Port success

Praise God!

The port is finally in place. They came in and said that the reason they could not get it in was that the tissue around the port opening was swollen and they believed there was a blod clot at the site.

They decided that they could have Mom put ice back on it and then they would use a topical anesthetic on the skin for a while, then inject an anesthetic under the skin. They got her really numb and then they got the first one inserted. They were unable to find the place of insertion for the second port so they did an x-ray to have a reference point. They came back and got the second one placed.

She had a great nurse and Dr. that placed the needles. The needles are good for seven days before they need to be changed. It would be great if we could get the chemo done before the needles have to be replaced.

Mom is doing great, so subsequently we are all doing great. Thank you for praying for Mom and thank you for checking on the blog to see how you can pray specifically.

God is faithful always. He has been so gracious to us during this stressful time and we are so grateful to Him for is peace and presence.

Love,

Kimberly

Communication update

Hi everyone,
Just wanted to clear up something. Some family have mailed some cards and items to Mom and Dad to their house and others to mine. Unfortunately, we have a new address, so to all our family and friends that we corresponded with in the last 18 months, our mailing address has changed. I am sorry if this has caused cards to not get here.

Here is my new mailing address:

Brian and Kimberly Gibson
P.O. Box 269
Kapowsin, WA 98344

However, you can still mail Mom and Dad to their home. Carmen and Troy are coming up and bringing their mail when they come so they are still getting cards here.

Here is their home address:

Warren and Ladeva Dahlin
127 Brian Dr.
Chehalis, WA 98532

The hospital address is:

UWMC
1959 NE Pacific St.
Seattle, WA 98195

Attn: Patient Ladeva Dahlin

(For now her room number is #6308) but we do not know if it will still be the same room during chemo, although we are hoping to not move. When Mom goes home and comes back the room will change so the best bet may be their home address or mine.

Hope that clears up the confusion.

XOXO
Kimberly

Port needle

Two more attempts were made this morning to reinsert the needle into the port this morning unsucessfully. (This is done bedside) They are consulting with the surgeon again. Mom may go back into surgery to have it redone. Now we just wait to hear. Mom said it was less painful than before, though not pleasant. The swelling is less and she has been icing the area on and off since Sunday so hopefully that along with your prayers made the difference. Will update you all as we hear more.

Thank you again for your prayers.
Kimberly

Big Monday

Mom and Dad slept well last night after a LONG Sunday and were refreshed ( a relative term ) this morning when I arrived.
The things that we had been expecting did not happen today. They were going to come in and try to get the port needle placed, but Dr. Krueger ( from Seattle Cancer Care Alliance) came in and learned about the problems and pain Mom had experienced and decided to cancel the placement until he has spoken with the general surgeon that did the surgery.
Later, the Dr. that administers the chemotherapy came in to get a medical history from Mom and examine her then discuss the chemo treatment with her.

Here is what we learned today:

1) Mom's tumor/cancer is called Sarcoma. It is a soft tissue cancer that is rare. Only 1% of tumors are a sarcoma, which translates to about 8,000 a year. It is also tough to treat as there are so many sub categories of sarcoma. Mom's pathology report did not come back with much more information than sarcoma, so it did not narrow it down as much as they would like. They have decided on the type of chemo she will receive. It is a high grade tumor and they have found in research studies that the best treatment with a sarcoma is chemo, radiation and surgery. So, this has added a third dimension (in radiation) that we thought would not happen. It is her best chance of survival, but they are saying that it is not a "home run". We had been told at our first appt. that her benchmark is 5 years. If she can get through the surgery, the cancer can be removed and she stays cancer free for 5 years, her chances go up exponentially.

2) Her treatment will be chemo for 6 days in the hospital. One of the chemo meds will run 24 hours a day for the 6 days. The other one will run during those same 6 days and run 4 hours a day. She will then go home and return on the 22nd day after the first day of treatment for her second cycle. After the second cycle they will most likely do another PET scan and MRI to see if the tumor has shrunk. She may at that point need the radiation. Next will be the surgery to remove the tumor.

