Air Travel Amazes Me

Sometimes the speed and convenience of air travel amaze me. I mean, Daryl got up at 5a.m., flew to Baltimore and made a 10a.m. appointment, and was home again by 4p.m. Unbelieveable....thank you, Delta!

Daryl's follow-up visit with the Surgeon went well - no more follow-up needed unless he has serious complications moving forward. The Surgeon does want Daryl to have another specialized Scan in 6 months and then six months after that to watch for any additional tumor growth. Then yearly scans for 5 years beyond those. So we'll look for a place (hopefully closer to home) which has the capability to perform the Scan. And Daryl will decide if he really wants more radiation in his body.....

Now he has to concentrate on building strength and stamina so he can return to work and prepare to help me take care of a toddler and a newborn-to-be! 6 weeks and counting until my due date.

We'll continue to post updates as our lives move forward, so stick around okay? We love you all for the way you've supported us through the hardest of times. Still much healing to take place, but we've had answered prayer after answered prayer...and for that, we are blessed and humbly thankful.

One Last Shower with the PICC Line

Daryl's PICC line is to be removed today - YEY! When I was wrapping his arm for a shower, Little Miss "C" requested her arm to be wrapped as well. Just had to snap a shot of the two of them.



Daryl is still eating and managing to keep it all down. There is definitely discomfort & pain at times. Still has a long way to go as his body gets "re-conditioned" - walking, exercising, etc. Poor guy hasn't driven a car since March 17th! He's traveling next Tuesday the 26th to Baltimore for the day for his follow-up appointment with the Surgeon. It will be a long day, flying up and back on the same day, so please be in prayer for his strength and pain as we approach next Tuesday. Thanks!

Status Quo

For those of you still "following" our progress through healing, thought I'd do an update for the week. And thank you for your continued prayers...at the end of this post are a few specifics for the week to come.

Daryl had 7 days of TPN (IV nutrition) which ended Monday. He did well on it and the doctor doesn't forsee any need to do it again, but his PICC line will remain in place for another 5 days just in case.

Every day brings good and bad. Daryl still has a lot of "tightening" in his stomach area, along with some pain. The TPN gave him so much nutrition that he ate very little each day, but he DID keep the food down.

Now the goal is to have 6 small "meals" a day and try to keep his calorie count up. He is also very weak from just having been laid-up for so long, but he's been trying to do something each day that demands a little effort in order to build back his strength and stamina.

One funny story from last week. Daryl and I cut up one of his socks to use around his arm to hold his long IV lines in place during the day when he wasn't hooked up to the IV. Well, Little Miss "C" woke up one morning last week and when I took socks over to put on her feet she held up her hands and said, "hands." She wanted to wear socks on her arms like Daddy...and proceeded to walk around the house for at least an hour with the socks over her hands and arms! She loves her Daddy.

Those of you who are praying for Daryl, here's how you can pray specifically:

• Increased appetite and intake of food
• Decreased "tightness" and pain
• Increased stamina
• Positive outlook despite the very slow progress

As always, thanks and God Bless!

So Far, So Good

Daryl has done well at home, keeping food down the whole time! His TPN started Monday night...."feeding" via IV. What a set-up! We have to hook him up every night to his large IV bag, be sure his lines/ports (whatever...) are clean, be sure the vitamins are mixed into the bags, etc. Lots of needles, syringes, alcohol wipes and hand washing. He should continue this routine through Sunday and then we'll see where his nutritional status is.

Now we're focusing on building his stamina and appetite. Walking several times a day is my answer....

So grateful for our parents who have gone out of their way to lend a hand during the hospital days here and on through yesterday. I can't tell you how blessed we are by the time and energy they've put in. I've been quite uncomfortable with this pregnancy with ligament and back pain, so simple tasks around the house are slow-going - but my mother-in-law and mother have both offered so much help that at least my house doesn't feel like a total disaster area!

Here's a photo of Little Miss "C" yesterday with Nana.

Home Again!

Daryl was discharged yesterday! We're thrilled that his nausea has been kept at bay for two full days now and pray that it continues down this road. He does have a PICC line in (a large IV) and starting tomorrow he'll be receiving nutrition via the PICC - he can eat, too, but this guarantees a certain number of calories which his body needs for healing.

Thanks for keeping up with us - we'll continue to update!!

Still Trying

Daryl remains in the hospital, even though we had hopes of his coming home today. On Wednesday he got a PICC line which is being used to provide nutrition via IV. I think this will be a tremendously positive thing for his overall recovery, providing the calories and nutrition that his body needs to heal itself.

But he is still struggling with nausea and vomiting, despite the fact that he's not eating any food to speak of. Just a few saltines, which have actually stayed down!

Anyway, we'll let you know when he is able to return home and/or when he starts to feel better. The Surgeon at Hopkins keeps calling this a "bump in the road." Feels more like a never-ending uphill climb to Daryl, but what can we do?? I told him that when he's well, we're having a BIG celebration and you are all invited!