The weekend before this just gone was resting up for Dave prior to chemo, along with a couple of little walks in the sun & fresh air. Cam and I worked hard in the garden... yes I convinced Cam to help me remove all the dead shrubs in the front garden... yahoo!!!! Thanks Cam for all your hard work!!! As I've been wanting to do this for ages!!
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| photos of garden overall :-) |
Monday was an early radiotherapy session as Dave had to check in for round two of his chemotherapy treatment afterwards. That god darn awful toxic solution that no one should ever have to have put through their bodies!!! Not in this day and age anyhow!!!
We were on tenter hooks in regards to Dave's blood levels on whether he could have round two or not... given the week before they were really low and he wasn't allowed it. While we were waiting I gave Dave a wonderful relaxing foot/feet massage to make him calm, plus it helped me focus on something else for a little while! Must have been good as he was fast asleep in minutes!!
Well the bloods were still low but they were on the up and apparently at a manageable level for them to be able to administer the chemo drug!! Your life is in their hands and you have to trust them!!!
normal range in brackets...
Monday
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| 15 August | 5 September | 12 September | ||
| RBC |
4.35
|
4.10
|
4.15
|
(4.50 - 6.50)
|
| WCC |
4.1
|
1.8
|
2.7
|
(4.0 - 11.0)
|
| Neutrophils |
2.3
|
0.8
|
1.6
|
(2.0 - 8.0)
|
| Lymphocytes |
1.2
|
0.5
|
0.4
|
(1.0 - 4.0)
|
So here we go again... round two...
While Dave sat comfortably enduring the cocktail of drugs via IV the three of us (me, Dave and Cam) had a little game of cards to while the time away.... Kings & Arseholes (or some people might know it as Presidents and Paupers)!!! Normally Dave is the King but this time around Cam had it... and I was yes, you guessed it right!!! Fun though!
We only managed three games as Dave started getting really tired and nauseous.. the concoction hadn't even finished! So we let Dave sleep.
Cam and I left Dave to rest around 6.00pm. We drove home and on the way stopped off at Oishi a yummy Japanese/Thai restaurant in the Valley... we were both so tired and so hungry that we devoured our curries... I had a Panage duck curry, and Cam enjoyed a Massaman beef curry. Oh and for entree we shared a healthy assortment of sashimi. We both felt whacked after a full on day, this is how we felt I'd hate to think how Dave was feeling!!! When we got home Cam made us both a fresh ginger, honey and lemon drink as we both felt a bit icky!!! Three teaspoons of Apple Cider Vinegar straight, a couple of panadol, and a sleeping pill... that should do the trick!!!
I woke fresh as a daisy the next morning!!! Raring to go for a walk to stretch out and get some fresh air before we went in to get Dave!! Cam said no at first but then decided to come with me. It was a beautiful morning.
Before our walk I messaged Dave to see how he was doing. Not so good was the answer :-( He'd had a bad night and he was finding it hard to move because every time he did the waves of nausea just hit him!! I told him to rest up and that we would be there around 11.00am, in time to take him for his RAD treatment. It just breaks my heart knowing that Dave is so unwell :-( :-(
Here's a few pics from our walk around the Vintage golf course...
Dave's radiotherapy appointment was at 11.30am, however because he was so unwell, I changed it to 2.00pm but then the nausea got even worse so changed it again to the latest possible, being 4.30pm. Unfortunately Dave was not allowed to miss his daily RAD treatment so he had to endure the 10 minute car ride!! After treatment we returned to the hospital for Dave to rest up as he wanted to stay another night in hospital as didn't feel comfortable enough to come home.
One of the nurses on the ward on Tuesday afternoon on our return was insisting on giving Dave a Lorazepam tablet that we were strictly advised not to take during the first round of chemo in conjunction with taking Olanzapine... well not within 12 hours of each other anyhow!! It certainly hadn't been twelve hours!!! Well she wouldn't listen to me/us!!! She was so argumentative!!!... so I had to step it up a notch!!!! Requested that the medical oncologist visit us immediately to discuss, well he appeared straight away!! We were right!!! In that the Lorazepam drug should not be administered within 12 hours of Dave taking an Olanzapine!!! Thank you!! I'm no Nurse but I know what I've been told!! I was not a happy chappie I can tell ya!!
On a GREAT note... the medical oncologist advised us that this will be Dave's last chemo treatment, that he will NOT be receiving round three of his chemo. YAHOOO!!! This is absolutely fantastic news!!!! There is a god!!! Thank you!!
You ask why no more chemo... well the chemo has to be administered three weeks apart, well this particular dosage of Dave's does... and as Dave was not able to receive chemo last week this makes the next round after the last dosage of radiotherapy. That they prefer to administer the chemo before the last dosage of radiotherapy! Apparently its not uncommon for patients to not have their third round of chemo. That the radiotherapy is actually the primary source of treatment.
