Numbers 4-30-09

Mom's numbers were good this morning and she is going into work for a few hours. She is doing ok today, just very tired.

MRI Scheduled

Her MRI is scheduled for Friday at 10:30.

Still Haven't Heard

I just talked with both Mom and Dad this morning. This is what I know...Mom stayed home from work today to rest and work on her pain meds a bit to see if she can figure out which ones will work best for her. Different pain meds work better for different people, so we just need to see which one works best with her side effects. I also talked to Dad about the MRI. It was my understanding that she would have it maybe Thursday this week, but I was mistaken. The Dr.s office is going to schedule it for sometime maybe early next week and we are waiting for them to call us and give us the time and day. Dad said that if we don't hear from them by tomorrow then he will call and follow up on that; but they really think the Dr.s office is on top of it and will call when they know something. So, we wait...It is OK though because we should know before her next round if all this is working or not. As soon as I know anything on that I will let you all know.

Great Day to Stay in Bed

This weekend proved tough but manageable for Mom. She stayed on top of the nausea and pain for the most part but still felt both. I went and stayed with her on Sunday morning so that Dad could go to church and not worry about leaving her. My sweet aunt Andrea also came over to help which turned out great because it allowed me to help Mom with some of the embroidery that we want to get done. It gave me some good time to help her while letting her TRY to sleep and rest. While Mom never left the bed, she was still in great spirits. She is not going into work today either. Her pain and achiness are just more than she would like and so bed seems to be the only answer right now. Dad is so sweet. He gets her set up before he leaves and then comes home on his lunch hour to check on her. For those of you wandering if she needs someone there while he is gone-the answer is no. She has everything she needs right there and she calls and checks in with me when she is awake. Otherwise, she is trying to sleep and does that best when no one is there. We knew from the beginning that the cumulative effects of this were going to make it more difficult with each dose, but we are thankful her body is doing what it needs to bounce back each round so far. As far as the MRI goes...they have not scheduled it yet. I will let all of you know when it is as soon as we know. I hope it will end up being some time this week. We are just waiting to hear from the Dr.'s office. Your prayers on our behalf mean more than you will ever know and we ask that you keep them coming. So much of this battle has to be fought by Mom alone, but whatever others can do to help she is more than willing to let us. If I know of anything that needs to be done, I promise I will pass that information along so that you all can help. Until then, keep praying and encouraging. God has greatly blessed us with each one of you.

Privileged

Throughout this whole cancer thing I have been a bit disconnected because the boys require so much of my attention and I am not available near as much as I would like to be. I have precious friends and family that have offered to keep the boys so that I can be with Mom, but with Braden needing to be fed regularly, it is so hard for me to be away. Kids are not allowed in the cancer treatment area, which is totally understandable, but that too makes it hard for me to attend things with Mom. Anyway, I say this to tell you all that today my dad came and kept the boys while I got to take Mom to her day after injection. I felt privileged and like I finally had a part in all this. I got to meet the people who are helping care for Mom and whom she has made friends with. It was so nice to see where she goes and what she does. It made it even more real for me which in a way was weird but more than anything it made me feel more at ease even though I don't really know why. Mom said that she didn't want me to ever have memories of her being "sick", but I view all of this as memories of her getting well. I really appreciate all the hard work that goes into making cancer patients feel connected and as comfortable as possible. What those people do each day is amazing. What my mom is doing is also amazing. She is doing well so far this go 'round. She and I had a fun time today while she showed me around and introduced me to each of those people who have become special to her. I am going to try to make it to where I can take her each Friday if at all possible. However, I am going to have to find another way home. (Ha Ha-inside joke with me and Mom.) The prayers you all are praying mean so much to us and I know God is listening.

Chemo Round 4

Mom went in this morning and had her numbers checked. All was good and now they are doing round 4 of her chemo. She is very tired, but doing well. Thank you for all the prayers for her numbers. God said, "yes" and we are so thankful. Please pray now that she be able to sleep and that the effects be minimal.

Chemo Tomorrow

Pray hard!!!

Mom's Latest

Many of you that I have seen are asking about how Mom is doing. She has such a great attitude and her spirits are up but she has not had the same experience this time as the previous two. This round of chemo for some reason has been a bit of a beast. It might be the cumulative effects, I am not totally sure. She started, almost immediately, with nausea and then achiness, and tiredness. The tiredness is the one that has really held on this time. She seems to have gotten the other two symptoms under control in the last few days but she just does not have any energy. Because of this, I ask that you pray that her numbers go up by Thursday. She goes in for labs, which will tell if her body has bounced back enough to have the next round of chemo, and then she will hopefully have the next round of chemo that same day. The reason I am praying for the next round to happen (which seems mean to pray for) is because if she has this next round on Thursday then the following Thursday she will go in for an MRI to see if the tumors are shrinking. This is something we have been praying for since the first day of chemo. We want it to be working. All of these awful effects will have a purpose if the cancer is shrinking. So this week and next please join me in praying for the effects to subside, the blood count numbers to be good, the chemo to be working, and as always, God be glorified every step of this journey.

