The low low down

 

We like this journey to Tahoe much better than the journey we are currently on.

This morning, we decided together that we'll put it out there, a more clear picture of how Dominic is doing. You couldn't support us more than you already have, we've been so blessed. And I hate to weigh other people down, especially with family being so far away and feeling a bit helpless. We've struggled to know how much to share and how much to hold back. But, this is where we are. And NOT where we're staying. 😉 We== W

The combination of steroids and pain has ravaged Dom's body. He has lost over 40 pounds since May. He has also lost mobility due to such extreme weight loss and fatigue as well as muscle wasting that is a side effect of the steroids. We left the hospital in a wheel chair that one of our friend nurses found and gave to us. I think someone left it behind as it was missing the foot rests. The day we left, an aide jerry rigged a blanket to hold his feet up. This is in part why my mother's help was so tremendous. Me learning to open and fold a wheel chair and help him out of the car, with a jerry rigged foot rest. Wow! What an adventure I never would have signed up for, but since we're here...I'm all in.

We were given the impression we'd be given a wheel chair when it became apparent he'd need one, and didn't find out until the day we left that insurance wouldn't cover it. I bought one on line that was delivered to our hotel yesterday. So. Now we have 2! The foot rests on the new one fits both chairs, so we can choose whichever is more appropriate. (Different wheels on each). He's talking about taking the big wheeled one outside so he can get an upper body work out.

He also left with a walker, so picture me looking a bit like Dick Van Dyke in Mary Poppins with his one man band set up. I'm totally channeling that chaos energy as we make our visits to the infusion center. (How I wish I had Mary Poppins' bottomless carpet bag. That would solve a lot of problems.) As it is, I pack a bag with all our electronics and things we can't leave in a hotel in addition to files from work. I also pack a bag of necessities for him. I've got bags poking out on all sides and I'm carrying his walker while pushing him in his chair. We bring his walker so he can choose to walk or ride. He usually manages a bit of walking, but it's important to have a fall back. I made quite the entrance to the infusion center this morning with the new foot rest that I promptly rammed into the door jam. Thankfully, no damage done to Dom....but....extra length of chair, noted. I also laugh when I'm embarrassed/shocked/overwhelmed/worried/all of the above. Lots of necks jerked as I nervously giggled my way through the waiting room, literally hearing Bert's flat two note horn punctuate my shame

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This is how crazy this whole thing is....before I left the week before to go home and pack, he was being discharged with a cane and a walker just as a precaution. In just one week, he slid back so far as to necessitate the wheel chair and hotel stay. I can't decide if I feel like a frog in slowly heating water, or if I'm shocked from jumping into an ice cold lake. I'm both?

He's very low, as anyone would be who has been through what he has been through. And, of course, the World Cup is over, so I just don't know how to entertain him right now. I'm so glad we're out of the hospital though. I think the anticipation of leaving was giving him anxiety, and bringing him even lower. As I mentioned before, I was also fighting against the nurses compassionately letting him not get up and walk. The prospect of leaving was definitely scary for both of us, as we'd only have ourselves to rely on. He did have a moment in the hospital where he had to be helped up. He couldn't clear a step in the shower and crumbled. We won't have that kind of help in a hotel. I still felt totally ready to get him out of there. I just know that the true healing won't begin until we're home, but being out of the hospital is the first giant step. 

There are so many logistics to this situation, sometimes I feel like a dog chasing its tail. For a while, it felt like an option to choose between renting a hotel room or going all the way back home. But, over the course of his last week at the hospital, it became clear that he can't handle the daily commute and a hotel was no longer an option but a necessity. I remembered all the endless searching on airbnb from before and just went straight to a hotel search. (I've since searched airbnb and nothing will work just now.) I am being budget conscious as well as mindful of our needs. We landed at an Extended Stay as it has a kitchenette and I was able to get a room right by a wheel chair ramp. Again...the dog chasing its tail. Things happened fast here and I was making decisions somewhat on the fly. When I made the decision to book at Extended Stay, there was still a possibility that Dominic could walk to and from the car with his walker, just not step over curbs. And I did not yet have an inkling of actually owning a wheel chair. (Let alone two!) Now that we have the chair, it frees me up a little as to where we'll stay. I would have possibly chosen something a little nicer if I was not concerned about long hallways and if he could eat from restaurants. I'd fantasized about room service and a hot tub while he recovered. Coffee in a styrofoam cup is about as luxurious as it gets. No room service, not even housekeeping.

