John and Lucinda Progress - NOVEMBER Archive
Lucinda & John at his Surprise Birthday Party!
Dear Friends and Family of John & Lucinda,
Here is an archive of November with the most recent updates posted first.
11-30-02 John's condition remains largely the same. The results of yesterday's bone marrow test show no abnormalities. John had more dialysis today, and there is some evidence that his kidneys are more functional. The Dr.'s are discussing reducing John's level of sedation gradually over the next week. These are very preliminary discussions, however.
Keep John and Lucinda in your thoughts and prayers.
11-29-02 John's condition has not changed much in the last 24 hours. He remains in critical condition in the ICU. The Dr.'s are still battling several infections and imbalances (blood pressure, 02, coagulation, adverse reactions to various medications, etc). There are very premliminary signs (in the form of band cells) that John's immune system may be starting to recover a little. It is still too soon to tell. Also today, the Dr's took a sample of his bone marrow. The results should be back tomorrow.
Lucinda is doing well. Between visits to John, she gave friends and family a tour of New York. Also, she will have Thanksgiving dinner surrounded by good friends.
A special note from Lucinda "My Thanksgiving is having Tull alive and having all our friends sending love and prayers. I have a lot to be thankful for tonight."
Take care. Keep John and Lucinda in your thoughts and prayers.
11-27-02 Quiet...no message.
11-26-02 John came through his surgery well. The operation, however, revealed extensive tissue damage necessitating the amputation of both of his feet at the ankles. The decision to amputate was made with absolute certainty that his feet would never recover and that a failure to act could further jeopardize John's life. Additionally, there is a good chance that the tissue damage in John's feet has been the source of the infection the Dr.'s have been battling for some time (although there are differing opinions on this). The ICU staff is hopeful that the operation will be a catalyst for a positive change in John's condition.
Even though today was a difficult day, Lucinda was encouraged by how well John did in the operation. Lucinda also said that the website is truly uplifting and she visits it often. Whenever she needs encouragement, she goes there and reads the posts. Big thanks to the folks who set that up and to everyone who has contributed.
Take care. Keep John and Lucinda in your thoughts and prayers.
11-25-02 John is still in serious condition in the ICU. After consulting with all the Dr.'s, they have determined that the tissue damage in John's toes and feet will require surgery. The surgery is scheduled for late tomorrow afternoon. The extent of the operation will be determined by the amount of tissue damage. There is also a chance that they will perform a tracheotomy to reposition John's breathing tube. The Dr.'s believe this would be a positive step.
Again, Lucinda said how much she has enjoyed the website and the e-mails. She said she looks forward every night to reading the posts there. If you know someone who wants to send good wishes to Lucinda and John, please direct them here.
This is a critical time for John. Keep him and Lucinda in your thoughts and prayers.
11-24-02 John's condition has not changed much in the past twenty four hours. He is
still fighting an infection and the Dr's have resorted to a very strong
class of antibiotics. Even though his temperature went down today, the Dr.'s
are still watching the infection very closely. Also, the Dr.'s are trying
to determine the extent of the damage caused to John's toes and feet from
the circulation problems he has been experiencing. Preliminary indications
are that there is some tissue damage. Several Dr.'s have already examined
John, and Lucinda is meeting with another vascular expert (one of the best
in NYC) tomorrow (Monday) to determine next steps.
Lucinda again said how much she enjoys reading the messages on the website
and how much it means to her to have everyone's support. She said she gains
a lot of strength from your e-mails.
Keep John and Lucinda in your thoughts and prayers.
11-22-02 John�s condition is essentially unchanged in the last 24 hours.
Lucinda wants again to thank everyone for the outpouring of wishes, and says they are a great source of strength and a tremendous help. Although she may not be able to answer every one, all your thoughts are very much appreciated.
Thanks again to everyone,
Keep sending all those good thoughts and prayers going their way.
email from the hospital...11.21
Hi. This is Paul Wonsek. I am an old friend of Lucinda's and I'm here in
her hospital room right now. I would like to thank all of you for your kind
greetings. It means so much to Lucinda and John to know so many people are
expressing so many kind thoughts. With so much time sitting here in the
hospital, reading these emails has been a constant source of joy. Thanks to
all of you.
11-21 John's condition has not changed since the last update. He is hanging in there. The Dr.'s are still unsure about the efficacy of the latest antibiotic. Hopefully, we will know more tomorrow. This latest complication has pushed back the timetable for taking John off the ventilator. Also, they are trying to determine the extent of the circulation problems.
Lucinda said again how much the website and all the good wishes lifts her spirits. She said she feels better every time she looks at it an sees all the support there.
Hopefully we will know more tomorrow.
Keep John and Lucinda in your thoughts and prayers.
A friend spoke with Lucinda on 11-20. Here is the latest.
At the time of this writing, Lucinda had only talked to the ICU doctor (not the primary doctor). He said that preliminary indications showed that the new antibiotic was probably working. He was very cautious, however. John's fever was down and he had more dialysis today. He is still unconscious and in critical condition. Keep the prayers coming.
