Round 3

Well, Round 3 was awful, but I feel like I can actually say now that it is over.  Nate started to really make a turn around on Sunday.  His electrolytes normalized and they took him off of the TPN (IV nutrition) late morning on Sunday.  He was taking a nap when they turned it off and when he woke up, he immediately started asking for food.  See...I knew that thing was making him not want to eat.  They wanted to watch him for the next day and make sure his levels stayed good with oral electrolytes and eating normal food. He still had a little diarrhea, but all of his cultures came back negative and it was decided that the diarrhea was due to the chemo, or because he hadn't eaten in so long.  Everything looked good on Monday.  His electrolytes were still good, his ANC (immune system) came back up and he was eating really well.  It was time to go home!  We just had to wait FOREVER for the doctor to sign the order for us to leave.  Several times I thought about just taking off.  Who was going to stop me?!  The doctor finally came in to go over all the stuff I already knew and said we were free to go.  I threw Nate in the stroller and practically ran out the door.  I got right out the front door of the hospital and got a call on my cell phone.  "Mrs. Dinoffria, you didn't sign the discharge papers.  Come back up please".  Damn it!  Back up to the 7th floor we went.  Nate was not to happy about it, and neither was I.  I signed their stupid papers and we sprinted quickly to the car and headed home for a nap in our very own beds.

So, now we're home.  Enjoying every second of being together, before we have to start Round 4 (we think on Saturday).  The time is much too short, but we'll take what we can get.  Round 3 was supposed to be a tough one...and it was hell.  I guess Round 4 can be a little tough too, but in different ways.  We are going to take a few days and not think about that though.  There will be plenty of time to think about it when Nate is actually going through it.  I woke up to the most beautiful sounds this morning...a husband in the shower getting ready for work, a little blond boy in my room asking to eat hot lunch at school, a little bald boy calling, "Mommy" from his bed and a sweet baby girl singing a sweet baby song in her crib.  It may be simple, but it's really all I've ever wanted in life...and I appreciate it so, so much more than I ever thought I could.  My heart is full.