Well, village... we come to you today with another update/prayer request. After the ultrasound procedure that Tony had in March, it was discovered that he has some "sludge" in his gallbladder, which CAN be a precursor for another round of pancreatitis. (Apparently, sludge is not something most people have, and given "the perfect storm," it COULD land him back into a lengthy stay at OHSU, or God-forbid, worse.)

Tony met with a surgeon on Tuesday, and it has been strongly advised that he has his gallbladder removed to eliminate that as a possibility. Surgery is set for June 10th. If you know Tony, he is, of course, trying to wrangle anyway he can to get back to work for financial reasons in LESS than the three week sentencing. Although it will be a robotic surgery with four incisions, the down time is 3 weeks. Best case scenario. He also feels like he's FINALLY back to his fighting weight and FULLY recovered, so, to him, this feels like a MAJOR setback. Understandably. (He's been working full-time, playing tennis in USTA, and finally enjoying hummus, veggies and the low-fat lifestyle. (OK, that last part might be a stretch.)

We're hoping this is THE KEY.

But, as we've been told 9874 times, they just do not know and CANNOT guarantee that this was why he had pancreatitis in the first place. 

So, we go forth and cross this next hurdle with gratitude. It needs to be done.

We'd be honored to have your support, prayers and understanding as he's "out of office" for a stint...and while our little fam dotes on him in recovery.

Thanks for being Team Nelson.

Oh, and also...Ezrah is doing FABULOUS! (Still on medication. We meet again with Rheumatology in July.) She's about to be 14 and is nearly 5'9". Volleyball girl!? 

November Update:

Dare I type it....but life has been relatively boring on the medical front for Tony & Ezrah.

Tony has been stable for several months, and we will meet with Hematology in December. He is still on the dockett for a repeat CT, and we will do another round of baseline labs to check how his pancreas is doing. One of the "concerns" has always been his insulin levels holding steady with a now compromised pancreas. 

Ezrah had a follow-up with Rheumatology last week at Randall's. We have FINALLY found a prescription that keeps her pain at bay. THIS IS HUGE. Her doctors would like her on it for a year. She has to do a blood draw (pray for our girl) next month to make sure her liver and kidney are tolerating it well. She has NO signs of arthritis and she no longer limps. This time last year was such a scary time. We just didn't know what we were dealing with, and she was in and out of a wheelchair having one surgery behind her. What a kid. Her resiliency is inspiring. There are no surgeries on the horizon, and we're just thankful our girl is getting her life back to normal.

What a year. I'm anxious and ready to leave it behind. I'm slowly moving forward. There's a lot of sparkly lights in our house right now and snuggly dogs. Life is good. There is JOY to be found.

A lil' October update. 

*Tony is stable. We meet with Hematology in December. 

*Ezrah is stable. She's on a new prescription that seems to help with her nighttime pain. She has gone 5 nights (by her own choosing) WITHOUT medication, and the pain has not returned. She will have a repeat CT scan in the coming months to see if the "spot" in her bone has been reduced. We meet again with Rheumatology next month.

*Micah. For those who saw my IG post. His dominant hand had a run-in with a hedge trimmer while working at our friends house, which landed us in the ER. His hand/fingers were stitched up. We are thankful. It could've been SOOOO MUCH worse. But, he has ALL of his extremities and was only out of tennis for 2 weeks. He's playing District's this weekend, and has already secured his spot for Regionals (Bi-Districts) next weekend in Tacoma, representing Prairie High School. 

I'm fixin' to contact the local hospitals for my own parking spot or at LEAST a meal voucher. But, I'd be fine to stay out of there for at LEAST five years also.

For the most part, we're all just truckin' along as best we can. 

**Our insurance is still in "discussion" with OHSU because they're denying Tony's last hospital stay for 5 days, claiming it wasn't "medically necessary" to retain him for 5 days. (This was the call from his doctor telling us to go to the ER IMMEDIATELY due to the blood clots they found in that morning's CT. Surgery was supposed to have taken place that Friday night, but he got bumped 5 times, and surgery didn't happen until Monday, with his discharge being on Tuesday.) There is nothing we can do. It's another sit tight and wait situation. 

Thank you for all the check-ins and prayers. We are just beyond grateful.

Ezrah's recent surgery couldn't have gone better. Her pain was minimal, recovery was smooth, and we REALLY thought the cryto ablation worked... until the pain on her tibia returned the night of the 27th, 28th, 29th, 30th, and again last night. It's the same pattern.

She feels ok during the day, but at night, the nerves start firing, and sleep becomes elusive. SUPER common response to an Osteoid Osteoma. We have a routine Rheumatology check up next week with MORE intel to show from the summer (circulation issues and random swelling joints), but, alas, I'll be shocked if we get an auto-immune diagnosis. The rheumatologist simply says her symptoms, "Don't add up." The cycle/runaround is never ending. 

Tony is stable. His diet is SUPER restricted, but he's had no issues since our last visit where the drain was removed. His lifestyle has done a 180, though, for the better. He's working less (only 40 hour work weeks now), and we get to see him a lot more. Our insurance is STILL denying our last hospital stay of 5 days at OHSU's B&B. Another "sit tight and wait" moment while they try to get on the same page with OHSU. We can't pay it. It's astronomical. 

Elijah is working as a pro. He travels to AZ in a few weeks for a national tennis tournament. His car accident (nearly 1 year ago) is still being "settled" with their attorneys. We STILL don't know how that will pan out.

Amelia is entering her senior year of high school (still doing school at home) and working a TON at Orange Theory. (If anyone wants to join me there in September, they're doing a fantastic promotion. Best EVER!) She also works one day a week at the tennis center.

Micah started back as a SOPHOMORE at CAM Academy yesterday. He takes all the hard classes and decided a computer science ZERO period was a good idea. He's driving now AND playing tennis for Prairie High School. 

Ezrah, Aurora, and Matilda are getting ready to start another year of homeschooling at The Nelson Academy. Don't ask me what grades they're in. We just do the school. But, I think somewhere around 8th, 5th, and 2nd.

It's been such a hard season. Grateful for Luna Lovegood (our nearly 11 month old German Shepherd) and our village. I KNOW I've been elusive and unresponsive. I'm grateful for EVERY check-in. I'm just struggling to find my footing. I'm still here. 

As always, thank you for reading my novel, for those taking care/thought of Tony at VTC, for all the prayers for Ezzie. We. Are. Grateful. 

If you’d like to read more about what Tony is going through or keep up to date on the latest news from the family, you can visit https://ezrahjoy.blogspot.com/