Two Down....

It's hard to believe it's only been two weeks since I last posted! Apparently, we're not out of our time warp yet because it seems like two long months have gone by. Last I wrote, I was sitting in the infusion clinic with Nate assuming that all would go according to plan. I know, I know...I really need to abandon those expectations! You would think I would have learned by now! Twenty minutes after leaving the clinic, Nate "suggested" that I pull onto the shoulder of I-15 as he was feeling a little queasy. I think he was more than a little queasy, and I know the weeds would agree! I immediately had flashbacks of the effects of the very first round of chemo he did last March. I called the clinic, spoke to his very well-meaning nurse, and discovered that she had forgotten to give him the anti-nausea wonder drug he was supposed to get before the chemo infusion started. I took Nate home where his mom was waiting for us, left him in her care, and headed back to the clinic to pick up some oral meds that we hoped would help. Needles to say, Nate's first round of chemo did not go well!

The second day of chemo was one Nate would rather forget. Oh wait, he already did! In fact, he can't remember anything about the day including Sam's birthday party! Sam had 7 of his friends at our house and Nate can't remember any of it. We laugh about it now, but we're thankful the effects wore off and he woke up the next morning feeling more lucid. It was crazy because he's never reacted to the medications like that before. Instead of disconnecting himself, he chose to go to the clinic on Wednesday to have the nurses disconnect the port and give him some IV hydration. He really didn't recover until Wednesday of this last week. It was a tough one!

Unfortunately, the world doesn't stop when we're down and we had a lot going on. We finished up the birthday celebrations just in time for Sam's baptism day. He was baptized last Saturday, March 9th by Nate! Nate wasn't feeling well that morning, but true to his nature and his faith, he perked up just in time for the baptism. The baptism was wonderful, and we had lots of guests come over for dinner at our house afterward. It's always a special occasion to have friends and family gather together in our home. It's so good to watch Nate with his parents and his brothers. They are a special kind of medicine.

Sunday was daylight savings, and we were all so tired! With 9:00 church, I'm going to start a petition that we change the clocks on Friday night instead of Saturday! We all survived, but Monday morning I had four kids with fevers! Aaaahhhhhh!!! Luckily it was pretty short lived for all but Seth. He stayed home again on Tuesday. The germs didn't seem to affect Nate and he was able to work a full week! Friday was my birthday and we celebrated with the kids and Nate and I were able to go to dinner and a movie! Just like the "good old days"! Thanks Nate, for giving me a special day! Saturday morning was crazy busy and when everything finally settled down, Nate told me that he felt like he was feeling pretty much back to normal. Oh good...just in time for chemo on Monday! Thank goodness for the little breaks, even if it was only a day and a half!

Today went much better at the clinic. He received all the wonder drugs, plus an extra dose of one of the drugs that should help with some other side effects he's having. After a good long nap, he ate dinner AND held it down. He's still a little on the green side, but is doing much better than two weeks ago. We will take it!

Time Flies When You're Having...Fun?

I'll begin this post with a sincere apology to those of you who've been checking the blog for updates and not finding any. I know there are so many people out there who care for Nate and have wanted to know how he's doing. I'm sorry for keeping him all to myself. Truthfully, it's just been a hard couple of months, and I've been in one of my "funk" moods which lends to complete shutdown on my part. I'm gonna need some professional help if the sun doesn't start to shine soon! Nate continues to be the rock star we all know and love!    
 Here's what we've been up to...Nate's recovery has been a little slower than past surgeries. His energy hasn't come back as quickly, and his body is still trying to figure out all the new plumbing. He hasn't had any appetite to speak of, but we finally saw some progress when he went back for seconds last week at the annual Blue and Gold Cub Scout Banquet! That's always a good sign for any man! His wound finally closed up about two weeks ago, so that was one less thing for Nate to deal with morning and night. His pain finally eased up as well which obviously gives him more relief. It's funny because each time he's about to start another round of chemo, he starts feeling pretty good the week prior. It's a blessing that he's able to feel a little bit of "normal" before the treatments start. It's good for his outlook to get a glimpse of what the rest of us take for granted everyday!

Life's been pretty busy with the kids. They're all doing great! They all earned awesome report cards and are finishing up their basketball seasons and getting ready for Spring sports to start. Emma and Sam had their birthday this past Saturday (Emma is 11 and Sam is 8), and we had a good time celebrating up in Park City at a really cool Lego exhibit. We have a fun week planned for them which will wrap up with Sam's baptism this Saturday! None of them were very excited for Nate's treatments to start again and it makes me sad to see the weight they each carry. Our little Sydney keeps saying that she doesn't like Monday and wishes it were Tuesday. When I ask her why, she points at Nate and says, "You know!". I'm pretty sure she's verbalizing what everyone else is thinking!

I had an opportunity to feel like a teenager again this month! A couple days after Nate got home from the hospital in January, I noticed that my mouth was a little sore. The next morning I had a new tooth! Oh yay for me! Yes, my wisdom were coming in. After a quick x-ray at the dentist, it was decided that the two top wisdom teeth that were never supposed to come in, needed to come out. It wasn't that bad (I wouldn't want to do it again), but I can't help but think the timing could have been better. Nate wasn't feeling well at all, but he took great care of me! Our friends and neighbors also jumped to our rescue! Thanks friends and neighbors! Thanks also to the Tooth Fairy, who we now know visits Moms too!

We added two new members to our family, much to Dash the cat's bewilderment and dismay. Lucy and Nibbles have brought a little "normal" to our family and have provided distraction and a few laughs as well. Nate set up a "Hamster Cam" so we can track the little buggers when they escape. It's been fun, and so far the hamsters are surviving the cat!

Nate's been able to work the last couple of weeks and felt well enough to take a business trip last week. He's excited to start on some new projects there, and I can see how much it helps him to get back to life. We've been so blessed with his employer, and their patience has been amazing!

This morning Nate had his new port placed. His room was close to the nurse's station, and I could hear them talking about being short staffed and how they were waiting for someone to float over from another unit. It turned out that the nurse who floated over was one of my best friends in nursing school, and she'd never worked on the unit before. We were able to visit while Nate was in the procedure, and she popped in when she could to keep me company. When they brought Nate back, he told me that the radiology tech that scrubbed in for his procedure was our good friend/neighbor/home teacher for 6 years who we absolutely love! He only works at this facility one day a week. I know I've said it before, but I know there's no coincidence about it. They were there for us. It meant so much to me to realize that our Heavenly Father was sending His love by placing our friends in our path today.    

Nate's RN told him to come back anytime for a visit because they love fun patients! I love this man!

Now we're sitting at the infusion clinic waiting to start Nate's first of six rounds of chemo. The chemo will be the same as the last time so we're hoping and praying that he will tolerate it as well as he did before. The schedule is also the same so it will be every other Monday in the clinic, home with the pump, and he'll disconnect himself on Wednesdays. He should finish up around the time the kids get out of school. We're all looking forward to a great summer!

Thanks everyone for not forgetting about us. We're grateful for the care we've received and for all the thoughts and prayers offered on our behalf. This year has been more than rough, but I hope you all know that the love you've shown has carried us through. Love to All!