Nausea Slowly Subsiding

I know you are all wondering how Melissa is, and it has been hard to know what to say when she has been about the same for several days. I will try to be better. She just sent me a message letting me know some details, so here it goes.
Today is a better day. The nausea is slowly subsiding. No barfs today! She is very fatigued but did go on a walk outside wearing a mask. Dr. Miranda has assured her that being as active as possible will help alleviate the nasty side effects. She says she is willing to try ANYTHING at this point! Her blood counts are at a low point right now so they have to be extremely careful. The poor kiddos are keeping their distance and using gallons of handsanitizer and anti bacterial soap. She says "they are all troopers! A special shout out to Alexa for being right there with me during the awful pukey stuff and remembering to wear gloves! and also to my Tyler for literally spending every second with me at the hospital. He has been outstanding at following Dr. orders to the letter and monitoring my every movement, sip, mouthful, temperature, pill, and complaint. He even set an alarm to wake me twice during the night so the chemo wouldn't sit in my bladder and cause damage. I can't express my gratitude  for a sweet little family that is pulling together for my common good :)." The game plan now is for her to rest for a few days while walking as much as possible. (I imagine her little smile as she says this.) She will have lab values checked and visit with the Dr. on Tuesday. Depending on her blood counts and how she feels she may be able to work a few hours this week. If so she would wear a mask and gloves and stay in a separate room. In answer to questions she is trying to return to work ASAP because she is the insurance carrier for their family and has only been at this job since September. That is not long enough to qualify for short term disability or FMLA so she needs to work as much as possible in order to keep the insurance benefits which are extremely important at this point. She wants you to all know that this is not a sob story, it is just a fact and since she has been asked multiple times we thought it was important to address. If a question is asked, chances are more people are wondering the same thing. Melissa also would like to convey how blessed she feels just to have excellent insurance! "As always, thank you for well wishes and prayers. This week has been extremely difficult, and I have truly felt your support. Our family has been blessed in a very real and wonderful way! Love to all."  :)

It is hard for me to be as upbeat about all of this as Melissa is, which makes me feel ridiculous. I don't know how she does it! When I break down, my family keeps reminding me of the big picture. This horrible treatment will eventually make her well. I know she has had some discouraging times this week as well. There is a long road ahead, but she manages to pull herself out of it and be positive when she gives details of what is going on. She draws a lot of strength from the humble acts of family and friends. Please continue to send encouraging messages via blog and FB! Thanks ~ Nicole