I just got back from the hospital and you cannot believe my relief at seeing Jennifer talking and walking! The new diagnosis is viral encephalitis. We believe this to have been transmitted by mosquitoes as Jennifer is an avid gardener and well....with all the rain we've had recently...its not hard to reach that conclusion. I'm including a link to the Mayo Clinic website where there is some good information. http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/encephalitis/DS00226
She is still having some memory lapses and is still trying to recall some things, but she is recalling more and more and is responding very well to the anti-viral medications she is receiving. As to when she will be released from the hospital? That's an unknown. The doctor's are waiting for test results to come back. She will have a significant recovery period and will tire easily for a while, but she WILL recover...THAT is what is important!
If there is one thing I have learned from this...it is NOT to take life for granted for it can be gone in the blink of an eye. Make sure you have an emergency contact list posted in your home and give that list to your emergency contact people. Include family, friends and work associates so that the proper people can be notified. Make sure someone knows where your medications are and if you have any special medical conditions. This may sound like common sense, but if you were to really look into who knows what....you may find the people you THINK know...really don't. If you live alone, make sure someone knows your work habits, travel schedule, and your neighbors. Make sure someone knows how to get into your home...where you keep a spare key and who has one.
The hospital is Medical Plaza of Ft. Worth. It is located at 900 8th Avenue. She is in room 519.
She has her phone and computer and she's prepared to use them! She will be posting updates on her Facebook page so this will be my last update on this blog.
Thank you to all the prayer warriors out there who have prayed for Jen. God is truly good!
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Sunday October 11, 2009
I just got off the phone with Jennifer! She sounds great! She says she's a little shaky and there is no firm diagnosis or prognosis yet. They are still ruling things out. She does have her phone and she will be talking to folks I'm sure throughout the day.
She is allowed visitors now. Visiting hours are until 8pm. There is a correction on the hospital...it is Southwest Medical Plaza on 8th Street in Ft. Worth. I'm going to be there shortly and will update the blog once I get home tonight!
She is allowed visitors now. Visiting hours are until 8pm. There is a correction on the hospital...it is Southwest Medical Plaza on 8th Street in Ft. Worth. I'm going to be there shortly and will update the blog once I get home tonight!
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Update, Saturday October 10th
I just spoke to Jennifer's sister, Jen is settled at the new hospital. This hospital has very strict rules about visitation, visitors are only allowed from 9a-6pm, and only family and only two at a time. She is in Neurological ICU at Southwestern Medical Center in FW. Maureen will be passing me info as the day goes on.
Maureen says Jen is doing MUCH better. She is talking without slurring, is able to remember up until just a little while before she collapsed and is able to walk a bit. She is still very shaky and gets tired very easily.
There is still no prognosis, but each day she improves is a step in the right direction. The cause is still an unknown and we may never know, but to have her improve....THAT's all that matters!
More to come! I hope to see her soon.
Maureen says Jen is doing MUCH better. She is talking without slurring, is able to remember up until just a little while before she collapsed and is able to walk a bit. She is still very shaky and gets tired very easily.
There is still no prognosis, but each day she improves is a step in the right direction. The cause is still an unknown and we may never know, but to have her improve....THAT's all that matters!
More to come! I hope to see her soon.
Jennifer Ann Shields
Jennifer Ann Shields is a friend to many people, but to me, she is my BEST friend. The person I confide in, the person I can say anything to with no fear of judgement or ridicule, the person I can count on thru good times and bad. She will tell me when I'm being stupid and love me anyway. She was there thru the death of a beloved step brother, she was there when I recieved my black belt and celebrated with me when I bought my martial arts school.
Saturday October 10th.
Many of you know but some don't, Thursday (10/08) Jennifer did not show up for work and she didn't call. As most of you know THAT's not like Jennifer. When she hadn't reported by 10am her boss got worried and called her sister to let her know he was calling Weatherford PD. The police arrived at her home and broke in to find her "unconscious" and unresponsive. EMS was called and she was taken to Weatherford Regional Medical Center. Her brother (Michael) was at the hospital with her as the doctor's assessed her condition. She was started on antibiotics and antiviral medications as a precaution. All blood tests came back and her vitals were good however she remained in a deep "sleep".
