A ROSE

HELLO!

TODAY, EXACTLY 1 YEAR AGO  (that is, on the 22 nd of January), I HAD A STROKE.....................THE DOCTORS THEN FOUD THAT I HAD HAD AT LEAST 5 PREVIOUS STROKES IN THE PAST FEW YEARS.............

NOW.....................ALL OF THAT IS IN THE PAST..................

JIMMY SURPRISED ME BY GIVING ME 1 RED ROSE TODAY.......................HE WASNTED TO ASSURE ME  THAT HE HAD NOT FORGOTTEN, AND ALL THAT IS IN THE PAST!

I AM A MUCH CHANGED PERSON SINCE LAST YEAR, WHEN I COULD NOT TALK OR THINK (AS MY COGNITIVE ABILITY WAS JUST ABOUT ZERO)...........................NOW I AM ALERT AND AS SHARP AS A BUTTON.........................WE LOVE TO WATCH ALL THE GAMAE SHOWS ( LIKE JEOPARDY AND DEAL OR NO DEAL)

EVERY DAY MY SPEECH AND  COGNITIVE ABILITY GETS BETTER ABD BETTER!

......................TODAY, JIMMY TOOK ME TO TRENTON  (FOR BUSINESS MEETINGS).......................THEN WE HAD DINNER AT THE MARRIOT HOTEL......................IT WAS BEAUTFUL, AND THE FOOD DELICOUS!

I'D LIKE TO THANK EVERYONE FOR READING THIS JOURNAL!

.......................................................FRAN AND JIMMY

PS................DEAR MANDYMEME,

                     THANKS FOR THE UPDATE OF YOUR LIFE, AND I AM SO GLAD YOU HUSBAND IS HOME!

HAPPY AND HEALTHY!

JUST TO SAY "HELLO," AND WRITE A BRIEF NOTE...................

EVERYTHING IS GOING VERY WELL IN OUR LIVES!

IT IS A BEAUTIFUL SUNNY DAY, HERE IN SOUTH JERSEY..............BUT VERY COLD..........

I AM FEELING SO MUCH BETTER, AND IT LOOKS LIKE I WAS NEVER SICK!

WE ARE NOW TRYING TO GET IN CONTACT WITH PEOPLE WE KNOW, WHOM WE LOST CONTACT WITH.........

......................

LIFE GOES ON AND IT SEEMS A MILLION MILES AWAY SINCE JIMMY WAS IN PRISON..............

HOWEVER, I STILL REMEMBER THOSE 3.5 YEARS......ALWAYS REMEMBER "IF I COULD DO IT, SO CAN YOU."...................IT IS NOT EASY, BUT IT IS POSSIBLE.......................

JIMMY IS TAKING HIS SHOWER, AND WE WILL GO OUT IN A LITTLE WHILE.............

JIMMY AND I ARE MORE IN LOVE THAN EVER!................IF YOU SEE US, WE ARE THE ONES WHO ARE KISSING AND HUGGING, AND HOLDING HANDS!............................HE SAYS HE CANNOT LIVE WITHOUT ME..........AND I FEEL THE SAME.

WE ARE A HAPPY FAMILY OF 5...............THAT IS, HUSBAND, WIFE, 2 CATS AND DOG....................OUR ANIMALS ARE MORE BEAUTIFUL THAN EVER, AND FEEL SO LOVED............

............SAYING BYE FOR NOW...............

FRAN

THE UPS AND DOWNS OF LIFE

I'M BACK ONCE AGAIN!

SORRY I HAVEN'T WRITTEN IN A LONG TIME...............

THIS HOLIDAY SEASON WAS QUITE AN UNEXPECTED, MESSY TIME FOR US........

I WAS VERY SICK AGAIN..........

ON DECEMBER 8, WE WENT TO MY SISTER'S HOUSE FOR A LITTLE GATHERING..............I HAD HAD A HEAD COLD, AND MY BOUT OF BRONCHITIS ALL WEEK................LITTLE DID I KNOW!..............WE LEFT HER HOUSE AT 9PM...........AT THAT POINT, JIMMY SAID HE WAS TAKING ME STRAIGHT TO THE ER, AS I WAS HAVING TROUBLE BREATHING...............

ONCE IN THE CAR, JIMMY REALIZED I WAS GETTING WORSE.................HE PULLED OVER AND CALLED "ON STAR," WHICH WE HAVE FOR EMERGENCYS......................THE POLICE WERE THER IN SECONDS................HE GOT THE OXYGEN ON ME, AND 2 AMNULNCES WERE THERE IN SECONDS..............IT WAS A VERY COLD NIGHT, A ROAD THAT IS A WELL TRAVELLED ROAD, BUT WINDS THROUGH THE DARK SOUTH JERSEY WOODS.....

ONCE IN THE AMBULANCE, I JUST COULD NOT LAY DOWN, AS I FELT I WAS DROWNING.................JIMMY FOLLOWED IN OUR CAR...............

