Things Continue to be crazy

We have seen God work so much for us this year... This year is far from over for us as we continue to have a crazy year. This year started out ok, family illnesses took a turn for the worse when Casey ended up with Pneumonia and what followed turned into an amazing time for our family.

I blogged about all of that, the fear of the unknown as we faced a tumor in Casey's lung, we dealt with it swiftly by allowing him to undergo surgery to remove the lower right lobe of his lung. In that time of recovery we saw God work in great ways. We became closer as a family, enjoying having Daddy home for several weeks especially when he wasn't in so much pain and was actually able to do more then just lay around the house with the exceptions of his several times a day walks. We witnessed first hand God's provision through family and church family. We were never hungry, we didn't miss any bills (we weren't even late in any of them), even when the car needed repair someone stepped up to help us with that.

Just as we were on the upswing we found out that now his right middle lobe had shut down completely and the only thing to do was to remove it as well. We dealt with this huge blow by clinging to each other and most of all God. By the time he went into surgery for the 2nd time we were completely at peace with the situation and totally trusting and praising God for taking care of our family. Again, God provided, people stepped up to help again and we made it through to the other side where we started seeing amazing things happen.

During the recovery of the 2nd tumor my photography blasted off! I ended up booking 4 weddings for Sept! They were all amazing weddings to be a part of! 2 weddings even allowed me to practice a skill I have been wanting to um for lack of a better word.... DEVELOP (haha). The results of those images turned out amazing and I was so happy to have gotten the chance to do them. During the busy month of Sept my car again started having issues. We had been talking about getting a minivan but when the health issues came up we put that on the back burner. Now my car was in trouble, the AC had gone out which was going to be expensive to fix. We could have waited till next year to address the issue of the car but it was going down hill fast. The shop we took it to told me it had some other issues and they didn't recommend trying to fix it if we planned on getting a new one in the near future. So after prayer and consideration we decided to look at a few minivans. We were blessed to have a family member that had connections with a dealer and he gave us a good trade for my car (way more then it was worth) and got us in the van with payments close to what we were comfortable with. God provides,

As we go into the fall season I was kinda bummed that my crazy booking of weddings hadn't kept up but that is probably a good thing as I have some stuff to catch up on! While weddings for Oct are so far none I have been blessed to book several family sessions, engagement session and some anniversary pictures (so excited about that one). So still God provides in other ways.

Last week Casey had a Dr's appointment to check and see what his lung function was now. They did a follow up CT scan where they learned he had some air built up around the right lung. His pulmonary Dr said he wasn't to worried about AIR, said it won't cause infection and he didn't think there was a leak in the airway. He told Casey they will do another CT scan in Dec to see what its doing. Yesterday Casey got a call from his surgeon who has been working with his pulmonary Dr and left a voice mail stating he wanted to talk about Casey's "options" this scared Casey so he didn't return the call. This morning his surgeon called me and I talked to him. He IS concerned about the air around his lung. He is concerned that it might mean there is a leak in the air way. He said we had 2 options, we could wait and do nothing and see if something bad presents itself (like Casey getting sick) or we could go in and have the air removed and see if there is a leak in the airway. That would require a cath to be put in and a couple of days in the hospital and then a couple of days at home recovering. He said that would be his first choice, I told him I would need to talk to Casey and see what he thinks (already knowing the answer). I called Casey and he said since Dr Burns wasn't worried about it he wanted to wait and see what happens. He has another CT schedule for Dec so he's going to wait. I agree with this decision, no need to go poking holes if there is nothing wrong. Dr Downey (surgeon) said to keep an eye on him. If he starts running a fever and having chills to call him or Dr Burns to make sure its not related to his lungs. So for now we wait and pray, we know God has a purpose for all of this. If he decides we need surgery again we will continue to trust & praise him knowing that he has a plan for our lives and we are in his hands. We have nothing to fear, we know God can, will and continues to provide for us. We are in HIS hands.

Our life in the fast lane.

Its been awhile since I posted last, Casey's second surgery & recovery went well. He has been back at work for several weeks and getting stronger by the day. During all this time I managed to fill up my entire Sept wedding calendar. I had blocked out the 15th to allow for Willa's birthday party but had booked the other 4 weekends. Its been a crazy last month and a half or so. Its now mid Sept and I have completed 2 of the 4 weddings for the month. For those who don't know this about me I'm a wedding photographer and I LOVE what I do.

At the last wedding there was an older lady there who kept talking to me at the reception, she told me that she could just tell that I LOVE what I'm doing. She said she was really impressed with my people skills and how my passion just glows as I work. She said she had watched me interact with the people at each table, typically at a wedding I go to every table and take pictures of all the guests at that table. Its a good way to kinda get to know some of the people there but also makes some nice pictures for the couple who might not have been able to make it to every table to say hi. She said the way I interacted with the people at the tables was impressive. She said she predicted I would go far in this industry. I sure hope so!

About 2wks ago my car started acting up, the AC was going in and out. Finally taking it to the shop to have it checked and it turns out the compressor had gone bad. It was going to cost close to $2,000 to fix it. They also noted that my car needed some other repair as well. The car had been a great car with no major issues the entire 8yrs I had owned it. I bought it brand new off the lot, anyway we knew we didn't want to put that much into the car because its really kinda small for our family. We're not pregnant but we figure if we have any more kids we would need a bigger car. So we discussed it in detail and finally decided we should go ahead and look into getting a mini van. We decided it would be wise to just go ahead and get a brand new one with the idea of it lasting a long time. We called up my Aunt who used to work for a Dodge Dealership and asked her if she could pull some strings. So she did, :) They gave me more for my car trade then it was worth cause we are "family". So we ended up with a 2012 Dodge Grand Caravan. Its a pretty bright red, Eli (and mommy and daddy) has fallen in love with this thing. While we were looking at it he was playing it it, just going from front to back and front to back and getting in the drivers seat and giggling. We have excellent credit so we were offered a low rate with payments we can swing (although it will be tight). We said we wanted to think it over and pray about it. We discussed it a lot that night and both of us prayed about it, I was fine with it either way. Casey woke up the next morning (Sunday) and said he felt like it was a wise choice so on Monday we went and picked it up.

Pulling out of our driveway in my little car for the last time I was kinda sad, this car had been through a lot with me. When I got it I was single and driving younger siblings to and from Columbia MO (2hrs) every other weekend to visit our dad. I got it so that it could hold 4 growing pre-teen/teen siblings and all their bags for the weekend. I also knew that I Planned on keeping the car for possibly 10yrs (I got close!) and hoped in that time that I would meet someone, fall in love, get married and have at least 1 child. So I didn't want a car that would be to small for a child's car seat.... I know I know that thought was pretty mature huh? Yeah I know I'm so glad I thought that through, I mean how many people in their early 20's think like that? This car had also carted my dogs to and from the dog park, gotten me places safely in severe snowy weather (far better then most small cars would do). The car was easy to find an any parking lot due to its bright yellow color. Its the car I drove when I met my husband for our first date after emailing with him online (we met on a dating website) and told him to be watching for a yellow car. Its the car my husband was able to find in my apartment complex even though I hadn't told him exactly which unit was mine. Its the car that safely brought home our first born child (A son) and our 2nd child (a daughter). Its the car that kept us safe when we were rear ended just a few months after our 2nd was born. I surely will miss that car, but time to move on.

