Today’s five is going to look a little different. Since we seem to always have a lot going on in our family, I thought I’d give everyone one (or five) big updates on how the fam is doing!
one. Thomas had his second eye surgery on Tuesday and it went just as well as the first surgery! The doctors didn’t even make us stay a full day in the hospital like last time because Thomas showed no negative reactions to the anesthesia.
But wait, it gets better! On Wednesday morning we had his follow up appointment. We were informed that his left eye is healing beautifully and that his right eye is already completely healed! The stitches dissolved completely on their own too so the doctor didn’t even have to remove them! Hallelujah! And then…we received an even bigger surprise. Probably the best surprise I’ve ever received (topping my engagement which was a pretty damn good surprise) — THOMAS HAS BEEN CLEARED FOR THE CONTACTS in a week!!!! We weren’t expecting contacts for at least another few weeks but the doctor said his eyes will be ready sooner than we thought!
Y’all! I can’t tell you how excited we are. My baby, who hasn’t seen our faces since birth, will (hopefully) SEE out SO SOON! I am praying for a miracle. A full healing miracle. I pray that he will respond to us and show us that he can see us and that his brain has not shut down the development on that eye completely. It’s going to be a long road ahead to improve his eye sight but we are so ready. More than ready. We are elated. Lord, give us strength and patience for this crazy contact journey ahead.
two. As if we didn’t already have a big week, Caroline decided to put on an Oscar winning performance on Monday with an emergency trip to OrthoCarolina for what we thought was a sprained or fractured wrist. We received a call from daycare just a few hours after drop-off saying she was holding her wrist and FREAKING out like they’d never seen. I think it took Matt less than 2 minutes to get to daycare to get her. Meanwhile, I was frantically packing up the baby at home (and all his pre-surgery eye drops) for a long day in the ER. But thankfully we were able to get in to OrthoCarolina right away and get an x-ray. Turns out she’s fine and her pediatrician told us it was likely nursemaids elbow (which totally sounds like abuse if you google it!!!!) but is actually quite common in kids. Our doctor’s daughter got it twice just by going down the slide the wrong way. A child can also get it by holding another child or caregivers hand and turning the wrong way at the wrong time. It can self correct (which we think is what happened) or your doctor can pop it back into place with an exercise. Anyway, that was an exciting day. I’m pretty sure my insurance company hates me.
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| Lindsey, Mom & Dad! |
three. It’s been a long time since I’ve updated you on my dad’s cancer journey. Truth be told, it’s because we haven’t received any good news. The past 6 months have been the hardest yet for dad and we have all been very scared. After many rounds of chemo (and great news about his shrinking tumor) we were all very excited about his progress only to take a huge step backwards just after celebrating. The chemo stopped working earlier this year and the tumor has grown back to almost it’s original size. So we are essentially back to square one. On top of that, dad got extremely sick and couldn’t get better for months because his immune system was so weak. He had everything at once from pneumonia to a throat infection and had to take a break from work. During this time he dropped down to 108 pounds because it was too painful for him to swallow and became very weak. It was truly awful.
However, after several long months of feeling sick and being confined to the house, he is finally on the mend and feeling great (and positive). He is back to work and even went surfing for the first time in almost a year. Since the two different types of chemo treatments he tried no longer work the doctors have put him on a clinical trial with a new drug called Opdivo. He had his first treatment last week, will have another one next week and then he’ll get a scan to see if there’s been any progress. So please keep him in your prayers!
four. Still no Jackson! Lindsey is going on two weeks of hanging out at 5 cm and irregular contractions and we are all getting impatient! Ready for this little man to arrive!!!
five. So, there’s actually one more piece of significant news we have going on that I haven’t shared yet because we haven’t wanted to take any attention off of Thomas right now. But I promise to post early next week (after I likely write, delete and rewrite many more times). We’re all healthy, by the way!
Christy
Tuesday 13th of October 2015
I hate to hear about your dad but glad he seems to be doing better. I'm sure being able to get out of the house has helped him recover in a major way. So glad Thomas is doing so well.
Jessica (The Newly)
Monday 12th of October 2015
Girl, you guys have definitely been through A LOT in the last few months. I'm sorry to hear about your dad, but hoping that the new drug is working for him, and that this next scan reveals very positive results! So, so glad that little Thomas has pulled through is surgeries so well. That is amazing! Can't wait to hear about how he reacts when he can see you guys for the first time. How amazing will that moment be??? And dying to hear the other news you referenced! Eeeek!
Ashleigh
Saturday 10th of October 2015
Bless your heart! I cannot even imagine what all you are going through... It feels like so much between your baby boy, your baby girl & your daddy! I give you so much credit sweet girl...Sending you tons of prayers!
Evelina
Saturday 10th of October 2015
I don't know how you do it. It seems like you have dealt (and still are) with a ton of different health issues between your beautiful babies and your dad. I'm so glad that Thomas is recovering well and that Caroline is ok!
Trista @ The Classy Chaos
Friday 9th of October 2015
Praise God!! I am so happy to hear that Thomas is doing so well and Caroline's arm is okay! My goodness, the trials you and your family have gone through and are going through. My heart hurts for you but I am comforted that you know Him and trust in Him. He will take care of you! Happy Friday!