2017: Memorable For All the Wrong Reasons

Clearly, I haven't blogged in a good long while. I've had a bit of a mental block where blogging is concerned; my heart just wasn't in it. Part of that could be straight up laziness, but I think another large part was simply that 2017 felt like the year that we survived. Not necessarily in a bad way, we aren't bitter or angry about it. But it was a year that worked really hard to kick our trash, and I'm not even talking about Donald Trump getting elected President.

2017 came and went with no resolution to Teag's job situation at USANA. They say they plan to buy a plane, but that has yet to happen, so we're still very much in limbo. This doesn't do much for my overall feelings of security. I like to plan, I like to know what's coming. I know that isn't possible all the time, or even a lot of the time (2017 taught me that), but it's nice when you can.

2017 was the year that Teag spent more than two full months away from home. He attended two type-rating trainings, and between that and his regular travel, he was gone A LOT. It's not something our family is used to, and we had a few rough spots as we worked to cope. On the other hand, both type-ratings opened up some doors career-wise for him, and were great opportunities. Truly a great blessing.

2017 was the year that Teag found an unusual lump, which was subsequently revealed to be testicular cancer. The C word is scary under any circumstances, but once again we felt particularly blessed; his cancer situation was absolutely the best case scenario. The tumor was a seminoma, the best kind to have, and after a surgery to remove the effected testicle, Teag was considered cured. No chemo, no radiation.

He has to have periodic screenings every few months to check for a recurrence, but it was amazing how much of a non-event something that's typically so horrific ended up being. Another blessing to be sure.

2017 was the year that Teag got very sick. We still aren't really sure what caused it, but a few days before Christmas, we ended up in the emergency room when his whole upper half turned red, along with a fever and chills. We thought that a biopsy site on his back may have become infected, but that turned out not to be the problem. They ran test after test, took lots of blood, and asked all kinds of questions. Teag's kidneys were failing, and they drained three bags of saline into him simultaneously due to severe dehydration. He was tachycardic, his bilirubin was hight, and the fever was climbing. In other words, all his systems were going haywire, and unable to function as they should. After only a few hours in the ER, he was transferred to the ICU.

I've never seen Teag so sick, or so miserable. I had to do most of the talking to the doctors and nurses because he was in no shape to answer questions. They packed him with ice to try and bring his fever down, which only made the shivers worse. They drew more blood. They reopened the incision on his back to make certain it really wasn't an infection, as all signs pointed to sepsis.

We'd started out the day thinking he'd get some OTC antibiotics, and ended it with Teag in the ICU, the doctors having no idea what was wrong with him. Three days before Christmas. It was terrifying to say the least. They pumped him full of broad-spectrum antibiotics and fluids, then waited for something to grow from his blood cultures to know how to more specifically treat him, but nothing ever did. That ruled out sepsis. I wanted to be with him at the hospital as much as I could, and was so grateful for family who jumped in and helped with our kids, watching them, letting them sleep over, shuttling them places. My mom and sisters in law also had a wrapping party, wrapping all our Christmas presents so that I wouldn't have to worry about it. My dad and brother gave Teag a blessing shortly after he arrived in the ICU. So many people were praying for us, and we felt those prayers and the concern of friends, family and neighbors.

By the 24th, Teag was starting to look and feel better. His fever had gone, his kidney function had improved, and he was able to eat. The redness had also begun to fade from his skin, though admittedly, it was being replaced by yellow from the high bilirubin. Because of these improvements, they decided that he could go home. We'd spent three days in the hospital, but still didn't have any kind of diagnosis. Teag's energy levels were extremely low, but he was so much better than when we brought him in, and we were both relieved that he got to be home for Christmas.

After some follow up blood-work, they told us they suspect he had a virus akin to influenza. No real way to know that for sure, unfortunately, but given that he's continued to improve, we are thankful that it's not something chronic. His liver levels were high a few days after, so we'll have to get them rechecked to make sure they've dropped to where they should be, but otherwise, he's on the road to full recovery.

So as you can see, 2017 was a bit rough. And it was especially rough for Teag, who was at the center of the majority of these events. We were all effected peripherally of course, but he was the one who things were happening to. He handled so much of what came to him with strength, with minimal complaint, and with a solid testimony. I was proud to see how he dealt with the adversity that came to him this past year. He is an amazing man, and an excellent role model for our children, and even me. As much as I have no desire to repeat this past year, I'm so grateful for the lessons learned, the blessings received, and the strength gained. I also pray that 2018 might be a bit more gentle.

So... moving forward, while looking back. There are several events that I'd like to record from this past year, things that I don't want overlooked or forgotten. I'm not going to past date them, I'll just include the date(s) they took place for reference.

Here's to another year...