I am still feeling simply amazed by last weekend (if you are reading this and haven't read the last blog go back and read it!). On Monday evening we went out shopping for a new dishwasher. We decided to go to Sears and figured it would be an easy purchase. We need to have a portable dishwasher because there is no plumbing in the wall where it sits so this means that there is very little selection. After looking at our options we settled on the one that seemed the best and quickly found out that it could not be delivered until January 12th. None of us felt good about that and we didn't have a good feeling about the whole process there so we decided to leave and headed to Home Depot. We headed straight to the appliance department and after a few minutes we were greeted by a man who we now refer to as Home Depot Dean. We explained what we were looking for and Amy told him the whole story about how this all came about. Well Home Depot Dean did not disappoint us! He was able to get us the same dishwasher that we were looking at Sears for a cheaper price. He told us the only bad news was that we would have to pick it up. I said not to worry and figured after a few phone calls I would be able to find someone strong with a truck that could help Rob before chemo on Tuesday. On Thursday my cell phone rang and it was Home Depot delivery saying they had my dishwasher and wanted to set up a delivery time. I told him I hadn't paid for delivery but he said I was on the list so they would bring it! To me this was another God thing as we could have arranged to pick it up but it was way easier to have it delivered. So as we speak I am running my old dishwasher for the last time and tomorrow (Monday) afternoon my new one will arrive. It amazes me how God was able to meet a need that I hadn't even said I needed yet. We could have lived without a dishwasher but our kitchen set up isn't ideal for that plus the high heat is better for sanitizing and keeping us all healthy. You just never know how God is going to show up and remind you he is in control and that he loves us. This time he used a stranger from Calgary, my friend and her story, an early morning flight, and a sales associate from Home Depot!
Last weekend was also full of other blessings. It was so good to hang out with my friends and laugh like old times. If you know my friends Shelly and Amy you know that they are hilarious. It is amazing how even though we could be in the middle of a hard time that we could laugh and have a great time together. They also helped with cooking and cleaning which I appreciate so much. I feel grateful to have been able to spend a few days with them and Rob loved having them here too!
Over the past week or so Rob has been having more pain in his mouth. Last week Dr. Butler had a look and thought that maybe he was getting thrush. This is common during radiation but not everyone gets it so they only treat it if needed. This past Thursday when the doctor looked again it seemed to be getting worse and prescribed Rob a mouth wash to use. If they don't deal with it now it could become a problem later. We are praying that the medication works and Rob is relieved from the pain and that we don't have to get a refill as it is very expensive medicine.
This week is going to be a big week for Rob! He has 3 radiation treatments left and will have his last of 33 on Wednesday. I am able to be there on Wednesday with him to celebrate the completion! He also has his last chemo on Tuesday this week so he may not feel much like celebrating but we will still mark the completion and once he is feeling better we will celebrate properly! The chemo usually knocks him pretty hard for 5 days so hopefully next week at this time he will be feeling better from chemo. We have been told that the way radiation works is that it accumulates and his side effects may peak 7 days after the last day of treatment so that means right after he feels better from chemo he will really feel the effects of radiation. The doctors and staff at cancer care are very pleased with how Rob has been during treatment and even though they keep telling us that it will get worse we see a different result. My friend asked me tonight why I thought that is the case. One reason is I think Rob is a tough cookie and although he has bad days and moments he is keeping his chin up. The other reason, and the more important reason, is because of God. To me nothing else makes more sense to explain it than God loves Rob and cares about him and that we have an army of people praying. We know that if we didn't have a relationship with God that we would not be doing as well as we are. Also if we didn't have each of you loving us , blessing us and praying for us we would be in a different situation. Please continue to pray that this week goes as well as it could. We know the next few weeks are going to be tough but we are hopeful that we can see the light at the end of the tunnel. Also pray that the treatment gets rid of all of the cancer. Apparently the last few treatments are the most important because they will attack the more stubborn cancer cells. We are asking God to heal Rob completely and even though radiation and chemo are hard if it gets rid of this terrible disease it is worth it.
Being so close to the end means we started to think about what the next step will be. Once he is done treatment this week he will have a few follow up appointments but for the most part December will be time of rest and healing. I can't even remember what it is like to not have a crazy schedule and not have to go to the hospital everyday. In about 6 weeks Rob will have a CT scan to get a base line of what is "normal" for him. Then they will monitor him very closely knowing the first year is the most critical. If some cancer cells were going to grow it would likely happen very quickly and they will keep their eye on that. We don't know all the details yet but there are many things that Rob will need to have done to his mouth to be back to "normal". What we do know is that December will be quiet in regards to appointments and we are thankful for that.
When Rob started his radiation and chemo I remember thinking that 6 1/2 weeks would be so long and I dreaded November. I am thrilled to be starting December and to be looking back at November. It was a hard month for us but we made it through and look forward to getting past this part. Thank you for praying for us over the last while and for continuing to bring our family to God.
Love Karen
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