A quiet Christmas

Since my last update on December 8th we have only been to Cancer care once and have enjoyed some free time.  It seems crazy how quickly time passes when you don't have something scheduled every day.  Rob and I were talking about how lots of people around us are so busy this time of year running from event to event but we find ourselves in the opposite place.  The one Christmas party we were going to as a family was cancelled....I am sure the other families were thrilled to have a quiet night at home but we had been so excited to get out of the house!  With Rob's free time, as he feels up to it, has been doing small things around the house.  The other day while I was at work he hung a chandelier that had been on his to do list for a long time.  I was excited to come home and find it up and he felt good accomplishing something. 


Rob has been feeling better and better each day.  We are pretty sure his side effects peaked in the week after his treatment ended.  The ringing in the ears is almost stopped and the chemo brain is gone which is good news.  He is still up through the night having to clear his throat but it isn't as often.  Eating is slowly getting better although he still needs a modified diet and it takes him almost an hour to eat a plate of food.  The good news is usually he doesn't have to rush anywhere so that is ok!


On December 11th we met with Dr Butler to follow up from radiation treatment and he was pleased.  During treatment we were told that things would start to get worse but didn't seem to experience what they said until right at the end.  Rob still had thrush at this point but since then we switched medication and we are hoping it will be gone by the end of this week.  All in all things seemed to be healing from the radiation treatment and Rob is feeling much better.  When I get asked "How is Rob?" I find it tough to answer.  Considering what he has gone through he is doing pretty well....on the other hand as an average 31 year old man he is not doing so good.  We look forward to when things are back to "normal" and he is able to work and do things a normal 31 year old would do.  We are not sure when that will be but we look forward to it.  In the meantime we are just enjoying some extra time together. 


Rob also had a follow up with Gina the dietician on the 11th.  She was very happy with how Rob got through treatment.  His weight only fluctuated about 5lbs and for what he went through that is very good.  She encouraged Rob to continue doing what he is doing and he will be back to where he was. 


January will be full of follow up appointments with all of his doctors ( he has a lot!).  He will also have a CT Scan on January 16th and will find out the results on the 29th.  The CT scan will give them a base line for how things look and will hopefully not show any growth (that is basically how they know if the treatment worked).  We continue to pray that Rob is healed and that he will not have any cancer grow back.  The next year is the most crucial but all we can do is wait and see while we pray faithfully. 


As many of you know Rob's sister Katherina and her husband Joel were expecting their first child at the start of December.  We are thrilled to share that Jonathan Pierre Scott Caby was born on December 13th and he is perfect.  The day after Rob was done his treatment I jokingly sent Kat a text to read to my nephew, that was still in her tummy, saying thank you for not coming too early because we needed Grandma and Grandpa's help but it was ok for him to come now!  We were thankful to have the help with Isaac during that last week and it would have been much more complicated if that little guy had come early.  The other day we brought Isaac over to meet Jonathan and he thinks he is pretty cute although I think he is excited for when he is bigger and can play!


Christmas looks very different for us this year than it usually does.  We would normally be heading to Ontario to spend Christmas with my family but we didn't know how Rob would be feeling so we cancelled our trip.  For the first time we will have Christmas morning with the 3 of us in our own home!  When Isaac first found out we were not going to Ontario he thought we were missing Christmas morning because that is all he ever knew.  We quickly reassured him that Santa would know he was at home and not to worry.  On Christmas afternoon we will head over to Rob's parents and celebrate with them.  Then on boxing day my mom is going to fly in for a few days and have a little time with us.  I am really going to miss seeing my family and friends in Ontario but making new traditions is not so bad either. 


As much as Christmas is a time of festivities, shopping, giving, receiving, eating and all of the other things that make up the chaos, we want to remember that Christmas is about Jesus' birthday.  We have been talking to Isaac a lot about the true meaning of Christmas and want to make sure he grows up to know the reason we celebrate.  May you and your family have a great time together this Christmas and that you take the time to celebrate our Saviour's birth.


Merry Christmas and a New Year full of blessings.
Love Karen, Rob and Isaac