Update Tuesday, June 30,11:13 AM

Linda had a good sleep last night after arriving at her dad's around 4:30 PM. Now it is a matter of being sure the Home Hospital nurses arrive and are scheduled so that follow up can occur. We will be back at Stanford on Monday the 6th for doctor's review of her progress. We will be at the hospital again on the 13th. Linda is still attached to the wound vac and is able to walk a little. More tomorrow. John

Update-Monday afternoon

GREAT NEWS! Linda is out of the hospital and on her way to healdsburg! hooray! more later!

Update June 28th, Sunday, 10:37 PM

Maybe, Linda'a last night at Stanford. She made three trips around the floor, slept and ate wonderful food created by her friend Pam. The wound will be examined and repacked tomorrow and the doctors will determine if she is ready to go to Healdsburg. The hospital is filled with sick people and it is hard to imagine that they have anywhere near the care and concern reflected by all of linda's friends and family. We hope the discharge planning and release procedures go smoothly so that we can get out of here before the traffic is too bad. Good night. John

Update June 28, Sunday, 5 PM

Hello. Linda is hopeful that she will be able to leave the hospital for Healdsburg to stay at her Father's home tomorrow. So far, so good. Normal temp., white blood cell count is good and she is off IV antibiotics. She has walked around the floor twice today and has one more round to go today. She looks good. She is quick to fatigue and needs lots of sleep, but I think these are normal responses. She is so appreciative of all the kind comments and e-mails, and, Linda and I owe a huge debt of gratitude to Pam and Lucho for making their home available to me over these last two weeks. So many prayers, and so many positive thoughts and so many very nice friends and family. Where would we be without you? I will blog tomorow to let folks know the outcome. We are not sure when doctors will examine Linda and give the okay to her exit. All we know is that it will occur some time tomorrow. John

Update Saturday, June 27th, 7:18 PM

Hello; A day of sleep. Linda spent most of the day going in and out of sleep. She had her wound vac changed, and, that caused a little pain and discomfort. However, she received a new roomate who appears, so far, to be a better match and without noise. Let's cross our fingers and hope for a more restful night. Oral antibiotics appear to be working and Linda's stomach problems have lessened. With luck, she will have only tonight and tomorrow night ahead of her before going to Healdsburg- Geyserville. John

Update June 27th, Saturday, 12:23 PM

Hello. Linda had a rough night with difficulty sleeping due to a new neighbor's snoring ( the most horrific snoring I've ever heard ). In addition, she had difficulty swallowing her nighttime pills for sleep and threw them up. The hospital does not replace them due to uncertainty as to how much med was left in the stomach. Good news includes the fact that she is now on oral antibiotic rather than IV, which is a big step in the right direction. She will have her wound vac changed sometime today and will try, with the aide of ear plugs, to get some sleep. The hospital is full and our efforts to get a private room, or a room with a different neighbor, are not yet realized. I asked the staff to work hard at some change. But the whole operation is overwhelmed by high numbers of patients. It seems heart surgery is popular these days and rooms are at a premium.

Update June 26 Friday 2:49

Hello. Linda did not get a private room. Had a very noisy neighbor move in at 1 AM. Not enough sleep, but, Linda was heartened today by a visit from her father and sister and long tme friend. The doctors told us late last night that Linda will be released on Monday. However, we must stay within a two hour range of the Stanford Hospital as the wound in her lower abdomen is deep enough to require changes every two days ( by home and hospital visiting nurses ) and once a week evaluation at the hospital by her Stanford doctors. So, we will stay in Geyserville with her father and make the one time a week visits to Stanford. This means we will not be at home for some time, now. We hope the wound heals enough to allow a trip home by the third week of our exit from this hospital Monday. We shall see. John

