Thumbs Up!

The CAT scan this morning showed 1) the spot under the right lung is smaller, and 2) there is nothing significant to worry about in the abdomen. According to Dr. Cummings, the plan is to let her continue healing this week, and resume feeding through the tube in the stomach on Monday. The respiratory specialist will continue weaning her from the ventilator as they adjust her sedation --

-- a quiet sigh, and hooray!!!

Love,

Shorty and Patti

Trying to Awaken

The doctors are working to achieve a formula to help Lori be on less sedation, but not be too agitated. This is NOT easy.

Dr. Cummings has scheduled an abdominal CT scan for Wednesday (white cell count is still too high at 20.3). The pulminary doctor will decide if she wants to include a lung CT scan in tomorrow's procedure.

Shorty and Patti

Agonizingly Slow Process

Dr. Cummings says we are making slow but steady progress, with all the numbers moving in the proper direction except for the white count (which is up from 18.4 to 21.9).

We will wait until Tuesday morning to get the bloodwork results and the white count, then determine when then the next CT scan will be performed.

Good news -- Dr. Cummings said he would not classify her bedsores as "decubitus" but rather more as a surface sore, like a "strawberry". He indicated they are not as deep as previously feared.

Today they are slowly cutting back the sedation. She is very drowsy but will smile occasionally. Each smile goes a long way for us.

As always, thanks for your continued love and support.

Shorty and Patti

Different Challenges

As we're thankful for turning a couple of "big corners," we are seeing the fickle nature of recovery.
- the weaning of sedation needs to proceed more slowly to lessen Lori's agitation, which means the weaning of the ventilator will also be slower.
- some skin breakdown on her backside has caused several bed sores and continues to require attention
- keeping all of the tubes free of infection requires constant cultures
- until a fistula (leakage from a spot in the intestine) heals, we must use IV nutrition instead of the feeding tube into the stomach

Much to be postive about:
1. Dr. Cummings says we are better off than 2 weeks ago.
2. OT (occupational therapy) and PT (physical therapy) make daily visits
3. Blood Numbers are all acceptable

thank you all
sneeds

ICU

Mary, one of Lori's friends in Atlanta, was in the room when a male attendant came in to help the nurse reposition Lori. Mary said Lori woke up as the nurse was straightening Lori's gown.
Mary commented, "well I guess you lose some of your modesty in here,"and the male attendant said with a chuckle, "that's why we call it I--C--U."
Mary said Lori smiled and appeared to laugh (with no sound, of course, just her face)

Lori's holding steady. still a long way to go.

thank you
sneeds

Friday: Lucky #7

Our 7th Friday finds Lori getting better.
- Temp is Good
- Platlets: 221. Up and Good.
- White Blood Count: 10,000. OK. a little more than yesterday but Doctors are ok with it.
- Billirubin: 3.3 Down and Good.

----- Doctors are aware of, and are watching, a small pocket under her right lung and a small drainage from the abdomen

Today, it is great to see her "whole" face, with no tubes in her mouth. As they lessen the sedation and she awakens, all of us here will be trying our lip-reading skills.

Thank you to our Sneed supporters!

Benefit Event for Lori and Lisa White

hi, this is johnny in LA, inviting those of you in ATLANTA to a music/comedy event on Sunday, JUNE 11. Some of Lori's friends from Whole World Theatre (where she took improv classes) are putting this together. Should be a great night. i'll be there.

Click on the link below for an invitation with details
http://www.evite.com/app/publicUrl/rpoynter@gmail.com/benefit

--------------
Lisa White, a recent graduate of Life Chirporactic University, was diagnosed eight weeks ago with an aggressive leukemia, called Acute Myeloid Leukemia, that chemotherapy alone cannot cure. She is in need of a very expensive bone marrow transplant. Urgently, Lisa needs a donor.

