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I am not sure too many people are still reading this blog and the seeming saga of my hospitalizations. Thank you for checking and for reading what seems to be a broken record of health issues.

I was finally released from the hospital this last time on Friday, the 24th. I haven't counted and reviewed but I think I was in the hospital for 15 days total. The pandemic went on around me but I haven't been too much a part of it. Or my boys' homeschooling, or cooking or baking. It has been the strangest time of my entire life.

I have been assured that my body is having what are considered "normal" complications. These complications would be "waited out" and "watched" until they were better in most healthy people. Sadly, because I have cancer, I am not considered healthy and the doctors are working quickly to enable me to get back to chemo. So I have a strange existence right now.

I cannot eat any food so that my digestive system rests. This means that I have large bags of liquid nutrition connected through an IV (pic line) that are my nutrition for the day. I am only connected to the bag for 12 hours at night (Nurse Shawn takes care of all of this, by the way) and I am starving but the rumor is that this decreases as my body gets used to not eating. The last timeline for how long this will go is 6 weeks...but I'm not sure.

I have an IV antibiotic that I take once a day. I have two drains placed inside my body to get rid of anything that could cause a blockage or abscess. There is a chance I will get a third drain next week. This is all to make sure I don't have to go back to the hospital for more surgery.

And I have to walk 40-50 minutes a day to make sure everything is working properly.

I go back to chemo next Thursday - most likely 1/2 strength chemo as they test my body's resilience.

Right now, our lives are telemedicine appointments, a few returns to the hospital (for tests) or my GI doctor's office and negotiating our boys' behavior as they grow slowly more and more sick of each other.

Through it all, it has been Shawn who is our rock in this situation. He leads our prayers every morning. He remains so incredibly positive through every appointment and change. He does everything. I am so grateful for him and can't believe what a gift he is.