Friday, June 30, 2017

Hopefully Nothing But...

Last night Chad was bending over and sneezed. This resulted in an epic amount of pain and the appearance of two knots on either side of his scar, just above his belly button. He spoke to the doctor today but due to it being a Holiday weekend, they can't see him until Wednesday morning.

Hoping and praying it isn't anything serious but I'll update everyone once we know more.

As always, many thanks for the continued love, prayers and support.

Monday, June 26, 2017

Recovery Update

Thank-you for caring! So many people have been touching base to see how Chad is - so I've decided to do a quick update!

He's doing pretty well! The second day of recovery was the worst, as expected. His belly is still distended and he has similar pain as he had from his major surgery in 2015 - Stinging and burning.  There is the obvious bruising and eating is still difficult. Sadly, I don't think there's much hope for improvement in that department, which is devastating.

He's already tired of 'relaxing' and is constantly trying to find things to do that won't get him yelled at by yours truly :) He's been to the movies and a baseball game thus far, though he paid for it dearly the next day! (haha) We have an appointment Wednesday morning with his surgeon as a follow-up and should know more then!

Thank-You so much for keeping him and our family in your thoughts and prayers. It fills a persons heart to know people are thinking about them! So thank you :)

Much Love! xo


Wednesday, June 21, 2017

Surgery Complete!


We arrived at the hospital at 8 am to register and get him prepped for what we thought was a 9 am surgery. They take him back and my mother in law and step daughter and I wait in the waiting area. After an hour and having not had a nurse come to get me - I went back and found him in a room with two cute nurses. Hmmm. lol Just Kidding.

They had him ready, so we brought in the troop to sit with him until it was time to take him away. He was super tired and fell asleep the whole time. He insists they gave him something to make him tired - not sure!

Long story short - we waited hours and hours. It was brutal. It wasn't until around noon that they actually came and got him. Dr. Swain did some see us prior to surgery and we were able to ask questions but it was still large in part - "We'll see when I get in there" type of thing.



Ar 12:42 I got the call that the procedure had started and was going well. About two hours later Dr. Swain came to report that the surgery was a success! Chad had mutliple hernias within the same area and compared it to a slide of swiss cheese. He was able to repair it using a large single piece of mesh and everything went according to plan.

While inside, he had a look around and didn't see any kinks or obvious reasons as to why Chad has so much trouble with bloating and digestion.  This surgery weighed heavily on my mind for a couple reasons but the biggest one was cancer. The type of cancer Chad has is tricky (like most cancers). I've read so many horror stories in my support group about CT Scans that didn't pick up the cancer. See, it grows and can produce this mucin like substance that coats the abdominal cavity. It doesn't always show up on scans and since no one ever seems to be able to explain what is going on with him, my biggest fear was that cancer was the culprit.

The last time this doctor operated on Chad, he gave us a cancer diagnosis. So, I was nervous. Worried. And nervous. But thankfully, Dr. Swain did not see any evidence of disease at all! *Victory*

Chad's belly is swollen and there are eight incision points. I am not sure why Dr. Swain did so many as my understanding is it's usually 3 - but I think due to Chad's previous surgery and perhaps so he could have a good look around, there's more.

His biggest complaint is a sever burning sensation around the top but an ice pack helps it big time!


This did end up being an outpatient surgery (Thank God!) and he's home resting. We both slept on the sectional last night. Sleep was tough to come by but it's way better than a hospital room! (lol, at least for me. Chad would've had an actual bed there) Stairs are a bit of a challenge so going up and downstairs right now isn't an option.

I sincerely want to thank those of you who checked in, prayed, sent well wishes etc., It means so so so much I'm not even kidding. The past 2.5 years have been full of ups and downs and we're very blessed but also very tired. It just means so much to both of us (and our family) to have you guys supporting us through this! We love you xo



These are a couple pics of him enjoying his milkshake upon release and last night, being playful for the camera lol

Monday, June 19, 2017

It's Time...

Today we are heading to Marion, IL to the VA hospital for Chad's CT Scan and Oncologist Appointment.

Tomorrow, he is getting his long awaited Hernia Repair Surgery.

Emotions are running high and unreasonable fears are creeping in.

I am kindly requesting that anyone out there who believes in the power of prayer, to please send some Chad's way. We pray for clear CT Scan results today (No Cancer!) and for a successful, complication-free surgery tomorrow! Our prayers for best case scenario is that Dr. Swain is able to repair the hernia without any trouble, sees absolutely no sign of cancer anywhere and also is able to see/fix Chad's digestive track.

Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Much Love

Wednesday, June 7, 2017

Fast Approaching

The surgery is fast approaching. June 20th will arrive before we know it. I continue to pray (and ask for prayers) that the surgery is a success, zero complications, that there are no surprises when they open him up (Everything looks good, no cancer) and God Willing, Dr. Swain is able to somehow fix whatever is broken and Chad's life ends up being, at least a little, less painful!

June 19th - The day before the surgery is Chad's Semi-annual CT Scan as well as a meeting with his oncologist. Same prayers as above and he remains cancer free!

Many thanks for your love and prayers!