I don't know how much I've talked about when Greg was first diagnosed with cancer in this blog, but the 28th anniversary of that is tomorrow, Holy Thursday. The only reason I remember the date is because it was Holy Thursday. I'm sure I could go look up what day Holy Thursday was in 1992, but why bother. It's not that important. What's important is that it was 28 years ago when Greg had his first cancer diagnosis and I remember that day like it was yesterday.
Greg was scheduled for day surgery at a hospital across from the Zoo in Milwaukee. I don't recall the name of the hospital, but it's not there any more. His parents were babysitting Aaron, who was just a year old and we had just had his first birthday party the week before. The surgery was for a lump near his groin. The doctors weren't sure what it was. In the previous year, they had found "something" in his gut area, but all the tests came back inconclusive, so they were just "watching and waiting" to see if anything developed. When he found the lump near his groin, they decided that they needed to operate to find out what it was.
It didn't seem to be a big deal, so I was alone at the hospital. I was all of 26 years old and Greg was 35. After what seemed like an inordinate amount of time, I went up to the nurse's desk and asked what was taking so long. They said they would check with the operating room staff and let me know. Next thing I know, a nurse is coming out in scrubs, telling me that they would like permission to cut Greg's gut open, because they think they know what might be going on, but they need permission. So, I signed the form.
A while later, I don't remember how long, the doctor came out to sit and talk to me. He told me that Greg had cancer. He was not comfortable telling me this, and I remember feeling like this is not the kind of thing he is used to telling people! I asked some questions, and felt like I was doing OK, until they handed me a box of Kleenix! That's when I lost it. He said when they took out the lump near his groin, they realized it was lymphoma, and wanted to take a look at his gut. He said it was riddled with cancer, and there was nothing they could actually remove, because there are too many lymph nodes that are in that part of the body and were diseased. They checked all his other organs and put everything back where it belonged and stitched him back up.
I remember calling Greg's mom and telling her that her oldest son had cancer, and that I wasn't sure what time I would be picking up Aaron, because we had to get Greg settled in a room.
The doctor and I agreed that we would wait until tomorrow to tell Greg that he had cancer. At one point, Greg did say to me "what happened, it feels like they ripped my stomach open!" I looked at him and said "They DID!" Ha, ha!
I remember, after getting Greg situated in his room, that it was time for me to leave. As I was walking to my van in the parking lot, I heard someone calling my name. Confused, I turned to look, and there was Greg's sister, Jody! She told me that their mom had called her at work to tell her about Greg's cancer, and she left work, telling her boss that her brother was just diagnosed with cancer and her sister-in-law shouldn't be all alone at a time like this! That was probably the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me before or since! I was pretty much in shock, and trying to figure out how I was going to work the next day, and do everything that needed to be done with a one year old baby, all by myself, when I had just been told that my husband had cancer. Jody and I went into the hospital and she visited with Greg for a bit, and then we left so he could get some sleep.
The internet hadn't been invented by Al Gore yet, so there was no going home and doing research. There was just going home and taking care of my baby boy.
I remember telling my boss that I would not be at work the next day, but having to stop in the office to pick up my shoes for Easter Sunday service! I always wore tennis shoes to work, and kept all my "heels" at my desk, so I didn't have any shoes at home to wear to church on Sunday! LOL
I then went to the hospital and the doctor and I sat with Greg and told him he had cancer. Specifically, he had Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma and needed to start chemotherapy within a week. We had a lot of decisions to make at that point, as we discovered that chemo could make you sterile, and I wasn't done having babies! (Spoiler Alert: We had two more babies! Ha, ha!) We ended up freezing as much sperm as we could before chemo started (that's a whole 'nother story in and of itself that I won't go into here).
So many memories. So many feelings. This time of year always pulls me in a direction I don't like to go. We've had so many crisis issues during the Easter season. I'm always somewhat fearful of this time of year and am always grateful for Easter Sunday for so many reasons. With Greg's current health situation and the Corona Virus, it's been more stressful this year than ever before.
But, Sunday, April 12, 2020 is not only Easter Sunday, it is also Aaron's 29th birthday, AND the 20th Anniversary of Greg's Bone Marrow Transplant! Be on the lookout for more memories on Easter Sunday! We have been through a lot, but we are well and truly blessed!
Love to all!
Showing posts with label cancer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cancer. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 8, 2020
Thursday, June 8, 2017
Vacation? What vacation?
I've been on vacation all week, but unlike most normal people, MY vacation was spent doing yard work! Doesn't that sound like fun?! NOT! We have a LOT of yard -- 2-1/4 acres worth of yard! AND, lucky us, almost all of that consists of grass we have to cut! WHAT were we thinking when we bought this house 13 years ago?! I can tell you with utmost certainty that it was NOT about how old we were going to get and how much work it was going to take, especially if one of us has the nerve to go and get cancer (again!) and I'm stuck doing all the yard work! You can bet your sweet bippy that that is not something that ever crossed our minds! (Of course, this is all said tongue-in-cheek, so just chill out, k?)
That being said, I've been working my butt off every day of this so-called vacation. First thing was to spend Sunday with my dear neighbor, Jessica, mucking out the chicken coop! I'm pretty sure this was hands-down, the nastiest job that needed to be done! Abby had cleaned some of it out, but there was a LOT left, and when I say a LOT, I mean a BUTTLOAD! We use the "deep liter" method in the winter, which means the coop does not get mucked out, and we just keep adding sawdust, so the resulting composting chicken poo helps to keep the coop warmer in the winter. It was probably about 1-1/2 feet deep, and in an 8x16 foot coop, that's a LOT of poo and sawdust! So, now that the coop is cleaned out, we've been letting the floorboards dry and will be putting in fresh sawdust. We're also going to be making a new roost and nest boxes for them. Hopefully, that will get done in the next couple days.
To give you an idea of the amount of poo we had to shovel out, all the "brown" in this picture in the front and on the side of the coop used to be IN the coop! We spread it out there because the chickens love to scratch around in it for bugs and stuff! That tire is there for me to get some cardio and strength training done. All I need is a sledgehammer! If you have an extra, or know of someone who does, I would certainly appreciate hearing about it!
I spent the rest of my days planting flowers and using my incredibly awesome walk-behind trimmer to trim all around the yard. It's my hope that now that it's under control, it won't take anywhere near as long to get it all done. I also cut the grass in the front yard, around the U-shaped driveway, and the entire area to the west of the barn, and all around the chicken coop. I then power-washed the deck stairs and of course, power washed the goose ponds. While I was trimming on the west side of the barn, I decided that the trees needed to be cleared out. Our friend, Aaron Knight was over to help out and he used the push mower to clear out most of the ditch. The grass and weeds were more than two feet tall, so it was a LOT of work. The grass and weeds around the trees were the same height, and it was driving me nuts! I didn't think to take "before" pictures, so you're stuck with just the "after" pic. If you look at the grass behind the trees, that's what the ditch was like and that's what was 2 feet in front of the trees and all in between them!!!!
