The girls & I were up late (for them, anyway) last night, baking and decorating cookies for the radiation staff. They were tickled!

All of Chad’s labs came back good today, as usual.
All of questions were answered, and I guess I’ll just share them with you so you can feel like you were there with us in the exam room.

When is Chad’s next check-up at the Cancer Center?
In two weeks, for labs and a follow-up with Dr. Reilly (radiation oncologist).

When and where will the MRI be conducted? And how often will Chad have MRIs now?
It will be the August of 12th, at Rex.
If there is nothing notable in the MRI next month, Chad will most likely have MRIs every six months for the first year until regrowth occurs.

And what about that tumor regrowth?
Chad will be watched very closely for the first year, as that is the time period is which it’s most likely to occur. He will still be watched fairly closely for the next three years.

When will Chad have his hair back?
He should have a semi-full head of hair in about 3-4 months, as some of the patchy areas do have peach fuzz already.
Oh, the body is a miraculous thing isn’t it?

What about work? And driving?
Take it easy on both fronts. It may be okay to start working from home starting late next week or the week after that; but it’s completely up to Chad and how he feels.
Same with driving – he needs to “refresh” his driving confidence, and he’ll be taking short trips from home to adjacent neighborhoods in the next few days.

When can Chad stop chemo?
Right now! He’s done!
And no one is happier about that than Chad, I can assure you! We hope the stomach pains will subside and he will regain his appetite.
(I guess that means I’ll have to start cooking again, but I don’t mind. It will be nice one I get back in the groove again.)

As always, we appreciate your support, prayers, positive thoughts and concern.

We’re looking forward to getting back on a normal schedule and having conversations that don’t include any medical jargon. You may not see as many Twitter updates or blog posts in the next couple of weeks though – don’t be alarmed.
Carys starts a Kindergarten Entry program tomorrow through the next two weeks, I’ve got to make up for lost (and promised) quality time with the girls, and I’ve got a lot of other workish things going on. And, I think I’ll finally be able to kick my insomnia habit now that this radiation schedule is behind us. We’ll see — and I hope I didn’t just jinx myself!

I’ve been trying to keep the girls permanently pruny from too much pool water. That kind of back fired on me last week, as Carys landed herself at the pediatrician’s office for swimmer’s ear. Oopsie.

Cailyn is learning to “swim”. That’s in quotation marks because she swims by standing on the pool steps. Woot, funfunfun.

Chad’s doing okay. He’s has EIGHT more radiation treatments and then about 5 days of chemo after that. Hopefully, all will be quiet on the IT front for a while.

The girls and I headed off to the beach last weekend and had a great getaway. We wish Chad felt like joining us, but I’m sure he enjoyed the calm house, too.

This weekend, we’ll be visiting with family at the lake. Should be a fun time.

Have a happy and safe Fourth of July!

And just for the record, the non-birthday girl had a terrible time.
Just awful. We couldn’t get her to smile for anything.

And just so you know, the Littlest Lanford is not the fastest (or most dry) water gun slinger in these parts.

Then it was time to eat cake.
Sorry there wasn’t enough for everyone.

Make a wish, baby!
She had to blow it a few times, but she finally got it!

Cailyn really did have a great day yesterday — and I think all of her little buddies did, too.

Here are a few shots of her sand castle cake.
It was quite yummy. And I hated to cut into it.
And thankfully, we sent plenty of it home with other folks so we don’t have to keep eating it!
(The first shot was before I finished decorating it – I didn’t want to forget to take a picture of it, so I did early.)

In the beginning of the ceremony, there was a video collage of pictures from all the graduates over the course of the school year. It was so sweet to see how much they had changed, collectively, since the Fall. And my little stinker is one of those beautiful preschoolers that went through the metamorphosis of little child to big kid.
She learned so much this year and had a fabulous teacher and new friends in her class.

