Just noticed someone wrote a comment inquiring about visiting hours.
Visiting hours are from 7am-9pm daily. They request that you keep cell phones turned off and that no more than two visitors are in with him at a time (there really isn't room for more than two anyway).
Please check in at the front desk to get a visitor sticker. Jon is currently in room 303, in the bed furthest away from the door and closest to the window.
Kindred Hospital - Westminster
200 Hospital Circle
Westminster, CA 92683
Phone: (714) 893-4541
Thursday, August 30, 2007
Thursday Update: Continued Improvement
I just got back from visiting Jon, and his improvement has really been impressive. He was more talkative than he had been. These past couple of weeks, most of his talking was in response to questions people asked. This time he was talking more without having to be asked first.
He's not using his full range of vocabulary yet. He uses a lot of verbal placeholders, like "that thing," "so-and-so," and "whatchamacallit." And he tends to talk in generalities (i.e. "Amy and I have to take care of business at the house") without mentioning details.
After grabbing a small whiteboard/marker/eraser set that Amy had brought to the room, we started playing "Name that Name." I would write down the name of someone Jon knows and quiz him on who that person was.
Having worked for several years at the company where Jon is currently employed, I have the advantage of knowing many of the people he works with. So we started off with names of coworkers, and Jon would describe what that person did at the company. For the first dozen or so names, he scored 100%.
Trying to make it a little more challenging, I wrote down a few names of people who had worked there for many years, but don't work there presently. He got those correct too, except for one, which he eventually got after a couple of clues.
Jon's brother-in-law, who walked in mid-way through the round, suggested that we write names of famous musicians. Remembering names from Jon's iPod, I wrote "Nino Rota." After a moment's pause, Jon identified him as the musician who scored films for "that director" (he didn't mention Fellini by name). He even correctly noted that Nino Rota wrote music for the Godfather .
Next was "Ennio Morricone," who Jon successfully identified as the one who did music for westerns in the '50s and '60s. He even specifically mentioned the film A Fistful of Dollars.
When Jon saw "Bernard Herrmann," he immediately identified the genre, adding that Bernard Hermann wrote music for films by "that British director." He couldn't remember the name of that British director immediately, but after hearing the first name ("Alfred") and the first letter of the last name ("H"), he correctly said "Hitchcock."
It was really impressive seeing Jon dig for, and then find those memories. It definitely leaves me with the assurance that, with time, Jon will fully overcome his memory lapse.
So if you visit, please grab that whiteboard and continue helping Jon remember.
He's not using his full range of vocabulary yet. He uses a lot of verbal placeholders, like "that thing," "so-and-so," and "whatchamacallit." And he tends to talk in generalities (i.e. "Amy and I have to take care of business at the house") without mentioning details.
After grabbing a small whiteboard/marker/eraser set that Amy had brought to the room, we started playing "Name that Name." I would write down the name of someone Jon knows and quiz him on who that person was.
Having worked for several years at the company where Jon is currently employed, I have the advantage of knowing many of the people he works with. So we started off with names of coworkers, and Jon would describe what that person did at the company. For the first dozen or so names, he scored 100%.
Trying to make it a little more challenging, I wrote down a few names of people who had worked there for many years, but don't work there presently. He got those correct too, except for one, which he eventually got after a couple of clues.
Jon's brother-in-law, who walked in mid-way through the round, suggested that we write names of famous musicians. Remembering names from Jon's iPod, I wrote "Nino Rota." After a moment's pause, Jon identified him as the musician who scored films for "that director" (he didn't mention Fellini by name). He even correctly noted that Nino Rota wrote music for the Godfather .
Next was "Ennio Morricone," who Jon successfully identified as the one who did music for westerns in the '50s and '60s. He even specifically mentioned the film A Fistful of Dollars.
When Jon saw "Bernard Herrmann," he immediately identified the genre, adding that Bernard Hermann wrote music for films by "that British director." He couldn't remember the name of that British director immediately, but after hearing the first name ("Alfred") and the first letter of the last name ("H"), he correctly said "Hitchcock."
It was really impressive seeing Jon dig for, and then find those memories. It definitely leaves me with the assurance that, with time, Jon will fully overcome his memory lapse.
So if you visit, please grab that whiteboard and continue helping Jon remember.
