On Friday Mom went in to have a CT Scan and blood work so they can assess where she is at. And She had to wait all weekend for the results...
But the tests came back this morning and they are CLEAR! There is no noticeable signs of cancer. She doesn't have to go back for more tests for 3 months!
Thank you all for your prayers! I cannot believe we are at this day. 6 months ago I couldn't even imagine this day. As a matter of fact, almost 6 months ago to the day we found out about the cancer.
So thank you again for all of your prayers. GOOD BYE CANCER!! Please continue to pray for Mom as she regains her energy (and her hair! :) ).
3 months until another test. Thank you Lord!
Monday, September 20, 2010
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
ONE MORE TO GO!!
Well... we are past Monday. Mom finished this round of chemo and is feeling well. ONLY ONE MORE TREATMENT TO GO. I am so so proud of her.
Her numbers are still looking awesome. After we are done with Chemo it is these numbers that they will look at to evaluate how she is doing, if they change at all, then they will do a cat scan.
I am so excited for her to be done with this treatment. To celebrate her being a survivor. My Mom is so brave, a fighter, a survivor, a warrior. One more to go, one more.
My oh my how our lives have changed in the past five months. But mostly, it's just brought us closer together.
Mark your calendars... August 30th is celebration day. The last day of chemo!!
Her numbers are still looking awesome. After we are done with Chemo it is these numbers that they will look at to evaluate how she is doing, if they change at all, then they will do a cat scan.
I am so excited for her to be done with this treatment. To celebrate her being a survivor. My Mom is so brave, a fighter, a survivor, a warrior. One more to go, one more.
My oh my how our lives have changed in the past five months. But mostly, it's just brought us closer together.
Mark your calendars... August 30th is celebration day. The last day of chemo!!
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
2/3rds the way done!!!!
Well it's Wednesday, two days after Chemo. Completing this weeks chemo meant that mom is now 2/3 of the way done, and actually only has 2 chemo treatments left. (Her last one will be on August 30th.)
Her numbers looked great this week. They also prescribed some more medications so that hopefully her side effects this week won't be as bad as last time. So we pray that it helps her a lot.
This last weekend she also shaved her head as her hair falling out got to be too much, too many bald spots, so she just shaved it. She looks, beautiful. My Dad shaved his head to show his support for her during this time (but who are we kidding, he was already pretty much bald. ;) love you daddy) I am hoping to get a good picture of them together.
My Mom is truly incredible. Watching her go through this entire journey has been a great witness to me and many others. When she is finished with this journey we can call her many things, survivor, fighter, amazing, powerful, brave, etc. But I think the best word to describe her is Warrior.
war·ri·or (wôr-r, wr-)
n.
1. One who is engaged in or experienced in battle.
2. One who is engaged aggressively or energetically in an activity, cause, or conflict
My Mom is a warrior in every sense of the word. She is engaged in a battle, and even when the battle appears to be over, she will still be fighting every day. She aggressively and energetically threw herself into this fight and is giving it all. She is a warrior for herself, for her family, for her friends.
What Cancer cannot do:
"Cancer is so Limited….
It cannot cripple love, nor shatter hope…
It cannot silence courage nor can it invade the soul…
It cannot corrode faith, nor destroy peace…
It cannot destroy confidence, kill friendship or shut out memories…
It cannot steal eternal life, and it cannot conquer the spirit." (unknown
Her numbers looked great this week. They also prescribed some more medications so that hopefully her side effects this week won't be as bad as last time. So we pray that it helps her a lot.
This last weekend she also shaved her head as her hair falling out got to be too much, too many bald spots, so she just shaved it. She looks, beautiful. My Dad shaved his head to show his support for her during this time (but who are we kidding, he was already pretty much bald. ;) love you daddy) I am hoping to get a good picture of them together.
My Mom is truly incredible. Watching her go through this entire journey has been a great witness to me and many others. When she is finished with this journey we can call her many things, survivor, fighter, amazing, powerful, brave, etc. But I think the best word to describe her is Warrior.
war·ri·or (wôr-r, wr-)
n.
1. One who is engaged in or experienced in battle.
2. One who is engaged aggressively or energetically in an activity, cause, or conflict
My Mom is a warrior in every sense of the word. She is engaged in a battle, and even when the battle appears to be over, she will still be fighting every day. She aggressively and energetically threw herself into this fight and is giving it all. She is a warrior for herself, for her family, for her friends.
What Cancer cannot do:
"Cancer is so Limited….
It cannot cripple love, nor shatter hope…
It cannot silence courage nor can it invade the soul…
It cannot corrode faith, nor destroy peace…
It cannot destroy confidence, kill friendship or shut out memories…
It cannot steal eternal life, and it cannot conquer the spirit." (unknown
Thursday, June 24, 2010
What week are we at?!
So I have to fully and profusely apologize for not updating this as often as I should. I could say life gets busy but that seems like a lame excuse.
Mom is doing well. She is a rock-star throughout this whole ordeal. She had surgery over a week ago to do some minor fixes, and is feel well after. Sadly because of this surgery she is no longer eligible for the study treatment. I guess having surgery alters their findings. I like to say she got kicked out of the study, much more hard core. Shes too cool for that now.
So with being removed from the study they have had to reevaluate where we go from here. Right now she was doing Chemo every week, but they still counted as rounds every three weeks. In total she must have 18 weeks of Chemo regardless of how many times a week she gets it. SO.. if that isn't confusing and I haven't lost you, I think we have decided to doing Chemo once every three weeks. So basically the first week of every round she will get chemo. The bad news? This will probably make that first week suck. It's a lot more chemo in one setting. Vs. when she was getting it every week and it was broken up a little more. The good news? She should have two good weeks in between the bad. vs. feeling sick every week. The amount of steroids and other medications that you have to take with Chemo really take a toll on your body, so it will be nice to not have to take as many of those. Because of the small surgery she wasn't able to have chemo for two weeks, so that puts us behind by two weeks. Her last round of Chemo should be near Aug. 30th. (that is the first week of the last round).
Anyway I know that was confusing, but the best way I could explain everything going on.
All I know is my Mom is one amazing woman!! She has really be an incredible witness to those of us watching her go through this. Heck she was getting Chemo every week and still home schooling my brothers. Today is my little brothers last day of Home school for the year. They will go on Summer Break until August. (I hear they have a lot of field trips to Disney next year to make up for their absence this year.... haha)
I know we are all looking forward to the end of Aug... to the end of Chemo, so the return to some sort of normalcy. But really... will there ever be normalcy again? Probably not, but since when have the France's done anything "normal"?
I continue to thank you all for your prayers, your comfort, bringing meals, playing with my brothers, whatever it may be. There is no way we could go down this Journey alone and I thank you for all of your support.
God is amazing, and has really guided our Family in this situation. We continue to grow in him, and show faith in his plan.
For those of you wonder on other family matters.
The boys are good, they will be 7 in a month!! I am not sure how that is possible.
Miah, Lindsay and Noah are well as well. Noah is now 2 and a half months old (if I am counting correctly.)
Emmie, Andy and baby to be are also doing awesome. Only 2 weeks until Emmies due date! Yay for Eloise, come out baby!
