5th craniversary

Today marks 5 years since the day my husband Pablo had surgery to remove a massive brain tumour (grade II, close to grade III atypical menigioma). I went back to last year's craniversary post to see what I had wirtten about and here is an excerpt:

Four years ago, Pablo was diagnosed with a grade II (close to grade III) atypical menigioma. Luckily it was benign, but holy crap the damage the damn tumour caused! Most of the damage was in the bladder area and Pablo now has a bladder pacemaker because the signals from the brain to the bladder are not functioning properly. Now the pacemaker isn't working because the wire leads have come loose (because Pablo is an active guy in his thirties with two young kids...). We're not sure if the pacemaker is going to be fixed or just removed entirely. In the meantime, Pablo recently had surgery to remove a piece of his bladder and in its place, he got 40 Botox injections. These Botox injections need to be done every 6-8 months. NOW we just heard word that Pablo is probably going to need Botox injections in his brain every 8-12 months to relieve that stress in his brain and to help with the brutal headaches that he gets. Add 5 more meds to the 20-something that he already takes and that is where we are at today.

Just yesterday, Pablo came back from yet another Toronto trip - this time to get his bladder pacemaker rewired finally. This involved an incision in his back to get to the pacemaker. This surgery came just two weeks after a procedure to remove an abscess on his prostate (which included an 8 day stay at the hospital). This past December, Pablo had yet another urology surgery to remove scar tissue down the urethra and some Botox injections in his bladder. Last July was Botox injections in the brain and June was a couple surgeries to remove more scar tissue down the urethra. And that is just the major stuff......
 
I keep saying that I don't know what is in store for Pablo in this next year but I'm pretty sure it will involve more surgeries and more Botox injections in various places because Pablo is a long ways away from being 'back to normal'. It just sucks that 5 years post brain tumour and Pablo is still engulfed with medical issues. We're taking it one day at a time and here is to hoping for as calm a year medically as possible because we all could use a bit of a break. The kids and I want to wish Pablo a very happy 5th craniversary!!!

recipes I've tried in the last few weeks

Oh boy, where do I start! Pablo had to go to the hospital a couple weeks ago due to an unusual headache that lasted a few days. Many many tests and an appointment with his neurologist and neurosurgeon later and it seems that Pablo has the neck of an 80 year old man due to his brain tumour from 4.5 years ago. His neck is very compressed so they want to put screws in his neck between the vertebrae to stretch it out. They are hoping this will prevent alot of Pablo's recurring headaches and should help with the dizzy spells. Surgery date TBD but quite possibly within the next 6 months. Recovery is expected to be brutal. :(

A couple nights ago, out of absolutely nowhere, Simon developed group A strep. Long night at the local children's hospital, and a very sick boy made for an exhausting week. We didn't find out till 24 hours after the hospital visit that it was strep so right away he started on amoxicillin but soon after his first dose, he developed a bad rash all over his face, neck and stomach. And boy was it itchy, poor boy. A change of medication and Simon is on the mend.

This is Thanksgiving weekend here in Canada and I am so excited for my mom's turkey dinner tomorrow! A visit to the pumpkin patch will round out the day. No work for me Monday so a day to relax and bake. Happy Thanksgiving to all you out there celebrating this weekend!

Here is the roundup of recipes I've tried in the last few weeks:

Even though I am half Italian, the thought of making lasagna scares me. Then I found this recipe for cheesy sausage skillet lasagna and DAMN was it good AND easy to make. It got devoured and leftovers for so yummy too.

picky palate

And then we have breakfast for dinner. Sinfully delicious!

easy cheesy breakfast casserole - gimme some oven

Apple cider season is here. These apple cider glazed pork chops were delicious. Made with mashed potatoes and green beans.

delightful e made

Never do a food post when you skipped lunch....eesshhhhh....in conclusion, I recommend the following recipes:

apricot balsamic chicken - recipe girl

beef burrito casserole - recipe girl

stove top one pot macaroni and cheese - white on rice couple

easy ground beef tacos - mountain mama cooks

the idea room - garlic cheddar chicken strips

averie cooks - 6 banana banana bread

And in honour of thanksgiving:

funkytime

happy father's day!

Happy father's day to my dad, to pablo and all the dad's out there. I can't even put into words what dedicated and amazing fathers both my dad and Pablo are.