Our new van is so pretty, have I mentioned its red yet? Which is just perfect because my husbands truck & motorcycle are also red! We also have a lot of red stuff in our kitchen (drain tray, kitchen aid, can opener, toaster etc etc). So now everything matches and if you know me really well I'm all about things matching.... No seriously I am! The van is roomy and has a lot of pick up, we have the stow and go seating which is nice. We did learn that its much larger then we originally thought as it was a tighter fit to get into the garage then we thought at first. No worries though, a bit of re-arranging and now it fits perfectly. I got to drive it around a little today and it handles about the same as my little car did just much bigger. Yep I think I'm in love.

So that's the update for now on us. We are all doing well and I hope we stay that way the rest of this year. No more sickness please!

God continues to provide.

I have been crazy busy, which is why there has be no recent update... In fact I just looked over my last post and it was from the day of his surgery. No updates since then! Wow I'm so behind!

So as I had reported his surgery went well, when I got to see him shortly after he looked about 1000 times better right after the surgery then he did the first time. He was however complaining of pain a lot more and said it seemed worse. I personally think he just doesn't remember it that bad cause the first day or so he was so in and out of it he probably just doesn't remember.

In the last post I had talked about how I had gotten a call from a bride wanting to meet with me to discuss doing her wedding photography. I had mentioned how it seemed like God was sending us encouragement and how I'd been getting discouraged about the lack of business I'd been able to drum up thus far this year. So I scheduled the meeting with this bride to go over my portfolio and her special day for the day after Casey's surgery. I met with the lovely bride and her groom and by the time I left I had booked my first wedding of 2013! I was SO excited! But my business stuff doesn't end there! Oh no no no.

Casey seemed to recover much quicker this time, by Sat morning his bleeding had slowed down a lot already and they were talking about possibly removing the chest tubes on Sun. Mon morning he called me and told me they were about to release him so to get the kids ready and come pick him up. This was much sooner then last time! He said after they did the chest x-ray the Dr said it looked really good and he was very happy with how it looked. Last time he had said that there was something he wasn't to thrilled about but he thought it would resolve on its on. Clearly it didn't because we ended up back there.

So all this is going on and Casey is trying to heal, its been CRAZY hot out but our house isn't really big enough for him to get some good walking in unless he goes outside. A few days before we found out the news that Casey would need to have the 2nd surgery we had decided to go to the Great Mall here in Olathe and walk around there. It would be a good way to get out of the house as we are all feeling cabin fever as well as get Casey his walking in. I had decided to take some of my post cards and business cards and maybe try to do a bit of networking at some of the places there. I got shot down at the first 2 places I tried but the 3rd place turned out better then I could have hoped. Its a candy shop, you know kinda like how Mr Bulky's used to be? Where you can go in and get all these different candies and put them in a bag and pay per oz. When I said I was going to go in there Casey was like "Ok why?" I said "I don't know, maybe they do the custom wrappers or something like that, can't hurt to ask right?" So I go in and Yes they do custom wrappers, they also do candy buffets at special events. They can order the candy of choice in your color and set it up and display it nicely etc. So I start talking about networking with them and maybe we can give out each other's info to clients we come in contact with. She LOVED that idea, so I gave her some of my stuff on weddings and such and some cards and take some of her info and cards. I am starting a packet of vendors I get to know and recommend so I can give them to the brides to kinda help them out with their planning.

The next day I think it was we find out about the 2nd surgery, then the day before his surgery is the day we go to the church to talk to pastor. On the way to the car I get that call from that bride and we schedule to meet. On the way home I get a call from the lady with the Candy store. She tells me she wants to host a Brides Night out event, where 2012 brides can come and just kinda relax and have a fun evening free of charge all the bridal shows that are all the rage right now cost to get into. We discuss having a few (very few) vendors on hand to offer prizes and have SMALL displays. This whole event is still being planned but we have finally gotten the date secured as well as a few vendors. All of us vendors are small time vendors, not vendors that have a TON of money for advertising and such. We are excited about doing this, maybe connecting with some brides and getting some more business. This has been something that has kept me busy for the last 2 weeks.

So all this is going on, Casey is doing better and is home. We are back to the point of he can't lift anything for 2 weeks so he can't help with the kids really other then to keep an eye on them and let me know if I need to drop everything I'm doing in another room and come running. Among all this going on Willa has what was supposed to be her 9mo well baby check up (at 10mo old). I get the kids packed into the car and I am driving to Tonganoxie where the kids Dr is which is a 45min drive. I get a phone call, its from a wonderful lady with a coupon company that right before all this started I had talked to about MAYBE advertising with them. That was quickly scratched when we found out Casey did in fact have a tumor and needed surgery. I had told her we weren't going to be able to do it this year and she had understood. So she calls me out of the blue on Thurs and says that she has some other idea's for us for advertising with them. After I tell her Casey had to have surgery yet a 2nd time and there is NO money period she comes up with a solution. She told me she would have to present it to the owner and get the final approval but it might work. She said they are wanting to host a give away on their site for things, if I would offer up 5 photo sessions to give to people who win them they would allow me to run an ad with them free of charge! We agree on 5 senior sessions because the end of summer is coming up quick and that would be a great way to boost my business. The way this company works is you pay for a "zone" each "zone" has 10,000 houses in it, they mail out a packet of coupons every month. So I would have a coupon in their packet going to 10,000 homes in the zone of my choice. So I sign the agreement and send it on to them, I get an e-mail today stating that the owner HAS approved this deal! Are you serious???? I can't believe this! They will be doing this for me for free and all I have to give is 5 senior sessions. Psh so easy! Plus it gives me MORE exposure (pun intended), Oh yeah did I mention that we live right down the street from a high school? So guess which "zone" I choose to run the ad in? LOL Hopefully it works out! I would LOVE to be able to continue to run specials with them a few times a year. :)

So all this is going on and I have something else about ready to roll out too in order to drum up more clients. I can't say what yet because it would spoil it. But I've been a busy little bee lately! I see potential for things to get VERY busy around here!

OH and not to forget that while Casey was in the hospital I had gotten a lead from Thumbtack, thumbtack will allow you to put in what type of job you need done and it will send the lead to their vendors. So say this gal needs a wedding photographer, they put in a request on Thumbtack and they will send the lead to photographers in the area. To submit a quote you have to pay the lead fee which varies depending on the persons budget for the job. So I got a lead for a wedding photographer, this lead cost more then most because this couple has a higher budget. If you submit a quote and don't hear back from the client for 7 days they will give you a refund if you request it. So I do a lot of submitting quotes and then asking for refunds because I never hear back. This one however I DID hear back! I've been talking to her over the last week both in e-mail and over the phone and Monday I have a meeting with her! So while we have not yet secured the wedding its a very promising thing that we are getting to meet with this bride! She is excited to meet with us, after probably 30 or so leads that have never panned out I might have finally gotten one that does! Not only that but thumbtack is how the other bride had found me too! She had just called me directly instead of asking for quotes from multiple photographers.

I'm so very excited that thumbtack is starting to work out for us! Not bad for a free website!

So another long post but to summarize, Casey is doing very well.... He is getting up and around more and more. Today he complained of pain a little more then the last few days but he has been trying to do things like help clean the house (I haven't been feeling to good myself the last couple of days) so I think that might have to do with it. We have seen God providing so much over these last few weeks and not just for this very trying time in our lives but also for the future with the promise of at least 1 wedding booked for my photography. We have truly been blessed and continue to praise God!

Praising no matter the outcome.

Today Casey had his second surgery to remove his middle right lobe of his lung. We had told a few people this (but not many) but two nights ago Casey started hearing crackling noises when he would take a deep breath. He started doing some major deep breathing cause he thought maybe it was that lobe trying to expand like it should. After about 5min of deep breathing he started coughing up some gunk and even had some dried blood in the gunk.

