Columbus OH

I'm back! But again after 2 weeks.

The first faint signs of autumn have appeared. The temperatures have started to drop slightly and slowly, but steadily. One can go out in the morning and not be overwhelmed by soggy heat. Of course that doesn't last long, but it's a first step.

Unfortunately, this blog remains mostly a medical report. On Tuesday the 19th, Lew went to a neurosurgeon for a second opinion on his back. The neurosurgeon concurred that surgery was in order, but added the slight twist of a different surgical technique. Now we have to look into that further. Certainly it is relevant that the Bobbi's back surgery was not successful, in the sense that the next disk above the surgical site failed within 2 years. Makes one think - move slowly and carefully. Unfortunately, he was home before he realized that the game plan had morphed a bit; by the time he phoned the neurosurgery group the man who gave the second opinion had left on vacation, and his two colleagues artfully avoided speaking to Lew. As expected, while all this was going on, Lew's pain continued, but he was still able to manage it without opiates.

Bobbi, on the other hand already had been on fentenyl for a few weeks. And during this period her physician increased the dose when Bobbi saw her on the 29th. She continued to attend morning mass about half the time, and was able to make it into the correctional medical facility where she is chaplain on the 24th. But on the 31st she went only a couple of miles before concluding that she couldn't do it, turned around, and returned home. Her medication does make the pain tolerable, but sedates her so that it is not a good idea for her to drive.

Bobbi and Lew both are quite circumscribed in their activies. They cannot stand for more than a few seconds, or walk more than a few feet before the pain becomes intolerable. It is difficult to see how this situation can be resolved without surgery, yet that avenues doesn't appear too promising either.

On top of their own infirmities, it seems like all of their relatives and friends have become seriously ill. Bobbi's younger sister has been on chemo for breast CA during the past year, and her older half-sister (a nurse) currently is on chemo. The half-sister's husband who had pneumonia last winter recently lost consciousness, and when he was taken to the Marietta hospital, was Life-flighted to OSUH. There it was discovered that he has an aortic aneurysm. The half-sister argued with the doctors who refused to operate because they feared it might be impossible to get him off the vent. While this difference of opinion was working through, hubbie sustained a significant right-sided CVA, No doubt the physicians now are even more reluctant to tackle the aneurysm.

And the husband of Bobbi's close friend for more than thirty years (another nurse) recently had a massive heart attack while he was on the table for a hip replacement, coded twice. So he is scheduled for a triple bypass tomorrow.

Bobbi's closest friend from church - Lew's age - has had MS since she was about 20, an inoperable cerebral aneurysm for 20-30 years, a botched left hip replacement, and spinal stenosis. Her youngest son is divorced, has obesity and diabetes, and his daughter (age 20?) is aggressively gay and takes delight in continually offending everyone. Her daughter (another nurse) is grossly obese and on course for multiple illnesses in the future. And cruelest of all, now her recently divorced second youngest son has just been found to have metastatic melanoma.

As you can tell, we have sufficient bleakness. Please some of you send us some sunshine (and I don't mean more heat).