Happy New Year...

I don't have too much to update on, not much going on around here, but here's a little update anyway.

We had a great Christmas and a happy New Years. The kids were lucky enough to get most of what they wanted and it's was still a lot of fun waiting with them and experiencing all of their anticipation. I've cleaned up all the decor and now it's on to organizing and spring cleaning in January.

As far as health, everyone is doing well. All the kids got sick the week leading up to Christmas, and of course it hit Kaidan again on Christmas Day. She came down with a whopping fever of 105 and was sick for 4 days. I think once you survive cancer you should be exempt from sickness on all holidays :)

Kaidan is still taking the laxative a couple times a week and the medicine they gave her for the painful spasms she was having seems to work so she takes that before every meal. We will go back to the GI doctor in February to follow-up. I'm still hoping they will do more tests because even though the medicine is helping, it doesn't explain why she's having the problems and if she doesn't take that medicine the pain is right back. I don't think the laxative is helping anything, so I don't think she is constipated and her H Pylori test was negative. Kaidan will also be getting some custom arch supports to help her ankles when we can afford the $250 cost that the insurance won't cover because they don't believe they are medically necessary. She is also going to see a therapist next week for her anxiety and they are going to work on some coping skills so Kaidan can enjoy her life the way she deserves. She has her next oncology check-up on the 17th.

Other than that it's just life. Plain old boring wonderful life. I love that we didn't have to go to the hospital on Christmas day for Kaidan's fevers, I love that her body is capable of healing itself, and I love that today all my kids are healthy and happy.

GI doctor and a haircut...

Kaidan had her appointment with the GI doctor today. First, let me say that I like this doctor a lot. He sits down, talks to Kaidan and to me, and spends TONS of time with us. We've only seen him twice, but both times he spent over an hour talking to us! Second, let me say that he is a different nationality, and he definitely has some different mannerisms than I would like, but that isn't a bad thing - he's just a little "odd" to me. Third, let me say that I am really confused on what happened today - I'm not sure what I think about the next steps we are going to take.

The doctor decided that he thinks Kaidan's pain is caused from her extreme anxiety and that she is constipated. I know this is a private subject, but you are welcome to stop reading if you don't want to hear it. Now, I get that anxiety can cause stomach aches and other related issues - but Kaidan's "episodes" are not simple stomach aches. They are 20-30 minute time periods of excruciating pain. It's a horrible thing to witness. And I don't get the constipation thing at all. Kaidan has bowel movements several times daily, with no trouble, and they are bad. I mean, this girls is NOT backed up. We can't venture too far from a toilet EVER. So now he has prescribed a laxative and I'm thinking the next 2 weeks are going to be hell. Sorry for the word use, but seriously - we are giving this teeny, tiny girl who already can't go too far from a bathroom a laxative? Seems wrong to me. But...that being said...I am going to try it. I won't say that it can't get any worse, because I'm thinking it can, but we'll give it a go anyway. He felt something in her stomach, and he thinks it was backed up poop. I'm now thinking what if it's not? Oh boy...

So, the plan is to do another stool study to look for the H Pylori, start her on laxatives and eating more fiber (YIKES!!!), starting her on a prescription to help with what he called functioning pain (this is from the anxiety I guess), and follow up with him by phone in 3 weeks and in person in 3 months.

I guess this is a start. Now, on to the next problem ...neurology, dermatology, psychiatry, orthopedics...where to start, WHERE.TO.START! :)

On a side note... My mom gave my sisters and I all haircuts today and so I got myself a new do and had a full circle moment. I haven't had a haircut in over a year. I told the stylist I'd like it short, but not too short and we decided what length it would be. She said just a couple more inches and I could have donated to Locks of Love...so...I DID IT!! I chopped it all off and donated a hefty chunk of hair! So exciting - I've wanted to do that for a really long time, so I'm happy :)

Speaking of donating - wouldn't a great thing to do this month be to donate something you've got that someone else desperately needs? You would be so proud of yourself :) Join the national bone marrow registry or donate blood products at ARUP or your local red cross. Here's some information that I copied from some other blogs that I follow:

