Myles Update 1/18/14

Dinner and a Movie, Beskind style!  Tonight the kids and I picked up a movie and dinner, and had a nice evening with Myles watching Despicable Me 2.  He watched some, dozed some, and drank the entire Vanilla Malt we brought him from Zesto (one of his favorites).  Since he hasn't been eating more than half of his meals in a few days, it was great to see him finish the malt.  We may start making a Zesto's run every day!

We're getting a lot of input from the various doctors, physical therapists, and others involved in Myles's care.  Myles is giving a lot of thought to where he wants to go from here and the kids and I are behind him, no matter what he decides.

Myles was getting a bit stir crazy this morning and really needed a change of scenery.   The nurses helped Myles into a wheelchair, we covered him in blankets (no jacket at the hospital), and took him outside.  Although it was brief, it was nice to get out into the sunshine.

Tomorrow, we'll bring his coat and take another walk.  As always, thanks for your emails, posts, love and support!

- Marcie

Myles Update, 1/17/14

Fortunately, today was nice and uneventful.  Myles slept a lot, our cousins came for a lovely visit, and I worked from the hospital room couch.  The physical therapists didn't come by, so Myles didn't pop any wheelies in the hallway (a relief to all patients doing their laps on two legs, I'm sure).

It's been a long week and the kids and I are ready to get some rest.  Good night all!
- Marcie

Myles Update 1/16/14

Every morning at the hospital, the staff and Myles set a goal for the day.  First it was sitting up, then sitting in a chair, etc.  Today when I arrived at the hospital, the goal said "Clean Hair."  I read it a few times, trying to see if it really said something like "Move to Chair," but it never changed.  Just "clean hair."  Well, it turns out that when you're 6'1" and tower over all the nurses and need help getting around, moving to the shower for clean hair isn't the best option.  So, our nurse, in a Caribbean accent told Myles, "Well, you can do what the ladies do."  This didn't scare Myles.  He is, after all, a goal-oriented guy.  If he can run a 26-mile marathon he's man enough to "do what the ladies do."

As it turns out, "the ladies" use some sort of shower cap contraption that is heated in the microwave, put on your head, and contains water and shampoo that is rubbed onto your hair.  After that, you towel dry your hair.  Myles was not very forthcoming about how rubbing a warm shower cap with shampoo that's not rinsed out cleans your hair, but who am I to tell him he didn't reach his goal today? I'm just mad there are no pictures of this spa experience.

I did get to witness some excitement today.  Myles's physical therapists helped him move into a wheelchair and he did one lap around the floor.  I was initially puzzled how, with one good arm and leg, he could do much more than spin around in circles, but there's a trick involving using his good leg as a rudder. He rolled around the floor weaving like a drunk driver, but he finished lap #1. Pretty terrific!  It was wonderful to see him up and out of bed.

Myles went through many of your messages, posts, and wonderful words of support this morning and they mean so much to him.   You guys are the best!

- Marcie

Message from Myles

As a blogger, reaching 1,000+ readers of an individual post is something of a milestone, so I have to say I was disappointed that it was Marcie's post that first reached this threshold, not one of my own.

This post comes to you on day five of my stay at Emory University Hospital, where things are much different than they were just last week, but not the things that matter. Where we're treating and what we're treating is new, but the goal is the same.  I'm so grateful for your thoughts, prayers, messages, calls, and visits.  They remind me how lucky I am.

Myles Update 1/14/14

Today was Myles's first full day in a non-ICU room.  He also started his whole brain radiation treatments which seemed to go smoothly, although he said the mask is very tight and somewhat uncomfortable. Fortunately, the radiation lasted 'only' about seven minutes.  Myles had visits from the OT and PT folks, and the PT folks ran him through a routine that worked him out as hard as when he was doing P90X 7 days a week!

The two PTs brought Myles to sitting and standing positions, both with support, both of which were challenging.  Just try sitting and standing with very little control over an arm and leg! The doctors are hopeful once the radiation kicks in and the swelling and inflammation decrease that Myles will regain some control of his left arm and leg. But, as we say, at least it's not his 'phone hand'!

