Progress... Slow Progress, But Still Progress

David has been in Critical Care since late Sat. night. At first, I was not "feeling the love" from the nursing staff there, but the past 2 days, he has had a nice nurse in the day and a very caring, warm nurse at night. I have actually spent more time with the night nurse, Tanya. She is half German, half Czech. She has lived here for 20 years and actually thought I was a nurse after talking to me and answering my questions on the phone late Monday night. She asked David if I was a nurse and he told her, "No, not a nurse, but Jen is so smart, she could be anything she decided to be." Wow, you know, what people say about you when you aren't there is often very insightful!

David has slept well the past couple nights (thanks to Tanya and her combination of Xanax and cough medicine). When I asked him this morning how his night was, he responded, "Restful."

I had an interesting conversation with David's sister about a few things, including her relationship with him and the boys. It was good to get some things off my chest and interesting to hear her views/feelings/etc.

My parents are still planning to come here this weekend, but David and I fear that our plan to go to "The Wiz" together for our anniversary may not pan out. My parents and I will go, and have to tell David about it. We can always celebrate 12 years of wedded bliss in other ways and on other days.

On a parenting note, does anyone have advice on how to keep a 2 1/2 year old from taking his diaper off after he has been put to bed? Max takes off his PJs and then takes off his diaper. Last night, I had to change the sheet while trying not to wake him. I am getting pretty good at putting a diaper back on without disturbing him, but usually I catch it before he has wet the bed, but not so last night! Tonight, I put it on backwards and he took off the PJ bottoms, but, so far, the diaper is still on. One wise mom suggested duct tape. I just might try it!!!

I take you to be my spouse, my partner in life and my one true love. I will cherish our union and love you more each day than I did the day before. In the presence of God, our family and friends, I offer you my solemn vow to be your faithful partner in sickness and in health, in good times and in bad, and in joy as well as in sorrow. I will trust you and respect you, laugh with you and cry with you, loving you faithfully through good times and bad, regardless of the obstacles we may face together. I give you my hand, my heart, and my love, from this day forward for as long as we both shall live.

David and I think about that bold part a great deal, especially as we near our 12th anniversary. We ask for you all to pray for peace and healing and, if you are willing and able, please donate blood or platelets to your local blood bank!

Good night and God bless!

Plodding Along

We had a trying day. David ended up getting a PICC line, an NG tube (to get "food" into his belly via a tube up his nose and down his esophagus) and a unit of platelets. He does have pneumonia and is being treated with several antibiotics. I talked to John Huber this evening and got some of my questions answered. The nurses in Critical Care aren't as nice and caring as the ones we are used to. I just feel like I am in the way there. Families don't seem as welcome there. Again, our friends and neighbors have come to my rescue to make it possible to attempt to live a "normal" life. Some have provided food, some have made it so I can go see David at night or during the day. Some have done ALL of these things. I am eternally grateful. I am also blessed to have my family checking on the boys and me. My mom and dad and brother and sister-in-law are awesome!! It is wonderful to know someone is concerned about me while I am focused on David and my boys!

I am also grateful for Tena who stayed up from 12:30 to 3:30 last night/ this morning talking to me about all sorts of things and nothing at all. It was like we were still in the same city. This is what sisters do, I have been told. I paid for it today, but I will sleep tonight, I promise.

Peace I leave with you; My peace I give unto you; not as the world gives, do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.
John 14:27

When I am afraid, I will put my trust in Thee.
Psalm 56:3

An Anniversary

It has been a year since we first began this "adventure". Last July 27 was the day David went into the hospital following a chest X-ray that showed "something" about the size of a baseball in his chest. Only days later, we were greeted by an oncologist and told this could be a fungal infection or possibly lymphoma. What a year we have had.

