It is hard to believe it has been 10 days since I posted. We just spent a week in Las Vegas with Angie and Tom and their kids. With taking care of Doug and playing with the kids, the days went by very fast. We decided to drive down, since Doug requires lots of things carry with us to care for him. However that meant 2 days of just driving. That was a lot of driving for me, and Doug got pretty tired. It was really good to get out of town for me and have time to play with the kids. Doug mostly stayed in the room and watched TV and listened to books. He did enjoy a couple of buffets and he was a good sport, willing to travel with me. My sister gave us a timeshare in Las Vegas, which make our stay there very comfortable. Angie planned lots of kid friendly activities that they all loved. We celebrated my grand daughter's 16th birthday. She and I did the CSI Experience at the MGM together, solving 3 cases. She is interested in becoming a forensic pathologist. It was really fun for just the two of us to do this. We loved it. I feel so lucky having a 16 year old who loves to hang out with her Gramma.
Today was a really big day for Doug. He got his first Retuxan infusion. We have been trying to arrange this for almost a year. When we went to the clinic today, only 5 minutes from our house, it seemed almost unbelievable that he was getting it done. We had to be there at 8:30 A.M. Doug had to have blood work to be sure that he was well enough for the infusions. We had to wait for the results and finally at 10:00 they started the infusion and he was done by a little after 12:00. Doug had no reaction to the infusion. He was a little tired when we got home, but no other side effects. I was tired, but I think it was more emotional. It is has taken so much time and work to get all Doug's care arranged besides caring for him, and finally we made it to the last big medical prodedure he needs as part of his HSCT. Now he will receive infusions every two months for one year.
The other great relief today was to learn that Doug's major medical will cover the treatment. Since he has already met most if not all of his out-of-pocket expenses we will have to pay very little for these treatments for the rest of this year. This in itself is a big relief. Getting these treatments here, rather than having to travel back to Mexico, is savings us thousands and thousands of dollars. Today we both just felt relief, that all of this is working out and that Doug is finally getting this treatment. I felt the weight coming off of my shoulders.
And so we pray:
Faithful God, God who listen's to our prayers even when they are not spoken, God who knows our needs before we ask; we give thanks for all of the blessings we have been given. We thank you for family, we thank you for rest and for play, we thank you for safe travel and we thank you for the blessing of faithful doctors who care for Doug and listen to our needs. We thank you for hearing our needs and showing us the path to getting our needs met. Be with Doug in the days to come. We pray that the medication will be protective and keep the MS at bay. We pray for wholeness and healing. In your name we ask it. Amen.
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