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Here are all the details covering the last 4 plus years

In late April of 2007 Jane was diagnosed with acute kidney failure, and is in need of a kidney transplant. Due to her health problems, she has not been able to work at the deli since April 27 2007. She undergoes Kidney Dialysis at the health Campus three days a week for three hours each. The effects of her kidneys not being able to filter out calcium and other things have taken a toll on her weight, and her ability to move around.

Jane started the process of getting a kidney transplant. She has been accepted into the program at Pinnicle Health in Harrisburg. Dr. Harold Yang is supposed to be the best in the area, and has some of the best transplant acceptance rates on the east coast if not the country. We have spoken with a couple of people who have had transplants there and have nothing but good to say about Dr. Yang. Both of her sisters have undergone testing to be able to donate a kidney.

August 2007 She had an operation to create a fistula in her left arm. A fistula reworks the veins and and artery to allow for better blood flow during dialysis. It is where they have to stick her with the needles. The very big needles.

October 2007 We had to take Jane to the emergency room with a very high fever. We found out the next day she had a Staph Infection. A MRSA Infection. Apparently from her permcath, which had to be removed. She then had antibiotics for 8 weeks.

In late July 2008 Jane was rushed to the Hospital from the dialysis unit. She was diagnosed with a abscess in her brain for which she had a nuerosurgery . She had been on the transplant schedule for September 30th.

In late October 2008 Jane had seizures, we again rushed her to the hospital. Several MRI's over the course of a month of so concluded that she had another abscess.

Each neurosurgury requires at least 3 MRI's. After each MRI she needs to do Dialysis for 3 days in a row to get the contrast agent out of her system.

December 2008 a second nuerosurgery cleaned out the abscess. 11 weeks of intravenous antibiotics followed (twice a day for an hour each). Also a white blood cell scan. Those antibiotics really knocked her down. The whole ordeal really took a toll and her weight and stamina, It took about a year for Jane to get back to what is I guess the new normal.

2009 thankfully was less event full than the prior two years. Jane did however have some problems with her fistula that required a surgery and 2 more procedures. We spent more than a year trying to get some weight back on and getting her blood levels back to where they would be acceptable for a transplant. Dry. Yang required Jane to go six strait months with an Albumin level at 3.0 or above.

During this time Jane had been put on a suppressive antibiotic by the Doctors at Infection Specialists of Lancaster. In the fall Dry Yang told us he had consulted with his infectious disease specialists and that Jane could stop taking the antibiotics.

February/March 2010 Jane completed her re testing for the transplant, and her blood levels were where they needed to be. Her Kidney doctor even called Dr. Yang and told him that Jane was ready, and it was time. However the donor was dragging her feet.

April 2010 On April 4th I had to take Jane in to the hospital. She was again diagnosed with another abscess (in a different place this time). So a third nuerosurgery followed. And another White blood cell scan. That is three Brain Surgeries in 21 months. She came home on the 16th and is doing amazingly well. We would like to thank Dr. Monacci and Dr. Greene as well as all the wonderfully people at Lancaster General for the fine care that Jane received. We were close to getting Jane back on the transplant schedule, but at this point we have no idea when she will be off antibiotics. Once again the transplant is on hold.

July 2010 Jane just had another White cell scan last week , She has to have a MRI the first week of July. Followed by appointments with The Infectious Disease Doctor, The Neurosurgeon, and her General Surgeon. Also we have an appointment with Dr. Yang the transplant Doctor. What all this means is by the end of July we will know if Jane is still being considered for a transplant or not.

Every doctor we saw said she is fine, there are no sign of infection and each released her. But no one can pinpoint exactly where the abscesses came from. Dr. Greene ordered Jane to stay on a suppressive antibiotic probably for the rest of her life. Duane the physicians assistant told Jane never to stop taking the antibiotics no matter who says to.

August 2010 Dr. Yang does not believe Jane is cured of the infection. He put us on hold for at least a year maybe two to make sure the infection does not come back. Dr. Yang did give us the name and contact information of an infectious disease expert at the university of Pennsylvania. He said if she tells him it's ok to do the transplant he will do it.

September - November 2010 In another twist of this saga on Sept. 18th Jane fell in front of the house and broke her right Femur. She had yet another operation to fix the leg with 2 steel rods and some screws on Sept 19th. Dr. Essis also ordered a bone scan.

6 days in the Hospital, 10 days at the rehab hospital, 3 more days in the hospital for a second operation ( the Neurosurgeon checked a wound on her forehead and removed a titanium plate), 13 more days in the rehab hospital, then 12 days with our friends at camp Flikinger. Six weeks after falling she came home to her beloved Cooper and Lola. Jane is still underwent 4 weeks of therapy and has to use a walker to get around the house.

April 2011 Jane fell in the bathroom on April 20th and injured both of her knees/legs. She fell around 9:30AM and I came home and found her at 2:10PM. She broke her right leg above the knee and her left just below the knee. They were what the doctors called good breaks and did not require surgery. They did require Jane to have a brace on each leg.

