Hello All,
We have had a real go of it out here of of late. Two nights ago we went to The Banner Desert Hospital for what we thought was a simple routine procedure designed to relieve pressure from ascites (build up of fluid in the abdomen). Dr Lodi, whose care Denise is under, called ahead and we were wisked in the ER upon check in. My first thought was...."great! we'll be in and out in two shakes". The male check in nurse, (who reminded me of John Candy) took vitals and asked the typical questions. Denise without elaborating, claimed her pain was a "9" on the scale of 10....which means a 14 to us normal mortals... long pitiful story, short...we checked out after 9 hours with the precise information that brought us there in the first place.... yes we needed the procedure...except what we didn't know was that they were "too busy in the ER". Wiped out and ticked, we advised them we were not interested in being admitted to the hospital. So at 4:00 am we left and returned at 9:00am for the 30min procedure.... they extracted approx 1 liter of fluid. Following we stopped into "The Oasis Of Healing" (our treatment facility) and collected the fresh juice that Denise drinks for nourishment. Scheduled high oxygen therapy and other treatments for the day were suspended.
Following all of this Denise felt some relief, but her body still needed to adjust as her organs had been compressed for days with fluid pushing against them. Yesterday was an extremely lethargic day for us both, but Denise took on the challenge to open her stomach back up to food again. Basically it had become a flattened bag since the ascites had collected. I am told that this condition is due to her liver not being able to process the fluid at it's normal pace due to a compromised portal vein (the main vein which feeds into the liver). We may be having to return for additional treatments. For breakfast Denise had oatmeal and berries from the cafe downstairs and immediately felt stuffed. After she eats, she says she experiences a hot and somewhat clammy sensation. Dr Lodi and staff are working on getting food moving through her system more efficiently, so she can get the much needed calories.... she takes a natural remedy orally in the morning and at night and receives colonics 3 times a week.
Denise stayed in the room and vegged all day yesterday while I wandered through a sea of visitors that were swarmed around the pool/ waterpark... a bittersweet experience for me, as I would love to be hanging out with Denise and the girls. There is this awe-inspiring backdrop of sky-reaching mountains... the happy screams of children simultaneously remind me of my children and how much I miss them.
Last night Denise wasn't able to get comfortable and really ate only a few bites of some crackers with a few sips of the juice from "Oasis". She did take a vicodin and a low dose of valium to ensure that she would received a restful nights sleep. We have a small oxygen tank in the room which she opted to use to aid breathing when lying on her back.
This morning we slept in til 8:00 which is the latest yet. Denise and I had green apples and pears with almond and pumpkin seed butter on the balcony. Immediately following, Denise needed a little time to relax. I took this time for some much needed exercise. Later today, I'm going to take Denise to this fountain- spring where water pushes up and spills over a loose pyramid of boulders. We can sit in the shade on the natural benches as the birds jockey for positions on cascading water ledges. In the background the slow parade of resort revelers can go by....
Denise has today off from treatment, tomorrow we go in for her lab-work and a meeting with Dr Lodi to discuss her current discomforts, which is persisting, and to get a specific menu designed for weight gain. IPT/Chemo begins Tuesday morning. Followed by a natural mineral flush.
I will do my best to get info out at least 3 times a week... we are in the trenches right now, so there's little time left for blogging. I expect things will settled down a little once we get into a routine.
Thanks for all of the support and prayers that we are infinitely aware of...
Jason
