Long Lost Poster

What a week! I don't even know where to start.

To update on Brian first...things are great with Brian...appetite, pain, overall well-being. I woke up this morning to him just roaring with laughter. He had TiVo'ed Larry the Cable Guy: Health Inspector, and was watching it. I haven't seen him laugh like that in a long time, and I got the giggles just listening to him!

As for me, the week has not been good. I feel like a prisoner in my own home. I am scared to step out to get the mail because one seizure this week lasted 20 seconds and another lasted 45 seconds. Never mind taking a shower or changing laundry, or heck, even going to the bathroom. I feel guilty for feeling frustrated, yet my anger is at the melanoma. How did this disease get us to this point? The only good part is that Brian and I are the type of couple who can easily spend every moment together and not get tired of each other. So at least we've enjoyed our time.

My laptop can't be fixed so easily. I am still contemplating what to do with it, and I have some options. We were surprised by a special delivery today from someone who wishes to remain anonymous. They purchased a new desktop computer for our family! The girls were shocked and very excited, and this will be a great addition to meet our family's needs. The girls were very curious about who purchased this gift, and I told them some people who love and care about us very much, and had the means to do something like this to help us. Brian and I continue to be humbled by the generosity of so many. We have been touched by many acts of kindness, from little things to much bigger, each special to us because we know much thought and sacrifice has been put into each donation, each meal, each act...and they all have lightened our load. So I'm hooked up to the Internet tonight, via this new computer, and I don't feel like such a social outcast!

As for the rest of the week, I got strep! It was awful. I felt like a big baby, considering how sick Brian is all the time. It was the worst sore throat I have ever had. I finally iced my neck because it felt bruised. I can tell the antibiotic is kicking in, and today I am finally feeling a little better. Now it is time to take on the house that looks like a tornado hit after I've been sick all week! I was very happy to see Mary, Brian's nurse, on Friday. She brought him lunch (offered for me, but I couldn't swallow yet) and took great care of him. I am thankful that he was feeling decent so I could just sleep on the couch. Thanks to my sisters and my dad for jumping in and taking care of the kids for the evening on Thursday. The girls stayed at their dad's on Friday, which gave them a break from being around sick people! We are trying to get back to normal. We've really had someone sick in our house for 3 weeks now. Denise has been sick too, so they are staying away this weekend.

And then there is the melanoma world. It doesn't stop ever. I nearly threw up tonight when I logged on to Keith's blog. His wife and I have become cyber friends, as we are both caregivers to stage IV melanoma patients. While I was shut off from the world for a week, Keith has taken a turn for the worst. He spent a few days at the hospital, where they discovered several brain mets. They brought him home in hospice, and he is going downhill fast. Please join me in praying for the Hallam family during this difficult time.

And then there is John who earned his wings this week. Things are really rough right now for Michelle as she just finished whole brain radiation, and Joshua's white blood count is up to 75K...they are having a hard time figuring out what is going on with him. And then there is Sean, who is starting biochemotherapy on Monday. Brian has done that, and he considers it the worst thing he did in all of his treatments. Sean is young and otherwise in good health, so hopefully this aggressive treatment will be the one for him.

On the flip side...it is March 8th. I seriously didn't think I would be waking up in the morning to Brian's laughter by March. I am thankful for each moment of each day to be with him. We did indeed miss the 3rd try to get to Carlos O'Kelly's, considering I was running a temp over 103! I told his therapist that day that we weren't going to tell anyone when we are going next time, and that I was just going to tell Brian, come on, let's go, hurry...and Steve said..tuck and roll! We got a good laugh out of that, and I could only imagine just dragging Brian to the top of the steps and rolling him down in an effort to get out of the house unscathed and actually get to that date. So for now, we are keeping our plans for that date a secret! I'll let you know when it actually happens!

I better let Rachel get on the computer. She's wanting to check on Jacob and also do some vocab homework since we haven't had a computer!

Best wishes for a healthy week ahead.
Jenni