Lisa and Lori do not know each other, but are connected through a few friends. Since they are both at Northside Hospital, the families and friends have shared and supported each other. Through these connections, the idea of a night celebrating both women was hatched. Proceeds will go towards the costs of Lisa's transplant, and a donation will also be made to Shepherd's Spinal Center where Lori will rehab.
-------------
((If you have an idea for a silent auction item, email me at lorisneed@gmail.com and put JOHNNY in the SUBJECT))))

The Trach Happened! (and was successful)

The tracheotomy procedure was performed this morning. The ENT scoped the larynx and found some swelling and bruising but said it was to be expected and will heal. They installed a temporary cuff which will prohibit her ability to speak for now, but will assist her with her breathing. As her respiratory function improves, the speaking part will come. Overall, the surgeon was pleased with how things went.

Today's numbers (platelets, white count, etc) are also all improved. This is a big step forward and we are pleased.

Thanks to all of you, and special thanks to Dr. Jason Smith and Dr. Bill Henry for their long distance consultation.

Shorty & Patti

Mixed Emotions

We have some results from the CT scan. Dr. Cummings said the abdominal fluid has almost totally drained so the tube can be removed (that's good). The left lung will be drained in her room today by someone from radiology (using a sonogram for guidance). The PT number (factor of clotting) is too high at 20 and means she needs four units of plasma today. This could impact the scheduled trachetomy (scheduled for 10:30a tomorrow). The platelets are the same at 110,000 (good); her fever is normal after spiking at 102 in the middle of the night.

We have not spoken with the pulmonologist yet. After we do (later today) we'll know more about the lungs.

Thank you as always for your continued support.

Shorty and Patti

More Good News

Dr. Cummings continues to think we are making progress. CT scan of the abdomen and lungs is scheduled for 9a tomorrow (Wednesday) morning. He, along with the pulmonologist and an intervention radiologist, will all be present to assess the situation and her needs. The tracheotomy is scheduled for 10:3oa Thursday morning (yea!)

Thank you for hanging in there with us.

Shorty and Patti

Upward Trend Continues!

As of this morning (Tuesday):

white blood cell count is 13,500 (good, same as yesterday)
platelets are at 110,000 (good!)
biliruben is 4.7 (good!)
Liver enzymes are improving

Things have been slightly improving for four days now. CT scan of chest and abdomen will hopefully be moved to today (instead of tomorrow). Tracheotomy will "hopefully" happen tomorrow, or as soon as scheduling will allow.

Thanks again to everyone.

"Moving On Up" Monday...

The 2 numbers we want to be done are actually down:

• The white blood count is 13
• The billirubin is 5

The Platelets are up to 79, which is also good.

The abdonmen and lung draining tubes still show fluid and continue to drain.

We hope to perform the tracheotomy Tuesday or Wednesday of this week...keep your fingers crossed!

Thanks for all of your support!

Consensus of 4 - She's Better Today

All of Lori's doctors agreed today that the "numbers" are better!!

• White blood count is down to 19 - which is good.
• She's tolerating the "food" going into the stomach feeding tube.
• Her temperature has gone up and down- but overall not too high.
• No blood products were needed today :)
• Doctors are hopeful they can perform the tracheotomy this week.

They took her off her sedation for a while and we actually felt like we were communicating with Lori. Even though Dr. Cummings said she probably won't remember, it felt good.

Climbing Back Up

Doctor Report:

Dr. Cummings sees an upward trend.

• Everything is draining
• She is getting food through the stomach tube (which is better as is known to provide strength)

Pulmonolgist stated "She is better than yesterday"

• The platelets are stable
• The White Blood Count is better
• The oxygen output is 25% (which is the same air we breathe)
• Nurse Paulette is with her today :) (Lori seems to react well to her)

Thanks for all of your support....

Weekend Waiting Game

Hi ya’ll. Nothing has changed. We feel like we are going backwards. We do feel good that,

1. My brother Bill will be looking at the recent CT scan soon and will give his consultation.
2. Dr. Cummings and God are not taking the weekend off.

