Joyce's KP Adventure mikepasini.com headlines
First Day
10 January 2026
I talked to Dr. Howser (really), another hospitalist watching over Joyce. She told me much the same as Dr. Kirshenbaum had yesterday. Except that she said the the wound had a Wound VAC on it.
She also said the wound "looked good" although she didn't actually examine it, leaving the Ace bandage covering it alone until Dr. Holland returns on Monday.
A nurse came in to empty the two little collection bags from the two wound drains. In the photo you can see them holding a small amount of red fluid from the wound. And you can see the Ace bandage, too.
Joyce was awake and read her text messages. Her phone is unfortunately not within reach is it's plugged in to charge (which she prefers). Tomorrow I'll look into adding a short extension cable to get it to her tray.
Drainage. The Prevena Plus 125 with the green LEDs is a small Negative Pressure Wound Therapy device that provides continuous suction on wounds, helping to remove fluid, reduce swelling and promote healing by keeping edges together.
But the tray had her lunch on it when I came in. The nurse was just in front of me, ready to remove it, but Joyce hadn't touched the food. I opened the salmon for her and encouraged her to try it with the sweet potato fries. And to drink the Ensure Plus they included. She did that much.
She was awake and alert, watching a show on TV called Forensic Files, which featured an episode about a guy who murdered his wife.
She'd gone to dinner with her boyfriend. But at least she ate something.