UPDATE: Fran Wallas  9-17-10

From Jim Poteet:

YESTERDAYS EMAIL FROM JACK GILPIN (co-worker at TDEC):

Jim,  this from Fran's daughter this morning.

"CT scan this morning shows decreased swelling (yay!).  They are planning to remove the drain from her head in the next several days.  She is off sedation and they are waiting to see how she responds neurologically once the meds clear out of her system.  Otherwise still stable."

TODAYS EMAIL FROM JACK GILPIN (co-worker at TDEC):

News as of last night was not so good.  One of our field people went by the hospital.

 went to see Fran last night and left SPardue a voice mail regarding.

I spoke with the ICU nurse about her case at some length.  She told me that Fran is "not in a coma," but is unconscious.  Not that that really matters so much. 

She is lightly sedated and lightly intubated, that is, the machine is breathing lightly for her.  Her lungs are good thus far, no infection.  They are hoping that she remains in good lung health, because once these critical care patients get a lung infection, pretty much all the body's energy is expended to fight that.  So let us pray for Fran's lungs to stay healthy.

Her head trauma is severe.  Fractured skull and lots of brain damage.  Her cerebral status has steadily declined since her admittance on 9/09.  With a 3 being an inanimate object and 15 being me typing this, she came in as a 12 and was a 6 last night.

She had a drain in her skull and her brain was still swelling and producing excess fluid, though the fluid was clear.  no other broken bones.

It was made clear to me that her situation is not good.  They told me that they would rescan her brain today to try and determine if anything else can be done.

The situation does not look good under any circumstance.  I told Steve that if any one wants to see Fran, they probably should come to Knoxville soon.  At some point, if her status does not improve, I imagine her family will make a decision to have her removed from the ventilator.  Perhaps she will regain ability to breathe on her own, but they currently do not believe her prognosis is good.

I can't really muster the energy tonight to go over there as I'm meeting Billy Minser tomorrow to go to Stinging Fork.  I also have a cold, so I don't want to get near Fran.  I wore a mask and gloves last night just to stand at her door way.  I spoke to her and told her that we love her.

I'm so sorry to have to report this.  Fran is a good friend to all of us and has been our faithful servant.  What will we do without her and her bright smiling eyes and her love for us?

Please keep her and her family in your thoughts.