This last month has just FLOWN by and we are thrilled! The days and months preceding March were slow and painful and every small victory was something to celebrate! Food and pain management became our top priority...our day in and day out consisted of keeping mom healthy enough to get to doctors appointments and back home. This is no longer the case. Mom is on her way back. :)
She is spending over an hour in the pool at physical therapy and getting stronger everyday. Her white blood cell count, though low with chemo, jumps back up pretty quickly and she has been given permission to fly to California when our baby is due! It's still over 7 weeks away, which should give her enough time to build up some more endurance. Mom still sleeps quite a bit, especially if I wear her out, which is just about everyday. :)
It has been exactly sixth months since her surgery, and it has been, quite honestly, the hardest sixth months in memory, but we have been extremely blessed. We never wish to relive January of 2011 ever again (it was the hardest month), yikes, and we are so glad to be on the other side. She still has a long way to go, but the days are better (and getting warmer!) and we are excited for this new chapter.
This weekend will be my last weekend here in Spokane before I head home to be with France and get ready for the baby. Mom and I are excited to relax and watch General Conference, it has always brought us such peace. It has been 6 years since dad passed away and it happened to be the weekend before the spring General Conference of 2005. The timing was not coincidental, we were reminded of how blessed we are that we have been sealed as a family and will be reunited after this life; in short, that we get to be a family forever. I firmly believe that. Easter soon followed and the reminder of Christ's resurrection had never been so poignant.
For the blessings of peace in my life I am truly thankful. We know that not only is our Heavenly Father looking out for us, but so is my mom's sweetheart, our dad. I know that Heavenly Father has a plan for each of us, and though times get downright tough and seemingly unbearable, we are never alone.
I just want to thank all our friends and family again for all your help, we couldn't have made it this far without you, and I know she will be in amazing hands when I go. As I tell both France and my mom, I am EXCITED OUT OF MY MIND TO GO HOME and be a full-time WIFE again and a new mother :) But I will always be grateful for the time I have spent with my own mother, she is an amazing example of faith and endurance and the girl is tough as nails.
Thank you for all your support and your prayers, I will still keep up the blog and will post pictures soon, mom is looking amazing!
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
February!!!!
Hello all!
Mom is eating. Her inspired nurse Mary had the genius idea to get mom some seasickness patches to help with the nausea! They work like a charm! She was able to start keeping food down. Mom currently has more energy then she has since last fall! She is slowing expanding her stomach, which has shrunk from the lack of food and the energy she is getting from eating is helping her at physical therapy. Mom goes to PT three times a week and does an aquatic program. She is so cute in the pool. The temperature is 94° and she walks back and forth and does leg exercises. We were wondering if it would help and goodness, we see a difference after just three weeks! She can now stay in the pool for up to 45 minutes, she started out at 20. Her physical therapist started her in the pool because her current physical ability was classified as 'overall deconditioned.' Yep, we knew that! She loves the pool too and could hang out in it all day.
She still has lots of nausea and stomach pain and we had another scope at the hospital yesterday to see if there has been any progress in healing and she still has gastritis in her esophagus and stomach lining. Her doctors think that the chemo is causing all the ruckus. Mom has just finished her second round of maintenance chemo, where she takes a high dosage of Temodar (chemo) for five days and then gets a three week break. During those three weeks her stomach can recuperate some before it gets torn up again with the Temodar. So we won't see her tummy return to normal for a while. BUT we are so grateful she is eating! She did get to have a few bites of pizza the other night, and though it tasted good, it made her nice and sick. So we are sticking to the basic bland foods for awhile longer. :)
France was able to come up for the weekend (three day weekends are amazing!) and hang out with us. He's so amazing and mom and I just love him (me especially!).
FAQ's: We have been getting a lot of the same questions asked to us in emails, texts and phone calls and I will attempt to answer them here,
1. When will she be done with chemo?
Mom's maintenance chemo is determined by her oncologist. We don't know how long she will be on it. We just follow orders. :)
2. Can I come visit?
Mom's white blood cell count has been compromised by the chemo and therefore her immune system is very weak and we have been cautioned about having visitors. Plus, it tires her out very quickly as most people want to know 'exactly how she is doing' and rehashing her cancer battle isn't an easy conversation to have. :)
3. (For lack of a better phrase) Are you ignoring me?
Ok, we are HORRIBLE at getting back to people. Yes we do screen phone calls, we turn phones off and send you away when you come to the door sometimes. Mom sleeps a lot. Sorry. We couldn't appreciate your support more, and we have needed it every step of the way...and still do! It's simply the fact that moms health is the priority.
4. Is there anything I can do to help?
Yes. Pray! Also, Kelsey is a little bored with us (as I am sure you can imagine) and he loves spending time with anyone! If anybody wants to have him over for dinner or family night or anything it makes his day! He loves it and mom loves hearing about all the fun he is having! He is a good kid and his Aspergers can be difficult to understand at times, but he means well and is very polite. :)
5. How are YOU doing Lindsay?
I get asked this one a lot. It's true. Being a caretaker is one of the most difficult things to go through. Watching someone that you love go from perfectly happy and spunky to having a life threatening disease and watch them suffer is horrible. I am being blunt here. I am here every step of the way with her, yet I can't make it better, I can't fix her. I can only help get her to the people who can and make sure she is taking any one of the 10 medications she is on properly and I can be her cheerleader. That being said, I tell her all the time that this is the place I want to be, at her side and fighting with her. France and I are on the same page and I couldn't do this without him. Also, as many of you know, I am 6 months pregnant, which makes things a bit more interesting and emotional. :). I will be having our little boy down in California and that does make my time here limited as I need to be going to the doctor in CA for at least 6 weeks before he comes. This has given us the motivation she needs to get better so she can be there when he is born. We sure are trying. So, all in all, I am doing great.
Ok, if I have offended anyone, I am so sorry! The last thing we want you to think is we are devoid of gratitude. We are not. We talk daily about the miracles of prayer and fasting and how thankful we are to have the most amazing friends and family in the world. We still love all your cards and emails and notes of encouragement!!!! Seriously! They brighten her day in ways that you wouldn't believe! We love you all SOOO much! And mom can't wait to have you all over to party someday. :) Again, we are just so grateful. You'll never know what you mean to us.
