Michael’s journey with palliative care
July 13
We had a really nice long vacation for 10 days at the Lake House, over the July 4 holiday. A lot of our family came up, too, and people set off fireworks four or five nights in a row!
After my last treatment, I was sick again for about five days. By the fifth day, I usually start to feel better. And then, when I’m feeling really good, it’s time for another treatment. When I met with Dr. Campbell, my oncologist, he gave me suggestions for when to take meds so I can get the side effects of the treatment under control. He is also scheduling me for a scan so he can tell how well the treatment is working. My cancer numbers are down a bit, and that’s a good sign.
For the last month or two, I’ve had trouble sleeping. When I see the Palliative care staff tomorrow, I will ask them if they can help me. The over-the-counter meds don’t work. In fact, they have the opposite effect. If I take something to help me sleep, I get the jitters or it feels like I drank a pot of coffee. A good night sleep would help me feel so much better.
If my labs come back good, I’ll be ready for treatment #35. That’s a lot of chemo, and as long as it keeps the cancer from spreading and growing I’ll take those bad days.
Michael and family at lake with their tie-dyed bucket hats
We’ll go back up to the Lake House this weekend. We’ll have lots of family joining us again, including both my daughters. I’m going to smoke some briskets and we’ll have a really good time. Now that Linda doesn’t work weekends, we can stay up at the lake longer. This is the most we’ve ever been there in the summer. That was one of my goals.
By the way, last night Linda and I and my oldest daughter and her friend went to see the Elvis movie. It’s very educational – there was a lot we didn’t know about him. I recommend it, especially if you like Elvis music. It includes old clips of Elvis performing. Tom Hanks, as Colonel Tom Parker, played a great part, and the gentlemen who played Elvis was awesome. He did a wonderful job.
