Day 23 David's hump week

“You have been assigned this mountain to show others it can be moved”

 

Today is a day that David vocalized as representing a new hump week for himself. It’s the week in the middle of all the other weeks that provides him the light at the end of the tunnel. 

As you may know, Tuesday is his most un-favorite day, along with the un-fun it brings, esp in regards to the repercussions of chemo. Chemo takes a minute to fire up for its attack. It's tricky like that. Last week it came on strong, the week before that, chemo took it easy on him, prior to that, it provided 3-4 days straight of nausea. You get the idea. It's all bad, but the range of bad varies each week. I, myself, thought it may be a little more predictable in it's bad. But no, it switches its un-fun up to keep us guessing. 

So this time, as we prepare for its sneaky attack, David starts the day off with his usual Zofran. Since he has labs, he watches his sugar intake for the morning, as he will also be given steroids IV (as usual) prior to his chemo via IV. This always shoots his blood sugar up, and it's high already with diabetes as happens when the body is under so much stress, and then add in any addt sugars that he does eat in a given day. Today and the next few days we will monitor his nausea with a couple of different elements. First, he was given a second anti-nausea prescription that we have on hand if the Zofran does not handle it completely. Additionally, I have some essential oils I may try in regards to his nausea, called Digize from Young Living. My sweet co-worker/friend, Ashley gave me these to try out, and now seems to be the time to try and see if they make a difference for him. Today is the day chemo plans it’s attack.....quietly, waiting for you to forget it’s there. Did I mention it’s sneaky. 

One does not simply "Go"

It's amazing how we have taken our day-to-day bodily functions for granted. In particular, poo-ing. Any boy around the age of 4-10 years old loves to say the word poo and any version thereof, and looks for any reason to do so. David's 63 year old self is channeling his 5 year old self with his obsession with poop. He has to be, really, as his treatment will create a clog in his plumbing in about a second. Fair enough, and a perfectly good reason to discuss poop.

So you'd think taking fiber is good, right? No. OTC regular laxatives? Not really either. MDA has been very specific to what their requirements are regarding OTC and Rx bowel movement assistants. And, if you are not doing those things, you will be scolded and placed in Oncology Time Out. MDA does not want you to have clogged plumbing any more than you don't want clogged plumbing. So, we are only taking the approved "things" such as senakot and colace. There is no willy-nilly taking of constipation things around here, as approval is needed from the doc. We have been realigned, and now know better. There's so much more behind the torture of radiation and chemo than we even know - but they know 😉 

And as Maya Angelo says......

Always been one of my top author picks.
Love you, Maya

B-

David's A++ from last week's radiation oncologist appt turned into a B- today at his radiation oncologist appt today with Dr R. Turns out his non-poop day yesterday brought him bad marks. Then, David mentioned he forgot to put his salt packet in his nasal rinse (a time or two) and Dr R brought the red pen out and gave a failing grade for that mis-step. Don't you know you can dehydrate your sinus cavity even further. They don't play. Then dun dun dun, David asked his about his eyesight issue and a perplexed Dr R said he'd need to report this to the ophthalmologist and get back with David. You'd have thought David remped in every way possible this last week with how the appt was going this morning. I'm happy to let you know that David's eyesight did square itself away on its own (yay!) and therefore Dr R was going to check on it for future reference, in case it happens again. Over all, David had a good week in many ways though. His mouth is not on fire at this moment (we have lidocaine mouthwash for that).  He's FloRiding his teeth like mad because he thinks the Tooth Fairy is just waiting for him not to. It rubs the lotions on his skin, as they say in The Silence of the Lambs. And although taste has left the building, smell lingers (very little mind you). Overall, David is krunk flunkin. And even then, flunkin is too strong of a word for this past week, my love. I just liked the way that sounded, because you look good through this all. 

We Thank you

The employees of MDA are topics of conversation once the patients arrive home, and it's probably the last thing the health care workers think about once they hit the door to head home and live their own life. The patients that every MDA employee comes across in a day is varied - and not always predictable. When patients do not feel well, they are not at their best. Many patients may be unable to express thanks to the health care workers around them, or in such pain such that who they once were, has disappeared for the time being. It's easy to get caught up in our own little bubble and not recognize those around us - like we want to and like we should. Yet, folks like Ashley and Danna push through it all, smile and carry on. 

