November 10, 2012

First of all thank you for all the messages of encouragement and all your prayers.  Marty does receive all the emails that you send him.  He is able to access them at the hospital and read them, unfortunately he doesn't always have time to respond back to each one personally.  Erica asked me to put in a little note of thanks. So thank-you!
Again we are so thankful to report many positive things in this blog post:
Marty has tolerated this round of chemo very well.  Though he did spike a fever right at the end of receiving this chemo treatment he has tolerated the rest very well.  Whereas in previous rounds of chemo he reached a low usually somewhere around day 14, this round he has done very well.  He was moved to a rehab ward last week thursday, so he has already enjoyed a week and two days on this new ward.  He is doing very well physically and is very determined to work hard and meet his target date of being home for Christmas!  On the rehab ward the mentality seems to have shifted from being concerned about getting medically well (though that is not overlooked) to getting physically well.  Patients on this ward are expected to wear clothing (not the typical hospital garb:) ) and though that may only be pajama pants and a t-shirt, it is a "step up".  Typical things Marty does for physio is walking with and without a walker, working out on the arm bike and, just yesterday, walking up and down stairs.  
The speech pathologist has visited Marty a few times this week and we were very pleased to hear his voice again.  Prior to this Marty was just talking in a whisper, now he has a voice and though it may not be really loud at least we don't have to lean over his bed to hear him.  
The neurologist has started to wean Marty off of his seizure medications as the doctors assumed that this was adding to his fatigue.  There are times when Marty sleeps very deeply, and we are unable to rouse him but the neurologist is not overly concerned about this.  Marty's brain has been under a lot of stress and the doctor thinks this causes him to sleep so deeply.  He has however done an EEG and we are waiting to hear the results of this. 
Marty's oral intake of food has been increasing more and more.  His swallowing difficulties seem to be less and less of a problem for him.  The dietician is very pleased with the amount of food he is eating especially considering he is undergoing chemotherapy treatments and often this can cause patients to have a decreased appetite.  Marty's PEG tube does still run at night though they have cut from 12 hours to 10 hours through the night.  
On Wednesday of this past week Marty went for another MRI.  We have heard the the MRI looks good, even better than the previous MRI.  However we are waiting to hear what the treatment plan will be.  The nurse practitioner has let us know that the doctors will be consulting together and making a treatment plan(s) and then discussing them with us.  We eagerly await this news.  
Thanks again for all your encouraging messages and prayers for us all. We know that Marty and Erica and family are constantly being uplifted by these messages and that his health is constantly being brought before the throne of our Heavenly Father.  What a blessing!

Psalm 147: 5, 7

Great is our Lord and mighty in power;

his understanding has no limit.

Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving...