My mother-in-law is still in the hospital but doing much better. Technically, she's well enough to come home but they have just started her on coumadin and I think they want her to stay so they can keep a close watch on her levels. She's also still in a-fib and we're hoping once she's home, maybe she will convert back on her own. It's doubtful though which means she will have to have another cardioversion but that won't be for another 2-3 weeks at least, she needs to get stronger.

The other problem we have is the cardiologist says that this blood clot was a result from a piece of plaque breaking away which would indicate that she had pre-existing artery disease which she has never been diagnosed with. She's had vascular scans of the ateries in her neck and they were fine but she didn't have anything done with her legs or anything. The surgeon believes this clot is a direct result of her a-fib and having the cardioversion, he has told her that her arteries look great. He had her have a full body scan so he would know. So basically we have two doctors contradicting each other.

My mother-in-law is considering getting a second opinion from another cardiologist which I am going to really urge her to do. We are very lucky to live near some of the country's top hospitals so it won't be a problem to get her to one.

My father-in-law is very anxious to get her home. He looks tired and he's very stressed. The main thing everyone needs to keep in mind is that when she comes home she has to stay down for awhile. That means no cooking meals, cleaning her house, standing up for too long or picking up children. I'm going to load her up with books so she can pass the time on the sofa.

I'm holding up though, honestly, this hasn't been hard on me at all. I am thankful that I went through this kind of thing with my mom because it's made it easier for me to handle. I've just tried to take care of things so that everyone can visit with her and so she won't be worried. My sister-in-law hasn't done so well, she couldn't come visit on Tuesday because she felt ill and it's just from the stress. And it is hard. JR has been this bundle of nerves, all jammed up and tight. It'll get better once she's home.

I'm in a situation with Miss Moody, one of those situations where I'm having to make decisions she doesn't like in order to keep her safe. It's not that bad but I really don't feel like going into it right now. I just need to deal with it before I can share.

Please keep us in your prayers.