Update

Mom has finally started feeling well which is great but also sad because she goes in on Wednesday and starts chemo over again. This is the treatment that includes the "red devil" (if I remember correctly) so it will probably hit her hard. Please pray that she does well and that she is able to keep her spirits up.

They are sleeping at their house for the first time in over two months (I think it is over three months). I think that they may be just a little excited. The floor guys got the laminate down in their room and it looks great. Hopefully by the time they get home next time, we will have their room set up! And we hope to have the house completely put together soon!

Well, I think that is it for now. If you want, you can start sending notes to Mom through the MDAnderson website.

Monday

Mom and I were in Houston yesterday for appointments. She got some more platelets and some magnesium. She has been really tired lately and the nurse said if your magnesium is low it was make you tired. Hoping that today she is stronger and more awake.

We had some excitement last night with Dad who spent a few hours in the ER being treated for heat exhaustion and a virus. If you want to read about our adventure, go to tlsgiggles.blogspot.com.

Have a good week.

Weekend Update

Well, we had a pretty good weekend. Friday was a very long day for us. We were at the hospital for 11 hours and 39 minutes (I only know that because that is what the parking garage receipt said!). Saturday was filled with family and it was great to see everyone. My mom's sister, brother and niece and great nephew were visiting. My aunt brought her horse so she could get those cows we missed from our last cowgirl session!! My dad's older brother, sister in law and niece also came down to visit. Last but not least, my sister's husband and two kids came down to take their Mommy home. Since we had so many people around, we moved some furniture out of storage into their house. We got them a room set up for them to stay in until we get the floor in their bedroom finished.
This afternoon Mom and I headed back down to the hospital because we have a 7:15 am appointment. Hopefully it will be shorter day than Friday. She is feeling better than she was last week.
Well, we hope everyone has a good week.

What a difference a day makes!

Today was so much better than yesterday although it started out shaky! Tomorrow will be a day of rest and we will be in Houston Friday am, Monday am and Wednesday am. She was happy to get back "home" with my Dad. I am happy to be home with my honey.

I hope you all don't get tired of me saying this but thanks again for everything you all are doing for us. We can feel your love surround us and are lifted up with your prayers!

Two treatments down. . . . .only 6 more to go!!

Today was a rough day. . . .

This morning we got up and headed to MDA for several things with mom. All went well until we went to the cafeteria for lunch and then it got rough. Mom began getting sick and it took us a while to get that stopped. We ended up "borrowing" plastic grocery bags to use as barf bags. We used these several times and they work really well. The problem was we were too slow and got messy. B went and bought her a new shirt but unfortunately we also got the pants but couldn't do anything about that except wipe off what we could and wipe at what we couldn't. I know she felt miserable the rest of the day because of it. It is really hard to watch your parent go through something like this; having your body do things that are beyond your control. Two ladies who had been sitting at the table next to us stopped and told us that they would be praying for us. That caused me to cry. . .what do you do when complete strangers stop and tell you something like that? This is the second time this has happened when Mom and I have been together. The first time was at a BBQ place and a man saw us praying before we ate and when he was finished he stopped by and told us that he didn’t know what we were praying for but that he would pray for us. Back to the ladies, they have been at MDA for a while; one of them has been taking treatments. They were from Oklahoma.
While Mom was having her lumbar puncture, I decided to go get something to eat since lunch had so much excitement and she had an hour wait before we could leave. On the way down there I was walking behind three ladies who were just chattering away. The older lady told her companions to let me go by. I told them not to worry; I was not in a hurry at all. The older lady asks me my name and I told her and her face kind of fell. I told her what my maiden name was and she exclaimed, “You are RA and BE’s daughter aren’t you?” I said that I was and we began a conversation concerning Mom and other things. She introduced me to her daughters and we had a nice chat and then they left to finish their business. After eating, B (sister) called and said that she was coming down. We chatted for a while and then saw a lady that we met the first day we were there. We spoke with her to see how her daughter was doing. She has had a very difficult time (this is her third time to deal with leukemia) and is ready to go home. They are from Alabama so I know it has to be very hard for them being away from family and friends. Mom called and said that she was done so we retrieved her, got her meds and went to our hotel.
We got to the hotel, checked in, went to our room and guess what. . . .someone was in that room. Well, their stuff was in the room so downstairs we went and guess what else. . . .they didn’t have any non smoking rooms. So we got back in the car to look for a new place to stay. We ended up at the Crown Plaza (very nice) and it only costs $69.00. B and I went and picked up dinner. Mom ate well and then she threw up again. Since then she has been asleep while B played on the computer, I washed clothes in the bathtub and played on the computer. We are all about ready for bed. I think I only got 2 hours of sleep last night and was up at 5:00 am. I think that was all of our excitement for the day. Hopefully tomorrow’s appointment won’t be as entertaining! She is down this evening and we aren’t sure how to get her to smile. Any words of encouragement for her will be greatly appreciated.

