Sadly, it's time for the feeding tube to be put to use

We were really hoping it wouldn't come to this.  Greg has always been so strong when it comes to cancer treatments.  He totally amazes me!   It's been getting harder and harder to eat.  He's had three weeks of radiation so far (15 days total), and it simply hurts to You know what it's like when you have strep, or some other kind of bad sore throat and you don't want to eat?  Well, multiply that by 100 and you may have just the slightest glimpse of how Greg's throat feels.   

















He posted this on Facebook today:  

How bout an update from Mik Mission Control and progress @ the 1/3 marker of "Flight of the Phoenix" I just named that!!.........Stage 2 of 3 and where we are at!!..........We reached the decision to go with Straight Tube Feeding, or STF as I just decided to call it......Due to daily radiation treatments, I can no longer swallow nor desire to, knowing that I can't.........So for those who want to be in the know, there ya have it!!............Everything now goes down the Tube.........What fun can I have with this???..........One last note..........My last meal was Pizza......My first meal back will be Pizza!!........Thank you all so much for all your Prayers, Thoughts and Wishes.....These I share with others in need...........Circle of Hands......











So, there you go.  That's the amazing attitude he has!  I can't wait until the day I can post that he's eating pizza again!    


We're working with the durable medical equipment company and the  insurance company now to get the proper authorizations for the enteral feedings.  Hopefully, that will go smoothly!   If not, we have our awesome Nurse Case Manager who will work her magic to make sure that everything is taken care of.   

It's now been three weeks since I started telecommuting and I must say, I really DO love working from home!  I was able to switch my shift to 6 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and it's really incredible to be done working at 2:30!  I need to work on my scheduling though, as I still tend to take my lunch at noon, and then, suddenly, there's only two hours left in my day!   It's just going to take some getting used to.  I now set my alarm, just to make sure I wake up in time, and I'm still usually awake right around the time my alarm goes off at 5:30.   Working from home has really been the best choice I could have made!   I'm pretty sure that Greg is not going to be able to drive himself to his radiation for much longer, so hopefully we'll be able to get later appointments so I can take him when I'm done working.  That would really work out great, as we wouldn't need to ask friends and family to help us out.   But, we will just have to wait and see what happens. 

I'm not sure how many folks who read my blog know about our old barn that's been collapsing over the last year or so, but our silo recently collapsed, too.   Because our neighbors have an easement through our yard to get to their fields, we had to find a way to move the silo, as it was blocking their access road.   We were finally able to get that done last week, with some help from our awesome neighbors!   I'm only going to post one picture here, and if you want to view the rest, you can view my album on Facebook.   Even if you're
not my Facebook friend, you can still click on this link:  Facebook Silo Photo Album.

Oh, I forgot to mention Mother's Day!  Aaron and Rachel were here for the weekend, and it was AWESOME to see them, as we haven't seen them since January.   They had to leave by noon on Sunday, so we decided that we should all go out for breakfast.   We went to a great restaurant in Wausau called The Blue Willow.  They have awesome breakfasts!  Erica was able to meet us, so for the first time since January, our whole family was together!  It was just fabulous to have everyone together!  

Speaking of Mother's Day, I have to tell you what my awesome kids did for me!  Erica bought me 12 personal training sessions at Snap Fitness, as I've been working on losing some weight before Aaron and Rachel's wedding.   Aaron, Rachel and Abby got me the Food Dehydrator that I've been wanting and a boatload of spices, etc. to make jerky!  So, what's the first thing we did?  Why, make jerky, of course!   Abby brought out two of her venison roasts and we were able to make a boatload of jerky!  

I plan on doing a LOT more than making jerky, as I have some herbs already planted that I intend to dry.  I also want to try some apple slices, potato slices, and all kinds of other stuff!  It should be fun!  







So, that's about it for now.  Nothing much else is going on right now.  Hope you all are doing well!  

As always, prayers are appreciated! 

Julie 

If you feel led to help with Greg's gas and other expenses while he is unable to work, please see --> Greg's GoFundMe