ONCE IN THE ER, I WAS COUGHING SO WILDLY....AND CRYING.................I JUST COULD NOT BREATH.......................FINALLY, THEY BEGAN GIVING ME MAJOR DIURETICS TO GET THE FLIUD OUT...................

THE PULSE OX WAS 89, WHICH IS NOT  GOOD  (WITH O2 ON)............

THEY TOOK CXY'S, AND HOOKED ME UP TO THE CARDIAC MONITOR...........AS I ALSO HAVE A RIGHT BUNDLE BRACNH BLOCK.............................

IT WAS ALL SO SCARY FOR ME, I THOUGHT I WAS GOING TO DIE..................AND THE DOCTOR SAID IF I DIDN'T GET TO THE HOSPITAL IN TIME, I  JUST MIGHT BE...........

I HAVE A VERY GOOD DOCTOR.....................I STAYED IN THE HOS[ITAL FOR 10 DAYS, AND HE PUT OVER 10 SPECIALIZED DOCTORS ON MY CASE...................SO, ALL DAY EVERY DAY, DOCORR'S WERE WALKING IN AND OUT OF MY ROOM.............

WE HAD THE NEROLOGIST, THE NEPHOLOGIST, THE GASTRENTERLOGIST, THE UROLOGIST, THE CARDIOLOGIST, THE ENDRCRINLOGIST, THE VASCUKAR DOCTOR, THE PSYCHITRIST, AMONGST MANY OTHERS................

............AND...............I WENT FO ZILLIONS OF TESTS.................

I HAD 3 MORE MRI'S WITH CONTRAST.................NO FURTHER STOKES!

MANY XRAYS OF MY SPINE AND NECK.............ULTRASOUNDS OF MY ABDOMEN AND KIDNEYS, ETC...................

WHAT THEY DID FIND IS THAT MY LEFT KIDNEY IS A VERY SMALL KIDNEY.........THEY ARE WATCHING MY CREATININE LEVEL, WHICH WAS A BIT ELEVATED..............NEXT WEEK I'LL GO THE KIDNEY DOCTOR, FOR MORE TESTS!

WHILE IN THE HOSPITAL, I NEEDED TO BE TRANSFUSED WITH 2 UNITS OF PACKED CELLS, AS I WAS SEVERLY ANEMIC WITH A HBG. OS 8.2...................I GOT A SHOT TO INCREASE MY BONE MARROW PRODUCTION, AS THE DOCTORS ARE NOT SURE WHY I GET SO ANEMIC.........THEY WANT TO CHECK ME OUT, AS I MAY HAVE A BLOOD DISODER THAT MAKES ME VERY ANEMIC..............

AND..........ONE MORE THING..............THE DOCTOR'S WANT TO PUT A STENT IN MY BRAIN, BECAUSE OF THE STROKE I HAD LAST YEAR...................WE GO FOR MY EVALUATION NEXT WEEK, BUT I DOUBT I WILL HAVE IT IMPLANTED IN ME...............................

SO, THAT'S ABOUT IT!.....................JIMMY WAS WITH ME ALL TH TIME, AND TOOK CARE ME ALL THROUGH CHRISTMAS AND NEW YEAR'S........................

SORRY IF I SOUND DEPRESSING TO TELL YOU ALL THIS.........

HOWEVER, ONE GOOD THING IS THAT  AM 54 YEAR'S OLD,, AND DON'T REALLY LOOK MY AGE....................THE DOCTOR'S ALL LOOK AT ME, AND SAY YOU SO HEALTHY, EVEN THOUGH SO MANY THINGS ARE WRONG!

AND SO THAT'S IT!  I REFUSE TO BE SICK!..................JIMMY LET ME REST AS MUCH AS I WANTED, SO NOW I FEEL A LITTLE BETTER

I KNOW THIS IS A JOURNAL ABOUT BEING A "PRISONER'S WIFE."........................................I SHARE MY THOUGHTS WITH YOU.......................THE UPS AND DOWNS, THE GOOD AND BAD........................

..................I AM STILL BY MY HUSBAND'S SIDE

.............HE DOES NO WRONG............HE GOES TO PAROLE AS HE SHOULD AND THE PAROLE OFFICER COMES HERE WHENEVER SHE WISHES...............

................SO THAT IS WHAT I SUGGEST, TO ALL OF YOU THAT WRITE TO ME.................BE STRONG FOR YOUR HUSBAND......................EVEN IF YOU HAVE NO OTHER PEOPLE TO HELP YOU.......................I KNOW YOU ARE DEPRESSED, JUST AS I WAS........................BUT SOMEHOW TRY TO GET THROUGH IT DAY BY DAY................

I KNOW IT WAS THE HOLIDAYS, AND YOUR HUSBAND IS AWAY.........SO IT IS VERY HARD TO BE JOYFUL..............THE WHOLE ISSUE OF HAVING SOMEONE IN PRISON IS VERY DISTRESSING........................

....................FRAN