Day 8 - Viewer Discretion Advised

Surgery Day in the prep area. Isn't he cute

 in his hair net?

It was a good day today. Nate was released from the hospital! They sure don't keep people around very long. The doctor gave Nate five things to accomplish, and it only took a couple of hours after he accomplished all five, for them to discharge him! Not that I'm complaining, just saying that it caught me off guard a little. It's good to get good news.

Nate has approved all the pictures I'm posting here. We took some real doosies, but I picked a few of the less graphic shots to give a little timeline of sorts.

Genn and I trying to pass the 16 hours that we were away from Nate.

 Longest day of my life!

The next few days were a little 'puffy' for Nate. Lots of tubes, drains, I.V. lines, meds, and monitors. His hands were so swollen that he couldn't make a fist. Had to censor most of those shots, but thought this one was OK. I guess that's what 23 liters of fluid will do to you.

 

Nate was transferred from the Surgical ICU to the Oncology Floor on Day 3. Can you tell how excited he was?

Dr. Lambert and Nate. We owe her so much. She's an amazing woman who has dedicated so much of her life to beating this disease. You can see how tiny she is standing next to Nate in his bed. Now remember that she stood in surgery for 14 hours as she cleaned the cancer from Nate's belly. The Chief Resident told me that she cradled Nate's liver in her arm for 1 1/2 hours while she cleaned it off. I guess what I'm trying to say is that she is one tough woman, and we are GRATEFUL!

Genn and Nancy stayed with us from Monday to Monday. It was no small sacrifice for them to be here, and they saved my sanity in so many ways. Love you Girls!

Nate lost his 'puffiness' pretty quickly, and didn't waste any time getting started on his weight loss journey. He really looks so much better than he did after his February surgery. I definitely think he's going to win the 'coolest scar' contest at scout camp! He earned 48 staples! Last surgery he had 30. You can also see his Power Port up on his chest.

This was our 'home' for six days. Good friends from UAMPS sent a huge balloon bouquet! You can see my 'bed' over by the balloons. I actually figured out how to sleep pretty soundly in that chair.

Our favorite nurse, Katie. She always had a kind word and was so willing to celebrate Nate's successes with us, no matter how big or small.

The kids sent pictures and cards for Nate to open every day. He loved it! We miss them so much.

Nate on his way out of the hospital today. I couldn't even see where I was pushing him through all those balloons! It put a smile on a few faces.

Another shot of the Hope Lodge. We feel blessed to get to stay here.

I'm so impressed by the way Nate's handled this whole thing. He's been so positive and kind through it all. Today there were three doctors in the room giving Nate his final check before leaving the hospital, and they all agreed that he was an ideal patient. He never complains, he never demands, even if he's rating his pain at an eight he's never rude.

The nurses loved him as well. They see one or two patients a month who are recovering from the HIPEC procedure, and they told us that Nate has had one of the best in-hospital recoveries they've ever seen. Rule of thumb for Dr. Lambert is one day in the hospital for every hour spent in surgery. Nate was in surgery for 14 hours. I count surgery day as Day 0, so with only eight days in the hospital, Nate shattered that assumption! I attribute it to his positive outlook, his faith, and the fact that he never gives up hope.

We have an appointment with Dr. Lambert on Friday for a wound check and our post op appointment on Tuesday. If Nate's recovery continues as it has, we should be able to make plans to travel home after our post op appointment. I prepared myself for the possibility of being away from home for up to six weeks so this feels like a dream that we may only be away for three!

At the Idaho Falls zoo!

We can't wait to get home and see our children! They're having a blast, as evidenced by the struggle we have to get them to stop for ten seconds to talk to us on the phone. They've been spoiled and loved and spoiled some more, and we're so happy about it! We're glad they've been so distracted.

I'm praying that Nate will continue to heal well, and that his body will be strong. He constantly amazes me, and I love him more everyday.

Day 7...Knock on Wood!

I'll start with "Knock on wood" from the get go! Drum roll please...           
 
Our cutest nurse ever just came in and disconnected Nate's last I.V.! Woo Hoo! His port is still accessed, but there's nothing running into it! It's hard to let myself believe that Nate's actually doing so well! I'm so proud of him!

It's crazy to be here doing this, all the while waiting and watching to see how Nate's body and mind are reacting to this crazy surgery. I hesitate to let my guard down but it's absolutely amazing to see Nate doing so well! It's fun to be here when Dr. Lambert comes in each morning and see the look of pleasant surprise on her face when she see's Nate! It hasn't happened every morning, but when it does, I get butterflies in my stomach because I can see that she truly is surprised to see how good he looks! It's a humbling experience to watch blessings unfold before our eyes.

