Somehow, this changes everything...

There's a phenomenon known as synchronicity, first described by Swiss psychologist Carl Gustav Jung in the 1920s, wherein two or more events, that are apparently causally unrelated or unlikely to occur together by chance, are observed to occur together in a meaningful manner. There is an interstice between synchronicity and chaos theory, wherein the flap of a butterfly's wings are held to cause a tornado in Texas.

When Jo first suffered the ill effects of her brain operation in 2008 there appeared to me to be the same sort of relationship between the life-changing events in our lives and those in the world at large. Jo's period of critical care, where her life literally hung in the balance and the subsequent dawning of the negative effects of her brain operation, took place against the backdrop of the looming financial crisis and the election of the first black president of the United States, both very significant occurrences and it was hard for me to separate the portentousness of them from the massive changes taking place in our two lives.

Now, for the first time in just over two years, Jo is back in hospital, fighting off multiple infections in her lungs and urinary tract and a pulmonary thrombosis. This time the backdrop is the "Jasmine revolution" in Tunisia and the subsequent revolution now being played out on our television screens in Egypt.

I cannot escape the ineffable feeling that this is a positive portend, both for the future of the world and for Jo's rehabilitation. Just as the pundits are saying about Egypt, I am not sure how this will change things but one cannot deny that this changes everything.

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Bloodclots!

Bloodclots have caused a fraught weekend. On Saturday morning Jo complained of pain under her right breast, running up to the armpit. Breathing was painful and she was flushed of face with an elevated temperature.

I dialled 999 and an ambulance was at the house within five minutes, with a paramedic in attendance. An ECG test confirmed this was not a heart attack but, as the pain was persistent and Jo's breathing obviously laboured we agreed she should go to hospital.

Once there an examination and chest X-ray showed fluid on her lungs. Further tests, including a CT scan of her chest were then conducted to try and find the cause.

Because the radiologist had gone home by this time it took until 3 o'clock in the morning to determine the cause of the excess fluid was a series of blood clots in her lungs. These had probably been caused by her being immobile for so long over Xmas. Warfarin and Heparin have been administered to. thin the blood and they will be monitoring that over the next few days. She is also on water tablets to reduce the fluid in her lungs and antibiotics just in case any infection should creep in.

All in all a tense weekend and we are not out of the woods yet. Jo will need further tests to make sure the clots have been cleared and there is no underlying condition.

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Under Pressure

The extended time Jo has spent in bed for the last two weeks due to her infected finger has resulted in a nasty pressure sore on her sacrum. So far it is a stage 1 pressure sore, which means the wound hasn't broken the skin but there is a build up of pus there.

Jo is now feeling well enough to get up so hopefully the increased activity of transfers will stimulate her circulation and bring blood to the sore and thus help to disperse it. She is also sleeping on her left side to keep the pressure off the affected side and, as well as aiding the healing of the bedsore this should help to stimulate awareness of the left side of her body.

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