Have you missed us?

Hey everyone, some of you may have wondered what is going on. We haven't blogged or anything for a week. Andy and I received a call from the Nevada Cancer Institute(NCI) late Wednesday. They informed us we had an appointment on Friday at 2:00 pm with Dr. Samlowski. We had much to get ready and little time to do it. We chose to leave the kids home and drive to Las Vegas alone. We set off around 2:00 on Thursday (Shaeli had a dental appointment we could not miss and no one was around to take her). We drove to Mesquite and stayed the night. Andy went down to the casino and talked with some very nice people. He left with 40 dollars and came back with 35 (not bad, not great either). In the morning, we drove on to Vegas. We first went to Andy's cousins place. Kallee and Ashley live in a nice gated community. It is quiet and safe. I am eternally grateful for them and their kindness. We stayed at their house until Monday. They had better things than hang out with their boring older cousin and his wife. Just kidding, they had a family reunion they went to over the weekend. Kallee if you are reading this I have to tell you how beautiful your home is. I really felt comfortable there. Thank you!! So on Friday we went to NCI. I was not impressed by the building or the staff. They actually lost us for half an hour. Then tried to make it sound as if we lost ourselves. I am not kidding about this. We first met with admitting, then sent out to the waiting area, and then the person over financing took us back to her office to go over payments, then sent us out to wait again. This is where things go a little unnerving. We wait patiently for about 30mins until Andy is seen by the receptionist who says that "they" have been waiting for us on the third floor. When we get to the third floor, we are told that they never have a patient wait on the main level, but they are sent directly to the third. We kept telling them that we were told to wait for the next person to come and get us. The nurse looked at us like we were lying. This was not a good start to this experience. We then met with a fellow. She was interesting. That is the nicest thing I can say about her. When she left to get Dr. Samlowski, Andy and I looked at each other and had the same thought. We didn't think this was such a good idea. A combination of the questions and how they were asked by the fellow made us feel this was not going to be the right thing for us. However, Dr. Samlowski came into the room and went through the drug and procedure. He answered questions and gave his opinion on our situation. We finally left that place just after 5:00 pm. What a day. We felt better about our option with this drug, but we were still unsure. All I can say is that we are blessed to have Huntsman Cancer Institute and Hospital with all the caring and kind staff so close. There was an enormous difference in care and procedure. NCI is a good clinic and they have knowledgeable staff, but it is more cold and unpersonable.
We really didn't do anything fun and exciting while in Vegas. We felt worn out and stressed. So we just stayed at the house, although I did get Andy to go with me to the pool at Kallee's. By the way, I think it is odd that the pool at a nice gated community is as cold as the Arctic Sea. If you go before the sunsets it would be a glorious reprieve from the heat(113 degrees), yet at sunset not so much. Thank goodness for the hot tub. To skip this long story and get to what you all want to know, Monday we went back to NCI and after and hour and a half, Andy started the treatment. We sat and did nothing for 2 hours. Every half hour a nurse would take his vital signs and that was all. After the pump completed the meds. We waited another half hour and then the nurse checked one last vitals and removed the IV. We then went on our way. We drove to mesquite where we checked into the Virgin River Hotel & Casino. Andy slept for a couple of hours. I just flipped through the TV channels. We went to dinner at a little Chinese place then went back and slept. Got up the next morning at just before 7 and left for home. With all the chaos that we have gone through I must say that coming home was the best medicine. I am glad for people who care for Andy and I personally. I loved seeing the familiar scenery, and I am grateful for the Lords blessings of comfort and peace. I can not say that this is going to get better, I can only say as we go through each step and misstep I see how much we are loved and blessed. So what's next? Well, in 3 weeks Andy will go back for another treatment. Then again in another 3 weeks and so on for four doses. Then he will have a scan and meet with the Dr. By November we will know if the treatment is working. If it is then we wait for 3 months and start it all over again. Even though this is a huge pain and problematic, this is better than the alternative. Our options are limited, and we are just not willing to give up easily. I ask you to keep us in your prayers, and ask that this treatment will stabilize or set the tumors into remission. Andy and I are so grateful for Marion, Tralyn, and everyone that was willing and able to help with little to no warning. We love you all.