3 Days Down

Hi Everyone,

We are done with our first 3 days of radiation. It hasn't been without a hitch, but I suppose it could have been worse.

David is starting to show extreme anxiety whenever we take him to the hospital, and that is only multiplied when we have to take him on a daily basis. So, this makes each visit emotionally difficult for Rob and I since we have to force him to do things and have things done to him that make him petrified. We are talking with the doctors, nurses, and social workers to find out some ways that we can make the whole process a little easier for him to handle.

We have also had some difficulty figuring out the best way to access David's port each day at the same time that we are trying to find out ways to make things less traumatic. It is a challenge, and I must say that I am feeling the emotional effects of this quite a bit. The newest plan is that we will just have to access his port each day and hope that we can help him to handle it.

They also told us today that we are scheduled for 23 total days of radiation. We were under the impression that we would have 15 days total. So it means the road is a little longer than we expected at first, and that realization always messes with your mental toughness. It will also mean that there will be no time between the end of David's radiation and the start of school for the big kids. So, we are digesting that news and trying to make plans accordingly.

Rob's work is being great about letting him go with me to each of these appointments if he wants, and we are so grateful for that. But, this means that he will also be working late into the night each night and sometimes on the weekends. We will probably try to work out a few times that someone else can come with me to David's treatments so that Rob can get a good day of work in, but we are so thankful that he's been given the freedom at work to do what we feel is best for David.

The big kids are having fun traveling around visiting grandparents. They are with my dad and mom this week. They will be going to the beach with Rob's grandparents next week, at my parents' again the week following, and then I'm going to keep them home with me for the last week of David's treatments. It may mean that they have to come with me to the hospital a few times, but it might be good for them to see what David is going through on a small scale. It might help them have a better grasp of what is going on when Daddy and Mommy take David to the doctor.

So...I don't know how often I will get to update you all over the next few weeks. We are doing a ton of traveling back and forth and then I am brain-dead the rest of the day. But, we covet your prayers for us during this time.

Thanks so much!
-Kim