That being said, here is today's update. David was moved to ICU last night at about 1:00 am. I called to check on him before turning off the light, as I typically do when he is in the hospital. The receptionist who answered was getting his nurse, but, instead, I heard, "Jennifer, this is John (Huber)." He filled me in on the fever (still 102), high heart rate and the need for more monitoring of all these vital signs more frequently. So, David is there and he isn't allowed to walk around, shower, or have any visitors under age 12, so the boys didn't get to go see Daddy after church, like we had planned, but we have learned "we plan, God laughs".

I am going to see him tomorrow morning and keep him company until they kick me out for "rest time" at 1:30. Then I will spend the afternoon with Davey until we can go pick up Max. We are hoping that David will be moved back to Oncology tomorrow, as soon as his fever breaks and the heart rate returns to normal. It is getting a little humorous how many of the rooms on 5 North he has been in, since each time he is admitted, moves to a new floor and back to Oncology, he seems to occupy a new room with each move. I think I will need to see how many different rooms he has had up there. Also, at some point, I need to figure out a way to get David's car home, since when he drove there yesterday afternoon, he was not intending to stay there!

Hope all of you had a peaceful and restful weekend!

“Patience is waiting. Not passively waiting. That is laziness. But to keep going when the going is hard and slow - that is patience.”

“All human wisdom is summed up in two words - wait and hope” Alexandre Dumas Père

“Faith is not simply a patience that passively suffers until the storm is past. Rather, it is a spirit that bears things - with resignations, yes, but above all, with blazing, serene hope.” Corazon Aquino

Ain't It Just The Way....

Well, we were beginning to feel pretty good about David's progress. Then yesterday, he went in for bloodwork and a shot of neupogen yesterday. His counts were low, including a WBC count of 0.9 (now, remember 4.5 to 10 is the range of normal, so that was very critical and David was susceptible to every germ around). This afternoon, after lunch, he was going up to the oncology unit for his daily shot. His heart rate was elevated, his temp was 102 and his blood pressure was low. So, the doctor (who happened to be Dr. John Huber) decided he needed to stay there until his counts come back up and his fever goes away. He knows our anniversary is Sunday and that we have theatre tickets on Saturday evening. John seemed fairly confident that David's counts would be up by then. That will be a wonderful anniversary present!

The boys and I went to Baptist East to take David the necessities and see him for a bit. I fixed up the larger TV so he could use it instead of the tiny one attached to the wall. The three boys watched some beach volleyball together and I made sure everyone had snacks. Afterward, I took the boys to Target for a treat from the "Dollar Spot" (a treat for good behavior) and then to Long John Silver's for dinner.

Now, Davey and I are enjoying "Peter Pan" (did anyone know it is considered PG, due to language???). We will all try to have a restful night and greet tomorrow with new energy and even more inner peace.

“Never be in a hurry; do everything quietly and in a calm spirit. Do not lose your inner peace for anything whatsoever, even if your whole world seems upset.”
St. Francis de Sales

We Are Blessed

As we sit and quietly enjoy each other's company, David and I again are so grateful to all of you who are helping us in so many ways! We had a delicious dinner tonight and had a friend come and mow the lawn and trim some branches that were rubbing on the roof. A neighbor offered this evening to bring us a chicken casserole tomorrow night. We are so thankful to everyone!

Yesterday, Davey and I had our vision exam. He does not need glasses...YET. The doctor told me he will develop my astigmatism. He did great with being willing to do whatever he was asked to do, but was caught off guard when the doctor sprayed the dilation mist in his eyes, without warning him. We really liked "Space Chimps". I liked it better than "Wall-E", but that could be attributed to the difference in movie enjoyment when there is an absence of 2 1/2 year olds for which you are responsible.

I have enjoyed getting a few days of work (and visits to the gym) in this week. It is refreshing to have other things to focus on other than blood counts, hospital stays and scans, at least for a few hours.

