Turning the corner

Turning the corner

 

Over the last several weeks, I have been in recovery mode.  It is almost surreal to remember my last full adult sized meal being two days before my splenic embolism surgery.  Since then I’ve eaten sparingly, have tried to augment calorie intake with dietary supplement drinks, and other empty calorie choices.  But even with those, I’ve lost 35 pounds since February 14.  It is weird because food smells a bit differently and things I used to enjoy now make me gag.  I also have to be in the mood for certain items because one day it will be fine the next day, grotesque.  The kids have noticed changes in my appearance and are showing concern.  Mostly from the coughing fits, but more on that later.

The upside of the weight loss is I actually used to weigh what I weigh now so I have a lot of clothes that still fit me in the house.  I used to rotate closets from some yo-yo dieting I’ve done in my past and although not healthy, the practice has served me well at least from a clothing perspective.   In any case, I haven’t had to go buy a new wardrobe and where I am mentally with my fight, I don’t really care if I’m a year or three out of style.  I clearly have bigger fish to fry.

The kids came back from the campout with plenty of stories and delight.  They showed me their BB gun targets and Connor had a nice grouping on his.  They talked about the campfire, the skit, and even how they retired an old flag properly.  I missed not being there, but I also would not have done well had I gone.  I wasn’t nearly ready yet.

Monday I sent a note to the trial nurse letting her know that we have decided to hold off on the clinical trial until we got my pneumonia more in check.  She agreed, but asked if I could still come in this week to check the fluid pocket around my spleen.  On my last scan, they found fluid and had not seen it like that in prior splenic embo cases.  They had a bit of concern and wanted to make sure exactly what was going on.

Also on Monday, I went to go see my Austin oncologist and we discussed the test results from MDA and their desire for another CT scan.  Very pragmatically my doctor said that the insurance company would probably not cover a scan just five days after the last one.  But MDA would usually eat the cost of something like this if the insurance wouldn’t pay.  So getting the scan in Austin was out.

Labor day champs with a final round 59 in 2007

I sent out a note to some friends in Austin to see who might be able to drive me to Houston for an in and out.  As MDA was trying to schedule the scan, the time changed three times.  From 6:30 at night (which would have put us home around midnight or 1AM) to 8:30 in the morning (which would have meant leaving Austin around 4 to accommodate the Houston traffic) to finally 11:30 which worked out great.  My longtime friend and old golf partner Mike Ames stepped up and was the chauffeur for the day.   The trip was easy and I was able to both kiss my wife and kids before they went to school and love on them before they went to bed.

The only tough part was the storm.  Remember that lightning storm that hit Austin around 2AM Wednesday morning?  Well we hit it just after La Grange on the way and by the time we got to Katy it was a mess.  Luckily, we found a new route in by taking 99 to Westpark Toll to 59 into downtown.  Plenty of room, traffic was lighter, and drive was less nerve wracking especially in the torrential downpour.

When we got to the ROC (radiology outpatient center), it was pretty smooth sailing.  They processed me quickly, gave me my delicious barium drink, and even used my power port for the contrast injection.  After my scan, we hopped on over to the pavilion (far left end of the main building at MDA) and met with the doctor who performed the splenic embolism.  He said that the fluid around the spleen was blood that leaked out from the procedure.  We talked about pain management versus draining it and the risk of infection introducing a needle into the abdomen.  He also said that the hematoma would eventually be absorbed into the body like any other bruise.  I chose to take no action and deal with the moderate pain.  He also said that the spleen did die off and there were signs of it already being absorbed by the body which is a good sign. 

All in all, good news.  Nothing alarming and no cause for trial delay…on the spleen part.  But about the pneumonia.  I feel like I’m turning the corner with more energy, a slightly larger appetite, and fewer coughing to retch fits.  Those are all good things.  But I still have shortness of breath and cannot perform basic activities without having to stop and regain my breath at times.  It kind of sucks.  One day I was feeling pretty good and even thought that perhaps I could pitch a couple of innings for my son’s baseball tournament this weekend.  And then I went up the stairs and had to catch my breath.  I’m not sure that would translate well in the long run.  So I need to continue to rest and try to get better (so I thought). 

Thursday afternoon I had an appointment with a pulmonologist (lung doctor). It went well enough.  He agreed that the pneumonia wasn’t completely gone and prescribed another round of a different antibiotic.  Now here is the part that was weird.  He said, “Make sure you stay active.”  I told him that everyone else had told me to sit around and rest.  He then said that when you sit or lay down your lungs constrict and all that mucus settles and actually sticks together, making it harder to break up and cough up.  When you are active, your lungs open up, get more air moving, and ultimately cough up more junk…which is the goal, to get everything out.

It made total sense and since I was actually starting to feel better anyway I decided to do more stuff.  As soon as I got home I went out and played with our dog for a while and then actually lifted some light weights.  Looking at myself in the mirror most of the weight loss seems to be muscle mass.  It is actually a little embarrassing.  I don’t think my arms have been this small since junior high.  So I did a little dumbbell work, got some air in my lungs and was feeling better.

One thing that is concerning is another pain just behind my rib cage on my left lung side.  It feels like during deep breaths there is a “catch,” like it isn’t a smooth inhale or exhale.  It stutters. And it hurts.  Hopefully it is just old sticky mucus that is being broken up.  I’ll keep an eye on it.  I’m not concerned about a pneumothorax (hole or potential collapse in my lung) because I am still able to catch my breath and it doesn’t sound like it’s gurgling.  Plus, since I’ve had three doctors’ appointments this week, each time my oxygen levels are measured it has been upper 90s and just fine.  Upside of the weight loss is I’m snoring less and Nita is getting better sleep as well.

The lung doc said he wanted another chest x-ray the Friday before I go to the trial.  He thought if it hasn’t cleared up by then, perhaps we should push it back again.  I can tell you now, that ain’t happening.  We’re pushing forward.  I’m feeling better and better each day and with the new, more active Marco working with a goal, pain or no pain, we are going to get there.  I’ll be ready and April 10 will be the dawn of a new day.  I’ve never been this excited to start a round of chemo before.

So all in all a pretty busy week, but we handled it.  I guess it’s like the old saying God doesn’t give you more than you can handle.  I am just going to keep my faith strong, follow the doctor’s orders, and keep fighting like hell.  The kids are concerned that it is taking so long for me to recover, but I’m trying to do more with them to show that I’m getting better or turning the corner.  I love them so much and don’t want their 8 and 6-year-old energies being spent worrying about me.  I will beat this and am very hopeful and optimistic about the trial.

Never give up, never ever give up.  That’s what coach V said and that is what I will endeavor to follow. The kids are learning the lesson for sure.  There have been times where both have been frustrated, but neither thinks quitting is an option any longer.  Nita has embraced her new role at work like a champ and is already garnering rave reviews.  I suppose we’re a pretty tough little family unit and I’m proud of all of our efforts.  We are a family that loves each other fiercely and never gives up.  What more can you ask for?  Not much really.  May God bless you and your families as well.  Thank you for all your support, time, and prayers.  Team Marco

Oh and if you are around Austin on April 9 and want to do something before the Masters gets in full swing…Without Regrets is holding a charity run.  They are the group that sent our family to Maui on what seemed like a moment’s notice and helped us build amazing memories for the kids.  If you can’t run, you can donate if you like.  Here is the link to register for the run if you are interested: https://www.raceentry.com/races/austin-1020/2017/register