Christine is continuing to improve this morning. She has already gone for a walk and asked to get on the computer (the first time since the surgery). I think this is a really good sign. It means she is feeling more her usual self. Though she was not on it very long before she wanted to take another nap. She appreciates your posts and e-mails though she cannot respond right now.
Her speech continues to show improvement and she can express things without as much delay and in more complete sentences. Shell said she used her right arm to eat breakfast - at least she used it to stab the fruit with a fork and bring it to her mouth. Praise God! This morning her urine appeared a little cloudy which may indicate a urinary tract infection - they are going to do a test to see. Apparently UTI’s are very common after surgery and the catheterization. That may be what is contributing to her nausea or dizziness. However this afternoon it came back negative for bacteria.
I slept much better last night for about 8 hours and feel much more rested today. I don’t think I have slept more than 4-5 hours a night for the past week so I was getting drained. But another complication on my end is that I have had a bad headache for the past two days and apparently developed a fever last night because after I took Aleve I woke up in the night in a sweat. Then this morning I woke up with a rash (spots) on my stomach and back. They have remained all day and not gotten any better. At times they are itchy. Kerry thinks it is probably associated with a viral infection or maybe it is a reaction to the antibiotics I am taking for the thumb infection. It will probably pass without problems. Anyway, feel better today but not quite back to normal. I hope not to communicate it to anyone else, especially Christine. I guess with all the stress and everything my immune system is overloaded. Maybe it is “sympathy headache” for Christine. I have heard that men can have “sympathy labor pains” for their wife during child birth. Hopefully it is nothing unusual or serious. I sat out in the sun this morning for breakfast and hope to get feeling good enough to get some exercise today. Both have been lacking in the past four weeks.
Christine had the surgery one day more than 4 weeks from the day of her seizure. This Tuesday will be 5 weeks. So much has happened in a month.
We watched the wedding together this afternoon and really enjoyed seeing everyone we could identify on the computer. It was almost like being there. We looked for and saw many of our family, friends, students and colleagues. We have a good connection to the internet here at the NIH. We missed seeing the reception though but hope that it might be recorded. It was such a beautiful wedding and lovely service. We wish God’s blessing on Chester and Jane as they start their new life together and thank them for arranging the live streaming.
The Doctors here will get their in-house pathology report on what type of tumor it is in about 5-7 days but they like to send off a specimen to the Harvard Brain Tumor Clinic pathologists for a second opinion. We are thankful they do this as we have heard this is a good thing to do. This will take longer (up to three weeks). I don’t know if they will tell us what their in-house pathologists think it is when they find out or if they will wait until the second opinion comes back. I think they will wait for the latter. They like to talk to us in person and would like to see us again in about 3-4 weeks.
We don’t know when we will be going home but it will probably be sometime this week if she continues to improve as she is. They like to send them home as soon as possible but keep them here as long as necessary – usually until they regain most or their abilities. But I am sure they will make a judgment call on what how much “most” is. But this afternoon she walked down the hall twice. The OT came by today and really thought she was improving greatly. She is able to move her right arm much better now and control her finger. The brain is figuring out how to re-wire the circuits. Christine wants go for a walk again “right now.” So… we just got back from the walk. She did the hall again.
Psalms 139 has become a favorite of ours during this time. Especially verses 12 and 13.
Vs. 12 tells us that the dark future is light unto God. He sees everything. “Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light [are] both alike [to thee].” We claim vs. 13 for the baby. “For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother's womb.” We pray for the lord to protect the little one and cover “her” with his hands. May none of the medications or procedures cause harm.
Have a good night.
Rob
“Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself.”
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