Surgery: Part II

Nearly six months later, the second half of Dan's cancer resection has been scheduled and set in stone for this Friday, July 16th. The CT Dan had last week showed that his liver grew back some, but not the extend the surgeon had hoped/expected. Accordingly, the surgery plan has been modified to leave Dan with more healthy liver tissue. We have a meeting with the surgeon on Wednesday at which time we can explain the details.

This week will obviously be a busy one: we leave on Tuesday for Lodi, meeting with the surgeon and pre-anesthesia appointment on Wednesday, and then surgery on Friday. It will be nice to see our families before spending more time in the hospital.

As I am starting my new job on the 26th, I have to be back to SoCal the Wednesday following the surgery for a couple days of pre-hire appointments. I'll drive back up to Stanford with a friend for the weekend, and then start orientation on Monday. All that to say, I won't be able to stay with Dan throughout the recovery. I'll try to drive or fly when I can on the weekends, but it will be rough.

God-willing, this recovery will be much faster and smoother than Dan's previous surgeries. The liver is prone to bleeding and becoming quite angry when "attacked". Thus, there are quite a few complications that can arise after surgery. Yes, it is true that this surgery could leave Dan cancer-free. Yet, we are focusing on Dan's recovery before we glory in the possibility of remission.

Dan is doing fine: not worried, confident and encouraging. I am fine for now, though I'll get more nervous by the day. To be frank, I'd rather have a healthy/happy husband with a small of tumor than a sick/suffering husband without cancer. I do understand that it is possible to have a health AND cancer-free Dan. It's just the surgeries and hospitalizations and complications that keep me from believing it's possible any time soon.

Anyway, time for prayer requests. People often ask what they can do for us in times like this. Eventually, there may be material needs, but for now, our needs are spiritual. Please go before God on our behalf in preparation for Friday.

* Ask God to guide the surgeons' hands and minds, giving them wisdom and assurance.

* A safe and successful surgery

* No complications, especially bleeding and infection

* Pain management (it's going to be tricky with Dan's modified liver)

* Quick recovery

* Cooperative digestive system: no bowel obstructions!

* Peace for me and the rest of the family

* Endurance for me

Transition. No fade, more like a wipe.

In case you don't understand the title, it's in reference to film transitions. A fade is, as it sounds, a slow mixing of two shots that's nice and smooth. A wipe is what you see in Star Wars a lot where the new shot sort of rolls abruptly across the screen.

There, I used my degree.

So in the last 3 weeks, much has happened. The bowel obstruction scare came and went, though Ashley is still concerned I might wake up one morning with that same intense pain. God willing, I never will again. Ashley took the NCLEX (the national certification process for RNs) on June 21st. It is said that the devil works at the NCLEX. It's true, or at least it feels like it. It is by far the most intense, draining, ulcer-inducing test I have ever heard of, and that's just studying for it. Taking the actual test must be like facing a firing squad. But the absolute worst part is after you take the test. Everyone leaves the testing center feeling like they failed, and California is one of the states that does NOT participate in a 48-hours-later-pay-10-bucks-and-find-out-if-you-passed program (and they need the money, why not?). So you're left waiting and agonizing for 1-4 weeks, praying to have passed but dreading that you failed.

Anyway, we found out on Wednesday that Ashley PASSED! (thanks Monique for waking us up at 5am) It was an answer to fervent prayer and a huge relief. Once the official license comes in the mail, she'll be all set. Also, Ashley got a job at Whittier PIH on an observation floor (where you end up if you go to the ER and the doctor doesn't quite want you to go home yet, but you can't stay in the ER). Hopefully, after some time on that floor she can transfer to the adjacent oncology floor (which is Ashley's desired specialty). So... that's AWESOME.

That also means that we are sure (for the first time) where we will live this coming year(s). We found a nice apartment to move into, and we're moving from Biola housing to.......morrow. Yeah. It's been crazy packing up our lives. I wish I had two good hips instead of one, because it has relegated me to non-heavy lifting only, which doesn't sit well with my exceeding manliness. (Ashley laughs... but she knows it's true) However, we have some awesome friends helping us out. We're both excited for our new place.

So, up next is this: I have a CT on July 6th to see how much my liver has grown after the portal vein embolization. If it has grown a sufficient amount to sustain liver function, then Surgery: The Sequel will be premiering on July 16th to lop off the bad section of liver. Hopefully, there will be a quick recovery, because Ashley has orientation at the hospital starting July 26th. I can resume my schooling at UCI in January (where I left off last year), so until then I will apply to sub and/or seek a short-term job to keep myself occupied and start attacking student loans. Also, there will soon be an addition to the Howen family....

