An unexpected report.....

John 14:27 "Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."

Mom and Dad had felt confident about receiveing a good report yesterday from the cancer doctor. Mom is feeling good, and had no reason to think that there was anything amiss.

The Doctor's report showed that both lungs had tumors on them, 20 in all. There were two treatment options. 1) Medications could be administered that had the potential of extending her life, but the side-effects would be significant sickness. 2) No medication. This would allow Mom to feel good for a while without the side-effects of the medication. The Doctor stated that in their medical opinion, Mom was told that she could expect about a year to live.

After the initial shock of this news, Mom and Dad have made some decisions about how they will move forward from this moment.

1) God is still on the throne. Only God knows how many days each of us has left. He is in control and His will is perfect.

2) No matter how many days remain, live each one as the precious gift that it is! Love intensely, laugh often, Live for the Glory of God.

3) Give thanks for the blessings of family and friends. Spend quality time with them and make memories.

4) Enjoy all that life has to offer without dwelling on the struggles that come their way.

5) Speak boldly of the Eternal Life offered through Jesus Christ to those whom do not know Him as Savior.

To each of you who have been reading the blog over the past few years, we thank you for your outpouring of love and support. The Bible says that "You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ". Mom and Dad will endure and will continue to fight the fight, not with a spirit of fear, but of strength and power, and sound mind. Your continued support will be cherished and a source of strength.

This story is not over. All of these things have happened so that the Glory of God may be revealed.

All our love,

Troy & Family

A post from Mom 11/22/11

I've been wanting to write something and let you know that all is going
well with me. I have been feeling good and enjoying doing normal things again.
I have been on several mini trips in the last couple months. I got to go to
Donna's with Edna and her daughter,my neice, Dayla. It was good to see Donna up and doing things, and see her hair coming in again!

Warren and I have made it to
Ocean Shores, and just recently went to Depoe Bay for a couple days. Our class
is planning a 50th reunion this summer. Karen Johnson and Nancy Suyat, Shirley
Beaber, Liz Powell, and Sandy Macomber came and we had our first planning
meeting here. It was fun to get together with them.In 2013, Warren and
I will celebrate our 50th anniversary! We are looking ahead, and planning a
trip to go to Hawaii to celebrate. Fifty years has sure gone by fast! It makes
you realize how short our lives really are, and how important it is to live it
well. It makes me think of one of my favorite Bible verses which says: " The
only thing that matters is expressing your faith through love." Gal.
5:6

I go back to Seattle on Monday, the 28th, for more testing, and we
will stay in Seattle as I have to see the Oncologist first thing on Tuesday.
I'm hoping and praying for a good report. I feel like it will be a positive
check up. I am so glad that I have a personal relationship with my God. I
don't know how anyone faces what I have been through without him. That is the
difference between religion, which is something you do over and over like taking
a shower, brushing your teeth religiously. Christianity is a personal relationship with Jesus through His spirit living inside of you, comforting, strengthening, and teaching you. I am not looking forward to this check up, but I'm not afraid to go.We will have some of our kids for Thanksgiving. Our children and grands come every other year for Thanksgiving to keep it even with the other side of their family. Brian's mom and Dad will be gone this year, so we get to have Kim and Brian, Brittain and Paris. Also Warren's mom, brother, Gary sister, Sherry, and her special guy Tom will be here. We always look forward to our family days. I
want to wish you all a most wonderful Thanksgiving. We are thankful that you
are a part of our lives. Love Ladeva

"Finding Victory ...."

Friday October 14, 2011

Today is day 4 of mom being off all her anti nausea/ pain meds!! She is finding victory and we are so happy to update the blog with some great news thanks to your faithful prayers for Mom's healing.

A week ago today Mom, Maria and I headed south to the Rose Garden in Portland to attend "Women of Faith" It was attended by 7,000 women and was a tremendous weekend.

"Women of Faith" is a weekend of motivational Christian speakers, music, and fun.

We borrowed a wheelchair so that mom would not have to expend any more energy than to just soak in the message for that weekend.

