From the Beginning- A Review of Previous Jimm Messages

Message #1 sent Wednesday May 30.

Hi all,
Jimm failed to show for RBall this morning and we
were all wondering where he was. The bad news is,
he is suffering from pancreatitis. He had another
stomach pain episode and went to the hospital
last night and is presently(5:30PM)being
transported from wherever he was, to Upper
Chesapeake Hospital(closer to Jimm and
Deborah's). I don't know too many more details,
but Deborah said the doctor said that he is "very
sick". The cause, and whether it is acute or
chronic, is unknown(see:
http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/pancreatitis/
for more details on the condition)
I asked Deb to call me when things settle down
and she can talk more.
I'll pass along info as it comes in.

UPPER CHESAPEAKE MEDICAL CENTER
500 Upper Chesapeake Drive
Bel Air, Maryland 21014
443-643-1000
aw
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Message #2 sent later Wednesday May 30

Jimm is at Upper Chesapeake in ICU room 241. At
this point it's thought his stay will be several
days.
More soon.
aw
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Message #3 Sent Thurs May 31

I spoke with Jimm today. He is very groggy and it
isn't easy for him to talk, but he said his
daughter Jenna was there and had spent the day
with him, and that he was finally able to get
some sleep today.. much needed I'm sure.

Evidently he went to Upper Chesapeake first, then to University of Md Hospital
for some tests.. then was moved back to Upper Chesapeake where
he is now. Did not get any clear info on his
condition. More from Deborah soon I hope.
-a
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Message #4.. from Lee Ziemski- Later Thurs May 31

Lee here,
I just called Jimms room. I did talk to Laura. (Deborah's daughter). She said that right now Jimm is having a hard time breathing / catching his breath.
She said that the docs fear that " it " may have worked its way up into his lungs. I did ask if that is a real bad thing and she said yes. Jimm will be in the ICU room for at least 1 or 2 more days.

__________________________________________________
Message #5 Sent Friday June 1

Additional news tonight from Jimm's stepdaughter
Laura.

Thursday evening, as a result of his pancreatitis
and widening complications, Jimm was having
trouble breathing and was subsequently taken out
of his ICU room at Upper Chesapeake to be treated
for a very high fever. Things worsened and this
evening(Friday)he is in critical condition and
has been flown to University of Maryland Medical
Center in Baltimore. There, because his kidneys
and other organs are shutting down, he will be
given hemodialysis and undergo other procedures
to attempt to improve his condition. Lets hope
that happens fast.

_________________________________________________
Message #6 Sent later Friday June 1
(This one was a reiteration of the latest news for some MPT folks and others who had not been in the loop previously)

Jimm is very sick. He has contracted
pancreatitis, thought to have been caused by a
gallstone blockage, and is suffering from
complications including the beginnings of major
organ shutdown. He had been at Upper Chesapeake
Medical Center near his home in Abingdon since
Tuesday evening, but tonight(Friday) he's in
critical condition and has been flown to
University of Maryland Medical Center in
Baltimore for hemodialysis and other procedures
to stabilize him.

I will let you know more as I learn about it.
Pass this news along to anyone else who may want
to know.
Thanks,

Alec

__________________________________________________
Message #7 Sent Saturday June 2

Further Info on The University of Maryland
Medical Center-

General website:
http://www.umm.edu/
Directions:
http://www.umm.edu/gethere/
Map of Campus:
http://www.umm.edu/gethere/campus.htm

Information numbers:
General
410-328-8667

Patient
410-328-6971

Please note that the following information in this message
no longer applies. Thanks, aw 6/5/07

Jimm is in MICU, the medical ICU in the main
hospital building.
To send a letter or card:
Jimm Revelle
W7A Rm11
University of Maryland Medical Center
22 S. Greene Street
Baltimore, MD 21201

To visit:
Checking ahead on his status might be a good
idea-
You can call general patient info at 410-328-6971
and confirm his location.. they will connect you
with the appropriate nurses station.
When I called this morning he was in Weinberg 7A,
room 11. The nurse I spoke with seemed open to
non-family visitors after 11AM.. but only two at
a time are allowed in the room, so you may have
to wait to get in.
Rounds had not been completed when I called, so I
have no update on his condition.

aw
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Message #8 Sent Sunday June 3

Jimm Update:
Erle, Lee and I visited Jimm today and were
encouraged by what we saw. His "numbers" are
good, with the exception of his kidneys which are
still not up to snuff.. so dialysis continues as
needed. Liver function is good, and the word is
that not enough damage has been sustained by the
pancreas to warrant surgery. Obviously, the
problematic stones have been removed from the
bile duct and that has helped things a lot. He is
still on a stiff dose of sedatives, but they plan
to lighten them soon. He has a breathing tube in
place and they are giving him fluids and
nourishment intravenously so that the digestive
system can rest. Antibiotics are dealing well
with the infection, so his temp is down to nearly
normal.

The folks at University seem to know what they are doing,
and the plan is to keep him comfortable and let
the body heal itself as much as possible. He is
being carefully monitored.. even when the nurse
is in the adjacent room, Jimm's stats appear on
the screen in there too. Essentially he is doing
about as well as a "critical" patient can do.

Ironically, his 60th birthday is Tuesday.. and
I'm glad to report it seems he will see that day,
and hopefully many more of them!

More soon,
aw
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That brings us up to the June 4 blog post.