All our love,
Lindsay (& Sheri)
Mom is eating. Her inspired nurse Mary had the genius idea to get mom some seasickness patches to help with the nausea! They work like a charm! She was able to start keeping food down. Mom currently has more energy then she has since last fall! She is slowing expanding her stomach, which has shrunk from the lack of food and the energy she is getting from eating is helping her at physical therapy. Mom goes to PT three times a week and does an aquatic program. She is so cute in the pool. The temperature is 94° and she walks back and forth and does leg exercises. We were wondering if it would help and goodness, we see a difference after just three weeks! She can now stay in the pool for up to 45 minutes, she started out at 20. Her physical therapist started her in the pool because her current physical ability was classified as 'overall deconditioned.' Yep, we knew that! She loves the pool too and could hang out in it all day.
She still has lots of nausea and stomach pain and we had another scope at the hospital yesterday to see if there has been any progress in healing and she still has gastritis in her esophagus and stomach lining. Her doctors think that the chemo is causing all the ruckus. Mom has just finished her second round of maintenance chemo, where she takes a high dosage of Temodar (chemo) for five days and then gets a three week break. During those three weeks her stomach can recuperate some before it gets torn up again with the Temodar. So we won't see her tummy return to normal for a while. BUT we are so grateful she is eating! She did get to have a few bites of pizza the other night, and though it tasted good, it made her nice and sick. So we are sticking to the basic bland foods for awhile longer. :)
France was able to come up for the weekend (three day weekends are amazing!) and hang out with us. He's so amazing and mom and I just love him (me especially!).
FAQ's: We have been getting a lot of the same questions asked to us in emails, texts and phone calls and I will attempt to answer them here,
1. When will she be done with chemo?
Mom's maintenance chemo is determined by her oncologist. We don't know how long she will be on it. We just follow orders. :)
2. Can I come visit?
Mom's white blood cell count has been compromised by the chemo and therefore her immune system is very weak and we have been cautioned about having visitors. Plus, it tires her out very quickly as most people want to know 'exactly how she is doing' and rehashing her cancer battle isn't an easy conversation to have. :)
3. (For lack of a better phrase) Are you ignoring me?
Ok, we are HORRIBLE at getting back to people. Yes we do screen phone calls, we turn phones off and send you away when you come to the door sometimes. Mom sleeps a lot. Sorry. We couldn't appreciate your support more, and we have needed it every step of the way...and still do! It's simply the fact that moms health is the priority.
4. Is there anything I can do to help?
Yes. Pray! Also, Kelsey is a little bored with us (as I am sure you can imagine) and he loves spending time with anyone! If anybody wants to have him over for dinner or family night or anything it makes his day! He loves it and mom loves hearing about all the fun he is having! He is a good kid and his Aspergers can be difficult to understand at times, but he means well and is very polite. :)
5. How are YOU doing Lindsay?
I get asked this one a lot. It's true. Being a caretaker is one of the most difficult things to go through. Watching someone that you love go from perfectly happy and spunky to having a life threatening disease and watch them suffer is horrible. I am being blunt here. I am here every step of the way with her, yet I can't make it better, I can't fix her. I can only help get her to the people who can and make sure she is taking any one of the 10 medications she is on properly and I can be her cheerleader. That being said, I tell her all the time that this is the place I want to be, at her side and fighting with her. France and I are on the same page and I couldn't do this without him. Also, as many of you know, I am 6 months pregnant, which makes things a bit more interesting and emotional. :). I will be having our little boy down in California and that does make my time here limited as I need to be going to the doctor in CA for at least 6 weeks before he comes. This has given us the motivation she needs to get better so she can be there when he is born. We sure are trying. So, all in all, I am doing great.
Ok, if I have offended anyone, I am so sorry! The last thing we want you to think is we are devoid of gratitude. We are not. We talk daily about the miracles of prayer and fasting and how thankful we are to have the most amazing friends and family in the world. We still love all your cards and emails and notes of encouragement!!!! Seriously! They brighten her day in ways that you wouldn't believe! We love you all SOOO much! And mom can't wait to have you all over to party someday. :) Again, we are just so grateful. You'll never know what you mean to us.
All our love,
Lindsay (& Sheri)
Friday, January 28, 2011
January Update
Well, this is the longest we've gone without a post and it's time for an update!
Since our last post we have had bad days and okay days. We love okay days. But in reality, everyday is a great day because it's another day we get to have. We are sooo thankful for any progress and for your constant prayers. Seriously. We wouldn't be here without you and all your faith!
Since the beginning of January, Mom has recovered from gall bladder surgery and continued on a course to heal her digestive system. Her nausea and headaches haven't subsided much, but she has been able to keep down some chicken noodle soup once in a while. Mom has been existing on clinical grade nutrition shakes that she drinks 4-6 times a day (thank you Trotters!). She really would like to just eat a pizza, that will be a great day :).
She healed up quickly enough from the surgery to start her maintenance round of chemotherapy last Thursday. She takes it for 5 days and then gets 3 weeks off. This will go on for a number of months. She was also able to start up on the study again YAY! So as far as cancer treatment goes, she is back on track. In order to start the trial drug she needed to get another MRI and it came back totally clean! YAY!
I write this post today from the Cancer center in the Chemotherapy Suite, mom has been in getting fluids for dehydration. She's doing fine. We are just hanging out talking about life. :) It takes about 2.5 hours to get a full 'hydration' treatment.
I just want to thank all of you who have taken care of mom the last two weeks. I was able to go home and see France in CA and be a wife! To those of you who spent the night, took her to appointments, fed Kelsey and just kept mom company, thank you. You'll never know what it means to our family to have your help.
Again, thank you for your prayers. I cannot describe adequately in the English language (or any language!) what it means to our family. We love you and thank you so much.