In the picture above, you can see how the ditch is cut down. I wish I had a "before" picture!
Today, I only had left to trim the back and side yards, which includes in our little forest area, and then cut the rest of the back yard. It took about an hour to trim the back yard, and then I started on the side. I trimmed on the house side, and then went to work tackling the "forest" area. It wouldn't be so bad, but we have an astronomical amount of burdock. Burdock is Wisconsin's answer to Velcro, only it clings to EVERYTHING, not just the other half of Velcro! LOL While this may not sound like a lot, it really truly is!
Here's the "before" and "after" pictures of our little wooded area on the north east side of our home.
A lot of the "weeds" here, aside from the burdock is creeping charlie. The creeping charlie is slowly starting to take over. I definitely not mind if the creeping charlie took over completely. I'd take that over the gigantic burdock any day!
While I was trimming in the woods, I wasn't really paying attention to the time, as I kind of get "in the zone" when I'm trimming. Just concentrating on what I was doing, mostly because that sucker is dangerous! I always wear my work boots, but I still have on shorts and a tank top. Of course, I wear safety glasses. This is the only piece of yard equipment that I use safety glasses with and insist everyone else that uses it wear safety glasses. In fact, if I could find a full face mask for lawn equipment, I think I'd buy one! This sucker shoots out more crap than you can believe! Suffice it to say that you really need to keep your mouth closed when using it!
Here's some other general pictures of the yard. Many of them are before I trimmed.
This one is looking west, from our driveway.
This is the front of the house. I need to trim the bushes, but I can't do that until fall.
Rufus likes to play King of the Hill!
The GORGEOUS Fuchsia I bought at Valentine Greenhouse. Absolutely the most gorgeous and stunning fuchsia I've EVER seen! The flowers are just STUNNING!!
Back to my trimming . . . So, I was trimming along, and about half done, when I somehow manage to hear what sounds like a lawnmower behind me. What the? . . . I turn around, and there's GREG RIDING TOWARD ME! He wasn't exactly a knight in shining armor, and not quite a prince riding to save his princess on his beautiful white horse, but you know what? He doesn't need a white horse or even a nice shiny new zero turn mower (I wish!). He's MY prince!
I'm going to end this right here, because this is awesome way to end the evening! Blessings to everyone!
Julie
Greg's Go Fund Me
That being said, I've been working my butt off every day of this so-called vacation. First thing was to spend Sunday with my dear neighbor, Jessica, mucking out the chicken coop! I'm pretty sure this was hands-down, the nastiest job that needed to be done! Abby had cleaned some of it out, but there was a LOT left, and when I say a LOT, I mean a BUTTLOAD! We use the "deep liter" method in the winter, which means the coop does not get mucked out, and we just keep adding sawdust, so the resulting composting chicken poo helps to keep the coop warmer in the winter. It was probably about 1-1/2 feet deep, and in an 8x16 foot coop, that's a LOT of poo and sawdust! So, now that the coop is cleaned out, we've been letting the floorboards dry and will be putting in fresh sawdust. We're also going to be making a new roost and nest boxes for them. Hopefully, that will get done in the next couple days.
To give you an idea of the amount of poo we had to shovel out, all the "brown" in this picture in the front and on the side of the coop used to be IN the coop! We spread it out there because the chickens love to scratch around in it for bugs and stuff! That tire is there for me to get some cardio and strength training done. All I need is a sledgehammer! If you have an extra, or know of someone who does, I would certainly appreciate hearing about it!
I spent the rest of my days planting flowers and using my incredibly awesome walk-behind trimmer to trim all around the yard. It's my hope that now that it's under control, it won't take anywhere near as long to get it all done. I also cut the grass in the front yard, around the U-shaped driveway, and the entire area to the west of the barn, and all around the chicken coop. I then power-washed the deck stairs and of course, power washed the goose ponds. While I was trimming on the west side of the barn, I decided that the trees needed to be cleared out. Our friend, Aaron Knight was over to help out and he used the push mower to clear out most of the ditch. The grass and weeds were more than two feet tall, so it was a LOT of work. The grass and weeds around the trees were the same height, and it was driving me nuts! I didn't think to take "before" pictures, so you're stuck with just the "after" pic. If you look at the grass behind the trees, that's what the ditch was like and that's what was 2 feet in front of the trees and all in between them!!!!
That patch toward the left of the picture is actually some wildflowers (that is pretty much how tall all the grass and weeds were!). When you get up close, they are beautiful yellow flowers that I just didn't have the heart to cut down.
In the picture above, you can see how the ditch is cut down. I wish I had a "before" picture!
Today, I only had left to trim the back and side yards, which includes in our little forest area, and then cut the rest of the back yard. It took about an hour to trim the back yard, and then I started on the side. I trimmed on the house side, and then went to work tackling the "forest" area. It wouldn't be so bad, but we have an astronomical amount of burdock. Burdock is Wisconsin's answer to Velcro, only it clings to EVERYTHING, not just the other half of Velcro! LOL While this may not sound like a lot, it really truly is!
Here's the "before" and "after" pictures of our little wooded area on the north east side of our home.
While I was trimming in the woods, I wasn't really paying attention to the time, as I kind of get "in the zone" when I'm trimming. Just concentrating on what I was doing, mostly because that sucker is dangerous! I always wear my work boots, but I still have on shorts and a tank top. Of course, I wear safety glasses. This is the only piece of yard equipment that I use safety glasses with and insist everyone else that uses it wear safety glasses. In fact, if I could find a full face mask for lawn equipment, I think I'd buy one! This sucker shoots out more crap than you can believe! Suffice it to say that you really need to keep your mouth closed when using it!
Here's some other general pictures of the yard. Many of them are before I trimmed.
This one is looking west, from our driveway.
This is the front of the house. I need to trim the bushes, but I can't do that until fall.
Rufus likes to play King of the Hill!
The GORGEOUS Fuchsia I bought at Valentine Greenhouse. Absolutely the most gorgeous and stunning fuchsia I've EVER seen! The flowers are just STUNNING!!
Back to my trimming . . . So, I was trimming along, and about half done, when I somehow manage to hear what sounds like a lawnmower behind me. What the? . . . I turn around, and there's GREG RIDING TOWARD ME! He wasn't exactly a knight in shining armor, and not quite a prince riding to save his princess on his beautiful white horse, but you know what? He doesn't need a white horse or even a nice shiny new zero turn mower (I wish!). He's MY prince!
Julie
Monday, May 29, 2017
The Dark Days are Over! God's love Wins!