David had his bloodwork done yesterday before his Neupogen shot. His white count was in the normal range (4 point something), hemoglobin was low (so they gave him Procrit) and platelets were 86 (140 is the low end of normal and 40 is "critical"), so low, but not critically low. They will do the bloodwork again tomorrow, before his daily shot, to determine what he needs over the weekend. He may need blood, and/or platelets this weekend, we will see.

Soon, we expect to hear more on the plans for the stem-cell transplant. Here are some links we have looked at for info on it, in case you are interested.

www.mayoclinic.com/health/stem-cell-transplant/MY00089/FLUSHCACHE=0&UPDATEAPP=false

www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/understandingcancer/StemCells/Slide1

We hope all of you have a great weekend and we will update more soon.

God Bless!

— But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.
-Matthew 19:26

Home Sweet Home

It is so nice to do something as normal as sit and watch a movie with my hubby! I went to work today (another "normal" thing to do) and David was home enjoying quiet. Later, he went to get his shot (the first of 10 days) and was home when the boys and I arrived. Davey is back with his buddies at WRBC for the week, so he had a fun day. He wasn't too happy this morning that he was going to be back to a mandatory rest time, but I think he was ok with it by the time it arrived this afternoon. I work Tues., Thurs., and Fri. this week. It is nice to have something else to think about than hospitals, stem cells and chemo! Wednesday, Davey and I have appointments for the eye doctor (required for all incoming kindergartners in Kentucky) and a movie date (we are going to see "Space Chimps"). David and I are trying to think about how to celebrate our anniversary in 2 weeks. We have tickets (and a sitter) for the night before our anniversary to go see "the Wiz" with my mom and dad. I just hope David is up to going. That's about it for us. We are glad things remain uneventful.

Happiness cannot be traveled to, owned, earned, worn or consumed. Happiness is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace and gratitude.
-Denis Waitley

Calmness

David's time in Chemoland has been calm and uneventful (we like uneventful hospital stays these days!). I went to my Professional Development Wed., Thurs., and Fri. and had fun doing science activities for pre-k through 2nd grade. Lots of ideas for units on healthy habits (food, water, health), bugs, bats, bees, etc. The only eventful thing that happened there was my cell phone falling out of my back pocket and into the toilet (BEFORE using the toilet). I took it apart a little and tried to dry it out, but no luck. I took it to the hospital and left it with David to work on while I took his on the road to meet Mom, Dad and Davey in E'town. David fixed the phone temporarily and we had a nice visit with him when we got back to Louisville. The boys raided the pudding and ice cream on 5 North. We had a late night, but it was worth it for the boys to get to spend some time with their Daddy.

This morning, I noticed that the dead phone battery was not charging even though it had been plugged in all night. So, I tracked down a new battery and went to buy it before going up to see David (the boys were at Bobbie, Kevin and Josie's house). The replacement didn't fare any better, so David and I decided to get me a new phone. So I now know that cell phone + toilet water= new cell phone. It is a cute purple Motorola flip phone. I could have had another pink one, bit I decided purple would be good for a change.

The boys and I will go to see/collect David tomorrow after Mass. We hope they will let him go about midday. We will see tomorrow. Until then, peace, love and joy to all of you!

The very least you can do in your life is to figure out what you hope for. And the most you can do is live inside that hope. Not admire it from a distance but live right in it, under its roof. -- Barbara Kingsolver

Once you choose hope, anything's possible. -- Christopher Reeve

Return to Chemoland

David checked back into Baptist East this morning. He got there early, so there was some "down time" before the chemo started. Two of the nurses were going over to the new building that is being completed this month. The building will house several units, including Oncology. They will move from 5 North to 3 Parkside (they will look out over Brown Park, near the hospital). David asked if he could go with them to see the new unit. They checked with his nurse and off they went. He was the first patient from Oncology (and the nurses believe the first patient at all) to see the new setup. He says it is beautiful and spacious and amazing.