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Noticeable Improvement
Last night we went to visit Jon at Kindred Hospital in Westminster, and we can honestly say that Jon appears to have improved quite a bit from when we saw him last Thursday at Long Beach Memorial.
Jon still has memory loss, but otherwise he was conversing pretty well. There was a time back when he was at Long Beach Community Hospital where if you asked him a question, he might answer with something completely off topic. Last night, however, he was on topic nearly the whole time, even if he didn't remember some details.
A good example was when we asked him who was President when he was born (it was John F. Kennedy, FYI). He didn't answer that one, but he did mention that the first president he remembers was Richard Nixon. In fact, he remembered all the presidents after Nixon, although a couple of them he couldn't remember their names (Bill Clinton, surprisingly enough).
He's also kicking butt on his hand-held Yahtzee game. Amy, who spent about four hours with him yesterday, said he even had a 400+ point game yesterday.
So in our non-medically-trained assessment, we see definite improvement. Still no word on how long they expect him to be hospitalized. He'll be in there another two weeks at minimum, since that's how long the treatment process for encephalitis is. After that, we're not sure at this stage.
Jon still has memory loss, but otherwise he was conversing pretty well. There was a time back when he was at Long Beach Community Hospital where if you asked him a question, he might answer with something completely off topic. Last night, however, he was on topic nearly the whole time, even if he didn't remember some details.
A good example was when we asked him who was President when he was born (it was John F. Kennedy, FYI). He didn't answer that one, but he did mention that the first president he remembers was Richard Nixon. In fact, he remembered all the presidents after Nixon, although a couple of them he couldn't remember their names (Bill Clinton, surprisingly enough).
He's also kicking butt on his hand-held Yahtzee game. Amy, who spent about four hours with him yesterday, said he even had a 400+ point game yesterday.
So in our non-medically-trained assessment, we see definite improvement. Still no word on how long they expect him to be hospitalized. He'll be in there another two weeks at minimum, since that's how long the treatment process for encephalitis is. After that, we're not sure at this stage.
Sunday, August 26, 2007
Jon in New Facility
Jon has officially moved hospitals as anticipated. Amy and sister Ashley were there for several hours yesterday and said he seemed to be doing better. Today Jon' s mom, sister and brother in law went to spend time with him. Other than that, not much to update for now.
Friday, August 24, 2007
Jon Transferring Hospitals
Just received word that Jon is transferring to Kindred Hosptial in Westminster. This 109-bed facility is what they call a LTAC (long-term acute care) hospital, which is designed for longer-term care of medically complex patients, including people with brain injuries.
Just so there are no misconceptions, LTAC is not what they call a chronic care facility. It's not a skilled nursing facility (aka "nursing home"). And it's not a rehabilitation facility. It's just the type of place you go when your recovery is going to take weeks, not days.
We're told he is moving sometime tonight and should be in place on Saturday. We don't have the room number at this time, but we do have the address:
Kindred Hospital - Westnminster
200 Hospital Circle
Westminster, CA 92683
Phone: (714) 893-4541
Once we know more about the room and visiting hours, we'll post it here on jonlesage.com.
Just so there are no misconceptions, LTAC is not what they call a chronic care facility. It's not a skilled nursing facility (aka "nursing home"). And it's not a rehabilitation facility. It's just the type of place you go when your recovery is going to take weeks, not days.
We're told he is moving sometime tonight and should be in place on Saturday. We don't have the room number at this time, but we do have the address:
Kindred Hospital - Westnminster
200 Hospital Circle
Westminster, CA 92683
Phone: (714) 893-4541
Once we know more about the room and visiting hours, we'll post it here on jonlesage.com.
Friday Update
I got an update from Amy about Jon. The reason he was put back into ICU after being transferred to a regular room was due to a pulmonary embolism, which is the blockage of pulmonary artery, usually from a blood clot.
Subsequently, they now have him on blood-thinning medication. Unfortunately one of the side effects of blood-thinning medication is inflammation of the brain. Because he's still under treatment for encephalitis, they need to monitor him more closely, and the ICU is the best place for that level of monitoring.
Treatment for encephalitis takes a couple of weeks, however they expect to move Jon out of the ICU and back into a regular hospital room in a couple of days.
