Not the Mother's Day I'd Hoped For

Not that the title of this post has anything to do with my daughter -- it doesn't.  We spent some time together today and it was lovely.  We went to the hospital of course, to check on my husband (her father) -- this relates to the title.

Exactly one month ago my husband underwent risky, "last resort" surgery that was supposed to turn things around and allow him to make forward progress towards getting well.  After the surgery was complete and the surgeon came out to talk with us -- "we accomplished what we set out to do",  "the next 24-48 hours are the most critical" -- I asked him if he had any idea when my husband might be able to come home and he replied, "Probably 3-4 weeks."  I expected to have him home -- not well, but home -- by Mother's Day. The best laid plans...

Thirty days and two hospital-acquired infections later, we're no closer to knowing when he'll be coming home.
The results of a CT scan done last week showed another large pancreatic pseudocyst.  He'll have to undergo surgery again. It's apparently infected and the infectious disease doctor has him on three different antibiotics, but his white count is still over 24,000.  He's scheduled to see his surgeon Thursday.

When things are "normal" he works a physically demanding job installing elevators and escalators (dangerous work).  He lifts equipment that weighs hundreds of pounds; climbs ladders while carrying heavy cables and all sorts of things that require a lot of strength. As I watched him struggle during physical therapy I had a difficult time seeing him, in my mind's eye, healthy and strong.  He was only able to stand unassisted for one minute before his legs were shaking badly.  He can do one lap in the PT room using a walker with wheels.  The man who could lift a two hundred pound elevator door is having a difficult time with four-pound weights. He tries hard and gives it all he's got.  The doctors say that once this is over and he's fully-recovered that he'll be just as he was before and I'm trying to hold on with faith that he will.

If you pray, prayers are appreciated.