March 27, 2023

Update by Cindy Hnat, Joann’s sister

I went with my sister to her checkup appointment with her long-time PCP.  We briefly went through the six weeks she was in the hospital after the original total knee replacement, and all the odd illnesses she developed over that time. 

The majority of illnesses have subsided, with the exception of the knee infection which is being treated with an oral antibiotic and three doses of IV antibiotics that I give her every 8 hours. Once these are finished on April 1st, she then starts on an oral combination of Rifampin and Levaquin from 3 to 6 months.  These antibiotics, along with the original injection, which went from the knee replacement out through the fatty layers, wreak havoc on her GI system and her energy level.  

My sister is extremely weak, exhausted, and short of breath. Her PCP said for every day of being hospitalized, it takes three days to improve, and since she’s been hospitalized for 40 days, that’s 120 days of recovery.  She’s not going to be able to work at a normal pace for a very long time.   If you want to contact her, please contact by text, not phone.

Sunday, March 18, 2023

Hello, I am Doris-Ann Vosseler, and I’m raising funds for my dear friend Joann Marie Hnat. Joann has recently gone through several catastrophic medical emergencies. She has not been able to work since the end of January. Her sister Cindy, who lives with Joann, has been taking care of her and has not been working either. It is not known when either of them will be able to work again. Besides not working, Joann is incurring medical bills above what her insurance can cover. Following a total knee replacement surgery, Joann had a serious infection in her knee. This resulted in a completely new knee surgery, but Joann experienced respiratory failure. She was admitted to the ICU for CO2 poisoning which left her extremely confused. Joann was then transferred to a rehab center for two weeks where she was improving somewhat. However, in rehab, Joann developed a fever and was diagnosed with extremely low sodium. She was once again admitted to the hospital and experienced delirium, along with catatonia and very high blood pressure. After many tests, including a lumbar puncture, the doctors discovered many elevated levels of protein, white blood cells, etc. in her spinal fluid. She is once again pretty lucid, but has possible autoimmune encephalitis, which is a brain infection of some sort. She has been transferred from Salem Hospital to MGH Boston for more tests. At MGH Boston it was discovered that Joann has kidney damage. Joann and Cindy very much need your support at this extremely difficult time. Thank you very much for any support you can give.