One day during Bellevue visiting hours, when we had asked that visits be limited to a half hour, one of Jillian’s friends said on her way upstairs, “I’ll try to stay in the time limit, but it feels so good to spend time with Jilly that I just don’t want to leave.” So now it’s time for a bit of self-pity from her parents, who, after spending so many hours a day in her company, will have to say good-bye to her soon. We’ve done it before, so we can do it again, especially since she’ll join us in Michigan for Thanksgiving.*
Here in New Mexico, Jilly has been seeing an acupuncturist and a therapist. She’s been focusing on regaining strength and getting her head around what happened to her. Now it’s time for her to check in with her Bellevue doctors and have them check out several small symptoms that are more annoying than debilitating: clogged ears, the not-quite-healed PEG site, sore knees. She’ll also call on them to help her find the level of activity that will facilitate continued healing as she satisfies her urge to get back to her full life.
On Saturday, Jilly boards a plane for New York (yes, Miss Karen**, she will have to fly alone, and yes, we too are worried about that). I’m counting on her many friends there to make sure she plans her days to allow for plenty of rest. New Yorkers, if you see her out past midnight, call her a cab. If you notice that she’s gone quiet and doesn’t seem to have an opinion about anything, take her home. All you wonderful people helped her through those early days, and I know you’ll look after her now, too.
All our best,
Ingrid
* Some of you may remember that Raymond and I had our annual Michigan trip scheduled to begin on August 20. I miss my family, so we’re going next month.
* * Miss Karen was Jilly’s dance teacher from age three through high school whom we visited yesterday. She thinks we should still get to tell Jilly what to do. I think so, too, but the law is not on my side.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Albuquerque Days
Even when I was exhausted at the end of a day in the hospital, it seemed easier to write and post a recap here on the blog that it is now that we're out here in Albuquerque. I guess there was a sense of urgency that has, I'm glad to report, dissipated.
We are all getting our bearings now that we are back the high desert. Raymond is at work on his Census Bureau assignments for the month of October. As I feared (or maybe expected? or maybe hoped? I'm not sure which), I find myself unemployed. I am now soulsearching and mindsearching to determine how to replace that income in a more satisfying way. After six weeks in the company of dedicated hospital workers and thoughtful, generous friends, I am relieved to contemplate a future that incorporates more of these qualities than my past employment has. This does not mean I have reached an equilibrium or developed a plan, only that I am beginning to see possibility in this setback.
And it's really the only setback. Jilly is resting a lot. She has developed a healthy appetite--albeit a highly specific one. We have been to Whole Foods several times to stock up on all the vegetables, homeopathic remedies, supplements, and teas she believes will help her healing. Our refrigerator, which Jeremy and Katie had kindly emptied before we came home, is now full of stuff Raymond and I would probably never buy. We taste some of it, but for now I am skipping the brewer's yeast and the apple cider vinegar. I am also giving kale and beets a wide berth.
Last week Jillian met with several different types of therapist. The hospital-based outpatient program to which Bellevue had referred us evaluated her status and determined that she didn't need them. A psychiatrist who is a friend of Lizzy Goodman told Jilly that what she needs now is to talk with friends and family and get back to her art. This consensus has confirmed our sense of the daily improvement Jilly has shown. The symptoms the Bellevue therapists were still noticing when we left the hospital have cleared up as she has proceeded with taking back her life.
What remain, besides the need to rebuild physical strength, are discrete symptoms that relate to her original injuries in different ways. To address these, Jilly is working with another psychiatrist, a cousin of her friend Amber's stepfather, and his wife, a doctor of Oriental medicine. They work together to determine what acupuncture points to target and to assess whether or not they are working. Jilly objects to every needle, but is susceptible to persuasion. In addition to the acupunture, the doctor recommended various supplements.
On Sunday we invited family and extended family to our home, to give us a chance to thank them for all the support they gave us during the Bellevue weeks and them an opportunity to see how well Jillian is doing. It was a great day.
But in so many ways, all our days are great days now.
All our best to everybody,
Ingrid
We are all getting our bearings now that we are back the high desert. Raymond is at work on his Census Bureau assignments for the month of October. As I feared (or maybe expected? or maybe hoped? I'm not sure which), I find myself unemployed. I am now soulsearching and mindsearching to determine how to replace that income in a more satisfying way. After six weeks in the company of dedicated hospital workers and thoughtful, generous friends, I am relieved to contemplate a future that incorporates more of these qualities than my past employment has. This does not mean I have reached an equilibrium or developed a plan, only that I am beginning to see possibility in this setback.
And it's really the only setback. Jilly is resting a lot. She has developed a healthy appetite--albeit a highly specific one. We have been to Whole Foods several times to stock up on all the vegetables, homeopathic remedies, supplements, and teas she believes will help her healing. Our refrigerator, which Jeremy and Katie had kindly emptied before we came home, is now full of stuff Raymond and I would probably never buy. We taste some of it, but for now I am skipping the brewer's yeast and the apple cider vinegar. I am also giving kale and beets a wide berth.
