More Antibiotics

Just as we suspected another antibiotic (through the IV) has been added to the plan of attack. If a comparable antibiotic can be taken orally at home, then he may be getting to come home in the next day or two. Bacteria in the lungs must be a little more difficult to eliminate.

Ray is feeling really good! What a change from just a few short hours ago. Currently, he is not taking any pain meds. Yes, he finally did give up the epidural. His Dr. told him this morning to walk as much as possible, so we made laps around the 6th floor today--over and over. We also walked down to the cafeteria and sat in the dining room for awhile. The change of scenery is always nice. I was able to be at the hospital only this morning, and he said he did lots of walking, solo.

Daniel turned 15 today. How can that be? Oh no, that means he can start drivers ed. Honestly, I have wished many times for him to be driving, especially after football practices. I've missed it terribly, not having a kid at home that drives, ever since Jenna left in the summer of '07.

Love you all,
Kim

Results

The results showed it to be a bacterial abscess. Most importantly, there is no malignancy. We also know it's not viral, for whatever that's worth. Cultures are still being done to determine which antibiotic will be most effective in fighting it. It takes 48 hours for those sensitivities to be determined. Early in the morning, Primaxin (antibiotic) was started through the IV. Not sure yet how many days he'll need to be on that, or if another will be added.

The chest tube was removed late this afternoon. (OUCH!) The pain is not instsantly gone as we were told it would be. In fact, he would NOT let them disconnect the epidural when the crew came in to remove it. Surely, that will get better rather quickly. He's also on an oral pain med.(Yes, he still has a fear of living like MJ) For the first time today, we saw the incision on his back and side. It's about 8 inches long with 25 staples. (Another OUCH!) Not sure when the staples will come out--however the surgeon said today he plans to leave them in a little longer than usual.

We make no plans that can't be changed in a moment's notice. The oncologist, of course has also been in to visit each day, and says he's got to get started on chemo again ASAP! BLAAAHHH!!!

Thank you for your continued prayers for Ray's recovery. May God bless each of you and your family.

Love you all,
Kim

Making Strides

Plans are to remove the chest tube tomorrow morning after an x-ray is done. However, we won't hold our breath. Plans seem to change quite often around here. There is still nothing to report from the pathologist. We continue to wait--gives us more time to pray.

Ray is feeling better and better. We just got back to his room after taking a stroll in the hallways. A couple of devices were disconnected earlier today, making him a little more mobile. This has also done wonders for his attitude.

What a gorgeous afternoon we had today. I made sure to get out and walk for about an hour after I picked up Mary from school.

Love you all,
Kim

A Big Difference

What a difference a day makes. Today, things were much, much improved. Thank you, Lord! He's been able to sit up and stand up by himself. I couldn't believe my eyes as I walked into his room this morning. He still has the chest tube, and the Dr. said this evening it needs to stay in at least until Tues. I did not realize until this afternoon, he also has a drainage tube in the incision on his back, and that was removed this evening. Still using plenty of pain medication, (epidural w/pump) after being advised to keep that pain under control and to not let it get away.

His appetite is great. His color is amazingly good, and his voice is strong. He's pretty much confined to staying right beside the bed, due to so many tubes, wires, pumps, etc. He said this evening, he'd never before realized just getting to walk into the bathroom or hall as a privilege.

We should hear something about the pathology report Mon. or Tues.

Love you all,
Kim

Out of ICU

Around 3:00 this afternoon, Ray was moved out of ICU. He was so glad to get to move, however I hope he wasn't moved too soon. He has to have help doing everything, since he is so sore. I do mean everthing. Sometimes, requiring 3 people to move/help him. He has to have help moving his legs, sitting up, standing up... everything. The Dr. knows what he's doing. (I hope)

The chest tube is still in; I know I was told he would be in ICU as long as he had that in. However, I was told today, patients go home with those things still in. They are talking about taking Ray's out tomorrow, which they assure him will make moving much, much easier. As you can imagine, the pain at times, is unbearable. He's also been assured that will be much better after the chest tube is removed. He still has the epidural and the pump to go with it. "Pain Management" people visit often to check on him and offer help and advice. He has breathing and coughing exercises that must be done in order to avoid pneumonia or infection.

Believe it or not, the surgeon says he's doing great and could possibly be going home Monday or Tuesday. I'm sure many of you have heard me say before, that there's alot of security being in the hospital--where some one else is calling the shots, and someone else is responsible for making decisions, and someone else is responsible for doing all the work. I look at him now and nearly panic, thinking I could possibly be taking him home in a couple days.

Thank you for all your prayers. Ray & I have talked often, how we truly do feel the power of your prayers. I ask the Lord many times each day to bless all the people praying for our family.

By the way, Ray has his cell phone handy, now that he's back on the 6th floor.

Love you all,
Kim

Out of Surgery

Surgery finished around 10:00 this morning. Not sure exactly what time it was started, he was whisked away about 7:00. The surgeon was very pleased with the way it all went. Prior to surgery, the plan was to go into the right lung and remove two nodules, but after a scan during surgery, the Dr. decided a nodule in the left lung would be much easier to access. Right now, he is resting comfortably in ICU. I was with him for the first hour in ICU and he was good. In and out of sleep, but conversing coherently. He has an epidural to manage the post-op pain. He also has a drainage tube in the lung, and must stay in ICU as long as that is draining. Typically, that lasts 24-48 hours. The nodule was sent to pathology and we're told we'll have results in 2-3 days...more waiting.