Privacy, comfort offered in new patient rooms

Increased patient privacy and comfort are highlights of the new 144-bed Park Tower, Baptist East’s eight-story addition overlooking Brown Park that opens in August.

All patient rooms are private, with handicapped-accessible bathrooms featuring roll-in showers. Rooms are nearly twice the size of current private rooms, providing ample space for needed medical equipment and more elbow room for visitors. Each room also features a window seat which can become a twin-size bed.

Other features help minimize interruptions for patients, including a viewing window with blinds so nurses can observe patients from the hallway. Two rooms on each floor are specially equipped for larger patients.

For the convenience of families, waiting rooms on each floor include a kitchenette with refrigerator and microwave. Food and beverages will be for sale in the ground-floor Park Tower Cafe.

Visitors and patients can also enjoy the rooftop garden, accessible from the outpatient surgery waiting room, and the Healing Garden.

Nursing units moving to the new tower are the Cancer Care Center, Palliative Care, Orthopedics, Neurosciences and Women’s Health. The spaces now occupied by those nursing units will be renovated and re-opened in late 2009 when Baptist East will have a full complement of 519 beds, an increase of 27 percent over the current 407 beds.

Opening first will be eight additional operating rooms to meet a growing demand for outpatient surgery.

After they returned, he had lunch and got started on the RICE (the chemo regimen they have used this time around). He is in great spirits and is doing well. Keep calling, sending cards (electronic or otherwise) and praying. I am going to get Davey tomorrow. Max and I will meet my mom and dad in Elizabethtown (nice city, dumb movie) for dinner and then we will go for a quick visit to David before bedtime.

I did get to talk to John Huber for a bit this evening to get a feel for how the transplant will work and when it may be. We have reached the time in all this to begin thinking about and planning for that. We have decided to do the BMT here in Louisville, so we can maintain as much of "normal" life as possible, including Davey's first foray into soccer (and my first attempt at something I SWORE I would never be... a "soccer mom"!), kindergarten and life for 2 sweet boys.

I hope this finds all of you well and enjoying your summer. School will be back in session before we know it!

The joy of the Lord is your strength.

Nehemiah 8:10

The PET Scan...

Well, this morning was the all important PET scan (for these scans, they inject a radioactive sugar that is absorbed by certain cells, including cancer cells, and the cells "glow" in the scan). I went to my professional development (early childhood science- creature science- all sorts of creepy crawlies), and David drove himself to the scan. He went to Wendy's for lunch after (he couldn't eat after midnight to prepare for the scan), and then came home to watch TV and wait for Max and I to get home.

Soon after Max and I arrived home, the doctor's office called. It was with apprehension that I answered the call. It was Dr. Code, one of the oncologists. He apologised for interrupting David's time home, but that he thought we would want to know what the scan revealed. He told us that the mass near the trachea that was putting pressure on the windpipe did not show up as a cancerous tumor and that the new nodules in the kidneys and in the lungs had virtually disappeared. The only areas that still show on the scan are the ones on David's adrenal glands. Prayers answered!! I have been praying for signs that the chemo had been working and today, we got that!

Tomorrow, David heads back to 5 North at Baptist Hospital East. They will use the same chemo regimen that they used 3 weeks ago, since it has worked so far. The next thing is to decide when to do the transplant. He will be there for 4 days, so feel free to call, email, send an e-message.

https://secure.bhsi.com/www.baptisteast/ecard.asp?bhcp=1

I will update the blog either tomorrow or Friday, depending on how tired I am tomorrow night.

Again, we are so grateful for the love and prayers from our friends across the country (prayers are coming from everywhere from Oregon and Alaska to Maine and California to Florida and everywhere in between, we even have several people in Canada, Baja Mexico and England talking to the "Big Guy" on our behalf. Amazing! The power of prayer is awesome!!

It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, and to sing praises unto thy name, O most High- Psalms 92:1

Home Again!

