So far (knock on wood), Kevin has only gotten nauseated once after his latest round of chemo. He received chemotherapy on Tuesday, and he got sick on Sunday. We are pretty sure this nausea was due to chemotherapy because two weeks earlier, Kevin got sick on Sunday night after Tuesday chemotherapy. So, in the future, we’ll b extra careful about Kevin’s anti-nausea medications on the Sunday after his chemotherapy! However, since Sunday night, Kevin’s nausea hasn’t been an issue.
While it’s difficult for Kevin and people who see him every day to notice any improvement, progress is definitely noticeable when one doesn’t see Kevin for several days. Last week, my friend Emma and I drove Kevin’s car and belongings home from New York, so I spent about six days away from home. When I returned, I noticed significant improvement in Kevin’s symptoms. Kevin’s speech was much more clear and strong. His feet looked infinitely better; the swelling has decreased enough that he’s now able to wear shoes for transfers and physical therapy sessions. I have started helping out with “edge-of-bed” exercises, in which Kevin sits on the edge of the bed to work on balancing, sitting up straight and strengthening his torso. I was blown away by how well he’s doing; on Sunday, he spent nearly an hour sitting up on the edge of the bed. He is now able to look at himself in the mirror to see which small adjustments he should make to correct his posture. Of course, Kevin doesn’t really acknowledge his improvement because his progress isn’t as fast as he would like, but Kathlin has started to tell Kevin that his opinion no longer counts on this matter! When I returned from the cross-country drive, I could definitely see that Kevin has improved.
We just received news that Kevin’s platelets are 229,000! This is the highest they have been since he got sick in November. His low platelet levels have always been an issue—for a while they were hovering around 50,000. When his platelet levels get too low, doctors scale back treatment such as radiation and chemotherapy. However, now that Kevin’s platelets seem to be doing very well, we may ask about giving Kevin stronger chemotherapy treatments.
The pictures posted today are of the paper chain and cranes made by middle school students at the school where our Aunt Ellen teaches. The chain is so long that it doubles back along our entire banister, and many of the links on the chain have good wishes or words of encouragement written on them. The students also made a few long chains of paper cranes. The chain and cranes add a lot of color and cheer to our house. Thank you to everyone who is thinking of Kevin and sending him good wishes in whatever form you can!
3 comments:
Hi Kevin! So your sister says you are definitely getting better. You should never argue with your older sister! We are so proud of you and know you are working so very hard. you are always in our thoughts and prayers. We want you to stay strong and know you are surrounded by love and there are a lot of angels out there watching over you. We love your new decor too! God bless you and Kathlin and your entire family.
Love from Toni and Steve Runyon
Hey Kevin and Kathlin,
So nice to hear that there have been improvements! I'm still thinking of you guys here in New York and about how strong Kevin is! I'm actually moving to San Jose in August so hopefully the positive vibes I send will be even stronger. Much love to both of you! <3
Kathleen (Cooney)
Dear Kevin, Kathlin and the rest of the family, I have been quiet for a while now, so I figured I'd better send our continuing well wishes and chime in. It is wonderful to hear that your continued hard work is paying off. Sounds like my fellow OT's and the rest of the therapists are keeping you pretty busy. Sorry about your feet - what a nuisance. We took Jesse, Chris and Christopher to the trails on the hill at Colgate few days ago. Christopher thought it was a pretty neat spot, but ended up being carted on either Jesse's or Chris' shoulders for most of the (short) trail - the low one goes back through the woods. Of course, Megan thinks it's her private lawn where she can run from plant to plant, and sniff everthing in sight, zoom all over the place. Love the story about the deer on your lawn - sounds like central New York! Take care Kevin. As Bob's mom always said upon parting, Keep the Faith.
Please know that you both are constantly in our hearts, thoughts and prayers. Mary Jo and Bob
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