Chocolate makes the world go round...

This morning, Ken drank a half cup of tea with sugar. Drank. He says his ability to swallow is much improved today. We look forward to continued progress!! We see a new doctor tomorrow afternoon. Ken wasn't here long enough to establish a primary care physician before everything hit the fan, so in order to maintain his day-to-day meds, the time is now! On Wednesday afternoon, we have our first return visit with Dr. Wu (along with some blood work). Then, next Tuesday afternoon, Dr. Woods (radiation oncologist). Can't wait to see the look on his face when we tell him all of the pain meds Ken is in need of no longer! Whoo hoo!!

Our amazing son began his eight hour drive to Virginia this morning. We are so very excited for him, and so very proud of him! Godspeed baby!! We will miss you for the next couple of weeks.

I don't know if this can be classified as "humor", but it is definitely  a "luck of the Alward's" moment:
Last night, as the day was finally winding down and Ken was tucked in for a good night's sleep, I received a phone call. Prior to leaping across the kitchen floor to grab the phone before it woke Ken, I had been relaxing in my recliner (which I have christened, "Sherman"), munching on a wonderful chocolate and almond candy bar. I had consumed about half when I decided to wrap the remaining bar and weight it down with the t.v. remote control which was on a side table. I took the phone call in the garage (so as not to wake anyone). At calls end, I returned to the kitchen where I spied my cat curled up in Ken's recliner. Normally, when I vacate my chair, the cat immediately makes that empty, warm spot his own. Then, I looked at the floor...ripped up candy wrapper everywhere!!  I look at Joey (our ever-present companion dog), as he is curled up on the oriental rug and NOT in Ken's chair. Let's see...Chocolate...Dog...(smug cat)...PANIC!!  Everyone knows that dogs and chocolate do not mix, right?  I immediately do a google search to see just how much chocolate is actually poisonous for a dog, etc. The decision to have the dog sleep next to me on "Sherman" is the only logical step. I would have to be vigilant for any signs of wheezing, vomiting, seizures and the like all night long. Let's just say that trying to sleep in a recliner with a 26 pound dog on your chest isn't really conducive to a good nights sleep! However, the dog had no adverse reactions, and is now demanding Russell Stovers French Mints!  Ha! (The cat slept like a log!)

So, the sun is shining brightly on this fine Monday morning. We look forward to seeing what Ken is able/willing to further consume as this day unfolds. Wish him luck!

Hug your pets...but, NO CHOCOLATE TREATS,
Paula

Just a spoonful of sugar (?)...

The weather may not be particularly sunny today, but we are smiling, nonetheless. Ken's time at home has been very productive, in my opinion. His pain medications are skeletal (comparatively speaking), and he even had some applesauce by mouth this morning. This is a very BIG deal! He decided that he would like to try to eat something. The best part is that while it may not have been a lot of applesauce, he didn't choke once!! Yessir, that's the Kenny we all know and love. And last night, the three of us were in the living room watching t.v. when one of those horrible cereal commercials appeared. You know the one, where one piece of cereal eats another piece that's floating around in the bowl. Then another piece bites the tongue of one of his comrades and proceeds to eat him too. I said, "Geez, that is so disgusting. They're eating each other." Jess responds, "Yeah, it's cannibalism,." KEN WHISPERS, "They're  cereal killers!"...He's baaacckkkk!!!!!


Go ahead and laugh real loud! We did!

So, needless to say, we are much relieved and feeling a bit more relaxed as this pendulum, hopefully, begins it's forward swing towards progress. We have a long way to go, but at least we see some daylight, too.

For humor today (as if you needed any more), I am including two pictures of our cat, Yaya (which means grandma in Greek, which we didn't realize when we named our MALE cat), as he is protecting Ken's food cans. Why he has decided to make this his home away from home is beyond us. Just too cute for words...
right?

I can not wait for the day when I can HEAR Ken laugh out loud again. Y'all feel the same?

We will keep you posted on these little victories as they present themselves. In the meantime, have a great day. The laughs are on us! Ha!

Paula

Slow and steady wins the race...

We had a follow-up appointment with Ken's surgeon yesterday. While we hadn't seen him in about four weeks, it seemed that he was much more clued in to Ken's progress, as well as to our expectations to date. Very refreshing, actually. Lots of information and verification/confirmation of what we'd been hearing from the radiation oncologist. While things had seemingly been very difficult for Ken as he completed this aspect of his treatment, the overwhelming evidence points toward this being another marker that treatment has worked very well, indeed. Yeah, baby!! Another doctor's appointment on the 29th, then the medical oncologist on the 2nd, and finally the radiation oncologist the next week. We can do this!!! But...baby steps...it simply can NOT be rushed!

I will be happy to see Ken get some strength back as soon as possible. He has been through so much in such a short period of time. Now that I can't moan about being pulled away from all the household stuff to walk the mall, I guess I need to be whiny about NOT being able to get out and about short of medical appointments or pharmacy runs! Time for a mental health day, right? Or, another half-day on the mower!!  Yeah, there's nothing like the rush of crankin' up that mower and racing around the racetrack which is our yard. (Really missing my motorcycle this season!!!) Wonder if the neighbors would think it strange if I mowed wearing my leathers and helmet? Hmmmmmm.

Since you haven't seen the surgeon's office, I thought I would get a picture of Ken (yesterday) looking his usual dapper self while seated in his lovely exam room prior to his check up.

