Finally

Finally the snow is about gone. Today we had very wet snow showers again. Now just seeing that causes a sicking feeling in your gut like "not again" even knowing it's to warm to really stick. I went back to the office to work for the first time since the 16th. It's been awhile.

Speaking of awhile I am hoping to meet some friends from high school tomorrow for lunch. It will be nice to catch up and see everyone.

Christmas was fun at our house this year. David loved his Batcave and the bike was ok. He tried riding the bike yesterday. He will need some more practice before he is really rolling.

Darell still has his cough. It is slowing getting better but when it's slow it's hard not to be concerned. He just had a chest x-ray which was clear so hopefully my worring is all for nothing.

Merry Christmas

No polical correctness here. I am a Christian and Merry Christmas.

The snow is finally melting off here. We had rain this morning for the first time in 12 days. We are not use to all this snow. Somewhere in the 12 inches in our front yard lies my missing glove (so I hope). Maybe by Saturday I will see it, it truely has been missed.

Last weekends storm missed us thank goodness. We spent the night at my mom's house just in case we lost power since she has a generator that can run 90% of everything in her house. Most importantly heat and lights. With the uncertainty of Darell's health and his cough that he has had I thought it best to not take the chance. It was nice just haning out together and watching Christmas movies. David got to go sledding for the first time and we made his first snowman.

The roads are better today so we plan on going to Church and then to family friend's. Darell's brother Aaron or as David called him for a year " uncle eddie" is spending the night with us. We are looking forward to spending time with everyone tonight. We are also suffering from Cabin Fever with all the snow so hopefully there will be good behaviors this evening.

Merry Christmas!!!

The No's have it...

So we didn't have the winning Mega Millions ticket. Bummer. The bigger no is that Darell's cancer is not gone yet. There is still 1 detectable mass left that is less then 1 inch. So it has gotten smaller and now only in 1 area which is good, but not yet gone. The doctor told us Hodgkin's disease can be really slow about going away. He isn't sure if the area has live cell's in it or if it's scare tissue. A CAT scan only see the image not what type. So in March Darell is going to have PET scan done which will be able to tell if there is live cells or not. If the tumor is active - meaning live cells then Darell will have surgery and have it removed. This is not cut and dry for Darell because he is a hard patient to operate on. His body is a mass bleeder. I thought of questions we should have asked as we were driving home so Darell may go back by the doctor's office to get them answered. Sometimes you learn as you go along. We are in uncharted waters for us.

It's snowing here again. The next big question is if we will have a white Christmas. Humm...

One did so far...

We had some snow this morning. I has melted off the roads but I am sure it is going to freeze up. The boys got to spend some time outside this morning. David was willing to wear his gloves and boots which was an improvement over last year.

Will we have a white Christmas? We have to wait and see...

Will It?

This week is full of several will it's.
Will it snow this weekend like the weather reports are thinking?
Will Darell's CAT Scan and chest X-ray show this cancer is gone?
Will our Mega Millions ticket be a winner - just kidding.

Not sure what we are up to this weekend, depends on the weather. We would like to do something Christmas feeling sort of thing. Sunday Darell and I are going to dinner with my boss and his wife for my company Christmas party. Darell thinks I might be a contender for the employee of the year. Yahh right, I am the only employee at the moment but who is counting right?

All in all we hope to have a relaxing weekend and hopefully Darell's cough will get a chance to go away being out of the weather for a few days.

Just fine...

Well as predicted Darell's MRI was fine. Also as suspected we really didn't need to go to the doctor's office to get the results. The doctor was actually frustrated by the situation. In the future we will fight harder about this anual test.

Darell had is eye check again last night. The doctor thinks we are getting there. He is going to use a different eye drop and check back in 2 months.

CAT scan is next week with the doctors followup on the 16th. He is feeling good. We are both thinking the cancer is gone. We hope not to be disappointed.

David is doing great in school. We got his quartly IEP update today showing a lot of growth.

David sat on Santa this year, another growth. He saw Santa walking by at The Old Cannery store on Saturday and was quite shy. Santa stopped and had a chat with David. Santa asked David if he would come get his picture taken with him. David responded with "Maybe tomorrow". Well on Sunday Darell and I took him back down to the Cannery and David was excited. He sat with Santa and chatted about his Christmas wish list and took nice picture.

This weekend we hope to decortate the house inside and out. Saturday morning we are getting our tree and with luck we will finish decorating it this weekend.

MRI Today

Darell is having his yearly MRI today to check is Pituitary tumor. In years past this is no big deal. This year his doctor has changed their office policy and we have to go in next week to get the results verses them calling us to say things are the same. I know the economy is tight but this is just another way to exploit patients. Everyone is after the dollar these days. I think this change is more about money then about patient care.

Been Awhile...

I know it's been a few weeks since I have posted an update. Things have been a little busy.

We just sent this past weekend having Darell's parents in town. Great Grandma pasted away a few weeks back and they brought her back up here to put her to rest. Great Grandma will be greatly missed. She had a full 92 years of life and a very strong faith with her relationship with God. What a testament about her faith. She did not attend church but read the Bible and did daily bible study. From the first day I met her she told me she could die anytime because she believed and knew Heaven was waiting for her.

David loved having his grandparents here. Grandpa is his playmate and grandma is his cuddle buddy. What a balance.

Darell is done with his football season unless he gets a playoff game. The season seemed long to me this year. I think he is ready to rest and get caught up with his family.

Me, I am tired. I am thinking about a rest this afternoon in between getting the laundry done. A mom's jobs are done are they?

Fall Harvest Party...

Last weekend we went to the Fall Harvest Party at the Puyallup Little Gym. It was perfect for David and kids his age. He had a lot of fun. The kids got to play a few games, do some tumbling and most importantly wear their costumes. Here is a our Jr. Buzz Light Year.

Student award at school...

So I am behind on my posts. 2 weeks ago David was awarded the Student of the Quarter at school. He was presented the award at a special assembly at school. He had to stand up in front of other students from Preschool to 3rd grade. He was quite a ham during the assembly.

Pumpkin Palace 2008...

Today we made our annual trip to the Pumpkin Palace. My dad took me there when I was a teen and I continue by taking David. He loves it. They have farm animals, an easy corn maze with themed stops along it's maze and lots of fun activities beyond just picking your pumpkin. We just picked a couple of small pumpkins and one to take to the cemetery. We had picked big pumpkins at the store last week since they were on sale for 1/2 price. Hey with today's tight budget you gotta do what you gotta do right?

A quiet week...

We had a quiet week around our house this week. David enjoyed a short school week but I am sure he will be ready to go back Monday morning. My mom took us to lunch Thursday and the park. Friday we went to NW Trek which David enjoyed a lot. It was cold outside. It took most of the afternoon to warm up. We started some of my mom's Christmas shopping and checked out the new Target store that opened by our house this week.

Today is sunny but quite chilly outside. Darell has football all afternoon. I think I might get the lawn mowed and trimmed up. The leaves are falling off the tree in the front and it's easier to mow them up then rake them. Our neighbors took a tree down in their backyard and things are a lot brighter. Now we have about the only 2 trees left. We appreciate the shade in the summer time so we would like to keep them. As long as they stay healthy then they get to stay.

