Tuesday 5/20/03
Our first appointment of the day was a Hem/Onc clinic visit at 9:00am, but we had to drive from home, so we left at 7:15am. I should have told them that we had a 10:00am appointment across the street so they could have juggled us better, but I’m still learning the ropes. Needless to say, we had to cancel our 10:00 appointment (the Physical Therapy evaluation) at the last minute and reschedule for Thursday morning at 8:00am. I’m glad I’m a morning person. At least this time we will be driving from Grandma’s house and can leave at 7:30am. But that means one more night away from home this week.
The oncologist was very nice. We met a new one today. There are 10 of them and they all rotate through the different responsibilities in the Hem/Onc unit. So far we have met five. He outlined a little more about the upcoming treatment and ways to handle possible side effects, like nausea, etc. After the appointment he went to write up the prescriptions and I promptly checked out (mentally and physically) and left for the next appointment – forgetting to wait for the prescriptions. At least I’m there often enough right now to be able to pick them up another day.
We made it in plenty of time for our Occupational Therapy appointment. This went rather well. Basically, we just need to continue to get Les to do things that require both hands working together (that way he can’t choose to use one instead of the other). He is right handed, but he has chosen to use his left hand predominantly lately because of the shakiness in his right hand. His control is coming back, but he needs to choose to use the right hand. She had lots of suggestions, and the computer game that Les loves is a great thing – I just won’t tell Les that he’s doing therapy when he’s helping Buzz Lightyear stun the robots with his laser.
We had a nice afternoon hanging out and then an errand to Target to get new bath toys. Les informed Grandma Sue the other night that she needed new bath toys. He’s played with the existing toys all his life. Luckily we had a return to make and a gift card, so new bath toys were easy to obtain.
Tonight we went to our first “support group” meeting. It’s called Families Supporting Families and is for everyone in the Hem/Onc unit. There were toys and crafts for Les to play with in a separate area from where the adults were meeting. Les had a great time! I invited my mom and grandma to go with me since they will be going through the majority of this with us. Jason was not able to attend this time, but maybe another time. Tonight’s topic was “Your Spiritual Health” and was very comforting. It’s good to see that everyone has a different approach toward dealing with this type of news. Many, if not most, expressed that it’s only with God’s strength that they get through it. Amen to that!!! I met another couple that has a son with Medulloblastoma and also a daughter that is a survivor of cancer. I can’t imagine going through this with two kids. My network expands daily. God is good to provide the people when we need them.
Our first appointment of the day was a Hem/Onc clinic visit at 9:00am, but we had to drive from home, so we left at 7:15am. I should have told them that we had a 10:00am appointment across the street so they could have juggled us better, but I’m still learning the ropes. Needless to say, we had to cancel our 10:00 appointment (the Physical Therapy evaluation) at the last minute and reschedule for Thursday morning at 8:00am. I’m glad I’m a morning person. At least this time we will be driving from Grandma’s house and can leave at 7:30am. But that means one more night away from home this week.
The oncologist was very nice. We met a new one today. There are 10 of them and they all rotate through the different responsibilities in the Hem/Onc unit. So far we have met five. He outlined a little more about the upcoming treatment and ways to handle possible side effects, like nausea, etc. After the appointment he went to write up the prescriptions and I promptly checked out (mentally and physically) and left for the next appointment – forgetting to wait for the prescriptions. At least I’m there often enough right now to be able to pick them up another day.
We made it in plenty of time for our Occupational Therapy appointment. This went rather well. Basically, we just need to continue to get Les to do things that require both hands working together (that way he can’t choose to use one instead of the other). He is right handed, but he has chosen to use his left hand predominantly lately because of the shakiness in his right hand. His control is coming back, but he needs to choose to use the right hand. She had lots of suggestions, and the computer game that Les loves is a great thing – I just won’t tell Les that he’s doing therapy when he’s helping Buzz Lightyear stun the robots with his laser.
We had a nice afternoon hanging out and then an errand to Target to get new bath toys. Les informed Grandma Sue the other night that she needed new bath toys. He’s played with the existing toys all his life. Luckily we had a return to make and a gift card, so new bath toys were easy to obtain.
Tonight we went to our first “support group” meeting. It’s called Families Supporting Families and is for everyone in the Hem/Onc unit. There were toys and crafts for Les to play with in a separate area from where the adults were meeting. Les had a great time! I invited my mom and grandma to go with me since they will be going through the majority of this with us. Jason was not able to attend this time, but maybe another time. Tonight’s topic was “Your Spiritual Health” and was very comforting. It’s good to see that everyone has a different approach toward dealing with this type of news. Many, if not most, expressed that it’s only with God’s strength that they get through it. Amen to that!!! I met another couple that has a son with Medulloblastoma and also a daughter that is a survivor of cancer. I can’t imagine going through this with two kids. My network expands daily. God is good to provide the people when we need them.