Crossroads

Merry Christmas and Happy new year to you all!

Kristi and I were able to take a recent cruise vacation together, and overall it was an incredible trip — eight total countries, five of which were new to us. Aside from the pain Kristi has been living with and managing for some time, she did quite well on the trip. She had moments of energy, enjoyed the scenery and food, and was able to be present and engaged. We explored, played cards, ate great food, and simply enjoyed being away from appointments and daily routines for a while. We are very grateful we were able to make those memories together. We returned home on December 24 — we had a nice Christmas Eve with most of our family.

On Christmas Day, Kristi’s condition changed VERY suddenly and dramatically. She spent the entire day in bed feeling unwell, which was a sharp contrast to how she had been just the day before. Later that day, she developed a low-grade fever. Given how quickly and significantly her condition shifted, we decided to go to the emergency room. There, doctors determined she had a slight urinary tract infection — nothing to be too concerned about. She was given antibiotics and we were home by about 10:00 p.m.

The following morning, Kristi had a previously scheduled appointment with her Fresno oncologist and was scheduled to receive chemotherapy. After a careful and thoughtful conversation, Kristi and her doctor decided not to proceed with chemo at this time.

She was feeling extremely unwell and in severe pain—primarily in her neck, though she described pain throughout her entire body. This level of pain is far beyond what she has experienced in recent weeks or months. 

Additionally, her labs yesterday indicate clear and further disease progression.

At that point, the most urgent concern became how best to manage her rapidly escalating pain. Kristi essentially had two options: return to the emergency room or connect with hospice. She chose hospice, and a nurse came to our home later that day. New and stronger pain medications were delivered to our home by about 8:00 p.m. that evening.

A second hospice nurse visit has since taken place, during which her medications were carefully reviewed and increased in an effort to provide better pain control. Hospice continues to work closely with us to make adjustments as needed and provides 24/7 support, which is incredibly important right now.

Her priority is comfort and having immediate, round-the-clock support—especially for pain management—and hospice is best equipped to provide that level of care.

Our research indicates that this sudden onset of these symptoms, which is more common than one might think in cancer patients, may indicate very significant disease progression.

It is frightening, particularly because of how quickly things changed. Kristi is in significant pain, though we are hopeful that the recent medication increases will begin to bring her more relief. I do want to emphasize that she was fully alert, engaged, and able to understand and participate in all of these decisions.

Thank you for your continued love, prayers, and support. We are deeply grateful to have such a caring community surrounding us during this very difficult time.