Tonight I am writing to tell you how we are ending the day. (This is Mike).
The Doctors have been a true gift in telling things straight about the situation. No riddles. Today we learned that the chemo is doing its job and Michele’s body is being supportive of the destroying of the cancer cells. As the cancer cells are destroyed, they release their “payload” and that can be some serious situations for the healthy parts of the body.
The “Gun shot wound” for the day. Protect the heart and the kidneys. With the increase in certain blood test there are elevated risks to the heart that could cause issues with it’s performance. On the Kidney side, it was explained to imagine a traffic jam on a freeway when too many cars converge on one area. Under normal situations her kidneys would be able to filter the blood effectively. The doctors have advised many ways to combat this, including Dialysis to be more aggressive in cleaning and filtering the blood.
So today I am calling Heavy Bathroom day. Michele has said about every two hours she has to tinkle, but it is more like 30-45 minutes. And there is a special procedure to flush so that no Chemo contaminants get into the air. I am now using the bathroom down the hall 8-).
To make bathroom breaks more challenging, she has to carry a heart monitor, her IV rack, and maneuver around her extended oxygen line to get to the bathroom. Trust me. I am impressed with all she can do in this situation as I still find it challenging to get to the bathroom in the middle of the night without all of the other stuff. 8-).
We have paused the Chemo treatments until they can get a handle on the other measurements. Which should be tonight or tomorrow. and then we will continue.
In less than 2 weeks, a number of you will be heading off to Aruba with our Alliance Family. As Michele said, this is hard for us to miss. I know we will get back there and visit the beach bar again. I encourage our friends that are going to seek it out.
Speaking of our friends. WOW!!!!! What an amazing outpouring of love from people we have not seen in years to our newest acquaintances. The odd thing is when I see Michele in tears, it is because of something she is reading from one of you.
Local friends and family have been hooking us up with snacks and other items needed immediately. If you are wondering how you can help, don’t worry… There is plenty of road ahead of us. We hope to at home resting and recovering by the end of the month. Stay tuned for ways you can help. Right now we need more than anything the power of healing from your prayers, words, and thoughts.
A person may never know the breadth of the impact they have had on others lives. Today, Michele is overwhelmed that she has touched more lives than she can imagine. Keep the comments coming. Tell her a funny joke or a memory of her that brings a smile to your face (Direct message ya’ll) She is able to read her social media and direct messages on facebook and text.
We will get through this and in record time and in style. Thank you all for the love.
- Mike.
Michele's Cancer Journey 