a bonus Christmas {repost}

I wrote the following post two years ago today, and i have intentionally reminded myself of it often over the last few weeks. I wanted so badly to live this season with the joy that I saw in my mother every year, especially during her "bonus" years. Even though we didn't get another bonus Christmas with her, who knows if this is actually a bonus Christmas for someone else we love? As we learned on May 18th, things can change in an instant. 

I think I started the season doing a pretty decent job of being in the Christmas spirit, but I confess that this week has been harder than I expected. Though my circumstances have changed dramatically, I want to be as thankful and as joyful as I was two years ago. So I'm reposting this for me and for anyone else who needs a reminder of just how awesome it is that we've been blessed with another Christmas!

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It's Christmas! And it's not just any Christmas. It's a bonus Christmas. It's Christmas with a healthy mom. It's one more Christmas as a family that we didn't expect to have.

To fully understand how grateful we are for this Christmas, let me paint you a picture of last Christmas. Mom was sick. Really sick. She spent most of the holidays in her recliner, getting weaker by the day. I spent most of the holidays completely stressed out, trying to do all the stuff Mom usually did and keep Christmas as normal as possible for my younger siblings. Dad decorated the outside of the house and put the garland up wrong. Friends came over to help me get our tree up, and putting the lights on was such an ordeal that I thought surely there would be weeping and gnashing of teeth by the time we got finished. I did most of Mom's Christmas shopping (and Santa's) along with mine. And, if you know me, you know what a big deal that was, because I hate to shop! Dad and I were both working full-time. Who knows where the kids were or if anyone was feeding them (kidding). And then, on the eve of Christmas Eve, Trish was admitted to the hospital in need of a blood transfusion. Between 12-hour work days, trying to get everyone's gifts bought, and Mom being in the hospital, December 23rd and 24th were two of the hardest days of the whole year for me. Shopping 'til 11pm was involved (there was some stuff – like a live animal – that I simply couldn't order online or get ahead of time). Skipping dinner was involved. Tears were involved. Very little sleeping was involved. 

Like I said, Mom was getting weaker by the day. I was pretty certain that her first post-chemo CT scan in January would reveal more cancer and less hope. So was she. We thought for sure it was her last Christmas in this world. She did recordable storybooks for her grandkids so they would remember her voice. We took lots of pictures and treasured every moment, regardless of how sick or stressed we may have been. It was a precious time, but it was kind of a sad time. And I can't really say it was a whole lot of fun.

But it's Christmas 2011 now, and things are much different this year. If there's ever been evidence of a God who makes things new, my mom's journey over the last year and a half is it. Trish is not only still with us - she's doing great! And you've never seen anyone so excited about Christmas. She's like a little kid! Since she didn't get to enjoy the Christmas season last year, she is loving every minute of it this year. She couldn't get our tree up or the house decorated fast enough! Normally we don't start listening to Christmas music until after Thanksgiving, but this year we started playing it two weeks before. Spending the Christmas season with someone who didn't expect to have another Christmas makes you see things in a whole new way. I wish all of you could spend the holidays with my mom . . . she's contagious! We feel like we've been given a bonus Christmas, and we can't get enough!

I'm very aware that most families who've been on journeys like ours haven't been given “bonus” Christmases. Some didn't even know the last Christmas with their loved ones would be their last. I don't know why we've been given this bonus Christmas, and I don't know if we'll be given another one. And that makes me even more determined to soak in every precious moment - of this season and every other one.

I continually find myself overwhelmed with thankfulness. Thankful for a family with whom I can spend this season. Thankful for a mom who can go Christmas shopping with me (and actually out-shop me!). Thankful for a mom who can climb the stairs to get to our gift-wrapping station. Thankful for a mom who can decorate the house the “right” way (no offense, Dad). ;-) Thankful for a mom who's enjoying the season instead of just surviving it. Thankful for a mom.

But mostly I'm thankful for a Father who set me in this family and so thankful He saw fit to bless us with another Christmas together. Thankful that He's with us in the valleys and on the mountaintops. Thankful that His ways are higher than ours. Thankful that He hears our prayers. Thankful that He loves us. Thankful that He chose to enter in to this world with us.

Merry Christmas, friends! I hope you live it like a bonus one. :-)

 

snorkeling {a family update}

How are we doing? We're snorkeling, but not the fun kind. I'll explain later. Here's an update on the family . . .

Tekia is in 8th grade and doing well in school. She decided to take a year off from cheerleading and is just doing tumbling classes right now. Jamal's school situation has been more complicated. He was homeschooled last year and the plan all along was for him to return to regular high school for his senior year. His school knew this and agreed it was a good plan. However, no one ever told us that once a child turns 18, our school system will not admit them. Jamal turned 18 in June, so when my dad went to register him for school, the school said no. After two months of fighting this and talking to administrators and trying to find a school that would admit him, we finally came to the hard realization that it would be best at this point for Jamal to begin working on getting his GED. So that's what he's doing now. He began GED prep classes two weeks ago.

Both kids are struggling in other ways. Out of respect for their privacy, I won't go into details. But please, please keep them in your prayers. How are their teenage hearts supposed to handle losing two moms during their childhood? How can they trust a God who would let that happen?

Dad and I are both working full-time. And both feeling like we need to be at home all the time. We're currently participating in a wonderful class called Empowered to Connect. I can't recommend it enough to other adoptive and foster families! Visit the website and check out the ETC initiative. Mom and I have been to three ETC conferences in the last two years, and she and Dad had been planning on attending this class for months. I'm happy to fill in for her. We covet your prayers as we continue the crazy journey that is being part of our family.

In the days right after Mom died, I remember my older brother Jared saying, "I wish we could just fast forward a few months . . . like to September." I agreed. As if things were going to be less hard in a few months.

Wrong.

Here it is October, and many days I feel like I'm barely keeping my head above water. There are moments that are good - even great. I have days where I find myself driving down the road with my hands lifted in praise (okay, just one hand . . . I am driving, after all) as I sing my heart out to the One who is somehow able to fill my heart with joy during times like this. And then there are days when I have to pull over in a parking lot because the grief becomes so intense that I can't even catch my breath. And sometimes those are the same day.

But God is faithful, and as I struggle to keep my head above the water . . . to keep breathing . . . He hands me a snorkel. I get a text from a friend telling me they're praying for me . . .  or I get a facebook message about how Mom touched someone's life . . . or Tekia says something that makes me laugh my head off . . . or someone randomly invites us over for dinner . . . or my daily devotional says exactly what I need to hear. I'm still swimming in the deep, but I can take a breath. Relax a little. For a few minutes or hours or days, I can breathe easy. The hurt is still there, but the hope is revived.