Still working on walking, eating, pain control, and wound healing, but Nate is rapidly moving in the right direction! Our combined faith and prayers are bringing blessings to us like I've never experienced. Starting our day with much gratitude!

Day 6

Today was a much better day! The CT scan looked good and showed that Nate's bowel isn't leaking, and there was no sign of infection. He has some free air in his abdomen which will work itself out eventually. The chest x-ray showed a pleural effusion and a partially collapsed lung on the right side. Dr. Lambert wanted to have it drained, but the interventional radiologist said he would rather watch it and see if it will resolve on its own. They're giving him more diuretics in the hope that it will help Nate's body absorb the extra fluid on its own.

We feel lucky that after all of that, Nate only had a UTI. Phew! Yesterday was really stressful!

He's doing really well today. They took out his epidural and his pain pump. He's now on oral pain meds, which means he's one step closer to coming home! He's getting better and longer stretches of sleep and not waking up every 20 minutes. He's been getting up more often for walks, and he's starting to eat food! Yay! He'll get that prime rib in no time at all!

I was looking at the pictures I took of Nate, and noticed how much 'skinnier' his IV pole looks today! It's so great to see them taking equipment out of the room!

Genn and Nancy flew out today so I drove them to Boston and got a break from the hospital, and Nate got a break from me! I appreciated having Genn and Nancy here, but I look at them leaving as a milestone we've met. Hope that makes sense!

Now we'll just work on getting Nate to eat, controlling his pain, and getting him out of his hospital room for a little exercise. We feel grateful for the progress he's made so far and for all the people that have helped him get there. Thanks again everyone...we feel so much love and support.

Day 5

Nate had a tough night last night. He had lots of pain and discomfort and became agitated through the night. He was asking some pretty strange questions and definitely wasn't himself. By morning he was pretty much back to normal, but remembered feeling disoriented. Dr. Lambert picked up on it right away and ordered some tests. She thought that he may have some infection going on somewhere.

He had a chest x-ray which showed he has a pleural effusion, which is when fluid gets trapped between the lung and the chest wall. It causes the lung to collapse, which can cause pneumonia. In the morning, a Radiologist will use imaging to guide a syringe into the space and drain the fluid. It should give Nate some relief.

He also just went for an abdominal CT scan. Dr. Lambert wanted to look at the bowel resection she had to do to make sure it wasn't leaking. She should be able to see if there is any infection there as well.

His white blood cell count was elevated and he's had a slight fever. Results came back that he has a UTI. Dr. Lambert started him on two antibiotics which will cover the UTI, any pneumonia that he may have, and any abdominal infection that might show up.

We knew this surgery wasn't without a lot of risk, but it's disappointing to have these setbacks. I can tell Nate just doesn't feel well. He's been so brave and good spirited through all of this and it's sad to see him going backward in his recovery. I'm grateful that Dr. Lambert is so attentive and on top of things. The nurses here on the Oncology Floor have so much respect for her, which I believe is a great indicator of the kind of person/doctor that she is. We know Nate is in good hands.

I was able to go to church today with Nancy and Genn. It's such a blessing to have that support so far from home. We met so many nice people there. Dr. Lambert even gave the lesson in Relief Society! She was giving me updates about Nate's lab results and vital signs in Sunday School. I know this is where we should be!

Tomorrow I'll take Nancy and Genn to the airport. It's been a huge blessing to have had them here, and I'm so grateful that they could come. Our whole family has sacrificed so much in order to help us through this crazy thing and I hope they know how much we appreciate it.

Please say a prayer for Nate tonight that his body will effectively fight these infections and that he can get some relief from his pain. As always, thanks for your love and support!

Day 4

Post op, day 4, and Nate continues on his road to recovery. Dr. Lambert came to see him this morning and arrived just as he was starting to shave for the first time since the surgery. She said it's great to see him shaving because it's the first sign she looks for in a man because she knows that if he feels like he wants to shave, he must be starting to feel better. Nate looks great and is getting more strength every day.

The nurses were able to remove all of his IV lines today and plug everything into his Power Port. That way they don't need to stick him so often. He got bumped up on his diet to clear liquids and "enjoyed" a bowl of broth and some jello. He also felt well enough to walk all the way around the unit! Go Nate!

