Mesenteric Adenitis and Wicked Good Slippers

When you come to the end of your rope, you simply tie a knot and hang on, right?

This morning, Quinn woke with an excruciating stomach ache right in the middle of his belly. His cheeks were red, but he didn't feel feverish (thermometer is broke, currently on Wal-Mart list). He said, "Mom, my stomach is killing me." I asked him if he was going to make it to school, to which he replied tearfully, "I can't."

Let me say that Quinn isn't a faker. He never tries to get out of going to school and if he tells me that he is in too much pain or too sick to go, then he really is. (Jake is a completely different story!!!) He said that he wanted to go to Grandma Gerry's house, so Johnny took him there on his way to work. I took Jake to school and headed to work myself.

After a couple hours at work, I called my mom's to check on Quinn. He said that his stomach still hurt bad, but the pain had moved from his belly button to three inches to the right. Alarm bells rang out . . . classic symptoms of appendicitis. I asked him if he felt the pain was bad enough to go to the doctor's office, to which he replied, "Yes." Crap-o-la.

Johnny picked him up and brought him to the doctor's office. I was swamped at work and didn't want to leave since I have had so much time off for Johnny, and this week with my own sinus infection. I left it in Johnny's hands, since he is definitely the more sane of the two of us these days. When I didn't hear back from him after 45 minutes, I thought it was the whole, "No news is good news" scenario.

I called his cell phone.

"Everything OK?" I asked.

Pause. "Well, the doctor thinks it is his appendix. Pam? Pam? Are you OK?"

I basically imploded right there in the control room at work. (Thanks, Boobie, for holding me up!) I could only think of them cutting open my baby and all the terrible things that people in the medical field can come up with when the shit hits their own fan.

Not. One. More. Thing. I. Can't. Handle. One. More. Thing.

So I caught up with them as Quinn was getting ready for his CT. He drank the yucky stuff and we waited. After an hour and a half (!!) they took him back and did his scan. Quinn even managed to make it without passing out from the IV and blood draw, which is HUGE for him. He has had several bad, bad, bad experiences with IVs and labs. Poor baby. So we were finished and waited while they called in the report to the doctor.

They sent us out only with the knowledge that it wasn't his appendix, THANK GOD. Dr. Sisk (not our normal pediatrician -- we are Dan Brier fans!) finally did call us around 8:30 this evening and told us that the lymph nodes in his abdomen are very inflamed, probably from a virus. She called it Mesenteric Adenitis. She said that he will probably have a pretty bad tummy ache for a couple days, and it should resolve by the weekend. My sister, Angie, actually had this a couple times and said that it is terribly painful. He just needs to "lay low". He is very relieved, too, I can tell.

So, it is now almost 10 p.m. and I am finally able to think (relatively) straight.

Earlier I took Jake to soccer practice and had to run a couple errands, one of which included a stop at Wal-Mart. (No, I didn't get a thermometer. I left the list at home!) I am afraid to admit that in my fragile mental state, I went to Wal-Mart in my slippers. I just know I am going to end up as one of those pictures in the "People of Wal-Mart" emails that circulate around. I hope they blur out my face.

OK, but in my slipper's defense, they are really practically shoes. They are the Wicked Good Scuffs from L.L. Bean. Seriously good slippers.

My previous pair lasted for 15 years, I had them longer than both of my kids! I got them for Christmas one year and dubbed them the best darn slippers EVER! But like all good things, their time came to an end and I finally had to toss them. They were completely ripped out and had holes through the bottom sole; they could no longer stand repairs. I told Johnny that it was the only thing I wanted for my birthday . . . Wicked Good Scuffs from L.L. Bean. And that is exactly what I got.

I wonder, though. Will these last for 15 years? They are certainly well built and comfy. If I have these for 15 years, I may actually have GRAND KIDS by the time they give out. My boys will both be done with college. Johnny and I will be retired and living part time in the Bahamas. Griffin will be driving a car and in high school. Grant and Bryanna, Andrew, Josh and Zack will be contributing to 401Ks, and will probably be parents themselves. The rest of the nieces and nephews will be well into their secondary educations. John and Ginger and my Mom and Dad will be older, and enjoying their growing families immensely. Hopefully, all of us will be happy and healthy.

