Bad Turn

When Melissa started this blog her idea was to use it as a way to keep anyone interested, informed on how her treatment was going and also how we were doing as a family.   At the moment she isn't in a condition to write a post, so here goes my attempt at an update. 

Mel’s most recent post detailed how she had been switched to a less aggressive form of treatment.  That was a hard reality for us to face.  We were put in a situation where we just had to stay in the fight as long as possible.  With the best treatments for her cancer not an option, our only hope is that she can survive long enough that a new treatment becomes available, or some medical miracle occurs where the cancer just disappears. At this point neither of those options seems likely.  Mel had a CT scan earlier this week and it showed she has developed blood clots in her lungs.  She was already taking a full dose of blood thinners so that was pretty bad to discover.  Also, there has been a progression in the disease in her liver, not good either.  Additionally she has been having fluid build-up in her stomach which has diminished her appetite and given her bad heart burn when she did feel like eating.  Mel did have the fluid drained on Friday and her doctor increased the dose on her blood thinners so we were hoping to see an improvement in her health.  Unfortunately she has taken a pretty bad turn over the weekend.  She was very drowsy on Friday night, which had been the case in the evenings over the last while, but it just seemed a little worse.  Then when I went to wake her yesterday she was noticeably worse.  Since Friday night she hasn't left our bedroom and has been sleeping most of the time.  She will have short periods when she is lucid, but after a few minutes she just fades off.  I called her doctor and he came by the house to check on her.  At this point with so many problems it is challenging to know for certain what is causing her current state, but most likely she is in liver failure.  There is a chance she may bounce back from this, but there is also the chance she may not.  We talked with her doctor about how we wanted to handle the situation including where Mel wanted to pass.  Mel decided she wanted to stay at home as long as possible, so this is where we stay.  It is impossible to predict what the next few days will hold for us, but I know Mel will keep fighting.  I was lying in bed with her last night worried she may not make it through the night and the next thing I know, she is getting up to go brush her teeth.  She is so tough!

We aren't alone in this, and family and close friends have come by to offer assistance and support.  We are grateful to have a group to rely on.  We are also grateful to anyone who has sent a text or email of support and also to anyone who has had a good thought for us.  Thank you.

Will

Not What We Were Expecting

So we went in for our chemo today. We had a round 2 weeks ago, that seemed to go quite well. It took me a little bit longer to recover from, but it was only one day that was bad, and after that I started to feel quite good.  It seemed like things were heading the direction we wanted.  Anyways, we went in today, pretty positive on what was going to happen.

Unfortunately my biliruben numbers have gone up. They had been decreasing each week since the stents went in, and the only thing different was the chemo.  The doctor figures that my liver isn't tolerating the aggressive chemo any longer.  Also, that chemo is not an option with my bili numbers where they are, and there is no point waiting and hoping for a few weeks that they will go down again, just to try again and have this happen again. So we went with the next plan. It is a different form of chemo. It works very differently then traditional forms and apparently it won't affect my liver function.

Hopefully this one works well. The plan is to get it every 2 weeks. We will also do a ct scan soon and then again in a few months to see if it working.

Please keep praying and thinking about us!

Beds

We have had a fairly low key and normal week, which was really nice for us! The highlights of it were switching beds.

We moved Liam out of his crib and into a "big boy bed". It has only been one night and nap time, but it has gone well so far. We were a little bit worried that he would be climbing in and out and leaving the room, but he seemed pretty excited to sleep in it. Hopefully this trend keeps up. We did it now because he had started climbing/falling out of the playpen downstairs and I really didn't want it to happen in his crib. Also, as I am feeling well right now I thought it was a good time. I really wanted to be part of the whole transition process and I feared that if we waited until we HAD to do it, that I wouldn't be feeling well and would have been left on the sidelines for that milestone. So, bed is in place, crib was given to a nice family and I am really happy with the way it all went.

The second bed transition was for me! We got rid of the hospital bed!! I probably could have taken it down a few weeks ago, but it was such a luxury. It really was comfortable, and so convenient to be able to raise the head or feet with the touch of a button. The downside was, it was a hospital bed, but it was only a few feet away from Will, so it didn't seem so bad. Last night went quite well back in our regular bed. My back was a little bit more sore than usual when I woke up, but I had a pretty decent sleep and I can only imagine that it will get better.

