The End of the End of Radiation!

Three more days of radiation left. We had thought a while back we would be done today, but they had miscalculated the days and we are actually done Wednesday. Things went smoothly today. Jordan did great and came home and tore up the house with all kinds of energy. Tonight he has been kind of fussy and then I realized he is getting 2 big molars. Sometimes I forget about the regular baby stuff.

My heart has been heavy for the other 3 boys at radiation. Please pray for them too.

In the midst of this very difficult time, God has blessed us tremdendously with a Church, family and friends who have not worn thin in lifting us up. We are so thankful for the meals, the cards, the gifts, the help and all the encouragement we continue to get.

Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze Isaiah 43: 1-2

6 more days

Sorry I haven't posted anything in awhile. This whole radiation thing has kind of done me in. I don't think I have ever wanted anything to be over more than this. We have six more days left and I can hardly wait. All the boys are counting it down. Everyone knows each other's last day. Jackson is done on Friday and then gets to go home. Kyle is done on Tuesday and Diego and Jordan on Wednesday. There will be some major celebrating. Jordan is doing great. He is a real trooper with it all. He now holds out his leg for his blood pressure and his finger to check his oxygen. It is so sweet. There have been lots of problems with his line and some other procedural stuff though. It has been a real pain in the neck and has kept us very late the last few days. He continues to have lots of energy. Nobody can believe it because the radiation, anesthesia, medicines and chemo are all supposed to make you tired on their own. He's getting all of it and has now quit taking naps! I am so happy he has lots of energy, but all that stuff is making me tired, it would be nice if he occasionally got a little sleepy.

The Middle of the Middle

Jordan is back to himself again. What a relief! I was so happy to answer the nurse this morning when she said...any nausea or vomiting? no. Any fevers? no Any diarrhea? no Anything new? Thank goodness, no. We are at Children's now and he is getting his chemotherapy. He is happy eating his ritz peanut butter crackers ( a new staple for him) and watching Elmo. He does not like to be hooked up though because he can't move around the room and climb on things.

Last time we were here for chemo my friend Liz said, " You know what? You are at the end of the beginning of this whole thing. Pretty soon you will be at the beginning of the end, and then before you know it, it will be done." So I am happy to say, we are now at the middle of the middle of radiation and the middle of the middle of chemotherapy. At the end of next week, we will be at the end of the middle of radiation which is really the same as the beginning of the end. In six weeks that's where we'll be with chemotherapy too. I hope you can all keep track of that!

We are out of here at about 10:30 and then will be happy to be home from the hospital for a weekend. Our first weekend at home in a while.

Home

We came home on Sunday night. Jordan is finally feeling better. He is still very lethargic and a little irritable, but so much better than a few days ago. We're continuing to trudge through the radiation appointments. Friday is one of his long chemo days so that one should go from about 8 am till 11 pm starting with radiation. One bright spot was he slept the whole night in his bed. He's never done that in his whole life. Hopefully, it was not just because he's been sick.

Admitted Again

Another short one. We have been hit hard. Jordan has rotovirus and is in the hospital again. It has been one thing after the next for the last 2 weeks. He has been having high fevers, vomiting, and bad diarrhea so he needs to be here to get hydrated. Yesterday had to be one of the hardest of my life. It started at 7:00 am going to radiation, then to Children's since he was so sick. We were up all night with him with a high fever. To top it off someone stole my clothes out of the drier here. I had to convince the nurse to give me some scrubs so I didn't have to wear hospital pajamas to the UW this morning. He did well with radiation despite feeling rotten. Today, he has slept all day. We imagine he will be here for a couple more days. Thanks to everyone that has stepped up to take the kids and help us out. Sorry if we haven't returned calls or have dropped the ball with comittments, we have just been so preoccupied.

Another bug

Not much time to write this week. It has been a tough one. Jordan now has some sort of GI bug and has been throwing up, a fever, and diarrhea. He still goes to radiation though. Poor little guy. He has just had one thing after the next. However, this is the first day we have not been at both hospitals in the last week. His fever seems to be getting better and he's been keeping some food down today.