Last week I posted a fairly dark entry. I was in a bad place and just couldn't get out of it. I needed the release that blogging gives me, so I let everyone know just how awful things can be for a caregiver, a wife, a mom, in short, a human being dealing with cancer for the third time. And you all responded to me in such a beautiful fashion. You really helped me to be able to get through that very dark day. I hope to never have one like that again! I am much, much better now and am once again, the happy, loving, caring Julie that you all have grown to know and love! Ha, ha! I'm guessing that some of the people that read my blog are reading it because they are happy to know about all the challenges we have had to face. But you know what? I don't care! I have the Lord on my side. He is here, holding my hand, and speaking life into my heart. He has been with us every step of the way, from almost losing our house to foreclosure, to having to file for bankruptcy when our business failed to losing our 5th wheel instead (that paid our mortgage for almost a year!), to Greg's 1st bout with cancer, his second bout with cancer and bone marrow transplant, and now his third bout with cancer! Yes, He is here, and He is wonderful! All the glory is His!
Every so often, I think about my current job that provides us with health insurance at a cost that is much less than what most people pay. I had temped for this company back when we first had the idea to open our store. If I had actually applied for a job there and never opened our store, we would certainly be much further ahead financially than we are now, but I ignored that little voice. It seems that, like with Jonah, God chased me down and turned me around and got me back to where he wanted me in the first place! Unlike with Jonah, it took me over 10 years to get where He wanted me to be to begin with. Obviously, He knew what was coming down the pike, and knew that we were going to need health insurance!
I know you all know the story of Jonah and the whale, but do you know why he was swallowed by that whale? It's because God told him to go to Nineveh, and he refused, instead, running away in the opposite direction to Tarshish. It was because of his disobedience to God that he ended up in the belly of that whale. God kept him alive in that belly for three days and three nights and when he was spit out on the shore, God again commanded him to go to Nineveh. And, lo and behold, Jonah listened the second time! (I would imagine being stuck in the belly of a whale for three days and three nights was enough to get him to listen to God!) Read the Book of Jonah, and you will understand what I am trying to say. It's so much more than a man and a whale. I'm not saying that I'm anything like Jonah, but you need to understand that God wants us to be where He wants us to be. And we don't always listen. One way or another, you WILL end up where He wants you to be. Whether that's in the belly of a whale, or struggling to find a job to be able to pay your mortgage and provide health insurance for your family. He will continue to correct you until you are where He wants you to be. You may not understand, but all will be clear one day, when you are face to face with Him.
OK, so, on Monday, Greg got a phone call from someone who said he had spoken to his father and wanted to come and try to get our lawn equipment started. We had three things that wouldn't start after winter, and we really needed them to be able to get our yard taken care of. We have a pressure washer, a push mower and a walk-behind trimmer and not one of them would start! The riding mower did, so we were able to get some of the yard cut, but with all the rain, we couldn't get it all done, either.
Anyway, so 20 minutes later, he showed up with his own tools and got to work. Mind you, this person is always talking about how he is not a "handy" kind of guy. We knew this, but he said he had his father on speed dial, and his father IS a handy kind of guy! So, he worked on them for about 2-1/2 hours, and Greg had to leave for radiation. Our helper ran into town to get some spark plugs and came back. I'm not sure what he all did, but he was able to get the push mower started! He was pretty pumped by that, so then went to work on the pressure washer and he was able to get that one started too! (Again, feeling very manly about this victory!) Next was my walk-behind trimmer which was a little trickier. Mind you, I just bought it last year, so it's not like it was old or anything, but it was it's first winter. After a call to his father, his dad knew exactly what to do, and lo and behold, the trimmer started! WAHOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Now, if you're wondering who this person was, it was our very own Pastor Will! Truth be told, he was not exactly at the top of our list of people to help us get these machines started! And before ya'all get all upset, HE is the one who is always saying he is not a "handy" kind of guy! Greg is not necessarily a "handy" kind of guy, either when it comes to a lot of stuff, so I'm not being rude here by any stretch of the imagination! I am much more mechanically inclined than Greg is, and that's OK. Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses. Apparently, Greg's biggest strength is beating cancer! And I'm OK with that! But, Pastor Will is never allowed to say he is not a "handy" kind of guy ever again! We now know the truth!
Oh, I guess I forgot to mention that Pastor Will had to leave and said he'd be back to help get the grass cut. True to his word, he came back about an hour or so later, with a young man from church and they went to town cutting our lawn! Mind you, we have 2-1/4 acres, and just about all of it is grass and has to be cut. Pastor Will hopped on the riding mower and Rudy took over the push mower. Between the two of them, they got almost all the grass cut for us! We cannot thank them enough for all their help, and especially Pastor Will for getting our lawn equipment going! I was so excited that by the time he came back, I had already trimmed all the gigantic burdock that was overtaking our little wooded area that I was desperate to get to! I think he was a little surprised to come back and see me covered in grass and sweat in my work boots, bandana, shorts & t-shirt! It was not a pretty site, to be sure!! LOL
Here's Pastor Will on the riding mower. He stopped to chat with Greg at one point, and said that cutting our grass gave him a new appreciation for living in town. I believe his next words were "you have a lot of grass!"
Our push mower is a "mulching" mower, but we haven't used the bag since we moved up here. Rudy decided that it would be much faster to open the flap at the back, so he was covered in grass by the time he was done! You can see it all flying out the back, right at him! We couldn't convince him not to do that, and he said the grass was no big deal. He cut the whole front yard with that push mower!
We are so appreciative of our church family! All the prayers and help they have given us has truly touched our hearts. I also received a beautiful basket of geraniums from Pastor Will's family (read: Pastor Jen!) and a beautiful card reminding me that God loves me and their family loves me, too! I needed that! Every time I look at this beautiful basket I am reminded of God's love for me.
May God's love inspire you and fill your heart with His goodness.
Julie
Every so often, I think about my current job that provides us with health insurance at a cost that is much less than what most people pay. I had temped for this company back when we first had the idea to open our store. If I had actually applied for a job there and never opened our store, we would certainly be much further ahead financially than we are now, but I ignored that little voice. It seems that, like with Jonah, God chased me down and turned me around and got me back to where he wanted me in the first place! Unlike with Jonah, it took me over 10 years to get where He wanted me to be to begin with. Obviously, He knew what was coming down the pike, and knew that we were going to need health insurance!