Tomorrow we are going for our annual trip to the pumpkin patch. We haven't gotten a lot of family time lately with Darell's schedule so a day together will be nice.

Monday David is getting a student recognition award at school. He doesn't know yet, they surprise the students at an assembly. They let the parents know so we can attend and get pictures. He will be surprised and excited I think. We are seeing a lot of growth in him. There was a new kid in his tumbling class who is about to start the preschool program at Sunrise. I can relate to her. She is wiped out. Darell and I told her school is a very good thing. The instructor told the mom that David started the school district's preschool at the beginning of the year and how much growth she has seen in David since school has started. It's nice to hear about other's noticing David growing from school.

Hope everyone has a great week.

Changes

Fall is here in the Northwest. That's right...rain and more rain. Changes in the leaves and changes in our sleeve lenghts. Our wall and window decorations are changed for halloween.

Darell has been busy with football over the weekend so I hope he was ready for the week when his alarm went off this morning.

David only has 2 days of school this week so that is another change for this week.

Today Darell and I are going to a friends memorial service. Our friend Wayne lost his battle against cancer last Thursday. Any of you that attended our wedding may remember our friend who took our pictures, that was Wayne. He had a smile that could light up the room. Wayne was also one of my dad's good friends, so they are both in good company.

Well the bus will be here any minute to take David to school so I better get ready myself to head out to work.

Have a great week.

Update from Oncologist

Yesterday Darell had an oncology appointment. It seems our average time spent in their office is about 2 hours. We sit and wait a lot. Anyway not a lot to report as we kind of knew going to the appointment. Darell's red cell count was really good. Last time is was anemic but they were seeing if it got better which it did. So December 9th he will have his scan done and an x-ray. His next appointment is Dec 16th, that is when we will really know something.

David had a good week at school. Thursday night was tumbling class and wow could Darell and I see growth in him. It was exciting to see. He is beginning to develop strength and do so much more. He is interacting with the kids so much better. He for some reason picks on a girl named Faith. Not sure why but every week he has to really bug her. Last night we went shopping for a Halloween costume. I am glad we didn't wait to the last minute.

Hope everyone has a nice weekend. We are supposed to have sunshine!

Did the Doodlebops...

Today was the last day of the fair. The Doodlebops were the grandstand entertainment. I took David to the show while Darell worked at the show. The kids seem to really enjoy the show. This show David liked but he wasn't as entertained as he has been at other show. It was a nice afternoon but I am glad we didn't have to pay for the show. Nana went with us even though the show is one of her least favorites. The show was kind of different compared to other Disney shows we have seen. The show consisted of the band just singing and dancing to the songs they do on the show. The show usually has a story behind it each day but not today. The rain held off which is a good thing. There were a few drizzles but no rain like yesterday.

Speaking of yesterday. Last night's concert was great. Sandi, my mother-in-law would have LOVED it. Steven and Micheal are a get couple to do a concert together. The shows attendance was at about 85%. Christian night concerts have more polite customers and there was no beer garden which made the customers even better to deal with.

All in all it was a good fair season. We had great weather until yesterday which made it a nice season. Darell's favorite show was the Orange County Chopper Live show.

Here Comes Fall...

As this is the last weekend of the Puyallup Fair the fall weather has moved in. The rain is back and the grey skies cover us. The change in seasons is among us.

David had a good week at school. No calls or notes home from his teacher this week. He is starting to bring home his art projects from school. He went to OT on Wednesday. We are working on build strength in his upper body. This is needed for basic skills in school like hand writing and using scissors. He was a lot better behaved in tumbling class this week as well.

As our schedules come back from Darell and I working evenings at the fair, Darell busy football schedule is kicking in. This week he has a couple of doctors appointments. Tuesday is back to the eye doctor to see (no pun) how things are going. His last appointment they cut back his meds so we will be able to tell if that was the right coarse of treatment. Friday he goes to the oncologist for a check in and labs. At this appointment they will setup his CAT in December. The December appointment will most likely be the one that we are waiting for. The CAT will see if the cancer is gone or if more treatment is needed. Many people at the fair have told me that they have not seen Darell look as healthy as he does in years. He seems to be feeling good.

We have a busy day. Darell is off for football soon. David is hanging out with his Nana. I am working at the fair again this afternoon. I am looking forward to the concert tonight. Micheal W Smith and Steven Curtis Chapman. It would be better if it were not raining. Tomorrow is Disney Doodlebops in which Darell is working. Our department at the fair is having our annual pizza party so I think I am taking David with me for that and to watch the early show. He will like it.

Hope everyone has a great weekend.

Did the Puyallup...

We went to the Puyallup Fair Sunday. It was a "no" rides visit. But before you say we are cruel, David and Darell went last night for "Boys Fun Night" and the two of them did rides.

David is liking school. He had a rough Monday but he had a long weekend. Today went well for him. He has Wednesdays off from school so we are going to have a quiet day at home.

Off he went...

David was very excited this morning. He woke up on his own to give himself enough morning time. He got to watch Wonder Pets and Little Einsteins with mom before going to school. He saw the bus coming and he went right out the door and got on the bus. He was looking out his window as the bus drove off. I hope he has a wonderful time today.

Go...

So 8:45am is the time the bus is coming to take David off to school. We have met the teacher and he likes his classroom. Today this pm bus driver came by and he got to check out the bus. Today I met with his teacher and we setup his IEP. All seems ready to go. David is very excited about school tomorrow. He is a great kid and with this extra help he can really excel. I am excited for him. I hope to take pictures in the morning.

I actually get a little time to myself tomorrow and Friday. Wow, what? I still have work to get done but the house will be quiet. I might have to pinch myself. My plan for tomorrow is to exercise, by myself and I get to get showered and dressed without any gates up. Friday morning I am getting my hair cut. Monday I go back to work 4 days a week for 1.5 hours per day.

Happy Thursday!

On Your Mark, Get Set...

This week is the beginning of a busy month. Darell had to work today even though it is a holiday. Some holiday's he gets done early but not today. I think he even has overtime for today.

David gets to go to school tomorrow night and see his classroom and meet his teacher. His teacher called us on Saturday leaving us a message to call her back but that number was not a valid number. Those types of things really frustrate me. I called the number back on caller ID but it only rang - who doesn't have voicemail these days? I left a message at school so hopefully it all works out. David needs an IEP put in place before he can start school on Thursday. Anyway by calling the school we learned that there is an open house tomorrow. This is a good thing. I have to call again tomorrow about David taking the bus. His bus driver was supposed to call me Friday but no call came.

We are changing David's OT at Good Sam. We are going to try every other week on Wednesday mornings. I am hoping his therapist sets some goals for him. So far David calls the shots but I would like to see some goals set.

Fall Little Gym classes start this week as well. David is going to do the Thursday night classes. This way dad can go with us. We will see if we see better behavior since he won't be coming to class right after OT.

Football season starts full force and so does the fair this weekend. Things are going to be busy during the month of September at our house.