Going Home

Well they gave him the go ahead to go home today, so we are happy to be out of here. They are coming this morning to train me to give him the IV antibiotics at home and we'll have to do that for about 10 more days. We're back at the UW tomorrow for radiation. I'll be happy to get through this month. The good news is that nothing slows Jordan down. He's had 5 days of radiation, an ear infection, a cold, a blood infection and little sleep, but he is still climbing all over, socializing with the nurses, playing with the kitchen in the playroom and just generally busy, busy, busy.

becky said she entered a short "posting" earlier today. It has been some time since i last entered one so perhaps i'll give a bit of an extension to the words she typed earlier. Not having read her earlier entry, perhaps there will be some overlap in our comments. here goes- i too will try and keep it brief. Not sure what exactly has prompted me to write, other than, as i stated before, it has been quite some time since my last remarks about all this cancer stuff. yesterday, jordan got readmitted to the hospital for what has been deemed as bad blood reports (cutting through all the medical jargon). he doesn't leave here until he gets three consecutive days of good blood reports. best case- late sunday or perhaps monday. lets not speak of worst case. yes, it "sucks". that is how we describe our mood when things are not not going well; and reports are not favorable; and we would like to use cuss words like shit and damit, but do our best to practice godliness instead. i'm falling behind at work and starting to feel the affects as i ask others to cover for me, or i cancel a meeting, or i drop the ball or i forget to complete some paperwork, or i simply can't make it to the important meetings, etc. And by the way, i couldn't ask for a better staff to work with at Shorecrest. Everyone has been nothing but supportive and understanding. Becky keeps trudging along and lately she has really been picking me up- always rallying to my defense and making the best out of the worst. The target is always the same- what can we do to get jordan better?! that part is simple- nothing. It is all in God's hands, and Jordan is in God's hands. I am way too easily distracted from that simple reassurance and hope. i try and do things or make things what they are not. God and Becky please forgive me for that. Aside from the dimmer (though honest) perspective, there is a call to thankfulness. Today, i am again reminded of how God is doing His healing work through our family and friends "the body of believers". just to list a few (and seriously the list could go a lot longer)

Maggi- "don't worry for a second, we'll take care of it for you"
tami- our kind and compassionate radiation nurse bringing special toys for jordan to discover and rediscover
LIz and Lisa bringing a suitcase full of hospital toys
jenny, stephanie, nikki, and val canceling Bible study to come to the hospital to encourage and love Becky
mom busby- watching the little ones and paying extra attention to all of Sitara's stories, plus "treats"
sister Julie- quiting work early to be availablefor days like these
joe, eric- checking in as always- "hey busby how are you doing with all of this- do you need us to take the kids?"
josh- busby, let me give you some biblical encouragement
renee- "no problem i'll help u out with whatever"
brian and liz- "hey don't worry about luke we got him"
jenny- "sure we'll take tate another nite"
mom thrall- "no problem for me to cancel my plans. see ya soon"
kate- "just calling to see if you need anything"
dad- "we're praying for ya"
PT department- "saw you on the admit list and we just want to help out in any way."
peter and barb- let us bring you some "taste of India" for dinner
Amy- no problem to have Sitara. May lynn is having her birthday party and would love to have sitara celebrate with her
children's nursing staff- they all get A's on their report card
Dr. hawkins- paid us two visits today; this man doesn't sleep!

What blessings of family and friends we have in the midst of a life crisis! again, that is just to name a few

Thus says the LORD: "refrain your voice from weeping, and your eyes from tears; for your work shall be rewarded...there is hope in your future" Jeremiah 31:16,17

Children's again

Jordan is sleeping ---a rare event, so I have a second to write this. There has been a lot going on, but not a moment of free time. Jordan is at Children's till Sunday or Monday, maybe longer. He has a blood infection which sounds really bad, but no one seems worried about it. It is very important that they treat it with IV antibiotics, which is why we are here, or it could become bad. Apparently, it is very common with kids who have central lines. He is still getting radiation, we just go back and forth from Children's to the UW. The radiation has gotten progressively better. Jordan is sharing rooms again with his buddy Claire. Another toddler and Elmo fan.