Crunch Time!

So, Nate and I were talking and he asked me to write a post. "When was the last post?" I asked.  Nate: "A week ago..."
 Sorry we have not written in a week! Time flies, and we are actually doing better than we have been in a LONG time. Sarah has been well and has been tolerating her methotrexate chemo with flying colors this round. She has a few days after the chemo where her sense of smell is heightened, and the nausea sets in-BUT she has not vomited in a l-o-n-g time! This past weekend she even got to go out to eat with Nate and Lilly at Red Robin (her choice), and then play at a park near Northgate Mall.
Tomorrow I take her in get an EKG and Echocardiogram to make sure her heart is tolerating the chemo meds. too. Then on Friday she will get more chemo if her blood counts are within limits. Oh the joy of having the Seattle Children's hospital be our social life!
On a positive note Nana Pheobe and Aunt Tonya will be arriving this weekend sometime, HURRAY!! They are coming to help us pack up and move to the new house, the move is set to happen next weekend, the 8th and 9th of June. We are all getting excited, and nervous, and excited again.
We are grateful for your concern for us and Sarah. Many times I sit and ponder on those who have done so much for us, and it brings me to my knees! I thank the Lord we are privileged to know so many wonderful people who do not weary in their acts of service. Thank you, we are blessed!  

Wednesday, May 23 2012

It has almost been a week since the last update.  Lilly got worse with her cough and went to after hours on Saturday.  They put her on Asthma medicine and she followed up with her doctor on Tuesday.  Her doctor is putting her on Flovent just like Sarah.  She says that our children are just predisposed to asthma.  Hopefully Gus won't follow his sisters in that regard.

Gus riding his Lightning McQueen

Sarah is taking a while to get rid of her cough as well.  She had an appointment today and we were told that they had not scheduled an appointment that she needed for tomorrow (Thursday).  So we need to go back to the clinic tomorrow to have Sarah get another chemo medicine.

Gus reading books

Things have been busy.  We are trying to figure out all the things that need to get done for our move.  We are grateful for all the support that have been offered and given to us.  Thank you so much.

Quick Update - Thurs May 17, 2012

Sarah has had a low grade fever on and off since Monday night.  Last night she kept the fever around 99.5 all night.  We called in the morning and the clinic wanted to see her.  So I moved meetings and took Sarah in after dropping Lilly off at school.  Unfortunately, Sarah needed to get a nasal swab as well as some blood taken for labs.  Sarah is not a fan of the nasal swab.  We got it done.  The doctor didn't have much to add.  Her ears were clear and he didn't see anything else out fo the ordinary with her.  Later in the day we got a call that she is positive for rhino virus, which is the common cold.  At least it isn't RSV again.....

Jess found an awesome video made by the hemoc ward at Seattle Children's Hospital.  Sarah has had a number of the nurses in the video and we recognize the rooms and the hallways all to well.  This is a great example of how awesome the nurses and staff are in the hemoc ward.

We are grateful for all the love that is shown to us.  We feel your love each day and it strengthens us and helps us to continue on the path before us.  Thank you.

Tuesday May 15, 2012

The past two days have warmed up quite a bit.  I wore shorts to work and rode my bike for the first time this year.  I did a lot better than I thought I would.  The Dexter hill that I was worried about, wasn't that hard and I kept a decent pace up it.  Well, I was in my granny gear, but I wasn't going my slowest.  Spring has finally come to Seattle.

Sarah's appointment yesterday was surprising.  When we got there and they accessed her port, the nurse couldn't get any blood return.  This happened once before and it took a couple of hours to get it working again.  I wasn't looking forward to the wait.  They have some medicine called HPA that will dissolve any clots blocking the port.  However, before the clinic gives it, they want a chest x-ray to make sure that the port is still in the right place.  So they send us down a floor to radiology.  We check in and the orders weren't in for the x-ray yet.  The secretary comes over to us after a couple of minutes and tells us that she is working with the clinic and it will be just a minute.  After a few minutes, they get us back to the x-ray room and Sarah gets her x-ray.

We make are way back up to the clinic.  This is the part I am dreading.  I figure that she will get the HPA and then we will be waiting in the hallway chairs for a hour.  Sarah is still flagged as being in isolation because a nasal swab hasn't shown a negative for RSV yet.  A nurse comes to get us quickly, and takes us to a room.  Odd, I thought.  I let them know that Sarah hasn't had labs yet, and the nurse says she will check with the PA that Sarah was seeing.  Laura, the PA, comes in a few minutes later and asks a few questions.  She asks if Sarah was offered a finger poke to get half of the labs.  Sarah was scheduled for a back poke and they had to make sure that her platelets were high enough before going forward.  I told her that she wasn't and she gets it setup.  One of Sarah's favorite nurses, Aaron, comes in a gives Sarah a finger poke and puts the HPA in the port.  At this point we aren't that far behind schedule, but we need to wait an hour to get the port working for the back poke and to get the rest of the labs.

