Quinton: Before and After

The photo on the left was taken at Christmas--at the height of Q's illness, and less than a month before his adrenal surgery. You will notice that his face is puffy with blotchy. Also in this photo, his belly is much larger than it is now.

In case you didn't know, one of the telltale symptoms of Cushing's is central obesity--swollen facial appearnce and large, round belly.

The photo on the right was taken this afternoon. His face is less chubby and complexion is much clearer. This is evidence that his Cushing's symptoms are beginning to wane and his physical appearance is returning to normal.

So far, so good....

Quinton has been home for two full days now. He's very tired today, but that's probably because he overdid it yesterday. He accompanied us on a doctor’s appointment for Lucas. Later—after a very long nap—we went for a walk around the block.

Unlike his previous times at home, Q is eating quite well. He’s not eating nearly as much as his pre-Cushing’s days, but he’s definitely eating enough. I should note that he lost a good 20 pounds in the hospital. As a result, his stomach shrunk, thereby needing less food.

Q has been having some pain at the site of his incisions. But he’s controlling that by taking one Vicodin every day or two.

We’re hoping that Quinton will not need further hospitalization. I’m watching him for nausea and fevers, and so far there have been neither. He will have his first post-hospital follow-up appointment next week. And we have a bunch more lined up. After all this is done, I should look for work as an appointment secretary. I’d be good at it!

Kyle's Favorites

Legos....Star Wars....the Lego Star Wars video game....spaghetti dinners....playing street hockey with his friends....going to Diamondbacks games with Dad....the Double-Double from In-N-Out Burger....getting to pick out a new book from Barnes & Noble....any video game with Super Mario in it....PIG TOUR!!!!......The Simpson's......the color blue....being drivn to school in the Mustang....Need For Speed games...Boba Fett....light saber battles with his friends....swimming....playing catch....berry flavored Gatorade Rain....watching the Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith DVD in the pitch black living room....vacations at Legoland....nacho cheese Doritos....fresh roast beef sandwiches from the Mayo Hospital cafeteria....Luigi's Mansion....hanging out with his friends at recess...going to Bamboo Cafe for Orange Chicken....Yoshi....more to come...

How's this for a laugh?

This is what happens when I let Luke play with the South Park website. Our whole family just howled when he showed us this. How does this poor child keep from tipping over????

I'm in love!!!

I happened upon this picture the other night when I was surfing the Internet. Immediately, I was smitten. This adorable kitty, named Owl reminds me of Skitz (pronounced "Skeets"). For those who've known me for awhile, you know all about Skitz. For those who haven't, he was our family cat when I was a child.

When we lost Skitz some 13 years ago, I was heartbroken. In the years since, he has never been far from my mind. This was never more apparent than the last 3 months when Quinton was in the hospital. Lying alone in that cold, empty bed, I would start thinking about Skitz. I would remember the way he would jump in my bed at 3:00 in the morning. He would would walk up to my face and plant his big furry body across my neck or next to my head, and purr VERY loudly!
Then, after a half-hour nap, he would wake up the whole house, announcing that he's ready to be fed. Yes, Skitz was definately my first baby.

I would like to post a picture of Skitz, but he came and went before the advent of digital photography. As such, I would have to dig out the scanner, and I don't feel like doing that right now.

The above photo was reprinted with permission from Christy Marx. You can see more of her work at www.christymarx.com .

Quinton is HOME!!!!!

Yes, you heard right. Quinton is back home with his family, where he belongs. He has no drains attached. No tubes. No PICC line. He does have dressing on his drain site wounds that will need to be cleaned and tended to. Also, he still has staples on the surgical incision that will be removed when the doctor deems them ready.

But--to hear Quinton say it--the best part is no more poking...at least until his next appointment for lab tests. He said that every morning around 4:30, a nurse would come in and poke him to draw blood. He's looking forward to being able to sleep through the night without interruption. I haven't yet told him about a couple of neighborhood cats that have been having loud fights around 11:30 every night.

Unlike his previous homecomings, Quinton feels more energetic this time. He's sitting on the couch instead of laying down. In fact, he wants me to hurry up and finish blogging so we can go to the grocery store.

Quinton also proposed the idea of us taking the boys and going out for dinner to celebrate his being home. I, for one can't wait. We have a lot of lost family time to make up.

If we were from South Park....

This is what our family would look like. I made these pictures from a really fun--and addictive--website I got from my friend, Christopher. You can make your own cartoon characters at The South Park Studio.

Try it! It's fun!

The Game Boys

Boys and their toys. Ya gotta love 'em.

This is what happens then four school-age boys--in this case, cousins who haven't seen each other in years--finally get reaquainted. This picture was taken during our Christmas trip to Montana. (l-r: Lucas, Russell, Tanner, and Kyle)

Welcome to "The Boys I Love".

This is my first post on this new blog. I created this site to outline Quinton's recovery process, brag about our sons, and have a little fun. I'll even post photos...when I learn how!

Many of you have been following the ongoing saga of Quinton's health crisis. We are starting to see some light at the end of this VERY LONG tunnel. If you don't already know, Quinton's been in the hospital on and off (mostly on) since January 18 of this year.

There is talk that he will be released from the hospital tomorrow. Even still, he still has a long recovery phase at home, in addition to countless trips to doctors that will be coming up.

So stop by daily and drop a comment or two. We'd love to hear from you.

Val