Friday, September 23, 2011

A hidden treasure in this journey.....

It has been awhile since I posted........just nothing new to report, on the homefront. I'd been thinking, for quite sometime, about writing a post on Coping, when there's nothing with which to cope. Coping when things are good .....or maybe it's just when things aren't bad.

Somehow, I was unable to get enough thoughts together to write a decent post. I got a flu shot and had no flu, but had a very "successful" cold.....and just felt miserable. Just wasn't in any mood to write anything that anyone would want to read. I knew I was getting better, when thoughts began to return to my head and were making their way to my fingers.......itching to be put into words.

My honey was not looking forward to starting his 2nd round of Revlimid/Dex. The first round made him feel absolutely terrible. He was legthargic, weak, felt bad, had no appetite, and any other adjective that I can think of. Of course, the first round started with itching and a rash .....so it wasn't a very good "first impression".

During much of his off week, he also had a cold so he didn't get too much of a break from his misery. But colds have a way of finally clearing up, and he began to feel better before it was time to begin round number two.

Monday started the 2nd round, and so far (keeping fingers crossed) there have been no side-effects this time around. In fact, he's moving better, feeling better, eating better than he has since b/c (before cancer). The Revlimid has a tendency to cause a drop in platelets and blood counts ......not the case here. His are going up!

Today, for the first time in months, we went to the Mall to do some shopping and he out-walked me.

This morning, we were sitting in the Cancer Center waiting for the results of his labs and it appears to me that instead of losing hair......his is growing! Now, my honey was his mother's son (her hair was thin, and so is his), and now it really looks like it's growing.

So, if there are no issues, it gets rid of the MM, and causes his hair to grow in the process.....I consider that an added benefit! Talk about searching for treasures - we'll take them anywhere we can find them.

Sunday, September 11, 2011

A journey ends.......

When Bob was first diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma, almost one year ago (October 7 will be one year), an old friend from high school got in touch. Her husband had been living with MM for almost twelve years, They had moved from Memphis to Houston to be near his oncologist at M. D. Anderson. He was considered to be a "walking miracle", and after all those years was still doing pretty well.

She brought us great hope. It helped to hear from a positive force - someone who was a caregiver like I was about to become. And advice from someone who had been on the journey that we were about to take.

On Labor Day, her honey lost his twelve year battle against Multiple Myeloma. He was in a Nursing Home in the Houston area - a room that he shared with my friend, his wife. Not long after we spoke, she was diagnosed with incurable lung cancer which later metastasized to her brain.

And now, after only one year, my friend is in her last days.  Who knows why someone can live only one year, when another lives twelve. Maybe God thought her honey would still need her care, in heaven - or maybe God thought she couldn't live without him, here on earth. 

May you rest in peace,  Herb. And may you go in peace, when God calls for you, dear Barb.

Sadness engulfs us, but knowing that these two will no longer experience pain brings us peace.