Last week Jillian met with several different types of therapist. The hospital-based outpatient program to which Bellevue had referred us evaluated her status and determined that she didn't need them. A psychiatrist who is a friend of Lizzy Goodman told Jilly that what she needs now is to talk with friends and family and get back to her art. This consensus has confirmed our sense of the daily improvement Jilly has shown. The symptoms the Bellevue therapists were still noticing when we left the hospital have cleared up as she has proceeded with taking back her life.
What remain, besides the need to rebuild physical strength, are discrete symptoms that relate to her original injuries in different ways. To address these, Jilly is working with another psychiatrist, a cousin of her friend Amber's stepfather, and his wife, a doctor of Oriental medicine. They work together to determine what acupuncture points to target and to assess whether or not they are working. Jilly objects to every needle, but is susceptible to persuasion. In addition to the acupunture, the doctor recommended various supplements.
On Sunday we invited family and extended family to our home, to give us a chance to thank them for all the support they gave us during the Bellevue weeks and them an opportunity to see how well Jillian is doing. It was a great day.
But in so many ways, all our days are great days now.
All our best to everybody,
Ingrid
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Back to Albuquerque!
Last Tuesday after her liberation from Bellevue, Jillian enjoyed a wonderful evening with friends (see earlier blog note). Her mantra, as it has been since she awakened in Week 3, remains "I have the best people in my life." Thanks to all who joined her (for her, alcohol-free) celebration, which was not just a return to normalcy but a better-than-normal reminder of how rich and fortunate her life has been and promises to continue to be.
The only difficulty involving our departure from New York was rising at an outrageous hour on Wednesday morning. Even that had an up side: At that hour the street to our sublet was still unblocked, and the traffic was light all the way to LaGuardia. On both flights, Jilly did experience some discomfort, mostly from that pesky PEG site, along with some headache and lightheadedness.
We arrived in Albuquerque to the news that Raymond's brother-in-law had had a heart attack the week before--and his wife had waited to tell us because we were still concerned about Jilly. Some readers may not know this, but when we learned about Jilly's accident we were at a local hospital where a sister-in-law had just died. Superstition has it that bad things come in threes, so I choose to believe we are done with sad events for awhile. At least two of these three have had a happy outcome: We visited Martin on Sunday and found him almost good as new.
And Jilly is better every day. Our first outing was to Whole Foods, where we stocked up on homeopathic remedies, herbal teas, and all kinds of healthy stuff. Avocados, brussels sprouts, black beans--for these and many other foods Raymond and I share Jilly's enthusiasm. Kale, brewers' yeast, beets--not so much. We're working it out.
Best of all, we have ended our seven-week green-chile deprivation with lunch at Monroe's, our favorite Mexican restaurant. Any time of day is a good time for huevos rancheros, our best confirmation that we are home again. Even our dog Maisy, lovingly cared for through our Bellevue days by our dear friend Melanie Wegner, is home at last. Thank you, Mel!
We have spent the last several days setting up and getting to followup appointments for Jillian, with the intention of setting up a therapy schedule as soon as possible. We're still processing what we've learned so far, so I'll report on it tomorrow.
We hear the temperature has dropped in New York. Here today the sky is bright blue, and it's in the low 80's, with a cooling trend (and unfortunately a bit of breeze) forecast for this weekend, the start of the International Balloon Fiesta. We do not miss the humidity.
But we do miss all our NY friends! Our best to all of you--and our continued great thanks as well.
Ingrid
The only difficulty involving our departure from New York was rising at an outrageous hour on Wednesday morning. Even that had an up side: At that hour the street to our sublet was still unblocked, and the traffic was light all the way to LaGuardia. On both flights, Jilly did experience some discomfort, mostly from that pesky PEG site, along with some headache and lightheadedness.
We arrived in Albuquerque to the news that Raymond's brother-in-law had had a heart attack the week before--and his wife had waited to tell us because we were still concerned about Jilly. Some readers may not know this, but when we learned about Jilly's accident we were at a local hospital where a sister-in-law had just died. Superstition has it that bad things come in threes, so I choose to believe we are done with sad events for awhile. At least two of these three have had a happy outcome: We visited Martin on Sunday and found him almost good as new.
And Jilly is better every day. Our first outing was to Whole Foods, where we stocked up on homeopathic remedies, herbal teas, and all kinds of healthy stuff. Avocados, brussels sprouts, black beans--for these and many other foods Raymond and I share Jilly's enthusiasm. Kale, brewers' yeast, beets--not so much. We're working it out.
Best of all, we have ended our seven-week green-chile deprivation with lunch at Monroe's, our favorite Mexican restaurant. Any time of day is a good time for huevos rancheros, our best confirmation that we are home again. Even our dog Maisy, lovingly cared for through our Bellevue days by our dear friend Melanie Wegner, is home at last. Thank you, Mel!
We have spent the last several days setting up and getting to followup appointments for Jillian, with the intention of setting up a therapy schedule as soon as possible. We're still processing what we've learned so far, so I'll report on it tomorrow.
We hear the temperature has dropped in New York. Here today the sky is bright blue, and it's in the low 80's, with a cooling trend (and unfortunately a bit of breeze) forecast for this weekend, the start of the International Balloon Fiesta. We do not miss the humidity.
But we do miss all our NY friends! Our best to all of you--and our continued great thanks as well.
Ingrid
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