One step at a time

Daddy seems to be progressing a little bit every day. They currently have him on continuous feeds through his stomach tube, so he's feeling pretty full and not very interested in eating, but he is trying to eat a little. He was up several times today for 1 hr+ stretches and took a couple of walks. He is still very weak, but that is not unexpected based on all he's been through plus not really having much nutrition for nearly 2 months. I spoke with his surgeon for quite a while yesterday (all of the following is my translation of the medical language and may not be precise), and his surgeon indicated that Daddy's biggest challenge right now is lack of nutrition. For some reason, his body has not kicked back in and accepted the artificial nutrition very well -- this is probably partly due to the effects of chemo on his body. Also, when someone is malnourished, fluid is more likely to collect in the body which makes it easier for infection to harbor which can lead to more complications (as we have experienced). There are some signs that maybe his body is starting to accept the nourishment so we are hopeful. The dr. indicated that it takes months to correct lack of nutrition so regaining his strenght will take some time. Daddy has been in good spirits and more alert the past couple of days. We are still aiming for him to go to rehab sooner rather than later where they can help him get strong enough to come home. We continue to pray for healing and rest, and we continue to be overwhelmed and blessed by the support we have received from friends and family.