Ouch!

Sorry I had to take a few days off. This port has proven to be the most painful aspect of this entire experience. Since "Shrek" is the soundtrack of our lives, I keep thinking of the 1st movie when Shrek has an arrow in his butt and Fiona yanks it out when he doesn't expect it and he jumps and says "ouch!"

We had a great play day Monday! There were 11 kids here under the age of 7! The kids had a blast, but I think the moms got worn out :) It was nice to see everyone!

Tuesday I rested most of the day and got to see my sister in the evening. Wednesday the port was put in and my friends cleaned for us. Thursday, I got to have a movie date with Beth, see Jen, visit with Aunt Cass who brought me lunch AND fixed a super yummy beef and noodles dinner, and see the Wilson laundry crew! Whew! I guess I didn't really take a few days off, I just didn't get to any correspondence!

They say this port will be totally worth it and will be unnoticeable once it heals. I hope they're right!

Port is in

We are home from the hospital, with Lisa resting.  The procedure went smoothly, the port is in place.  She is in a bit of pain from the incision, but rest and medicine are taking care of that.

We came home to a flurry of activity, several of Lisa's teacher friends came over to clean, which is a wonderful help!

Things are settling down now, getting ready to feed the kids dinner.  Just wanted to let everyone know things are going well.

Calling All Vendors!

We will be having a fundraiser!

Wilson School Gym
900 Koch St.
Saturday, March 19th, 10am-3pm
$25 per table (profits are yours to keep)

If you or someone you know would like to participate, please email me your name, the number of tables you would like, and the type of product you would like to sell.

tiggertwo@hotmail.com

Dr. Results

So we went to the Dr. today to review the results of yesterday's post-chemo blood work. The Dr. and nurse practitioner both met with me and were happy with my report. The blood work showed that all blood counts and kidney function are in the normal range. I worried that might mean it's not working. Doc assured me that is not the case. Apparently, they have also been wondering how someone in my situation would respond to chemo. It's not often they treat "young, healthy" patients. The blood work tells them that my bone marrow is strong enough to repair itself from the chemo. That, of course, is the goal. Kill the cancer cells, let the healthy cells regenerate.

She also suggested I stop taking the anti-nausea meds regularly and just take them as needed. I think I took 1 today. Maybe 2. They have scheduled an appointment for me to receive a port which would mean fewer needle sticks, and my next chemo is scheduled for March 3rd. All good news!

I am still very tired. Today I took 2 naps. Both sleeping for a few hours. Sometimes I just rest and have quiet time, but today I slept. Doc says that will pass. Right now I have an overlap of radiation and chemo and I'm coming off the steroid. In a few days, the tiredness should improve. I won't doubt her because I have such awesome prayer warriors and an incredible support network!

Please continue to pray for my family and their health. They have a tendency to put me first and neglect their own need for rest or a dr. visit. We are also lining up a number of fundraisers so you can pray for favor and smoothness of planning. (is that even a proper phrase?)
Praise God for all the results being so positive and all the support I have. When we arrived at the clinic today, a taxi was waiting while someone received their treatment. It made me so sad that there are people who have no support network to even get a ride to treatments! We have been so blessed!

Tough Day

I think today was it. I still have not had any nausea, but I was so tired I did not think I would be able to get out of bed. Of course, today was the day I had morning appointments and a lot of plans! Once I got up and moving, I became convinced I wouldn't make it through the day. Then I went outside. What a beautiful day! The fresh air helped me get going and the rest fell into place.
Dad was my driver for the day. We took the kids to the salon for haircuts. Miss Andrea always treats us well! Chloe got to go to school with pink and green hair gel and Levi looks like a handsome little man! Then we had to go for a chemo follow up blood draw at Pekin Hospital. I had not planned on taking the kids with us, but it took me too long to get out of the house so they had to go along. Of course, they were "unusually busy" today and we had a bit of a wait. The good news: they got me on the first stick! That almost NEVER happens! By the time we finished there it was almost time for Chloe to be at school, but she needed lunch. McDonald's! We called Mrs. Janssen and let her know Chloe would be a few minutes late and had some McD's before dropping both kids off where they belonged. We ran into some friends there on their lunch break and got some great hugs and smiles. Then dad dropped me off for a nap. Chad was still home. Turns out he wasn't feeling so well either :(
I rested until 3 then had a string of visitors. Shelly brought by the proceeds from the Valentine silent auction, Dave brought by some baklava he had saved for us, and Nikki stopped by now that she is well again.
Sue and Gregg arrived around 5 with dinner for the kids so we could go on our special date. We went to 309 at Junction City. It was a lovely dinner. On the way, I got a call from my sister. Today was a special day for her. I am sad that I missed it, but so proud of her! She won an award from the Y for Women in Leadership. It is an honor to be nominated, and she won! So on the way to dinner we got to hear all about it. The restaurant was nice and the food was good. We ended up with way more than we could eat! Their portions were very generous. It is always nice to get to have grown up time and eat a meal that is still hot! When we got home, Gregg was finishing putting up handrails on our stairs (yeah!) and the kids were playing with Sue. They had a great time so there was none of that parent guilt about leaving them :)
So... I guess my tough day turned out to be OK after all. I think if that kind of tiredness a few days after chemo is the worst I have to deal with then I can't really complain, I get nervous that maybe it's not working because I'm not "sick", but I have been assured that the meds are just that good. I guess we'll find out at our appointment tomorrow!

