From: Kraig Warnemuende <ad6075@wayne.edu>

Date: Sat Mar 15, 2003 6:24:50 PM America/Detroit

To: Kraig Warnemuende <ad6075@wayne.edu>

Subject: 03/15/03 Update from Kraig, Loren and Keren

Dear Friends,

Just wanted to keep you up to date: Keren is continuing to recuperate well from surgery. She was weaned off oxygen completely last night and has kept her stats up real well, even when sleeping, which seems to show a difference with the jaw already (before her tongue would fall back and obstruct her breathing). We can visually see the difference in her jaw; it's more than halfway out now. Only a few more days to go! The doctor wants to keep her at the hospital till Monday, which hopefully will mean the screw-turning process is totally done and they can pop off the little arm/pins that are sticking out of her mouth so that the screws can be turned. She really doesn't seem to mind that at all--her worst gripe seems to be gas pain and constipation (nothing like a good dose of sedatives to clam up the bowels!). She's been alert and interactive with us, so that's encouraging. Her doctor said we could go ahead and try her on a bottle, but the nurses and Kraig and I look at each other and at Keren and say, "Huh? How is she supposed to suck when she can't close her lips?" I actually did try for a few minutes today and she didn't fight it, but she really couldn't do it, poor kid. I'm not going to try again till those screw arms come out (which will hopefully be Monday....). Until then, she's doing fine with the ng tube (nasal feeding tube), though today we secured that more so that the little fingers which are beginning to explore again wouldn't find something nice to grab :) .

We'll keep you posted!

Love,

Loren for Kraig and Keren, too