Ezrah JOY's Fight

Ezrah's six month check-up at Randall's Children's Hospital with Rheumatology. Her body has responded well to her medication, labs are looking great, and she's had ZERO signs of inflammation or infection. We are on the right path. However, she's not done growing! She grew another inch in 6 months. So, while she continues to grow RAPIDLY, we've elected to stay on the medication to keep her bones happy. To be noted: she's 14, wears a size 12 shoe, and is closely catching up to her mama in height. Alllllll my life, I've wanted to feel short. Things are finally happening for me.  

Tony's gallbladder has officially left his body! We are hopeful that this is the answer for ANY and all future pancreatitis flare-ups. And, God-willing, keeps us out of the most sterile B&B in Oregon, OHSU.  He's in quite a bit of pain, and keeping him "down" will be a full-time job for me, Nurse Nelson. Favorite question of the day that Tony asked his surgeon in pre-op: "What exactly do you mean by 'no twisting' after this? To which his surgeon replied: "I don't want you swinging rackets." Dr. Connelly and I are fast friends.  Tony's down for the count for 3 weeks, with a 10lb. weight lifting maximum. Jesus be nigh. This gone-be tough.       Pre-op SMILES. Before IV's and stabbing pain.

Well, village... we come to you today with another update/prayer request. After the ultrasound procedure that Tony had in March, it was discovered that he has some "sludge" in his gallbladder, which CAN be a precursor for another round of pancreatitis. (Apparently, sludge is not something most people have, and given "the perfect storm," it COULD land him back into a lengthy stay at OHSU, or God-forbid, worse.) Tony met with a surgeon on Tuesday, and it has been strongly advised that he has his gallbladder removed to eliminate that as a possibility. Surgery is set for June 10th at OHSU. If you know Tony, he is, of course, trying to wrangle anyway he can to get back to work for financial reasons in LESS than the three week sentencing. Although it will be a robotic surgery with four incisions, the down time is 3 weeks. Best case scenario. He also feels like he's FINALLY back to his fighting weight and FULLY recovered, so, to him, this feels like a MAJOR setback. Un

             (Blurred photo to protect "the patient") Tony's procedure went really well. As always, we got an AWESOME team assigned to him. OHSU is amazing. BEST, KINDEST, HAPPIEST staff around. (Hey, they played 90's pop in the OR. THESE are my people. Backstreet's BACK alright!! I DID ask to go back with him as a back-up dancer. They smiled and nodded. Politely.) Apparently, all 3 stints had fallen out on their own. Dr. Yu said his pancreas looks remarkably well, all things considered. She said if she hadn't known of his lengthy stay here last year, she would NEVER HAVE BEEN ABLE TO TELL how bad it was. The portion of his pancreas that "died" or necrotized will not come back or repair on its own, but it appears to be functioning well. Not 100%. But, "well." She was pleased.  She did find some "sludge" in his gall bladder. We don't KNOW if that was the cause of pancrea-maggedon 2023. But, she is taking Tony's (Medical &qu

It's been a minute. Isn't that just AWESOME?! I've been wanting to come on here and share the latest... We're coming up on the one year mark of Tony's initial hospital admission. March 28th, to be exact. Often, it feels like yesterday. But, sometimes, it feels like a lifetime ago. Because of that, doctors are choosing to do some recon and "check" on things. Tony will undergo an angiogram on March 20th at OHSU. The procedure is supposed to be 2-4 hours, and I'm sure you remember how well he does with those!? (Not well at all. They ALWAYS take longer, with a few hiccups in the past. We've lost count, but I think this will be the 5th one.) My guess is a CT will be around June/July to further check his pancreas. With the new year comes new out-of-pocket maxes and deductibles. But, we believe this is necessary for some peace of mind and to make sure staying off all medications is best. We are hopeful this will just be a quick in and out procedure. Would

He's officially official. Please give a warm smack on "the bum" (or back, whichever) to our NEWEST U.S Citizen! The Nelson 8 witnessed a beautiful ceremony today at WSU. It really was a special event. Today is historic for The Nelson Legacy. (Thank you for understanding why we didn't invite others. If you know Tony, you know he's not one for attention. After this last year, I think he's "attentioned" out.) It was really just a day we wanted to celebrate with the kids. I am just thrilled that they all cleared their schedules today, and we "home-schooled" in US History, hard. (Naturalization Ceremony!? Doesn't get more American/historical than that!) A brief health update: Tony has a vascular ultrasound tomorrow at OHSU that we would really love covered in prayer. (It's at 1pm.) As many remember, the last ultrasound landed us back at OHSU for 5 days because of the newly discovered blood clots. Tony's been off blood thinners for a