To see or not to see...that is the question..

To SEE! To SEE! We had a great appointment this morning with our ophthalmologist. He said that Nate's cornea is already healing and that with some special drops, an antibiotic and a follow-up in a couple weeks, the eye should not have any permanent scARRRRRRRrrring or damage (sorry...couldn't resist).

Praise God! We are so thankful for this good news; it came as an amazing relief. We will still watch closely for infection, and Nate is still in some discomfort, but we are considering the matter closed.

Please thank God with us for showing us this grace!

ARRRRRRRrrrrrrggghhh...

That post title pretty much sums it up.

Earlier this morning, I woke up feeling great (like pre-chemo great) and excited to get back into a normal routine of work and play. In fact, yesterday, Dr. J, the surgeon, gave me a big thumbs up to begin working out (other than, of course, playing the violin and skeet shooting due to my port). I assumed that this also meant I could go back to rough-housing with Carter. Unfortunately, during our playtime, a tiny pointer finger found it's way into my right eye. After trying to shake it off as if nothing happened, it really hurt...like really really hurt...I couldn't open my eye and everything was blurry. Erin called Dr. S (primary care physician) to inquire if this was an eye-threatening condition. He said come in...today. So I did. After dying my eye orange and looking at it under a ultraviolet light, it was very clear that there is a severe corneal abrasion (hence the "patch"). Usually these things heal on their own given time, however, since it is directly on my cornea and could scar which would impact my vision permanently, I am meeting with an eye Dr. tomorrow. I'm also very susceptible to infection right now due to my chemo, so we are taking extra precautions.

Now, there isn't a lot of pain, just more irritation (my bandage isn't too comfortable or stylish either). I am unable to drive and depth perception is...well...non-existant.

Honestly, this has been a really hard day; our hardest yet. In fact, there was a moment this morning when everyone in the house was crying (including the dog). Apparently, for today, it was the straw that broke the Heide's back. However, we know that this too will pass...it better! Thankfully we are quick healers.

I have a follow up appointment with Dr. H, the oncologist, on Friday for blood work to check red and white blood cells and platelets and to chat about how my first round of chemo went.

We would welcome some prayer for the eye doctor to say that everything is fine and no further action needs to be taken...other than maybe don't put tiny fingers in your eyes for a while. Also, please pray for positive attitudes for me, Erin and the rest of my supporting cast (i.e. whomever is reading this).

I will end with one of Erin's favorite jokes:

Why couldn't the kids go see the pirate movie?

Because it was rated ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGhhhhhh

The Adventures of Super Nate (and his Super-Sucky Sidekick)



Sorry for not posting sooner about chemo session #1...but here it is now. :)  So this photo was taken on Thursday just before leaving for treatment. Obviously Nate is a Super Guy out to kick some cancer butt, however, like so many adventures in life, we were a bit under-prepared for the toll that the treatment was going to take on our Super-Nate.

We reported to our oncologist's office promptly at 9:30 a.m. to grab some of the delicious Kansas City Cancer Center coffee (not being sarcastic, it's actually really good coffee!) and do a little more "chemo-training" where we were able to ask final questions, prescriptions were written, etc. From there, we went to the Infusion Suite (which sounds like a cool bar, but it's not). Nate's brand new port was accessed and a ton of "'pre-treatments" were given as well as his 4 different chemo therapies. The whole thing took about 6 hours...it was LONG. Thankfully, we had entertainment via our laptops, phones, each other and an awesome new iPad2 that some of our friends gave Nate as a happy-chemo-present! Also, we were pretty much the hero's of the suite because we brought Monster Cookies that Zach and Kristen brought over the night before.

Nate felt tired and like his body was working hard, but pretty much okay the rest of the afternoon and night (even made it to his weekly guys night for a while). He went to work for a half day on Friday and still felt pretty good other than being a bit run down. Yesterday was not as awesome; some nausea set in and lots of naps were taken. I know no one will believe this, but Nate's appetite is suffering as his taste buds are kinda off. All of these reactions are normal, but still not fun.

So as Super Nate continues to battle (and win) over this cancer, his little sidekick Chemo is helping and will save the day in the end, but for now, the "help" chemo gives is a hard pill (or infusion) to swallow.

