Again I saw something meaningless under the sun: There was a man all alone; he had neither son nor brother. There was no end to his toil, yet his eyes were not content with his wealth. "For whom am I toiling," he asked, "and why am I depriving myself of enjoyment?" This too is meaningless-- a miserable business! Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up! Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.
Ecclesiastes 4:7-12

I know that I've been slow to update the blog this week. Last week went quite well, but the past three days have really begun to show how progressively more difficult the radiation will be. One of the nurses compared radiation to a bruise that is hit each day. The first part of the treatment is not that noticeable but as the radiation continues to hit the tissue it becomes more and more sensitive and the effects become further pronounced.

While the Zofran has taken the bulk of the nausea away, this week nausea has continued to haunt her and she’s never felt quite right. That culminated last night in the sink (if you catch my not so subtle inference).

This morning she’s doing better in that regard, but the new symptom that popped up on Sunday was a chronic sore throat. This is not, as some of you may be guessing, a result of a suppressed immune system. In fact, the radiation should not (and has not to date) had any significant impact on her white blood cell count. The sore throat is due to the radiation being given to her spine that reaches through to the soft tissue in her throat and makes it feel like she has a perpetual cold.

Her hair is still hanging on though. The only potential precursor to her losing her glory is that her scalp has started to feel tender and itchy.

So let’s sum up …

• Nausea
• Chills
• Fatigue
• Sore Throat
• Headache
• Dry Mouth
• Itchy and sensitive scalp
  

If I didn’t know better I’d diagnose her symptoms as the perfect storm of a flu, a cold and dandruff. At least this is all temporary.

There has been some good news this week. The 2nd opinion pathology report came back yesterday and the good news is that the Mayo Clinic pathologists concur that the cancer is indeed Tanycytic Ependymoma. We are thankful for that because it means that we are still dealing with a typically manageable cancer.

Also, Karen had her teeth cleaned recently because radiation can induce an environment conducive to cavity creation. I am proud to announce that she came away with a clean bill of dental health.

In the midst of the chronic discomfort that Karen is experiencing all of this is made bearable as we see God’s grace extended toward us daily in your love and generosity. Your love toward us was astounding when this all began happening, but more than two months later you continue to stand by us and it’s this consistent care that gives a fullness to the concept of “long-suffering.” Thank you all for your continued prayer and support.