The Arlich Hitch-Fest

This last weekend Hannah, who I have been friends with fooooooreverrr, finally ran off and got hitched. To a really fun, really tall & good looking, really all around great guy.  I couldn't be happier for her!

She looked absolutely stunning and I still just can't get over how perfectly the whole weekend went!

The weather was astounding for March in Minnesota.  I woke up on Thursday morning in a little bit of a panic to see that it had lightly snowed the night before.  All week long I just prayed no freak blizzard would come along, and we were so blessed!  Saturday, the day of the wedding, was bright and sunny with hardly a cloud in the sky and it was 60 degrees!!!  We took pictures outside and basked in the glory of it all.

(Their amazing photographer, Emily Steffen, took this picture and I nabbed it from her site)

The wedding was an absolute blast!  Hannah and Jerod did a fabulous job of planning every last little detail out.  Everything from their personally written vows and the readings they chose for the ceremony, to the decorations and place settings, was unique and very original to them.  It was so refreshing to be at a wedding that was different enough, but still just traditional enough as well that it didn't seem weird.  All around I just can't stop raving about it and how much fun it was!  

I was just bummed that Scott had to miss out due to his ICU rotation and needing to work the whole time.  However, it did give me tons of time to catch up with some of my bestest girlfriends that I've been missing so much. 

We had pretty much the best wedding party ever and danced the night away.  Today, four whole days later, I am finally not achey.  We were all so sore from dancing for so many hours, that on Sunday morning I really thought my knees and all the muscles in my legs would just give up and buckle right out from under me when I was walking around - especially climbing stairs.  I would say that's a sure sign of a great wedding though, so, once again...

CONGRATULATIONS Mr & Mrs. Jerod Arlich! 

 I love you two and wish you many, many, many, many years of wedded bliss together!

Three month labs

This happened like 2-3 weeks ago now and I completely forgot to update it on the blog here!  Sooorry!

Scott had his three month post-op labs done and his thyroid levels are finally good!!!!!  We have worked on getting to this point for over two years now, since they removed his thyroid, and never dreamed it would take so much work.  He's yo-yoed up and down and we've changed his Synthroid dosing several times.  But, he is feeling great now and we are thrilled he's leveled off and we're finally at a good dose!

His calcitonin levels (markers for MC) are still about the same.  We were hoping they would drop off, but no need to worry too much until after we hit the six month mark.  We're in the process of consulting with some other docs from MD Anderson again regarding the whole situation, just to get their opinion and see if they have any other ideas.  As of right now though we don't really foresee any big changes in the plan and are just hanging out.

Thanks for the continued thoughts and prayers!  Hopefully there won't be much to report for a few more weeks.

Neighborhood Watch

Our front porch is one of our favorite aspects of this house. And by 'our', I mean all four of us. Not only do Scott and I love to sit out there and drink our coffee in the morning, or eat lunch together in the sun, or enjoy wine with the neighbors in the evening, but Lucy and Ariyah love that thing just as much as we do, and possibly more.  It runs the length of the front of our house and was very poorly built.  All of the rails are unequally spaced and the nails are rusting out of it.  The dogs know where the wider-spaced rails are and their favorite thing is to stick their head right through those and watch the world go by

This allows them to get as close as possible to all dogs walking by on the sidewalk, which of course makes them believe their obnoxious greetings are even better.  Every now and then they forget about the particularly narrow spacings when they're really excited, which causes momentary panic as they twist and turn, trying to free their big heads.  No worries - they've never been permanently stuck and I've stopped being concerned about that.
We put up a baby gate to when we first moved in here so that we could leave them on the porch unattended if we're home.

This way they can bask in the sun for hours at a time, wrestle noisily, and chew their rawhides to their hearts content, without getting my floors any dirtier than they already are.

This is their daily routine when we're around, and it hasn't changed much in the three months we've been living in this house.  Until this morning.  This morning Lucy decided that resting her chin on the lowest bar of the railing no longer provided a satisfying enough view of the neighborhood.  No, she needed to be even higher than an entire 8 feet off of the ground.  So, as I casually glanced out the window while walking by this morning, I had to do a rapid double-take, and then burst out laughing when I saw this:

Lucy sitting in our chair

No guilt. No shame.  Just enjoying the view like she's a human.

