26 Sept 9am

It's been a long time since I've made an update, and because of work commitments and family commitments I was gone from Alaska for several weeks and a lot has happened that should be shared.    The crazy roller coaster ride that has defined the healing experience has continued with its ups and downs, and there have been days of excitement and brightness and other days of despair.   The big, single over riding issue has been and continues to be the very small (and I mean tiny) hole that is leaking somewhere in Jeannette's stomach/intestinal track.  The wait-and-see plan of action, i.e. the "let nature heal it" seemed to be working, and after months of not eating real food and several weeks of no seepage she was cleared to start eating again and things looked great.  At first things seemed to be going oh-so-well, and there was serious talk of letting her out of the hospital to finally go home.    There were the familiar nausea sessions, which have to be worked around, but still things seemed to be on track for a homeward bound journey.   In fact, as of a few days ago the plan was looking like that could have happened tomorrow!    

Ah, the excitement!   The hope that things were finally fixed, and she was eating real food.   They took away the intervenous feeding, and the antibiotics were all discontinued.   And then, like the roller coaster in an amusement park, the hill crested, and things went downhill in an instant.   During one of the wound care sessions something gave way, and the hole that had closed reopened all over again, and needless to say that was terribly depressing.    Oh the setback!   Words really cannot describe adequately that disappointment, and with it came the need to restart the antibiotics, and come up with an alternate plan.  

As Jeanette put it to me yesterday, "I feel like I am back at square one."  

The doctors clearly have to do something, and the preliminary plan seems now to try and use some surgical glue to repair the leak and get it to stop.    There are other alternatives of course, surgery being one of them, but a lot depends on exactly WHERE the leak is.    Nobody wants to put Jeannette through another round in the OR, and the outcome of that being successful is not guaranteed.   Right now the doctors are working on the next plan.  To me, the non-medical layman watching it all from the sidelines, it seems that it is way past time for the luck to change.   Obviously, keep the prayers coming.     When I see her she is always "up" -- handling things like a trooper, with Rich there, wanting the doctor's to fix it NOW.  We even made jokes about duct tape (that IS the Alaskan FIX for everything, isn't it?).   But all any of us can do is let her rest, let the doctors figure out the solution, and give our prayers to God that the solution will be quickly found.   

I am hopeful that this roller coaster ride will end soon!   Jeannette is ready to get off, get well, and head home.   So I'm hoping for some miracle glue that patches the hole and brings her home.  

-John