We had also talked a lot about this latest development that at first had us a little down, and also discussed some things we both felt God placing on our hearts. We felt encouraged and decided the next day we would try to make it to church to talk to pastor about it.

Thurs we headed over to the church, we had called first and knew Pastor would be there. We went in and started talking to him. Discussed some things God had laid on our hearts, we felt like God was challenging us to do more for HIM and wanted to talk to pastor about it. We also wanted to tell Pastor about what Casey's fathers family was going through. Last Sun his uncle (Dad's brother) had gone into the hospital for complications with cancer he'd been battling. He was told he only had a few hours left to live, Casey's father right away jumped on his motorcycle and headed to the hospital in KS to visit him one last time. Casey's father lives on the MO side, for those not into motorcycles there is a helmet law in MO but not KS.... I think this possibly saved Keith from at least a serious head injury or worse (I haven't confirmed he had a helmet on but I strongly believe he DID due to no injuries in that area). Anyway, normally Keith pulls over and removes his helmet as soon as he gets into KS. I'm guessing in his hurry to get to his dying brothers side he didn't do that. Anyway, while on the highway a coyote dashed out in front of him and he hit it going rather fast. It caused the bike to fall to its side and skid across the highway. Keith ended up laying in the middle of 3 lanes of traffic and his bike in the median. He suffered a broken hand and wrist and arm as well as serious road rash and I believe a dislocated shoulder. He refused to be taken by ambulance to the ER and instead had his girlfriend pick him up and drive him to his brothers bed side where he did get there in time to say good bye before going on down to the ER. His brother passed away the next day (Monday).

Tues we learned Casey would need the 2nd surgery, we were a little stunned and depressed over the news. We neglected to call Keith right away, looking back now I think that was probably best because it might have been to much for him. Weds evening Keith called to tell us his brother had died, before he told Casey he asked how Casey was doing and Casey gave him the update. I wasn't on the phone with him and in fact Casey was in another room. As soon as Casey told him I could almost feel the breath leave Keith, I can't explain the feeling I had but I knew somehow that Keith was really struggling. I felt so bad for him, I knew this news was another bad blow to a really bad week. The funeral was last night to be last night (Thurs).

So we were talking to Pastor, we told him about Casey coughing up the gunk after telling him about Casey's father. Pastor thought that was interesting news and said we would pray and that this was not out of God's reach at all! We had a good long time of prayer with Pastor and another member from church who was there. I holding Willa, Eli entertained himself well by pulling 1 book at a time from pastors bookshelves and looking at it and then putting it back before pulling another one (ok I might have peeked a couple times to make sure he wasn't getting into anything). After prayer we discussed what was on our hearts and what God had placed on our hearts the night before. We told Pastor we are no longer saying we will "TRY" to follow through but we "WILL" follow through. What ever happened today we would praise God.

As we were getting the kids buckled into the car to leave I get a phone call. Some of you may know how I have been really struggling to get business for my photography. I've had portrait sessions but no weddings this year and I've gotten a little discouraged about it at times. So I answer my phone (it was a number I didn't know) and a young lady says "I would like to know what you charge for wedding photography?" I was so excited I started stuttering! After composing myself I asked her how she had heard about us and she said she had found us on google. Ok here's the thing, I've tried googling several phrases for wedding photography etc and I can't get us to pop up! So of God! She had gotten to my vendor profile I have on thumbtack.com (google it if you want to know what it is, but its a cool website). It doesn't list my prices but it does have some pictures up there and my phone number. I started talking to her about her budget, after a short converation we agreed to meet on Sat July 14. I am praying that this job works out for us, it won't be till next year but at least it would be SOMETHING! What amazed me was it seemed like as soon as we said we WILL do what God places on our hearts, (Don't get me wrong we weren't fighting anything, we had just not communicated that we were feeling the same things) he in return was like "See? I WANT to bless you!" I was so overwhelmed I almost cried. Even if the job doesn't work out I feel like it was encouragement from God.

So Casey went to his uncle funeral a few hours later where he said he was glad he was there for his father. Said he was taking it kinda hard. He came home and we enjoyed some time together while the kids were sleeping. We both felt very peaceful about today's upcoming surgery.

We woke up bright and early this morning and arrived at the hospital around 8:45am, they took him back to prep but we ended up waiting in the room without anyone coming in till after pastor arrived sometime around 9:30. He spent some time with us and prayed and then left. We again talked about the rattling in his chest and the gunk he'd been spitting up. We were hopeful that the Dr would go in with the scope before the surgery and find it open and clear. Finally they came back to get Casey (even though they hadn't done all the prep they had done before) that confused us and they said they were moving him closer to the OR where they would finish his prep but they wouldn't let me go with him. That was around 11am, the surgery was supposed to start at 11:45 and I waited with baited breath hoping the Dr would come out in just a few minutes and tell us he wouldn't need to do the surgery.

Around 12:45 a nurse comes out and finds me, my heart skips a beat. Could it be? She sits down next to me and explains they forgot to have Casey sign a blood transfusion list and they needed that signed in case he needed a transfusion. I asked her if they had started the surgery yet and she said she didn't know. They had called her from the OR to tell her to get it signed. I didn't hear anything again till 3pm.

Finally the Dr comes out at 3 and talks to me. You could tell he wasn't really happy with things, he asked if I was alone this time (talk about heart stopping) as I said yes. He goes "Ok well he's done with the surgery and he did well." So from what he told me when he had done the scope before the surgery he discovered that the right middle lobe was now completely sealed off (it did have a SMALL opening before). He said that lobe was no longer functioning at all. He said he had hoped he wouldn't have to actually CUT but he had no choice but to go in again the same way he did before. He said he went in the same incision and there was nothing he could do besides remove that lobe. He said if we hadn't done that Casey could have gotten VERY sick VERY quickly and it would have been VERY hard for him to recover if he ever did fully recover. He stressed the VERY sick several times. He had a very appologetic look on his face and he said he was so sorry he knew this wasn't what any of us expected and he doesn't understand why it happened. He said out of years and HUNDREDS of surgeries he has NEVER seen this before. He has no clue what caused it and said we would never know. He said it could be that a blood clot got stuck and blocked an artery there causing it but he doesn't know for sure. Regardless, Casey had done well in the surgery and would be recovering and then taken to his room in a couple of hours. He said that this SHOULD be the end of this and hopefully in a few weeks Casey will be ready to get back to work like he has been gunning to. I told the Dr that we KNEW he did everything he could, and we trusted him completely. I told him I knew that he only removed it because he felt it was the best thing for Casey. I told him we understand and we know it had NOTHING to do with him, these things just happen and no one was to blame. I thanked him for being on top of it the whole time and at the same time giving it time to heal on its own before just jumping into surgery a second time. He thanked me and headed out and I went back to waiting.

Finally around 5 I was told I could go up to his floor and I would be allowed to see him shortly. Finally I arrived on his floor and stopped at the nurses station to make sure it was ok to go in. She said "Yes" and I headed down the hall to his room. As soon as I got to the door he goes "Hey Babe!" Woa a LONG ways from last surgery when he had looked at me and about cried at the sight of me. He was with it a lot more this time, we talked and he didn't fall asleep on me. He was complaining of some pain, he told me that this time they kept him awake while they put in the epidural, he said he can't believe I've had that twice with both kids. Haha He also had a pick line in his chest and said they had him awake when they put that in too. He said it HURT, they also kept him awake when they put in the cath, poor guy. Apparently his Dr wanted to talk to him while he was able to understand so they had decided to finish the prep with him awake. Nice huh? The nurse heard him say he was awake when they did the pick line and she was like "You were awake for that??????????" So encouraging! Ha But he looked 1000 times better this time around then last time.

