Ups and Downs

 Yesterday morning (Saturday, June 12), Mark exclaimed that he felt better than he had in days. Eagerly he did a little work on the woodshed so that wood could be stacked inside. Wonderful workers were splitting logs from the two trees taken down two months ago and hauling them to the woodshed. Mark came in quite exhausted, even though he wasn't out there very long. That was enough work for one day!

After we took his two sisters Gail & Julie, to the airport, he went to bed around 4 pm. By 7 pm, he was experiencing pain in his upper abdomen, which increased in severity throughout the evening, and he got no relief with the prescribed dose of Oxycodone. Our main concern was that if Mark had a gall stone, another ERCP might have to be done to remove the blockage. That could delay radiation on the pancreas. The mapping has been done, but it would need to be redone if anything has shifted inside due to an internal procedure. If the tumor is not radiated soon, it could continue to cause damage to internal organs and processes, which would be life-threatening. While I handle crises quite well, I was frightened of those prospects. Two good men from the church gave Mark a comforting blessing. 

Our oncologist, who responded to our late Saturday night text, thought it was likely pancreatitis again, not a gallstone. With rest, liquids, soft foods, and pain killers, he may be able to forgo another trip to the hospital. But if it worsens, he will have to be admitted. An increased dose of Oxy helped Mark sleep most of the night, so we thankfully didn't have a third trip to the ER! 

This morning, he is resting quite well and has managed the pain without such a high dose of painkillers. Once again, we are hopeful that radiation on the tumor near the pancreas will start as scheduled on Friday, the 18th. 

We are aware that special prayers have been offered on our behalf, and we are truly grateful.