The photo above was taken this morning at the Ultimate run for men's cancers (in support of the Ottawa Regional Cancer Foundation). After the event we went to get groceries but Pablo wasn't doing so well. He's been having bladder issues all weekend and we decided that after groceries, we were going to have to take Pablo to the emergency room to get this issue checked out. What a way to spend father's day. Luckily emergency wasn't too busy and due to the gravity of Pablo's issues, he was seen right away. Turns out he has a pretty bad infection, the likely cause being his bladder surgery not too long ago. Pablo is now on antibiotics and has a catheter that should stay in place for the week. He'll need to see his urologist this week and a scope is most likely going to need to happen very soon. We managed to make it to my parents' place for a family dinner and now we are home and I am so tired I'm having a hard time putting sentences together. My apologies for again not doing a recipe post but I am saving them all up and when I do get time to do a recipe post, it'll be a long one. I also had to work overtime this weekend so I was really short on free time. Goodnight all. Have a wonderful week.

4th craniversary

Can't believe it's been four years since my husband's brain surgery. How crazy life has been since then...

post surgery, four years ago

Four years ago, Pablo was diagnosed with a grade II (close to grade III) atypical menigioma. Luckily it was benign, but holy crap the damage the damn tumour caused! Most of the damage was in the bladder area and Pablo now has a bladder pacemaker because the signals from the brain to the bladder are not functioning properly. Now the pacemaker isn't working because the wire leads have come loose (because Pablo is an active guy in his thirties with two young kids...). We're not sure if the pacemaker is going to be fixed or just removed entirely. In the meantime, Pablo recently had surgery to remove a piece of his bladder and in its place, he got 40 Botox injections. These Botox injections need to be done every 6-8 months. NOW we just heard word that Pablo is probably going to need Botox injections in his brain every 8-12 months to relieve that stress in his brain and to help with the brutal headaches that he gets. Add 5 more meds to the 20-something that he already takes and that is where we are at today.

Not sure what is in store for Pablo in the next year but we just try to get through each day and make things work as best we can. Life is rough but Pablo has made it this far and for that, we are thankful. The kids wish him a happy craniversary too!

recipes I've tried this week

I would love to start one of these posts with only happy and jolly goings-on around here but I think that will be awhile....

Pablo had yet another surgery on Friday. This one was to fix his bladder issues. For a few years now, he has had scar tissue build up which makes it really hard for him to do something as simple as pee. I won't get into detail because it might make alot of you squirm. This surgery involved removing the scar tissue and replacing it with Botox. The kicker is that now every 5-7 months, Pablo needs to go under general anesthetic and have 40 injections of Botox in that area down there. Very unpleasant but whatever makes daily life easier and less freaking annoying and a pain in the ass.

And while Pablo had his pre-op tests, they found a heart issue - it looks like his bicuspid aortic valve has two cusps instead of three. Results are being sent to the heart institute and tests are being requested.

Little story from today: Pablo came grocery shopping with us this morning to get out of the house. He decided that he deserved some beer so we stopped at the liquor store on the way home and Pablo, cane in hand, went in to pick up what he wanted. While he was in line, a man asked Pablo if he had had knee surgery. Pablo quickly explained this past surgery and his other surgeries. The man was moved by Pablo's story, so much so that he bought Pablo's beer! Thank you Peter! You made Pablo's day!

In the midst of the chaos, I cooked some REALLY good meals this week. So good that I was glad for leftovers because that meant I could enjoy them again the following day.

My favourite of the week, hands down was cilantro lime chicken tacos. Amazing, to die for and will be made at least every couple of weeks.

the girl who ate everything

My second favourite of the week was baked mozzarella chicken rolls. Anything stuffed with ricotta is my kind of meal. The kids loved this too and even after I explained that the green flecks were spinach, they still ate it! I made it with green beans and roast potatoes.

inspired dreamer

I turned this next beef stew recipe into a slow cooker recipe because it was made Friday - the day Pablo had surgery. I wasn't sure when I'd have to go pick him up so I wanted to make sure I wasn't in the middle of cooking dinner when that happened. I basically put all the ingredients of this recipe into the slow cooker, added about a cup or two of tomato sauce, omitted the red wine and TADA - a super yummy slow cooker beef stew was devoured by all except Pablo who was too drugged to eat anything.

my baking addiction

Had to have pasta and this pasta with easy roasted red pepper sauce was perfect for a busy weeknight meal. I added a bit too much crushed red pepper so the kids found it a bit too spicy (weirdos). More leftovers for me then!

gimme some oven

Lastly, I was really wanting breakfast for dinner so I made banana and nutella stuffed french toast. We all loved it. Gonna have to try it for breakfast on the weekends too.