He was able to talk to a few people on the phone, and we got to Skype with our kids. We miss them so much. It's hard to be away from home and our normal, everyday lives.

This afternoon was a little dark and rainy here in Worcester. It made the day feel a little long. No sooner had it stopped raining, when a
 big, beautiful, full double rainbow appeared outside the window. A bunch of nurses and patients gathered around the windows to take in the view and snap a few pictures. I've never seen a rainbow as big and bright and beautiful! The picture doesn't do it justice but I thought I'd include it because it reminded me that there are beautiful things all around us and sometimes we just need to 'look up' to see them.

Day 3

Nate's doing pretty well today! So well, in fact, that he got transferred out of the ICU up to the Oncology Floor! He went for a walk, had his chest tube removed, and even got to have a green popsicle and ice chips. He's lost lots of his 'puffiness', and is looking much more like himself. He's been through a huge surgery and he's been so pleasant through it all. The ICU nurses really liked having him for their patient because he never moans or complains. He's the best patient!

Praying for the blessings to continue and for Nate to have a very quiet and uneventful recovery. Thanks for the thoughts and prayers! Love to all...

Day 2

Time in the hospital is a funny thing, so I'm not sure where Day 1 ended and Day 2 began. I do know that Nate is doing much better now than he was through the night. Ask any mom, and she'll say that her kids always wait until the doctor offices close to spike a fever or start complaining that their ears hurt. That's kind of what happened last night.

Nate was doing pretty well, even better than expected, when he took a turn for the worse with his pain control. His vital signs were all over the place, he was in and out of sleep/awareness, and he was complaining about having really bad pain. If you know Nate, he never complains, so I knew it must be pretty bad. The doctor did an ice test on his belly and it looks like the epidural wasn't covering his right side. They gave him a pain pump, added an IV drip, and another IV push med that lasts 6 hours. They also had to put him on oxygen.  It took about 8 hours to get the pain under control, but it all seems to be working together nicely.

The trade off is that the IV meds make him pretty loopy, and he slips in and out at really odd times, like right in the middle of a sentence. It's ok with me because I think he's pretty entertaining that way, and I think the time moves faster for him. He was asleep earlier and he woke up with kind of a start.  Nancy looked up at him and waved in a circular motion to get his attention, and Nate looked back at her then waved the same way with one hand then the other and said, "Wax on, wax off", and immediately fell back to sleep.

He sat up again this afternoon for about 2 hours and even went for a little walk! I'm proud of how brave he's been through all of this. He's pleased with how the surgery went, and is very hopeful about the outcome. We're both so grateful to be here and thankful for all the support we feel from everyone.


It's been awesome to have Nancy and Genn here as well. When they got here this morning I got to go back to the Hope Lodge for a shower and a little nap! I appreciate the sacrifice they've made for us! We're also so grateful to my parents, who have our cute kids! They got to visit Yellowstone today! I haven't worried about them at all. I know they're being loved and spoiled by their Grandparents and I'm so glad! Thanks Mom and Dad!

It's also been so fun to be able to talk to the kids, get texts, Face Time, and Skype with them. We miss them sooo much!

It's an amazing and humbling feeling to know that others are praying for my husband and family. I don't know how to explain, or express, the gratitude I have. I feel your prayers in an almost palpable way and it's hard to describe the feeling associated with that. While I never wanted to be "that family", I'm starting to understand why people go through a trial and say that they wouldn't trade it for all they'd learned. My wish of all wishes is that Nate and our family didn't have to suffer from this cancer, but I know that we'll be better for the experience in many ways.

Hopefully, Nate will get some really good sleep tonight!

Day 1

After a very long day, Nate finally got settled into the ICU around 11:30 last night. Dr. Lambert warned us that he wasn't going to look very good, and that he was very 'puffy'. During the procedure, he received 23 liters of fluid! When we finally got to see him, I thought he looked great! He was a little 'puffy', but compared to how he looked after his February surgery, I thought he looked like Captain America!

He had a pretty good night, and stayed under sedation for the majority of the night. At 6:00 a.m., they started to lighten his meds to see how he would do breathing more on his own and he woke right up and started breathing over the ventilator. They took the tube out and Nate's been on room air all day! The doctors were all impressed that they could extubate him so soon (after he'd had so much fluid during the procedure and it can cause a lot of swelling in the airway), and that he didn't need any oxygen to keep his levels up. His color is also really good! Dr. Lambert was impressed with his progress. They even moved him from the bed right in front of the nurse's station to a new room in the very back of the ICU!

