What a Week!

We have had quite the week. To be fair, I am not sure who knows what and so I need to back up and fill in the timeline gaps.

Last week was tough. The realities of the pain kicked in after the colostomy procedure with renewed vigor. By Thurdsay Gin was "beside herself". After consulting the Palliative and Pain teams we agreed to come in to have her pump adjusted and to revisit her pain management plan. That Friday morning visit turned into an admittance to Methodist Hospital. We are actually still in the hospital but the end of this stay is coming to a close.

Over the weekend, the Pain Team worked aggressively to get pain under control from their vantage point and they were determined to get Gin's intrathecal pain pump to work on Gin's behalf better. In addition, a Doc on the Palliative Team met with Ginny and did some sleuthing of her own and decided, based on symptoms, that Gin may have an additional form of pain that is nerve based. This pain does not always respond to the use of the pump or the meds the pump provides.  Her theory has proven to be a good one and a long lasting oral med has been added to address this pain.

On Monday, Ginny had an MRI to take a look at her abdomen.  We were surprised at some of the results.

1) The original tumor is growing once again.  Mild growth but growth.
2) A second tumor has been found.  It is small but is new since January.
3) Ginny has a fractured pelvis.  This was a surprise.  Ginny has been complaining about a "pulled muscle" over the past two weeks.  It turns out the pulled muscle is actually the fracture.

After 6 days in the hospital pain control is better.  It will never be perfect, but we have enough of a handle on it to go home.  There is nothing to do in response to the tumor growth.  The pelvic fracture will heal over time. It will take months given Gin's bones and will be painful, but it is good to know that it is there and that she is so susceptible to breakage.

We will continue to work with these teams to meet Ginny's needs and to access support for me.  We will be tapping into additional supports to assist us at home with Ginny's care.

Thanks so much to praying and loving us so fiercely.

Kir and Gin