Round 6...Celebrate!

As we were walking into the Infusion Clinic today I saw a good friend of ours walking toward us and headed for the same building. My first thought was, "Is that Don? Is he sick? Why is he at the Cancer Building?" I was relieved, and touched, when I realized he was here to help us celebrate Nate's final round of chemo. When we checked in at the front desk, the receptionist had a delivery for us! Another good friend had delivered a gift this morning to help us celebrate. Nate looks pretty good in his party hat, and he loved the candy bar poster! Thanks Don, and the Kohutek Family!

We are both so grateful, and ever mindful, of the kindness and generosity of others. We've been the recipients of countless blessings and we thank our Heavenly Father everyday for these blessings and the gifts that are ours. We know we are loved.

Nate is so ready to be done with this. We're so happy to be done (almost) with chemo. When Nate disconnects his pump on Wednesday there's going to be a serious celebration at our house! The next step is a CT scan on December 3rd, and an appointment with our surgeon on the 4th to go over the results. She'll look at the scan and will hopefully feel comfortable enough to schedule the next surgery. Nate's hoping that he can have the surgery the week of December 10th. It will be followed by a hospital stay of 5 to 8 days if all goes well...and all WILL GO WELL! Nate will then be home recovering and should be ready to ring in the new year and get back to life! We're looking forward to a very merry Christmas!

Nate's labs all look great! All are within close to normal range :), but close enough to be able to proceed with the surgery. He gained 6 pounds in the last two weeks, and that's the biggest gain he's had since we've been home from Massachusetts. As for the hair loss, he's thinned a little bit, but it looks like he dodged that bullet for the most part. Nate's just an over achiever like that. I'm so proud of my husband!

After the surgery and recovery, Nate will go into "surveillance" mode. He'll have a scan every 6 months, and blood work to look at his tumor markers every 6 months. We'll alternate the scans and labs so we will see Dr. Whisenant every 3 months. I'm thankful that we'll see our doctor on a regular basis. I don't think I'm ready to be set free yet. Nate might have a different opinion, but it gives me some comfort to know he'll get checked out every 3 months.

I can't believe that the holidays are upon us! This has been the longest year of my life, yet somehow the holidays have managed to sneek up on me. I have some serious Christmas preparation ahead of me. I need to have everything ready before Nate's surgery, so say a little prayer for me!

How fitting it is that this week is Thanksgiving. We have so much to be thankful for! Sometimes I feel completely overwhelmed with gratitude, and this is one of those times. I'll spare you all the long list, but please know that if you're reading this, I'm grateful for your support. I'm grateful to be married to a man who is loved by so many. It's a testament to his character that he has so many cheerleaders. I know there may be more obstacles ahead, but I've learned that with good friends and family, we can get through anything! Love to all! Happy Thanksgiving!

Round 5

So far, so good! Nate is almost done here at the Infusion Clinic. We had an appointment with a PA today...everything still looks good. Labs are all normal, Nate gained two pounds! The nurses here are great and so respectful of our time. Today they moved us through faster than ever. Maybe they're tired of us? Nate has a great support team here.

Well, the nurses rushed us through so fast that I didn't have time to finish my post! It is now a week later, and I'm happy to report that Nate is doing really well. Last Tuesday, he had to fly to Portland for a meeting. It was just a day trip, but considering that he was attached to his chemo pump, I was concerned. The airport security wasn't a problem, and he did well on the flights. When he returned home with ice cream for the kids in hand, I knew he was feeling ok! Nate never sleeps well while on chemo and for a few days after, so we always try to let him sleep in the mornings. He did sleep in on Wednesday and was able to disconnect the pump when he woke up. It was a beautiful day so we went on a walk, and he did great! I'm constantly amazed at Nate's determination to live his life despite the battle he's facing. He's an inspiration to me.

He's now one week away from starting his last round of chemo! I know he's looking forward to being done. He has a CT scan scheduled for December 3rd, and an appointment with our local surgeon on December 4th. He's hoping that she will agree to schedule his next surgery for the 2nd or 3rd week of December. The hope is that she'll be able to reconnect all of Nate's plumbing and remove his port. We're praying for a good looking scan, good labs, an agreeable calendar, and a healthy Nate! We'll keep you posted! Love to all!