Finished the Treatments

Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any other.
Abraham Lincoln

 

Don has finished his last radiation treatment. He has gone faithfully to that basement clinic 5 days a week since the end of November. It's been a long time. He has made some friends, has learned some new things and he has been physically broken down.

This last week has been the hardest .. as expected. The major difficulty was eating and drinking. His throat is swollen and burned, 

and the expected nausea.  

The end result was that Don became dangerously dehydrated. 

Last Tuesday .. the radiation dr was checking on Don's status and I was very panicked and worried. Don has been taking lots of meds, throwing up, not drinking and not eating. 

After hearing the reports the doc admitted him to the hosp. It had been days since he had water. That doesn't even mention food.  I was so thankful that Don was going to get water. 

We stayed in there for two nights. They filled him with fluids that included saline, glucose and some electrilites. When Don went in he was exhausted and a little spacey. 

We got his meds organized. We found some anti nuasea meds that worked. The drs at the VA did a really good job. I appreciated their attention to details, like treating his shingles that had broken out all over his shoulder and chest. 

The food .. on the other hand was AWFUL - I have never experienced such horrible food before. Everything was baby food. That's OK, but within that condition there was NO flavor. Or such a mixed up weird flavor that it was hard to tell what it was. On the puree they served him they used some kind of form to show us what it was supposed to be - for instance, if it was corn puree then it had been formed into corn form on top of it. 

Over the last week we have been blessed by so much love .. Thank you for the prayers, visits, the calls, the crackers and chocolate! 

Benjamin and Elisa did a good job holding down the fort while we were gone. Elisa, the sweetie .. cleaned the whole house and gave us a lovely evening when we finally got home. 

Now we are at the place of getting better .. one day at a time. 

We are still praying for Don to be able to eat food and water .. He is down to 183lbs. 

It's time for him to get back on track and start eating. He agrees and I think he has decided that it's time too. 

Hopefully, soon we will be able to hear from him on here. To be able to read what have been his thoughts and how the Lord has walked with him. 

For now .. the journey is not over .. just the treatments .. now comes the uphill recuperation. 

But we are still ...