No, not a baby. A kitten! It is yet to be named. But you can bet there will be pictures eventually.

Anyway, this is getting really long, especially for me. Keep praying for us, especially for no more obstructions, good liver growth and a complication-free surgery. And make sure to praise and thank God profusely for the blessings we have received.

Dan

Praying to stay put

So, since last week, Dan has recovered well from his liver procedure. No complications, not much pain. We went to a wedding on Sunday and drove home on Monday morning. I've been finishing my NCLEX review to prepare for later in the month and applying to jobs. Dan's been playing lots of Madden football and eating :) Accordingly, I'd say things have been going well.

Until this morning.

Now, we aren't in any emergency or crisis as of yet, just preparing for one. Dan woke up with a bit of belly pain on his left side. Though it isn't nearly as bad as in March, the symptoms are pointing toward a possible bowel obstruction. Thankfully, he isn't feeling really sick, just a little pain and crampy. Rather than freak out, we talked to his surgeon who agreed that the symptoms sound like a very early, mild obstruction. So, Dan will be on clears at home today and tomorrow to see if it can resolve on its own. If it doesn't get completely better, we have an appointment on Monday at Stanford. If it gets worse, Dan needs to be admitted again.

Our biggest concern now is determining where to do the waiting. If it resolves, it'd be nice not to drive all the way back up. Yet, if Dan needs to be admitted, we want him to be at Stanford. So, by tomorrow, we'll decided whether or not to drive up north again. I don't want to wait too long and have Dan feeling miserable all the way up, but Dan doesn't want to jump the gun.

The timing of another bowel obstruction is not great. This is crunch time for me to study for NCLEX (nursing boards), so I can pass the first time. (Yes, I got great grades in college and am a good test taker. That does not imply that I will pass the boards. It is a different beast. Please, do not comment on my odds of "doing fine" right now). Having Dan in the hospital would be a rather large distraction from my focus. Additionally, we need to be preparing to move into another apartment. Once I know where I'm working, we can put a lease on an apartment and move. Yet, with Dan admitted, I'd be doing the looking, leasing and moving without a hubby.

All this to say, Dan needs prayer--a lot of it. God has been with us throughout Dan's suffering and trials. Our prayer is that God would intercede before everything turns bad this time. Pray that whatever obstruction there is would be able to clear on its own. Pray that Dan would be able to recover completely at home. Pray that there would be no need for another trip to Stanford. Pray that if (IF) Dan gets admitted, this hospital stay would be very very short. Better yet, pray that Dan doesn't even have an obstruction at all!
A prayer or two for me to be able to study intently and pass the boards the first time would also be appreciated.

I will obviously keep you all updated, though there may not be any news for a while.

Pray pray pray.

Rough day? A bit.

So, Dan's procedure went well and ended at about 7pm. He had to stay in recovery for a while to wake up, and the doctor decided to keep him overnight to watch for possible complications. Dan's still really tired, though he woke up long enough to eat some jello and crackers. He's not in a lot of pain, but his stomach is wobbly. He won't go so far as to say it's sick feeling, but he's not feeling great. Stupid anesthesia.
Tonight we watch for his ability to keep fluids and food down and make sure his liver isn't bleeding through the wound it got today. As long as Dan can eat breakfast well and isn't actively bleeding tonight, he'll be discharged in the morning.

Amazingly, Dan was given a private room AND I got a cot! What? The first day? Awesome.
I've been sitting here applying for nursing jobs, while he's asleep. The nursing job market is horrible to say the least. Several polite rejections after making it through the last interview process is getting old. You'd think graduating top of the class, having CNA experience and good communication skills would get you somewhere...not quite.

Dan and I are really beginning to feel the strain of the unknown. We need to know where I'm working before we can move, and we have to be out of our apt on June 19th. Prayers for guidance and a job are coveted. I know that God is guiding me to where He wants me, but this time period kinda sucks.