And even though snorkeling is more fun in the Bahamas, these days I'll take what I can get.

the blogger lives

When my 3-year-old friend Brody (yep, thing 2) first learned that Mom had gone to Heaven, he had a hard time understanding that I was still here on earth. After all, he knew that Tricia and Callie went everywhere together. We'd just spent almost a month in Louisville together and he hadn't seen either of us since we'd been home. So it made sense to him that I would be with Trish.

You guys might've been thinking that, too . . . since I haven't blogged one word in over a month and all. But I'm alive. Just too busy to blog on most days. Too tired to blog on some. Too sad to blog on a few. But mostly just too busy.

In the midst of trying to figure out how to exist without my mom/best friend/roommate, I'm also trying to figure out how to do things like take care of teenagers, keep our garden alive, repair broken appliances (yes, that was her job), cook, etc, all while doing my normal things like working full-time and leading an orphan ministry.

So I'm busy . . . currently busy trying to get this family ready for the beach. :)

Most days we have no idea what we're doing or why we're doing it, but we're trying to do it with love. Keep praying for us.


p.s. I tweet/facebook/instagram a lot because it's fast and easy . . . feel free to keep up with all of our shenanigans on one of those sites!

update on the live streaming situation...

Apparently Mac users may not be able to watch the live stream of the service at the link I posted below. If you have issues, try this - www.ustream.tv/channel/sycamoreview-weekly-sermon .

The streaming will begin at 4pm central, with the visitation and
slideshow. The celebration will begin at 6:30pm.

We hope tonight will point people to Jesus the way Mom did with her life. Pray for God to be glorified tonight!

the next step

The next step (I guess . . . what do I know about this?) is celebrating what a crazy awesome life my mom lived . . . how she lived for Jesus and showed others his love daily. We'll be gathering to remember and celebrate her life on earth next Tuesday, May 28, at Sycamore View church of Christ. Visitation will be at 4pm and the service will be at 6:30, followed by a reception.

Those who are unable to attend will be able to watch the service online. It will be streamed live (likely beginning with the visitation) on our church's web site. Just go to this link and then click on "live streaming." Also, it will be available for viewing afterward at vimeo.com/sycamoreview.

To our extended family . . . the ones whose sweet babies my mom has rocked and bathed and fed and loved . . . you are our family, and there will be reserved seating for you directly behind us.

For those who may be bringing small children, Mom would love nothing more than for the room to be full of their noise. :) However, if you think they're getting too rowdy, you can take them out to one of the foyers or to the nursing room to play, and you can continue watching the service on TV.

Though her death at this time was very unexpected, Mom had been given terminal diagnoses (yes, plural) before, so she had given us a few instructions about the kind of celebration service she wanted. You can expect it to be inspiring, encouraging, and challenging. We hope and pray you will find that it's full of Jesus, the one who made a life like my mom's possible and the one who gives us hope in our darkest hours. Please continue to pray for us. We still believe His promises are true.

Jesus wins.

The Gentle Healer came into our town today, and He took home with Him one of his favorites, healed and whole. Mom's amazing journey on this earth is over, and a most amazing one has begun.

We are still trying to process all that has happened in the past 36 hours. Mom had a great few days since returning from Louisville . . . spending time with friends, buying new plants for our garden, planning parties for foster children, etc. She noticed some GI bleeding late Thursday night and began running fever yesterday morning. After a trip to West Clinic, it was decided she would be admitted to the hospital just to be safe. She was admitted around 4pm, feeling pretty well. She was eating dinner with her friend Cindi a little after 7pm when she began to feel nauseous. What happened next is a whirlwind; she began vomiting blood and was rushed to the ICU, where they were never able to completely stabilize her. Something was causing massive arterial bleeding in her stomach. She left this earth around 3:30 this morning. She was surrounded by her friends and family and was not in any pain. We sang her out with two of her favorite songs, When We All Get to Heaven and There's a Stirring. It was holy ground.

We are heartbroken and not sure of much right now, but we hold tight to what we know is true: Jesus lives. He lives and He wins! His precious daughter Tricia is safe in His arms tonight, singing, laughing, and worshiping with her sweet daddy and other friends she hasn't seen in years. We will see her again.

"No eye has seen, no ear has heard,

and no mind has imagined

what God has prepared

for those love him."

1 Corinthians 2:9

three weeks later . . . HOME. (5/14 update)

Sorry, guys, I haven't been on the computer much the last couple of days because we've been busy getting ready to go HOME!!! Mom saw Dr. Martin yesterday morning, and he cleared her to go back to Memphis!

Her swelling issues are still there. At times her feet/legs have been swollen all the way to her waist, causing her to gain 5 pounds in one day over the weekend. Dr. Martin says some fluid retention is normal after surgery and he feels like it can be managed from Memphis (if it ends up needing to be "managed" at all). He thinks it will work itself out within a week.

Mom will probably see Dr. Tauer (oh, how we've missed him!) in the next week or so. Be praying about this appointment because I have a feeling some treatment changes may be in Mom's future. Dr. Martin has some different recommendations than what Dr. Tauer has already been doing. Pray that God will lead them and us to the right treatment plan and that He will use it to bring healing.

So we are headed home this afternoon! We would've left yesterday, but we didn't want Mom to overdo it by trying to cram too much into one day, plus we needed to clean the carriage house and pack. Please pray for safe travels for us, and pray that Mom will be able to make the 6+ hour trip without much discomfort.

We are so thankful for all that God has done for us here in Louisville, but we are more than ready to be back in the bluff city! We look forward to the ways He will continue to reveal His glory there. :-)

the best day (5/11 update)

So today was pretty much the best day. Mom and I spent the majority of our afternoon exploring Middletown, a small town near where we're staying. We ate girly food and went to girly places. Two of the shops we went to have the word "chick" in their names, if that tells you anything. And we went to Walmart, because, why not? Mom did great today. We were out for almost 6 hours! Then we came back to the carriage house, cheered the Grizzlies on to victory, and then went out again for dinner. As long as no one reports us for shooting up in the Walgreens parking lot, I'd call this day a success (I had to give Mom pain meds through her J-tube . . . after filling some syringes with water in the bathroom).

Here are a few thousand words to prove it . . .

Headed out for a Mother's Day lunch! Note Mom's new friend Joey (her feeding pump in the black backpack).

Trying on some Derby hats!

Trish got a special Mother's Day delivery from Jared, Shelby, & kids. :)

And we both got a special playoffs day delivery from our friend Candice!

Can you believe that woman couldn't get out of bed last weekend? Wouldn't eat or drink? Wouldn't talk? What a difference a week makes! I mean, seriously, it's kind of amazing.