This Christmas, here's two relatively simple, FREE gifts you can give your fellow man:

1. Get registered in the bone marrow donor registry: http://www.marrow.org/JOIN/. There are many people who need a life-saving bone marrow transplant, but who don't have a match. Right now I know of at least 3 different families going through or getting ready for a bone marrow transplant - and that is just ones that I know, there are SO many others. YOU could be someones match. It takes about five minutes to get signed up. Get registered and give someone hope! Our friend Rachel was able to find a donor, can you imagine if she was saved because of YOUR marrow? What an amazing gift for everyone involved!
(I signed up a couple of years ago and I hope I get to be a match in my lifetime. Everytime I start worrying if it may be painful I just think of how many bone marrow biopsies Kaidan had. She never complained of anything more that a sore hip for a couple of days. If she can do it - so can I, and so can you!!)

2. Donate blood at your local Red Cross or ARUP. A single platelet donation can provide enough platelets for a full therapeutic dose for a patient in need. In fact, some platelet donations yield enough platelets for two or three therapeutic doses. By contrast, it takes about five whole blood donations to produce a single therapeutic dose. Many patients who need platelets are undergoing chemotherapy or organ transplant and have weakened immune systems. A platelet dose from a single donor reduces the patient’s exposure to multiple donors and is therefore preferred by many physicians. During a platelet donation, a small portion of your blood (less than one pint at a time), is drawn from your arm and passed through a sophisticated cell-separating machine. The machine collects the platelets and safely returns the remaining blood components, along with some saline, back to you. After the donation you can resume your normal activities, avoiding heavy lifting or strenuous exercise that day. According to the American Red Cross: every two seconds, someone in the US needs blood. Kaidan had over 40 blood and platelet transfusions during her treatment. And there's millions of other cases where people need blood. It is life-saving, our cancer buddy Skyler needs platelet transfusions daily.

Some Facts About Blood Supply Needs and Blood Donation -from the American Red Cross
•One donation can save the lives of up to three people.
•The demand for blood transfusions is growing faster than donations.
•Shortages of all blood types usually occur during the summer and winter holidays.
•Less than 38% of the US population is eligible to donate blood. (So if you can, you can see that you're sorely needed!)
•It is possible to donate specifically only platelets or plasma. This process is called apherisis.
•Donated platelets must be used within 5 days of collection - new donations are constantly needed.
•Healthy bone marrow makes a constant supply of red cells, plasma, and platelets. The body will replenish the elements given during a blood donation - some in a matter of hours, and others in a matter of weeks.
•The average adult has about 10 to 12 pints of blood in his body. Roughly 1 pint is given during a donation.
•The average red blood cell transfusion is approximately 3 pints.
•A healthy donor may donate red blood cells every 56 days.
•A healthy donor may donate platelets as few as 3 days apart, but a maximum of 24 times a year.
You must be at least 17 years old, weigh at least 110 pounds, and be in good general health to donate. (Eligibility requirements may vary in some states and donation centers.)Please, if you possibly can, get out and donate this holiday season.
It's one of the best gifts you can give.
This Christmas, GIVE LIFE!

**feel free to copy and paste this post onto your blog (I DID!)

December check-up for Kaidan...

Kaidan's blood work all came back good yesterday. She is growing and has finally hit the 20th percentile in weight!!! Her height is average for her age, but she is definitely a skinny mini. Everything looked great at her check-up, but we have a hefty line-up of specialists to get her in to see in the next little while...and I was hoping that 2011 would be the year that we'd finally not have medical bills...yeah right!