Mom had a great evening on Friday and slept well. We were blessed to be in a place where we could give her meds with the hot food she had come to rely on. We got to the Rose Garden and our concerns about hot food disappeared with the realization that the Garden was "Open for business" :) Every food vendor was in full swing and we did not have to leave to get warm drinks and food for her meds.

Late morning when one of the sessions started a worship team came on stage to lead some singing. There is a cd I got mom about a year ago by musician Kari Jobe. I bought the cd for a song called "Healer". It talks about how God knows our every moment and sees every hurt, pain and trial. It talks about how God walks with you through every struggle and that He is the one who heals. As Mom was sitting in her chair listening to the words she was feeling moved by the words and was taking them in as if they were her prayer to Him. The words say that "Nothing is impossible for You, You hold my world in your hands". She really felt God's presence and we decided that we were just going to claim those words as her own.

She continued to feel good all weekend and never once got sick, nauseated or exhausted.

The next few days she stayed on her routine with meds but by Tuesday she realized she had been feeling so great since Saturday that she questioned if she really even needed the medication at all.

She took her meds for the last time Tuesday night before bed and for the first time in months slept through the night without waking up and taking medication!

She woke Wednesday so thankful and grateful. She has not taken another pill since that night. God has certainly healed her from nausea and pain. She has had a great week. She has painted a bit, taken her sister in law to Yelm to see her brother and sister in law and is feeling great. She continues to get stronger daily. Today we went to lunch with Judy Panco and have had such a sweet day. I came to help out with some little projects but spent most of the time fussing at her to sit down and rest.

She looks so good. Her eyes are sparkling again and she is smiling. Thank you for your persistent prayers. Prayer does change circumstances, God still heals and we are thankful to you all for your faithfulness in praying for her all these months.

Will try to update you perhaps after her oncology visit in another 3-6 weeks. Feel free to call her.

We appreciate you all so very much. The prayer, calls, cards and encouragement have been a sweet gift.

With a joyful and thankful heart,

Kimberly and family

e

A good report. Friday Sept 23, 2011

Yesterday mom saw her renal surgeon at UWMC.

He was really pleased with her progress and is happy with how her wound is healing.

He has released her completely from his care and says that the numbers show her other kidney is functioning very well.

She will see her oncologist in 4-6 weeks so no other Dr.'s appointments in the near future.

She is feeling a little better and afternoons are still her best time of day.

She is so thankful she is not battling constant nausea and is grateful for all your prayers and love. She has received so many cards, letters and calls and she and dad appreciate each and every one of you.

We will try to update you every few days to keep you posted on mom's progress.

Much love from Kimberly and family.

A Lovely Day!

I finally have some good news to report. :)

The last two days have been some of the best mom has had and I am really happy to get to share with you her progress.

Monday morning I got a call from Assured Home Health Care. They were sending out a nurse to evaluate mom and try to assist with the constant nausea.

Mom's friend Cindy Cummings was here when Rhonda the nurse arrived. We are so grateful that mom had Cindy there also as she is an RN as well and the two ladies were able to talk about mom's case and really discuss things in depth.

Rhonda suggested that mom change up her meds again. As you may remember, she has been pretty reliant on Zofran,( an anti nausea med) as she has so many allergies to any other anti nausea med. She had tried Fenergan ( sp?) but felt it was too strong even at half a dose and that some of the side effects were making things worse for her. She also was noticing a pattern that whenever she took the zofran she was feeling worse. We weren't sure what was going on with the meds but she would swallow the pills and minutes later was either sick or heaving.

Rhonda recommended mom not take half the dose, but a full dose, even though she was having some disconcerting side effects and try it with some warm food and not swallowing liquid. Mom was exhausted on Monday as she had been up all night long and we could not get her comfortable or able to sleep for more than a few minutes at a time. Mom took the new med as she advised with hot pudding and Monday night she slept longer than she has in weeks and weeks.

The best news though is that she did NOT wake up with nausea!!! That is an amazing thing as she has been nauseous for so long it didn't seem possible.

She didn't sleep as well on Tuesday night, but not too badly and woke again this morning with NO nausea!!!

