Rene just hasn't been herself or sounded herself for a couple of days. But, thank God, she's back! My mother talked to her first this morning and called me immediately.
Before I write what I'm about to write, I asked Rene first, because I was afraid it might hurt my mom's feelings. Rene laughed and told me I better write it. So mom, I'm doing this for Rene.
Anyway, I asked my mom how Rene was doing and she said, "she's chirpy." "Chirpy," I asked, and she repeated, "yes, she's very chirpy." Now, for those of you who don't speak Filipino, I think that means chipper in English. David (my husband), said maybe she was trying to combine chipper and cheery. So, the next you are feeling chipper and cheery, remember you're feeling chirpy!
Rene does sound like herself again, it's comforting. She was cracking jokes, we were laughing hard, and just being silly. She wanted me to make sure to tell you all of the latest info, so here it goes. Her fever broke today, prasie God! Her ankle and part of her foot are swollen and the docs don't seem to know why. Because of her defibulator, they can't do an MRI, but they are going to do something called a nuclear X-ray. I think that is the imaging of radioisotopes injected or ingested, and where they go in her body. I guess the idea is the radioisotopes will travel to her ankle and help to indentify the cause of the swelling. Rene also had a V/Q scan today. V/Q stands for ventilation and quantification. In that scan Rene used an inhaler to breathe in radioactive material. The radioactive material filled her lungs, and that produced a picture of her lung ventilation and blood flow to the lungs. The results of that scan will tell us how those blood clots are doing. I'll report on everything as I find out. Next, because Rene's ankle is so swollen she now has crutches so she can get around. Let's see, her blood sugar is where it's suppose to be so that is good news. Oh, I thought of one more thing. The infection in her blood in staph, so it is being treated with IV antibiotics, which are making Rene vomit, so to prvent the vomitting, thay gave her Fenergan. All said, she did seem very chirpy this evening so I am happy. When we hung up the phone she was looking forward to a good nights sleep.
Remember, the best time of day to catch Rene awake, alert, and willing to chat is in the middle of the day. Also remember if she doesn't answer her phone or if she doesn't call you back right away there's a good reason for it. She is trying to sleep and heal so she can get out of there. If you want her to know you're thinking about her, call and leave a message on her cell phone. She always welcomes well wishes.
Was that way too much information? I always like to know as much as people feel comfortable telling me, so that's what I'm trying to pass on to you. Ask me any questions you please, and I will do my best to get an accurate answer.
Pray that tomorrow Rene will awake feeling as well as she felt this evening and if not, pray that God will grant her the strength to cope and that he will give us the ability to be patient and loving.
Sleep well,
Pamela
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