She got a massage today

Since Saturday we have had some decent days. Thank you to Phyllis Domingue for taking the early morning shift on Tuesday. They arrived at 6:00am for the blood draw. Her platelets were low again and they needed to do one more transfusion. Thankfully, it is a short transfusion, and they were home midafternoon.

Massage time

This week has been busy with appointments with the integrated medicine services at MD Anderson. She has talked to three nutritionists and has new diet planning going on. She also has been interested in getting back to Massage Therapy and Acupuncture. All the years sitting at a desk and/or on the road in the car, she would regularly get massages from a therapist across the street from our office. Tham is in her seventies and still can apply some killer pressure.

During the consultation with the IM services, we realized that numbers, cancer, supplements, and nutrients all must be well coordinated. Things that we all assume can help can sometimes hurt. Her bloodwork this morning was in the acceptable ranges for her to get a massage today. Halleluiah!

The last two weeks we had bruises

The funny thing about bruises is that they just pop up in places that make you wonder why they are there? This was a new thing for us. She did have a slight fall and bruised her forearm, but not terribly bad. Then we started to notice that she had more on her legs and torso. This comes from her hemoglobin and platelets being low. So even a mildly firm grip was leaving a mark. Crazy stuff.

Family this week and next

Linda is back for a few days. Andrew and Andrea are arriving tomorrow night for the weekend. Chris will be in late next week. The week after that, my sisters are planning to visit. We like the company and the help. We must stay cautious about being around too many people at certain times. We want to be available for friends and family as much as possible.

I enjoy having guests as more of a mental break for me. Yes. I said it. Michele understands.

How are you, Mike?

Like Michele, I have my good days and my bad days. Sometimes they are in the same mood as Michele and sometimes they are the exact opposite. Why is that? Our life has been an epic journey. This is a season where we are forged into something greater than we have ever been before.

My best phrase at the moment is “I know in retirement I will need a couple of hobbies!” I say that because being idle does not suit us. Many days, the weight of being her support leaves me with little to give in our business and lives in general. While she has Chemo Brain, I have the supportive spouse fog. Which is something different than what we had thought of being a supportive spouse meant.

I must look at the afternoons and days where I have zero energy or brain power to exert, that I have been the most exhaustive supportive spouse I could be. Fatigued… I would not trade my role for anything at the moment.

I am at peace in that I do not have the energy to “chase” people so they can feel important. I am at peace that some nights when she is resting peacefully, I shed a few tears. Not sad ones. Proud ones. We are learning not to let distractions take away the most important thing in the world, “US”. I am at peace knowing that our focus is on healing.

In Life and Business, plans get derailed, take detours, and sometimes arrive at completely different destinations and it is all meant to be. My role in our business has been to do whatever it takes to keep Michele doing what she does best, helping her clients and our agents. She often sits in her chair till 9:00pm talking to clients and many mornings on the phone as early as 7:00am.

She just told a client that she could not just sit around and watch TV all day and that she loves talking to her clients. If you are a client… know that your voice and text mean the world to her. Even if it is to cancel a policy. It means something.

She likes to look at our finances and more recently, the costs of the medical bills (Over $450,000 since October). Our close friends know that she can drive me crazy with some of her questions. I am learning to say “You know I can’t talk about that now” versus throwing a complete fit. (Even if it is 3:00am).

I am Ok. Not great. Not terrible. “Ok” is surprisingly good in this season. I would rather struggle being next to her over anything else.

Now for some humor

Many of you have sent us Door Dash gift cards and it took us a while to figure out how best to use them. MD Anderson is pretty much like a prison. Once you are inpatient, they really don’t want you leaving the facility. Even for guest. You are still only allowed one person outside of the “Boarder” who spends the night and if you leave, you are done for the day.

On our last hospital stay, Michele was having more cravings. Especially at night. On a big Saturday night, I had managed to fall asleep on the sleeper couch around 10:00. I knew Michele was still up working on her ipad and watching a little TV. She had been wanting to order food all evening and I thought I had effectively squashed the idea.

Until I woke up shortly after midnight. Yes midnight. Michele was on the phone with the Door Dash person trying to explain to them how to get her order to her. Keep in mind that that hospital is always on lock down so no one can deliver all the way to the room. On top of that… There is only one entrance open 24/7 and it is in the Clinic Building.

Michele is shouting at the driver that he needed to go to the Guard Desk at the hospital entrance. To make this more comical (not at the time) was that she was attempting to get dressed and get her shoes on so that she could go down there and get her food… With her Chemo treatment and IV Tree in tow!

Thankfully, the nurse came in hearing the commotion and helped her understand she could not get the food. Meanwhile, I am getting my shoes on and head to the entrance to get the food. It was in the next building over. So I am huffing and puffing all the way down the elevator, past the hospital entrance, down the hallways to get to the Clinic Building. I found the delivery!

Making it all the way back with 3 tacos and 2 bean burritos (without the extra hot sauce) to the room. She ate every bit of it. After that, we finally got to bed.

The next day? She ordered the same meal again with an insistence that they have the extra hot sauces. It was another true debacle. I will have to tell that story another time!

Have a great weekend everyone!

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