“Seth material” search engine (Jane Roberts)

(I brought Jane back home from St. Joseph’s hospital in Elmira, New York at about 4:15 PM yesterday. Her doctor, Marsha Kardon, had had her admitted at supper time the day before [May 20, Thursday] because the middle finger of Jane’s left hand had begun to turn blue from the last joint to the nail.

(Jane first became aware that something was wrong with the finger at 2 PM or so Thursday, as we were finishing an interview with Peggy Gallagher about our experience in the 1972 flood in Elmira. The finger began to ache as she sat with it in her lap as we congregated at the kitchen table. At the same time it began to feel colder than the others, and Jane had pain in the palm of her hand and midway up her arm, on the outside and underneath—these points forming a rather straight pathway down to the finger, we noted. However, it was apparent at once that circulation to the finger was impaired. Peggy left, after saying a situation like that shouldn’t be allowed to go unchecked.

(Ever since she’d gotten up on Thursday, Jane had talked about increased muscular activity in many parts of her body, as though the body was trying to free itself in a beneficial way. She’d been quite uncomfortable at times, especially in the legs. Thus the finger business was a complete surprise to us. We noticed increased redness, also, around the nails of the other fingers on the left hand, but that situation had prevailed to varying degrees for a long time.

(I called the doctor not long after Peggy left. Dr. K. said, “I think I’d better take a look at that.” She’d been out of her office, but returned my call to her nurse almost at once. She was at the house by 6 PM, examined the finger and gave Jane a quick general checkup. She talked about a possible blood clot, “other causes,” and mentioned vasculitis, a condition that results in restricted capillary blood flow to the extremities, and can accompany arthritis. She’d suspected vasculitis when Jane had been first admitted to Arnot Ogden early in February, but tests had ruled it out. Dr. K. went home to call Dr. Sobel in Ithaca, and Dr. Wilwerth at St. Joe’s. The former is a rheumatologist who examined Jane at the Arnot, the latter is a specialist in circulatory matters. She soon called to say that Dr. Sobel was out of town for at least a week, and that Dr. W. didn’t think a clot was involved from the description she’d given him.

(The finger was turning darker, though. Massaging Jane’s lower arm helped. “If you were anyone else I’d have you at the emergency room at St. Joe’s for more blood tests,” Dr. K had told Jane at the house. She was obviously concerned, as were we. On her call, we asked her what she’d do on her own. She suggested we go to the emergency room for blood tests, and we agreed. A few minutes later, as I was hurriedly throwing a few things into a bag, Dr. K. called again, to say that we could save the emergency room fee if she had Jane admitted directly into a room. We agreed. Jane cried briefly. I turned the car around in the driveway, wheeled her out in her office chair, and managed to get her up onto the front seat, awkwardly and with discomfort. I’d called the Bumbalos, our neighbors across the street, for help, but they were away.

(Early the next morning Jane had more blood taken for more tests. Dr K. saw her, and Dr. Wilwerth, who stayed only a few minutes and didn’t think a clot was involved. Dr. K. was fairly sure it was vasculitis, “which never gets better,” etc., from her point of view. Jane still felt the finger’s condition was the result of other muscular events in her body. When we’d described those to Dr. K. at the house her reaction had been “Do you mean cramps?” —meaning that she saw nothing positive or healing in all of that muscular activity, only something meaning more trouble. We’ve learned that Dr. K. is an extremely conscientious person, but our way of thinking is quite outside of hers. The nurses told us she’d called several times the night Jane was admitted, and that she had the reputation of being very caring and conscientious—qualities we can certainly admire and respect.

(Dr K., being still concerned about Jane’s finger—which had improved somewhat, but was still markedly bluish in cast—decided to prescribe a drug to dilute the clotting ability of blood somewhat: Persantine, in tiny pill-like form, to be taken three times a day. Dr. K. said this treatment had to be balanced against the added risk of infection of Jane’s one open bedsore on her coccyx, for the Persantine reduced the body’s ability to fight infection to some degree. This at once set up barriers in our thinking, but especially in Jane’s. Jane had also learned that everyone at the hospital was against her smoking, and had been told that nicotine helped restrict the blood flow in the tiny capillaries. In other words, one would be better off not smoking. When Jane said that Dr. K had said her lungs were okay while she was at the Arnot, Dr K. defended that analysis by reminding Jane that she’d said her heart was good, but that through the stethoscope she’d heard various “wheezings and gurglings” in Jane’s lungs. Not that the lungs didn’t look okay via X-rays.

(Jane said she’d heard that some of the blood work was to be done in Rochester, New York: the results will take a while in coming. As of today when I’m typing this, Sunday, we’ve heard no word at all about any results. Dr. K hasn’t called, either yesterday or today. I had the prescriptions for the 100 Mcg of Synthroid, and the Persantine, filled at Gerould’s yesterday. Dr. K. said Jane could begin the 100 mcg of Synthroid Monday instead of waiting until Wednesday as we’d originally planned. And Jane announced that she didn’t want to start taking the Persantine—that she feels she knows what caused the finger difficulty and wants to get information on it in sessions, either hers or Seth’s.

(As of now her finger is maintaining its somewhat improved look, but it’s obviously not cleared up. The blueness seems to vary in intensity, but never leaves entirely. We’re hoping the tests do not show that vasculitis is involved. I suggested to Jane that she cut her cigarette consumption in half, but she refused, even if this would be a form of natural therapy.

(As we waited now to see what would develop, Jane said several times that she felt really strange. She’s had added motion in her arms and elbows and wrists especially, and these are related to the finger blockage, she maintained. I doubted if we’d hear from Seth tonight. “I don’t know which this’ll be,” she said. “but it’s a therapeutic session....” Then she began speaking, or dictating, on her own:)

But at different time as it did so it would kink up in one corner and then another, and that that would cause a temporary impairment, such as happened in this one finger.

(Her blue finger joint looked a bit better. Billy jumped down.

(Today, Sunday, Jane’s finger looks slightly improved, but far from cleared up. In this session I haven’t written about the negative suggestions Dr. K. gave Jane in the hospital concerning the finger: ulceration, losing the joint, etc.)