For those that don't know, friends of John and Lucinda, have put up a website at www.johnandlucinda.com. There are daily updates there as well as a place to send messages and good wishes to Lucinda.
Lucinda is doing well. She said that the support she is recieving from everyone in the form of e-mails, cards, and messages at the website is a great source of strength. She is thankful to have such good friends.
Take care. Keep John and Lucinda in your thoughts and prayers.
11-19-02 Even with all the progress that has been made, John is still in very
critical condition. Today, there has been a serious setback in the form
of an infection. The Dr.'s have been aware of this for a few days and today John was switched to a new antibiotic. Other than that, his condition
remains about the same.
Please keep John and Lucinda both in your thoughts and prayers.
11-18 -02 John had a good day on Sunday. There was marked improvement in a lot of
categories.
This morning John suffered a little bit of a setback. The circulation
problems he has been experiencing along with the return of an infection
(sepsis, not plague) and pneumonia have been the primary problems today.
The pneumonia is not unexpected given the time John has spent on a
respirator. John is on two new antibiotics and due to the infections, he
has been isolated. Also, all "lines" (breathing tubes, etc.) have been
changed.
By the end of the day, the Dr.'s were more encouraged. Although he is
still in critical condition in the ICU, Lucinda was able to see him in
person. Also, his labs (I don't know what they were testing) came back
better than expected. Additionally, John had dialysis for 3 hours today
and was able to produce some urine on his own. This is a good sign.
Finally, they hope to bring him out of sedation by the end of the week.
11-17 -02 John remained in critical condition in the ICU over the weekend. He
experienced some minor setbacks in his progress Sunday night; however, the
doctors report this is not unusual considering his condition. They hope to
remove the ventilator by the end of this week and proceed with slowly bringing
him back to consciousness after that. Lucinda is now settled in an apartment
nearby the hospital.
11-15-02 Lucinda reports that the doctors are encouraged with John's
condition today, although they still regard it a critical....he continues
on ALS.
11-14-02 Plans for website (johnandlucinda.com) are formulated...friends of John & Lucinda at studio x
in Santa Fe are creating the site. John's condition unchanged.
11-13-02 John's temperature is below 100 and white blood count continues to
drop. Oxygen level is reduced to 60%. John is still critical but doctors
begin to show signs of cautious optimism. Lucinda is discharged from
hospital...moves temporarily to hospital sponsored apartment. Lucinda's
sister and mother arrive.
11-12-02 John's cardiologist reports good heart function. Circulation to
John's toes is poor...he is placed on a blood thinner. He remains critical
and on ALS.
11-11-02 John's temperature is down to 100.4 and white blood count is
down...continues dialysis, skin color improves.
11-10-02 John taken off blood pressure medicine, oxygen level reduced,
continues dialysis...still critical.
Lucinda expected to be discharged by week's end. No infected rodents
discovered at Tull Santa Fe home.
11-9-02 John continues on dialysis and liquid feeding is
started....continues on Advanced Life Support (ALS) and remains
critical. Lucinda's condition further improves. Denver Miller arrives.
11-8-02 John is started on Kidney Dialysis. CDC investigators interview
Lucinda. New Mexico Health Department and CDC arrive at John and Lucinda's
Santa Fe residence to begin researching the source of the infection. Laura
Hamilton arrives from London. Jan Goodwin arrives from Santa Fe. Prayer
groups initiated all over the country.
11-7-02 John survives the night. Lucinda's condition improves. John is
specifically diagnosed with Septicemic Plague and Lucinda with Bubonic
Plague. John is experiencing liver disfunction and kidney failure.
News media begins to focus national attention on case. Shelby Miller;
Macon, Diane and Taylor Boddy; Ed Gideon arrive.
11-6-02 Bubonic Plague is confirmed as diagnosis. John is placed on a
respirator (due to Acute Respiratory Distress) and heavy sedation (drug
induced unconsciousness) and Advanced Life Support is started. John
considered critical; Lucinda considered serious but stable. John is not
expected to survive more that 48 hours. Friends and family are
informed. Visitation is highly restricted. Tull family arrives.
11-5-02 Hotel offers to contact a travel physician and set up an office
appointment. John and Lucinda make the appointment, the physician examines
them and recommends that they go directly to the Beth Israel North Hospital
emergency room. At this point both are suffering with chills, high fever
and enlarged lymph glands (Lucinda has developed a "buboe", an severely
enlarged lymph gland on her upper thigh). Both are admitted to the
hospital (John to ICU, Lucinda to private medically isolated room) with
unconfirmed but suspected Bubonic Plague.
11-4-02 John and Lucinda inform hotel that they are ill (presuming the flu
at this point) and send out for soup and spend day in bed.
11-3-02 John wakes up with flu-like symptoms. John and Lucinda move from
private residence to hotel on upper east side. Lucinda develops similar
flu-like symptoms in the evening.
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