At Least None of Us Are Getting Typhoid

It's been difficult to write this.  I'd love to say we're home from the hospital after a successful surgery and all is well as we wait for Karl's incisions to heal.  The truth is, we got the labs back on Friday just as we were waiting for him to be discharged.  We're disappointed.  The dumb cancer was found in five of the lymph nodes.  Stage 3B.  Not what we were expecting to hear at all.  I guess no one expects that.  The doc didn't see any overt signals of it spreading when she did the surgery and I clung to her words.  This surgery would be but a little speed bump as our life went on.  Now it's a much bigger speed bump.

We came home Friday a bit numb.  We told our pastors and a few others. The girls were at the Comicon til Saturday and we didn't feel it best to tell them until they were home.  It was good to have a day to wrap our heads around what we had heard.  Surreal.  This is the stuff of movies or other people.  Not my husband. Not our life.

We talked to Kody first.  He understood more than I expected.  Earlier this year he had read a book by Josh Sundquist called Just Don't Fall.  Josh lost his leg to cancer and is now a para Olympic skier, Youtuber, and motivational speaker.  Because of the book, Kody was familiar with cancer and treatments.  After we talked about Dad's cancer, Kody wanted to know if Karl would have to have anything amputated.  I told him the doctors had already amputated part of his colon and it was on the inside where no one could see. This seemed to satisfy him.  He next asked if Dad would be too sick to play with him during the chemo.  I told him there may be days when he's sick but also days when he feels fine.  That seemed to satisfy Kody.

The girls got home from Comicon and we told them the results of the labs.  They were disappointed but handled it as well as any of us.

Right now, Karl has to heal from the surgery.  Laparoscopic surgery is pretty cool.  The recovery time is fairly speedy compared to what it could be.  He has to eat low fiber for a few days and then back to normal.  He also has to get up and moving to heal faster.  It's been interesting to remind him his definition for "short walks" is different than the doctor's definition.  He can't lift more than 10 pounds for about 6 weeks.  He can't drive until he sees the doctor again.  Karl feels a bit sore and tired.  Other than that, I told him he looks too good.  The people who are gracious enough to bring us meals from church are going to think we're "meal mooching".  He needs to moan a bit more and lay there with a lap quilt.

Mark, Karl's brother, brought us a juicer.  Karl's not a fan of healthy things unless they are coated in chocolate, cheese, or root beer.  Mark and Melissa also brought up a fridge full of leafy greens and fruits to juice.  We tried a combination of kale, cucumber, carrot, apple, bananas, and yogurt that wasn't too bad.  He's adjusting to our new "jungle juice" regimen.  With a root beer float chaser.

He sees the surgeon again later this week and the oncologist again next week.  They will set up a plan to start chemo.  Don't know much more until then.

We have been in contact with a friend who teaches in the district who has gone through a very similar bout with colon cancer in the last two years.  She had the same stage, same surgeon, same oncologist.  Now she's doing great.  Her recovery has been encouraging.  It's amazing how her horrible experience is now such a gift of experience and hope to us.

As we drove home from the hospital we stopped at the end of the road and got our mail- a bill from the pediatrician's office for all the typhoid shots the kids had.  Whew.  We are so relieved that none of us have to face typhoid this year.  Such a relief.  Malaria either.  And we have a fridge full of other assorted prescriptions that might come in handy if dengue fever strikes Oro Valley.  Not everyone can say that!

Karl told me this morning that when he's on a mountain bike ride problems often come up... flat tires, chains breaking or coming off.  That doesn't stop the trip.  You fix the problem and get back on the trail.  That's what we have to do now.  Fix the problem so we can get back on the trail.  

Thanks for the words of encouragement and love.  Thanks for the meals and cards.  Thanks for giving us a little space to sort through this.  As you can imagine, the emotions are flying fast and furious.  Sometimes I'm numb, sad, mad, scared, and hopeful....all in the same hour.