She is such a mess.

Three down, many more to go

Today's our Anniversary!!!!  Yep, 1,095 days have passed since we said, "I do" and there have been lots of exciting adventures along the way.

Scott had to work the afternoon/evening shift today so we decided to switch it up and work right along with that schedule.  I waited until up he got home from work last night (at midnight on the dot I might add) and we rang the new year in with champagne.  Today we got all gussied up for lunch out at Commander's Palace.  It was my first time there and we were treated like celebrities, as I think everyone is when they go there, which is always fun.  It was delicious and we had a great time!  We both decided we need to start doing lunches out a little more often.  It's a blast!

Family visits!

Warning: as per my usual, this is a picture-filled post...
The first week in February my parents, sister, brother-in-law, and nephew were all able to come visit!  It's the first time my mom and Tyler have been able to come down since we moved here, so we were happy it finally happened!  It was a little chaotic combining all the napping schedules (Roman would fall asleep, and then dad would figure he should nap as well, so then Scott or Tyler would too, but then Roman would wake up, and by the time we would all finally be ready to leave Roman would need a nap again...) but we made it happen!

We had all sorts of exciting adventures.  We spent one day wandering the French Quarter and showing them around our neighborhood.  The next day we spent an afternoon wandering uptown; riding the street car, eating at fun restaurants, and checking out all the beautiful houses on St. Charles St.

 Walking to Audubon park

We took a swamp tour the next day.  This time around we did the more "mild" version (we decided an air boat might be a little too intense for a 6mo old) and all of us piled on the pontoon boat together for a leisurely ride through some canals and bayous in the swamp.

On the boat for the swamp tour!

The younger alligators were brave and came swimming right up to our boat so we could get a good look at them.  We saw a few birds and one gross snake as well.

This big guy was bored with us...

Towards the end of the trip our guide pulled out his "pet" gator and wrapped a little hair binder around his (her?) nose so we could hold it.  I was slightly worried, but we all decided to brave it. I mean really, it was a little one and Scott's seen worse bites from them in the ER so what's the worst that could happen? Right?

Dad may have gotten slightly carried away...

Hopefully my mom doesn't have to worry too much, I doubt they would do well as pets in Wisconsin.

Scott had to work for a few hours on the Monday before everyone left, so I took my parents out to Oak Alley Plantation and we got the tour.  It was another great day of seeing more of Louisiana and getting to spend some very enjoyable time with them.

We all had a great time together and I'm so glad we were all finally able to get together here.

Housewarming

(I wrote this on 1/29 and somehow never got around to posting it...)

Last Saturday we had our official "Housewarming Party"

Not everything is done here.  And we haven't really even begun to decorate.  However, we decided we needed to do it sooner, rather than later - and all the etiquette websites I looked at gave us permission to go ahead now :)

Here are some pictures of our CLEAN house right before the party started.  

Oh, but first.  Just to remind you all - this is what the "kitchen" (and the entire rest of the house) looked like back in July....

And it now looks like THIS: 

[View when you stand in the front of the house, looking back] Living area, dining area, kitchen way in back

[View standing in the dining area facing the front of the house:]

[View of the kitchen facing the back of the house:]

Those cabinets and appliances we found on Craigslist turned out pretty well I do believe... It never ever would have looked this way without all of Vinnie's amazing inspirations and expertise and hard work.

[View of the kitchen facing the front of the house:]

Vinnie made those colander light fixtures over the bar

Our bedroom & closet:

We had an amazing turn out with so many friends and co-workers that were able to make it, which made us so happy!  Although the AC had trouble keeping up for a little while there (it was very warm that evening and quite humid), everyone seemed to have enough room to move around and socialize.

Scott smoked brisket for people to make sandwiches with. We also served all sorts of sides with a veggie platter, humus and pita chips, along with various cheeses and meats.

We gave little tours throughout the night.  Scott got his projector all set up in the media room, and we had a slide show going with all of the pictures of this project since we bought the house back in March.

