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I just wanted to update everyone on my Mom's condition and ask for your continued prayers. The doctors and staff at the hospital have been excellent and for the first time a doctor has really dug into what's going on with my Mom and figured things out. The MRSA infection in her urine has cleared up. Some people have asked if it was in her kidneys or blood and thankfully the answer is 'no', it was only in her urine culture. The C. diff that was causing her to have uncontrollable diarrhea has also cleared up. The doctor has also determined what he believes is the source of her real problem of not being able to walk. He did a muscle biopsy and confirmed that she has an autoimmune disease called dermatomyositis. This disease causes many of the symptoms my mother has: inflammation in the muscles, immobility, rashes, and problems eating. There are treatments that can be done to make her situation much better than it is, but my Mom will have to be treated for this disease for the rest of her life. It's only been 3 months since she lost her ability to walk and I believe that she can walk again. Ok, that's the good news... now for the bad news. The bad news is that the dynamic with my family the past two weeks has been terrible. The relationship my mother and stepfather have is "dysfunctional" to say the least, something I've spent a large part of my life trying to stay away from, and this situation is dragging my siblings and I into their relationship way more than we ever wanted. A kind of "us versus my stepfather" situation has been created because we have had to intervene several times to prevent some actions that we felt would not have been in my mother's best interest. For example, he is trying to remove my mother from the hospital before her treatment is finished. Obviously doing so would be life threatening to my Mom. Also, my Mom is incredibly confused, depressed, and angry. Her moods are swinging wildly from one day to the next. That has also been a big cause of the family problems because one day she wants us to do one thing and the next day she doesn't. It's a total nightmare. So, I ask you to be please be praying for complete recovery for my Mom. That she would walk again, eat on her own again, go to the bathroom normally again, that this cloud of depression would lift, and that she would have her hope and liveliness restored. And of course, that she remain cancer free. I ask that you pray for my family, that they would not give up on her, and that my stepfather would "wake up" and act more responsibly. I also ask that you pray for me and my wife because unfortunately we have landed in the middle of this and it is definitely taking it's toll. We are resting in the Lord. Your prayers are helping and working, and we so desperately need more of them. Thank you.
-Kip
Also: We heard today that they are going to give my Mom a stomach tube because she is not eating enough. The procedure for that is happening on Thursday. After that they will observe her for a few more days until her nutrition levels get back up and then she is being discharged. She will continued the treatment for her dermatomyositis from home. Thanks.
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