April 14, 2022
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Hello dear friends and family!
I'm too lazy to go back and see where we left
off last round, but I believe Mel had just had her Picc line
inserted? Well... what could go wrong? Hah! Sensing a trend for us
here?
Within days after this nasty tube was stuck in
poor Mel's arm with its annoying dongles hanging out (and having to
be covered uncomfortably with various attempted items like gauze,
old socks, special Picc line sleeves, etc.), the pain that we (ok,
I) assumed was just a "getting to know you" pain from having
tubes inserted in her body (I am familiar with that experience from
the pacemaker) kept increasing daily.
I think I have finally learned to listen
to my love, who apparently knows her body very well, because
finally, five days after it was inserted, we were back to our
home-away-from-home, the ol' ER, for an ultrasound and an 8 hour
mini-vacation waiting for results, coincidentally in the very same
room as our last stay. I think we are now qualified to give that
room a 2-star AirBnB rating, though not for any fault of Kaiser's -
it's just inherently unpleasant and uncomfortable in there.
And then the results came in: blood clots in
the veins around the line, though that was no surprise, as we
actually knew already from watching the ultrasound technician show
us hours before - it just wasn't "official". What we didn't know was
what we had to do about it, which was to have the damned thing
removed (though not then), then start on daily blood thinner
injections, delivered by Nurse Glen. This will go on and on for 6-12
weeks, and poor Melly's Belly (Melly was Melody's nickname when she
was growing up) is all bruised, and we struggle to find safe spots
to stick her. Sometimes she doesn't feel the shots at all, sometimes
they hurt like hell. It's nerve wracking for both of us, and adds
another daily activity to my ever-growing list of chores (which I
suck up in the most Buddhist fashion possible... except for the
incessant kvetching...).
Here we are 2 weeks later, and after the 3 week
setback, we had the 5th chemo treatment 2 weeks ago today. After all
the agonizing over whether to get the port or the Picc line, having
them and then having them removed, after all that stress and strain,
in the end, the nurse found a vein for the 5th round IV, it went in
like a breeze with no pain, no swelling, no nada. Ironic AF.
This last round has been a bit brutal, we (ok I) think because of all the surgical crap she had to endure before it. She did better every time that she had none of that, so it stands to reason. However, there is the cumulative effect to consider as well. Anyway, there's been extreme fatigue, lots of nausea, pain in her legs and stomach and now she's lost more eyebrow hairs (she notices it, but I don't because of her permanent makeup eyebrows) and eyelashes (which get in her eyes and dry them out - oy! it never ends!), but in the last few days, the nausea has subsided and she's had a little more energy.
She's maintaining weight, eating small amounts
throughout the day, and sleeping eight hours nightly thanks to our
old pal, THC drops.
And yet, despite momentary descents into
darkness, my wife remains mostly in good spirits and optimistic.
See?:
This is Mel telling you "One More To Go!" (next
Thursday, 4/21).
We were informed that the last treatment could be the hardest, due to cumulative effect, but we are both thrilled to say: LAST ONE! Recovery, as we understand it, is a long and possibly rocky road, but we are so ready -- already making trip plans with the kinderlach in our fantasies and basking in the relief that the worst might very well be behind us in coming weeks.
Mel and I are eternally grateful to her family
for providing us with this home. Check out the view through the
large window in our bedroom, from the bed she lives in most of the
time:
 Not too shabby! We're planning to host the kinderlach for Passover this weekend, Mel's favorite holiday to plan and prepare. This time Anna and I are preparing the food with Mel directing me on table setting and all other details. The five Whitaker's will Covid test (the grandkids, including little Sierra, are pros at this now) before arriving on Saturday to partake in the Seder. Speaking of little Sierra--she is now 21 months old and screams for the phone when Bubbe FaceTimes--not allowing anyone else to have a turn. She carries the phone around saying "Bub" much to Mel's delight and smiles the entire time.
We can't wait to get to the point when we can
start seeing all of you in person and letting you know how much you
mean to us and how each one of you, with the love you send, has
helped us on this journey.
Stay safe and well! Until next time!  Glen |