5 more treatments...
We have to do this 5 more times and radiation. The goal is to be done by
12/12/12. After this he will have another one to two years of outpatient
therapy. This will be medicine everyday and a once a month chemo shot. This is
a form of leukemia so he’ll have to have checkups to make sure it doesn’t
return.
Cliff and I talked about what it will be like in December when he's done
with treatment. We know it will take some time to get him back to his old self.
He will have to go back to work and he'll want to train again. The difference
is that he'll want to be home more. He will try and not work every Saturday. He
won't train as much as he was before. Sweet Coy knows that his dad is sick. The
first week Cliff was in the hospital Coy came to visit and wrote on a get well
pillow “Dad I hope nothing happens to you. Love Coy” It still makes me sad when
I think about what he wrote. We try and shield as much as we can, but he sees
it. Cliff looks different and he can't wrestle with him. To be honest the
constant wrestling drove me crazy, but I can't wait to see the day where they
are doing it again. Cliff can’t play with Gabriella as much either. He can only
hold her for a few short minutes because she’s all over the place. When she
gets her shots next month I’ll have to schedule it when he’s in the hospital because
he can’t be around the live virus. To tell a father that he can’t hold his kids
would be hard for anyone, but especially for Cliff. He’s an amazing/involved
dad.
On a different note we got home from the hospital yesterday afternoon. It
was nice to be home on a Friday, so we get a couple of days before I go back to
work on Monday. Overall, he is feeling okay. His bones hurt so it’s very hard
for him to walk or move. This pain typically only last for a day after we get
home, so we have hopes that it will be gone tomorrow. His spinal tap went very
well! A friend walked in while Dr. Turner was doing the spinal tap and that was
a great distraction for Cliff. Dr. Turner typically doesn’t allow that, but because
it was for Cliff he made the exception. I’m figuring out that Cliff is making
quite the impression with the doctor’s, nurses, housekeeping, and dining staff.
You can’t help but create a bond with these people. I know it’s their job to
make him comfortable, but I know that Cliff is getting a little special treatment
at times. He doesn’t have a headache like last time! Thank goodness! He did get
sick a couple of times after his spinal tap though…exorcist style. I joked that
they’ll have to paint the walls after he was discharged. He had this acid
bubble in his gut so when he would get sick there was no warning sign to grab a
bag. I’m getting quite good when this happens though. I grab gloves, wet rag,
inform the nurses, and start cleaning up. Its chemo throw up so you have to be
careful when handling. The hazmat team has already visited him once.
Once again this post was all over the place, but that’s how my brain works
these days. We thank you for the Facebook messages, texts, and prayers.
Kisses before his blood count drops!
Dr. Turner
This was his last dose of chemo Thursday night.
