There is absolutely nothing sweeter than coming home after being away, and today was a very sweet day. We had a great day for driving after a great night's sleep in Memphis (well, as least I did - I slept 12 hours!, Bobby much less). We walked in the door, and were greeted with the smell of Pine Sol and Pumpkin. When Michael walked around the corner, I gave him a big hug and said, "Oh, honey, you've been cleaning!" Then he admitted that well, he'd had a little help. Our friends Teresa & Linda had come over with their kids Tricia, Anna, Mary and Nate and they all pitched in to clean the house. Teresa left flowers, wine, pumpkin candles burning, and best of all the fridge stocked with everything we could imagine needing for our Thanksgiving dinner, plus chicken pot pie for dinner tonight. Talk about comfort food! Unbelievable.
Trip is coming home in the morning and my parents will join us for Thanksgiving Dinner. Bobby's still catching up on sleep and dealing with some fatigue, itching, and a little cough, but is definitely on the road to recovery.
We will not know if this treatment has been effective until some time in January, when he gets a CT Scan and we see Dr Keller here in Tulsa. The plan, as we understand at this point is that if there is any reduction in the size of the tumors in the adrenal glands, we will return to Vanderbilt to repeat another course of IL2 in February. If there is no change, or if the tumors have grown, we will go to Plan B, which is yet to be determined. I'm thankful to have some time to enjoy being at home over the holidays before we have to deal with those decisions.
Happy Thanksgiving - we wish you all a day of rest and relaxation, enjoying good food and good company, while counting all your blessings. Love, Juli
Rounding Third, Heading Home
Whew, we're done. We had to skip the 2pm dose on Sunday, due to low blood pressure, but took the 10pm dose last night. Bobby had the rigors at midnight, followed by an assortment of issues, including more low blood pressures, which kept him from taking the last dose this morning.
Needless to say, we didn't sleep much, but that's been the case all week. I nearly came unglued over the heart monitor at 4am this morning. It picks up every little thing and beeps an alarm. At one point I watched the clock and counted 187 beeps in 7 minutes, none of which actually required attention, so it begs the comparison to the little boy who cried wolf. It felt like some bizarre form of torture, which then made me wonder just how well Jack Bauer would hold up under the whole IL2 experience (we watched 24 last night). To be fair, the nurse was finally able to change out the equipment and the false alarms were less frequent.
So, all in all, they are still calling it a very successful round, getting 10 of 14 doses. We're just glad it's over. We will leave here for Memphis either late this afternoon or in the morning, depending on how long it takes to get the BPs stable and off the Neosynephrine. The plan is still to be in Tulsa for Thanksgiving.
Speaking of Thanksgiving, we are very thankful for so many things. I thought about writing a list, but knew I would omit something someone had done. So suffice it to say, we have appreciated each and every prayer, encouragement and kindness shown to us by friends, family and even the new acquaintances we've made here at Vanderbilt. God has used each of you to truly bless us. Thank you. Love, Juli
Needless to say, we didn't sleep much, but that's been the case all week. I nearly came unglued over the heart monitor at 4am this morning. It picks up every little thing and beeps an alarm. At one point I watched the clock and counted 187 beeps in 7 minutes, none of which actually required attention, so it begs the comparison to the little boy who cried wolf. It felt like some bizarre form of torture, which then made me wonder just how well Jack Bauer would hold up under the whole IL2 experience (we watched 24 last night). To be fair, the nurse was finally able to change out the equipment and the false alarms were less frequent.
So, all in all, they are still calling it a very successful round, getting 10 of 14 doses. We're just glad it's over. We will leave here for Memphis either late this afternoon or in the morning, depending on how long it takes to get the BPs stable and off the Neosynephrine. The plan is still to be in Tulsa for Thanksgiving.