More good news...Will had his last appointment with the cast clinic and his last set of X-rays. He was given the thumbs up to go ahead with any regular activities, including bike riding. This was the news we were expecting, but it was still nice to hear from a doctor that he wouldn't hurt himself further by doing everyday things.

My dad also had a birthday a few days ago. Happy Birthday Dad!

All in all, life is moving along as smooth as it goes for us right now. We will hopefully have a nice weekend, and then back to chemo on Monday.

Thanks again for all the thoughts and well wishes.

6 Years Ago

I didn’t realize Mel was going to post something today, I had been thinking about this one for awhile so here goes....

Six years ago today, Melissa and I had our first date.   Now most people wouldn’t characterize either of us as smooth and the end of our first date was a bit awkward.  When I got home my roommate Geoff asked me how things went.  I answered that I had a good time and hoped I would get a chance to see Melissa again.  But, I wasn’t sure if she felt the same.  I remember mentioning to Geoff that if she didn’t want to see me again, she had raised my expectations about the kind of woman I wanted to spend time with. So it was fair to say I was pretty taken with her from the start.   Happily, Mel called me the next day to set up our second date.  From there things were pretty awesome, our brief history has us at some point moving in together, getting engaged, getting married, moving into a new house, having our first kid, and then having a second kid.  Basically, from the night of our first date and for the next five years (and I think Mel would agree with this) life was pretty close to perfect. Not that we didn’t have some challenges and rough times to deal with, but on a whole, life was pretty sweet.  From my perspective I met this awesome woman who was the person I wanted to share my life with, I had a job that isn’t like work a lot of time, we have all our family close by, and we have a great network of friends while we live in an amazing community.  Honestly I couldn’t have asked for anything else.  

Now from that, to sitting in a doctor’s office and hearing that Mel has cancer last May things have changed quite a bit.  Honestly the sixth year has been far from perfect.  I really can’t express how all the anxiety, stress, and fears make me feel.  There have been some pretty shitty moments to deal with, but we have been getting through them.  And, despite all of that, we have had some amazing times in our sixth year together.  Some of the highlights for me were, Kristie and Jonny’s wedding, a trip to Nova Scotia, and getting to ride Mel’s lap of the Test of Humanity with her.  But, the best times of the last year were just spent together, watching Sophie and Liam grow up.  This morning we took them to the BMX track and watched them rip around on their run bikes and then this afternoon we sat together and watched them play in our backyard....that was pretty perfect.   

Fortunately we still have the family close by, the great friends, and the awesome community all giving us tremendous support.  Mel has been amazing through this whole process, and I am only speaking for myself, but without the support we have received I am pretty sure I would have cracked and failed, at doing what I have to do, to be there for my wife and kids.  Thank you!

Heading into our 7th year together I am grateful that Mel called to set up that second date, and I am looking forward to more good times together.

Thanks for reading,

Will

Overdue Post

I apologize for not updating this blog in such a long time. I don't really have a reason why. I kept meaning to and just got lazy/ran out of time/forgot. I've been receiving quite a few messages lately asking if everything is okay, so I guess it is time for an update.

There have been a lot of ups and downs over the past 6 weeks. My pelvis has healed up nicely. I was able to walk without assistance fairly quickly. I still have problems carrying things or lifting things past my waist, but I am able to pick up Liam and put him onto the change table and crib. During the day I am able to do normal activities again and take care of the kids. This is something that I really do not take for granted as there was a chunk of time in there when this was not possible.

My liver pretty much started to fail on me. I was all yellow and my numbers were through the roof. I really did not realize how important liver function is, but I have never felt so sick in my life. I ended up having another ERCP  and this time they put 2 stents into my liver. They used bigger ones this time in hopes that they would work better.. They did...eventually. The next day I was really sick. By the evening I was having fever and chills so we went into the ER. I was put on antibiotics and they took some blood cultures. I turns out I did have an infection, but the antibiotics worked quickly and cleared it up. Since then I gradually felt better and better. My liver numbers have been going down drastically. My eyes and skin are back to a normal colour.

Now we are just waiting to start chemo. We have been waiting for my liver numbers to be low enough, so hopefully we will be able to do that tomorrow.