Please pray that the good days outweigh the bad and that rest will come easy to Nate (even with a crazy and loud and totally awesome toddler in our house). Please pray for Carter; he knows something is going on and is having a bit of a rough time with sleep and tantrums (which I'm sure is also an age thing :) ). Finally, please pray for grace with one another; gentleness and patience in our house is neeeded during this crazy, overwhelming time.

We continue to be thankful for so many things; anti-nausea medications, amazing friends and family, tasty meals brought over, prayer and encouraging words from people and God's Word.

" For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal."(2 Corinthians 4:17-18)

Feeling "Port"unate

I got flowers from the nurses!!!! Actually they gave them out to everyone today. They did say I was an exemplary patient. I will take the compliment, but in actuality, our nurses and doctors have been incredible and should be the ones getting the flowers. You have to be a very special person to be in that field of work.

Well the portacath is in. They put it right under my left collar bone. It is great because it is under my skin and the tube is also inside, so nothing hanging out to clean.
Dr J did say playing the violin and shooting shotguns on that side of the body can affect the area a bit. (there goes my Tues night)

I am feeling better and recovering well from the surgery. But... looking ahead come the tough steps.

Thursday morning I start the Chemotherapy.

Thanks for all the prayers and good thoughts. Please continue prayer for the doctors and nurses.
Prayer request for me- for Erin and her strength thoughout this week in particular.
You are all amazing people and we treasure you all.

One way to get the most out of life is
to look upon it as an adventure.
William Feather

-Nate

We are so thankful...

Sunset at the Lake

After weeks of sitting in waiting rooms, meeting with doctor, going through procedures and surgeries, shuffling our little Carter around, rearranging schedules and making hard decisions, Nate and I were given some breathing room; no appointments, no procedures and no treatment for a whole week. Plus, a gracious person gave us the opportunity to get away for a few days, just the two of us (check out our view from the porch!)

We want to take this opportunity to write about how thankful we are, even in an unideal situation we find ourselves. Nate and I have been blown away by the grace of God and our family and friends during this time in our lives. Here are just a few of the things that are keeping us going in the right direction:

• We are thankful for our faith; without it, I think our outlook on life would be a grim and bitter one
• We are thankful for our families and friends: their gifts of time, love and support are inspiring
• We are thankful for living close to both of our families: their amazing support and their care of Carter has been irreplaceable
• We are thankful for our doctors: we have an amazing team of gifted and caring doctors that we trust and have the utmost respect for.
• We are thankful that Nate is on the young-side :-) and healthy: his chances of kicking this cancer for good is great and the fact that he takes care of himself make his odds even greater.
• We are thankful for our past experiences that will help us through this time in our lives
• We are thankful that Nate's lymphoma is one of the most curable and that it was found in an early stage
• We are thankful that both of us have jobs that are flexible.
• We are thankful that Carter is such an amzaing kid, who keeps us on our toes at all time and frankly makes it impossible to feel down about anything for more than 10 seconds at a time :)
• We are so thankful for all of the prayers being said over Nate and for healing and patience

There are so many other things to be thankful for, but that's the quick list for now.

Please continue to pray for our attitudes. We want to have the best possible during this time (and for all times) in our lives, and lately we have been struggling with feeling tired and overwelmed.

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." Philippians 4:6

The Plan of Attack

Just quick update on the plan of attack. Next Monday (8/20), Nate will have a port put in to make it easier to administer chemo therapy. He will have a few days to recover from the surgery and then chemo will start on that Thursday (8/23). The current protocol is that Nate will have 4 treatments of chemo over the course of 2 months (one treatment every two weeks) and then, if new scans show improvement, he will pass go and move on to radiation. The radiation will be administered every day for about a month…wowzer, right? And then, hopefully, that’s it! J

We thank you all for your prayers and support!

Opinion number two

Met with Dr Y today. Gave us a great and confirming second opinion. He explained that there is a 90% chance of cure when using combo chemo and radiation. ABVD (the chemo treatment regiment) has been used for the last 50 years with much success. We feel ready to move forward now that we are confident on the direction to take to kick this thing.
What is next you may ask yourself? We are scheduling a port placement and a consultation with the radiologist oncologist. Yeah!
We just ask for continued prayers and good vibes for the port procedure, and patience with the chaotic scheduling of appointments (so thankful for such a flexible work situation and amazing wife).
Like in the olympics- we are "on our mark."

Nate