Today Casey had his followup appointment from his surgery with his surgeon. Before his appointment they wanted to get a chest x-ray. So the Dr comes in and says that the incision looks really good. He's no longer limited and he can start doing things again, just said if it starts to hurt to stop. He also gave us the pathology report on the tumor. It is what they thought it was, said there is no reason for these to grow they just do, doesn't have to do with lifestyle or job or anything like that. Once its gone, its gone.
His x-ray showed that his diaphragm had floated up a little, said it was that way when he left the hospital but the Dr had hoped it would resolve itself. He said that he wanted to do a CT scan to make sure there wasn't fluid building up below it pushing it up. So we did the CT scan and went back to the Dr's office to wait for the result. So there is no fluid but his right middle lobe of his lung has collapsed. He said it looks like there is a glob of mucus blocking the air way and not allowing the lung to fully inflate and push the diaphragm down like its supposed to be.
So what does that mean? Well it means that he has to have ANOTHER broncos-copy for them to remove the mucus and clear the airway. That should allow the lung to inflate fully, he said he's glad we did the CT scan and caught that because if we would have just left it at that then that part of the lung would eventually just die. So it was a good catch
Monday he goes in for the procedure, its basically the same procedure they did when they discovered the tumor. He will go in for the procedure and then after its over he'll come home. Hopefully that's the end of everything! Casey is a little frustrated that something else has now come up. He wants to be over it all and be better. I can't blame him, I remember feeling the same way when I was in and out of the hospital so much with Eli. Its exhausting.
The good news is the Dr did discuss him going back to work when he feels better. He's still in a fair amount of pain but he said maybe in another week or two Casey can go back. So we'll see what happens after this latest chapter.
Friday, June 29, 2012
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
We survived out first full week!
It was a week ago Monday that Casey had his surgery to remove part of his lung and the tumor that was growing there. The week after that he was in the hospital was a wirlwind of people coming and going and me going to visit Casey in the hospital. It helped that I had my younger sister stay with us for a week. While she can't be left alone with the kids for me to leave (other then a VERY short amount of time) she was a GREAT help in keeping the kids entertained and such. Friday evening Casey was able to come back home, Sunday afternoon Heather went back to Columbia MO (where she lives with our older sister). I've realized just how much help she truly was that week! Casey is helpless to help with the kids other then to keep an eye on them and call out to me if Eli is beating up his sister. But he can't lift anything and so he can't pull Eli off Willa (he likes to rough house with her and she doesn't always like it). I'm so very glad I did all that laundry the week Heather was here as we are for the most part completely caught up on the laundry. Although it took me several days to finally get a chance to fold and put away the 4 baskets of clean laundry I had stacked in our room.
So Casey is doing really well considering, he's been walking around as much as he can. The Dr's said they wanted him to walk outside as much as possible but thats near impossible with the heat. I mean if I won't let my dogs stay outside in this heat I'm sure as heck not letting my HUSBAND outside in this heat! But he does get up and move around a lot. We have had a bit of a challanging time with him being home, He's pretty self sufficant for the most part, but there are things he needs me to do for him sometimes. Also while they said he CAN sleep on his sides he CAN'T cause it still hurts where he had surgery. So that means he's sleeping on his back which means he's snoring.... A lot, and VERY loudly. Right before all this started we were meeting with an ENT about having his huge.. no HUGE (they are so large they almost completely block the back of his throat!) tonsils removed. We had hoped when we found out that he would need this surgery they could just do it all at once and have him recover from both things at once. But they wouldn't allow that, so now we have to wait till this recovery and it will probably be next year sometime before we can afford for him to miss that much of work again.
Financially we're hanging in there, people from church has been providing us with meals several times a week. So I've not had to go grocery shopping since before his surgery, one of the couples from church also gave us a gift card to target that I used to grab some extra diapers for the babies, thats what really runs our bill up at walmart.
We have really been trusting God to provide for our needs and he has been doing that, my Car has been fixed which it had started acting up just 2 days before Casey's surgery. Casey's mom and her boyfriend have given us some money to help us get by with bills. People from church have shown up with bags of groceries and some very dear friends of ours came over to bring us a gold fish that had gotten to big for their tank to put in our pond out front and gave us a card. I never open cards in front of people, I feel like that is rude. I feel it sends a message of "Oh great lets see if there's money in here!" So I typically wait till people leave, I would rather spend the time talking with them. Anyway we opened the card after they left and they had given us a rather large amount of money. I'm not going to say how much, but we are so thankful for everyone in our lives that has been coming to our aid. This has been a rough time for our family and we feel God's presence daily.
Thank you EVERYONE for all the gifts of food, time and money and of course all the prayers. I don't know how we'd survive without such great people in our lives who have stepped up to the plate to help out!
I know several of you like to know what to keep praying for so here's out weekly prayer list.
Continued quick healing for Casey.
Continued health for the rest of the family.