Caitie and Carl... engagement is going!! We've both been busy traveling and other stuff so it has been nice to spend some time together this week!!
Thanks again for all of your prayers. I promise to stop sucking at updating this. Please leave comments so Mom can read them!! :)
Mom is doing well. She is a rock-star throughout this whole ordeal. She had surgery over a week ago to do some minor fixes, and is feel well after. Sadly because of this surgery she is no longer eligible for the study treatment. I guess having surgery alters their findings. I like to say she got kicked out of the study, much more hard core. Shes too cool for that now.
So with being removed from the study they have had to reevaluate where we go from here. Right now she was doing Chemo every week, but they still counted as rounds every three weeks. In total she must have 18 weeks of Chemo regardless of how many times a week she gets it. SO.. if that isn't confusing and I haven't lost you, I think we have decided to doing Chemo once every three weeks. So basically the first week of every round she will get chemo. The bad news? This will probably make that first week suck. It's a lot more chemo in one setting. Vs. when she was getting it every week and it was broken up a little more. The good news? She should have two good weeks in between the bad. vs. feeling sick every week. The amount of steroids and other medications that you have to take with Chemo really take a toll on your body, so it will be nice to not have to take as many of those. Because of the small surgery she wasn't able to have chemo for two weeks, so that puts us behind by two weeks. Her last round of Chemo should be near Aug. 30th. (that is the first week of the last round).
Anyway I know that was confusing, but the best way I could explain everything going on.
All I know is my Mom is one amazing woman!! She has really be an incredible witness to those of us watching her go through this. Heck she was getting Chemo every week and still home schooling my brothers. Today is my little brothers last day of Home school for the year. They will go on Summer Break until August. (I hear they have a lot of field trips to Disney next year to make up for their absence this year.... haha)
I know we are all looking forward to the end of Aug... to the end of Chemo, so the return to some sort of normalcy. But really... will there ever be normalcy again? Probably not, but since when have the France's done anything "normal"?
I continue to thank you all for your prayers, your comfort, bringing meals, playing with my brothers, whatever it may be. There is no way we could go down this Journey alone and I thank you for all of your support.
God is amazing, and has really guided our Family in this situation. We continue to grow in him, and show faith in his plan.
For those of you wonder on other family matters.
The boys are good, they will be 7 in a month!! I am not sure how that is possible.
Miah, Lindsay and Noah are well as well. Noah is now 2 and a half months old (if I am counting correctly.)
Emmie, Andy and baby to be are also doing awesome. Only 2 weeks until Emmies due date! Yay for Eloise, come out baby!
Caitie and Carl... engagement is going!! We've both been busy traveling and other stuff so it has been nice to spend some time together this week!!
Thanks again for all of your prayers. I promise to stop sucking at updating this. Please leave comments so Mom can read them!! :)
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Round 2... Week 1.. .DONE!
Mom has successfully finished round 2... week 1! Every three weeks she completes a round, so if you are counting weeks and not rounds it would be completion of week 4. Only 14 weeks to go! (or 4 rounds and 2 weeks... confused yet?)
The great thing about completing this week is that they have successfully put all the drugs they will be using on board. We had to wait until the start of Round 2 for them to add the final drug. Very excited to see how this all turns out, how she handles all the medicines being on board.
In other news, her blood levels were good this week, and she is still feeling pretty well. Thursdays are pretty much her rough days, but considering all she is going through, that is amazing!!
We are continually blessed by everyone's prayers, those bringing meals, and in general just helping my family out in any way possible. Words cannot describe how thankful we are. It's hard for me to be up here, and not be helping, but I am at peace by the amount of people who are willing to be there and help my family out. So thank you.
And since I was a slacker on updating this blog in the past two weeks... I will attach some photos of my trip to Houston to see Mom.
(Oh and for those of you wondering... she still has her hair!)
The great thing about completing this week is that they have successfully put all the drugs they will be using on board. We had to wait until the start of Round 2 for them to add the final drug. Very excited to see how this all turns out, how she handles all the medicines being on board.
In other news, her blood levels were good this week, and she is still feeling pretty well. Thursdays are pretty much her rough days, but considering all she is going through, that is amazing!!
We are continually blessed by everyone's prayers, those bringing meals, and in general just helping my family out in any way possible. Words cannot describe how thankful we are. It's hard for me to be up here, and not be helping, but I am at peace by the amount of people who are willing to be there and help my family out. So thank you.
And since I was a slacker on updating this blog in the past two weeks... I will attach some photos of my trip to Houston to see Mom.
(Oh and for those of you wondering... she still has her hair!)
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Still Going Strong...
Well Mom has completed round 2 of chemo and is doing well!!
She seems to be handling all the medications well, the biggest trouble being sleep. But even that seems to get much better after the first night.
We are so blessed to see her doing so well. Other than a lot of weight loss, she really seems like her old self again!
I am excited that I will be heading to Houston tomorrow night. Excited to hang out with Mom, Dad, the boys, Emmie, Andy, Grandma, Uncle Chris, Miah, Lindsay and Baby NOAH!
Hopefully having all of her kids under one roof will be great encouragement to her as she moves into round 3 of chemo.
2 down, 16 to go!
Thanks for your prayers.
She seems to be handling all the medications well, the biggest trouble being sleep. But even that seems to get much better after the first night.
We are so blessed to see her doing so well. Other than a lot of weight loss, she really seems like her old self again!
I am excited that I will be heading to Houston tomorrow night. Excited to hang out with Mom, Dad, the boys, Emmie, Andy, Grandma, Uncle Chris, Miah, Lindsay and Baby NOAH!
Hopefully having all of her kids under one roof will be great encouragement to her as she moves into round 3 of chemo.
2 down, 16 to go!
Thanks for your prayers.
Thursday, May 6, 2010
A Few Days In
Well Mom is a few days into this first round of chemo. She got the dose Monday, and didn't get home until very late Monday night/Tuesday morning.
From now on it looks like she will go in on Sundays to get her blood drawn so she won't have to wait around so long on Mondays for Chemo to start. That will be nice.
She seems to be handling this first dose pretty well. The only side effect she seems to be suffering from is not being able to see at night, and the day after she had some numbness in her limbs. Praise God that it all seems manageable at this point.
She was even able to go to her last CBS (community bible study) meeting of the year today! It is always good to be surrounded by a fellowship of people who love you, and Love the Lord.
The only other news to report is that she got the results of her genetic tests back this week... but no really good way to explain them yet. Her BRCA1 test came back positive... meaning that there is a flaw in the DNA on that gene. The weird part is... it is not one that have ever seen before. (You know us Frances... might as well Go Big or Go Home... is anyone really surprised that we would find a new deformity to this gene?)
We aren't sure exactly what it means yet, other than they have never dealt with it before. For sure it does mean that my siblings will all need to get tested to see if we also carry this gene. From there, well we will have to see what the doctors think.
It is so interesting to see how our bodies work... or don't work. To see that no matter how many doctors you meet, and no matter how many people are the best in their field of work... they still don't know everything. They still don't know everything about the human body, or why it does what it does. These perfect bodies that the Lord made are so riddled with the effects of this sinful world. Only He, God knows our bodies. Thank goodness for our faith in Him, our love for Him, and mostly, His love for us.
