This is our LAST week!!! Hip Hip Hooray!!!

     Sorry there have been no posts for several days!  There really hasn't been much to blog about.  Warren is doing about the same other than the weight has finally started dropping off, unfortunately.  When we saw the doctor last Tuesday I was surprised that his weight was what it was because I expected it to be a lot less but on Friday he had more IV fluids and when they weighed him he was down 20lbs total from when we got here.  I was shocked that a good bit of weight came off so fast and all at once.  I still have not been real successful in getting him to eat much.  (I welcome suggestions if anyone can think of anything!)  I did order him some shakes called Scandishakes.  They have 600 calories each in them!  (I wish he would've told me sooner about them because that's what he's needed.)  He not eating much because it's painful to get anything down and he doesn't have his taste now so it all tastes horrible, as well.  He really doesn't even like soups anymore.  All he's really doing right now is vanilla Ensure, jello, gatorade and water and sometimes yogurt.  That's about it but on most days here lately it has only been about 400 calories total for the day.  He knows he has to get more calories in and sometimes he really tries but then just says he'll try again later and doesn't end up doing it.  I'll bring it to him and it just sits on the table for hours until I throw it away.  :(   I really think he needs the feeding tube but it't going to have to be someone else convincing him because he doesn't want to hear it from me.  We'll just have to see what Dr. Beadle thinks about it this week!  I'm sure her tune will be different with him this week along with the nurtionist.
     Our days have pretty much been the exact same the last several days.  He's on lots of pain meds so he's staying really tired, not sleeping that good at night and has started to choke a little from the thick saliva that his glands are producing.  (The doctor explained that to me more in detail last week...The radiation kills his lower saliva glands but the top ones still produce some saliva.  You have two types of saliva glands.  One produces watery saliva and one produces a thicker saliva and the glands that produce the watery saliva has stopped but the other gland kicks in to try and compensate but it actually produces the saliva thicker than usual.)  That's the best I can explain it!  It's really yuk!  He would probably be better off withouth that gland, too!  The good news is this is our LAST week!!!  Warren wants us to have everything packed up on Thursday night so that we can drive straight home after his last radiation treatment, so I guess that's what we are going to do!  I can't wait but I'm a little worried it's going to be a miserable trip for him.  This week should get a little harder and then they say the two weeks folling the end of treatment will be the worst and then he should start to get better.  We have to come back here to MDA 8 weeks after the last treatment for a PET scan. 
    

On a brighter note, I actually won something this week! I've never won anything in my life. I read this book about a year ago called Secrets of Millionaire Moms. (The author, Tamara Monosoff, interviewed lots of mom inventors like the creators of Lillion Vernon, Airborne, Build-a-Bear, etc., and has written many other books and has a line of products with the brand name Mom Invented...anyhow, I filled out a survey she sent out last week (to win an Apple TV) and she emailed me yesterday and said I won an hour of mentoring from her over the phone. Yay! I'm so excited! She's calling me on Wednesday!

 

 

 

It was Maison's Birthday Friday, April 5th.

She went to Orange Beach with friends.

Happy Birthday, Mae!

Happy Birthday, Jess!

(her best friend's bday was Saturday)

 

 

...and Ani said this was the best play date ever!!!

 

...and Jarred spent his weekend working on a group project and coaching a soccer clinic they had for the Ruby Van Meter School in Des Moines.

 

Can't wait to see my family!!!