Wed Thurs Fri Sat and part of Sunday

crazy wed morning….dr denboar new supplements, hope

Wednesday was a weird day. We had an appointment in the morning and then Ann Arbor (AA) in the afternoon so we couldn’t do dialysis in between which was a bummer but a skip day is always nice, however, that means a weekend day makeup (Sunday). We had to leave by 8:30 at the latest to make our 9:15 appointment and when we got in my moms car and had put my mail in the box with the flag up..Mark informed me we needed to go back. (technically we had not left yet) and so I turned around and went back. He was vomitting in his bucket and needed to get to the bathroom. This process is about adapting and learning to deal with change, for both of us. He was in and out of the bathroom and that’s when we learned that radiation has about 48 hours till the side affects kick in. I was able to call Dr. Denboer office and work him in between the Dr’s last new client and his leave time. So we just spent our morning doing nothing. Mark laid on his belly on the end of the sofa (who would have known that all that sofa shopping would have us end up with one that had an “open end” so he could lay face down with his legs on the floor) and after a few ups and downs he was able to recover and sleep. I cleaned the kitchen, made the bed, did the dishes and did it all with a very laid back feel which I never get to do (because my brain doesn’t work that way). I didn’t go for a walk. I didn’t feel like I needed to work out. I was just kind of there in the house which is really nice. We took off for DBC at 11:45 for our 12:30 appointment and it was perfect timing. Dr Denboar always gives us hope and always asks if what he is doing is what we want from him. He took the time to look up the chemotherapy and find the “teammate” immunotherapy for it so he could prescribe supplements accordingly. Did you know that natural supplements can conflict with pharmacueticals? Did you know that even food. like high amounts of greens, can conflict with pharmacueticals (like eliquis)?? So it all matters. He had Mark start on a Hemogenics supplements in hoping to get his hemoglobin up higher. It was 10+ going into surgery and hasn’t gotten above 8 since then. I’m hoping these work and he starts to feel less cruddy.

(Wed) I drove straight to UofM hospital, radiation, and straight back. My moms car has better gas mileage. :). Oh –I guess we did stop for gas and grab some water and a food. We decided to go straight home and I would go back to Kent City with the kids to get my car (had to go into the shop to get an oil issue taken care of) and since Mark had just taken pain meds I couldn’t have him drive. I did go back at 7 with the kids and looked and looked for my keys that they “hid for me” but could not find them and had to have Aly drive me back home and get the car the next day. Kind of a hassle and honestly, I was very irritated but I was also very tired. 🙂

Thursday we were back at Davita to work that fistula…and it was spasming and so they did one in the arm and one on the CVC. We are hoping to use the biggest needles this week and get me trained soon.

Aly had to do a presentation for her speech class and she chose dialysis. She also chose to ask me questions last minute. 🙂 Of course. But I guess she did well. I do wish my kids truly understood the process…but I guess that’s because I do now and think they should too.

Mark finished God of Kings by Lynn Austin, suggested to him my Missy Armstrong. After his post about Hezekiah…she thought he might enjoy it. And he did. He read the second book and now, today, he read the 3rd. We have the 4th and the 5th is coming. He does like to read a good novel now ad then and it is interesting to read about the Assyrian empire and Jeruselum’s ruling some thousands of years ago. I love history and sometimes find this era hard to understand but the author does a good job. And of course, it is a story based on a small amount of scripture, but I love that she can pull off a whole book series from it. I’m going to recommend it. Lynn Austin is the author. I’ve heard all her books are good.

Right now (Sunday morning) Mark and are watching the construction of the new stadum for the LA Rams. Its Super Bowl Sunday. As we watch this ginormous structure being built I said outloud, “wow, we spend a ton of money”. Mark says we aren’t alot different than the Romans. When we were driving to AA the other day we were talking about cars as we have been wondering if we need to sell ours, and it really dawned on me how concerned we are with how we look. How nice is our car, our house, our clothes? We can say we don’t care, but we do. It pushes us to spend more and more money to get what our hearts desire. We are constantly upgrading our wardrobes our transportation and our phones. I thought we left that behind in high school, but we didn’t. Americans spend so much money on entertainment and we live beyond our income. And we live for ourselves. I say WE because I worry about myself all day long and have to keep snapping myself back to reality. I’m no different. I want to live simply and very focused but its extremely hard (even not in this situation). (Because I also want to order from Amazon anytime I “need” something and go out to eat if I feel like it.) I think about the future alot and if we had the chance to start serving more…where would it be? I have no clue. Could I be stripped of everything, serve God and do it joyfully? Do I truly rely on him? Its hard to focus period. Then add an ADHD brain into the mix it gets messy.

This week, somehow, I was able to take Felicity to her baby appointment and get another ultrasound. Everything looks really good still. Baby is super active and I love that you can see her little lips! I love baby lips! I love baby everything but I love all their smooshyness. It would be nice if she lived closer so I could love on them more but who knows….its still 2.5 months away. Ya never know. So meet our granddaughter.

So today is Super Bowl Sunday and Mark’s birthday. We really don’t have much planned but since the Super Bowl is playing…there will be good entertainment for Mark. He likes a good football game. He also loves food and even though it hard for him to eat alot right now, I do plan to have good food for him. He is hard to buy for. We really don’t need anything…the books I bought for him he rebought on amazon and read them already. (The Great Divorce and another CS Lewis book). I always feel stuck. Then there is Valentines Day which I think is really dumb. I’ve never liked it. When you were young you wondered if your relationship was at a point where you should buy or would recieve something…and then when you are married you realize its just another day for consumers to support businesses. (that’s spelled wrong isnt’ it?). I never liked to get flowers…chocolates are full of sugar and cards are just expensive paper to write a note on. So. I just don’t get sucked in and I think its dumb. I actually think most holidays are dumb and I celebrate birthdays for others peoples sake. I don’t expect anything for my own either. I mean, I do like it when people do things for me on my birthday, but it could happen anyday. I don’t know whats wrong with me. I do believe my dad dropped my on the cement when I was a baby…up by the barn. Maybe that was it. Mark did get showered with cards though in the mail!!

Mark started the chemo pill. We are on day two and have high expectations. We are hoping it makes his kidney start urinating because this water weight is awful. This week we keep training the fistula and hopefully then we can be totally at home with no more running around except for the montly trips to UofM. Last week was alot! Friday was treacherous on the way down and we had to cancel our dog grooming because with cancelled school I could no longer make it work. So I have a very hairy monster at my house…well two.

Also Aly went to the Newaygo dance with Jaxi Long and stopped in to get a photo with her dad. He was caught off guard just hanging out in his recliner.