Once again I want to thank all of you who have been helping out with my family down in Houston, through meals, visits, prayers, all of it! Your generosity and love for them has been an amazing testament to the power of God's people, to loving people, to selfless people.
Prayers for chemo next week, that we will be able to continue to go through with minimal side effects.
Sorry for the long posts, thanks for your prayers!
From now on it looks like she will go in on Sundays to get her blood drawn so she won't have to wait around so long on Mondays for Chemo to start. That will be nice.
She seems to be handling this first dose pretty well. The only side effect she seems to be suffering from is not being able to see at night, and the day after she had some numbness in her limbs. Praise God that it all seems manageable at this point.
She was even able to go to her last CBS (community bible study) meeting of the year today! It is always good to be surrounded by a fellowship of people who love you, and Love the Lord.
The only other news to report is that she got the results of her genetic tests back this week... but no really good way to explain them yet. Her BRCA1 test came back positive... meaning that there is a flaw in the DNA on that gene. The weird part is... it is not one that have ever seen before. (You know us Frances... might as well Go Big or Go Home... is anyone really surprised that we would find a new deformity to this gene?)
We aren't sure exactly what it means yet, other than they have never dealt with it before. For sure it does mean that my siblings will all need to get tested to see if we also carry this gene. From there, well we will have to see what the doctors think.
It is so interesting to see how our bodies work... or don't work. To see that no matter how many doctors you meet, and no matter how many people are the best in their field of work... they still don't know everything. They still don't know everything about the human body, or why it does what it does. These perfect bodies that the Lord made are so riddled with the effects of this sinful world. Only He, God knows our bodies. Thank goodness for our faith in Him, our love for Him, and mostly, His love for us.
Once again I want to thank all of you who have been helping out with my family down in Houston, through meals, visits, prayers, all of it! Your generosity and love for them has been an amazing testament to the power of God's people, to loving people, to selfless people.
Prayers for chemo next week, that we will be able to continue to go through with minimal side effects.
Sorry for the long posts, thanks for your prayers!
Monday, May 3, 2010
Finally Cleared for Chemo
Well Mom finally got cleared for Chemo. She should start it in the next couple of hours. Please keep her in your prayers as she starts this stage of the Journey! We pray she won't feel too sick from it, and that it would not be painful.
I will update everyone when I know more.
I will update everyone when I know more.
Friday, April 30, 2010
Recovering Well, Chemo on Monday
Although none of you will probably believe me at this point, Mom is supposed to start Chemo on Monday. No really, for real, she should start. :)
She is recovering well from her minor surgery. Very sore, but doing well.
We are looking forward to moving this show on the road, getting to the next stage of this treatment.
We continue to prayer for her recovery, for the Chemo and it's effects on her body.
Thanks for all at you are doing for her!
She is recovering well from her minor surgery. Very sore, but doing well.
We are looking forward to moving this show on the road, getting to the next stage of this treatment.
We continue to prayer for her recovery, for the Chemo and it's effects on her body.
Thanks for all at you are doing for her!
Monday, April 26, 2010
No Chemo Again...
Quick Update:
No Chemo again today. They did a CT scan on Friday as a prerequisite to her starting this new type of chemo. When they did the CT Scan on Friday they found a small issue with her port, so they need to do a minor surgery today to fix that issue. Hopefully it will all be very minor and she will start Chemo next week. She should be in the hospital overnight.
Prayers that this surgery is very minor, easy, and that she will recover well. Prayers that we start chemo next Monday, I know that they are all anxious to get on the schedule.
Thanks for all your thoughts and prayers for Mom.
No Chemo again today. They did a CT scan on Friday as a prerequisite to her starting this new type of chemo. When they did the CT Scan on Friday they found a small issue with her port, so they need to do a minor surgery today to fix that issue. Hopefully it will all be very minor and she will start Chemo next week. She should be in the hospital overnight.
Prayers that this surgery is very minor, easy, and that she will recover well. Prayers that we start chemo next Monday, I know that they are all anxious to get on the schedule.
Thanks for all your thoughts and prayers for Mom.
Monday, April 19, 2010
New Information and Change of Plans!
Once again I apologize for my delinquency. I am trying to figure out a good schedule to update this, and when I feel like I have enough information to update this.
So last week they were unable to start the chemo because of Mom's white blood cell counts. Later in the week they gave her a call and asked her if she would be interested in doing a trail Chemo therapy that they are just starting to use on Ovarian Cancer patients. (There are going to be a lot of facts I am missing on what this means, but I will do my best). After they talked with the doctors about it, Mom and Dad decided that this new routine, with the new drug is the way they wanted to go with her treatment. What this means is instead of being on two different Chemo drugs, she will be on three. Sadly they will not be using her port for any of these drugs though. The other big change by going this way is that she will get Chemo EVERY Monday for the 18 weeks of treatment. They are not going to do anything with the port, but if they get into this treatment plan and decide it's not working, or they don't like how it is working, then we will revert back to our original plan and do IV and port. For now all her drugs will come through IV.
I don't know too much about each specific drug that she will be one. I know one of the original two is one that kills fast growing cells (i.e. why you lose hair, it's one of the fastest growing cells in our body). I am not exactly sure what the other original drug does. But I know this new study drug is supposed to stop blood flow to the cancer cells. It blocks new vascular blood supply from being created. The thing with cancer is... it needs lots of blood, lots of energy to grow. So if we can stop it from getting blood supply... then it can't grow. The hope with this new drug is that it actually keeps the Cancer in remission, eliminates the ability for it to reproduce more tumors. (I hope that kind of made sense)
To take place in this study they needed to do a few more tests before they start her Chemo, so they again will NOT be starting today (Monday, April 19th) but instead next Monday April 26th.
When we look at these circumstances, it is so interesting to see God's work in play. If Mom had started her Chemo last week, she would have been ineligible for this Study. So... in a way we can be thankful for the tests being off. I am also excited to see how this all plays out, and proud to know that my Mom is advancing the study and treatment of this type of Cancer.
Another great thing is... because she didn't start Chemo last week, and then had to delay the start of the chemo again this week... She was able to fly out and meet her new Grandbaby!! God really does work in mysteriously awesome ways. Miah and Lindsay were admitted to the hospital on Thursday (Tax Day) and they gave birth to a healthy, chubby baby boy on April 16th! (Noah Stephen France, 9lbs, 21 inches). On Friday Dad talked Mom into flying out there to meet him, since this will be the last time she could travel because of Chemo. Although she is still recovering from surgery and is still very tired, she decided to go. What a great thing!! I was so excited for her.
Dad with Noah... still wait for pics of Mom with him.
Anyway, there is your updated. Please let me know if you have any questions, and I will do my best to answer them. Or leave a special note for Grandma Kim! :)
Reminder: Chemo start date: April 26th.
