Saturday, August 7, 2010

Catching Up

It's been about a week since I posted anything. Not surprisingly, it was my first week back to work. I had actually forgotten just how busy real life is! Fortunately, Caren's mom was able to get some time of of work to spend the week wrangling the kids and keeping tabs on our patient.

The week brought minimal, but certainly not imperceptible, improvements for Caren. She spent more time up and around than she did lounging in bed, that's for sure. She's still a little slow on her feet; to get an idea of her gait, try to imagine someone doubled over with gas cramps trying to walk across a bed of hot coals. She's kinda crooked, but up on her toes, with a bit of a waddle. I only dare offer that image because I know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that if she was to read it soon, I can out run her with one leg tied behind my back...and I have a very comfortable couch!

Her diet has continued to diversify. We haven't gotten too adventurous, but she did eat some salad yesterday. This was the first green, leafy meal in a decade. For the most part, we focus on simple, tasty meals that are easy to wrap up and re-heat. Her appetite ranges from a few bites of pasta to a whole cheeseburger and sweet potato fries (Ok, I realize there is nothing simple about that meal, but it was special request. Who am I to deny a woman a cheeseburger and fries?).

Her INR (clotting factor) has continued to be about as stable as Mel Gibson's long-term job prospects. We're working with the surgeon to find a dose of the Coumadin that gets her therapeutic without turning her blood into cool-aid. But, after our follow-up appointment with him yesterday, he seems to think she's well on her way to full recovery. His actual words were, "You look great!" Patience and perseverance will get us to that all important moment when we actually feel like it was all worth it.

I'll post some more on the follow up appointment next. I captured the highlights of the time with the surgeon in that single sentence above. Unfortunately, the trip was anything but uneventful.

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