Hot Pink

Ella, dog about town.

Lots of 104s (40 Celsius) forecast this week. The meteorologist can spin the alleged lower afternoon humidity, but 104 is still hot.

My health update is a mixed bag.

• Rehab activities are pushing me in a good way as I make progress in rebuilding muscle and strength. During my first couple days at the rehab hospital, I needed to elevate my right, infected leg to control the pain. Just dangling the leg over the side of the bed was extremely painful. Now I can move around independently with the help of a wheelchair or walker with tolerable pain.

• Controlling the pseudomonas infection has not been as straightforward. Before the docs identified the bacteria, they used a broad spectrum antibiotic to kick things off. Once they knew what they were dealing with, they started me on an antibiotic targeted for pseudomonas. Unfortunately, the drug caused my blood platelet levels to drop so they started treating the infection with a different drug. A culture showed that this newer antibiotic was no longer effective because the bacteria developed resistance. I’m now receiving infusions of another antibiotic. The drug drips into my vein three times a day over four hours. Prayers, love, light, all welcome.

It’s a lot. I continue to follow the lead of my extensive care team and not rest in despair.

Ella studying up.

I’ll close with an important message from the folks at Ensure: don’t use the beverage in an IV.