I know you all know the story of Jonah and the whale, but do you know why he was swallowed by that whale? It's because God told him to go to Nineveh, and he refused, instead, running away in the opposite direction to Tarshish. It was because of his disobedience to God that he ended up in the belly of that whale. God kept him alive in that belly for three days and three nights and when he was spit out on the shore, God again commanded him to go to Nineveh. And, lo and behold, Jonah listened the second time! (I would imagine being stuck in the belly of a whale for three days and three nights was enough to get him to listen to God!) Read the Book of Jonah, and you will understand what I am trying to say. It's so much more than a man and a whale. I'm not saying that I'm anything like Jonah, but you need to understand that God wants us to be where He wants us to be. And we don't always listen. One way or another, you WILL end up where He wants you to be. Whether that's in the belly of a whale, or struggling to find a job to be able to pay your mortgage and provide health insurance for your family. He will continue to correct you until you are where He wants you to be. You may not understand, but all will be clear one day, when you are face to face with Him.
OK, so, on Monday, Greg got a phone call from someone who said he had spoken to his father and wanted to come and try to get our lawn equipment started. We had three things that wouldn't start after winter, and we really needed them to be able to get our yard taken care of. We have a pressure washer, a push mower and a walk-behind trimmer and not one of them would start! The riding mower did, so we were able to get some of the yard cut, but with all the rain, we couldn't get it all done, either.
Anyway, so 20 minutes later, he showed up with his own tools and got to work. Mind you, this person is always talking about how he is not a "handy" kind of guy. We knew this, but he said he had his father on speed dial, and his father IS a handy kind of guy! So, he worked on them for about 2-1/2 hours, and Greg had to leave for radiation. Our helper ran into town to get some spark plugs and came back. I'm not sure what he all did, but he was able to get the push mower started! He was pretty pumped by that, so then went to work on the pressure washer and he was able to get that one started too! (Again, feeling very manly about this victory!) Next was my walk-behind trimmer which was a little trickier. Mind you, I just bought it last year, so it's not like it was old or anything, but it was it's first winter. After a call to his father, his dad knew exactly what to do, and lo and behold, the trimmer started! WAHOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Now, if you're wondering who this person was, it was our very own Pastor Will! Truth be told, he was not exactly at the top of our list of people to help us get these machines started! And before ya'all get all upset, HE is the one who is always saying he is not a "handy" kind of guy! Greg is not necessarily a "handy" kind of guy, either when it comes to a lot of stuff, so I'm not being rude here by any stretch of the imagination! I am much more mechanically inclined than Greg is, and that's OK. Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses. Apparently, Greg's biggest strength is beating cancer! And I'm OK with that! But, Pastor Will is never allowed to say he is not a "handy" kind of guy ever again! We now know the truth!
Oh, I guess I forgot to mention that Pastor Will had to leave and said he'd be back to help get the grass cut. True to his word, he came back about an hour or so later, with a young man from church and they went to town cutting our lawn! Mind you, we have 2-1/4 acres, and just about all of it is grass and has to be cut. Pastor Will hopped on the riding mower and Rudy took over the push mower. Between the two of them, they got almost all the grass cut for us! We cannot thank them enough for all their help, and especially Pastor Will for getting our lawn equipment going! I was so excited that by the time he came back, I had already trimmed all the gigantic burdock that was overtaking our little wooded area that I was desperate to get to! I think he was a little surprised to come back and see me covered in grass and sweat in my work boots, bandana, shorts & t-shirt! It was not a pretty site, to be sure!! LOL
Here's Pastor Will on the riding mower. He stopped to chat with Greg at one point, and said that cutting our grass gave him a new appreciation for living in town. I believe his next words were "you have a lot of grass!"
Our push mower is a "mulching" mower, but we haven't used the bag since we moved up here. Rudy decided that it would be much faster to open the flap at the back, so he was covered in grass by the time he was done! You can see it all flying out the back, right at him! We couldn't convince him not to do that, and he said the grass was no big deal. He cut the whole front yard with that push mower!
We are so appreciative of our church family! All the prayers and help they have given us has truly touched our hearts. I also received a beautiful basket of geraniums from Pastor Will's family (read: Pastor Jen!) and a beautiful card reminding me that God loves me and their family loves me, too! I needed that! Every time I look at this beautiful basket I am reminded of God's love for me.
May God's love inspire you and fill your heart with His goodness.
Julie
Friday, May 19, 2017
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
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
Friday, May 5, 2017
No Cancer Stuff today -- just normal life!
I'm not sure why, but Greg decided to wake me up at 5:15 this morning. I don't start work until 7 a.m., and have my alarm set for 6:15 but I'm usually up way before that, so generally get an hour of overtime in in the morning. BUT, I was not ready to get up at 5:15 today! Well, I did, anyway, because I couldn't get back to sleep, and my guts were rumbling, telling me I needed to get up and go. So, I ended up starting an hour early, and it was a good thing I did, because I was crazy busy today! The day literally flew by, until, of course the last half hour, which totally dragged.
I went outside and picked up the rest of the shingles from the (collapsed) barn and silo that were all over the yard, and picked up another three or four five gallon pails of shingles. (I had picked up a bunch of pails of shingles a week or so ago, as well.) All the shingles that were in the way of the lawnmower are now picked up. Even with all the weight training I've been doing, it was NOT easy to bend over to pick up all those shingles. Once I picked up one pail-full, and I straightened up, my back was screaming at me! I was bound and determined to get it all done, though, and sure enough, I did!
Once that was done, I decided to tackle the garbage. We don't have garbage pick up, because we live in the middle of nowhere. We have to take our garbage to the dump. Truth be told, Greg is a bit of a pack rat. It drives me CRAZY! I give him stuff to throw out and he puts it on the shelf. What's with THAT?! Seeing as I'm the one that's going to be going to the dump in the morning, it was up to me to get everything ready! I have two doors (side garage doors) and a boatload of other garbage! My friend, Jessica came over and helped me get a bunch of stuff in my truck. She had to get home to feed the family and came back later with their dog, Newton.
Newton is a Blue Nose Pit Bull, and the SWEETEST dog EVER! He and Erica's dog, Aspen love to run and chase each other! Jessica and I finished loading my truck,while Aspen and Newton played. After about an hour and a half, it was time for Jessica to get back home. I must say, Aspen is WIPED OUT! LOL!
To update on Greg, he went for radiation today and was able to turn in his chemo pump! YAY! Hew won't have any more chemo for about 3-1/2 weeks, but he will still have radiation 5 days a week. His last radiation treatment will be on FLAG DAY! Easy to remember -- June 14th! He'll still have two more chemotherapy treatments after that, but it will be nice to not have the daily radiation treatments.
So, that's all for today. It's time for me to hit the sack! Talk to ya'all soon!
Blessings to all!
Julie
I went outside and picked up the rest of the shingles from the (collapsed) barn and silo that were all over the yard, and picked up another three or four five gallon pails of shingles. (I had picked up a bunch of pails of shingles a week or so ago, as well.) All the shingles that were in the way of the lawnmower are now picked up. Even with all the weight training I've been doing, it was NOT easy to bend over to pick up all those shingles. Once I picked up one pail-full, and I straightened up, my back was screaming at me! I was bound and determined to get it all done, though, and sure enough, I did!