Her sister Edna came and stayed with her for a while and then Dad asked her if she wanted to go for a drive. She hasn't left the house except to go to UWMC hospital. They drove to Skipper's, got some fish and clam chowder, drove to a park and had some lunch. They took a short stroll and then went home for mom to take a good nap. She was tired, but had done something "normal" that we all take for granted and it was so good for mom and dad both. While she didn't eat much and brought her chowder home for dinner, she did go on a date with her boyfriend. ( yes, I mean my dad!!!) They had a lovely day.

Tonight I have been praying for another good night's sleep. I am praying that she wakes up refreshed, nausea free and that she has turned the bend and is heading for healing. :)

Thank you to all of you who are so faithful to lift her and dad up in prayer.

Look at what God has done.

From a weekend of great discouragement to some days of tender mercies.

I have been thanking Him over and over for the change in the last 48 hours.

Thank you too for all your prayers.

It is true prayer can certainly change things.

Thank you for being faithful in all your prayers for mom.

She goes back to Seattle tomorrow for another post op appt. Please pray for her stamina and anxiety tomorrow. She really gets anxious having to make that long, uncomfortable trip.

We will continue to pray that the nausea has been eliminated for good and thank you for your part in that with your faithful prayer.

With a happy heart,

Kimberly and family

Sunday Sept 18,2011

There are times in all of our lives when we grow weary.

We get discouraged, feel defeated, and just plain feel sad and tired.

This has been a long road for mom and dad. The journey has been painful and seemingly at times unrelenting. It wears on the soul and causes discouragement that at times can seem overwhelming.

Saturday and Sunday morning have been like that. On Saturday mom woke looking forward to an afternoon at the Toledo park with family. She felt so sick she didn't know if she could even get in the car. By noon she was starting to feel some better and forced herself to go. She was able to stay for 3 hours and enjoyed being with family. She came home exhausted and spent. She didn't sleep well and today started the same way, sick, discouraged and so very sick of being sick. Dad has his own struggle. He wants to make her comfortable yet there is nothing he can do to alleviate her pain, nausea and exhaustion. He works tirelessly at keeping the meds straight, on schedule and food and fluids coming. They are both working so hard at every possible combination of food, meds, rest, fluids etc trying to find the winning combination. So far, they haven't found it. Mornings are always hard, and IF it's a good day, she won't start to feel better until afternoon.

It's a struggle every day. Some days they are fighting and winning. Some days they are fighting and feel like they are loosing ground. People ask me every single day " What can I do?" I ask this questions myself knowing full well that there is truly only one answer that could change their circumstance.

Prayer.

We ask that you continue to intercede on Mom's behalf in prayer.

Prayer can change circumstances.

I have to admit that we get discouraged, but then I remember who is in control of our lives. It is not us, the Dr.'s, or random happenstance. He will not leave us to walk through life's troubles alone. I am so grateful He is our strength and comfort.

"So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." Isaiah 41:10

With much love and a grateful heart for all of you,

Kimberly and family

Saturday Sept 17, 2011

We don't have much to add but I know that many of you are faithful to check the blog daily and get updates.

Thursday mom went to her primary care provider for a follow up appt.

Her regular Dr. is out on maternity leave so she saw a new Dr. It's always a little daunting when the Dr. does not know your medical history, but mom and dad felt like he spent a lot of time with them and really cared about her condition and meds. They were hoping to see if he could suggest any additional anti nausea meds or write a script for Requip. ( a Restless Leg Syndrome med she tried once in the hospital)

The verdict was that there is no other meds for nausea that she can take so he suggested ativan and zofran together again. He also felt like given the huge surgeries she has had and the meds she is on that Requip could potentially cause more harm than good so it's a no go.

She continues to battle constant nausea and dry heaves. It's exhausting and discouraging. the mornings are always the worst. If it's a good day she starts to feel better in the afternoon. This isn't everyday so please continue to pray for God's healing in this area especially.

Mom and dad are going to Toledo park today for mom's family get together. She won't be able to stay long but I pray she can see some family and hug some necks for a bit. It will be exhausting so I am sure she will be napping this afternoon.

