Movies, Weddings, and Water (oh, and Puking)

Hello friends and family!
Things haven't changed that much since the last blog update. Dad's had a rough few days with puking and stuff, but he technically doesn't need to eat, so it's not medically that concerning. He's now getting most of his medications via the PICC line, so we know they are working even when he's sick. I guess when he feels nauseous, we're going to start giving him fluids via the PICC line as well, to help keep him hydrated and give him energy.

Things are going well in other areas, too. Alex was ecstatic over the new Transformers movie (he's a typical 16 year old boy). His top 2 favorite movies are now: 1) Transformers #2 - 2) Transformers #1. The irony is that Adam and I used to play Transformers all the time when we were younger, and now it's Alex who talks about Autobots and Decepticons nonstop.

Benj is gearing up for the wedding in five weeks and has been working full time up in Park City with Adam. Speaking of which, congrats to Adam on his new calling. It required the ordination to the office of High Priest, which was a true miracle and blessing (dad was able to ordain Adam and pass on his priesthood lineage, which Adam can now pass on to the other boys). We were grateful to be able to participate in the experience, and hope it won't keep Adam too busy :)

I've (Nichole) been having fun with my aunt Lisa in scuba diving lessons (minus bloody noses. Oh, and inner-ear pressure headaches. Oh, and the panicked feeling that comes when you just swallowed water. Through your nose.)

We are grateful for the experiences that remind us we are alive, only human, and those times when we realize how incredibly blessed we are. Be grateful you can eat through your mouth.

Love,
The Losers

Home at last...

Hello all!
Here' s another update from the Losers:

Dad is back home from the hospital now (he got back yesterday evening), and it's been an interesting two weeks. He has two ostomy sites, one G-tube, one PICC line, and a belly full of staples at the moment. He's feeling better, but still in some pain (which is to be expected - he's hauling around like 200 lbs of medical equipment lately). We are running the TPN in the evenings, and dad is still able to eat, so he's feeling better with all this unexpected nutrition, too.

With all the new stuff going on, the doctors want dad to keep records of EVERYTHING that has ANYTHING to do with his body. It's a little annoying, trying to keep it all straight. Now was that 270 calories of urine, or 2 milligrams of calories? I don't know anymore - it's like word vomit at the moment.

Overall, dad's happy to be home. Oh, and something I personally think is funny? Dad's PICC line is in his left arm, and the TPN runs at night, so guess who had to change sides of the bed after 30 years of marriage? Mom said that she woke up in the middle of the night and had no idea where she was. I wish I could have seen her try to figure that out :)

Thank you to all those who visited and stayed at the hospital with dad. Mom and I couldn't have done it alone. Also, thank you for your continued concerns, thoughts, and prayers. We are looking forward to this Sunday when we can spend Father's Day at home, with our family.

Treasure your fatherly moments.
All our love,
The Losers

Hospital Schmospital (can I get two of those, please?)

Hello all,

Today is Friday, June 12th, and dad just got out of surgery. He's been here at the hospital for a bowel blockage that started out annoying and developed into a full obstruction. So, yesterday, we finally talked to the surgeon Dr. Griffin (the same one who took out dad's colon and found the cancer in October). He wanted to do surgery, but also wanted to know more about where the blockage was and had dad do a whole bunch of tests he's not done before. The doctor decided it was important to do the surgery asap, so dad went in today around 3:30 pm. 

When Dr. Griffin came out, this is the story he told us:

Dad's cancer is wide spread on his intestines, and there were several blockage sites where his guts were twisted with scar tissue and tumors. As a result, Dr. Griffin couldn't separate his intestines without doing a lot of damage, so he left them as they were. Instead, he 

1) moved down along dad's intestines from his stomach as far as he could (leaving 2-3 feet of good intestine) and created a new ileostomy on the other side of his stomach. Yes, he now has two. This means that he can eat still, and the 2-3 feet aren't tumor-ridden. It also means he doesn't have enough intestine to survive off of regular eating habits. 

2) "installed" a G-tube (Gastric-tube) that is a drain directly from the stomach out through the abdomen wall - it's permanent and sticks out of his stomach. If dad has any more bowel problems, he can hook up the G-tube to a vacuum machine that sucks out any blockages at home; this keeps us out of the hospital in the future. 

3) put in a PICC line (he had one before - it's a central I.V. that stays in his arm all the time). They did this because dad needs nutrition, and he will be starting this great program recommended by his new firecracker nutritionist (who has decided to be a strong advocate for him). It involves this cool substance called TPN (Total Parental Nutrition) which is a feeding liquid they create specially for dad's needs. It goes in through the PICC line for 12 hours at night and is like a complete diet; dad won't need to eat when he's on the TPN, but he still wants to try the new KFC baked chicken. Dad's incision is about twice as long as it's been before, so he's probably going to be in the hospital for at least another five plus days. 

I know, I know, it's a lot to take in. At least it is for us. Two bags to change, two new appendages. 

Same dad. We love him.

Thank you, 

The Losers