Mike's Update on Sarah

This is an update written by Mike Maulsby, my hero. The last few weeks have been pretty hard for me and the pain meds and antibiotics cause  me to be spacey and woozy, weepy and nauseated, thus making it really hard for me to focus and stay awake long enough to write an update. (I have nodded  off many times already just writing this one paragraph.) Anyway, here it is.

Since returning home from the hospital where she spent nine days receiving IV antibiotics for the recurring blood infection, Sarah (and thus I) has been totally maxed out. The antibiotic IVs make her sick and fuzzy headed and are to continue for a total of six weeks, three times a day. This is to totally knock-out any hidden areas of the infection that may be causing the recurrence. 

She is experiencing intense pain in her legs and hip area which requires narcotic pain relievers to manage. These meds put a damper on her thought process; she has trouble thinking clearly and tends to nod off occasionally for brief periods. We are nonetheless so grateful that the pain is under control. Deterioration of lower back vertebrae is the suspected cause, putting pressure on the sciatic nerve. It hasn’t yet been definitively determined how much of the disk deterioration is due to cancer spread, but it does appear that there is cancer activity in that area.

Sarah has an unmanageable schedule of appointments and treatments: home antibiotic IVs 3x/day, vitamin C IVs 2-3x/week, IPT treatments in Santa Fe 2x/week, weekly appointments at the Infectious Disease clinic, twice daily coffee enemas, home nebulizer treatments nightly, when possible appointments with her chiropractor, acupuncturist and primary care NP. Add appointments with the oncologist, the oncologist’s assistant, and schedule an X-Ray and MRI somewhere in between, and you get the picture.

Due to the pain meds, Sarah can’t drive. We've been blessed with the help of neighbors and friends to pitch in and help out with transportation. Sarah’s diet has to be especially good now. She doesn't have the time or energy to cook, so we've been ordering out from some of the healthier restaurants nearby and relying on friends and neighbors to help with shopping.

Sarah is experiencing some incontinence issues as well as swelling feet and lower legs. She coughs regularly and experiences occasional nausea and vomiting due to the antibiotics.

Here’s the bottom line with Sarah: irrepressible smile, indomitable spirit. Right?! The most courageous person I know.