Rest for a very weary Momma, as mentioned above Casey is snoring a lot at night. I already have trouble falling asleep and it makes it harder, twice I've been reduced to tears at night because I just CAN'T go to sleep. Its not his fault but he feels so bad that he can't help snoring, last night he actually slept on the couch even though I said I didn't want him to do that. I would but I can't sleep on the couch either. So prayer that my ears will be blocked to the sound of his snoring (but not to the sound of the kids if they need me).
Thanks again for praying and everything else! We love every one of you!
So Casey is doing really well considering, he's been walking around as much as he can. The Dr's said they wanted him to walk outside as much as possible but thats near impossible with the heat. I mean if I won't let my dogs stay outside in this heat I'm sure as heck not letting my HUSBAND outside in this heat! But he does get up and move around a lot. We have had a bit of a challanging time with him being home, He's pretty self sufficant for the most part, but there are things he needs me to do for him sometimes. Also while they said he CAN sleep on his sides he CAN'T cause it still hurts where he had surgery. So that means he's sleeping on his back which means he's snoring.... A lot, and VERY loudly. Right before all this started we were meeting with an ENT about having his huge.. no HUGE (they are so large they almost completely block the back of his throat!) tonsils removed. We had hoped when we found out that he would need this surgery they could just do it all at once and have him recover from both things at once. But they wouldn't allow that, so now we have to wait till this recovery and it will probably be next year sometime before we can afford for him to miss that much of work again.
Financially we're hanging in there, people from church has been providing us with meals several times a week. So I've not had to go grocery shopping since before his surgery, one of the couples from church also gave us a gift card to target that I used to grab some extra diapers for the babies, thats what really runs our bill up at walmart.
We have really been trusting God to provide for our needs and he has been doing that, my Car has been fixed which it had started acting up just 2 days before Casey's surgery. Casey's mom and her boyfriend have given us some money to help us get by with bills. People from church have shown up with bags of groceries and some very dear friends of ours came over to bring us a gold fish that had gotten to big for their tank to put in our pond out front and gave us a card. I never open cards in front of people, I feel like that is rude. I feel it sends a message of "Oh great lets see if there's money in here!" So I typically wait till people leave, I would rather spend the time talking with them. Anyway we opened the card after they left and they had given us a rather large amount of money. I'm not going to say how much, but we are so thankful for everyone in our lives that has been coming to our aid. This has been a rough time for our family and we feel God's presence daily.
Thank you EVERYONE for all the gifts of food, time and money and of course all the prayers. I don't know how we'd survive without such great people in our lives who have stepped up to the plate to help out!
I know several of you like to know what to keep praying for so here's out weekly prayer list.
Continued quick healing for Casey.
Continued health for the rest of the family.
Rest for a very weary Momma, as mentioned above Casey is snoring a lot at night. I already have trouble falling asleep and it makes it harder, twice I've been reduced to tears at night because I just CAN'T go to sleep. Its not his fault but he feels so bad that he can't help snoring, last night he actually slept on the couch even though I said I didn't want him to do that. I would but I can't sleep on the couch either. So prayer that my ears will be blocked to the sound of his snoring (but not to the sound of the kids if they need me).
Thanks again for praying and everything else! We love every one of you!
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
On the mend
After Casey's surgery on Monday when I got to see him he looked really bad. I wasn't able to see him for very long as it was getting late and my mother in law needed to be able to go home. Around 8:30pm he called me and sounded so much better. We chatted for a bit and he said he was feeling much better. He's been improving ever since.
Yesterday I was able to visit him twice, in the afternoon while I was there they made him get up and walk down the hall. He had so many things hooked up to him he had to push a little shopping cart to carry all his equipment. It was slow going for him and he couldn't go very far, he said that was his second walk and they were going to make him walk 4 times total for the day.
Last night a friend from church who has babysat the kids for us a few times so we could go on a date offered to bring us some dinner and to watch the kids for a bit so I could go visit Casey. When I got there he had a visitor (someone from church). Shortly after he left I was talking to Casey and I asked him if he's gotten some rest. His response was "No I've been to busy" the nurse was in there at the time doing some stuff as I laughed and said "Oh really? Busy laying in bed all day huh?" Of course I knew better, resting in the hospital is not that easy. Nurses in and out every hour or so (if not more) visitors and well wishers, machines going off, noisy visitors to other rooms in the halls etc. Trust me I KNOW. But it was amusing to me the comment about being to busy. I was able to spend a couple of hours with him before coming home to get the kids to bed etc. I had asked the nurse if it would be ok for me to bring the kids to see him the next morning and she said yes.
This morning we got up, had breakfast and let the kids play for a bit. Around 11 we started getting ready to go see Daddy. We finally got loaded up and got to the hospital just before 12. Eli wasn't so sure about all the machines around Daddy. Although there are less.... He no longer has the IV in, he still has the chest tube and the epidural. At the time Casey's Grandpa (Papa) and Sally (Girlfriend) as well as Papa's brother and his wife were there. Talk about a loud crowd, anyway Willa just kinda sat there in her stroller taking it all in. Neither kid was really very interested in sitting on the bed with him. I think there was just to much strange stuff going on. The other guests left and it didn't take long for Eli to start getting into trouble... My little climber kept trying to climb on the bed frame under the raised head of the bed. Of course I didn't want to let him just in case there was a failure or something. So we ended up needing to leave.
