Smooth Sailing
There is certainly something to be said for expecting the worst. These past two days have been so much better than I was anticipating. So much better. Now, it’s only two days and many of the effects of chemo are cumulative and therefore get worse as time goes on, but so far, it hasn’t been bad at all.
Austin feels totally fine. He’s eating and sleeping and playing like his regular little self. Mark and I have spent most of the past forty-eight hours wheeling the IV pole around behind him as he zooms his ride-on car around the nurses’ station, lap after lap. He’s eaten big hefty meals and has been peeing and pooping like a champ. Radiation is our one “outing” each day, requiring a trip to sedation and then a quick (I mean ten-minute!) visit to radiology before heading back to our regular space. Every time one of us goes home for a few hours, Austin sends numerous requests for additional toys, so his room now looks like a Toys R Us ad book. He chases the nurses with his remote control cars and is often found in bed wearing his goggles, chain saw in hand, ready for anything.
As you might imagine, we’ve hit the brakes on our moving plans. We pulled our house off the market last week as we can’t have strangers dragging their germs throughout it during showings. (Plus we can’t devote time and energy we simply don’t have to preparing it for showings.) We do need to keep it super-clean for health reasons but that doesn’t mean it will be super neat. We’re unable to move into the new house until the renovations are completely finished and any unfinished portions are safely sealed off. This decision, of course, means a major mind shift for me, as I’ve been excitedly planning every new inch of our space. But we’ve decided that such a drastic change in our everyday surroundings probably isn’t wise right now, so we’ll likely stay here on Edgehill until treatment ends. Both boys feel safe and secure here, they know their way around, the routines feel normal. It would be a shame for Austin’s first weeks and months in the new house (and all of our first weeks and months in the new house) to be tainted by cancer treatment.
If we wait until this is over, the move can be all the more symbolic. We will be moving into that new house as a new beginning, with a new lease on life, happy and together and alive, and we will not bring any cancer with us.
I had to read the para ending with the chainsaw to Hans and be loved it. Sounds like Austin is not bored!
Krissy, I have been following all your posts and thinking about you guys every day. I’m so glad Austin’s first few in-patient days have been relatively easy. Remember, kids are so resilient – he will get through this with flying colors. He may have a few bad or sick days, but as soon as he recovers, he’ll be off and running. It’s the parents that suffer more because we hate to see our kids go through anything like this. It sounds weird, but I hope this is much harder on you than on Austin!! I hope that helps.
up for visitors?
Yes, definitely.
Soooooo nice to hear that things are going well! This is such great news, that he’s eating and peeing and pooping and feeling good! Did you ever think that pee and poop could make you so happy? Make sure you’ve got lots of purell at home! I used to bring sanitizing clorox wipes to the hospital with me, along with sanitizing hand wipes, and wipe everything down like a lunatic, since things just couldn’t be too clean, even in the hospital! So, mark your calendar, one day at a time ….. Barbara