Short Update
The last 10 days or so have been extremely busy and tiring so I apologize for the lack of correspondence. The blog is THE first place we go to in order to update info so if you don’t hear from us, chances are we are overwhelmed with all that is going on. So, please don’t email us to ask us what’s going on since you haven’t heard anything on the blog. There is likely a reason and we will get to you as soon as we can.
The overview is that medically I am having a tough time but we are doing all that we can to keep our heads high and make my pain and discomfort as manageable as possible.
We knew the Switzerland treatment would be toxic to my body and it has been. Nothing to be alarmed about but my platelets are extremely low and I needed to get a transfusion the other day (a HUGE thank you to Kat for taking me to my appointments for the day…I owe you a fun day versus an 8 hour hospital day!). I am also exhibiting low sodium and other blood markers so I have been put on a variety of drugs to manage that condition.
Dave and I are meeting with my herbal oncologist this coming week to see what supplements might be able to assist me in getting my blood work up a bit.
The big issue is the swelling in my lower body (similar to last winter). I have gained around 45 pounds of water weight which makes it extremely hard to walk around. None of my clothes fit and I am getting very bad blisters on my feet.
We got a hospital bed installed in our bedroom which has been great in terms of offering ways for me to raise my upper body and lower my body during the evening. I also have a variety of gadgets now that help me get in and out of a car (very hard) and put on some of my clothes. I hate being so dependent on others but that is the situation I am in so I am making the most of it. When I am feeling up to it, we still manage to make social plans. We invited our dear friends Dan and So Young back to the NY area from Los Angeles (we are so happy to have them on the east coast again). Yesterday was a very special day in that we visited dear friends Todd and Sharon in Scarsdale (with our friends Matt and Sharon who live down the road). We had a great BBQ and even though it is hard for me to eat much these days, I LOVED being in the water and the sun. Swimming is my favorite thing to do right now. If I could live in the water I would because it is the ONLY place that I feel a bit less heavy. Being able to “plop” myself in their pool on a gorgeous, sunny day was such a gift. My friend Emily has also generously offered me the use of her house and I plan on using it on a weekly basis starting this week (THANK YOU!) Please understand that Dave and I love the emails but likely will not return your kind thoughts. We know you love us and right now we have to focus on my health. I will update again as soon as I have some time and am feeling OK. We can feel your love wherever we are and we are grateful for that.