Hello all, It's been a month and some change since Richard went home after his surgery. Since then, anxiety has been difficult along with bouts of depression that got to be too much to handle alone. He talked with some folks at the Cancer Center and was connected to someone helpful to talk to along with some other helpful changes. Grandpa Albert has been helpful in acting as a nurse to my dad, so I am thankful for his willingness to take on that role for his son. My dad continues to have chemotherapy and is dealing with the loss of his mother in August on top of all of the rest of his own things.Throughout this time, he was having significant gastrointestinal issues that made him sick and achey in more ways than just the phantom pains in his leg. Eventually it got to be so bad that he was hospitalized a couple of weeks back for just over a week due to C. Diff (https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/c-difficile/symptoms-causes/syc-20351691). Family members and close friends were nearby to visit and offer support while he recovered and ate more yogurt than he's probably eaten in his whole life (maybe not- I'm kidding, and it sounded like he ate yogurt pretty often). He went home last week for a few days and had a whole gaggle of people over to his house over the weekend for a surprise visit (at least that's what he told me!). Unfortunately, the pain in his stomach returned with a vengeance and he was hospitalized again over this past weekend. Though, he no longer tests positive for the C. Diff bacteria in his body so his doctors aren't sure what's causing the pain. We talked today and he has had a few friends and his father/my grandpa come visit him. I figured it was time for an update since things have been really rough for him. The phantom pains have been terrible, and aren't manageable at this time, plus his more recent physical health stuff complicates the rest of it. If anyone is nearby and would like to visit, please call him. Call him anyway to wish him well, talk for a few minutes, and give him something to think about (and do) instead of sitting in a hospital room. I plan to visit either this weekend or next, depending on how his health is, so I would appreciate anyone else who is willing to be a shoulder for my dad at this time. He appreciates it too. Thanks all! With love, Celleste