Incidentally, the medical staff was a lot better about providing information to Amy on Thursday than it was on Wednesday. Amy has since received much more information and is a little less stressed out from that aspect.
Still no visitors for Jon except for immediate family at this point.
Subsequently, they now have him on blood-thinning medication. Unfortunately one of the side effects of blood-thinning medication is inflammation of the brain. Because he's still under treatment for encephalitis, they need to monitor him more closely, and the ICU is the best place for that level of monitoring.
Treatment for encephalitis takes a couple of weeks, however they expect to move Jon out of the ICU and back into a regular hospital room in a couple of days.
Incidentally, the medical staff was a lot better about providing information to Amy on Thursday than it was on Wednesday. Amy has since received much more information and is a little less stressed out from that aspect.
Still no visitors for Jon except for immediate family at this point.
Thursday, August 23, 2007
New Tests; Still in ICU
Not a lot has changed since the last update. Jon is still in the ICU and has undergone more tests, including a new MRI. Meanwhile Amy has been struggling to get more information from the doctors.
We visited him last night. He was in fairly good spirits given the circumstances, and recognized us when we walked in. But you can tell the hospitalization is wearing on him. He was pretty tired too.
But we are happy that he's at the better hospital now. For instance, Amy's personal doctor called to inquire about Jon's status, and asked who Jon's primary doctor was. When Amy's doctor heard the name, he said Jon's doctor is very reputable in his field. That's good news. The flip side to that is that Jon's doctor has not been very accessible to answer questions for Amy.
The nurses are very matter-of-fact about things there. We understand they have difficult jobs with a lot of demands. Too bad they don't have very much bedside manner when it comes to explaining things to Amy, who's been pretty stressed out trying to get more information.
Incidentally, for all of you who have sent support messages through this website, please know that Amy has been receiving your messages and has been telling Jon about all the people who have written. With her hectic schedule right now, she hasn't had the chance to individually write back to everybody, but she does indeed thank you for all the love, support, prayers and positive thoughts.
We visited him last night. He was in fairly good spirits given the circumstances, and recognized us when we walked in. But you can tell the hospitalization is wearing on him. He was pretty tired too.
But we are happy that he's at the better hospital now. For instance, Amy's personal doctor called to inquire about Jon's status, and asked who Jon's primary doctor was. When Amy's doctor heard the name, he said Jon's doctor is very reputable in his field. That's good news. The flip side to that is that Jon's doctor has not been very accessible to answer questions for Amy.
The nurses are very matter-of-fact about things there. We understand they have difficult jobs with a lot of demands. Too bad they don't have very much bedside manner when it comes to explaining things to Amy, who's been pretty stressed out trying to get more information.
Incidentally, for all of you who have sent support messages through this website, please know that Amy has been receiving your messages and has been telling Jon about all the people who have written. With her hectic schedule right now, she hasn't had the chance to individually write back to everybody, but she does indeed thank you for all the love, support, prayers and positive thoughts.
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Scratch The Last Update
Just found out from Amy that Jon was moved from his regular room back to ICU. We don't yet know the reasons why. Amy is waiting to hear back from the doctors.
If you're not immediate family and were planning on visiting today, please hold off until further notice.
If you're not immediate family and were planning on visiting today, please hold off until further notice.
Jon's in Room 453B
New update. They have moved Jon out of the ICU and to a regular room. It's room 453B.
If you'd like to visit Jon, visiting hours are 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Only two visitors per patient are allowed in the room at one time.
Please no phone calls to his room at this point.
If you'd like to visit Jon, visiting hours are 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Only two visitors per patient are allowed in the room at one time.
Please no phone calls to his room at this point.
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
Jon Leaving the ICU
Amy just got back from visiting Jon in the hospital the second time today. Jon was doing fairly well all things considering, but she said he was a little down from being in the hospital so long.
But the good news is that Jon is being moved out of the ICU and into a regular hospital room tonight, which means that barring an unforseen change, Jon will be able to see visitors Tuesday (please call the hospital to confirm that he has been moved before actually showing up).
General visiting hours are from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Only two visitors per patient are allowed in the room at one time. No food, drink or cell phones are allowed in the rooms.
But the good news is that Jon is being moved out of the ICU and into a regular hospital room tonight, which means that barring an unforseen change, Jon will be able to see visitors Tuesday (please call the hospital to confirm that he has been moved before actually showing up).
