Let the trials begin.....

Well as you can tell, it's been a long time since I last posted on the blog. A lot has happened over the last year and it has been 12 of the hardest months we have gone through. Emotionally and mentally I have turned into a mess and who knows how long it will be before I can feel normal again. But to bring everyone up to speed, I'll share a little what has gone on.....

July: Jeremy came home and we started with doctor visits and tests. Went to Dr. Vargo in Salt Lake and he pretty much blew us off and told us to go to pain management. He is the doctor that did the last surgery. We also went and saw a doctor in Idaho Falls. He suggested we go to pain management too and gave us a name of another doctor there in town. We went to her and Jeremy was the youngest person in the waiting room and decided that this was not the way he wanted to go, she wanted to do lots of injections for pain. We also had two CT scans done and a MRI.

August: Jason started his senior year and began counting down the days until basketball would start. He had been practicing all year and he was excited to be a senior on the varsity team. He wasn't at all excited about school, but basketball was worth going to school for. He spent a lot of time in August on the lake and had tons of fun with friends and their boats.

We took Jeremy back to Dr. McRoberts who did Jeremy's initial surgery and he said that a nerve needed to be cut. So, on the 27th, he had his third surgery done on the same site. He was down a couple of weeks, but the pain was still there.

Josh and Erin began another semester at BYU and ended up moving three times in three months. They are now in a great apartment and one where they can live and grow over the next three years. They kept their jobs and are enjoying the student life while being married!

Mark also started school again, only two more classes after this one! It was a great class and he learned a lot. He liked his teacher, although the class was tough it was a good one.

September/October: Jeremy continued to see Dr. McRoberts and he referred us to another doctor. We had a bone scan done, another MRI and an ultrasound with nothing definite shown, except he had a lot of scar tissue. The good thing about all these tests, we know there is nothing wrong with his hip or his back, YEA RIGHT! We were all getting more and more frustrated and Jeremy was walking worse and worse. He was not sleeping and he looked like a zombie all the time. Emotions were everywhere for everyone!!

To make things even better, Jason came home sick on his birthday, which was October 7th. He was not getting better and was not eating. I thought he just had the flu bug and finally figured out there was something wrong. We made an appointment with the doctor, had an ultrasound and a HIDA Scan and found out that his gallbladder was only functioning 16 percent. He was in a ton of pain and had lost a ton of weight. Basketball tryouts were right around the corner and he was worried about the time needed to recover. Finally on October 27th, he had his gallbladder removed and he did really well. He was back to the gym on day four! He has recovered very well and now can eat anything he wants, which makes him so happy, since his favorite food is hamburgers and pizza!

November: Jason was doing great at his follow-up appointment with the surgeon.....Now to ask about Jeremy. The question was finally asked, "will you remove the mesh?" we had tried everything, had every test and seen everyone we could. He agreed and we began the pre-op process with Jeremy again. This time he would go in and remove all the mesh. It was going to be a rough surgery and the doctor tried to prepare Jeremy to be ready.

We had Thanksgiving in Utah this year and it was nice to spend it with my family. Josh and Erin spent it with her family, but they came and visited us on Saturday. My sister and her family were with us and it is still hard not having Grandma and Grandpa and our dear brother there with us. I don't know if the holidays will ever be the same again or if it will get any easier.

I put up our tree early in November, knowing that a surgery was coming and that basketball season gets crazy. Yes, Jason made the team and we started attending the games. We love basketball season and it is hard to believe that in a couple of months it will all be over. We have spent many years in the gym during the winter, I'm not sure what we will do next year.

December: On the 8th, Jeremy finally got scheduled and the surgery was done. The doctor removed the mesh and eight lymph nodes that were extremely enlarged. He was surprised to find the nodes in that area, so hopefully that has been some of Jeremy's pain. He stayed overnight in the hospital and the first night home was horrible. He was in so much pain, doubled over and he just kept saying, "I don't think it is supposed to hurt this bad." We made it through the night, but it was a very long one. The doctor gave him morphine and Oxycontin, but they didn't help much with the pain and only made him woozy, so he decided to just "live with the pain." He has been very swollen and bruised. It took about three weeks for the incision to finally close.

We had a great Christmas with all our kids here. Something that was unexpected this year, but a blessing I won't complain about. Our year ended with a surprising turn of events and tons of worries, but it was fun to have Jeremy home. He went to many BYU games with his brothers and other family members. It has been nice to see Jeremy and Jason getting to spend some unexpected time together before Jason leaves. He will put his mission papers in July, so who knows what will happen this year and what 2010 will bring.

We are thankful for all the kind words and prayers offered on our family's behalf this year. It has been a tough one and one I am glad is over with! I don't think I have ever cried as much as I have this year. Mark probably wants to send me to the mental hospital!!

We are looking forward to a new year, a high school graduation, a mission, a college graduation (Mark), and hopefully healthy children!!