Black Forest Ham

Posted On February 25, 2019

Today was a BIG day!

It began with Tate walking into the clinic for his appointment. It was December the last time he could walk that far; there have been so many ups and downs. Tate has decided to forgo a traditional cane or walker and chose instead to use his Gandalf staff. His doctor was thrilled to see him walking and didn’t care in the slightest he wasn’t using proper medical equipment.

The people that have treated Tate for the last nine months were all smiles watching him walk through the clinic to the exam room. They saw him come into the clinic in May looking like a normal kid, and they witnessed him lose his ability to walk and suffer other unexpected hardships as treatment progressed. Today was a triumph for all of us.

Tate’s nurse Michelle wore a cat shirt today because she knew he had an appointment, and Tate has become known at the clinic for his weird collection of cat clothes. (Thank you Jaela and Sara, LOL.) A different nurse wore the t-shirt from the benefit soccer tournament. We were feeling so much love! Those nurses are all kinds of wonderful.

Tate has not had an appointment with his oncologist Dr. Williams for a few months, and honestly it’s kind of upsetting. Somehow Tate’s schedule and his doctor’s schedule didn’t permit for an appointment with him until today. We understand that Dr. Williams is making all the decisions about Tate’s treatment whether he saw him or not, but eventually it made us feel like Tate was his patient on paper, not in person.

We all came to the appointment with questions, mostly about what Tate can and can’t do now that he’s in maintenance. Tate wanted to know if he could touch his tortoise and visit his friend’s house even though they have a bird. I wanted to know if it was safe to replace the carpet in our living room and whether the food safety restrictions had changed. Greg had questions about fertility because he knows Tate wants to be a dad someday, but treatment can make some patients sterile.

It was a good conversation. And a long one. Dr. Williams gave Tate the green light to resume normal activities and removed all dietary restrictions. Tate said, ” We’re going to Subway, and I’m getting a Black Forest Ham sandwich. With lettuce!” Then his eyes got really big and he asked Dr. Williams if he could have sushi, and Dr. Williams said yes. Tate was so happy! There are many food safety rules for cancer patients, and Tate followed all of them.

Tate is now allowed to pet his tortoise, but he has to use hand sanitizer afterward to protect against salmonella. He is free to visit his friend’s house with the bird. Dr. Williams does not expect fertility to be an issue with the doses Tate has received, but he did recommend banking some sperm after maintenance in case he has a relapse in the future. We can replace the carpet safely now, too. Woo hoo! It’s rather gross after ten years of hard use.

Dr. Williams said Tate doesn’t have to wear a mask unless he’s going into a situation where he knows people will be sick: urgent care, emergency rooms, etc. He recommended we have masks available in case someone is obviously sick, but he won’t need them all the time now. “Don’t do that” were his exact words.

We headed to Subway directly from the appointment. Tate ordered his ham sandwich and got a fountain drink. We felt so free.

Tate’s return to normal activities was awesome. His legs were exhausted after walking into and out of the clinic, and he needed his wheelchair. We have become very accustomed to going to the clinic and hospital where everything and everyone are wheelchair friendly; it was completely different to be in a more public setting. Tate didn’t care. He ordered his sandwich, filled his cup, and rolled over to the table to enjoy his meal.

Tate reminded us that we told him the day he was allowed to go out for sushi we would take him, so we went to Zushi for dinner. Tate’s friend Katilyn, her mom, and my mom joined us. Unfortunately Scott couldn’t come; Monday is his late day at school. It was a very festive meal. Tate finally got to eat the food he has been craving for months – sushi. He was struggling with a headache before we left, and I was on the verge of a nervous breakdown because a little boy seated the next table over was really sick and could not stop coughing. Dr. Williams’s words “Don’t do that” kept running through my mind, and I did my best not to ruin dinner by worrying aloud, making Tate put on a mask, or fleeing the restaurant.

Tate took a little spill on the way out of Zushi. He was stepping down from the curb, and his knees buckled under him. He fell backward very softly, and was able to get up with some help from Greg and make it the rest of the way to the car. Falls are going to happen to a guy learning to walk again.

Tomorrow morning Tate has a lumbar puncture with intrathecal chemotherapy and chemo through his port. We have to be at the clinic at 6:45am. Tate will probably be miserable for a few days after his procedure, but Greg and I hope he will recover more quickly now he knows he has more freedom to do things and is developing the strength to do it.