Another new thing will be a schedule. I know most people have them but working from home David and I just kind of wing it everyday. Not anymore. David will have the bus coming every morning and I have to go into the office starting next Monday. Oh my. I don't quite have the schedule figured out till I find out what time the bus is coming, but I know I have to think about it. Sometimes mental planning is the hardest part. Well for me anyway, oh there is that alarm clock going off in the morning but for that there is always the snooze button.

For now I don't have to say "GO" till tomorrow afternoon. Tonight we'll just relax and watch more Veggie Tale videos.

School Days...

Yesterday we had David tested for the Puyallup Schools Child Find Preschool program. David was so excited about going to a school. David is a very smart little boy but his behavior is a challenge. Part of his behavior is out of his control with his sensory issues.

So he did awesome with the test. The teacher that tested him for Speech and academics said in her 19 years of giving the test he got one of the highest if not the highest score she ever remembered. He blew her away. He sat with her for a good 30 to 45 minutes actively participating without a break. He then got a break for 10 minutes and then went to work with the OT. He didn’t pass with her. His large and fine motor planning is way off. Then I had to fill out some Q&A about his behaviors. So after everything was scored his qualified for the program. I think the structure of the classroom is going to be good for him. He will also get OT to help him build the skills needed. He will be in the program for 2 years till Kindergarten, unless his teacher and we find he has gained the skills and should be in a mainstream classroom. So for now he starts school on Thursday September 4th. He is in an AM class that goes Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. I have to turn in his paperwork and arrange the bus for him on Monday. David is very excited about starting school. He is going to go to the new school across the way from us.

We are excited about this opportunity as well. We hope he gains the disciplines he needs so he can be successful in school. He is very smart and we want him to be able to learn and not let his behaviors interfere. He should gain the skills to adapt to his needs. We know he is only 3 but parents always want the best for their kids, right?

Oh Boy he is three…

Well it’s been an interesting week so far with David. Last week we were on vacation and he got to do and have just about whatever he wanted so his public behavior stayed in check. Now we are home and the rules have changed. No means no but David disagrees. Oh my! Darell and I are sticking to our guns even though it is not fun listening to him whine.

Vacation… we had a nice but HOT vacation. We went to Las Vegas for 3 days and Disneyland for 5 days. David loved both. He did however decide that he did not want his picture taken with any of the characters. We came across many of the Disney characters but he wanted nothing to do with them so we let him off the hook mostly. David loves rides and we learned he loves video games. Las Vegas kept him busy playing games at the Circus Circus, the ESPN Zone and Game Works. He and daddy got to also spend some time in the pool. We did a lot of walking and drank a lot of water. We had a nice time in Vegas. Disneyland was more challenging but fun. David wanted to go on everything. He is now 40 – 41 inches tall so he got to go on lots of rides with daddy which let me off the hook from going with Darell. Splash Mountain, Star Tours, Thunder Mountain Railroad, and several others where enjoyed by the boys. My mom and I got to spend some quality time waiting for them. Knotts Berry Farm was very humid that day which made it hard for all of us. That was a long day. David is a great flyer. He sleeps most of the flight which helps his parents relax. On the return flight from Disneyland he fell asleep before we took off from LAX and we had to wake him at the gate at SeaTac. When he woke up told us he was ready for blast off. He was very upset when he told him we were already home.

It’s always nice to come back home. Rascal our cat really missed us. He is still trying to get caught up on getting pets in. Going back to work is always the bummer of vacation but it is good we have jobs to go back to. God is good to us despite our few set backs.

Darell continues to feel better everyday. To see him today you would know he was undergoing cancer treatment a couple months ago. His hair is back and so is his energy. Football season is starting already. I am hoping he doesn’t burn out going to work and doing football. He is supposed to keep his season light this year.

Where did the time go?

Our birthday boy. 3 years ago this morning David entered the world 10 weeks early ready for life. He was a little guy and now you would never know. Sometimes it's hard to remember how little he was. He is quite a special boy.

Tuning 3...

It's hard to believe but David is turning 3 on Thursday. He is excited about his birthday party next weekend. He is all boy. His having a Spiderman Themed party. Seems like just last week he was learning to walk and yesterday in therapy he was pedalling a bike. This past Tuesday he finished the last session of food group class. It will probably be his last group. He made some progress over the last year and I now have more tools to understand his dislikes. Time is really the only solutions maybe. It is very challenging but we have learned to cope and maybe that is the most important thing.

Last weekend we went to the McChord Air Show and the boys loved it. By the end of the day when the Thunderbirds were performing David was so tired he slept through it even with all the noise. Now that's tired.

We have been working on a backyard project. Last Sunday we worked hard so this weekend we are just relaxing. David is getting a very nice play area with his swing set, playhouse and lots of room to play. He loves to keep daddy busy playing in the backyard.

Oh yeah, I almost forgot to post the most important thing. Darell had to get his 2nd post chemo haircut today. He is still waiting for his leg and arm hair to come back but the hair on his head is filling in nicely. He is even getting his eyebrows back.

Finally an Update...

Last post we were waiting to find out if Darell's cancer is gone. The simple answer is no, not yet. But there is a but... there has been a lot of shrinkage. There is now only one area left and it's size of the lymph nodes are 17mm or less. The chemo is still working in his system and they want to wait six months and see if it continues to shrink. If it does then great they may call him cured but if not he will need more treatments. They said it wouldn't be a full set of six treatments which is good. So all in all I think we are on the right track. Darell had to get a hair cut last week. That is a good thing as well. His eye brows are still not back yet.

David has been doing great. He is now in a toddler bed and loves it. He continues to do great with the potty training as well. He had gone dry at night for so long that he has now retired the nighttime pull-ups and sleeping in his underwear! Food class continues to challenge him.

We had a great 4th of July. We camped at our friends cabin at Ohop lake. We had rain but we made the most of it. David wasn't so sure about sleeping in the tent but we all got sleep. David got to go paddle boating, on a party boat, in a bayliner boat and his most favorite jet skiing. His god-father took him out a couple of times on the jet ski and they both loved it. We had a relaxing weekend just hanging out with friends.

The 3rd of July was also great. It marked the return of lip sink. A fun tradition from my teen years that I attended yearly on the 3rd with my parents. It was nice to see folks I haven't seen in many years. There was a great turn out. Thank you to Wayne for wanting to have this fun event again and to all who came to make it possible.

Darell's parents are back in Arizona. Their house sitting was not exactly what they thought they were signing up for but they made it. The house sitting had a dog but the dog was not house trained which made things quite challenging for them.

CAT Today

Darell has his CAT this afternoon. He is feeling good. He has been tired but I think that has more to do with his job and last Friday driving to Salem OR. He clocked in at 3:45am and work till about 1:30. He was tired and still checking up. Next Thursday we go back to the oncologist and then we'll know.

David and I booked his birthday party yesterday. Can you believe he is going to be 3 next month. WOW, I know. We are having his party at the Little Gym on August 2nd at 2:30. The weather is soooo, I don't know what to say about it. We decided to plan an inside thing just in case. The kids have had fun there at other parties. We are going to sign David up for summer class. This will give him a chance to socialize and work on some needed skills. If he likes it we will keep him in classes next fall.

This weekend our school district has High School Graduation. Congrats Class of 2008!

Clarification...