We got him up to sitting position in a chair and he was able to stay there for almost two hours. His pain increased quite a bit after that so they just upped his epidural pain meds. He seems more comfortable now.

If all continues to go well, he'll probably move to the Oncology floor on Friday and get to have some clear liquids on Saturday. It's back to baby steps for his recovery, and it's hard to be patient, but I think he's doing an amazing job!

Thanks again for all the prayers and faith. We feel your love from all the way across the country, and we hope you can feel ours too.

The Latest...

Dr. Lambert finally came out to give us an update.  After all these hours she looked pretty exhausted, but still ready to finish the procedure.  I'm so grateful for being led to her, and I'm grateful for the dedication she has to this disease and this procedure.  I can't even imagine doing one thing for 12 to 15 hours, much less something where a life hangs in the balance.  I admire her so much! 

She ran through the whole procedure from start to finish and explained a lot.  There's a lot of great news coming out of this.  Dr. Lambert estimates that she was able to get about 98% of the tumors and mucous out.  She felt that she got enough tumor out that she still wanted to do the HIPEC in the hopes that it will kill the remaining cells in the mucous and small tumor she had to leave.  The big tumor down in his pelvis turned out to be softball size, and she was able to pull most of it out!  This is what we specifically prayed for...that the plane around the tumor that we saw on the scan would extend all the way around so it would separate with some ease.  I know it was a miracle that this tumor was relatively easy to remove.  She was also able to remove the mucous around his liver and the peritoneal lining behind it.  She removed his gall bladder, spleen, and the rest of his ommentum.   

The "less good" news is that she found a lot of sticky mucous all over his small bowel and stomach.  She was able to scrape it all off of his stomach and a good amount from his small bowel, but couldn't get it all.  She would have removed it all but his small bowel was covered in so much sticky mucous that she was afraid she would perforate it if she scraped too much.  Since she was leaving the mucous/possibly cancer cells on the small bowel, she decided to leave the tiny, stubborn bit of tumor on the rectum as well to avoid an illeostomy, another piece of good news.

The heated chemo has the possibility of killing any remaining cancer cells in the mucous and in the bit of tumor she had to leave.  We're praying that it will take care of the cancer cells, and that Nate's body can heal and take care of the rest.  I'm so grateful he was able to get the HIPEC.

Dr. Lambert also found that Nate's bowel was twisted where it was resected and repaired in his last surgery so she had to remove that portion and reconnect it. She was very surprised that he hadn't had a major complication from this. He did have a partial obstruction back in February at this site, but was able to get through it on his own which she was even more surprised about. Even more proof that he's one tough guy!

She did so much work around his liver and diaphragm that she's placing a chest tube on his right side to protect his lung.  He will remain sedated and intubated through the night in the ICU.  She said he did really well during the surgery, and that his blood pressure was great the whole time.  She started the surgery at 8:45 and finished at 10:45...for a grand total of 14 hours.

He did not have to have a blood transfusion like the scrub nurse said, but he did receive 14 liters of fluid during the procedure.  His kidneys worked perfectly through the procedure as well.  I'm so grateful that this day is almost over!  We're now in the ICU waiting room waiting for the nurses to get him settled so we can see him.

I have so much gratitude in my heart right now and hope all of you know that I sincerely appreciate all of the sweet texts, emails, and FBs you've sent.  I have an amazing support system!  I am so grateful for the faith which has been exercised on our behalf.  We have felt your prayers in our lives so often over the last 4 months.  I've had an amazing sense of peace and comfort today and I know that Nate and I have both been watched over today.  We have angels all around us, on both sides of the veil.  We are humbled and have so much gratitude. Love to all!

UPDATE!!!!!

The scrub nurse just came out to the waiting room to finally give us an update! It seems like good news, but he wasn't giving many specifics. The good news he did give is that Nate is stable and that they are starting the heated chemo, which means that Dr. Lambert must have been able to remove all of the visible tumors! Part of me can't believe that this is happening. He said that Dr. Lambert will be out to talk to us in about an hour while the chemo is being administered. Nate did have to have a blood transfusion, but we knew there was a 50/50 chance of that. He also said that when Dr. Lambert opened him up she saw that there was a lot more work to do than she anticipated from the CT scan so she stayed busy and that's part of the reason we didn't get an update until now.

I feel so much relief that they are giving the chemo. Thank you all so much for your prayers! I know Heavenly Father is watching over us. I know we have a long road ahead with the possibility of complications, but I'm so grateful that we've gotten this far! Woo Hoo!