Once we got Dave settled and feeding via the PEG/Pump Cam and I headed home, both feeling absolutely whacked!!! Thankfully we didn't have to cook, just warm up left overs and steam some veggies. We were both in bed by 8.30pm!!
On waking on Wednesday morning I messaged Dave to see how he was, we faced timed which was nice... he said he was feeling a bit more comfortable and had a goodish sleep. I was so relieved. I said we would be in around 11.00am ready to take him to his RAD appointment at 11.30am.
Well on arriving at the hospital there were no car parks at all!!! Everyone was queued up, it was bedlam!! So Cam hopped out and went up to get his Dad while I tried to get a car park!! Never got a car park so just had to hang around!! Even though the morning started well the day was apparently getting worse!
It was nice to see Dave when they arrived at the car. Though then he proceeded to tell me that through the night he constantly had to ask for medications to assist his nausea and asked several times for someone to put fluids in his bag so he could be constantly hydrated through the night... NO one did this!!!! I was fuming!!!! So you can imagine my next steps!!! When we got home, once I calmed down and I knew Dave was settled and asleep in the media room I phoned the hospital to speak to the ward manager. Explained the circumstances, very calmly, might I add, but with authority!!! She apologised profusely and said she would investigate. We have a follow up appointment with the specialist next week so will be explicitly expressing my concerns to him too after he had explicitly charted this for the nursing staff that he must be kept hydrated throughout the night by his PEG!!
I was on a roll.... back to the wine fridge door that exploded a month ago... we were promised by Delonghi that they would replace the door free of charge and had handed it over to a service provider to do so. Well it has been just over a week when I last spoke to the service provider so I phoned them back to find out what was happening... they advised that the door is on back order and it wouldn't be available till middle of December!!!! I said what!!!! That is outrageous!!! They agreed and offered to follow up with Delonghi about getting them to replace the wine fridge entirely. I also phoned Delonghi and expressed my concerns!!! I await to hear back from them. To be continued...!
Not a good Wednesday!!!
The rest of our week was extremely quiet. Each day driving Dave in for his RAD treatment.
Dave has constantly felt nauseous all week from the chemo and not responding to feed via the mouth at all, just the Two Cal via the PEG. He also doesn't really like being around food that's being cooked now too!
Dave has also been sleeping in the media room in the lazy boy chair all week as this is the most comfortable at present while he is constantly hooked up to the kangaroo pump and feeding via the PEG. I'm really missing him in bed next to me, as is Dave!
Thursday we received two wonderful care parcels. One from my ex-pilates instructor, Caryn and the other from our cousin in the UK... Gillian & her hubby Dave. Wow we are totally overwhelmed and very thankful for both of them... They certainly put a smile on both of our faces :-)
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| Thank you so much Caryn you are truly an amazing person xxxx |
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| Thank you so much Gillian & David your both so wonderful xxxx |
Friday was again full of surprises for Dave.... Cam giving his Dad a couple of pressies... a set of Tin Tin place mats (Dave loves TinTin) and a signed picture of Tim Horan which Cam bid for in an auction, raising money for child cancer. Dave was so thrilled to receive them both :-) Thanks Cam for putting a smile on ya Dads face. Then Cam surprised me too with booking me a facial at the Golden Door Health Spa/Retreat too... feeling so spoilt right now!! Thank you Cam so much... I can't wait to experience my facial on Tuesday afternoon!!
Cam took off to Sydney for the weekend to catch up with friends of his from NZ which was a nice break for him.
Dave and I were both absolutely drained/whacked so our weekend was extremely quiet, most of it just blobbing in our PJs catching up on some TV programmes. Resting our eyes at times too.
I also finally started a jigsaw puzzle! A 2,000 piece one at that!!
Thanks Sherry for lending it to me :-)
My weekly verse from You Are my "Once in a Lifetime" by Marci
I love you and I believe in you
There have never been words more powerful than
'I Love You'...
or more meaningful than
'Thank You'...
or more sustaining than
'I Believe In You'...
So I'm saying these things to you now:
'I love you more than words can say,
I am so thankful for you.
And no matter what.
I will always believe in you!'.
***
Where there is great love there is always miracles...
by Willa Cather
Willa Sibert Cather was an American author who achieved recognition for her novels
of frontier life on the Great Plains, including O Pioneers!,
The Song of the Lark, and My Ántonia.
Till next week.... hopefully a better week for Dave and getting him out for a little walk each day to get his strength back up!!
Love to you all from us both xxx
Love to you all from us both xxx
2 comments:
Go team Lock you are almost there. Lots of love to you both xxx
Thanks Ellen yours and Chris' support means a lot to us both xxx
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