Today started off difficult. Mark and I were up throughout the night because he could not work and had to make frequent restroom breaks. Needless to say, I only had about 2 1/2 hours of sleep. 

I returned to work today; first day back since Mark was diagnosed. It was nice going to work and having a little normalcy in my life for just a few hours. I spent a lot of the day talking with co-workers who wanted to know how we are doing, and what the future holds for us. Unfortunately, I don't know a lot about the future treatment steps, but I tried to explain what I have been told. I did get some work done, which was such a great feeling. Of course, I worried about Mark all day. I called him and his mom several times during the day to see how he was feeling and get the update from the doctor. 

Mark's mom spent the day with him again. He ate a little food today, hopefully he will eat more tomorrow. Praise God the pain in Mark's feet diminished a lot, to the point it basically disappeared. This has been a true blessing. Unfortunately, he still has severe chest pain. I know I have said this before, but the doctors and nurses here are wonderful. They think the pain in his chest is a side effect of the medication, but just to make sure it is not something more severe, they ran lots of tests today. The did an EKG, an Echo, and blood tests to analyze the enzymes in his heart. Again, praise God, all the tests came back normal. They will continue running the blood tests for a couple days just to make sure something does not pop up later.

Tonight is simply trying to find a position to be comfortable with minimal pain. The nurse started him on just a little oxygen. His oxygen levels are great, but he was started to panic a little feeling like he could not breathe (though his oxygen was 98%). Basically, the oxygen simply comforts him which reduces his anxiety, which reduces his pain, and allows him to sleep better.

Pray for continued improvement of Mark's pain and side effects. When he is comfortable and not feeling sick, he is able to actively work on improving his overall health and strength.

Pray for continued strength and comfort as we deal with this whole process, especially the time away from Brodie, which is extremely difficult.

Pray for Mark to have a restful night, so he can feel energized tomorrow. We all know how important a good night sleep is when sick.

Pray for me as I continue to go to work. It is difficult to balance work, caring for Mark, and wanting desperately to see Brodie. I am definitely looking forward to returning home with my family.

Thanks for all you do,

Amanda