I finally came home for a little bit and told him I'd be back when the next baby sitter got here, but I needed to get home and see my kids 1 of whom was still in bed when we left and I hadn't seen her at all yet today. I came home, got some dinner and did some things for the studio. The next baby sitter arrived and I finished my work and went to see him where I was able to spend about an hour there. He was looking even better, he had been able to eat some jello and was complaining of being hungry! You know a man is on the mend when he's complaining about being hungry! :D The nurse mentioned they might try to get him up to walk tonight and he was like "Please do! I want to go ahead and go home! I think I can go to work tomorrow!" I was like "DON'T YOU DARE! If you cause yourself more damage and kill your self I WILL come and get you and bring you back.... Then I will kill you myself!" The nurse just kinda laughed.

So we're on the mend again! We're hoping he'll be out in a couple of days this time instead of 5 days. We believe this is the end of it! Several people have told me how strong I've been through all this and how encouraging it has been to them. I don't feel like I've been any stronger then any other woman out there, yes its been hard. Yes there have been tears, some days a lot of tears. But my strength has come from God first, family and church family second. None of my strength has been mine alone. I have been supported by so many people. We all have, we love and thank everyone for their prayers, meals, time (baby sitting), groceries, gift cards and even gifts of cash. Without the support of God and others we would not have been able to survive this. This is God's victory! Not ours, to him be all praise.

Woah this ended up a really long post (sorry about that). Since its so long, I'm not going to proof read it... Sorry for any spelling or grammar errors. If you feel the need to correct it just remember this was typed up after a VERY long day at the hospital late at night before I go to bed. I just wanted to let everyone know how much we love and appreciate them. :)

I will praise you in this storm....

2 Corinthians 4:16-18  So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison,  as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.

Casey had his follow-up today at his surgeons office in regards to his lung swelling. We were expecting to hear that the swelling had gone down. For in fact it seemed Casey was able to breathe easier and we felt really confident in how things are going. He has been getting stronger and had said he wanted to try returning to work next week.

So that being said, I didn't go with him as we didn't have a sitter. So the word from the surgeon is that the swelling has not gone down. He said at this point its highly unlikely the swelling will go down now, he said Casey is not using that part of the lung now anyway due to the swelling.

This is a diagram of the lungs, the left you can see has 2 sections or what they call them Lobes. That side is fine. The right side you can see has 3, an upper, middle and lower lobe. The tumor had been in his lower lobe. So that lobe was removed. There is a line drawn where it was removed, the swelling is in what was the middle lobe that is now the lower lobe. The writing says "blocked" and its pointing to the area that is blocked. The surgeon said that since the swelling is unlikely to go down now (he has been taking prednizone to try and reduce the swelling) the only option is to go ahead and remove that lobe now as well. He said that if we don't remove it Casey could get pneumonia again or even worse infections that could end up life threatening. This is what Casey told me with tears in his eyes when he got home. Now I wished I'd been at that appointment as I right away had questions. Questions he said he was too stunned to think to ask himself.

So Casey called the surgeons office and said we had some questions and the Dr called him back within an hour to answer any questions we had. Casey had said that the Dr had mentioned his lung function would be about what it is now. Which concerned us a little as we know he's not at full lung function at this time. So here are the questions I asked Dr Downey when he called us back.

Q. Will his lung function really only be about what it is now?

A. No, what he said was that it won't be any worse then what it is now. He said that Casey is still in the recovery phase from his last surgery and isn't back to full lung function yet. Casey should still regain 100% what he had before all this began.

Q. Will it hinder his ability to work normally in his very physical trade job as an electrician?

A. After his full recovery, no it shouldn't hinder his being able to lead a normal healthy life and maintain his job.

Q. What is the recovery expected to be like this time around? (He had said it would be a tad easier)

A. Since he already has the incision in that area then it should actually be easier for him to recover the 2nd time around. He should be in less pain and for a shorter amount of time. He should expect to be in the hospital 2 to 3 days after his surgery and then off work for another 3 weeks or so.

Q. Will there be chest tubes placed again?

A. Yes, every time there is a surgery of this manner there are chest tubes placed.

Q. Will you do another Bronchcoscopy before the surgery again just to make sure the swelling hasn't gone down?

A. Yes, I will take a look at the lung again just before making the cut.

Dr Downey also told Casey that the sooner they do this surgery the better, they will go in the same place they did before. Using the same incision, he said its easier that way and the sooner the better. If they try and wait to do it then the risk of infection is higher but also the area will harden as it heals (and I imagine scar tissue could build up) and make it near impossible to get to it that way. So we have surgery scheduled for Fri. I don't know what time we need to be there yet. The surgery is supposed to start at 12:30pm, so we are sure we'll need to be there at least at 10am for prep.

We have truly been blessed by everyone's kindness and prayers. It has been overwhelming at times (in a good way), we only hope that we can at some point be able to bless others the way we have been blessed. I know people are going to want to know what they can do to help. At this point I think our biggest need will be someone to watch the kids on Fri. I can have my mother in law do it again, but I am concerned that she might be a bit too emotional. She was pretty emotional when Casey told her the update. She will probably like having the distraction of the kids that day. But the last surgery there were a couple times she called me in tears and was extremely worried about Casey. So if there is anyone that wants to come watch the kids for the day. Last surgery started at 1pm we had to be there at 10am and I didn't get home till after 7pm. It would be a LONG day for sure. So that right now is our biggest need, I am going to talk to my mother in law to verify. She might really want to come watch the kids that day for the distraction. If that's the case I'll let her do it.

So in closing, it looks like we will get to enjoy having Daddy around the house for another few more weeks once he's home from the hospital. Which is a positive thing. The kids love their Daddy and we have enjoyed our time together as he's gotten stronger.

Yesterday's procedure

On Friday I posted about how Casey had gone for his 2 week followup after his surgery. They had discovered that part of his right lung is collapsed and it looked like it might be due to some mucus and stuff blocking the air way not allowing the lung to fully inflate. They scheduled another bronchcoscopy for yesterday.

So we prepared for yet another procedure at the hospital. Casey's poor arms are all bruised up from all the IV's he's had the last couple of weeks. We arrived at the hospital and filled out the paperwork and was shortly taken back to the room to be prepared for the procedure. This time it was done in the GI lab instead of surgery, Casey was told to change into the gown and they closed the curtain. Shortly after he was done I could hear a nurse talking on the other side of the curtain, I told Casey that sounded like someone I know and decided to check. I had worked with this nurse when I worked at the Dr's office and she was one of my favorite nurses. I knew she worked at the hospital now and I THOUGHT she might work in the GI lab but I couldn't remember for sure. So I check and sure enough it was her! We chatted for a bit and then the other nurse came in to prep Casey.

After awhile the procedure was over and the Dr came out to tell me what he had found. He was carrying one of those sheets that prints off the pictures that he took while he was there. I could see there were images as he walked up and I could see something and for a second my heart sank, could it really be ANOTHER tumor? Thankfully even though it was only a few seconds which felt like forever he was across the room and talking to me. He showed me the images and said what we were looking at was swelling in his airway, most likely caused by the surgery. Here's what he showed me on the sheet, (don't worry no gross pictures, just a diagram).