Since our last post we have had bad days and okay days. We love okay days. But in reality, everyday is a great day because it's another day we get to have. We are sooo thankful for any progress and for your constant prayers. Seriously. We wouldn't be here without you and all your faith!
Since the beginning of January, Mom has recovered from gall bladder surgery and continued on a course to heal her digestive system. Her nausea and headaches haven't subsided much, but she has been able to keep down some chicken noodle soup once in a while. Mom has been existing on clinical grade nutrition shakes that she drinks 4-6 times a day (thank you Trotters!). She really would like to just eat a pizza, that will be a great day :).
She healed up quickly enough from the surgery to start her maintenance round of chemotherapy last Thursday. She takes it for 5 days and then gets 3 weeks off. This will go on for a number of months. She was also able to start up on the study again YAY! So as far as cancer treatment goes, she is back on track. In order to start the trial drug she needed to get another MRI and it came back totally clean! YAY!
I write this post today from the Cancer center in the Chemotherapy Suite, mom has been in getting fluids for dehydration. She's doing fine. We are just hanging out talking about life. :) It takes about 2.5 hours to get a full 'hydration' treatment.
I just want to thank all of you who have taken care of mom the last two weeks. I was able to go home and see France in CA and be a wife! To those of you who spent the night, took her to appointments, fed Kelsey and just kept mom company, thank you. You'll never know what it means to our family to have your help.
Again, thank you for your prayers. I cannot describe adequately in the English language (or any language!) what it means to our family. We love you and thank you so much.
Sunday, January 9, 2011
News
After the last post, much has happened. The euphoria we have felt from the tumor being gone has not been replaced, it has though, been dimmed a bit. In the next 48 hours we completed two more Gastronomical tests (totaling 5) and went into another surgery, this time to remove her "icky" gallbladder. The surgery went well and we were in and out in one day, and France was there to help (he is such a lovely trooper). We thought this would help, and it did to some extent, she had color in her face again and her stomach shrunk just a bit, but the symptoms and the burning in her stomach have remained.
Mom has not eaten properly in almost 6 weeks. She is existing on clinical grade nutrition shakes. 1 scoop, 6x's a day. If we are lucky she makes it to six. Once in a while she'll have a few bites of toast or maybe an 1/8 of a can of chicken noodle soup, but that's it. Eating is very painful and the progress we thought we would be making by now has been pushed back. She still is in bed, still in much pain.
I don't mean to be a downer, but sometimes life is much harder than other times and though we are having tough times, we count our blessings daily. She is alive. Her tumor is no longer present. Her family is doing well and we have our faith and our testimonies. So we may be a little cloudy here at the bird house and it seems when it rains it pours, but there's always a rainbow to look forward too. Please rainbow! Come quick!!!!!
If we could ask, yet again, for prayers and fasting, we would be eternally grateful. We have 5 different doctors working on the case, 7 bajillion prescriptions and homeopathic treatments we are working through and we are recognizing that we need one more thing, another miracle. We are discouraged, but hopeful, frustrated, but optimistic, but most importantly, we are continually grateful to our Father in Heaven for giving us the opportunity to pray and to ask for help.
Thank you for the love. -The Birds
After the last post, much has happened. The euphoria we have felt from the tumor being gone has not been replaced, it has though, been dimmed a bit. In the next 48 hours we completed two more Gastronomical tests (totaling 5) and went into another surgery, this time to remove her "icky" gallbladder. The surgery went well and we were in and out in one day, and France was there to help (he is such a lovely trooper). We thought this would help, and it did to some extent, she had color in her face again and her stomach shrunk just a bit, but the symptoms and the burning in her stomach have remained.
Mom has not eaten properly in almost 6 weeks. She is existing on clinical grade nutrition shakes. 1 scoop, 6x's a day. If we are lucky she makes it to six. Once in a while she'll have a few bites of toast or maybe an 1/8 of a can of chicken noodle soup, but that's it. Eating is very painful and the progress we thought we would be making by now has been pushed back. She still is in bed, still in much pain.
I don't mean to be a downer, but sometimes life is much harder than other times and though we are having tough times, we count our blessings daily. She is alive. Her tumor is no longer present. Her family is doing well and we have our faith and our testimonies. So we may be a little cloudy here at the bird house and it seems when it rains it pours, but there's always a rainbow to look forward too. Please rainbow! Come quick!!!!!
If we could ask, yet again, for prayers and fasting, we would be eternally grateful. We have 5 different doctors working on the case, 7 bajillion prescriptions and homeopathic treatments we are working through and we are recognizing that we need one more thing, another miracle. We are discouraged, but hopeful, frustrated, but optimistic, but most importantly, we are continually grateful to our Father in Heaven for giving us the opportunity to pray and to ask for help.
Thank you for the love. -The Birds
Monday, December 27, 2010
The tumor is gone.
There are no traces of it left.
Her brain is healing beautifully.
Miracles happen. Prayer works.
We can never thank you enough.
As the tumor was aggressive and malignant, we keep fighting, we keep praying and we keep having faith that all her MRI's that she will have about every 90 days will have the same result, no tumor.
We begin maintenance Chemotherapy this week, we also have more appointments tomorrow to determine the digestion pain. But today, we are thankful. We are thankful most especially to our Father in Heaven who is in charge.
And now we pray some more. :)
There are no traces of it left.
Her brain is healing beautifully.
Miracles happen. Prayer works.
We can never thank you enough.
As the tumor was aggressive and malignant, we keep fighting, we keep praying and we keep having faith that all her MRI's that she will have about every 90 days will have the same result, no tumor.
We begin maintenance Chemotherapy this week, we also have more appointments tomorrow to determine the digestion pain. But today, we are thankful. We are thankful most especially to our Father in Heaven who is in charge.
And now we pray some more. :)
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Reality Check
Merry Christmas everyone!
Lets get to the nitty gritty. As usual, a lot and not a lot, has happened here at the Bird house. Mom has been finished with ChemRad for 20 days now. Time flies!!!
GOOD News!
