I received a call today from PPI Brian Johnson and he informed me about Glenn's health and hospitalization. Thank you very much Brian for contacting me and informing me about this extremely saddening news. I want you all to know that Glenn and his family are in my thoughts and prayers right now more than ever. Please get well soon Glenn! The paranormal field needs you buddy!
Take care everybody!
SINCERELY,
David Walters
I'm so sorry to hear about Glenn. My prayers go out to Glenn and his family.
GET WELL SOON, GLENN!!!!
Quote from: ldwalkup on February 01, 2009, 08:21:56 PM
I'm so sorry to hear about Glenn. My prayers go out to Glenn and his family.
GET WELL SOON, GLENN!!!!
Thanks, Linda. Several of us visited Glenn today and, although he wasn't awake enough to talk with us, we spoke with his wife about his condition. We should know something more definitive by tomorrow about what sort of surgery and likely outcome Glenn's facing. I'll post more details when they come to light. Thanks so much for your prayers. I don't think Glenn's going to be on the internet for awhile, so I will pass along your support to Glenn and his wife when I next talk to them this week. I know it will mean a lot to them.
Thank you for keeping us up to date on this, Karl. As I've said before; Glenn has a special place in my heart and the heart of my family. He is wonderful human being and a great friend. Please let Glenn and Missy know that that Cary, Taylor and myself are praying for their entire family. I fully expect Glenn to recover from this and come back to PPI with a vengeance. Dave is right; this field DOES need him.
I'm going to try to go in to see Glenn tomorrow afternoon before work. (I don't think he or Missy is going to need anyone around today while they're deciding on surgery or no surgery.) I'll make sure to pass along everyone's well wishes to him and Missy.
Also, kudos to Brian J for contacting us all so quickly on Saturday. Thank you, Brian.
No Problem. Karl what time are you going up? I would like to go as well if I may.
Yes, I concur with Karl - Thank you so much for letting everyone know the situation, Brian!
Quote from: PPI Brian on February 02, 2009, 07:32:21 PM
No Problem. Karl what time are you going up? I would like to go as well if I may.
Brian, I'm going to try to visit Glenn before I go into work. I'd like to leave my place by 2:00 p.m., because I have to be in my office by 4:00 p.m. You might want to take a separate car because I'm heading straight into work afterward. However, it would be great if you could visit Glenn with me, too. (If he's not able to talk and Missy's not there, at least we'll have each other. ;D)
Hi Karl,
Did you get to see Glenn today? I wanted to go but got stuck in the office completing responses to interrogatories for a pending lawsuit.
I'm so sorry to hear someone in the PPI family is not doing well. I hope they recover quickly.
I know I"m just part of the online community but I am pulling for him to get better and hope his family is OK too. It sure seems like he is getting good support on here.
Quote from: johnny on February 04, 2009, 12:17:27 AM
I'm so sorry to hear someone in the PPI family is not doing well. I hope they recover quickly.
I know I"m just part of the online community but I am pulling for him to get better and hope his family is OK too. It sure seems like he is getting good support.
Thank you, Johnny, for your kind words. I know Glenn will read these threads eventually, and he'll really appreciate your good thoughts.
I was able to see Glenn this afternoon. He was in a much better condition than he was on Sunday in that he was conscious and talking. He had occasional waves of pain while I was there, but at least it's not the constant unrelenting wild pain that brought him there. They're giving him the painkillers at night only, now. I guess that's an improvement, too. They still haven't performed surgery yet because they're waiting for the antibiotics to do their work first. And, Glenn is still very, very weak. However, his color looks so much better than it was on Sunday, and overall his mood seems cautiously optimistic. (He thinks the doctors are withholding information from him, but it might be the drugs talking. Still, I'd be afraid, too, if I didn't know exactly what they were going to do or how bad my problem was.) They're continuing to do CAT scans in the mean time to figure out how severe the diverticulitis is, which will determine whether or not they have to go in and resect his bowel.
I'd like to go back to see him on Thursday or Friday. Dave, Ellie and Tony came by on Monday night to see him, which I know he really, really appreciated; it really lifted his spirits. I know he's anxious to see every one of us, and I think he's going to be there for some time. It was also nice to meet Missy finally. I think she needs visitors almost as much as Glenn.
Hi Karl,
Thanks for the update. I hope to stop by and see him on either tomorrow or Thursday afternoon.