This is a diagram of the lung, the left you see is made up of 2 chambers or lobes.
The right is made up of 3. This is the side Casey had the tumor on. The lower lobe which has the line through it is the one they removed when they removed the tumor. The middle one where the line from the word "blocked" is pointing at is where the blockage is. So the blockage is at the entrance to that lobe due to swelling. He said its swollen so much he couldn't even get the scope down there to see if there is any built up mucus and such in there (which was the thought on Friday). We have been bouncing between these two groups of Dr's. The surgeon and the lung specialists (yes I know what their called I just can't spell it). So the lung specialist is who did the scope this time. He was going to call the surgeon to see what he recommended. In the mean time he prescribed some predinzone (steroid) to help reduce the swelling. We are still waiting for the Dr's to decide what to do next. I'm sure it will be at least another office visit and another CT scan to see if the lung is inflating properly.

Yesterday I had mentioned on my facebook about how Casey was coughing up blood in the morning before his procedure. We talked to the Dr about that and he said that most likely the blood was from the surgery but it wasn't able to come up because of the swelling. He said as the swelling goes down hopefully Casey will be able to cough all the mucus and blood up. We are hopeful that this is the end of the complications!

Casey is hoping to be able to return to work sooner then expected but we'll see with this new development. We have seen God working big time during this time of Casey's illness and not being able to work to earn money. Thankfully we had some money set aside in savings that should float us by. However that takes us down to almost no savings and that concerns us a little. But we know our God is faithful and will provide for our needs. :)

This concludes today's human biology class.

Yet more issues for Casey

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.

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!

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.

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.

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!

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.

Carcinoid-like tumor 

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. :(

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.

Our new diet update

Some time ago I blogged about how we were going to try the Paleo diet for Casey... I was going to try limiting carbs on myself as well. Although I do still eat a sandwich every day for lunch but that's because I don't care for the sliced turkey without bread. I might try to phase that out over the next couple of weeks.

Anyway, of course the first week we had the diet in full swing and Casey loses 10lbs in 1 week! That's so annoying! Here I've been dieting and working my butt of with workouts most days and I lost ALMOST 10lbs in a month and a half! Although I know that's GREAT so I'm not complaining too much.

Not only has Casey lost that weight but he's trimming up quickly too! Sun he went to put on a pair of shorts and they were so big on him when he pulled them up and fastened them as soon as he let go they fell all the way off! Was kinda funny, he's going to have to go clothes shopping again soon.

We've hit some pretty good milestones with this trying to eat better. Casey is feeling better (although still has a bit of infection in his lungs... We find out tomorrow if its gone) and losing the weight and inches. We really think the Carbs had a LOT to do with it. Lately he'd been complaining about how barrel chested he'd gotten and that has slimmed back down. He jokes he no longer needs a bra. Haha While I'm not hitting the huge weight loss numbers yet I expect too soon. My body is changing more then anything, I'm building muscle where fat was and clothes are fitting looser on me as well. One of the greatest things I've noticed I actually noticed today that my butt is smaller and tighter and yes I think even got a little butt lift going! See there is a swing at the park I take the kids to that I haven't been able to fit in very comfortably. It was kinda high and tight so made it hard to get my short fat butt up there. Well today I tried it and for the first time fit! I noticed that instead of it hanging a little higher then my butt was now it comes just to the bottom of my butt and its not tight at all! I actually enjoyed swinging.... For about half a minute before Eli took off running giggling and I had to chase him down! LOL Which is a nice additional workout! Ha

One of the big milestones I've hit has been the ability to jog! I take the kids for a walk/jog and I start out walking... Then I jog for a bit, then walk. Eli thinks its great fun going "faster" and giggles while I'm jogging. Its great motivation! Today I did a mile in right around 15min! My best time yet! The park is actually right across the street. But I walk around to the bridge on one side to cross the creek. The route I take to get there is half mile one way. So I come back that way to make it a full mile, so we walk/jog there. Play and then come back home. Mommy is becoming a much more active play person at the park which I love and I know Eli LOVES as well. In a few days I'll be taking my monthly pictures to see how my body has changed. I'm both excited and nervous about that!

Prayer is an amazing thing!

Casey just called me, the Dr was in to see him today and said they are going to discharge him. Yay!
They said they are pretty sure it was pneumonia, they said with as quickly as he started recovering once he was on the IV antibiotics was a sure sign of that. He said it even sounds like they aren't going to mess with doing the CT scan on Monday (tomorrow) and they have said they aren't going to do the biopsy anymore. He is to followup with his PCP either Thurs or Friday and followup with the lung Dr in 10 days. If all goes well then he should be released to go back to work.

He said last night he coughed up a lot of gunk and the nurse this morning when she was listening to his lungs said he sounded much more clear this morning.

I am so excited to be having him coming home today, today has been kinda rough on me. I haven't been able to get a sitter to come to our house and there has just been some general drama. So glad to have him coming home! He was getting so bored at the hospital and about to go out of his mind I'm sure. The great thing is we'll have Daddy home all week and he will be under Dr's orders to RELAX so that means no projects for him to work on! We just will get to spend time with him! That will be a great blessing to us all! We have missed Daddy a lot!

Short & Sweet

We had someone from Church come over today to watch the kids so I could go visit Casey for a bit. It was nice to be there for a couple of hours. Pastor Lightcap came to pray with us and get up to date on the whole story. Both kids did amazing with the sitter who they haven't really met other then in passing at church a few times. I'm so proud of my amazing kids. Really I have been so blessed.

Today Casey said he was feeling better, hasn't had any morphine for the pain which is great news. He has still been running a bit of a fever off and on. He looked a little pale today and said he thought he was running a slight fever. He was, it was 99.6. We chatted for a bit, he said he's been coughing more and coughing up some mucus. Pastor came in and talked to us and prayed over Casey and rebuked the illness and told it to leave his body. We have faith that God is in control and if its his will the illness will depart as instructed.

After Pastor left I told Casey I missed snuggling and told him to scoot over as I crawled into bed with him for a few minutes of snuggle time. The nurse came in and disconnected his IV fluids, said the Dr said he could be off it as long as he would drink enough to stay hydrated. I asked her about the results of his urine test as well as the test they were running off the mucus he coughed up. She said she would need to refresh her memory but nothing stood out at her that would make her call the Dr. She said she didn't think the mucus culture had grown anything. She mentioned his Pneumonia and I asked if that was the official diagnoses and she said she wasn't 100% sure but thought they were leaning towards that. She said that if he can stay hydrated on his own and keep the fevers down and pain under control he'll be able to come home tomorrow. Then Mon he'll have another CT scan and if the mass is gone or significantly smaller then we will continue treatment, if not then he'll have a procedure on Weds where they go in with a camera through his mouth to get a biopsy of the mass. Hoping the CT scan shows the mas is gone or smaller.

As I was laying there snuggling with Casey watching a movie on TV the MA came in to take his vitals and said she was sorry for interrupting snuggle time and how cute we were together. Haha Yeah we get that a lot.

Anyway, so that's today's update. Tonight I hope to take the kids to see him again and then hopefully tomorrow he will come home!

Its the thought that counts right?

Today I got permission from the hospital to bring the kids to visit Casey. When I talked to his nurse on the phone I told her how the kids are really missing him. Especially the 2yr old, he's noticed big time Daddy's not here and has cried for Daddy a few times (so heart breaking).

Since I got the go ahead to bring them I thought it would be nice to let Eli "help" me make some cookies for Daddy. As I was getting started I tried to set everything out I needed ahead of time. Clearly I didn't get everything and the following story is quite funny I must admit.

