Saturday, 10th May

I feel like I can concur the world!

This morning when I visited Jimmy and he was looking so much better.  And I know I said this yesterday but day by day he is improving.  He is finding the back brace very uncomfortable in bed, if it's not digging into his hips then it is pushing up under his ribs.  Prof came to see him while I was there, it's the first time he has seen Jimmy since he got the brace yesterday afternoon.  We expressed our concern about the back brace and he said that the more Jimmy wears it the better as the chemo is going to help with the pain and the back brace will also keep his spine in the correct position, apart from supporting it.  He basically explained that the most important time to wear it is when there is direct pressure on his spine.  So that would be standing or walking and if he is sitting in an upright position, like at a dining room table or on a lounge chair etc. It isn't necessary to wear it in the hospital bed as the top of the bed is raised during the day and there is no direct pressure on his spine.  Also at night when he sleeps the bed is flat (as it would be at home).  He is quite happy that Jimmy doesn't wear it if he sits in his new lazy boy but it must be slightly tilted.

And he looks better yet tonight when I visited.  They weighed him today and he has put on 3kg!  He is getting used to the Oxygen mask too and using it up 30 minutes at a time now which is very good for his lungs.

Since they started chemo yesterday, a Friday, he will be on a Tuesday and Friday cycle for two weeks and then a week off and this will run for four months.  Prof said that he has to stay in hospital for a minimum of 5 - 7 days on the anti-biotics and of course he has to be clear of Pneumonia so we are hoping that he will be discharged on Tuesday or Wednesday.  This also means that his second chemo treatment will also be in hospital which I am very happy about.  It is more than 24 hours since he had chemo and so far no side effects...YAY!!!

It's amazing how far some positivity can get a person.  I was absolutely exhausted this morning and it's not like I had a sleep today but seeing Jimmy so much better this evening has given me so much hope.  I have a second wind.....but one like the howling south easterly wind that we experience in Fish Hoek!

And my blessings today are a thank you to Mark for your caring telephone call this morning while I was very teary.  And then I have to say a special thank you to a friend's husband who did some acting skills to help Loren out for her school project which is an advert.....I won't mention any names but would loved to have been a fly on the wall :)