The Story of Bead Boy

We have our Team Kyle Facebook page going strong
and it's a good quick way to get the message out
and update everyone.

So if you're one of the 12 people in the world
NOT on Facebook, here is todays update on Y90.

We had to be at the Huntsman at 7 A.M.
but were both awake at about 4 A.M.

(Needless to say we're exhausted tonight-
although Kyle's on steroids and I'm on fumes,
so basically I'm ready for bed and it's 8:13 P.M.)

We always feel like we have to "hurry up and wait"
at the hospital and today was no exception.

After 2 hours of waiting, they finally prepped,
poked, drugged and prodded and consented and
advised enough to finally wheel Kyle back at 
about 9:15.

At which point, I went to get breakfast as I had
not eaten yet.  (I like to think I was "fasting"
with Kyle for pre-surgery prep....but I wasn't...
but I like to think that I was somehow supporting 
him.)

Kyle's sister Heidi drove up to offer moral 
support and I ate, she knitted and we talked
for 2 hours.  Then she went off to get a crown
on a tooth and I headed back down to Radiology
to see how it was going.

As luck would have it, Kyle was wheeled out
just as I walked in.  He was pretty out of
it, but according to the Doctor the surgery
was "a success".

We like success!  We like Doctors
who use "surgery" and "success" in the 
same sentence.

They then had to wheel him to "The Nuke
Unit" (Nuclear Medicine) to monitor those
radioactive puppies AKA beads flying around
his liver for a while.

Josh calls his dad Bead Boy now.

Maybe this name will stick, it IS kind of funny.

About 3 more hours of laying flat on his
back and monitoring his femoral artery for blood 
loss and the magical beans, er beads, inside
of him and by about 2:30 we were ready to head
home.

"Heading home" involved another half hour
pit stop at the pharmacy to pick up the largest
quantity of drugs I have ever seen for a 
post op pick up and some more "hurrying up
to wait."

He had juice and crackers for breakfast/lunch.

And we finally headed home.

It's hard to know what his reaction to the 
radiation will be until we're a few days out.

And results of the Y 90 (Did it kill the tumor?
WILL it kill the tumor?) will not be known for
some time (probably 2 months or so).

It will take THAT long for the swelling and 
mess inside his liver to all even out.

This is Y 90 for dummies--the Doctors have
yet to call it "the mess inside his liver."

But there you have it!

He's expected to have "flu like symptoms"
and "some pain" over the course of the next
7-10 days. 

I guess we will see to what extent those
symptoms show up.

He also has to be 3-6 feet from us at all 
times for the next 3-5 days.

No sleeping in the same bed.

No kids or dogs on the lap.

Flush the toilet 2X after peeing.

No pregnant ladies nearby.

No leaving the country--they assured us
his radiation would set off alarms all 
over the place.

I'm not sure if that is FASCINATING
or FRIGHTENING...perhaps a bit of both.

Thanks for love and prayers and dinner
and good wishes and texts and kindnesses.

And because, as usual, I am more long 
winded than short....

This is what I've got for today.

Y 90--hopefully kicking some serious cancer @$$!#*

and the story of Bead Boy.