After several hours she began to regain consciousness but was unable to communicate or focus or have any control of her limbs. She slept well Thursday night and by Friday was able to communicate but her words were still slurred...she could focus on television and even poked fun at some of the things she saw. (As many know...Jen's favorite channel is th HGTV. She loves house "porn" as she calls it.) However she had moments where she would fire off something completely off the wall.
On Friday she was tested for meningitis and an MRI was done to rule out stroke. Both tests came back clear however there was a small amount of protein in her spinal fluid and there was swelling of her brain. The diagnosis, Metabolic encephalopothy.
By Friday evening having been up most of the day and the stress of the MRI, she started to slip back to where she couldn't focus and couldn't make herself understood. The doctor told the family that he was recommending a neurologist be called. They were giving her steroids to conteract the swelling of her brain. She slept deeply and on Saturday morning her sister said she was able to focus on television and was not going off on tangents.
Today (Saturday) she is being moved to Southwest Medical Center in Ft. Worth located on 8th street. She should be settled sometime late this afternoon and I am waiting for her sister to call to tell me she is settled where I will beat feet down to the hospital to sit with the family and hopefully see Jen.
I will update this post daily, as I can, try to keep everyone updated. I will leave this open for people to post their well wishes and stories about their times with Jen and I will print them off so she can see them.
Saturday October 10th.
Many of you know but some don't, Thursday (10/08) Jennifer did not show up for work and she didn't call. As most of you know THAT's not like Jennifer. When she hadn't reported by 10am her boss got worried and called her sister to let her know he was calling Weatherford PD. The police arrived at her home and broke in to find her "unconscious" and unresponsive. EMS was called and she was taken to Weatherford Regional Medical Center. Her brother (Michael) was at the hospital with her as the doctor's assessed her condition. She was started on antibiotics and antiviral medications as a precaution. All blood tests came back and her vitals were good however she remained in a deep "sleep".
After several hours she began to regain consciousness but was unable to communicate or focus or have any control of her limbs. She slept well Thursday night and by Friday was able to communicate but her words were still slurred...she could focus on television and even poked fun at some of the things she saw. (As many know...Jen's favorite channel is th HGTV. She loves house "porn" as she calls it.) However she had moments where she would fire off something completely off the wall.
On Friday she was tested for meningitis and an MRI was done to rule out stroke. Both tests came back clear however there was a small amount of protein in her spinal fluid and there was swelling of her brain. The diagnosis, Metabolic encephalopothy.
Definition (http://www.thirdage.com/)
Causes
- It can also happen during medical conditions that cause blood circulation to bypass the liver. These problems keep the liver from removing toxins like ammonia, which build up in the blood as part of normal metabolism. High levels of these toxins can temporarily or permanently damage the brain, causing metabolic encephalopathy.
Metabolic encephalopathy occurs during significant metabolic derangements, after some types of poisoning, and during diseases such as cirrhosis or hepatitis that slow or stop liver function, or diabetes, heart or renal failure.
By Friday evening having been up most of the day and the stress of the MRI, she started to slip back to where she couldn't focus and couldn't make herself understood. The doctor told the family that he was recommending a neurologist be called. They were giving her steroids to conteract the swelling of her brain. She slept deeply and on Saturday morning her sister said she was able to focus on television and was not going off on tangents.
Today (Saturday) she is being moved to Southwest Medical Center in Ft. Worth located on 8th street. She should be settled sometime late this afternoon and I am waiting for her sister to call to tell me she is settled where I will beat feet down to the hospital to sit with the family and hopefully see Jen.
I will update this post daily, as I can, try to keep everyone updated. I will leave this open for people to post their well wishes and stories about their times with Jen and I will print them off so she can see them.
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