On the rise

It has been a very eventful day. Donald's mom brought 2 of her former FBI buddies by to visit with us after lunch today. Donald took another short nap after they left and then a friend of mine came by for a while. Thanks Mag for the TP. LOL! We took another stroll over to the Children's Cancer floor and visited again. We also walked down to the children's activity room and spoke with some of the volunteer's there. God bless them for taking time to visit with the children and make there hospital stay a little brighter. They do such an amazing job with the children. My heart goes out to the children and their families. We came back to the room and attempted to watch Fireproof for the 2nd time. HA! Hard to watch a movie without interruptions up here. Poor Donald feels like he is about to birth a baby calf because of all the water he is retaining. He made the mistake of getting on the scale today and his weight is on the rise. Prednisone and Chemo is causing him to swell a little, well more than a little. He has put on about 30 pounds over the past week. We talked to the nurse and they may try to give him something in the morning to help with the fluid. We walked down to the cafeteria a short while ago for a little exercise and he walked for a good while before having to get in the wheelchair. He is a trooper I tell you. He sits up in the chair most of the day and walks every chance he gets. One of the nurses saw us walking down the hall and said " you walk more than I do and I'm not sick". They are all amazed at how well he is doing. All I have to say is GOD IS IN CONTROL! He is Almighty and he gives us strength.

Still hanging in there.

Donald was able to get a little sleep this morning after they got the air working again. He didn't get up  until 9 this morning. We have had a few visitors this morning which always helps keep his spirits up. We took another trip downstairs and got something from the cafeteria for breakfast. Had to try and find some milk because they haven't re-stocked the fridge on our floor yet. Donald is a BIG milk drinker. He probably drinks a gallon a day. He is now eating lunch and gonna try to take a short nap. He is a little drained from all of the activities last night and this morning but it's really good for him to keep moving around. It helps keep his strength up. He is doing so well. I am so proud of him for being so strong and courageous. I know he will get better. Praying for another wonderful day and giving God all the glory.

No Air

It's about 3:40 am and we just returned from a stroll over to the Childrens Cancer floor.  Donald woke me up about 2:00 am because he was burning up from it being so hot in the room. Of course, I was at a comfortable temperature finally. LOL!!! Turns out the air conditioning had gone out on the 5th floor. Not cool when you are on steroids. As anyone who has been to Donald's room knows it's like the North Pole when you walk in so 74 degrees is extremely hot to him. Anyway, I got him a wheelchair and we were off in search of a cooler climate. Walking through the ghost town of hallways we made our way to his old cancer floor and met some of his old nurses. They were so excited to see him. They told him that if he wasn't being treated right that they always have a bed available for him on the childrens floor. LOL! What's really funny is he would transfer over there in a heartbeat if they would let him. Well, we are back in the room now and the freezer is back on so I am gonna bundle back up and maybe we can sleep for a couple more hours. Donald is already head bobbing. 

Laughter is the best medicine

Overall Donald had a good day today.  We had a few visitor's today and they really uplifted his spirits. We took a walk downstairs a short while ago and got a little exercise. I am so glad he is doing so well. He had a good 2 hour nap today and I laughed more in 30 minutes than I have all week. It was hilarious because he was talking to me and laughing in his sleep. I almost had tears rolling down my face I was laughing so hard. He swears he wasn't doing that and I must have been dreaming. Wish I could have caught it on tape. Mrs. Rachel came to visit tonight and had us laughing as well. It was very refreshing to see Donald laughing. Praying he keeps that smile on his face and continues to do well. No Chemo for 2 days so maybe he can get some rest. Thank you Lord for your many blessings and continue to watch over Donald.

Finally sleeping

Donald has had his Chemo for the day and has tolerated it very well. The nausea has passed from the LP and he was able to eat lunch. Lance came by today to see him and brought him a Backyard Burger. He thoroughly enjoyed it. Thanks Lance.  He has finally given in and is sleeping soundly. He is snoring. LOL! Thanking God for giving him peace and allowing him to finally get some much needed sleep.

LP Complete

We just got back from downstairs. The LP went great. He is a little nauseated but the nurse just brought him something for nausea and to help him rest. We will not get the results of the LP for about 2 days. Praying for a good report.

