ArtsieSteph's dad's cancer superthread

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ArtsieSteph

ArtsieSteph

Senior Member
#41
Apr 1, 2014
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#41
Hey guys!

Just a few updates: I indeed did get sick but hilariously with another thing. I got that cold that everyone has had in the house including dad, fortunately before his treatment started. We're pretty stringent on keeping the face masks on though so that helps.

Dad has been feeling more like his old self, which is funny because he has been a lot stricter about cleaning things up. He gets into this mode of "I need to do this, this, and this before I feel too crappy again." And he has been going a mile a minute. He has indeed been resting in intervals though, as well as keeping up with his liquid diet and now soft food add ins so I can't be too mad.

I think that dad has in mind us moving soon, because it seems like he has been having us not only box up a ton of stuff but also we are having a garage sale tomorrow of a lot of his car things. We are thinking of downsizing to something a bit more cost effective, though personally I think we should move closer to the Cancer Treatment Center of America he's been getting all his stuff from.

It's interesting how things have felt "normal" the past few days, but our family friend Lynn who has Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma mentioned that you usually don't feel as good after chemo as you do after the first treatment. I hope with him it isn't the case. I needs to be doing things, it seems to help.

That's basically it for now. Jenn's getting married in two weeks and, yeah. Life.
 
D

Depleted

Guest
#42
#42
John had Hepatitis C, which is treated with the same chemo as cancer, but in less doses. The pills weren't happy-time, but his once a week shot was the thing that got him the most sick. There was a delay between the shot and the-most sick though. So we planned two meals a week. One the night before the shot, and the other the night of the shot. (Held off giving the shot until afternoon, so he could eat before getting sick.)

And that one day was his busy time. He always felt like he had to take care of everything while he still could.

All I can say is, yeah, guys are like that. :)
 
ArtsieSteph

ArtsieSteph

Senior Member
#43
Apr 1, 2014
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#43
He has been in very good spirits today, despite being his 10th day after treatment and possibly the start when his white count could drop. He hasn't been around crowds or me, which is good for his being healthy.

Honestly I almost cried today. Happy cried. He was silly today. He hasn't been silly for like a week.
 
P

pottersclay

Guest
#44
#44
ArtsieSteph said:
He has been in very good spirits today, despite being his 10th day after treatment and possibly the start when his white count could drop. He hasn't been around crowds or me, which is good for his being healthy.

Honestly I almost cried today. Happy cried. He was silly today. He hasn't been silly for like a week.
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Praise God sis only he can do that, glad to hear, and you sound very well yourself so how's mom and the rest doing.
Love it to hear good news makes me brake into my happy dance.


 
M

Miri

Guest
#45
#45
ArtsieSteph said:
He has been in very good spirits today, despite being his 10th day after treatment and possibly the start when his white count could drop. He hasn't been around crowds or me, which is good for his being healthy.

Honestly I almost cried today. Happy cried. He was silly today. He hasn't been silly for like a week.
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Glad to hear it. Take things one day at a time. :)
 
ArtsieSteph

ArtsieSteph

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#46
Apr 1, 2014
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#46
So they gave him a shot to bring punks white blood cells and it is hurting him pretty bad. It basically uses your own bone marrow to bring them up, but it makes you very very sore and crampy. Please pray. He gets a good night sleep.
 
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Depleted

Guest
#47
#47
ArtsieSteph said:
So they gave him a shot to bring punks white blood cells and it is hurting him pretty bad. It basically uses your own bone marrow to bring them up, but it makes you very very sore and crampy. Please pray. He gets a good night sleep.
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Typo translator needed: What was "bring punks" supposed to be, if autocorrect hadn't played games?
 
ArtsieSteph

ArtsieSteph

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#48
Apr 1, 2014
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#48
HAHAHAH, sorry I typed really quickly on my ipad before I went to bed so it autocorrected some things. It's supposed to be "a shot to bring up his white blood cells."
 
D

Depleted

Guest
#49
#49
ArtsieSteph said:
HAHAHAH, sorry I typed really quickly on my ipad before I went to bed so it autocorrected some things. It's supposed to be "a shot to bring up his white blood cells."
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I knew it was supposed to make sense. lol
 
ArtsieSteph

ArtsieSteph

Senior Member
#50
Apr 1, 2014
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#50
Second chemo is underway, 2 more to go after this. He's been losing a little hair, please pray it doesn't all fall out before Jenn's wedding this Sunday
 
Blain

Blain

The Word Weaver
#51
Aug 28, 2012
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#51
ArtsieSteph said:
Second chemo is underway, 2 more to go after this. He's been losing a little hair, please pray it doesn't all fall out before Jenn's wedding this Sunday
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Babe even if it does I highly doubt that is going to affect the wedding, just the fact he is there will mean the world to everyone besides sometimes we guys look better bald lol
 
Blain

Blain

The Word Weaver
#53
Aug 28, 2012
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#53
The most common question I was asked when I was bald from chemo was... can I feel your head? XD
 
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Depleted

Guest
#54
#54
Funny thing. John lost all his hair... on the outside of his legs. (I have to admit. I was a little jealous. lol)
 
M

Miri

Guest
#55
#55
Depleted said:
Funny thing. John lost all his hair... on the outside of his legs. (I have to admit. I was a little jealous. lol)
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What, ya mean no more shaving! Lol
 
ArtsieSteph

ArtsieSteph

Senior Member
#56
Apr 1, 2014
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#56
Dad is doing ok, he's actually going to church tonight to help count offering monies. Please pray I don't make him nauseous with my driving and that he not get sick from touching the money. He's gonna wear gloves and a mask, but still.
 