Since December 2nd, mom has slowly come off steroids and other medications and her brain has had time to adjust and heal from all the surgery and radiation. Her scar down the right side of her head is looking prettier every day! Her hair is growing back in some places and has not grown back in other places, we heard it takes 3-6 months to see what really is going to grow back (we're crossing our fingers!), though her hair is the least of our concerns. :) We have had many friends drop by and say "hello" and drop off yummy treats, which her children have totally been enjoying for her.
We have fun going through the mail everyday and reading all the get well and Christmas cards! We love hearing your news and seeing how your families have grown and changed over the last year, thank you so much for sending them. Mom and I did all our shopping on Amazon Prime (the man who invented it should be given the Noble Peace Prize) and we eagerly awaited the arrival of France and Brett who are HERE and are so helpful! We love having our boys!
Elder Bird in Arizona is doing wonderfully and he and mom share some funny emails back and forth as mom is still typing poorly (or as Jake likes to say "she writes in Vulcan"). We are excited to talk to him on Christmas Day! Jen & Todd and the girls are having Christmas is Savannah and we will be video chatting with them as often as possible! Sienna took her first real walk across the room the other day when she heard "Grandma Sheri" on the computer and came over to say hi! Mom and Jen both shed some tears as Sienna remembered Grandma Sheri so well after living in Spokane for a year. Needless to say, mom loved it. We are all happy it's Christmas and we get to spend some much needed time together. :)
NOT So Good News
Since ChemRad, mom has not been feeling well, at all. In fact, she has been the worse she's ever been. Her legs have atrophied to the point of where walking anywhere is difficult, we cannot leave the house much, if we do, we make sure the place we are going has a wheel chair so we can push her around. She has also had severe pains in her abdomen and esophagus. She cannot eat hardly anything, just some broth, chicken and rice here and there and maybe a little oatmeal, then once it's in her system it causes a lot of burning in her stomach and other painful symptoms.
In the last four weeks mom has been through so many tests and Drs appointments to determine the cause of her pain. We have had scopes, ultrasounds, blood tests and UA's. All of which are inconclusive. She has been on so many different pills we can hardly keep up anymore as the dosages and frequencies change daily. Let me just say, her doctors are SAINTS! They want to help her as quickly as possible and hopefully soon we can have her out of some pain. We pray continually for her. For those of you who have been through ChemRad or know someone who has, you know it's not easy. In fact, it's quite the reality check. We are on a long road to recovery and sometimes we feel as though we have only just begun.
Tomorrow is Mom's MRI to see what the results of all of the surgeries and treatments have been. They are going to see her brain tomorrow. They are going to be looking for signs of a tumor tomorrow. Tomorrow is a bit of a scary day. It's also a hopeful day as we KNOW that ALL THE PRAYERS ARE WORKING and we need them now more than ever. Please pray for her tomorrow if you can. Please. We are going to plead for this beautiful woman's life. We can ask for that, and we will.
We will hear the results on Monday and the results will be the Christmas miracle we are all hoping for.
We love you, we thank you. Miracles are wrought through prayer. It's true. Christ lives and he loves us! Merry Christmas everyone!
Love, The BIRDS
Lets get to the nitty gritty. As usual, a lot and not a lot, has happened here at the Bird house. Mom has been finished with ChemRad for 20 days now. Time flies!!!
GOOD News!
Since December 2nd, mom has slowly come off steroids and other medications and her brain has had time to adjust and heal from all the surgery and radiation. Her scar down the right side of her head is looking prettier every day! Her hair is growing back in some places and has not grown back in other places, we heard it takes 3-6 months to see what really is going to grow back (we're crossing our fingers!), though her hair is the least of our concerns. :) We have had many friends drop by and say "hello" and drop off yummy treats, which her children have totally been enjoying for her.
We have fun going through the mail everyday and reading all the get well and Christmas cards! We love hearing your news and seeing how your families have grown and changed over the last year, thank you so much for sending them. Mom and I did all our shopping on Amazon Prime (the man who invented it should be given the Noble Peace Prize) and we eagerly awaited the arrival of France and Brett who are HERE and are so helpful! We love having our boys!
Elder Bird in Arizona is doing wonderfully and he and mom share some funny emails back and forth as mom is still typing poorly (or as Jake likes to say "she writes in Vulcan"). We are excited to talk to him on Christmas Day! Jen & Todd and the girls are having Christmas is Savannah and we will be video chatting with them as often as possible! Sienna took her first real walk across the room the other day when she heard "Grandma Sheri" on the computer and came over to say hi! Mom and Jen both shed some tears as Sienna remembered Grandma Sheri so well after living in Spokane for a year. Needless to say, mom loved it. We are all happy it's Christmas and we get to spend some much needed time together. :)
NOT So Good News
Since ChemRad, mom has not been feeling well, at all. In fact, she has been the worse she's ever been. Her legs have atrophied to the point of where walking anywhere is difficult, we cannot leave the house much, if we do, we make sure the place we are going has a wheel chair so we can push her around. She has also had severe pains in her abdomen and esophagus. She cannot eat hardly anything, just some broth, chicken and rice here and there and maybe a little oatmeal, then once it's in her system it causes a lot of burning in her stomach and other painful symptoms.
In the last four weeks mom has been through so many tests and Drs appointments to determine the cause of her pain. We have had scopes, ultrasounds, blood tests and UA's. All of which are inconclusive. She has been on so many different pills we can hardly keep up anymore as the dosages and frequencies change daily. Let me just say, her doctors are SAINTS! They want to help her as quickly as possible and hopefully soon we can have her out of some pain. We pray continually for her. For those of you who have been through ChemRad or know someone who has, you know it's not easy. In fact, it's quite the reality check. We are on a long road to recovery and sometimes we feel as though we have only just begun.
Tomorrow is Mom's MRI to see what the results of all of the surgeries and treatments have been. They are going to see her brain tomorrow. They are going to be looking for signs of a tumor tomorrow. Tomorrow is a bit of a scary day. It's also a hopeful day as we KNOW that ALL THE PRAYERS ARE WORKING and we need them now more than ever. Please pray for her tomorrow if you can. Please. We are going to plead for this beautiful woman's life. We can ask for that, and we will.