Overall it was a huge success, and I'm glad those of you who made it were able to come!

There have been many laughs, owies, aches, tears, furious rants, and moments of sheer terror as we have brought our house through such a huge transition and it has become what it is today.  We never could have done it without the help of our amazing families and many of our wonderful friends and awesome neighbors.  We are so blessed to live in this house and never imagined in a million years that this would be part of our journey living here.  Although there are several perks we enjoy in this house, we are mostly grateful for the space to more easily spend time with our friends and family and show hospitality to others.  SO, once again, as we always say - if you're ever thinking of coming down to New Orleans, please call us up.  We've love to have you come visit :)

Radiation?

I guess it's about time to give you all the latest with the whole cancer dealio!  The last time I blogged about this back in December our next step was looking into radiation.  We spoke with other doctors here in town and the following week we spoke with Dr. Moley, the medullary specialist who is a surgeon, in St. Louis.  As per his usual attitude, he was rather unimpressed with the all of the pathology reports (if he ever seems to sound worried someday, that's when I will really freak) and said he has definitely seen this before with this type of cancer.

He told us he hasn't seen much of a positive outcome with radiation killing this type of cancer - it sometimes stops large tumor growth, but doesn't seem to reduce the amount overall.  Dr. M didn't really think that the research was good enough to indicate that we go through radiation at this time, and thought the best plan would be to take the 'wait and see' approach.  However, he left us with the kind advice that he is a surgeon, and so of course he thinks surgery is usually the best approach with this kind of cancer and he gave us the name of a specialist in Canada.

With a little work, we finally got in contact with Dr. Brierley, a radiation oncologist in Canada, who has headed up a large amount of the research in the world on radiation as treatment for Medullary Carcinoma.  Scott gave him his history and they discussed all the latest scans and lab values and various interventions we have tried.

After much discussion, his opinion is also that radiation would not be the best at this time.  Research has showed that this type of cancer just does not respond well to radiation and really shows no long term effects on your chances of dying and would greatly impact Scott's quality of life over the next few months.  Also, if it doesn't kill off all those little specs that are there sitting in his fat, it will most likely make it impossible to do surgery in that area again if that was ever needed.  He recommended that we follow everything closely and if it ever comes to the point where the growth occurs in an area where we simply cannot do surgery because of the risks, then we revisit the radiation possibility.  But for now, surgery and no growth are our best bets.

SO!  The plan of action for now is to wait patiently and live in harmony with cancer.  Sounds so weird to say when you're supposed to be fighting cancer.
We will be checking lab values again in a few weeks and will continue to closely follow them.  Scott will probably be having CT scans every few months for a while.  We are eating our fruits and vegetables and exercising and drinking lots of water and juicing some and doing all the things we "should" be doing as much
as possible - mainly though we are just living.
We are enjoying the small things and carrying on with life and we are grateful for that.  Our hope and prayer that we have gotten the most of this cancer out of his body that we can and that it will not grow anymore.  That those little bits we know about will decide to make peace and his body will stay stronger than them.  

Thank you all for all your prayers and kind cards and words as we continue this journey.  We are truly blessed to have the friends and family and love and support that we do.

Postdates

There are so many things that have happened in my month-long hiatus from blogging.  I've had a serious writer's block and although I have so much to type about, I just couldn't get myself to sit and focus.  When we got home last night I finally felt like I had a post again.  And now I'm going to try and fill in a few of the last month's details.

1. Scott and I went to Jamaica.  It was beautiful.  The weather was perfect.  The water was crystal clear and the ideal temperature.  The sunsets were breathtaking.

Sounds perfect, right?  Many aspects were, however it got rather miserable.  The prostitutes (male and female) were relentless, the people would not accept "no" when presenting us with their objects that they were selling, eveeeeerybody needed us to buy their drugs, and food and hostels/hotels were not really cheap enough to make it worthwhile. The only time we enjoyed the beautiful beach without being pestered every five minutes was the day we payed to use a private beach.  We now see why the all-inclusive resorts in Jamaica are SO popular - they are beautiful without the annoyance.  The final straw was the fifth night we were there and Scott had to physically throw a prostitute out of our cabana who tried to break in after him.  We were frustrated and irritated and did a first - we left the country early.  

