Easton's Wish List

Easton is a growing boy, with ever-changing interests. His current favorites are Mickey and Elmo, jumping on the couch or bed, pushing trucks all over the house, reading books and lining tupperware, plastic cups and bowls on his little play table. He's over the baby toys and ready for some big boy fun stuff, so we thought for Christmas this year, it's only appropriate to accommodate his interests.

1. Basketball hoop
2. Kiddie Trampoline - check
3. Tool Bench
4. Kitchen - check
5. Tunnels/Tent - check
6. iPod Touch (Bryan's wishlist for Easton so he can have his phone back!)
7. Mickey Mouse or Elmo play set with figurines he can play with
8. Play food
9. Baseball beanbag for his big boy room-in-the-making

Other ideas include books, puzzles, trucks, 2T summer clothes, and anything Michigan and/or Detroit Tigers!

ONE YEAR!

Today might not have any significance to many people, but it is a big day for us. Today is one year to the day of Easton's surgery!

It has been a roller coaster of a year, to say the least. With routine follow up scans and appointments with U-M Pediatric Radiology and Oncology, my nerves and emotions go in waves. In the days immediately following surgery, I remember feeling a sense of relief and thankful for all the great doctors, nurses, and all the support from family and friends. And I continue to feel that way today. 

On Friday, November 9th, Easton had his one year CT scans, with his follow-up appointment the following Tuesday. We went into that appointment nervous, but confident, as we have all his appointment.We didn't leave with that same feeling. We were informed that while the area where the tumor was removed from was clear with no evidence of local recurrence, there were a few, five to be exact, very small nodules on the posterior of Easton's right lung that were a concern. Their impressions stated the following:

"Interval development of several right upper and lower lobe soft tissue nodules as described above. These could represent infection in the proper clinical scenario, however, given patient these are viewed with suspicion for metastatic disease. These are too small to biopsy. Recommend short-term follow-up to evaluate for interval change."

Basically, the nodules on his lungs are a concern because the lungs are an area where a Wilms recurrence could occur. Not always does a recurrence occur in the place of the original tumor. If it comes back in the same place, it's called a local recurrence, a nearby place is a regional recurrence and another place is a distant recurrence. The lungs and the liver in particular are areas that are known to be common recurrence sites, so they watch these areas very closely. 

The doctors explained that they were scheduled to meet with the "Tumor Board" the next day and would review Easton's case with pediatric radiologists, oncologists and surgeons to get their input and determine a time frame for repeating the scans. As much as I would have loved to have the scans done immediately, they explained that they needed to give the nodules time to change, so would likely wait 4-6 weeks. 

I received a call from Easton's doctor immediately following the Tumor Board meeting with news that after closely reviewing his case, radiologists feel that these nodules are less likely cancer, and more likely an a-typical or resolving infection. They have requested a repeat scan of the right lung only (to reduce exposure to radiation) in 6 weeks. 

So, while this news was a bit of a relief, and I feel like I can breathe a little easier, we now just have to wait. We are scheduled to head back to U-M on December 14th for repeat scans. Worst case scenario, the nodules will be bigger, and if big enough, they will biopsy them and if results come back that it is in fact cancer, Easton will likely begin chemotherapy. Assuming, and hopeful, that the radiologists are right, the nodules will prove to be an infection and will be smaller, if not obsolete, and Easton will continue his routine follow-up appointments as scheduled. Prayers for the latter, please!!!!

Easton and Grandma being silly before his one year scans.

A Wet Mess!

It's official - my least favorite month is November.  From here on out, I'd just like to skip it.  Last November did not end well for us, and well, this month is not off to a great start.

Let's just say we had our own little Hurricane Sandy experience at home yesterday. What started as an overflowing toilet, has flipped my life, and house, upside down. I was getting ready for work yesterday morning when I heard what sounded like the toilet running. Please note: this was no more than 2, maybe 3 minutes after just going to the bathroom. I rushed into the master bathroom to fiddle the toilet handle, when I found myself standing an a good inch of water. The toilet was not running -- it was overflowing, and at a very rapid pace. Little did I know anything about the emergency valve on the side of the toilet, so I did what anyone would do -- I called daddy! I was a frantic mess, and after about a minute of twisting and turning an emergency 'pull' valve, I got the water to stop. At this point, I was now running late and was hoping to get to the polls to vote before heading to work. My ever-so-kind mother just told me to throw towels on the floor to absorb the mess and to go to work, that she'd come over and clean the mess and wash the towels. 

I grabbed Easton and headed downstairs, only to find a nice surprise of water leaking from my recessed ceiling lights. Frantically, again, I called my parents, who remained calm, told me to put pots under the lights and to head to work -- dad was on his way!

I am now running nearly thirty minutes late, yet I dropped Easton off at daycare, and headed to the polls. After standing in line for nearly thirty-five minutes, it was clear that I wasn't going to make it work for my 9:30 meeting, so I called to inform work and swung back by home, where my mom was doing laundry. We cleaned up the mess in the bathroom and I was getting ready to head into work, when we noticed the carpet in the living room was wet, squishy wet. One thing lead to the next, and after taking a closer look, it was determined that the water traveled not only quickly, but randomly, and vigorously. Carpet, walls, ceiling, tile, wood floors, basement....all wet! It's seriously amazing the amount of damage 5 minutes of overflowing water can do. I'm grateful I realized the problem before I left the house!

Next thing I knew, I was on the phone with my insurance company, making a claim and obtaining numbers for restoration companies. Within 3 hours, an estimator was at my door, and within the hour, another two men arrived to test for water and to take a gazillion pictures. At this point, it was evident that the water had traveled the path with least resistance and affected all three stories of our house from top down. Once it had been determined where the water was, in came another crew of guys to start the mitigation, a.k.a. dry-out, process. By 6pm, my living room was turned upside down, carpet was pulled back in every affected room, plastic was draped from ceiling to floor and 12-15 fans and dehumidifiers lined my driveway.

So here we are, 24 hours later. The Restoration Company has wasted no time and is hard at work to get the place dry. They estimate a good 5 days for the dry-out, however after 24 hours of dry-time, they are optimistic about the damage and feel we are making great progress. Next week we will meet with the adjuster and will be able to get a better idea of what exactly we are talking about in terms of damage, and what the next steps are in terms of reconstruction.

Living Room

Master Bath and Guest Bath

In the meantime, we're shackin' up back at Tom and Carol's -- just like the good ol' days. Except this time, we have a toddler in tow. It's a good thing they love company - and Cooper! 

Say What???

Easton has some exciting news to share:

Baby Metzger #2 is due to arrive 4.26.13!! And while most people hope the baby is early, with Easton's birthday being April 6th, I'm hoping for as close to the due date as possible. Sharing toys is one thing, but I'd hate for them to have to share birthdays. I'm not quite sure Bryan Easton understands how this is about to change his life, but I have no doubt he'll be a great big brother. :) From what I hear, going from 1 to 2 can be quite a challenge, so I'm open to any suggestions on how to make a smooth transition. The countdown is on....