Friday Night Entries – Long Day

I’m sitting here back in the Extended Stay after a pretty long day, both in hours and emotionally. I did manage to leave for a while this afternoon and come back to the hotel and do a couple of loads of laundry, but for the most part, have been with Sharon at the hospital. We had a very nice visit from one of the deacons from Parkwood Baptist Church. Ken’s arrival was very welcome and he provided some comedic and devine relief that was much needed at the time! Thanks, Ken!

Ken was there, actually, when Dr Baum came for her visit. We were discussing some of the difficulties that Sharon was having when she came in, and he welcomingly stayed while she explained where we stand with the lab cultures and some of the things that are changing and a little of where we need to go for a good outcome. They have finally grown something in the samples that were taken during surgery last Monday. They have found a mold growing that is not exactly what they were expecting. She and Dr Emerson are going slowly on this until the slower growing cultures are finished so that it can be verified as the cause of the difficulty. When and if that culture is verified, the treatment will change to the antifungals that are required. There is much more to follow on this, for there is a lot more involved than I can outline here yet. The simplified version is that it looks like Sharon will have another operation sometime this coming week to do two things: 1. Remove more of the other components that are most likely infected by the mold and 2. replace the spacer that is impregnated with anti-bacterial material and replace it with one that contains the anti-fungal materials. Number 1 is the primary cause, but number 2 is a pretty big player init as well. We don’t know the schedule yet, and even the doctors are not sure what the timing will be. The major cause for the uncertainty is largely because we are working in unknown territory. What we have here is a very very rare situation and there is not a set protocol to work with. Both doctors are very contentiously researching the possibilities for successful treatment.

Sharon is supposed to have a more “mainline” shunt installed tonight so that the hardcore drugs can be inserted. The two IV’s that were installed earlier this week had to come out today because of their limited use time. Four days was all that they can stay in. The new one can stay in basically an unlimited time. That will make the coming days a much more pleasant experience. (that really sounds strange, considering what we know is coming!)

Since I’ve been back to the Extended Stay tonight, I’ve met two groups of folks who have come up from Houston to move out of the danger zone of Ike. They both asked if they could pray for Sharon and her condition. Of course, I replied in the positive! I ask your prayers, too, please. Tonight has been, in some respects, our darkest hour. My heart aches for what Sharon must go through before this is laid to rest. She, on the other hand, is saying, “Let’s just get it on and get it over with!” She’s one tough girl! Crying Uncle is just not in her nature. We now know that there are at least two more operations before it is finished. Don’t know the timing. I expect to be back in Nashville for some time before the second one of those is done.

Cheers

Joe