Struggling To Stay On Top

April 21
Marilyn had a pretty bad day today and wasn't able to get on top of the pain at all. One Doctor said that she might feel relief from the pain soon after the first treatment while the radiation nurses told her that the pain might get worse soon after she went through some radiation. The nurse on the ward thought that maybe her soft set injection port quit working so changed it to a fresh one today. Who is right and what should I believe? Only God knows that answer!! I just know that Marilyn was in a great deal of pain today but Praise God - has been a trooper through it all. This morning she was so depressed and discouraged she just couldn't stop crying when I first came into the room. I spent some time rubbing her back with special anti stress aromatherapy cream and it seemed to help some. I had to leave and go to school for the afternoon to take care of some pressing duties so all I could do was assure her I would make it back to the room before she returned from her third radiation treatment.

Rushing back to the hospital I was afraid I was going to be late to make my promise good so I called the unit as I rolled into the parking lot and was told that she had just left radiation. The Lord was with me all the way - from providing a parking spot right by the front door (unheard of at that time of day), to having an elevator standing by as I walked into the lobby (I have waited up to 10 minutes some afternoons). I walked into her room just as her stretcher was being rolled in. Marilyn was obviously weak with pain but her smile had returned. For the rest of the day we just enjoyed each other’s company as I worked with the nurses to try to find the balance between medication and pain. When her pain continued in it's intensity I chose to believe those who said that more pain was a sign of the treatment working. Around 9 pm we prayed together asking God to give peace and comfort for the night ahead and I left her in the hands of God and the medical staff. My prayer for peace was answered as I drove home listening to the Flames squeak a win out of their first playoff game.