So, another week has slipped by. It has had many nice features. Our follow-up visit with the radiologist on Tuesday was good--she was pleased with our reports and with all indicators she could observe. She is interested to see the outcome of this week's CAT scan, as of course so are we. But short of that, what she could evaluate was positive. We had a wonderful five-day visit from my sister Nora, who drove to NE Ohio from W New York to stay with our other sister Margie in Ravenna from Wednesday to Sunday, and came up to see us each day. On Friday, Keith and Karen came and played bridge with Steve and Nora in the morning, and after I got home from school Margie came up, too. All of these visits were so heartening and enjoyable. On Saturday, Nora also joined us at a play reading group meeting, and took a major role! :) Another very pleasant experience.
So, why "a mixed report"? Starting on Saturday, Steve has been unusually tired and weak, and has had several episodes of the nausea and retching which seemed recently to have subsided almost entirely. He's taken several doses of his "as needed" pain and nausea meds, and seems reasonably comfortable between episodes; but yesterday he ate nothing by mouth (though we continue of course with the Peptamen through the feeding tube), and today so far has had just a teaspoon of jello. He slept in his chair virtually the whole day yesterday (Sunday). Today, he was up and dressed but already back asleep in the chair by about 7:15 a.m. This could be partly normal fatigue from the extra visiting last week, but it feels like more than that, and I'm (obviously) concerned. I am likely to report in with the doctor later today if this pattern continues--not that I can think of anything he might suggest that we're not doing already.
Sorry (again) to end on a low note, but I figure that those of you who are reading this are doing so because you want to know what's actually going on with Steve. And that's what's going on at the moment. Thanks again to all of you for your support, in whatever forms it takes including reading our news reports.
--Carol
