Appointment update

 Yesterday Seth had his weekly outpatient appointment. This time when the nurse went to flush his PICC line it wouldn't budge so she had to unclog the line with a different solution to get rid of the obstruction.  After that the flush went very easy.  The 'flush' is just to make sure the PICC line is unobstructed so when it time to do bloodwork or chemo the line is functioning smoothly. 

Seth's oncologist is all for signing the form for getting a handicap placard. He wasn't sure if there are different restrictions in getting one but he said he would absolutely sign that so Seth wouldn't have to walk so far for appointments and things, especially in the winter.  

Seth was told that he knows his body best so he can do active things but to stop as soon as it becomes to much for him to handle.  He needs to try things slowly and see how it goes. 

Bryan had me ask about what stage Seth's cancer is because people have been asking him.  The oncologist said he hates to put a number on it because people don't usually know what it means and it causes unnecessary panic and fear.  BUT...if your curious he said he would put it at a Stage 4 (don't freak out) just simply because of the size of the mass.  He said when people hear stage 4 they think it's throughout the body and impossible to manage or cure. I told him that's what I always thought when I heard it in other people, it always sounded like hopelessness to me.  So he said that's why he hates in this case to even put a number on it. His cancer hasn't spread in his body and we don't want the 'stage 4' to 'spread' unnecessary hopelessness amongst you. So let's just keep that out of the diagnoses.  So when people ask, say Seth has 'Synovial Sarcoma' not 'Stage 4 Synovial Sarcoma'.  If someone asks what stage by all means say it but don't let it be part of your info you’re giving first hand.  Let's keep hope running rampant, we know where our hope resides, so let's keep our focus there. ❤ 

After his appointment we went to Tim Hortons for some lunch (and 15 packs of hockey cards). In case anyone is wanting to do 'a little something' for Seth, he's collecting Tim Hortons hockey cards every chance he gets 😁. He would be so excited if all of our sudden our church mailbox was full of them haha! just a thought! No obligation whatsoever but I know it's nice to know 'what can I do?' This is something he is very into right now and he loves it.

So many hockey cards! I bought him 5 with lunch and then he went back and bought 10 more packs. 😂

After lunch we walked down the street to check out the 'Kids with Cancer Society' house. They host events there and it's a place where families can just hangout if they need to.  We are thankful we live close to the hospital so when we need we can just go home, but for families that need to travel here what a nice place to go.  We've only had one appointment where we had to wait a while so next time we could easily come to this house, but we also have the Family Room at the hospital too which is a nice area for us to wait too.  Also it's in a heritage house so it's over 100 years old and a very neat home to be in. I'd be happy sitting on the big front porch in the spring, it's beautiful! 

Seth had friends over yesterday for a Christmas Gift Exchange. Thankful he has friends that are good with working around his schedule. We knew he may be admitted at the hospital today and he was doing really well this round, and only gets better at the end of it so it was a good time to plan this knowing there was a high chance he'd be well enough. His doctor was going to see if he could get him in today, otherwise I received a message that he is scheduled to be admitted tomorrow. 

He will most likely be getting radiation as I said before.  The Proton Therapy I mentioned earlier is also radiation (which I didn't realize) but it's one where radiation pinpoints a spot and that treatment is done in Florida, but because Seth's cancer is a bigger mass he doesn't think that's the way to go but rather to do a more broad radiation to get more of the area. 

We are also still unsure of the origin of the cancer, although his oncologist is pretty sure it's the lung but its not 100% clear. Honestly that's not really an important piece of info anyway, more for doctors to want to figure out for research than for us. 

At the end of Round 2 we are thankful Seth had no emergency hospital visits this round and that all his regular appointments went well and as planned.  Thank you all for your prayers for that, they have definitely been granted and we are very thankful. 

Praise God ♡