Just to clarify. We have not been told by Darell's oncologist that his cancer is in remission. His doctor is quite hopeful that it is in remission but we DO NOT know this for sure yet. Darell will have a CAT scan done this week and on the 12th we will get the results and know for sure. I think there was some miss information passed on. Like I posted last week that we are hopeful but not sure. Just 3 weeks ago we were told Darell would probably have 8 chemo's not 6. So we don't know. Don't get me wrong I am hopeful that things are gone but till we see the results of the scan we are not getting our hopes up. I hope that makes sense.

Another thing to keep in mind is Darell is far from being out of the woods. He has a high chance of the cancer coming back or a different type of cancer. Because of his adrenal problem his body cannot defend itself like yours or mine can. After being cancer free for 5 years then we begin to relax.

Our short term goal for the next year is for everyone to be healthy. No major medical is our goal.

May 29th...

This past Thursday, May 29th was a big day in our house. Darell had his 6th chemo. When we met with his doctor on Wednesday the doctor was hoping it would be the last one needed to kill the tumors. Darell and I thought this to be odd since 3 weeks earlier they were thinking he may need to more sessions of chemo. So we are hopefully but we honestly don’t know. Darell and I have found throughout our years of medical challenges that doctors don’t want you to feel bad and often give you false hope of something easy when in fact they know it’s not so easy. I do think it’s easier on the patient if they go into something thinking oh it’s no big deal. Anyway that is our opinion. Overall Darell had a pretty good weekend and that is probably because he is hoping he has made it.

Friday Darell went to OT with David and I. This wiped him out afterwards. He spent the rest of the day sleeping upstairs. Saturday David and I went out and about to leave the house quiet for resting. Yesterday we went shopping in the morning and dinner at my mom’s. Darell seemed good yesterday. He will probably be tired tonight so I hope to have things quiet around here.

We are wondering if we are ever going to get spring or summer. This weather is getting old.

Spoiled???

So before David was born a friend told he would be a spoiled boy. I said no way but you know she could have been right.

Understanding Multisensory Issues...

Our local channel last night had a news article about Sensory Processing issues in children. This is exactly what we are working on with David. It is hard for outsiders to see or understand but when you live with it, it can be very frustating at times. Hope this gives insite into our world and daily life. For those who ever thought why don't they...

http://www.king5.com/video/eveningmagazine-index.html?nvid=248082&shu=1

So Far So Good...

Darell is tolerating this past chemo treatment better then last time. Praise God! He went to work Monday morning but when he got there he descided he wasn't ready so he came back home. I hope this next treatment will not only be his last one needed but that he just takes that Monday and recovers. He should have called in Sunday that he was not coming in on Monday, anyway what can you do. He wanted to give it a try.

We have a nice Mother's Day weekend. David and I went out with my mom to the Farmer's Market Saturday morning. David was disappointed because he was looking for the Farmer in the Dell. He kept asking up where he could be. He gets his mind set and that is that. We then had a nice gathering at my mom's for BBQ dinner with Darell's parents, my brother's family and my brother's mother-in-law. Sunday we just relaxed at home. We had Papa Murphy Pizza and Blizzards. Nice weekend.

David is making some progress with his eating challenges and doing great with his potty training!

A fun decision we made was to throw caution to the wind and are going to Disneyland. The deal was affordable and how can you say no to Disneyland!

Doctor's update...

We got the results of the CAT scan yesterday. Good news this time. No it’s not gone yet but is responding well to the chemo. We really don’t know if Darell will have 6 or 8 treatments but there is a noticeable shrinkage in the tumors. So the plan for now is 6 and then another CAT to stage the cancer and see if it’s still there and needs 2 more. Of course if it’s still there after 8 they will keep going till it’s gone but that most likely won’t be the case with Darell. Hodgkin’s disease is curable but the treatments use to cure it can cause other cancers down the road. Since Darell has adrenal issues this puts him at higher odds of having another cancer type down the road. At least we know that and will keep a pro-active process going to be on the lookout for any problems.

His eye was not looking so great yesterday so they increased his shingles medicine to fight the virus. I am sure he would like to be done with that as well.

David is doing great. Grandpa has been with us this week and David loves it. I think grandpa maybe getting tired but we know he loves spending the time with David as well. I think David is getting cabin fever and ready for summertime and being outside more. He is doing really well with the potty training. He is now telling us when he needs to go and has even waked up several mornings dry. We are well on our way.

Darell is at his 5th chemo at the moment. His dad is with him today. I hope that Darell doesn’t get as wiped out this time. If he is wiped again I think he is going to take Monday off from work. He can’t get that run down again; other bad things can happen to him if he gets too wiped out.

Come on Spring!

We had a nice weekend. Saturday took a change in plans for us. We headed out the door heading to Woodland Park Zoo. Well after we got our over priced gas it started raining. We started thinking of plan ‘B’ as we drove north. When we got to the 167 / 405 interchange and traffic was not moving we decided to stop at Uncle Aaron’s for a visit. We had packed a sack lunch for the zoo and since it was 12:30 we thought we would eat at Aaron’s. Grandma and Grandpa were there when we got there so we got to visiting and helping Aaron with a project in his gym. Before we knew it, it was almost 3:00 and too late to go to the zoo. It was still raining as well so went out to eat with them. It was nice to have a day of visiting.

Yesterday the sun finally made an appearance. Yahhh! Since we have a busy week we opted to stay at home and get some things done. Darell felt pretty good. We got our stuff done and went outside. David loves it outside. He and daddy played in the backyard while I did some weeding. We could hear kids playing out-front so we went to join in. It was one of the first nice evenings of the season and everyone was outside. Soon an unplanned BBQ started to take place. We had our dinner planned at home but went back out when we were done. The kids all played and it was nice to visit with the neighbors. Several of our neighbors are moving in the near future. They will be missed. It is so great to live on our street with the neighbors all getting along and the kids all playing outside together. We hope that the new neighbors we get just fit right in.

We have a busy week this week. David has school tonight. Tomorrow night Darell is going to the M’s game with his dad and brother. While he is at the game I have a work meeting, should be interesting since I am taking David. We are going to try having it at a Burger King with a Play Area. Wednesday we get the CAT scan results to see what effect the chemo is having. Then Thursday is chemo. The rest of the week is for Darell to rebound from the chemo. Of course there is always David’s therapy classes in there and Mother’s Day. It is a very full week. Somewhere in there I manage to work 30 to 40 hours from home. I may need a nap at some point.

His Eyes Don't Have It...

Tuesday was eye doctor day. Even though Darell’s left eye does not hurt him anymore it continues to cause him problems. There are still 2 active shingles in it and a lot of scare tissue. Currently Darell cannot see clearly from his left eye. He sees blurry or double vision but when it works with his right eye he can see. Crazy, but his right eye is basically working for both of them. So he is back on more eye drops to try and defeat the shingles again. Then we are onto wait and see how his vision clears up after that. His vision issues can be from the medicines he is on or from the scare tissue or both. We won’t know for awhile. It could clear up; need a different prescription for his glasses or possibly surgery.