Speaking of Thanksgiving, we are very thankful for so many things. I thought about writing a list, but knew I would omit something someone had done. So suffice it to say, we have appreciated each and every prayer, encouragement and kindness shown to us by friends, family and even the new acquaintances we've made here at Vanderbilt. God has used each of you to truly bless us. Thank you. Love, Juli
Rough Waters
Yesterday turned out to be a rough day. We had to skip the 2pm dose because of low blood pressures and utter exhaustion. Bobby recovered some by evening and we were able to take the 10pm dose. He had the chills/rigors/cold sweats at midnight, lasting about an hour. Since about 3am, low blood pressures have become a concern again, getting as low as 80/45. They did two treatments of extra fluids and are now trying neosynephrine IV. It seems to be improving some, but we had to skip the 6am dose. Hopefully, he will rest today and be in better shape to tackle the 2pm dose. For those keeping score, he's had 9 of 11 possible doses. Three more to go.
One of the doctors came in and said, "it looks like your team did pretty well last night." Bobby said, "yeah, but I'm feeling more like Texas Tech this morning." Both have taken quite a beating.
One of the doctors came in and said, "it looks like your team did pretty well last night." Bobby said, "yeah, but I'm feeling more like Texas Tech this morning." Both have taken quite a beating.
Eight Down, Six to Go
You could say we're over the hump, but the reality is the second half is more uphill than the first half. We almost skipped last night's dose due to rapid heartrate, high potassium and rising creatinine, but the doctors opted to go ahead. They successfully treated the high potassium and low blood pressure, and the heartrate seems to be stabilizing.
There are 3 layers of doctors following our case. For each dose, the nurse does an assessment, calls the Resident, he visits, looks over lab results and does an exam, then makes a recommendation to the Fellow, who usually makes the decision, but may defer to the Attending if there's a questions. The Attending and his entourage come by each morning to check in and evaluate. There's certainly comfort knowing there's all this attention.
Bobby is exhausted, but persevering. Before each dose, they give him the option to not take the dose, but he always responds, "let's do it," knowing that in about 3 hours he's going to get hit with a wave of nausea and rigors (shakes & chills) that will further depleted his energy reserves. He's eating very little, sipping Ensure, juice and occasionally some yogurt or applesauce. This morning, I finally acknowledged that maybe this is worse than childbirth. Hopefully though, like childbirth, we will have a good result that will help him not remember how bad it's been.
Thanks for your support and encouragement. Love, Juli
There are 3 layers of doctors following our case. For each dose, the nurse does an assessment, calls the Resident, he visits, looks over lab results and does an exam, then makes a recommendation to the Fellow, who usually makes the decision, but may defer to the Attending if there's a questions. The Attending and his entourage come by each morning to check in and evaluate. There's certainly comfort knowing there's all this attention.
Bobby is exhausted, but persevering. Before each dose, they give him the option to not take the dose, but he always responds, "let's do it," knowing that in about 3 hours he's going to get hit with a wave of nausea and rigors (shakes & chills) that will further depleted his energy reserves. He's eating very little, sipping Ensure, juice and occasionally some yogurt or applesauce. This morning, I finally acknowledged that maybe this is worse than childbirth. Hopefully though, like childbirth, we will have a good result that will help him not remember how bad it's been.
Thanks for your support and encouragement. Love, Juli
Moving Right Along
Our night went considerably better than yesterday. They gave Bobby some Restoril for sleep and it seemed to do the trick, and he slept peacefully for several hours. He's been reluctant to use anything other than Benadryl for sleep because of a history of adverse reactions to sleep medications, but he was ready to try something. As you can imagine, sleeplessness and restlessness can make any discomfort even more intolerable, and he was pretty miserable yesterday. I slept ok curled up in the Blue Beast, it's just going to make my bed at home feel like a luxury.
We're watching blood pressures today. At 3am this morning it dipped to 89/44 and they treated with extra IV fluids. Hopefully, we can manage it that way. "Managing" seems to be the operative word around here. A side effect will come up and nurse says, "I can get you something for that." They've got pills, sprays, creams, lotions, IV meds, you name it, for anything from dry mouth to nausea to chills and low blood pressure. Doesn't take away all the discomforts, but it's nice to know they are so responsive and helpful.
