Thursday Night

We all just got home together after a long and eventful day. Kara arrived safely and was able to give my mom a nice surprise tonight by coming into the hospital room.

Mom's morning started out bright and early with testing to determine the extent of the infection in her abdomen. In the radiology department, scans were done to determine where pockets of infected fluid have collected in her abdominal cavity- fluid that has caused Mom to be extremely swollen and in great discomfort and pain. The decision had been made yesterday by Mom's surgeon that a small amount of this fluid would be removed and tested to make sure the correct medications were being used to fight the infection. When this fluid was extracted, the doctors decided that the infection was severe enough that the fluid needed to be drained from her abdomen. Two drains were inserted to try to release this pressure and remove as much of the infection as possible. This procedure was uncomfortable for Mom, but she agreed that it was needed to help her heal.

We met with a large team of doctors this afternoon and discussed many questions, concerns, etc. There have been many issues that have come up since Mom's surgery that have been unexpected complications... issues involving her kidneys, protein levels, infections, etc....and the doctors have done an amazing job of treating Mom with each new issue. The team is looking for a reason that all of these complications have occurred. There is still not a definite answer for that.

In the next 24 to 48 hours, we will be watching and praying for the infection to be gone from her body. The doctors are continuing very strong, broad-spectrum antibiotics through IV to attack the infection. The hope is that along with these antibiotics, the new drains will help by pulling infected fluid out, and that no more will return. We are watching and hoping for a drastic improvement in how Mom feels within the next 2 days, giving indication that the medications and treatments are working. We also pray that the unexpected complications are finished! The surgeon told us today that we are just having to take her case one day at a time. It has been a wild roller coaster ride, and tonight, we feel like we are headed back up. I think we are all (especially including Mom!) ready for the ride to be safely over!

As we left Mom tonight, she was tired but in good spirits. It was good to have all 5 of us there together. Mom was very sore and fatigued from today's procedures, but seemed more comfortable than she has been in many days. She was able to eat a few bites of dinner for the first time in 9 days and even enjoyed a few sips of a lime slush from Sonic. We look forward to and pray for more progress tomorrow.

I took many of the comments from the earlier blog posts up and read them to Mom at the hospital tonight. She seemed to really gain strength from knowing that so many people are praying for her. Thank you so much for your love and prayers. We feel surrounded by them.

We have all been discussing lessons that we have been learning from this ordeal today. We are grateful to God for health, family, and friends. He provides for us in every situation, and we give Him thanks for how He has worked in this situation this week.

It has been amazing to watch and learn from Mom this week. Even in her most difficult moments, she shows care and concern for the people who are taking care of her. She knows the name (and usually the life story of) every person who has come in her room, and she continually asks how their mother, child, grandchild, etc. is doing. She is truly amazing.

Thank you for checking on us and thank you for your continued prayers. We will continue to provide updates.

Kelly (for all of us)