His energy is still not back but better then last week. His next chemo is on the 8th. On Wednesday we see his oncologist to get the results of the CAT scan. We pray that he will only need six chemo treatments not eight or more. I think we are going to do something fun this weekend since he has a little energy. With next weekend being Mother’s Day we know that he will be taking it easy from the chemo treatment. He has a busy week next week with a Mariner’s game with his dad and brother on Tuesday. Doctor’s appointment Wednesday and then chemo on Thursday will just wipe him out again.

David is doing well. He has been a handful but I think he just needs to play outside if spring would finally get here. His new food group is great. He is making an effort in class and we are able to add a few more things at home. He has a long way to go but I think we are moving forward some. I meet with our school district person next week to talk about screening him for developmental preschool in the fall. I really hope he qualifies. School will be so good for him but he needs the structured environment and trained teachers that know how to deal with his sensory issues. He is a smart little boy but he is challenged by himself.

People have asked me what about me? Well I just try and make it from day to day. I have long pasted the point of being tired.

Wiped Out...

Darell is completely wiped out. The chemo has finally gotten him this time. Not sure how he is functioning at the moment. I asked him about taking Friday as a sick day so he can refresh over the next 3 days but he can't because it's his day to drive the bio hazard materials from work down to Salem OR. That is really not what he needs right now. He gets up at 3am those days and drives by himself 3.5 hours each way. When he gets to OR he has to unload the truck by himself at a pace to keep up with a conveyor belt system. When he finally get back to work he has to return the rental u-haul truck before he can go home. It's about a 10 hour day for him at work. To get ready for his trip he has to rent the truck today and load it all so it's ready for the morning. I am hoping he will take a nap when he gets home today and tomorrow. He went to bed at 7:30 last night but there was a dog in the neighborhood who kept barking so he could not sleep. It is hard to see him so wiped out. Maybe the sun will show itself this weekend. A little sunshine may be just what he needs.

#4...

Darell had his 4th treatment Thursday.

On Wednesday he saw the doctor and his labs were really good. I asked about whether 6 treatments will put him in remission as a general rule of thumb. Dr McCrosky said yes but I think seeing David there with us made him double think. He decided to have Darell have a CAT scan Tuesday so he can see what the progress the chemo is having on the cancer. I think that is good. It would be very hard to do all 6 and think wow we made it and still have it there. Yes I know this is possible but it still would not be easy to deal with. So if there hasn't been enough shrinkage in the tumors then Darell will have 8 chemo sessions and check again.

As far as this treatment, this one is kicking him like his first one did. He is really wiped out this time. We have just been laying low here at home. Currently both my boys are napping. Peace and quiet for me. Wow. I think we may stay home again tomorrow and rest up some more. Monday will come soon enough and Darell will have to go back to work.

By the way, what's with snow in April in Washington?!

Been Awhile...

So it’s been awhile since I did an update. Things have been pretty quiet. Darell did great from the last chemo treatment. His next treatment is tomorrow. He had a follow up with his oncologist yesterday. His doctor is having Darell have another CAT scan next week to see what effects the chemo is having on his tumors. If he doesn’t see the reaction they are looking for he may have to have 8 sessions of chemo instead of 6. Then after 8 they will recheck him again. His blood levels were better then at this last check after chemo #2.

David is doing well. The potty training is going ok. He is dry most of the time but we have to set a timer and constantly keep up with it. The only time he tells us he has to use the potty is when we are out in public. He started a new food therapy class yesterday. He has 2 new therapists and a different day so hopefully this will be a positive change for him. I was impressed with the different style of class and new techniques. They really pushed him and I think he needs that.

Darell and I took a class this past weekend about sensory integration issues. We learned a lot. We also discovered that David has a few more then we had realized. David’s behavior has been a bit rough this week but sometimes we all have rough weeks. Grandma and grandpa are in town so maybe this change at the house rocked this schedule some and he is responding to it. On the other hand he is two and a half right?

Half Way There...

Yesterday Darell had his 3rd Chemo which marked the halfway point. Hurray. He is having a good day today. He is a little tired but doing great compared to the previous 2.

David had a great day of food class yesterday. He ate cheese. Anyone who knows David knows this was a big deal. He also ate a grill cheese sandwich. Wow, way to go Nana.

Is it spring yet? We have had snow for the last 3 days. Luckily it hasn't caused problems on the roads. Kind of strange to see blooming trees covered with snow.

May 29th will be here before we know it. That is Darell last chemo treatment. Then he will have a test to see if they killed it all. For now we wait.

Easter Greeting

Yumm Cake...

Never Easy Saying Goodbye...

It is never easy to say goodbye. In our house at the moment we are saying goodbye to diapers. Oh boy is our little boy not very happy about this. He is more then ready for the next step but likes his diapers. Mind you David is a big boy being 3’ 2” tall and 35lbs and almost 3. It is time. Well today we had our first success at using the toilet. He held it for 2 days before he was willing to use the toilet. Finally in desperation he told me he would like to use the potty. We think he was scared to use it but now I think it might be ok. Since he likes his diaper, I don’t think the pull-ups will be a good thing. We put him in big boy underwear and he likes them. He is very proud of himself as he walks around the house. I took a leap of faith and put him down for a nap in his big boy underwear. We’ll see if this was a good thing when he gets up. He has been waking up dry lately so I am hoping it’s good. Let’s hope he catches onto using the toilet quickly and won’t grieve the diapers very long. Honestly I think he is going to enjoy being a big boy.

Happy Easter

Happy Easter, Easter is a time renewal and new beginnings. In our house we aren’t starting any new beginning but we are working on a renewal of Darell’s life.

Darell had 2 doctor’s appointments this week. His eye is much better. It still has a way to go but better. Today he went for an oncology post chemo follow-up. His blood work was in the normal range but not perfect. He is tolerating chemo pretty well. Next week is chemo #3.

Today I was really reflecting on my life with Darell and my love for him. Darell has been in my life since I was 13. He completes me and I can’t imagine life without him so he better get better.

Not sure what we are doing for Easter besides going to church. The weather is rainy so we’ll see.

Blessings!

The Come Back Kid...

Darell had his second chemo treatment Thursday. He did real well. He completed the treatment 1 hour quicker then the first time. I think this last time will be more about the time it will take to get it done. He walked about much better this time and had some energy till about 5 O clock. That is when he was done. He turns white as a sheet which is kind of scary and become exhausted.

Friday Darell slept most of the day and David spent the day with Nana so daddy could have some quiet. David got to have is first sleep over and loved it. He spent Friday night with his God parents. He ate pizza for them and ice cream which is amazing. They took him swimming and he warmed up to it.

By Sunday Darell had cabin fever and was ready to get out. He played in the backyard with David for awhile. Then we went for a drive or as we tell David an adventure. We drove to a new nearby neighborhood and looked at new houses. We enjoy looking. Don’t worry we aren’t serious. Grandma and Grandpa would like the new concepts of these homes. They had 1 bedroom with bathroom that was separated for house guests. Nothing stood out to us like wow we have to have that. We saw things in different houses that we liked. Next we got some ice cream and went to the park. This was David’s favorite part of the adventure. Overall a relaxing afternoon. My mom had come over about noon and went with us. She has been helping me try and get my weeds in the yard under control.

