HOME!!!

I am thrilled to announce that I arrived home earlier this evening! We still aren’t entirely certain what is going on, but I am currently stable. Whenever possible, I believe that home is the ideal place to recover!

I have always admired the marble lamps in the rooms at St. Louis Children’s Hospital, but tonight my Alice in Wonderland room is feeling pretty cozy!

My cultures continue to be clear as of yet. Right now the favored hypothesis is that I might have an infection in the tunnel tract around my central line. It’s kind of difficult to explain, but when my line was placed, it was inserted in my neck and tunneled under my skin to an exit site in my chest, which is where the tubes come out. An infection in the tunnel tract is less likely to cause septic shock than one that is inside the catheter itself which is a VERY good thing.

On the other hand, however, it can take more time to see evidence of this type of infection, and sometimes nothing grows on the cultures at all. Infections in the tunnel can be pretty stubborn and resist antibiotic treatment, too. In such a case the central line would have to be pulled.

Dr. Wilson sent me home with IV antibiotics for now. If my symptoms don’t abate, I will lose this line. Please pray that this treatment will have me feeling better quickly! Because of my paralysis following procedures I’m not any too eager to require surgery.

“And call on Me in the day of trouble;
I will deliver you, and you will honor Me.”
Psalm 50:15

I am thankful that I was only in the hospital for a few days this week, but if you ask me, those few days were plenty! I’m still feeling awfully dauncey (A special term invented by Lucy Ricardo’s grandmother for when one is feeling lousy), but boy, it’s so nice to be home!

Oh, and have you been wondering about Miss Alice Eloise? Well, she behaved as simply the darlingest little service dog you ever did see when she was in the hospital with me! We didn’t go for an inpatient slumber party right off the bat for two reasons: One, Grammy had to trekk far across the hospital to reach a grassy patch for Alice Eloise to “take care of business”… We need to better scope out the campus so that night-time potty breaks won’t be so labor intensive! And two, I want to ease her into hospital stays so that she doesn’t find them boring. But Alice Eloise was just a doll baby, providing me with several hours of cherished and much-needed cuddle time!

Once again, thank you ever so much to my dear friends and family who have prayed for me this week. I don’t think I can adequately convey how much I appreciate all of the support that you give me! And I simply love you for it.