Playdate

Chemo has been tolerable so far. I spent much of yesterday in bed sleeping. I was able to eat a wonderful homemade meal delivered by Cheryl. I am taking anti-nausea pills every 4 hours and they seem to be working well. No vomitting. The fatigue has been much harder. There isn't much we can do to fight it except rest.

Today, Ry had arranged a sledding family adventure. We weren't able to go at 10 as planned, but we were still able to go later and had a blast! It was a perfect set up! We went to Victory Acres off of Cameron Lane. Ry's work buddy let us borrow a 4 wheeler! We could ride the sleds and intertube down the hill and use the 4 wheeler to get back up! Chloe went down by herself! She crashed at the end of each trip and just got right back on and finished down the hill! Stac, Noah, Isaac, Ry, Heather, Ryder, Dad, Chad, Chloe and I all sledded. I wore out before everyone else, so Heather took me back to her house with Ryder and we had snacks. When everyone else was done, we had pizza hut. It was a great day! I hope you all make time for some fun family adventures too! Tell me all about them!

From the Pit

I am one-handed blogging from my recliner in the chemo treatment room. Things have gone fine, but the actual iv in my veins didn't start until after noon so I will likely be here until supper time. Chad and Ry are both here with me so they can take turns if they need to. Right now there is enough space that they can both be back here with me. The daunting thing for me is sitting here for so long! Thank God for ipads and wi-fi!

The test results we were waiting for came back. There was no mutation so the pill form of chemo will be reserved for 2nd line defense. We will have a follow up with Dr. Le-Lindqwister next week and she will set us up with an appt to get a port put in so there won't be a lot of needle sticks after today. The expectation is that the next 3 days will tell what my side effect will be and how severe. In 3 weeks, I will return here and do the same thing again. Then scans, then the 3rd round. Radiation will be checked by MRI on March 14th.

Have a great day! Do something that's not sitting in a chair for me!

Praiseworthy

As I was contemplating what to write today, I decided to share some praise reports and prayer requests. As I have had visitors, comments have been made about how positive I have been and how hard that must be. It's hard to explain that to others. Then I received this email from 'Women of Faith' and it seems to put it perfectly. I will still add praise and prayer requests to the end of the article.

Your Favorite Bad Feeling

Finally . . . whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. —Philippians 4:8 NIV

If we can’t control anything else in our lives, we can control what we think about. But when we have been buffeted by a situation that throws us, it is easy to abdicate our control and go to our “favorite bad feeling.” That’s the feeling we went to as a child because we learned that it helped us get what we wanted. Once you are an adult, you will find that it is the first place your mind rushes when there is something troubling on your mental radar screen.

Some of us cry, some pout, some sleep, some eat chocolate, some go shopping, some withdraw, and some slam doors, some clean house, some sit and stare. You could probably fill in your own favorite bad feeling. But you don’t have to respond that way, you can choose not to go there. Circumstances rarely change, but how you feel about the circumstances can change dramatically.

How you feel is up to you, not to anyone else in your life. Peace is the result of choosing to focus your mind on what is true and honorable and right. When you choose to do that, it is amazing how much peace will overtake your mind and heart.

—Jan Silvious

Excerpted from A Grand New Day © 2008 by Thomas Nelson. Published in Nashville, Tennessee, by Thomas Nelson. Used with permission. All rights reserved.

Praise:

• 1/2 way through my 2nd round of antibiotics and with slightly adjusted use of my inhaler, my wheezing and rattling are gone!
• Both kids have finished their 2nd round of antibiotics and are feeling well!
• Chad did NOT catch what the rest of us had!
• Dr. Salgia says we have a lot of options and he would like to treat aggressively.
• We have received a number of very generous and thoughtful gifts.