We will hear the results on Monday and the results will be the Christmas miracle we are all hoping for.
We love you, we thank you. Miracles are wrought through prayer. It's true. Christ lives and he loves us! Merry Christmas everyone!
Love, The BIRDS
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
The End of ChemRad!!!
Hey everyone!!!!
So mom finished her 7 weeks of ChemRad last Thursday, so it's been a week since she's been done! We celebrated the next day by taking her to the 2D version of 'Tangled' (the 3D would have been TOO much!). We LOVED it and it totally exhausted her and she slept the rest of the day.
We were anticipating some hard times coming off all the drugs and radiation as the side effects can be a bit harsh. We didn't have to wait long! As radiation 'seeps out' she is even more tired if you can believe it! She has slowly been allowed to cut down on steroids and little did we know that the steroids, besides making her a bit un-Sheri-like, have been giving her artificial bursts of energy that she so looks forward too everyday. The steroids have also atrophied her legs quite a bit-I tell her she has Jake Sully legs from Avatar-which is not funny and totally inappropriate, but hey, we laugh every time.
She also has been having some major stomach issues as all the drugs have torn up her little tummy. We have been trying all sorts of antacids that the doctor recommended, but to no avail, no relief has come. Finally we took her into the hospital yesterday as the pain had worsened and she's pretty bored of oatmeal and dried toast and ta-da! We got some MORE medication. But it IS working! Yay! All of the side effects are totally normal bytheway.
For better news: She is OFF steroids completely as of today, she is so excited! It still takes time for them to leave the body entirely though. Also, her hair is starting to grow back in 'like a weed' :). AND we got to have Thanksgiving a few weeks ago with Brett & France! France & I pulled together dinner (with Mom's help of course) and the boys helped by cleaning their plates and the kitchen! We set up the tree and have been enjoying all the pretty lights! It's funny, the timing of things. Mom's favorite holiday is Christmas and she gets the WHOLE month of December off of Chemo to enjoy it (until she starts up again the 27th for maintenance, which we will explain soon!). What a blessing.
We live one day at a time here at the Bird's and we are not sure what the next few weeks will bring as she continues to rest! But we sure look forward to having Brett & France back soon and cuddling up in Mom's room watching movies, playing games and just being a family.
Thank you so much for everything. You'll never fully know the impact your prayers and service have had on our family. We are so incredibly grateful and blessed to have you all in our lives. We have unwavering faith in the plan that God has for us and are excited to be celebrating the birth of our beloved Savior this month. Christ lives and loves us! Hope all is well with you and yours. We love reading everyone's messages, they are so fun and inspiring! Thank you thank you thank you!!!!
So mom finished her 7 weeks of ChemRad last Thursday, so it's been a week since she's been done! We celebrated the next day by taking her to the 2D version of 'Tangled' (the 3D would have been TOO much!). We LOVED it and it totally exhausted her and she slept the rest of the day.
We were anticipating some hard times coming off all the drugs and radiation as the side effects can be a bit harsh. We didn't have to wait long! As radiation 'seeps out' she is even more tired if you can believe it! She has slowly been allowed to cut down on steroids and little did we know that the steroids, besides making her a bit un-Sheri-like, have been giving her artificial bursts of energy that she so looks forward too everyday. The steroids have also atrophied her legs quite a bit-I tell her she has Jake Sully legs from Avatar-which is not funny and totally inappropriate, but hey, we laugh every time.
She also has been having some major stomach issues as all the drugs have torn up her little tummy. We have been trying all sorts of antacids that the doctor recommended, but to no avail, no relief has come. Finally we took her into the hospital yesterday as the pain had worsened and she's pretty bored of oatmeal and dried toast and ta-da! We got some MORE medication. But it IS working! Yay! All of the side effects are totally normal bytheway.
For better news: She is OFF steroids completely as of today, she is so excited! It still takes time for them to leave the body entirely though. Also, her hair is starting to grow back in 'like a weed' :). AND we got to have Thanksgiving a few weeks ago with Brett & France! France & I pulled together dinner (with Mom's help of course) and the boys helped by cleaning their plates and the kitchen! We set up the tree and have been enjoying all the pretty lights! It's funny, the timing of things. Mom's favorite holiday is Christmas and she gets the WHOLE month of December off of Chemo to enjoy it (until she starts up again the 27th for maintenance, which we will explain soon!). What a blessing.
We live one day at a time here at the Bird's and we are not sure what the next few weeks will bring as she continues to rest! But we sure look forward to having Brett & France back soon and cuddling up in Mom's room watching movies, playing games and just being a family.
Thank you so much for everything. You'll never fully know the impact your prayers and service have had on our family. We are so incredibly grateful and blessed to have you all in our lives. We have unwavering faith in the plan that God has for us and are excited to be celebrating the birth of our beloved Savior this month. Christ lives and loves us! Hope all is well with you and yours. We love reading everyone's messages, they are so fun and inspiring! Thank you thank you thank you!!!!
Saturday, November 20, 2010
Updatey
Hey Ya'll!
Ok so yes, it has been quite awhile. Thankfully that means we are two weeks closer to being DONE with CHEMRAD!!! Wahoo!
In the last two weeks there has been many changes, and a lot of sameness, let me explain:
Concerning ChemRad, we still have a radiation treatment every morning M-F. The effects of which are many and varied. Firstly, It's WORKING! The doctors are thrilled at her progress! Second, it causes her great amounts of discomfort, due mainly to the 'cocktail' of drugs she takes to help her through the process. Her legs have atrophied quite a bit. She has lost the majority of her lovely hair. Her sleep is more like 'restless rest' and the steroids are still...well....steroids, and we cannot WAIT to be off of them (though she is being slowly weaned off of them which is helping!).
As for her lovely hair, she still has her eyebrows and eyelashes which complement her....NEW WIGS!!!! I have pictures and will post them soon. They are pretty cool wigs too. I should mention that the back part of her hair, beyond where the radiation is hitting is still there, enough for a little ponytail even, and we have decided to keep it and allow the new hair to fill in around. No shaving the head on this one!