Sunday morning I had to shave Darell’s hair. It was very thin and blotchy. Now it’s mostly gone but what is left is short. Hopefully he gets in the routine of putting sunscreen on everymorning.

Darell had energy all day and his spirits were good. Today is preschool. I hope he feels good so he can go with us. So overall he did extremely well.

Thursday is Chemo #2

Well Darell has his second chemo treatment in the morning. He is feeling good tonight. We had sunshine this afternoon so my boys went outside to play.

Darell's hair is really thinning now. I called our neighbor the cuts both my hair and David's to see if she would re trim his hair. It is starting to patch so by keeping it really short it helps conceal it.

I pray that Darell handles this next treatment like he did the first one. He bounced back quickly last time and I hope he can again. It is hard to see him down when he really doesn't want to be down. He will lay low this weekend and with God's grace will be mostly himself by the end of the weekend. Well maybe a little less hair.

Blessings

Creative Parenting...

Sometimes as a parent you do whatever it takes. Here was our latest creative resolution to bad dreams.

Monday morning David woke up from a bad dream about 4:10. Since Darell’s alarm was going to go off in 5 minutes he went in to get him. Well David was very upset and would not settle down. Darell brought him into our room and into bed with me. I tried to ask David what was wrong and he told me the bugs where going round and round. He was very serious. Darell got dressed for work and brought David’s favorite blanket into our room for him. Well this triggered David again. He did not want his blanket which is so out of character. He told me the bugs and bad dream were in his blanket so we quickly took it out of our room. After quite some time of hearing him breathing heavily he fell back to sleep with me.

So yesterday morning David and I put his blanket in the wash machine to wash away the bad dream. This mostly worked. When I put him down for is nap he was glad to see his blue blanket but continued to tell me about the bugs on the wall behind his crib. He did not want to settle down for his nap. So trying to think outside the box I saw the can of Lysol on his dresser. So I got him down with me and together we sprayed the bad dreams and bugs away. It must have work since he took a nap.

Bedtime last night was a repeat of spraying the bugs and dreams. It worked again. Everyone had a full nights sleep.

Wanting to Raise the Flag...

The week was cruising along. All was what some would say normal.

Wednesday I took David to Mary Bridge for his last Neonatal follow up. For the first time they said he was right on track. Great! We are still working on some things but with a lot of love and patients he’ll be on track by kindergarten.

Anyway David and I got home and came into the house. Brrr. Something was definitely wrong. There was COLD air coming from the registers. Humm. So I check a few things and knew we had a problem. Hoping for an easy fix I asked if Jack could stop by on his way home and give things the once over. Well the system fired up and we had heat so he went home. About five minutes after he left the air was blowing cold again. I called Jack again but he thought at that point it was over his knowledge of furnaces.

To take another step back. 2 weekends ago Darell was driving down the road and got a rock chip in the car’s window. He wanted to get it fixed but was told State Farm doesn’t cover that anymore. Well this week we had nice weather and yep, crack. The chip cracked the windshield. Bummer.

Anyway back to the heater. Well Thursday was a very busy day. David had food class. I had to get David out to his Godparents house for a play date by 3:00 and Darell had a follow-up for his first chemo at the oncologist at 3:45. So how I had to find a repairman for the furnace. Well as luck has it my phone rang when I was in the middle of my shower. Standing in a cold bathroom talking to a repairman felt more like 20 minutes then 2. I arranged to have him come out mid morning Friday.

Darell’s follow up was great. Other then the usual long wait which we are getting use to Darell’s blood counts were back to normal showing he had recovered from his first chemo. Yahh. He has to have blood labs done next Tuesday and then his second chemo session on Tuesday.

For Christmas I a sign that says God doesn’t give us more then we can handle. This week I financially and emotionally wanted to raise the flag with the window and the heater. We have a lot of expenses as it is without those added to it. Besides it is a lot to juggle to deal with on top of all I already do. Things all worked out.

Well Friday morning came and David went to OT. When we got home I had 3 messages from the heater guy. He came when we were gone which really stressed me out since the house was 63 degrees for the 3rd day and I had told him I would be home till 10:30 and he said he would come mid morning. Luckily I got a hold of him and arranged for him to come back mid afternoon. He arrived earlier then he thought, good thing. He found that the name board in our furnace had failed. He was able to locate on in Tacoma and off he went to get it. When he returned with the part he told me the unit that failed was still under warranty from the manufacture. Wow what a break. We still have a labor bill but that will be welcomed compared to parts and labor. Heat is back on and it feels nice.
Today we did a few errands and had a low key day. We have a somewhat busy week again. Monday Darell and I are working parents for pre-school class. Tuesday night I have a work meeting. Darell has chemo Thursday. My mom is watching David and taking him to food class and on Friday his OT. Also on Friday my mom is taking Darell to get his post chemo shot. David is going to spend the weekend at his Godparents house. My mom and I are taking a class Friday night and all day Saturday to learn new techniques to help David and maybe myself to lessen my stress. We have a friend coming over Friday night to hang out with Darell so someone is with him if he has a reaction to the chemo. Saturday his brother is coming over to hang out for awhile as well. I hope to have a quiet Sunday to recover from the week. Darell is on sitting duty so he can function during the work week after chemo. This worked last time.

For those wonder about David. He is a wonderful little boy but having tactile issues can be hard on him as well was us. He has a lot of intelligence but fights with himself which gets in the way. We hear a lot about other kids and he will grow out of it but he needs therapies to help him out. He is doing well in OT but food class he does not care for. He recently got a special shirt which he wears like an undershirt. It has made a HUGE difference. He has settled down and has a lot more balance and control.

Well when you think you might be ready to raise the flag and call when, do what I do and just keep smiling.

Humbled...

I am truly humbled by reading this blog.

http://cfhusband.blogspot.com/

I encourage anyone who reads my blog to check this one out. To have such faith is amazing. When I look at all Darell and I have been through, yes it’s a lot but this story just reminds me of so much hope.

Those that don’t know us might wonder what I mean by going thru so much. Here is the summary.

A year after we married my father died unexpectedly.
Major infertility issues.
Our loss of twins early in our first pregnancy after fertility treatments.
Overcoming our pregnancy loss and undergoing IVF with our first attempt not working.
The joy of our second pregnancy.
The birth of our 30 week preemie David. The time spent while he was growing and getting ready to come home.
Darell’s health decline after David came home. That was a tough year.
Finding out Darell has a brain tumor and treating his body to heal.
Brain surgery that did not succeed for Darell.
Active health monitoring for Darell which led to the discovery of Stage 2 Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.
Now the journey to fight for Darell life and defeat his cancer.

Of course along the way there were many joys and wonderful times with family and friends. We also remember those past along the way. They will stay in our hearts and memories forever.

In church yesterday the sermon was on HOPE. The family in the blog above is a poster child for God’s grace and hope.

Eyes Have It...

Darell went to the eye specialist yesterday. The good news is the doctor said Darell was getting the correct treatment and things didn’t look too serious to him. The bad news he said it would just take time before this eye is better. The doctor is doing a side vision test on Darell in a few weeks just to make sure things are ok with him.

