Batman vs. Chemo

Our friends, the Kellers, found this and sent it to us in the mail yesterday. Enclosed was a card that stated "We thought you could use a little help." It was hillarioes when I figured out who Batman was fighting. I had residual delayed laughter throughout the day. The kids have been having fun playing with it too. It's nice to know that we have Batman on our side.

There's no place like home

We have been enjoying being with our kids. Ally Jane kept asking if we were going to be home by Valentine's Day. That was so important to her. They kids and my mom had decorated our house with hearts and a welcome home banner. Ally even spent "two days" to sprinkle our bed with hand-made heart confetti. It looked like a lot of work.

Dave still went to the hospital on Saturday and Sunday. His counts are rising and he officially engrafted which means the stem cells have made it to the bone marrow and are starting to produce cells on thier own. They are giving him neupogen shots that stimulate the white blood cell production. Since we have been home he has seemed really tired. He has been sleeping alot. His hair has finally started falling out. On Sunday he woke up to a very hairy pillow. We gave him a closer shave. He is one handsome bald man. Today we had heart-shaped crepes, strawberries, and turkey sausage for breakfast. Our traditional holiday/birthday breakfast. It feels good to be home. Ally Jane and Grant made Valentine's for their classes and sent them with friends so they could semi-participate in Valentine's at their schools. Dave's immune system is still weak so we will be keeping the kids home another 4-6 weeks. They show no signs of cabin fever yet.

We feel so blessed to have everyone else healthy. Dave's work gave a generous amount from their bake sale to help with medical bills, our ward brought us a deep freeze full of meals, and a box full of toys and activities for our kids. Friends and family have sent packages, letters, emails, and left phone calls. This is a time in my life I will truly remember. It is a humbling and beautiful thing to feel overwhelming amounts of love and support. It is amazing the "fireman/firewoman" type people who run into the burning house when a crisis arises. There have been so many of those people who have been supporting us through this time. We feel so sincerely grateful for all those people in our lives at this time. Thank you. We truly feel loved. Have a wonderful Valentine's Day sharing it with those you love.

No news is good news

Dave has received another platelet transfusion today. He is feeling a lot of pain in his legs. The Physician Assistant said that it is probably muscle spasms from the chemo or electrolyte imbalances. Other than that Dave is doing pretty well. He is feeling tired but is still eating well. We are still hoping to go home tomorrow and feeling oh so anxious to do so. The kids visited last night and we had a great time with them. Dave's work sent him an email this afternoon and said that they are having a bake sale fundraiser for our family tomorrow. We feel so blessed to have such thoughtful friends and family around helping in so many ways. Thank you.

A laugh

Tonight I called the kids to talk. We tried Skype but couldn't see the kids. I sang Ally Jane her songs and she sang back. Then I sang to Grant and after I was done he said, "Thanks mom, I am just scratching my own back." It was so cute that he decided to take care of that since I wasn't there to do it.

Third times a charm!

Well after an all day affair at the hospital (and watching 5 episodes of Law and Order SVU) Dave is 2 bags of blood and one bag of platelets heavier and happier. They found a more specific match to Dave's antibodies and found a platelets that fit him better. They doped him up with anti-rejection meds and infused him slowley but surely. We felt happy that it all came together without a single negative reaction. We did start the day of with some negative intestinal symptoms that for Dave's self respect will go unnamed. But all in all we have made it one day closer to going home. Hurray! Chicken Pot Pies for dinner and no kids today=( But considering that we have seen them every other day we have been gone I'll try not to complain. We talked to them on the phone tonight and they seem to be having a great time with Grandma. Only 3 more days to go and then we get to go home, hopefully.....

Hives, Hives, and More Hives

Well our routine visit turned out to be an experience today. We went in and somehow Dave's platelets had dropped lower than yesterday even after his tranfusion. Platelets are resposible for clotting blood. Anyway, they were cautious and gave him some Benedryl and slowly started the transfusion. He slowly started popping out hives and they stopped gave him hydrocortizone, waited and then started again. Then the hives then went crazy. He had them on his head, stomach, back, arms, and a huge one on one of his eyes. He looked like a prizefighter. They gave him more hydrocortizone and decided it wasn't safe to proceed. We were finally sent home in the afternoon and said to come back tomorrow. The blood bank is going to try to search more closely for antibodies that he may be reacting to inside the platelets. He will recieve two bags of red blood cells tomorrow and a bag of platelets, hopefully all goes well. If not they said he would need to be admittted inpatient. And we don't want that. He has been smiling through it all. And no sickness yet. We feel so happy that he has been able to eat. It is amazing to see the man you love face something like this with courage and optimism. My love and respect for him grows every day. What a man. My mom brought a delicious crockpot dinner and the kids to visit tonight. My mom looked a little overwhelmed with loading and unloading all the kids and dinner to bring. She didn't want to commit to coming again tomorrow, "maybe Wednesday" she said. It's sure a lot of work bringing the kids somewhere when you aren't used to it.

