Another ER Visit
Mike has been having lots of unpleasant side effects from his cancer medication, including but not limited to: fatigue, very dry eyes that causes eyesight problems, dry/sore throat, stomach issues (I won’t go into detail), taste issues, sleep problems, etc…..
So when he had trouble sleeping the night before last with a cough and left side chest pain we kinda just thought it was medication related or from the poor air quality from the Canadian fires. The cough seemed to increase during the day and taking a deep breath caused pain and tightness in the left side of his chest, even more than during the night. Mike’s heart rate was running well over 100 and he was also extremely fatigued so he decided to email Mayo to tell them about his symptoms.
The oncology nurse first told him that he should probably go the the ER to get his heart checked but Mike told her that he had been having the symptoms for a few days. She said to try icing his chest and see how he felt. Thankfully, Mike listened to his intuition, as he knows his body well, and felt that something just wasn’t right.
He called our chiropractor son-in-law Isaiah, who also thought he should go to the ER to get checked out. We went to our Floyd County ER around 6PM Friday and they immediately did an EKG which was perfect, thankfully.
The ER doctor checked Mike out and ordered a chest x-ray which showed no pneumonia. He also ordered bloodwork which showed a very high D-dimer number, so he ordered a CT scan with contrast.
Soon they came back and said that Mike had two small blood clots/pulmonary emboli in his left lung, so they needed to consult with the neurology department from Mayo to see if blood thinners were advisable so soon after his gamma knife surgery. Mayo agreed that blood thinners would be advisable so they gave him a dose and sent us home around 10pm with an order for the blood thinner Eliquis. Mike was already feeling better Saturday morning, although his heart rate still goes up if he does any activity. He is trying to take it easy which is NOT easy for him.
My last blog post about life being like a roller coaster is still ever accurate at this time, but to be honest, since then our life has been more like being on a merry-go-round.. Just spinning with Mike not feeling well, nasty side effects, and also learning of friends who are not doing well on their cancer journey’s or of those who have died.. Sad hard days and no really good days..
I don’t like merry-go-rounds.. not in real life or metaphorically! A cancer-ing journey is hard! Nobody wants to hear the words “you have cancer” no matter what age you are! Mike was only 39 years old and a lifelong non-smoker when he was diagnosed with lung cancer. We also had 5 young kids, with the youngest being only ONE year old at the time of diagnosis. We have friends of all ages and all stages of cancer, and it doesn't seem fair at all..
All of our lives are forever changed! To be honest, there are days when I want a normal life back.. A life when you can eat what you want, read what you want, and do what you want..
But… I am also thankful for the long 22 year cancer journey!
I am thankful that Mike has gotten to see four out of our five kids get married, has seen the birth of 11 grandkids, and has made so many memories! I also am thankful that our lives are completely changed in every way. Our walk with the Lord is closer, our relationship with our grown children is amazing and our relationship with each other has grown and we love each other more with each passing day. We aren’t perfect and we still get “irritated” with each other from time to time but, we forgive quickly. So in spite of this cancer journey, we fell blessed, and we believe in a God who performs miracles! Our God has moved mountains, and he loves us in spite of ourselves, and He wants the best for us. We still pray for miraculous healing not only for Mike, but for all of our friends with cancer.
I once again encourage everyone, myself included, to be present, to make precious memories with family and friends, and to tell people how you feel because you never know how much time you have left!
I am so thankful for the special bond we have formed with our friends from Hope4Cancer! We are on similar journeys, so we can understand what each other is going through. We talk frequently and encourage each other with words, prayers, and by sharing inspirational songs. I know they, along with other family and friends, will pray us through this merry-go-round season, so that we will again ride the roller coaster life!
Be blessed,
Paula