Thursday, September 24, 2009

Better than before

Hi everyone:

Patty seems to be mostly shedding the last vestiges of flu that had been plaguing her. A nagging cough is hanging on, though, and not wanting to let go.

She had a cortisone shot in her right foot two days ago to treat a neuroma; so far, it isn't working. The alternatives involve intentionally damaging the nerve, so we're hoping to avoid that route.

All in all, our patient seems to be doing pretty well, although she scared me a little last week when she complained of discomfort across her collar bone. Dr. Costanzo checked Patty out yesterday, and said she was doing great.

That's all I have for now. If anything else happens, I'll be sure to let you know.

Love,
Brian

Wednesday, September 09, 2009

A rough couple of days

Hi everyone:

Patty was forced to stay home from work today by what we believe is the flu. She has been battling low-grade fevers, nausea and potent headaches since yesterday evening. A couple of days prior, she experienced some discomfort in her chest similar to the pericarditis symptoms; as this discomfort arose shortly after she finished her course of steroids, I'll be watching her closely. I'm feeling under the weather myself, so we may all be battling a bug of some sort; unfortunately, these bugs tend to take a bigger toll on our patient. I took a photo of Patty this morning that I had hoped to post, but it wouldn't attach properly (given how terrible Patty looks, this is perhaps a blessing.)

On a more positive note, our agent continues to shop our book about Patty's story (tentatively titled "Pulse of My Heart".) To date, at least three larger publishers have expressed some interest. Keep your fingers crossed. I, for one, believe it is a compelling, touching and sometimes quite humorous story.

Love,
Brian

Tuesday, September 01, 2009

A little rough

Hi everyone:

Recently, Patty finished taking her six-week course of steroids. Over the past couple of days, a discomfort similar to the pericarditis-related pain has returned. We're going to keep an eye on it for the next day or so; if it gets any worse, we'll be back in touch with her doctors.

Last weekend, PJ moved into the dorms for students of The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. He starts school this Thursday, and is very excited.

Other than that, there's little new to report.

Love,
Brian