Update!

I just want to post an update for those that are wondering about our family and Chris' health.  

In December, a few days before Christmas, Chris had another ERCP.  That's the surgery where they put the scope down his throat, inject dye, and see if the pancreas is still feeding his pseudo-cyst or if it's healed.  Our doctor is very good about telling us what his plan is and explaining it in a way that we understand and are comfortable.  Basically the plan was to check the stent that was already in place and decide if we needed a bigger one, two stents, or to remove it completely.  We knew he was going to need a stent still because his side was still draining the cyst into a ostomy bag attached to his side.  So Dr. L went in and injected the dye and determined that while the leaking had slowed it still was leaking and needed a bigger (longer) stent.  

The surgery went well and was quick and fairly easy, and a day or two after the surgery Chris' side started to heal and not leak anymore.  Now this has happened before only to have it literally explode open again a few days later, but now it's been several weeks and it is completely healed up.  Another miracle is that even though it's healed he is not feeling the pressure and pain inside his body like he had previous times.  So we are thinking that this last stent is doing what it is supposed to!  He will have another follow up and CT scan and ERCP in a couple weeks to check progress.  

Now before anyone goes all YAHOO and he's healed and let's move along, we still have to take things one day at a time.  He's been eating and doing so well for weeks now (still not eating red meat, or pork) so when he ate a couple chick peas we didn't think anything of it until they started a 3 day long vomit/pain fest.  It's the smallest and strangest things that set his digestive tract into a tailspin. So one day at a time is still how we do things.  Days like that send me into a complete panic and I'm right  back to July again sitting in a dark hospital room watching my husband breathe...can you say PTSD!?  It's going to take years for me to relax and not panic at every stomach ache he gets.  

He did however go back to work this week.  He's been off for almost 7 whole months.  7 MONTHS!  Who would have thought on June 22nd when we went to the ER for stomach pain that we'd still be dealing with it 7 MONTHS later!? He is working 3 hours a day and is home by 11:15, he is basically spending his days going through the over 9,000 emails that accumulated over that time.  Going back 1/2 days has been a good thing for him physically and also for me.  "Letting go" and having him walk out of the house alone and drive has been hard for me.  I was good and didn't text him the first day, but he was considerate of my feelings and sent me a "half way though" text at about 10am!  

I have had a lot of my friends ask me if I'm sick of having him home and just want him to go back to work already and I have to honestly say "NO"!  Even though most of his time home has been spent being very, very sick, the time that he has gotten to spend with us is a blessing.  We have taken this time to get used to each other again.  4 months in the hospital makes you a different person, having your spouse nearly die makes you a different person, adding a baby to our family during all this made us a different family, and we are all glad for this extra time the last couple months to readjust to things.  

I also have to go on record and say how grateful I am for State Farm.  I have always known it was a good company to work for but they have proven it SO MUCH this last year.  Chris has been with the company for 17 years (in February) and their paid sick leave program is unparalleled.  Even after using 7 months of sick time Chris still has time leftover.  LEFT OVER!  Any other companies time would have run out after a few days or weeks.  His supervisor and coworkers were amazing during the whole ordeal.  We had so much support from them and are so happy to know such wonderful people.  

So there is our story update.