The support coming from everyone is both physically and spiritually felt. We thank you all.

Signed,
Patti and Shorty

Post from Patti:

Johnny told Lori “Goodbye” for a couple of days so Patti will be filling in.

The main concerns are:
- Abdominal fluid that was drained off yesterday *is* infected (not yet identified)
- Cultures from the lung and urine show the same infection

The plan for today:
- Give the antibiotics (started yesterday) time to work .
- A hematologist is on board and has ordered two units of blood and one of plasma for today.
- A liver doctor is being consulted

The platelets are at 67,000 and the white blood cell count is currently 31,000.

Lori’s tracheotomy is still on hold until next week.

Thank you for the continued love and support!

Patti

Thursday Afternoon

2:45 p.m.

- Belly full of fluid. doctors will drain and culture it. hopefully no infection.
- TRACHEOTOMY postponed till NEXT WEEK
- Waiting to speak to a hemotologist about her blood.
- Dr. Cummings joked that Lori is "recalcitrant." Shorty had to look that word up. Patti knew what it meant. I wasn't sure...we're learning alot. (uncle bubbly, Shorty said that even though Cummings went to Univ.of Tenn., he used a Vanderbilt word)

thanks

johnny, patti, and shorty

CT Scheduled for 11:30

10:45 a.m.

- CT to determine if there is a need to move tube to another spot to drain fluids
- still hoping to perform tracheotomy before the weekend.
- Antibiotics are being altered as a result of blood work done.
- Bilirubin number is way too high (around 7 -- indicating possible problem with Gallbladder). http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/003479.htm
- White Blood Cell count is DOWN (34,000) which is GOOD
- Platelet count is UP (89,000), which is GOOD

Tracheotomy POSTPONED

2:00 p.m.

- Doctors postponed the Tracheotomy due to BLOOD PROBLEMS -- ANEMIC.
- HEMOGLOBIN is Down (7.9), which is BAD
- PLATLETS are Down (53), which is BAD
- Giving her "blood products" today to reverse the problems
- CT scan of abdomen and lungs scheduled for tomorrow morning
- White Blood Cell count is still high (46,000), but is lower than yesterday. Where is the infection? Doctors have not ruled out the GallBladder
- Lasix drip has been stopped.
- Chest tube still in, but mom didn't see any drainage.

thank you

She's a Fighter

5:25 p.m.

- Paulette, the nurse during this shift, said that in her whole career, she'd never seen such a fighter as LORI
- ENT Doctor is planning to perform the TRACHEOTOMY tomorrow, WED, at 11:30 a.m. Doctors feel that this is as good a time as any, and that Lori can tolerate it.
- TEMP is good
- Blood Pressure is good
- Breathing more easily, and still draining some fluid. Tube will remain for 2-3 days.
- Lori is receiving her first "food", other than liquids, through the G tube into her stomach

thank you thank you everybody

sneeds

Emergency Procedure

---->> Doctors had to put in a chest tube to drain the pocket of air and fluid that had formed outside of Lori's lungs (hydropneumothorax). it was pushing on her"midline." it was a problem that had to be resolved immediately. The tube will remain for a couple days. Fluid is being cultured.
- Infectious disease doctor will likely alter the antiobiotic treatment according to cultures from yesterday
- she's sedated and will be for another day at least.
- Doctors switched the line to her vein in her arm.
- Slight fever
- White Blood Cell Count is still too high: 49,000 (indicates infection)
- Docs will perform another Ultrasound to determine if the GallBladder is a source of infection
- met with ENT Doctor who said that he plans to perform the Tracheotomy in a few days when Lori is more stable


thank you

the sneeds

Switching a line

8:30 a.m.

- Doctors are removing the main drip lines from her shoulder to a vein in her arm. They had trouble inserting it yesterday, and will do it today in the radiology department.

thanks
_______

if you are new to this site, the beginning of the "April" archives is the start of this blog

Lori has been in ICU since April 14 as a result of a perforated intestine, resulting in Sepsis. We have been dealing with the effects of the sepsis ever since.

