It's hot in July

It has been so hot in SLC this month!  Craig has not enjoyed the weather much but has had some good things happen the past few months.  First, Maddie and Mitch have been living with us since the last post.  That's been fun and messy all at the same time.  The garage is packed full with everything that came off their truck.  They drove through a blizzard in Wyoming!

Chase came home that same weekend for his good friend Stuart and Sarah's wedding:

 Chase, Scout and I went on a hike on the "Z" trail above Olympus cove.

Celebrated Craig's 62nd birthday up Millcreek with good friends and family. 

Craig and his constant companion - the bag of dextrose he wears pumping sugar into him all day and night..

But look!  Here he is without his trusty companion!  This month we started experimenting and taking him off the pump for a few hours to see how he does.  Mitch figured out how much sugar he was getting through the pump per hour (about 1/4 cup) and we decided to see how he would do by just drinking that much juice (at the least) every hour.  He did fine!  We kept extending the time and now he goes off the pump first thing in the morning and we put a new bag on every night before we go to bed.  He really has done well and as long as he eats or drinks often, he stays in a good range of blood sugar.  He's never dropped below 80!  The night is a different story because he'll supposedly be sleeping and not eating but Craig never sleeps for long so he could possibly try going through the night if he eats every few hours.  It gives me peace of mind to know he is on the pump so I don't have to worry. Craig has been pretty nauseous at times and we've been changing up some of his meds with help from the nurse practitioner at Huntsman and we've finally got a nice "cocktail" of drugs that make his day a little better.  Ritalin (yes the same drug they use for ADHD) helps give him a little boost of energy and Reglan helps with the nausea if you take it before you eat.  It helps move the food through his system.  We tried a Fentanyl pain patch but it was too much for him so he's still sticking with the oxycodone. We haven't really seen a doctor all summer (except for the NP) and it's been nice.  Currently he is not undergoing any cancer treatment but we do now feel the radiation in March has helped shut down the extra insulin production from the tumors so that's why he's able to go off the pump for the daytime. We're taking all the good days we can.

He's even been able to get in the pool with his picc line arm on a floaty with the shower sleeve on.  We can't allow the line to get infected.  We push heparin in the line when he's not using it to keep it open.  Scott is great at getting Craig out in the pool at least once a week.

Today Maddie and Mitch are moving up to University Village which will be a great location for them.  Mitch has started his 3rd year of medical school in June and just finished his pediatrics rotation at Primary Children's and is now starting his psychiatric rotation at UNI and the VA.  Maddie will start her first year of med school on August 7.  We've loved having them around the house.  Maddie has been hard at work updating furniture for their apartment.  Here's a chair she reupholstered that she bought at Goodwill.  Way to go Maddie!

We've been doing a lot of hiking with Scout and friends.  This is my niece Andrea's dog Koa who loves the water as much as Scout does!

Andrea and Maddie

Maddie, Scout, Shelby and her dog Luna.  Luna and Scout have a "thing" going.