I can hardly believe that today is the first day of August! As time goes on, I will either have absolutely no memory of the summer of 2016 or I will always remember it as the worst summer ever. So far, I'm leaning toward "worse summer ever".
Since my last post, Denny had a bile duct stint replaced, I had surgery, and Denny began his second round of chemo. Its been such a busy two weeks that I haven't had a chance to make my regular "life lately" posts., but will try to bring everything up to date in this one.
Denny Update (and Me, Too)
I needed an operation to fix a hernia (the result of a hysterectomy that didn't heal properly), but had put it off for several months while we tried to figure out what was wrong with Denny. Then, after we got the cancer diagnosis, I put if off a little longer. Finally, Denny and I sat down with the calendar and carefully chose what dates would work best for both of us - he needed to feel well enough to take care of me for the few days I would need help, and I needed to be up and around so I could take care of him after he began his second round of chemo.
Two weeks ago tomorrow, I went to the hospital for same day surgery. Unfortunately, what was suppose to be a 4 incision laparoscopic procedure turned into 11 incisions and a two night stay at the hospital. What's that old saying about "best laid plans"?
Prior to my surgery, Denny had the stint in his bile duct replaced. (This is something that has to be done every 2-3 months.) The procedure went fine, and everything was normal until about 15 minutes after we got home when Denny started having bad shivers/shakes. I called he doctor, and he told me to take him to the ER. Turned out that he was severely dehydrated. After that issue was resolved, we returned home. It was a long day. (We spent almost 4 hours in the car that day!)
Fast forward two weeks. Denny was scheduled to begin chemo, but (because of my surgery), I was unable to take him. I don't know what hurt worse - the pain, or my disappointment of not being able to go with him.
This was one of those times that we needed to accept help from friends, and we were glad to take "Sweeney-Man" up on his offer to take Den to his chemo session. Yep, that's right, his name is "Sweeney-Man" (or at least that's what Denny calls him), and he not only drove him there, but he also kept him company the entire 4 hours before delivering him back home. After being home for awhile though Denny began having symptoms that concerned me enough to call the doctor. My instincts were correct and off to the ER he went again. Only this time we needed someone to take him (talk about feeling useless!). My sister-in-law Bee picked him up within minutes and took good care of him.
Evidently, he was experiencing allergic reactions to the nausea medicine in the chemo. They fixed him up, prescribed medication, and sent him home. Again, it was another long day.
So . . . for the most part, that brings us up to date. So far, Denny seems to be tolerating the chemo a little better than last time (answers to prayers maybe?) and I am making progress at recuperating from surgery.
It's a hard lesson, but we're learning that we are not in control of much of anything anymore (not that we really ever were), and that we need to just accept it for what it is and try to make the best of it. The Lord is in control and we are in his hands. Please keep us in your prayers.