Here’s a little snippet of the ceremony, right after they walked across the stage. This is Carys’ new favorite song, and I’m sure it’s because there’s a lot of spinning and hand motions involved. She reminds me so much of myself at that age. My mom is quick to tell a story of me as a teeny tiny ballerina at our final dance recital — dancing to the beat of my own little drummer on the opposite side of the stage from everyone else.
Ah, well.
It’s about fun, isn’t it?!?

And as of this morning, I’m proud to announce Carys has her first loose tooth. She is so excited, and I hope it doesn’t drag out too long for her sake.
We’re going to camp on Friday night for some much needed Mommy-Carys time. Cailyn isn’t so excited about it, but Carys is ecstatic.

I picked Carys up from school and went home. Pretty routine.
Chad has been complaining of some pain in his right leg since we got back from the beach Sunday.
We have been keeping an eye on it, and hoping it was nothing to worry about.
Oh, isn’t that a wonderful thing? To have nothing to worry about?
Someone will have to tell me a story about the wonderful fantasy world OfNothingToWorryAbout one day.
(And I prefer it to be someone under the age of 10, just for laughs.)

Chad had been researching the possible cause of this mystery leg pain on the wonderful internet. The ‘net is truly wonderful, but also capable scaring the bejesus out of me you people, too.
He diagnosed himself and tried a home remedy.

Around 1:45, I told him he should should call Dr. Tatter’s PA and just ask if we should be concerned.
The PA had us call our general physician here in town, and then we got concerned.
However, we knew when we called and suggested Chad might have yet another unexpected post-surgery complication, it would warrant a trip to get an ultrasound. And maybe, possibly, a trip to the ER.

Check the little yes box on both of those possible outcomes.

We were quickly given a 3:00 appointment at a local radiology clinic. I thought we would be in & out. I loaded the girls’ travel backpack with things to keep them busy.
I watched the waiting room turnover four rounds of patients.
And I began to get worried.
What was taking them so long?
I convinced myself that they had found something.
And they didn’t like it.
So I asked the receptionist, who informed me that Chad was nearly done.
Maybe I’m wrong — I’ve been known to be SO wrong. Many times.
But let’s not dwell on that.

Shortly after, Chad walks in to say that we were right.
There is another blood clot.
This time, in his leg – which means we caught it early.
A DVT – Deep Vein Thrombosis, is very serious because it can break away and enter the lungs. We know this is the likely outcome had Chad not paid such close attention this time around. He was in the hospital in late 2007 with pulmonary emboli that probably started as DTVs post-operatively.

We then had to wait a few minutes for the radiology technician to get in touch with our general physician to plan a course of action.

And we were right again.
To the ER we went – directly after we scarfed down a quick bite at Wendy’s.

I had the girls with us.
We had no idea what would happen.
Would he be admitted?
Again?
Do I need help with the girls tomorrow?
What?When?Where?WHY!?!?!

We decided to leave Chad at the ER, not knowing how long it would take for them to see him.
He would call me when he knew what was going on, and we would plan from there.
Carys is very fragile right now, especially given the surprise nature of Chad’s last hospital admittance – so this was the best option.
I dropped him off around 5:30 this evening.

The girls and I came home, and did everything as routinely as possible.
Chad & I were constantly checking in with each other, with me doing the most of the checking. I couldn’t stand not being there, receiving information as it was doled out. But then again, I needed to be with the girls.
We played outside, had a snack and they had a bath.

Chad called me around 7:30 and told me he could come home! I was shocked, really.
We piled in the van and headed back to WakeMed to pick him up.

He was given a partial dose of Lovenox, and directed to follow up with his doctor tomorrow.
Lucky for us, Chad already had an appointment scheduled for tomorrow to have his stitches removed.

We were on our way back home around 8:15, and I’m so thankful!

Brain tumors complicate things, in general.
And now we know, unfortunately, that Chad will have one of those “unexpected” side effects after each surgery.
The pulmonary emboli.
The spinal fluid leak.
The DVT.