Thanks to those of you who prayed for rest. Mom said last night was the first night she's really, really slept well since surgery. I hope this is a new normal!

Keep praying for her sodium issues. Tonight her feet and legs are really swollen, which is probably a combination of the sodium pills she's taking and being up on her feet a lot today. If the swelling doesn't go down by morning, we'll probably call the doctor.

Continue also to pray for pain relief. Her pain's not any worse, but she's still requiring pretty high doses of pain meds, and we know Dr. M wants her off these (or at least on lower doses) ASAP. Pray for her to continue to recover well and for those cancer cells to die. The faster the tumor dies, the faster Mom's pain will go away.

We are so thankful for days like today. It probably doesn't seem that spectacular to most people, but every moment of "normalcy" is huge to us. Praying for many more! :)

2nd time's a charm? (5/9 update)

We're home! Home at the carriage house, that is. Mom was discharged again today - a week after her first discharge from the hospital. Let's hope the 2nd time's a charm. :)

So far this discharge has gone much better than the first. Mom's been eating pretty well (in addition to her continuous tube feedings . . . maybe we can get some meat on her bones!). In fact, the first thing she did when we got to the carriage house was go to the kitchen and start looking for a snack. She was so sick last weekend she never even went in the kitchen, and she certainly never attempted to eat any food. After her snack, she took a shower and then sat on the couch and watched TV for a while. This is completely different woman than the one Patty and I brought home last Thursday. This woman is Tricia! We've missed her!

Keep praying about Mom's sodium and other electrolyte levels/her overall nutrition status. She's getting her tube feeds continously, plus eating/drinking more normally, plus taking salt pills. Pray that her body will tolerate all of this well and she will be able to gain some weight!

Pray for Mom to have less pain and get some rest. She has a pain patch now, which hasn't worked any miracles but has definitely helped. She's still taking her regular pain med when she needs it (pretty much every four hours). She has not been sleeping very well, even when she's not hurting, so pray that she'll be able to get the rest that she needs as her body recovers from this surgery. Dr. Martin told us today that it can take up to 6 - 8 weeks for those now-electrocuted cancer cells to completely die, so Mom may continue to have back pain for a while.   

Pray that Mom's doctor's appointment on Monday would go well, that her labs would be normal, and that we'll be able to come home on Monday or Tuesday. Pray that God would continue to heal Mom from this surgery and from breast and pancreatic cancer. Pray that He would be glorified through that healing and through every part of this journey. It's really all about Him.

two weeks later (5/8 update)

Two weeks ago today, I walked into this hospital with a mom who was full of hope and energy. On Monday night I came back with a mom who was too weak to walk and in so much pain she could hardly talk.

Today that mom who was full of hope and energy seems to be resurfacing a bit. Mom was on a clear liquid diet for her entire first hospital stay and was put back on that same diet when she was re-admitted on Monday. During her four days at "home", she was allowed to eat, but she felt so bad that she never tried. This morning she woke up asking for food, and then ate her first meal in over two weeks!

In addition to rocking her new "soft bland" diet, Mom has also been out of bed a lot today . . . walking in the halls, sitting in her chair, and watching for helicopters at the end of our hall. This is a huge change from how she was over the weekend, when Patty and I felt like we'd won a gold medal each time we managed to get Mom to stay out of bed for more than 10 minutes.

As far as numbers go, Mom's white count is still slightly elevated, but is coming down. If it keeps going like it has been, it'll be normal tomorrow. Her sodium level has come up a tiny bit, but it's not near where they want it. It was at 121 yesterday and came up to 124 today; it should be at least 136. Dr. M has tried to get her sodium level up by taking away her "free water" that's normally given through her feeding tube and instead using her port to give her IV fluids with sodium, as well as allowing her to eat/drink things that contain sodium (pretty much anything but water). However, her IV fluids were discontinued tonight, so pray her sodium level will still continue to rise without them.

If Mom's numbers continue to head in the right direction and if she continues to feel better, Dr. M may discharge her tomorrow. He won't let us go back to Memphis, yet, though. :( He wants Mom to stay in Louisville through the weekend and follow-up with him at his office next week. Mom was disappointed to find out she wouldn't be home for Mother's Day, but we understand why she needs to be here. We definitely don't want to to end up at home or in the middle of a six-hour drive with Mom feeling like she did last weekend.

Thank you all for your prayers and love. Keep praying for Mom's body to heal, her sodium to come up, her pain to lessen, and her cancer cells to die!  

back to our old stomping grounds (5/6 update)

Well, I'm writing this post from our old stomping grounds . . . a hospital room at University Hospital. Four rooms down from the one we left last Thursday.

Needless to say, Mom's doctor's appointment didn't go as we'd hoped. Her white blood cell count was elevated, which is indicative of infection. And you've already heard about everything else going on. Basically, she's in worse shape than she was when she left the hospital four days ago. Dr. Martin is concerned that Mom might have an infection of her surgical site or sepsis (infection in her blood). Because of this, Mom is back in the hospital for 23 hours of fluids, more labs, and a CT scan. At least we hope it's just 23 hours. Mom's got fluids going now and is actually going to be taken down for her CT scan soon (yes, in the middle of the night).

We're bummed that we won't be heading back to Memphis tomorrow as we'd planned. We're in desperate need of the awesome support system that awaits us at home. However, I think we're both a little relieved to be right where we are tonight. The staff on this unit has become the closest thing to family that we've got here in Louisville, and it just so happened that room on "our" unit opened up right when we needed it to. Sometimes you wanna go where everybody knows your name. :) We returned to lots of familiar faces and our favorite night nurse. Trish even had a piece of mail waiting on her. 

Please be praying that Dr. M and his team will be able to quickly get to the bottom of what's making Mom so sick. Pray that God will show them how to fix it. Pray for healing from infection, cancer, and all things evil that are attacking my mom's body and spirit. Pray for God to steal the show here at U of L.

Mom's appointment was at 1:45 this afternoon and it was around 8pm before she got in a hospital room. It was around 11pm before I got back to the hospital with our stuff, and I'm now blogging at 3:08am. It's been a long day. And I'm tired.

Goodnight. 

Sunday at the carriage house (5/5 update)

Today . . . Mom is doing about the same . . . maybe even a bit better in some ways. The morning started off with a call to the on call doctor because last night was not a good one. Mom's pain medicine is supposed to last four hours and was only lasting about two. Neither of us got much sleep. The doctor I spoke to told me I could make some adjustments to the dose and frequency of Mom's pain medicine if I needed to. She said to bring Mom to the ER if things got worse. Thankfully they didn't. Mom's pain isn't gone, but it's been better than it was last night. She had some nausea this afternoon, so we stopped her feeds for a while and busted out her nausea meds and acupressure wristbands. That resolved after an hour or so and hasn't been a problem since.

