Week 4 of Treatment
As expected, while the Mrs and McGoo monkeys are away back in MT, it’s a little more difficult to stay on top and share all the nitty gritty about Kelly and his continued treatment.
Kelly was blessed with some amazing visitors this week to support him while the Mrs. and monkeys were away!
On Friday, January 26th his Mom and step dad arrived to hangout for the weekend. Later that afternoon, Kelly’s sister, Jessica arrived too. Kelly continued to feel “off” from the happenings of week 3 and his body’s response to the treatments at hand, and having the support of his family there was super beneficial.
In addition, Kelly got a short visit from a bestie, Jeff that allowed him to get and enjoy the healing benefits of laughter. We’re so thankful that Jeff made the long drive from Vegas even for such a short visit!
Monday, Steve, Kelly’s friend and mentor arrived, and has been an awesome addition to Kelly’s care for Week 4.
The knowledge that Kelly is supported and blessed by others while the Mrs. and monkeys are away is such a sweet blessing to our entire family. Thank you to all who have prayed, text, messaged, donated, and/or supported us in anyway through this complicated season of life. We are so thankful!
We started week 4 of treatment with a HUGE PRAISE. Kelly’s “baseline” kidney labs for the week started off with the best GFR we have seen since our unexpected Stage 4 Kidney Disease diagnosis and lab draw at the ER in October 2023.
Monday (1/29/24) GFR = 30. This was an awesome update to get going into Tuesday’s chemo administration. Knowing we had “buffer” for the meds coming Kelly’s way on Tuesday provided a great relief and encouragement. As expected, GFR dropped on Wednesday 1/31/24 after chemo, but it only reduced to 28 and we know with the continued support and staying the course, those numbers are going to continue to rise.
Tuesday (1/30/24) - Kelly had his second round of chemo. We also had our weekly doctor consult, and the Mrs. was able to again Zoom into the meeting to stay in the know. The summary of the meeting is all positive. We have lots of work to do and the pursuit is not easy, but we’re confident it is worth it. Kelly’s labs are moving the directions that are desired and progress is obviously being made for both kidney support/healing and treatment for the non-hodgkins lymphoma. CRP that looks at inflammation (cancer and inflammation go hand in hand) has been consistently trending down for Kelly since his arrival to the clinic and we’re excited to see that trend continue with the most recent result this week. CRP = 2.9 at clinic arrival (1/8/24). This week, CRP = 1.5 (1/29/24).
Wednesday/Thursday - Kelly felt spent from his chemo on Tuesday, struggling to sleep Tuesday night again and then the onset of belly pain Wednesday and ongoing Thursday that led to the cancellation of the treatment planned on Thursday (2/1/24), which was whole-body hyperthermia. Repeat labs from Wednesday (1/31/24) showed the liver wasn’t very happy regarding the chemo process, so the clinic pursued supportive needs for Kelly’s body. Thursday, he got some fluids and minimal infusions then was sent home with orders to rest.
Even at the much lower doses of chemo that are being administered at the clinic compared to the purely conventional treatment plan that was offered to us elsewhere, Kelly’s body, especially his kidneys and liver are having to work extra hard to process all the things. I cannot imagine what his body would be doing without all the prep work he has done dietary wise and all the things (lymphatic massage, colonics, hydration, etc. etc. etc). We’re so thankful for how “on top” of the process and the consistent lab draws that are happening to help keep an eye on Kelly and his treatment needs. Thank you Oasis of Healing!
Closing up week 4 of treatment, Kelly is mostly pain free in the belly and feeling MUCH BETTER. Perfect timing for the arrival of the family back into Arizona. The Mrs. and monkeys fly out of MT today at 8:55p MST with a scheduled 11:44p MST arrival. A late night for all, but there is no doubt the entire crew will be happy to be back together again.
