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Glenn Pitcher

Started by SCP_Dave, January 31, 2009, 08:13:53 PM

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Brian Johnson

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.

PPI Jason

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).

Probably the earliest flyswatters were nothing more than some sort of striking surface attached to the end of a long stick.
-Jack Handey

PPI Karl

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.
If you want to end your misery, start enjoying it, because there's nothing the universe begrudges more than our enjoyment.

Brian Johnson

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?

Brian Johnson

Karl, I'm up for going to see Glenn tomorrow. Give me a call and let me know when you are going, por favor.

PPI Jason

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
Probably the earliest flyswatters were nothing more than some sort of striking surface attached to the end of a long stick.
-Jack Handey

PPI Karl

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?
If you want to end your misery, start enjoying it, because there's nothing the universe begrudges more than our enjoyment.

PPI Brian

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.
"Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence."--Carl Sagan

PPI Karl

Brian J and I saw Glenn today.  I'll tell you all about it tonight.   :-\
If you want to end your misery, start enjoying it, because there's nothing the universe begrudges more than our enjoyment.

PPI Karl

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.
If you want to end your misery, start enjoying it, because there's nothing the universe begrudges more than our enjoyment.

PPI Brian

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.  :)
"Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence."--Carl Sagan

PPI Brian

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.
"Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence."--Carl Sagan

PPI Karl

Thank you, Brian.  I'm grateful for this update (albeit just a nervous for Glenn as I was before).  Good thoughts, only.
If you want to end your misery, start enjoying it, because there's nothing the universe begrudges more than our enjoyment.

PPI Brian

"Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence."--Carl Sagan

PPI Brian

#44
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.
"Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence."--Carl Sagan

PPI Karl

#45
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.
If you want to end your misery, start enjoying it, because there's nothing the universe begrudges more than our enjoyment.

PPI Tracy

#46
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.

Brian Johnson

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.

PPI Jason

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.
Probably the earliest flyswatters were nothing more than some sort of striking surface attached to the end of a long stick.
-Jack Handey

SCP_Dave

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!

Brian Johnson

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

PPI Karl

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.

If you want to end your misery, start enjoying it, because there's nothing the universe begrudges more than our enjoyment.

PPI Karl

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.
If you want to end your misery, start enjoying it, because there's nothing the universe begrudges more than our enjoyment.

PPI Tracy

Thank you so much, Karl for this update.  Hopefully this good news is the shape of things to come.  Very encouraging.

PPI Brian

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?
"Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence."--Carl Sagan

PPI Tracy

There should be something in the private contact info area?  No?

PPI Brian

#56
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
"Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence."--Carl Sagan

PPI Tracy

Thanks for the update, Brian.