Casey was looking a lot better this morning, was sitting up in bed with his blankets off. He said he had been able to "jog" down the hall but was sore from it. His color is looking better and better, he said he's able to breathe better and better and the pain is going away. The chest tube causes pain in his right shoulder and that has been his biggest complaint. Today they had to give him another medication because what they were giving him wasn't effective. While we were there his Surgeon came in and checked him over, he said that Casey is going to have to keep the chest tube in a couple more days because he's still having more fluid then they would like drain out of it. He said it shouldn't effect Casey coming home though (yet he didn't tell us what day he thought he'd come home). He said Casey is healing very nicely though and was pleased to hear Casey was up and walking around.
Some of the other things we've had come up at this time is starting to fall into place too. Eli is almost completely healed. He still has a good sized blister on the end of his tongue but it doesn't seem to be causing him any pain or not that much. Today he's actually eaten a bit even had some fries so it seemed the salt didn't bother him much. He's back to his ornery self picking on his little sister who this week has started to fight back a little. When he tried pushing her she stood her ground and actually pushed back.
We've had a young man from church offer to come over and take care of the mowing for us. I'm going to give it a few days before calling him cause its not that long right now.
Then today I got a call from one of the guys from church who owns a shop. He had heard that my car has been acting up and wanted to look at it for me. He asked if I could bring it into the shop and I explained I had no way of doing that. So he said he could come pick it up! So he came with one of his boys and they picked up my car, it is at the shop now being looked over. Praise God! I hope its nothing serious and something easily fixed.
I have been completely overwhelmed (in a good way) by things people are doing for us. We have had so many people praying for us and going to visit Casey at the hospital and willing to do things for us and the meals people have been providing. Even had someone at church left me a message today on facebook that she had several jars of baby food that they weren't going to use and asked if Willa would eat it. Willa eats everything! So I told her that yes we could use them. Just all the little (and big) things that have helped make this easier on us both. Most of all the prayers, Casey's recovery is going well and that is a direct answer to all the prayers.
Also having my younger sister who is 30 but has some mental delays. She can't stay a lone with the kids really but she is a BIG help in entertaining the kids and changing diapers or even helping me wrangle the kids at the hospital. She has really helped me keep my sanity. She has even ever so sweetly washed up the dishes a few times for me even though I never asked her to! She has done that while I was gone at the hospital. She is a blessing to me this week!
Thank you all! From the bottom of our hearts! You don't know what it means to us.
Yesterday I was able to visit him twice, in the afternoon while I was there they made him get up and walk down the hall. He had so many things hooked up to him he had to push a little shopping cart to carry all his equipment. It was slow going for him and he couldn't go very far, he said that was his second walk and they were going to make him walk 4 times total for the day.
Last night a friend from church who has babysat the kids for us a few times so we could go on a date offered to bring us some dinner and to watch the kids for a bit so I could go visit Casey. When I got there he had a visitor (someone from church). Shortly after he left I was talking to Casey and I asked him if he's gotten some rest. His response was "No I've been to busy" the nurse was in there at the time doing some stuff as I laughed and said "Oh really? Busy laying in bed all day huh?" Of course I knew better, resting in the hospital is not that easy. Nurses in and out every hour or so (if not more) visitors and well wishers, machines going off, noisy visitors to other rooms in the halls etc. Trust me I KNOW. But it was amusing to me the comment about being to busy. I was able to spend a couple of hours with him before coming home to get the kids to bed etc. I had asked the nurse if it would be ok for me to bring the kids to see him the next morning and she said yes.
This morning we got up, had breakfast and let the kids play for a bit. Around 11 we started getting ready to go see Daddy. We finally got loaded up and got to the hospital just before 12. Eli wasn't so sure about all the machines around Daddy. Although there are less.... He no longer has the IV in, he still has the chest tube and the epidural. At the time Casey's Grandpa (Papa) and Sally (Girlfriend) as well as Papa's brother and his wife were there. Talk about a loud crowd, anyway Willa just kinda sat there in her stroller taking it all in. Neither kid was really very interested in sitting on the bed with him. I think there was just to much strange stuff going on. The other guests left and it didn't take long for Eli to start getting into trouble... My little climber kept trying to climb on the bed frame under the raised head of the bed. Of course I didn't want to let him just in case there was a failure or something. So we ended up needing to leave.
Casey was looking a lot better this morning, was sitting up in bed with his blankets off. He said he had been able to "jog" down the hall but was sore from it. His color is looking better and better, he said he's able to breathe better and better and the pain is going away. The chest tube causes pain in his right shoulder and that has been his biggest complaint. Today they had to give him another medication because what they were giving him wasn't effective. While we were there his Surgeon came in and checked him over, he said that Casey is going to have to keep the chest tube in a couple more days because he's still having more fluid then they would like drain out of it. He said it shouldn't effect Casey coming home though (yet he didn't tell us what day he thought he'd come home). He said Casey is healing very nicely though and was pleased to hear Casey was up and walking around.
