Sharon's health (Stan's Facebook updates)

[Steve Hubbell]

2 hours ago
Sharon was just rushed back to the hospital. She was just about to start physical therapy. They sat her up on the side of the bed, when her blood pressure jumped to 200/134. They called 911, who rushed her to emergency.

Please continue prayers.

[plasticplayhouse]

man this has been a crazy rollercoaster. tonights prayer will be for some positive stabilization!

[Steve Hubbell]

3 hours ago
Yesterday was grueling. By the time I got home after midnight I was too tired to have dinner, so went right to bed. Sharon is back in the hospital, in the room next to the room she was in a couple days ago, which is next to the room she had a few days before that one. She has the same beautiful view of the jacaranda trees.

Many of you know the story behind all this, but most of you do not. We been pretty open about all this when talking to people, but I leave personal information off FaceBook. This ordeal with Sharon has been the exception, one for which I am glad I shared because the support we've received has been overwhelming.

Sharon has a brain tumor, a meningioma. It is benign, but inoperable. It was discovered in 2004 when she went deaf in her left ear (everything happens on her left side). We got a second and a third opinion, and they all concurred that it could not be removed. She underwent a series of daily radiation treatments which seemed to stop its growth, and that was confirmed with MRIs every 6 months then yearly.

To everyone's surprise, especially the doctors, It returned in 2011, and quite aggressively. The left side of her face is paralyzed, including her eye, vocal chords, and throat. It also deteriorated her neck bone, so she is unable to turn her head left to right and up and down. She has double-vision, difficulty talking and swallowing, and has loss a tremendous amount of weight. She had been undergoing chemo therapy. We did look into other options from New York to Mexico, but stuck with the chemo. However, Sharon's situation is very rare and there is no standard operation procedure in its treatment.

She has many other problems associated with the tumor, treatment, or just coincidence--diabetes, high blood pressure, rapid heart rate, weight loss, slight anemia, to mention just a few. Eating has been especially hard for her because of difficulty in swallowing and her no-carb diet. She lost about 45 pounds in the last year, and she was pretty petite to start with.

About 7 weeks ago, she looked especially bad and I encouraged her to go to the doctor. She had two appointments in a couple days, and said she could hold out till then. She fainted that night, and I took her to emergency. She had fluid in her chest outside her lung that had gotten infected. They drained the fluid and gave her antibiotics, but one problem always led to another. The antibiotics killed off the good bacteria, and that led to an intestinal infection. For every step forward, we seem to take one step back.

The doctors were surprised in 2004 that there was no facial paralysis or other complications then. The way we see it, we actually were blessed with 7 additional years of good health.

We have pretty good health coverage. That had always been a priority to us, and it was difficult sometimes as a freelancer. However, it won't last forever so please continue to keep us in your prayers and thoughts. Thank you.

[maichan]

My heart and prayers continue to go out to Sharon and Stan.

[Mayhem]

My thoughts continue to be with both of you.

[khyron82]

My deepest thoughts for the both of you.

[Steve Hubbell]

4 hours ago
Despite having really erratic numbers, Sharon had a pretty good day. She was very responsive and engaging, very unlike yesterday. She even stood, with a walker.

I've been doing my regular hikes, but stayed home this morning. Besides, the trails get crowded on weekends with church groups, Boy Scout troops, and couples with matching hike-wear. Yesterday, a deer came out of the brush just feet from me. I stood shock still, but took this silhouette as he walked up the hill.

3 hours ago
About "shock still": The traditional term is "stock still". I realized I didn't know why, so I just looked it up, and apparently it's from an older usage of the word stock to mean a stump. As still as a stump.
Hope you'll pardon me; I don't mean to correct you (actually, shock still sounds pretty accurate, if a deer suddenly walked in front of me), but I know you're a student of many things, and I thought you might be interested.

3 hours ago
Thank you, Kristina. I was actually going to write "stock still", but wrote "shock" instead. Besides, it seemed more appropriate. I really was shocked, and a bit wary when I heard a large animal in the bushes. A guy saw a mountain lion near there the previous day.

[Steve Hubbell]

about an hour ago
A day of downs and ups today. Sharon's numbers spiked incredibly high--heart rate 149, blood pressure 200/110. She was responsive, but not by much. Her IV line was taken out when they did a chest x-ray, and they had a very difficult time putting a new one in her very tiny veins. I held her hand through the ordeal, and I felt it when it just went limp. However, an hour or so later, she had visitors and was smiling and engaging, a complete 180 of how she was earlier.

Today, she had needed an unusually frequent amount of suctioning of her mouth and trach tube, even her nose, which was new. She was having a breathing treatment of a cool medicated mist when I left her. It is supposed to open up her lungs and throat, making it easier to breathe.

[Steve Hubbell]

2 hours ago
I'm at the hospital with Sharon. She had a pretty good day. The physical therapist sat her in a chair this morning and afternoon. The occupational therapist came by, and she will begin OC tomorrow. Her numbers are still a bit high, but not outrageously so, as was yesterday.