Mom started the experimental drug last Wednesday and was on an IV drip for 90 minutes. She slept mostly, I read 'Spokane' magazine. It was a long 90 minutes. :) (That'll teach me to come unprepared). We have our next drip this Wednesday, and Brett will be with us! France flies in later that day and then we get a BREAK for Turkey Day. Mom is so excited to have almost all her kids home.
Again, we ask for your prayers and hope to organize a fast in a couple of weeks around the time of her next MRI! She continually feels your prayers and the prayers from Temple Rolls. I read her ALL the mail, all the cards ALL the FB messages, emails etc! Thank you for sending all that love her way.
We love you, appreciate you and are full of gratitude that we can never properly convey. So know that what you are doing is working. Heavenly Father hears your prayers. Every single one.
Ok so yes, it has been quite awhile. Thankfully that means we are two weeks closer to being DONE with CHEMRAD!!! Wahoo!
In the last two weeks there has been many changes, and a lot of sameness, let me explain:
Concerning ChemRad, we still have a radiation treatment every morning M-F. The effects of which are many and varied. Firstly, It's WORKING! The doctors are thrilled at her progress! Second, it causes her great amounts of discomfort, due mainly to the 'cocktail' of drugs she takes to help her through the process. Her legs have atrophied quite a bit. She has lost the majority of her lovely hair. Her sleep is more like 'restless rest' and the steroids are still...well....steroids, and we cannot WAIT to be off of them (though she is being slowly weaned off of them which is helping!).
As for her lovely hair, she still has her eyebrows and eyelashes which complement her....NEW WIGS!!!! I have pictures and will post them soon. They are pretty cool wigs too. I should mention that the back part of her hair, beyond where the radiation is hitting is still there, enough for a little ponytail even, and we have decided to keep it and allow the new hair to fill in around. No shaving the head on this one!
Mom started the experimental drug last Wednesday and was on an IV drip for 90 minutes. She slept mostly, I read 'Spokane' magazine. It was a long 90 minutes. :) (That'll teach me to come unprepared). We have our next drip this Wednesday, and Brett will be with us! France flies in later that day and then we get a BREAK for Turkey Day. Mom is so excited to have almost all her kids home.
Again, we ask for your prayers and hope to organize a fast in a couple of weeks around the time of her next MRI! She continually feels your prayers and the prayers from Temple Rolls. I read her ALL the mail, all the cards ALL the FB messages, emails etc! Thank you for sending all that love her way.
We love you, appreciate you and are full of gratitude that we can never properly convey. So know that what you are doing is working. Heavenly Father hears your prayers. Every single one.
Saturday, November 6, 2010
Communication...
And that was her last post for awhile!!! :)
Lindsay here. I have grounded my mother. She has developed some nocturnal activities that are exhausting her and so the poor thing is grounded. No more 3 am blog posts or cooking sprees. So just for an update she is doing well, great, fantastic, amazing etc, BUT she is just plum tuckered out ALL the time.
I just want to let you all know, I have grounded her from her email and her phone as well. We have so many amazing friends and family members calling the house and her cell and I can tell you she will not be getting back to you.... for awhile, I have found that she tries to sneak communication when I am not looking and her current state and steroids have caused some interesting (for a lack of a better term) conversations that she may look back on later asking me 'why oh why did you let me talk to people while I was on drugs!?!'
So in order for us not to offend, we are just letting you know that if she/we don't get back to you to please not take it personally. If she does, lucky you, because her spelling and grammar will cause a chuckle. I still read her all the comments and Facebook messages everyday and they light up her life. She loves you all so much that she wants to talk to ALL of you and just physically can't. THANK YOU for all your continued support.
These are her hardest days. She has lost a great amount of hair and her comb-over doesn't seem to be doing the trick anymore :). We are working on what to do to keep this woman stylish!
I just want to thank you all for you help. Just letting us know you are praying and thinking about us HELPS. BIG TIME. We feel like we are in a bubble right now and want you all to know that we are ALL sludge-ing through some kind of mud in our lives, you the reader are going through tough times and we probably have no idea. Hang in there!!!! Whether our trials are visible to the world or not, they are still trials, they are tough and boy do they exhaust us all. So we know that we are not the only ones with cancer, we are not the only ones with husbands in Afghanistan, we are not the only ones with a family member with disabilities and we are not the only ones who feel lonely at times. Thank goodness for the Gospel huh? We are never alone.
Enjoy your weekend, it always seems to get darker before the sun rises doesn't it?
Lindsay here. I have grounded my mother. She has developed some nocturnal activities that are exhausting her and so the poor thing is grounded. No more 3 am blog posts or cooking sprees. So just for an update she is doing well, great, fantastic, amazing etc, BUT she is just plum tuckered out ALL the time.
I just want to let you all know, I have grounded her from her email and her phone as well. We have so many amazing friends and family members calling the house and her cell and I can tell you she will not be getting back to you.... for awhile, I have found that she tries to sneak communication when I am not looking and her current state and steroids have caused some interesting (for a lack of a better term) conversations that she may look back on later asking me 'why oh why did you let me talk to people while I was on drugs!?!'
So in order for us not to offend, we are just letting you know that if she/we don't get back to you to please not take it personally. If she does, lucky you, because her spelling and grammar will cause a chuckle. I still read her all the comments and Facebook messages everyday and they light up her life. She loves you all so much that she wants to talk to ALL of you and just physically can't. THANK YOU for all your continued support.
These are her hardest days. She has lost a great amount of hair and her comb-over doesn't seem to be doing the trick anymore :). We are working on what to do to keep this woman stylish!
I just want to thank you all for you help. Just letting us know you are praying and thinking about us HELPS. BIG TIME. We feel like we are in a bubble right now and want you all to know that we are ALL sludge-ing through some kind of mud in our lives, you the reader are going through tough times and we probably have no idea. Hang in there!!!! Whether our trials are visible to the world or not, they are still trials, they are tough and boy do they exhaust us all. So we know that we are not the only ones with cancer, we are not the only ones with husbands in Afghanistan, we are not the only ones with a family member with disabilities and we are not the only ones who feel lonely at times. Thank goodness for the Gospel huh? We are never alone.
