Day 7

Kaden and I spent today in Salt Lake. Aunt Tanya and Uncle Ron gave Kaden a Nintendo DS to use and it was a life saver today (thanks you guys). There isn't a lot for Kaden to do at the hospital and while he loves to see his mom, he gets bored. Melanie was sick most of the day, she received a new kind of chemo in her spine yesterday and they think that is what made her so sick. She did have a good night last night and even got some sleep, yay! Today, she was so tired and kind of out of it a lot. She was given a couple of different types of anti-nausea meds, but they didn't seem to help much. She also had a headache that was especially bad if she sat up or walked around. Greg came to the hospital and picked up my mom so she could have a break. Kaden went with them, so Mel and I enjoyed a couple of hours together. She wasn't much for conversation and at times communicated with me by a thumbs up or pointing. We did have a good laugh while we watched Oprah...it was one of those make over episodes and it had some funny parts to it. I gave her a foot and leg massage and it seemed to help her relax and fall asleep. We did talk a little bit. I noticed that time goes by so quickly while I'm there, so I asked her if time seemed to be going fast or slow. She said that the week went by fast, but each individual day went by slowly. I'll tell you what, Mel is being tough! I have yet to hear her complain.

Now to some medical stuff. They started Mel on an antibiotic because the site of her central line is red and inflamed, it looks so sore. She had a break from chemo today, but will have some tomorrow. The doctor came in before I got there and gave my mom some papers that break down her treatment plan. It is going to be a long haul. The doctor has said before that this is in no way a death sentence, but it is going to be a long hard road. I am amazed at all of the different types of chemo she will have. I thought chemo was just chemo, but there are so many different kinds, on the papers from the doctor I counted eight different types that Mel will have over the course of her treatment. They started Mel tonight on Prednisone which is a steroid. The nurse said that it should help with the nausea and should increase her appetite. Melanie asked if her face would swell up. The nurse said yes and Mel said, "That's what I've been looking forward to", sarcasm is such a Mel thing and it was awesome to see that side of her. The nurse said that they call in 'moon face', who knew there was a name for it. So, Mel will have a moon face at some point.

From here, she will continue high doses of chemo and eventually full body radiation. This for her serves two purposes: 1. To kill the cancer 2. To completely shut down her immune system so that once she has the transplant her body won't fight the new cells. The thought of her having no immune systems is scary. Once she is in remission the transplant is the next thing. She will be having a peripheral stem cell transplant (you can read about it online if you want). We are hoping that one of us siblings will be a match for her, there is a 25% chance that one of us will be. Pray that we are in that 25%. As far as a time frame, I don't know. It all depends are her blood levels and blasts.

That's it for medical stuff. Gee this is turning into quite the long post...

Before we left for Salt lake, Kaden and I went to their apartment to find things for Mel. I kept thinking about this scripture and felt like I should share it with her sometime. I also wished I had a picture of the Savior to put in her room as a reminder.

"And he shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will take upon the pains and the sicknesses of his people...and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowel may be filled with mercy...that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities." Alma 7:11-12

Greg gave Melanie a beautiful blessing tonight and he mentioned that the Savior has felt her pain and that He is the one who knows what she is feeling, I got instant chills. Melanie must have needed that knowledge tonight. I love how Heavenly Father is so aware of us and knows what we need. Now going back to the blessing; we had called the hospital operator (after I accidentally called 911 first...dang hospital phones) to request someone to assist Greg in giving Mel a blessing. We were waiting for someone for quite a while and then one of Melanie's previous bishops came to visit and just happened to be wearing a shirt and tie. He was able to help Greg. What a neat blessing! The priesthood is so awesome! She was given many great promises and by the time it was over there wasn't a dry eye in the room. We all felt the spirit confirm that she will be healed. Like I said before, the road is a long one, but she will make it! She has so much to live for!

I told her tonight to picture in her mind the nasty chemo killing all of the yuckies. She said that the wall in her room across from the bed should be a giant white board so we can write encouraging messages on it. I will have to think of something like that...hmmm. Maybe little posters with encouraging messages. Any ideas? We hung up some pictures and a ReAL pennant in her room today, little pieces of home.

Okay, I think it's time to wrap up this novel. ;) I am hoping that Mel has a better day tomorrow. Kim is flying in from CO and I know Mel is excited to see her. Sleep tight tonight Mel!! I love you sooo much!

Melanie and Kaden.