2 hours ago
They are prepping her to take her down for a CT scan of her chest, to check for fluids in her lungs, so I will be here awhile more.

[Steve Hubbell]

10 hours ago
Sharon was taken down for a CT scan of her chest to determine the amount of fluid there. She is allergic to the contrast dye, so they decided to use something else. However, it has to be administer 4 hours before the scan, so it is postponed until tomorrow.



I got home much later today than usual, but I made a broiled pork loin chop misoyaki for dinner. The zucchini and crook neck squash are from an friend's garden, and were delicious.

10 hours ago
I especially like butterfish misoyaki, but butterfish is so expensive nowadays. I usually make it with salmon.

10 hours ago
I hope you both find some comfort in the prayers of the many people who wish only goodness for you both

10 hours ago
I do, Nina. As I have said before, I don't post personal stuff on FaceBook, but made an exception with Sharon's health problem. I am really glad I did because the support we have received is nothing short of amazing. You are all an answer to prayer.

[Steve Hubbell]

about an hour ago
There will be no Sharon update today, because I took the car in to the shop. Nothing is wrong, it's just for a routine maintenance check-up. I usually have one done about a month before our annual road trip down to San Diego. I started it right after the year we checked out of the Marriott and into a car with a dead battery.



Here's something I hadn't written in awhile: SNAKE OF THE DAY! I came across this baby rattlesnake as I was heading down the trail, at about the 1 mile point. I usually stay clear of all snakes, but another hiker and I nudged the little critter off the trail and into the brush on the downward slope with our hiking sticks.

[leonid]

Long time reader of the forums, first time poster here. I hope and pray your wife recovers to good health.

[Steve Hubbell]

about an hour ago
Sharon did not sleep well last night, but it could be because of the Benadryl she took after the CT Scan of her chest. She slept a large part of yesterday afternoon. The scan looked good. There is still a little fluid in her lung, though not much and it is clear and draining on its own.

Despite being tired, she had a busy day. She had physical therapy in the morning, and sat upright in a cardiac chair for about 2 hours. She had occupational therapy in the afternoon, where they worked on her arms. Even with the exertion, her heart rate never went over 97. That is great for her.

I got to the hospital early, because I had to leave early. Son Matthew flew in, and I picked him up at the airport. Incidentally, he will not be going on his missions project to India this summer. There were a couple of roadblocks, Sharon's precarious health being topmost. It is a disappointment but, hopefully, he will get to go on a mission some other time. The money that was donated to him will go to supporting the other members of his mission team, many of them his good friends. One benefit of him not going, is that now he will be able to help me with set-up and move-out at the San Diego Con next month.



It was pretty foggy on my morning hike today. Here's a dead tree I always pass, but never really noticed.

[Steve Hubbell]

54 minutes ago
Sharon has an ear infection in and has difficulty hearing with her right ear. As you may remember, she is already deaf in her left ear, a result of the brain tumor. She was given medication, but soon after became flush and developed a slight fever. We don't know if it was an allergic reaction, but they are watching her for that.

I've finished my third pass at inking UY: Senso #1. I do 5 "passes" when inking a story. 1-I ink foreground characters. 2-Ink background characters. 3-Ink backgrounds. 4-Spot blacks. 5-Ink in details. I've finished step 3, which means the preliminary inking is all done. I'll erase the pages, then spot in blacks and add details and textures. I figure I should be finished in another week. It usually takes 5 weeks to complete a 24 page story from writing to finished art. This one is taking 9 weeks, about half of the pages being done at the hospital.



For dinner I did a London broil with a roasted 9-vegetable medley.

June 15 at 12:52pm
When you have a moment I'd like the recipe for your roasted 9-vegetable medley.

June 15 at 1:34pm
It's not much of a recipe. I just used what fresh veggies I had or interesting ones I saw at the market that day. Brussel sprouts, red potatoes, sweet potato, carrots, cauliflower, golden beet, green beans, garlic, and bell pepper. I mixed them with olive oil, fresh rosemary and salt, and put them in the oven at 350 for about 45 minutes. I had never used golden beet before. It tasted like radish when raw, but sweetened up very nicely when roasted. I don't think I would use green beans, because some of them dried up in the oven.

June 15 at 1:34pm
I used red beets before, but it turned everything red. But I do like it's taste. That's why I tried the golden beet.

[Steve Hubbell]

17 hours ago
Sharon stood, and walked about 10 feet with the aid of a walker. She also sat in a chair for about 90 minutes.



She is being discharged back to convalescent care. We are still at the hospital. The ambulance is here, but we are waiting for the respiration team to arrive. Also, Sharon requires a special pressure mattress, which the convalescent facility is waiting on.

16 hours ago
The special mattress won't arrive until at least 8, so she will not be discharged until then. In the past, I've ridden in the ambulance with her. It would take about an hour for her to settle in, then I would walk back to the hospital to get the car. I'm really tired, so may forego the ambulance ride. They never turn on the siren, anyway.

2 hours ago
Sharon was admitted to convalescence at 10 last night. I'll visit her a little later today.