart to survive until she can have surgery to repair it.  We know this is probably going to take a long time and that time will be in the hospital.  The right side of her heart is severely damaged; imagine trying to repair a screen with a water hose going through it.  The left side has three severe areas of blockage that need addressing as well but the right side must be first.   We also know that there is concern over the 30 minutes she experienced in the ER as the team was working to revive her.  We know she may wake up and be fine … that is the ‘if’ we pray for the most.  But we also know we are not going to know about that for a while, maybe days, and maybe weeks.

I will try to keep you updated as we go and hope you will continue your prayers for Janet.  I think we’ve already seen a lot of those prayers answered for her, but I know we genuinely need more.