Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Home

Steve and I are home after his infusion of CPT-11 and Avastin at the cancer center. He did well and actually relaxed during most of the treatment.

He napped for a while, read a little of The Mysterious Benedict Society (Cooper and I just finished reading it, and we're looking forward to discussing all the details with Steve), and watched part of an episode of The Wire (we're almost done with the fifth and final season).

Dr. M's nurse practitioner stopped by the room for a quick exam today. She was pleased to hear no wheezing or crackling in his lungs.

We wanted to make sure the team is aware of Steve's left-side issues. She advised that we watch his symptoms. If they get worse over the next few days, we'll let Dr. M know and perhaps get another MRI. What we expect will happen, though, is that his symptoms will improve after today's cancer-fighting cocktail.

A social worker also visited with us today to discuss some home health physical and occupational therapy possibilities. The hope is that someone will be at the house soon to evaluate his needs and possibilities for therapy. We may not be approved for home health, as he's not really home bound. Instead, he may be eligible for PT and OT in a health care office setting. We hope that his inability to drive will sway the report, but if not, we'll just add more appointments to the schedule.

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Cooper last night missed his Cub Scout pack meeting to go instead to math and science night at school. Den leader Wade was kind enough to stop by the house and deliver Cooper's two achievement beads awarded that night.

Wade also delivered a beautiful letter from the pack's leaders. The pack has given Cooper a Scout scholarship for 2009-2010, to encourage his continued participation in the program and lessen the financial burden.

"Your enduring hope, faith and commitment to family have thankfully reminded us of life's blessings.
We love having Cooper in our pack -- his smile is infectious ..."

We are reminded daily of our blessings and the important relationships that keep us going. Thank you so very much.

2 comments:

Melissa said...

What a lovely, lovely thing for Cooper's pack to do. And he so deserves it. :) Glad everything went smoothly today. I know this sounds strange, but I really liked going to PT for my shoulder for 7 months! The PT folks were so encouraging and supportive, in ways that my own family couldn't be!

Anonymous said...

We're behind yall 110%. Contact us if you are looking for support for family or for Steve. Also if questions come up about medical insurance paying for the treatment or PT. We have folks that specilize in this area that can advocate on your behalf. Peace in Strength in 2009!

LIVESTRONG,
The Lance Armstrong Foundation