Wednesday, April 2, 2008

Not Much Change

There’s still not a whole lot of change for today. Mike’s hemoglobin is a little low, so he’s going to be given a unit of blood today to hopefully boost that up. His platelets are around 39,000 (normal is at least 150,000), but he’s not going to be given anymore right now; the doctor thinks Mike will regenerate them and that number will increase. (Sounds like they work sort of like starfish to me.) Mike’s on a low dose of oxygen, so the respiratory therapist decided to try taking him off of the assistance. Shortly after she left, Mike looked like he was having a hard time breathing. When I asked him if he felt like it was difficult to breathe, he said yes. So, he had about a 15 minute reprieve from the oxygen assistance.

The plan right now is to give the radiation a little more time to work and do an MRI early next week. Mike was taken off one of his antibiotics yesterday, and he’s doing fine with the lower dose of steroids thus far. His blood count has to get back up before we can start the next round of treatment. He will take the Temodar (chemotherapy) for only five days in the entire month. It will be a higher dose than what he was on earlier, so that’s why we’ve got to make doubly sure his blood levels are good. I think once we start with that we will be able to start with the Avastin as well. Mike has been talking a little bit. And by little, I mean, well, little. He answered some questions yesterday and at times had a pretty good voice with his responses. He hasn’t said a whole lot today. Sometimes he’ll give me an answer when I ask him a question, and sometimes he just looks at me like I’m stupid. Good thing I don’t suffer from chronic low self-esteem, or else I’d probably be over in the corner crying that my husband thinks I’m an idiot. And if he’s ever told any of y’all that he does think I’m stupid, well, you can just kept that to yourself. There are some things I’d just rather not know!

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Diane,
You amaze me with your strength!!! I can only imagine how hard it must be for you to handle all that you're experiencing! I pray that you'll continue to be blessed with all the strength that you need and I earnestly pray that Mike will be healed soon. Ya'll just keep hanging in there!!! Lots of Love!
Patsy

Anonymous said...

Diane,
You are a great source of courage and inspiration to a lot of people. Keep up the good work. We are praying that Mike will improve and that you will continue to have all that you need ( courage, humor, strength, etc) for what you need to do. God is with you.
Kathi

Anonymous said...

Diane
I gave blood today and I wish I had know I would have marked it for MIke. I did not realize he was also getting whole blood. Next time I give I will be sure to tag it for him. Your positive notes are so inspiring. Keep the faith and know that he is in God's hands and they are truly wonderful.

Loves
Susan Brant

Anonymous said...

Diane,
I pray for you and Mike and your family daily. Stay strong in your faith as our heavenly father is a sanctuary of mercy... and He is faithful and unchanging. The way you are handling this - your sense of humor and willingness to be human is a glory to God. God will supply what you need, every day, one day at a time.
Lynn

Anonymous said...

"The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit."

Psalm 34:18

I will pray that your family continues with courage and strength through the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. May you feel His hand in yours through these difficult times - through Him, all things are possible.

God Bless you and yours,
Jill (Lebanon, Pa.)