Our boy has put on a couple pounds (YAY!!!) and is very slowly starting to feel like there is progress being made. However, he is VERY tired and is resting quite a bit. All to be expected, right?

Well, it's time to get cleaned up and find that helmet...

Y'all have a splendid day,
Paula

Keep it down, keep it down, waaaay down...

Not unlike the weather's unpredictability of late, Ken's overall progress continues to baffle and confuse me. Thankfully, we have enjoyed the opportunity to stay at home without any emergency runs to the hospital!!
We breathe a sigh of relief every time a feeding is "contained", and smile broadly when another pain medication is set aside. But, the healing timetable that lay ahead has no schedule.
Every day we take care to document every movement, every infusion, every grimace...
We wait (we should be good at this by now) and we watch and we HOPE!! It will come together all at once, that's what we're told. But, as to when this will occur, it's a crap shoot at best.

While we have no idea what tomorrow will hold, we take some comfort in the knowledge that there are some aspects of the Alward household that will be trending toward the positive in very short order. At this point, we stand humbled and grateful for the extreme generosity of family and friends!!

I have decided that when Ken is better and people ask what we will do next, the answer will be SLEEP!!
Perhaps at Disney World????  HAHAHAHAAAAA!

While pictures from happier times may not be what you are hoping for today, please know that these are the moments we are striving to achieve once more. This photo was taken of Ken and a friend of mine when we visited Longwood Gardens in 2008.

This was taken shortly after we moved into our home in Pennsylvania. So many happy memories...

And, finally, the way that I envision us in the future. Okay, we'll be older...but, you get the idea. This is the image I keep in my mind. This is what drives me to make sure Ken gets everything he needs to get this life back again. And he will!!!

So, smile whenever you think of Ken this week. You gotta know he's smiling when he thinks about y'all...

Paula

What are the odds...

My money is on Ken finally turning the corner towards resoundingly good health!! He was discharged from the hospital early this afternoon. Before I picked him up, I made my pharmacy rounds and picked up some new equipment that would allow me to keep Ken at home should any further problems arise. With the suction machine, the medication to help the food absorb faster, the reduction in  pain medications, and the gravity-drip feeding, I am hopeful that we may actually get to spend some time at home again!

Ken seems better. Little bits of voice appear every once in a while. However, he can't use the phone yet, as it really strains his vocal cords. But, it will come back. I am sure of it!!

Joey was a total mess while Ken was gone. He got so wild-eyed with grief...I just had to take a picture to share with you...

Our humor comes from an incident that happened to yours truly last evening. So, all day long I had listened to one nurse after another tell me I looked "terrible", "tired", "exhausted", "just awful", and so on. When I explained that I was, indeed, all of those things, they suggested that I go home and have one glass of red wine to help me relax enough to get some rest. This seemed like a reasonable suggestion. I picked up one of those adorable little mini bottle four-packs at the gas station on my way home from the hospital. After I had completed everything on my to do list, I took a lovely, long-stemmed glass from the cupboard and into it I poured the contents of one of my little bottles. I raised the glass towards my lips when OUT OF NOWHERE this fly decides to race me to my drink. The fly hit the wine first...and drowns! The fly and the wine both went down the drain. I had a glass of milk and went to bed (and NO, I didn't sleep very well).Haahaa. When I told Ken about my drama, he said he would've fished the fly out and had the wine. After all, the alcohol would kill the germs...

Here's hoping that Kenny Boy will continue to improve every day from here on out!! 

Cheers to you and yours,

Paula

Short and to the point...

I stayed with Ken at the hospital last night. He is doing a little better with a change in his diet and respiratory support. We will watch today and through the night to see what transpires. He told me that the thing he misses the most is his sense of humor. There is no chance for witty banter when you haven't a voice. His medications have taken his quick wit for the moment. This is all FOR THE MOMENT! It is just really frustrating for him. I did detect a little bit of a voice when he decided that he didn't agree with something I had said to the nurse. That is a good sign. He has also begun to regain a little of his sense of taste (sweet stuff), but is not yet able to eat and swallow. I got him some tootsie pops. When it all comes together again, he will be a force to be reckoned with!!

Sorry there are no pictures. At this point I feel fortunate to have remembered how the computer works well enough to write this little ditty. Don't think I will be heading back to the hospital again today. Feeling just a tad puny (wet weather, stress, and lack of sleep no doubt) but, don't need to be taking chances. Ken just can not be exposed to anything at this point, ya know?

Here's hoping that the next post will be full of great and wonderful news.
Thanks for hangin' in there with us,
Paula

Hello again...

So, apparently Ken wanted his favorite gals from 2 South to have the chance to see his new haircut, too.

Yep, he was admitted back into the hospital late this afternoon. The short explanation (because I am too tired to write a whole lot tonight) is that Ken had a problem this weekend keeping anything down which led to dehydration, weight loss, and less than adequate medication intake. While this is lousy with a capital L, I would rather have him there (getting hydration, medication, nutrition, respiratory care, etc.), than have him home being sicker than a dog. Speaking of animals, both Ken and our cat (Yaya) were sick at the same time. Sad part was, I had to clean up after both of them...and it looked like the same stuff...I asked Ken if he had a hairball, too! (Yeah, so it's kinda gross. I did warn you I was tired.)

The hairball thing is as close to humor as I have today, so just pretend it made you giggle, okay?

I would like to ask a favor...keep Ken in your prayers tonight. This has been pretty rough on him. Thanks.
Paula