Still KICKING CANCER’S ASS…7 WEEKS AND COUNTING… - Victoria Campbell Photography Blog

Everyday in the hospital I am grateful he is here…all the attention is he getting is far more than I can offer when he is home…and the good news is he will get Home Care for approximately 3 weeks when he is “released” from this place…such a bittersweet feeling…I miss him at home but know he’s at the right place right now…when he does come home the “nursing” staff is ME and I DO NOT have their patience…they know what they are doing…me I know what is ahead of me with this feeding tube thing…and turning all his meds into liquid and running it through his tube….ugh…why was I excited he was getting this thing? It’s a lot of work!

The positive side of the feeding tube is he has gained 10 pounds back…and he has gotten a lot of his “color” back…he doesn’t look “sick”…well to me at least. It is now Tuesday…the hubs has been here for 10 days…if his blood tests come back with some improvement with white cell blood count he can come home…YAY…first a few visits from the nutritionist, social worker, pain management (this scares me…will I know how to ween him off these pain meds right), and patient outreach…now this gets me to the negative side of the feeding tube….AAAHHHH I want to scream…this is so scary…so much information coming all at once…AND we just found out the formula for the feeding tube is not paid by insurance…OH BOY…and the mulah is upfront before it is delivered…well hello new budget…its like being a college student…Ramon noodles for dinner…sure why not! {How do people do this…even with insurance…the bills keep rolling in and this frightens me…how can it be over $200K already…what? Oh yeah thank you heart attack…and thank you life flight…jeez}…we will get through this…and I’m keeping my fingers crossed all goes well when we get home…they show me how to run it…you put formula in the bag 3 times a day and his meds are given three times of day, and can give him water through the feeding tube 3 times a day…all at different times…I got this {I hope I do}.

The hubs has to sleep at a particular angle when the feeding tube is on…which by the way is on 24 hours 7 days a week…for several weeks…always hooked up to the feeding tube…he can disconnect to shower…{this is something I didn’t even envision tube feeding would be like}…so I slept downstairs on our couch why he sat/slept in the recliner…wasn’t a peaceful night at the slightest…still vomiting and dry-heaving… and I tried to keep track which anti-nausea pill was due…one thankful thing was the meds went through the tube so it bypassed his stomach and he wasn’t vomiting them up defeating the purchase of the pills…he was prescribed 3 different ones and NEEDED all 3…boy I cannot wait for this to get easier. The chemotologist mentioned the hubs will not be having his 3rd chemo treatment and not to worry about his prognosis…but I know Greg…he is going there…he is thinking about how this will change things…but they mention this happens…the body gets to weak and sometimes the 3rd treatment just can’t happen. I feel his anxiety starting all over again like it was in the beginning…he just has a few more radiation treatments to go…then the healing can begin…he can ring that bell…3 more treatments…Monday the 9th cannot come here fast enough…

Friday was rough for some reason…he hasn’t vomited for a couple of days but the morning of his 2nd to last radiation he had a hard time…his anxiety was high…he was worried about keeping the mask on and that thing that holds his tongue down while the mask is on…what happens if he has to vomit…I honestly don’t know what to say…I of course say…you got this honey…2 more radiations…away he went…and right back he came…ugh…they suggest a few new meds for him to take that aren’t long lasting…tell him to try again in 20 minutes…I can see his worry…he’s almost done…why is this shit happening now? 20 minutes come and go…he still isn’t ready…I feel terrible…there is nothing I can do but tell him don’t worry…you will be ready when your ready! About an hour later they ask if he wants to give it a try…and YAY he was ready….ONE MORE TREATMENT TO GO!!! A weekend of rest…and Monday he is ringing the bell…woohoo…

Sunday night I can barely sleep…I am literally so excited for Greg…his least treatment…35 radiations under his belt…Samantha, Heather, Landon, and Jimmy are meeting us there…this is huge…we are so excited for the next phase of the kicking cancer…time to heal…they welcome Mr. Campbell and every mentions how exciting it is to be his last day…I feel like crying I am so happy! I felt like this radiation (which lasts a total of 10 minutes) last an eternity…when he is going to walk out…Landon was even impatient…staring down the long hallway for Papa to walk down…finally…YAY he is done…done for good…time to ring the bell…we for once get to ring the bell and hear the applause instead of the other way around (don’t get me wrong…I so enjoyed watching patients ring the bell knowing it was their last treatment…knowing their long haul)…but when its your turn…complete emotional mess…its done…but then its a waiting game…we have to wait 3 whole entire months before they will do a pet-scan to see if the cancer is gone…are you serious…why so long???? This is going to take FOREVER…I can only imaging how the hubs feels…let the waiting begin…

We had a few mishaps with the feeding tube…its clogged on us several times…but we managed with some patience and hot water…it started flowing again…phew…I do not like this thing and cannot wait for it to get out of him! He can start drinking some Ensures or Boosts when is feels he is ready…the only thing he is ready for is his taste buds to come back…baby steps one day at a time… we went to Target together today…he got out of the house besides going for short walks, or to a doctor’s visit…so it was nice…now if we can get his coughing under control maybe he can take in a movie…lol…time will tell…now we wait for the count down for the pet-scan…ugh…I just want this over with.

Landon was upset to see Papa with a boo-boo in his nose 🙁