Jo saw Dr. Kelly today and she came home with a report card of straight "A"s. Dr. Kelly is extremely pleased with how the right shoulder has turned out. She also said there is a good chance that Jo's knees will not need surgery. The x-rays do shows small pockets of necrosis in her knees, but it is in an area that does not bear weight, and therefore, is not at much risk of further injury.
Next week Jo will get an MRI on her left shoulder and her left knee. The MRI will do a much better job than the x-ray at identifying any necrosis in her knee, so a final decision on the knees has been put off for a bit. Jo requested the MRI on her left shoulder because of the lingering pain. Overall, Dr. Kelly's thoughts were extremely uplifting.
For anybody that really remembers the details of Jo's visit to the NIH, her protocol included taking an anti-rejection drug called Cyclosporin for 18 months after her treatment and her dosages were supposed to be tapered down to nothing over the 18 month period. We are actually 19 months post-treatment and Jo is still taking Cyclosporin, but her dosages are very small. It shouldn't be long and that part of the journey will be complete. If you could see the size of these "horse-pills", you would know that they will not be missed.
I do want to shout out to my Uncle Howard and my Uncle Lenny in Minnesota. Both of them recently spent time in the hospital. Lenny's stay was pretty quick and Howard's stay was pretty serious. Jo and I know from experience that no amount of time in the hospital is much fun. We are very happy that you are both back in the comfort of your own homes. Please know that our thoughts and prayers are with you.
Friday, September 21, 2007
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
The Easiest Recovery Yet
Two nights ago, I asked Jo how her shoulder felt. She did a big "roundhouse" 360 and she said, "It feels great!" I was actually a little shocked. I think it may be just a bit early to be doing cartwheels on that new shoulder.
Yesterday, Jo mentioned that her surgical shoulder already feels better than her left shoulder that was done in June. On Friday, Jo will go to see Dr. Kelly for a follow-up visit and there may be more discussion about the left shoulder than there will be about the most recent operation. My guess is that the left shoulder is just going to take make time because of the crack that has to heal.
Can you believe that all of this started almost 3 years ago? Back then, Popcorn Lung wasn't a health threat, we still gave Brittney Spears a chance to make it as a mom, and I don't think YouTube even existed. Well, it does now. Jo has had to take a couple of crash courses to catch back up with modern technology and she has gotten straight "A"s. To check out Jo's latest dance choreography, click on the link below:
Jo's Dances on YouTube
Friday, September 14, 2007
A Refurbished Right Shoulder
Yesterday, Jo was first on the surgery docket at 8:30am. By noon she was out of the recovery room and up on the 6th floor, resting peacefully with her morphine pump. I really thought there might be a chance of her going home the same day, but about 8pm, I gave up. She said something even funnier than the swimsuit comment from her first hip surgery, and I tried to make a mental note, but I just can't remember.
Of all of Jo's surgeries, this may have been the toughest from a pre-op perspective. So far, every surgery has relieved some source of pain. This time, there was no pain. We even joked with Dr. Kelly in the pre-op room about maybe doing one more quick x-ray to make sure Jo's shoulder really did need surgery. Even though there was no pain right now, with dead bone in the shoulder, the surgery had to be done.
On the bright side, this surgery has definitely been the easiest from a post-op perspective. Jo said today that she can already tell that this shoulder feels way better than her left shoulder felt at this time. If you remember, her left shoulder had a crack in it and that crack is still not fully healed.
Jo stopped her pain medication this morning, less than 24 hours after her surgery and switched over to Tylenol. She says she may take some percocet tonight to make sure that she sleeps well. I would hate for her to feel alone, so I may do the very same thing!
Again, two thumbs up for the entire Presbyterian/St. Luke's experience. Everybody still treats me like it is our first trip there, but I know my way around pretty good. The registration nurse is the only that really remembers us. She gave Jo a big hug, asked her how Anna was doing and then told her that we really needed to quit meeting like this.
Of all of Jo's surgeries, this may have been the toughest from a pre-op perspective. So far, every surgery has relieved some source of pain. This time, there was no pain. We even joked with Dr. Kelly in the pre-op room about maybe doing one more quick x-ray to make sure Jo's shoulder really did need surgery. Even though there was no pain right now, with dead bone in the shoulder, the surgery had to be done.
On the bright side, this surgery has definitely been the easiest from a post-op perspective. Jo said today that she can already tell that this shoulder feels way better than her left shoulder felt at this time. If you remember, her left shoulder had a crack in it and that crack is still not fully healed.
Jo stopped her pain medication this morning, less than 24 hours after her surgery and switched over to Tylenol. She says she may take some percocet tonight to make sure that she sleeps well. I would hate for her to feel alone, so I may do the very same thing!
Again, two thumbs up for the entire Presbyterian/St. Luke's experience. Everybody still treats me like it is our first trip there, but I know my way around pretty good. The registration nurse is the only that really remembers us. She gave Jo a big hug, asked her how Anna was doing and then told her that we really needed to quit meeting like this.
Tuesday, September 04, 2007
Surgery Gets Delayed
Due to a minor sore throat and some other "cold" symptoms, Dr. Alvarez recommended that Jo push tomorrow's shoulder surgery out another week. We are now scheduled for Thursday, September 13th. With this weekend being opening weekend of the NFL season, this short delay is possibly a blessing in disguise!
Jo's blood counts are a little off due to her cold, but for the most part they have been pretty good. Her platelets have been in the 150 range which is the bottom end of normal and her red blood cell measurements have been holding just below the bottom end of normal, but overall not too bad. Dr. Alvarez has sent a blood sample out to have Jo's PNH issue measured. Hopefully, we'll get results from those tests next week.
Jo's blood counts are a little off due to her cold, but for the most part they have been pretty good. Her platelets have been in the 150 range which is the bottom end of normal and her red blood cell measurements have been holding just below the bottom end of normal, but overall not too bad. Dr. Alvarez has sent a blood sample out to have Jo's PNH issue measured. Hopefully, we'll get results from those tests next week.
Sunday, September 02, 2007
Jo Returns to Teaching
The event was only 36 hours ago, but already I am way behind on reporting the big news. Yesterday, Jo made her first real appearance on the dance floor as a teacher in about 2 years. Yes, she has emceed a couple of events and she has even taught a few dances with the help of a "demonstrator", but yesterday she was back on the dance floor as if she had never left. Don't forget that less than 1 year ago, Jo could not put her own shoes and socks on.
This event was put on by two of our very best friends, Scott and AJ Herbert of Colorado Springs (http://home.earthlink.net/~theherberts), who also brought in Joanne Brady from the East Coast. I can remember stories about Joanne for as long as I've known Jo. I can't think of anybody better to help Jo back onto the floor.
Scott and AJ always put on first-class events and they always know how to make sure Jo receives the care and attention she needs. (I must say that they also take very good care of me!) I do want to send out a very gracious "thank you" to Scott and AJ and also all of our other Colorado dance friends and colleagues. Jo is not quite "back" yet, but the rehabilitation process has begun and everybody in Colorado has been tremendous with their understanding and their support.
Over the next year or so, Jo will participate in more Colorado events to work on building her stamina and "testing" her physical abilities. Jo still has another shoulder surgery later this week and then we need to sit down and talk to her orthopaedic surgeon and see just how everything looks. I'll have more on that in the next couple of days, but today I just want to focus on how good it was to see her back on the floor.
So, you may be wondering when Jo will make her way outside of Colorado again. That is tough to say. She still has some physical challenges ahead and then there is Anna. Having a 2-year old is really cool and missing even a single weekend never sounds like fun.
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