Several people have asked us about references to the "Rocks of Armour" in the comments. At the prayer time before we left Tulsa, Jan had a basket of rocks and some magnets for people to take to remind them to pray for us. The verse on the magnet is from Psalm 31. "In Thee, O Lord, I have taken refuge; let me never be ashamed; in Thy righteousness deliver me. Incline Thine ear to me, rescue me quickly; be Thou to me a rock of strength, a stronghold to save me. For Thou art my rock and my fortress; for Thy name's sake Thou wilt lead me and guide me." We love knowing that folks are walking around with rocks in their pockets and that you are being reminded not only to pray for us, but that God is the Rock in whom we can all trust.
Love, Juli
We're watching blood pressures today. At 3am this morning it dipped to 89/44 and they treated with extra IV fluids. Hopefully, we can manage it that way. "Managing" seems to be the operative word around here. A side effect will come up and nurse says, "I can get you something for that." They've got pills, sprays, creams, lotions, IV meds, you name it, for anything from dry mouth to nausea to chills and low blood pressure. Doesn't take away all the discomforts, but it's nice to know they are so responsive and helpful.
Several people have asked us about references to the "Rocks of Armour" in the comments. At the prayer time before we left Tulsa, Jan had a basket of rocks and some magnets for people to take to remind them to pray for us. The verse on the magnet is from Psalm 31. "In Thee, O Lord, I have taken refuge; let me never be ashamed; in Thy righteousness deliver me. Incline Thine ear to me, rescue me quickly; be Thou to me a rock of strength, a stronghold to save me. For Thou art my rock and my fortress; for Thy name's sake Thou wilt lead me and guide me." We love knowing that folks are walking around with rocks in their pockets and that you are being reminded not only to pray for us, but that God is the Rock in whom we can all trust.
Love, Juli
It's the Little Things...and some Big Things
First off, Bobby's had two doses successfully. The night went ok, a little harder start than two weeks ago, but that wasn't unexpected. He's really tired and has no energy. Some chills last night, but none so far for Dose 2.
It's amazing how little things can get you. After our lengthy wait to get a room (finally got here at 7pm), we discovered that our new room is even smaller than the cracker box we were in last time. Last time, I could extend the chair out to sleep, but now it can't, so I'm curled up in the chair. And there's a noisy air vent that runs nonstop, so even though we are squeezed in like sardines, we have to raise our voices to hear one another. At least it runs all the time, so we can pretend it's "white noise" at night. Then, this morning, the electricity went off for a minute and ever since the A/C has been on in the entire hospital. It's currently 60 degrees and all the nurses are in their overcoats. At least Bobby has not started with the chills and rigor yet from the 6am dose. Hey, wait a minute! Just as I'm typing my complaints, the air vent stops running, and I think it might be starting to warm up. I overheard some talk out in the hall that maybe they've resolved the A/C issue. Thank you, Lord. Now if we could just do something about the chair...
As irritating as the little things can be, I'm also thinking today about some big things. Over the weekend, we received word that a good friend of ours had passed away, and her memorial service is this morning in Tulsa. We've known Stacy for 5 years, and for that time she has been chronically ill, in and out of the hospital and in generally poor health. But she had a fierce determination and independence, much like Leslie. They both smiled in the face of adversity and loved and lived life to the fullest. Though they didn't know each other well, they were in many ways kindred spirits. In fact, it was a blessing for Stacy to share with us how Leslie had inspired her and helped her to deal with some of the fears and anxieties she had been experiencing. Before we left town, she gave us a bag of travel "goodies" - books on tape, Sonic card, snacks, face wipes and several cards with instructions to "open just one a day." At the prayer time we had at Jan & Jays before coming to Nashville, Stacy was at our side, asking the Lord to remind us each day to be thankful and to remember that "we have an angel watching after us." Now we have two. I'm grateful that Stacy was and will always be a part of our lives.