David had a swallow study done this morning which showed dysphasia. So, he was instructed to tuck his chin when he swallows liquids. There is a PET scan scheduled for tomorrow morning that should enlighten the doctors about the impact the chemo has made. Based on the PET results, they will decide to do another round of the chemo they used 3 weeks ago or use a different regimen. So, he has tonight and Wednesday night here at home and then he has to be back to Oncology at 8 am on Thursday. We had dinner (David, me and Max) together. Just something I threw together since the Mom's Group didn't bring dinner tonight. David even got to read books to Max tonight, something that has been missed lately.

So, tomorrow morning, Max and I will leave the house shortly after 7 and I will drop him off on my way to my friend's house to carpool to the Science Center for the first of 3 days of Professional Development. David is now allowed to drive, so he will take himself to the PET scan and home again. He will have a quiet day with no IVs, no one taking his vitals and having to get his own lunch. Then Wednesday, he will have to drive himself to the hospital for chemo.

David will be back on 5 North for 4 days (hopefully back home on Sunday) to get his chemo treatment, so visitors are good, as long as he feels up to it.

Davey is having a wonderful time at Camp Googey and DadDad. Today, he and my mom and dad went to Dinosaur World in Cave City, KY and he went home with a brachiopod, a shark's tooth and another fossil. He and my mom also worked on a papier mache dragon this afternoon.


Thanks again to everyone who is supporting us through calls, emails, prayers, etc. The other night, my friend Bobbi even walked over and brought me a margarita after Max was in bed. What a great friend!!

“The will of God will never take you to where the grace of God will not protect you”

Still Waiting...

We all (well, all except David) went to see "Cats". The boys were good and enjoyed the costumes and getting to see the Cats up close on our way out. Max will tell everyone that his favorite one was "Dudiominy" and Davey's fave was Asparagus. We took Josie (Davey's buddy from 3 doors down. She had on cat ears and a cat face painted on. I think she liked it, too.

David is breathing MUCH better and the nurses proclaim his lungs clear. The report came back that his respiratory flora is normal (always good to have normal flora, right?!) He is on only oral medications and we are waiting for a consult from Dr. Herzig from the U of L BMT program. He will tell the oncologists what kind of chemo to use next and what kind of port David should have to be ready for the transplant when the time comes. The other thing we are waiting for is a swallow study to make sure David isn't aspirating on any liquids he drinks. As a special ed teacher, I see lots of swallow study reports to make sure there aren't any restrictions on the diet of a student.

Tonight, it will only be Max and me, since Davey and my mom and dad went back to Alvaton this morning. They have plans to go to a play ("Crazy For You") and to do some papier mache and go to Dinosaur World (in Cave City, KY). He is excited, although he wasn't thrilled to leave me here. He wanted me to go, too, but I told him I had to go to school on Wed., Thurs. and Fri. this week. This trip to Camp Alvaton was planned months ago so I could do my professional development. Davey and I pledged that we would both watch "American Gladiators" tonight and later talk about what our favorite parts were. I will miss him, but I am sure he will have a great time!

By your steadfastness and patient endurance you shall win the true life of your souls. Luke 21: 19

Be strong and let your heart take courage, all you who wait for and hope for and expect the Lord! Psalm 31: 24

David's Special Fishing Pole

Hey it's David.

I received what appears to be a fishing pole or a drain opening device. I prefer the idea of a fishing pole, so a wrote a tidbit about how I came into possession of the device.

My Special Fishing Pole
I was given a very special fishing pole by Dr. Kraut, a great fisherman whom I met during my second adventure into Chemoland. He has charisma to burn and seems to be always fun to be around, even for a thoracic surgeon. I went fishing with him once or twice. On one occasion he was 5 hours late, but on that trip we spent 2 hours talking telling fishing stories. He mostly fished, I listened. We talked about the elusive small gill strydor. They can only be found at the mouth of the larynx which is never easy to get to. He had a plastic rod, no reel. It had a funny shaped lure called a stent. The fight for the strydor takes two skilled fishermen. On this occasion it was Dr. Bowling, assisting, and Dr. Kraut. Together they caught my strydor with that odd shaped stent. At the end of the trip they gave me one of thier special fishing poles as a momento of the trip. That was quite a fishing trip, one I will not forget.