I had no idea that these slippers came with so many hopes and dreams built into them. Maybe that is why I love them so much!

AND! To Jim Craig and the 7th grade football team that annihilated Penn's Discovery Middle School team: YOU GUYS ROCK! The future of Niles Football is looking really good! Congratulations, and thanks again, Jim. You know for what.

Brush with Greatness

OK, Seriously . . . did you see the Vikings/Packers game? Holy Wah! Jared Allen and Brett Favre were ON FIRE!

Do you remember when Muhammad and Lonnie Ali gifted us with tickets to see Elton John and Billy Joel at Wrigley Field? If not, go here.

Well, there was this Man Mountain in front of us with his friends, just singing and dancing along with Elton and Billy and completely enjoying himself. The friends were having fun, too. Anyway, Johnny, Molly, Jim and I were talking about this guy on the way home saying, "OK, who was that guy? We knew he had to be a professional athlete, but unfortunately we couldn't think of who is was immediately.

About a day later, Jimmy calls and tells me to look up "Jared Allen" on Google. Oh, my gosh! That was the Man Mountain that was in front of us at the concert!!! No wonder he looked familiar. Molly took the picture above at the concert, because we just knew we knew him.

I just wish that we would have had him sign our ticket stubs, or my boobs, or something tangible while he was right there in front of us! Dang, that was a missed opportunity . . .

I just thought I would deviate from the world of cancer for a few minutes and tell you of this brush with greatness. :O)

And, Jared, if you are reading this: You are invited to hunt and/or fish with us at our cabin in the Upper Penninsula anytime you want. Oh, and keep the mullet . . . it's hot.

GOLF OUTING IS FULL!

Remember when I told you all to get your golf registrations in early? Well, I wasn't just whistling Dixie! As of 12:30 today we have confirmed 60 teams for The Fighting Toad Golf Outing!

If by some chance you thought you should wait to sign up, please give Larry Larson a call (and ONLY Larry Larson, he is the only person with the Master List -- 269-695-4966). We are trying to come up with arrangements that will allow as many extra teams as possible to play. If all else fails, we will start a waiting list.

Can I just say -- WOW!

If you'd like to stop out for a great party and not golf, we will be at Hampshire Country Club, 29592 Pokagon Hwy, Dowagiac from early until late afternoon. Plenty of raffle prizes and good food and beer. We'd love to see you there!

Let the Good Week Begin

Again, we start the new week -- the “good” week. We have to get a lot accomplished during the good week, to make up for the lost hours/days of the “bad” week.

This week is no exception. There is definitely a lot to get done. We are in the final stages of planning the golf outing, and it is coming together very nicely. At this writing, there are 58 teams signed up. If you are still interested, please give Larry Larson a call. We want you all to be there, if not just for the golf, then for the raffle prizes! Because -- and I am not kidding you folks -- there are some flippin’ amazing prizes! I can’t even begin to list them all, so I won’t even try. Just come out to Hampshire Country Club on Saturday and check them all out, buy your raffle tickets and WIN!

Thursday morning at 8:30 Johnny will have his PET/CT scans. We are looking forward to this, and hopefully the good news that it will provide. I have to say, there is a little part of me that is nervous that there is something else lurking around inside that cute Toad body.

We will see Dr. Ansari again next Monday and he will give us the results and the game plan. We assume that the game plan is to continue chemo for another 6 cycles and then plan surgery. Believe me, if there are any changes to the plan we will let you know.

Not much else to report for now, so I will leave you all with happy thoughts of normal PET scans and CTs. Wouldn’t that be nice? I know it is what I am praying for tonight.

Awake and Cold

Evidently it takes until Thursday to wake up when they give you the 5-FU Mega Dose. Johnny slept like a log from Monday night, all the way through Tuesday and well into Wednesday. He did wake up momentarily to ride with me to take Jake to soccer practice, and then had to come home and take a nap. Exhausting! Seriously, he was awake maybe 45 minutes before he had to head back to bed.