Love, Juli
It's amazing how little things can get you. After our lengthy wait to get a room (finally got here at 7pm), we discovered that our new room is even smaller than the cracker box we were in last time. Last time, I could extend the chair out to sleep, but now it can't, so I'm curled up in the chair. And there's a noisy air vent that runs nonstop, so even though we are squeezed in like sardines, we have to raise our voices to hear one another. At least it runs all the time, so we can pretend it's "white noise" at night. Then, this morning, the electricity went off for a minute and ever since the A/C has been on in the entire hospital. It's currently 60 degrees and all the nurses are in their overcoats. At least Bobby has not started with the chills and rigor yet from the 6am dose. Hey, wait a minute! Just as I'm typing my complaints, the air vent stops running, and I think it might be starting to warm up. I overheard some talk out in the hall that maybe they've resolved the A/C issue. Thank you, Lord. Now if we could just do something about the chair...
As irritating as the little things can be, I'm also thinking today about some big things. Over the weekend, we received word that a good friend of ours had passed away, and her memorial service is this morning in Tulsa. We've known Stacy for 5 years, and for that time she has been chronically ill, in and out of the hospital and in generally poor health. But she had a fierce determination and independence, much like Leslie. They both smiled in the face of adversity and loved and lived life to the fullest. Though they didn't know each other well, they were in many ways kindred spirits. In fact, it was a blessing for Stacy to share with us how Leslie had inspired her and helped her to deal with some of the fears and anxieties she had been experiencing. Before we left town, she gave us a bag of travel "goodies" - books on tape, Sonic card, snacks, face wipes and several cards with instructions to "open just one a day." At the prayer time we had at Jan & Jays before coming to Nashville, Stacy was at our side, asking the Lord to remind us each day to be thankful and to remember that "we have an angel watching after us." Now we have two. I'm grateful that Stacy was and will always be a part of our lives.
Love, Juli
Watching Paint Dry..
Well, that pretty much describes our day today. We arrived at 9am this morning, waited, had lab work, waited, met w/Dr Sosman, had lunch, went to radiology and waited to get a PICC line started, checked in at admitting, and we're still waiting for a room at 5pm. We did have a nice walk through the Vanderbilt campus on this beautiful fall day, and felt smarter just being around all the academia, then found the Pancake Pantry for a nice lunch.
As soon as we get a room, it's All Systems Go to start the next round of IL-2 at 10pm tonight. All Bobby's lab numbers are back in the normal range, and Dr Sosman was pleased with how well he'd recovered, so we're hopeful of this week being as successful as last time.
We had a nice visit with Beverly & Tom Mahan last night, as they graciously hosted us in their new home with a beautiful view of the Tennessee hills. Thanks again, Bev!
Thanks for checking on us. Now that we're back, we'll be posting daily. As always, we appreciate you all. Love, Juli
As soon as we get a room, it's All Systems Go to start the next round of IL-2 at 10pm tonight. All Bobby's lab numbers are back in the normal range, and Dr Sosman was pleased with how well he'd recovered, so we're hopeful of this week being as successful as last time.
We had a nice visit with Beverly & Tom Mahan last night, as they graciously hosted us in their new home with a beautiful view of the Tennessee hills. Thanks again, Bev!
Thanks for checking on us. Now that we're back, we'll be posting daily. As always, we appreciate you all. Love, Juli
Half Time Report
We're halfway through the IL-2 break, an 8-day period of resting up and getting ready to go back for Round 2. We're spending the week in Memphis, staying in Grandaddy Armour's house while he is in Tulsa staying with Michael. It's another one of those paradoxical times when we're working to get Bobby's body strong enough to put it through more abuse.
Bobby's doing well, in general feeling a little better each day. We've been getting out, going to the Y to exercise and even sat through a movie, but he is still having some uncomfortable side effects (itching, rash, swelling, difficulty sleeping, nagging cough). We've got a call in to the nurse at Vanderbilt just to double check that he's on track.
We really appreciate the comments you all are leaving on this blog. There's not a way (that I know of) to reply individually to your comments, so just know that we are very encouraged by each and every note of support. I can't imagine going through this without being connected with all of you who love, support and encourage us.