General visiting hours are from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Only two visitors per patient are allowed in the room at one time. No food, drink or cell phones are allowed in the rooms.
Jon Still in ICU
Latest update: Jon is still in the ICU. Apparently they don't have a bed available to move him to. But they are now hoping to move him to a regular room tomorrow.
Jon also saw a speech therapist today, who said he was doing well given the circumstances. She didn't see any reason why Jon can't recover from this.
Visits are still limited to immediate family only. But if you do get a chance to visit Jon in the next couple of days once he's moved to a regular room, Amy says he has trouble recognizing some people. So don't be surprised if he reacts as if he doesn't know you.
Jon also saw a speech therapist today, who said he was doing well given the circumstances. She didn't see any reason why Jon can't recover from this.
Visits are still limited to immediate family only. But if you do get a chance to visit Jon in the next couple of days once he's moved to a regular room, Amy says he has trouble recognizing some people. So don't be surprised if he reacts as if he doesn't know you.
Monday, August 20, 2007
Jon Diagnosed
Finally after a week the doctor's confirmed that Jon does indeed have encephalitis. Which is good because now they know the course of action. It's still serious. But treatable.
They are likely moving Jon from the ICU into a regular room tomorrow (Tuesday). So that's good news!
They are likely moving Jon from the ICU into a regular room tomorrow (Tuesday). So that's good news!
Update on Jon's Condition
Hi everyone,
Some of you know that Jon is in the hospital. For those of you who are just finding out, sorry for the delay. It has been a crazy week! Thank you all so much for your love and support. You are all so appreciated, especially at this time. I am getting many, many calls every day. As much as I love to hear from everyone and share info about Jon’s condition, I am getting exhausted! So, James and Tim have put together a blog. You can get updates on Jon’s condition and write questions via email. One of us will do our best to get back to you as soon as possible. Right now, we can use as much love, light, positive thoughts and prayers as you want to send our way. He’s still in ICU and only able to get visits from immediate family. When that changes, we’ll get it in the blog and I’m certain he would love lots of visits, since he will probably be in the hospital for several weeks.
Big hugz all and thanks again,
Amy
Address: www.jonlesage.com
FYI, he’s at Long Beach Memorial Hospital
Some of you know that Jon is in the hospital. For those of you who are just finding out, sorry for the delay. It has been a crazy week! Thank you all so much for your love and support. You are all so appreciated, especially at this time. I am getting many, many calls every day. As much as I love to hear from everyone and share info about Jon’s condition, I am getting exhausted! So, James and Tim have put together a blog. You can get updates on Jon’s condition and write questions via email. One of us will do our best to get back to you as soon as possible. Right now, we can use as much love, light, positive thoughts and prayers as you want to send our way. He’s still in ICU and only able to get visits from immediate family. When that changes, we’ll get it in the blog and I’m certain he would love lots of visits, since he will probably be in the hospital for several weeks.
Big hugz all and thanks again,
Amy
Address: www.jonlesage.com
FYI, he’s at Long Beach Memorial Hospital
Sunday, August 19, 2007
Sunday Update
Just got an update from Amy. Jon is still in the ICU at Long Beach Memorial Hospital. They're limiting visits to immediate family at this point, and even then, visits are limited to just a few minutes at a time.
If you do get a chance to visit Jon and he's asleep when you arrive, the doctors suggested that it's good to actually wake him up and keep him engaged with simple questions. Obviously you don't want to stress him out with too many questions, but some activity to keep him alert is good for his recovery. So if he's asleep, don't just leave him that way.
Be sure to check this website to see when he can have more visitors.
According to Amy, he seemed pretty alert this morning, and he was playing with his Yahtzee hand-held game, continually attempting to achieve four 250+ games in a row.
Jon has had many medical tests to determine what is causing the problems. It does not appear to be caused by a stroke, but it's looking more like encephalitis (although there is a possibility that it's West Nile). They did a lumbar puncture (aka Spinal Tap) and conclusive test results will be in tomorrow (Monday).
They know it's an infection due to his white blood cell count. It's not bacterial, but probably viral (that doesn't mean he's contagious).
They're also putting him on anti-seizure medication, since one of the side-effects of encephalitis is seizures.
