The Real World

For some bizarre reason I cannot get my pictures upload here tonight, but we have really had a great day of rest and with a little fun sprinkled in.

Mike was so sweet and told me to stay home from radiation this morning and sleep in. It was wonderful to get some rest in a comfy bed and the boys did great for radiation. Now that we do not have to wait for an ambulance escort to and from, it is really a quick procedure. David is truly our hero and is such a trooper. He has been pretty sleepy-headed today, but the radiation does not seem to bother his belly. He has not thrown up today!

Tomorrow we are back for day 5/7 of his radiation. This week just needs to fly by because we are planning a small family birthday party for Kyle when we return Friday night!!! We have talked to Kyle about what he wants to eat for his birthday dinner and my Mom is helping us get the arrangements in order.

We have rested a lot today and even ventured out for dinner and for a little shopping. He is doing well and he even wanted to get out some of his school work and do it. You can tell he misses school and we really got a lot of school work accomplished tonight. We are going to let him deliver it to school next week. We know the oncolgist said that he could return on Tuesday, but we are going to wait and see how he is feeling after chemo. Maybe we can start with a visit and then maybe some half days and such.

We still have such a long road to go, but it feels so good to start checkin off treatments!! We are so proud of our brave Rock Star and we are ready to all be together under one roof very soon:)

At the Emily Couric Cancer Center where he does radiation there is a blank journal where you can read inspirational quotes from others and even add your own. Someone had shared Romans 15:13 and I have literally written it on my hand.

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so
that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Mike and I are still very scared and very nervous as we take over the total care of Rock Star at home. We jump at every cough and drive him crazy asking if he is okay. But despite the fact that we are scared and terrified for what is ahead of us, we still possess a peace. We know that our God has provided us peace and hope during this nightmare and despite our fears all we can do is trust. Trust that he knows how terrified we are and that he loves us dearly.

I love this verse and it has reminded me to calm down and remember that God is in control. Discharge yesterday was a little overwhelming as the nurses went over what we need to do each day to maintain him at home. We have a balancing act on our hands as each day he needs:

2.5 mg of blood pressure medicine to keep his blood pressure steady to protect his one good kidney. This is a pill that we have to hide in his food. He is smart and is on to us already:(

Miralax in his drink each day as chemo drugs can be constipating. He already suffers from this some already.

Zofran as needed for nausea

Mouthwash to keep mouth sores and blisters at bay. This is the one that is the most stressful because mouth sores are so common during chemo. David is petrified of it and the whole swish and spit concept is beyond him. Right now we are using those sponges on a stick and it is not pretty. This is important because if he gets mouth sores then he will not eat. He has eaten well since discharge!! We have not had to battle him over food and he has done great.

Daily temperature and blood pressure checks.

Mike and I are educators not nurses and this is all foreign to us:) We are quick studies; however, and we are on it! Thanks so much for your continued prayers and if you yourself are going through something hard or overwhelming you can adopt Romans 15:13 as your verse of the week. It has been a comforting verse for us here in Camp Pendleton:)

Speaking of Camp Pendleton, we are totally loving this cozy space but in a moment of craziness I locked us out of the condo tonight! Thank you Jenine for rescuing us!!!! Hopefully soon I will not have foggy brain syndrome! Good night from Camp Pendleton! Tomorrow the blog update will come from Mike. He is taking the laptop home for a meeting tomorrow and he promised me that he would update the blog for tomorrow. I am sure he will do a great job!!