Whoops

Whoops!!! The date is June 25th for the blog I just submitted Sorry, John

Update Thursday June 24, 6:09 PM

Linda had a rough morning with IV problems and shift changes keeping her awake. However, as the day progressed, she improved, had some sleep and was given a more suitable IV site that caused her less pain. Her white blood cell count is 13.5 ; it needs to be at 11 to be in the normal range. So, she is still getting antibiotics. Her Wound Vac was changed today and repositioned to offer her more mobility. The wound looked "good" as there were no signs of additional infection. Plans for release were discussed. We must arrange for a doctor in our area to agree to supervise the services of Home -Hospital nurses who will come to our home and offer follow up to the required Wound Vac changes ( every other day ) and other services she will need. I'll be making calls tomorrow to try to secure a doctor willing to provide this supervision and follow up. Linda's doctor, or doctors at St. Josephs in Eureka, may be able to assist. We''ll see. Option B is to stay in this area, for a week or more, depending on how the wound heals, and, if we can arrange for a doctor to agree to supervise the Home Hospital nurses.

Tonight, the staff told us that they were working on a private room for Linda. Let us hope that such a move actually occurs. I'll report again, tomorrow. John

Update June 24, Wednesday, 9:27

Hello; Linda slept most of the day,on and off. She enjoyed the good news as to the CAT scan results and enjoyed hearing the e-mails and comments sent by folks as they were read to her. We will be here until her strength returns and she does not need the level of care she currently receives. Thanks, for all the wonderful notes. John

Update June 23rd, Wednesday, 2:10 PM

HI; Good news. Just received word that the CAT scan showed no problem. Therefore, no surgery on her belly!! Linda was awakened at 4AM and transported to the imaging facility here in the hospital and prep was done in advance of the SAT scan. The actual scan was not conducted until 6 AM and results were not conveyed until just a while ago. Linda slept between 9 AM and 2 PM with a notice on her door not to disturb her. She feels much better with the sleep and with the knowledge that her scan showed that there was no problem in her intestines. She is getting what she needs right now, as sleep has been a limited aspect of her recent experience, to say the least. Her lower GI issues seem to be on track, altough not fully resolved, due to the laxative affect of fluid she had to drink as part of the CAT prep.

Now we await the healing of the infected site and look forward to a week of recovery. Mandy is back at home and is now recovered from her bout with stomach flu. Rascal and Chico are doing their best to make her aware of their anger about our absence and causing her no end of trouble. Strange dogs, for sure.

Thanks, again, for all the kind and healing thoughts. John

Update June 22, Tuesday, 9:42 PM

Hi; Linda's day involved much attention to lower GI concerns. The meds finally got things moving. However, the x-ray this morning showed a space in the colon under the liver that could just be gas, an anomoly of her anatomy or, perhaps, a blockage, with the intestine turned back over itself. Low probability that the intestine suddenly turns around on itself, but, doctors came and went today looking at her, and, finally, they ordered a CAT scan, which will be done tomorrow. Given her good response to the meds today, and, the fact that she does not experience focal point pain , I think the CAT scan is just a case of the doctors being careful.

Linda also had a sponge device inserted in the infected incision in her lower abdomen. Suction is applied through the sponge embedded in the wound, and, material leaking from the site is pulled from the wound into an external container. This device negates the need for packing the site 4 times a day, as they have been doing the last couple of days. The device promotes healing and lessens the advent of bacterial infection.

So, the doctor told us that Linda will not be released in the next couple of days and that she would probably be in the hospital through the weekend. She will be here longer if the CAT scan evidences anything that requires attention.

I'll keep you posted tomorrow. Thanks, John

Update June 22 ,Tuesday, 1:34

Hi all; Slow progress in regard to the lower GI issue. Linda spent an uncomfortable night with stomach problems and the lower GI difficulty. Thus, not much sleep. But, she was taken off oxygen and, now, has only one port for injections, and, can get around a little better without all the wires and tubes hindering her. An echocardiogram and x rays of her chest area were performed this morning. We expect everything to be normal. The doctor uses the information from these tests to determine the fuctional status of the repaired valve and the clarity of her lungs ( absence of fluid ). Linda is still taking a lot of the med used to pull fluid from her system. Maybe, this can be discontinued, or lessened, if, today's tests warrant such a change. Still looking forward to a release date. But we do not, of course, want to leave too early- before she is ready. But hospital life is an experience Linda has had and wants it to end. Most staff at the hospital have been very attentive and kind. We've had a few blips with a couple of folks, but, too few to matter. Again, thanks, for the kind concern, notes and comments. John