She got to see her sister Donna yesterday who is also battling cancer. Donna has been through so much treatment including chemotherapy, and is going in soon for a mastectomy. She will continue chemo after for the bone cancer so we continue to lift her up in prayer as well and would ask you to do the same.

We are thankful to each and everyone of you.

Blessings on your day.

Kimberly and family

Monday 9/12/11 Weekend Update

It was a rough weekend with meds, nausea and dry heaves.

It's not clear to us if the new med is working or not.

Mom had a really rough Saturday full of discouragement and sickness.

It was an excruciatingly long day.

Sunday started out rough but did get a little better as the day wore on. It was a monumental struggle getting in the 1000 calories. Brian and the kids came down to see her and got caught up with Papa and grandma. We all went down to the swing and sat outside for about an hour taking in the fresh air and their gorgeous view.

Later Ken and Linda Riveness came by as did Steve and Carmen.

Steve and Carmen brought some rocky road ice crream and mom was able to get a bit down adding to her calorie count.

Ken left his recipe for Sweedish pancakes as they are high in calories and this morning mom ate 2 small ones. Woot woot!!!

She had dry heaves again and is very sore and exhausted afetrwards. We are praying for a better day. She gets tired easily and needs to nap throughout the day. I know this is what will help those 1000 calories be redirected into healing her body. It's not great for her to go long periods without "taking 5" as she calls it. I am trying not to be a "food pusher" and a "nap pusher" but it's hard to not get overly protective while she is recuperating.

We love and appreciate you all so much for your constant vigil over mom and dad. Your prayers and words of encouragement give them strength for each day.

Please pray for dad as well. His love of mom is unending and tireless. He loves on her so well.

Troy, Maria and kids came Saturday night and Troy took him to Home Depot and coffee while Maria and the kids sat and cared for mom.

Thank you Troy for getting him out for a bit. It helps to recharge his batteries and get a change of scenery, talk and share. You are awesome and I love you so.

Please keep the prayer coming. We know it is what is sustaining her and fights off the discouragement. You are all such an important part of her healing and recovery and we love you for it.

With much love and appreciation,

Kimberly and family.

Friday, Sept.9th

This week, the struggle to eat and hold food down has continued to be Mama’s biggest battle. She works daily at her goal of getting 1,000 calories down. Daddy has been trying all different combinations of soft high calorie foods and shakes to help her reach her goal. The dry heaves continue each day which keeps Mama’s abdomen really sore.

On a positive note, Mama is getting stronger. She no longer is using a walker. Her fluid retention in her legs has gone down now that she no longer is on IV fluids. Therefore her legs are no longer so tender and miserable. The majority of her food is staying down. She is enjoying being in the comfort of her own home and is getting some good rest and sleep at night.

We went to her follow appointment with Dr. Pillarisetty today at Seattle Cancer Care. He was encouraged by her progress. Of course, the problem of nausea was the main topic discussed to find some kind of solution. He gave some additional suggestions for her to try. He also agreed that the anti-nausea medication Mama has been taking for the last couple of months is no longer proving to be effective. Mama has decided to go back and try another anti-nausea medication that caused some unpleasant side effects during her chemo treatments. Maybe this time around it may not have the same effects or at the very least, the side effects may be worth not being so sick and getting to eat and drink easier.

Thank you for continuing to keep Mama in your prayers. Please continue to lift Daddy up in prayer also. Taking care of Mama and watching her be sick day in and day out and being so helpless at times is so difficult. He has been a rock for her to lean on. Pray that he will have strength and peace for each new day so that he will remain that strong rock and will not grow weary.

Thank you also for your encouragement in so many ways. We appreciate you so much.

With love,

Carmen & family

Saturday, Sept. 3rd

Thursday was a rougher day for Mama holding food down and feeling sick. She was really concerned that Friday's appointment back with Dr. Gore could possibly put her back into the hospital. Fortunately, that was not the case. At her appointment, they removed her PIC line and staples. Her infection is looking better. There is still a little redness, but it is improving. The trip to Seattle was tasking on her physically and emotionally. Her next appointment is next Friday the 9th.

