December 14th

Marjanka was seen socializing and frolicking at the Annual Wreck Beach Christmas Party Fundraiser so she must be dong better.

..Diana

December 1st - stitches out

Marjanka has had 80 stitches removed from her head, and is on the mend. She may be allowed to go home as early as Dec. 4, and so appreciates all the healing thoughts, phone calls and visits…Steve

Marjanka's room # and phone

Marjanka continues to improve the doctors seem happy. She is in room 6750-A of Vancouver General Hospital, and her phone number is 604-875-5400 .. extension 60298.

She thanks you for all your loving and kind support….Steve

November 28, 2007 - Marjanka is recovering well

Although Tuesday's operation was minor in comparison to the first two, it appears to have been the most painful. Marjanka is recovering well, but is in quite a lot of discomfort and may be for a day or two more.

She is still in intenive care, but Vern thinks she will be moved to a room (with a phone) on Friday or Saturday, he is not sure which.

When that happens I will try to get the phone number out to you as soon as possible, because I know Marjanka has been so appreciative and thankful for your phone calls.. Being able to talk to you, along with all the healing energy has really kept her going.

The doctors have told Vern that the proceedure went well and was a success, so hopefully that is all behind her now and she just needs to concentrate on her healing and strengthening.

All the best,
Steve

November 24, 2007 - Marjanka Not out of the woods yet

Marjanka has been moved from the intensive care unit to a regular hospital room and has a telephone again. The number is: 604-875-5400 extension 60316. And of course Vern still has the cell: 604-537-6424..
She has recovered well from the surgery and the air that was getting between her forehead and the bone behind her forehead is completely gone. She is also feeling well, and recovering nicely and getting her strength back. However, when she sits up, there is still some brain fluid leakage through her nasal passages. And this has to be dealt with.

What that means is that the leak is not totally patched. On Monday, they are going to take some further steps to correct the situation. They may try a spinal tap to relieve the pressure on the brain, but the leak will still have to be repaired. What they are proposing to try is an entry through the nose, using fibre optics and presumably some sort of laser to find and fix the tear or leak.
This is what Marjanka is asking for you to visualize now, the leak / tear healing itself or being healed by this process.
If they are unsuccessful with the fibre optics and the leak doesn't heal itself, it will mean a third operation, one that is more invasive than the first two. I don't have details on what that would be involved in that, and I'm hoping that I won't need to.
In any event, I just got off the phone with her and she would like you all to know she is strong and doing well from the second operation but still needs your healing energy and prayers to get over this final hurdle.
And please remember some healing for Vern as well.

 

All the best,
Steve

November 22, 2007
Once again Marjanka came through the surgery well. The doctor feels he has "plugged the leak" in her dura and the really excellent news is there is no infection on the bone in her forehead so they didn't have to remove it.

Vern was able to visit with her briefly in the intensive care unit and he said she was awake and aware. The doctor said they may move her to a general ward as soon as tomorrow if all goes well and there is a bed available.

Hopefully this will all be behind her now, and she can get on with recovering her strength and health.

Thank you for all your healing energy and prayers.

All the best,

Steve

November 21, 2007
She has just learned the surgery will not start until noon on the 22nd. She would so appreciate your vigil in those critical surgery hours from noon until about 5:00 p.m. She knows she will feel your healing energy. Blessings. Judy

Round two for Marjanka

Well, unfortunately our friend Marjanka is back in the hospital and scheduled to undergo virtually the same surgery again 3 weeks to the hour after the first one. So this new surgery will be at 0700 Pacific Standard time ( 1500 GMT/UTC) on Thursday, November 22nd.

This second surgery is not to remove any tumors, but apparently there has been a complication due to leaks on or from the brain cover (Dura Mater). They need to close this leak and also need to examine the bone in her forehead that runs between her eyebrows and ears to check for any infection.

Marjanka is mostly concerned about the infection, because if they find any, they will have to remove that bone, which will make her recovery much longer.

Once again, she asks for your healing energy and prayers and your support through this difficult time.

For Tuesday and Wednesday only, she is at Vancouver General Hospital room 5620, and should soon be getting a phone with the phone number 604-875-5400 . extension 60260. After surgery, she will again be in the intensive care unit until she can be re-located to a regular room again.

I am not very well versed in medical terminology, but here is a brief definition of the dura mater from Wikipedia:

The dura mater (from the Latin "hard mother"), or pachymeninx, is the tough and inflexible
outermost of the three layers of the meninges surrounding the brain and spinal cord. (The other
two meningeal layers are the pia mater and the http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arachnoid_mater.) The dura mater is not as tightly fitting around the spinal cord, extending past the spinal cord (at the second lumbar vertebra) to
about the second sacral vertebra.

 

 

I'm sure you will all join me in sending prayers and healing energy to Marjanka,

I will send updates as soon as I have any news.

Steve