Today we are slightly over half way through the treatment. Doug woke up today not feeling very well, his mouth is unbelievable. The sores he has on his lips now appear to have sores on top of them. They bleed and crust over and make nasty gunk that oozes (those are all technical nursing terms, by the way!) He keeps rinsing his mouth out with baking soda and salt water which help some, but only to get the crusty stuff off and only temporarily. Over the last 24 hours, he has eaten and kept down one piece of Texas toast and one can of food that went down his stomach tube. He has thrown up everything else he has eaten. We are not sure why, it may be due to the increase in the dose of the Duragesic (fentenyl) patch which is for pain. Today, I got him to get down about 4 ounces of canned food in the tube, and he is sleeping on the chair next to me. I will try again to get the rest of the can down when he wakes up. My job today is to be the food police and my duty is to try to get some calories down that skinny man and to keep them in him.
Cancer is such a horrible thing to deal with, whether you are the patient or the loved one. While I am sure that dealing with the sore throat, mouth sores, vomiting, fatigue and face rash are miserable, it is so hard as the spouse to see your husband like this http://pharmacieinde.fr/viagra-pour-femme. I look at a picture of the two of us every morning on our dresser, it is from our last cruise, we are dressed up and beaming. Lots of color on our faces from the sun, and our smiles bright from all the fun we had been having. Then I look over in the bed and see him now. He is so skinny, like a shell of the man in the picture. His face blochy from the rash, his mouth oozing pus from the sores on his lips. He is bald now, no hair on his face or head, just some new patches of white hair that have defied the chemo and grew out. I know this is temporary, but it is so hard to look at the man you love and see what cancer and it’s treatment have done to him. So while it is hard for the patient, as the caregiver, it is a difficult battle as well. All of us know someone who has or had cancer and while each type is different and the treatment is different for each person, I want you to know that the person standing behind the cancer survivor is a mental wreck and probably needs a hug too. 🙂
We love you. A million hugs are on the way everyday.
P.S I love you, Bonequisha Lasha Jenkins
Big hugs and prayers coming your way, Laurie! I do know the difficulty of helping someone through treatment – my grandmother (who’s really been like my mom my whole life) is a Stage 3 breast cancer survivor. It was agonizing to see her so weak and sick from the chemo, but my gosh the radiation seemed worse. She couldn’t eat and drank lots of Boost shakes and anything else we could get creative with. I can’t imagine dealing with sores on top of all of that. I will say some specific prayers for you both tonight. I hope that things are better soon!
Laurie,
Here is a big hug for you and Doug. I know it has to be hard. It is difficult to just read about it. I could not imagine being in your shoes or Dougs. Please let me know if there is anything I can do for you all.
Doug,
you have been such a trooper. I wonder sometimes why you are not on calls, or don’t make any comments. I suppose that I don’t wonder anymore. :o|
It’s good that you (your wife) have a blog like this. Guys just don’t feel comfortable sharing their troubles. But sometimes it’s good to let people know. I will keep praying (more) that you will see a reason for the struggle someday. Maybe you will be able to help someone else in their distress. You will certainly understand. I’m glad that your prognosis is good, and that the trial has an end. Count those days, man! Talk to you soon. george
I must admit that I have been praying for Doug but have not spent as much time on the caregiver. However, from now on I will try to pray for you as much as for Doug. Just hang in there, he needs you.
Laurie,
100 hugs and kisses for you.
This is crazy time.
I admire you for all you are doing.
🙂 Ada