[Vhfcn-l] Updated report on The Imposter Wife

[Arnold B Christensen]

Many people have been asking about how Jan is doing. So here goes.

She was operated on or about 12 June.  This after having two discs 
replaced in her neck in Dec last year and was doing great on her 
rehabilitation.  That was until what we call the attack of the 
spur.  So her surgeon had to go in and remove her C6 vertebrae and 
put in what they call rods to keep her head in alignment.  Big 
honking neck brace on her when she came out of that surgery.  Next 
morning back in again from the front and found out that the spur was 
not just touching her spinal cord as seen in the MRI picture but was 
in fact half way into the cord...which can lead to some serious 
problems where she would never walk again or control herself 
depending on what damage the spur might have done on its way into the 
cord. OR...maybe it did little or no damage as it penetrated.

Well here we are 6 weeks later and it would appear that she got away 
cleanly.  She spent 2 weeks in the hospital rehab center and she was 
doing great.  They sent her on to a separate rehab place and in the 2 
weeks she was there she continued to excel.  The staff at both places 
were very surprised at how well she advanced.

She wanted to come on home after two weeks because they are always 
waking you when you are asleep to take your BP, check your oxygen 
level take another blood sample  or see what you want for 
breakfast.  They had great meals there!  So anyhow...the staff agreed 
that she was more than ready to go home.  I thought she should stay 
there for the daily Filet Minone that was available and you could 
have it for dinner every day of the 100 or so days she could stay. 
The way it works is that day 1-20 Medicare pays 100% of all costs. 
Day 21-100 Medicare pays 85% of everything but Tri-Care for life 
picks up the rest of it up to the 100% mark.  I am glad I stayed in 
the Army for 20 believe me! She was treated like a Queen in both 
areas of the hospital and at the assisted living/rehabilitation place.

So she is home and able to walk with and sometimes without the 
walker. I make he meals for her and wait on her for everything. She 
is able to take a shower and to wash her hair. She can stand up 
behind the walker and get 80% of her dressing done.  She has PT 
person come in 3 times a week and a OT person come in 2 times a 
week.  She dismissed the speech therapist after learning that if she 
sat up straight her food and pills would go down her throat a lot 
better.  She has an ongoing Thyroid problem going on for several year 
that an ENT stays on top of. She is taking time to work in her office 
taking breaks every hour, catching up with emails with her friends 
and continuing her writing on her next book.

So there it is.  She is doing good although if it had been me I would 
have had the filet mignon dinner every night for as long as I could 
stand it. There is no Filet of anything in our two fridge/freezers at 
home I tell you all! >:-}

As always we thank all of you for your nice thoughts and prayers.
Chris