Sunday, January 31, 2010
Quick Update
The past few months have been painful physically and mentally. Hospice nurses started visiting Mark once a week in early Dec. and they have helped enormously in finding the right mix of pain medication to ease the pain in Mark's wound. He has seen the Lymphadema specialist several times and she has brought the swelling down in his arm considerably. He started a weekly regimen of Erbitux (like chemo) the week before Christmas and it will continue indefinitely. The oncologist believes that it is important to try to keep the tumors at bay.
However, the wound under Mark's arm is now the center of our universe. It has been infected twice--three infections each time-- since the last posting and I have administered two weeks of two antibiotics each time which were prescribed by an infection specialist he now sees. The wound has grown considerably and it is never expected to heal and will probably continue to get infected despite our best efforts at packing it each day with a solution to help starve off infections. None of the medical professionals have ever seen a wound of this magnitude in an unexposed area such as the armpit. And, further prodding in the area could be lethal so the best we can do is take good care of it. Mark's weight fluctuates and he looks pretty good which is deceiving because the entire area of concern now is not necessarily the cancer but the wound.
Therefore, it has been a very difficult period for Mark and the family because we are all coming to terms with the reality of the negative prognosis for the future of the wound and the dangers it poses.
Mark has just finished a regimen of antibiotics so the Hospice nurse persuaded us to visit our condo in Puerto Rico during this short period of respite from antibiotics. It wasn't an easy "sell" because Mark has spent most of the past six months in his room or in doctor's offices and has gone from one emergency situation to the next so he has great trepidation. But, it's a 4 hour non-stop flight, our favorite grandson will be there for part of the visit and we've packed up a suitcase full of bandages. We'll be gone for ten days or so. We are so grateful that the Hospice nurse was able to push us into having fun in the sun. Those Hospice angels work miracles!
Thanks as always for your good wishes, support and even banana bread from Mark's most loyal supporter Barbara O'Hear. Three and a half years is a long time to root for someone but we appreciate your continued interest.
Again though, I have to act as the "gatekeeper" because Mark truly does not want to see or talk to anyone. Please don't take it personally, it's just his way of handling his illness and all the physical and emotional upheaval it has caused in his life. If you want to send a note to him, you can send it to my e-mail sheehan@cape.com. I do read him all correspondence but be forewarned, he does not respond. It has become a stressful job for me to convince people that he just doesn't want to see anyone other than his kids. I just ask you to respect his wishes.
However, the wound under Mark's arm is now the center of our universe. It has been infected twice--three infections each time-- since the last posting and I have administered two weeks of two antibiotics each time which were prescribed by an infection specialist he now sees. The wound has grown considerably and it is never expected to heal and will probably continue to get infected despite our best efforts at packing it each day with a solution to help starve off infections. None of the medical professionals have ever seen a wound of this magnitude in an unexposed area such as the armpit. And, further prodding in the area could be lethal so the best we can do is take good care of it. Mark's weight fluctuates and he looks pretty good which is deceiving because the entire area of concern now is not necessarily the cancer but the wound.
Therefore, it has been a very difficult period for Mark and the family because we are all coming to terms with the reality of the negative prognosis for the future of the wound and the dangers it poses.
Mark has just finished a regimen of antibiotics so the Hospice nurse persuaded us to visit our condo in Puerto Rico during this short period of respite from antibiotics. It wasn't an easy "sell" because Mark has spent most of the past six months in his room or in doctor's offices and has gone from one emergency situation to the next so he has great trepidation. But, it's a 4 hour non-stop flight, our favorite grandson will be there for part of the visit and we've packed up a suitcase full of bandages. We'll be gone for ten days or so. We are so grateful that the Hospice nurse was able to push us into having fun in the sun. Those Hospice angels work miracles!
Thanks as always for your good wishes, support and even banana bread from Mark's most loyal supporter Barbara O'Hear. Three and a half years is a long time to root for someone but we appreciate your continued interest.
Again though, I have to act as the "gatekeeper" because Mark truly does not want to see or talk to anyone. Please don't take it personally, it's just his way of handling his illness and all the physical and emotional upheaval it has caused in his life. If you want to send a note to him, you can send it to my e-mail sheehan@cape.com. I do read him all correspondence but be forewarned, he does not respond. It has become a stressful job for me to convince people that he just doesn't want to see anyone other than his kids. I just ask you to respect his wishes.