Prayer Requests:
* No bleeding or complications
* Dan's ability to eat and a hearty appetite
* Safe discharge tomorrow
* Continued health of bowels (no obstructions ever)
* Great re-growth of liver tissue
* A job for me...soon!
* Peace in yet another period of unknown

Another Procedure

I have to type this very quickly because the hospital has decided that they don't like people blogging on their wireless...thus, I am only allotted 10 minutes on our blog. Weird? Yes.
Anyway, we're back in Palo Alto (SHC) for Dan's embolization procedure. Things are running late, so Dan just got taken back to the preop phase. We have even spoken to the doctor yet. They will blocking off the right portal vein (blood supply to the right lobe of the liver) to allow for quicker regrowth of his liver. We have been told that this should be just an overnight stay, so we're really hoping and praying for no complications and a fast recovery.
I'll keep you posted when I can, but just be in prayer as the procedure should be starting in about an hour.

Prayer Requests:
* Successful procedure
* No complication
* Open and happy bowels without obstructions
* Safe discharge tomorrow as planned
* NO SURPRISES!!!
* Keeping Dan at home with me in SoCal for a lot longer :)

Steady Freddy

Since I've had a few people mention that they haven't read anything new on the blog for a while, I thought we should probably blog again.

Since the last blog, we have gone to Stanford twice for meetings with the surgeon and the oncologist. Dan's wound is healing, but being difficult. He still has a hole the size of a dime, which has to be packed a couple times a day. Luckily, his second surgical wound looks good...and will hopefully stay that way.

Aside from advising us on the wound situation, the docs also met with us to make a decision regarding the next step. Due to the several complications and setbacks, Dan hadn't truly been able to recover from any of his surgeries and was being a bit pressured to "hurry up" with the next one. Dan and I set about intelligently gathering information and advice from his doctors to assure we were making the right decisions. Honestly, his docs agreed that he needed more time to heal, but still advised surgery as the next step. Accordingly, we are looking at the second half of the surgery late in the summer.

Another good part to the doctors wanting to let Dan heal is that the embolization procedure (cutting off the blood supply to the right side of the liver to test regrowth of the left side) is going to be after graduation. Yay! One less thing to stress about for now.

Did I mention I'm graduating next week? Yes, you read that correctly. Next week! My clinical hours are finished, my research hours are finished, my classes are finished, and I have very little left to do. This is a strange season. My friends are beginning to move away, we are competing against each other for jobs, and we're saying goodbye after 5 years of constant together-ness. Weird and sad, but necessary.

Next week's schedule:
Monday-Class party
Tuesday-Senior Baccalaureate (reflection?)
Wednesday-Epsilon Kappa Epsilon Honor Society Ceremony
Thursday-Pinning Ceremony (Traditional nursing graduation)...a BIG DEAL
Friday-Fun with family!!!
Saturday-Graduation!!!

We have a busy week ahead of us, but it is so exciting. We're looking forward to beginning a new chapter of our lives soon...new apartment, new jobs, no school, no more cancer...God willing.

Prayer Requests:
* No complications or new problems
* No hospitalizations or illnesses until after graduation
* A job! (I've had 4 interviews)
* Safe travels for family coming down
* A safe and uncomplicated embolization procedure

The Latest

We're headed back to Stanford for Dan's first appointment since being released a few weeks ago. It has been nice to have a break from doctor appointments and tests and such. Hopefully, this will be an easy appointment with no need for tests and no need for any hospital admissions. Basically, we're praying for good news and no surprises.

I've still been doing dressing changes 3 times a day, which is getting tiring for both Dan and I. Yet, I'd rather do it at home than have a nurse do it in the hospital. Dan's new incision is healing nicely (finally), while we were within a week of his old wound healing and it opened up a bit again. A blister formed over the scar tissue, the blister popped a couple nights ago, and gave us a bit of a scare since it bled quite a bit. We thought it was healing back up, but today the new tissue split a little again revealing an open hole under his scar. Ugh. Hopefully, it's just a hole in the scar tissue under the scar, and it will heal up completely.

I'm thankful it happened right before a doctor appointment, so I can get the surgeon's advice. Please pray this is just a little hole from the blister and not anything serious at all. Dan's not worried; his dad isn't worried, but of course, I am worried. I've gotten used to Dan actually being home. I really don't want to have him leave again. :(

Anyway, time is speeding by. I have 12 hours (out of 188) of clinical time left. Graduation is in 28 days. Wow. Please be in prayer that Dan and I can share in this next month living together and celebrating the end of nursing school without any complications or hospitalizations. Having my husband with me for senior banquet, Pinning and graduation would be the greatest graduation present imaginable. So, ask God for this good gift with me :)