Friday, October 9, 2009

Oct 9

Hello to all. Sorry I didn't post yesterday. It was a crazy day. Mark did well with the chemo infusion. He was hurting when he woke yesterday morning and took 2 pain pills before we left for the infusion center and was still hurting, so he took another one when we got there (that is in addition to the pain patch he is wearing). After they gave him the Benadryl as the premedication, he went to lala land. We watched him closely during the Erbitux infusion since he was so sedated. I sat and stared at him and watched him breathe. The first 5 minutes are the most critical as that is the most notorious for having the anaphylactic reaction. It was stressful, but after the 5 minutes passed, I could relax a little. After the first 30 minutes, I felt better and then each passing minute got easier and easier. They usually run this infusion in over 1 hour, but it took 3 hours yesterday because it was the first one. After the Erbitux, he got the Camptosar infusion. We were glad to be done with the chemo. That was the first time Mark got to get unhooked and leave the Cancer Center without taking a chemo infusion with him. Boy was it nice. Mark didn't get nauseated which was a big plus. He felt extremely tired and his skin looked a yellowish gray color (if there is such a thing). He always does that with the chemo.

He didn't drink anything but a few sips yesterday. He ate a very small amount of food for dinner and then decided he wanted to go to Calen's football game last night. We were all a little shocked to hear him say that. He managed to sit through the game. It was a good one. Auburn beat Smith Station who was previously undefeated. After the game, Mark had a really difficult time managing the stairs. He had to climb up 4 steps and each one must have seemed like a mountain to him. He had to stop between each one and rest and pull himself with the handrail. I thought we were going to have to pick him up and carry him for a minute, but he managed to make it on his own.

He is up this morning and vomited once. He is tired and just worn out, but managed a Carnation instant breakfast. Hopefully we can push some calories in him today and get his activity level up.

Thanks for all the prayers. We feel God's presence at work. God bless!!!

2 comments:

Beverly and Curt Marshall said...

So glad that yesterday is behind you and that Mark tolerated the new chemo. Thank you for keeping us updated. Our prayers are with you and the family and we stand ready to help if there is anything you need.

Philly said...
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