Amy is doing well considering the stress she's dealing with. Jon's family and her family were all at the house today, and Amy's sister Ashley is spending the night so Amy doesn't have to be alone.
Lastly, on a positive note, Jon's epidemiologist said she treated a very similar case and that resulted in a full recovery. Obviously we're hoping for the same results with Jon.
If you do get a chance to visit Jon and he's asleep when you arrive, the doctors suggested that it's good to actually wake him up and keep him engaged with simple questions. Obviously you don't want to stress him out with too many questions, but some activity to keep him alert is good for his recovery. So if he's asleep, don't just leave him that way.
Be sure to check this website to see when he can have more visitors.
According to Amy, he seemed pretty alert this morning, and he was playing with his Yahtzee hand-held game, continually attempting to achieve four 250+ games in a row.
Jon has had many medical tests to determine what is causing the problems. It does not appear to be caused by a stroke, but it's looking more like encephalitis (although there is a possibility that it's West Nile). They did a lumbar puncture (aka Spinal Tap) and conclusive test results will be in tomorrow (Monday).
They know it's an infection due to his white blood cell count. It's not bacterial, but probably viral (that doesn't mean he's contagious).
They're also putting him on anti-seizure medication, since one of the side-effects of encephalitis is seizures.
Amy is doing well considering the stress she's dealing with. Jon's family and her family were all at the house today, and Amy's sister Ashley is spending the night so Amy doesn't have to be alone.
Lastly, on a positive note, Jon's epidemiologist said she treated a very similar case and that resulted in a full recovery. Obviously we're hoping for the same results with Jon.
Friday, August 17, 2007
Jon Moves Hospitals
Jon has been moved from Long Beach Community Hospital to Long Beach Memorial Hospital, where he'll be able to get better care.
The address is:
Long Beach Memorial Hospital
2801 Atlantic Ave.
Long Beach, CA 90806
He is in the Intensive Care Unit so he's not allowed to have visitors at this point. Also, please do not send flowers to the hospital - there simply isn't room for them right now.
If you'd like to send a card, please send directly to their home address. If you need the address e-mail thejonlesageblog @ gmail.com and we'll send it to you.
Thanks!
The address is:
Long Beach Memorial Hospital
2801 Atlantic Ave.
Long Beach, CA 90806
He is in the Intensive Care Unit so he's not allowed to have visitors at this point. Also, please do not send flowers to the hospital - there simply isn't room for them right now.
If you'd like to send a card, please send directly to their home address. If you need the address e-mail thejonlesageblog @ gmail.com and we'll send it to you.
Thanks!
Thursday, August 16, 2007
Jon's Status
We created this site as a method to get information about Jon's condition to friends and family.
If you hadn't heard, Jon passed out last Sunday at around 10:00 a.m. His eyes rolled back in his head and he just collapsed. Amy immediately called 911, then turned him over and thinking it was a heart-attack of some sort, began doing chest compressions.
Minutes later, before the paramedics arrived, Jon came to, but had no recollection of anything that just happened. After the ambulance arrived, it happened again and Jon actually flatlined for about 15 seconds.
He was brought to Long Beach Community hospital where he was in the ICU. At first, tests did not indicate that he had a stroke. But then another test the next day indicated that it was in fact a stroke. Finally, a third test confirmed it was not likely a stroke, but could be encephalitis or meningitis.
Regardless of the cause, Jon has been somewhat mentally impaired. He has trouble putting complete sentences together and has trouble finding words. But besides that, he looks and sounds good.
If you hadn't heard, Jon passed out last Sunday at around 10:00 a.m. His eyes rolled back in his head and he just collapsed. Amy immediately called 911, then turned him over and thinking it was a heart-attack of some sort, began doing chest compressions.
Minutes later, before the paramedics arrived, Jon came to, but had no recollection of anything that just happened. After the ambulance arrived, it happened again and Jon actually flatlined for about 15 seconds.
He was brought to Long Beach Community hospital where he was in the ICU. At first, tests did not indicate that he had a stroke. But then another test the next day indicated that it was in fact a stroke. Finally, a third test confirmed it was not likely a stroke, but could be encephalitis or meningitis.
Regardless of the cause, Jon has been somewhat mentally impaired. He has trouble putting complete sentences together and has trouble finding words. But besides that, he looks and sounds good.
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