"A New Day" written 10/2010

I don't even know where to start it's been so long since I've written so I'll just start off by saying that I feel truly blessed, my husband so far is still in remission!

Much has happened though, in March he got a case of bronchitis and was hospitalized, put back on steroids and they changed his heart meds again. They put him on cardizem 360 which was a HUGE mistake! Between the heart pills and the steroids he ended up with CHF (congestive heart failure) again. He put on 69lbs in 3 weeks the majority of it was from fluid retention. This poor man was barely able to walk to the bathroom by himself let alone anything else.To be honest he had so much fluid on him that I was truly afraid! (Last October when he was on life support the main cause was from CHF. ) He had a home nurse that was coming once a week for about 2 months and then he had a home lab that came twice a week. He wasn't able to even sleep lying down. Finally at the end of August he was starting to feel a little better. He got most of the weight off and was able to start sleeping laying down again. He still doesn't move around much because it takes a lot out of him but I Thank God everyday that he is okay! My oldest daughter has gotten a bit crazy!I often find myself saying the serenity prayer over and over. She's 20 going on 15. I always thought that I was so lucky because she really didn't rebel that much and now she is making up for lost time. She 's been dating this guy for about 8 months and it has been absolutely insane. I know that when we're young we don't think but, she is just really making some huge mistakes. One of the hardest things I've ever had to do is let go and let God. I pray everyday that she is going to be okay and that she'll wake up and see the light. Her heart is so big that she wears it on her sleeve and she's always the one that falls. My oldest son is a senior this year, I'm excited and sad all at the same time! He's planning on going to college next year! My sister has been gone for almost a year now and I still can't believe she's gone, I miss her more and more everyday. My brother in law and nephew moved out of their apartment last week and we went over to help, it was very hard. I really haven't been over there much since she passed, only to drop things off or pick things up. Well that's all for now, Thank you for still following my blog! Take care and God Bless!

18. "Sleep Apnea"

This photo was taken by my daughter at a nearby park. I think it so beautiful and wanted to share it. She has an amazing natural talent to capture things in photos.
(She has taken all of my recent blog photos.)

Went to see Dr Subbory (radiation doc) today and heard good news! His lungs sound clear and his heart sounds good! He didn't do a scan today but, he told us that the scan he had in the hospital was clear and showed nothing. I'm so grateful!!! He will see the oncologist for another scan on August 16Th.
We explained some of the things that have been going on lately, like his inability to sleep through the night and the shortness of breath as well as the fluid retention. He said that the medication change has something to do with part of this as well as the steroids and weight gain (20 more pounds since he was in the hospital) and he should be getting a little better everyday. He questioned his COPD diagnosis. He thinks he should see a lung Dr. to rule it out.
I made an appointment with the sleep center today too! The consultation is on Thursday. The Dr. agrees that he may need a c-pap machine at night to help him breath. Don't know if he'll actually use it though. My mom had sleep apnea and she used her c-pap for a few days before she finally gave up on it. She said it was loud and very uncomfortable. Although, If it helps him it would be worth it! I hate seeing him so miserable!
Thankyou again for all of your prayers and support!! Until next time, God Bless!

15. "Keeping the faith"

I know I'm writing early this week but I just really feel the need to write. As I said last week my hubby wasn't feeling well, so on Saturday I took him to the emergency room because he was having trouble breathing and not to my surprise they decided to keep him. We thought that after radiation we were going to get a break from this hospital. I guess not!

They did do a complete work up on him including a ct scan. They were concerned about his heart. The good news is that all of his tests came out normal and the ct scan looked okay. I have to say that I was relieved! They started him on steroids which I knew they would do but this poor man now has to deal with his diabetes being crazy for the next 2 weeks and being hyper until he finishes them.

They came to the conclusion that he has now developed COPD. They think that it was brought on by the chemo and radiation. So now he is taking 3 more meds on top of his other 4 plus he has to use a nebulizer to take albuterol aerosol breathing treatments on top of the steroids (that have already made him gain 47 lbs since he's been out of the hospital the first time) and also an antibiotic called Avelox to prevent pneumonia but at least they let him come home on Mondayand he is okay! I was so happy! He is definitely doing better than he was when he went in.

He went to his heart Dr. on Tuesday and he feels that the medication he is on for his A fib and blood pressure(lopresser) may be causing some of the issues with his breathing (as well as his weight gain) so he changed it and put him on a new one called Verapamil. He said that he would feel a difference in about a week. Wouldn't that be wonderful!

Next week we have his endocrine Dr. and oncologist appointment. Not looking forward to either of those. I'm just trying to keep my faith and be strong!

Thank you so much again for reading and following my blog and for all of your prayers and support! Until next time, God Bless!