So last week they were unable to start the chemo because of Mom's white blood cell counts. Later in the week they gave her a call and asked her if she would be interested in doing a trail Chemo therapy that they are just starting to use on Ovarian Cancer patients. (There are going to be a lot of facts I am missing on what this means, but I will do my best). After they talked with the doctors about it, Mom and Dad decided that this new routine, with the new drug is the way they wanted to go with her treatment. What this means is instead of being on two different Chemo drugs, she will be on three. Sadly they will not be using her port for any of these drugs though. The other big change by going this way is that she will get Chemo EVERY Monday for the 18 weeks of treatment. They are not going to do anything with the port, but if they get into this treatment plan and decide it's not working, or they don't like how it is working, then we will revert back to our original plan and do IV and port. For now all her drugs will come through IV.
I don't know too much about each specific drug that she will be one. I know one of the original two is one that kills fast growing cells (i.e. why you lose hair, it's one of the fastest growing cells in our body). I am not exactly sure what the other original drug does. But I know this new study drug is supposed to stop blood flow to the cancer cells. It blocks new vascular blood supply from being created. The thing with cancer is... it needs lots of blood, lots of energy to grow. So if we can stop it from getting blood supply... then it can't grow. The hope with this new drug is that it actually keeps the Cancer in remission, eliminates the ability for it to reproduce more tumors. (I hope that kind of made sense)
To take place in this study they needed to do a few more tests before they start her Chemo, so they again will NOT be starting today (Monday, April 19th) but instead next Monday April 26th.
When we look at these circumstances, it is so interesting to see God's work in play. If Mom had started her Chemo last week, she would have been ineligible for this Study. So... in a way we can be thankful for the tests being off. I am also excited to see how this all plays out, and proud to know that my Mom is advancing the study and treatment of this type of Cancer.
Another great thing is... because she didn't start Chemo last week, and then had to delay the start of the chemo again this week... She was able to fly out and meet her new Grandbaby!! God really does work in mysteriously awesome ways. Miah and Lindsay were admitted to the hospital on Thursday (Tax Day) and they gave birth to a healthy, chubby baby boy on April 16th! (Noah Stephen France, 9lbs, 21 inches). On Friday Dad talked Mom into flying out there to meet him, since this will be the last time she could travel because of Chemo. Although she is still recovering from surgery and is still very tired, she decided to go. What a great thing!! I was so excited for her.
Dad with Noah... still wait for pics of Mom with him.
Anyway, there is your updated. Please let me know if you have any questions, and I will do my best to answer them. Or leave a special note for Grandma Kim! :)
Reminder: Chemo start date: April 26th.
Monday, April 12, 2010
Not Today, Better Luck Next Time...
Well, Mom went to her appointment, did the gamut of tests they wanted... and they decided they won't start Chemo this week. It's disappointing, but I believe one of the Dr.'s first conversations with us about all of this was basically to say..."Expect the unexpected". Her blood culture was borderline and they didn't want her to take the risk, so they are putting off starting until next Monday.
I think Mom is pretty disappointed... just ready to get this first one over with. But it is not meant to be, and we pray that her blood levels are more in line next week. We obviously would much rather her be healthier going into this, than getting sick with no immune system and being stuck in the hospital for it.
Keep the prayers up! Keep praying for her continued recovery, and for whatever infection may be throwing off her blood culture to go away!
Thanks for the Prayers! Until next week!!
I think Mom is pretty disappointed... just ready to get this first one over with. But it is not meant to be, and we pray that her blood levels are more in line next week. We obviously would much rather her be healthier going into this, than getting sick with no immune system and being stuck in the hospital for it.
Keep the prayers up! Keep praying for her continued recovery, and for whatever infection may be throwing off her blood culture to go away!
Thanks for the Prayers! Until next week!!
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Long Time, Sorry
So I apologize that it has been a while since you all have gotten an update on Mom. I left for Cleveland on Friday April 2nd with mixed feelings about coming back. It's hard to not be there for her, I struggle each day with wanting to be down there, but knowing God needs me up here as well.
On Monday Mom went back to meet with the doctor and get her staples out (the zipper is less.. zipperish). Everything looked good for that incision, and they took the staples out. The doctor thinks she is doing great in her recovery. Each day gets a little better. The biggest news we received from this appointment is that they won't be able to start the IP (port, directly into the abdomen) Chemo this month. That wound is still healing, and hasn't healed enough for them to feel comfortable starting that, so for the next month they will do wound care, and hopefully when she starts Cycle 2, it will be good to go. The doctor didn't seem too worried that we weren't starting it on the first one. They have make it pretty clear that most women don't make it through all the cycles on IP chemo anyway, so starting it in the second cycle isn't going to be a very big deal. Their thought process is that every cycle they get in with it is a bonus to her treatment. So we are praying that it heals, and that it stops causing mom so much pain. (The port itself is causing pain.)
**CORRECTION**
She will begin her IV chemo on Monday (April 12, happy birthday Miah! ;) ). She will NOT have to stay at the hostpital this first time because they won't be doing the IP chemo, so they can do the IV chemo in 6 hrs instead of 24. She will loose her hair before cycle two ever starts. I think it's kind of a blessing that they don't start IP until next time, because hopefully it will kind of ease her into the Chemo, vs. going full force the first time. She won't have any day 8 treatments this cycle because of the no IP. So really just day 1 with the 6 hr drip, and then nothing until after day 21. Around May 3rd is when the next cycle will start.
For those of you who have been wondering what you can do... PRAY! Of course our biggest request will always be prayer. I can honestly tell you that we have seen the power of prayer over and over already in this journey. There have been so many small blessings, so many things that we have prayed for that have been answered. Our God is awesome! Other than that, in talking to Mom and Dad about what their needs are, I think at this time it is just mostly Food. We are trying to get good cooked meals in the house so that mom will feel like eating, and keep her strength up. So right now I am trying to put together a list of people who may be able to bring a meal once a week. We don't want to burden anyone so at this point they are just looking for 1 meal a week, on Monday nights. IF you are interested in helping out in this way, please email me. caitlinfrance at gmail dot com . I have to type it that way so I don't get spam mail, so please put it all together in the correct way. :)
Current Prayer Requests:
That my Mom continues to get her strength back, is able to walk around more, and doesn't feel so tired all the time.
My Brother and Sister-In Law are expecting their first baby (Mom's first grandbaby) on April 18th, so prayer for Lindsay in these last weeks and that the delivery is relatively easy, and that we gets lots of pictures quickly after. Ok ok that last part is a selfish request. :)
That my sister (also pregnant, due in July) will be able to keep her strength up as she is in Houston helping out Mom. And that her Husband survives in Missouri without her.
For my little baby bros, that they have patience, but also just enjoy having all the people around. Prayer for them as they try to understand this all at such a young age.
Prayer for my Dad as he balances work, home, helping mom, people in and out of town, and all of that Chaos!
Prayer for my Grandma who has been in Houston with my family since before my moms surgery, I know she was a huge help even just to ME when I was there. I pray her strength and energy stays up. As well as when the Grandmas switch and she goes home and Grandma M comes into town.
Of course we always are praying for those who are coming in and out of town to help. We appreciate all of the support you all are giving.
We could never face this battle alone, thanks be to God who is in control. His strength is our strength, His will will be done. Our Faith is in Him. Through all of this, if anything, it is strengthening our faith, and witness in Him.
Again, please email me or leave a comment if you would like to get in on the meal schedule. Thanks!!