Other than that we have been enjoying this nice weather and being able to get outside more with the kids. We are so grateful for everyone that has helped us out over these past weeks. I really don't know how we could have done it alone.

Thanks for thinking about me!

The twists continue

Over the next couple of days, I made some progress as far as walking goes. I could walk unassisted for short distances and had managed to climb a few stairs and walk on the sand. In the "coherent" department I was deteriorating. We would be sitting somewhere and my eyes would just roll back in my head and I would pass out. I was also running  a low grade fever. We bought a thermometer Wednesday morning and my temp was 101. I spent the morning at the beach and after lunch it had gone up to 103.3 That was too high. Will and my dad went into the other room and had a little discussion. They came out and told me in no uncertain terms that I was going home. It was about 1pm.  We grabbed our passports and wallets and my dad drove us to the airport. We were able to get on the 3pm flight. The bonus of being in a wheel chair is you don't have to wait at security or customs. Anyways, we got on the plane and arranged for Will's parents to meet us at the airport in Vancouver. The flight was smooth. My fever had broken and I was convinced that the next morning we would be flying back to Maui.

Van and Maura picked us up and took us to Richmond Hospital. It appeared that the wait was going to be a few hours so we decided to drive to Penticton. We arrived at the ER just before 6am. I was immediately hooked up iv antibiotics (figured better to start the antibiotics before waiting for test results). Blood was taken. I was then taken for an assortment of X-rays. I kept explaining to everyone that the bruises and how I was walking was related to the accident, not why I was here. During an abdominal X-ray, the tech comes out and says, "I can't say anything, but make sure your doctor looks at your pelvis". Before I had made it back to my room, I was called in for a ct scan to check on the pelvis. Sure enough there was a crack in front and in back. The Radiologist came into the room and was laughing so hard that I had been walking around with a broken pelvis for the past 5 days and had no idea.

Once back in the room, a doctor came and saw us and said that my hemoglobin was really low (59). Apparently the broken pelvis would cause the drop in hemoglobin and also my fever and why I had no energy and kept falling asleep. It looks like it won't need surgery. Thank goodness! I was so excited that I had some medical thing that was NOT related to cancer. But then, really, cancer AND a broken pelvis in a year??

I was admitted to the hospital to receive blood transfusions. I received 4 units and wow did those every make me feel better. While there I saw a lot of different doctors. I was asked if I wanted to come home or stay to recover, I jumped at the come home part. The doctor laughed. I also saw a OT and a PT that set me up with lots of equipment for use at home. The walker is awesome.

I was so excited to get home. The first thing I did was walk up the stairs to have a shower. It was great to be with the kids again as well. Unfortunately during the night, I discovered I couldn't sleep in my bed. It is much more comfortable to be upright. My sister moved me onto the couch and this afternoon a hospital bed was dropped off for me to sleep in.

We are so thankful for the amount of help we have. Not just with our families, but with our amazing friends who have organized food drop off. We are going to be well fed over here.

Will is doing well. His walking is getting much better and the cuts on his feet are started to heel nicely. We are 1 week in. 5 more until he can bend or pick anything up.

As always, we really appreciate all your prayers and thoughts!

p.s. am taking some pretty strong pain killers so if certain parts don't make sense, that's why.

You couldn't make this up...

Just a waning, this is really long. Feel free to skip the accident towards the bottom.

Okay so quick update on the medical stuff. My liver enzymes were still too high to receive chemo. They had come down a very slight amount, but not nearly enough. I was xrayed and stent is still in correct place so it's just a waiting game. The surgeon who put my stent in advised us not to go to Hawaii. He said I was still at risk for infection and my liver could potentially get worse while we are away. Because these are preexisting conditions they would not be covered under insurance. We decided to roll the dice and if something came up we would fly back to Canada ASAP.

Now the interesting stuff....

We drove down to Vancouver on Wednesday. I had an appointment so Will dropped me off and he and the kids were going to go to Granville Island and play in the kidzone. On the way there he realized our brakes were squealing and not working well. Luckily there is a repair shop right in the entrance and they were able to take the van in. The rear brakes had to be replaced. Luckily that all got dealt with and we had a working van again.

