Saturday, February 28, 2009

Staying Afloat

I was hoping Jayme would feel up to blogging this weekend, but that probably won't happen. We are doing our best to stay on top of the nausea, but, in turn, it has caused side effects such as dizziness and drowsiness. He is sleeping about 18-20 hours a day. Not such a bad thing when you feel the way he does.

The good news, chemo is over! The bad news, the side effects will linger for two to three weeks. When a patient completes their chemo treatment at the Cancer Center, the nurses make an announcement, blow some whistles and hand out a purple heart certificate. Kinda corny, but kinda nice. Jayme is a thankful recipient of a chemo graduate certificate and glad to have it!

Three more days of radiation and then the healing process begins to prepare him for surgery. We are so grateful that his chemo and radiation have stayed on schedule without major setbacks.

The feeding tube has been a godsend. He is getting all the nutrition he needs and I give him all his meds through the tube. He is able to chew and swallow ice chips, but that is all that passes his lips. He is hooked up to the feeding pump almost 24 hours a day, so it does limit his mobility. But when he feels up to it, we can turn the machine into a portable pump and he can carry it around in a special backpack.

All appointments for the Mayo Clinic in March are set. That facility is unbelievably organized and so patient/user friendly. We head up there March 23rd for two days of appointments, then home again until April 6th. Surgery is scheduled for April 7th.

I know I am repeating myself, so please bear with me. Many heartfelt thanks for all the correspondence regarding Jayme and my mom. And I certainly appreciate the recent help with food, laundry, dryer installation, grocery shopping, and household repairs. I thought with taking a leave from my job, I would have much more time to handle the everyday things... Not! Though, I do anticipate the schedule lightening up soon as he begins to feel better.

For those locals, enjoy the beautiful snowfall today.

4 comments:

  1. Kay and Jayme,
    Thanks for the updates and information. It's a good thing to turn a corner and see the path ahead clearly. We had a pretty snowfall in Omaha last night too.
    Our Emily had an internship at Mayo last summer and worked in St. Mary's hospital. She didn't know your surgeon. From our brief visits we could see that it is a beautiful, first-class place. I mean, you can go down an obscure hallway, look in a back stairwell, and you still won't find dirt on the floor. It's good to know Jayme's in the best hands.
    Thanks again for the faithful blogging!
    Bill and Kim

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  2. It is an amazing experience to have parents like you. Your strength and commitment to each other is truly inspiring. Miss you both so much (plus Reesing, Grace & Sam!) but really, really, REALLY looking forward to coming home in March. Let me know if I can bring anything from the East Coast to cheer up our Findlay household. Love you always.

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  3. No worries, I'm still keeping tabs on you guys! I believe right now the saying "keep on keepin' on" is appropriate. Best wishes, and know that you're still in my thoughts.

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  4. Don't forget, Jayme, we're playing golf in June. And while the margin may not be as big as it usually is, I'm sure you'll still beat me. But at least I'll have a puncher's chance.
    Can't wait,
    Bruce

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