Best Medicine

It is so nice to be home!! It's amazing how being back (even if for a short time) has boosted Dave's spirit, appetite and lessened his insomnia!! He slept like a baby last night and remarked this morning how he fell asleep listening to the train whistle! He got up this morning and had bacon, eggs, hash browns and milk. I think that is the most he has eaten at one meal for 3 months! It will be hard to go back to Seattle, but we will definitely go back with a fresh attitude knowing we will be back here to this beautiful valley shortly. We are trying to squeeze a lot in a short period of time as we would like to say hi to everyone, but we will definitely get together later with those we missed during this short visit. Spending time with friends and family is definitely the best medicine we could ask for!!!

Short Trip Home

We are headed to Whitefish for Labor Day!!! We found out today that Dave's 1st radiation session is scheduled for Wed., Sept. 5th! Because we have no scheduled appointments until that time, we were released to come home for Labor Day. We are so excited and it will do us both some good. We drove as far as Coeur d'Alene so Dave didn't get worn out and we will get up early so we can be home sometime late morning. This will be great recuperation time for Dave and give him some "home time". It will be great to see family and friends and get "re-charged" to continue his treatment in Seattle.

Feeling the Stress

It's just been one of those days, nothing bad, nothing new , just another day waiting. Dave had his appointment to have a CT scan and the placement of "markers" put on his chest to aim in on the hot spot, but we still don't know when they start the treatment. We should find out that tomorrow. We really don't feel like we can afford the normal waiting period of 10-14 days until treatment starts, so we explained that to the intern and he was very understanding and is going to try to get us going sooner. It doesn't make much sense to waste money on lodging just waiting. Dave, otherwise, is doing quite well. He is eating much better, staying hydrated, but we both are having trouble sleeping at night. The neuropathy in Dave's feet seem to keep him awake, and his tossing and turning keeps me awake!! Aren't we just the pair??!! I just hope we aren't crazy by the time we get home!

3-4 wks to go

Got the news from the radiation oncologist that Dave will have 15-20 treatments of spot radiation. These will be once daily Mon. through Fri. After that we will be coming home for any followup that is needed. We did have the choice to have the radiation in Kalispell, but because of Dave's overall health, it was best to be where they are familiar with stem cell transplant patients. We certainly were tempted, but feel we have made the right choice in staying these additional few weeks. Wed. he goes in for measuring, etc., so I believe treatments will start this next Monday. They will also be scheduling him to have his Hickman Catheter pulled! That's a huge step in the right direction. He has gained a couple of lbs. and his lab looks great! We just need to keep our attitude positive and get through this next round.