Just a quick update. The oral antibiotic didn’t work. I didn’t get much worse, although the pain and swelling did increase, but I certainly didn’t get better.

Thankfully, my surgeon was on call for her group today, so I was able to talk to her this morning in spite of the fact that it was Labor Day. She immediately told me that we had “given this approach a try,” and it was time to get more aggressive. She wanted a CT scan, and the fastest way to do that on a holiday was for me to come in through the Emergency Department. She also told me she would be admitting me for an undetermined number of days, and that we would decide on next steps once we got the imaging results.

The CT showed that the infection had progressed to a deep space infection and that there is a very large abscess deep in my abdomen. This isn’t what we wanted to hear, but as before, at least we had answers and explanations to why I’m just getting sicker and not recovering. Remember those risks they rattle off in pre-op, “infection, bleeding, etc”? Well . . . I’m proof that, sometimes, no matter how careful everyone is, or how healthy you are going into surgery, it happens.

Everyone has been surprised that I’m not sicker than I am. They were surprised that this infection got so far with such low fevers and so few symptoms. I don’t want to sound like a commercial, but I truly believe that the boost that our Juice Plus gives to our immune systems has helped so much in this area. It has kept me strong enough for my body to fight really hard these past couple of weeks in the ways God designed it to fight off infection. I also think that, even though it ended up affecting the tendons in my healthy left foot because of my bum right foot, the fact that I’ve tried to keep walking 25-30 miles a week for the past year has helped get my body into a much stronger place than it was before. I sure do miss those walks!

But my body is definitely getting tired of fighting. It wants things to get back to normal. I’m thankful to be here where it can get all the help it needs now.

So. I am on a couple of strong IV antibiotics, and sometime tomorrow I’ll be heavily sedated, and Interventional Radiology will attempt to drain this large abscess. We are praying that this will finally mark the beginning of full healing.

My surgeon told me that I can’t keep my appointment for foot surgery next week — that it would be too much trauma for my body after this crazy drama, and that I need to postpone that for awhile and give my body time to stabilize after all of the unexpected pieces of this recovery. I’m incredibly frustrated about this because I want everything behind me and to be healthy again. But I’ll trust God’s plan with this, too.

So here I am. Staring at a hospital wall, instead of finally celebrating Owen’s and Ethan’s August birthdays tonight as planned. A couple of dear friends jumped in and provided meals for the next three nights for the kids, and one even ordered this cake for the boys and had it delivered to the house. So they will get two birthday cakes this year since we still plan to celebrate once I’m home.

My biggest concern in all of this is Kathryn. As I’ve said so many times before, I am the primary stabilizing factor in her life, and when I’m absent — especially unexpectedly — it puts her at greater risk for seizures. I worry about her since her seizures aren’t fully stable yet. But I am no good to any of them like this, and this is the only way to get me well. Please pray for Kathryn and the other kids, and for Scott. He has been my hero through all of this. One of the best ways to keep her happy in stressful situations is to let her work in the kitchen. As I left for the hospital this morning, she asked if she could bake cookies. Her sisters helped her create these plates of dangerous yumminess.

In this picture, the view from my bed here at the hospital, you can see evidence of the little private pizza party Scott and I had this evening before they kicked him out. He will be allowed back in tomorrow morning, and I’m thankful that he’s home with Kathryn and the other kids — although she kind of sees us as one unit, and it messes with her head a bit when one of us is missing.

Thanks so much for all of the prayers for my healing and for the rest of the family, and thank you to all who keep feeding them for me while I’m walking what is beginning to feel like a long road. We pray that the end of this particular adventure is in sight now.