Judy Still Struggling - Update

I received an update earlier this week from "Gay",Judy's newly-appointed guardian ..

 Things sure don't sound all that swell ..  Gay reports that Judy has in fact tied knots in her feeding tube, and apparently at some point it was taken out ..  They are talking about admitting her into the hospital again for purposes of placement of a PEG feeding tube (not sure if that is what she had before, or something else) ..   Gay also says that, for some odd reason,Judy keeps removing any clothing they put on her, except for hospital gowns, which she can't b/c they have to be slipped over her head.   Don thinks maybe Judy thinks she's at home in their own bed (?) ..   

  Although Judy has lost 6% of her body weight, Gay says she is still over 400 lbs., which is really complicating things as to her care at the nursing home.    They're having to give her bed baths b/c they're afraid she might fall in the shower and be too difficult to get back up ..  They also are having to try to locate a large-size wheelchair that can accomodate her, so that they can actually take her around to places in the home out of bed.

 Don, of course, is still all torn up by the situation, but Gay has tried to keep him "occupied" by having MOW deliver lunch and dinner meals to her office for him, and having Don drive over and pick them up to take home to eat .. She's really worried about Don being all alone for Christmas with Judy ..  That will be an especially depressing time for him, as he has made clear to her  ... 

  Please continue to keep both of them in your prayers ..  

Can I ask.....who is Judy? I've been reading these reports thinking she was someone I must know but I just cannot place her. Is she known my a different screen name? Is she one of the old time members? I've only been here about a year, and I know my memory is shot, but I'm just drawing a big blank!

Hi Dee ..

 Judy & Don are good friends of mine that had VBG surgery w. Drs. Bryce & Ritter in Rowlett back in 2002.  I think Judy used to be an OH member, but don't remember her username.

  I met Judy first when she was a client of mine, and was over 500 lbs. then ..  She did really well with her surgery and; got down to the 200s, but did have a lot of problems with food pieces getting stuck in her "ring."   Don went from 400-ish down to a gaunt 160s, mainly b/c he was having major issues with his surgery and could only hold down Gatorade ..  Eventually he developed a sudden, life-threatening pulmonary embolism (blood clot) from his surgery, and barely survived after being rushed to the ER ... The surgeons went ahead and "snipped" his ring to prevent further problems and clots ..  He then had some regain problems.  

   Judy & Don had a farm outside of Canton for many years, which they finally had to sell b/c of a job change for Judy, and they moved down to Bandera for the new job and got a new place in the country there. 

  Judy was born with Chiari Malformation, which is a congenital defect in which the opening in the base of the skull through which the spinal cord passes to the brain is a bit too narrow, slightly impressing on the cord.    It didn't start causing her problems until early this year (@ age 48), when it began to cause excruciating headaches, dizziness, vision and personality changes.  She consulted with a brain surgeon in nearby San Antonio for a routine procedure in which the opening is enlarged surgically.  She decided to go ahead with the surgery at that time.  

  Judy underwent the surgery at Methodist Hospital in S.A., and everything seemed to go fine, and she was sent home to recover.  About a week later, she suddenly developed swelling of her brain and increased pressure in her brain fluid.  Don had her rushed to the ER and they had to wait for the pressure to resolve a bit before they would risk inserting a shunt  to drain the fluid a bit to lessen the pressure further (no idea why her surgeon never put a shunt in during her surgery!).  By that time, though, the situation caused Judy to suffer a major stroke and seizure ..  As a result of the stroke and such, she has been pretty mu*****ommunicative and bed-fast to present.  Poor Don has just had to stand by and watch all this helplessly.  They have been married 25 years and have no kids or other family in the area.   Don himself is physically challenged due to major back surgery (almost every disc in his back was blown due to his heavier weight) and hip replacement surgery earlier this year.  

  It's all so sad ..    

 this is so sad ,my thoughts are with them ...Red .

Thanks for the history, now of these reports make sense! I'll keep them both in my prayers.

Paul....so very sorry that Judy is not improving much.    Prayers going out for Don and Judy both. 
Thanks for keeping us updated on her condition.

Hugs and blessings ~~~ Vivian