And we are not staying here! I'm so glad I only reserved for 5 days because it is gross! So gross! It was good to land somewhere anonymous. But we've found our way to navigate this new life now. I'm a little bit panicking over germs and have my bleach wipes out all day long. I had some other hotels lined up, but my friend Kim is opening her door to us, and we're moving on Monday. I'm so grateful. I'd been concerned about several things bringing a nearly invalid person into someone's home, but she persuaded us. It will definitely be challenging to show up to someone's home with wheel chairs and walkers etc...but she's already cooking up some broth. So, we're in. And she might be an angel.

I was concerned also that the stomach pain is not going away. It's better, but still hurts. I worried that the treatment wasn't working, but was reassured yesterday that it will take some time before he's feeling better. I mean, that's not a reassurance, I hate that he's in pain, but I don't need to panic over everything right now. It seems by other signs that the ATGAM worked.

It's going to be a looooong road back. Gvhd is no joke. No joke. It's like we're experiencing a whole new disease and prognosis. And it's been the worst part of the whole experience. I guess we got a little too saucy after the transplant and he was walking miles every day. 

But we'll get back to that. Little did he know when he married me that I am a task master and there's no fetal position when our future is on the line. We are going to face this newest challenge head on. I have to dig real deep on this one. When I ran out for groceries while my mom stayed with him, I couldn't think straight at all. I was beyond exhausted from lack of sleep and the whole deal. I knew I wanted to make coffee in the room, and there wasn't a coffee maker. I have our aeropress with me, so all we'd need is hot water. I was so hitting a wall that I couldn't think about just boiling water in the microwave. I also didn't realize the hotel would provide a coffee maker. (Ew?) My friend offered to loan a tea kettle, and though she lives literally minutes from the grocery store, I could not even go pick it up. I spent $10 on a really ugly tea kettle because I was just that tired. That's what things are like right now. I'm trying to manage everything and meet our needs and anticipate our needs and it's like a moving goal post. Any extra decision I have to make or logistics can send me over the deep end. And yet, I must make them. I know people will have extra helpings of grace for me just now.

And yes, continue to pray for me!!! I know he's the one who needs all the healing energy. But. The couple across the hall from us was telling their nurse, (loudly enough that I could easily hear) that the wife had been bitten by a brown recluse spider. He was in the hospital receiving treatment, and she woke up in a hospital five days later after passing out from the bite. I guess there's still a huge open wound on her leg. Yikes! What an ordeal. Trying to stay healthy here!

I am getting abs of steel from helping Dom in and out of the car. Seeing as how I have gained approximately what he has lost, I'm happy to feel those muscles again. He doesn't recognize himself right now. I do. I still see him. I can't wait to have him back in all his fullness. I miss him not being in survival mode. Soon, this will be a distant memory. Until then, I am his lifeline. I will eat the chocolate and get things done. (Because I am also doing quarterly taxes for work in the midst of all this.) I will help him with his shoes, until he can do it again himself. I will lovingly prepare the smoothie, even if he just can't drink it all. I will carry the bags and the walker and measure out his prescriptions and do whatever it takes to get him back in the real world again; to get him back in his body and to get us back home, and celebrating with you. 

I can do all things.
But I could never claim to do them alone.

This highway

Dear readers: Just a reminder, I've primarily been using this blog to share my journey walking with Dominic through his cancer treatment. I do share more details about his journey in our group on Facebook. This is my place to process and share. (It's also my place to break all the grammar rules. Because I can.)