Chemo: Day 5

Donald was able to sleep a little better last night. He is in a pretty good mood this morning and appears to be more rested. They are prepping him for a bag of platelets and then hopefully we will be on our way down for the LP.  He will be glad to get that out of the way. He feels much better after getting 2 bags of blood last night and think that played a large part in him being able to rest. Praying God allows him to stay calm and make it through the LP without complications. Thank you Lord for another good day.

Blood and platelet donations!

If you would like to give blood or platelets for Donald Fitzgerald go to MS Blood Services.

Give them Donald’s name and code CY83. It would be greatly appreciated. He will have to have a lot of transfusions over the next few weeks, possibly years, depending on the course of treatment. Thank you everyone for your prayers and support.

Spinal Tap Update

Well they were unable to do the LP today due to an emergency coming in. They are going to schedule it for in the morning. They are now giving him his 2nd bag of whole blood and will probably give him more platelets in the morning before the LP. Donald is really tired tonight and needs to sleep but he is so anxious about the LP he can't rest for more than 10 or 15 minutes. Not to mention all of the nursing staff coming in every 2 hours or less. Aside from being tired and a little anxious he is still doing very well. Praying for rest for him tonight.

Spinal Tap

Well the new attending just came in and advised us that they are going to give him another bag of platelets and then take him down for an LP later this afternoon. He will also be getting whole blood this evening when he returns from downstairs. Please keep him in your prayers especially throughout the day because he is getting pretty anxious about having to have the LP. We have talked with the nurse about giving him something before he goes down to calm his nerves. I know everything will be fine. God will see to that.

Yet another restless night.

Donald was pretty restless last night. He has all of these worries and concerns that won't allow him to sleep. He is sleeping off and on during the day but he has yet to get the sleep he needs. It didn't help that they were not able to flush his PICC Line this morning and he started to panic a bit. I told him not to worry about it because God was in control and everything was going to be okay. Turned out all he needed was a new cap for the line. Apparently, the one that was on there was faulty. So, they were able to get his line clear and give him platelets this morning. Waiting to see if he is going to need more because the doctor wants them to be at least 80,000 before they do the LP. Pray that God eases his mind as he goes through this. He is extremely anxious about having to get the LP. Well, I am going to see if I can lie down with him and get him to rest for a bit. Praying it is a good day. Thanking God for his blessings thus far.

Day 5

As Brandy said earlier, I had yet another restless night.  I have been in this little room cooped up since this past Thursday.  I slipped out of my room without waking Brandy early this morning and walked around up here on the 5th floor.  I managed to find a fully stocked refrigerator of milk and juice.  And yes, I asked before I took any even though  there is a huge sign on the front of the door that says "Patient Refrigerator".  Besides, I needed some milk to go with my Twinkies. 
         The Doctors started me on Prednisone, a steroid essential in the treatment of my cancer and the very same medication that caused me to have my hips replaced.  Another side effect of Prednisone is that it can run the levels of glucose in your body 'sky high'.  Well my blood sugar is pretty high so I'm having to take insulin injections two and sometimes three times a day. 
         I had a nice surprise visitor today....Dr. Phil Odom from church.  He informed me of all the support coming into the church in the form of calls, emails, and letters.  I cannot put into words how much I appreciate all of the support, thoughts, and most importantly prayers!  I want to thank everyone that has taken the time to stop by and visit with me.  Well, I'm gonna try to take a nap now....yeah right, like that's gonna happen. LOL!!!

Update

Donald was able to get a good solid hour nap. He seems to be more rested. Just found out they are going to try to get his platelets up so they can do an LP tomorrow. Not fun. Praying everything goes smoothly and they can get it on the first try. God has blessed us greatly thus far and all things considered Donald is doing great. He will get a break from the Chemo tomorrow. Praying God heals him of this cancer and that it will be gone for good this time. Lord give him strength and courage to push forward and continue to do well. Bless him and his family for their faithfulness and dedication to you. Father we know that Satan wants us to fear but we know that you are in control and you have a greater plan for us than we could ever imagine. You give us strength and shelter us. You are the great healer and I know that you are watching over us. I know you will heal Donald and take away this pain and comfort him as he endures his treatments. For it is when we are on ours knees we are able to truly see your face and draw closer to you. I come to you now Lord and thank you for the blessings you have given us and know that you are with us every step of the way.

