Still Kickin'

 As some of you know, Chad had neck surgery back in March. While it was done to prevent further deterioration, we were hopeful it would help improve his pain in his neck, shoulders and wrist. It hasn't done much for pain relief but his recovery was pretty smooth.

October 19, 2020 -  Since the neck surgery didn't help with his wrist issues (He loses sensation, drops things, etc.,) - Chad went to see a doctor about his wrist. They will eventually give him an injection once they get the results from his Nerve Conduction study the VA conducted before lockdown. For now they have given him some steroids to help with inflammation and a brace to wear at night (Which I doubt he will wear lol) 

Other than that, life is just truckin' on here in Kentucky. We send our love and prayers to everyone across the globe. We sure hope you and your family are enduring these crazy times <3 Stay safe and live your best life! xo

I Hate Corona

 Chad has just been taken back for his annual colonoscopy. I am sitting in the car waiting. I understand their logic behind isolation but I sure wish I could have been there waiting with him. 

These things always make me nervous, regardless of how routine they can sometimes be.

If you read this please pray that everything goes smoothly  and that the results are clean and clear 

Thank you xoxo

 

Edit To Add: While the hospital might be a bit of a shit show, his results were great. He has some issues that are known but otherwise everything looked really good. No more diverticulitis and of course no polyps! Thank you God :)

General Update

Chad's surgery was over two months ago now. He has been back to work a little over a week and things are going well. Unfortunately the surgery didn't eliminate the tingling and loss of sensation/all the pain but it did help alleviate some of the discomfort and hopefully prevents further deterioration.

Chad is having some other issues, most likely related to his  original big surgery and digestion. He originally had an appointment for follow up in July but due to the severity of what he is enduring currently, they managed to get him in yesterday morning. He has some medication and if things get worse or don't improve by Wednesday of next week, he will go back in and see them.

*Knock on wood*

We send our love and thanks to everyone and hope you're all staying safe, happy and healthy!

March 9th - Surgery

Two weeks and one day ago, Chad had surgery on his neck. I can't believe I haven't updated the blog yet but as we all know, life as we know it has been turned upside down and my head is spinning trying to understand the ridiculousness of it all.

Anyways - Chad's surgery went very well. It took a couple hours total and his recovery thus far seems to be on schedule. He stayed one night in the hospital and did fabulous while there. He is allowed to take the brace off today but still feels uncomfortable walking around/doing thing/sleeping without it, so he will probably keep it close by for another week.

His incision is a healing fine but there is a big bump.  The next appointment with the surgeon to look everything over is on March 31st. As of right now, that appointment is still happening.

We want to thank everyone for all of your thoughts, prayers, good vibes. They are truly, so very appreciated!

Please stay safe and use your brain during these crazy times! <3

Here We Go!

I thought it was time for another brief update!

First and foremost, yesterday was Chad's anniversary date for his big surgery in Baltimore 5 years ago! We celebrate his cancer free status all the time but March 2, 2015 was the date of his actual surgery where all of our questions (and prayers) were answered :)

Last Wednesday (Feb 26?) Chad went to see the Gastroenterologist again. Chad is still bloating and vomiting after meals. It's not every meal anymore though, so that is a blessing. With that said, the thought of eating makes him miserable because he is so limited and everything ends up causing him pain. They have him on some pills but it's too soon to tell if they're helping.

Next week, on March 9th is Chad's Neck surgery. There will be a one night hospital stay to ensure he is swallowing properly, etc.,  He will wear a neck brace for two weeks following and be restricted from driving and any physical labour. Then he will have another 1-3 month recovery after that. God willing this time the doctors do an amazing job and he recovers very quickly!

I will update again either after surgery or before if there's anything worth noting. We sincerely appreciate your prayers, positive thoughts and well wishes <3

Chad's Health Update

We were very fortunate to celebrate Chad's recent milestone of 5 Year Cancer Free! It's been a long road but considering how things could have gone, I'm personally very grateful he's still doing well on the cancer side! <3

The associated health stuff - not so much. For those who have followed Chad's journey you know that ever since his initial surgery, it has literally been one thing after another.

Stomach - This stuff is still pretty bad. He bloats like crazy, has bad cramps all the time and can basically eat next to nothing. He's been battling with the VA to get more tests and such done to figure out what is actually going on but it seems he's either a medical mystery or the doctors just don't really care.  It's unfortunate to have that sort of a feeling about it but he's been suffering for so long and we've yet to find a doctor who has taken an actual interest in getting to the bottom of his issues.

He does not vomit every meal anymore but it still happens and it's still absolutely awful. He had an appointment last week with a doctor here in Murray and they prescribed him medication to fight potential bacteria but that seems to be entirely ineffective.

Neck - This one sucks. :( A couple years ago Chad had really, really bad muscle spasms in his neck. They wanted to do surgery then but put it off and he got some shots instead and has been pretty okay ever since. He's recently started having more numbness and stiffness so they sent him back to the neurosurgeon.

On March  9th, Chad will be having ACDF surgery on his neck. Fusing his C4/C5 (I believe) disc together.  It is unlikely that this will give him any relief from his symptoms but it should hopefully prevent further deterioration. I am beyond dreading this surgery but my concerns fell on deaf ears - so onward and upward. The success rate is high and the doctors are confident that this is a safe and worthwhile endeavor. Glad they're sure!

February 24th - He will be going to a Pre-surgery test in Paducah. Dr. Thomas Gruber, MD is the doctor who will be performing his surgery. I won't lie folks, this one has me down in the dumps for a whole slew of reasons. I'm just concerned so any prayers, love, comfort, light, electrons - whatever you believe in, I'll gladly receive when the surgery date gets closer.