Hi All,

It is hard to believe but we had treatment number 11 out of 35 today and 1 chemo out of 3 this week. That is about a third of the way through. I am well aware of what is to come. My husband knows but is not really ready to acknowledge it. He would rather take each thing as it comes and stay in the moment. He has dry mouth and lots of gunk (gargling and spitting all day). He also is losing normal taste which he is very sad about but is to be expected from what all of you have said. I am concocting all kinds of things for him to eat and drink since he still can. It is funny actually, the combinations that he likes.
We had a scare with the tube yesterday. We were walking together on a beautiful bike path and suddenly his shirt and pants were sopping wet and it did not smell too lovely. We called the doc and rushed home to change the dressing. Lots of nasty discharge. They told us to sit tight and look for infection. If not fever or pain then get to the hospital in the AM. I checked his temp all night and it was fine. When we went today they did an X-ray with contrast and said it is all fine and in fact praised nurse me for how well it was taken care of. They felt that those veins of his might have bled a bit when they took out the T-tack from the surgery. It really scared us but we are okay now. Will watch it.
So we are moving forward. The biggest challenges are yet to come but we have to stay positive and keep smiling when we can. Each day in the Vermont summer is a blessing. We have a beautiful piece of land with lots of flowers and fresh air so that will help.

EllenB

God bless you. Your husband is where I was 2 years ago. It's hard, but you will get through it. Your hardest days may be yet to come, but I am doing well, now, and he will, too.

I watch for your weekly progress reports. Boy the peg incident must have been a big scare. See, I told you that you were a top notch caregiver!!!! Now I hope you believe it. To help manage the tube, after showering have your husband (or you if he wont do it) apply a dab of bacitracin ointment around the peg tube site and cover it with a drain sponge. This will help to keep it clean and healthy. Im one for having the patient be responsible for some of their care so I hope your hubby does some things for himself.

Another tip....make sure you take a few minutes every single day for yourself. Even if it is 10 or 15 minutes to sit in a nice hot bath and relax. Even caregivers can get stressed out and their job is a very important one where you cant have a sick day. Some even take anxiety meds to help them thru the rough time. So while you are being a great caregiver, make sure to be kind to yourself and take care of you also

Keep hanging in there Ellen! You are a wonderful caregiver. It sounds like you and your husband are dealing with the bumps in the road armed with knowledge and patience. There is a lot to be said for taking things as they come and staying in the moment. It takes much of the power away from the "what if's" and the "if only's"--both of which can waste so much time and energy.

What a wonderful place you have for your husband to recuperate from his treatment! I can't think of a better place than being close to nature to aid the healing process.

Take care and be good to yourself,

Sandy

Thank you for your kind words. I am trying to pay attention to me but don't have much time to do that. I do love baths and we have a hot tub outside which is a joy. Unfortunately Eddie cannot use it but I soak in the evening when all is settled. I do have Bacitracin and they said just use it if the site is red but I think that your advice is great Christine and I will use it.

My hubby is trying to do some things for himself. He just gets tired and the chemo certainly made this more intense for now. I will continue to post since I love hearing from all of you as well.

Take good care and I will be back soon. You are just such an inspiration to me and I appreciate your prompt responses. It is like having a built in support group.

Stay well.
EllenB