Enjoy your weekend, it always seems to get darker before the sun rises doesn't it?
Tithing/fast offerings/gratitude
With five days of radiation, you get the weekends off. (you still take all your many RX'S but its basically a weekend pass from as I lovingly call it :being fried" And then you start up again on Monday. Last weekend was hard, but I think It it was just the unknown. I am grateful for the blessings from the Lord to help me recognize when I need to pay attention, slow down, drink more water, all body stuff.
This is my first attempt to write on this blog, I must admit I was one to never like the lime light...and a little embarrassed when I found that the girls had done this, but they said it has helped to answer and update family and then they basically said, we did it...end of discussion.
Jennifer and her girls are now happily moved to Georgia and Lindsay my nurse, right arm women, amazingly has been blessed to be here we me. Thanks girls..I love you.
I had a neat experience this week, too many to tell, but one sticks out and I felt impressed to write it down.
I have always been a tithing payer-will a man rob God? I admit when I was a teenager it was when I got around to it. As a young married, I always paid at the end of the month, never knew any difference, knew it to be a commandment, knew it to be the right thing to do. Commandment, you need to to get your Temple recommend, but probably never really had studied it, It Just a check mark on the oil lamp "its just what you do stick"
At my tithing settlement about two years ago my Bishop asked me about my fast offering and wanted to know if I thought I was paying a generous fast offering? I did not know what a generous one was as my husband as my dear husband had always taken care of that side of our finances and I just paid it.And at this point in my life I was still in the "widow" mind of snow tires, furnace needs fixed, sprinklers need blown out...kids on missions (I call it the trying to find the balance of being a Mom/Dad syndrome. Of all the things I wish Keith had compiled for me before he passed away, he forgot one thing...."COULD YOU HAVE AT LEAST LEFT ME A MAP OF THE SPRINKLER SYSTEM?" I may use that for a book someday.
Put your seat belts on kids, this is a long one. I may be banned from writing after the girls see this.
Back to tithing~So the Bishop made a few suggestions and then asked me to pray about it and I would know what to do. Seemed easy enough. I prayed, thought about it and followed his council. Again....check mark.
About 6 months to a year ago I had felt an extra need in my life to get very close to the Lord. Really close. I had the impression that I was going to need him more then ever. I was not scared, but it was an uneasy feeling that would not pass.
So, I sat down one night and said, what can I do to come closer to the Lord? I read a book called personal promises from the Lord to you. The continuous atonement, Hearing the voice of the Lord....and then one day in my chats to my Bishop...he kinda rolled his eyes and he can only do to me and said "read your scriptures and say your prayers every day, go to the Temple once a week and increase your fast offering" EASY divine answer.
So that it what I did, every week, every day without fail. No excuse. I could physically feel the blessings of the Temple, I was learning alot about the scriptures and setting my alarm and getting up became very easy. Things were well, but something was not there and I could not figure it out. Then it hit me...tithing...I was paying it at the end of the month along with all my other bills and just maybe my "generous fast" was not as "generous" as I had thought.
I again petitioned the Lord for guidance and asked what should I do? I was asked if I had enough faith to pay my tithing "Before" I even had the money in my account from my business? and then again up my fast offering.
Always paid, but BEFORE the check arrived. No questions, it was from the Lord. I can do hard things...DONE, only not a check mark this time, a humble thank you for trusting me with this and adding a little more faith into my life.
Now every fast day, at the beginning of the month, before I get paid, it gets written and its gone. I did it with no expectations, I don't do it and then say bless me, or I need... I promise you it is out of obedience and it felt right.
After you go through all this surgery, chemo, radiation etc. Then Cancer care NW (is amazing by the way if you ever get cancer) I cannot tell you how amazing they are)
but back to story;
I was filed into an office for "Patient advocate" advice on RX, health insurance and what kind of state assistance I would need to pay for my very expensive medication and clinic visits for the next year. Most people end up on state assistance because of cost.
I take a cocktail of Chemo drugs and just to shock you...one of the pills for 24 days cost $6000.00. REALLY. I am fortunate that even though we raised the insurance deductable in my business to save a little money in the long run, I pay $120.00 for that.
I asked the asked the advocate approximately how much would be out of pocket this year for me with all the MRI's, Medications, etc. She penciled and calculated and then gave me an approx.
On the way home from Treatment, Lindsay looked at me and said "Mom, do you realize you are seeing the blessings of tithing, but most importantly a Generous Fast offering" I burst out bawling like a baby....I was prompted, I obeyed without reservation and did it without expecting a thing....it was just the right thing to do.
I will be able to pay my bills with peace in my heart and not have this stress added upon.
Bishop Mclaws was doing his Friday night ward visits and he stopped by and we read the in "Old testament people" Malachi 8-12. Especially pay attention to vs. 10-11 I think that we fail to read on in to.
Going out to dinner is fun, seeing that movie would be fun..but if you haven't paid your fast offering, that is all it will be....fun....not eternal nor everlasting.
Thank you for reading. I am usually not one to preach because of my MANY beams/motes etc in my own eyes. But felt impressed that this should be written down.
Thank you for all your notes of love, flowers,etc.I wish I could personally thank each of you and tell you how much your friendship and love has meant to me. When Keith died I felt bad because we got all fed and such nice notes of love and he could not enjoy them or read them. I on the other hand have been uplifted by the notes and love because I do get to read them!
So Thank you!
People ask what can I do? Not really a whole lot, It's the Lord and my battle now...I have awesome help and great friends who can drive and a daughter who is living here for awhile.
But, I do humbly ask for your prayers...miracles are wrought through prayer.
Make it a good week-there is so much to live for!
xoxoxo~Sheri
This is my first attempt to write on this blog, I must admit I was one to never like the lime light...and a little embarrassed when I found that the girls had done this, but they said it has helped to answer and update family and then they basically said, we did it...end of discussion.
Jennifer and her girls are now happily moved to Georgia and Lindsay my nurse, right arm women, amazingly has been blessed to be here we me. Thanks girls..I love you.