Update June 22, Monday 9:08 PM

Hello; Linda spent the day in bed with the exception of a short walk early in the morning. Work on the infection, fatigue from not sleeping well last night and discomfort from lower GI issues ( the result of pain meds ) contributed to her discomfort. She is receiving help for this issue right now and we trust that the treatment will bring her relief. All other signs are good. Her white blood cell count is down, no sign of clots and she is taking fewer pain meds. The rapid and positive response to the meds for infection was a great relief as we were concerned that the infection might be stubborn. We expect to be here for a few more days. No exact time for release is yet specified, but, if things go as they currently are, we hope to be out in two to three days. The hospital staff want her off all IV meds and able to get around with greater independence before they release her. So, that is all for now. Everyone, thanks, for your kind concern and wonderful notes. John

Update June 22, Monday 12:21

Hello; Linda spent a night with lots of interuptions from nurses and her doctors. They repacked the site twice more. She has no temperature and her white blood cell count is down, so the meds are working on the infection. She is sleeping now and I hope she is refreshed after some sleep. She enjoyed some cards sent her way and I read the comments and e-mails to her. I'll report late tonight as to her progress, but, for now, I'm encouraged by her good response to the meds. John

Update June 21st, Sunday, 9:21 PM

Hello; Linda is tired tonight. She has had to have her infected site packed twice and was not able to go for a walk. But the journey outside earlier today elevated her spirits. So, things are kind of mixed tonight but overall, she improves. Her upper arm is still enlarged a bit so they will do another ultra sound in the morning to better evlauate cause related to the swelling in that arm. Good appitite today. While she is a little uncomfortable, she remains in a positive mood. With some sleep tonight, she should be strong in the AM. That is all for today. I'll report again tomorrow. John

Update June 21st Sunday 5:04 PM

Hi folks; Linda is better today. She has more energy. We sat outside for a while and she took a walk. The line in her juglar vein was removed. She does have an infection in a surgical incision that was made in her lower left abdomen. So, she is getting anti-biotics. They packed the site today and will be frequently changing the dressing. She remains on meds to pull fluid from her system but is off intravenous pain meds. She just takes oral pain meds, now. Again, thanks to all, for all the very kind e-mails and comments on the blog. Linda has so many people who care about her. She enjoys the communication when we read the messages to her. Looks like we will be here beyond Monday. We'll see how this infection responds to treatment and how the fluid drains from her system. Happy Fathers' Day to all the fathers out there. John

Update June 20th Saturday 10:31 PM

Hello; Linda spent a day being very tired. She continues to sluff off fluid and feels better, but, the increased walking appears to have worn her out a bit. She walked twice today and modified her activity to accomodate her uptick in fatigue. Mandy called and is on the mend. Emma and I will be on site tomorrow. Linda has to be off IV for pain and fluid depletion, and gain more strengh, before being released. With a little sleep tonight, we hope she is stronger tomorrow. That is all for now. More tomorrow. John

Update Thursday June 12th 10:11 PM

Hello; Linda had another good day today. She is slowly reducing the fluid retained in her sysem and, as the fluid is depleted, she feels better. Linda walked around the ward three times today aided by oxygen and a nurse. So, all in all, progress is certainly being made. No word on when she will be released but we think, if things go as they are, she could be released by Monday.

Mandy is on her way back to McKinleyville driven by a friend as she came down with stomach flu. She did not have any contact with Linda as we were able to affect a transfer to her friend's car from mine ( after I picked her up in Millbrae ), in the parking lot of a local shopping center, before Mandy arrived at the hospital ( a long story ).