On Monday Mom went back to meet with the doctor and get her staples out (the zipper is less.. zipperish). Everything looked good for that incision, and they took the staples out. The doctor thinks she is doing great in her recovery. Each day gets a little better. The biggest news we received from this appointment is that they won't be able to start the IP (port, directly into the abdomen) Chemo this month. That wound is still healing, and hasn't healed enough for them to feel comfortable starting that, so for the next month they will do wound care, and hopefully when she starts Cycle 2, it will be good to go. The doctor didn't seem too worried that we weren't starting it on the first one. They have make it pretty clear that most women don't make it through all the cycles on IP chemo anyway, so starting it in the second cycle isn't going to be a very big deal. Their thought process is that every cycle they get in with it is a bonus to her treatment. So we are praying that it heals, and that it stops causing mom so much pain. (The port itself is causing pain.)
**CORRECTION**
She will begin her IV chemo on Monday (April 12, happy birthday Miah! ;) ). She will NOT have to stay at the hostpital this first time because they won't be doing the IP chemo, so they can do the IV chemo in 6 hrs instead of 24. She will loose her hair before cycle two ever starts. I think it's kind of a blessing that they don't start IP until next time, because hopefully it will kind of ease her into the Chemo, vs. going full force the first time. She won't have any day 8 treatments this cycle because of the no IP. So really just day 1 with the 6 hr drip, and then nothing until after day 21. Around May 3rd is when the next cycle will start.
For those of you who have been wondering what you can do... PRAY! Of course our biggest request will always be prayer. I can honestly tell you that we have seen the power of prayer over and over already in this journey. There have been so many small blessings, so many things that we have prayed for that have been answered. Our God is awesome! Other than that, in talking to Mom and Dad about what their needs are, I think at this time it is just mostly Food. We are trying to get good cooked meals in the house so that mom will feel like eating, and keep her strength up. So right now I am trying to put together a list of people who may be able to bring a meal once a week. We don't want to burden anyone so at this point they are just looking for 1 meal a week, on Monday nights. IF you are interested in helping out in this way, please email me. caitlinfrance at gmail dot com . I have to type it that way so I don't get spam mail, so please put it all together in the correct way. :)
Current Prayer Requests:
That my Mom continues to get her strength back, is able to walk around more, and doesn't feel so tired all the time.
My Brother and Sister-In Law are expecting their first baby (Mom's first grandbaby) on April 18th, so prayer for Lindsay in these last weeks and that the delivery is relatively easy, and that we gets lots of pictures quickly after. Ok ok that last part is a selfish request. :)
That my sister (also pregnant, due in July) will be able to keep her strength up as she is in Houston helping out Mom. And that her Husband survives in Missouri without her.
For my little baby bros, that they have patience, but also just enjoy having all the people around. Prayer for them as they try to understand this all at such a young age.
Prayer for my Dad as he balances work, home, helping mom, people in and out of town, and all of that Chaos!
Prayer for my Grandma who has been in Houston with my family since before my moms surgery, I know she was a huge help even just to ME when I was there. I pray her strength and energy stays up. As well as when the Grandmas switch and she goes home and Grandma M comes into town.
Of course we always are praying for those who are coming in and out of town to help. We appreciate all of the support you all are giving.
We could never face this battle alone, thanks be to God who is in control. His strength is our strength, His will will be done. Our Faith is in Him. Through all of this, if anything, it is strengthening our faith, and witness in Him.
Again, please email me or leave a comment if you would like to get in on the meal schedule. Thanks!!
Sunday, April 4, 2010
We are moving into phase 2 of our marathon. I (caitie) have gone back to Cleveland, and Emmie has take over being with Mom. I will still be updating the blog even though I am in Cleveland.
Mom seems to be feeling a lot better, every day is a little bit closer to full recovery from the surgery. Right before I left she was able to get her self out of bed from a slightly reclined position. This was a big step! (Being cut straight down your abdomen really takes away your muscle control. Tomorrow (Monday) she will get her staples taken out. One week after that she will begin her Chemo treatments.
She was able to get out for a little bit yesterday and went to lunch with the family. Slowly she is also starting to eat more which is good.
Prayer Requests would be that she continues to heal from her surgery. It would be nice for her to feel almost normal before she begins Chemo. Prayer that the process of taking her staples out is not a painful experience. Prayer that as a family we remember that we are not in control, but God is, and he is good! He has given us many blessing in this journey already, we need to focus on those. He is so good to us! As we celebrate Easter today I am continually reminded of the ultimate gift that God has given us, and the gifts he continues to keep giving us. He has blessed our family greatly. I pray He continues to give Mom the strength she needs, the Spirit to influence those around her, and the Love of Christ will be evident to those around her. We are also praying that she stays away from all Illnesses as she begins her Chemo process, she does not need to be getting sick.
I know a lot of you have been questioning our family calendar and needs. Right now we are trying to figure all of that out, but once I know our needs more I will be sure to let you guys know. I think right now needs that we are going to be having is as Mom has to stay in the hospital over night for days 1 and 2 of her treatment that people might be able to bring meals for the boys and Dad. Other needs would be to help by just keeping Mom company, or taking the boys out. Again I will fill you in as we figure out specifics for their needs.
If we haven't said it before, I'll say it again, we really appreciate all of you! Your prayers can be felt, and I've never been more thankful for it. God is good ALL the time, and All the time God is good! Also, He is Risen, He is Risen Indeed.
Mom seems to be feeling a lot better, every day is a little bit closer to full recovery from the surgery. Right before I left she was able to get her self out of bed from a slightly reclined position. This was a big step! (Being cut straight down your abdomen really takes away your muscle control. Tomorrow (Monday) she will get her staples taken out. One week after that she will begin her Chemo treatments.
She was able to get out for a little bit yesterday and went to lunch with the family. Slowly she is also starting to eat more which is good.
Prayer Requests would be that she continues to heal from her surgery. It would be nice for her to feel almost normal before she begins Chemo. Prayer that the process of taking her staples out is not a painful experience. Prayer that as a family we remember that we are not in control, but God is, and he is good! He has given us many blessing in this journey already, we need to focus on those. He is so good to us! As we celebrate Easter today I am continually reminded of the ultimate gift that God has given us, and the gifts he continues to keep giving us. He has blessed our family greatly. I pray He continues to give Mom the strength she needs, the Spirit to influence those around her, and the Love of Christ will be evident to those around her. We are also praying that she stays away from all Illnesses as she begins her Chemo process, she does not need to be getting sick.
I know a lot of you have been questioning our family calendar and needs. Right now we are trying to figure all of that out, but once I know our needs more I will be sure to let you guys know. I think right now needs that we are going to be having is as Mom has to stay in the hospital over night for days 1 and 2 of her treatment that people might be able to bring meals for the boys and Dad. Other needs would be to help by just keeping Mom company, or taking the boys out. Again I will fill you in as we figure out specifics for their needs.
If we haven't said it before, I'll say it again, we really appreciate all of you! Your prayers can be felt, and I've never been more thankful for it. God is good ALL the time, and All the time God is good! Also, He is Risen, He is Risen Indeed.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
HOME!
Well as of 4:30pm Mom was finally home. I think she is relieved to be in her own clothes, no lines, tubes, wires coming out of her. Rocky (our dog) was so excited to see her, he has not been the same since she went into the hosptial.
