The Good... Barry completed his third 5-day cycle of Temodar last Friday night and it went better than we ever thought it could. The last two cycles were so difficult for him that we have been so scared about what it might be like this time. God answered our prayers. Barry did not experience any negative side effects at all. No nausea, no adverse reactions to the smell of food... all went very well. He is a little more tired this week and has experienced a little weakness, but nothing compared to past experiences.
The Bad... It has been a difficult couple of weeks. The seizures that Barry had a couple of weeks ago seem to have effected his cognitive thinking. He has become increasingly and easily frustrated by tasks that did not give him any trouble before. The increased anti-seizure medications also cause some dizziness, fatigue and overall impairment to his thinking at times. It is hard to see him struggle with tasks that seem second nature to all of us living with him. His doctors have said that this is normal after someone has gone through a series of seizures like he did, but that doesn't make it any easier to deal with on a day to day basis. The biggest struggle is where to draw the line between jumping in and taking over or just letting things play out. I have prayed about it and asked the kids to do so as well.
The Ugly... Barry has worked his entire life only to receive a fraction of his previous monthly income in the form of Social Security Disability. It's just not fair! I know he is frustrated that he has been unable to go back to work. Anyone who knows Barry knows how difficult it is for him to be stuck at home watching daytime television. He doesn't even look at his computer anymore. He hasn't touched it in over a month. I worry that now that the 5K walk is over, he has nothing to look forward to. If anyone has any suggestions, please let me know. I want to keep him engaged and excited about something. I don't want him worried about our finances, but I know he sees the worry in me. I am completely open to any suggestions.
Thank you to EVERYONE for the cards, financial contributions and most of all your continued prayers. We appreciate everyone so much.
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