Better

The pain is not as severe today as it was yesterday. He's still on a pretty heavy dose of morphine via the pump, and the weaning process will probably begin in a couple days. He had a good number of visitors and phone calls today, and had no problem carrying on a conversation. It was a totally different story yesterday. He's still confined to bed, due to a blood clot in one of his legs (behind the left knee). I posted yesterday that the blood thinners cause the clots to dissolve, I found out today that's not really what happens--they allow the body to absorb the clots. Hopefully, he'll be able to be up and around some tomorrow (Mon), which the Dr says is probable because of the length of time he's been on blood thinners.

When the Dr. came in today, he said that everything looks good on paper--meaning the blood work is all in good shape. A big question we had for the Dr. was,"Does this change anything as far as receiving a transplant?" His answer was: he is not sure, but said he would be talking to the transplant Dr. in MD about the whole situation.

Andy spent the weekend (nights) with us, which was a tremendous help, especially Friday when we made an unexpected visit to the ER during the wee hours. (Isn't God good?) Since he was here last night, I decided to get a cot and stay at the hospital in Ray's room. I was thinking he would really NEED me, plus I was worried and hated to leave. It was more than likely due to sleep deprivation, but I couldn't believe how well we both slept. Plus I found out, he really didn't NEED me, so I'll be sleeping in my own bed tonight.

We need your continued prayers--for healing, strength, good attitudes, patience, and stamina.

Love you all,
Kim

Into the ER

About 4:00 this morning we headed to the ER due to horrific pain that Ray was having on the right side of his chest. The pain was so bad, he could barely take a breath. If you recall, the surgery he had two weeks ago was on the LEFT side, so we couldn't imagine what could possibly be going on. The ER Dr. quickly suspected a blood clot in the lung, and a CT scan proved him correct. Now it looks as though he'll be spending a few days in the hospital again. He's going to be on blood thinners to dissolve the clot and to keep more clots from forming. We're told this is not uncommon after surgery and to be thankful that he had pain-- forcing action.

At the moment the pain is manageable, thanks to a morphine pump and Ray is able to get some sleep.

More later,
Kim

Today's Appt.

The visit today with the oncologist was affirming as he is talking very favorably of Ray getting to Bethesda, MD for a transplant. He is talking with the Dr. in MD that will be doing the transplant, making certain the protocol. First things first--the bacterial infection in the lungs must be completely gone. He still has another 3 weeks of the IV antibiotics. Over the next couple weeks, a CT scan or two will be done to insure the lungs are clear. Also, another bone marrow biopsy will be done in the next 1-2 weeks.

Ray did get another dose of chemo today as an outpatient. The Dr. said this needs to be done in order to retain remission.

We 're excited and nervous at the same time at the possibility of getting closer to the transplant. We trust God has a plan.

Love you all,
Kim

Staples Are Out

The follow-up visit with the surgeon went very well and amazingly quick. We were only in the office for 15 minutes, and in that time, we saw the Dr., had the 25 staples removed by the nurse, and spoke to the Dr. one more time; this time telling Ray he didn't need to make another appt. to see him. The Dr. was very pleased with how well Ray was doing and said the incision would not need any more care. Walking out, we breathed a big sigh as though we had just checked off a biggie! on our "things to do" list. We're waiting to hear from the oncologist as to when the next appt. is--not sure if we'll be seeing him this week or not.

The IV therapy at home continues going great. On Monday, blood work was done and Ray's counts are all good.

I constantly thank God for His goodness and how well things are going.

Love you all,
Kim

Going Smoothly

We're learning fast and everything is going smoothly. We've had two very good teachers/nurses from the home health care. Four times each day, Ray has to have a dose of the antibiotic, which means a small bag is connected to tubing and then goes in through the port. There is also an injection of saline and heparin that also has to be put into the port. This whole procedure takes about an hour. It sounds more complicated than it really is. A couple times today, he has done the whole procedure completely by himself. This will make things much simpler for these next four weeks.

Recovery from surgery has been going very well. There's less soreness with each passing day. He even drove to Mass last night.

There's also a couple Dr. appts. scheduled for this week. Sitting in the waiting room is our social life these days. Well, I take that back; we went to a surprise birthday party this afternoon for a short while. It was great to see many of our good friends that we don't get to see nearly as much as we'd like.

Thanks for all the cards, messages, phone calls, and most especially your prayers. We are so blessed to have so many great friends and great family.

Love you all,
Kim

Home Sweet Home

Just a quick post to let you know, we got Ray home late this afternoon. We're so thankful to have him home. It makes life so much easier. Maybe easier isn't what I meant to say. We are charting new territory once again. He's going to be on 4 weeks of home IV therapy--two different antibiotics. Sounds like we're going to become good friends with home health care nurses who are going to teaching me (us) how to do all this IV therapy. Yikes!

I feel confident we can do this. (or so they say) Many others have done it; so can we. Our first lesson is going to be later this evening. I'll let you know how it goes.

Love you all,
Kim

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