More tomorrow. Thanks, to everyone. John

Update June 18th Friday 3:30

Hi all; All good news. Walked twice around the hospital floor, fliuds draining, apitite good and mood positive. All to the good! John

Update June 18th Thursday 9:44 PM

Well, this is a good news blog. Linda is doing very well today. The extra meds took lots of the fluid off of her body. She is more rested and comfortable, as a result. She walked twice today, color has returned to her face and she is getting up, with help, to use the facilities. She is wide awake and able to talk. No word on when she can leave the hospital but we hope she can leave by Sunday or Monday.

Sorry, about no blog earlier today but the computers available to us at the hospital were not working until tonight. Mandy returns to us tomorrow , late in the afternoon. Emma was with us today late afternoon till 9:30. I'll be staying at Lucho and Pam's house in los Gatos through the weekend. Mandy will be with me or go home to SF with Emma.

Thanks, to all. John

update June 17th Wednesday 9:24 PM

Linda is trying to sleep now. Linda continued to collect fluid today and so they increased her med to help her body sluff off the fluid. Dr. Liang felt they were being too conservative in their use of the med. Linda will be up a few times tonight as she will need to get rid of the fluid that will be leached from her system. Once this fluid issue is taken care of, her progress should be pretty rapid. Thanks, to all. John

Update June 17th, Wednesday 4:24 PM

Hello; Linda continues to do well. She does have about 15 pounds of fluid retained in her system. This is the result of all the fluids pushed into her during surgery. To help sluff off the fluid, the doctor increased her meds that assist in removal of fluid. She remains weak but walked today and met with a cardiac nurse and occ. therapist to talk about matters pertaining to her care after leaves this hospital. Mandy and I will be busy in the first couple of weeks she returns as she will need help with a variety of matters including getting up from chairs and obtaining items from shelves and a bunch of other tasks to which we uually give no thought. . We hope to exit the hospital by Sunday, but, until we are told a date with some certainty, we are not making specific plans.

Linda will have some diet restrictions and will not be able to drive a car for 6 weeks. Rascal and Chico, not to mention John, will not be able to jump onto her lap, and, hugs may only be applied in very gentle form.

Yesterday was our 25th wedding anniversary. We promised to celebrate the occasion in proper style once Linda is recovered. Her strength through this, and all the other health related issues she endured over the years, is a wonderment for sure!

Thanks, again, for all the wonderful care and concern. John

Update June 16th 4:33PM

Hi all; Linda is comfortable but still very tired. She slept well in the private room last night but they have to move her to a double room later today as there is a heart transplant patient who needs the room Linda is in. She is on the list for the next available private room,so, maybe she will get another crack at a private and quiet space later this week. Emma has been attentive to Linda today as Mandy traveled south to be with a friend and his family. She will return Friday. She has been a real champ and has been of great help to Linda and me. Linda is still too weak to do much talking and expects to be able to chat and visit with folks by Thursday. Thanks, for all the e-mails and comments. John

Update-Monday June 15- 8:45pm

Hey all! Linda has been moved to the Intermediate ICU unit (the step down unit) and is doing well. She is very tired and weak and doesn't expect to be ready for visitors until later this week, but is hoping to get some more sleep now that she is in a quieter place. She is in a private room, thanks to all for all your concern and care.
-Mandy

Update-Monday June 15-11:15AM

Hello Everyone,
Linda is doing well this morning, she is sitting up and eating! She wants to be out of ICU in the worst way but the dr.'s have to confer this afternoon and all agree that she can go to the step down unit, so we'll know later today where she's going. She had some difficulty last night with the swollen left arm but it seems to have improved overnight. She also had some difficulty with a reaction to some medicine but that too has resolved itself. So, now she sits with the hope that she can be moved out of ICU where it is difficult for her to get enough sleep. Thanks again for the comments and e-mails as usual, Mandy will be reading them to her this afternoon. Luckily the computer system in the hospital is functioning today and allows us to blog from within the hospital. More updates later! -John, Mandy, and Emma

