This morning was rounds day when all the doctors came to check on Linda. They pulled and probed and asked a bunch of questions and seemed satisfied everything was going as planed. For the last few days I see no change in Linda, she still is doing pretty good. So after the doctors left, Jo, the woman next door from FL. asked if I would go to walmart with her. I said sure, so off we went in the taxi. I had gone the day before so I didn't need anything so I went out to find a Subway that I saw a big sign for. I told Linda maybe I would bring her back a sandwich from there. But all the big sign was an advertisement for Subway, so I never found it. But I did find a Dairy Queen, so I bought a blizzard for Linda. When I got back Linda was sitting in the chair looking like death warmed over. What happened to you I asked, it seems one of the iv's they gave her was potassium and it burned pretty bad going in. But she seemed OK, so I showed her the blizzard and she thought that was the best thing she saw since getting here. In a minute the blizzard was gone, in another minute Linda turned green and up came the blizzard along with everything else. I called Amy and she came right away checked Linda over and told her to rest for a while. Than Linda was fine. But the blizzard was gone.
A few people have sent questions about what the actual operation was like. I have gone into the CT scan, and the MRI and how they merge the two together to find the exact spot to place the cells. Linda stays awake the whole time. First they numb the scull and than cut a flap in the scalp. One hole, maybe less than 1/2 inch is drilled and than with the aid of the computer 4 different areas receive the cells. The whole procedure takes about 2 hrs. Linda is than brought back to the room and had to lay flat on her back for 6 hrs. There was no pain at all during the procedure and none from the scalp incision. She was awake the whole time and talked to the doctors. After 6 hours Linda was able to get up and walk to the bathroom and sit in a chair. The next day she could walk around the room but she was not allowed out of the room for one week, the doctors said that was because of the risk of infection with the hole in her head. She has iv's everyday she has been here. Right after the operation it was 7 hrs worth. The physical therapy goes on every day. The therapist comes to the room as long as Linda can't go to them. Now we just have to give it time.
As for food, there is a cafe here in the hospital Ding comes and takes our orders, and will do specials if we want. The food is cheap and pretty good. If we don't like that, another lady from an outside restaurant also takes orders. Also out on the street are a number of people cooking all kinds of things. I go and get things from them also and they are pretty good. I am more adventuress than Linda in the food department I bring home things and she says yuk, and eats cheerios. But she is trying more things. I like to get out everyday and explore. I have a bike from the hospital, but it has been really cold here so I am not riding it much. The other morning it was 14 degrees F. That does not stop the Chinese, they ride in all kinds of weather.
The big storm is south of us. We have had a little snow here but not too much. But this storm is really causing problems. This is the biggest holiday of the year and everyone goes home. But now everything is at a standstill and the airports, train stations, bus stations and highways are just filled with stranded people. The electric lines are down and no food is being delivered, and on top of that, some towns have a million extra people stranded. But they are handling it. No looting, no riots, no raping, not like New Orleans.
Before anyone buys tickets and jumps on a plane, wait till we get back and see what the longer term holds for Linda. As we said, this is an experiment. There are 4 more parkies here now. But they are all getting lumbar injections and you don't see results from that for a while. We are watching.
john and linda in China
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