Blue Monday

12:00 p.m.

- There is more INFECTION somewhere in her body. Lori's color in her face didn't look good today.
- White Blood Count is up to 49,000 which is NOT GOOD.
- Doctors will perform an ULTRA-SOUND to determine if GALL BLADDER is the problem.
- there is a bit of FLUID around her LUNGS. Lasix drip administered to help with that.
- Dr. Cummings, who was concerned about Lori's survival after the 2nd surgery last week, thinks that "we are NOT going to lose Lori" at this point.
- TRACHEOTOMY is most likely on hold for now

Thank you for your continued support. We really appreciate it.

Johnny, Patti, and Shorty

Sunday Evening

7:20 p.m.

- Lori's doing relatively well
- Sedation was pretty much removed today.
- She seemed a little uncomfortable, to me, at 4:00. Nurse gave her a little more pain medicine, and we adjusted her position. still no real communication with her, but she does seem responsive to us with some blinked eyes and raised eyebrows. But she seemed to me to be a little fatigued. However, her friend Mary said Lori turned her head and made some expressions to communicate a preference for a Norah Jones CD over a classical one.
- no TEMP
- White Blood Cell count still high at 43,000
- Meds given to her to relieve lung congestion

Sunday Afternoon

Sorry for the delay. Douglas Lindhauer's fault.

- Lori continues to improve little by little
- Pulmonary Doctor has signed off on the TRACHEOTOMY -- Mon or Tues
- Easing back on Sedation today
- Hair looks good - which is all that matters to Lori.

thanks

Saturday afternoon

3:30 p.m.
Laurie, one of Lori's friends here in Atlanta, just checked in with us. Lori is doing pretty good. holding steady.
- still sedated, but eyes opened a bit

5:25 p.m.
- lungs not needing to be suctioned as much.
- Lori is relaxing
- blood pressure good
- No Fever

SATURDAY Morning

11:30 a.m.

- Pulmonary Doctor says Lori's doing well
- No TEMP
- Blood Pressure is Good. No Pressors (blood pressure med)
- Still Planning on perfoming TRACHEOTOMY Monday or Tuesday
- Cultured Lung Secretions

- Lori seems pretty relaxed, but still fights the nurses' efforts to suction her breathing tube. She really doesn't like that.
- Still sedated, but responded a little bit to our presence.

thanks

sneeds

8:30 p.m.

- holding steady
- no TEMPERATURE
- White Blood Cell Count is still high. we want that to be lower.
- Blood Pressure is stable
- some secretions in her lungs
- still a little swollen. Dieuretics are not working as well as we'd like.

thank you so much for your support and well wishes

the sneeds

Looks like a TRACHEOTOMY first of NEXT WEEK

2:30 p.m.
- Lori was only able to last about an hour off the ventilator
- She'll rest up this weekend to get stronger. Doctors plan on performing a TRACHEOTOMY early next week.
- Dr. Cummings said to remember that she is better off at this time compared to this time, last time :) got that?

4 weeks and counting

9:45 a.m.
This morning is the 4 week mark.

- Lungs sounds good. Pulmonary Doctor said she is going to let Lori wake up just a little and to see how well she breathes on her own, with some assistance with the ventilator. Tube is staying in for the time being.
- Stats look good this morning.

10:45 a.m.

- Weaning Lori off the Ventilator is not going to be easy, but we are hopeful. Currently, Lori initiates the breathing, and the machine helps her.
- Lori's Abdomen is a little tight/swollen. hoping things are ok there.

thank you

Having a good night

as of 9:30 p.m.

- having a good night.
- slowly pulling back on the blood pressure medicine
- kidneys good

thank you. Good night.