Prayer Requests:

• My sister is very sick. We miss each other but she can't come around until she is fever free. She needs rest.
• Our chemo class is today and treatment starts Thursday. Pray for good decisions from the dr.s, strength for my body, and courage for Chad.
• We need wisdom in handling paperwork for things like disability, social security, etc. Those things work differently for teachers so it is complicated.

Don't forget to make today count!

2nd Opinion

Typical for us: "are you waiting to be seen?" "Yes my appointment was at noon" "hmmm" she says as she walks away at 1:00!!!!
We did eventually get to see Dr. Salgia and it went well. Stac was able to participate over the phone. The Dr. actually held the phone and addressed her directly several times. I will have her post some time this weekend a better understanding of what we found out. The bottom line Chad & I both got out of it is that he wants to be aggressive, he feels  like we have several options, and he is happy to work with Dr. Le-Lindqwister's group so treatment can be local as much as possible. All good news.
It is not hereditary so there is no extra concern for my children or siblings. Of course, there is now a family history so there will be precautions, but no immediate concerns. There is a high risk clinic at the University if famliy members are concerned, but he said no need for worry now.
He also addressed some concerns we had about the radiation and going off the steroid. I had a lot of anxiety about going off the steroid and worrying that the brain swelling would come back. He assured us it's good to go off the steroid and gave us better direction on what to look for in the way of the swelling returning.
We really liked what he had to say about each case being individual and not believing in statistics and I signed paperwork to add whatever information they can to the research they do. We were assigned a person to watch over our case and be our specific contact person that we can call any time and directly when working with the University.
I know these are terrible circumstances we are facing and the fight ahead will get ugly, but it is still amazing to me to meet some of the people who fight this battle for us on a daily basis. I know people say it takes a calling to be a teacher and that even different grades require different callings, but cancer treatment is such a calling and the people who have come along our side have been amazing! I am in awe of the medical community!
The current order is to spend now until the 10th resting and playing. On the 10th, chemo or an alternative plan created by the dr.s together with some new information they are waiting on, will begin.

Typical for us: amtrak:"the 5:00 train you booked has been cancelled. If you report to the station a bus will be available for you." Arrive at the station and ask "where do we catch the bus that is replacing the 5:00 train to Bloomington?" Amtrak:"Is there a bus?" Long story short: we caught a bus home from Chicago and made it to Bloomington by 8. We are SOOO glad to be back home and with our kids!

A Little Bit of Fun

Today is the big day! We meet with our "Guru". We were finally able to get out of the hotel yesterday. We went to an indoor inflatable playground, the Rock N Roll McDonald's, and the Rain Forest Cafe before we loaded everyone onto the train for home. I did fine until Chloe crired :(

We had a hard time getting through to Amtrak and making travel arrangements. Stac was so worried they would all get back to Bloomington and then get stuck there! Brian came to our rescue! He drove over to the train station, checked the parking lot, and made sure the cars weren't buried! What a great guy!

I will post again this weekend to share what we find out.

A Good Husband

We have been cooped up in this hotel since lunch time Tuesday. With the storm, they have had buffets for each meal set out. The same staff have been here with us as well. Those who served breakfast were the same as those who served every other meal. There is no housekeeping service. The pool is great, but after swimming, I got leg cramps and decided it wasn't the best idea. All outside attractions are closed. Isaac will barely eat because he's not a fan of the hotel food. The "cooped up" feeling is starting to get to all of us.

So, I get cranky with the kids, we order delivery pizza which is "the best food Isaac has eaten in 4 days!" and we go to the pool to watch the kids swim. That was too hot and steamy. So my crankyness level has just about hit the roof. We finally get ready for bed and I decide I really need some chocolate. What do you mean those vending machines only have soda?! I need a snickers or chocolate ice cream. Maybe room service? What does a good husband do at this point? He takes the little girl in her jammies to the hotel lounge and has her give them a pretty face to get some carryout chocolate ice cream! It hit the spot like you wouldn't believe! Did I mention it was after 10? Now that's a good husband!

Not Even Kidding!

I am posting ffrom Chicago. As we were deboarding the train, the University called to see if they could reschedule my appointment for next week! I told them I was arriving in Chicago so they are working me in Friday at noon. Chicago is shutting down so it is good that we got here when we did. If  possible, the rest of the family will come home tomorrow as originally planned. The kids will have to spend a couple nights without mommy and daddy, but they will love the "sleepover adventure". Luckily, the ACS set us up at a great hotel because I think this is where we'll be most of the time. Thank goodness the kids all LOVE to swim!