Would you all do us one more big favor? Please add my sister Lynne to your prayer lists, she started radiation yesterday for the 2nd recurrence of breast cancer. She's had surgery and been through chemo twice and radiation once before. The cancer is still localized in the same area, that's the good news, but just needs to be eliminated. She'll be doing radiation 5x/week for 6 weeks. Thanks so much for remembering Lynne, her husband Rick, and college-aged sons David & Adam.
Love, Juli
Bobby's doing well, in general feeling a little better each day. We've been getting out, going to the Y to exercise and even sat through a movie, but he is still having some uncomfortable side effects (itching, rash, swelling, difficulty sleeping, nagging cough). We've got a call in to the nurse at Vanderbilt just to double check that he's on track.
We really appreciate the comments you all are leaving on this blog. There's not a way (that I know of) to reply individually to your comments, so just know that we are very encouraged by each and every note of support. I can't imagine going through this without being connected with all of you who love, support and encourage us.
Would you all do us one more big favor? Please add my sister Lynne to your prayer lists, she started radiation yesterday for the 2nd recurrence of breast cancer. She's had surgery and been through chemo twice and radiation once before. The cancer is still localized in the same area, that's the good news, but just needs to be eliminated. She'll be doing radiation 5x/week for 6 weeks. Thanks so much for remembering Lynne, her husband Rick, and college-aged sons David & Adam.
Love, Juli
One More Night
Looks like we get a bonus night. It was iffy all day, but finally decided it would be best to stay one more night. The last dose this morning was a doozy - about a half hour after my last post, Bobby had a bad case of rigors (uncontrollable chills & shivers) and once that resolved, he was just exhausted the rest of the day. We'll be discharged early in the morning and will drive to Memphis. The plan is to stay in Memphis a week, letting Bobby rest and recuperate, then return to Vanderbilt on Nov 19 to do this all over again.
Day 6: Back on Track
We had to skip dose 13 last night. The creatinine level dropped but not quite enough (5.1 from 5.4). The good news is it helped us get a better night's rest, although more so for me. Besides the usual hospital harrassment of taking vitals and beeping monitors & pumps, Bobby's still feeling pretty crummy.
The level was barely in the acceptable range this morning (4.91), so we were able to take the last dose at 6am, for a total of 12 doses. We anticipate leaving either this afternoon or in the morning, barring unforeseen circumstances.
All things considered, we're getting the feeling that things have gone better than expected. Twelve doses is well above average, there's been no significant complications and the side effects have been tolerable (easy for me to say). We can't tell you how encouraging it has been to know you've been reading and praying this past week. We are so grateful.
Love, Juli
The level was barely in the acceptable range this morning (4.91), so we were able to take the last dose at 6am, for a total of 12 doses. We anticipate leaving either this afternoon or in the morning, barring unforeseen circumstances.
All things considered, we're getting the feeling that things have gone better than expected. Twelve doses is well above average, there's been no significant complications and the side effects have been tolerable (easy for me to say). We can't tell you how encouraging it has been to know you've been reading and praying this past week. We are so grateful.
Love, Juli
Sunday Update
We had to skip Dose 12. The creatinine level was 5.4 and 5.0 is the no-go point. It's likely to go down though, and if so we'll resume with Dose 13 tonight. If we have to miss two doses we're done. This is very common, in fact its very rare to get all 14 doses. The staff here are all saying Bobby's doing very well. Dr Sosman also told us that there's not a direct correlation between number of doses and success of the treatment in reducing the tumor size. That's encouraging.
Day 5: Not So Happy Campers
OK, this is officially no fun. Bobby's hanging in there really well, but is exhausted, achy, queasy, itchy and pretty much miserable. We could both really use a 4 hour nap. The good news is he's successfully completed 10 doses and is about to start Dose 11, if the labs are ok. There are a bunch of things they check for, but right now we're watching the creatinine, an indication of kidney function. If it goes any higher, we'll have to skip Dose 12.
My friend Bev came by yesterday and we took a walk to the Vanderbilt bookstore to buy Bobby a t-shirt (not just a souvenir, we managed to underpack, which never happens!), then had lunch at McDonalds, which is here in the hospital. I thought it ironic that McDonalds would be the one commercial eatery in the hospital, but it works for us since my dad happened to give us some gift cards before we left Tulsa. Bev graciously took our laundry and is bringing it back today. It's amazing how God takes care of the smallest details - He provides just what we need, so often blessing us in unexpected ways.