Karl has also given me more mountain bike advice that seems appropriate.  Look where you want to go.  Don't look at the cholla.  Pick your line and watch the trail.  Your bike goes where your eyes are.  So that's what I want to do.  Keep my eyes up and look ahead -do not look at the cholla. I guess that's the Arizona equivalent of Peter getting out of the boat and looking at Jesus instead of looking at the waves around him.

Through it all, God loves us.  He has a plan for us that includes this broken chain.  We're going to pull off and fix the problem. Then He will get us back on the trail because we've got a lot of ground left to cover.....

Perspective.  Gratitude.  Trust.  Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow.  Great is His faithfulness!

Meta

So far, so good!

Thanks so much for all the well wishes.  Karl came out of surgery yesterday about 4.  He was groggy but feeling pretty well.  He has a happy button that dispenses meds as needed.  We got him up and moving last night and will do more today.  He's still on an ice chip/liquid diet.  Hopefully solid food will come tomorrow.  The doc removed about a foot of colon.  She saw no immediate signs of cancer beyond the tumor, but we don't know definitively until the labs come back later this week.  The surgery was laparoscopic and he only has two little holes~ one of them is in the belly button.  Karl will still be able to wear bikinis!  Or not.  We're praying the lymph nodes are unaffected and chemo won't be necessary.  But also confident that God will equip us to face whatever lies ahead.  

Today Karl has to sit up and walk more to get the plumbing moving.  Hopefully food tomorrow.  I'm staying with him here in the room on the oh-so-lovely recliner chair.  I keep telling myself that this chair would be a reward item if I were on Survivor.  Perspective changed.  

So some answers to prayer on the trip cancellation.  Our travel agent suggested we reschedule our trip for the fall just to prolong the life of our ticket. We would still pay the $1600 change fees with British Airways.  She suggested a travel insurance company to insure the new trip against further changes.  If we did need to change, the insurance should cover that.  So I called the insurance company from Iowa and explained the whole situation.  The agent asked what day we had paid for our trip.  It turns out we  were still within the window to purchase insurance for the current trip.  If we bought the high end policy and the option for "cancel for any reason" we could get back 75% of the original purchase price.  The insurance cost and the 25% would mean were only out a few thousand rather than $10,000.  We're also not beholden to a specific airline in a specific timeframe.  The insurance with this option would cost roughly the same amount as the airline change fees.  So on the last possible day I purchased insurance and then canceled our trip for good.  The next day I filed a claim with the insurance. 

 I cried when the lady told me it was possible to insure the trip.  She probably thought I was a nut job.  Probably right.  The intensity of the trip planning and subsequent unplanning... Along with report cards, a few difficult class parents, end of year job concerns (my job is now presumed ok, just not sure what grade level I will be).. It was no wonder my nerves and emotions were on edge.  And oh yeah... Karl has a mongo malignant tumor that must come out now.  

We finished up our trip to Iowa.  Kody's team had a great time trading pins with kids from other states and countries.  We got to spend some time with cool parents and coaches.  We got to watch our team and many others demonstrate 9 months of creative genius.  The kids had a ball in the dorm, the activities for them, all you can eat cafeteria meals, and creative transportation in our rental SUV.  In the end, we competed against 54 other teams from around the world and placed 19th.  We are thrilled.  

Hannah spent the weekend with the youth group on a local mission project called Mark 520.  They helped residents at an assisted living facility in mid Tucson build a garden, do handy man jobs, paint walls, read to blind residents, and just live life together.  

Karl did some home jobs hanging out with the dogs while we were gone.  

Thanks friends and family for your love, prayer, and support.  Many of you have walked this road before ands we appreciate your words of advice and encouragement.  We are taking each day as it comes and not planning anything even though we're home. Except.....  The girls will now get to go to part ofPhoenix  Comicon thanks to my rock star dad who agreed to take them.  He wants to cosplay as Professor Xavier so he can roll through the convention center-except he doesn't want to shave his head.  I told him he can borrow the Darth Vadar or Yoda uniforms... We also have a wide selection of Star Trek uniforms.  Stay tuned.. I will post pics next week.  Feel free to message or email him with your suggestions.  

Now you're up to date as of now.... Keeping our eyes up with perspective, gratitude, and trust!