Home and Healing

We are happy to report that Darryl continues to be healing extremely well.  He came home from the hospital 24 hours after brain surgery.  The doctors have been so positive - feeling like his surgery could not have gone any better then it did.  His bruising and swelling has also healed very well.  Yesterday he had his stitches removed and his scar is remarkably small considering they cut a hole in his skull and removed a tumor through it!  His vision is blurred, and he has double vision right now.  This is expected.  The muscles surrounding his tumor were stretched and need to be strengthened.  We are hopeful that his vision will correct itself in the next few weeks.  He's up and about most of the day and sleeping quite well at night.  I'm pretty sure he'll be bored of being at home before he's ready to go back to work.  We are extremely thankful that the surgery is behind us and he is on his way to being healthy soon.  We thank God for taking such good care of Darryl and helping all the details come together.  We consider it a gift that he was able to come home so quickly.  The girls were able to return to school knowing Dad was at home doing well, instead of worrying about him in the hospital.  I didn't have to go to the hospital on my days off to visit him, which I was dreading.  We feel we are being taken care of in many ways right now thanks to so many lifting up prayers on our behalf.

I've had a few "lasts" this week - my last round of blood tests on Monday and my last chemo treatment yesterday!  This feels like a huge accomplishment.  I always dreaded my chemo Tuesdays.  So I'm in my last week of chemo drugs, chemo brain, and chemo nausea.  So glad to be putting this part behind me. Unfortunately my last round of chemo has hit me hard.  I got pretty sick almost immediately after receiving it this time...a really upset stomach and extreme fatigue.  It will last at least 3 days, but I keep reminding myself it's my last week of this chemo crap! (Sorry there is no other word that fits)   I still have 9 radiation treatments, which also feels more doable....I've done 19.  Unfortunately I've started experiencing radiation nausea this week - believe it or not, it's different then chemo nausea.  So my doctors will put me on a new plan of meds starting tomorrow until I'm done my treatments.  Hopefully it will work.  I find constant nausea extremely exhausting.  I do have to say that although it's been a bit of a rough week so far, it sure has been nice to come home to Darryl everyday.  It's so nice to have company in my misery.  We are somewhat of a miserable pair right now.  We pop pills like candy.  We lay around a lot.  We complain about our pain and ailments.  But at least we have each other.  I think we have a new appreciation for each other, and we definitely sympathize for each other in a way no one who hasn't been sick could.