How did we get home...

There are great pictures of Ken from today's chemo treatment. My computer is refusing to download them. I will have them for you tomorrow. Promise. But now, I am going to finish my other tasks and then I am going to sleep. Ken is napping. The dog is napping. The cat is napping in a sunny place by the sliding glass doors.  I honestly don't remember driving home from the hospital, so I should be napping.

I think that today I will include a picture of myself (something I simply do not do), from any given Tuesday since February 14, 2012...

Good night,


Paula

Monday, Monday...

Daylight savings time made our drive to the cancer center a little more interesting this morning. Wow, was it dark! (Since I am night blind and we drive a whole lot of back country roads...you get the idea.) But, we made it  on time, and Ken is officially on the second half of his treatments. Woo HOO!!

We'll be watching Ken's weight a bit closer now, as he is experiencing some difficulty with food tasting like paste. He was a bit finicky until the doctor told him this morning that weight loss is not an option. If he loses weight in his face (and we all know that his chipmunk cheeks are the first to shrink), we would have to delay treatment while a new mask was constructed. The possibility of the treatment not being as specific as necessary, and the outcome being less than anticipated...well, he ate on the way home. He ate when he got home. He is contemplating the use of the feeding tube. Whatever works (new motto for the week).

Tomorrow will be a long day, but much more manageable now that our appointment times are closer together.

Ken is napping with the dog at his feet, and the cat on the headrest of his recliner. I would take a picture, but if he woke up I would have to kick myself!!

Happy Monday!
Paula

Who is that masked man...

Post radiation breakfast.

We changed pharmacies today. Again. Hopefully, we will be able to stay with the new one for the duration of treatment. Final straw was opening the most recent prescription bag to find a bottle with someone else's name and medication. When I finally was able to get the pharmacist to answer the phone, I told him we had just received the wrong medication. His response was, "That's not necessarily the case." After reading the patients name, Rx number, prescribing doctor's information...let's just say that the back peddling began in earnest. There is more to this story, but it just doesn't matter. What DOES matter is that I am able to include a few pictures today. Ken allowed me to photograph his Radiation Mask, and the equipment he gets zapped with five days a week.He lays on that table, and has the mask placed over his face which is then strapped down to the table for the duration of the treatment. He can't get up until the techs come in and unfasten the mask.In spite of this, he tries to make the techs laugh every day. He has been successful...every day.

The radiation table.

Ken's radiation mask.

 Included the picture at the top because he looked so handsome this morning, don't you agree?

Enjoy!

Paula

The LONG and winding road...

Today has been a very trying day. Thankfully, Ken has weathered his radiation, appointment with medical oncologist, and chemotherapy like a champ! We have been able to rearrange some of our upcoming appointments to allow for a more smooth transition from radiation to chemo, allowing for less waiting and earlier completion of therapies on Tuesdays. Thank you to Dr. Wu for understanding how taxing this has all been on Ken, and offering to come in and see him between 7:15 and 8:00 a.m., which lets him start his chemo earlier and be home in time to get a complete nights rest before our early start on Wednesday. (We LOVE Dr.Wu!!)

We want to take this opportunity to give a most heartfelt thank you to Ken's friends/co-workers at Janosiks for their absolutely unbelievable thoughtfulness and generosity. To say we are grateful and overwhelmed...an understatement at best. We appreciate you all so very, very much! We are so sorry that Ken was not up to visiting the day y'all called, but we know you understand that this is very much a day by day, hour by hour illness. But, you know Ken. He's not going to let this keep him down for long.

Time to get some rest! At 4:00 a.m. we hit it again!! (Yes, there will be pictures again...soon.)

Paula

If we need naps, it must be Monday...

Radiation, blood work, and appointment with radiation oncologist finished for today. Sigh. Now, whatever will we do with ourselves...NOT! Lots to finish up in preparation for our tax appointment Thursday afternoon. Not looking forward to that, but it is a necessary evil.
Tomorrow is our long day. I have reminded Ken that after his treatments this week, he will be halfway finished with  feeling like a human bug zapper.
 He had a few medication changes today. Hopefully, the throat pain from his radiation will be better managed now. It's hard enough to be motivated to eat when you can't taste anything, but add to that the fact that it really hurts to swallow, well, you get the picture. We'll all cross our fingers that the new pain meds are fabulous!!                                                                                                  

Our humor for today comes from the lovely picture (to your left) which hangs in the waiting room of the cancer center. I asked Ken why he thought that particular picture was chosen. He said, "Well, it kinda represents all of us. We don't know if we're coming or going, we're a little unsteady, and we're all getting bills."

Oh, c'mon. You KNOW you want to chuckle...

Go ahead, have a giggle on us.

Paula

Ken wants to know...

I don't think I will ever take weekends for granted again!! Saturdays are now the Holy Grail. We do not for ANY reason have to leave the house on Saturday. We can get some rest..

So, yesterday Ken says to me, "I really would like to try my radiation with a kernel of popcorn in my mouth. I want to know if it would pop."

Jesse took Ken into work this morning, and I will pick him up in a little while. He thinks he will be there until noon...NOT! He is really missing work and all of his friends. A homebody, Ken is not. Glad he feels up to getting out a little bit today. Yesterday was kinda hard on him, but today seems a little better.

Thought you might like to see the "magic door" I wrote about yesterday. Really thought you might like to see Kenny coming out of the "magic door".

Oh, we really want to send a special thanks to Eric (for his great help in allowing Ken's family to access this blog), and Caitlin and Madison for the wonderful handmade cards they sent to cheer up their Uncle Kenny. We appreciate all y'all!!

Enjoy YOUR weekend...
paula

Ten down, twenty-five to go...

Here's a great picture of Ken and Jesse from yesterday during Ken's combination chemotherapy treatment/spa day. He had a private room with two meals, t.v., blankets, pillows, the whole enchilada. The day began at 7:30 a.m. and ended with a radiation treatment at 7:15 p.m. Glad we only had to have radiation this morning at 6:45 a.m., followed by a doctors appointment. Home by 11:00 a.m.

I just want you all to know that Ken Alward is officially my hero!!
Every day I watch him walk down the hall and into the room with the big doors that close automatically behind him. I hear the clicking sound as the machine begins to track out his therapy map, and then the big sign outside of the room lights up with the word BEAM as a loud and steady buzzing sound continues for 10-12 seconds. This continues for twenty minutes. Ken's treatment is the longest in our group. When the magic door swings open again, and I see Ken emerge with that smile of his, all I can think is that he is some kind of amazing. He willingly subjects himself to all that comes with radiation and chemotherapy...for us.

On the lighter side: This morning (5:00 a.m.) Ken comes to me and says, "I feel good today, but I must be more tired than I think I am. Look at my feet." He had put on two LEFT shoes, and hadn't noticed for quite awhile. Gotta love it.

Paula