Caution

This is the sign on the door of the radiation area where Nick got his treatments. It is still hard for me to grasp that Nick's body has been subjected to such torture. It has been five days since Nick's last dose of radiation. Nick continues to suffer many of the side effects of the "acute phase" of what I consider a barbaric medical treatment. Nick's throat has been in quite a lot of pain every time he swallows due to the sloughing of the lining of his esophagus and the back of his throat. It is very painful every time he swallows and therefore, he has really been unable to eat any real food for the last week. In addition, he has been having significant headaches, neck pain and stiffness, and nausea, often punctuated with some actual vomiting, just to top the whole thing off just right. Nick has been on a pain pump, called a PCA, which stands for "patient controlled analgesia, since last week. It has been a long week trying to find just the right amount to help the pain, but, not put Nick out like a light. Yesterday, the nurse from the pain team came up to evaluate Nick and hopefully, the latest adjustments will yield positive results for Nick.

Nick continues on the oxygen and his lungs while showing some improvement are still far from normal. Nick is still unable to do normal things like walk, shower, exercise (lightly), without getting "winded" and working somewhat hard to breathe. I have no idea how long it will take for him to return to his pre-illness baseline. But, right now, he is far from "normal" when it comes to his lungs. Nick's counts are slightly better, but, they remain low and therefore, his still does not have enough soldiers to really fight this infection and heal his lungs. He has shown great improvement from his precarious status of a week ago, but, he still has a long way to go on this front. Nick's other counts are also up and down like a yo-yo...he has had to receive three platlet transfusions and two red blood cell transfusions. I assume these drops are related to the effects of the radiation and I am not sure when they will stabilize. Nick has been very fortunate that he has not needed a lot of platlet or blood transfusions, so I hope he bounces back real soon from this insult to his marrow.

The best news of the day for me...a NEW attending is coming on today!!! This attending is highly regarded for her attention to detail and bedside manner! The nurses give her high praise, so I am looking forward to a fresh start with some fresh eyes. I think she shall be named Dr. Hallelujah! Time for me to hit the hay...tomorrow is another day. Please keep Nick in your thoughts and prayers. The battle continues.