Hello all,
This is to let you know that Anne is improving ever so slowly, day by day.
She still cannot take deep breaths, so cannot exercise or take walks yet, and, she has some digestion issues occasionally depending on what she eats. I can tell you that the red licorice was a very bad idea. I thought after she tried that that we'd be on the way back into the ER, but she weathered the storm and used pain medicine. There are some other foods that have a terrible affect on her intestines.
Anne has lost alot of weight, and she looks great.
She will see a Cardiologist on 9/1 and have another ekocardiogram done to look at the fluid near her heart. We hope the fluid will leach out of there and dissipate naturally throughout her body. Her Cardiologist will be Dr. Sze and he is very good.
We saw the surgeon (Dr. MacGillivray) yesterday, and he has released her. He felt she was doing well, just needing more time. Doug is an exceptional surgeon, but not someone you'd want to be stranded on a desert island with.
We have another appointment with the oncologist (Dr. Ebrahim) and we are glad for that. He is just fantastic and he ties everything all together for us. When we're with him it's as if he has nothing else to do except care for Anne, with no one else waiting in line to see him. He's a blessing as have been so many of the Drs., nurses, residents, technicians, and all who have cared for Anne this year.
Anne still has to avoid the humidity and take it pretty easy, but she feels like doing things now, and soon there will be no stopping her. Thank you all again and again for all of your cards, prayers, and well wishes. She knew you were there and thinking about her, and you helped her so very much by being there.