Some of the other things we've had come up at this time is starting to fall into place too. Eli is almost completely healed. He still has a good sized blister on the end of his tongue but it doesn't seem to be causing him any pain or not that much. Today he's actually eaten a bit even had some fries so it seemed the salt didn't bother him much. He's back to his ornery self picking on his little sister who this week has started to fight back a little. When he tried pushing her she stood her ground and actually pushed back.
We've had a young man from church offer to come over and take care of the mowing for us. I'm going to give it a few days before calling him cause its not that long right now.
Then today I got a call from one of the guys from church who owns a shop. He had heard that my car has been acting up and wanted to look at it for me. He asked if I could bring it into the shop and I explained I had no way of doing that. So he said he could come pick it up! So he came with one of his boys and they picked up my car, it is at the shop now being looked over. Praise God! I hope its nothing serious and something easily fixed.
I have been completely overwhelmed (in a good way) by things people are doing for us. We have had so many people praying for us and going to visit Casey at the hospital and willing to do things for us and the meals people have been providing. Even had someone at church left me a message today on facebook that she had several jars of baby food that they weren't going to use and asked if Willa would eat it. Willa eats everything! So I told her that yes we could use them. Just all the little (and big) things that have helped make this easier on us both. Most of all the prayers, Casey's recovery is going well and that is a direct answer to all the prayers.
Also having my younger sister who is 30 but has some mental delays. She can't stay a lone with the kids really but she is a BIG help in entertaining the kids and changing diapers or even helping me wrangle the kids at the hospital. She has really helped me keep my sanity. She has even ever so sweetly washed up the dishes a few times for me even though I never asked her to! She has done that while I was gone at the hospital. She is a blessing to me this week!
Thank you all! From the bottom of our hearts! You don't know what it means to us.
Monday, June 18, 2012
Surgery is done, now for recovery.
Casey had his surgery today to remove the tumor on his right lung. We arrived at the hospital at 10am and right away they took him back to prep him. One of the pastoral staff at our church was already there and waiting when we arrived. He wasn't able to go back with us till right before they wheeled Casey back for surgery. For nearly 2hrs they were prepping him and such, they took some blood, did an ekg, shaved his chest (just the right side mind you!) and then took some more blood. Finally around 11:30 Pastor Luke was able to come in with another member of our church and together (along with Casey's father who showed up for support) prayed over him before the nurses came in and wheeled him to the OR.
One of the things I thought was really cool was when Pastor Luke and Scott came in to pray the nurses cleared out for us. After a few minutes they asked if we were done and Pastor Luke asked for just a couple more minutes. When we opened the door they were all waiting patiently by the door for us to finish. I thought that was really special.
So he went to the OR around Noon, his Dr had come in and talked to us and said that once they get to the OR it will probably be another hour or so BEFORE they make the first cut. I failed to convey that message to my mother in law who thought the surgery would only last an hour and a half. At 1:45 she called me somewhat panicked and asked if we'd heard anything. It was then I realized I had not told her they said it would probably be later then the Noon start time, she was a LITTLE more comfortable about it but I could still hear the stress in her voice. Around 2:15pm the nurse called me from the OR, said that Dr had made his first cut at 1:10pm and he was still mapping the area to get to the lung. She said that part can take a long time and if the surgery lasts longer the 2 more hours she will call me with an update.
So I called my mother in law (lesson learned) and updated her. She was worried about why it was taking so lung. Finally around 3:40 the Dr came in and pulled me into the consultation room and told me that everything went smoothly. He said that the tumor was so big it was almost completely blocking Casey's airways, actually from the way he described it, it sounds like it was actually bigger but it was at the end of the airway so it was sticking out a little. He said "Imagine this pen is the airway and its like having a marble stuck in side there". He said there was a lot of scar tissue around the lung from the pneumonia he'd had and that's why it took so long to map. He said everything else looked strong and healthy and he should recover really well. He said Casey would be in the recovery for about 2hrs before being transferred upstairs.
Around 5:30 the nurse called me and told me they were getting ready to take him upstairs to his room, she told me to go ahead on up to that floor and wait in the waiting room there and she would come and get me in about 30min. Around 6:30 I realized it had been a REALLY long time and went to ask at the nurses station. I was told "Oh yes he's in his room! You can go on in" So finally I get to go in and see him, when I walked in he was facing the window and when he turned as I tapped on the door the look on his face like he was about to cry at seeing me almost made me cry. He was/is very groggy still, after visiting with him for a few minutes I told him I was going to go back to the waiting room and tell my mom who was there with me and my sister. They came back for a few minutes then left to bring my sister back to my house who is staying with me this week. She can't babysit the babies by herself but she is a big help to a weary mommy. After they left I was sitting there talking to him. He told me he was alive and he thanks God for his protection. I sat in a chair by his bed holding his hand as he drifted in and out of sleep. Finally it seemed he was asleep for awhile so I rested my head on the little table by his bed. Shortly after I felt his other hand on mine as he told me I needed to go home and see our kids (who I haven't seen yet today since we left before they got up) and get some rest myself. He doesn't have his cell phone so no one will bother him tonight.
