Weekend Update

We have been all over the board this weekend. Saturday was a great day. Ken felt great. He had a visit from Joyce, Stephanie, Lavon, Bobby and Alex from Oregon. We even went shopping at the mall so that Ken could get some exercise. It was the first day since March 4th that we didn't have to go to the ER or the Cancer Center. It was great.

Sunday, Ken slept pretty well, but he woke up feeling full. We called the pulmonary office and Dr. Wallick called us back. She did not want to drain Ken today as she wanted him to stay full till his procedure on Monday. When we finally made it clear that he couldn't wait, she moved his surgery to 11 am today. We were still a little apprehensive, but she moved forward and inserted the catheter. I am so overwhelmed and nervous about it, but we just have to deal with it now. I hope it is the best for Ken. I still can't help thinking it is just convenient for the docs. Dr. Wallick said she has never seen anyone leak as much as Ken is leaking. I hope they know what they are doing and that it goes well. I am mostly worried about the liquid seeping out of his new wounds. We had so much trouble getting his first chest tube wound to stop leaking and now he has 2 new wounds that are lower and closer to the liquid in his chest. I am going to hope for the best and say some extra prayers tonight. It has been a pretty stressful today.

The nurses taught me how to drain him thru his new catheter. It seems simple enough, just have to keep things very sterile. Ken always told me that as a kid, he had a crush on Dr. Kildare's nurse. Now he is stuck with nurse Bev. Sorry, Ken. It's just me. So far I am giving him his blood thinner shots, flushing his IV that they sent him home with and now I'll be draining his chest. Scary.

We need to hold on for 2 weeks. At that time, we will be evaluating if his Rituxin is working and deciding if he needs additional Chemo. We will be evaluating the drainage and will maybe have surgery if it doesn't slow down by then. Dr. Wallick said the catheter is a short term fix. And at the end of 2 more weeks, we will be evaluating Ken's voice as well. If it is still horse then, they will send him to a throat specialist to check his voice box. She said it may have a paralyzed section in it and they can give it a shot to hopefully fix it. And, as if that isn't enough, his blood clot should be gone by then and they should have Ken on an oral medicine by then instead of his shots. This is good since he gets the shots twice a day and our cost of each shot is $28.o0. Insurance paid an additional $40 some dollars a shot. Really expensive.

We are trying to stay positive. Ken has been amazing. It has been especially hard for me today. I'm so worried about him. Luckily with the surgery and the drugs they gave him, he has slept most of the day and has not seen my tears. I have tried to be very strong for him, but today was the hardest. I just can't get over being scared. I think after I say my prayers tonight and get some sleep, I will feel better. Thanks for saying prayers with me.

Many people have called and let us know that this blog is helping them stay informed. But if ever you have a question and want to know more info, or if we don't quite explain things well enough, please don't hesitate to ask. You can call, email or blog us. But most of all, keep us in your prayers. Thanks for everything. Bev and Ken