Thursday morning we flew to Hawaii. The kids were so excited, as were their parents. They were awesome on the plane. I sat with Sophie and she was so happy. My sister had made her a special little backpack full of activities and snacks and they kept her occupied. Will and Liam and my parents were together and they did well too. Liam was really good. We landed, got our car, and started driving.

My parents were staying in Ka'anapali and we were staying in Haiku for 2 nights. They are about 1.5hours apart. The drive was beautiful we stopped at a great store and got lots of yummy food and found our house. It was a huge "treehouse" in the middle of the jungle. It was gorgeous and secluded. Once we ate and got the kids in bed, Will and I relaxed on the lanai taking in the sounds and smells of the island. Ahh, our much awaited vacation in paradise was here!

The following day, my parents made the trek out to see where we were staying. We then went and ate at Mama's Fish House. It's an amazing restaurant with killer views. The kids were great once again and we finally felt like we were getting into vacation mode. We spent the afternoon at our place. The kids had fun running around the yard and lanai and looking at all the birds. We did absolutely nothing and it was perfect.

Saturday morning we woke up and I had this thought, "I'm sure glad we switched our flights to come early, we are only meant to be driving to Vancouver right now"

We packed up and had everyone dressed in bathing suits. We were planning on going to a lava field and nearby waterfall before heading to the resort in Ka'anapali. This is where things get really interesting.

We climbed into the car and Will backed up so we could turn around and get out the driveway. It had rained a ton and one wheel got a little stuck in the mud. I tried to put it in drive and give it gas as he pushed, it didn't work. Not 100% how the next few minutes happened, but I was outside the car pushing on the dash and Will was pushing from behind. Somehow I got the car into neutral or reverse or something and it started going backwards. We didn't realize we were at the edge of a hill. I tried to reach in and hit the brake with my hand and Will tried to jump into the car. We both failed and were both pushed over and dragged slightly downhill. Luckily the car door hit a tree and stopped the car. I got up and hobbled over to Sophie and took her out of her carseat. It was obvious the kids were okay. Thank God. Will was on the phone with 911 and he couldn't get up so I took the phone and crawled out of the ravine/ditch. It was total chaos from here.  I managed to find the neighbour's license plate number so they could track us as we didn't know the address. I then climbed to the top of the driveway to wait. I could hear the kids screaming. Sophie was too scared to climb out and Will knew he was hurt so he didn't move. I knew I was hurt, but okay. Nothing was that painful so I knew I didn't have anything broken.

The cops came and carried Sophie and Liam to me. We got out of the rain and sat on a bench...and remained on the same bench for the next 4 hours. Once the ambulance arrived, they carried Will out on a spine board. That was pretty scary. He was strapped down with a neck brace. They asked if I wanted to get checked out and I said I did. However, they couldn't bring the kids in the ambulance, so that was out of the question. At some point a tow truck was called and my dad was called. The cops slowly left the scene. Once the tow truck arrived, we realized it hadn't brought a replacement car. I now realize I wouldn't have been able to drive it anyways. Plans changed and they left us one at the airport, my dad turned around and went to the airport and got the mini van and then continued the rest of the way to us. I broke down as soon as he got there. The kids had been awesome. They missed lunch (we shared a cookie and a piece of pita bread that was in our day pack) and Liam was missing his nap. We loaded the carseats in and all the suitcases and started driving towards the hospital.

When we got there, Will was still in emergency. He has two fractured ribs and 4 fractured vertebrae. They were planning on keeping him overnight for pain relief.

We continued towards the resort. By this point Kristie and Jonny had also landed and were on their way to the hotel. We got there and Kristie and Jonny took me and the kids and all our stuff to the room. I rode on a baggage cart! My dad went back to the hotel he and my mom had stayed in the past few days to find her. She hadnt heard from us for about 4 hours so was very relived to know that everyone was okay.

We are so thankful that we weren't injured worse, and that my family is here. Kristie and Jonny have spent the last 2 nights on our fold out couch so that they could deal with the kids in the middle of the night and help me get in and out of bed. I did go get xrays, and nothing is broken. I am just extremely bruised and swollen. If I am sitting still I am comfortable but it is really really hard to move.

Will ended up having to stay 2 nights at the hospital and just got back this afternoon. He is in a back brace and can't lift anything for 6 weeks.

It will be an unforgettable vacation to say the least.