Karl - Thank you so much for keeping us up to date on what is happening. Brian Johnson called me yesterday and we spoke for a bit. He said that his spirits were a little higher but he indeed was still very week. I'm so glad that Dave, Ellie and Tony went to see him. I'm sure that meant more to Glenn than any of us know. Glenn is so important to so many people. I think when everyone is happy and healthy, we tend to just go day to day and can so easily take each other for granted. My hope is that Glenn knows how much he is cared for and just how much support he has. Karl or "The Brians" ...if you talk to him, please pass along our well wishes and let him know that he is in our thoughts and prayers.
Karl, Brian J and I visited with Glenn this afternoon. He was very tired but he spoke to us for quite some time. He even seemed a little ornery, which is a good sign. ;D
Right on! That's the Glenn we all know and love. ;D
Quote from: TAPS Tracy on February 04, 2009, 11:14:20 AM
Karl - Thank you so much for keeping us up to date on what is happening. Brian Johnson called me yesterday and we spoke for a bit. He said that his spirits were a little higher but he indeed was still very week. I'm so glad that Dave, Ellie and Tony went to see him. I'm sure that meant more to Glenn than any of us know. Glenn is so important to so many people. I think when everyone is happy and healthy, we tend to just go day to day and can so easily take each other for granted. My hope is that Glenn knows how much he is cared for and just how much support he has. Karl or "The Brians" ...if you talk to him, please pass along our well wishes and let him know that he is in our thoughts and prayers.
Hi, Tracy. I printed out the comments from threads on PPI and on TAPS Family and gave them to Glenn yesterday to read. However, on Tuesday, I personally conveyed your well wishes to him and told him what you wrote. Missy was there as well, and they were both really touched and very grateful. Just thought you should know that.
I would like to give Glenn another visit on Saturday afternoon, while I'm on my way up to Ontario (since it's on the way, after all). In the meantime, Glenn wants everyone to know how thankful he is for your prayers and support. In his own words, "You?ll never know how much that means to me right now. I feel so lucky to have so many friends. I believe prayers do make a difference, and I?m just grateful to everyone who?s thinking about me. Please keep the prayers and good thoughts coming. They really are helping.?
Karl - this is so comforting to know. When you have love, support and friendship, it is amazing what it does for the spirit and the soul. It can be very healing. I'm so glad that Glenn is able to know just how much people care about him. Thank you so much, Karl.
Karl,
Thank you for the ongoing updates. Glad to hear he's feeling a little bit better before surgery. Give him and his family my best and I'll be thinking of him.
I received a call from Glenn's wife today. She informed me that Glenn has taken "a turn for the worse". Apparently they found another abscess in one of his divirticuli. They surgeon is going to try and drain it tomorrow, however, if he is unable to perform the procedure, Glenn might be facing surgery again.
Quote from: PPI Brian on February 08, 2009, 09:02:01 PM
I received a call from Glenn's wife today. She informed me that Glenn has taken "a turn for the worse". Apparently they found another abscess in one of his divirticuli. They surgeon is going to try and drain it tomorrow, however, if he is unable to perform the procedure, Glenn might be facing surgery again.
Brian, thanks again or contacting us and letting me know this. I'm sorry I missed the call. I did get the voicemail shortly afterwards though. I really hope Glenn gets better as soon as possible. Tony, Ellie and I will be visiting him again later this week. Take care everyone! Thanks again Brian for keeping us all up to date on this!
Dave
Hello everyone,
My prayers go out to Glen and his family, I met him when I had two investigations done. He made me feel very comfortable when we spoke about the activity that was going on in my house. He truly is a very knowledgable person that is definitely needed on the team! May he get well soon.
Sincerely,
Susan Alvarez
I'm going to go see Glenn tomorrow afternoon (Wednesday, Feb. 11), leaving my place at 2:00 p.m. If anyone wants to come along, the more the merrier. Brian J., are you game?
I really wanted to go today, but I just can't; too many work related things I need to finish this afternoon before my office hour. I feel bad 'cause I'm worried about him, but what can I do? I'll sneak in a Whitman's Sampler tomorrow or somethin'. :D
I appreciated reading up on this, hope no one minds. . I saw Brian PM'd me but was away from the PC at the time. I hope Glenn recovers fully and quickly, hope they doctors make him feel more comfortable about the decisions they will be making to help him recover more quickly from what is ailing him. Again, I send my positive thoughts and wishes his way.
Hi Karl,
I will try to join you unless something catastrophic happens.
Hi Johnny,
Thanks for the well wishes. Glenn really appreciates the thoughts and prayers at this time.
