An Up and Down Weekend

Last weekend was interesting to say the least. It was both joy-filled and disappointing at the same time. I have already mentioned, in a previous post, last Friday’s nephrostogram which we hoped would allow me to get rid of the nephrostomy bag I have been tethered to for the last 5+ months. We were disappointed in that and are still waiting for the June 5 appointment with the urologist which will give us our next steps in treatment for my kidney. We also got another blood test Friday which gave us the go-ahead for Tuesday’s round 5 of chemotherapy treatment. We were expecting a last “weekend of rest” to enjoy some good family time on the 3-day weekend.

Sunday interrupted the family time with an unexpected trip to the ER at Marshall hospital. My nephrostomy bag stopped draining on Saturday night and we were worried that it had pulled out of my kidney. This led to a surprise: a second nephrostogram within one weekend. The good news was that the tube was where it was supposed to be. The better news was that the kidney was draining through the ureter into the bladder better than we had thought. I was a little overly optimistic when I posted on Facebook that it was draining properly, but it was better, which gives us a bit more hope for the June 5th urologist appointment.  I’d appreciate your prayers for that appointment. My life would be a bit more normal without the bag, but even more important, getting rid of it would reduce my vulnerability to infection.

We did get in our enjoyable family time on Saturday and Monday. Saturday we went to Olive Garden in Folsom to celebrate my mom’s 83rd birthday. We spent a couple hours enjoying good food and had a special area to ourselves to enjoy good, loud, conversation. My sister Jayne and her husband Nate were with us along with our niece Shelly and her husband, Brandon. I am getting a little more comfortable being out in public, which I guess is good. The same group gathered for a Memorial Day barbecue on Monday. The highlight was my dad’s homemade ice cream, although the chicken and burgers were pretty good too. Though  it was not our plan to be in California five months after our Christmas vacation, we are enjoying being able to have some extended time with my mom and dad and the rest of the family.