just a taste

Baked this afternoon after getting back from grocery shopping. Made baked doughnut muffins and brown sugar toffee cheesecake bars.

simply delicious

cookies and cups

9 years

9 years ago today I married the handsome man pictured above and those two munchkins mean the world to the both of us. How cute are they!?!?!?!? I had a look back at last year's anniversary post and guess what? - Pablo needed hernia surgery. Anniversary #7 appeared to be medical issue free. This year? Well, things aren't looking so good unfortunately. Lately, Pablo has been having many of the same symptoms he had when his brain tumour was discovered. A brain scan was ordered and the results came back. Now there is talk as to whether brain radiation is needed again. We are trying not to think about it but it's hard. Waiting is not fun and we always seem to do alot of waiting. Pablo, your strength through all this medical sh*t is astonishing and I thank you for that because it has helped me to stay strong too. Thank you for being an amazing father and husband. I love you. We'll get through this like all the other hands we have been dealt.

UPDATE (Wed morn): Pablo is heading to the hospital due to kidney issues and a bladder obstruction.
UPDATE (Wed night): Pablo spent the day at the hospital having bloodwork done, etc. He is home now but needs to be back at the hospital tomorrow morning to meet with his urologist.
UPDATE (Thurs night): Surgery is scheduled for the end of this month to fix the bladder issues.

3rd craniversary

3 years since my husband Pablo had brain surgery. He was diagnosed with a Grade II atypical BENIGN meningioma (bordering on Grade III) on April 15, 2010 and this changed our lives completely. Even after 3 years, it affects our lives daily. Pablo hasn't been able to work since early 2010. Pablo still takes alot of medication to control his chronic pain and headaches. The brain tumour caused neurological damage and now Pablo has a pacemaker for his bladder.

Not only did Pablo overcome a brain tumour but now he is well enough to spend his days looking after our kids while I work and he couldn't be happier about that. (I must admit I am a tad jealous). The last 3 years have been incredibly hard and trying on all of us but Pablo has come a long way and has stayed so strong and positive through it all. 

Pablo - you amaze me. Lots of hugs and kisses from the kids and I. We love you very much.

this sign is in our bedroom - in memory of April 26, 2010

For a run down of the last 3 years, check out Pablo's brain tumour page and here's my 1st and 2nd craniversary posts.

just when we thought things were getting better...

Pablo had a stroke.

One day he complained of feeling out of it and disoriented. The next day he was telling me that he swore we had three kids.

He double checked that he didn't screw up his meds somehow.

This went on for a few days with no improvement.

Off to the hospital where tests determined that he had a stroke.

Now he's been back and forth to the hospital for lots of brain scans to see what might have caused the stroke.

Our worst fear is that the son of a bitch brain tumour is back.

The kids don't know anything yet. Not even sure what we would tell them...

The hospital wanted to admit Pablo but he said no. He'd rather be at home while they schedule the tests. We even took the kids to the local Santa Claus parade last night - all four of us.

I gotta take this week off of posting because I can't think straight. Sorry.

I'll add updates as they come.

UPDATES:

28th am: We're still waiting for an MRI. We've been waiting since last Thursday.

28th pm: Pablo is back at the hospital. Possible MRI tonight and to get checked out because he's been losing the vision in his right eye since early this afternoon.

29th: The hospital can't do MRIs anymore due to Pablo's pacemaker so they did another CT scan but did it a bit differently this time to get better results. GOOD NEWS: the results show that the stroke probably made some scar tissue move into the hole where his tumour was...making it look as though the tumour was growing back. We're waiting to have this confirmed by a neuro-radiologist but this is FANTASTIC if this is the case. Now we just have to figure out why he had the stroke...

1st: Pablo spoke to a neuro-radiologist yesterday. Since the final scan was done about a week and a half after the stroke (now being called a mini-stroke - TIA) the doc couldn't say 100% for sure that what he sees in the scan is from this stroke or the stroke that Pablo had after brain surgery. He also CONFIRMED that the tumour IS NOT back. He too agrees that it is scar tissue. PHEW. We're so freaking thrilled. There is still lots of appointments to come with Pablo's neurologist, oncologist, etc. but we're over the hump and heading back to, dare I say, NORMAL?!?!?!?!? Pablo is feeling a heck of a lot better than he was a week ago.

I love all you guys, those who've left heartfelt comments and those who've been checking back to see the outcome. Your support is so important to us. I have the most amazing readers/followers and I owe you guys so much. Thank you.
 

pacemaker surgery complete!

