June 30, 2013 June 20 was Charles’ last radiation treatment – FOREVER! It was also the day we moved back home – YES! We thought we might have to rent a U-Haul trailer to get all of our stuff home, but somehow Charles made it all fit (he was REALLY READY to get home). Our kids and grandkids were all here to greet us and unloaded the car for us – what a blessing that was! The doctors told Charles the radiation would be making him feel worse before he felt better – approximately 10 days (that’s today and he’s just starting to feel somewhat better). The radiation had burned the skin on his back and it’s healing and peeling like a severe sunburn. His esophagus was also burned, so he’s had a very difficult time swallowing. They said that what’s happened to his esophagus is similar to what happened to his back – it’s burned and trying to heal. They gave him a liquid med to swallow before eating, but it’s not helped a lot. So, since it has been very painful to eat or drink, he’s been getting IV hydration about 3 times a week. Fortunately, Baylor Oncology – McKinney is 5 minutes from our home and he had a pic line put in his arm to cut down on IV insertion time. So now the process takes about 1-1/2 hours, vs. the former 3-hour procedure. The doctors told Charles he should use the next 3 months to “recover” (rest & heal). He goes back to MD Anderson July 11 & 12 for blood work, analysis and a more powerful form of chemo and then he’ll return August 2 for another chemo. The end of September, he’ll go back to MDA for scans and tests and we’ll find out how all the treatments have worked. They explained that the chemo and radiation remains in his body and keeps working for those 3 months and we’ll just have to wait until September to see the results. We thank all of you who continue to check on Charles’ progress, call to offer food and breaks for me and especially all the prayers of support for both of us and our family. The Lord gave us access to the best institution, the best doctors and the best treatments available for Charles and we have felt a peace with the whole process. We will be very anxious to get the results in September, but we know that Charles has given his best effort to get through everything so far, and with The Lord’s support and your continued prayers, he will get through this last lap.
Posted on: Mon, 01 Jul 2013 01:53:40 +0000
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