On the road to recovery

I talked to Mark on Monday and then again tonight he sounds really good. He acknowledged that it is going to be a long process of weeks or even months before he gains his weight and strength back, but he sounds so relieved to be actually showing some signs of progress, moving him in that direction.

He went to see Dr. Kendra at OSU yesterday. His brother Greg, who is still here from California and has been a tremendous help and relief to both my mom and mark, drove him to his appointment since my mom had to work. It was a really good visit for several reasons. First of all, when she asked Mark what he was taking for pain medication and he answered "three Advil," she said that would be changing immediately. She gave him two different pain prescriptions. One to help with his overall pain and one to help the more targeted pain in his shoulders and elbows, which she explained is neuropathic pain. She told him that the reason the tumor under his arm (which has been surgically removed once before but has since returned) is hurting so badly again is because he lost all the fat and muscle around it that used to cushion it.

She also explained to him that even though he has been able to eat and drink, the food isn't staying in his body long enough to absorb much of the nutrients which is why he's having trouble gaining his weight back. He weighed in at only 139 pounds yesterday which is only up four pounds from his all-time low in the hospital last week. The pain medications that she prescribed will also help his food stay in his body longer, allowing him to absorb the nutrients and start gaining his weight back.

Just to give you an idea of how "skin and bones" he really is, when his brother Greg dropped him off at the door of the James yesterday while he went to park the car, Mark couldn't even sit on the wooden benches outside because he had no meat on him and his bones were touching the wooden bench. I was really disappointed to hear that the people working in the valet area didn't help him get a wheelchair after he realized he couldn't sit on the benches and needed one. What is wrong with people? But then when two ladies in the hospital saw him struggling to walk, they offered to get him one, showing that there are still some good people out there!

His blood results looked really good, much better than Mark's physical appearance would have indicated, Dr. Kendra said. She wants to see him again in two weeks to see how he is improving and will be having new scans around January 15th. She emphasized to Mark that a delayed response is very common with the Ippy Clinical Trial and warned him not to get discouraged if results aren't seen right away. Dr. Kendra also reminded Mark of the many times he has bounced back before and it seems she thinks he will again.

When Mark called my mom today, he was so happy to be free of pain and was thrilled with how well the pain medications were working. He didn't even realize how much chronic pain he had until it was gone today. Mark said if he could continue feeling like he felt today, it would be really good. The pain medication is really helping with his energy levels, too. "If today was any indication, I'm definitely on the right road," Mark said.

It sounds like Mark is definitely moving in the right direction. My mom just got off work and is on a mission to find him some cherry flavored water that he wanted. She's going to try to give him all the food and drinks he wants (and is able to eat) to help fatten him up!

Thanks, as always, for the thoughts and prayers! They are much appreciated!