Hopefully, we’re done with surgery. For a while, anyway.
And we know that the unexpected should be expected.

I apologize for taking a blog break. Things are always a little chaotic once we get home from a trip. Especially an unexpected trip.
We got home around 2pm Sunday afternoon. I unpacked the van and put things away, and Chad and I went straight to bed. I had slept well the night before, but my pillow was calling my name. It was the best little nap I’ve had in a long time.
The girls came home around 5pm, and it was so good to see them! Loud. But good.

On Monday, we packed a picnic lunch and planned to go to the park with the girls for a while. First, we stopped by Chad’s office to pick up some paperwork and such. That always takes longer than expected, so by the time we got to the park, everyone was tired. And it started to rain. We ate lunch and packed up. I promised the girls we’d have to come back another day.

Today was busy, too. Carys went to preschool this morning. As I was stuffing her lunch box into her backpack, I noticed her folder. With undone homework tucked away neatly inside. And a note about graduation picture day. I didn’t really read it. I didn’t realize it was TODAY. Thankfully, she had already planned to wear her favorite dress, so it was okay. And the homework just had to wait until tonight. A day late, oops! I try really hard not to do that, but it was such a crazy weekend for us.

While Carys was at school today, Chad had his radiation consult in Raleigh at the Cancer Center.
It was all general info, and we left with an appointment to come back on May 18th. At that time, they will fit him for his mask – which sounds kind of strange, I know. Chad will have a custom mask that bolts to the table in the radiation room. This ensures he receives the treatment in the same exact spot each time.
He will go five days a week, Monday through Friday, for six weeks.
Dr. Reilly, our radiation oncologist, is talking to Drs. Tatter, Shaw (Wake Forest neurosurgeon & radiation oncologist) and Campbell (Chad’s medical oncologist in Raleigh) to get everyone on the same page for the course of treatment. He may or may not do low-dose chemo, but I suspect he will since it typically makes radiation more effective. He’s already done the high-dose chemo that most patients do after radiation ends. Yay for that!
He will receive a standing appointment time, so we can plan other events and appointments around it. Hopefully, he’ll have clearance to drive again at the the end of the month when we see Dr. Tatter for a 1-month post-op visit.

I leave you with a few pictures — and to say that Chad is doing great. Physically, he feels puny. Every day, he’s getting a bit better though. And mentally? He’s himself again. I am ecstatic to have my husband back! It’s nice to have someone to talk to throughout the day, besides little kiddos — and it’s even better to have someone reply to you when you talk to them. His memory is mostly back, and there are a few times where he’ll forget a word or something he was going to say. It’s a dramatic change, to say the least.

Oh, and I must preface these pictures to say that Chad has since shaved his head. No more reverse Mohawk.
And he’ll probably shave it again once radiation starts…
And I have to apologize for the bad lighting. Sorry about that…I figured any pictures were better than none!Shunt placement using craniotomy site from last month, additional site on scalp, and site on neck.

More of the neck site, with the extensive bruising causing by the shunt placement. I had no idea how rough that surgery would be – yikes!

And the belly incision. The bruising is finally getting better on this one, but it still looks pretty sore.

Tomorrow afternoon, Chad will undergo another surgery to place a shunt in his brain.
As we suspected, the intense pressure and worsening headache was due to increased fluid on his brain. After looking over the MRI, Dr. Tatter saw that this issue was due a severe spinal fluid increase. Apparently, when part of Chad’s tumor was removed, it caused an obstruction of the cerebral aqueduct – resulting in an imbalance between the formation and drainage of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), resulting in a condition called external hydrocephalus.

The brain cannot rid itself of excess fluid, thus the vomiting Chad experienced over the weekend. Steroids were a temporary fix. The fluid is now increasing outside of his brain, around the tissue. The shunt aims to reduce intercranial pressure and relocate the excess CSF to his abdomen, where it will be released through bodily fluids.

