Jo 71-09 Surgery update

[Jo 71-09]

Hi everyone,
My name is David. Jo 71-09's husband. I am posting to the forum to update everyone about Jo's surgery which took place on the 28th of April. Her surgery took 10 plus hours and thankfully it appears there will only be one surgery. Jo is recovering at New England Baptist Hospital in Boston. She is experiencing considerable pain which we expected and unfortunately she is also experiencing some recurring nausea. She did stand and walk a couple times today, this has improved her state of mind significantly. The goal is for release on Sunday May 3rd.
Dr Rand fused from the sacrum to T9, I hope I am saying that correctly, this is as he expected. He did say he was able to achieve excellent results in regard to her alignment, better than he expected. Recovery is slow in starting but it is underway.
I do want to apoligize for not getting this onto the forum sooner but to be honest, I have been struggling with keeping focused myself. Joanne is doing as well as can be expected at this point. She is a tough kid and I admire her courage. If anyone would like to send well wishes to Joanne, you can do so through the NEBH website to Joanne Bergeron.
I do want to thank all of you who have helped Joanne through this forum in any way. She gained a tremendous amount of knowledge and help through your experiences and your willingness to share them. Thank you!!
Sincerely,
David

[titaniumed]

Hi David

Thx for posting. If YOU have any questions about things, definitely post here or PM me.

She needs your full attention right now
Ed

[loves to skate]

Hi David,
Thank you so much for posting for Jo. In many ways, these past couple of days, you have had the harder part. It is very difficult to stand around and wait while your loved one is having a serious surgery. We applaud you for hanging in there for Jo. You both are very courageous and I am praying for you.
Sally

[LynnMarie74]

Thanks for the post David & so glad everything went well. 10 hrs is a long time, but thank goodness she only needs the one....so its done & over! Stay strong...she needs you!

Take care


Lynn

[Linda W]

Hi David,

Thank you for updating us on Joanne's status. I'm delighted to hear that Dr. Rand was able to achieve such a good outcome for her. Wishing you all peace of mind and some quality rest in the days to come.

Linda

[thinkinmom]

I've just joined this discussion, but it's good to know she's been in good hands.

Best wishes for her speedy recovery. You're a sweet man for coming here to post.

[debbei]

Thanks for the update David. I hope her recovery goes smoothly. It may not seem like it now, but she will be feeling better before you know it!

[theizzard]

Glad to hear she is doing well and will only need this one surgery instead of the planned two surgeries. It's amazing that until they get inside the person they can't really know exactly what they will be doing. Stay strong for her as she will need you and give her my best.
Avis

[JenniferG]

Thanks David. All the very best to you both, as you negotiate your way through these early days. It won't be long before she's feeling better every day and your optimism and hope for the future can truly blossom.

[Jo 71-09]

Update

Hi everyone, I just wanted to send a quick update on Jo's progress. She is slowly progressing, very slowly. Yesterday she did the stairs which amazes me that less than a week out she is willing to even try it. She is still having considerable pain at times. Jo ate solid food for the first time last night, chicken noodle soup, grilled cheese, and some green beans. She didn't eat allot but she did say it felt good to have food in her stomach, which is still distended but improving as well. I actually got to sit and eat with her which we both needed. One thing I can say about New England Baptist is that the views are quite nice so our view of the city added a nice backdrop for our romantic grilled cheese and chicken noodle soup dinner. We originally had today as the goal for her release but it's not time yet so we're looking at tomorrow, that remains to be seen as well though.
Just to clarify because I am not sure that I said it correctly, her fusion is from S1 to T9 and Dr Rand anchored to her pelvis. Hopefully the next update will come from Joanne. I did print all of your comments from the initial message and brought them in for her to read and she has received a few emails from some of you in the hospital, thank you all for supporting Jo through this, it really means allot to her.
David

[loves to skate]

Thanks again David. It sounds like things are progressing nicely. There is no rush to leave the hospital. Maybe you will have fillet Mignon for dinner tonight. Take care, Sally