Chemo: Day 3

They just gave him his 3rd round of Chemo and he seems to be doing well. He is sleeping soundly finally. He is so worn out and wants to go home. Who can blame him. One day you are getting ready for summer and the next you are in the hospital fighting for your life. He is doing extremely well though. Yesterday was a very good day. He had several visitor's and that really lifted his spirits. I am glad to see him resting today. Maybe he can sleep for at least a few hours. We did get good news this morning. His platelets are higher. They are still below normal but they are much better today than they have been since we got here. He may not need platelets today. We will just have to wait and see how the rest of the day goes.

A new day

Another restless night but able to get a little sleep. The insulin is making Donald pretty hungry so he was up and down throughout the night. He managed to sneak out of the room when I was sleeping and found the fridge. HA! Just glad he made it back to the room before I noticed  he was gone. The way I have been the past few days I would have had the entire hospital looking for him. I've got him up this morning sitting in the chair and we are waiting on his breakfast tray to come around. Hopefully it will be something edible. You never know what your going to get when you take the top off of that tray. Thank the Lord they have a McDonald's and a Subway downstairs. Donald will get another round of Chemo this morning and then he will have a break tomorrow. He still has all of his beautiful curls. I dread the day we have to get the clippers out but, I am going to put them in a zip lock bag and do something special with them. Not sure yet what that will be. Anyway, he is pretty tired from not getting very much sleep and is still in a pretty good bit of pain from all he has been through. We are taking it one day at a time and know that God is on our side and in total control. Continue to pray for Donald......

Update

We have made it through yet another day. Donald has done very well today. He had to have platelets again and he is now having to take insulin due to the medication he is taking running his blood sugar levels up. He is still smiling and being Donald.  He keeps the nursing staff on their toes. LOL!!! Everyone keeps telling me how blessed Donald is to have me in his life but I believe I am the one that is blessed to have him in mine. He is so very strong and courageous. He is truly an inspiration to so many people. To have gone through everything he has and still have a smile on his face is so amazing. Praying he is able to sleep tonight.

A message from the man in "Blue and Red" tights himself...

Hello everyone.  This blog coming at you from Donald himself.  This is day four of my projected 30 day introductory phase of my chemo protocol.  I just received my chemo for today and so far I'm tolerating it very well.  I haven't yet begun to loose my "beautiful curls" as Brandy would say. HeHe.....  My spirits are high and my platelets are low.  And I don't know if it's the medication or the boxes of Twinkies and  Krispy Kreams but, for some reason my blood sugar is SLIGHTLY elevated!  I think I've got more radiation in my urinal than they have over in Japan right now. Brandy say's it smells like kitchen cleaner. LOL!!! On a more serious note. I miss everyone. Thank you all for your thoughts, prayers and visitations. Can't wait to be home......

Rest at last

Donald is resting peacefully. He has been in good spirits this morning. He was up walking around this morning and is now sitting up in the chair asleep. This rain and thunder I think is helping him to relax and be able to rest. Praying for another good day without too much discomfort from the treatments. They will be around soon to start the Chemo.

Update

Donald had a pretty restless start to the night but was able to finally get a few hours of sleep this morning. He is feeling better this morning after getting a little sleep. We are up bright and early ready face another day of treatments. Our God is an awesome God and he will see us through this darkness.

A word from Donald

Hello all, this is Donald. I am still hanging out at my new residence. Looks like I will be here for a while. They say a minimum of 30 days. Not sure if they really know what they are getting into keeping me here that long. LOL! I just want to thank everyone for your prayers and all of the phone calls and text. It means a lot to me. It's hard to believe I am here again. It's almost like a bad dream I can't wake up from. But, I am trying to stay optimistic and strong. I have beat this twice and I can do it again.

Doing Good

Well, we have made it through the first round. Donald is up and eating. He is getting another bag of platelets. Overall he is doing very good. Considering.........

It Begins

He has had his first round of Chemo. He is feeling a little sick but they have given him something to try and help him rest.

Update

We are in the room waiting on the Chemo nurse. She came by and said he will be starting Chemo shortly. Good thing is they have improved on medications since he was here before and hopeful this first round will not make him too sick.