Blain

Blain

The Word Weaver
#57
Aug 28, 2012
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#57
ArtsieSteph said:
Dad is doing ok, he's actually going to church tonight to help count offering monies. Please pray I don't make him nauseous with my driving and that he not get sick from touching the money. He's gonna wear gloves and a mask, but still.
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With him having cancer and yet giving his all to help the church.... he must be an inspiration to everyone there :D
 
ArtsieSteph

ArtsieSteph

Senior Member
#59
Apr 1, 2014
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#59
So far my dad has had 3 chemo treatments, and it seems like this one has been hitting him the hardest so far. The thing that he says he has the hardest thing with is how long this is all going to take.

When he went to his most recent check up, he was told most likely that he wasn't gonna get any kind of surgery but instead just have to basically be on chemo as long as his body will tolerate it and it works on his cancer. Apparently this realization kinda crushed him a little. It sorta took away his hope of being "better" and not being in this constant cycle of pain.

He said it wasn't as bad when he was thinking about Jenn's wedding, which was pretty, since he had something to look forward to and plan for. But now, he's a little listless. Dad sold a lot of things trying to make moving easier for me and mom, but he seems to have kinda robbed himself of things he enjoys.

I guess, does anyone know of ways to be able to give him something to work towards that doesn't necessarily have to be physical? I thought about gardening but I don't think he cares for that. Maybe model cars? Hm....
 
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Depleted

Guest
#60
#60
Chemo does tend to get worse and worse. I wish I could give you something there.

As for hobbies? If he wants ya'll to move, wouldn't he be bothered by bringing new stuff into the house? (Gardening isn't going to work, if the plan is to be out of the house before end of gardening season. Model cars brings about more-stuff syndrome. Something he doesn't want.)

Of course, me being me, my mind immediately goes to writing. When I became disabled, I tried a lot of hobbies but fell for writing. (Advantage. Don't need more stuff in the house to do it, assuming there is already a computer of some kind in the house.) And writing takes on so many aspects. Right now, I'm reading hubby's medical file from that year-of-hell. I've become tempted to create a common-sense pamphlet for the healthcare staff at his hospital. (Won't. But I'm tempted. lol) Stuff like:
1. Stop telling the patient the therapist is coming to see if he can eat again, when you know darn well she's not coming.
2. Write down what you want the patient to know the most in English, because he's hearing a bunch of words used in national spelling bees, not words he understands.

You know, common sense stuff. (I bet your dad is already developing a list. lol)

Or he can write an article to help others in his spot. "How to give your daughter away at her wedding during chemo." Or "Five Things I Wasted My Time Worrying about when I should have been worried about these other five things." If he has a sense of humor, all the better.

And, then there are short stories and novels.

One thing that helped hubby greatly when he was on chemo was to have ME start a blog. (I hovered, so it got me off his back. lol) Maybe your dad might like to start blogging.

And then there is the "he's a guy" thing. John's biggest concerns when he was in the hospital was knowing I'm not good at cooking or fixing things. (That even got into the notes in his file. Yeesh! :rolleyes:) How about having your dad teach you stuff that would be good for you to know if he can't do it or good to know when you live on your own? And there's a bunch, (because "he's a guy." lol) John tried teaching me how to take out the trap in the sink. (I broke it. It's okay. I broke it, because it had almost rotted through. :eek:) He was mighty impressed when he watched me do the humidifier pads. (He thought I was doing something wrong last year, when the humidifier wasn't working right. I did too. Ends up, I was doing everything right. The humidifier is going. (As of today, it's gone!) BUT he got to see me change pads, which gives him comfort in knowing I'm not as inept as he feared.) He still has to teach me how to record shows on our DVR's. I watched him check the oil in the car. Guys can think of 20,000 things every woman should know how to do. (Because "he's a guy." lol)

He really was doing better when the wedding was coming up. Looking forward to something good, does that to a cancer patient. (It's scientifically proven.) Be his next project. You are his next project anyway. His next goal is for you to be perfectly fine on your own. Let him teach you everything you don't yet know -- budgeting, balancing a checkbook, what percentage of your paycheck should go for housing, how to unclog a pipe, how to fix a lamp, where to get the best deals on... everything. There's this long list that we just never know we need to know until we get ourselves to that place where we need to know it. Strange part is every parent has already been there, and remembers what they didn't know. They sometimes forget that's lessons to teach their kids.
 
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