Continuation of Radiation (7/8/09)

Well the last week has seen considerable rib pain for David, as well as the continued buttocks pain.  He wasn't feeling well after eating and was throwing up often.  A fever rolled in and out over the course of a few days.  His appetite is lost as of recently.  Experimenting with pain medication has managed to get the rib pain mostly under control and has regulated the buttocks pain enough that he can now walk around the house with the aid of walker.  David and Shanna are both still going to the pool everyday after radiation which is a 5 day a week regimen.  They enjoy the weightlessness of the water for about 2 hours.  David is taking anti-nausea medicine to try to encourage an appetite but finds that the pills have little to no effect.  He rarely feels up to eating.  Most of his time is now spent in the living room, seated in the lazy boy recliner, which also doubles as his bed.  At night he is able to find some respite from the pain, and can get a fairly good sleep.  Chemotherapy is still on the once per week schedule.  The combination of Chemo and Radiation often makes him so tired that he sleeps 12 to 15 hours a day (or just snoozes).  Katheryn and Aaron have taken their turns escorting David to the pool, to give Shanna a day off from the tiring routine.  David generally doesn't feel well enough to talk much on the phone, and doesn't believe he can concentrate long enough to do e-mails on his own.  David has been having trouble with swelling in his ankles and feet, likely caused by his lack of movement during most of the day.  He feels that the nerves and muscles in his left leg have become "screwed up in various different ways".  The majority of the muscle mass in his thighs has diminished considerably, though not so much as to stop him from walking (with the walker) when the pain is tolerable.

Emotionally David feels f-l-a-t... or dull.  Emotionally we are all feeling that same dull, background ache, but we are joyous on those days when he is able to walk (like the first steps of a baby) or even if we catch that classic 'David Pettie' smile, on his face.  There are many things to be glad for.  Just like Pollyanna, we remember those things the most.

On other news, life in the lazy boy has become (within the last hour) considerably more engaging as David bought Shanna (and the family) a new 52" LCD HD T.V. which is... beautiful.  This in conjunction with the Unlimited plan from Netflix that Katheryn has signed us up for.  Katheryn spent the last few weeks being trained in and at one time leading the "English as a Second Language" course at MCC (our community college here).  Aaron has been getting bids from contractors for a new set of gutters on the newly built lanai roofs.  Bo has been maintaining the yards (no small task in the land where plants don't die, and nothing stops growing).

There is little time for really taking a moment and relaxing, but we do manage to slip them in occasionally.  Katheryn and Patrick went to Lahaina on the 4th to see the fireworks (brief in comparison to Richmond, or Minneapolis... or just about any other place in the US).  While Aaron missed the fireworks he did go to a party held in a vacant valley with no civilization for miles.  This followed by a trip to a secluded waterfall with a tight group of friends and then to church (also known as Little Beach) where he is often found on sundays (often being EVERY sunday)

Things have been steady and stable now for at least the past few days, and we look forward to more such days to come.  We still take each day as it is, and flow with it, in whatever direction it pushes and pulls.  It is the 'Pettie Way'.