I love driving metaphors. I don't know why I do, because I'm not a huge fan of driving. At all. And this period in my life has me driving like never before. Well, except that time I lived in Orange County and drove to LA for early morning casting calls. I disliked driving then too.
I have generally always been the one to drive long distances to visit family. With exceptions, but it burned me out. All that driving alone.

It's so much nicer driving with a partner. This journey that Dominic and I are on is serious business. We have found it is better to stay positive, hopeful and kind. I share mostly nice things here, because that is how we want to see things. On that note, I've even made friends with the refrigerator police. Yes her. She has a huge smile for me now when I approach her for something. Because kindness with people is everything.

But I joked with someone a while back when she remarked how kind I am, or some such. I mentioned my real character comes out in the car. The real me that's not all dolled up for the blog, or for the nursing staff, or for our support group; that me can be vicious.  Do not cut in front of me as if I'm not also trying to get some where. Do not crawl up my tail or you will get the most vicious stare down. I will comment out loud and subject poor Dom to my every little thought about how horrible people are. I am not all love and light behind the wheel.

I do try to be a courteous driver. I let people in front of me with a smile. I stick to the slower lanes if I'm not racing at one hundred miles per hour. I keep a good distance between myself and the car in front of me. If traffic allows such.

If the gods are smiling on you, you will never have to be a passenger in my car though. You will probably be safe. But you will be subject to a litany of commentary.

I'm going to make a gigantic leap here. I read something this morning that resonated with all these thoughts I'd been having.
I think you'd have to have your head under a rock to not know that the world as we know it is pretty chaotic. It seems like a lot of people are in the midst of something huge. One of my favorite writers has a response for people who are tired of fighting. He, Jim Wright says he's tired of fighting gravity, but there really isn't an alternative if you want to stay upright. If you want a better nation, he says, you have to be better citizens.

I think that rings so true.

It's the little things that all add up. If we can't do the right thing in the smalls.....who is to do the right thing in the majors?

While one person has admired my kindness, another has categorized me as a goody goody, because I like to do the right thing. It's all perspective isn't it? Someone's a goody goody until that right thing directly benefits someone, and then they're all right. There's big challenges raging right now. Really big. Natural disasters, politics, and cancer to name a few. And while it's important to do the big things: to show up, to voice concern, to donate, to fight the fight and take the pills, it's also important to do the little things. The goody goody things. The Golden Rule things.

I like to remember I am not *in* traffic, I am *part of* the traffic. I am the good and the bad. I am the too fast and too slow. It reminds me of something I shared a while back. I was behind someone with all the bumper stickers. At a stop light, I was able to read a few. One said essentially, that if you can read this to back off, while another said something like if they're climbing up your a$$ to step on the gas....Essentially, this person wanted all the control. Don't drive too slow in front of this car, and don't drive too fast and tailgate behind this car. Now, aside of the ridiculousness of someone in front of the car not being able to read instructions on a bumper sticker in the rear of this car....this was a sad commentary. It kind of sums up one way of traveling. Go at exactly my speed, and everything will be okay.

The thing is, by design, we all go at different speeds.

I'm afraid to hit the publish button.... this feels so preachy. But, it's what's on my heart as I navigate through this journey. Dominic and I are trying to stay positive; but sometimes I feel like I'm faking it. They say your true character shows up under stress, and I worry that the real me is the one grumbling behind the wheel. As positive as I like to be, I also want to be transparent.


 It's also on my heart that people are full of beauty. The same person that is taking up space on the freeway could also be the person who brings a meal, or says just the right thing at the right time. I don't think there is any act of kindness too small. Maybe we can't cure cancer today. Maybe we can't all come to the same decisions politically. Maybe there are so many things falling apart. But, in times of stress, we are coming together. I know we can spread kindness. I know we can spread love. I see it  through this process. I have been so impressed by the many different people who hold us up and love us. Every small action really does add up. So, as much as I dislike driving, I'm so grateful it's just part of the journey. I'm so grateful for my driving partners. I'm so grateful for the traffic, that is really people doing life with us.