It was kind of strange just having 1 doctor’s appointment for Darell this week. Overall Darell is having a good week. Yahh. His energy is up and so are his spirits.

Last night after Darell showered he shared with me the hair on his arms and legs is starting go. He was not excited but I think ok. I just reminded him it’s temporary.

We are hoping for nice weather this weekend to have a family adventure. The 3 of haven’t done much in a few weeks. David sees the nicer weather and is ready to go outside.

Speaking of David his physiologist has finished some assessments on him and thinks he is just an overactive boy that loves to have bad behavior. We have been trying different ways was communicating with him and things are better. I am taking a class in a few weeks to help give us some tools to help us raise David in a manner that works for him. David got a new shirt that goes under his regular shirts called a SPIO. It has made a huge difference for him this past week. It feels good to be heading down the right path. Yahh.

1 Down 5 To Go...

Last week went by quickly but at the same time it took forever.

Thursday was Darell’s first Chemo. He took it well. He is having what’s known as CHOP-R treatments. What it means to us is about 6 hours of treatment. Darell gets a big dose of Benadryl and Tylenol to start his treatment. This knocks him out for most of the treatment. I brought my laptop and we watched movies during his treatments. He even wanted lunch so I thought that was good.

Friday Darell went back to the eye doctor for his shingles in his eye. He is being sent to a specialist since the shingle is shifting and moving towards his inner eye. If it’s not one thing it’s another. Later in the afternoon he went and got a shot to help his white blood cells replenish since they killed them off the day before.

Saturday started off well for Darell. He seemed like himself in the morning. He wanted to go get a haircut. He got a short clip. He is thinking it will be easier for him to have short hair and have it fall out then to have longer hair and loose it. I wasn’t ready for him to shave it head smooth so we compromised. He then went and got the cars oil changed. This wore him out. He also got cold from being out and about. He went upstairs and piled on a few blankets to warm up. David was playing loudly downstairs and daddy wanted some quiet.

David and I went to Seattle to see Playhouse Disney Live Saturday afternoon. Daddy stayed home. We thought there would be way too many germs there and since he wasn’t feeling super it was best he stay home. David’s Nana went with us. David loved the show. He sat and watched the show except for the Hotdog dance. (Anyone who watches Mickey’s Clubhouse will know the song). Darell stayed and watched movies with his mom and I think they both napped. David came home and told daddy all about the show and is still talking about it today.

Sunday I took David to my mom’s in the morning and went to church. Darell and his mom stayed home and watched NASCAR. I also got to go grocery shopping by myself. I haven’t done that in quite some time. After I got to eat a quiet lunch I went to get David. He had a blast at Nana’s. His older cousin Allison was over. The weather was nice and they played outside. They went bug hunting and rode bikes. A good time was had. Darell seemed rested and better just taking it easy yesterday.

Today Darell is at work. I am trying not to call and ask him who he is. David is over playing again at Nana’s with Allison. I am getting time alone again. I should be working but am taking some mental time of r&r.

Darell goes to the eye doctor on Thursday. Only 1 doctor appointment this week. He almost got a week off. Hopefully nothing is terribly wrong with his eye.

Let’s hope Darell doesn’t get wiped out from work this week and has good energy.

TGIF

Wow, what a week. It didn't go totally to plan.

Monday Darell's heart test didn't take as long as we had been told it would. That was a good thing. After the test I took Darell home to rest and my mom and I took David to Co-Opp.

Tuesday was an easy Doctor's appointment at the endocrinologist. Darell got to go with his Aunt Kelly. She took him to the girls school. He had a great visit with them.


Wednesday was busy. David got to go play with Justin from Church. He likes playing with him. I took Darell in to have his Port installed. Well they had a hard time finding his vein and he was poked several times. The surgeon sent us to have chest x-rays when he was discharged. This was an extra trip we luckily had time for. However we could have spent that hour and half doing something else. Better being safe then sorry. He was ok so we picked up David and went to Darell's next appointment. My mom met us and took David with her so David wouldn't have to go with us. Darell's eye is 50% better from the shingles. Darell got a super shot of steriods when he had surgery so that is helping him get over the shingles. After this appointment we got to go home for an hour. Of coarse I had work to do and Darell napped. Our last appointment was with the oncologist. The doctor was running late again. How late is late? 1 hour and 15 minutes. Yuck. The doctor decided to wait till next week for Darell to start chemo. Darell was soar from having the port installed and is still recovering from the shingles. Darell will have to stay on his shingles medicine throughout the chemo process to keep them from re-occuring. Our next week started getting very busy again. So we called for help!

Grandma is flying in from Arizona on Sunday. She is going to help us make it through the next 2 weeks. I am exhausted and just can't keep us with my boys. I need help.

David has a fundraiser at preschool tonight. Nana has helped us with this. Thank you Nana.
We haven't made weekend plans other then picking up Grandma Sunday morning. Relaxing sounds great. We'll see.

Have a good weekend

A better day today...

Today is a better day. Yesterday was rough. By about 10:30 yesterday I could tell I needed to get Darell into an eye doctor. He has shingles in his eye and he looked miserable. He kept saying he was fine but I think he was just saying it. So I got on the phone to find someone who would get him in yesterday. Luckily I got lucky on my first call. The doctor's office told me to get him there by 11:30. I had an hour to get us there including the 20 minutes it would take to get there. As I showered I wondered how I was going to get Darell to the doctor, David to Clifford and the birthday party by 1:00. David had been talking about both activities for 3 days so I couldn't take that away from him. So I called my mom and Jack to help. They were out and about when I call but they met us at the eye doctor. Jack took care of Darell at the doctor and getting him home while my mom and I took David to see Clifford. David had fun at the children's book store. I want to go back without him so I can look better sometime. The 3 of us then hit the Golden Arches for lunch and off to the birthday party. By then Darell was done at the doctor. Jack drove him to the pharmacy and home. Jack then met up with my mom at the birthday party and they continued on their day. They really saved me. Well David had fun at the Super Jump birthday party for Zach. Of coarse he waited till the last 10 minutes to climb the giant slide and go down which he loved and kept saying again, again. Next time maybe he won't wait so long. When we headed home David and I got daddy's medicines for his eye. Darell was pretty wiped out. His eye was sore and he just wanted to keep his eyes closed.

Today Darell still looks rough but you can tell he feels better. He has some humor today and is playing with David, something he hasn't done in 3 days. David has missed playing with Daddy.

David and I went to church to give daddy quiet time. It is going to be a busy week so I am hoping his stress levels are better today so his shingles will chill out. Well I suppose the drugs help to. I bet Darell's eyes will stay open for the Super Bowl this afternoon. LOL

First Problem

Well Darell broke out in shingles yesterday. He had been having headaches and has been very tired. Yesterday his eye was all red and he had a rash on his forehead. He went to the walk-in clinic by our house to find out it is shingles. He got put on more drugs. He still waiting for the drugs to start helping. I did some reading about shingles this morning and a major contributor to breaking out is having hodgkins and stress. Well he has both of those.



We hope to have a relaxing weekend so hopefully that will help. We are planning on taking David to see Clifford the Big Red Dog tomorrow. David is also going to a Birthday Party tomorrow afternoon. It's a rough day for a nap but David will have a lot of fun. Sunday of coarse is Church and then one of Darell's all time favorite things. Yes the Super Bowl. Maybe I will nap.