Love, Juli
My friend Bev came by yesterday and we took a walk to the Vanderbilt bookstore to buy Bobby a t-shirt (not just a souvenir, we managed to underpack, which never happens!), then had lunch at McDonalds, which is here in the hospital. I thought it ironic that McDonalds would be the one commercial eatery in the hospital, but it works for us since my dad happened to give us some gift cards before we left Tulsa. Bev graciously took our laundry and is bringing it back today. It's amazing how God takes care of the smallest details - He provides just what we need, so often blessing us in unexpected ways.
Love, Juli
Day 4: Over the Hump
Woo hoo! We made it through Dose 7 overnight and had Dose 8 this morning. Bobby's tired, achy & itchy, but didn't have the chills at all! As the doctor said today, "you're doing really well." All the labs are in the normal range. Of course, we're not getting much sleep, but it feels good to be over half way through. Thanks for praying!
We have football to keep us distracted today, looking forward to the Alabama-LSU game and of course OSU-Texas Tech, both of which are on TV here. Go Pokes!
I love the verse my sister Lynne has at the bottom of her emails, from Romans 12:12: "Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, and faithful in prayer."
Thanks for your faithful support. Love you, Juli
We have football to keep us distracted today, looking forward to the Alabama-LSU game and of course OSU-Texas Tech, both of which are on TV here. Go Pokes!
I love the verse my sister Lynne has at the bottom of her emails, from Romans 12:12: "Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, and faithful in prayer."
Thanks for your faithful support. Love you, Juli
Day 3: Settling into a Routine
As many nights as I have spent in a hospital, and there have been quite a few, I always find it interesting how we seek a routine. I guess we cope better when there's some predictability. So for now, we measure time in 8 hour intervals, IL2 doses are at 6, 2 and 10, preceded an hour earlier by lab work, vitals & a visit with the doctor. We see Dr Theobald during the day, Dr Lambreth at night, and Dr Gilbert & an entourage of students at 8:30 am. Dr Sosman doesn't make rounds, but is being kept informed. Shift change is 7am/7pm. Kerrie is our day nurse, Ronda has the night shift. Abby & Susan have been our Care Partners (used to be nurse tech). The meals come at 7,12, & 5, and the food is standard hospital fare. Bobby's eating fairly well right now.
We read a daily devotion from Bobby's favorite, My Utmost for His Highest, every morning. Today's was really good, coming from Romans 8. Oswald Chambers talks about how the circumstances of our lives are ordained, and there's no such thing as chance. "God by his providence brings you into circumstances that you cannot understand at all...He is bringing you into places and among people and into conditions in order that the intercession of the Spirit in you may take a particular line." It reminded us that there's a purpose in all this that's bigger than ourselves, and we're not to be so focused on our own needs that we are unaware of those God is putting in our lives through this circumstance.
Overall, the treatment is going very well. We've had 5 doses with relatively mild side-effects, mostly chills and fatigue. All the important indicators (heart rate, blood pressure, pulmonary function, kidney function, blood work) are all good. They say it starts to get rough around dose 7, which will be at 10 tonight, so we'll see.
We had two visitors yesterday, a really pleasant surprise being so far from home. Bev Mahan, a friend of mine from Florida State visited and we barely scratched the surface catching up - it's been almost 20 years since we've seen each other! And Bobby's cousin James who lives here in Nashville also came up to visit. It was fun and sure made the afternoon pass quickly.
It's great to get your comments and emails, and to see our little army of "Followers" grow. To be honest, I'm not sure what being a Follower is, but it's kinda cool to see all the little icons over there.
