Another Average Week

I meant to write all week and the time completely escaped me.

Here is a brief (“brief”? A bit of levity there…) update from our week.

Monday: Chase went back into surgery to have his infected central line removed and a PICC line placed (in his arm).

Some things never change. Chase, before his central line removal, explores the cupboard.

Tuesday: We finally got to go home!!  …in time to meet Grandpa and Grandma’s flight.  (Early bedtime? Say what?)

Wednesday:  Bob and I checked Aidan into outpatient surgery at our local hospital – to have his tonsils and adenoids removed.  Surgery was successful.

Having to show up for surgery at 6:00 A.M…. Well, we may recover some day.  Aidan was a pro and he was genuinely excited about all the little things like monitoring vitals, the beds and the ID bracelets because he was getting to be just like Chase.  Watching them compare their hospital ID bracelets was both heart-breaking and a little hilarious.

Big brother joins the surgery club…

Thursday: Thursday is our scheduled chemo day. Anytime you think of us on a Thursday, we’d so appreciate your prayers.  This day meant rising early to get back to “Chase’s Hospital” (he really does call it his hospital) for his labs, chemo, and another lumbar puncture (injecting chemo into his spine).  This day was INCREDIBLY encouraging to us because Chase had been able to come home for a day (something never to be taken for granted on this chemo protocol), his counts had dropped – but not as low as they’d expected (so he could come back home instead of being admitted), and despite eating almost nothing, his body was doing well on the IV nutrition and he hadn’t lost any weight since his discharge on Tuesday!

Chase, Thursday, post-op recovery

Friday: The first day in SO many days that we didn’t have to be in either a hospital or a doctor’s office.  Ahhh…  We ended the day with a small celebration…cuddling up on the couch in our pajamas and watching the “Apple Dumpling Gang.”  Silly and perfect and all together for a moment.

Saturday: Chase had a rough night and a slight fever in the morning.  The fever got higher as the morning passed and we brought him back to the hospital early in the afternoon. (fevers in a chemo patient are really important as they are usually indicative of a system issue that the body can’t fight due to it’s lack of white blood cells).

Sunday morning: I’m writing this blog post from an inpatient room in “Chase’s hospital.”  Chase will be here until he completes a course of antibiotics, the fever is under control, and his blood counts start going back up.

Even though it’s hard to be back in the hospital, we have so much to be thrilled about this week… two kids through two surgical procedures in two hospitals with no complications, Chase doing far better than expected, for longer than expected after his chemo clinic, and getting a special family evening to relax in the middle of the chaos.

Moment by moment

0 thoughts on “Another Average Week”

  1. Ellie

    Yes, you did have a good week last week! Praise the Lord! I’ve been keeping Chase and the whole family in prayer……….and pray this week, one day at a time, will be full of praises as the Lord gives wisdom to the doctors/staff. Praying for you to have the strength you need….and rest.

    Love in the Lor
    Jeannine Limbeck

  2. I couldn’t help but pray for you all as we sang this song in Church today called “Never Once”:
    Standing on this mountain top, looking just how far we’ve come, knowing that for every step, You were with us. Kneeling on this battle ground, seeing just how much You’ve done, knowing every victory was Your power in us. Scars and struggles on the way, but with joy our hearts can say, yes, our hearts can say: Never once did we ever walk alone. Never once did You leave us on our own. You are faithful, God, You are faithful! Scars and struggles on the way, but with joy our hearts can say, never once did we ever walk alone. Carried by Your constant grace, held within Your perfect, peace, never once, no, we never walk alone! Every step we are breathing in Your grace. Evermore we’ll be breathing out Your praise. You are faithful, God, You are faithful. You are faithful, God, You are faithful!!

  3. What a week and praises you made it through well and prayers for the week coming up. Always thinking of you all. God Bless

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