A Sigh of Relief

After a night and most of a day in ICU (a VERY depressing place, I might say), David was moved back to 5 North (Oncology). We had originally been told he would be in ICU for 2 days or so. Who would have thought Oncology would be a GOOD move?!? The day in ICU was odd. They had David monitored for O2 saturation, respirations per minute, heart rate and blood pressure. He wanted to get up and walk around, but we were told, "Our patients don't walk." He couldn't take a shower, because there wasn't one in the bathroom. They wouldn't even let him get out of bed to take care of bathroom needs. UGH!! I was there before they did the broncoscopy to see how things looked with the stent and his lungs. The doc pronounced things in there looked good and he took a sample of some "stuff" in there but said it was the same stuff as before which came back as "nothing". One of the nurses from Oncology even came down to see us and happened to be there to see the images from the scope. These nurses are THE BEST!!

The ICU nurse kicked me out at 1:30, for "rest time"- like in preschool??? I told David there were some of his friends from work planning on stopping in on the 1/2 day YUM works on summer Fridays, so he said he would just see me tomorrow.

I went home to collect my parents and kiddo to go to Dairy Queen to celebrate National Ice Cream Day (did you know that was today? according to our paper, it is today, so we ran with it).

Tonight, we had been invited to the new home of some friends who used to live down the street. It was a nice night together with friends and getting to laugh (AND jump on a trampoline!) and enjoy a quiet night.

Tomorrow, I will go see David and get Davey to a birthday party and we will go see "Cats". I wish David was going with us as we had planned, but, as a sign my grandmother gave us shortly after this all started in Aug., 2007 says, "We make plans, God laughs". I have definitely realized how NOT in control we ultimately are!

Continue to pray and have a wonderful weekend!

Oh, in case some of you misread what I typed last night, David was stroking his ARM in his post-anesthesia stupor. ONLY HIS ARM!!! (Thanks, Bobbi!!)

"Saying thank you is more than good manners. It is good spirituality."
-Alfred Painter

"Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos into order, confusion into clarity.... It turns problems into gifts, failures into success, the unexpected into perfect timing, and mistakes into important events. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow."
-Melodie Beattie

Long Day!

Because it has been a long day and the hour is late, I will again give an abridged version of the day. I did the usual morning things to get the boys ready for the day and then my wonderful parents offered for one of them to go with me to the hospital today for David's procedure. Davey decided he would like Googey to hang out with him and DadDad would go with me. We got Max to WRBC (the class was just starting Spanish, so it was great timing) and off to Baptist East we went. What ended up happening was a lot of waiting. I took my dad to the family lunch provided each Thurs. by the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society for the families of oncology patients. Then more waiting.

The surgeon came in to say the oncologists and he had had a conversation and decided to put a stent in after all (this had been the original plan yesterday) to open up his airway. This would open things and allow David to receive the next chemo when it is scheduled, rather than be delayed by recovering from a surgery. About 1:00, they called up to say they were ready to take David to the "holding area" of surgery. So we all went downstairs and after more waiting and 3 visits into the holding area to see David, at about 7:00, they took David into the OR. Daddy and I went up to fill the nurses in and to get ice cream from the unit where David had been. At 8:00, the girls at surgery reception were going home and told us what to do if the phone rang or if we wanted updates.

Finally, there was a call and David was out and the doctor would be out to fill us in. I was jumpy, anxious, etc. because it was supposed to be a 1 hour thing and this had been longer then that, but, I reasoned that if anything was unusual, the nurse would have called. The surgeon told us that they had put the stent in and had some positioning problems (it kept wanting to fold over on one end). They will look at it tomorrow to ensure it is still where it needs to be.