Once that was done, I decided to tackle the garbage. We don't have garbage pick up, because we live in the middle of nowhere. We have to take our garbage to the dump. Truth be told, Greg is a bit of a pack rat. It drives me CRAZY! I give him stuff to throw out and he puts it on the shelf. What's with THAT?! Seeing as I'm the one that's going to be going to the dump in the morning, it was up to me to get everything ready! I have two doors (side garage doors) and a boatload of other garbage! My friend, Jessica came over and helped me get a bunch of stuff in my truck. She had to get home to feed the family and came back later with their dog, Newton.
Newton is a Blue Nose Pit Bull, and the SWEETEST dog EVER! He and Erica's dog, Aspen love to run and chase each other! Jessica and I finished loading my truck,while Aspen and Newton played. After about an hour and a half, it was time for Jessica to get back home. I must say, Aspen is WIPED OUT! LOL!
To update on Greg, he went for radiation today and was able to turn in his chemo pump! YAY! Hew won't have any more chemo for about 3-1/2 weeks, but he will still have radiation 5 days a week. His last radiation treatment will be on FLAG DAY! Easy to remember -- June 14th! He'll still have two more chemotherapy treatments after that, but it will be nice to not have the daily radiation treatments.
So, that's all for today. It's time for me to hit the sack! Talk to ya'all soon!
Blessings to all!
Julie
Monday, April 24, 2017
Aaaand . . . another trip to the Emergency Room!
As you already know, Greg had a PEG tube (feeding tube) put in on Thursday. He was in a lot of pain at the hospital and that pain didn't get much better over the weekend. I knew he was in a lot of pain, because he was cranky (VERY cranky), and very contrary -- and by that I mean, he argued with everything I said. If I would say the sky was blue, he'd say it was grey. Yea, that's how he gets when he's in pain. Now, mind you, he's in pain every day, from the nerve damage from his shingles two years ago, so this was a different kind of pain. He said it felt like he was being stabbed in the gut. That's just not good!
So, this morning, when I wasn't supposed to have to get up until 6:30 to start work in my new home office at 7 a.m., I ended up being awake at 5 a.m. to take Greg to the Emergency Room. I was up early because that's when my body made me get up. I knew Greg was still in a lot of pain, and I thought it best to get to the ER before the day starts and they get too busy. Why make Greg suffer any more than he already was.
We got to the hospital around 5:30 a.m., and they did their usual thing getting him into a gown, history, etc.. Then they wanted to put an IV in, so we asked for an anesthesiologist. They weren't very happy about that, and basically insisted that they have to try before they can call an anesthesiologist. Well, WE weren't happy about that, either, so we decided to wait on the IV, because, what if they don't need it? Most times, an IV in the ER is simply standard procedure, as a "just in case." I'm not willing to have Greg be poked numerous times on a "just in case" so we made them wait until the ER doc decided that Greg needed a CT scan (they have to inject stuff for that), so that's when we said OK. As always, the first nurse could not get it in, so another nurse had to try. She got it on her first try, but I have to say, if she didn't make it, and he would have had to be stabbed a third time, I would have made a call to the hospital administrator to complain. It's nothing against the nurses. I know they are just doing their job. Greg's veins are horrible from all the chemo he's received over the years, and I just can't handle seeing him wincing in pain from people trying to insert an IV. Seriously, those things HURT under normal circumstances! I really can't wait for Greg to get his PICC line next Monday so he doesn't have to keep getting stabbed multiple times.
Anyway, they gave him some very strong pain meds, and that really didn't do much to relieve the pain. He was sent for a chest X-ray because he has so much wheezing (from his sinusitis issues), and then he had to have CT scan of his stomach to see what was up with the PEG tube.
He also had some albuterol treatments because of the wheezing (as seen in this picture on the left).
After the CT scan, the ER doc looked at the scans and showed them to us. It appeared that the inside of the tube (which has a balloon on it to keep the tube in place, and the outside of the tube, where there is a circular "retention ring" that keeps the tube from going into the stomach. (Peg Tube Parts) So, it's being held on both sides, and was too squished together, or too tight, and that's what was causing all his pain, and that's also why the pain wouldn't go away. Looking at the picture linked above, what's between the balloon (inside the stomach) and the retention ring (outside the stomach) is skin and well, belly fat. If it's all being pinched together constantly, nothing is going to make the pain go away until you relieve the pressure.
The surgeon who placed the PEG tube checked the CT scans and had one of his partners, who was already in the hospital for other procedures, come and look at Greg and then turn the retention ring to loosen the pressure. There was an immediate sense of relief! Not complete, but definitely a difference! Greg had watched some of this on YouTube when he was investigating his pain, and told me that I could have done that. Sure, and if I did, knowing our luck, his guts would have started spurting out! Nope, not doing that! 😆
We were able to leave the hospital a short time later, and after the 30 minute drive home, Greg was HUGELY better! YAY! Praise God! I must say though, Greg is really pushing this "in sickness and in health" vow I made almost 28 years ago! HA!
So, my first day of work in my new home office didn't quite go as planned. Instead of starting at 7 this morning, I started at 10:30. Once again, my supervisor was fabulous about me being gone! I now understand why God didn't have me get that position I applied for a month and a half ago. Had I gotten that position, I would not be able to work at home, because you have to be in a position for a year before you can go home! Being able to be home is an integral part of Greg's care, as I can actually concentrate on work while I'm working and not worry about how Greg's feeling. If I were at work, I know I would be worrying about him at home alone, instead of concentrating on work. As always, God knows what's best for me, and, although it doesn't happen all the time, I now know why I did not get that position.
I was able to get six hours in today, and will make up an additional two hours later this week. Should be easy enough to do, because I have a feeling it's going to take my body a while to get used to sleeping as late as 6:30 a.m.! LOL
As always, your prayers are appreciated!
Blessings to all of you!
Julie
Greg's Go Fund Me
So, this morning, when I wasn't supposed to have to get up until 6:30 to start work in my new home office at 7 a.m., I ended up being awake at 5 a.m. to take Greg to the Emergency Room. I was up early because that's when my body made me get up. I knew Greg was still in a lot of pain, and I thought it best to get to the ER before the day starts and they get too busy. Why make Greg suffer any more than he already was.
