ROCKSTAR RONAN

I’ve done so well these past few days. Enjoying Ronan feeling better, enjoying Quinn, enjoying Woody, just living life being so thankful for what we have in the here and now…. trying not to worry about the future or what tomorrow may hold. Living in the present, in the moment, and nowhere else. It’s days like today that I am overcome with sadness. It’s days like today where the tears won’t stop. Some days, it’s too much for me to watch Ronan hurt. His screams and tears become unbearable. His suffering rips my heart out to the core. Yesterday, while our nurse, Julia, was flushing one of Ronan’s Broviac lines, it broke. Which means it has become too weak from too much wear and tear, which is not uncommon. She quickly clamped it off and called in another nurse to call the “Green Team,” which is the code name for Dr. La Quaglia and his helpers. He came to see us and decided that Ronan needed a new access system put in. They decided to put in a temporary line for now and in a few weeks Ro will either get another Broviac or a Mediport. Regardless, Ronan had to be put under anesthesia today and Dr. La Quaglia took out the Broviac on the right side of his chest and put in a new, temporary line in the left side of his chest. Ronan woke up pissed…. more so than normal. We went back to our room and soon an escort came to take us downstairs to floor 2 for an x-ray to make sure his line was properly placed. I could not get Ronan calmed down. The new temporary line was all bloody and he kept trying to rip it out. He screamed and cried for a good hour while I held him and let him hit me and listened to him tell me he hates me. He was screaming that his new port hurt and he wanted it out. There was nothing I could do but sit, hold him, and try my best to calm him down. I had Woody call a doctor and nurse down to come and  look at his new line, as the blood was worrying me. Soon they took us back for his X-ray and I sat him on the table while he was still screaming and saying it burned. The technician let me stay in the room and somehow I actually managed to get him to hold still for the picture. I was bawling the entire time. After his x-rays, a doctor and a couple of nurses came in to make sure there was nothing out of the ordinary going on. The blood had stopped and they changed the dressing and cleaned him up. I asked the doctor all the usual questions…. if this was normal, why is there so much blood, why is he is so much pain, etc. They explained everything to me and ended up making me feel better. By this time, Ronan was exhausted and as they wheeled us back up to the 9th floor, he had finally calmed down and he gave in and let his little limp body rest on me. I held him tight, rubbed his back as we were wheeled into an elevator full of people. An elevator full of people whose eyes were on us the entire time as I sat and let the tears pour down my cheeks because I don’t care and I cannot stop them today. Today, has not been a good day. Watching Ronan and all he is having to go through becomes unbearable at times…. no matter how strong I am trying to be. We are not getting out of here anytime soon. Woody thinks maybe Monday. This chemo has done a number on his ANC counts and has wiped him out. I’m sad for Quinn who only wants to be with Ronan and vise versa. The main reason for keeping Quinn here was to spend time with Ro and that has hardly happened. He asks me 10 times a day when Ronan can be released from the hospital. I am going to be heartbroken if it is not until Monday and Quinn has to go back to Phoenix without spending much time with Ro. So not fair.

Ronan is sleeping now and they have him hooked up to a morphine drip to help with the pain of his new line. I hope he wakes up not so upset about the new foreign object in his body. He has every right to be upset, mad, scared, confused. None of this makes any sense to him and I don’t blame him for being angry at the world. I am trying my hardest to be so very strong for him and to explain all of this to him in a way that makes a little sense to his young mind. It is all I can do today to not crawl up in a corner somewhere as I feel so tired and sad. I miss my support system back at home so much. They give me so much strength and love and not being surrounded by our dear friends and family has been harder than I expected.

Alright my sweethearts. This is all the update I can muster up the energy for today. Lots of love to you always. Thanks for checking on us and also a big thank you for all the people who have responded to donating blood and platelets. Means the WORLD to me. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU. I love you all so very much.

xoxo