Update on Jaime...

Tuesday, April 1--I had finished at the Dental Implant Center of Saginaw and I had called Jaime on the cell, and could tell something was wrong. She told me she was waiting for Jean (Jeff's Mom) to come pick up the kids and she was heading to the hospital. She thought she might have kidney stones. Results from the CT scan did not show a stone, but they thought it might be just off screen or on its way to the bladder. The ER sent her home on 24-hour watch. Before that time was up, she was on her way back to the ER in the worst pain of her entire life--and that is saying a lot with all that Jaime has been through with a variety of ailments. She said she would give birth to 10 more kids rather than ever experience that pain again. Jeff's parents watched the kids until I got there on Wednesday.


They kept Jaime on pain killers and IV until Saturday. They had burnt out all her veins. She was trying to get down that nasty tasting stuff so they could do a colonscopy. From that, Jaime learned that she had an ischemic colitis attack. The doctor told her (and I have read a similar explanation in at least three web write-ups) that it is as a heart attack is to the heart and a stroke is to the brain. It is a lack of blood flow (possibly a clot) to the colon. It is extremely rare and is predominant in those over ages 50-60. No one knew why it had happened to Jaime.


I took the kids to see her on Saturday. We had a nice visit. Jaime's pain was being controlled, but has unusually high blood pressure.


Sometime around 10 p.m. I got a call from Jeff that they were soon leaving the hospital. No one had come to see her for any tests all day. The hematologist that was supposed to take over her case had never shown up. Jeff walked out of her room and saw a doctor in the hallway. He asked him if he was a doctor and Dr. Pallas introduced himself. Jeff was disappointed because it was not the doctor that was scheduled to see Jaime. When Jeff told him who he was waiting to see, Dr. Pallas informed Jeff that he was also a hematologist. So, Jeff told him about Jaime and Dr. Pallas reviewed Jaime's chart and information and moved into action. He alerted the pharmacy to prepare the abdominal injections that Jaime would need to give herself at home, he had a nurse show her how to give herself the shots. He ordered up the Coumadin she would need to take and discharged her with an appointment to see him on Tuesday.

Raven and I celebrated part of Monday together as a belated birthday for both of us as we were not able to be together for our birthdays because I was out in NY taking care of Becky and the kids while Jay was in Afghanistan following her December spinal fusion. Then I took all three kids to our house for the week. This is Raven and Chase's spring break, so timing was a blessing for that.


Yesterday Jaime learned from Dr. Pallas that her INR # was 1.6 and the normal range is from 2-3. So, she has to continue giving herself the injections and continue taking the cumadin. He set up an appointment to see her again tomorrow to check these levels. He told her that the genetic testing will not be back for about 2 weeks. He thinks this episode might be genetically linked.

He also is greatly concerned about her headaches and her blood pressure, so he has ordered an MRI of the head on Friday morning.