Another Fever

Tim ran a high fever this morning and although they were able to get it down pretty quickly, antibiotics have been restarted and they are working to try to figure out what is causing the fever if possible. We've had success with getting him started on the trial and are slowly ramping up the dosage to full strength. It's still much to early to tell if the chemo is working but we're still putting all of our hopes and prayers towards its success. We've been blessed that he has such great care up here and so many people just cheering him on and doing absolutely everything they can to help give him the best advantage possible in this fight. We've had some great nurses sharing their testimonies with us recently and some of the stories are so amazing they will give you chills. I feel as though we are growing in our faith even more than before because of these experiences. Please pray that a definitive reason for these random fevers is found and can be treated as well as for the success of this trial.

Steven's Speech for Tim

Tim was honored to be asked about being a speaker at the GHS Vision Partners dinner held last night. With this latest hospitalization we knew it would not be feasible for him to do it so we asked his brother Steven to do the speech instead. He did an incredible job and we're honored to be able to share it with you guys.

Encouragement for Tim

Today was another day of adjusting medications for Tim Bright. His pain meds were changed again but we're getting closer to getting those regulated now. Tim is the most resilient person i know but I believe that he could use a little pick me up after the last few weeks so I wanted to ask anyone that has some time to drop a quick note or card of encouragement in the mail to him (11 Don Drive Greenville SC 29607). Please continue to pray for this trial to get his cancer under control.

Maddy Visits

Maddy came up for another visit today and was able to spend a few hours snuggling in with each of us. We've never been able to have children so Maddy has become our child and we certainly spoil her as such. We're taking this day by day and slowly working to regulate Tim's medications and get the equipment he will need ready for whenever he may be discharged. We're currently not in any rush though. Please continue to pray for Tim's improvement and most of all for this trial drug to work. I can't express enough just how important it is for that to happen. Thanks all.

Pain Management

We met with another team today that specializes in a lot of things including pain management and they were able to make a big difference in Tim's back pain. I think we may actually finally be at a good point with managing Tim's pain. We're still working to regulate all of his other meds and get him rolling forward smoothly upon the trial. We've been really nervous and high maintenance to all of the nurses and doctors assigned to Tim Bright but all have been incredibly patient, kind and gone way above and beyond to help respect our wishes. We can't thank them enough for all of their help. Please continue to pray for Tim, that this trial will be successful in getting his cancer under control and that he begins to feel stronger each day. Thank you.

Update

Today was pretty brutal, we got some sleep last night and Tim has restarted his chemo trial as of today. We're holding all hope that this works for him. Please use all your prayers and wishes that this will work for him.

Updates

Today was another hard day. I've had a migraine since Friday and ended up waking up feeling terrible. I haven't had much sleep over the past few weeks but even less over the past few days. I was afraid i would pass something along to Tim so I left the hospital and went to Exigent. In the meantime, our dog, Maddy, woke up with a pretty nasty looking spot on her face and had to be taken to the emergency vet. She's ok but I decided to bring her back to the hospital for a visit with me. She's been such a good girl, calm and sleeping cuddled up next to me for the past few hours. I think this was something all three of us needed. The team at the cancer center is regrouping in the morning to put together some options for Tim so hopefully tomorrow should bring a plan of action. At this point were both pretty beaten down and it's hard for his pain and anxiety to be controlled while still preserving his breathing so we've been struggling with those issues. Please pray for some peace and guidance in what path we should choose tomorrow (even though we don't know the options yet). As well as some pain relief for Tim and rest for both of us.

Moving out of CCU

Tim is being moved to the oncology floor today but still isn't out of the woods. We're still working on what the plan will be for moving forward but are currently taking it day by day and hour by hour. Thank you for your continued prayers.

Still in CCU

Tim has stabilized a lot more today but everything is still pretty serious at this point. He is still in CCU and we're working on a plan for moving forward. Thank you for your continued prayers for him and please pray for peace and guidance in our and the doctors decision making as well as continued improvement for Tim.

Pray for Tim

The next few hours for Tim are very critical. I'm completely at a loss for words as this feels like it came out of the blue. We don't know what is causing all of this to happen yet and as of two days ago I thought he was finally on the mend, yesterday we had a slight hiccup in the way he felt but thought we had gotten (or we're getting) past it. Please pray very hard for him right now, he's my whole world and I'm not ready to lose him.

Back to the ER again

This is the last thing I wanted to put out there but we had to return to the ER this morning. Tim was up a lot of the night and around 3 started to struggle to breathe again. His OxSat dropped and his heart rate went pretty high again so the on call oncologist told us to head into the hospital. We don't know what's going on yet but have been told he is being admitted to ICU (or CCU or CVICU...we're waiting to hear) and will likely be here for a few days. Please pray for us to finally get some sort of definitive resolution about what is going on and for Tim to improve. As great as the people are, we're tired of being here...

Overdue Post

Apologies for such a long delay. I don't feel like we accomplish anything from day to day yet I don't feel like we have any time either. Last night Tim actually slept through the night (other than meds) for the first time in over a month. We're both dead tired so that was a big help both physically and mentally. Lauren and Kellie from River Falls Spa very generously helped us to arrange Kellie coming over last Saturday to help with his back. He's still in pain but between that massage, acupuncture today and just getting out and walking he's beginning to see a little improvement. For someone who was so adverse to acupuncture, Tim's taken to it and now adores it. Kathryn at Key has been tremendous about helping get Tim in for treatment and it's not only helping his pain but also has lessened his anxiety. We're still working on it and have a ways to go but seeing the improvement is great. We've been so incredibly blessed that so many people have been so willing to assist us in helping to get Tim these treatments in ways that he is most comfortable so he can get the most benefit from it all. The wonderful people at iTORs CIOS are helping us with a nutritionist and even helping us get him some yoga sessions which we believe will help with his breathing and his anxiety. 