She needs to see a dermatologist for her many, many warts (this all started from her compromised immune system while on cancer treatment), a cardiologist for her continuing chest pain (her echo last month was normal, but the doctor wants a stress test done because she continues to have chest pain that radiates down her arm and it is usually associated with activity), an orthopedist for her ankles (her avascular necrosis was improved as of her last MRI in 2009, but her ankles roll inward and it's getting worse and not better, so it needs to be fixed before it's a huge problem - which it will be if we don't do anything), and a therapist for her anxiety (Kaidan is so uptight about everything. She can't even have fun with us because she is always worried about crazy things, so the doctor would like her to learn some coping skills now, rather than later. I also have quite a large family history of depression and anxiety, so it's better to get this under control now). She also has an appointment with GI Thursday (I am going to demand a scope because nothing wrong is showing up looking from the outside in, so it's time we look from the inside out. We will also be talking about removing her gallbladder) and a neurology appointment on the 15th (this is for headaches that seem to be getting somewhat better, but it takes months to get in to them, so I will be keeping this appointment and asking them if they have any ideas what could be causing the headaches she does get).

And we thought this all ended when she completed treatment in 2009... have I ever mentioned that I hate cancer?

Happy Birthday Kaidan...

Wow!! Kaidan turned 9 today! She is growing up too fast.

I have to look back on the day she was born. It was December 3rd (obviously) and I wasn't due until December 21st. I had my regular check-up and my doctor told me I was in labor and already dilated to a 5... The rest is obvious. She was born at 8:08 p.m. and she weighed 6 pounds 3 ounces. (I wish I had pictures, but I'm too tired to find them and scan them in - but I can promise you she was super cute!!)

I can remember her 1st birthday. She had a twinkle in her eye from the time she was a baby and you just knew she was up to something. She's always been a little (okay...a LOT) on the mischievous side :)

I remember her 6th birthday. She was in the middle of the toughest round of chemo in her treatment - but she still had that twinkle and was always smiling. She never had a bad attitude about anything she had to do - I wish I could say the same for me.

Today, she is a super happy, mostly healthy 9 year old. She's finally gaining back a little weight and she getting taller by the minute. I am so grateful for today - so, so grateful for Kaidan. There are so many times she drives me to the end of my rope and I get so frustrated with her teasing her brothers, but she is a huge blessing in my life and I love her with all my heart. Life would not be the same without her and all her spunky-ness in our family.

She will have her oncology check up on Monday. We will check her blood counts and see how she's doing. I had a few moments of anger toward cancer today when Kaidan told me that her body just hurts everywhere. She said it starts in her chest and goes down her arms and back up to her head. Her legs hurt, her stomach hurts, everything hurts. I really don't think she even knows what "feeling good" feels like. It's not fair - she is doing so great and looking so healthy, but cancer has robbed her of so much. It makes me mad, sad, and every other emotion in between. But, I am quickly reminded that it could be worse and I really am grateful for Kaidan's life. She is a survivor...a 9 year old cancer survivor. Today, we are the luckiest people in the world.

Happy birthday Kaidan! I hope all of your wishes come true!

thanksgiving 2010...

We had a fabulous Thanksgiving weekend in not-so-sunny and definitely-not-warm Las Vegas! We headed down on Thursday morning for a soccer tournament with Preslee. This was her first-ever out of state tournament and she did fabulous!! She is so much fun to watch.



Preslee played 4 games - they had 1 win, 1 tie, and 2 losses. The team played really well and all the games were really close, so we are very proud of her and the entire team. It was a lot of fun.

We hit the storm on the way home, which made for a LONG drive, and the car trouble we had in Nephi didn't help either, but we are all home, safe and sound.

I am thankful this year for many things, but mostly for my little family. I am so happy that my kids are all healthy and that I got to celebrate another holiday with them. We are truly blessed.

Please send lots of prayers up for Crystal and Skyler tonight. Skyler is having surgery tomorrow to remove his spleen and Crystal is a scared mom. She needs our love and support. I cannot even imagine what the last several months have been like for her, but she is absolutely amazing. And there are no words to describe Skyler! He has to be the strongest boy I've ever had the pleasure of meeting. He is definitely a super hero to us. www.crystalandskyler.blogspot.com

I hope you all had a happy, healthy, safe Thanksgiving. We are truly thankful for each of you and the support that you continue to give our family.

