God's hand at work ----- Original Message ----- From: "theshadow" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Friday, September 03, 2004 1:33 PM Subject: [TNDICKSO] Jean Hancock is back---sort of! > Hi There! Well, I am finally able to get back on the computer although I don't spend more than an hour or two right now. > > I know my friend, Liz, has kept some of you up-to-date on my progress these past 4 months but here's the story on what's been going on with me. > > On May 11th Liz and I drove from Jackson, MS to home where I collapsed in the bed as I was some tired! The next day I was down in my back but could still move around. The day after that I was taken to the emergency room as I could not move and was in a great deal of pain. I spent the next 8 days in the hospital and was sent home to try to get in good enough shape so I could have an MRI done to see what was wrong. Along the way I developed small red welts/lesions on both my legs from the knees down. Well, 3 wks. later I did get the MRI and found that I had something that looked like a "growth" on my spine. However, the neurosurgeon was more concerned about the welts than my back by that time so he sent me to an Infectious Disease Specialist. > > Dr. R. S. Lemos of Bryan, TX is from Brazil and I found out later that he was a "child prodigy, and lucky for me that he was! I had to check into the hospital to have an IV inserted into my arm for 6 weeks as Warner was to administer antibiotics twice a day for the next 6 weeks. While in the hosp. Dr. Lemos asked a local cardiologist to check me out as I had told him I had a malfunctioning heart valve and he had already suspected that the infection might have attacked my heart and spine since those were the weakest areas in my body. > > Well, you guessed it, he was right! It had attacked that valve and was working on another---the Drs. called it a "vegetation"----not sure if it was moss or what. We tried antibiotics at first in hopes that would solve the problem but I finally had to have open heart surgery on July 24th, repairing one valve and replacing the destroyed one with a valve called the "porcine Hancock" valve. Some fellow named Hancock had developed the valve! The surgeon said that if I had not had the surgery at that time you would now be hearing from me wherever my ancestors are---and I wasn't real sure where I might wake up! > > After a couple of setbacks with the antibiotics, I finally finished that therapy on Aug. 30th and am now on my way to making a full recovery. When they did the heart cath they found that I have no heart blockage of any kind---which I think is pretty much a miracle in itself in today's world of fatty foods. It seems my heart is now the strongest part of my body so I guess as long as I don't drift into an oncoming lane on the Interstate I'll be around for a while! Dr. Lemos said that the infection which manifested itself in my legs was most likely the cause of my previous back problems as well----so keep your fingers crossed that as I heal and build back up my stamina he is right. > > So many of you sent me Prayers, cards, and letters and I cannot tell you how much I enjoyed receiving each one. A side effect of the surgery is that the little finger and ring finger on both hands are numb (which will eventually go away) and I have trouble writing so I will be slow in thanking you---but please know that I do thank you so much. > > I am slowly getting back into genealogy stuff but right now I am trying to read some of the email I was able to save before I accidentally deleted them! I have no idea what I did, but it's all gone now so if you sent me something in the last 4 months (other than forwarded stuff), send it again if you are of a mind to. I do ask that you hold off forwarding email to me as I'm trying to save my stamina as much as possible and I do still have some 500 emails to go through! > > I'm going to close now but it sure feels good to be here and to be online again! > > Jean Hancock in TX > > > > > ==== TNDICKSO Mailing List ==== > http://www.rootsweb.com/~tndickso/index.htm >

Very True, Mollie' ----- Original Message ----- From: "Amanda Tate" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Friday, September 03, 2004 3:57 PM Subject: Re: [TNDICKSO] Jean Hancock is back---sort of! > God's hand at work > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "theshadow" <[email protected]> > To: <[email protected]> > Sent: Friday, September 03, 2004 1:33 PM > Subject: [TNDICKSO] Jean Hancock is back---sort of! > > > > Hi There! Well, I am finally able to get back on the computer although I > don't spend more than an hour or two right now. > > > > I know my friend, Liz, has kept some of you up-to-date on my progress > these past 4 months but here's the story on what's been going on with me. > > > > On May 11th Liz and I drove from Jackson, MS to home where I collapsed in > the bed as I was some tired! The next day I was down in my back but could > still move around. The day after that I was taken to the emergency room as I > could not move and was in a great deal of pain. I spent the next 8 days in > the hospital and was sent home to try to get in good enough shape so I could > have an MRI done to see what was wrong. Along the way I developed small red > welts/lesions on both my legs from the knees down. Well, 3 wks. later I did > get the MRI and found that I had something that looked like a "growth" on my > spine. However, the neurosurgeon was more concerned about the welts than my > back by that time so he sent me to an Infectious Disease Specialist. > > > > Dr. R. S. Lemos of Bryan, TX is from Brazil and I found out later that he > was a "child prodigy, and lucky for me that he was! I had to check into the > hospital to have an IV inserted into my arm for 6 weeks as Warner was to > administer antibiotics twice a day for the next 6 weeks. While in the hosp. > Dr. Lemos asked a local cardiologist to check me out as I had told him I had > a malfunctioning heart valve and he had already suspected that the infection > might have attacked my heart and spine since those were the weakest areas in > my body. > > > > Well, you guessed it, he was right! It had attacked that valve and was > working on another---the Drs. called it a "vegetation"----not sure if it was > moss or what. We tried antibiotics at first in hopes that would solve the > problem but I finally had to have open heart surgery on July 24th, repairing > one valve and replacing the destroyed one with a valve called the "porcine > Hancock" valve. Some fellow named Hancock had developed the valve! The > surgeon said that if I had not had the surgery at that time you would now be > hearing from me wherever my ancestors are---and I wasn't real sure where I > might wake up! > > > > After a couple of setbacks with the antibiotics, I finally finished that > therapy on Aug. 30th and am now on my way to making a full recovery. When > they did the heart cath they found that I have no heart blockage of any > kind---which I think is pretty much a miracle in itself in today's world of > fatty foods. It seems my heart is now the strongest part of my body so I > guess as long as I don't drift into an oncoming lane on the Interstate I'll > be around for a while! Dr. Lemos said that the infection which manifested > itself in my legs was most likely the cause of my previous back problems as > well----so keep your fingers crossed that as I heal and build back up my > stamina he is right. > > > > So many of you sent me Prayers, cards, and letters and I cannot tell you > how much I enjoyed receiving each one. A side effect of the surgery is that > the little finger and ring finger on both hands are numb (which will > eventually go away) and I have trouble writing so I will be slow in thanking > you---but please know that I do thank you so much. > > > > I am slowly getting back into genealogy stuff but right now I am trying to > read some of the email I was able to save before I accidentally deleted > them! I have no idea what I did, but it's all gone now so if you sent me > something in the last 4 months (other than forwarded stuff), send it again > if you are of a mind to. I do ask that you hold off forwarding email to me > as I'm trying to save my stamina as much as possible and I do still have > some 500 emails to go through! > > > > I'm going to close now but it sure feels good to be here and to be online > again! > > > > Jean Hancock in TX > > > > > > > > > > ==== TNDICKSO Mailing List ==== > > http://www.rootsweb.com/~tndickso/index.htm > > > > > > ==== TNDICKSO Mailing List ==== > http://www.rootsweb.com/~tndickso/index.htm >