This is a picture of Dave a few years ago. He is looking forward to getting his hair back after a year of sabotaging it in lieu of improving his odds to live! Small price to pay, but I do understand, as one who hasn't gone through it can, that he is really looking forward to not wearing a baseball cap to cover his bald head!
We had a TERRIFIC check up visit in Little Rock, Arkansas this week. Dave remains in an excellent position to have no recurrence of his disease and manageable side effects from the treatment. The biggest issue comes from a severely suppressed immune system. This is difficult to tackle as it is "invisible" to you. In other words, you feel fine, you look fine, and so its easy to become complacent that you are fully restored, when in fact you are not. Its a dilemma for me. On the one hand, you don't want to go into agreement with all the bad stuff that can happen (like you can die from a flu or cold!), and on the other hand, you don't want to be stupid either! We are finding our balance in including in our life the very simple steps you can take to be prudent and use wise precaution, but not let it RULE everything you think or do. I try to look at this from a "balanced" point of view. The whole of our lives seems to be always about finding the right balance, and putting things in perspective. I suppose it is truly the journey in life, to work towards finding that balance. I think the trick is, to try to enjoy that process, to be challenged and rewarded by it and then enjoy the benefits of having hit the bullseye. Add to all of that, we are married. So there is the "dance" of being married and being separate individuals, joined together, with differing ideas and points of view on all things in our life. It can be challenging, exhausting, exasperating, joyful, fulfilling and romantic. Again, that balance. Oh I do go on don't I?
Ok... Dave got a great report. A couple of minor things to handle. He had a little fluid in his lower right lobe (lung) that the PET Scan showed and so while he is not symptomatic they put him on an antibiotic for 10 days just in case. He also showed gastritis, so they put him on Priolec (an antacid) for 10 days as well to help clear that up. Nothing of concern, but again, prudent to address since his immune system is suppressed. His White Blood Count is low normal and his stem cells are low, at 102. 700 is low normal. They like you to get to 200 minimally, where then they feel comfortable backing off on all the anti-fungal and bacterial drugs. He is overweight (about 25-30 pounds) and uncomfortable. His fatigue is still profound, but is abating and he has felt improvement. As that gets better the weight will come off as he will be less sedentary. I worry about that a lot, but I back off (thanks to my many Myeloma friends here!) as he works full time and when he comes home he is just wiped. Little by little though, this will improve and exercise and riding bikes will return and help him to get his muscle mass back. He is eating a good diet, so it should begin to improve.
We are heading down to Huntington Beach (by car, about 9 hours) next week for the Thanksgiving Holiday. We will be visiting our best "couple" friends, Judi & Russell. They were my neighbors back East in Maryland and Judi has been my kid's "Second Mom". She has attended every college function my children have had in my stead. She is from HB and will be moving back there in the next year. She bought a cute little place near the beach and we are all heading there to celebrate the holiday. It bothered her that my daughter did not have a place to go (my son does), so she bought her a plane ticket to join us. They are not cheap during this holiday and Montana has little time off from school and her diving obligations (she is an athlete at the University). We will split the cost with Judi and I'm looking forward to the last minute surprise to see Montana over the holiday. It will be fun. We are also taking our dog Kip with us and it will be fabulous. He will love running on "Dog Beach" down there!
This is the one year anniversary of our "treatment" journey. It was a year ago this week that we rendezvoused in Little Rock to start the year long journey of TWO Stem Cell Transplants, and two chemo therapies. WOW! Last year I viewed spending Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's getting Dave's Stem Cells collected and his first transplant done, as our gift to ourselves and a true blessing. This year I am taking this holiday to truly celebrate what we have accomplished and be joyful that we have come through it and come through it very well. I will be thinking of all of you this Thanksgiving and acknowledging how truly grateful I am to know you. You have been of tremendous inspiration and courage for me throughout this year. In sustaining and strengthening me, you have helped Dave to get through this. It has been drummed into me, as a caregiver, that I MUST take care of myself, in order to be there for him. You have all contributed to that in a very profound way and I thank you. Whether you celebrate the American Thanksgiving or not - Happy Thanksgiving to all of you!
Lori
"Live isn't about waiting for the storm to pass. It's about learning to dance in the rain!"