Our prayer request is to have a relaxing, family oriented weekend to get ready for next weeks busy schedule.

Now we know...

Things are happening now. We know know what is wrong with Darell. The official diagnosis is lymphoid predominant hodgkins lymphoma w/predominant nodular T cell rich pattern & focal diffuse areas. This is a very rare kind of cancer.

So here is where we are going. Monday Darell has a test on his heart. Chemo can apparently be very bad for your heart. Wednesday he has a port for the chemo put in and he sees his oncologist in the afternoon. We will find out then if he has his first chemo treatment Thursday or Friday.

This week he as been really run down and tired. He has also had quite a few headaches. We have been very busy lately so I can't tell if it's the cancer or just recovering from surgery, stomach flu and going back to work. Overall it could just be stress.

On a positive note. Darell got to go back on his testosterone shots last night. He hadn't been able to take a shot since November. Now that issue is resolved he got the go ahead on that so hopefully he will feel better.

Here is how it all started...

What a long story but I will try and summarize it.

The summer of 2005 Darell went to Texas for 6 weeks for the WA Air Guard. He didn't deal well with the heat there. He was tired and wiped out all the time. He also lost a lot of weight while he was there. When Darell returned we had a new preemie baby that was in the Neonatal Intermediate Care Unit at Tacoma General. So he was very busy taking care of me, going to work and then taking me to see the baby in the evenings. He wasn't getting a lot of rest. When the baby came home he was still run down and not getting caught up.

Darell started going to the doctor and saying he was run down. The doctor did blood tests and sent him for a sleep study. Nothing was being found but Darell is getting worse.

We went to visit Darell's parents in November of 05 and Darell noticed the hair on his legs was falling out but thought nothing of it. When we went again in March most of the hair on his legs and chest was going and he mentioned it to his dad. His dad being concerned googled Darell symptoms which lead him to a site at the Mayo Clinic. The site talked about a man's testosterone level being low can lead to the multiple symptoms Darell was having. We printed the article and Darell went back to his doctor and asked to have his testosterone levels checked. The results came back very, very low. His doctor then sent us to an endocrinologist. This doctor tested a lot of blood and had Darell have a head CAT scan. After all the tests were done the results told us Darell had a pituitary tumor which caused thyroid failure, adrenal gland failure and his body unable to make testosterone. This doctor started him on 3 medicines to replace the missing elements from his system. Within hours he was a new man. I honestly thought he was going to die. The adrenal issue was a major one. He was falling asleep at red lights in the car. He was not doing well.

Darell was then sent to a neurosurgeon. This doctor thought no problem. He was just go into Darell's brain and remove the tumor. This was done with the hope that some of the pituitary's functions would be restored. So a week before Christmas in 2006 Darell had brain surgery. Unfortunately Darell had a lot of bleeding and the doctor had to stop the operation without getting to the tumor. A month later Darell was back to work and leading a normal life. Both his doctors decided just to monitor him and wait and see.

Since then Darell's tumor is the same which is good. The summer of 07 his endocrinologist noticed that Darell's kidney functions didn't seem right. After rechecking his blood the doctor decided to send him to a kidney doctor.

This doctor was very good. He ordered a lot of blood work but also a kidney ultrasound. When the tech was doing the scan he noticed some enlarged lymph nodes in Darell's abdominal area. The kidney doctor was concerned about the lymph nodes but told us it didn't have anything with Darell's kidneys.

So off to Darell's family doctor again we went. Darell had an elevated PSA at this time so we got sent to a urologist. We asked Darell's family doctor to send Darell for a CAT scan so that we could get started on finding out was was wrong with him. The urologist thought maybe Darell had either testicular or prostate cancer by what he was seeing on the CAT scan. Darell was sent over to the hospital to have a CAT scan guided needle biopsy done. When the urologist got the results he told us that Darell most likely had a prostate infection and started Darell on antibiotics. At the same time he informed us that Darell needed to see an oncologist that the pathology report suspected lymphoma.

So off we went to the oncologist. On our first visit with the oncologist the doctor said the pathology results were inconclusive and Darell need to have a bone marrow biopsy done. Christmas Eve Day Darell went into the hospital and had this test done. This test didn't really bother him so we were relived and had a nice Christmas. The next week we went back to the oncologist. This time there was some good news that nothing was detectable in his bone marrow. However they still couldn't give us a diagnosis. The next needed test was going to a general surgeon and have a laparoscopic biopsy done.

Darell's general surgeon was great. We saw him on a Tuesday afternoon and the next day he was having the procedure done. The doctor told us it should take him about 30 - 60 minutes. As I waited and 3+ hours went by I began to get concerned. Finally the doctor called me on the phone via the operating room. He informed me he was having issues getting the sample because Darell was bleeding to much. He asked me if he could open Darell up and use his hands to reach the area. I said yes. This allowed him to remove a tumor that was the size of his thumb. On the downside Darell had to send the night in the hospital and heal from a 5 inch incision plus 2 other 1 inch incisions.

A week later Darell went back to work on light duty. His appointment with the oncologist last Thursday concluded that he does have a form of lymphoma. We were informed they were still running pathology tests to determine what kind he has. He was then sent to have another CAT scan of his neck and chest. This is needed to help determine what stage the lymphoma is in. We were told that lymphoma was hard to diagnose.

So that is where we are for now. We go tomorrow and hopefully they we have conclusions and answeres for us.

Not sure if all this made sense. Like I said it's a lot. All this in such a short time period. Many are asking us if his tumor or other medical issued caused this cancer. We are told NO. Just the luck or unluck of the draw.

I thought by creating this blog it would help those who get bits and pieces of the story track what is going on with us.

For now we try and run life as we normally do. We spent a nice weekend together. We took David to the Veggie Tales movie this weekend. David is really into Pirates right now so he liked it. Friday David got to see the Oscar Myer Wiener Car. Sunday we went to church. Just business as usual at our house for now.

Please keep us in your prayers. Darell is going to need a lot of support in this fight but he is ready to fight.

Blessing, Donelle

Now we wait...

After 2 months we are finally getting some answers. It is hard knowing something is probably wrong and just keep waiting. We were told that Darell has Lymphoma but that tests were still being done to tell us what type and he did a CAT on Friday to help them determine what stage. Darell is feeling better from his latest surgery. He is still on light duty at work for 2 more weeks. The doctor wants to make sure his insides heel. Darell thinks he is ready but I would rather have him completely strong so he can get ready for the next steps.



Tuesday is Darell's next appointment. The results from his latest CAT and the pathology should be in so that we will know what type of lymphoma he has. We are hoping they give us a treatment schedule on Tuesday as well. It's hard to believe all this is happening. He feels fine and has no symptoms. Just this time last year he was recovering from his brain surgery and now this. Oh boy. For now I think I will stay in a denial stage that just lets me focus on Darell getting better. We been through so much in the last 5 years. God doesn't give us more then we can handle but wow are things getting heavy.



David hasn't noticed anything different with Dad so that is good. We want to try and keep things as normal as possible. Normal what is that exactly?