We got to the hospital around 5:30 a.m., and they did their usual thing getting him into a gown, history, etc.. Then they wanted to put an IV in, so we asked for an anesthesiologist. They weren't very happy about that, and basically insisted that they have to try before they can call an anesthesiologist. Well, WE weren't happy about that, either, so we decided to wait on the IV, because, what if they don't need it? Most times, an IV in the ER is simply standard procedure, as a "just in case." I'm not willing to have Greg be poked numerous times on a "just in case" so we made them wait until the ER doc decided that Greg needed a CT scan (they have to inject stuff for that), so that's when we said OK. As always, the first nurse could not get it in, so another nurse had to try. She got it on her first try, but I have to say, if she didn't make it, and he would have had to be stabbed a third time, I would have made a call to the hospital administrator to complain. It's nothing against the nurses. I know they are just doing their job. Greg's veins are horrible from all the chemo he's received over the years, and I just can't handle seeing him wincing in pain from people trying to insert an IV. Seriously, those things HURT under normal circumstances! I really can't wait for Greg to get his PICC line next Monday so he doesn't have to keep getting stabbed multiple times.
Anyway, they gave him some very strong pain meds, and that really didn't do much to relieve the pain. He was sent for a chest X-ray because he has so much wheezing (from his sinusitis issues), and then he had to have CT scan of his stomach to see what was up with the PEG tube.
He also had some albuterol treatments because of the wheezing (as seen in this picture on the left).
After the CT scan, the ER doc looked at the scans and showed them to us. It appeared that the inside of the tube (which has a balloon on it to keep the tube in place, and the outside of the tube, where there is a circular "retention ring" that keeps the tube from going into the stomach. (Peg Tube Parts) So, it's being held on both sides, and was too squished together, or too tight, and that's what was causing all his pain, and that's also why the pain wouldn't go away. Looking at the picture linked above, what's between the balloon (inside the stomach) and the retention ring (outside the stomach) is skin and well, belly fat. If it's all being pinched together constantly, nothing is going to make the pain go away until you relieve the pressure.
The surgeon who placed the PEG tube checked the CT scans and had one of his partners, who was already in the hospital for other procedures, come and look at Greg and then turn the retention ring to loosen the pressure. There was an immediate sense of relief! Not complete, but definitely a difference! Greg had watched some of this on YouTube when he was investigating his pain, and told me that I could have done that. Sure, and if I did, knowing our luck, his guts would have started spurting out! Nope, not doing that! 😆
We were able to leave the hospital a short time later, and after the 30 minute drive home, Greg was HUGELY better! YAY! Praise God! I must say though, Greg is really pushing this "in sickness and in health" vow I made almost 28 years ago! HA!
So, my first day of work in my new home office didn't quite go as planned. Instead of starting at 7 this morning, I started at 10:30. Once again, my supervisor was fabulous about me being gone! I now understand why God didn't have me get that position I applied for a month and a half ago. Had I gotten that position, I would not be able to work at home, because you have to be in a position for a year before you can go home! Being able to be home is an integral part of Greg's care, as I can actually concentrate on work while I'm working and not worry about how Greg's feeling. If I were at work, I know I would be worrying about him at home alone, instead of concentrating on work. As always, God knows what's best for me, and, although it doesn't happen all the time, I now know why I did not get that position.
I was able to get six hours in today, and will make up an additional two hours later this week. Should be easy enough to do, because I have a feeling it's going to take my body a while to get used to sleeping as late as 6:30 a.m.! LOL
As always, your prayers are appreciated!
Blessings to all of you!
Julie
Greg's Go Fund Me
Friday, April 14, 2017
Consult with the Radiation Oncologist
So, the results from today's visit with the radiation oncologist were pretty good. It's still going to be rough, but it sounds a lot more hopeful than what we were previously led to believe.
They are proposing radiation EVERY DAY for about 6-1/2 weeks, yes, you read that correct EVERY DAY. I had no idea that they were open on weekends, too! On Tuesday, prior to meeting with the surgeon we will go back to the radiation clinic and they will do some more scans and tattoo Greg, so they know where to aim the radiation. They will also make a mesh-type mask for him, that will basically be bolted down, so his head cannot move during his radiation. He is kind of being treated as a head and neck cancer patient, rather than esophageal, and that's because of how high the tumor is. I'm not sure I said exactly where it is before, so, if you know where someone would put a trach in your neck, right in that space where your neck and chest meet, that's where the tumor is located.
Even though we are not going with any type of surgery, we are still seeing the surgeon on Tuesday. I think we mostly will talk about the feeding tube that Greg will most likely need. If he can keep eating and getting enough calories, we won't need to use the tube, but it needs to be there, just in case. As stated previously, the surgery is entirely too dangerous for him. It's at least 7 hours, and more difficult than open heart surgery! We are just not willing to take that chance.
He should be able to drive himself to his treatments, at least unless and until there comes a time when he's just too sick from the treatments. In that case, we are probably going to need some help from friends and family to drive him to his treatments. I still need to be able to work so we can pay our bills, so I don't know that I can take time off to take him every day. But, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it.
I'm still working on the second opinion at Mayo, and am hopeful that that can happen very quickly, as it looks like they want to start the radiation treatments as soon as possible. I really want to hear that what's being planned now is the best treatment option for Greg.
That's it for now. Obviously, we still want and need your prayers and are very grateful for them!
Wednesday, April 12, 2017
Met with the Oncologist -- it's going to be rough!
I know that a lot of folks have been waiting for this update, and I apologize, but I was just not in the right frame of mind to be able to do any more than talk to a few people. There are some that I would have preferred to talk to before posting this, and for that I apologize. Please don't be offended if I didn't call you before you read this.
We met with the oncologist yesterday and unfortunately, there was not much good news. He told us about three options. First option is surgery. The doctor does not believe that Greg is a good candidate for surgery. Because of his congestive heart failure and pacemaker/defibrillator, he is at "significantly high risk for surgical complications," including having a heart attack on the operating table. In addition, because of where the mass is located, there may not be enough of his esophagus above the tumor to be able to resect it once the tumor is removed. He needs at least 5mm, and he doesn't think there's enough. Even with this information, we are meeting with a surgeon on Tuesday.
Another option is chemotherapy alone. Chemo alone is not enough to destroy the tumor and destroy the cancer. Period. We have already ruled this out.
Last option is radiation and chemotherapy. The radiation will reduce the size of the tumor and the chemotherapy will destroy the cancer. However, there are other risks. First, because he had total body radiation during his bone marrow transplant, he may have already had enough radiation that his body cannot handle any more. Greg's radiation records are on their way to the radiation oncologist so he will have that information prior to our appointment on Friday. Not only that, but the radiation is going to cause enough damage to his esophagus that he will end up with a feeding tube. That's not a "maybe." That is 100% guaranteed. It's not going to be pretty.
Chemotherapy is also going to be brutal. Because he has had so much chemotherapy in the past, and his body has been so ravaged by the chemotherapy, he will not be able to start out at the "normal" dose that most other people would receive. So, he would start that on a tapered dose. He would receive the chemo 24/7, and the radiation would be every couple of days (if I remember correctly). This would be a seven week course of treatment. He will also have another Hickman Catheter implanted because his veins are shot from all the chemo, and because of the way the chemo will be administered.