Another benefit will to not be woken up every two hours, she may actually get more rest here than in the Hospital.
She has loved being home and seeing the flowers that have been sent, the cards, the presents. She really feels the love of everyone. What a blessing to have all the people come around and support her.
Things Mom is looking forward to: Being able to stand up straight, staples out (the 5th). Things that are going to happen regardless if we look forward to them: Chemo. It is set to start on the 12th.
Emmie and Andy came into town yesterday, although Andy will have to leave on Monday. Emmie is here now to help Mom, and home school the boys. I will be leaving early friday morning.
Right now we are trying to put a Calendar together for who will be here when to take care of the boys, cook, take care of the house, and help mom, etc. Eventually Emmie will have to head back to Missouri to have her BABY!! (Yay Baby Eloise!) Miah and Lindsay should be coming to visit sometime in May or June, Baby Noah is due in just 3 weeks! Mom is so excited to become a Grandma!!
I will keep this blog up to date even after I go home. If you have any questions, comments, anything feel free to comment!
Thank you for your prayers! Through God anything is possible.
Another benefit will to not be woken up every two hours, she may actually get more rest here than in the Hospital.
She has loved being home and seeing the flowers that have been sent, the cards, the presents. She really feels the love of everyone. What a blessing to have all the people come around and support her.
Things Mom is looking forward to: Being able to stand up straight, staples out (the 5th). Things that are going to happen regardless if we look forward to them: Chemo. It is set to start on the 12th.
Emmie and Andy came into town yesterday, although Andy will have to leave on Monday. Emmie is here now to help Mom, and home school the boys. I will be leaving early friday morning.
Right now we are trying to put a Calendar together for who will be here when to take care of the boys, cook, take care of the house, and help mom, etc. Eventually Emmie will have to head back to Missouri to have her BABY!! (Yay Baby Eloise!) Miah and Lindsay should be coming to visit sometime in May or June, Baby Noah is due in just 3 weeks! Mom is so excited to become a Grandma!!
I will keep this blog up to date even after I go home. If you have any questions, comments, anything feel free to comment!
Thank you for your prayers! Through God anything is possible.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Still Waiting...
Mom is still in the hospital, and we are still waiting for her to get out. Uncle Chris and Aunt Ella go home tomorrow, Emmie and Andy got into town today. So we are doing a lot of switching.
I am praying mom gets out tomorrow or Thursday (prefereably tomorrow) since I leave for Cleveland early Friday morning.
We appreciate everyones's prayers. We are going to need thme as we transfere mom back to the house, and help her keep recovering before they start Chemo.
I am praying mom gets out tomorrow or Thursday (prefereably tomorrow) since I leave for Cleveland early Friday morning.
We appreciate everyones's prayers. We are going to need thme as we transfere mom back to the house, and help her keep recovering before they start Chemo.
Monday, March 29, 2010
Not Today
Well Mom will not be discharged today. She started running a fever yesterday and they started her on some antibiotics, so we will see what today brings. There is still a chance she will get out sometime tomorrow, but we will have to see how today goes.
I stayed with her in the hospital for the second time last night. I am pretty sure she only has rough nights when I stay with her. She's doing some breathing treatments and the medicine made her sick to her stomach at about 2:30 am. This morning she took a little bit too big of a bite of toast and choked herself. Trying to cough when they've just taken your insides out is not a good thing. But other than that she is dong ok.
We are going to see if they will let me push her around the hospital in a wheelchair just so she can get a different view than these 4 walls and walking around the Nurses station up here. She has to do 5 walks today as well, so we will see how that all goes.
I am sure there is more to updated, but I can't quite remember, my brain is working on 2 and a half hours of sleep.
Keep up the prayers for moms recovery!!
I stayed with her in the hospital for the second time last night. I am pretty sure she only has rough nights when I stay with her. She's doing some breathing treatments and the medicine made her sick to her stomach at about 2:30 am. This morning she took a little bit too big of a bite of toast and choked herself. Trying to cough when they've just taken your insides out is not a good thing. But other than that she is dong ok.
We are going to see if they will let me push her around the hospital in a wheelchair just so she can get a different view than these 4 walls and walking around the Nurses station up here. She has to do 5 walks today as well, so we will see how that all goes.
I am sure there is more to updated, but I can't quite remember, my brain is working on 2 and a half hours of sleep.
Keep up the prayers for moms recovery!!
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Keep on Moving UP!
So today is Saturday. In some ways this week seems like a year, and in others it has flown by.
Mom is still at the hospital. It looks like she will probably get discharged on Monday. Right now we are doing a wonderful balancing act of switching spots at the hospital, with the boys, and other things that need to get done. It's like ... well orchestrated chaos. There are small things that we having been missing like... buying toilet paper. But don't worry everyone we finally got it yesterday, we are good to go! I think the boys have been having fun on their spring break. We (Carl and I) took them to NASA yesterday. They got to see mission control, where the astronauts train for their missions, how they learn to get around. Plus we went to "Missile" Park. Joseph wants you all to know that we saw "Saturn V" Which is the Rocket ship that helped out with a lot of the Apollo Missions. He thought it was HUGE! They got to eat space ice cream, and get a picture that made them look like they were floating in space.
The boys also got to go see Mom for the first time yesterday. They got to see her twice which was nice. In the morning I think they were a little more scared, but when we came back in the afternoon they were much more comfortable. Joseph thinks that her "zipper" (scar with staples) was the weirdest part. He says that the best part about seeing Mom was being able to give Mom hugs and kisses. (Joseph is sitting here as I type this spell checking for me haha).
Mom was able to sit up in a chair for a while yesterday, and took a couple of walks around her floor at the hospital. She was also finally able to pee on her own which is an answer to prayer. When we came back in the afternoon we were able to meet with her Dr. who had been out of town for a few days. She thought Mom looked great and was doing really well, which was encouraging. They haven't decided a for sure date for Chemo to start, but it looks like two weeks from Monday. It all depends on her recovery from the Surgery. So right now our focus is on getting her better. Last night when we left they were talking about letting her start to eat some solids, which would hopefully bring back a lot of her strength. Today they were probably going to take her off of her pain pump and work on controlling her pain through pills so that they can get it managed before she goes home.
So I think that is all there is to update. We really appreciate all of your prayers. We can definitely feel them.
Joseph wants you to know that he and Jacob have been good about sending Mom cards and gifts when they weren't able to visit her. They even sent her emails that Dad read to her. Yesterday they brought her gifts from the Space Center. They are sweet boys.
Joseph want to type something to everyone. (Remember he is 6 so please excuse spelling or grammatical errors... who am I kidding he spells better than me)
Mom is doing well. She will be better in 7 months. She will look a little like Dad for awhile so we will have to find her hats.
(none of that was dictated, he typed it, and thought it)
We hope everyone has a great Saturday, we will check in with you all soon.
