January in Review

Hello, Hello.....it has been nearly a month since my last blog.  I apologize-it feels like I blinked and January was gone.  Under normal circumstances, January is a pretty hectic month for me with work.  This year, it was even more so!  While a lot of January was focused on work, for both Dan and I, plus physical therapy, we did manage to have a bit of fun as well.

Dan's longtime friend (and best man at our wedding) Paul and his wife Wendy came to visit for a few days around the middle of the month.  It was great to see them, and we were exposed to the world of gluten free.  Which as it turns out, seems to be digested easier by Dan.  We now use Pamela's mix for muffins and blueberry pancakes, which are nice treats for Dan.  We also got to visit with the Barbeau family from Washington the following weekend.  Dan's cousin Owen, his wife Helen, their daughter Susan, and her husband Satish made the 9 hour drive over (and thankfully missed any inclement weather!) It was a nice visit, and Jack enjoyed having new Wii playing partners.

Dan has been on his targeted chemo therapy for just over a month now.  He has experienced some side effects-the two most noticeable are a rash on his chest and back, and nausea.  We are working on our 4th suggested remedy for the rash-the hydrocortizone and the antibiotic pill were of no help. In fact, the antibiotic pill just made Dan sick every time he took it.  (Like he needs any additional challenges with his eating!)  He just started a topical antibiotic cream, so we will see how that works.  In the meantime, Aquaphor seems to work the best.

Dan is continuing with his physical therapy twice a week.  He looks forward to every appointment and is really making progress. He is using the walker more around the house and just got the okay from his therapist to use it as much as he wants and he is okay to use it on his own, unassisted by me.  That means I don't have to hover over him like a helicopter anymore, which he is pretty excited about! I'll post more about his physical therapy in the next couple of days, along with a quick 30-second video I took during his session last week.

All things considering, Dan is feeling pretty good these days. We are hoping it is a sign that his chemo is working, and we have many, many more good days ahead of us.