DAY 53 - ROBB'S BIRTHDAY

Hello, everyone! It has been a long time since I have had a chance to blog. Many, many thanks to my children and sister for keeping up with it. Not only does it keep our friends updated, it gives us some sort of order and foundation, because somehow these last 53 days have disappeared and I don't know where. We are busy all the time. Now that Joe's life and death vitals and wounds have pretty much stabilized, we are busy concentrating on the next phases of recovery. However, every time we are feeling confident, we have a little wake-up call that reminds us that there are still many dangers. Of course, the first problem being the infections in the right thigh. He is now on day 32 of the first 42 day regimen of the very strong antibiotics to control the infection. And while his tests show that he appears to be doing well, the continued danger of the infection being so close to the metal rod in the femur and the metal in the hip remains. If the infection should reach the metal, it would all have to be removed. So, the longer we go giving the bones a chance to set, the better, just in case they should have to remove any or all of the metal that is holding Joe together. So far, so good. My girlfriend, Lorraine, a registered nurse by trade, reminded me long ago about re-introducing good flora into the body when you have had to be on long-term antibiotics. It had honestly slipped my mind, with so many other things going on at all times. In the meantime, someone I had met here at the hospital who had a loved one on the SICU, had told me about the fact that they had a small holistic office here and tried to explain to me where it was located. One quiet Sunday morning, while running down to the cafeteria for coffee, I was creeping around the deserted hallways trying to find this office when a very nice man asked if he could help me. I did say no, and then did ask him if he knew where the office might be. He said that he did not, but had just received a brochure on it. He very nicely took me all the way back to his office, found the folder and gave me the information. So nice. The very next day, I found the office (yes, it is small and housed in with the very small patient info cancer library). The serendipitous part about this whole incident is that, while I have passed this office hundreds of times, I have never before or since, seen the door open. This is the only time that I have ever seen this door open. Anyway, I went in and investigated. There was information on Reiki, Healing Touch, Therapeutic Touch, Massage Therapy and yes, lactobacillus (adding good flora back into the system). While I was at it, got the ball rolling on all of the above. Now, Joe, who always thought all of this was kind of mumbo-jumbo nonsense, is now benefitting from all of these services and loving them. He calls one of them his "sleep lady", another "the healing lady" and "relaxation lady". They are all doing a marvelous job and we were not happy to hear that they all have so many new requests, bec. we were enjoying those days when there weren't so many people who needed their services. Joe now sees the great healing benefit of blending the new, very high tech, kind of medicine with the more natural holistic approach. They are both helping him to become a new man in more ways than one. So, back to our old friend, lactobacillus. I'm hoping that the addition of this will help to avoid further immune problems down the line, because the length of time on these very strong antibiotics, while hopefully killing all of the infection, will also be killing all of the good bacteria in the body, making Joe susceptible to other infections. It continues to be a balancing act. And there is the possibility of being on another round of antibiotics after this first round is complete. We will keep our fingers crossed. For now, we continue to take one day at a time. This, in itself, is progress, because we have gone from taking one minute at a time, to one hour at a time, to one day at a time. We are feeling very encouraged.
Again, the gratitude we feel for the continued outpouring of prayers and caring from our friends and family is boundless. We cannot thank everyone enough and it really helps to keep our spirits up when, sometimes, the load seems to heavy for us to carry alone. Thanking you just seems very insignificant, but many, many thanks to everyone.
Love, Cindi
And, not to be forgotten, HAPPY BIRTHDAY to our "Last but not Least" (as my mother called him) and "Fifth from the Top" (as he refers to himself), baby, ROBB. We Love You, My Darling! Happy Hunting! (Robb is bow-hunting deer today). Love, M and Dad