Friday, October 09, 2009
Discouraging Year
Since I last wrote, we discovered that Mark was severely dehydrated. He went daily for hydration treatments for about 6 weeks and continues to go three times a week. He has also been seeing a wound specialist and we pack the wound at home daily but that is causing tremendous pain so the doctor has been exploring other options. Mark started back on IV chemo (cisplatin) treatments in September but they knocked him down so badly that they were halted again.
He had a scan last week which yielded good results. It is rare for a person who has had cancer for three years not to have any signs of it in vital organs so that is promising.
Last week, the oncologist offered a smorgasbord of options and worked with us in designing a schedule for upcoming months. The top priority right now is to get the pain under control and heal the wound. We planned two chemo treatments in October, skip November, two more in December and then a few months off. The plan was to allow us a few opportunities to travel out west and visit Kevin in November and go to Puerto Rico in January for a long period. However, Mark has never felt good for more than a day or two so traveling is beginning to appear unlikely. The most recent problem is that Mark's lymphadema has returned which is causing swelling and pain in his arm in addition to the pain he has been constantly suffering from which radiates from the open wound under his arm through his chest area. He got a nerve block yesterday but today, the sites in which they inserted needles have become sources of pain as well. His activity level has really diminished over the past six months and the range of motion in his arm is worse than ever. However, he has hired help
to complete his landscape design for the yard and fulfilled his dream of beautifying the grounds all around the house. It's magnificent!
He has been on increasingly higher dosages of pain patches for the past few months and can take additional pain meds too, nevertheless, the pain never completely disappears.
He has missed several special occasions this year, so as a result this week has been spent doing all we can to ready him to attend Caitlin Terry's wedding on Sunday. He is determined to go!
Again, I'm sorry if he has not returned calls. His spirits are low and he has seen and/or spoken to very few people in recent months and has had one appointment or another just about every day. He will reach out when he's up to it. Meanwhile,he has done a lot of reading and watching sports on TV.
Thanks for your patience. We have sincere appreciation for those who continue to keep him in their thoughts. As always the best way to contact him is by writing me an e-mail at sheehan@cape.com
Wishing you all a colorful autumn!
Nancy
He had a scan last week which yielded good results. It is rare for a person who has had cancer for three years not to have any signs of it in vital organs so that is promising.
Last week, the oncologist offered a smorgasbord of options and worked with us in designing a schedule for upcoming months. The top priority right now is to get the pain under control and heal the wound. We planned two chemo treatments in October, skip November, two more in December and then a few months off. The plan was to allow us a few opportunities to travel out west and visit Kevin in November and go to Puerto Rico in January for a long period. However, Mark has never felt good for more than a day or two so traveling is beginning to appear unlikely. The most recent problem is that Mark's lymphadema has returned which is causing swelling and pain in his arm in addition to the pain he has been constantly suffering from which radiates from the open wound under his arm through his chest area. He got a nerve block yesterday but today, the sites in which they inserted needles have become sources of pain as well. His activity level has really diminished over the past six months and the range of motion in his arm is worse than ever. However, he has hired help
to complete his landscape design for the yard and fulfilled his dream of beautifying the grounds all around the house. It's magnificent!
He has been on increasingly higher dosages of pain patches for the past few months and can take additional pain meds too, nevertheless, the pain never completely disappears.
He has missed several special occasions this year, so as a result this week has been spent doing all we can to ready him to attend Caitlin Terry's wedding on Sunday. He is determined to go!
Again, I'm sorry if he has not returned calls. His spirits are low and he has seen and/or spoken to very few people in recent months and has had one appointment or another just about every day. He will reach out when he's up to it. Meanwhile,he has done a lot of reading and watching sports on TV.
Thanks for your patience. We have sincere appreciation for those who continue to keep him in their thoughts. As always the best way to contact him is by writing me an e-mail at sheehan@cape.com
Wishing you all a colorful autumn!
Nancy