She's still very weak and has trouble getting comfortable anywhere other than the bed. Even the Grizzlies couldn't get her out of bed today. She did listen to the game from her room, though . . . unfortunately the ending didn't do much in the way of lifting her spirits. I think she actually stayed awake most of the day, so maybe she'll sleep better tonight. One can hope.

Patty and I are doing okay . . . being super lazy, lounging around our little apartment, eating and watching TV. And also watching Mom's every move and constantly trying to talk her into getting out of bed. :)

Mom has an appointment with Dr. Martin at 1:45 tomorrow afternoon. I think he'll do lab work and possibly a scan to check for any post-op complications. We were expecting him to give us permission to leave Louisville, but with the way things are going, I'm not so sure. I'm so ready to be home, but I also want Mom feeling better ASAP! And if there's a problem that needs to be fixed here, we'll stay here as long as we need to. If Mom does get cleared to go home, we'll probably come home on Tuesday.

Be praying for less pain and more rest for Mom tonight. Pray for an extra boost of energy for her tomorrow as we make the trip to and from the doctor's office. And pray for a good visit with Dr. Martin . . . one that brings answers and hope!

Derby day (5/4 update)

Happy Derby Day! Louisville has been going crazy with Kentucky Derby madness since we got here almost two weeks ago. A fireworks show, a boat race, hot air balloon flights, a parade, and a festival are just some of the things we've heard about. And of course the last two days have been filled with horse races. (Did you know there are multiple races? You do now.)

We watched the Derby from our appropriately named "carriage house." Mom is still not feeling well at all, but she voluntarily got out of bed to watch the Derby this afternoon. She also got out of bed to watch the end of the Grizzlies game last night. We may need major sporting events on a daily basis to speed up Mom's recovery.

Since Wednesday, Mom has been pretty out of it. She's very tired and weak. She hasn't been talking much at all and certainly hasn't been eating or drinking. I was worried enough yesterday to call Dr. Martn's office. Dr. M's physician's assistant reviewed all of Mom's labs and other tests (she had a chest xray and a CT scan on Thursday) and also had home health come out last night and get more blood work. The PA said everything done in the hospital was normal, and, since we haven't heard anything about last night's labs, I'm assuming they were normal, too. Her vital signs have all been good as well. On paper, Mom appears to be recovering pretty well. In person, it seems like something's wrong. I'm hoping we can pinpoint what that something is at Mom's follow-up appointment with Dr. M on Monday. And I'm hoping she'll turn a corner in the meantime.

We've been managing her pain pretty well until today. I'm not sure if her pain's actually getting worse or we just let it get ahead of us. If we don't see some improvement tonight, I'll be calling Dr. M's office again tomorrow.

Please pray for Mom to turn a corner soon and start gaining her strength and her spunk back. It's hard to see her like this and not be able to help her. Also pray for Patty (Mom's best friend who's been here with us since Thursday) and I as we care for her. This weekend has been rough, but I know God can and will use this time for his glory. Holding tight to His promises.

"Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." -Isaiah 40:31

Home! Or something like it. (5/2 update)

This will be short and sweet because I'm posting from my phone.

Mom was discharged from the hospital today! She's still not acting like herself, but I'm hoping a few days of uninterrupted rest will help. We're settled into an apartment that belongs to some friends of friends. It's wonderful and will the perfect place for Mom to recover.

Thank you for praying! Keep it coming!

1 more day? (5/1 update)

Y'all knew that whole two posts in one day thing wasn't going to happen, right? I mean, let's be real.

Actually, it was the Grizzlies' fault. The game didn't start 'til 10:30 here, and I fell asleep during the 4th quarter. (Bad fan alert. I did sleep in my believememphis shirt, though.)

Okay, so Dr. Martin came in yesterday and told us he wanted to discharge Mom on Thursday. As in, tomorrow. At this point, she was still on running IV fluids, along with random electrolytes being given every few hours because her labs were out of whack. Her tube feedings were at 10 ml/hr (her goal rate is 55 ml/hr), and she was on a clear liquid diet. We thought he was crazy.

However, we've made some progress today. Sort of. As of about 6pm tonight, Mom is up to her goal rate on her J-tube feedings. She has tolerated this without any new GI problems, with the exception of one little bout of nausea after being getting a pain med this afternoon. The tube feedings will give Mom all the nutrition she needs to maintain and gain weight. At this point, Dr. Martin isn't concerned with her eating anything by mouth at all. He's comfortable sending her home on tube feedings only; we'll probably start working on "real" food next week. Mom's IV fluids have been discontinued. Today was the first day that her labs were normal enough to not need any supplements. She's only needed IV pain medicine once in the last 24 hours; the rest of the time we've been able to manage her pain with oral/J-tube medicine.

The "sort of" is there because Mom just hasn't felt good today. Her throat's been sore again (it's been better since her NG tube was removed a few days ago). She's slept a lot more than usual. She hasn't wanted to eat or drink. She hasn't wanted to talk or get out of bed or watch TV. She's gotten up to walk the halls a couple times because she knew she needed to, and we even made a trip outside, but each time she couldn't wait to get back in bed. We can't put our finger on what's wrong, but she just hasn't felt good in general. I asked her if she thought she was depressed and she said she doesn't think so. So pray that she'll wake up tomorrow and be rid of whatever funk she's in tonight. And if not, pray that we'll be able to figure out what's causing said funk and fix the problem.

If all goes as planned, Mom will have a CT scan in the morning to make sure there are no post-op complications (Dr. M does this routinely with all his patients - he's not expecting to find anything). If that looks good, she'll be discharged, and a home health nurse will come visit us daily for the next five days. Some sweet friends of friends have graciously offered to let us stay in their carriage house for the remainder of our stay in Louisville. Don't know what a carriage house is? You're not alone. I think it's a Louisville thing. It's basically an apartment. A really nice one, in this case. This will be so much better for Mom than a hotel room! Especially since the prices of most hotel rooms here triple or quadruple in the days leading up to the Kentucky Derby (it's on Saturday!).

Prayer needs in review: good night tonight . . . good CT scan in the morning . . . Mom to feel more like herself . . . cancer cells to die . . . God to be glorified. :)

bump in the road (4/29 update . . . and a little of 4/30)

Sorry, guys, I started this blog post last night but just couldn't stay awake to finish it. Yesterday was an exhausting day.   

Yesterday - 4/29

I guess it was bound to happen at some point. We hit a bump in the road. Mom was trucking right along until the tube feedings were started on Sunday. The GI "upset" that she was having continued all night Sunday night and yesterday morning. Yesterday they stopped the tube feedings until we could get her stomach calmed down, and her GI problems had improved drastically by yesterday afternoon. They also put her back on her home meds, which include antidiarrheals.

