Kevin continues to make the Radiology team smile. Even tho....he continues to crash on a regular basis, they say this is normal, to be expected, and oh by the way, Kevin is MUCH stronger and has fewer side effects than their other patients, and oh by the way, look at how well his wounds are healing in spite of chemo and radiation. Last week he developed thrush, but thanks to modern meds, it's all cleared up, and the mouth sores from radiation respond well to Mary's Magic Mouthwash, the hot tip for radiation patients. This group of medical professionals continue to be his biggest fans, and best cheerleaders, including the radiologist.
His eating is decreasing by the day, because of his deadened taste buds, but June ( the nutritionist) is so supportive and loving; I half expect her to bake a cake for him! Instead, she loads us up with boxes and boxes of something called Skandi shakes. Blended with 1 cup of milk,they are 560 calories. I add dark cocoa, and sweetener to them, and a couple scoops of whey protein powder to kick it up a notch. He gags at these as well. How unfair life is; he MUST indulge in these rich,creamy chocolaty high calorie shakes 3 times a day, and it is a struggle!
My kitchen counter is filled with foods that he once considered tasty treats....that will be relegated to the food pantry. I started this adventure with the cookbook, crazy sexy cancer. It uses food as healing agents; in other words, foods I eat! That went out the window (metaphorically speaking) even before the taste buds went away!
In spite of everything, he continues to find joy in the moments. I can honestly say, he's doing great. He's learning to listen to his body and respond to what it needs. He is napping more, and taking it easy, in spite of a desire to get stuff done. When he crashes, he doesn't try to push through it,but lets it happen. We generally go upstairs together, and he goes to sleep if he needs to. He is making friends with his insomnia; when it hits, he uses it as an opportunity to drink another shake, read a bit and sleep some more.
This truly is an amazing adventure, and I am continually amazed at the way Kevin has made peace with it, and has learned to co-exist with it. I look forward to returning to our normal life, but I am also happy for this opportunity to focus on each other.
What a beautiful way to look at this process! I love how you see the positives in all of this. I should take a queue from you on how to eat better.
ReplyDeleteRemember the saying about trees? The ones that bend with the storm never break? I see you and Kevin bending and swaying to the winds during this process and I know you won't break. I'm so glad you have each other!