October 5, 2020

 When we first started this journey and Marlon was admitted to hospital, they were priming us to be prepared to be in-patients for 4 weeks. After one, they say we may be able to go home tomorrow and we didn't feel prepared or ready.

But since Marlon has been admitted this time, I have not been prepared to stay and been wanting to go home. At first it was Sunday and that was good.  Ok, I can handle waiting until Monday.  This morning I was so psyched that today was the day we were to leave. When I was informed that it would be a few more days before we could leave I was ready to cry.  Darn!

However I must look on the bright side.

MRD test last Thursday is Minimal Residual Disease which has positive results and shows no detectable disease.  Which is good! Very good in fact!

Treatment continues as the past has shown that if they stop now the disease comes back, perhaps with a vengeance.

Tuesday - Friday this week, and the next 3, he will have chemo, four days in a row. They have decided that, because of everything else he is dealing with, and because he is already here, they will keep him admitted until at least Wednesday, probably Friday.😥😿. Saves a few trips back and forth in the car.

I was ready to go home.  Marlon not so much and that is what counts.

And to be fair he is weak, very weak.  And we are hoping he has cleared his bowels. And they are wondering if he needs help emotionally or with anxiety.  And he is still throwing up regularly and not really able to eat.  So yes, it makes sense to take some extra time in the hospital.

There seemed to be all sorts of beeping last night.  At one point, shortly after 1 I went to make sure it wasn't Marlon's IV that was beeping.  It wasn't but I noticed his covers were messed up.  I touched them to cover him and they were wet.  Darn.  It was just the feeding tube that leaked and not like last time that he pulled out the IV port.  But still it meant cleaning and changing him, changing the bed and by that time he was no longer sleeping.  And because he had a plethora of drugs to get his bowels moving he spent the rest of the night in great discomfort, and not sleeping.  He kept getting warm blankets for his abdomen but what worked best was his mom's hands. This abdominal cramping continued until afternoon.

Rashad, Marlon's roommate, did go home today.  Who knows how long we will have the room to ourselves for. The number of patients in the ward fluctuates all the time.

I am hopeful that with some nutrition and the bowels moving, he will start to feel better and stronger. At the same time he will be getting more chemo so like this whole ride it is always a guessing game.