Also yesterday the pain doctor took out her epidural. Sad day. :( Because of the aforementioned GI issues, her first dose of J-tube pain medication (which is essentially just like taking oral medicine) ended up being delayed, which resulted in Mom's pain getting really bad. It's much harder to get control of the pain once you've let it get ahead of you. She ended up receiving two pain meds by IV and one by J-tube and finally got some rest and relief around lunchtime. By last night, Mom's pain and GI issues were both better and she was able to get up and walk, talk on the phone, watch TV, etc.

Yesterday was definitely Mom's most discouraging day yet. For some reason we hadn't been getting any of the cards that people have been sending, but that's okay because they all came yesterday afternoon. Mom couldn't have gotten them at a better time. :)

It was also my most discouraging day yet, and God sent some encouragement for me as well. Our friends Cindi and Nancy took me out to lunch and to a cute pottery shop. I was in desperate need of some sunshine and a couple hours away from the hospital. And Mom was in desperate need of needing to see me have some normalcy. Win-win!

Today - 4/30

Things are a bit better this morning. As far as GI problems go, they're not totally resolved, but they're better. Mom's J-tube feedings were re-started this morning using a formula that is supposed to be easier on her system. They were started at a slower rate as well (they run continuously). However, she threw up about 45 minutes ago, so the feedings are currently on hold for an hour or so. The nurse said the potassium he gave her earlier could have caused the nausea. He gave her some Reglan for nausea and will probably start her feedings back after it has a chance to work. Mom's sleeping now. She's still only allowed to have clear liquids by mouth (tea, juice, water, jello, popsicles).

Her pain has been pretty well-managed since yesterday. IV Tylenol is the only thing she regularly gets for pain. If she wants anything stronger than, she has to ask for it, which she does pretty much as often as she can. This is more of a hassle than having an epidural continuously delivering pain medication, but I think it's working okay. The IV pain medicine makes her a little loopy and sleepy, so she's not always quite as alert as she was with the epidural.

We went on a short walk this morning and got to see a helicopter come in. There's a window with a window seat at the end of our hall. It has a perfect view of the helipad and every day we try to catch some excitement. Today we finally did, though it wasn't nearly as exciting as Grey's Anatomy. ;) Life in a hospital can get pretty boring, though, so we'll take what we can get.

Still haven't seen Dr. Martin today. I'll try to update tonight with a report of the afternoon. Pray that Mom will be able to tolerate these tube feedings!

hanging out at our window seat last night

thirst no more (4/28 update)

We were so happy to see our friend Cindi today! Cindi's in town visiting her friend Nancy (and now also Trish), so she and Nancy hung out with us for a while this afternoon. And then they took home my laundry to do. :) Not long after they left, a couple we didn't know walked in the door. At first Mom and I thought they had the wrong room, but then they explained that their son-in-law works for the same company as my dad. He'd told them about Mom being here. Knowing we were six hours away from home, they wanted to come see us and give their phone number in case we needed anything. How sweet is that?? 

Mom's had a pretty good day, but a very long one. The day started off with the good news that she was going to get to drink clear liquids! She's taken that very slowly, as her instructions were to "sip." She also started getting nutrition through her J-tube (feeding tube) today. That has also started very slowly and is being continuously administered by a pump. So far, she's tolerated the clear liquids/tube feedings well in that she hasn't had any nausea or vomiting. However, she has had some other "GI upset", if you will. Apparently this is not all that uncommon, but it is exhausting; we plan to ask Dr. Martin about getting some meds for this in the morning. Mom has also had issues with her J-tube today. It's functioning properly, but it's started draining a lot of fluid around the insertion site. This has resulted in numerous gown and a couple of linen changes today. All of this (trips to the bathroom plus wardrobe changes plus regular walking) has really worn Mom out today. She's especially tired and also hurting tonight. Her epidural wasn't cutting it, so her nurse just gave an IV pain med (the first she's gotten since surgery). She's feeling a little better now and is going to try to get some sleep. 

Prayer requests for tonight/tomorrow . . . a restful night (last night we were up and down a lot with trips to the bathroom) . . . better tolerance of the clear liquids/tube feedings . . . and good pain control (we're expecting them to take her epidural out tomorrow). 

I'm off to turn my couch into my bed. Goodnight all! 

   

the Saturday evening post (4/27 update)

It doesn't feel like a Saturday. Or maybe every day lately has felt like a Saturday. They're all running together.

Today has been a good one! Still no GI activity, but Mom has made improvements in other areas. They took her catheter out this morning, and she's had no trouble with that. They also took her NG tube out tonight (tube that goes from her nose to her stomach and drains fluid off), so pray that she'll tolerate that well (nausea/vomiting is a possibility). She is so happy to be rid of that big ol' tube! And she's been able to stay off oxygen for over 24 hours now, so I think it's safe to say she's done with that. Now her attachments just include her IV fluids/meds (given throught her port in her chest), her heart/oxygen monitor, and her epidural in her back; she'll likely have all those things for a few more days. Mom has gotten up and walked the halls a couple of times today and has also gotten out of bed to use the bathroom a few times. Once she's up, she really doesn't need any help walking - she uses her IV pole to stabilize herself. Her pain has been very well-controlled by her epidural - we are so thankful for that! Her blood pressure and temperature have both been normal, her heart rate has been a little lower (but still high), and her white count was about the same as yesterday.

God blessed us today with visits and phone calls from friends and family. Our dear friends Mark and Wanda came to see Mom today. They live a little over an hour away from here. Mom loved seeing them and it was good to see some familiar faces. Mom also got to FaceTime with some family tonight. I know it helps everyone back home to be able to see her face, and I know it helped Mom to get to talk to her grandkids. :) Dad left this afternoon and made it back home safely tonight, so it's just Trish and me now.

chatting with Jared & kids

Good Saturday! For Sunday, pray for no infection, no nausea, no cancer, as little pain as possible, and some GI activity (i.e. - for Mom to be able to drink!). Also continue to keep Dad, Jamal and Tekia in your prayers.

We miss our friends, family, and city, but we're being well taken care of here in Louisville. The care that Mom (and I!) has received has been amazing. Now if I can just manage to not get myself killed trying to drive on all these one-way streets . . .

moving day (4/26 update)

Mom had a good night last night, and we both got a good bit of sleep. Then Dr. Martin came by bright and early and declared today "moving day." He wanted her up and out of bed once an hour. She could walk the halls or just walk in place by her bed. They say day 3 after surgery is the worst - maybe this is why. We both went back to sleep for a couple hours. I got up around 9:30 and went to the bathroom to get dressed. When I came out about 10 minutes later, the room was full of nurses and clinical assistants helping Mom get out of bed. She had called them. Dr. M said walking would help get her GI system moving . . . a moving GI system means she can have some water, and she wants water! After getting all her tubes and wires unhooked, she was off with the help of Dewayne, a big guy who prides himself on being the best "walker" in the unit. It was her first time up and she did great! She was up for 20 minutes!

