Chele broke the back of the beast this week, IT treatment proved challenging as it was followed by only one day of sickness. We are still in a learning curve on how to handle intrathecal chemotherapy. Next week she will try taking anti-nausea meds the night of treatment. Hopefully this will reduce the illness on the day after the treatment.
The rest of the week was good. Week 3 after chemo is always Chele’s strongest week. Her confidence continues as her strength grows each day. I have noticed more confusion and forgetfulness.
Highlight of the week We went to Costco this week. Chele stopped at an end cap and was enjoying a free sample of Chobani yogurt. The Club Demonstration Services employee, otherwise known as a free sample worker, was working Michelle hard, trying to sell her some Greek yogurt. I had stepped away to grab something out of the freezer and I heard this guy’s sales pitch” It reduces your appetite and hunger while boosting your metabolism, Chobani prides itself on encouraging good mental health and lowering blood pressure. It's even been known to help improve bone health”. Michelle looks up at him from her Costco Shopping EV and gives him a crooked smile. He kind of stops mid-sentence and says, "uh umm don't feel obligated ma'am, would you like me to put one in your basket?" I was hiding by the nearby cooler when she caught me chuckling at her. She couldn’t contain her own laughter.
So, I'm loading this case of Chobani yogurts into the car in the parking lot and she says, “I will not eat those yogurts, if you want to return them. I did not want to be rude to the nice man.”
Random Fact of the Week Oftentimes, patients believe there is a difference between bone fractures and breaks. Many people wrongly believe that "fracture" refers to a crack while a "break" is an obviously separated bone. However, orthopedic professionals have spoken out against this belief, explaining that "fracture" is the term medical professionals use to describe any crack or break in a bone. I feel mine when the weather changes.
Did you know? Michelle doesn’t like peanut butter. It’s always hard for people to believe that Michelle doesn’t like peanut butter. Treats are shared with Reese’s Pieces, and she will plain pass. What’s good for the goose is not always good for the gander.
Throwback Love Story It was October 19th, 2022, our anniversary. We had a nice day. I did not take the day off work. Michelle and I planned on going to dinner that night. It was our 20th wedding anniversary, but it landed in the middle of the week. We had plans to spend the weekend babysitting the grandkids in OKC then it was off to Vegas for a 20-year wedding celebration. At dinner I asked Michelle if she heard back from the rheumatologist about side effects on a new drug she started. We noticed some slurred speech earlier in the week, but we were not too alarmed. The rheumatologist said there was no way the drug had anything to do with slurred speech and Michelle should see her primary care doctor or go to urgent care. I asked Michelle ~when~ she heard back from the rheumatologist, and she said it was early in the morning. She proceeded to tell me that she did not want to ruin our anniversary with this news and figured it could wait. Classic Michelle. We contacted her primary care doctor on Thursday morning, and she advised us to go to urgent care immediately.
Waiting on the results of the cat scan of Michelle’s brain, we were both optimistic we would be released shortly. The internal medicine doctor returned with the results and suggested we cancel our weekend travel plans and he made arrangements for us to spend the night in the hospital. One night turned into 6. Not having a clear understanding of what was going on, I asked the charge nurse for a better explanation. The internal medicine doctor called our room and was quite rude. He was wondering what information I needed. He continued to explain that Chele had a bunch of lesions in her brain. A bunch means, draw a circle on the ground and throw a handful of pebbles in it. Reality, harsh as it was. We did not expect our time with Michelle would be very long. 10 weeks of radiation calmed Chele’s neurological symptoms.
Blood thinners were prescribed after a blood clot was caught in her lungs this past January. Another round of directed radiation was ordered in early June after chest pain with deep breathing landed Chele back in the ER. It was then Michelle decided to start a chemotherapy regimen to try to stop the further cancer growth in her body. Chele had an Ommaya Reservoir put in, this past September. This delivers chemotherapy directly to the brain and spine to help with her neurological symptoms affected by the cancer.
Maybe not the love story you are used to seeing in my updates, but a love story it is. We continue our journey, 1 year strong.
Deep Thoughts Positive thinking has the power to turn a day full of nausea and sickness into a dream date spent with my soul mate. While a delicious Crème Bismarck from Round Rock Donuts is always a good idea, there is something about just spending time with Chele that feeds my soul in a way that even the best cookie dough blizzard can’t do.
Daily Beast “Chicago Fire” (Peacock), "The Great British Bake Off" (Netflix), “Survivor” (Paramount +), “Amazing Race” (Paramount +), “Big Brother” (Paramount +) You? (Netflix)
Primetime Beat “Bad Sisters” (Apple TV), Broncos/Vikings/Longhorns Football, Twins Baseball, “Jessica Jones” (Disney +)
“Beauty and the Feast”
The Menu
Starters
THC Gummies + (★★★★★) lol
Almonds
Beastly Bites
Chicken Sliders
Pizza (★★★★)
Frankenstein Stroganoff (★★)
Taco Salad
Salty Ass Chicken (★)
Turkey (★★★)
The Side
Veggie Mix
Protein Shake
Fries
Fluids
Enterade
Aldi Lemonade
Love you,
Brian
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