2.  We flew home to Wisconsin and surprised my whole family and spent Christmas there.  On the way, we got to spend a night in Chicago and see our nieces and nephew there before flying into MN.  It was all just so wonderful and the weather wasn't even that bad!  (Although we did have to go buy some warm clothes as all we had with us were outfits for the beach)

With my sister and nephew                                                                                     Grandma Knapp with us

Almost all of the grandkids on my mom's side were there and we were able to see both of my Grandmas!

3. We flew home to New Orleans and had two days to unpack and get some things organized before Scott's parents, his younger sister, Elena, and his Grandmother drove into town!  I'm glad his Grandma was able to visit (her first time to make it down here) and it was so great to have them all here.

4. Our good friends, Chris and Anne, got married on December 31st.  Anne and Scott went to the same high school and were close friends throughout medical school.  We were so excited when both of them matched here in New Orleans and living here wouldn't be half as great without having Anne here.  We're so happy she found Bruisie (they are in the same residency class - we knew this would either end horribly or perfectly when they started dating) and we are so thrilled for them!  It was a very large, absolutely beautiful wedding and it was like a giant reunion with many friends present that we haven't seen in years.

So, those are the big events from the last month.  We've had several other fun things happen as well but this post is already getting lengthy and my textbooks are calling, so I think I'll be done for now.  

Cochon de Lait

We had faaaabulous weekend!  Scott and I were invited to Lafayette to celebrate the annual Cochon de Lait Party at the Ancelet's home. Lafayette is in the heart of Acadiana (south central Louisiana) where Cajun culture reigns and many families still speak French.  It is quite possibly our second favorite place in Louisiana - full of culture, plenty of character and amazing food.  The Ancelet's home is a beautiful old farm house which they have added onto as their family has grown over the years.  They have made it a very warm and inviting place - somewhere you instantly feel welcome and comfortable.
Yesterday afternoon was spent preparing for the party with the family, while the pigs were smoking away in the giant smoker.

Two pigs were purchased from the slaughter house and nearly every part of them was used - Francios even made hogs head cheese (minus the brains) yesterday.  Delicious!

Shucking Oysters while waiting for the pig

Some were eaten raw, on the half shell, and others were charbroiled on the grill with lots of butter and Parmesan cheese - MMMM!

In the kitchen preparing food.

As the evening went on, more and more people came until the house was SO packed you could barely get anywhere.  There were more food dishes than could be tried and we ate for 12 hours straight as people brought their dishes and took away the empty ones.    

We were amazed at how many people spoke French!  I knew Francios grew up with his parents and the rest of his family speaking it in the home, but we didn't realize how many other people in the area were so comfortable mixing it into their everyday conversations.  I was completely lost, but loved hearing it all around me.  We cheered on the Saints, and momentarily mourned their loss as the musicians took over the living room following the game.  For the rest of the night there was Cajun music and singing that could be heard throughout the house.

There was a base and many fiddle players, accordions, numerous guitars, and of course the triangle.

     Apparently it was the who's-who of Cajun music, and there were several musicians and singers there who have won Grammy's for their amazing talents.  I especially loved seeing that the art of it all is being passed along to the next generation as there were younger musicians there, playing along with the older, accomplished musicians.  When we left at 12:30am the music was still going strong.

     This morning we came back for the Sunday morning, milder continuation of the party.  Folk music was being played/sung in the kitchen (in English this time, with mostly 'spirituals' being sung) and there was even more food being prepared.  We sat in the sunshine and enjoyed Gumbo and Pork Back stew and I can't even believe I am hungry again still tonight.  I feel like we feasted on enough food for a week!  We had a blast though and are so glad we were able to go.  

Francios, Katy, us, & Etienne

Annnnd BREAK!

Well, I have successfully completed my first year of Graduate school!  I am almost half-way done with the program and that much closer to becoming a nurse-midwife!  It feels awesome!  But after year-round school for the last 12 months, I am pooped.  Have no fear though, I finally get my longest break since the start of school and have three FULL weeks off.  Sweet heaven!

