June 16

Hello and happy belated Father's Day to all of you dads. We had a busy one. Mark is still feeling pretty weak and tired, but makes slow progress every day. He had WAY more output from his ileostomy yesterday than he was supposed to, so we were chasing it all day with tons of Benefiber and Immodium. Fun, right??? Anyway, it is better today.

After his shower yesterday, his incision opened up at the bottom. It was gaping open with innerds showing. Of course it is Sunday when this happens, right? I went to the store to get steri strips and just closed it back together and we called Dr. Farmer's office this morning. They got us in with Dr. Lock at the Surgery Clinic bright and early for a dressing change and once over. We will see them back next week. Dr. Lock actually wants to leave part of it open to drain, so we'll keep our eye on it for signs of infection. We will see the urologist later today and are hoping for the catheter to be removed.

We see Dr. Farmer on Wednesday morning. We dropped off the surgery note and pathology report (it was also 8 pages long). WOW!!! That was a lot of cancer to talk about, huh????

Mark's diet is not restricted much with his ileostomy, but he is forbidden to have anything with nuts or seeds including fruits with seeds. He also cannot have fruits with skins (like grapes). He cannot have dried fruits or pepper or whole wheat. He is supposed to limit his onions, but can have them.

Our kids did not get home until late Sunday from their tournaments. It felt GREAT to see them again. I hugged Emily so tight she told me she couldn't breath. I think they all great at least an inch. It was a wonderful feeling to have them all home again. We got to hear about the boys' tournaments and how they did and hear about all of Emily's adventures in the hotel pool, elevators, etc. We really missed them dearly!!!

Thanks so much for all the support. We pray now for quick healing of Mark's body and restored strength. God bless!!!