I called the hospital early to discover Maria had a good night.
On the way to school in the car the kids were praying for Maria, with the major emphasis on identification of the remaining bacteria, which would lead to Maria's discharge.
After a quick drop-off and running a few errands, I got in to see Maria. Not long after I got there, she was a very popular person, having the physio, pathology and a doctor wanting a bit of her time. All three meetings went well (although Maria continues to have problems around the canula entry areas (I continue to rotate her two pairs of pyjamas each day, washing the bloodstains out of one set while she wears the other), but is tolerating it to avoid another vein. We were told the veins are struggling in part because of one of the antibiotics she is on, which is quite potent.
The doctor from the infectious diseases department spent some time with us asking Maria a lot of questions about her history from the first surgery to try and better understand the abscess/infection. As she said about the infection, although it probably originated from the first surgery, that could have occurred anywhere. There is one final bug they are trying to identify, but it is so slow-growing that it is making it difficult to finalise their results. The turnaround is usually 3-4 days, so a week is not usual for this (many things throughout Maria's experience have been atypical from the onset in February). Maria may also have to be on antibiotics indefinitely, firstly to clear the infection, then to prevent any future incident. We are praying that if this is the case then appropriate oral antibiotics will be available.
The doctor said she'd return later in the day with a senior doctor with hopefully some more news. Maria and I continue to learn patience and to focus on the opportunities these delays present. It's certainly been a good opportunity to get to know the young man and woman neighbouring Maria with different ailments.
When I got to school to collect the kids Gabi came up to me excited, asking where her "mummy" was. When I told her that she would be in hospital this evening, she broke down. It is starting to take its toll. Ben was also disappointed, but acknowledged the situation.
On the way home Gabi asked some good questions like, “Why would God keep her mummy in hospital when we want her to be home?”, and, “Can’t God just have the bug grow quickly so they can send her home?” After some discussion she reluctantly accepted that perhaps there is someone God wants mummy to meet and their interaction may be important for that person's future.
Because all of the play-dates and having different carers around over the last week, we had a relaxed afternoon and evening at home. They worked on some "Welcome Home" posters after homework and I set them up on the futon sofa bed in the dining room (which I converted to a cubby over the weekend). Gabi was still highly emotional and sought prayer to help her sleep. They both drifted off quite quickly. As you can see from one of the photos below, they are exhausted, yet peaceful. It's been a long road, which we'll be on for a while to come.