Pablo had his bladder pacemaker surgery yesterday. It was very successful and seems to be working well so far. And get this - it comes with a remote! Pretty obvious we knew nothing about pacemakers before this. Here is a photo of the remote:

Right after surgery, when Pablo was in recovery, the pacemaker was programmed by a technician. Now with the remote, Pablo can turn off the pacemaker, or raise or lower the voltage. Some interesting pacemaker facts we learned: those security gates at entrances to stores - they can give Pablo a jolt when he goes through them so this would be an ideal time to turn off the pacemaker. Also, airport security wands should not be placed over the area of his lower back where the pacemaker is. MRIs and pacemakers don't mix. This is really not good as Pablo needs to get MRIs every 6 months to make sure his brain tumour hasn't returned. Not sure what we're going to do about this little bit of news....

We were given some reading material and a video to watch regarding the 'InterStim Therapy System'. The neurostimulator is powered by a battery and with time, the battery will deplete. Eventually, it will need to be surgically replaced. It'll take about 4 weeks after surgery for Pablo to resume regular movement. Right now, he needs to avoid bending, twisting, bouncing or stretching or the lead wire will get dislodged. He's really uncomfortable right now and can barely sit down but he does have lots of pain meds to help with that.

Pablo woke up this morning with a strange rash that starts at the middle of his back and goes halfway down his legs. Pablo has never had this sort of reaction after any surgery he's had...and he's had MANY. I took him to a clinic this morning and they had never seen anything like it before and they assumed that it is an allergic reaction - possibly to the iodine that was used to clean the area. If it is still visible after a week, we are to go back to the clinic.

Pablo has a follow-up appointment in 6 weeks with the surgeon and the pacemaker technician and any adjustments to the programming can be made then. 

pacemaker update

We FINALLY got some dates for Pablo's bladder pacemaker surgery. I pluralized dates because they are making Pablo go to Toronto this Friday for his pre-op appointment. God forbid they do it over the phone or some other way. AND they gave him a 9am appointment which means another overnight stay. It's about a 5 hour drive from our place to Toronto so not worth leaving at 3 am. We're going to make it a family trip so all four of us are going and we'll take them to the zoo or something. Isabella starts grade 1 on Tuesday (OMG I still can't believe it) so a good way to end summer break. Not looking forward to the drive there and back in two days with two small kids but hopefully they'll sleep lots and we'll have fun while we're there.

Surgery has been scheduled for September 13. It's a day surgery but yet again, is going to require Pablo to be in Toronto on the 12th. Can you imagine, bladder pacemaker surgery is a day surgery?!?! Let's hope the damn thing works or else back to Toronto we go...

On a completely unrelated note, since this coming weekend is a long weekend, I am going to paint Isabella's room. I am excited because it needs some sprucing up to match her new Ikea Kura loft bed. Stay tuned for photos.

trains, buses and pacemakers

I'm gonna start off this post with some good news (for a change). Pablo had his annual MRI recently. He was very nervous for a couple reasons. The first reason is that he's been feeling like crap the last few months. The second reason is that while he was having the MRI done, the technician asked Pablo when his next brain surgery was. This freaked Pablo out a bit because he assumed that she saw something and hence her asking the question. (I think for every scan Pablo has had done, a technician has made some sort of comment to scare him). Anyway, our family doctor finally got the results (it took about a week) and the MRI came back clear! YAY!

With that being done, I'll move onto explaining the title of this post.

Today, Pablo had to go to Toronto for an external bladder pacemaker (reminder: his brain tumour caused severe bladder issues). To get to Toronto, we were able to get him train tickets due to a 50% off seat sale. Then we found out a few days ago that there was going to be a strike affecting train service. The train was perfect because Pablo was coming home right after the procedure and the train was going to enable him to move around/lay down/stand for the uncomfortable ride home. Hearing about the strike worried us because if he couldn't take the train, I was going to have to drive Pablo to Toronto (about a 5 hr car ride) and drive home right after his appointment. And since Pablo doesn't have his license due to seizures, I would have to do all the driving myself. Yuck. After numerous phone calls to the train station, we figured out that Pablo would have to take a bus to Brockville then a train from Brockville to Toronto. Better than me driving and more comfortable for Pablo.

This morning, Pablo got to the train station bright and early and turns out, there were a bunch of news crews there to interview passengers about how this strike was affecting them. Well it damn well was negatively affecting Pablo who was worried that due to the bus being a bit slower than a train, he might not make his appointment on time. He told the news crews this and they were very interested to hear his story. Within no time, everyone in the station knew Pablo's story. In fact, CBC news wants to do a full story on Pablo's medical history. I hope they have alot of time for the interview because it is going to take a long time to go from start to finish!