Udate June 14th Sunday 10:21 PM

Hello everyone; another good day, although Linda is experiencing some pain and discomfort as she becomes mentally alert. She is talking and sitting up, eating solids and watching a little tv. She remains very tired and does, from time to time, express confusion as to place and time. She has a swollen left arm that is puffy but does not cause her pain. The doctor evaluated the arm tonight with ultra sound and checked the pulse in the arm. All was ok with no indication of a clot. The hospital staff will monitor the arm through the night. They thought it might be a drainage problem as the arm had a blood pressure cuff on it all day and the arm was not used very much (as linda prefers her right arm and hand) and so they elevated the arm and will check on it frequently. The plan is to move her to a step down unit some time tomorrow, where she can begin to move around a little and visiting hours are more flexibly applied. Thanks, for your concern and for the e-mails and comments. Mandy read some more of the communcations to Linda today. She enjoyed them..John, Emma and Mandy

Update June 12th 9:05 PM

Hi folks; Another good day. Linda, according to her medicos, is ahead of most people in her recovery. She briefly sat up in a chair today and ate a little broth. She remains very tired and, at 8:30, asked to sleep. As we left ,she said she just really needed sleep, given her poor sleep last night. So, overall, things are progressing well. She is able to speak a little bit, lifts a water glass and tracks all conversations well. Thank you, to the McCutchans for the beautiful flowers. I'll keep them in the hotel room with me until she is allowed to have flowers in her room. I think, in a couple days, she will be moved to a room where she can have them. Thank you, to all, for the good thoughts, prayer and positive healing energy sent Linda's way. John, Emma and Mandy

Update-Saturday 12:30 pm

Hello All, Linda is doing well this morning, and is much more awake and aware. She had a rough time sleeping last night and is very tired today. Her doctors came in early this morning and indicated that everything continues as expected with no surprises. We communicated the e-mails that have been sent to her and she was pleased and indicated she looked forward to reading them. We suspect Linda will be spending most of the day sleeping on and off as just a normal part of her recovery from the surgery. The nurses have been responsive to her indications of pain and Linda indicated that her pain is well managed. That's all for now, thanks again everyone:)
Love John, Mandy and Emma

Update June 12th 10:42 P.M.

Linda is in ICU, her breathing tube is out and she is sort of in and out of lucidity. She tolerated the procedure well and the doctor said, everything "went as expected." Emma, Mandy and Pam and Adriana were on the scene throughout the day. My brother Dud also came by as he was at Stanford with his son for medical purposes. The notes from everyone are wonderful to receive and I've been telling Linda about each note. Tomorrow, we will be with linda as she begins to deal with her post op treatment. So far, so good! Thanks all, John

Update-5:25 pm friday

Hey all! Linda is just being closed up after a long day of surgery. Everything so far has gone perfectly. It took some time to get through all the scar tissue but by 4pm the majority of the surgery was over and then getting her off of the heart-lung machine and closing up. We're still waiting to see her in the ICU where she will be for the next couple of days. She won't actually wake up for another 8 hours or so and then they will pull out the breathing tube. We will have more updates later on, but for now, its good news:) Let us know if you have any questions.

Love, Mandy

Update from surgery-Friday 11AM

So, they ended up being able to take Linda into surgery earlier than anticipated this morning. We were able to spend a little time with her before they took her back around 8 and then she was put under and the surgery was underway by 9:30 this morning. So far, no news besides the eariler start time but there is a computer right upstairs that I will be able to make frequent posts to as we hear more information. More to come!

Mandy

Update June 11, 11:13 p.m.

So, the surgery will occur tomorrow morning. We were told it would transpire in the a.m. and that she would go into pre op around 8:30 with surgery between 10 and 11 a.m. There is a chance it would occur earlier depending on the availability of an operating room. While nervous, Linda is comforted by the sense that this is a chance for her not to live as an invalid and to enjoy life as much as possible. She is aware of the risks and hopeful that benefits will accrue from this surgery. She told me to communicate her deepest thanks to all of you who have been so supportive. I will do my best to keep you informed tomorrow via this blog. Good night. John

update 6/11/09 6:20 pm

Hey All!