Ashley, David and Danna

They get patients off and on the radiation table like wizards, and somehow magically make the day go smoothly even with a radiation machine down. They know their stuff, and they get things done. David brags on them like he's related to them, and I can only imagine that their impact on patients is far more than they'll ever know. They are saving peoples lives everyday with what they do. And we thank them, even though words cannot nearly express our gratitude. 

Gotta have some fun ya know

David says it best:

"The two Radiation Techs are extremely nice and  so very caring for their patients. Ashley always greets me with kind words, a smile and a sincere “Good Morning, Mr. Graves, how are you doing?”. She genuinely cares about your response and I know she treats everyone just as kindly. I see her greet the patient in front of me and the patient after me daily with the same concern and care. MD Anderson is very lucky to have her working there! The same goes for Danna, who is always teaching the newbie what to do, how to fasten the mask down properly, how to align the patient and The Machine. I try to never complain about anything that goes on in The Radiation Center. They are very capable and dedicated to the patients. They never rush you, and I could never imagine them having a harsh word for a patient no matter what was said to them. With people sick, miserable and just plain hurting, I’m sure those ladies have been on the receiving end of a harsh word or two. So I appreciate them being here and doing such a superb job! I wish I could explain how much. It took me a couple of weeks to figure out the dance they were doing back in Versa2. Ashley and Danna were always there but the third (and sometimes fourth) wheels, well, they were changing after a week or two. They helped the new trainees learn how to greet the patients, how to check their ID and wristbands, how to get them on the tables and eventually how to clamp the masks down and move the table around. One of the helpers was Khanh. Khanh was a very small framed tech who struggled clamping down the mask on me! That poor girl had the unenviable job of trying to clamp down 10 lbs of sugar in a 5lbs mask with me!! She almost had to stand up and jump on the clamps, but she hung in there and learned how to use leverage with the suggestions that Ashley and Danna gave her. Khanh has moved now to a different area within the hospital and I’m sure she is wrestling with new equipment and responsibilities. She was very sweet and stuck with it until she got it down! Today, I was introduced to the new Khanh, her name is Rima (will have to check that spelling) but she seems very nice and capable)! I employed her today to take a couple of pictures of Ashley, Danna and I after my treatment this morning. Thanks Rima!"

I'm happy to report

I'm happy to report that it's Tuesday night and all is well at the farm. 

Tell ‘um Paul!

I was informed that Paul has been lecturing the chickens about the mess they make in the barn. Speaking of poop, he's working hard on getting them to understand you don't just poop anywhere. Thank you, Paul for trying. They'll need that lecture more than once, I know that for sure.

I'm happy to report that Brooks can hold his head up and sit upright (with the proper help from a chair). He enjoys being able to see what's happening around him. While Lauren works, he's learning lots of new things at day care and making friends. 

Investigating this new chair

And while he's having fun, mama Lauren is busy making YouTube videos for the Irving Public Library. 

https://youtu.be/noghHLc2jUI

I watched your videos today, sweetie. I love it that I can find you on YouTube whenever I want to see you. Thank you, Irving Public Library ❤️

https://youtu.be/x2dTysyzcU8

And lastly, I'm happy to report that all is well, or can be at this stage of the game. We, like so many others, are moving through cancer treatment by the grace of God. Hard days follow a day like today, yet we keep marching on. It seems more fitting to me to say David keeps marching on. He's the one going through it all. I'm here walking the walk, watching and waiting for what the next moment might bring. He's doing the work - is what it feels like to me anyway. We have certainly switched gears in regards to crewing. All those running races of him crewing me and being there, and now look. I get to be the crew, finally. I'm in the car, safe and warm, yelling out the window to him on the side of the road in the rain, "Need anything, Honey?!". Wow, so this is what it feels like. “Keep up the good work, babe!”, he’d yell to me as he drives up the road, to take a nap until we met up at the next rest stop. This crewing thing isn't all bad. 

Tomorrow’s a big day. We have some fun planned. Fun is a strong word these days so don’t get too excited. (Our fun includes me watching him do the floss, in the kitchen with no music. Just flossing. The dance move, not the teeth thing). He’s going to take me along for his morning at MDA. I’m going to see what it’s all about. That’s the kind of fun we have these days. Sneaky fun. 

See ya back tomorrow,

Cyndi