Goodnight friends!

Yippee!

Mom and Dad got to come home today. Dad has inservice the rest of the week so B and I will be taking her to MDA for her appointments. She seems to be feeling a little better today. The five of us spent some time together this evening and it was really nice.

Hope everyone is having a great week. Tell your loved ones how special they are and that you love them!

We love all our friends who have been praying, sending cards, reading our blog and just thinking about us!

I Don't Like Rollercoasters. . . .

and that is what this journey is like. Today was not a great day for Mom. She hasn't been able to keep food down so she wasn't released. We hope that she will be able to be freed tomorrow. We hope that she will be able to come home.

That is all for today.

Saturday ~ Day 39

Not much to report today. Mom received blood today in hopes that it would give her some more pep. Last time I talked to Dad she was still pretty pepless but hopefully tomorrow will be better. She had some very special friends visit today. James and JoAnn were able to stop by. We have been friends with them for as long as I can remember. I am really glad that they were able to visit. Dad told me when I called that they had just gotten on the blog so dad could read it to her so your comments are being heard.

It is hard to believe that 39 days ago we got the news that we would be heading to MDA. In some ways it seems like it all happened yesterday and in others, it seems like we have been fighting this for years. I can only imagine how it feels to Mom and Dad. I know that we will survive this journey because we have an awesome God who is leading us through the storm. Please say a prayer for all of those who are fighting for their lives and for those who don't believe that there is a God, that they may see his awesome power.

Hope you are having a good weekend.

Finished on Friday!

ROUND 2 IS OVER!!! I was able to spend the day with Mom by myself today (I love my alone time with my Mom!) so that Dad could come home and go to inservice. We didn't do much but it was nice. We did do one lap around the two leukemia pods, shared lunch (the hospital food at MDA is really good), started watching a movie and both of us ended up taking a nap (although I think she had the better sleeping position. The chair was not so comfortable!). The chemo this round has not made her sick but it has caused her to lose her taste. Nothing really tastes good to her which makes it hard to want to eat or drink but those two things are something that have to been done so she can keep up her strength. Hopefully she will be released on Sunday but has a full day of tests, the 2nd lumbar puncture for this round and then meeting with the doc. We hope that they will be able to come home after that. This go round, Dad has stayed in Mom's room. Her room is nice sized and has a murphy bed in it (if you don't know what that is, just ask). He can order food just like she can (and it isn't too overpriced) so they can have their meals at the same time instead of him having to go down to the cafeteria. She got some notes today through the MDA website from some sweet friends. I have to say, she has really enjoyed all of the cards and notes. She has gotten some of the sweetest cards from friends, family and acquaintances. My favorite part of picking up their mail is seeing who the cards are from and guessing who the ones are from that don't have names just return addresses (ok, so I am easily amused!!) Well, I guess that is enough rambling. Thank you again for stopping by and reading about Mom and how she is doing. If you have a chance, please leave a comment!

Thursday ~ Round 2 ~ Day 3

Mom had another lumbar puncture (or chemo in her spinal fluid) today. She was supposed to get some platelets today to give her a boost because she wasn't feeling spunky. The anesthesia made her pretty sleepy this afternoon. One of the bad things about the chemo is that she is losing her taste again and that makes it hard for her to want to eat. We will just have to feed her lots of spicy things!
My cousin and her husband stopped by and visited with her this afternoon. She enjoyed getting to see them. None of us have been able to go visit this week because we have all had kind of crazy schedules. Rae is off to Round Rock for a volleyball tournament. B is getting her kids ready for school. Tator Tot had a mock day at the middle school so he would know what to expect when he gets there (it is hard to believe that he will be in middle school). I have just been busy with anything and everything.
We hope that she will be home by the beginning of next week. We miss having both of them nearby!

