2009, page 2
 

Friday, June 19, 2009
Well, Jake is back in the hospital.   Regions.  He has been vomiting for quite a few days now.  They have diagnosed pancreatitis and a blockage.  Jake said they are going down his throat today with a scope.
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Jake had an ERCP yesterday and they found a stone in his bile duct.  Not uncommon to have one there if you are prone to gallstones, even if your gallbladder has been removed.  This link explains Jake's diagnosis fairly well.

He is on a liquid diet so he's a little crabby.  Yes, Jake...  crabby.  Once he gets some food in him he'll be fine.
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Jake finally had his surgery a few weeks ago.  They removed some bone from his pelvis so his wound would heal.  He was extremely happy because he is confident that now it will close and he can go back to work "and have a life".
Yesterday he had his checkup and was told he has MRSA in his bone.  up... down... up... down...  just like a rollercoaster.
Oh, I almost forgot.  He spilled water on his computer so he is without it for a while.
Jake has chronic shoulder pain, in part due to his constantly laying on it because of his ulcer.  He uses arnica cream and it helps the pain.
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Terri and I visited Jake this past weekend.  It was a wonderful visit.  Despite the MRSA in his bone he was feeling very good.  This was the first time in a very long while that we did not spend all, or most, of our visit sitting by his bed.

The antibiotic he is taking is increasing his appetite.  Usually it has the opposite effect.  He looks good - has actually gained a little weight.

Thanks to the staff at the group home we were able to go to Caribou Coffee with Jake.  Plus a picnic by the lake the next day.  We do not use the van that we purchased after Jakes accident.  It is getting too old to be reliable.  Consequently we have no means to take Jake places when we are visiting.  If we want to go somewhere we must walk.  Because Jake has been so sick these past few years this hasn't been an issue until now. 

Terri made Jake a beautiful quilt for his bed.  It looks very nice in his room.  Since he has been feeling better he has taken an interest in sprucing up his bedroom and the staff has been wonderful in doing the actual work.  Now his bedroom looks more like a dorm room rather than a hospital room.

 

I forgot to mention Jakes' ulcer.  It is a little worse, but considering the MRSA I feel it is doing fairly well.  I took a picture but then realized that all the pictures look similar - from his first ulcer many years ago to now.  So I'm not posting it.  He has a wound clinic appointment on the 29th.  Every day a nurse comes and cleans out the wound and re-bandages it.

Here are some photos I took over the weekend. 

Sunday, Dec 20, 2009
Ever since Jake had his gallbladder removed he has had major gastrointestinal issues.  He has a very limited list of foods he can eat without problems.  Since he is so thin (his calf measures 11" around at the largest point) this is a serious issue indeed.  He will finally be seeing a GI doctor the first part of next year.