I had a neat experience this week, too many to tell, but one sticks out and I felt impressed to write it down.
I have always been a tithing payer-will a man rob God? I admit when I was a teenager it was when I got around to it. As a young married, I always paid at the end of the month, never knew any difference, knew it to be a commandment, knew it to be the right thing to do. Commandment, you need to to get your Temple recommend, but probably never really had studied it, It Just a check mark on the oil lamp "its just what you do stick"
At my tithing settlement about two years ago my Bishop asked me about my fast offering and wanted to know if I thought I was paying a generous fast offering? I did not know what a generous one was as my husband as my dear husband had always taken care of that side of our finances and I just paid it.And at this point in my life I was still in the "widow" mind of snow tires, furnace needs fixed, sprinklers need blown out...kids on missions (I call it the trying to find the balance of being a Mom/Dad syndrome. Of all the things I wish Keith had compiled for me before he passed away, he forgot one thing...."COULD YOU HAVE AT LEAST LEFT ME A MAP OF THE SPRINKLER SYSTEM?" I may use that for a book someday.
Put your seat belts on kids, this is a long one. I may be banned from writing after the girls see this.
Back to tithing~So the Bishop made a few suggestions and then asked me to pray about it and I would know what to do. Seemed easy enough. I prayed, thought about it and followed his council. Again....check mark.
About 6 months to a year ago I had felt an extra need in my life to get very close to the Lord. Really close. I had the impression that I was going to need him more then ever. I was not scared, but it was an uneasy feeling that would not pass.
So, I sat down one night and said, what can I do to come closer to the Lord? I read a book called personal promises from the Lord to you. The continuous atonement, Hearing the voice of the Lord....and then one day in my chats to my Bishop...he kinda rolled his eyes and he can only do to me and said "read your scriptures and say your prayers every day, go to the Temple once a week and increase your fast offering" EASY divine answer.
So that it what I did, every week, every day without fail. No excuse. I could physically feel the blessings of the Temple, I was learning alot about the scriptures and setting my alarm and getting up became very easy. Things were well, but something was not there and I could not figure it out. Then it hit me...tithing...I was paying it at the end of the month along with all my other bills and just maybe my "generous fast" was not as "generous" as I had thought.
I again petitioned the Lord for guidance and asked what should I do? I was asked if I had enough faith to pay my tithing "Before" I even had the money in my account from my business? and then again up my fast offering.
Always paid, but BEFORE the check arrived. No questions, it was from the Lord. I can do hard things...DONE, only not a check mark this time, a humble thank you for trusting me with this and adding a little more faith into my life.
Now every fast day, at the beginning of the month, before I get paid, it gets written and its gone. I did it with no expectations, I don't do it and then say bless me, or I need... I promise you it is out of obedience and it felt right.
After you go through all this surgery, chemo, radiation etc. Then Cancer care NW (is amazing by the way if you ever get cancer) I cannot tell you how amazing they are)
but back to story;
I was filed into an office for "Patient advocate" advice on RX, health insurance and what kind of state assistance I would need to pay for my very expensive medication and clinic visits for the next year. Most people end up on state assistance because of cost.
I take a cocktail of Chemo drugs and just to shock you...one of the pills for 24 days cost $6000.00. REALLY. I am fortunate that even though we raised the insurance deductable in my business to save a little money in the long run, I pay $120.00 for that.
I asked the asked the advocate approximately how much would be out of pocket this year for me with all the MRI's, Medications, etc. She penciled and calculated and then gave me an approx.
On the way home from Treatment, Lindsay looked at me and said "Mom, do you realize you are seeing the blessings of tithing, but most importantly a Generous Fast offering" I burst out bawling like a baby....I was prompted, I obeyed without reservation and did it without expecting a thing....it was just the right thing to do.
I will be able to pay my bills with peace in my heart and not have this stress added upon.
Bishop Mclaws was doing his Friday night ward visits and he stopped by and we read the in "Old testament people" Malachi 8-12. Especially pay attention to vs. 10-11 I think that we fail to read on in to.
8 ¶ aWill a man brob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In ctithes and offerings.
9 Ye are acursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation.
12 And all nations shall call you blessed: for ye shall be a delightsome land, saith the Lord of hosts.
This is fast and testimony weekend. Have the faith to pay a "GENEROUS" fast offering. Pay it even if it your last 20 bucks or 100, or 500. Have EXCEEDING faith to do what the Lord has asked you to do. What would be holding you back and why? Its the Lord's money anyway, what you have including the very breath that you breath comes from him anyway. Trust him and trust him enough to allow him to help you. Remember D&C 130 20 There is a alaw, irrevocably decreed in bheaven before the foundations of this world, upon which all cblessings are predicated—
This is fast and testimony weekend. Have the faith to pay a "GENEROUS" fast offering. Pay it even if it your last 20 bucks or 100, or 500. Have EXCEEDING faith to do what the Lord has asked you to do. What would be holding you back and why? Its the Lord's money anyway, what you have including the very breath that you breath comes from him anyway. Trust him and trust him enough to allow him to help you. Remember D&C 130 20 There is a alaw, irrevocably decreed in bheaven before the foundations of this world, upon which all cblessings are predicated—
Going out to dinner is fun, seeing that movie would be fun..but if you haven't paid your fast offering, that is all it will be....fun....not eternal nor everlasting.
Thank you for reading. I am usually not one to preach because of my MANY beams/motes etc in my own eyes. But felt impressed that this should be written down.
Thank you for all your notes of love, flowers,etc.I wish I could personally thank each of you and tell you how much your friendship and love has meant to me. When Keith died I felt bad because we got all fed and such nice notes of love and he could not enjoy them or read them. I on the other hand have been uplifted by the notes and love because I do get to read them!
So Thank you!
People ask what can I do? Not really a whole lot, It's the Lord and my battle now...I have awesome help and great friends who can drive and a daughter who is living here for awhile.
But, I do humbly ask for your prayers...miracles are wrought through prayer.
Make it a good week-there is so much to live for!
xoxoxo~Sheri
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