Thank you again for your prayers, thoughts and concerns. It is great to know that so many people care.

Wednesday Update

Well, from what I hear, Mom is having a pretty good week. So far the chemo is not making her sick. She got up and walked around the pod (I think that is what they call each area) twice. We are really hoping that they don't have to stay gone as long this time. I really miss them when they are gone!

Hope everyone is having a great week.

Monday Update

Mom and Dad headed to Houston this morning to begin Round 2. They are currently waiting for a room and once they get settled, they will begin the treatments. Barbara had an appointment with her doctor today and he let them know that as of last week's bone marrow test, there was no cancer in the marrow. This treatment will last 4 days and depending on how she is feeling will determine when they will be home. If you would like to send my mom a message, go to www.mdanderson.org, go to the Contact Us tab, look at the section labeled Patients, Friends, & Family, select send a message to a patient, then complete the rest of the info. Mom's patient # is 796664 and her birthdate is 04/27/1951. The message will be printed and taken to her room. Don't worry about it getting to her after she is discharged, if that happens, they will save the message until she comes back. I will tell you that she has so enjoyed your cards and notes. I take so many to her whenever I go that we have had to start bringing them back home with us because there don't have a place to keep them. If you want to send her a card, just send it to their home address and it will be delivered as soon as one of us heads down there (which is pretty often). Well, that is the update for now.

Weekend Update

Mom has had a great weekend. I think being home (well closer to home) has really helped her. Yesterday we took her our for Double Dave's pizza rolls, shopping for some shoes and then out for ice cream. She seemed to enjoy being out. This morning she and Dad went to church services. She looked really good.

They leave for MDA tomorrow and hopefully they will be able to get her a room then so they can get round two started. The treatments should last 4-6 days and then hopefully be able to come home within a few days. The doctor has said that this round shouldn't make her as sick as the first. Treatments 1,3,5 & 7 are the ones with the "red devil" and 2,4,6 & 8 will be a different treatment.

This is her new do! Doesn't she look great? Hope you are all doing well and hope you have a great week.

Good Day

Mom has had a really good day today. She is so much stronger than she was earlier in the week. We had a great evening with friends. If you want to find out about our exciting evening you need to go to my blog at tlsgiggles.blogspot.com. We wish that everyone who has been praying for our mom could have been there with us.

OUR GOD IS AN AWESOME GOD!!

Mom had a great report today. . . . .from her last bone marrow there were no new blasts!!! I had the doctor repeat that there was no cancer in her marrow just to make sure I had heard him correctly and wasn't hearing what I "wanted" to hear. THANK YOU GOD FOR WITHOUT YOU THIS WOULD NOT HAVE HAPPENED. I don't understand how people can go through life not believing in God, what an empty life. She also took a big step this morning. Her hair had really started falling out so she went to the beauty salon and a very nice lady shaved her head and we picked out a really pretty wig for her. I hope to get some pictures posted soon.

She ate a good supper even though she had gotten sick (too much time between meals I think) and she is now resting. It was a long day at the hospital. I dropped them off at 8:20 am and we left at about 4:45. She had bloodwork, bone marrow aspiration, bone density test and had to get some potassium.

We will never be able to thank you all for your prayers. We know that there are people we know and others we don't who take the time to say a prayer for mom and we appreciate it so very much.

Until tomorrow. . . .happy day!

Sunday

Well, although Mom didn't have a lot of strength today she had a good day food wise. She ate something at all three meals and a small snack in between. Now we need to work on getting the fluids down. Baby steps!

Wednesday is the weekly appointment with her doctor. I will be going back down then so I can go the appointment with them. The doctor told her last week that this week should be better. I really hope that is true.

Keep up the prayers and don't forget to leave message!

Saturday

from Rae's fb.

Well, late last night/early this morning was not good for Mom. She was very weak and had some serious acid reflux issues. Dad ended up taking her to the ER around 4:00am to get her some help. She got more fluids, something for the reflux, and 2 units of blood. They finished up around 3:00 pm. She was better this afternoon but has already turned in for the night. She ate some taco soup for supper and a homemade outmeal cookie (thanks Mrs. H) for dessert.

We are going to have church with her at the hotel in the morning. We are hoping for a better day so maybe she can get out for e alittl while and enjoy some sunshine.