Mom is still at the hospital. It looks like she will probably get discharged on Monday. Right now we are doing a wonderful balancing act of switching spots at the hospital, with the boys, and other things that need to get done. It's like ... well orchestrated chaos. There are small things that we having been missing like... buying toilet paper. But don't worry everyone we finally got it yesterday, we are good to go! I think the boys have been having fun on their spring break. We (Carl and I) took them to NASA yesterday. They got to see mission control, where the astronauts train for their missions, how they learn to get around. Plus we went to "Missile" Park. Joseph wants you all to know that we saw "Saturn V" Which is the Rocket ship that helped out with a lot of the Apollo Missions. He thought it was HUGE! They got to eat space ice cream, and get a picture that made them look like they were floating in space.
The boys also got to go see Mom for the first time yesterday. They got to see her twice which was nice. In the morning I think they were a little more scared, but when we came back in the afternoon they were much more comfortable. Joseph thinks that her "zipper" (scar with staples) was the weirdest part. He says that the best part about seeing Mom was being able to give Mom hugs and kisses. (Joseph is sitting here as I type this spell checking for me haha).
Mom was able to sit up in a chair for a while yesterday, and took a couple of walks around her floor at the hospital. She was also finally able to pee on her own which is an answer to prayer. When we came back in the afternoon we were able to meet with her Dr. who had been out of town for a few days. She thought Mom looked great and was doing really well, which was encouraging. They haven't decided a for sure date for Chemo to start, but it looks like two weeks from Monday. It all depends on her recovery from the Surgery. So right now our focus is on getting her better. Last night when we left they were talking about letting her start to eat some solids, which would hopefully bring back a lot of her strength. Today they were probably going to take her off of her pain pump and work on controlling her pain through pills so that they can get it managed before she goes home.
So I think that is all there is to update. We really appreciate all of your prayers. We can definitely feel them.
Joseph wants you to know that he and Jacob have been good about sending Mom cards and gifts when they weren't able to visit her. They even sent her emails that Dad read to her. Yesterday they brought her gifts from the Space Center. They are sweet boys.
Joseph want to type something to everyone. (Remember he is 6 so please excuse spelling or grammatical errors... who am I kidding he spells better than me)
Mom is doing well. She will be better in 7 months. She will look a little like Dad for awhile so we will have to find her hats.
(none of that was dictated, he typed it, and thought it)
We hope everyone has a great Saturday, we will check in with you all soon.
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
REAL updated
So first I apologize that I did not give the update that many were waiting for after surgery yesterday. We wanted to be able to get mom out of the recovery room and also be able to talk to her first.
When they removed the tumors yesterday there were 2 on the ovaries (one each), 3 in the abdomen, and had to scrape the diaphragmatic lining. The tumors were malignant. She has stage III ovarian cancer. I do want to warn you though to remember a few things; Everything you read on Internet is not true. Also remember that the numbers found on the Internet are for the entire age bracket, so it is not entirely accurate for my mom. That covers woman age 40-99 years old. Obviously a woman who is over 70 is going to have a harder time going through the treatments my mom will. Heck a woman over the age 60 would have a harder time than my mom. She is a fighter. The number also won't show the faith in God my mom has, or the fact that she is a fighter. She is going to beat this thing.
Further treatment will be chemo. Mom will be trying out a new form of Chemotherapy that is supposed to work really well for ovarian cancer. They have put a port directly into her abdomen. She will be on a 21 day cycle for the Chemotherapy for 6 cycles (18 weeks). Day one is the IV chemotherepy, Day 2 is IP (Chemo put directly into her abdomen) These two days she will stay over night for these two days, Day 8 is the IP, this will not be an overnight stay. The port into her abdomen is definitely newer, but an exciting development. It will maker her sicker (that's a lot of poison)... but man I have never been more thankful for poison in my life.
As we move into this next phase of our lives, of Mom's treatment we have a lot to be thankful for. We are so blessed by the power of prayer of the people we know in our lives. To say that Mom has been prayed for on every coast is an understatement. I KNOW she's been prayed for in at least 15 states, probably more. Shes been prayed for in London, and Spain. What can I say, she gets around. We are so blessed that surgery went so well yesterday. That they were able to get everything. That it was not in any other organs. We are so blessed by our Lord above. And Mom is a fighter, and she has God on her side.
Prayer requests for today would include that she will keep up her recovery. Right now we are wanting her to take deep breaths because it opens up her lungs and keeps pneumonia. Because they had to scrape her diaphragm it is much harder to breathe and hurts a lot more. We also pray that her bladder loosens up so she is able to use the restroom on her own (sorry weird, but a true fact of recovery). We pray that she will be able to get some sleep in the hospital, and more than just sleep but some actual rest. We pray that as she starts to move and walk around that she is able to walk around more that her shortness of breathe will go away.
The good news is her spirits are high, she is doing great, and I completely admire her.
Again I apologize that we waited until this evening to give you this information about the tumors, the cancer, and the treatment plan from her on out.
Thank you all for your support. Keep writing comments, my mom loves to hear them. They are great encouragement as we sit in hospital.
When they removed the tumors yesterday there were 2 on the ovaries (one each), 3 in the abdomen, and had to scrape the diaphragmatic lining. The tumors were malignant. She has stage III ovarian cancer. I do want to warn you though to remember a few things; Everything you read on Internet is not true. Also remember that the numbers found on the Internet are for the entire age bracket, so it is not entirely accurate for my mom. That covers woman age 40-99 years old. Obviously a woman who is over 70 is going to have a harder time going through the treatments my mom will. Heck a woman over the age 60 would have a harder time than my mom. She is a fighter. The number also won't show the faith in God my mom has, or the fact that she is a fighter. She is going to beat this thing.
Further treatment will be chemo. Mom will be trying out a new form of Chemotherapy that is supposed to work really well for ovarian cancer. They have put a port directly into her abdomen. She will be on a 21 day cycle for the Chemotherapy for 6 cycles (18 weeks). Day one is the IV chemotherepy, Day 2 is IP (Chemo put directly into her abdomen) These two days she will stay over night for these two days, Day 8 is the IP, this will not be an overnight stay. The port into her abdomen is definitely newer, but an exciting development. It will maker her sicker (that's a lot of poison)... but man I have never been more thankful for poison in my life.
As we move into this next phase of our lives, of Mom's treatment we have a lot to be thankful for. We are so blessed by the power of prayer of the people we know in our lives. To say that Mom has been prayed for on every coast is an understatement. I KNOW she's been prayed for in at least 15 states, probably more. Shes been prayed for in London, and Spain. What can I say, she gets around. We are so blessed that surgery went so well yesterday. That they were able to get everything. That it was not in any other organs. We are so blessed by our Lord above. And Mom is a fighter, and she has God on her side.
Prayer requests for today would include that she will keep up her recovery. Right now we are wanting her to take deep breaths because it opens up her lungs and keeps pneumonia. Because they had to scrape her diaphragm it is much harder to breathe and hurts a lot more. We also pray that her bladder loosens up so she is able to use the restroom on her own (sorry weird, but a true fact of recovery). We pray that she will be able to get some sleep in the hospital, and more than just sleep but some actual rest. We pray that as she starts to move and walk around that she is able to walk around more that her shortness of breathe will go away.
The good news is her spirits are high, she is doing great, and I completely admire her.
Again I apologize that we waited until this evening to give you this information about the tumors, the cancer, and the treatment plan from her on out.
