Day 28

Sorry for the lack of posts. I had hoped Mike would want to continue his messages but the pain medications make it difficult to track much for very long. I'll try to make this quick, even though it's been a while since our last update.

Here's a picture of my dear sweetie (you can see the pain in his eyes)

Mike is still in the hospital bed back on IV antibiotics, prescription pain medications every three hours and leg continually elevated in a attempt to fight and beat this infection and cellulitis. It's the amount of pain the bothers me most for him. As we were getting ready to leave for a follow-up appointment on Thursday, Mike said he was in the worst pain he's had for two weeks and that was before he was up for several hours and transferred from house to van to wheelchair and back, poked and prodded, etc. The doctor ordered an ultrasound because there's a lump on his calf so we also had that trip to make Thursday afternoon, but his leg is clear thankfully.

I say back on IVs because we had finished up on the 23rd but restarted on the 28th at his follow-up because a bright red spot appeared on his leg so the oral antibiotics don't seem to be as effective. We have a couple more days around-the-clock IVs and then we'll know more. His leg still is so horrible looking, with the skin constantly sloughing off and regenerating (which is good) but being replaced with still more deep reddish-purple flesh. I am sharing a photo for anyone who can stand it, but I'll just post a clickable link here so as not to shock anyone unexpectedly. This is after 28 days on antibiotics, and the doc thinks it's doing well!

Overall, we doing fine just weary. Trevor is back from the east coast, so helps me out when he's not working. Tess and Tara are back in their respective college towns, so it's Tatum and me holding down the fort. Tatum has helped me move a pile of firewood and keeps the box inside full, refills her Daddy's water bottle regularly, fetches things from upstairs and tries to cuddle him whenever possible. I think she'll be the most happy when his IV line is finally removed, because that right arm is her snuggle spot!

Mike is keeping up his spirits but really bored. Daytime TV, even satellite, is just horrible; he's seen so many movies, and tries to keep entertained on the computer but the meds affect his reaction time and ability to concentrate/read, too. He does a lot of napping and chats on the phone if someone calls.

My days are full just trying to keep up: this med every four hours, that one every six, IVs four times a day, apply creams morning and night, meals every five hours, dishes, laundry, and just every day living, too. I've been to work twice this week for some catch up and to quickly train a temp, but there's just so much that still needs to be done. And, my dear friend Mary Ann is in the final days of hospice; I wish I could visit her more but she knows I love her and will miss her so much. Then there's the paperwork: it looks like the info I faxed to his work hasn't all arrived so short-term disability hasn't started yet, plus we found out Tri-Met's policy only pays $150 a week so it's really not going to help much. If you know anyone who would be interested in hosting a freezer cooking party or would like to purchase a unique hand-crafted hat, felted bag or prayer blanket, send them my way as I attempt to fill in our funding gap.

Enjoy your weekend!