Hello to all. Mark and I went in for his second round of chemo yesterday. He has lost another 5 pounds in the last week and weighed in at 168 fully clothed and after eating breakfast. That is not a good thing. He has been trying his best to eat, but it is very hard for him and he simply isn't getting enough calories. His magnesium level was low and he required a 2 hour magnesium infusion before he could get the chemo. He vomited after getting the magnesium, but tolerated the chemo infusion okay. He slept through most of it and really didn't wake up. Dr. Farmer was, of course, concerned about the weight loss and was concerned about Mark's pain control. She wants to be sure he is comfortable at home and not suffering with pain. She is going to change his pain medications some to see if we can get a more stable dose of pain relief. Hopefully it will work a little better for Mark. She discussed having a hospice nurse come out to visit and make sure Mark was getting adequate pain relief, but Mark vehemently refused this.
Mark came home and crashed in the bed and was just exhausted after the chemo. He didn't eat or drink anything all day or even get up until around 10:00 last night. He finally got up and started drinking a little bit of fluids and around 2am decided to make himself a bowl of soup. The chemo actually seems to help relieve his pain for several days and I hope that this is a good sign. They didn't plan to draw another CEA number until he's had 4 rounds of this chemo, but she said if I really want to know she may draw one next Thursday a bit early. I really want to know what this chemo is doing.
I talked a little to Calen last night. He was very emotional and upset. I haven't talked to Colton much yet about how sick Mark is getting. I will try to do that soon. It is harder to explain to Emily.
We have not given up or lost hope, but are trying our best to deal with the situation at hand. We continue to pray for Mark and give him all the love and support we can. Mark's parents are here and his twin brother Matt has been here for some time as well. Matt's wife Angie and their daughters Jolene and Lauren came in for Fall Break and will be leaving over the weekend. We have been blessed with a lot of support. Please continue to pray for Mark. God bless!!!!!
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4 comments:
Ronda,
We've been praying for Mark and the whole family and especially this week remembering the anniversary date approaching. Paulo's one year diagnosis anniversary date is tomorrow. Your family has lived life to the fullest, and relationships have been strengthened and deepened. So many of us have seen it and been blessed by it. The Lord continue to bless all of you with his grace and peace.
We are praying for each one of you on a daily basis. We are praying for healing, strength, and God be glorified. Once again, Calen is such a blessing of a friend to our daughter Hope, thanks for raising such a great son. Please let us know if we can do ANYTHING.
The Nichols family,
Ben, Sydney & Hope
Thank you for the updates. We all wish the news were better. The prayers will continue until Mark is healed. It is difficult to hear about the children. God Bless Them. God Bless You All.
R from St Mike's
Rhonda, Mark, Calen, Colton, and Emily - you are in my thoughts and prayers. I do not pray very much but I will do the best that I can for you - I can promise that. Be well, and all the best always,
Your friend Christoph
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