"Fetchez Lavage!"

(Apologies to those who aren't Monty Python fans... that's a random reference for sure.)

Today we saw Alex go back to surgery for a procedure called "lavage," which is the French word for "washing." The doctors suspected that the reason Alex still had a fever despite all his antibiotics was that there was still some toxic goo left in his abdominal cavity. So they went back in, and literally washed his internal organs. This is not an uncommon thing to have happen to peritonitis patients, and we may have to do it more than once. It's not seen as any kind of set-back; on the contrary, it's helping him get over the hurdle so he can stop fighting so hard to get well.

Every day I learn things I didn't know - and maybe didn't want to have to know - about the human body. Who knew you could take someone's bowels out, sanitize them, and put them back in?

After surgery Alex had a small period of a VERY fast heart rate, but they were able to stabilize him and they're rechecking his heart's condition just to make sure it's ok. They're being extra cautious with him, and I certainly appreciate it.

Tonight our former apprentice Dana is arriving from California to spend a few days with us; I hope she brought warm clothes because we're taking Aurora to hockey practice Tuesday night! Tomorrow Dana and Aurora are baking cookies for the fabulous ICU staff. They work so hard and deal with such difficult situations. They need to know they're very much appreciated.

Thanks for all your good vibes and prayers.

-Nancy