A rough morning

I have been having some indigestion / constipation problems since my chemo treatment this Tuesday. After taking a fiber laxative on Tuesday evening and a good result late that night I began to notice that I was developing a lot of gas on my stomach which required me to sit upright to expell the "burp". That night I got very little sleep because of this. The condition continued right through Wednesday and as I got up on Thursday morning I noticed additional nausea. I took one of the Zofran melt-in-your-mouths and expected to get relief, but within 30 minutes became more nauseated and finally vomited. This provided me with the greatest relief - finally. Since then, I have had little to no problems with indigestion or nausea. My pain continues today, but is bearable with the Dilaudid.

I am expecting David to come by today and help me move my desktop computer from my youngest son's bedroom into an anwar we put together in the living room. He leaves for Brooklyn tomorrow and I am looking forward to spending what time this trip allows with him before he leaves.

Next week is my "off" week and I am looking forward to not taking a chemo treatment and regain my strength, etc. I hope to use one of those days to make a trip into work and visit my friends at Palmetto Health Baptist - Columbia. It has been awhile since my last visit there and I miss those guys very much. Their prayers, along with those of Hope Lutheran Church and many many others, and the grace of our Eternal and merciful Lord are the very reason I am still here. I cannot begin to thank all of you for your support for me in prayer. It is the work of the Holy Spirit both in you for your prayers and in the grace that now enjoy. We hold these in faith; also the working of the Holy Spirit. Kinda neat, huh?!?

I, and I know you, continue to hold Susannah Zahn in prayer as her condition continues to improve. Both I and her parents thank you for your support. I hope to be able to report to you soon on her latest improvements.

May God our Father bless and keep you. Your brother in Christ,
Mack

Updates

Susannah Zahn's condition continues to be serious. She is no longer on dialysis, but remains on the ventilator and is beginning to get bed sores. She might be weened off of the ventilator as soon as tomorrow, but then will need to treat the pneumonia that has developed in her right lung. I pray that God lifts up His mighty arm and heals her quickly. Amen.

Today I go in for another chemo treatment. I get next week off to recover; I really like those weeks off! The additional IV fluids taken at home continue to work well with me. I experience less pain and less constipation using them. I have had pain for the past three days and feel that they are related to the constipation. I will begin aggressive treatment of that condition; regularly taking a laxative with each meal.

I know that you continue to keep me in your prayers, but I have greater concern for Susannah Zahn's health than I do for my own. Please continue to keep her in your prayers and be sure to include her parents that they remain strong and able to face the days ahead with confidence that everything they face is for their own good. Romans 8:28 I too rely on that promise to face each day.

Your brother in Christ,
Mack

Something else to pray about

I have appreciated your prayers and know that they are effective, but I have something new I want you to consider and add to you list.
Susannah Zahn, the daughter of Pastor Jason Zahn of Hope Lutheran Church, is suffering from complications from a bout with rotovirus and dehydration. She has undergone dialysis and her kidneys now appear to be responding. She is heavily sedated and is on a ventilator. Her doctors are now trying to balance the fluids in her tissues with those in her bloodstream. I know that you will keep her in your prayers and I will keep you all updated as news of her condition comes to me.
As for me, I underwent another chemo visit after meeting with Dr. McElveen yesterday. I have one more treatment scheduled next week and then wil take a week off. Then we take three more treatments. On my off week I go in for office visits and we will do another scan in April unless I have another spell of great pain. I lost 5 pounds last week and find my appetite fluctuating. Hopefully I will gain those 5 pounds and a few more in the coming weeks.

Your brother in Christ,
Mack

IV fluids are working

I am happy to report that the IV bags are working to reduce the problems I have had following my chemo treatments. I have had pain, but much less nausea. Tonight Cindy and I will be going out to eat at San Jose. Something I wouldn't be able to do otherwise.
Next Tuesday I will learn what Dr. Mcelveen has planned for the rest of my treatments. He may go ahead and do three more in a row or decide to skip a week. Either way will work for me. I will also ask about when he plans to do the P.E.T. scan to determine the efficacy of my treatments.
I hope that all is going well with all of you.


Your brother in Christ,
Mack

End of a good week

Today is Monday. Since I skipped my Chemo treatment last week today is the last "good" day for awhile. I go back tomorrow for my treatment and to find out if I get to skip next week or go on for three more in a row.
It was really nice having last week off. I felt great all week and was able to go shopping, attend a meeting with Ionosoft, go out to eat twice and helped clean the house. To help the days after my next treatment I will be taking IV bags home and infusing myself. I believe that I suffer more pain due to dehydration. At the very least I will either confirm this theory or disprove it this week.
It was nice having David back in town, too. I ask my prayer warriors to include Carrie Ford, David's Fiance', in your prayers. She goes in today for an Ultrasound test. I pray that all goes well with her and that her Doctors are able to discover and relieve the source of her discomfort. I also include a list of those I pray for along with their medical conditions:
Wayne Whitten - Recurrence of cancer after years of remission.
Mike McFate - Renal failure and is on dialysis. Mike is the same age as David.
Don Laag - my Father-in-law. Don's prostate cancer has returned and he goes back for chryotherapy next week.
Mary Ellen Peters - heart failure and recent implant of pacer/defib.
Cindy Hamiter - For strength and peace as she cares for me and our two children.

Your brother in Christ,
Mack

Good lab results

I just got back from SCOA and my labs looked great! My white count went from 1.5 to 10.5, and my hemoglobin went from 9.4 to 11.6. I have this week off from Chemo so all of these should continue to improve. My next Chemo visit will be next Tuesday.

Your brother in Christ,
Mack

No treatment today

Today I was scheduled for my 7th of 7 treatments, but my white blood count was too low. Instead, I was given medicines to raise both my hemoglobin and white blood count. Tomorrow I go back to have blood drawn to see if these indicies are responding. If so, my next treatment will be next Tuesday. Otherwise, I guess I will be given more blood.
I feel fine. I still tire easily, but I have better control over my pain and have adopted the plan to take dilaudid before my meals. Also, Dr. Mac agreed that I should run in IV fluids for three days following my treatments. Next week I will be taking home five one-liter bags of normal saline. I will run one/day on the day after, and two a day for the next two days.
David and Carrie will be coming to town this weekend! I am so happy that they both will be able to come this time. I am also happy that this weekend should be a good one since I will be skipping this week's treatment. Cindy has been looking forward to a "good weekend" for a long time. Since these post-treatment weekends seem to have become worse I too look forward to a weekend with less pain and nausea.
I will drop in another post tomorrow after I learn the results of the lab tests. So stay tuned; same bat time. Same bat channel!

Your brother in Christ,
Mack