Lifesavers for Latasha

It’s been a long couple of weeks, and I’m late updating this because I’m exhausted, but Tasha is home again.

We got home for good Thursday afternoon, and everything seems pretty good so far.

Tasha is able to drink full liquids (shakes and soups) now and has been able to consume a good amount of fluid throughout the day. I found a good variety of Ensure shakes that maximize calories, protein, and vital vitamins and nutrients she needs to heal and recover.

With just four shakes, she is now able to get in 1200 calories, plus juices and broths, which puts her well within the range for gaining weight and muscle mass back. She has had some nausea and minor vomiting, but it’s way better and most likely medication-induced.

Tasha will do full liquids for a week to regain back strength and avoid any issues at the surgery site. After that, she can graduate to puréed-style foods to see how everything goes.

All of this has taken a pretty high toll on both of us in different ways. Tasha is still struggling with depression and the side effects of the medications. It is a lot and a significant adjustment for us both.

We get a break from road trips to Cleveland for a couple of weeks, but December 10 (I think) is her 6-month bronchoscopy (lung biopsy) to check for graph and organ rejection. Tasha will also do complete bloodwork and X-rays to check in on the rest of her recovery.

As we enter the holidays, this has been especially hard because you can’t escape food commercials or people asking about it. You don’t think much about it until you can’t have it and your body rejects it.

I think this next phase is going to be the hardest yet because life is not forgiving at times, and time itself can be difficult when it feels like you’re stuck in a negative feedback loop.

So, as we hopefully enter into an excellent restorative and healing phase, please continue to pray for Tasha. We are truly thankful for everything and everyone.