For now

At this point in the journey I am not really sure how frequently I will write. When you think about a break from chemo it seems as if life would go back to "normal" (whatever that may be). This past weekend just goes to prove the effects of chemotherapy on the body. Paul's last chemo was 4 weeks ago, but he is still fighting fatigue. I want to better explain what I mean...he was awake about 8 hours over the entire weekend. Unfortunately he was so fatigued that even the times he was awake he wasn't very active. I am telling you this disease is awful. The things one has to go through to rid the body of cancer cells is terrible.

So to say the least...the weekend was uneventful. I spent the best part of the weekend getting the kids ready for their big day on Monday. The first day of school. This is always exciting for the children. Always so much fun to grow into another stage in their life.

I have been thinking...do you want to still hear about our boring lives? It will be mid-September before we know if we are waiting for another month or starting something new. So I will definitely post a few times between now and then, but I am unsure how much really!

I want to leave you with a saying I found on a bracelet during our trip to the mountains.

Have Faith, Expect Miracles.

Doctor's Visit Yesterday

Well, there is some good and bad to yesterday. The bad is the platelets were too low for treatment again. The doctor gave us the results of the CT scan, the good news is Paul is in what the doctor called "stable remission". The lymph nodes are normal sized and the blood work marker for colorectal cancer is "undetectable". I guess you could say that the cancer is inactive at this point. So Paul has a break for now from chemo.

Paul will go back in one month for blood work. Until then he gets to recuperate from the nasty toxins from the chemo and ENJOY LIFE! Praise God for this much needed break. This is a physical struggle and mental struggle, the break is definitely needed!

Scan Today

Paul has his CT scan today. This means 6-8 hours of no food or liquid and a mug full of berry smoothie deliciousness (I picked up that word from Peyton!) Hopefully we will know more about the scan on Monday.

I was going to post a few pictures of the kiddos and Paul hitting golf balls at the driving range a couple of weeks ago.

Paul and I, the kids, along with Nannie and Papaw went out to let the kiddos take a few practice swings at the course. Obviously, the kids had a wonderful time!

I Can Cope

Last night Paul and I attended another I Can Cope meeting. The topic was communicating concerns and feelings. When I first saw the topic matter, I thought wow, not just cancer survivors can benefit from this. So, once again, I found it was a beneficial meeting. I hope the group continues to grow, I think these meetings would be really beneficial to many patients. Starting in October, the meeting time will change to the first Tuesday of each month. So if you live close by and want to attend, let us know and we can get you some more information.

Paul is doing fairly well this week. He is still experiencing some side effects; mainly he is experiencing nueropathy, headaches and fatigue. Tomorrow is the CT scan and he gets to drink his favorite berry "smoothie" (okay, maybe it isn't his favorite!)

Uh oh, it happened again!

There is good news and bad news - bad news is the platelets are too low for treatment, good news is Paul gets another week off. Although there is another break, this news was a little upsetting because he just wants to get finished with the last two treatments of this cycle.

Since he is unable to get chemo this week, he is going ahead and getting a CT scan on Friday. This will let us know how the cancer has been responding to the treatment. Also Paul talked with the doctor on his continual headache, so he is trying a new medicine to maybe get that under control. He has had a headache for about 3 weeks now and I know that is wearing on his last nerve.

Don't worry, we won't be running away to the mountains this time. (We might have if he didn't have a CT scan scheduled!)

Please pray with us as Paul has his CT scan on Friday. It is discouraging he can't have treatment, when there are only 2 more.

Then you will call, and the Lord will answer; you will cry for help and he will say, Here I am
Is 58:9

Weak and weary

You may have noticed in my blogging lately, but things seem to be more difficult here at the end. Paul's side effect are lasting longer, and he is still experiencing headaches. And, in my opinion, he is emotionally drained.

I have always heard that people get to a point in chemo treatments that they just want to quit. I can see how they get there emotionally. It is a totally draining experience. Only 2 treatments left, but I must admit this has been a LONG 6 months, and I haven't been the one that is sick.

Sorry for this blah post, the theme to this is definitely weakness, both emotionally and physically. I know we must keep our eyes focused on Him.

He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.
Is. 40:29

Apologies

Wow, I hadn't realized that I didn't post on Friday. Last week was a "doozy" for Paul and myself. It just seemed it was one thing after another! I am glad we have that behind us. Paul is going through the normal side effects, nausea, vomiting, fatigue...but he is also still suffering from headaches. It has been around 11 or 12 days with a headache and I know that is getting to him.