Once see the two specialists, they will meet with our oncologist and come up with a plan of action.
In the meantime, we are looking into getting a second opinion at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. Our insurance has a nice travel benefit to go to one of their "Centers of Excellence" for second opinions and treatment, so we are going to take advantage of that. Our Case Manager is doing some research to see who may be the best doctor to see us. One of the good things about Mayo is that they will have an entire team of specialists to review Greg's records and come up with a treatment plan. What we are looking for is for them to either tell us that the treatment plan our current team comes up with is the plan that they would recommend. If Mayo comes up with something different, then we are hoping our oncologist will be receptive to following the protocol that Mayo comes up with.
So, that's what's going on. It's going to be brutal. There's no other way to describe it. I don't know why the enemy is fighting so hard for us, but we are not giving in. Our God is amazing and will always be there for us. We will continue to praise Him and glorify Him. He will get us through this, of that, I have no doubt!
We met with the oncologist yesterday and unfortunately, there was not much good news. He told us about three options. First option is surgery. The doctor does not believe that Greg is a good candidate for surgery. Because of his congestive heart failure and pacemaker/defibrillator, he is at "significantly high risk for surgical complications," including having a heart attack on the operating table. In addition, because of where the mass is located, there may not be enough of his esophagus above the tumor to be able to resect it once the tumor is removed. He needs at least 5mm, and he doesn't think there's enough. Even with this information, we are meeting with a surgeon on Tuesday.
Another option is chemotherapy alone. Chemo alone is not enough to destroy the tumor and destroy the cancer. Period. We have already ruled this out.
Last option is radiation and chemotherapy. The radiation will reduce the size of the tumor and the chemotherapy will destroy the cancer. However, there are other risks. First, because he had total body radiation during his bone marrow transplant, he may have already had enough radiation that his body cannot handle any more. Greg's radiation records are on their way to the radiation oncologist so he will have that information prior to our appointment on Friday. Not only that, but the radiation is going to cause enough damage to his esophagus that he will end up with a feeding tube. That's not a "maybe." That is 100% guaranteed. It's not going to be pretty.
Chemotherapy is also going to be brutal. Because he has had so much chemotherapy in the past, and his body has been so ravaged by the chemotherapy, he will not be able to start out at the "normal" dose that most other people would receive. So, he would start that on a tapered dose. He would receive the chemo 24/7, and the radiation would be every couple of days (if I remember correctly). This would be a seven week course of treatment. He will also have another Hickman Catheter implanted because his veins are shot from all the chemo, and because of the way the chemo will be administered.
Once see the two specialists, they will meet with our oncologist and come up with a plan of action.
In the meantime, we are looking into getting a second opinion at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. Our insurance has a nice travel benefit to go to one of their "Centers of Excellence" for second opinions and treatment, so we are going to take advantage of that. Our Case Manager is doing some research to see who may be the best doctor to see us. One of the good things about Mayo is that they will have an entire team of specialists to review Greg's records and come up with a treatment plan. What we are looking for is for them to either tell us that the treatment plan our current team comes up with is the plan that they would recommend. If Mayo comes up with something different, then we are hoping our oncologist will be receptive to following the protocol that Mayo comes up with.
So, that's what's going on. It's going to be brutal. There's no other way to describe it. I don't know why the enemy is fighting so hard for us, but we are not giving in. Our God is amazing and will always be there for us. We will continue to praise Him and glorify Him. He will get us through this, of that, I have no doubt!
Tuesday, April 11, 2017
Today's the Day!
Well, today's the day. The day we find out what Greg's treatment options are and here I sit with my limpy limbs -- I had a training session with Ian yesterday, so my arms feel like rubber. Greg told me to take my limpy limbs to bed! LOL So, it's 5 in the morning and I'm unable to sleep. I was exhausted yesterday because I hardly got any sleep on Sunday because of massive thunderstorms. My weather radio went off four times! Here I thought I'd be able to sleep longer, seeing as I didn't have to get up with an alarm, but my body said nope, not happening.
So many things are running through my head right now, and most of them are not good. I've mentioned in the past that Easter time scares me because so many bad things have happened at this time of year. This Thursday, Holy Thursday, marks 25 years since Greg was first diagnosed with cancer. I'll never forget that day. I'm not going to rehash it here. Suffice it to say, I was a terrified young wife, only 25 years old, with a one year old son. Fast forward to April 12, 2000 (Aaron's 9th birthday, by the way), and we find Greg having a bone marrow transplant. Tomorrow marks 17 years since his transplant. The day his brother saved his life. Since that first diagnosis, we had two miracle babies (chemo usually makes you sterile!), built a house, moved up north, opened and closed our own business, started raising chickens (who'd have thunk it!), and best of all, found new life in Jesus!
Now, almost 17 years to the day of his transplant, we are heading to the Oncologist office to find out how we are going to battle esophageal cancer. Greg is back to his usual (cancer fighting) self. Let's get this going! Whatever needs to be done, he does, usually with a smile while I'm the one cringing. It's a little different this time, because my girls are older. They were too young 17 years ago to really understand how horrific that time in our lives was and how scared I really was. Now, they are adults, and they are scared. While they were used to health issues with Greg, that was just his heart. I know that sounds callous, but when you have congestive heart failure, your family learns how to deal with frequent hospitalizations. This is different. I'm not sure how Aaron is feeling about this. He was 9 when Greg had his transplant. I know he remembers a lot of what happened. I just don't know how he's feeling about all this. To be honest, I'm scared, too. Who wouldn't be? We try to be tough and say, well, this is our third time dealing with cancer, we're used to it. But you know what, we're NOT used to it. No one EVER "gets used to it."
So, here I am rambling at 5 a.m., just waiting for time to pass before our appointment at noon.
So many things are running through my head right now, and most of them are not good. I've mentioned in the past that Easter time scares me because so many bad things have happened at this time of year. This Thursday, Holy Thursday, marks 25 years since Greg was first diagnosed with cancer. I'll never forget that day. I'm not going to rehash it here. Suffice it to say, I was a terrified young wife, only 25 years old, with a one year old son. Fast forward to April 12, 2000 (Aaron's 9th birthday, by the way), and we find Greg having a bone marrow transplant. Tomorrow marks 17 years since his transplant. The day his brother saved his life. Since that first diagnosis, we had two miracle babies (chemo usually makes you sterile!), built a house, moved up north, opened and closed our own business, started raising chickens (who'd have thunk it!), and best of all, found new life in Jesus!