Hey everybody,
I just spoke with Glenn on the phone and he wanted me to thank all of our PPI family members for their well wishes and their prayers during this very difficult time. He also wanted me to give everyone an update on his condition.
Over the weekend Glenn took a turn for the worse. He was in a lot of pain and he wasn't responding well to the treatments. His doctors performed a series of CT scans and determined that he had an abcess on his large intestine the size of a fist. Glenn said they inserted a drain and "all this really nasty stuff came out". They aspirated over 100cc's of fluid, but didn't want to risk rupturing the abcess by draining it too quickly, so they left the drain in place. Since the drain was inserted he has felt some relief but he is still very weak and in a lot of pain. They are closely monitoring his condition, and the doctors hope the antibiotics will reduce his white blood cell count to 10,000 or so. Right now his white blood cell count is over 20,000. If they cannot get his white cell count down they may perform a temporary colostomy to allow his large intestine to heal. We are all hoping that will not be the case, and that Glenn will respond well to the antibiotics. We all want to see him back on his feet and back home with Missy and Kimmy as soon as possible.
Again, Glenn wanted me to thank everyone for their prayers and well wishes. Please keep him in your thoughts. We will continue to share your comments with him during our hospital visits.
Brian,
Thank you for the update. I hope that a few of us can get together and see him again this weekend. It sounds like it's rough going, but all things considered, things seem to be slowly getting better (at least in contrast to those first few miserable days). I like that he is communicating. I know we all really want to see him get better soon.
I was thinking of going up on Sunday, does anyone want to join me?
Bri - What hospital is he at?
Glenn's at Pomerado Hospital, Poway. They've moved him from 210 `to Room 423. I'd like to join you this weekend, if I may. There's a chance that Glenn might be going home on Sunday, so I would definitely recommend calling ahead to see if he's thar.
Thanks, Karl. Wow...if there is a chance he is going home on Sunday, then he may be improving? Lord, I hope so.
I was thinking about going to see Glenn around 2pm. Anyone who wants go see him, please call me before then. Maybe we could carpool up to Poway.
I was hoping to make a trip up with you today but I'll have to pass. My Dad's in the hospital and, unfortunately, I'm just not up to a tour of hospitals today.
Please send Glen my best wishes and tell him to stop milking this thing and get back to taking out the garbage :P (kidding).
I really, REALLY wanted to drive up to see Glenn this afternoon, but I've been struck sciatica for the past forty-eight hours and I'm trying to play it careful. I've been through two morphine patches so far. I'm not trying to sound like a big baby or anything, but, damn it, it hoyts! Plus, if I start grabbing my back in pain at the hospital, it'll look like I'm trying to steal the spotlight. (Nurse! Nurse!)
If Glenn is still in the hospital tomorrow afternoon, I'm going to try to make the trip then instead. Brian, if you get this message in time and you still go up to see Glenn, wish him well and tell him I'm sorry I didn't come today.
Quote from: PPI Jason on February 15, 2009, 02:23:04 PM
I was hoping to make a trip up with you today but I'll have to pass. My Dad's in the hospital and, unfortunately, I'm just not up to a tour of hospitals today.
Please send Glen my best wishes and tell him to stop milking this thing and get back to taking out the garbage :P (kidding).
I'm so sorry to hear about your Dad. Is everything okay?
Karl, I'm up for going to see Glenn tomorrow. Give me a call and let me know when you are going, por favor.
Quote from: PPI Brian on February 16, 2009, 05:04:13 AM
I'm so sorry to hear about your Dad. Is everything okay?
Everything is better now. He is just in and out of the hospital more lately. Thanks for checking :)
Jason
Quote from: PPI Jason on February 16, 2009, 10:12:02 AM
Quote from: PPI Brian on February 16, 2009, 05:04:13 AM
I'm so sorry to hear about your Dad. Is everything okay?
Everything is better now. He is just in and out of the hospital more lately. Thanks for checking :)
Jason
Jason,
I'm glad to hear it. Hang in there. I'll keep good thoughts aloft.
Brian,
2:00 p.m. is the target hour to see Glenn. See you then?
Quote from: PPI Jason on February 15, 2009, 02:23:04 PM
I was hoping to make a trip up with you today but I'll have to pass. My Dad's in the hospital and, unfortunately, I'm just not up to a tour of hospitals today.
Please send Glen my best wishes and tell him to stop milking this thing and get back to taking out the garbage :P (kidding).
Hi Jason,
I'm sorry to hear about your Dad being hospitalized. I'm glad to hear that he is doing better. Hope all is well with you and yours.