He had lots of visitors today including a cousin, friends who work at the hospital, and a special childhood/teen years reunion with three of his best buddies, complete with embarrassing yearbook pictures and inscriptions.  It was great to see them all together.

Again, thanks for the outpouring of love, supportive messages, prayers, and treats.  We are an incredibly lucky family!

Myles Update, Monday night 1/13/14

Wow.  Just wow.  I am stunned by the incredible reaction we've received from my post last night about Myles.  We are overwhelmed by the kind thoughts, funny stories, love, and of course, food.  Thanks to you all.

Total was wonderfully uneventful.  Myles was more awake and chatty than he was over the weekend. His head CTs remained stable, so tonight he was moved out of ICU to a regular room.  While this is good news for obvious reasons, the move was bittersweet for the kids and I.  The care Myles has received in the Neuro ICU was outstanding.  It is a lovely, warm environment where families and friends are encouraged to spend time with the patient.  Each ICU room has a "studio" off the patient's room with chairs that turn into beds and a table and chairs.  It's a comfortable space where the kids and I could hang out, do homework, watch movies, and just a few feet from Myles, but not crammed up against his bed constantly saying "are you comfortable, are you ok?" (not that I would ever do that, of course). It's good for the patient and their families and I'm certain helps patients recover faster when their loved ones can be comfortably nearby.  The ICU doctors, nurses, and staff were warm and encouraging and made us all smile and laugh.

So while we're sorry to leave that hotel-like womb, we're encouraged Myles is stable enough to no longer require constant monitoring.  His face was cast today for a hockey-like mask for his whole brian radiation which is scheduled to begin Tuesday (too bad no one took a picture of that).  Myles also had a procedure to insert a filter to catch any potential blood clots headed to his lungs since he can no longer be on blood thinners due to the brain bleeds.

Lest any of his regular blog readers think that recent events have changed Myles, when the doctor explained the filter to Myles, and asked if he understood the procedure, Myles responded, "So basically, you're giving me an IUD for blood clots?"  The staff burst out laughing and have passed that comment around to each other all day.

Thanks to all for your love and support, especially to Myles's amazing best friends since childhood who practically fought each other to spend the night with Myles in his new room, allowing me sleep at home with the kids.  And as I told one of them yesterday, "don't give up on Myles yet - he likes to beat the odds!"

Sleep well all,
Marcie

Myles

Hello, this post won't contain any videos, 70s references, or Myles's usual witty writing style. Myles's cancer began 2014 pretty aggressively and he's currently in the hospital ICU.  Myles has loved writing this blog and your feedback, support, and love mean so much to him.  So while he's taking a blog break to fight his cancer in the hospital (or more likely snore), I will use this venue to update everyone on his condition as frequently as possible.

Myles woke up in the middle of the night two nights ago and could not move his left arm.  Soon after, his left leg stopped moving normally and he was taken to the hospital by ambulance.  After many tests, we have learned that the cancer has now spread to his brain, and at least one of the larger lesions began bleeding, which led to the problems with his arm and leg.  

Fortunately, the bleeding appeared to stop yesterday afternoon.  He's being given large doses of steriods to reduce the swelling caused by the bleeding, and fortunately, his scans have been stable since yesterday afternoon.  The current plan is for Myles to begin radiation therapy tomorrow to hopefully shrink the lesions.

Myles is not in any pain; he's been sleeping a lot, watching a lot of football (what else is new?) and is in relatively good spirits given the situation.  The kids and I have been spending lots of time with him this weekend around their usual activities - soccer, musical rehearsals, and getting together with friends.

Like we have throughout the past three years, we don't let the cancer define Myles or our family, so the kids have continued their usual flurry of activities, around which we hang out together at the hospital. We greatly appreciate all the food, kid shlepping, more food, emails and texts, and more food.  But the greatest gift you can give the kids and I is to treat us normally. If we're not at the hospital, we likely don't want to talk about the hospital, or cancer for that matter.  Just give us the gift of normalcy.  We love that.  Plus, it has no calories.

I will update this blog as frequently as I can.  Myles will read your comments and posts, and they mean so much to him, so keep them coming!

Love to all,
Marcie