Hard, Easy Days

Trip went in for chemo last Thursday at noon and got out Saturday night around 9:00. It was the quickest in-patient visit we have had. Usually we are there for at least 3 nights. One thing I learned last year that I’m still working on, is to remember that I don’t have to do everything myself when it comes to Trip’s appointments and medical details. You don’t even have to know me well to know that I’m a control freak. Obviously, I cannot control this disease, so I try to control everything involving his illness: appointments, medications, insurance claims, testing, etc. I guess in doing so I somewhat feel in control. This year, with the in-patient visits, I have asked for – or allowed more help. Usually I get Trip checked into the hospital and stay a night and then Colson comes the next nigh to let me go home and rest and then I go back the following morning. Not much happens at night in the hospital other than not getting rest, so I don’t feel like I’m missing much to take a night off to get decent sleep. This last visit, Colson’s schedule was a little crazy and I was behind with work, so he took Trip on Thursday and did all of the things I would normally do to get him settled in and started on the treatment. I stayed home and worked and then went to the hospital on Friday around noon. Other than pacing around the house a few times after they left and having a bit of anxiety, everything went well. I even got caught up on work! The treatment started earlier than it has in the past, which allowed us to be discharged on Saturday night instead of Sunday. Still, Saturday afternoon and night leading up to our discharge was harder than it has ever been. Trip had had it again. I think the 3rd day of the hospital is when he just can’t take it any longer. I’ve noticed it getting worse the more times we go in for treatment. Even though this visit was easier than the others, the last day was still hard on him. So far no side effects! I’m so happy about that. Hopefully the mouth sores won’t present themselves again.

So here we are in the middle of our “easy” week and things should be smooth sailing, right? Sunday I realized that our refrigerator in the garage went out. It usually only houses drinks, but Colson shot a deer last year and recently got it back from the processor. We haven’t eaten any of it and it was all completely thawed. Since Colson was at an extremely important (insert sarcasm) golf tournament, I spent most of the day cooking 15 lbs of deer meat that we will never be able to possibly consume. I don’t even really eat deer unless it is well hidden in food! I do think it was better than being in the hospital another day though.

Last night, I was cooking dinner the lazy way. Instead of getting out the big steamer for a small amount of broccoli, I engineered a stovetop steamer by putting a colander in a pot, but failed to notice the plastic on the colander. Trip and I were playing and I was on the phone, so I wasn’t paying much attention to cooking until flames were covering the stove and threatening our cabinets. I yelled, “Fire! Fire!” and hung up on my dad who was obviously was thinking the worst. Trip ran into the kitchen and was screaming “Fire!” too. I grabbed the fire extinguisher and after fumbling with it for a few seconds put out the fire. I was absolutely stunned with my mouth wide open as particles of debris fell around us. I slowly turned to look at Trip and he turned to me with a look I’ve seen before when he is on a carnival ride and said, “Let’s do that again!” I was still stunned when Colson walked came home two seconds later to the chaos and simply said, “Can we go out to eat?” which we promptly did. We cleaned the mess up when we got back and the house had time to air out. I Googled “what is in a fire extinguisher” because I was worried I was exposing my poor son’s immune system to another chemical. It said sodium bicarbonate and potassium bicarbonate are in there – both of which he gets when in the hospital… how lucky! haha. I think I’ll mention it to his doctor tomorrow to be safe, but I don’t want to tell her why I had to use the fire extinguisher in the first place. (Please hold all the cooking jokes and no, I don’t need anyone to send me a steamer basket. ☺)

Even though I would rather not have to cook a deer and not have to clean sodium bicarbonate out of crevices with a q-tip on our “easy” days, they are precious memories shared with my family and I’m so thankful for those. I’m also thankful my house is still standing, no one was hurt and the damage to the kitchen was contained to the stove. Sometimes things in life just suck but sometimes they don’t suck as much as the alternative. Finding humor in hard situations has definitely helped us face our tribulations. Laughter is such a good medicine.

Tomorrow, we go in for blood work and we have to sit in the Pentam “spaceship” again. This weekend Colson & I are going to Austin for Hike for a Cure to raise money and awareness for histiocytosis. We have many friends who have donated and are traveling to show their support. We are so blessed. Gaky and Pops are graciously traveling to Frisco to keep Trip while we are away. Trip is super excited and has a plan a mile long of all the things he wants to do while they are here. Monday, Trip will go in for an MRI. We are hopeful it will show us this drug is the answer to our prayers. Regardless, we have each other and are making precious memories together.