Potholes

Sherry will be in the hospital a couple of more days.  She has improved.  She hasn't had any pain medication since Sunday; her fever from the infected diverticula has subsided, and she can stand to transfer from her bed to a wheel chair.

Diverticulitis is fairly common.  With Sherry any infection poses serious risk because her immune system has been compromised by radiation treatments.  The good news is that the IV antibiotics seem to be working.  She will remain in the hospital until she is stable with the IV medication and is transitioned to antibiotics in pill form.  Then she will be able to come home.  I put on crisp, new sheets on our bed anticipating her homecoming.  I will consult with the Registered Dietician before Sherry comes home.  While she is on an unrestricted diet at the hospital, the food there tends toward the bland side for obvious reasons.  I want to be sure that I can feed her food that will contribute to her recovery--food is medicine.

A significant question for me comes from the temporary end of Sherry's Avastin treatments.   A side effect that Avastin poses is the risk of causing a intestine perforation; a risk accentuated by the weakened intestinal walls.  Until the diverticulitis subsides the risk is too great.  On the other hand, the Avastin is an important part of the therapies attacking the glioblastomas.  There will be a time when the benefit outweighs the risk and the treatments will resume.  I'm glad that we have an oncologist who is keeping us informed and is carefully balancing benefit with risk.  I'm not sure how Sherry's motor skills will react to this what I hope will be a temporary change.  Even if they do not improve beyond the current level we will be able to manage at home.  If they decline I will need to seek additional support.

All of this again underscores for me that we are miracles whose existence is an amazing, interconnected balance.  We are at once incredibly resilient and exceedingly fragile.  The cumulative onslaught of tumors, surgery, radiation, infection, and drugs has pushed Sherry to the fragile side.

Her spirit remains miraculously resilient.