39 Days - Ryan's Story

Well hello there!

I've sat down to write this about a million times, but with two kiddos and lots of craziness, this has continued to get the boot on the list of priorities. But.  I keep getting asked the same questions, and while I typically shy away from using this blog as an information source, this seems like a more efficient way of telling everyone the same information all at once instead of repeating myself over and over (although, I do have a toddler, so the whole repeating myself a bazillion times is kinda my jam...).

So here goes.

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A Recap:
39 days ago Ryan had a massive GI bleed and was hospitalized for 5 days.  It was very serious and had we not lived so close to a hospital (among other things, like me still being home on maternity leave, Ryan being home early on a work day for an appointment, us being able to leave at a moments notice, etc.) he probably would not have made it.  He underwent several tests while there, but they were unable to find where the bleed originated from.

They sent us home once he was stabilized with several restrictions and a list of other outpatient tests and procedures that needed to be done.  Each test and procedure has required major restrictions, been pretty miserable in general, has meant no eating for at least a day or two if not more, and having every single particle of pretty much anything flushed out of his body. Super fun.  And, while a very effective weightloss plan, neither Ryan or I would endorse losing a few pounds this way.  Stick with Weight Watchers.  Trust me.

Since they didn't know what caused the bleed there was no way to fix it, so there was a high likelihood that it could happen again at any time.  Because of that, Ryan hasn't been able to eat or drink a lot of things that could cause issues (i.e. no alcohol, blood thinners, chinese food [just FYI, no chinese is pretty much the worst punishment you can give someone, I want to be very clear about that], etc.).  We've also been required to be near a hospital at all times.  And just in case all of this wasn't stressful and super sad enough as it is, we had to cancel our vacation to Mexico that we'd been planning for 3 years... Insert mini pity party here ________.  Okaaaaaaaaay, and done.

What We Know Now:
Through the course of testing we've found that Ryan has a small tumor in his small intestine. Because they haven't been able to get to it, they do not know if it's malignant (bad) or benign (not bad).  The tumor ulcerated and is what caused the bleed over New Years.

Next Steps:
Ryan will be undergoing major surgery on Thursday to remove the tumor.  They will be doing what's called a "resection", taking a "small" section of his small intestines out (about 5 to 6 inches) and then reattaching each end.  They will then test the tumor and surrounding tissue to see if it's benign or malignant.  It will take about a week to get the test results.  Once we know what type of tumor it is we'll be able to determine what next steps are.

Depending on how invasive the surgery has to be, Ryan's hospital stay will be anywhere between 3 to 7 days, and longer if he has any complications.  He will have some restrictions for at least the first 4 weeks after surgery, but we're hopeful that we are on our way toward healing for his body.

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So, that's where we're at.  It's been a loooooooong 39 days.  Full of tests and migraines, hunger and medications, tears and frustration, and we are exhausted both emotionally and physically.

But. God is still good. And we trust His hands are on Ryan, and our family.  We know He is in control, and when fear has tried to fight it's way in, His peace has filled our hearts.

We have received really great care from all of the GI specialists and surgical teams that we've worked with, and we are hopeful that this surgery will be the end of what has seemed like a very long road.  Our friends and family have been an incredible support system and have helped us in countless ways.  Truly, we could not have made it through all of this without them.

Even in the midst of all of this, we have SO much to be thankful for!

And it just has to be said: Ryan has been a freakin' trooper throughout all of this.  He has suffered through a LOT of stuff over the last several weeks and I seriously haven't heard him complain once.  Not including all of his other misery, his New Years was spent in a hospital, his birthday was spent going through another frustrating and painful procedure, his Valentine's day will be spent once again in a hospital, and his Mexican vacation was taken away.  And not a single complaint.  You guys.  This man is my hero, for real. I've never been prouder to call him my hubs. In sickness and health is no joke yo, but lemme tell you, I wouldn't have it any other way... Being by this man's side is the only place that I want to be.

Alright.  That's pretty much it.  If you have questions hit me up, but I will plan to update via blog after the surgery once we have the results of the tests and what our next steps are.

We would love your prayers...  Forever blessed by you all!