Hospital

It all started with a cold. 
Brianna wasn't feeling well last Sunday December 10, 2017 so we decided to take it easy and let her rest. The next morning she seemed to be feeling better and was able to eat regularly. We had several appointments that day including Radiation and a visit to see her eye doctor on Monday. Our main concern was that Brianna's right eye was starting to close similar to her left eye at the start of all of this. Over the weekend we thought that maybe her eye was closing because of the swelling from radiation. We decided to ask Dr. Goble (Radiation Oncologist) about his thoughts and what he thought we should do. He had started her on a steroid to help with the swelling but it didn't seem to be working. He felt uncertain as to why things were as they were. It is not everyday that they have cancer patients who are pregnant which only makes things more difficult. Following meeting with Dr. Goble, we headed over to see Dr. Lindsey. He felt the vision was good but the eyelid was drooping. He informed us that we wouldn't be able to do any temporary fixes with surgery because they didn't know if this was temporary or not. He designed some sort of crutch to help keep Brianna's eye open. It seemed to help a little but it also didn't so on our way home Brianna took it off. As we were driving home, Brianna asked me to pull over and she threw up everything she had eaten that day. As she wasn't feeling well, I took work off and stayed home to care for her and Watson. She didn't keep anything down the rest of the day. Tuesday, she was feeling a little better and was able to eat a small amount at each meal but still not what we would have liked. Wednesday she started feeling sick again and threw up both breakfast and lunch and then just didn't eat the rest of the day. Thursday she still wasn't feeling very well. She went to see her OB-GYN, Dr. Perrone, and she seemed a little concerned and ordered some Zofran for the nausea to better help Brianna. We then headed over to Radiation and she got zapped. We then met with Dr. Goble and he felt concerned as well. We discussed that her eye still wasn't any better and he decided to increase how often Brianna was taking her steroid. The steroid was to help with the swelling in her brain caused by the radiation. He gave Brianna some Ensure and Boost to try and get some calories in and to help her try and eat some. My mom took Brianna home and she didn't really eat much. By the time I got home from work, Brianna still wasn't eating and wasn't feeling well. It was decided that she needed to go to the ER and get some fluids. They gave her IV fluid and some Zofran via the IV which really helped her feel better. We were in the ER from 7pm till about midnight. Needless to say it was a long night!

Friday morning Brianna was feeling better still and ate a little for breakfast. She went to radiation and was able to get a little bit of lunch down. When I got home at 3:30 she was throwing up again. It just seemed like she was having a terrible cold that she couldn't get over. She wanted to rest and not eat anything that night and I agreed. She seemed to be switching back and forth from feeling nauseated or having no appetite at all and that was the case all week. Saturday she didn't really eat anything at all as she wasn't feeling well. By the end of the day she was feeling a little better and tried to eat some soup but it didn't settle well in her stomach. Sunday morning it was decided that she had gone long enough and she had lost 5 pounds which is no bueno when pregnant. She was asked to head to the hospital to be admitted.

We took Watson to Grandma Geddie and headed to the hospital. As she was a direct admit when we arrived at the ER they checked us in and then took us right up to her room. They started and IV and got some medicine to help with her feeling nauseated. By dinner she was able to finally get some food down. It still wasn't perfect but she was feeling a little better. I went home and took care of Watson while Brianna rested. I woke up and was ready to go but Watson wanted to sleep in which he never does! He work up and I finally got him to my parents and then I headed to work/to see Brianna. She still wasn't feeling herself when I arrived but she was feeling a little better. She was hoping to go home but they decided that they needed to get things under control and see what was going on. By lunch she wasn't feeling again and was starting to lose her appetite again. She rested all afternoon and then they moved her to a new room later in the evening. She didn't really feel like eating dinner but did eat some of it. She asked me to stay the night with her so Watson stayed with Grandma and Grandpa Geddie while I stayed at the hospital with Brianna. Today the doctor came in and told her that she needed to stay at least one more day which made Brianna pretty sad. She didn't eat much at breakfast and she only had an appetite for fruit at lunch. She rested some and Watson, Grandpa Geddie and Aunt Laura came to visit which was good! She also talked to some family and her best friend Sadie and I think that really lifted her spirit. She ordered a decent size dinner and she ate it all! She seems to finally be feeling a little better. I think her appetite is going to come and go but as long as she is getting food down and keeping it down that is great! The plan moving forward is to have some in home health where she has the IV at home to keep her hydrated and give her the constant mediation so she can keep up her appetite. The C-Section is in two weeks so they want to keep her up and going for that. Hopefully we will have more information tomorrow and she will get to go home!

We are constantly reminded of the love that you each have for us. Thank you for your constant gifts especially your gift of love. We feel your prayers, we are strengthened by you and we know that we are not alone. We are constantly reminded of the love that Heavenly Father has for us. The best blessing has been the fact that I work here and I am constantly able to come and see her and make sure she is doing okay. It has been a miracle in our lives being a part of this CHI St. Joseph family and we know that we are so very blessed. We know that God lives and although we may not always like our path, it is the only way that we can become who we were meant to be. We know that Heavenly Father is mindful of us and we know that we are loved. Again we thank you for your love and prayers as we truly feel strengthened. May God bless each one of you with the blessings you may need at this time.

Together....

It's been a while.....

I realize that it has been a while for any updates. I figured people weren't all that interested but I have been told otherwise. First things first, Brianna is doing well. She has gone through 4 weeks of Radiation. She only has two more weeks! She is very excited to be done with it. She goes everyday Monday-Friday to the Cancer Center for treatment. She still doesn't feel any pain but the radiation makes her really tired. She tends to go to bed around 8-9 and just feels tired all the time. The treatment is pretty quick. She puts on a tight mask a the machine does its job for about 10 minutes. Everyday she comes to the Cancer Center and typically my mom brings her. It is nice because I am able to walk over and see her and often we end up having lunch together with my dad as well. 

