Index
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Death of an Angel
Index - 7 - |
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| Apr 30, M - | I went to work and gave out cigars and candy - I was not sure if
I should do that. Al Jasky, Sue Reese, Jan Brock, and Donna Potts gave us presents for Jennifer.
Called Dr. Player the Orthopedic surgeon at Metro. He said that Jennifer will need a minor operation to
correct her left hip's dislocation permanently. He also said that after the operation, Jennifer will have
to stay in a cast for about six weeks. The traction apparatus in Jennifer's isolette was becoming quite
cumbersome - I had heard a lot of good things about Dr. Player, but he said that he had never worked on a baby
so small before. I told Jo and mom about Jennifer's upcoming operation. We went to visit Jennifer at
Metro - she seems to be much better again today. Both grandmas came along today. Jo made
out thank you cards for all the flowers and gifts that both she and Jennifer received.
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| May 1, Tu - | Left work at 4:00 PM for a scheduled meeting with Dr. Player,
but when I got there Dr. Player was not available. I talked with Dr. Orenstein, and signed Jennifer's
hip operation permit. I was told that during the course of the operation, Jennifer's left hip and possibly
her right hip may have to have its tendon cut or nicked in order to help the left hip to stay in place after
its setting. I was also told that after the operation, Jennifer will be placed in a cast from her waist
to her toes - the cast, I was told, should not weigh more than about a pound. Dr. Orenstein said that once
Jennifer is in the cast, they will try to feed her again - if she does not tolerate the feedings again, they
will check out her digestive system. That was what I wanted them to do in the first place.
The I/V is in Jennifer's scalp today. I went home,
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and we came back again at 7:30 PM. Both grandmas
were with us. Jo got to hold Jennifer for a while. We were concerned about Jennifer's condition this
evening, because her temperature had dropped to 95.5F (35.5C), and the nurses had put a cap on her head to help
keep her warm. The nurses said that the problem was due to the fact that the air conditioning was keeping
the room too cool - Jennifer was out of the isolette and in a crib while still in traction. The way the the
air conditioning system is designed. the air is blown down from the top - it should be quite obvious that
if you have a child that is incapacitated, you should not have that child in such a position that cool air is being
blown right down on it. They should set up some sort of system that prevents infants that are in an Intensive
Care Unit from being in cool air drafts in open cribs. Jennifer's operation was scheduled for 7:30 AM tomorrow.
After we left, we called again at 10:30 to check on Jennifer's temperature - they had not checked it since 6:30
PM even though she had problems keeping her temperature at a proper level - they took it then and said that it was 96.9 F.