ONE YEAR OFF TREATMENT...really??

Wow! Yesterday Kaidan had her monthly oncology check-up, and it was her one year off treatment check-up, so they did extra blood tests, an echocardiogram, and a couple other tests. Everything looked really good, so for the next 6 months she only has to be seen every 6 weeks instead of every 4.

I can't really say that it feels like we've been done with chemo for a whole year. Some days it feels like we are still in the middle of it because of the side effects she struggles with, other days it seems like it's been forever since we were there. Either way, I'm happy that she's doing well and living a mostly normal life - she definitely deserves it.

Everyone else is doing well. Nate is recovering nicely and has gone back to work, my knee is almost back to normal, and Cash's hip complaints are few and far between. Preslee is getting geared up for a soccer tournament in Vegas over Thanksgiving and Porter has hit the terrible twos :)

Tonight I got to chat with some other cancer moms who have become great friends to me. Please keep all their little ones in your thoughts and prayers as they are all in different stages of treatment.

Halloween and Nate's surgery...

Lots has happened since my last post, so I'll do my best to recap without rambling.

Cash is doing much better. He's still complaining of the hip pain, but it's becoming more and more rare. His glands are still swollen and he's still having lots of tummy aches, but a million things could be the cause of that, so I'll try not to worry about the ONE thing that caused it with Kaidan. He is loving school too, which is nice - I'm enjoying the 9 hours a week I have with just Porter. Porter is doing great, he's usually asleep during the 9 hours a week that he's alone with me, which makes it nice too :) The girls are both doing well too. Kaidan starts her doctor appointments in 2 weeks for her 1 year post treatment and everything. She's got her labs, echo, and clinic in November and then in December she will see the GI doctor and the neurologist within a week of each other, and then have her 9 year check-up combined with her monthly cancer check all before the holidays. Something is telling me that time is going to fly and Christmas will be here WAY TOO SOON!

The kids had a lot of fun this year for Halloween. Cash was Paul Bunyan and Porter was Babe, his blue ox. They were really cute, but Porter hated his costume and it was a challenge to convince him to wear it. Preslee and Kaidan had more costumes this year than I care to admit, but they had fun. Originally, and for their school parade, Kaidan was the Twister board game and Preslee was Pippi Longstocking. For other parties Kaidan was a mummy and a clown and Preslee was a zombie (which I missed getting a picture of somehow?). The rain made trick-or-treating a little hard, but Preslee had a good time with her friends and Nate took the other 3 out to his sisters and they had fun with their cousins. He said Porter preferred to sit in the wagon and have others fill his bag for him - smart boy, already learning that eating the candy is much more fun than collecting it! We did pumpkin carving and clam chowder the week of Halloween too, but I didn't even get a picture of everyone with their pumpkins...what kind of a mother am I?? (my apologies for the random spacing of these pictures. i'm too tired to fix it.)

My knee is recovering well. I have a doctor appointment tomorrow morning and then I'm sure physical therapy will start full force...I'm so excited ;) I'm out of the brace now though, which is fabulous!

Nate is not doing so well at the moment, but hopefully his recovery will be speedy. I'm typing this from the hospital as I listen to his oxygen machine and other random things beeping. He had quite a surgery: his deviated septum was shaved and fixed, something was done with his sinuses, he had his tonsils, adenoids, and uvula removed, and then they drilled a hole in the bottom of his jaw and did something funky with his tongue, so he's got a 3 inch incision along his chin area. This is all an attempt to help with his SEVERE sleep apnea and hopefully save his life. I hope it works. Right now he needs to be able to keep his oxygen saturations higher without assistance, swallow food/water/medicine, and get the drain from his incision removed. Hopefully we'll go home tomorrow, but it may be Saturday. He was really nervous about the surgery and he's still struggling, poor guy, he doesn't want me to leave his side. It's been a rough couple of days. Tonight the boys and I are camping out here....should be interesting!

That's about it with us Sudbury's. Thanks for reading, I think I rambled....