On Monday 21 September, Gay Haldeman reported that her husband, Joe, “had bad abdominal pains and had to have some pretty extensive surgery.” On Monday, she wrote that he was in the Intensive Care Unit, “doing well, but not yet out of the woods.” She also reported that she had “a strong support system here [in Cincinnati]—lots of great friends—who are looking after us. I even have a borrowed apartment. Please keep us in your thoughts and I’ll keep you updated.”
On Tuesday, she followed up, saying “Joe’s hangin’ in there, still in intensive care. They scared me pretty badly this morning when they called to tell me they had to put in a breathing tube. I just talked to the respiratory physician and the surgeon and they both reassure me that it’s only to let him rest and heal. There’s some expected fluid buildup around his lungs that was making it hard for him to breathe. All his vital signs are normal now, the pancreatitis appears to be getting better from the lab tests, and the surgeon tells me he hasn’t lost any ground at all. I’m hoping this means he’ll sleep through the worst of it.”
Her update yesterday said, “Joe’s still ‘critically stable’, still in the ICU, still on the respirator. I just talked to the surgeon, whom I like very much. He says Joe’s where he should be, all things considered.
“I don’t remember whether I was specific or not, so forgive me if I’m repeating myself. They operated on him Saturday night for a twisted bowel. When they went in, they found severe pancreatitis that had not shown up on the scans.
“The surgeon just told me that Joe’s blood count was coming down and the pancreatic enzymes were better than yesterday. Lab stuff looks better. He’s still running a fever of about 102 that doesn’t want to come down. He’ll probably be on the respirator for a few more days to rest and recover. His bowel has begun working, one of the serious hurdles for this kind of surgery. He’s getting IV nutrition and they’re keeping him sedated (yay).
“I’m shook but okay. It’s one day at a time. Right now I even hesitate to let him know I’m here because I don’t want to wake him up with all the tubes and stuff down his throat. Please sleep through it all, Joe.
“I went out to dinner with good friends Steve Leigh, Rusty, and Becca Levin and Guy Allen last night. Then collapsed early and let myself sleep late. I’ll continue to do that until he’s conscious again. I think he’ll need me around more, then.
“Keep the good thoughts coming! —Gay”
And today, she said “I’m sitting in Joe’s room and he’s about the same. They’re not planning to wean him off the respirator today. His numbers are still good, but he still has a fever. As far as I can tell he’s completely sedated. I’m checking in periodically, instead of staying full time at the hospital, to save my own sanity. When he’s conscious, I’ll be able to be there more.
“Thanks for all the good wishes. —Gay”
Everyone here wishes Joe a speedy recovery. To keep up on Joe’s condition yourself, Gay is posting her updates on this SFF.net thread.