David was rather funny when I saw him before coming home. He was still goofy from the anesthesia. He had his arm under the blanket and was stroking it with his other hand and asked me,"Do you see Garfield?" "Do you like Garfield?". David doesn't even LIKE cats!! We got his things packed up because he is spending tonight in Cardiac Care to get more monitoring than Oncology does. If things go well tonight and the stent is OK, he will go back to 5 North (Oncology).

My dad and I got home right about 10 and had some food, watched the news and caught up on the goings-on with the boys today. I am so grateful my family is so supportive! I could not do it without them! Thanks to all our friends who have been helping, praying and checking on us. It makes a world of difference!

God bless!

Phillipians 4:4-9:

"Rejoice in the Lord always; again, I will say, Rejoice. Let all know your forebearance. The Lord is at hand. Have no anxiety about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your request be known to God. And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, will keep your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, do; and the God of peace will be with you."

Energy, strength and faith

While my energy and strength are running low, I have to keep faith high. This morning was rough. I will be brief, so I can get some sleep (I hope). There is some difference of opinion as to what this mass putting pressure on David's trachea actually is. Could be tumor, could be a blood clot/ collection. Breathing is hard and labored. There is a procedure scheduled for tomorrow to explore and perhaps remove the clot, if that is what it is. We don't know what time, because the thoracic surgeon is going to squeeze David in somewhere. We are praying for some good news tomorrow. I have been up and then down, hopeful and then despairing. I need the strength to keep going for the boys and for David. I find it so hard to be with David when he seems to need company and support, yet also be with the boys when they need me. I guess some time to recharge a bit doing something for me is also recommended, but when?!?!? Anyone available to visit David to bring some good cheer, please think about doing so! And PRAY,PRAY, PRAY!!!

Good and Bad

David had a rough night last night. He did not sleep well and spent the morning "resting" as he puts it. The antibiotics keep coming (Vancomycin and Maxipime) every 12 and 8 hours, respectively. His counts this morning were better (WBC- 2.12, Hemoglobin- 8.9, Platelets- 20,000, Neutrophils- otherwise known as Baby White Blood Cells- 1.8 [normal range begins at 1.9]), so things seem to be moving in the right direction. I just got the low-down from Meghan, Night Nurse Extraordinaire. She was joking about David getting the Penthouse Suite on 5 North. It is a great room, if you must be in the hospital. David will be taking some gooood cough medicine tonight, so he should sleep well.

The boys had a good day. Max played with his friends at WRBC and Davey and I went to the YMCA to exercise/ play. He got to spend all afternoon into the evening with his buddy, Josie, playing at her house, going swimming at her grandma's pool and having hot dogs for dinner. I may have to give him a curfew, it was after 7:30 when he was brought home. It was a great weight off my mind to be able to go see David, knowing Davey and Max were having fun. Max and I had an intimate dinner and some "Mommy- Max" time and cuddles before bed. Then Davey and I did some word/ geography puzzles and got him tucked in for the night.

Thank you all for your love, prayers, help, support, calls, emails, comments on this blog, etc. It means a great deal to have that. God bless you all!

John 14:27 Peace I leave with you; My peace I give unto you; not as the world gives, do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.

Joshua 1:9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.

This last scripture is also a line from one of the songs from the Vacation Bible School that Davey and I did last month. I listen to the song (quite loudly) in the car, whether the boys are with me or not. It is a source of strength for me.