There was a bit of a wait in Brockville and Pablo was worried that he wouldn't make his 1:30 pm appointment. He called the hospital and they told him that if he got there any later than 2:30, they wouldn't be able to take him at all. Yeah, really. Shocker. Thankfully, Pablo got to the hospital with minutes to spare and they 'installed' the pacemaker. Pablo is uncomfortable, in pain ("it hurt so fucking bad") and finds the whole procedure strange in that he can feel the electric currents. He is not allowed to bend over, lift anything, bathe, etc. for a week while he has this thing on. Pablo is on the train home and should get here around 10 pm tonight.

Next Wednesday, he has to go back to Toronto (this will be the third trip for this issue) where they will remove the pacemaker, do xrays, etc. This means an overnight trip again (like the first trip) as he has to be at the hospital first thing in the morning. This also means I have to take some more time off work. Luckily, due to the pain in the ass bus/train trip today, Pablo gets 50% off his next train trip, which helps because the train is not cheap.

The date of the final internal bladder pacemaker surgery it still TBD (sometime near the end of the summer supposedly). Pablo just told me that surgery will probably be mid-June.

happy mother's day

I've got some family updates but before I get into that, I just want to wish all the momma's out there a happy mother's day! A big happy mother's day to my mom who has been such a huge help and support - especially over the last couple of years. We're heading out to my sister's cottage for the day tomorrow to celebrate mother's day. The weather is expected to be sunny and warm and we're all looking forward to a day outside with family.

As for the family updates I mentioned, I'll start with Simon and move onto Pablo. Donna from OCTC (the First Words program) used to come once a week to help Simon with his speech, then after a few months, that changed to every two weeks and recently, every three weeks due to his progress. Simon's speech progress has been truly astonishing. This past week during Donna's visit, I had to fill out a questionnaire about Simon's speech, motor skills, etc. and Simon passed with flying colours. His speech level is now comparable to kids his age so thankfully, Simon's speech is no longer an issue. YAY! The only thing we have to work on now is toilet training, teaching him to jump (he has hip problems) and getting him to dress himself, all of which we want Simon to have accomplished by the end of the summer.

Now for some Pablo health news. I had mentioned not too long ago that Pablo's brain tumour had caused some serious damage to his bladder. Basically, his brain tells him that he needs to go to the bathroom when his bladder isn't even full. A complete disconnect. To solve this, Pablo needs to have a bladder pacemaker. Unfortunately this isn't done here in Ottawa. Toronto is the closest place that offers this surgery. Pablo had an appointment in Toronto with the surgeon this past week. The appointment was scheduled for 9am so Pablo got a cheap flight to Toronto (since he can't drive) the day before and got a hotel room for the night. He got to the hospital for 9am and the appointment lasted less than 10 minutes. It was the kind of appointment that could EASILY been done over the phone. No tests were involved or anything that required for Pablo to physically be in Toronto. Pablo was so angry (as was I). He asked them weeks before if this appointment required a trip to Toronto and he was assured that he needed to go to Toronto and it would be a 90 minute appointment. The only thing he got from that appointment was the dates of his next two appointments in Toronto. Both appointments are taking place before the end of this month. At the first appointment, they will put an external pacemaker on Pablo's bladder. It will be taped to his back but wiring will be internal. Pablo will wear this for one week and then back to Toronto to have it removed. The internal pacemaker surgery will be sometime near the end of the summer. 

Here's to hoping that this is the last surgery for some time.

Last night, Pablo had an MRI done of his brain. Pablo's been feeling real sick for a couple months and having alot of the same symptoms he had when his tumour was discovered. He asked to have an MRI done and we should get the results soon. His oncologist thinks there may be some brain swelling caused by the radiation from a year and a half ago. He said it is not uncommon for swelling to occur this long after radiation. If there is brain swelling, Pablo most likely will have to take Decadron again (steroid to stop swelling). Pablo took Decadron after his brain surgery and even though it is an effective drug to stop swelling, it made him gain about 40 pounds in a month.

Stay tuned...