I noticed as I got the sugar out of the cabinet that there was hardly any there. The recipe I was using called for 1 cup. It was going to be close, I poured it into a measuring cup. Ugh just a little over 1/2 cup, SO CLOSE! So I think to myself "Self how do we want to handle this?" I answer "well if I were you I would suggest cutting the recipe in half" "But you see self, whenever I do that I tend to forget on a couple of ingredients that I'm cutting it in half and end up making the whole batch." "Well then, I would suggest you see if you can find a sub for sugar." So I call my Aunt and get her advice, "Do you have powder sugar?" (Self goes and checks) "Yes I have 3 bags of it (don't ask)". She suggested trying that since its just really finely ground up sugar anyway. So I top off the cup with powder sugar. I mix the butter and sugar and go to get the eggs. "Well darn self! We're out of eggs!" "Well then, self would suggest we look up an egg less recipe for said cookies". I'm really starting to feel like split personalities. I follow my suggestion and find a recipe online for egg less choc chip cookies. But it requires less sugar then I originally needed. SO I consider starting over when I realized, I had no more sugar. So I decide to just take what it suggests you use instead of eggs which was 1/2 cup of oil and I continue. I am letting Eli help me so he is dumping the stuff into the bowl for me. We add the vanilla and stir it all up, then I start adding the dry stuff.... Flour.... Salt.....Baking soda......... Umm baking soda..... You have GOT to be kidding me! No baking soda? So I think for a minute, well what could happen if I don't use baking soda? I ruin the batch its probably already ruined at it is. So I says to myself again "Self, what should we use instead of baking soda?" I answer myself "Well since baking soda has a salty taste to it I would imagine maybe a tad bit more flour and maybe just a pinch more salt would work" "Brilliant!" "Why thank you I think so too!" After congratulating myself on such a clever idea I add the extras and pour it into the mixer. Eli likes watching the mixer mix, after its all mixed in I lift the kitchenaid blade up and pull a chunk of dough off the blade and take a test. Its a tad wet still and salty... So Maybe add just a smidge more flour. If you are wondering what a smidge is well its more then a pinch but less then an 1/8 cup. So I add it and mix it up, now it has the right consistency altho fluffy and a little more crumbly. Eli follows my example and takes a taste and goes "Mmmmmm! Mmmmmm" Ha.

So we scoop it onto cookie sheets and I stick it in the oven. At first they weren't melting down like most do so I thought they weren't going to flatten out at all. So the next pan I mush them down a little. Finally the first batch is um done. Well kinda, yes and no. You see the edges got brown and crunchy but the middles didn't cook. It also had a really grainy texture. I finally admitted defeat and trashed the cookies. The remaining dough is in the fridge to be consumed raw later when I'm feeling lonely and missing my hubby.

Ok so now that you got an entertaining story I'll give a quick update on the hubs. After all these were for him who is sick and laying in a hospital bed.

I take the kids to see him, we pull up and I already have a plan, I'm going to hook Eli's little leash that goes to his back pack puppy (one of those kids harnesses/leash things) to his overalls straps so I don't have to mess with the whole back pack thing. I put Willa in our little stroller and Eli on his leash. The little umbrella stroller is the perfect size for Eli to be able to push. Plus its small and doesn't take up a lot of space. I let Eli push the stroller and I hold one handle to help steer while holding on to his leash to keep everything going smoothly. We get inside and the volunteers sitting up front about fall over themselves about how cute both kids and what a great big brother Eli is. We go upstairs and make our way to Casey's room. People in the elevator are "awwwing" over both kids whose both cheesing at them big time.

Both kids enjoyed some much needed (over 2hrs) of Daddy time. You can tell Daddy really enjoyed them too!

Casey tells me he's feeling a little better, he ate dinner but he was getting hungry again (a good sign). The nurse comes in and talks to us about stuff. Casey had finally coughed up a good mucus wad for them to take and have a culture run on. Seriously I thought I heard some cheering going on when I was still at the house. That must have been it.
I ask the nurse if they are hoping to discharge him this weekend or was that just his wishful thinking (in nicer words of course) she said they are hoping to discharge him if they can get his pain under control and if they can get him to stop spiking a fever. Casey tells her he's only had 1 dose of morphine for the day and he'll probably just let her give him another tonight to help him sleep. However he has had other pain meds too, hopefully tomorrow it will be better.

So he was looking a lot better and talking a lot, his mom came to visit him while we were there and everything was nice and drama free. She brought some goodies for the kids, some mum-mums (little rice things for babies to chew on that both kids LOVE) and some toddler snacks and baby snacks.

After over 2hrs we headed home, Grandma parked next to us so we all walked out together and she helped get the kiddo's in the car.

Both kids are now sound asleep and hopefully I will join them soon!

Thanks for the prayers they have been felt a great deal during this time.

Update on Casey

This morning I called the hospital at 6am to check in on Casey. I didn't want to wake him if he was sleeping but I was up feeding the baby and thought I'd check in. They said he slept decently for being the first night in the hospital and them having to go in and check on him every couple of hours. They said he still hasn't been able to cough up any mucus for them to run a culture on (my thoughts are that's not a good sign). She said he ran a fever again and they had to give him some meds for that.

This morning Casey texted me that he was awake and eating. Sadly I was so exhausted I didn't even look at the phone till about an hour later. I knew he was in a safe place though, I called him and he said that he feels a tad better. Still having severe pain and they are having to give him morphine every 4 to 6hrs. He was able to keep down breakfast which was good.

A little bit later he called and said that the lung Dr had just been there. Yes I know what they are called, no I can't spell it so I'm not even going to try. LOL
He said that the Dr told him that there is a mass either next to his lungs or IN his lungs (they can't tell) he said that it has an unusual shape to it. This Dr is thinking that maybe its some sort of fungal infection, last night I had actually been thinking about how we need to make sure and let them know that he IS an electrician and that he has been working on some older houses lately and been in some rather old attics. The Dr said as far as asbestos is concerned it would be unlikely because he's not old enough to show that kind of damage yet if that was an issue. They said the attic thing though could be something, especially if its an old house that has had problems with bats in the past. Their poo can cause a fungal infection of this sort, they also be caused by Radon. So hoping THATS not it. They said if it comes back that way then we need to have our basement checked and probably all of us. The argument with that theory is that you would think the rest of us would be equally sick. However (while I'm not trying to say I think its the case) the kids and Casey have all been sick a lot lately. Me personally either I haven't been or I have been ignoring it or not noticing it due to dealing with everyone else. I have been telling Casey for the past week that I am just tired of everyone being sick and it seems to be an endless cycle. Just as I think we're all on the mend someone else gets sick. Willa is currently on meds for what is thought to be either strep or an ear infection. Both looked red on Monday at her Dr's appointment. So that thought scares me a little.

Also the Dr said this could all be related from when Casey was sick with bronchitis back in Jan (which I have said I don't think he ever fully recovered and I thought it was pneumonia from the get go). Also said it could be connected to the fact that Casey fell off a ladder around Oct. While he went to the Dr they didn't do x-rays but now they are wondering if that caused more damage then they had thought originally. 

So the Dr told Casey that he wants to do a urine test for the fungus. He said on Mon he will have Casey do another CT scan. Casey is interpreting the way he said it as he is going to let him leave the hospital this weekend and have him come back for the CT scan. I don't think that's it I think the Dr just meant come back to radiology. But we'll see I guess, if the CT shows that the mass is smaller and making improvement they will continue the course they are on. If not then the Dr will do a procedure where they take a camera down his throat and biopsy the mass and lymph nodes around it and possibly even remove the mass or most of it at that time. So we'll see what happens over the next few day, it sounds like at this time that Dr doesn't think its pneumonia but he also told Casey that Cancer is highly unlikely at Casey's age. So I guess now we're praying for a fungal infection that is caused by working in older houses and NOT OUR house.

