Fantastic News!

Wednesday's bone biopsy went well and the infection looks like it has cleared (doctors will continue to culture the biopsy for 10 days to be sure).  The fantastic news is Lori was able to move forward with the bone graft on Friday.  Doctors took bone from her thigh (just above the knee) and grafted it to the ankle area.  The doctor was extremely optimistic.  During the procedure, he stated that the bone still looked very healthy and bled well - all good signs for successful bone graft.  Lori came home from the hospital Saturday afternoon and is much more comfortable at home.  She is in some pain, but the pain meds are helping her rest.  Lori will continue on the pain meds as well as a 3 week injection of medication to prevent blood clots that can sometimes occur from disturbing the bone marrow.

Happy Birthday Morgan!

Morgan turned 3 this past week!

 

When she first saw her cake she made this expression as if to say, "all this...for me????" then proceeded to hide her face as we sang "Happy Birthday" to her. 

Morgan's newest trick:  She hides things behind her back and says, "Mama, I have a surprise for you" then whips out the item and yells at the top of her lungs, "SURPRISE!".  I think even the neighbors hear her!

Morgan's finally beginning to add more and more words to her vocabulary.  She is getting quite competant at bossing the dog, as well as her brother and sister around.  Hopefully potty training will get mastered soon as well.

So Thankful!

Lori went in for full body scans last  week - MRI, CT and Bone Scan - 6 hours worth!  Whew!

Met with doctor this morning and.... Reason to celebrate... all tests came back clear, no sign of cancer anywhere else! 

So much to be thankful for!!!

Happy New Year!

Life has been pretty boring in the Nordican Household which is always greatly appreciated.  School is back in session, back to homework and the grind - no more sleeping in, something we were getting really good at. 

Leg surgeries have been postponed two more weeks.  The doctors feel that the antibiotics need to continue longer than originally planned since the infection in Lori's leg seems to be a more resistant strain.  The bone biopsy is now scheduled for January 30, and the bone graft will follow (if the infection is completely clear) on February 1. 

Merry Christmas!

We hope everyone is getting into the Christmas Spirit! We wish all of our wonderful family and friends a very Merry Christmas. It's amazing to us how quickly this year has gone. As we look over this past year, we know we've faced many challenges, but we've also have witnessed many blessings as well.

Although she never got to come home with us, we consider Marissa a true blessing, and we celebrate her little life each day.

Madison's year has been a year of change. Elementary to middle schooler! She transitioned well and has demonstrated amazing organization skills and independence. She has such an amazing heart, is so incredibly honest and compassionate. She has been a tremendous help this entire year. With another clean bill of health for her this Sept, we are again so grateful for our health.

JJ has made a great transition to his new school and seems to enjoy it very much. It is a challenging curriculum, but he has worked hard and it has been fun to witness how much he has achieved. He continues his obsession with legos and creates things that continually amaze us.

Finally little Morgan. Oh how she has grown and despite her stubbornness, she is finally beginning to talk. We call her our mini blond Madison-they have such similar personalities and get along great. The toddler years are so fun and she makes us laugh often!

James continues to be incredibly busy, not only with his career, but also his new household tasks he wasn't expecting to have to manage while Lori is down. He does the laundry, makes some mean take out and provides high quality nursing care!

After a scare last week when the home nurse accessed Lori's port incorrectly (the fluid ended up in her neck tissue instead of into the bloodstream so back to the hospital for a fix), things have calmed down and Lori is receiving the strong antibiotics (the doctor calls them "Gorilla"myacin) through the port in her chest. Hopefully by mid January the infection will be cleared up and we can move forward with another biopsy and the bone graft.

We are hoping 2013 will be a year of health!
Love to all!

A Few More Setbacks

After the bone biopsy Monday, we have discovered that there is a slight infection in Lori's ankle bone. A bone graft cannot be done in this condition so she had another surgery similar to Monday except instead of taking a bone biopsy, the doctors will fuse antibiotic beads to the impacted area using a medical grade cement. The antibiotics will leach into the bone over a period of time. The surgeon also said he took some extra time to visually inspect the bone and despite this LONG non healing time, the bone is still looking good and healthy overall which makes him feel better about her chances of ultimate healing. In addition Lori will go back into surgery today to reinsert another port to administer strong daily IV antibiotics. Bummer since she just had the chemotherapy port removed just a short 4 weeks ago, but the port is safer than a pic line so whatever it takes to get the infection cleared up! After 4-6 weeks of antibiotics, they will go back in and perform another biopsy. If the infection is clear the doctors will then go ahead with the bone graft. She is still in the hospital but expected to come home tonight.

We really can't wait until we can post something exciting and good, but unfortunately today is not the day.  On Monday, Dec. 3 and Wednesday, Dec.5 Lori will be undergoing two more surgeries for her leg.  The first will be a bone biopsy to check for any infection that may be preventing the bone from healing.  The second surgery will be a bone graft, taking bone from the hip and grafting it into the lower leg/ankle area.  We are hoping and praying that this will "kick start" Lori's body into healing the broken bone.  We will update the blog later next week with an update on her recovery.  It will be 4-6 weeks before we know if the healing is taking place and no more surgeries are needed. 

In honor of the season, we are so thankful for all of our family and friends.  You have all surrounded us with love, support and prayers.  We appreciate you all so much!  Thank you and we love you!