January 30, 2010

No changes today. A few inches of snow on the ground and very, very cold temperatures. The news of Friday's appointment is finally beginning to set in and we're remaining strong and positive, sure of God's powers. This is only a minor setback and part of a greater plan He has for all of us. There must be someone at the Cancer Center than needs to be in contact with Mom, and that explains the change in course of treatment. Seeing the grace and strength she has demonstrated during her fight with cancer has been an inspiration to everyone she has met, so this is God's way of sharing her with others still. Dr. Haught is the neuro-psychologist who Mom is seeing through the Cancer Center and he expressed the importance of staying positive and having fun. Please know that your prayers, comments, cards, phone calls, and encouraging words help all of us stay focused on defeating this illness and appreciate God's hand in all of this. No one can go through something like this alone, and the support we're getting from each of you is inspiring and encouraging. Thank you!

January 29, 2010

Mom had a follow-up MRI and appointment with Dr. Torres today. Her MRI showed 2 new spots on her brain, indicating that the tumor has returned. These masses are located in the part of her brain that controls motor function, and along with the swelling that is present, are causing strengths deficits on her left side. The doctor also noticed problems with her peripheral vision out of the left eye. Because her current chemo medication isn't working to stop the growth of the tumor, she will discontinue it and begin infusion chemotherapy on Tuesday. This will be an outpatient treatment and will occur every other week for at least a year. Dr. Torres believes that due to the location of the new tumors that surgery will not be an option, as the risks will be too great, so we are praying that this new treatment will be effective. Please pray for her and our family.

1/13/10

I wanted to get this posted last night, but I worked at Michaels after school and just didn't get to blogging. Due to her low platelet levels 2 weeks ago, Mom had to have blood work done again yesterday to monitor these levels. Dr. Torres called her yesterday afternoon when he got the results to let her know that everything looked good. All our prayers were heard and answered! She's really bounced back from the last round of chemo and is feeling much better. She felt good enough on Saturday that she and I had a little outing of shopping, then later met up with Justin, Allison, Victor, and Phyllis for dinner.

I finally made my way back to work, Monday without students, and 2-hour delays on both Tuesday and today. It's nice to be back on a schedule, but it certainly was nice to have that week to spend at home with Mom while she wasn't feeling well. It would certainly seem that God sent those two feet of snow just to keep me home with her.

In other news, our church has started collecting items for our shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child. The nation collection week won't occur until November, but we've set a goal to assemble 100 shoeboxes this year and will collect from now until then to do so. I encourage you to get involved with this organization, as well. Spread the word amongst your church, your girl scout troop, your quilting group, your circle of friend. If you'd like to see the power of giving at its best, search youtube.com for Operation Christmas Child.

My devotions earlier this week went right along with the power of giving. "The measure of life is not it's duration but it's donation. These words remind us that the quality of our lives is determined not by what we are able to take from others, but instead by what we are able to share with others. The thread of generosity is woven into the very fabric of Christ's teachings. If we are to be disciples of Christ, we, too, must be cheerful, generous, courageous givers. Our Savior expects no less from us. And He deserves no less. A cheerful giver does not count the cost of what he gives. His heart is set on pleasing and cheering him to whom the gift is given."

Thursday, January 7

Another cold and snowy day. We've been inside all day trying to stay warm. School was cancelled for tomorrow, so I got an extra week off for Christmas. God knew that I needed the down time to stay home and take care of Mom, so he's blessed us with nearly 2 feet of snow. She's had a pretty rough day today, between the nausea and vomiting. She hasn't been able to keep much down, so she's limited herself to popsicles and jello. It had been a really long time since I'd made jello, but I guess it turned out alright. I haven't heard any complaints or retching yet. Nothing much else to report. Hopefully the nausea passes quickly and Mom starts feeling better. She's scheduled for another follow-up appointment with Dr. Torres and the new neurosurgeon at the end of the month. Dr. Boling, the surgeon who removed Mom's tumor moved to Australia and we'll start seeing someone new at the end of the month. Thanks for all your prayers and the concern that you've expressed. This is just a bump in the road and we'll be right back on the road to recovery soon!

January 6, 2010

Wow! 2010!!! We had a nice peaceful New Year's Eve with Uncle Delmas, Aunt Ann, Joanna, Shawn, Jerry, and Ethan. We played games most of the evening, watched the ball drop at midnight, and slid home shortly after. I believe it's been snowing ever since. New Year's Day was somewhat disappointing with two Mountaineer losses, but when put in perspective, these games are much less important than they may have seemed 6 months ago.

Axle and I went out today for what I thought would be a fun play session in the snow; however, he had other plans and only lasted about 5 minutes before he made a dash for the house. I think it took me longer to get dressed and bundled up than we actually spent outside. The snow on our deck is knee high, so we've got a good amount of snow on the ground, not to mention the below freezing temperatures.

Mom started her most recent chemo treatment on Saturday night. She's spent a fair amount of time on the couch napping since then, with intermittent bouts of nausea and vomiting. It kinda works out that the weather has been unfit to go anywhere since she doesn't feel much like going anyway. I've been off work all week due to the aforementioned weather, and it's nice to sleep in and stay in our pajamas all day long if we want! Tonight was the fifth night of chemo and we'll be off for twenty-three days now. No word on when the appointment is for the blood work, but Mom seems to think it should be sometime around January 13. I can't think of any other happenings to report. If there's news it hasn't reached us yet. I hope everyone is staying warm and safe in the weather. Remember to be thankful for everything the Lord has done for you and give Him praise!