Casey also told me when I was there today that he had to take a potassium pill because his was low due to not being able to eat or keep anything down yesterday. Last night they had him on IV fluids to help with hydration. Today they took it down to just half of what they were giving him which is good.

Please continue to pray for things between my mother in law and myself. I don't want to make her sound like a bad person because she's not, she's a wonderful person but in times of stress like this she over reacts and its all drama drama drama.  So please pray that she will calm down. I don't need this added stress on top of everything else, it makes it hard because she is the number 1 person I rely on for baby sitting. Thankfully I do have several people that have offered to help watch the kids that I think I'm going to take full advantage of.

We are so blessed to have such a wonderful church family!

Also be praying for Casey's pain to go away, he doesn't like having to be on the morphine at all. He says when they first give it to him it makes him dizzy and a heavy feeling on his chest which is common. It goes away in about 5min he said but he hates that feeling.

I am so thankful that Casey is in a hospital so close to our home, that has been amazing for me to be able to only drive 5min to get to hospital. It allows me to spend my time with him more then driving.
Also we have some amazing kids, While Eli seems to noticed Daddy missing and is acting up a little bit (not bad) and seems to want more snuggles. Willa is being an angel, the one who is normally so fussy with strangers has been awesome with Grandma and my aunt being here with them instead of me. I shouldn't say its just strangers, even people she see's often she doesn't like it if I leave without her. She's at that age, today my awesome Aunt brought her 2 youngest over to watch the kids for me. Faith who is 4 and Patrick who is just 5 days younger then Willa. She said Willa and Patrick played on the floor almost the entire time jabbering at each other and trying to out squeal each other. She even got a picture of all 4 kids sitting on the couch watching Sesame Street together. Ha so cute!

Thank you everyone for your prayers, I will continue the updates as I get them.

Prayer for Casey

In Jan Casey started getting really sick, he was off most of the month due to no work anyway so he saw the Dr. He had bronchitis at the time and was put on antibiotics. A few weeks later he still wasn't feeling better, and was put on a second round and this time also a steroid to help. Both times they did chest xrays and said they were fine (no pneumonia). Still though he's had bouts of extreme fatigue and every now and then he coughs and it just doesn't sound right. About 2 weeks ago he was having some pain and shortness of breath. We went to the Dr again and again they did a chest xray and blood work. Again the chest xray looked clear, they did learn that his total cholesterol was high. Dr's thought his extreme fatigued could be due to that. They never figured out the pain around his arm.

So yesterday and today Casey was working in Topeka, he was to drive the 1hr and 15min drive, work 10hrs and drive home.  Today he called me while he was at lunch like he always does and tells me he's not feeling well. He said he went ahead and went into work because when he woke up not feeling well he just thought he was tired. After all he'd gotten up both days at 5:30, drove the 1hr and 15min drive and yesterday worked 10hrs then drove home. He told me he was going to try and just work 8hrs today and come home early. Around 1:30 he called again and said he was getting worse and was headed home. He said he didn't want to scare me but he was having tingling and numbness in his right hand. Since I used to work at a Dr's office I proceeded to ask him the triage questions we would ask over the phone to see if we should have them talk to a triage nurse right then or send a message to the nurse. I asked him if he was having any pain anywhere, he said yes his upper back (red flag to me). I asked if he had trouble breathing, he said not really, just once in awhile he would have to take a deep breath a couple of times (I didn't tell him but again another red flag to me). I asked if he was having pain in the chest and he said no. He said he could tell he was having a fever because he had the hot and cold thing going. I asked if he felt dizzy and he said not really, I told him I thought the Dr would want him to go to the ER and would he be ok with going to an ER there in Topeka? He said he didn't want to do that, I told him I'd call our Dr's office and get their advice. After telling the receptionist (who I used to work with) what was going on she decided I should talk to the Triage nurse. After waiting for one to be available (a very short time) I talked to the nurse and told her everything Casey had told me. Earlier he had said he was having trouble keeping lunch down as well, since Casey has high Cholesterol she said he should go to the ER ASAP.

So I call Casey back and tell him what she said, I asked if he thought he could find one and he tells me he's already on the highway and out of town so he felt like he could make the drive home and then I could drive him to the hospital.... Honestly, men are so stubborn sometimes! I called my mother in law to see if she could come over and watch the kids so I could take him to the ER. I knew there was NO way I was keeping a 2yr toddler and a 7mo old busy for who knows how long. My mother in law arrived about 20min before Casey did. I explained what was going on and we waited for him to get home. As soon as he got home as he was walking up the porch I knew he was bad. On his way home I had told him to call me every 15min or so to let me know he was ok. When he would call me he sounded pretty chipper and while I could hear the pain in his voice a little bit it wasn't really bad. I looked at him and said "Um we need to go NOW" I kinda hesitated for a split second because at that point I wasn't so sure that we shouldn't just call 911 and have an ambulance take him. However we live within a couple of miles of a hospital and I thought it would probably just be faster to drive him myself. Which is what I did, he was very pale and sweaty on his face yet he was shivering but then not just a couple blocks up the street he was burning hot and opened the window. We got to the hospital and I asked him if he was ok to walk in by himself if I let him off at the door and I went to park. I didn't want him to try walking from the parking lot. He said he could, he was registering by the time I got in there. By the time we got to the hospital he was now having chest pains, but was also having severe pains under his right arm every time he breathed.

The triage nurse took him back rather quickly (although it seemed like to long to me but I know it was only a couple of minutes). She was talking to him and he got white as a ghost and said he felt like he needed to throw up. So she handed him a bag and he threw up, a lot. I felt so bad, I didn't know what I could do for him. The nurse said they were going to get an EKG and went off to find someone or something (she wasn't very good at communicating and was gone what seemed a long time). Finally she came back with another nurse and they said they were going to take him to a room, the 2nd nurse noticed how pale and sweaty he was and told him to stay where he was (sitting in a chair) and she was going to get a wheel chair. We get him to a room and she has him get into a hospital gown. She tells him they are going to do a chest xray, a tech comes in and gets him rather quickly and whisks him off for his xray. Soon they were back, the nurse takes some blood and gives him some Loritab for his fever which was 103 at checkin and to help with the pain he was having. Not to long considering it was an ER later a Dr comes in and talks to Casey. He tells him he's leaning towards thinking Casey had pneumonia but the xrays were in-conclusive (I hate that!). He says he wants to order a CT scan, he is also ordering an EGK and a blood culture, he says that Casey's first blood work came back with a high red cell count. He asks Casey how his pain is and Casey said its starting to return.

The Dr leaves and the nurse comes in to gather lots of blood. She also started him on an IV fluid because Casey had been vomiting a lot since arriving. Another nurse comes in and does an EKG, just as the nurse was finishing up getting all his blood the CT tech arrives to wheel him to the CT scan. She is a bright bubbly person and is talking to Casey while the nurse finishes up, she leaves for a second and then comes back in laughing and says. "I have read to many lab orders today, I had to double check yours because I thought yours said you needed a pregnancy test and I was like WHAT? Turns out I was looking at another patients orders!" We all got a good laugh about it, she tells me it will probably be about 30min and tells me where I can get some coffee or water or a snack from a vending machine. I take the chance and grab something. Spending some time in front of it thinking how terrible it is that they don't provide healthier snacks for those of us on a diet! I wouldn't have been so worried about it except I haven't had a chance to work out today and didn't want to go over on my calories. I opted for animal crackers because they do have "healthy options, just look for the heart!" Really? Animal crackers? Um ok, only 240cal for the bag. Ugh but at least it was food and I was STARVING.