Sarah taking a nap before her back poke

Sarah decided to take a nap while she waited the hour.  Aaron came in and got the port working.  Sarah went in for the back poke and she was only 45 minutes behind schedule.  While she was under, I went down to the Starbucks and got Sarah a donut because I know that she needs food when she wakes up quick.  She woke up cranky but chowed down on the donut.  Amanda, one of the other nurses, made sure that they kept Sarah on fluids after the procedure, reducing the amount of time we had to spend giving her fluid before she got her chemo.  Aaron took us back to a room and finished out giving Sarah fluid and getting her Chemo medicine.  We ended up getting out of the clinic about 12:30ish, about the same time I was expecting to be done.  Kudos for the nurses, who got us out on time.  It was nice to get out much earlier than I expected, with the port issue.

Sarah's appetite has dropped the past couple of days.  Jess, Lilly, and Gus have also had a little tummy bug.  Sarah and Lilly both had small fever's yesterday.  Sarah didn't break the 101 mark, so we didn't have to call or take her into the ED.  We are grateful for that.  We just need to get Sarah to eat anything we can over the next few days.  This is what happens with the methotrexate.  At least we aren't giving her doses that require her to stay in the hospital.

We are grateful for all the love and support.  We hope the Lord will bless you greatly.

A Quiet Mother's Day

Today was a good day.  We all got to go to church today.  That always makes things nice.  There were some nice talks about mothers.  One of the points that was mentioned was that we should also honor all those women, who take a motherly role in our lives.  There have been many in my life that have stepped in this role.  Many of our ward members currently fill in this role as we have been through the past months.  I remember Sister Amone on my mission, who I called my Tongan mother.  These women deserve our honor and praise.

My two mothers are very important to me.  My mother and Jess's mother both give us love and strength.  We are grateful for them and kindess and love that they show us.

Jess is an amazing women.  I am very grateful to her for the mother that she is to my children.  She is so good to them and does a great job to teach them what is right.  She surprises me with her strength in taking care of our family.

Last night, I had the opportunity to go to the temple as part of stake temple day.  I was impressed on how important the temple is in our families.  Looking at the chandelier in the Celestial room, I was reminded on how great an influence a person can have on his family.  It starts with a single person and just fans out to an enormous amount of people.  How grateful I am for all those who have been an influence in my life.

The past week has been mostly calm.  We have gotten back into some routine.  Sarah didn't have any appointments this week.  It was nice to have an off week.  She starts back up on Monday.

Thanks for all the support and love.  I am constantly amazed at all the service that is given to me and my family.

Entering Interim Maintenance # 2

Sarah has started the second to last phase of the "intensive" treatments. This also means that after this round which lasts about 60 days, she is going to finish up with the hardest round yet. I say this because she will be on steroids and be getting radiation. I have been trying to gear myself up for the next round, even though I should enjoying the ease of her current round (no daily chemo, just weekly). Just trying to be prepared! We have such a wonderful support system through our church/ward and friends that we are never in a rough spot for long. Many thanks for ALL your service and sacrifices offered to our family! I have said this before but...we could NOT do this without your love and support.
When Sarah and I went into the clinic on Friday, we found out she needed to get another nasal swab so she could be tested and hopefully cleared from having RSV and Rhinovirus (common cold) viruses. But, as luck would have it she still tested positive for both, even though she has not had a fever or any consistent symptoms. We decided it was best if she stayed home from church nonetheless. On a positive note, we had sacrament brought to house so Sarah, Lilly, and I could take the sacrament this week. Lilly ended up not going to church due to a mystery fever the night before. It was nice to take the sacrament, I hate missing it-thanks bishop! Well, we are finally on the up and up now; so maybe next Sunday we will all be at church!

Sarah and her new hat

Another big development is we are MOVING. It is bittersweet, the condo we are in now is awesome but lacking a yard. Also, the owner of our unit is going through foreclosure; so it is time to move. We had been looking for another place for about two years, because we are trying to stay within our current ward, but have not been able to find the right fit. Either the home is great but the yard is no good, or rent is too high for what we want. So, we decided to broaden our search to Shoreline and closer to the Seattle Children's hospital. Guess who won? Shoreline! We hope to make the move early next month.
Thank you ALL again for your kindness and ever present charity-We love you!
  

Busy Week

The past week has been busy.  I have been working on a major project at work that has caused me to work overtime.  It has put some stress on us but should be done soon.

The girls have been getting over their sicknesses.  Jess ended up having an outer ear infection as well.  Most everyone in on the path to recovery.

Sarah has an appointment tomorrow and will probably start the next round of treatment.  We have 2 more to go until we move to monthly chemo treatments.  We are excited.  I don't know I mentioned this before, but Sarah's wish is being sponsored by a Well's Fargo Advisors office in Bellevue.  They are excited and want to throw Sarah a party.  We are working on figuring out dates for that.

Thanks for all the support.  I am amazed at the service that we still receive.  I am very grateful, when I think of all the things that people have done for us.  Thank you.