Brian J and I saw Glenn today. I'll tell you all about it tonight. :-\
So, as you probably can guess, our visit to Glenn yesterday was not the happiest. Glenn's had a setback: another abscess remains inaccessible and unaffected by the course of strong antibiotics. They've come to a decision to do surgery, very likely today. They were prepping Glenn for it, but it sounded like there is a chance that they might delay the surgery (but not postpone it). It was obviously the measure of last resort, and it appears Glenn has arrived at that point.
It sounds like a radical procedure under the best of circumstances, so I can only imagine when Glenn must be thinking. Missy is trying to remain optimistic and focused, but it's obvious she's pretty scared for Glenn. The bright spot in all this is that Glenn's surgeon is planning a two-for: he's going to treat the second abscess, "clean up" the affected intestinal area and attempt to fix the ruptured diverticulum. That last task will save Glenn having to come back in three months for another major surgery. However, it's a bit of an unknown: they may have to cut out that section of the bowel altogether and resect it, which would lead to having to wear a colostomy bag, or, if they can just treat the ruptured area and sew it up, a colostomy could be avoided. Needless to say, the latter option is the preferred one, but, as you can imagine, the surgery is a big one. Post-op recovery and observation will mean at the very least another six days in the hospital for him.
Missy has said that she'll try to keep us abreast of the details today, but I'm sure that depends on whether or not she has the opportunity. I would say that "I can't imagine the worry she's going through," but, obviously, I can. Johnson has offered to be on standby to sit with her if she needs company during Glenn's surgery. Working in favor of Glenn's endurance for the procedure is that he has a pretty strong heart. I think we can all agree that a strong heart inspires our confidence as much as Glenn's big heart inspires us in other ways. All your good wishes and prayers are read by Missy and Glenn. Please keep Glenn in your thoughts today for a successful operation. We all want him to get well and come back to us as soon as possible.
Hi Karl,
Thanks for the update. I really wanted to see him yesterday, but I didn't want to risk exposing him to this cold or virus or whatever the hell it is that I have. :P Please give Glenn and Missy my best the next time you speak with them. We are all sending good thoughts his way. :)
Hi everybody,
I just got off the phone with Missy and she informed me that Glenn is scheduled for surgery tomorrow 2/18/2009 at 12 noon. She said that Glenn is still in a lot of pain, but she said he was relieved to learn that the surgery has finally been scheduled. She asked me to pass the word through the grapevine and let everyone know how much they appreciated your thoughts and prayers and to keep them coming. :)
We are all hoping for some good news tomorrow afternoon.
Thank you, Brian. I'm grateful for this update (albeit just a nervous for Glenn as I was before). Good thoughts, only.
Any word?
Hey everybody,
I just got off the phone with Missy and she asked me to give everyone an update on Glenn's condition. She was exhausted and emotionally drained after the surgery yesterday so she forgot to call and tell us how Glenn was doing. Today is the 21st day that Glenn has been hospitalized.
Yesterday morning Glenn's condition had improved again. His white blood cell count was in the 800's and his color was good. The Doctor was so impressed by his improvement that he was debating going through with the surgery. He asked Missy her opinion and she insisted they proceed. Missy said she stayed and visited with Glenn during the pre-op but she didn't get to see him again until they moved him into ICU twelve hours later.
The surgeon met with Missy shortly after he completed the operation. He spent over five hours removing an abscess the size of a softball from his colon, and he was forced to perform a colostomy because Glenn's condition was much worse than anticipated. In fact, he said it was the worst case he'd seen in over 25 years of practice. Glenn has apparently been suffering from this condition for many years, and his colon was so obstructed with scar tissue that the surgeon couldn't even pass his finger through it. Although he had been seeing his family doctors for frequent bouts of severe intestinal pain, he was never properly diagnosed, and the pain pills they prescribed only complicated the situation with their digestive side effects. The surgeon said if he had known just how bad Glenn's condition was they would have operated the day he arrived at the hospital. Although the operation was much more involved than anticipated, they hope re evaluate him in six months or so in order to determine the feasibility of reversing the colostomy.
Of course, Glenn does not know any of this at this time. He is in the surgical Intensive Care Unit, being kept unconscious with heavy sedatives and his hands and feet are restrained to prevent him from injuring himself. He is currently hooked up to a ventilator and the doctors and nurses are closely monitoring his incisions, as they must remain open for a while to drain and there is a high risk of infection. He has a feeding tube inserted and they have been giving him plenty of IV fluids and plasma to help him heal. Missy said in spite everything his color is good. She asked that everyone keep Glenn in their thoughts and prayers during this very difficult time because Glenn believes in the healing power of prayer.