So the tumor is gone, its been taken to pathology for testing just to make sure its what they think it is. Other then that, I look forward to getting this chapter of our lives over with. He will be in the hospital for about 5 days or so. He does have tubes coming out of the incision to drain any extra blood,air and such and to keep from getting an infection. They said those will come out in 2 to 3 days.
Thank you all for your prayers and continue to pray for quick recovery and healing.
Also Eli is almost completely back to his old self. He won't eat a lot still but is at least eating some and hasn't had any pain medication today at all. So it looks like we're over the worst of that part too thankfully.
One of the things I thought was really cool was when Pastor Luke and Scott came in to pray the nurses cleared out for us. After a few minutes they asked if we were done and Pastor Luke asked for just a couple more minutes. When we opened the door they were all waiting patiently by the door for us to finish. I thought that was really special.
So he went to the OR around Noon, his Dr had come in and talked to us and said that once they get to the OR it will probably be another hour or so BEFORE they make the first cut. I failed to convey that message to my mother in law who thought the surgery would only last an hour and a half. At 1:45 she called me somewhat panicked and asked if we'd heard anything. It was then I realized I had not told her they said it would probably be later then the Noon start time, she was a LITTLE more comfortable about it but I could still hear the stress in her voice. Around 2:15pm the nurse called me from the OR, said that Dr had made his first cut at 1:10pm and he was still mapping the area to get to the lung. She said that part can take a long time and if the surgery lasts longer the 2 more hours she will call me with an update.
So I called my mother in law (lesson learned) and updated her. She was worried about why it was taking so lung. Finally around 3:40 the Dr came in and pulled me into the consultation room and told me that everything went smoothly. He said that the tumor was so big it was almost completely blocking Casey's airways, actually from the way he described it, it sounds like it was actually bigger but it was at the end of the airway so it was sticking out a little. He said "Imagine this pen is the airway and its like having a marble stuck in side there". He said there was a lot of scar tissue around the lung from the pneumonia he'd had and that's why it took so long to map. He said everything else looked strong and healthy and he should recover really well. He said Casey would be in the recovery for about 2hrs before being transferred upstairs.
Around 5:30 the nurse called me and told me they were getting ready to take him upstairs to his room, she told me to go ahead on up to that floor and wait in the waiting room there and she would come and get me in about 30min. Around 6:30 I realized it had been a REALLY long time and went to ask at the nurses station. I was told "Oh yes he's in his room! You can go on in" So finally I get to go in and see him, when I walked in he was facing the window and when he turned as I tapped on the door the look on his face like he was about to cry at seeing me almost made me cry. He was/is very groggy still, after visiting with him for a few minutes I told him I was going to go back to the waiting room and tell my mom who was there with me and my sister. They came back for a few minutes then left to bring my sister back to my house who is staying with me this week. She can't babysit the babies by herself but she is a big help to a weary mommy. After they left I was sitting there talking to him. He told me he was alive and he thanks God for his protection. I sat in a chair by his bed holding his hand as he drifted in and out of sleep. Finally it seemed he was asleep for awhile so I rested my head on the little table by his bed. Shortly after I felt his other hand on mine as he told me I needed to go home and see our kids (who I haven't seen yet today since we left before they got up) and get some rest myself. He doesn't have his cell phone so no one will bother him tonight.
So the tumor is gone, its been taken to pathology for testing just to make sure its what they think it is. Other then that, I look forward to getting this chapter of our lives over with. He will be in the hospital for about 5 days or so. He does have tubes coming out of the incision to drain any extra blood,air and such and to keep from getting an infection. They said those will come out in 2 to 3 days.
Thank you all for your prayers and continue to pray for quick recovery and healing.
Also Eli is almost completely back to his old self. He won't eat a lot still but is at least eating some and hasn't had any pain medication today at all. So it looks like we're over the worst of that part too thankfully.
Thursday, June 14, 2012
Giving the Devil a run for his money...
I told Casey today that we must be a HUGE threat to the devil with all the stuff that's been hitting us lately. I said while its hard (very hard) and while we're all exhausted I know we must be doing something right for the devil to take notice of us and to be attacking our family so hard.
In the middle of the night Eli woke with a fever and was a little fussy, after some Tylenol he was more comfortable and eventually went to sleep. Although he was awake for an extended period of time. I was to find out why later this afternoon. He awoke this morning with a fever and got another dose of Tylenol, shortly after that Grandma Stephie came (for the 3rd time this week) to watch the kids so I could go with Casey to his Dr's appointment with the lung surgeon.