Recently we noticed that some of her symptoms have gotten a little worse. She has started having some issues with her cognitive functions. She has a harder time trying to explain what she is thinking. It is often difficult for her to finish her train of thought. This has been very difficult for her as she feels a little embarrassed by it but she also feels it is difficult to talk and say what is on her mind because she can't. I constantly remind her that she is wonderful and that she can take her time to talk. Sometimes she chooses not to talk because it is easier for her to just not talk but I continue to encourage her to talk as she has so much to say :) We have also noticed that her right eye, her good eye, or rather her right eyelid has started to droop. We are hoping that this is due to inflammation or swelling but we really aren't sure. The doctor started her on some steroids to try and help with these symptoms so we are hoping that it is swelling and not the tumor spreading. I know what you are thinking, can't they just do imaging to know for sure? That is what I thought. The answer I was given was no, as they would not be able to determine for sure even if they did do the imaging. 

We obtained a little more information regarding the pathology results. I will do my best to sum it up and explain it simply. As expected, this is an Anaplastic Astrocytoma or Grade 3 Astrocytoma. The mutations were observed and it was found that she does not have an IDH1 or IDH2 mutation. Typically this proves to be a better prognosis if these mutations are found within the cancer. However, the worst prognosis with the K27 mutation was not there either. She does have a mutation H3F3A G34. My dad and I were talking about these results and we discussed that these results don't change anything as the treatment is the same regardless. This is also true because the cancer that she has is the cancer she has and the genetics don't really change that. This is a pretty tough cancer and it is pretty intrusive. The doctor explained the most cancers expand like a balloon being filled with air. Brianna's cancer is more like a tree with different limbs and the roots are at the brain stem. This is one of the main reasons why she can't have surgery. Although it doesn't look perfect, we continue to have faith and believe in God. 

Moving Forward:

I just wanted to give you an idea of what we are looking at moving forward. Brianna has 8 more days of Radiation. Her parents will arrive next Wednesday which will be a great help but more importantly a great support for Brianna at this time. Brianna will be given two weeks off following Radiation to rest and relax. She will then have a C-Section scheduled for January 3rd 2018. The baby will be delivered at 32 weeks, 8 weeks early, and thus will stay in the NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit) for at least a month and a half. Luckily we know the best Neonatalogist (my dad) who will care for the baby. Two weeks after the C-Section, Brianna will begin her Chemotherapy. Although this is the most wonderful time of the year, it will be the most busy time of year for the Geddie's. 

A lot of you have asked how I am doing. To be honest, I am pretty tired. I has taken a lot to care for Watson and Brianna, keep the house clean, take care of the meals, attempt to attend as many appointments as I can, work, and all the other many things that I do. In essence I attempt to keep things as "normal" as I can which helps us relax and feel like things will be okay. I know that as difficult as it can feel for me at times, I know that Brianna is having such a harder time and I focus on uplifting and encouraging her. We both continue to keep our heads up and strive to find the peace and happiness we seek. 

To those of you that continually support and lift us up; THANK YOU! We would not be able to do all this without your faith, love and prayers. There have been many near and far that continually find ways to serve our precious family. We will never be able to thank each of you enough but know that we feel your prayers, we feel your strength and we feel your love. Thank you for who you are and for all the many ways you find to serve us. 

A couple of weeks ago, Brianna started loosing some her hair. It has gradually gotten worse as time has gone on. Last week our family had the flu and it was pretty rough. Brianna didn't feel like tending to her hair during that time and after she was feeling better, she asked me to tend to her hair. This was a difficult task as it was extremely messy and as I attempted to clean it all up, handfuls of hair fell out. This was pretty emotional for her but honestly she was just more annoyed with the fact that hair was constantly EVERYWHERE! A week later, she decided that she was done with watching her hair fall out and decided that she had had enough. She asked me to shave her head. I did just that and a little more. She never asked for all of this and shouldn't have to walk alone. I have attempted to be there every step of the way and this is not different so yesterday, we both shaved our heads. Its a bit drafty, but we are loving every minute of it, together. Pics are below :)

As we look back on all that we have been given this Christmas season, we are reminded of the true meaning of Christmas. A Savior was born and through Him and His Atoning Sacrifice, we can overcome this mortal world and return to live eternally with our Father in Heaven. It is easy to look inward but this Christmas season we strive to find ways to serve and find ways to thank Heavenly Father for this gift. Although times are tough right now, we are growing closer as a family and we are becoming more united. We are also each gaining in our testimony and love for the gospel. We testify to each of you that God lives. He knows each of you individually by name because you are His child. He loves you and His desire is that you return to live with Him as a united family. God loves us so much that He sent His son, Jesus Christ, so that we could have a Savior to overcome our shortcomings. It is by and through Him that we can overcome this frail mortal existence and return to live with God. We testify that God has a living prophet on this Earth today and Christ leads His church on the Earth today through Him. We know the Book of Mormon is true and is indeed the word of God. We invite each of you to learn more and read for yourself so you too may know. We know that our Family is Forever and no matter what may come in the future, we will always be together. 

We wish you a Merry Christmas from our Family to yours. May you feel the Love of God this merry season and know how grateful we are for each of you and for who you are. May you know that our lives have been strengthened because of you and we hope that we will be able to pay it forward. Please reach out to me if you have any other questions or would like to know more.

~The Geddie's