After 5 days in the hospital they transferred her to Manor Care.   Jane did therapy at Manor Care 5 and 6 days a week.  July 6th Dr. Rogers told us she could get rid of the braces and put full wieght on both legs. In the mean time her left ankle started to bother her. After another visit to Dr. Rogers and an x ray, he determined that she had a cracked bone in her ankle and ordered her off of it for two weeks. The social workers started the process of applying for Jane to get a stair lift for the inside of our house. After two site visits by the reps from abilities in Motion, they recommended a lift for the inside and the outside. Abilities in motion submitted paperwork to request these from whatever agency they deal with.

August 2011 She came home from Manor Care Aug 30 and continued her therapy and rehab at home. She is thrilled to be home with the dogs.  She has a horrible time with the steps and I was going home each day to help her down the steps at 10:30 so I could get back to open the restaurant.

We are still waiting for news on the stair lifts. It seems the agency would only grant the funds if she had to have the lift to go home, and since she was home, she was . Abilities in motion have submitted the paperwork to two other agencies, and Jane has had two interviews and a visit from a person from the office of aging. But no news yet on the lift.

September 2011 Therapy has apparently reinjured her right leg and she is having a very hard time getting around.  She can't do steps and is living in the living room and sleeping on the couch. She can't do steps so we are taking her in and out of the house through the back door, across the patio, across the back yard out the gate and down an embankment. Not an ideal situation.

Jane went to the Rhumatologist on Sept 20th and was sent to get an x ray. It took until the 26th for the rhumatologist to get back to us and tell us we had to go see the orthopedic doctor. We went to the orthopedic doctor on the 28th and he wanted an MRI. We had to wait till the oct 7th for the MRI.    Just for the record. When Jane calls Abilities in motion about the lifts, all she gets is a voicemail.

In the middle of everything else, Jane had her yearly appointment at Pinnicle Health, with Doctor Yang on the 12th of September. He informed us that Jane was no longer in his mind a candidate for a transplant.   In the fact that Jane must be on antibiotics indefinably, he wont do a transplant. He is also taking Jane off of the transplant waiting list. Looking at the whole thing, and taking in what Dr. Yang said, it seems to me that he is a doctor not interested in curing the sick, but turning good numbers. We are evaluating what Jane's options are, and we will move on.

When Jane saw Dr. Adismuielle (no I did not spell it correctly) the rhumatologist on the 20th. We also found out the results of the bone scan. 10 months after it was done. And the bone density level is extremely bad. To me this explains the broken ankle. If the therapists at Manor Care knew the results of that test they would not have been as aggressive. It is not their fault.  She wants to give Jane a new drug to help with the bone loss but it's going to take a little time to get her calcium and vitamin D levels correct for the shot. it only took the rhumatologist, the kidney doctor and the nurse practitioner at dialysis about 10 days to agree on the vitamin D and get us a prescription.

October 2011 Jane had an appointment with the orthopedic doctor on the 14th.  She got a call from the doctors office and found that she had been referred to yet another orthopedic doctor and we go there on oct 18th.

Dr William Parish is her new orthopedic doctor, this guy is like the specialists specialist. His office is only 2 miles from the shop. We saw Dr. Parish on the 18th and he ordered a couple of tests and had us come back on the 25th. Dr.Parish has determined Jane has two brown tumors in her right leg. They are caused by calcium and bone loss and can have the same effect as a stress fracture. The good part is that Jane has been off of her right leg for a month and that is the correct thing to do. Kidney failure patients need to cut as much calcium as possible. Dr. Parish we think has put all the pieces of the puzzle together. Because Jane is not getting enough calcium through her stomach, her body is stealing it from her bones. Her parahyperthyroid level is at 65, it's supposed to be above 300. The vitamin D should get those levels up, and balance things out.

We have been told by the lady from abilities in motion that the stair lifts are in the hands of the office of aging.

November 2011   It took 4 weeks for three doctors to get together and decide on who was going to prescribe the vitamin D. Also the orthopedic doctor wants two prescribe a drug to adress the Hyperparathyroid problem, the kidney doctor said no. The problem has been passed on to the kidney doctor. That was three weeks ago and as of Thanksgiving we are still waiting.

December 2011   Jane has been released by the wound clinic for the problem with her left leg. Dr. Parish says her right leg is good enough to start light therapy. Jane wanted to wait until after the holidays to restart (UGH!) We are also told that the lady with the office of aging has all the paper work that is needed for the stair lift. I guess now we have to wait until it gets processed. Still have not gotten the shot to help with the bone density problem.

It's been 4 years and 4 months since all this started, it seems every time we got close to the transplant something happened. I tell people that we don't ask what could happen to Jane next. because it will. But in spite of all that has happened, Jane just keeps on looking forward and she still has her smile. She gets up each day and always has a smile on her face when she sees me. Many times I get asked how both Jane and I are doing during all this. My only answer is, How in the world can I complain when Jane has had to deal with all this for 4 plus years and can still smile and say, we'll do whatever it takes, what's next? She will forever be my hero.