It's kind of funny to go back and see how many mistakes I made on the first post. It had been HOURS since I'd had good sleep, and with all the stress...we don't have a prayer that this is going to be grammatically correct. Please, I'm not to great at commas anyway, sleep or no sleep! Let's keep this real, people.
February 1st had us begging for the Pain Team to come and consult with us. We felt his pain was better controlled before he got his own button. They'd give him a larger dose that would wear off within about 2 hours. He'd say he was ready for more pain meds, they'd grab them, insert them into his IV and he'd start to feel immediate relief. However, with the line, he was given a small dose every six minutes. At one point he was convince that there had to be a kink in the line. He kept pushing the button saying he wasn't feeling anything, which made him pretty frantic. It was so hard to look at his face and not scream for them to get in here. I don't want him to feel any pain, people! So, the decided to increase the amount he'd get every six minutes when he pushed the button and then started a line that had a small continuous dose. This made for the perfect diagnosis. He was finally able to relax a little. As much as you can with a softball shoved in your body. Because of the pressure of everything in there, he was having shooting pains up into his neck. Hence the pain I was rubbing often with Deep Blue Rub. And now he was just resting. Phew!
At this point we had our first visitors. My cousin Brennon, his girlfriend Leah, and her little girl, Isa came to bring us dinner. With the new meds, Caden was out, so we slipped out for some grub. They not only brought us breakfast, but a whole grocery bag FULL of snacks. It was nice to have such a needed gift placed in our hand, but the real benefit was the arms placed around our backs. They gave us a moment in the real world. A chance to ask about their sweet baby, Wyatt, due on March 15. A chance to see a four-year old wandering around the hospital. Healthy and happy. It was the best gift Brennon could have given. It was the best time I'd had since Wednesday! And guess what? He's coming again on Monday! Love him!!
We had previously heard that he would probably get his biopsy before lunch. Then came the news that because it was the weekend they didn't make appointments. So, with the 8 kids that needed surgery on a Saturday, Caden was 6th in line. We had no idea what time he'd be able to go in. With the throwing up he'd had on Thursday night/early AM, and the laxatives he'd been given he was dehydrated. Add to that the lack of food/water he was able to have, he was EXTREMELY thirsty. His only question of concern in any of this was, "Mom, do I get a drink after the biopsy? What if they don't let me get a drink?" We were only able to wet sponges and swab out his mouth to help with the cotton mouth he was experiencing. It was pretty brutal! The nice thing with all of the waiting and the new pain regimen was that he was finally able to sleep. Deep! This made me feel so great. I never thought I'd enjoy the sound of snoring. It's one thing to deal with Randy's snoring every night, sending me down to the couch night after night, but with Caden's snoring, it was music to my ears. We finally got called down at about 2:00 PM and got right in at 2:30. We snuggled, kissed and promised to be there when he woke and went to stuff our faces with food. There was NO WAY I'd eat or drink in front of him!! And let me tell you, the crap Cheeseburgers that all hospitals have have never tasted better in my life.
And then we waited.
We were told it would be about 2-3 hours. He was getting a biopsy and a picc line placed. The nice thing about this wait was the company we had. A couple from my home-ward are serving their mission right here in Seattle. And the hospital is in their area! So, they came for blessings and just to talk. It was so nice being able to talk about Caden, talk about our joys and fears, and hear news from home. It was also amazing to hear that this week alone, they'd had 18 baptisms in their mission. The work is moving along!
We got our page at 5:30 that we could go see him. Only one parent was allowed back, so Randy graciously let me go. I know he wanted to go, but he said I could. He loves me that much! His heart rate was a little elevated and his oxygen was a little low, but other than that, he looked great. We waited in post-op for about an hour before we got to go back to our room. The best thing of all was the news we heard as soon as I walked in. He got to get a drink! They said he could have anything he wanted, so I thought for sure he'd say Sprite. Nope. "Ice Water!" He was only able to take about three sips, but his face after that first sip will forever be etched in my brain. His eyes lit up with light, then rolled back into his head as he laid his head down with a sigh. I could tell it was the best drink of his life. Kind of like my Cheeseburger just a few hours before. It was the best seeing the relief steal across his face with each sip. We found out that the first sample of the tumor wasn't viable for use. They'd taken a sample up immediately to Pathology and had to take two more samples to be sure they got what they needed. We have heard NOTHING so far about it. That's the hardest part, waiting. I want them to come now and just say, "Ju-ust kidding!! We were wrong. It's just Pneumonia! Here's some medicine, he should feel better in 24 hours!" Hey, I may be sleep deprived and look like death, but a girl can dream, right?!
We got back to our room and immediately got ready for bed. 8:00 bedtime was pure heaven on earth for the Dirks'. Sleep feels so great these days!
Favorite Moment of the Day:
During one of his more awake times, Caden was watching a funny cartoon. At one moment of the show, we both laughed together. The moment felt so light and bright, it was a perfect giggle! Not much smiling, yet, but his humor makes a comeback every once in a while. Because he's Caden- like we expect any different from our family jokester!
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