Somehow last year when Scott requested his vacation time for this year, he was amazingly granted these last two weeks in December off.  Nobody else happened to request it (amazingly) and he won. We asked for the time, knowing this would be my longest break from school for the year, and thinking we would like to have a break together - never guessing that it would come at such a PERFECT and utterly needed time in our lives.  We have over 14 days off, in a row, together, for the first time in quite a while now.  As life has been less than a walk in the park for the last few months, we have decided to forgo all the things we usually adore about this season that just didn't seem as fun this year anymore.  We are simplifying and allowing ourselves to say "no" to all of the chaos we just really have no desire to deal with for this season.  Instead, we are focusing on each other, and our marriage, and our faith, overall.

We left the country this morning and are now in Montego Bay, Jamaica.  We'll probably be here for the next 10 days but have absolutely no plans other than focusing on being less sassy (in all the bad ways that get annoying) and just being together.  Also, there will be much time spent on the white sand, in the sun, enjoying a fair amount of Rum. And Red Stripe.

So, Merry Christmas a week early to all of you at home.  We send all of our love and hope that you too get a little time to focus on the people you love most, and things that are truly important to you.

Back to the Grindstone

Today is Scott's first day back at work!  For a 12-hour shift.  Please pray his neck and shoulders don't get too sore and he has the energy to make it though.  He's supposed to go back in tomorrow too, so we're hoping he does alright.
Also, a special thank you to everyone who covered his shifts until this point so he could rest as long as possible!  We are very, very grateful for you :)

The Next Step

We had Scott's follow up appointment yesterday, and as usual for us, we had some good news and some dumb news.
The good:

• Scott is healing fabulously.  The surgeon is very happy with how the incision site looks, Scott's range of motion, and advancement of activity.  In his opinion the surgery just couldn't have gone any better!  So, thanks everyone for all those prayers!
• The lymph node that we saw on ultrasound and CT back in October, which was the primary indication for surgery, was no longer a lymph node at all really - just a big old ugly tumor.  It was definitely time for it to go and we are all glad it's out.
• The left-over thyroid tissue which they removed was all negative for cancer.  We glad for this and think it's better to have it out and leave no doubt in our minds.
• The enlarged lymph node they suspected higher up in his neck (close to the base of his skull) was negative for any cancer.  In fact, they removed about 23 lymph nodes from that area as they were trying to get to this one specifically, and all of them were negative.  However, this leads us into the not-so-good news.

The Bad:

• The fatty tissue that was surrounding the lymph nodes which were close to the base of his skull was interspersed with medullary carcinoma.  
• It would be prudent to continue exploring various forms of treatment and we aren't done yet.

This is a big bummer for us, but we're diving into the next step.  The docs are all rather confused as it is unusual for cancer to spread through the fat in this way.  It would make more sense in our piddly minds for it to keep spreading through the lymph nodes as it has done so far - where it has an understandable blood flow and lymph flow and we can see why it easily travels throughout.  But no, Scott's already confusing and rare cancer has to get even more weird.
We've searched case reports and are pouring over the research, but unfortunately nothing similar to our situation has been published and nobody we've talked to has a clear cut answer.  The next step that our surgeon recommends, and which some new research is recommending, is that we move onto a type of radiation just for Scott's neck.  Since there are no tumor borders, the cancer in this area isn't something we can just go in and cut out as we've been doing with everything thus far.  Also, we wouldn't even know where to start (besides just harvesting every last little bit of fat from his neck which would be silly) as none of this showed up on any of the scans.  We are also running into the concern that if we just leave it, and it continues to grow and spread, each neck surgery we have begins to carry greater risks.
SO, in the next week hopefully, we are meeting with Scott's endocrinologist, as well as a radiation oncologist, to further discuss treatment options.  We are also consulting with our specialist in St. Louis to see if he has any other ideas.  I have finals next week and am working on my 20+ page paper for another class due after the weekend, so our plates are getting a liiiiiiittle full.  Also, Scott goes back to work on Saturday and we're hoping that all goes well.

Bedlam!

