News from the Denver Outpost August 22, 2007

Dear Friends

Life in Swedish Hospital has taken a slight new twist. Rachel is responding to Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy with vigor. Although she is usually tired, she tries hard to do all the exercises with a good attitude.

In spite of our hopes, her bladder infection has turned into a case of MRSA. Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus is becoming a common place infection in hospitals and in some community activities. Some athletes are getting infected in common showers, or wrestling events etc. This is typically a contact infection caused by spores attached to objects or clothes and very common on human skin. However, when it enters through a wound or opening, it can become and infection. Consequently, to enter the room now we need to put on a yellow gown and gloves. When we leave we have to take off the gown and gloves and turn them inside out. We then must wash our hands thoroughly in hopes of not infecting members of the public. Rachel does the reverse. She puts on the gown and gloves to leave the room.

So life has become a little more complicated in room 6-135. As we understand it, we are going to get to sleep in our lovely yellow gowns and gloves. Britanie has absolutely refused to even consider that probability. And, typing with little tight plastic gloves is equally fun.

We also had a long discussion with a neuro-psychologist about Britanie going to Harvard Law School this fall. After talking with her, he recommended that she defer as she was showing classic symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress. It will take 6 weeks to tell if this could develop into Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. We talked with the Dean of Students office and they told us Britanie can withdraw at any point in her schooling at Harvard by taking a medical leave without losing their position at Harvard. So, I think she will be going on Tuesday as planned. She will be leaving Denver on Friday to go to Omaha and pack.

Surgery again tomorrow to check out the recalcitrant ankle wound, and potentially begin skin grafting. She may have to go three more days with her evacs unit pulling effluent from both of her wounds. The doc wants to harvest donor skin all at one time rather than have to do it twice. That would limit the amount of extra surgery.

St. Stanislaus will be having a special Mass for Rachel, Leah and Renee at 8 a.m. Friday at St. Stanislaus Church. There will be a rosary for Renee as well.

Jay, Renee, Britanie, Zach and Leah’s Dad

Jwhall2@gmail.com