Trix and Dewayne

Getting a virtual tour of Louisville from a waiting room window

The rest of the day she just did the walking in place thing by the bed (not every hour, but at least every couple). It's just a lot easier to do that with all her tubes and wires - she's got an epidural in her back, IV fluids running into her port in her chest, an NG tube in her nose, a heart monitor, and a catheter. We're hoping she can lose the NG tube and the catheter soon.

Today was a good day for pain and blood pressure. :) Not so much for heart rate. :( Her heart rate usually runs high (90s), but the past couple of the days it's stayed over 100 most of the time.

Her temperature was normal all day . . . until tonight when a low-grade fever popped up again. Her white count is also slightly elevated, so infection is a concern. 

So tonight (or today since I'm getting this up so late) Mom needs prayers for: no infection, GI action, pain management, and no more cancer. :)

threshold crossed (4/25 udpate)

Wow. Even after all the times that God has been faithful to restore my mom's health, I still can't believe yesterday happened. We've felt like doors have been slammed in our faces over and over again for almost four months. We could see this one, strange door way off in the distance. And though we wanted so badly to get to it, we didn't know if we ever would. It was more of a swinging door - open . . . closed . . . open . . . closed. Light . . . dark . . . light . . . dark. Then came Monday. Open?? Light?? And yesterday we crossed the threshold. Open. Light.

It still feels surreal, but Mom has the incision on her belly to prove it. The nanoknife surgery that we have waited for and hoped for and prayed for actually happened yesterday. Once again I find myself overwhelmed by God's faithfulness and so, so thankful.

Last night after surgery, Mom did awesome. Like, crazy awesome. She was texting and calling friends and family. Talking our ears off . . . . especially about how much she loved her epidural. ;) She didn't sleep at all last night but it didn't seem to bother her. As soon as I woke up around 5:30 this morning, she started chattering away again.

That changed as the day went on, though. Mom's pain level got really high this morning, then got better this afternoon after a couple of visits from the pain specialist and adjustments of her epidural rate. She's hurting some now but is doing much better than this morning. Another issue has been her blood pressure. It got very low several times last night and once this afternoon. Extra IV fluids have helped, but they don't want to give her too much fluid. If Mom continues to have blood pressure problems, they may have to decrease her pain med again, as the epidural can cause low blood pressure. She still has an NG tube in her nose (to suction fluid off her stomach), and she hates that. Her GI system still seems to be "sleepy" from surgery, and, until that changes, she can't have anything to eat or drink. She's so thirsty! She's also running a low grade fever tonight. And she's tired (you know, because she hasn't slept since surgery).

So tonight we need to pray for good pain control, stable blood pressure, no fever, GI system "awakening", and sleep!

Mission accomplished??

Surgery's over, and Dr. Martin says it went well! He didn't see any signs of metastasis and he felt like he was able to do exactly what he went in there to do. He didn't have to remove any of her pancreas. We won't know for sure if it worked until her next PET scan, but he's expecting that scan to be negative. :) No ICU needed - she's headed to a step-down unit. She's doing well and we'll probably be able to see her in an hour or so. Praise God for another great day!

3 hours and counting

Still waiting! Our good friends Keith and Patty drove almost all night from Memphis to be with us, and our friend (and former minister) Mark is here from Leitchfield, Kentucky. So Dad and I are in good company. :) We've gotten no updates, which is making us a nervous wreck. But there's an airport-ish TV in the waiting room that lets us know where the patient is at all times. Mom's still says "in surgery." We're taking that as a good sign!

But seriously, wait is a four-letter word.

Surgery has started!

Surgery actually got started about an hour and a half ahead of schedule! I know . . . what kind of hospital is this?? Mom has been back there about 20 minutes.

I'll try to post udpates as I get them. You can also check my twitter updates by clicking the link on the left side of the screen (you don't need a twitter account to read them). And of course facebookers can check for updates there. I'm feeling extra social today. ;)

"Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today . . . The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still." -Exodus 14:13-14

possibility city

Oh friends, what a long, blessed, crazy, stressful couple of days we have had. We've been in Louisville since late Sunday night, and I'm just now getting a chance to type out an update.

First things first (for the non-facebookers) - MOM'S HAVING SURGERY AT NOON TOMORROW! Praise God that her CT scan showed no significant changes!

Yesterday Mom had about a week's worth of appointments and tests in seven hours. She had a CT scan, a consult with Dr. Martin, pre-op registration, blood work, a chest x-ray, and a consult with anesthesia. it was a whirlwind, but an efficient whirlwind. We can't say enough good things about the care Mom's received here so far. We had a great meeting with Dr. Martin. Mom loved him. He obviously knows a lot about pancreatic cancer; he does these surgeries 2-3 times a week. He said that Mom has a retroperitoneal recurrence (in same area where the cancer originally started), which is common. What is very uncommon is that that is the only place the cancer appears to be. Usually pancreatic cancer metastasizes to other places when it recurs. The fact that Mom has no metastasis is what gives us a(nother) chance to get rid of it. If, after opening Mom up tomorrow, Dr. Martin sees cancer anywhere else, he will not be able to complete the surgery. He said there's about a 10% chance of that happening. Obviously this would be devastating, so we want to pray that the CT scan is accurate. Scar tissue from Mom's Whipple surgery could also present a problem, so we want to pray that Dr. M will be able to reach the tumor easily. Once he reaches the tumor, he will not remove it. He will place the nanoknife probes around it and "zap" it, hopefully killing every cancer cell inside. if the nanoknife works, the tumor will die and turn into scar tissue. However, we probably won't know for a while whether the nanoknife was successful or not. Lots of lessons in trusting God here. :)

The surgery is scheduled to begin at 11am central time, but one of the nurses yesterday told us they may be able to get started a little early. It should last 2 - 3 hours. We've got people covering Mom in prayer from 10am to 2pm. Feel free to join them and feel free to pray after that time, just in case surgery goes long. Mom will probably come out of surgery and go home with a feeding tube called a J-tube in her stomach. Dr. M does this for all of his patients to make sure they don't lose too much weight. This will be temporary and will be removed when Mom's doctors (probably her Memphis doctors) feel that she can maintain her weight without it. Mom will likely spend tomorrow night in ICU and hopefully move on to a regular room on Thursday. Dr. M expects her to be in the hospital 4 - 5 days, provided there are no complications.        