     We are two-weeks postop and Scott is slowly improving each day.  He is progressively needing fewer and fewer pain meds, and we're now slowly starting to work on physical therapy for his neck which is pretty stiff and sore.  As long as he gets his daily nap in and has a couch or bigger chair to sit in for the majority of the time he's good to go.  After sitting in a regular chair or standing for a while, his neck still starts to get pretty sore and tired from holding his big head up.
     Scott did pretty well on our trip to and from Oklahoma this weekend and although we were hesitant about going and had our doubts, we're glad we did now.  It was great to see everyone and a nice change of scenery.  We flew into Tulsa on Thursday and got to spend some time with Scott's family and see some other friends.  On Friday evening we drove up to Stillwater and spent the night there with friends.  Saturday afternoon we headed out to tailgate.  It was COLD!  We are so glad the rain passed through in the morning and didn't stick around for the big festivities!

All bundled up at the tailgate

So fun to see good friends!

     The Oklahoma State victory made our trip up there even more worth-while and it was great to watch the game with everyone!  We stayed outside at the tailgate with several others and didn't go into the stadium, as Scott would have been miserable in the bleachers or standing for that long.  We were much happier in our giant chairs and wrapped in blankets outside under the tent watching the game on TV.

Yes - both of us fit into that one chair quite comfortably.  No I am not that tiny - the chair really was just giant.

     We drove back to Tulsa on Sunday morning and were able to do brunch with some of our besties in town that we never seem to be able to get enough time in with.  We got to meet the newest addition to the group, two-week old Levi, and had such a great time catching up on all the latest!

    Our trip home was uneventful and it was pretty exciting to come back to our fabulous house which we are still thoroughly enjoying!  Scott's follow-up appointment is tomorrow, along with lab draws to make sure his thyroid and calcium blood levels are behaving.  We should have more news regarding pathology from the surgery after all this, so stay tuned.  

Overdue Update

Scott is recovering fabulously!  He's had his ups and downs, but overall we are making good progress.  He has been one helluva patient though.  Continuously attempting to sneak off and do things he's not supposed to yet.  Like drive.  And climb ladders.  And carry ladders.  And carry various other things that are much heavier than his weight restriction of a jug of milk.  The neighbors have definitely heard their fair share of my scolding, and to them I am sorry.  It's his fault though.  

He spends his days migrating from the bed to the couch.  I'll hear him tinkering around in the kitchen or another room for about six minutes and then he gets tired and winds up on the couch again.  We're so blessed that he's also been getting pretty good sleep at night, and the frequency of needing his pain pills is decreasing each day.  His sore, tight neck muscles have been one of his biggest complaints.  Our friend Anne brought him a heatable neck wrap and it seems to help a lot. 

We've had lots of friends stop by and are so grateful for you all!  It really helps break up the monotony of Scott's life right now, and is very encouraging.  

In other news:  We got an early Christmas gift from Scott's parents and love, love it! A camera!  Our little point-and-shoot camera broke back in August and it's made updates with the house much more difficult.  SO, now there is one less excuse for lack of updates!  Here's a little video I took yesterday afternoon of our place.

This is why we can't have nice things

At 7:55am this morning Scott meandered outside to set up the timer on the sprinkler for our lawn quick before we left for the airport at 8:00. Two minutes later from our master bathroom I hear, "Ohhhhhhhhh no.   Oh no.  Oh dearrrrrr.  Megan....? Please don't kill me"
Usually not a good thing for your husband to say.
I took a deep breath and hesitantly stuck my head around the corner to see him standing in the middle of OUR NEW CARPET peeling his shoes off.  Yes, he had done it.  He had stepped in the giant pile of doggy ka-ka I had warned him about last night.  And then tracked it ALL. over. our. new. carpet.
Sheeeeeeeeeeet.
Literally.
EVERYWHERE.
Needless to say I am thankful that we got the highest grade of stain resistant carpet and that rush hour traffic was not horrendous.  Only took 20 minutes of me scrubbing away with Scott standing around rather helplessly as the whole squat and scrub is not quite into his physical activity plan yet.  True love right there folks.  Luckily we still made our flight.  And yes, Scott is still alive.