2nd craniversary

this sign is in my bedroom - in memory of April 26, 2010

 
Two years ago today, my husband Pablo had brain surgery. He was diagnosed with a really large brain tumour on April 15, 2010. The scariest time of our lives. We didn't know whether or not he would survive brain surgery but the surgery couldn't have been more successful. His neurosurgeon was so sure that the tumour was cancerous and that she wasn't going to be able to remove all of it. To her surprise, she was able to remove all of it and the tumour was benign. News we didn't expect to hear. We then had so much hope for Pablo's future and a successful recovery.

Pablo underwent radiation treatments a few months after surgery because there were a few abnormal cells that were discovered and without radiation, they might have developed into another tumour. This worried us because the location of the tumour was near his memory area and if another surgery was needed, there would most likely be damage to his memory post-surgery. Pablo didn't want to forget who his kids were or who I was so he chose radiation. Brain radiation is very hard on the body and it's been about 20 months since radiation and Pablo still feels the effects of what it did to his body.

Pablo currently takes about 30 pills a day to keep his pain and headaches under control. He has his good days where he feels almost normal and his bad days where he has wicked headaches and vomiting.

We recently discovered that the brain tumour did damage to Pablo's bladder. He is waiting to have surgery to get a pacemaker put on his bladder so that he can have proper bladder function again. We're hoping that this is the last of the surgeries and issues caused by the brain tumour for awhile because a break would be nice. It would also be great if Pablo could eventually get off some of the meds that he's on.

Here's a photo of Pablo 68 hours after brain surgery:

I've added a page summarizing Pablo's brain tumour. It's the 'my husband's brain tumour' link below my blog banner. This is the page that I'll keep updated with the latest news and all brain tumour posts are here.

It's been a really long and hard two years. Just when we think Pablo's health is improving, some other medical issue is discovered (ie. hernia, pilonidal cyst, tumour on his colon, bladder dysfunction...) and another surgery is scheduled. It's still hard to get used to all the medical issues and doctor's visits and surgeries but we try to take life just one day at a time. This new life that Pablo's lived in the last two years has been a big change for him. He's been on disability for two years, unable to work. It's been financially hard on us the last couple of years and right now we have no idea when or if Pablo will be able to work again.

On that note, I am accepting ads on the blog if any of you out there are interested (click the 'Your ad here' button in the left side bar). I'm hoping to save up some money to send Isabella to some weekly camps this summer.

I'd like to take this opportunity to thank you all for your kindness and support that you've given us since April 2010. I freaking love you all and I can't even begin to tell you how much you guys have helped me through this.

Words we live by:

Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass but learning to dance in the rain.

Pablo - the kids and I love you so very much. Happy 2nd craniversary.

another surgery confirmed

this past week, Pablo had video testing on his bladder. he has been having issues in that area for ages and it drives him crazy. it`s gotten so bad that he`s had to self-catheterize at certain points. he`s even been to the hospital because that didn`t even work. anyway, his urologist scheduled this appointment for video testing months ago and Pablo has been patiently waiting for it to happen and to finally get answers.

without trying to give too much detail, during the testing they filled his bladder and he couldn`t pee. that confirmed it right there. his brain tumour (discovered almost two years ago) has done some real damage to his urinary system.

he now needs ANOTHER surgery. he needs to have a pacemaker put on his bladder. date to be confirmed.

it's been awhile...

since i've written a homefront update. I'll blame it on the craziness that has been our lives for the last few weeks. first of all, we all miss my parents who went to Puerto Vallarta for 7 weeks. They've only got a week and a half left thankfully. The kids ask for them constantly which will please my parents to no end. My parents help out alot with the kids and driving Pablo to his doctor's appointments, etc. so we REALLY notice when they are gone. Pablo has been sending them videos of the kids to keep them updated (I'll have to post some of the good ones here on the blog soon).

Pablo has been really sick and feeling like crap the last month or so. One reason for this is he's had to wean himself off his oxy's so that he can start using a new pain patch. He keeps this patch on his arm for a week and it slowly gives him pain medication. I knew the weaning off of the oxy's was not going to be easy and it sure wasn't. Pablo was definitely going through withdrawals and he was sick as a dog and grouchy. Lots of vomiting, real bad chest pains and many sleepless nights were included. Pablo still has bladder issues and has an appointment for video testing of his bladder at the end of this month. He might qualify to have a pacemaker for his bladder. We're hoping that this would be the last surgery that Pablo needs for a long while.

While all this was going on, I went through some big changes at work that has had me swamped for the last three weeks. I am so tired when I get home from work that I end up falling asleep by 8:30 most nights.