His eating has greatly improved and were hopeful that he is beginning to gain some weight. He's walking faster now and although he still requires oxygen and he doesn't see the improvements he is making, he truly is gaining strength little by little each day.

The trial drug has been throwing us all for a loop recently and we're trying to get that under control again. So close to getting it but still a ways to go. They are likely adding in the Xeloda tomorrow which throws another link in but I'm sure we will sort it out as well.

Our house is still being remodeled (always so wonderful when these things collide at the same time). We started everything a week or so before Tim got into the hospital the first time so there was no going back and as with an older house there always seems to be something. We keep joking that we should've just bulldozed the place and started from scratch. The contractor told us he would be finished by the end of this week so we could have the painter in next week and the floors after that. We will see! The goal is to have our stuff moved in by Oct 7. We're both really excited to be back with Maddy and in our new place. As frustrating as it's been, it will be great when it's done.

Thank you all for you unwavering support, kindness and all you do for us. I'm always hesitant to put anything out publicly thanking people for their generosity simply as I don't want it to appear as though we are asking for anything as we are simply grateful and overwhelmed by the amazing messages and people constantly checking in on us. That being said, there have been so many that have been incredibly generous to us over the past few weeks and with everything going on I'm afraid I've forgotten to send a thank you note to some of you in the madness. I apologize but did want you all to know that we really are appreciative and that it's just been crazy so my organizational skills are somewhat lacking these days. 

There is one thing we have asked for and want to continue asking for which are your prayers for Tim's continued improvement, for his anxiety to lessen (as well as mine, I talk a lot about his but I also still panic at times as I think back to what happened or what could've happened). If you all could also pray for a streak of good nights rests for us we'd be grateful as well. Thank you all for your support, it means so very much to us.

Rough Day

Today has been a rough one. Tim woke up this morning with some stomach cramping and pain which we believe may've been from him trying out a pork chop last night (he's supposed to stick to a very low-fat diet but has to try things out a little at a time to see if his body is ready - obviously his body gave a resounding no). We got that under control and headed to the cancer center for him to restart the trial he was on before all of the hospital mess this past week. After we finished up there we had turkey burgers at Grill Marks, picked up some Olive Oil at Palmetto Olive Oil and got him some TCBY (it's non-fat). As soon as we got back to his parents he started feeling bad and has been sick for the past few hours. I think we've got it under control finally but the poor guy just feels beaten down between the hospital stays and now this. We knew this trial would be rough in the get-go as we figured out what combination of drugs works the best to keep him from getting sick. Our goal for tonight is for him to recuperate and rehydrate. Today is also a tough day for some of our very good friends, one lost her brother in a car accident a few years back and it's a bittersweet day for another as her twin girls were born two years ago today. Ellie is a bubbly, sweet little girl and her sister Izzy is now a sweet angel watching over all of them. Please keep these two families in your prayers today and please pray for a better day for Tim. Dr. E thinks this trial is really promising so the faster we can get him stabilized and moving forward the better. Getting his cancer back under control (& it would be even better to get it to recede some and completely unbelievable but the best thing ever to cure it) is of the utmost importance right now for his overall health, as well as for our sanity. Thanks all!

Discharged again

Tim Bright is being discharged this morning and were headed back to his parents house for his to start his recuperation again. We did hear from his friend, Steve Nix, last night that he had been in contact with Steve Spurrier's people and that he would be wearing a BrightLife bracelet during today's game. Tim is beyond thrilled at this prospect! We're hoping for a smooth transition, no more hospital stays and for this new chemo to start working some miracles. Thank you all for your support, we can't say enough about how much it means!

We're frustrated

Today has been a long one in that we didn't get much sleep from last night through today. Tim was really unsettled and anxious for awhile last night and when we did finally get him settled down and asleep it seemed as though it was time for meds or vitals or respiratory therapy and before we knew it the rounding began. This is daunting when you have as many specialties looking in on you as Tim does right now. It's great to know they are looking thoroughly into everything but it's a lot of people to consult with. He also had a lot of labs that had to be drawn, we had to meet with the pharmacist about he meds he's on (5 pages worth these days) to make sure all were accounted for and between all of that, the next thing we knew they were taking him down for an echocardiogram. He walked a little today but without sleep he tired out pretty quickly. We were able to get him in a wheelchair and head down to the cafeteria for him to be able to pick some snacks for himself. He's finally on a "regular" diet although the number of restrictions can get confusing. To be honest I'm a little confused on what is ok and what isn't these days. The surgical oncologist, Dr. Trocha, is still observing him to see if his gallbladder is what's causing his fevers, there is another concern that he is retaining fluid, especially around his joints & lungs and what could be the cause for that. To be honest, it's all getting to be too much to handle. It seems like we can't get past one hurdle before another pops up. Were both incredibly frustrated and worn down right now, ultimately we could really use some good news for awhile and for Tim's health to start looking up without all of these constant complications for once. The lack of sleep between all the necessary things that need to happen here at the hospital and the inability to sleep from a racing mind doesn't help either for either of us. Please pray for a break for us, we need it desperately as many days it feels like we're barely able to hang on to what little sanity that remains.

Out of CCU

Tim Bright is doing a lot better today. Labs have looked clearer than before although they are still keeping a close eye on him to make the decision about what to do about his gallbladder. As of right now the plan is not to do anything. Were out of CCU and back up on the oncology floor but still have a lot of questions that need to be answered before we can be discharged again. There is also a chance that the new stent that was placed could clog again and well be back over here all over again. Hoping were through the worst of this hospital stay though.