Return of the blog

It has been quite some time since the blog has been updated, apologies for that but Steve has gotten into FaceBook and has taken that on as his form of communication with many people. I however don't FaceBook so I won't be maintaining that for him.
I don't know where things were left off but I am just going to play quick catch up with the past six months.
First off, you may have caught on by this point...this is Kim, not Steve.
In the past six months the tumor has returned twice. Both times we went after them with what Dr. Howard calls retreatment radiation. It is essentially the same amount of radiation that Steve got during the initial radiation treatments in 2008 but it is given over a longer period of time. The tumors are in the same location but they shift just a little each time they return, they go just outside of the area that was radiated previously. Sneaky little buggers.
The retreatment radiations do quite a number on Steve, they cause serious fatigue and whereas both had significant impact on the left side weakness Steve has from the stroke in 2009, this last round really was hard.
We have had a phenomenal caregiver during the week while I am at work (Thanks Tony, you are truly special to us both and we will never be able to repay you, we love you very much)as being alone has not been an option.
Falls have been a concern for some time now and we have been pretty lucky that Steve has not hurt himself with some of the spills he has taken.
Last Wednesday, we had a bit of bad luck, only a bit, don't panic. Steve lost his footing getting into the transport chair we utilized at home for getting around when he is super tired. He took a spill and couldn't be caught, he hit his head on the coffee table on the way down. No blood, no loss of consciousness no concussion. Did get a trip to the ER though.
Prior to the spill, I had been looking into extended care facilities to help get some strength built back up. This fall made the process go a bit faster than anticipated. After the fall, Steve was not able to get his right leg to cooperate with him and do what he wanted it to do, this coupled with the left side weakness, made coming home impossible. We were already struggling to keep him safe and cared for with one person.
As you know, Steve is "a big guy" this is per Dr. Howard so I can say it. Some of the meds increase his appetite quite a bit and Dr. Howard has been telling Steve he doesn't like to see skinny cancer patients so, that coupled with my cooking hobby, lets just say, Dr. Howard is right.
Long story short, Steve was admitted to a skilled nursing facility this afternoon. They will be working on rehab to increase his strength. I don't know how long he will be there or what the next step is. I will do my very best to update the blog at least weekly.
We don't go back to Madison until June for an MRI to see if the radiation was effective or not. Also, at that time, the MRI may or may not be accurate due to the amount of radiation we have thrown at Steve's brain. At this time, we are just taking what we have knowing full well the tumor will come back again at some point. Thanks in advance for all of the prayers and support that all of you continue to send our way. Words cannot describe how much you all mean to us.

As you know, only one way to close this out...

Peace out!