Push, Pull

Cindy looks so little in her fully-equipped hospital bed surrounded by all kinds of monitors and her trusty IV stand companion that accompanies her everywhere. A PICC goes into her right arm, pushing saline and medications into her little body. Over here on her other side, her left arm, featuring all those purplish blobs, are where needles are inserted to pull blood out for examination.

Push, Pull. Get it?

Sounds simple enough unless you happen to be the Cindy in the middle.  But, folks, she’s holding up pretty well, all things considered. Had a Valentines ultrasound to examine liver enzymes as efforts continue to make sure her tender tummy is not an indication of anything serious.

Thankfully, tests so far indicate no cause for alarm. MRI today to get another view.  (Meanwhile, should I be concerned she’s getting a little too palsy-walsy with the infectious disease docs visiting her regularly right now?)

The mouth sores seem to be a little better and she’s found some food that works for her, like a peanut butter and jelly pancake that is tasty and helps her swallow the oral meds. (No need to bring more.  The hospital is supplying it, apparently for free since they haven’t asked for her credit card yet. What a country!)

She’s oddly geeked about a prescription ointment that is better than anything she’s ever used for chapped lips - Acyclovic Ointment, USP 5%.  (Medical folks, did I copy that right?)

Oh, almost forgot. Hair loss may have begun! Just strands vs. clumps so far but combing is definitely yielding many more strands than usual. So stay tuned.

Cindy wants the Village to know how grateful she is for the over-the-top support, love, cards, goodies, messages. “While I’ve only responded sparingly, I’m enormously grateful and full to the top with your love, prayers and support.  I don’t have words to express the depth of how blessed and loved I feel by all of you.”

Indeed. All expressions of our families have come alongside us in myriad ways. Grace Chapel, the extended Trevisan's, the Alsonso's, Hillside, Champion Gasket, friends, cousins, nieces and nephews, colleagues of Adam and Laura.  A shout out to family members swooping in from Singapore, New Zealand, and Australia.

(We wonder if Cindy’s Village is causing the more frequent stalls with the PostHope site? Sorry about that, folks.  It's frustrating but the only remedy is to wait. I can’t do anything on my end.)

Thursday visitors: Gordon, Deb Y., Dr. Mindell (called), Adam and Glenn.  Even brought Norma (Cindy’s mom) in via Facetime. Three laps Thursday with Adam and Glenn.  

Stay tuned.