Break in the Day

It was so nice seeing Ralph and Cathy Swanson today. They stopped by and we walked across the street to Duke's Chowder House and had dinner. Dave wasn't too hungry so just had a few bites of chowder and a piece of bread. He has been eating better at the hotel though, so I wasn't too worried. He's still feeling very tired and has little energy. I believe they will be checking his thyroid function this next week. We meet with the "team" on Monday to talk about what comes next. He will have a bone marrow biopsy and a PET CT scan for sure. I believe the PET CT scan will be on he 17th. Please continue to pray for his healing and also for strength both physically and mentally. It's been a long haul and we are anxious to be back home.

Patiently Waiting

Overall, the day has gone well. Eating is going better, but Dave still doesn't have much of an appetite. He does well once I set something in front of him. He has gained 2 lbs though, so that is a promising sign. His biggest frustration is that he is so tired all of the time. He did make two trips up the hill to the clinic today, but had to rest a couple of times. Coming back down the hill was a lot easier. They are continuing the hydration and increased it a liter today, but will back it down to 2 liters on Sat. and Sun. Glenn made a great suggestion about chicken pot pies, which sounds wonderful, but Dave is allergic to any processed chicken. I'm going to be on the lookout for some natural chicken pot pies! I might just have to settle for beef. He thought the deviled ham sounded good too - thanks, Robin, for the suggestion. Looks like I will go to the market tomorrow!

Yey!!!! Spam!

SPAM (the canned kind)

Well, I actually did something that I swore would never happen - I bought Spam! To Dave, this is a delicacy and, I think, it reminds him of his childhood. Whatever the reason, I broke down and bought some; anything, to get him to eat. And, guess what, it worked. I fried (yes, fried) up a piece this morning and Dave remarked "wow, this is good", and he actually ate it. I think it woke up his taste buds as he ate pretty good this evening too. I guess I will do whatever it takes!!! I'll never make fun of Spam again.

Improvement

Things are looking up! Dave had lab and clinic visit today, his counts are improving, and he is in normal sinus rhythm. He was actually able to walk to the clinic this evening without much difficulty. He also has eaten better today. He is still on IV fluids, but probably will be for awhile. Tomorrow there is absolutely nothing scheduled and we are really happy about that! I think we will just take it easy and, maybe, go on a little walk. I'm ready to have a "nothing to do" day, and so is Dave.

Out of Hospital

After a night of being monitored, Dave was discharged today around 4 p.m. He's doing pretty good and feeling better than yesterday. He's still not eating much and didn't eat anything while in the hospital. I did get him to eat a little about an hour ago. I'll try again in another hour or so. I will be so relieved when he starts eating better, that is such a worry for me. I've never had that concern with him before!!

Back in Hospital

This morning when Dave woke up he didn't feel well at all; he was very tired and nauseous. He had a lab appointment at 1:30, appointment with the nutritionist at 2:00 and saw the nurse at 3:00. He ended up back in the hospital with atrial fibrillation (abnormal heart rate). They took him by ambulance (not code) from the clinic to the hospital. Once we got to the hospital and he got settled in his room, his a. fib. had converted back to normal sinus rhythm. They will do some medication adjustment and monitor him throughout the night. Hopefully, he will be able to come back "home" tomorrow. I guess these kind of set-backs can be expected, but they sure are hard to accept! We just keep praying for success and to be back home.