The kids are doing great. Simon's speech has improved immensely. So much so that Donna, who has been coming to the house once a week to work on his speech, said this week that she'll start coming every two weeks instead. She is just thrilled with his progress and so are we. Simon now sings songs and has conversations on the phone. He's talking almost as much as Isabella! Hard to believe. It's been a couple weeks now that Simon stopped napping. FINALLY, because now he falls asleep at 7:30/8:00pm instead of 9:30pm. Next we've really got to get going on the toilet training.

Isabella is so freaking smart. She impresses me daily with her ability to spell, write, speak french, etc. And the stuff that comes out of her mouth is just astonishing. Sometimes I have to remind myself that she is only 5. She got her Senior Kindergarten report card a few weeks ago and she is doing well in everything except she needs to work on not yelling out answers, to raise her hand and give others a chance to answer. Her highest mark was in Music. Who knew? And we found out this morning that she has a crush on this boy in her class. OMG. Too cute. Isabella has been going to soccer classes once a week for the last 5 months or so and there is only a few classes left. She's quite athletic but I think she needs to try something a bit more girly. She's leaning towards dance classes or gymnastics.

Pablo's two year craniversary is coming up. I can't believe that it is almost two years since he had brain surgery. I can't believe that after two years, that Pablo is still taking a large amount of pills every day and is still nowhere near being able to go back to work. The financial stress continues since the money he gets from disability is the shits. I'm trying my best to make some extra money through the blog so if anyone wants to take an ad with me, click the 'your ad here' button in my left sidebar and email me!

Love all of you. Thanks for sticking around and for your endless love and support.

FANTASTIC NEWS!

Pablo just got a call from his surgeon and it turns out that the tumour that was removed (the second part of his pilonidal cyst removal surgery last week) is BENIGN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The surgeon was quite surprised. It is quite common for brain tumours to travel down the spine and cause damage so he was not very optimistic that this was going to be nothing and Pablo was quite worried.

BUT WORRY NO LONGER!!!!!

Now all we have to worry about is whether the brain tumour is what caused the bladder issues that Pablo is having and get that dealt with.

Almost 2 years later and we are still dealing with the after effects of the effin' brain tumour...

The long day we had

Pablo and I left the house this morning at 8:30 and headed to Pablo's first appointment of the day - with the surgeon for his pilonidal cyst. The surgeon agreed that the cyst is getting worse and requires surgery as soon as he can find a surgery time. He even told Pablo that he'll add the surgery onto the end of one of his surgery days or he'll bump someone to fit Pablo in. He says surgery will be before Christmas. The sooner, the better.

After that appointment, Pablo and I stayed in that end of town and went for breakfast since his next appointment with his neurologist was a block away from the surgeon's office. His neurologist was an hour behind schedule. Gotta love all the waiting. We're used to it.

The neurologist had a look at the newest MRI and luckily, it showed nothing serious, just some fluid buildup where the tumour had resided and a small cyst on his right frontal lobe. Both nothing to worry about. He did not have the EEG results but hopefully they will get to him at some point. Pablo's recent seizures were most likely caused by too much Nortryptaline which was counter acting with the Valproic acid - the anti-seizure medication. Doses have been fixed so hopefully there will be no more seizure occurrences and maybe Pablo can get his license back. Pablo has been having lots of dizzy and disorientation spells recently along with lots of upset stomachs and vomiting. The neurologist thinks that this could be due to the poisons of the pilonidal cyst. He is hoping that after the cyst is dealt with, Pablo will feel better overall.

We finally got home at around 2:30 and we were exhausted. We hung out with the kids, I made dinner and then the kids and I put together our traditional gingerbread house (from a kit - the same one as last year). I had promised Isabella we would do it tonight. Last weekend, I found a train gingerbread kit at the grocery store that I had to buy for Simon so tomorrow night we will put that together.

Besides an in home visit for Simon on Thursday for his speech, I think that's it for appointments...for this week anyway....off to bed for all of us.

Homefront update

I've delayed writing this post because we've been waiting for results/answers to all Pablo's latest medical issues, ie. seizures, back cyst, etc. but it has been annoyingly slow even trying to get appointments with the various doctors.

Pablo hasn't been able to drive for the last couple of weeks and that has been hard on us since I've had to take time off work to help get Pablo to his appointments. Thankfully my parents have been helping out alot with watching the kids and helping to drive Pablo around. Not sure when he'll get his license back...

Pablo had some hearing tests done at the hospital the other day and his left ear is below normal in all the tests they ran. His right ear is fine. Sight tests in the near future...