But, the good news is it is now Thursday, and he has been up for the majority of the day. He did take about a 2-hour nap during the mid part of the day, but has been (relatively) productive!


Remember he has that cold sensitivity thing, right? Tonight Jake had a soccer game in the rain which made it feel like 32 degrees, even though it was 52. Johnny arrived in shorts and a sweatshirt (even though I told him that he was going to freeze). He never even made it to the bleachers. "I have to go home and get more clothes." Hmmm. Go figure. When he made it back to the game, he was in full hunting gear, including stocking cap. I'm just glad he didn't wear anything that was hunter's orange! He made it through the game but was a frozen Popsicle by the time we got back to the car. It seems that it isn't only cold drinks and taking things from the freezer that affects the sensitivity. Just being in the cold air does the same thing . . . only to his entire body! He said that if he touched the tip of his nose, he could feel a nerve sensation that wrapped around his nose, through his cheek and up to his forehead. He traced the path with his finger. Hunting season doesn't seem too promising, does it?


Just before Jake's game we had a meeting with the dynamos that are putting together The Fighting Toad Golf Outing. Wow, these guys are good! It is very well planned and thought through right down to the volunteers for each specific event. I'm telling you, these guys could consider Golf Outing Organization as a new career path! Brian and Larry let us know that there are approximately 48 teams signed up (we can only accept 12 more teams! Hurry!). We have an amazing list of Hole Sponsors (can still accept more of these, too) and a list of prizes that is completely overwhelming.


There are two raffles in conjunction with the Golf Outing and the Brawley Family Fish Fry. The first is for a multitude of prizes that will be drawn at the Golf Outing itself. These tickets are $1 each/6 for $5 / or 25 for $20. The prizes for this raffle are quite varied and include things such as sporting events tickets, hunting and fishing gear, oil changes, restaurant certificates, hair and salon products and services, sports memorabilia, golf packages, and soooooo much more. These tickets are available in advance and will be by random drawing at the golf outing. Please contact me, Johnny, Larry Larson (contact info on golf registration form), or any member of the Brawley/DeCraene family.


The second raffle is for six specific prizes that you can specifically designate your ticket to go towards. These tickets are $5 each or 6 for $20. The prizes available for this raffle are:

1. Seven Day Ohio Bow Hunt


2. Muhammad Ali Signed Memorabilia


3. Seven Piece Pampered Chef Cooking Set


4. Lake Michigan Fishing Charter for Four


5. Lake Erie Fishing Charter for Four


6. Three Day Spring Ohio Turkey Hunt

These tickets are also available in advance and will be by specified drawing. When purchasing a ticket, you fill out your name and phone number and circle the number that corresponds to the prize you would like to win. (Example: I want to win the Pampered Chef set, so I will circle the number 3 on the stub.) These prizes will be drawn at the Brawley Family Fish Fry. Tickets will be available for this raffle at the Golf Outing as well.

OK, so those are the raffles in a nutshell. In addition to that (I KNOW! It is crazy!!!) There will be a couple silent auctions at the fish fry. One is for a one week cabin rental in God's Country, aka John and Ginger's Up North Homestead. (Dates for this are negotiable and by availability) This would be great for snowmobilers, ice fishing, a quiet getaway without kids. The other silent auction is for a Remington 300 mag rifle. No explanations necessary with that one! These silent auction items (and possibly a couple more) will be auctioned off at the Brawley Family Fish Fry, so make sure to come early and bid often.

Side note: When you pronounce the word OFTEN, do you say OFFEN or OF-TEN. Is your "T" silent or enunciated? Just wondering . . . I say the "T".

Well, the Toad is already in bed and I need to head there myself. Today was a busy day, and there is a busy weekend heading this way. Not to mention all the preparations for the BIG GOLF OUTING on the 10th!

Lastly, if you are considering volunteering for the Brawley Family Fish Fry, please contact Crazy MIL (Ginger) at 269-683-9001. She will assign a time and a task for you.

Lets recap: Tired and cold Toad, Golf Outing approaching, raffle tickets available, Fish fry volunteers contact Ginger. Oh, and Never.Quit.Praying!!!