PICC line coming out tomorrow!

Wow, the days do fly by!  I keep thinking that I'll hop on and type a quick update - yet the days pass without actually taking the time to do so.  I'll remedy that right now.  :)

Jeff is doing okay.  He's been home from the hospital for a week and a half now - and tomorrow, he is supposed to have his PICC line taken out.  ( That stands for Peripherally Inserted Central Catheter.) 

(A definition:  It is long, slender, small, flexible tube that is inserted into a peripheral vein, typically in the upper arm, and advanced until the catheter tip terminates in a large vein in the chest near the heart to obtain intravenous access. It is similar to other central lines as it terminates into a large vessel near the heart.  In Jeff's case, it delivered antibiotics several times a day directly into his blood stream.)

 Jeff is...ecstatic....to have the PICC line taken out.  No more (hopefully) wrapping his arm in plastic and tape to take a shower.  :)  Many, many people deal with PICC lines as just a regular part of their lives (and much more), so I'm not trying to over-emphasize any discomfort here.  He's just happy and hopeful, after 8 weeks, to say goodbye to a useful annoyance.  :)

As I mentioned at first, he is doing okay.  He still gets tired very easily.  His strength is not yet fully regained.  (Although - If you are one of his relatives or another guy, then, well....he will tell you that he is all hale and hearty.  Grin.) His mobility still has a way to go to be fully restored.  Really, though, he *is* doing well.  It's just slow.  He's had two major blood infections to come back from.  I'd imagine that takes some time.


Jeff has another surgery scheduled for the first week in July, during which time they will open his hip back up and remove the cement beads that were laced with antibiotics.  That will involve a brief hospital stay (hopefully brief???) and after that time there will be another recovery period.  Prior to the surgery they will do a needle aspiration of his hip.  (Does the thought of that make your stomach wiggly?  It does mine!  Big, long needles going into a person's joint make me squeamish.)  That will tell the surgeon if the infection is indeed eradicated from the hip.  


This has been a hard time - but it's not without its' good as well.  The kids and I have LOVED having him home.  He's been able to see how our days go and I've been eager to solicit his advice on how to make things run more smoothly.  I always need help with that!


As always, thanks for your love and prayers - I'll update again following the surgery or before, if anything changes.


God be with you all,


Holly