She continues to struggle with an upset stomach and nausea, but she is determined to keep slowly chipping away at eating at least 1000 calories a day and drinking fluids. A 1000 calories just doesn't sound like a major task, but in her case, it is all she can do to get it down and hold it there.

Mama and Daddy are enjoying being back in the comfort of their home and they are both getting much more rest now. The weather has been so beautiful and the soft warm breeze coming through the windows is a nice blessing.

We are praying that the eating and drinking gets easier and easier and the nausea goes away soon. If you think about it on Thursday and Friday, please keep Mama in prayer regarding her follow up visit with Dr. Pillarisetty. We just don't want her to have any anxiety preparing to go to Seattle again as well as the day of the appointment. Sometimes just walking into those buildings brings a rush of memories that can be overwhelming for her at times.

We appreciate your continued prayers and encouragement more than you know.

With love,

Carmen & family

Wed., August 31st - Finally Home

Yesterday's discharge got delayed to the evening. Mama didn't get her discharge until just before 8pm. The final decision to come home without the TPN was made by Mama and Daddy. It wasn't an easy decision to make. While the IV nutrition was helping to give her the needed nutrition, it also was creating other difficulties. The TPN kept her getting up throughout the night because of all the added fluids, which robbed her of sleep and she was exhausted. It also suppressed her diet because she was feeling full so she didn't feel she had much room to eat. The hospital foods were less than desirable so that also became a challenge. Mama felt if she could get home without the TPN, she would be able to get rest and eat better. At home she would be able to sleep all night without the interruptions of getting up all night long as well as hospital staff waking her up to do vitals. As far as eating goes, she was looking forward to eating things she enjoys and more of a variety.

We got her home by about 9:30pm last night. By the time we got her clothes changed and settled into bed, she was "all in but her shoestrings". :) She was so relieved to get into her own bed where she is finally comfortable.

This morning and afternoon, she is doing pretty well eating and drinking. The 1,000 calorie goal is still an effort, but she is really working at getting it in by the end of the day. She is on track and should make it. So far, she is doing well at keeping everything down and not throwing up. This whole food and fluids things is a real big hurdle to get over so she doesn't have to be readmitting into the hospital, so we would appreciate your prayers regarding this especially.

Our friend Cindi (who is a nurse) came over and helped Dad sort through the medications and get them on a schedule. That was a task and somewhat overwhelming. Thank you so much Cindi. You are a blessing.

Mama has had several visitors today. She enjoyed getting to visit and was feeling so blessed. She had been up since this morning and it doesn't take much to wipe her out these days, so she is back in bed to get some more sleep and recharge her batteries. Daddy is taking this quiet time to also sneak in a nap himself.

It is so good to be home again. Thank you for your encouragement and prayers. The Bible says we are to bear one another's burdens and then in Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 says, "Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor. For if they fall, one will lift up his companion. But woe to him who is alone when he falls, for he has no one to help him up." Thank you for coming up beside Mama and our family. For bearing our burdens and lifting us up when we most need it. Your words of encouragement and your answered prayers have picked us up over and over. Thank you.

With love,

Carmen & family

Tuesday, August 30th - Going home

Things change so quickly here. Sometime today Mama is supposed to be discharged. There has been much controversy with how Mama is to go home. (With TPN or without) There are so many factors involved that I am not even going to try to list them. Ultimately, Mama has to make the final decision. It is not an easy decision. There are many pros and cons. We have been praying for wisdom and would appreciate your prayers as well to make the right decision. We will try to do another post later this evening. Thank you in advance.

With love,

Carmen & family

Monday, August 29th

I apologize for a brief update, but I have a bad headache and am finding it hard to even look at the computer. Last night and this morning was difficult. Mama was feeling sick and throwing up. This afternoon was much better. She still doesn't feel much like eating and her stomach has had waves of nausea off and on. This morning, Mama's newest incision site was starting to show redness and they were concerned about infection so she began taking antibiotics. There was quite a bit of discouragement when I got here this morning, but God has showered us with His love throughout the day and spirits are lifted. Here are several of the blessings He gave: One of the nurses assistants came and looked in the room earlier this morning and asked Mama how she was doing. Long story short, she was literally an answer to prayer. She is a really sweet Christian lady and she came in and helped Mama and put her arms around her and prayed over her and for Daddy. This afternoon, Mama & Daddy's pastor and his family stopped by to bring her flowers, encouragement and prayed with us. This evening, Uncle Dean and Aunt Elaine came to visit, encourage and pray. Then add in several phone calls of love, encouragement and prayers. God sent just what was needed. Thank you Lord.