Home Away From Home

Well, this morning, we took David to get a platelet transfusion and a neupogen shot and then on to the airport to drop Tena and Eli off so they could head home to their loved ones. After the boys and I got home, we played in the front yard and soon, the phone rang. It was David, saying they had decided to admit him for a few days due to a fever of 101. Back to his home away from home. The "Master Suite"-room 546- used to be a double room, but now is a single and had a real tv, a hideaway sofa bed and lots of space and drawers. I went up to see him later to take toothbrush, deodorant, clean clothes, etc. It was nice to have such a long list of people to call to come be at the house with the boys... unfortunately, being a holiday weekend, no one was home. Thankfully, our wonderful next-door neighbor, Jo Fante, returned home, saw that I had called and was available to come over and hung out with Davey while Max napped. David had our favorite nurse today. He ended up receiving 2 units of blood, Vancomycin, Zosyn (both antibiotics) and the other medications he was on at home (Diflucan, Valtrex, Allopurinol). He thinks he will be home in a few days. Hoping so!!

We have tickets to take the boys to see "Cats" at an outdoor amphitheatre here next Saturday. My parents will be going with us. It would be nice if David was able to go, as we had planned, but we will wait and see.

Anyone want to weigh in on the choice we need to make between University of Louisville Hospital and Vanderbilt Hospital for the stem cell transplant? We are thinking and feel like we have a decision, but feel free to give your opinion.

Never talk defeat. Use words like hope, belief, faith, victory. -- Norman Vincent Peale

When you do nothing, you feel overwhelmed and powerless. But when you get involved, you feel the sense of hope and accomplishment that comes from knowing you are working to make things better.--Pauline R. Kezer

We are prayerful

David ran a little bit of a fever last night, but not enough to need to go in to the ER. We talked to the doctor and were told to just watch it. This morning, we went in for the labwork and a neupogen shot. We dropped David off and went to kill some time near the hospital and then went back. We ended up at Hobby Lobby and got some good deals on some "decorative items for the home". David is scheduled for a platelet transfusion tomorrow morning. He will go there while the boys and I take Tena and Eli to the airport. Their family back in TX misses them, after nearly 2 weeks away. The house will be different with two fewer people... Tena has been such a help and the boys have loved getting to be such buddies! The bathtub at night will be less crowded, too (more room for toys, Max says). It has been good for the boys (and me, too!) to have the distraction and entertainment. I am so glad that my mom and dad are planning to come next weekend. We have tickets to go see "Cats" (all of us- we think the boys will quite enjoy it!)

Hope everyone has a great Independence Day!!! Let's all be sure to count our many blessings!

"Of all the needs (there are none imaginary) a lonely child has, the one that must be satisfied, if there is to be hope and a hope of wholeness, is the unshaken need for an unshakable God." -Maya Angelou

So far, so good...

Well, we have been all together at home now since Monday, and David's cough and hoarseness seems to be improving. Last night was more restful than Monday night. I am trying to give him some time each day to be alone at home without 2 (or 3, since Eli and Tena are still here until Saturday) small boys around to wear him out. He had gone to the oncologists' office yesterday and today for a PICC line flush and neupogen shot (to help raise his white blood count by stimulating his bone marrow to produce the cells). They did blood work this afternoon and his WBC, hemoglobin and platelets were all very low, but that is what the chemo does as it kills the cancer, it also kills the good blood cells. He's taking several anti- things (antibiotic, antifungal and antiviral) and a medication to help his body to flush out the cancer cells that have been killed.

The boys seem to be doing OK with this all going on, but I get concerned about Max, since he seems a little out of control sometimes. Tonight, we went to the Summit to get a 4th of July shirt and ended up being out until 8pm, a bit late for my kiddos. At Children's Place, Max was back in the storeroom while I was paying (I found an adorable madras plaid sport coat for Davey that he insisted on wearing home). What was I to do? Abandon the payment process? Send Davey to go get his little brother? Ignore? Help?!? I wonder if it is just a product of being 2 combined with this craziness that is our life right now. I mean, I feel like I am supposed to be some sort of expert on early childhood behavior and management of such, but I feel a bit out of my element lately. Hmmm....

I leave you with this-
"For myself, I am an optimist- it does not seem to be much use being anything else."
- Sir Winston Churchill