Huntsman Excursion

We spent yesterday afternoon at the Huntsman Cancer Hospital down in Salt Lake City. It was time for Nate's check-up with his Oncologist. Usually when we go down we leave all of the kiddos with someone, however this time we took Evie along. She is a little energy pill, I tell ya. We started off by getting Nate checked over by the nurse. We just love her, she is always so positive and bubbly. Always with a giggle ready to erupt from her. She is also a Cancer survivor herself. Nate gets his blood drawn, his weight, blood pressure, oxygen level, and heart rate checked, among other things.


This day went a little out of order, normally after he gets checked in we head off to Radiology for an x-ray or CT scan, however because of the rain storm we arrived a wee bit late and headed right in to see Dr. Agarwal.

He came in, checked Nate over and told him he doesn't even want to call him a patient anymore, he is too healthy! Since we are heading into our third year with Cancer he wants to see Nate back in August for a CT scan. One of his last for quite a while, if it looks as good as we are all thinking it will. Since Nate is doing so well he doesn't want to expose him to anymore CT scans than he absolutely has to. He told us the radiation from a CT scan is like having well over 100 x-rays at once. Not something you want to continually be exposed to for sure.

Evie and I headed for a walk in the halls while Nate scheduled his next appointment. Along the way we found something new. It is a 24,ooo piece puzzle put together by Jon Huntsman's grandsons. It took them around 6 months to put together. They donated it to the hospital to display. Evie LOVED it! We spent about ten minutes looking at it, mostly counting the number of Nemo's in the picture. Isn't it amazing?

Once Nate was done it was off to Radiology to get an x-ray. Normally we walk right in and within 5 minutes he is pulled back. Today we had a bit of a wait. Fortunately Evie was very good this entire trip. You can see me in the background reading a magazine, I went through 3 magazines cover to cover this afternoon.



Once Nate got pulled back Evie and I headed upstairs to the Point Bistro. No trip to Huntsman is complete for Nate and I without stopping and getting a Carmelized Salmon entree. Usually we have time to eat it between his tests and his actual appointment, but today we got it to go.
While it was being cooked Evie enjoyed checking out the joint. She sat at almost every table, declaring each time that this was the one we would sit at. The closer she got to the windows with the amazing view, the closer she got to where Nate and I usually sit to partake of our salmon.

So glad to get through another Huntsman excursion with good news.

More On This Later

Today Nate and I will be spending the afternoon at the Huntsman Cancer Hospital.No worries, just his routine check-up with his Oncologist. So stay tuned for more info later on today. Wish us luck!

Huntsman Center Ramblings

It has been a week since Nate and I spent the day at the Huntsman Cancer Hospital, and I just realized I have yet to update you on how it went. We always call these days our "marathon" day. They are usually quite long and they do. take. all. day. We left around 8:30 am, after the two older kids were off to school, leaving the two littler ones in Grandma Hales capable hands. The drive itself is usually about an hour, give or take, depending on the traffic. We usually rush in, (Thank you to the amazing valet parking!) and hurry upstairs to get Nate's lab work done and or put in a central line for his CT scan. This day is usually filled with a variety of emotions and moments. Both of us go back and forth with moments of calm, then angst, then quiet. Usually we just enjoy being next to each other, quietly reading some random newspaper left lying around. This particular day we ended up sitting next to two "Chatty Cathy's". At the same time. It made for an interesting wait to see Dr. Agarwal. Nate got to visit with an elderly WWII veteran who was obviously missing his wife. She died over a decade ago. Lost her within 2 weeks of being diagnosed with Cancer. I sat next to a very loud talking woman, probably in her early fifties who is currently in remission from her SECOND fight with a rare form of Breast Cancer. I am sure they were both chatty because, like us, they were worried about what they MIGHT hear from their oncologist today. Yet, unlike us, they were alone.....and scared. She was alone because she said her husband deals with her Cancer in a different way then her. He drops her off and then goes and wanders around a local salvage yard. She understands that that is how he "deals". I thought two things, how sad that he doesn't feel up to being there with her. What if she gets bad news? Who will comfort her? Who will hold her hand? I also thought, that is great that they have that level of commitment and understanding in their marriage. That they know each other well enough to know and understand how each of them "deals" and they are okay with it. Just to let you know....we saw them both later and they got great news. This day is usually a different day for Nate and I, even though we are both there together and seemingly going through it together. In a way, yes, we are. In another way, no, we aren't. For Nate I am sure the day is much worse. While we are both dealing with the "What are we gonna hear today?" What will our life be like tomorrow, and the next day?" stuff, he is also slowly drinking and digesting two bottles of Barium. Sometimes this day puts my stomach into knots as it is, let alone having to drink that nasty stuff on an empty stomach while stressed. Poor guy.
While we were grateful to have been told six months ago that he looked so good they didn't need to see him for six months, we were now on the flip side of the last six months. A lot more can happen in six months time. Thankfully, we didn't worry the whole six months. In fact for me it only crossed my mind a handful of times during that time. Then you come up to about 48 hours prior to the marathon day. Those of you who have seen me this week can see the evidence on my face of what that was like. The day before, I awoke to a new cold sore......tale tell sign that i've been stressin. It was all for nothing, which I will admit I knew deep down that it would be. Dr. Agarwal gave Nate a clean bill of health. STILL IN REMISSION! Love. That. He wants to see him again May 4th for labs and a chest x-ray. Then we get to start year three of living with Cancer and he moves to a different schedule of checkups. We are told once we hit five years Nate is considered Cancer free. We are looking forward to that. Of course, he will be checked yearly for life, and I am sure I will get atleast a yearly cold sore. :) Another bright side to this particular day was that Nate and I got to have our all-time favorite, Caramelized Salmon, at The Point Restaurant in the hospital. Have you had it? It is amazing! Whenever we are in Salt Lake we talk about going there just to eat. Although, truth be told, I don't think either one of us wants to spend any time there we don't have to. As amazing and nice as the people and the facility are, no thanks.

I am so grateful for how the day went. It is another reminder that we are constantly being looked after. Cared for. Last night we got another reminder of how easily things could have gone the other way. A co-worker of Nates just found out yesterday that his wife has Breast Cancer. She starts treatment today. That is how it is living with Cancer. Life changes dramatically from day to day. We talked last night about how quickly things change when you are diagnosed. We were remembering those first whirlwind days.

Day one: Doctors Appointment. Cat Scan. Ultrasound. Blood Work.

Day Two: Appointment with Surgeon.

Day Three: Surgery

Post-op: Feeling like your living at the Huntsman Center. Waiting for the verdict, Chemo, more Surgery, or both.

And on and on and on.