We met with the newest Dr in what seems to be an army of Dr's for Casey lately. He showed us a diagram of the lungs and showed us approx where the tumor is. The tumor is in the right lung, the right lung is comprised of 3 sections and the tumor is in the 3rd section which is a portion of the bottom of the lung and up along the back. He said to remove to tumor they were going to need to remove that whole 3rd portion of Casey's lung. They will go in on his side between his ribs, take that part of his lung out and then he will have tubes draining for a few days after it. Dr Burns (lung Dr) had thought the recovery would be about a week. He also said he didn't think it was a Cancerous tumor. According to this other Dr though he said it IS a cancer, its just not a fatal cancer and it doesn't require kemo or radiation. Once they remove it its gone and Casey will live a normal life. He also said that Casey will be in the hospital for at least 5 days after the surgery and that he will be off work for a minimum of 4-6wks. He said in Casey's line of work it will be on the longer end of it. If he had a desk job he MIGHT be able to return in about 4wks but NOT in Casey's line of work. Casey was still talking about maybe doing "light duty" sooner then that but the Dr finally (after saying several times 4-6wks) said "We'll have to see how your doing". I'm pretty sure I'm going to have my hands full keeping Casey down that long! Casey was relieved to find out they won't be slicing his whole chest open, however the Dr said that actually that is an easier surgery for people to recover from then what Casey is having done. He said Casey's is a more major surgery AND WAY more painful. He recommended Casey think about getting an epidural to help with the pain while in the hospital. He said its THAT painful.
So the nurse is working on scheduling the surgery for Monday. She hasn't given us an exact time yet but she will be getting back with us. So finally we check out and we are headed to price chopper to pick up something really quick before heading home when Stephie calls and tells us that Eli is warm again, he's squatting like he needs to poop and screaming. She said he won't let her touch him and he is VERY hot. So we rush home (we were right down the street). We try giving him a bath to which he sits there and screams the whole time with his knee's to his chest. After the bath he snuggled with Mommy for a bit before I took his temp. It was 103.4 while I'm taking his temp I notice through his crying that I can see little blisters on his tongue. I gave him some Motrin and called the Dr to see what we should do. After talking to a nurse for awhile (Dr was out of the office) she recommends taking him to Urgent Care. On our way he falls asleep in the car and as I keep checking in the rear view mirror I notice he's starting to get a rash on his cheek.
So we see the Dr, she said Hand, Foot and Mouth is going around and it looks like he has it.... AGAIN! UGH This is like the 3rd time this year! I was able to see 4 blisters at home without really prying his mouth open to look. When she looked in his mouth she said his mouth was just COVERED in them and they were all over his tonsils. :( So she prescribes a pain medication in case he is really un able to handle the pain. She warns us that this strain is a very aggressive strain and he will most likely break out in a bad rash all over his body and possibly blister in areas.
Needless to say I'm exhausted just THINKING about how tired I'm going to be in the upcoming weeks!
So big prayers are needed for sure for the following.
Dr's wisdom before, during and after Casey's surgery.
Willa and Mommy will stay healthy!
Eli will get over this quicker then expected
REST for ALL of us! And Grace to make it through when we're at our breaking point.
We are totally trusting and depending on God for everything. We know its going to be a rough few weeks what with Casey off work (he's used all his vacation time and has no sick pay) but we know God will provide. He always does,
Thanks for all your prayers to this point and all your continued prayers. We have really felt them!
In the middle of the night Eli woke with a fever and was a little fussy, after some Tylenol he was more comfortable and eventually went to sleep. Although he was awake for an extended period of time. I was to find out why later this afternoon. He awoke this morning with a fever and got another dose of Tylenol, shortly after that Grandma Stephie came (for the 3rd time this week) to watch the kids so I could go with Casey to his Dr's appointment with the lung surgeon.
We met with the newest Dr in what seems to be an army of Dr's for Casey lately. He showed us a diagram of the lungs and showed us approx where the tumor is. The tumor is in the right lung, the right lung is comprised of 3 sections and the tumor is in the 3rd section which is a portion of the bottom of the lung and up along the back. He said to remove to tumor they were going to need to remove that whole 3rd portion of Casey's lung. They will go in on his side between his ribs, take that part of his lung out and then he will have tubes draining for a few days after it. Dr Burns (lung Dr) had thought the recovery would be about a week. He also said he didn't think it was a Cancerous tumor. According to this other Dr though he said it IS a cancer, its just not a fatal cancer and it doesn't require kemo or radiation. Once they remove it its gone and Casey will live a normal life. He also said that Casey will be in the hospital for at least 5 days after the surgery and that he will be off work for a minimum of 4-6wks. He said in Casey's line of work it will be on the longer end of it. If he had a desk job he MIGHT be able to return in about 4wks but NOT in Casey's line of work. Casey was still talking about maybe doing "light duty" sooner then that but the Dr finally (after saying several times 4-6wks) said "We'll have to see how your doing". I'm pretty sure I'm going to have my hands full keeping Casey down that long! Casey was relieved to find out they won't be slicing his whole chest open, however the Dr said that actually that is an easier surgery for people to recover from then what Casey is having done. He said Casey's is a more major surgery AND WAY more painful. He recommended Casey think about getting an epidural to help with the pain while in the hospital. He said its THAT painful.