He was already asking for something to eat, but was told nothing until dinner. He's gonna be alright!

Thank you Willie Faye and Kim for waiting with me during surgery. It made the wait so much easier. Thanks Chrissy, for making sure Daniel and Mary made it to school.

Hold tightly those you love.

Love you all,
Kim

Rescheduled

Around noon today the surgery was changed to 8:00 a.m., Friday. So that means we have to be there at 5:30 (ouch!). We did all the pre-admit, EKG, and lab work this afternoon. The medical term for the procedure is "thoracotomy" (you didn't know I could type a word that big, did ya). After the surgery, recovery, etc., he'll be going to ICU. How long he's there, obviously depends on his recovery. We're not sure how many days he'll spend in the hospital, we're told to plan for 3-8 days.

He's nervous about the whole ordeal, but ready to get on with it. He was really bummed when we found out about the rescheduling, since that meant another 24 hours of anticipation. He spent a couple hours this afternoon cleaning and organizing in the shop. I've been asking the Lord to calm his fears and worries.

Love you all,
Kim

Biopsy

We've just learned that a lung biopsy will be done on Thursday. The procedure that will be done is known as an open biopsy. We're supposed to pick up an information packet Wed. morning that will explain all we need to know. This will be a surgical procedure done under general anethsia. I'll post more tomorrow as I know more.

We're thankful that Ray has been feeling so good these past few days. That will help tremendously as he recovers from the biopsy. Please keep him in your prayers.

Love you all,
Kim

Feeling Better

We just found out this morning, Ray will be going in to see the infection spec. Tues. morning and see what he suggests to do about the nodules in the lungs. At the appt. yesterday with the oncologist, it seems he didn't follow up like he said he would, and consult another Dr. about last week's findings on the CT scan. The liver counts have been the bigger issue, but now that is all back to the normal range, so before we can move forward with any treatment the lungs must be clear.

Yesterday, the blood counts and liver counts were all in good shape. Ray has been feeling better each day. He's even been able to get out and walk around the park--real exercise. We're really anxious to see what the Dr. says on Tues.

Love you all,
Kim

Just Waiting

Just wanted to do a quick post to say there has been no news from the Dr. about what is being suggested for the CT scan. I told Ray yesterday that we really should call the Dr., but he just wants to wait until his appt. tomorrow morning. He's enjoying this time of feeling better and all the side effects from the chemo, drugs, etc., etc. lessening each day. He knows it will be time to start chemo again soon and he just can't bear that thought! We should know more tomorrow.

Love you all,
Kim

Nothing New

We still do not know what the two Docs are going to recommend about the lung CT scan. We were told yesterday, they were unable to make contact with each other. That's how it sometimes goes for busy people. We hope to hear something on Monday.

Have a great weekend!
Kim

Keepin' On

The liver counts were much improved today; most of the counts really close to the normal range. It's so encouraging to see how much things have improved in that area in just one week.

The CT scan on the lungs shows there's still some healing that needs to take place there. We'll know more tomorrow. The oncologist is going to visit with the infection spec. this evening or in the morning and see what he suggests. Just between you and me, I think he'll recommend a bronchoscopy or a biopsy in the next few days to see what's going on.

Ray continues getting stronger each day. It's been a blessing. We thank God for each day!

Love you all,
Kim

Great Weekend

The weekend was a busy one, but a good one. Sat. afternoon was spent at Daniel's football game. The weather for the game was perfect--I'll just say we must not have been cheering loud enough. The score wasn't pretty. I've added some photos-- for some reason they're at the very bottom of this page. Possibly, I don't know what I'm doing?!?! It's been so long since I've added a photo, I forgot how!

Tomorrow (Thurs) we head back to the Dr. for lab work and CT scan. Ray's been feeling better each day. He still works at trying to put on weight. His legs are like toothpicks, his rear end--non-existent. However, his face is nice and round due to the steroids he's taking.

More tomorrow,
Love you all,
Kim

A Quick Note

Things went pretty much as we expected with the infection spec. this morning, for which we are most grateful. His words were, "It's good to see you doing so much better.....Keep up the good work...I'll be eager to see what the CT scan shows next week." Then we were on our way.

Improving

We were really encouraged by the Dr. visit today. The blood work shows the liver functions to be coming much closer to the normal ranges. The biopsy shows the bone marrow (still recovering) to be free of any leukemia cells at this time. The liver still has more healing to do before further treatment can be done. When the times comes to start thinking about the transplant, we know Ray has to have strong ("mega") doses of chemo when he gets to Bethesda. The Dr. here is in contact with the Dr. in Maryland. As for now, the body has more healing to do. I feel we are in a race against time.

The appt. with the infection spec. had to be postponed until tomorrow morning.

Next week, Thursday, a CT Scan will be done on the lungs since he's had pneumonia twice this past year. The Dr. said today, that when the liver and lungs are strong enough we can start talking about where we go from here. Thank you so much for your continued prayers. It is your prayers that has gotten us thus far!

Love you all,
Kim