WEEK 24 A LONG ONE

 

I missed last week for updating.  The exhaustion and mental stress of the week took a toll on me and I just could not bring myself to even open my computer.  But, today is a new day/week and I am back and ready to update you on all that has happened.  Both in my crafting world and in my 'real' life.  Let's go!

I have finishes!

Hubby has a new pair of socks.  I do not have a photo of the two of them together.  Seems each time I go to take a photo, he has worn them and they need to be washed.  Does this mean they are his favorite?  Maybe!

After the socks, I needed something to make while waiting for some yarn to arrive.  I decided on making something for ME.

This is the Needham vest.  A very simple little design that will be perfect for our moderate temperatures here.

I got a bit of a start on it.  The yarn is Anthem by Cascade and has been reclaimed from a sweater I knit and absolutely hated the fit of.  At the moment this project is in time out while I work on a special request from one of my nieces.

TA-DA!  I finished the first pair of two Peek-a Boo mitts.  This pair is for my niece.  They are made in Encore Colorspun.  It is a wool blend and very warm.  (I tried them on and they were VERY warm)  I have made these before but for some reason I had a horrible time getting the fit right and the thumb gave me great fits.  Hopefully when I made the next pair for her daughter they will go smoother.  Although, her daughter's hand is an inch narrower.  Ugh, more math to work out.

As a special surprise I am also making matching hats for them.  They did not request hats.

The pattern is Seed Knitted Slouch Hat.  It is one of my favorites to make.  It goes pretty fast too.  I just hope I have enough yarn to make it.  It will be close.  Stay tuned.

And that my friends is all from my crafting side of reality.  On the other side..............my real life as a mom and wife...........well, it has been a stressful and blessed two week.

Our son, Josh, had brain surgery on November 30th.  What was to be a 4-6 hour surgery ended up taking 10 hours.  The surgeon was able to remove 60-70% of the tumor.  I know that doesn't sound like it was successful but it was.  He had to be careful as the tumor is in his central nervous system and he didn't want to cut something that could cause permanent damage.

We were blessed, in the fact, there was suite available for us to stay in while he was in surgery.  Since there were 10 of us there waiting, it made it very comfortable for us to wait and wait and wait.  Stacie (Josh's wife) did receive hourly updates as to how the surgery was going.  That also helped.  Once he was in recovery, Stacie was allowed to go and see him.  The rest of us waited in the suite.  By the time he was brought to his room in ICU there were only four of us left waiting.  We were allowed to see him, two at a time, for a few minutes.  He was in horrific pain and they were having a heck of a time getting it under control.  This mamma's heart ached seeing him in that much pain and not being able to do anything about it. We all finally left around midnight to go home and try and get a bit of sleep.  

I went back up the next day and was amazed!  He was talking and was 100% cognizant of what was going on.  His right eye was totally swollen shut and had some bruising on it but otherwise his looked pretty good.  Oh, don't get me wrong, he has staples from the top of his forehead all the way down and behind his right ear.  I am not going to post a photo of that as it is not very pretty.  They removed two sections of his skull so they could get to the tumor from two different directions.  The bone was put back in place with plates and screws.  (We asked)

He was released from the hospital on Monday! Just 3 days post op.  Amazing!  That is when my TX DIL and I stepped up and took turns staying with him while his wife worked half days.  He was not a challenging patient.  It was mainly to help him keep track of his medication time schedule and make sure he got up and moved around often.

Thor was so glad to have him home.  This was taken on Friday of this week.  The incision is on the other side of his head.  They have people bringing food over for them so Stacie doesn't need to worry about cooking when she gets home.  There has been such an out pouring of love and support.  It has made my eyes leak several times.

However, we did get the initial pathology report back and it was not the news we were hoping for.  He has the worse type of brain cancer there is.  They are waiting on the molecular pathology to pinpoint exactly which one of the two it is as well as which chemo will attack it.  He either has Wild Type Astrocytoma or GBM (Glioblastoma).  His Dr and staff said this is not a definite death sentence as it has been in the past.  They have patients now who have been treated and have been in remission for over 8 years and 15 years!  They also said, since Josh is young (not 50 yet) and in very good health his chances of them being able to kill the remaining cells and put them into remission are very good.

So, prayers are still needed.  He will start his chemo and radiation in 4 weeks.  His follow-up appointment is tomorrow with his surgeon and possibly his oncologist will be there too.  He has not met the oncologist yet but trusts his surgeon to get him a great one.  Needless to say, he has a long road ahead of him. Oh, and his chemo will all be oral, no needles!  He was happy to hear that.  He will be getting MRI's often to keep tabs on the tumor and how it is reacting to the treatment plan.

One thing that happened on one of the days I was with him, was this:

I was visited by their cat, Loki.  (Do you see a theme here?  Thor and Loki?)  Everyone was gone and Josh was sleeping.  Loki came out and was fascinated by my yarn and needles.  He is a very timid car and this is the first time he has actually come up to me and let me ever so gently touch him.  He is the softest cat I have ever felt and I have had about 8 cats in my lifetime.  I just wish he was more social.  I could sit and pet him for hours!

And that my friends is all I have for you today.  I am sorry this is so long but actually typing all of this up has helped me and my aching heart.

Until Next Time.................Happy Crafting and Keep the Faith!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!