So the nurse is working on scheduling the surgery for Monday. She hasn't given us an exact time yet but she will be getting back with us. So finally we check out and we are headed to price chopper to pick up something really quick before heading home when Stephie calls and tells us that Eli is warm again, he's squatting like he needs to poop and screaming. She said he won't let her touch him and he is VERY hot. So we rush home (we were right down the street). We try giving him a bath to which he sits there and screams the whole time with his knee's to his chest. After the bath he snuggled with Mommy for a bit before I took his temp. It was 103.4 while I'm taking his temp I notice through his crying that I can see little blisters on his tongue. I gave him some Motrin and called the Dr to see what we should do. After talking to a nurse for awhile (Dr was out of the office) she recommends taking him to Urgent Care. On our way he falls asleep in the car and as I keep checking in the rear view mirror I notice he's starting to get a rash on his cheek.
So we see the Dr, she said Hand, Foot and Mouth is going around and it looks like he has it.... AGAIN! UGH This is like the 3rd time this year! I was able to see 4 blisters at home without really prying his mouth open to look. When she looked in his mouth she said his mouth was just COVERED in them and they were all over his tonsils. :( So she prescribes a pain medication in case he is really un able to handle the pain. She warns us that this strain is a very aggressive strain and he will most likely break out in a bad rash all over his body and possibly blister in areas.
Needless to say I'm exhausted just THINKING about how tired I'm going to be in the upcoming weeks!
So big prayers are needed for sure for the following.
Dr's wisdom before, during and after Casey's surgery.
Willa and Mommy will stay healthy!
Eli will get over this quicker then expected
REST for ALL of us! And Grace to make it through when we're at our breaking point.
We are totally trusting and depending on God for everything. We know its going to be a rough few weeks what with Casey off work (he's used all his vacation time and has no sick pay) but we know God will provide. He always does,
Thanks for all your prayers to this point and all your continued prayers. We have really felt them!
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
Prayerfully trusting God
So today was Casey's lung biopsy of the mass in his chest. We were optimistic that it was just some sort of infection or something of that nature. The Dr said that a tumor was highly unlikely and very rare, also said cancer was very unlikely.
So the procedure was to run a camera down his throat and a needle and take a sample if not the whole thing to see what it is. When they got in there they saw that it was a tumor and that with this type of tumor they can't take a biopsy because there are a bunch of blood vessels surrounding it and they could burst one. So they take pictures of it and schedule a surgery. This tumor is on like a stem that digs into the host area in this case Casey's lung they have to remove the whole thing so this means they will also have to remove a portion of that lung. It depends on how far that stem or root goes on how much they have to remove. The Dr told us that this tumor is a very slowly growing tumor and chances are he's had it for awhile. He said that its blocking part of his lung which caused him to have pneumonia and if its not removed right away then it could cause pneumonia again. Dr recommended that we get him into the surgeon ASAP and ideally for him to have the surgery sometime next week.
He said that the surgery would take place at the hospital and he would remain in the hospital a few days after the surgery. He said that Casey being a young man should recover quickly but he's looking at at LEAST a week off work for this surgery. That being said, we have also been reviewing to see if Casey needs his tonsils out those do need to come out. Before all this started we had gone to talk to the ENT etc and were in the process of getting that scheduled (which was what the sleep study was for). So now the thought is to see if they can do everything all at once. We can't afford for Casey to miss even MORE work, since he's going to be off work for this tumor anyway to go ahead and get the tonsils out (they are obstructing his airways) so he can be recovering from both at the same time. Dr Burns (lung Dr) said we would have to check with the surgeon but he thought that was something they should be able to do. So we'll see if that works out, might be a good idea because he'll be in the hospital for a few days after the surgery and will be on some good pain medication anyway so that will help with the pain from the tonsillectomy. So we need prayers to continue, I am really kind of at peace about the whole thing. Casey of course on the other hand isn't as peaceful. He trusts God and all but he's struggling with feelings about the tumor, like why couldn't they have discovered it when he was younger (before he met me or we had kids) and anger at this "thing" that is in him. He says he wants it OUT! Also of course being the financial support for our family has him worried about taking so much time off work. Also they are extremely busy right now and his boss said they might need to hire someone else to help them get caught up. So those are the feelings he's having right now, its understandable. He said he is still trusting God and its not making his question his faith at all, if anything its making him draw closer.
So want to see a picture of this thing? Ok well if not then don't go any further cause here it is.