Thank you all for your support. Keep writing comments, my mom loves to hear them. They are great encouragement as we sit in hospital.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Surgery Updated
We haven't gotten to see her yet, but I did want everyone to know that they were able to take out both tumors, one was the size of a squash and one was the size of a baseball. All I can say is OUCH! The recovery is going to be very painful for the next few days. She will be in the hospital here at MD Anderson in Houston until Sunday or Monday depending on her recovery.
Your prayers are being felt! We know we are surrounded in God's grace and mercy. His love is so evident in our lives. Keep praying for my mom, for her recovery and as we move on to the next phase of treatment.
Your prayers are being felt! We know we are surrounded in God's grace and mercy. His love is so evident in our lives. Keep praying for my mom, for her recovery and as we move on to the next phase of treatment.
SURGERY DONE
Mom is offically out of surgery. They are keeping her in post-op for one hour before we are allowd to see her. More updates to come. But Praise God she is out!
Update
Mom has been in surgery since 8:09am central time. At 10:00 am they indicated that the ovaries were removed and being examined. We should hopefully get another update in an hour (noon central time) Everything seems to be going well from all we know. We can feel your prayers! Keep the prayers up!
Monday, March 22, 2010
Surgery Time
We finally have a surgery time for tomorrow. 7am Central time. Mom will have to head to the hospital around 4:30am so that they can get checked in and prepped. Hopefully the surgery will be done around noon or one. We will keep you updated as the day goes on. Please pray that God is the guide to the surgeon's hands and eyes.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Update
There are some words that can change your entire life in a heart beat. For my mom a few of these have been, "Will you marry me", "It's a boy", "It's a girl", "It's a girl", "It's twins", and most important; "Jesus". These words have a certain, life changing aspect to them, for the better.
And then there are some words that have a life changing effect to them in a different way, for my mom this was; "You may have ovarian cancer".
It starts off simple enough, slight pain in the abdomen. The pain increases, your doctor sends you to get a CT Scan to check for some possibilities, including appendicitis. But the results come back different than you could imagine.
It's no surprise that these words sent our family into a little bit of a frenzy. There were appointments to set up, family to contact, decisions to be made. My parents decided to stick with the appointment her primary care doctor had set up, but to also call MD Anderson to see if they could get an appointment with them. What a blessing that they live in Houston where MD Anderson is, one of the best cancer hospitals in the country. I flew in to town Friday night to help with the boys, and we tried to waste time all weekend until their meeting with the doctor.
Fortunately their meeting with MD Anderson went very well, and they have decided to cancel with the other doctors and stick with MD Anderson.
The course of treatment right now is to perform surgery next Tuesday (March 23rd). The surgery will take somewhere between 4-5 hours. They will remove the tumors, ovaries and all other things they deem necessary. They will be as aggressive as possible. During the surgery the pathology lab will also be looking into the tumors to see what we are dealing with. The recovery from surgery will take a few days, and then they will make decisions on how to move forward in terms of Chemotherapy.
To answer your questions... we are dealing the all of this the only way we know how. Through full trust in God, and a lot of sarcastic humor.
We are going to use this blog to update family and friends on the situation. I (Caitie) will be updating it for my mom, so that it is not one more thing on her plate. We figure this is the best way to get mass updates and prayer requests out, especially in the chaos of surgery and recovery.
We appreciate all the prayers, and please feel to leave comments and we will work at responding to them. The more prayer the better! We thank you for your support, thoughts, and love.
Please listen to "I praise you in this storm" by Casting Crowns if you are curious where the blog title comes from. What a powerful message, and a great reminder to us of the awesome power of God, and his mercy.
And then there are some words that have a life changing effect to them in a different way, for my mom this was; "You may have ovarian cancer".
It starts off simple enough, slight pain in the abdomen. The pain increases, your doctor sends you to get a CT Scan to check for some possibilities, including appendicitis. But the results come back different than you could imagine.
It's no surprise that these words sent our family into a little bit of a frenzy. There were appointments to set up, family to contact, decisions to be made. My parents decided to stick with the appointment her primary care doctor had set up, but to also call MD Anderson to see if they could get an appointment with them. What a blessing that they live in Houston where MD Anderson is, one of the best cancer hospitals in the country. I flew in to town Friday night to help with the boys, and we tried to waste time all weekend until their meeting with the doctor.
Fortunately their meeting with MD Anderson went very well, and they have decided to cancel with the other doctors and stick with MD Anderson.
The course of treatment right now is to perform surgery next Tuesday (March 23rd). The surgery will take somewhere between 4-5 hours. They will remove the tumors, ovaries and all other things they deem necessary. They will be as aggressive as possible. During the surgery the pathology lab will also be looking into the tumors to see what we are dealing with. The recovery from surgery will take a few days, and then they will make decisions on how to move forward in terms of Chemotherapy.
To answer your questions... we are dealing the all of this the only way we know how. Through full trust in God, and a lot of sarcastic humor.
We are going to use this blog to update family and friends on the situation. I (Caitie) will be updating it for my mom, so that it is not one more thing on her plate. We figure this is the best way to get mass updates and prayer requests out, especially in the chaos of surgery and recovery.
We appreciate all the prayers, and please feel to leave comments and we will work at responding to them. The more prayer the better! We thank you for your support, thoughts, and love.
Please listen to "I praise you in this storm" by Casting Crowns if you are curious where the blog title comes from. What a powerful message, and a great reminder to us of the awesome power of God, and his mercy.
Praise You in this Storm
I was sure by now,God, that You would have reached down
and wiped our tears away,
stepped in and saved the day.
But once again, I say amen
and it's still raining
as the thunder rolls
I barely hear You whisper through the rain,
"I'm with you"
and as Your mercy falls
I raise my hands and praise
the God who gives and takes away.
Chorus:
And I'll praise you in this storm
and I will lift my hands
for You are who You are
no matter where I am
and every tear I've cried
You hold in your hand
You never left my side
and though my heart is torn
I will praise You in this storm
I remember when I stumbled in the wind
You heard my cry to You
and raised me up again
my strength is almost gone how can I carry on
if I can't find You
and as the thunder rolls
I barely hear You whisper through the rain
"I'm with you"
and as Your mercy falls
I raise my hands and praise
the God who gives and takes away
Chorus
I lift my eyes onto the hills
where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth
I lift my eyes onto the hills
where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth
Chorus
and wiped our tears away,
stepped in and saved the day.
But once again, I say amen
and it's still raining
as the thunder rolls
I barely hear You whisper through the rain,
"I'm with you"
and as Your mercy falls
I raise my hands and praise
the God who gives and takes away.
Chorus:
And I'll praise you in this storm
and I will lift my hands
for You are who You are
no matter where I am
and every tear I've cried
You hold in your hand
You never left my side
and though my heart is torn
I will praise You in this storm
I remember when I stumbled in the wind
You heard my cry to You
and raised me up again
my strength is almost gone how can I carry on
if I can't find You
and as the thunder rolls
I barely hear You whisper through the rain
"I'm with you"
and as Your mercy falls
I raise my hands and praise
the God who gives and takes away
Chorus
I lift my eyes onto the hills
where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth
I lift my eyes onto the hills
where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth
Chorus
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