With love,

Carmen and family

August 28th, 2011

As with many things in life, the anticipation of an event is often greater than the event itself. For Mom, knowing that today the epidural would be capped off and then removed was providing some significant anxiety. Having conditioned her response to this anxiety to be prayer, Mom quietly prayed for the Holy Spirit to manifest Himself to her in a way to make the fear subside. The answer to this request was delivered subtlety, but was heard loud and clear. Mom’s nurse for the day came in to introduce herself, check Mom’s vitals and other routine duties. Mom felt better seeing the name CHRISTine on the white board. Next came in Mom’s PCT for the day, which is a very large but gentle man named EMMANUEL (meaning “God with us”). God is forever faithful to His people to quite their fears when they call upon His name.
Mom was out of bed for 2 ½ hours this morning, went for a little walk, sat in a chair, and ate some breakfast. It seems odd to mention such things as these as accomplishments, but when you have not been able to do any of these things for 26 days, it is cause for celebration. Dad received further treatment on administering the TPN if it is needed when they finally get home. Dad was patient, steady, thorough, and ready for action if required. We hope that with the food intake that Mom is currently on, that the TPN will not be required at home. Either way, home is the immediate goal, with TPN being a much smaller variable.
The days seem a bit of a roller coaster at times, as one minute or hour Mom feels a little better, and the next worse, but for the moment (3:00 pm) she is semi-comfortable and trying to eat some more.
At present, we are sitting here listing out our favorite scriptures and promises found in God’s Word. Mom and Dad have shared numerous scriptures that renew their strength and hope daily. It has been fun, especially once you get past the commonly used scriptures for circumstances like this. If I could request one thing more from all of you who are reading this blog, please post your favorite scripture or promise from the Bible for Mom and Dad to look up together and meditate upon. With Mom feeling a bit better, the hours tend to drag even more so and this would provide them with an activity as well as it will bless them with your favorite scriptures.
Thank you for your continued prayer, postings, cards, and labors of love,
Troy & Family

A turn for the better....

I just had to write earlier in the day so that you can all get an encouraging blog post for a change.

Thank you SO much for your constant prayer. God is continuing to answer our prayers, for He is and always has been so faithful.

This morning mom ate half a muffin and some cream cheese, apple juice and some hot tea. For lunch she ate half a turkey, swiss cheese, tomato and lettuce sandwich and tomato juice. She walked 300 feet with the aid of a physical therapist and walker. She is doing so well today. He pain is manageable and she is looking so much better. They are talking about removing the epidural tomorrow and beginning to discuss sending her home the first part of next week! Whew! What a day already. We are so very encouraged.

A nurse came in and trained dad on how to set and run iv nutrition for mom at home. He had about an hour training and did awesome. He is so diligent about doing everything right and being careful in each step.

We are so grateful for your love and support. The comments on the blog mean more than you know as well as all the cards and calls. We read the blog comments to her daily ( sometimes multiple times and she smiles in affirmation of all the words of encouragement.)

You are each and everyone a treasure to us all.

We are blessed beyond measure to have so many interceding on her behalf.

We thank you for all your love shown to us throughout these last 25 days days in the hospital.

With a grateful heart,

Kimberly and family.

Friday, August 26th - Evening update

As Kimmy posted earlier, Mama has had a tough day of pain. The transition from IV pain meds to the oral meds didn't go smoothly. She has been very flush, hot and for part of the day has had just a slight fever. Nothing seriously high though. It took quite some time to get her pain under control. In order to get it controlled, she was given a few rounds of larger doses of meds. Unfortunately it made her so rummy that she could barely stay awake to even think what number (0 to 10) her pain was at and then tell us. Not good......but better than a pain level of 9. This evening she is doing much better. She is sleeping most of the time, but for now thats ok. The advantage to the oral meds is that they last longer and if she falls asleep with a pain pump and doesn't keep pumping it, she risks getting behind in her pain. Hopefully from here on out they can keep her pain management better controlled. Thank you for your continued prayers.

