Two weeks of radiation under our belt over here! We’re getting into the “groove” of cancer treatment, whatever that means. The routine of driving in for radiation has become super normal, and we’re learning what Brady needs to manage side effects along the way.
(I’m trying to convince Brady that you guys would like to hear from him what actually happens in a radiation treatment, but he figures that would be boring and no one would actually care. But if you’ve never had radiation, I say it would be new information. Anyone wanna know? Speak up!)
The theme of this weeks treatment is headaches! Poor Brady has been hit with some brutal headaches, that come on fast and strong. Unfortunately, at the moment, his oncologist won’t prescribe him pain killers, so Brady is making it work on regularly scheduled Tylenol and Naproxen, when needed. Yes, its hard on his stomach. He’s on a stomach protector. Also, ALL of this is hard on his body. We’re doing our best over here.
Yesterday, we suffered our first fatality.
Sooooo this was a huge bummer. Brady immediately called Saskabilities and they said they could replace the crutch before the end of the day. Thank goodness, because it was Friday, and this was greatly limiting. My mom offered to run in and do the pickup, as too much driving makes Brady carsick now. Thank you, mom! In the meantime, we took Brady’s wheelchair out of the van and brought it into the house for the first time since he got home!
And guys, it opened a door for Brady. He was capable and had more energy. It was beautiful to watch. He has worked SO hard to walk with crutches, and we have all figured the chair would live in the van pretty much indefinitely, because it would be clunky around the house. But he was able to do SO much more without getting as fatigued as quickly! He could also hold things when he went somewhere! Thats been the biggest hangup with the crutches – the inability to carry or hold anything, or bring anything with him. Now, he can, and he was so much happier. At bedtime, he changed diapers and got a couple of kids tucked in, and it just felt more normal. There is the relief for everyone that he could feel so much better and move around more, but the worry around losing all of his progress towards walking isn’t lost on us, either. Its an internal battle, for sure.
The weekend feels so much better. His body gets a little rest, which we are all grateful for. We’re 40% done radiation, and while we’re getting used to the system, we are completely and utterly exhausted, physically, emotionally, and mentally. It has been QUITE a time over here, but we are making it. All glory to God!