January 14-16, 2009

These are journal entries from the beginning of our odessy. I will spend the next few entries catching up to where we are now.

January 14, 2009

Art called my today in a complete panic, wanting to know when the chemo was going to start. He can feel it cutting off his airways every hour.

They have him on maximum 02.

I took the panic from him. "Honey," I think I said, firmly "I will take care of it. I will find out what is going on, and when it will begin. Your job is focus on breathing. My job is to get you the help you need."

I hung up the phone and sobbed for a good 20 minutes.


January 15, 2009

Joy riding in the hospital again. They have moved Art from whatever unit he was on, (4th floor in the critical care building, I think) to the 3rd floor, where there is a chemo nurse. They will start soon.

7pm
They will start chemo on Thursday night. When I told him, he said “I’d (breath) relax (breath) if I could (breath) breathe (weak smile).

January 16, 2009
I will stay with him tonight. Watch as the chemo drips from the bottle, down the line then up the line into his vein that empties close to his heart.

Here is what we are up against:

• Blood clots: In his chest. While they have been shrinking, they are still present. They need to make sure that nothing backs up behind them. Solution: Keep him on Heparin
  
• Cancer: A no brainer. It’s the same lymphoma as before, an aggressive mother @()#*$. Solution: Poor poison into his system.
  
• His weight/health: Art has lost over 50 lbs since December. He is going into this with less strength than before.
  
• Different more fierce chemo drugs: As the doctor said, the first time around the chemo as at a 3, the stem cell is rated an 8, the round they are giving him today is a 6.
  
  On the other side:
• It there is one thing that can be said about my husband is that he is steadfast and determined. He dislikes being bested by anything, and that includes the cancer. If this cancer is going to beat him, it better be strong, fierce and show the same determination, or well…it will be plum out of luck.

Here's to a weak ass cancer!

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Please donate to the "Kick Art's Cancer in the Butt Fund: Part 2" (link on upper right) We have to pay for big expenditures which our outside of our household budget.

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Helping Hand Tip #32

Leave fresh flowers on the door step once a week.

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