On Thursday Gil got 2 units of red and one of platelets as well as additions to his chemo cocktail. He's now getting the sub cutaneous Velcade, oral Cytoxin (same but smaller than when inpatient) and a heavy dose of prednesone (100mg)
Friday was pretty good, though he didn't sleep much. Saturday was awesome! As the busy helper bees swarmed around working on the billiards parlor or running a water line so the new fridge could make ice, the guy was all over it. He even at one point decided to walk from our porch down the drive and around the barn to build his strength. And hit a few golf balls out the ridge as he went by!! He taught some folks the game of billiards and dove into his new project going through all his CDs (chaos!)
There were a couple of bumps in the road with some intense GI fallout from the chemo but we had the appropriate med so no biggy.
A good friend was taking us out to the best steak house in Madison per Gil's request and 2/3 rds through Gil was snatched into the Twilight zone mentally and physically and couldn't find his way back. He was so wiped that he couldn't even get himself undressed and into bead at home that night.
You may recall this happened last week and both times my gut says something is seriously wrong here . But this week I wondered if it was just going to be an up and down slow rise like last week, as the side effects of the chemo throw him around. Sunday had some stronger moments and Monday even more.
His numbers yesterday red (9.8, white 1 and platelets 9) Dr Callander tweaked the cocktail a bit, adding back Revlimid and some increased meds to hopefully get him more on top of the mouth sores. And a small dose of prednesone two days after the big one to see if it's the sharp ups and downs of the steroids which as causing us the turbulence. I'm realizing that this up and down of energy may be our new norm for a while.
So the future holds some potential adventures. If Gil looks stable this Thursday and gets tanked up on transfusions, we're going to do a mini road trip this weekend!! It's David's 33rd birthday this Saturday, and he and Gil haven't seen each other since last June, so with the help of David's best friend Sean, we're going to leave Thursday after the hospital, spend the night at my cousin's house on the near north of Chicago and then leave the next morn for Elkton Ohio. We should get there in time to visit Friday eve, Saturday day and Sunday morn before heading home. This is a pretty important visit for both of them. I think I have the supports and comforts in place to make this work and Dr Callander is, as always, encouraging us to go for it. So we will.
When we get back, Chris and Miya will have arrived to spend their Spring Break with us, and help get the billiards experience smooth and in the groove.
I suspect there will be some crash and burn moments in these next couple of weeks, but as we breathe into our new norm I think we can weather them. Denial helps. It really is all about enjoying life even if you have to do it in between rushes to the bathroom so to speak.
And, with a little help from our friends , the new refrigerator with ice maker, is IN! Life is GOOD.
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