8/31/14 - Chemo Round Two Underway This week, Abl met with his dentist to assess his mouth health in the light of the upcoming radiation; and his integrative doctor to discuss weight and diet. Both were surprised to see how much reduction has already occurred as they looked at the original photograph of his neck tumor, then back at his neck, then back to the photographs. Truly an indication of the effectiveness of the alternative treatments he used prior to chemotherapy. He also got the 5FU chemo pump removed from his pic line Thursday. Light bothers his eyes and steroids make him a bit red but all and all he is doing better than the first round especially and is able to sleep more peacefully. He received IV fluids throughout the week and a shot yesterday to force his bone marrow to mass produce white blood cells causing bones to ache and he is a bit agitated. Typically, Sunday-Wednesday will be his “lowest” days and his mouth will be most affected in the next week. He is eating better than last time and rinsing with the baking soda had helped his mouth tremendously – thank you Mike! Know that we are grateful benefactors of all your own trials in becoming a cancer survivor yourself. With the gracious giving of many we have raised 20% of what is required for Abl to begin Proton Therapy. There is much more to do and my friends we cannot do it alone. Please find it in your hearts to help us get the word out. Saving a life takes courage especially when it is within our capacity to do so. Thank you and may God bear witness and reward you for your generosity. Michelle 8/22/14 - Going for a “Do Better” After receiving IV fluids every other day last week, Abls extreme distress has improved, especially his state of mind. Pain medication has gone a long way to alleviate the pain, but taste has been affected already and some food just does not seem to hit the spot like it used to. He has done better in the last few days increasing his food intake and has gained weight. The burns in his mouth have healed and his overall well being physically has improved. We see the light at the end of the chemo round one tunnel. Monday, Abl returned to the hospital to have his pic line cleaned, which is done every seven days and I have completed the requirements necessary to be able to perform the heparin flush in the pic line daily. Yesterday, we were back at MD Anderson for an appointment, and blood work. His counts are good and no fluids were necessary. The chemotherapy has resulted in a decrease in the largest mass, and Abls body is eliminating pieces of the neck tumor. Wound care has become essential yet changing bandages twice a day has become challenging. Chemo round two, which is to begin just 2 days from now, has been especially challenging for Abl to consider and we can only refer to chemo as the “c” word in his presence to minimize the mental waves of nauseousness that come along with the word by mere association. Looking forward… as difficult as that is, we hope that we are a little more ahead of the learning curve; the wiser for it and therefore, can make him more comfortable from the start. There is such a need for mental stamina for us all, especially Abl, who is being stretched to believe he has the stamina for a “do over”. My response, is that we’re not going for a “do over” but we are going to “do better”. The weeks seem to be rapidly approaching for Proton Therapy Radiation to begin, for us to be faced with covering 100% of that cost. I must admit that the thought is somewhat daunting with so far to go. Again, know that we are GRATEFUL when each of you give and that it DOES make a huge difference when you give and then SHARE our story with someone; directing them to willing4abl to donate on our behalf. Every gift, no matter how great or small, matters and gets us that much closer to the goal. We are so thankful that you are standing with us, holding up our arms, knowing we are weary. We can not do this without each one of you! Thank you for continuing to follow at facebook/abltemple. Feel free to share the mobile app with others as well - moblalbum/ii06cdaxqbmg With Love and Gratitude, Michelle for the Temple Family 8/12/14 - Chemo Round One Down It has been an incredibly harrowing 10 days for sure but I think we are rounding the corner and see a glimpse of light at the end of chemo round one. We have been more successful getting Abls pain under control but the blisters and burns in his mouth and on his lips have created another set of challenges. Though he has been drinking A LOT of water, severe dehydration was further complicating all he has been dealing with. Now he is receiving IV fluids every other day which is helping tremendously. Thank you for all of your posts of encouragement. It blesses us so much to know that so many are standing with us, holding up our arms, knowing we are weary. Again, know that we are grateful for each and every time you share our story with someone and direct them to willing4abl to donate on our behalf. We can not do this without you! With Gratitude! Michelle 8/5/14 - Survival Mode Survival Mode = Please forgive my delay in writing. In the last 7 days, Ive been in intense survival mode and have come to realize that I am more inclined to report on all the praise reports and less inclined to focus on and get bogged down in the details of difficulty. Hence my silence. This has been a tremendously difficult week beginning with the mere task of relocating in the midst of Sabbath and I having the flu. I am grateful for the strength God gave Noah and I to push through the many late nights of packing and loading up the car even when I was confined to the bathroom. Noah is truly a remarkable young man and blessed his mama immensely as he stepped up to take care of us. We arrived in Annapolis by 1:00, had a short visit, and my Dad took us to catch our flight out of Baltimore. Moments after I walked in his front door, my Dad took me upstairs and told me that Abl had called and taken a cab to the emergency room because the neck tumor would not stop bleeding. I was stunned. He was kept for observation, and testing and then released in time to pick us up from the airport. We are told that the type of chemo Abl is undergoing is the hardest treatment a person can endure. Sunday, Abl had 7 hours of chemo and left with a pump attached to the pic line that will continue to release chemo through Thursday night. Over all, he is doing as well as can be expected with medication taming the nauseousness as he continues to force himself to eat because his weight is to low. His coloring has actually been green but increasing his fluids is helping. The wound care team is concerned of infection in the neck tumor because of the green drainage and ear pain, but doctors are holding off on antibiotics because they want to save them for a potentially life threatening issue that could arise later. Proton therapy is now projected to begin in 6 weeks. The events of this week have hit Sabbath the hardest. She is usually my one that rolls with things but I think these many months of intense stress have caught up with her. After sleeping 8 hours Sunday night, she slept another 7 hrs through the day Monday and then 9 last night. Please pray against fear for her especially, as she doesnt want to leave the house; and for us all as exhaustion is our main struggle right now. Pray for strength as I continue to process with the children. The emotional roller coaster is constant and relentless. Abls neck mass has increased and grown to be the size of a baseball protruding from the side of his neck and he constantly clears his throat because of the increased swelling at the base of the tongue. The children have expressed many fears. Fears of catching cancer, of me getting cancer, of Dad dieing. Fears of getting sick themselves from the toxicity of Abl during the treatments – fear
Posted on: Sun, 31 Aug 2014 03:52:46 +0000
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