Long and Scary Thursday (Week 3)

First off, let me say that Julia is fine.

We had a good morning. Not being at the hospital until noon made it seem like we had all the time in the world this morning. Julia went to bed around 11:30 last night and finally ate around bedtime. We had trouble finding things she would eat last night. Frozen Gogurt tubes finally worked and she had 3 before bed. She slept well until 9:45 and woke up happy. We made it to the hospital for chemo at noon, Carter and Mimi in tow. They did her chemo and explained it all to Carter. We ran into Mason and his mom in clinic. He's running a fever and feeling really bad. He will be admitted after radiation today. Please pray for his comfort and healing.

The kids had fun playing with all the toysand racing around th eroom. I love their faces in the above picture :) We squeezed in a game of fooz ball before we left. I quick ran in the bathroom to drink some water and eat my yogurt.
Then Mimi and Carter went to the cafeteria for lunch and Julia and I headed to radiation oncology for her exam with Dr. McMullen. We waited a while and he was pleased with her progress. She is not showing any ill effects and they don't suspect she will- huge praise. They are guessing the pain in the center of her abdomen is related to the hernia repair they did with her surgery. We'll watch it over time. Everything else looks great.

Then we went back to the waiting room. It was the first time I've gotten a chance to really talk to Mason's mom. They were running extremely late and we ended up talking for 2 hours. It was a great conversation. We really connected on our situations. She is on a very similar path, about a month ahead of us so it was good to get to ask questions and compare our experiences. It was amazing how many times we knew exactly what the other person was about to say. It was touching to meet someone in the same shoes- dealing with cancer in a preschooler, daily trips to the hospital, sterssed out siblings at home, kids who can't eat, etc. We both never expected to be where we are now. Mason is one of 40 kids each year diagnosed with this condition and Julia is one of 20 kids with hers. Its still hard to believe sometimes.

It turned out sedation was early today and radiation was behind. They finally took Mason at 3pm. Julia started to lose it. The hunger, thirst, and fatigue were just too much. She was screaming, hitting and throwing things- just miserable. Fifteen hours without food or drink is just cruel. The nurse came out to actually start the sedation in the waiting room so she didn't get too hysterical. They had me walk with her to calm her down. About this time I'm really feeling the need to eat and drink, too. I'm still achy from the bug I'm fighting off. We are almost there.

Her sedation went smoothly and they said she'd be done soon. Then they started having equipment issues and it took twice as long as usual. By now Carter is starting to lose it, too and I am feeling crummy. They finally finished after 4pm and we were headed home with two whining kids and a hungry and achy mom. I got in the car and downed a bottled water with my advil. Not a smart move. I start feeling worse and worse as I drove. I started getting tunnel vision and losing my hearing on an exit ramp between highways. I knew what was happening and prayed that I could make it around the loop to be able to pull over. I actually blacked out on the ramp getting off of 40. By the grace of God I managed to safely pull over. I told my mom she needed to drive and she was still trying to figure out what was happening. I walked around the car and collapsed on the passenger's side (thankfully not on the road!). Fortunately she caught me under the arms from behind. Within a few minutes I was feeling fine again. I came home and finally ate and drank the equivalent of 2 meals and lots of OJ. I felt much better. So I am now resting in bed. Billy had this achy feeling for 2 days earlier this week. I think the lack of sleep, fighting this achiness, crazy schedule, limited food, and the meds I take regularly got the best of me. I feel fine now and no, I will not be the one driving to the hospital tomorrow :)

I am so thankful for the Divine intervention that kept us all safe today. Julia is doing well with everything and was happy to get to play in the backyard with Mimi tonight. Carter is having a rough time tonight. I don't know if it was the hospital experience today or not, but he has been extremely difficult tonight. Please pray that we know the right words to say to him and for extra patience in dealing with his hysteria. He told us at bedtime he is tired of Julia getting all the attention and special treatment and this week really stinks. I had to agree with him it has been rough. We are giving him extra attention and keeping his schedule, but this week has been really hard on everyone. Its sucha fine balance trying to maintain schedules and discipline in the face of cancer. Parenting is hard enough. Please pray for wisdom and discernment for us. We are so thankful to only have 2 radiation treatments left.

A huge thanks to Chris for taking him to soccer practice tonight while Billy took care of me and my mom took care of Julia. I will be recupperating in my room until tomorrow and am doing nothing and being waited on. Please pray for rapid healing. Julia has radiation at 1pm tomorrow and then we will enjoy a two day break before our busy Monday of appointments and procedures. We are looking forward to a bright, healthy, and sunny weekend of family time.