Thursday, September 24, 2009

A Pick-Me-Up

We all get our pick-me-ups from different places. At this point, pretty much anything would be a pick-me-up for Clark. Yesterday it was a trip outside and a haircut. His face lit up when he heard this was on the agenda for his day. I was excited because I wouldn't have to arrange leaving the kids and they would be able to see him. Willow has not seen Clark since the day we admitted him to the hospital. She was scared of him, as is her nature with anyone at first, but I'm sure the cords and tubes didn't help. Clark thought McLane had grown even since last time. Kate came up to give him a much needed hair cut. How many people have a beautician that will follow them to the hospital. As the hair fell I could see Clark's spirits raise. It always feels good to get freshened up and Clark has always been particular about his hair so it felt even better for him, especially at this time. After the hair cut we just sat and enjoyed the nice day outside.We were still waiting for the results of Tuesday's CAT scan until just this morning. The scan showed that Clark has a pocket of fluid in his lung, which is not a concern. He also has a pocket of fluid in the upper left portion of his stomach which is probably the culprit of his nausea and vomiting. They speculate that it is either bile that has encapsulated itself, or a cyst. This fluid has formed a barrier around itself so antibiotics would not be able to penetrate it. Clark is going to radiology this morning where they will insert a tube to drain the fluid. Then they will determine what the fluid is and how to treat it. They pulled all nutrition yesterday, from which point on he has not had any nausea or diarrhea. He feels hungry today, his eyes look brighter, and he is much more alert. Hopefully this is an uphill climb toward the exit door. He must be hungry because he made a note of something he wants to buy while watching the Rachel Ray Show - a juicer. The doctors told Clark that it wouldn't be long before Mom could bring him in a Big Mac to eat. Clark shook his head no and said, "Raisin Bran". Looks like his taste has changed . . . just a bit!





Hey Clark, Remember this?

We used to love these guys!





11 comments:

Anonymous said...

Good to see you smiling again Clark! Hang in there the world has SO much to learn from you!

Alisha Wolf said...

Hi Kristin,

I heard about your Brother and wanted to see how you are holding up? Sounds like you guys have been through a lot in the last couple months! If there is anything Wolf or I can do, please let us know. As you may remember, we went through a heart transplant with Wolf's dad almost 6 years ago and we know how rough that can be. If there is anything you need, please don't hesitate to reach out to us and know that our thoughts and prayers are with you and your family!

Best of luck, keep strong! Alisha

Anonymous said...

Two steps forward and one step back still finishes the race. I thank the Lord for this forward step.

(Thanks, Kristin...now I won't be able to get the California Raisin's song out of my head all night. It'll drive Randy nuts. Oh! A side benefit!!)

Love to all & tell mom that I'll get her emailed tonight!!
Susi

Mills said...

Raisin Bran LOL!!! Glad Clark was able to go outside and also get a haircut. I can't imagine being cooped up in a hospital for that long. What a story Clark will be able to tell. I can't wait to read the post that says that says "SuperClark has left the hospital"

Anonymous said...

Rhonda our prayers are with you, your family and especially Clark. I have been saying alot of prayers for him. Gods Speed.

Kathy (Rudebusch) Randall

Anonymous said...

Hello Clark & family,It seems like you & Bobby are neck & neck or should I say hair & hair. He had his second chemo today & is loosing all his hair. He is feeling great & you are looking great. Our prayers are with you daily. Hope your hospital journey will be over soon & you can get along with the rest of your life.Your blog has been a blessing to the both of us. Hang in there. We love you, Rhonda & Kristin.
Praise God for what he is doing in all of our lives.
Bobby & Claudia Mills

Karla said...

Nothing like a haircut to raise your spirits! You're hairdresser is a BABE!

Glad they are finding the root problems, and taking action! Just gotta get all the bugs out and you're good to go!

It's a GOOD day.

Love you Clark,
Karla

Eric & Kate Larson said...

I have to tell you, I WAS SO EXCITED when you called to ask if I could come up to cut your hair. At that moment, nothing would have been more important than that haircut, I would have dropped anything and everything to be there. Thanks for the opportunity of doing it! Love you guys to pieces.....

April said...

Haha! Oh good. Speaking of juices, any time you want a "green smoothie" (they are fabulous!) just let me know!

Anonymous said...

Clark, glad you had an up day. We pray things will continue to improve from here on out and you can get on the road to rehab to get stronger. It takes baby steps to get to where you need to be, but you are on your way. Stay strong. John Hanes

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