I get back to the room and shortly later I hear Casey's laugh floating down the hall as he's being wheeled back, the meds must be kicking in. As she wheels him back into the room I hear her say "Oh yeah I would have SO fired that Dr!!" I laughed and said "Ah is he telling you his first kidney stone story?" If you don't know it here's the short sweet story. When he was like 20 he started having pain, went to the Dr, Dr thought it was an STD even though he was a virgin and he told the Dr that and sent him to an STD specialist (Casey didn't realize that other Dr was an STD specialist). Turns out Casey was right and it WAS a kidney stone, both Dr's missed it and it took 2 weeks to pass on his own. ANYWAY, its a story Casey likes to tell health care professionals about his old quack Dr, seriously Casey has had some MAJOR health issues his old "family Dr" has missed over the years. Thankfully he now sees excellent Dr's that I switched him too when we first met.

A short time later the Dr was back and he said the CT scan report wasn't fully out yet but there is SOMETHING on the CT scan. He said at this time they are inclined to believe its pneumonia and that he has two options. He can be treated in patient, or out patient. Inpatient of course would be being admitted to the hospital and given IV antibiotics. Out patient would be where he was giving a script for antibiotics and pain meds and sent home. Casey wanted to come home, I asked the Dr which would help him heal better? I was thinking IV would be better then trying to take something if he's throwing up, the Dr said actually normally at home is better because few patients sleep well in the hospital. But it was up to us, he leaves us to discuss some more. He tells us he is going to have the nurse put him on a IV antibiotic NOW to at least get that in his system before he's sent home if we choose to do that. The nurse comes in a few minutes later, Casey is having pain again and looks pale and isn't as talkative anymore (a sure sign he's not feeling well). The nurse asked us if the Dr talked to us and we told her what he said, she said there was more that the Dr was going to be talking to us about and she felt like going home wasn't a good idea. Just then the Dr walks in and says that the longer report of the CT was out and that he has some sort of mass. They are hoping its just pneumonia but it could in fact be a tumor. Needless to say neither of us were expecting THAT, he said given the new report, the fact that Casey has turned white as a sheet again and is in pain he strongly recommends Casey stay in the hospital. We both agree right away and they start getting ready to get him admitted. Of course that takes awhile. The nurse came back in again and gave him some morphine this time for the pain. Over the course of time that we'd been there (roughly 4 1/2hrs) he was given Loritab, tordal (shot) and now morphine. So not good, you know if Casey is complaining of pain it is severe because he NEVER complains and he does NOT like taking meds.

They tell us it might be a little bit before they know which room to take Casey too, so once the morphine was on board and he was back to looking a little more pink I told him I was going to run home. Get him a change of clothes for if they let him put on regular clothes or in case he wanted to shower at least he'd have clean underwear and asked him if he wanted me to bring anything else from home. I got him his cell phone charger, my lap top and I grabbed me some dinner and checked on the kids and Grandma Stephie. I told her I'd be back shortly, I wasn't going to be long just drop the stuff off and see if they had said anything else.

When I get back the nurses were just finishing up putting a new IV on him and getting him settled in his new room. Casey tells me that a 2nd Dr had come in and talked to him. So as of now here is what we know.
There is some sort of mass in his chest area. Its a solid mass, the Dr still hopes its just pneumonia but he says that this type of pneumonia isn't something you normally see on a younger man. However the mass IS solid, if it is pneumonia they said this type doesn't show up on xrays well at all and chances are this mass (whatever it is) has been the root of his problem since Jan. Which I've been saying he was NOT 100% better and I've been saying for a couple of weeks I thought he had pneumonia and that it for some reason wasn't showing up on xrays. Tomorrow they are running more tests, they are concerned because while its presenting like pneumonia he is not coughing really unless he vomits and if he does cough he's not getting any mucus out. They want to get a culture on a good gunk of mucus if he does cough some out. At this point that's all we know.

So I know people are wondering how we're holding up etc, at this point neither of us are terribly worried. We are praying its just pneumonia or something easily treatable. I was talking to my Aunt about it and she was asking how I was doing emotionally. Emotionally I'm tired, very tired yet I doubt I'll be able to sleep. I am confident though that the Lord has this all under control and I am determined to stay strong and not worry. Not only for Casey but for the kids, the hardest part on me at this point is that I feel pulled in two places, I want to be with Casey yet I need to be home with the kids. They are advising at least for 24hrs not to allow the kids to see Casey in case its something that is very contagious (they mentioned like MRSA) we don't want to get the babies sick.

Through it all tho I have seen God at work already, the fact that he protected Casey as he drove all that way home. The fact that the ER got him in, in a relatively short period of time. There weren't very many people in the waiting room at the time but when I left there were a LOT of people and a line to register. The staff has been very kind to us and attended Casey very quickly and have expressed concern for him not just "get him in and get him out" type of thing. I am ever so thankful that the hospital is such a short distance because that will make visiting him easier. The fact that my mother in law was able to drop everything and come over to watch our babies who were very well behaved for her was a huge blessing too. I do see a lot of positive in everything that has happened today even though its been a somewhat scary afternoon.

Some things we would appreciate prayers on would be:
Wisdom for the Dr's to figure out what this is.
Healing for Casey from whatever it is.
Strength for me to handle the babies on my own for awhile as well as time to visit Casey while he is there.

For me the hardest part of this whole thing right now is going to be in dealing with my mother in law. Please understand I love her dearly! She is an amazing woman and I mean her no disrespect. However, she is high strung, is that the word I want to use? I think so, she has trouble understanding medical issues. Also Casey is her only child which well means we get more focused attention which is normally a great blessing. She has been a huge blessing to us, however she is worried and confused about his health. When she's worried or scared she tends to assume things. Some of the things I heard tonight from her was that our "new diet" is making him sick! She doesn't understand that we haven't even STARTED said diet yet. She also thinks that Casey going completely off soda cold turkey is making him sick. Ok granted it can cause a wallop of a headache, maybe some fatigued initially but not THIS serious of an illness. Then there is the whole Dr thing, "Why don't they know whats going on? They don't seem like very good Dr's! He needs a BODY SCAN!!! Why haven't they done xrays? EKG? CAT Scan? Blood Work?" All of which they have done and I calmly remind her that I have told her that they DID all that and she says "Then how can they not know whats going on???? Are you SURE their good Dr's? Maybe he needs to go to St Lukes" Again I LOVE her I really do! But she just has a hard time understanding medical stuff. It doesn't help that during the whole process she's talking to other family members (who are NOT the problem). The problem is that she is also conversing with someone who is NOT family but is in a relationship with a family member and is butting her nose in where it doesn't belong. Getting Steph all worked up because "She knows about medical stuff", again another source of stress for me as she told Steph who didn't know what pneumonia was when I texted it to her (she didn't know that's how it was spelled) this lady told Steph that pneumonia was a "pinched nerve in the brain" Um no. To which I have to admit I wasn't so kind when Steph told me that, I was actually rather cruel towards this lady when I told Steph that SHE (Sally) had a pinched nerve in her brain in the fact that it wasn't working right. I so shouldn't have said that or thought that, but well I was stressed a little and to be honest its not far from the truth with this lady.

So please be in prayer for our family, we need Casey to be healthy. We want Casey home, we love him and miss him dearly. The kids light up when he gets home and I know its going to be very tough on us 3 alone for the next few days. Thanks for your prayers! We are totally trusting God and I will post any updates as I get them.