Inspiration

I read this in an inspirational email and thought I would pass it along.

"Life is a series of problems: Either you are in one now, you're just coming out of one, or you're getting ready to go into another one.
The reason for this is that God is more interested in your character than your comfort; God is more interested in making your life holy than He is in making your life happy.
We can be reasonably happy here on earth, but that's not the goal of life. The goal is to grow in character, in Christ likeness. I used to think that life was hills and valleys - you go through a dark time, then you go to the mountaintop, back and forth. I don't believe that anymore.
Rather than life being hills and valleys, I believe that it's kind of like two rails on a railroad track, and at all times you have something good and something bad in your life.
No matter how good things are in your life, there is always something bad that needs to be worked on.
And no matter how bad things are in your life, there is always something good you can thank God for..
You can focus on your purposes, or you can focus on your problems:
If you focus on your problems, you're going into self-centeredness, which is my problem, my issues, my pain.' But one of the easiest ways to get rid of pain is to get your focus off yourself and onto God and others.
Happy moments, PRAISE GOD.
Difficult moments, SEEK GOD.
Quiet moments, WORSHIP GOD.
Painful moments, TRUST GOD.
Every moment, THANK GOD. " Quoted from Rick Warren

Better Today

For those of you keeping up with Mom, she is doing so much better today. Thank you for caring for her and us. God allows you all to make such a difference in our journey.

Keep 'Em Comin'

For those of you who read this for an update on Mom, here it is: She is having a harder time with this round of chemo than the previous two. She went into work this morning for a few hours, which was as much as she could do. She still has a great attitude and tries to focus on all the blessings that have been given us during this time, but chemo is still a mean thing to go through. Please pray with me that the effects subside and also for her to be able to sleep through them as much as possible. Thank you for your thoughts and prayers. Also, many of you have asked, "What can I do to help?" We appreciate this more than you know, but there is not much to be done at the moment. I promise, on behalf of our family, that we will ask for help whenever help is needed and when there is something to be done. For now we just need as many prayers offered up as possible. God hears us and you and we feel all the love He has to give. Thank you for your love and prayers.

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter everyone!

Today's Labs

Mom had her labs done this morning before chemo and her numbers were good. That is great news! She then sat through chemo and did well. She took her anti-nausea medicine when she got home and is now sleeping. She will hopefully sleep the next few days. Her hardest days continue to be day 2-4 after chemo, so she takes her meds to help her and then sleeps as much as she can. Thank you again and again for all your prayers and concern.

Small Group Easter Egg Hunt

Last Sunday John and Courtney filled and hid eggs in their backyard for all the kids in our small group to hunt. I wish I had all the words to tell this story with all the excitement that it had but I just know I cannot do it justice. Watching all the kids go crazy trying to find the eggs and watching them fall out of the baskets and watching kids fall and trip and lose interest and steal other kids' eggs was just so hilarious. I don't think I have laughed that hard in a while. We tried and tried to get a good picture, but as you can tell, we were a bit unsuccessful. This one was the best we could get. Right after this picture was taken Braden rolled backwards and ended up with the little rubber pieces in his mouth. I know I shouldn't have but I just kept laughing. These kids are such a joy in our lives. ( We missed the four who were not there by the way.) Our small group is no longer small. It is full of chaos and excitement, laughter and enjoyment. God has blessed our lives so much by placing these people in it. There is nothing like sharing your life with others who love and encourage you. Thank you God for these people and these sweet, precious, little angels.

Birthday Celebration Pictures

Here are a few more pictures from our train ride celebrating Cason's second birthday. We had so much fun even though it was so cold. Mom was unable to go, so my Aunt Juanda went in her place and took pictures so that Mom did not miss a moment. This was a priceless gift that Juanda gave to all of us. Cason was in heaven seeing and riding Thomas. Enjoy!

Sweet Picture

My Aunt Juanda took this picture of Cason and I just had to share it. It was taken while riding on Thomas the Train for Cason's second birthday celebration. Those of you who know him know how much he loves trains. Notice we could not leave home without Thomas in hand. :)

Mom's Labs 4-2-09

All her labs were good today! Thanks for the prayers...and keep praying.