Afternoon

- Pulmonary Doctor is encouraged. She will possibly try to wean Lori off the Ventilator tomorrow!!! that would be GREAT!
- we are hoping we won't have to do the Tracheotomy
- Lowered the SEDATION a bit today
- Low-Grade TEMPERATURE
- no blood transfusion today
- Dr. Cummings said Lori is responding more positively and more quickly than after the previous surgery


thank you. thank you.

48 hours post-surgery--- Holding steady

as of 11:45 a.m.

- Stable and doing fine. sleeping. sedated.
- we are waiting to talk to the Pulmonary Doctor
- Skin specialist said the ileostomy looked very good around the stoma (opening in her skin).
- Breathing is good
- Blood pressure good (receiving only one pressor)
- urine is good

BRONCHOSCOPY Completed

as of 6:15 p.m. E.S.T.
- procedure went fine. Blood Pressure held.
- (the blood i mention earlier was not from lungs; she had bitten her tongue)
- Pulmonary Doctor was pleased that secretions were minimal
- Doctors say Lori is "doing better" at this point post-recovery, than she was at the same point after the first surgery
- Doctors are still considering when, and details of how, to do a TRACHEOTOMY

- Doctor Cummings is encouraged. Lori is tolerating things better than he originally thought she would. He thinks the following are in her favor with the latest infection versus the initial infection: shorter duration of infection; smaller area infected; bacterial count different due to the antibodies present in her system. All of which will hopefully make for a quicker resolution.

thank you

afternoon update

Tricia, our nurse today, said
- kidney numbers are BETTER
- they took a Blood Culture - results will take 5 days
- TEMP is GOOD
- New Pulminary Doctor will perform bronchoscopy this afternoon. we'll talk to her (the doctor) this afternoon.

thanks

24 hours down and just a few million more to go

just a little ICU humor

10:00 a.m.
- holding steady
- slight TEMP. not too high.
- blood pressure medicine keeping blood pressure steady
- kidney output adequate
- sedated
- slightly swollen
- Nurses want to let her rest until she's more stable and more strong.
- No vistors today.

thank you so much for your kind words of support.

love,
3 sneeds

hanging in there

6:30 p.m.

- just returned from hospital. Lori is sedated and a little swollen, which we expected
- TEMP is rising after being too low following surgery.
- Kidneys are producing better amounts of urine compared to post surgery. meds regulating blood pressure.
- hoping that various organ problems will not plague us during this recovery, even in her weakened state.

No visitors in the ICU for now.

thank you. Love,
sneeds

Surgery Completed - hoping for the best

- Dr. Cummings concerned about Lori's ability to tolerate this
- He cleaned the abdomen again. Not sure where infection started.
- Several perforations in her abdominal region. repaired.
- her intestinal tissue very fragile. sounds like all of the tissue inside of her is fragile.
- G-Tube inserted directly into her stomach
- ileostomy performed- (involves her small intestine).
- organs are stable at the moment
- Lori did better hemodynamically this time - related to blood and pressure

We are sort of back where we started, but we are worried about Lori's weakened state. Next few days are critical.

We need lots of good luck.

thank you for your support.
love
johnny, patti, and shorty

"Believe it or Not"

Well, things have gotten surreal.
Lori has been transferred back to Northside for more SURGERY. She has 4 ABSCESSES in the abdomen. Doctors don't know exactly what the problem is until surgery.

9:00 a.m. --just got a call from dr. Cummings. they are beginning surgery.

Thank you.

shorty says it's a "son-in-law" day

meaning, not quite what he expected (there's a story related to it)

5:00 pm

Johnny, here.

Lori arrived at the ICU of Shepherd Center this morning. We've seen alot of familiar faces, which is nice.

Unfortunately, Lori is not doing as well as we'd like. She is suffering from some infection, the source of which is unknown at the moment.
Lori is encountering some of the same problems as before (high white blood cell count, liver and kidney numbers not good, fluid in lungs, etc).
She is going to have various CT scans performed tonight at Piedmont Hospital (which is next door to Shepherd).

