11. "Are we done yet?"

I have to say that it has really been a long week. On Tuesday Keith got the (subcutaneous)med port put in. It took about 5 hours. There were no complications Thank God! So for now we'll just have to hope for the best and that it heals well.
On Wednesday he had chemotherapy. It seemed to go pretty smooth. He is sore in the area of the port so it was a little uncomfortable for him when they accessed it.The nurse that recommended the port (and that made him so uncomfortable last week) came up to me and whispered in my ear "Do you still feel the same about the port as you did last week?" My response was "YES". She seemed to be surprised by my response somehow. She knew by my response that I didn't want to be bothered with her so she walked away and left me alone. The ironic thing though is that this nurse had the patient next to Keith and ironically the same situation that happened to to him last week (you know how they couldn't find a vein and how it kept blowing out when they did find one) had just happened to this lady. The nurse was apologetic to her but I didn't hear her recommend the port for that patient. I wondered if it was because she knew I was listening to what was going on.??hmm
On Thursday we saw the radiation Dr. He told Keith that he was pleasantly surprised by how well he is doing through this whole thing. He only has 10 more radiation treatments to go. He has some skin irritation in the areas that they are applying the radiation to and he has had some fatigue but overall he is doing okay with it. We will be so glad when the radiation is over. He has a lot more chemotherapy treatments to go but at least it won't be everyday!
Today (Friday) we had a funeral to go to. It was Keith's great Uncle that passed, and tomorrow we have to go to his brothers house to celebrate his brothers birthday.
Sunday will be laundry day and then we start all over again on Monday. I guess the good thing is that school will be out for the summer after Wednesday. I get a little break! The down side is that I have to make them appointments for their physicals and dentist for football. Oh well at least there is enough to do to keep us busy! LOL
Thank you for reading our blog and for all of your support and prayers! Until next time God Bless!

10. "Think Positive"

This week has been a rough one! I went to court yesterday morning for a hearing over the garnishment of my bank account and found out that they aren't going to give back the money they took. I'm not in the least bit surprised but I was so hoping that they would! I would not benefit from it financially but at least my bank account wouldn't be overdrawn. God only knows when I'll be able to straighten that mess out.
Chemo was pretty rough this week! They always have trouble with his veins. It was coming along pretty smooth and then all of a sudden the IV slipped out of his vein and the chemo drug paclitaxol was getting under his skin. The next thing we know the nurses are all whispering and panicking looking through medical books to find out what to do next(which as you might guess has us both very nervous and scared.)The next thing that happens is that the nurse comes in with an ice pack sets it on his arm and starts searching for another vein. The first question I asked was "What is going to happen with his arm?" and "What is the worst case scenario?" I was a bit surprised at her response after all of the fuss they were making. She said that it might swell and become infected and he may need an antibiotic. So far, it looks okay! I sure hope they know what they are talking about!
It then took her 8 tries on finding a good vein and fishing around in his hand and arm before she asked someone else to try and find one. I have to say that I really don't like this nurse. This isn't the first time we've had an issue with her. As I'm watching her fish for a vein I can see her tremble from being nervous as if she's never done this before. The whole time she's doing this, my poor husband is sweating profusely and in agony. I wanted to push her away and do it myself!! She has done this to other patients as well. The other nurses have commented about her on a regular basis. I don't know why she still has a job in this department.
The next nurse comes in and gets it in one try!( no fishing!) So now the first nurse pulls me aside and suggests that my husband gets a port. I absolutely don't want to see him go through that pain and agony again but I really have apprehensions about him getting a port. (Too many horror stories to discuss!)This same nurse also tries to put her arm on my shoulder and apologize and say that she understands and knows what we're going through. (For some reason she wasn't convincing.)
So now I will let him decide and support his decision. I pray everyday that things will get better and that we'll get through this hurdle!
I remind him and the kids that things could always be worse. We still have each other!
Thank you to all of you that read and follow my blog and for all of your prayers and support! Until next time, God Bless!