Now, almost 17 years to the day of his transplant, we are heading to the Oncologist office to find out how we are going to battle esophageal cancer. Greg is back to his usual (cancer fighting) self. Let's get this going! Whatever needs to be done, he does, usually with a smile while I'm the one cringing. It's a little different this time, because my girls are older. They were too young 17 years ago to really understand how horrific that time in our lives was and how scared I really was. Now, they are adults, and they are scared. While they were used to health issues with Greg, that was just his heart. I know that sounds callous, but when you have congestive heart failure, your family learns how to deal with frequent hospitalizations. This is different. I'm not sure how Aaron is feeling about this. He was 9 when Greg had his transplant. I know he remembers a lot of what happened. I just don't know how he's feeling about all this. To be honest, I'm scared, too. Who wouldn't be? We try to be tough and say, well, this is our third time dealing with cancer, we're used to it. But you know what, we're NOT used to it. No one EVER "gets used to it."
So, here I am rambling at 5 a.m., just waiting for time to pass before our appointment at noon.
Wednesday, April 5, 2017
Preliminary PET scan report!
Greg had his second endoscopy yesterday at Aspirus in Medford. They had a problem getting an IV in again (they said he has "tough" skin), and his veins are shot from all the chemo he's had in the past. He was to have his PET scan today, and would need another IV. I woke up in the middle of the night thinking . . . why can't they leave the IV in, so he doesn't have to have it done again? Well, lo and behold, they checked with the providers doing the PET scan (Aspirus Hospital in Wausau), and they said SURE, they could definitely try to use the one from Tuesday, but if it didn't work, they would have to poke him again.
Fortunately for Greg, it worked and he did not have to be poked again! YAY! We certainly were not expecting any results today, but we did get preliminary results!
They do not believe they saw an swollen lymph nodes or spreading of his cancer! YAY! That is the BEST news we could have possibly received! PRAISE GOD!
We still do not know what stage his cancer is, but will find that out, along with our plan of attack on Tuesday. Please continue your prayers for Greg! Our AWESOME God is listening! Thank you, everyone!
Fortunately for Greg, it worked and he did not have to be poked again! YAY! We certainly were not expecting any results today, but we did get preliminary results!
They do not believe they saw an swollen lymph nodes or spreading of his cancer! YAY! That is the BEST news we could have possibly received! PRAISE GOD!
We still do not know what stage his cancer is, but will find that out, along with our plan of attack on Tuesday. Please continue your prayers for Greg! Our AWESOME God is listening! Thank you, everyone!
Tuesday, March 28, 2017
Endoscopy Results were NOT what we wanted.
So, I have been putting off this post for a couple days until we knew for certain, and today was the day. Greg had to have the endoscopy because he was having problems swallowing. As it turns out, the reason he is having trouble swallowing is because he has a mass in his esophagus. On Friday, the doctor told us that he would be "surprised if it wasn't cancer." He took biopsies and sent them to the pathologist.
Today, we got the results. Based on the sections that were examined, he has esophageal cancer. We don't know what stage yet or any other information. That's because the mass is rather high in his esophagus, which makes it hard to get to with the traditional endoscope.
Because we also don't know if it has metastasized (spread), he needs to have what is called a PET scan. Cancer cells show up as bright spots on PET scans because they have a higher metabolic rate than do normal cells, so it's the best test to use to see if the cancer has spread. PET Scan Info Greg is scheduled to have the PET scan this Friday, March 31, 2017.
The other test he needs to have done is similar to an endoscopy, but they will go through his nose, instead of throat. That way, they will have a clearer view of the tumor and be better able to take more biopsies. He's going to have that done on April 4th.
We have an appointment with the oncologist for April 11th. One day before the 17th anniversary of his Bone Marrow Transplant! When we see the oncologist, he will have the results from the tests, and will discuss with us a plan of action. Once we have that done, I will be in a much better place than I am right now. I HATE not knowing! Once we know what stage he's in and what we have to do to combat it, I will feel better and more confident. We've been through this before. We can do it again.
A little more background on this cancer. Seventeen years ago, Greg had a bone marrow transplant for Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma (you can read all about it here: Greg's Blog Starting in January, 2000 ) As part of his transplant, he had to have Total Body Irradiation (TBI). Not only that, but about two years after his transplant (in 2002), he was diagnosed with something called Barretts Esophagus. Unfortunately, between the TBI and Barretts Esophagus, he had little chance to avoid this diagnosis.
Greg was originally diagnosed with Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma on Holy Thursday in 1992. Aaron was just a year old at the time, and of course, neither of the girls were born yet. After the chemo he went through, they are my miracle babies! Greg was in remission for six years, and we found out his cancer had returned in November, 1998. He went through two years of chemo, trying to destroy the cancer, which didn't work. Our only option at that point was a Bone Marrow Transplant. Greg's brother, Tom, was a perfect match for him. The link goes to Tom's harvest page on Greg's blog.
So, that's where we're at right now. Your prayers will, of course, be appreciated.
Today, we got the results. Based on the sections that were examined, he has esophageal cancer. We don't know what stage yet or any other information. That's because the mass is rather high in his esophagus, which makes it hard to get to with the traditional endoscope.
Because we also don't know if it has metastasized (spread), he needs to have what is called a PET scan. Cancer cells show up as bright spots on PET scans because they have a higher metabolic rate than do normal cells, so it's the best test to use to see if the cancer has spread. PET Scan Info Greg is scheduled to have the PET scan this Friday, March 31, 2017.
The other test he needs to have done is similar to an endoscopy, but they will go through his nose, instead of throat. That way, they will have a clearer view of the tumor and be better able to take more biopsies. He's going to have that done on April 4th.
We have an appointment with the oncologist for April 11th. One day before the 17th anniversary of his Bone Marrow Transplant! When we see the oncologist, he will have the results from the tests, and will discuss with us a plan of action. Once we have that done, I will be in a much better place than I am right now. I HATE not knowing! Once we know what stage he's in and what we have to do to combat it, I will feel better and more confident. We've been through this before. We can do it again.
A little more background on this cancer. Seventeen years ago, Greg had a bone marrow transplant for Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma (you can read all about it here: Greg's Blog Starting in January, 2000 ) As part of his transplant, he had to have Total Body Irradiation (TBI). Not only that, but about two years after his transplant (in 2002), he was diagnosed with something called Barretts Esophagus. Unfortunately, between the TBI and Barretts Esophagus, he had little chance to avoid this diagnosis.
Greg was originally diagnosed with Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma on Holy Thursday in 1992. Aaron was just a year old at the time, and of course, neither of the girls were born yet. After the chemo he went through, they are my miracle babies! Greg was in remission for six years, and we found out his cancer had returned in November, 1998. He went through two years of chemo, trying to destroy the cancer, which didn't work. Our only option at that point was a Bone Marrow Transplant. Greg's brother, Tom, was a perfect match for him. The link goes to Tom's harvest page on Greg's blog.
So, that's where we're at right now. Your prayers will, of course, be appreciated.
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