With love,

Carmen & family

Painful day.

I just got off the phone with Carmen. It has been a painful day.

They transitioned mom to oral pain meds and took away the pain pump.

She is still on the epidural.

Mom has been in significant pain and having a tough day. They are going to try to give her some more pain meds but if it doesn't ease soon, Carmen will be asking for them to bring the pump back asap. Her pain level has hit 9 to 9 1/2 a few times. This makes it hard for her to get back on top of the pain.

Please pray for her pain to be relieved, comfort for her, Dad and Carmen.

Thank you,
Kimberly

One day post op

It's nearly 9:00 PM.

Mom is out of ICU and on the 7th floor. She was moved about 6:00 PM.

She has a beautiful view of Mt. Rainier, the water and trees from her room.

It has been quite a day.This morning she had good pain management with her epidural. She was pretty stable but markedly tired.

They removed her arterial line from her left wrist and then the 3 lumen iv from her jugular on the right side of her neck. (seriously, it looked more like a garden hose coming out of her neck) As you can imagine, this was really nerve wracking and mom, dad and I had anxiety about it being removed with her so conscious and aware. She was nervous, jittery and shaking for a while after it came out. ( As were we) But there were no complications with either removal.

By afternoon the goal was to get her up out of bed and sitting in a chair.

The physical therapist came in to help with that. He did a strength assessment first and said she was really strong. ( Uhhhhhhhh yeah! Could have told you that!)

When they got her up to sit in the chair it was pretty painful. Her blood pressure dropped to a dangerous 58/24 for a while. The nurse was pretty busy calling Dr.'s and trying to get orders to best help her. They decided to shut off her epidural and give her some more fluids to try to boost the BP. She had been in the chair for 45 minutes.They had to get her back in bed and she was just so depleted at that point. We got her in bed and she started to rest. Her pain level started to escalate. They had turned off the epidural to assist in raising her blood pressure but now the pain was getting way ahead of her. They ask her to rate her pain on a scale of 1-10 with 10 being the worst she can handle. She was feeling worse and worse and her nurse had stepped off the floor. The other nurses weren't sure what to do about the epidural and were hesitant to intervene yet as her nurse had been paged and was on his way back up. She was quickly at a 9.5 and what they call in "pain crisis" They paged the nurse again and he gave verbal orders to restart her epidural. It took a good 30 minutes for her to get it under control and relax a little . It was a super stressful hour but she has done well since then. He BP has been stable the rest of the day.

While we had been told we were going to be able to go back to 6SE, plans changed and no bed was available. It's hard to be disappointed for long though knowing that God is in control and has a plan. He is probably placing mom there as a blessing to someone new who needs her. That would only be the 1 millionth time that has happened. We ran into one of the ladies from 6SE and she was disappointed mom was not coming back and said she would "let everyone know". I expect mom will have some 6th floor visitors tomorrow.

So, specific prayer requests:

1) Pray for her tomorrow as she will be expected to sit up again. It makes us a bit nervous and mom is concerned as well. It's very important after surgery, but it is painful none the less and the BP is always a concern.

2) That she could start eating so the iv nutrition can go away. For now, she is mercifully nausea free, just on clear liquids for another 24 hours.

3) That her healing would come quickly and she will be home sooner than anyone expects.

4) For the nausea to stay away. ( As I write this she is eating chicken broth and she says it actually tastes good. Food has not been very appealing so we are thankful for this.)

Thank you again for all your prayers, love and support.

We appreciate you each and every one.

Kimberly and family.

Out of surgery!

About 7:00 pm, Dr. Gore came into the waiting room to give us a post operation update. He was very pleased with the surgery stating that it was a close to perfect as it could have been. Very little blood was lost, the cavity of the previous surgery was left undisturbed, and the biggest presumed post op obstacle is pain. In an effort to keep Mom comfortable, the plan is to leave the epidural in place for the next 3 days leaving the pain abated. This will facilitate her continuing progress on returning to a "normal" diet (new normal that is).

