Delay

The infusion of IL-2 finished at 10:30am on Friday and we were out the door by 11am.  Nate handled it like a champ.  He started to get a rash on his shins and elbows on Wednesday night that threatened to slow down the infusion, but after a dose of Benadryl it started to look less angry and the doctor said he could continue at the full rate of infusion.  We headed home ready for a fun weekend and ready to gear up for the difficult week ahead.

I got a call from Nate's oncologist's fellow at 3pm on Friday.  The pharmacy did not receive the CH14.18 (the antibody) and would order it Monday to receive Tuesday and Nate would have to wait until Wednesday to start antibody.  This is a problem for so, so many reasons.  Nate was scheduled to be in the hospital Monday through Friday.  Chris's birthday is Friday and we had a date planned, Saturday we had plans to celebrate Chris's birthday and Aunt Jaime's birthday, then Sunday is Father's Day.  Now, Nate will have to spend Wednesday through Sunday in the hospital and all of our fun weekend plans are ruined.  I also have to work on Wednesday and Nate now needs a parent to be with him to check him in to the hospital, not to mention that the first day of antibody is the hardest and Nate needs his Mommy.  All of our childcare plans for Ellie now needed to be adjusted and Wes is signed up for full day summer camp to keep him busy while Nate is in the hospital and now it's too late to get our money back considering Nate and I will be home on Monday and Tuesday.  Then, the scariest problem...does this delay compromise Nate's care at all?  Will this potentially life saving antibody be as effective as it needs to be with this 48 hour delay?  Will all of his future cycles have to start on Wednesdays and subsequently ruin our weekends and my work days?

I would love to say I handled this news with grace and logic.  I did not.  I cried for three hours.  Sometimes I don't know how close I am to unraveling until something like this happens.  It's not just about one ruined weekend.  This last year has been so hard, spending more time in the hospital and traveling for Nate's care than at home as a family.  It just sucks that someone's mistake can cause us so many problems.  Once again, we figured out all new plans for the week and luckily all the people who have been helping us through this year came through once again at the last minute.  So, I'm enjoying these "extra" two days at home with my family and sleeping in my own bed.  Nate and I will check in to the hospital on Wednesday morning.  This week is supposed to be pretty tough, we aren't happy about the ruined weekend, but we are ready to get started and get this round over with...one round closer to the end.