The News

Two months ago, when we started immunotherapy, the doctor told us it would take three or four months to know if it was working and that we shouldn’t get up or down from day to day.  She said there could be side affects and that Judy should try to just stay strong and weather them and think long term.  This proved to be impossible.  She has had many tough days since the last entry when she was in HealthSouth.  And a few good ones.  Because the downs have outnumbered the ups, Julia and I haven’t been so motivated to write.  Things are a little better now, but we still have a long way to go.

The second week (of what was supposed to be three) at HealthSouth was great.  She was getting three hours of therapy and eating three squares for the first time with the help of an appetite stimulator.  On a Wednesday, we were told that she could go to her appointment at M. D. Anderson but would have to come home for the night and check in the next day due to a Medicare rule.  Fine.  She was in pretty good shape.  The house wasn’t completely ready for her but we could do it.  The next day, they told us that when we left on Friday, we would have to go home for good because she had progressed so much that she had met all her goals and her coverage would end.  She was quite upset about this because she was really making a lot of progress from the hip replacement and in her strength due to exercise and diet.  The next day there was a mix-up at seven a. m. when I came to get her and she really got anxious.  We got through it but she was a mess for the next few days.

 The next week, she told the doctor she was experiencing a lot of shortness of breath.  He sent her to the emergency room where they discovered a blood clot in her lung.  She was really depressed when they told her she would have to give herself blood-thinning shots for two weeks and then take pills, perhaps for the rest of her life.  But she got used to that and got used to being home.  Her worries over diet continued because the clot necessitated stopping the appetite stimulator and she once again had trouble eating.  By that time she had gotten used to drinking protein drinks and managed to get enough nutrition to keep going.  We were doing pretty well with our routine of reading most of the day and watching TV at night, while going outside periodically.  Julia and Ryan continued to offer enormous support and many friends and extended family members came by to visit and bring food.  Naturally, I ate most of it, but it helped both of us.  She still has shortness of breath and some nausea, but her pain from the hip has subsided a bit and she has not vomited.  So, it could be worse and we have been able to count our blessings as our prayer army waged war all around us.  

Finally, on Wednesday, April 19, she got some good numbers from the doctor.  He kidney and liver functions were slightly better.  The tumor in her liver was significantly smaller (though still large), and her kidney tumor was slightly smaller.  In addition, she seemed to be retaining red blood cells a little better and had gained three pounds. 

In the large scheme of things, these are small improvements.  But for us, it was like the Hallelujah Chorus.  So much for not getting too high or low.  At the moment, she is out to lunch with a friend for the first time. 

Thanks to all of you who have been waging this war with us in your own way.  We still have a long way to go, but she is no longer limping and even laughing once in a while.  Life is better.  And when she gets over this, she’s getting an LG T-shirt and a new car!