Finally some news...So Linda is for sure having the heart valve surgery as planned tomorrow morning somewhere around 11am (will post for sure time tonight). The surgery should take somewhere between 5 to 6 hours depending on the amount of scar tissue Linda has. If any of you are having trouble posting comments to the blog, just send us an email at lhill1950@gmail.com and we will be checking that frquently. Thanks again for all your care and concern. We'll keep you updated.

Mandy

update from hospital

update from hospital

Update June 10th 7:06 P.M.

Hi; Linda will be in the hospital overnight tonight as the medical team is still discussing how best to intervene. The liver values from the tests now reflect congestion with no viral abnormalities so extreme as to create her current problems. However, the heart tests today suggest heart involvement with valve leakage ( which contributes to the liver congestion ). So, we are back where we started, with the team looking at the heart as the prime cause of her difficulties. Her surgeon plans to meet with her this evening, or tomorrow, to review the Cardiologist's and liver specialist's findings and to contribute his own perspective as to potential benefits associated with surgical intervention. Linda has been through a lot and the lack of clarity, in regard to causation related to her condition, has been hard on her. She did not sleep well last night and was hopeful that she would not have to stay the night in the hospital ,but, I guess the medical team wants to keep her close ,after all she went through today and yesterday, and they may want to do even more tonight in terms of assessment.

I learned today that folks are having difficulty writing comments in response to the information on the blog. Just write an e-mail to linda and I'll see that she gets it. Her e-mail address is, lhill1950@gmail.com. Thanks, again, for your interest and concern. John

Linda update-Wednesday 2:20 pm

Hey All! Just got a call from my dad who is with mom at the hospital. So, nothing is definitive yet. The doctors haven't made any decisions about surgery, and the test results this morning from her liver biopsey were inconclusive. They're going to run some more tests this afternoon, thank you for your concern. I'll post something as soon as I hear anything more. 

Mandy

Update June 9th 7:20 p.m.

Hi all; Linda had a liver biopsey and heart valve test today. Results of the biopsey will not be known until tomorrow, at the earliest. The heart valve test was inconclusive, as values derived from the test could not account for how ill Linda is. An echocardiogram will be conducted tomorrow and, after the liver biopsey results are known, we will know next steps for her treatment. The current hunch is that her liver is the prime, probable cause of her diffficulties. There may be liver enlargement and dysfunction from a viral infection, something Linda experienced in the past But the doctors want to wait for the biopsey and echo results before determining a course of treatment or intervention. Linda is resting well after a long day. She entered the hospital at 10:30 a.m., the procedures started at noon and she was out of recovery by 4:00p.m. and in her hospital room by6:15 this evening. So, nothing conclusive as yet. I'll send more tomorrow after we know a little more. Thank you, for you care and concern. John

Tuesday am

John is taking me to Stanford at 10 this morning for my heart and liver testing via angiogram. Hopefully, we will have a decision made by this evening or least tomorrow morning about whether to go ahead with cardiac surgery on Friday morning. I am relieved to finally be down here and get started with this process. I think the doctor plans to keep me overnight at the hospital for observation and an early am appointment with another specialist. I will ask Mandy to publish a post once we know anything.

Mandy's Surgery

After waiting for almost 3 hours yesterday, Mandy finally went in for shoulder surgery at ST. Mary's in San Fransicso. After an hour, Dr. Wolf came out and said he only did exploratory surgery. He said that he did not see the damage to the tendon that he expected from his earlier physical exam, and decided not to cut the tendon. He felt she would be better served to do some intensive physical exercise to strengthen the muscles around her right shoulder joint, and other joints where she is experiencing this loose joint problem. She only has one small incision on her shoulder from which she should heal quickly. When we get home, she will get started with a physical therapist, then a trainer at our local health club to work on strengthening the upper body muscles that support her shoulder, so she will be able to resume normal activities by fall.
So good news overall.