Tuesday, July 2, 910pm

I am sitting in Amsterdam as I am typing this update, but my thoughts are in Alaska and with Jeannette and Rich tonight.   Once again, as we have learned throughout this year of medical miracles, there are ups and downs with the recovery process that are impossible to predict and impossible to anticipate.  

Rich wrote the following a short time ago:  "...Greetings from Alaska, and happy 4th of July to everyone. Jeannette's CAT scan revealed a fistula (break) in the junction where Dr George joined the intestine to the colon during her surgery in May. Surgical repair is not an option, so we are going to be on a "no food or water orally" regimen for the indefinite future with a "wait and see" plan of attack to see if the tear will heal on it's own. The indefinite future can be weeks, months, or possibly longer, and the only answer is "it depends". Needless to say this is an extremely upsetting bump in the recovery road, so serious praying for her will be greatly appreciated. Thank you, Rich."

Rich's note manifests 1000 questions in my mind, and tonight there are not any answers but just the questions that linger.  Certainly, its an upsetting piece of news, but as I have learned from this experience things can move quickly and I've seen some amazing healing happen incredibly fast.   The doctors will have their consult, and make their plan of action, and if we have learned anything it is that the doctors consistently make good decisions that seem miracles in hindsight.   This seems more of a "bump in the recovery road" as Rich phrased it, rather than a crises,but even so, it is certainly frustrating.   I think one of the hardest things is to "watch and wait" -- and waiting for something to "heal on it's own" is very frustrating, espeically if it inteferes with the steak and King Crab leg dinners.    But the good news at this point is that they don't have to "go back in" -- but to my non-medical mind I just want everything to get fixed once and for all.  I admit that I'm not all that patient myself and I just want to get the healing done and get Jeannette back to having fun again.   -- John 920pm