The non-medical portion of our stay in Louisville so far has been the most stressful part. I'm too tired to tell that whole story right now, but I do want to say thank you to everyone who's offered to help us find/pay for a new place to stay. The hospital hospitality house was not at all what we expected or what Mom needed, and we've been overwhelmed by all the offers of help and housing we've received - some from complete strangers. We are currently in a new, clean hotel room. We probably won't stay here the whole time, but it's working for now.

Here are the prayer requests for tomorrow . . .

• Pray for Dr. Martin, the anesthesiologist, and the rest of Mom's health care team as they try to provide her with the best and safest care possible. 
• Pray that Dr. Martin will see no metastasis when he opens Mom up tomorrow and that he will be able to proceed with surgery as planned. Pray that he will able to effectively destroy every part of this tumor and that this surgery will be completely successful in making Mom cancer-free! 
• Pray that Mom will have a smooth recovery with no complications.
• Pray for Jamal and Tekia as they go about their days in Memphis tomorrow. Tekia will be taking achievement tests at school, and Jamal will likely be hanging out at home (he's homeschooled). Jamal especially seems very worried and he will probably have the hardest time waiting for new about Mom.
• Pray for Jared and Shelby and their kids as they wait for news in Little Rock.
• And pray for Dad and me as we wait in the waiting room. Pray that God will give everyone in our family his perfect peace and that we will trust him completely throughout this journey. 
• Also, pray for our friend Kate. Kate is the 29-year-old daughter of some of Mom and Dad's friends, and tomorrow is a big day for them as well. Kate was recently diagnosed with metastatic lung cancer and has her initial consult at MD Anderson tomorrow. Pray both of our families will end tomorrow with so much HOPE!
• Most importantly, pray that God will use every part of this journey for HIS glory! Pray that He will be glorified by what happens in Mom's operating room tomorrow and that each of us and those surrounding us will get to see Him in action. 

I read somewhere that Louisville is called "possibility city." I think I see their point.

"Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine . . ." Ephesians 3:20

next stop: Louisville

Mom passed her stress test yesterday which means she is ready to go to Louisville! We leave on Sunday afternoon. The next big hurdle is the CT scan on Monday. Pray for no surprises there!

the latest and greatest on the Trixster

No, no one calls her that.

Yes, I think we should probably start. Now.

Well, if you haven't heard via facebook/word of mouth . . . we're going to Louisville next week! We finally heard back from Dr. Martin's office - he said yes and come on! Praise God for His faithfulness!

Dr. M requires his patients to have a stress test before surgery, and Mom will have that done this Wednesday. If all goes as planned, Mom and I will leave for Louisville next Sunday. On Monday, she'll have a CT scan. On Tuesday, we'll meet with Dr. Martin, and, Lord willing, on Wednesday, April 24, Mom will finally have this nanoknife surgery we've been praying about!

Still have questions about what nanoknife is? It's also called irreversible electroporation, and this site explains the procedure well. Watch the animated video on that site; it's not too long and really informative. The only difference between Mom's procedure and the one described on that website is that, instead of being guided by CT scan or ultrasound, Mom's nanoknife actually be done during surgery.  

We've been told several different things about Mom's length of stay in the hospital . . . anywhere from 3 to 10 days. We're guessing she'll probably be there around 5 days. She has to remain in Louisville for at least 10 days. I will probably stay with Mom the whole time, while my dad and others will be making trips up to see us (okay, her) while we're there. it's just easier for me to take off work than Dad; plus it helps to have a parent home with Jamal and Tekia as much as possible and it helps to have a nurse with Trish as much as possible. Where we'll be staying is still up in the air. We'll most likely be at a hospital hospitality house, which we think is on a floor of a nearby hotel. The rates there are much cheaper than anywhere else.

Here are this week's prayer requests . . .

• stress test this Wednesday - Pray that it will show Mom's heart is in good shape and able to tolerate surgery (despite the many rounds of chemo it's endured).
• CT scan next Monday - I'd be lying if i said I weren't nervous about this. This is big. This will be happening 6 weeks after Mom's last chemo. If there's any sign of metastasis, there will be no surgery. Pray for another "no change" scan! Pray that there will be no signs of breast cancer anywhere in Mom's body and that her pancreatic cancer will be the same size or smaller!
• meeting Dr. Martin - it's a little unnerving to be going to a strange doctor in a strange place and trusting him with your mom's life after meeting him one time. Pray that our meeting with him on Tuesday will go well and that we will leave feeling confident in our decision to be there. Pray also that Dr. Tauer and Dr. Martin will be able to talk in the meantime. They've been playing phone tag and I, for one, would feel better If I knew that Dr. T trusted him. ;)
• surgery - Pray that it would be completely successful in removing every bit of cancer from Mom's body! Pray that she will not have any complications and will recover quickly. 
• our family - Mom spent two weeks in the hospital after her Whipple surgery two years ago, and that was hard on all of us, especially Jamal and Tekia. Two weeks with her and me in another state is going to be harder. My dad obviously wants to be with my mom as much as possible, but also needs to work and be here for the kids. There's talk of taking the kids to Louisville for part of the time. Tekia has achievement testing, along with the usual drama that most girls in middle school face. Jamal is usually home-schooled by Mom, and he has his own struggles. This is going to be hard. Just pray for us to make it through this in one piece.
• Pray for God's glory to be revealed in all of this . . . the fact that He's brought us this far, the way that He cares for Mom, the way that He cares for our family, the way we respond to all of this. There is huge potential for God-glorifying here, and we don't want to waste it.  

"Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful." -Hebrews 10:23

a week of no news

No, we're not holding out on you. We're still waiting for Dr. Martin in Louisville to review Mom's latest scan. He was out of town last week. He'll be back tomorrow and his physician's assistant (whom Mom talked to on Friday) is going try to get him to review Mom's case ASAP. Once he does that, he'll probably call Dr. Tauer to come up with some type of plan (we hope!), and then one of them will get back with us. We know from experience just how busy doctors are and that how it sometimes takes days of trying before they can connect with another doctor on the phone . . . we're praying that won't be the case this time! We hope to have some news in the next couple of days.

Meanwhile, Trish is doing great! She still has her moments, but, overall, the last few days have been very "normal" for her. She's eating well and she's now stayed hydrated for over a week with no IV fluids - win! I think she's even gained another pound or two!

Here she is at an Easter egg hunt with her two youngest grandkids, Chase and Avery, last weekend. :)

I'll update when we know something. Thank you for praying!

Good Thursday

Mom and I had a very long day today and are both completely exhausted, so this will be brief . . .

