[Nfb-idaho] FW: Remarks from the president

[Susan Bradley]

Hi everyone, Elsie asked me to send out this update
 



Date: Mon, 25 Aug 2014 15:37:43 -0700
From: larrydickerson48 at ymail.com
Subject: Remarks from the president
To: craftisue at hotmail.com



August 25,2014
Hello my Federation Family,
I am alive but getting tired. I wanted to give you a bit of an update. First, as most of you know, we lost our Idaho Phone Chapter, Brek Erickson, on Sunday August 3rd to a massive heart attack. I would like to thank Ramona Walhof, Larry and Sue Sabronik, and Susan Bradley for attending his service the following Sunday. I would also like to thank Mary Evelyn Smith for being their driver, and for the support and caring of Juan Morgan and family.
Secondly, for those of you who do not know Loren George had a serious stroke on the 21st of August and was hospitalized. He is home now but is requiring a lot of help and Vel Slotten is doing her best to help him. Please remember him and Vel in your prayers.
Thirdly, Sean Malone, our State Public Relations and Fund Raising Committee Chair, has been in the Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center the past couple of weeks. He has massive infection in his left leg which went into the bones in one toe and infected others. They are aggressively treating it to try to save his foot with serious wound care, antibiotics, and hyperbaric treatments. Sean will be there for the foreseeable future. 
Fourthly for some business, there will be a state presidents and treasurers meeting in Baltimore in September. I have asked Dana Ard to go in my place and she heartily agreed. I also appointed Dana to be the Idaho Chair of the Seventy Five Days of Action which she accepted as well. I am attempting to sit up a board meeting in the fall on October 18th and have asked Judy Jones to assist me with a location. I am in final negotiations for the 2015 Idaho State Convention with the intent at this point of utilizing the Boise Hotel on Vista Avenue. I have been working on this for the past year and a half. Tentative dates will be May 8th and 9th with no meetings on the 10th which will be Mother’s Day.
Fifthly, if you have been counting, is an update on myself which I will have Larry write:. Elsie had severe PVC’s during her surgery and has been referred to a heart specialist. Her blood pressure was up over 240 during surgery and was still around 210 when she was brought to the recovery room. Her oxygen fell below 80 during surgery and we had a lot of problems with it for about a day afterwards. During the surgery for the removal of three discs they installed a rod and cage screwed into C2 and C6, so it should be fun going thru airport security with her.
Dr. Morgan found a sticky mess that had to be removed along with calcification that he had to scrape off which caused him to accidentally nick her spinal cord. She loss an amount of spinal fluid equal to about twice the amount of blood loss during the surgery. While she was supposed to remain still and flat after the loss of the spinal fluid a very unprofessional physical therapist came in about two hours AFTER she left surgery insisting that Elsie needed to move. She proceeded to reach out and force Elsie’s arms and legs to move in a very uncomfortable fashion which also put pressure on the brace that was protecting her neck. We basically threw her out and Dr. Morgan was so furious that he banned physical therapy from coming to her room again. They should not have even been there until the third day after surgery not two to three hours.
The surgery and Elsie’s over five autoimmune disorders caused her to have severely depleted potassium and sodium levels and it reached a critical point where they had to address that as well. Elsie was in the hospital for about five days and got out on a Monday evening and the following Monday we had to take the shuttle to Pocatello for a follow up. The trip there and back was really rough on her and that along with other things brought about an Addison’s crisis and I had to take her to the ER. The doctor here in Malad thought he would have to send her to MacKay Dee in Utah but Elsie could not stand the thought of the trip due to the amount of pain. The end result is that she is still in an Addison’s crisis and I am giving her daily shots and she is slowly getting stronger. During this last event Elsie lost over 18 pounds but is now able to eat somewhat and is regaining some of her strength. Until she sees her endocrinologist on the 15th of September I have been ordered not to let her do ANYTHING on her own so I help support her weight while she walks and have to bathe and give her total care which is no problem.
Now for the good part – the surgery went well and Elsie has regained some feeling in her feet and hands. So sometimes even when the surgery goes well the complications can kill you. Both of us would highly recommend Dr. Morgan in Pocatello for any surgery on the spine. He us honest and straight forward and has really helped us through the complications that arose due to all the auto immune disorders Elsie has. We will have to wait about three months until the brace comes off and she goes through physical therapy to find out if they will still have to operate on her middle and lower back. Please remember her in your prayers -- Larry