Missy is holding up well considering the incredible amount of stress she is under. Not being able to see Glenn for such a long time after the surgery was understandably upsetting, and she hasn't been eating or sleeping well. Glenn's mom flew out from Utah to help and Missy's mom has also been there to help. She wanted me to thank everyone for their support and promised to give us an update as soon as Glenn regains consciousness.
Brian, thanks tremendously for relaying all this information. I was just about to call the hospital to ask. Needless to say, I'm ambivalent about what I'm reading here. :-\ I think we knew something was wrong with Glenn for a long while. I just hope to God this will be the thing to finally make him well.
All good thoughts, always.
Thanks again, Brian.
Thank you so much, Brian. I'm glad he got the care he so desperately needed. He was so ill for so long. I don't know how he kept going day to day. I don't think any of us came close to knowing just how bad his health truly had become. He has a long road ahead of him, but hopefully all this means that he will be on his way to better health and quality of life.
My prayers continue to go out to Glenn and his family. Thank you again Brian for keeping us up to date.
All I have to say is Wow. I never knew things were that bad with Glenn. I just thought he was an exceptionally gassy person. I hope he gets better as soon as he possibly can. My prayers and thoughts go out to Glenn and Missy.
All I have to say is, "Wow." What a horrible situation to be in. I'm so glad the doctor got in their and fixed things, hopefully. I'll be keeping him in my thoughts and sending only the best wishes his way.
There are so many feelings going through me, and they won't stop. So many questions, so many concerns, so many everything. How can doctors let something like that go for so long? Glenn absolutely does NOT deserve this B.S. but I am so thankful that they are taking care of it now before it got even worse...can you imagine if it got even worse?? Glenn will surely heal from this as you all know, he is a strong willed and strong minded person! If there's anything at all that I can do to help in any way, don't ever hesitate to ask!
My thoughts and prayers continue to be with Glenn and his family...they won't stop until I can sit down with him and enjoy a cup of coffee or tea or whatever, and shoot the s**t!
Hey Karl, I have to work until 2:45 but I am free after that. Did you still want to go see Glenn? Please,,gimme a call as I will be at work. TTYL
I talked with Glenn's doctor this afternoon, to see how he was doing. Although he was still in ICU, I'm happy to report that they've taken him off of a respirator, and he's breathing on his own. (Yea! :D)
I asked about whether he was able to see visitors other than immediate family. The answer was yes. However, his doctor asked that we not come in the next few hours because he had finally gotten off to sleep for the first time in a long while. I'm taking that as a polite request not to bother Glenn at all today, but just to let him get some badly needed recuperative rest, and then Johnson and I will likely make the trip tomorrow afternoon (Saturday, Feb. 21) to visit him. Anyone who would like to join us would be very, very welcome. Just say the word.
Brian Johnson and I stopped by the hospital to visit with him today, but didn't spend much time with him because his nurses are making sure his sleep is not interrupted--something I was only too happy to oblige. All in all, he looked better than I expected him to--better color and overall vitality, at least for the minute or two that he was awake. I wanted to pass along everyone's well wishes during that time, but honestly there just wasn't enough of a window to say more than a few word of encouragement. They are predicting he'll be transferred from ICU in the next two to three days, and spend at the very least another week of hospitalization afterward. Everyone I spoke with seemed to think he had a very long road of recovery ahead of him. :( I'll relay more as soon as I hear it.
Thank you so much, Karl for this update. Hopefully this good news is the shape of things to come. Very encouraging.
I just got a voice mail from Missy Pitcher. She said she was hospitalized last night, but she didn't say why. She The message was very garbled, so I will try listening again in another location. In the meantime, does anyone have Missy's contact info?
There should be something in the private contact info area? No?
Hi Tracy,
There was no answer all day at their residence, and the call originated from Glenn's cell phone. I finally got through, and spoke with Glenn and Missy's daughter Kimmy and her grandpa. Missy is resting comfortably at Scripps Green hospital. She spent last night in ICU but has been moved to a private room. She has an angiogram scheduled for tomorrow, because she was admitted for chest pains. The test results will be back tomorrow afternoon, so we won't know anything more than that until then. Glenn was doing well today. According to his father in law, Glenn was sitting up and making jokes, but they anticipate he will be in the hospital for at least two more weeks. I hope to see Glenn this week, so I will be sure to keep eveybody posted.
Hope all is well
Brian
Thanks for the update, Brian.