At first, Dr. Tatter recommended a drainage point, where he would drill a small hole into the skull and release the CSF build-up. After talking to him about the extreme fatigue (Chad was in bed for a good 10-12 hours a day – totally unlike him and an unexpected outcome) and headaches, he decided it would be best to go ahead and place the shunt immediately. If we had opted for the drainage point as a first line of defense, it’s quite possible Chad would have needed to have the shunt anyway. So, we all agreed to skip step one, and head straight for the shunt.
This throws a damper on our radiation schedule, as the new incision site will need to be fully healed before radiation can begin. If things heal quickly (and we think they will, given the short time it took for Chad to heal from his craniotomy), we should be able to move forward with radiation within 2-3 weeks.

Tomorrow, around 5pm, Chad will undergo yet another craniotomy to place the shunt. It should take about 1.5 -2 hours. He should feel better almost immediately.
We are told Chad will most likely be able to go home by Sunday at the earliest, and not to be surprised if he is here until Tuesday.

Due to the increase of CSF, his brain is under intense pressure. A large part of the diseased tissue was removed, and should have “ballooned out” to fill the void created by the tissue removal. Instead, the pressure is causing the brain to collapse inward, and shift a part of his brain the right. The part of the tumor that lies within the midline of his brain is being squeezed to the right. The shunt should allow for the brain to realign itself almost immediately.

Chad is currently on blood thinners to prevent a recurrence of blood cots he experienced in 2007. Since this surgery was unexpected and there was no time to stop the blood thinners, he is being given a plasma infusion to help his blood clot during the surgery.

Also, I asked about the pathology report from the craniotomy last month. Thankfully, the results came back as expected – a WHO Grade II Oligodendroglioma. However, the sample did show some cells were dividing at a more rapid pace than other cells. What does this mean? We don’t know right now. It does mean that the cells were changing, and probably becoming more aggressive and higher in grade. Thankfully, radiation should kill and/or retard the growth of the faster cell divisions. It also means we were correct to assume that the smaller tumor was killed off via Chad’s 10-month chemo course. Higher grade cells are killed quicker by the form of chemo Chad received. Thank goodness we did the strong chemo in the beginning; we technically have less to worry about.

I will update tomorrow as I have more information.

Thank you, in advance, for your prayers and support.

She would not stop meowing, and literally jumped in my lap & got in my face – complete with her paws on my chest. Poor thing. She was scared to death. Having birthed a baby or two of my own, I can understand that. It’s a scary thing to feel a little alien trying to push itself from your body. It’s terrifying, really.

Carys & I took her upstairs to the nesting box we had made a few few weeks back, and she crawled right in. I thought she was settled, but no. Every time we tried to leave her alone for some privacy, she was right behind us — crying and pacing. So, we sat. And we waited.

And after 45 minutes of answering, “Are they born yet, Mommy?” and hearing, “My tummy is hungry!“, Carys and I witnessed the first little kitten be born. Carys was so excited; thrilled even. And even though she didn’t actually “see” the birth itself, she saw the kitten, still in its sack. She was amazed. And it was the perfect entry for me to explain where babies come from. But not in too much detail – she is only five! I just had to set the record straight that babies actually do come from a mommy’s belly; and we do not wait in line at Toys’R'Us to pick one out.

A couple hours later, Fiona was done with the birthing business. She had three kittens total, which thrilled me. My evil funny neighbors joked that we would have at least 5 or 6; the thought of which just made me panic. How would we find homes for 5 or 6?
Three? I can handle three!
I think they all have homes already, or at least two of them do. Maybe.

Not only do I have to repeatedly tell my girls not to run with scissors, hit each other with various objects, stick out their tongues or keep their fingers out of their noses — I also have to tell them to leave the blasted kittens alone! They sneak upstairs to see the babies when they think I’m not paying attention. And now Fiona is relocating the kittens every chance she gets…under the girls’ bed.
Just add the chore of re-relocating kittens to my daily tasks!