Mom's scan today was unchanged! There was no shrinkage of the tumor, but there was also no growth and no metastasis! Dr. Tauer was very pleased and feels like the chemo is working. He's going to try to get in touch with Dr. Martin in Louisville tomorrow to talk about the possibility of surgery. We hope Dr. Martin is still on board and that we can schedule nanoknife surgery soon! Since tomorrow's Friday, I doubt we'll know anything about surgery until next week. Pray for Dr. Tauer and Dr. Martin to connect soon and for us to get (another) "yes" about surgery!

Mom's body is still trying to bounce back from these first two chemo treatments. Her red count has been getting lower and lower, so today she got a shot to help build it back up. Her potassium is also extremely low and, as usual, she's a little dehydrated; so she also got a bag of IV fluids with potassium. She'll get fluids at home the next two days to get her juiced up for our busy weekend ahead.

Despite her not-so-great lab work, she's feeling really well! Most of the time her appetite is pretty good - she's actually gained a pound since her last visit to West Clinic! Her stomach still doesn't tolerate food all the time, though (thus the dehydration and low potassium). She's experimenting with cutting out dairy, taking more digestive enzymes, etc. Her energy level is not completely back to normal yet but is much better than it was. We were at the clinic from 10:30am to 4:30pm and then ran some errands and didn't get home til almost 9pm! She did great - probably better than I did. I'm beginning to think I need a bag of fluids every time we go to the clinic. ;)

This weekend my brother Jared and his family are coming into town for the first time since Mom started chemo. Mom is so excited about spending the weekend with her grandkids and actually feeling well enough to have fun with them! On Saturday, we're helping with an Easter egg hunt for foster children and their families (pray for no rain!). And on Sunday, we'll go to church and then to some friends' house for lunch. Pray Mom will continue to feel well and have enough to energy to enjoy all the activities she has planned.

Okay, so that wasn't that brief after all. We are tired and weary but feeling so, so grateful to have received good news today. Please join us in praising God for all He has done and all He's going to do! He never ceases to amaze me.

29

 

It's my birthday. And the best present I got was a day spent with a mom who actually feels good. The above picture was taken this afternoon. Doesn't Trish look great?

This last several days have been almost normal around here! Mom's never been one to have life and not live it, so now that she's feeling a little better, it's been hard to make her sit still! She was more active this last weekend than she's been in all of the last six weeks combined. She went to Kia's cheer banquet, went shopping, went to church, went out to eat for my birthday, etc. She was pretty tired when we got home last night, but overall she's doing great. For the most part, her side effects are being controlled by meds. She's even been able to cut back a little on her nausea meds. Her appetite is much better. Her blood pressure is close to the normal range. And she's even gained a few pounds! Her biggest problem right now is swollen feet, which started last night after three days of nonstop moving. She's supposed to be keeping her feet up (per Dr. T's nurse's instructions), and it's killing her to have to get back in her recliner now that she actually feels like being out of it!

Mom's first scan since starting chemo is the THIS Thursday! This is big because it will probably determine whether or not she's still a candidate for nanoknife surgery in Louisville. If there's no metastasis (i.e. cancer in other places besides the pancreas), we hope to start making plans for surgery. So pray, pray, pray with us for good results! Pray that this scan is either better or unchanged.

Thank you so much to everyone who's prayed Mom to this point. We are so grateful!

the Saturday evening post

Aka your weekly Trish report. ;)

For those of you who haven't read it on facebook or twitter, Mom's blood work all looked great yesterday, so she was able (or maybe forced) to get her second round of chemo. Actually, she's still getting it, as one of the drugs infuses over 46 hours. They decreased the dosages of two of her chemo meds and added two new anti-nausea meds, all in an effort to manage this chemo's horrible side effects. She's wearing an anti-nausea patch (Sancuso patch) that administers medication continuously for 7 days. And she's taking phenergan and zofran around the clock, even setting her alarm to wake up and take meds every 3 hours at night. Hopefully these changes will make a difference!

We had a little bit of a scare during Mom's infusion yesterday when she started to have slurred speech and muscle twitching. Her nurse had never seen it before and called the nurse practitioner, who checked Mom out and made sure she wasn't having a stroke. She wasn't. It's just a rare reaction from one of the medicines (irinotecan-induced dysarthria) and it goes away a few hours after the infusion's finished. It actually happened last time, too, but it was right after she'd had a drink of iced tea. We attributed it to her extreme sensitivity to cold things (also a side effect of chemo). I googled it anyway, though, and had seen that irinotecan can cause slurred speech . . . which is the only reason I didn't freak out when it happened yesterday. It resolved after a few hours.

How's she doing tonight? Well, she feels kind of "chemo-ish" . . . just kind of feeling bad in general. Very fatigued, not hungry, not thirsty. She had one short episode of nausea this afternoon, but none before or since and she has not thrown up! Things started to get bad on day 3 after chemo last time, so tomorrow will be the real test - pray for a good day! Regardless of how tomorrow goes, we've got home health coming with IV fluids for at least a couple days. Even if she doesn't throw up at all this round, she could still use the extra fluids since she's not drinking much. 

On Monday, Mom will get a shot to boost her white blood cell production to help prevent the dramatic drop that occurred after round 1. Because this sends the bone marrow into overdrive, it can cause bad bone pain. Pray Trish will be spared of that.

In other news, Tekia is in Orlando with her cheerleading squad and was shocked tonight when her dad showed up for their parent meeting! After her trip got off to a rough start, Dad looked into flying down there for the weekend and realized he and Mom together had enough frequent flyer miles to get a round-trip ticket. Actually accessing those miles was a major ordeal, but we finally got it worked out and Dad was able to surprise Tekia tonight. :) God provided everything from plane tickets to a place to stay. Dad will be there to see her compete tomorrow and will stay to fly back with her on Tuesday. Tekia's team competed once this afternoon and Mom and I were able to watch it live online. They did great and are currently in 1st place for their division!

Tonight's prayer requests . . .

• Send up some prayers of thanksgiving for answered prayers from last week! Dr. Tauer is doing well after surgery . . . Kia's Orlando trip has taken a turn for the better and we all feel better now that her dad is there . . . Mom was able to have chemo yesterday. :)
• Pray for safety for Tekia and her teammates as they compete and safe travels for them and all their parents as they head home on Tuesday.
• Pray for round 2 of chemo to be hard on cancer cells and much easier on the rest of Mom's body! Pray Mom will have less stomach trouble and more strength and energy.
• Mom will have another scan on the 28th. Pray for no growth and no metastasis (i.e., spreading to other organs) of her cancer! If this goes well, we can schedule surgery in Louisville!

We've definitely had our moments of discouragement this week, but God has been just as faithful as ever, and we are so grateful. Thanks for covering us in prayer and love.