I recently took Pablo to see the same surgeon that had taken out his previous pilonidal cyst and like last time, he put Pablo on antibiotics for three weeks and the surgery will follow soon after that. Of course, we have yet to be given a surgery date. This Tuesday, Pablo has an appointment with this surgeon again. If we're lucky, we'll have more info on the surgery.

Also on Tuesday, I have to take Pablo to an appointment with his neurologist. Pablo had an EEG and an MRI of his head done last week so hopefully the neurologist will have the results and have answers to Pablo's seizures and the crappy way he's been feeling lately.

Now for some kid news.

Isabella started soccer a couple weeks ago. It's one hour a week. She's had two practices and so far they have not gone well. She is really good at following the drills and she shows alot of skill but as soon as they start playing a game, she starts crying because no one is passing her the ball. We've tried to explain that no one quite understands the whole passing thing yet since her team is made up of 5 and 6 year olds but she still gets upset. I'm hoping she gets over this real quick so she can get the most out of these practices...and it goes till April...

Simon has had three in-home visits so far with Donna from OCTC (Ottawa Children's Treatment Centre). She is absolutely fantastic with Simon and we've learned so much from her visits on how to get Simon talking more and improving his vocabulary. Next on the list for Simon is full on potty training. We've been avoiding it and we can't put it off much longer. I have a feeling it isn't going to be very hard to do. Simon is a very easy going kid.

The kids are super excited for Christmas. Simon can sing Jingle Bells and freaks out with excitement every time we are out at night and he sees Christmas lights. We took the kids to a Santa Claus parade and they loved it - especially seeing Santa at the end.

The other day, Pablo helped Isabella write her letter to Santa. Isabella wrote the red part, Pablo the green (if it wasn't obvious...)

Update to previous update post

I took Pablo back to our family doctor this morning. She hadn't got the blood test results. She wants Pablo to take more Valproic Acid at nighttime (50% more). This is an anti-seizure medication. She also wants Pablo to have an EEG to test his brain activity (this is along with the MRI which we are still waiting for an appointment).

When I was pregnant with Simon, Pablo had a pilonidal cyst surgically removed from his lower back. It was not pretty. With this kind of cyst removal, the surgeon removes the cyst and doesn't close up the opening where the cyst was removed. It needs to close on its own over time. Every day for a month or so, a nurse came to the house and repacked the hole with gauze. It is very easy for infection to occur. Well guess what? IT'S BACK and it's pretty damn big again. And the bigger it is, the longer it takes to close over. SO ANOTHER GODDAMN SURGERY IS REQUIRED. Our doctor is going to contact a surgeon to schedule YET ANOTHER SURGERY.

Speaking of surgeries...not sure if you all remember that Pablo is soon to be having what was supposed to be his big urology surgery, complete with a skin graft. Well, the surgery is still on for late next week but slight change in plans. Pablo had an appointment with his urologist a couple weeks ago and after examining Pablo, he was really surprised with how good things looked and concluded that the big surgery and skin graft was NOT NEEDED. So next week's surgery is still happening, it's just not going to be as bad as we originally thought. A small yay.

I have an appointment on Monday for my chest pains, possible gallbladder issues, whatever the hell it is....

We just got a call from the Children's hospital - Simon has his first in home visit this Friday for his speech.

Update on all four of us

I'll start off with the kids' update. All good news. Then I'll talk about Pablo and I which is all bad news.

Simon - he had his 3 year check-up with our wonderful family doctor. He is a healthy 41 pounds and 37 inches tall. Doc says she wouldn't be surprised if Simon ended up as tall as his father (6'4''). At the rate he eats, that is NO surprise. He's talking up a storm and we can now have nice conversations with him.

Isabella - she has two loose teeth. Her first ones. Both are on the bottom in the middle. She is beyond thrilled and wiggles them often.

Me - I need to make an appointment with our wonderful family doctor because I think I have gallbladder issues. I've been ignoring the symptoms for some time but the headaches, stomach aches and especially the pains on the right side under my rib cage, are getting worse.

Pablo - he's been feeling like crap for a few weeks. Weird, tingling, numbness sensations all down his left side. Waking up all disoriented and forgetting where he is....basically, seizure like symptoms. When he mentioned all this to the doctor at Simon's appointment today, she did some quick strength and balance tests and quickly concluded that there is something wrong. She then revoked his license, sent him for bloodwork, scheduled an appointment with his neurologist, and sent an emergency request for an MRI which she wants within 24 hours. Since Pablo can't drive, I have to take him back to the doctor's tomorrow so she can look at the bloodwork results.

Bloody hell.