The two surgeons have been incredible. Mentally, when I picture a surgeon that handles these types of procedures, I picture an older gentleman that has had their sense of humor removed. Much to my surprise, both have been young, upbeat, and very compassionate men that speak with confidence and humility. Though this long visit has had many valleys along the way, the care from the Doctors and Nurses has been a gift from God's hand.

Mom will be in ICU tonight, and Dad is trying to use his "Frequent Visitor" card to get Mom moved back to the 6th floor after recovery where she is doted on. We hope to be able to go in and say hello tonight, kiss her cheeks, and leave a few tears of joy on her pillow. All in all, it was the best outcome possible given the scenario.

Thank you to all of you who are watching, praying, and expecting the victory along with us. We pray God's blessing back upon you, for blessing us with yours.

Stay tuned.

Troy and family

Tuesday, August 24th - Change of plans

Things have changed very quickly. Dr. Gore (Kidney surgeon) and Dr. Pillarisetty came in and let us know the CT scan showed a lot of growth in the tumor in her kidney that the ultrasound had not shown last week. The tumor has grown from the size of a golf ball to the size of a plum. Unfortunately, the tumor has grown into the main vein going from the legs up to the heart, creating a tumor clot. Surgery is required quickly, so Mama will not be going home today. Instead, she will be having surgery today about noon. This is a major surgery. It is called a Right Radical Nephrectomy, Inferior Venacava Thrombectomy. One of the greatest risks is blood loss. She will be sent to ICU after surgery for close observation and they expect her to be in the hospital at least another week. A lot is going on right now so I am not able to give much more of a report. I just wanted to get this onto the blog so the prayers can start bombarding heaven. Thank you in advance.

With love,

Carmen & Family

Tuesday, August 23rd

Mama had a better day today. She made a little progress in eating. Not quite enough for them to remove the IV nutrition, but she made great strides. Her doctor, Dr. Pillarisetty, has a social worker organizing all the details for her to go home with home healthcare services for her IV. They expect to discharge her sometime tomorrow. She is so looking forward to being in her home, sleeping in her own bed and trying to eat foods she enjoys.

We had an amazing answer to prayer today. I just need to share how good our God is! The nurse told us a CT scan was ordered for Mama today and confirmed that her PIC line could be used for the contrast. This was the first time we heard about it. It had not been discussed in the early morning rounds. Shortly after finding this out, there was a nursing change. The new nurse came in with a quart of contrast for Mama to drink before the scan. To the nurse’s surprise, she found much resistance with Daddy and I. We explained that she can’t drink that much in a day, let alone in an hour. We asked her why the other nurse said it was to be done through her PIC line and now it is in a drink form. She was trying to follow orders and was trying to find a way of making it happen. She went to get a onetime extra dose of anti-nausea medication to see if it would help Mama get most of it down. Her plan was to give her an IV dose, wait 10 minutes and then have Mama start drinking. We were sick thinking about what it was going to do to her. It would be guaranteed violent vomiting. So we started praying over Mama. We asked the Lord to protect her. We asked Him to pour out wisdom and understanding on the doctors and nurses and to give them direction. If this contrast was not needed, we asked that He would keep her nurse from trying to force this contrast on her. And if it was truly needed, we asked that He would make a way for her to drink it without sickness. As soon as we got done praying, the nurse came in and was getting the IV meds ready. And in walked our answer to prayer! Dr. Pillarisetty came in for his rounds early today. We brought the contrast issue to his attention and He called off the liquid contrast. Somehow there was a mix up on the orders or how they were read. It was to be contrast through her PIC Line after all. The Lord sent him into Mama’s room just in the knick of time. We were so grateful for God’s protection and for sending the doctor on his rounds early today. All glory goes to our heavenly father.

Mama went for her CT scan this evening with no problems. The doctor had ordered the scan in preparation for her kidney procedure this next week. It is nice to have it all taken care of so she doesn’t have to make a special trip for it next week.

Thank you once again for keeping Mama in prayer. Prayers are being answered.

With love,

Carmen & family