Super Bowl Sunday

We went in for our check-up at the hospital. Dave got another dose of chemo Velcade. He also got an IV antibiotic to help prevent infection. They found in his blood results that his platelets were too low. He received a platelet transfusion. Five hours after being at the hospital we returned to the hotel. Dave had an allergic reaction to the platelets and started getting hives. We contacted the on- call doctor who said to watch him closely and give him Benadryl. The hives went away and he has felt okay so I think we are okay. Good news to report other than that. Dave was told that if he didn't get mouth sores by today that he is probably in the clear. We are feeling exited about that. We also are feeling great that Dave has been able to eat and isn't feeling sick, just tired. The kids came to our hotel tonight with Dave's brother Chris and Amy. We watched the super bowl. It was fun to see them. Ally and I made a felt donut that she has been wanting to learn how to sew and Grant picked out felt for a cupcake he wanted me to make for him. Brody kept us laughing with his dancing and his learning to wink. He is so cute. We love the time we are getting to see the kids. Thanks for the prayers and fasting. We truly have felt the support.

One week in......

The kids came to visit us today. We watched veggie tales, sang songs, and played hide-n-seek. Dave got Velcade chemo through his port yesterday. He is feeling tired but is still doing pretty well. No mouth sores yet not too much upset stomach. We are happy he is doing well. The nurses say that this upcoming Sunday through Thursday are typically the worst days of transplant and that by next Friday he should be feeling better again. The kids had a great week with their Aunt Kimmie. She cleaned our house top to bottom and even cleaned out my hidden junk areas. (I hope I am not the only one with hidden stuff under my bed). Anyway, she went home today and tears were shed we will miss her. Chris and Amy (Dave's brother and wife) are taking them this weekend. I am sure they will have a lot of fun. I feel so grateful for good friends and family. Also, I feel grateful for our doctor close by who was able to diagnose David quickly and know the best treatment for him. Dave and I have a hot date night tonight. A couple of schwans TV dinners and some serious games of PAC-MAN. Dave still beat me even on chemo. Hope you all have a great night.

Neutropenic

Neutropenic basically means your white blood cells are zero and you are unable to fight infection. Dave has reach netropenia today from the high dose chemo that he has been recieving. He was sick this morning but seems to be feeling a little better now and has been able to keep his meds and some food down. We did get special permission to go home and watch the BYU game Saturday night since our hotel doesn't have versus:) We want to let our neighbors know how much we appreciate the meals and acitivities for the kids. They are enjoying them so much. We also want to let friends, co-workers and family know how much we appreciate thier thoughtful gifts, packages, phone calls, posts, and emails. We feel so blessed to have such a supportive and loving fan club for Dave. We have felt your prayers for us. We have truly felt comforted day and night. Even when things feel overwhelming or unsure around us I love the peace that comes through the Spirit and the Savior carrying us through.

Stem Cells Back Today

Dave has been tolerating the chemo pretty well. The nurses says that he will probably be the most sick over the weekend and the early part of next week. Even though Dave has not been sick he somehow has lost another 10 pounds=( Poor guy is doing his best to eat. Since Dave's white blood cell count isn't too low yet the doctor has given us permission to go home and visit the kids. We have gone home Sat, Sun, and Mon and spent the afternoon, eaten dinner, and i got to put the kids into bed. It's amazing how meaningful that becomes to you. A once mundane task that I often couldn't wait to get over with and relax has become the highlight of my day. To be able to scratch my kids backs, sing to them, and assure them that I love them even when apart has been priceless. Each hug and kiss feels so good. My sister Kimberly is there with them this week. My mom and Rod are at home recovering from a long weekend that is more than they are used to. My mom said they took over a 4 hour nap the minute they got home. She says she has a renewed appreciation for the work that young mothers do. Today is our longest day ahead of us. Dave will be getting his stem cells back. They will be given them through his port in his chest. He then will recieve platlet and red blood cell transfusions from donors as needed throughtout the week. We have loved reading the comments on the blog posts. Thanks again everyone for your thoughts and prayers we can feel the support.