Lori is still very sick. Shorty has decided to postpone his trip back to Gulfport for a few days.

thank you for your continued support. hoping for some good news later.

Ready To Go

Mr. Sneed just got back from a visit with Lori. She looks calm yet sleepy; however she did raised her eyebrows several times to Mr. Sneed’s stories. They had also just washed her hair and had a towel on---no pictures please:)

Today’s Positive News:
NG Tube removed from her nose
Temp normal
Lungs are showing signs of clearing
Hearing more intestinal sounds (which is good)

Tomorrow will be a BIG Day as they are moving her to the ICU Shepard Center. Johnny is headed back so everyone will be with Lori during her next stage of recovery.

Thanks to all for your thoughts and prayers.....

Staying Strong

This is our 3rd Saturday morning and Lori's "look" was not very welcoming. According to her nurse she is aware and not happy with things (ventilator and NG tube)…as we would expect.

In the middle of the night, she indicated that she was short of breath. The nurses then suctioned out several mucous plugs...Despite all of that, Lori continues to fight and stay strong.

Today’s Positive News:
Temp is normal at this time
Platelets are up over 100,000 (which is good)
Blood Pressure continues to be good

Thanks everyone for hanging in there with us.

Heading to Shepherd Center on Monday....

Good News!

Mrs. Sneed just spoke to our hero (Dr. Cummings) at Northside who said this is an appropriate time to move Lori to the Shepherd Center ICU. Dr. Leslie and other doctors at Shepherd will try to aggressively remove her from the ventilator and her road to recovery.

They are still keeping Lori somewhat sedated because of the tube; however she continues to look better each day!

Thanks to all for your thoughts and prayers!

Bump in the Road---Breathing Tube back in.

johnny, here, typing what mom just told me on the phone.

Pulminologist said it was worth trying to give LORI the chance to be off the ventilator; but, early in the morning, Doctors had to re-intubate.
On the positive side, Doctor says "she hasn't lost any ground". He plans to keep her sedated, let her get stronger, and have a THORACIC Surgeon perform a TRACHEOTOMY next week.

We are still planning for Lori to go to Shepherd Center for rehabilitation. Shepherd Center is where Lori went for rehab in 1991.

We knew that removing the tube might take some time, but we were hoping otherwise.

thankyou
Patti, Shorty, and johnny (in LA)

The Last Battle

Lori is off the ventilator!!! The Pulmonary Doctor thought the time was right. Her CO2 output has not been enough since they removed the ventilator so they are trying a mask that assists her on breathing. We will know tonight whether this will work or if we have to go back to the ventilator. So everyone take a deep breath on Lori’s behalf!!

The brain issue is more good news than bad - according to Lori’s Uncle Bill. There is a small portion of permanent damage but hopefully will not impact her much.

They also removed the drain tube from her abdomen today and so far all is ok.

They have also taken her off of all blood pressure medicine!!

As you can see, we have had a great day! Lori looks much better and we can definitely see improvement!

Thanks for all of your thoughts and prayers!

Continued Improvement

This morning Lori looks better than yesterday and she seems to be more aware of her surroundings. Her temp, white blood cells, and blood pressure all are doing fine.

Items scheduled today:

• A trip to radiology to remove the abdomen drain tube.
• The neurologist will evaluate the CT scan performed yesterday to review the effects from yesterday's occurrence. However, the nurse stated that her pupils look normal today. Lori is definitely following us with her eyes around the room.
• Dr. Armstrong will be in soon and hopefully will begin to wean her off the ventilator. This may take several days or more.

--Johnny, here. Lori's friend, Laurie, will fill you in today. I'm flying to LA for a few days for work, then back to Atlanta on Sunday. Thanks to all of you for your calls, emails, thoughts, love, etc. LORI looks good today. she's trying to talk which can be frustrating, since it's not possible with ventilator tube. Hard to leave her.