We read a daily devotion from Bobby's favorite, My Utmost for His Highest, every morning. Today's was really good, coming from Romans 8. Oswald Chambers talks about how the circumstances of our lives are ordained, and there's no such thing as chance. "God by his providence brings you into circumstances that you cannot understand at all...He is bringing you into places and among people and into conditions in order that the intercession of the Spirit in you may take a particular line." It reminded us that there's a purpose in all this that's bigger than ourselves, and we're not to be so focused on our own needs that we are unaware of those God is putting in our lives through this circumstance.
Overall, the treatment is going very well. We've had 5 doses with relatively mild side-effects, mostly chills and fatigue. All the important indicators (heart rate, blood pressure, pulmonary function, kidney function, blood work) are all good. They say it starts to get rough around dose 7, which will be at 10 tonight, so we'll see.
We had two visitors yesterday, a really pleasant surprise being so far from home. Bev Mahan, a friend of mine from Florida State visited and we barely scratched the surface catching up - it's been almost 20 years since we've seen each other! And Bobby's cousin James who lives here in Nashville also came up to visit. It was fun and sure made the afternoon pass quickly.
It's great to get your comments and emails, and to see our little army of "Followers" grow. To be honest, I'm not sure what being a Follower is, but it's kinda cool to see all the little icons over there.
Day 2: So Far So Good
Our first night wasn't too bad. The first IL2 dose was at 10pm. By 2am Bobby started having chills so they gave him some Demeral, which seems to help although it made him a little nauseous. We slept on and off, typical hospital routine checking vitals every two hours and intermittent beeps of the monitors. The 6am dose has so far gone very well. Its 10am now and we just took a walk around the hallways and a shower. So far so good.
Checked in to the Vandy Resort & Spa
Well, maybe not quite a resort or spa, but so far everybody's been very friendly and helpful, and there's a refrigerator in our room with unlimited jello, ice water and saltine crackers. Woo hoo! We spent all day getting lab work, doctor's visit, radiology for a PICC line, and waiting in admitting, finally getting to our room at 2pm to find out the first dose of IL2 will start at 10pm tonight. The doctor painted a rather bleak picture of the side effects, mostly what we had already read about, but added that my main responsibility is to pay attention to Bobby's mental state. Apparently, IL2 can also cause confusion & hallucinations. I successfully resisted the urge to make a clever remark at that point. We are really ready to get things going. More tomorrow...
On the Road Again
Bobby & I drove to Memphis yesterday - enjoyed seeing the beautiful fall colors through Arkansas. Bobby's dad Lynn, sisters Margie & Nancy and brother in law Murf had a table full of good 'ole Memphis Bar-B-Que waiting for us when we arrived. We'll drive to Nashville this afternoon, spend the night, and get started in the morning.
We are really ready to get started and get this over with, not unlike we're all feeling about the election. Several people have asked me about how Bobby's been feeling. Thankfully, he really has not had any significant physical symptoms. Having cancer in the adrenal gland can cause problems, but so far he hasn't had any. Emotionally and spiritually, he's as strong and confident as I have ever seen him, dealing with all of this with patience and his usual sense of humor. We were consulting Dr Google the other morning and ran across a study that was done evaluating the effect of anxiety on the success of IL-2 treatment for metastatic kidney cancer (rather specific, wasn't it?). It said that typically patients in this condition have high anxiety levels (understandably so), but that those who were less anxious had much better chances of success with the treatment. All the more reason to be praying for the "peace that passes understanding to guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus."
Thanks for reading. Love, Juli
We are really ready to get started and get this over with, not unlike we're all feeling about the election. Several people have asked me about how Bobby's been feeling. Thankfully, he really has not had any significant physical symptoms. Having cancer in the adrenal gland can cause problems, but so far he hasn't had any. Emotionally and spiritually, he's as strong and confident as I have ever seen him, dealing with all of this with patience and his usual sense of humor. We were consulting Dr Google the other morning and ran across a study that was done evaluating the effect of anxiety on the success of IL-2 treatment for metastatic kidney cancer (rather specific, wasn't it?). It said that typically patients in this condition have high anxiety levels (understandably so), but that those who were less anxious had much better chances of success with the treatment. All the more reason to be praying for the "peace that passes understanding to guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus."
Thanks for reading. Love, Juli
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