April 21, 2024

Time flies by in the hospital walls. We will be in here for a month as of tomorrow.

I’m not sure if i’ll be able to replay the last 5 days perfectly but i’m going to do my best for you! Tammy has been keeping us all laughing, and showing a new spark of determination. She’s boldly proclaiming “I’m getting out of here. Watch me.” This has encouraged us beyond words - to hear her have fight in her bones again. We had spent nearly a whole month just watching things happen TO her, while she was silently persevering and enduring suffering. Now, when the doctor walks in with a new procedure or medicine or test, Tammy looks at her, smiles, and says “bring it on”. She continues to shock us all, especially the oncologist who knows her mostly from looking at her charts, which do look unspeakably concerning. Then, the oncologist walks in here and sees Tammy cracking jokes and is absolutely floored.

On Wednesday, April 17, Tammy got her temporary drain taken out. This thankfully went very smoothly! They have been attempting to seal the drain hole shut with a special glue but it is bursting often and leaking, so she has a bag around it collecting the fluid still, and the nurses attempt to glue it back together again a few times per day.

She also finally received a pic line in on Wednesday. This was very exciting - she no longer has to be poked multiple times per day because everything can go into this one IV. The procedure was far easier than expected. Of course it is very invasive and intense but with the help of some freezing therapy, it was done with minimal pain - only a few sharp pokes. It goes into her inner arm and all the way through to her chest and this took an hour to put in.

Thursday, April 18 was a simple day, compared to most of our days in here. We were trying to find ways to get Tammy to consume beet and carrot juice, as per the doctor’s orders. Tammy teased us and daydreamed about plans with us for when she’s out of here.

Friday, April 19 We all went outside together. Because the Pit Viper sunglasses made her so happy, we all decided to get some and take a photo in them together. Our dear friend Jayden Lee who beat cancer years ago came to visit as well, which was a huge encouragement to Tammy and to all of us. He was able to chat with her a bit about symptoms from an understanding perspective and give her a bit of a pep talk to fire her up to keep fighting hard!

Saturday, April 20 Tammy was too tired to enjoy the sunshine, or get out of bed. She did wake up to visit for little bits of time, but there was not much action overall. She did wake up at one point requesting a cheeseburger, so we got her one from Wendy’s, and this seemed to be euphoric for her.

Today is Sunday, April 21. The doctor has told us that our homework is to get Tammy to stand and sit up as much as possible, to keep her body moving. We already have seen some of the effects of laying down for over a month. For something that seems so easy, it is surely very difficult and causes more problems than I would have guessed! The doctor is also concerned about blood clots. So, Tammy sat in a real chair in her room for an hour and a half today, and this was her first time doing so since being admitted!

The chemo fatigue is certainly kicking in now and she is sleeping again for the majority of the day. We expect, in response to the last two chemo weeks, for her to sleep nearly all the way through till the end of Wednesday now. We hope and pray of course that she will have enough energy sometimes to chat and get into the sun but we know chemo does hit the body very hard, and so far this has caused her to be out cold for days at a time after treatment.

On Monday, she will likely receive a hormone blocker to help hold back the cancer cells during the week she will have off chemo (they are moving forward with doing 3 weeks in a row, then one off before another set of 3). She will likely also receive the permanent drain. This could be extra difficult on her repeatedly most exhausting day. Please pray fervently alongside us that this procedure will come without pain or complication. In order for her to receive the drain, she must have enough fluid in her abdomen, so they plugged the last drain days ago in order to help it accumulate. Unfortunately, her drain has been leaking anyways. When the fluid builds up, it is very uncomfortable, but it is necessary for the new drain to go in. Please pray that enough fluid will build so that she can receive the new drain, but without discomfort from the fluid.

We thank you again and again for your prayers and support and love for Tammy.

(We’re still reading her your emails when we can!! These mean so much to us, thank you!!)