Today was the first of ten scheduled radiation treatments.
But except for the hour it took to drive there, get the treatment, and drive home again, this hasn't been on our minds much.
We're thankful for a reasonably good weekend of celebrating with our kids. Penny abandoned her dinner plans for Friday, so she could rest while I made pizza. But she prepared a big brunch on Saturday while I was out for a run, and she made some Indian potatoes to go with our Indian dinner in the afternoon. Sunday was restful after the big day on Saturday, but Penny managed to attend one of the two Christmas Eve services my brass quintet played for.
Christmas morning Penny sang a duet with me in church. She had to sit on a stool rather than stand, and we had a back-up plan ready, just in case. (We also enlisted John and Gwen Varineau on clarinet and piano, which always makes anything musical better.) We're pretty sure this is the first time she has sung since before cancer. Chemotherapy treatments affected her voice, and the big abdominal surgeries weren't great for singing either.
We spent Christmas afternoon relaxing with Andrew, Hannah, and Jason, but by evening, Penny was starting feel lousy. The night was interrupted by pain and nausea, and we spent the day yesterday doing what we could to avoid a trip to the ER. That included a trip to the clinic for hydration and IV nausea meds, and several phone calls with palliative care to adjust some medications. We've had the ER bag packed and ready to go, but so far, we've been able to manage things from home -- a generally better place than the hospital, when you can manage it. Last night and today were a bit better than the previous 24 hours -- but still decidedly below mediocre, with periodic bouts of lousy.
Penny hasn't eaten for the last 48 hours, so likely some of the weight gain from the last few weeks will be lost again. But at least there were a few more pounds of reserve to start from. The symptoms are similar to, but not yet quite as severe as, the symptoms that led to three hospital stays late summer and early fall, so we'll remain on ER watch for now, hoping things can resolve at home.
The radiation treatments are targeting the area that once again seems to be related to the (at this point, partial) blockage. The hope is that the radiation will reduce the size of some of the tumors that are crowding the intestines without causing any other problems. Tomorrow after treatment we'll check in with the radiation oncologist and then likely head to the START clinic for more hydration and to check in with team there. And in the morning we'll have a tele-health appointment with palliative care to discuss how the new medication regiment is going.
In between, there's not much we can do but wait to see how things play out this time around while enjoying a restful holiday week.
Comments
Talon Rindels : I’m so happy to hear that you had a nice Christmas, all things considered. How special that you performed together once again. Praying that radiation helps avoid ER visits in the future.
Andrea Turner: Hello Randy abd Penny, When I read all that Penny was able to do on Christmas, I was absolutely delighted!! I couldn't believe what I was reading! Are there any recordings of the music you mentioned? Of course, I am sorry to hear symptoms returned
Andrea Turner: Eventually, but still, it sounds like a magnificent Christmas Day! Indian food sounds like a fun choice.
Marie VanderLinde : Your Christmas duet was so poignant, and beautiful. Thank you. Praying.
Jamie Munson: I’m so sorry to hear about the difficult ebbs and flows. We are continuing to pray. That duet must have been really amazing. What a special moment for you and the church.
Susan Langeland: We just asked God to ease your pain, allow you to eat and use the radiation to effectively shrink the tumors. We’ll keep praying. What a fine family pic! Glad for your time together, and thankful for your song.
Jim Ludema: Beautiful family pic!
Herm De Vries: Thank you, as always, for these updates. Thank God for some of the recent blessings you mention. And prayers that some of the current complications will recede.