Thank you. my best to all of you. love, johnny.

Some Good News and Some Waiting-and-Seeing

SORRY for the delay. we were all a little tired today.

- Occipital Cortex: We have to wait and see if there has been any damage to Lori's VISION. We hope to have more info tomorrow -- not definite answers, necessarily, but maybe more info.
- doctors did not perform MRI, due to possible complications with all of her tubes.


GOOD NEWS:
- most of lori's other numbers are looking good.
- Dr. Cummings says that we are one step closer to getting her out of ICU
- Docs will try to start slowly weaning her off of the ventillator tomorrow
- Temp is good
- Kidneys are good. the kidney doctor has "signed off"
- Blood Pressure is Good
- No blood transfusion today which is GOOD.
- White Blood Count is NORMAL which is GREAT
- Will remove drainage tube from abdomen tomorrow.

Lori was without sedation for about 6 hours today, but back on some sedation due to her very Lori-esque attempts to remove the tubes from her mouth. Other than Patti, Lori's the toughest woman I know ...and the coolest.
On the CD player, we played "midnight train to Georgia" by Gladys Knight and the Pips, which Lori and I danced to when we were kids.
She smiled at us when we left her room.

thanks for your continued support.

Love,
johnny, shorty, and patti

Need your prayers and thoughts

8:37 a.m. EST

There appears to be swelling in the Occipital Lobe of Lori's Brain (related to Vision). that is as much as we know. we've been at the hospital since about 5: 30 this morning.

doctors have performed a CT scan and now need to do an MRI, which will be difficult with all of Lori's tubes.

thankyou

johnny, patti, and shorty

GREAT DAY

- Dr. Cummings (our hero) says we are making progress. GREAT DAY.
- 3rd straight day of progress. Dr. Cummings says that "it looks like Lori is finally trying to get well"
- Probably will not do Tracheotomy to avoid complications with previous work done on her trachea. Hopefully, if things go well, Doctors will be able to wean her off the ventilator this week, which would be GREAT.
- Only on minimal amount of Blood Pressure Medicine.
- White cell count close to NORMAL which is GREAT!!
- Platlet count is up which is GREAT
- Cultures from the Belly fluids were NEGATIVE, which is GREAT. They are planning on removing the drainage tube from the abdomen.

There is still alot of recovery to go (weaning her off the ventillator could be tricky), but Lori is definitely making progress.

LOVE,
johnny, patti, and shorty

Monday Morning

11:30 a.m. EST
- Not sure when TRACHEOTMY will be performed.
-pulminary doctor felt more postive today. still fragile, but lori ok to have tracheatomy.
- TEMP ok at 99.4
- breathing "room oxygen" with ventillator, which is GOOD
- lung x-ray the same as yesterday which is GOOD
- FLUID draining from abdomen looks BETTER
- Just using minimal amount of new BLOOD PRESSURE medicine.
- GI doctor pleased today.
- received an input of HEMOGLOBIN. still low.
- was sedated yesterday and last night. we think she's been resting.

not sure how long LORI will remain in ICU. hoping that things will continue to improve.

thanks so much for all of your phone calls, emails, posts, well-wishes, etc. really nice to hear from all of you.

Shorty is feeling a little sick and is recooperating. Patti is keeping things running smoothly. I got to play some music yesterday in Alpharetta with some friends of a friend of mine, Rob Poynter, who now lives in LA. i play drums and sax---sort of. over the past year i've been playing music with Rob and some other musicians in LA every saturday at a studio located in North Hollywood that we call the "pool house." it's been one of the most artistically satisfying experiences of my life, and i owe it all to LORI. Lori took an improvisational comedy class a few years ago in Atlanta, and Rob was one of her instructors. i came to atlanta once to see LORI perform a show, and LORI was hilarious and got lots of laughs (that's for you, sneed, when you read this). funny how things and people connect.

love,
johnny, shorty, and patti