The Dr calls it a Carcinoin-like tumor which means "Cancer Like" Scary stuff.... Look at all those blood vessels! Which is why they couldn't safely take a biopsy. :(
So the procedure was to run a camera down his throat and a needle and take a sample if not the whole thing to see what it is. When they got in there they saw that it was a tumor and that with this type of tumor they can't take a biopsy because there are a bunch of blood vessels surrounding it and they could burst one. So they take pictures of it and schedule a surgery. This tumor is on like a stem that digs into the host area in this case Casey's lung they have to remove the whole thing so this means they will also have to remove a portion of that lung. It depends on how far that stem or root goes on how much they have to remove. The Dr told us that this tumor is a very slowly growing tumor and chances are he's had it for awhile. He said that its blocking part of his lung which caused him to have pneumonia and if its not removed right away then it could cause pneumonia again. Dr recommended that we get him into the surgeon ASAP and ideally for him to have the surgery sometime next week.
He said that the surgery would take place at the hospital and he would remain in the hospital a few days after the surgery. He said that Casey being a young man should recover quickly but he's looking at at LEAST a week off work for this surgery. That being said, we have also been reviewing to see if Casey needs his tonsils out those do need to come out. Before all this started we had gone to talk to the ENT etc and were in the process of getting that scheduled (which was what the sleep study was for). So now the thought is to see if they can do everything all at once. We can't afford for Casey to miss even MORE work, since he's going to be off work for this tumor anyway to go ahead and get the tonsils out (they are obstructing his airways) so he can be recovering from both at the same time. Dr Burns (lung Dr) said we would have to check with the surgeon but he thought that was something they should be able to do. So we'll see if that works out, might be a good idea because he'll be in the hospital for a few days after the surgery and will be on some good pain medication anyway so that will help with the pain from the tonsillectomy. So we need prayers to continue, I am really kind of at peace about the whole thing. Casey of course on the other hand isn't as peaceful. He trusts God and all but he's struggling with feelings about the tumor, like why couldn't they have discovered it when he was younger (before he met me or we had kids) and anger at this "thing" that is in him. He says he wants it OUT! Also of course being the financial support for our family has him worried about taking so much time off work. Also they are extremely busy right now and his boss said they might need to hire someone else to help them get caught up. So those are the feelings he's having right now, its understandable. He said he is still trusting God and its not making his question his faith at all, if anything its making him draw closer.
So want to see a picture of this thing? Ok well if not then don't go any further cause here it is.
 | |
| Carcinoid-like tumor |
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
A Good/Bad Dr appointment for Casey
So today was Casey's 6wk followup with his Dr regarding his high Triglycerides and Cholesterol. At the appointment they said he has lost almost 20lbs since their last visit (makes me SO jealous). The Dr said in just a couple more months he should be where he needs to be weight wise. Why do men have it so easy? Oh well I'm happy he's getting healthy.
So first the bad news, the bad news is the Dr discussed his report from his CT scan of his lungs he had recently as a followup from his hospitalization for what they thought/think was pneumonia. Anyway, they noted that there is still something in his lungs. The aggressive antibiotics did significantly reduce the size of it enough that now they can see that its not just an infection. So they are recommending a biopsy to see what it could be. At this point I'm not really WORRIED about it. They had said they thought it was highly unlikely to be cancer or a tumor. I trust God that whatever it is we will get through it and his will shall be done.
So now for the good news, as I said Casey's appointment was to discuss his extremely high triglycerides he had blood work done last week to see if the medication was and or diet was helping. As I'd said a couple of weeks ago the dietitian had recommended going Paleo or very close to it. Back 6wks ago his triglycerides were over 1000, today the Dr told him that his trigs had gone down to (brace yourself for this one) 245! His total Chol was also down to perfect levels. However the lipidtor did seem to be messing with his liver a little. So the Dr said he thought that since the Diet was working so well Casey could try going off the medication completely and controlling his trigs with the new diet. We haven't gone completely Paleo but he has gotten rid of all bread and most of his starches. We are pretty excited about the lowering cholesterol and hope to see an improvement.
So first the bad news, the bad news is the Dr discussed his report from his CT scan of his lungs he had recently as a followup from his hospitalization for what they thought/think was pneumonia. Anyway, they noted that there is still something in his lungs. The aggressive antibiotics did significantly reduce the size of it enough that now they can see that its not just an infection. So they are recommending a biopsy to see what it could be. At this point I'm not really WORRIED about it. They had said they thought it was highly unlikely to be cancer or a tumor. I trust God that whatever it is we will get through it and his will shall be done.
So now for the good news, as I said Casey's appointment was to discuss his extremely high triglycerides he had blood work done last week to see if the medication was and or diet was helping. As I'd said a couple of weeks ago the dietitian had recommended going Paleo or very close to it. Back 6wks ago his triglycerides were over 1000, today the Dr told him that his trigs had gone down to (brace yourself for this one) 245! His total Chol was also down to perfect levels. However the lipidtor did seem to be messing with his liver a little. So the Dr said he thought that since the Diet was working so well Casey could try going off the medication completely and controlling his trigs with the new diet. We haven't gone completely Paleo but he has gotten rid of all bread and most of his starches. We are pretty excited about the lowering cholesterol and hope to see an improvement.
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