We heard all about the side effects and what to expect. Not a real "uplifting" conversation. But in the end, the Dr. told Mom that she is relatively healthy and that she CAN do it. It will be a really hard chemo, but that she will get through it and that they have a lot more medications than they did even 10 years ago and that they can do a lot more to alleviate some of those side effects.
The other news that was not great is that the Dr. was not happy with the infected leg and wants Mom on iv antibiotics a full 7 days. So........... this means 3 more days before she starts her chemo and then 6 days of chemo before she gets to come home. She came up for a two night stay and will leave about a month after she came in. We are doing better tonight, but had to pace ourselves in order to digest all the news today.
It's 8:10 PM and still no news on how they will address the port problems.
Gordie and Sandy Bauslaugh ( Our pastor and his wife, who have known Mom and Dad for years) came up to pray with us this afternoon. We had just gotten back from a walk /ride with Mom outside in the sun. It was a nice way to wrap up the afternoon. We are relaxing in the room. Dad is watching a silly movie and Mom is writing a few cards.
Today was one more day that we were lifted by your words of encouragement, your constant prayers and God's continuous love and peace. It is good to know He is here in the midst of this craziness.

With love and gratitude,
Kimberly

Sunday

We had all planned on a nice day with Mom. They had told us they were going to attempt to insert the needle in the port on Monday. (as the first one failed right after the insertion. We are being told it was not secured so it slipped.) It has been so frustrating. But, like I was saying they were going to reinsert on Monday and we were coming up about noon to celebrate a birthday and have some down time with Mom. No tests, no iv's, no procedures etc. Dad called me about 11:15 and said they had decided to go ahead and "try" to get it in today. One of the nurses had already told her it would be uncomfortable so she was dreading it.

Poor Daddy was so sick with worry and Mom was really anxious. She was assertive and asked the nurse if she had done many. She said she had done some, but it had been a while. Mom asked her if she would please get her someone with a lot of experience as she was so sore and couldn't even raise her arm above her head. She told Mom she thought that was a wise decision and went and got two charge nurses with more experience. They put on a topical anesthetic and came back and worked for a half hour trying to get it in. No luck. She was so sore and we were all beyond frustrated.

It is so maddening that she has not had one thing be straight forward for her. Everything has had a complication, or a problem that has caused more pain or additional issues or delays as far as procedures go.

Daddy was emotionally spent and Mom was really struggling by the time we had arrived. Carmen had come up first and was here to help Mom get ready. It was hard to see them both so sad when we got here. They put ice on it to help the swelling go down before tomorrow. We all got situated in a waiting room and settled in for a family get together at the Ophthalmology clinic. :) We had a nice lunch and watched Paris open presents, and watched Sadie and Nate play with Brittain and Paris. Their giggles lightened a stressed mood and we were able to escape this place for a while. (except for the constant beeping iv, and Sadie saying "I don't like that sound!" Nate would respond with "I LIKE that sound!" :)

We don't know what will happen tomorrow if they don't get the needle inserted into the port. We are praying that it would slip in with no problem or pain this time. If it doesn't get placed we are also concerned that it sets her back again with starting chemo and going home. Please join us in praying for this to get in right away and for no more delays.

We got her in bed tonight, Dad took a shower, and Mom opened cards and packages from so many of you. All of her cards are taped up around her room for her to see throughout the day. Stark white walls are being transformed with each card you send, so we thank you.

Kirk and Deb Parnham sent a card with some of God's promises listed. They were a comfort after such and emotionally draining day. They are excerpts, and referenced with the verse.

I want to share them with you as they brought us comfort tonight when we read them.

"I will protect you...." Acts 26:17

"I will comfort you..." Isaiah 66:13

"I will give you peace..." Leviticus 26:6

"...I will listen to you" Jeremiah 29:12

"...I will carry you". Isaiah 46:4

"... I will strengthen you..." Isaiah 41:10

"... I will give you rest." Matthew 11:28

"... I will be with you." Genesis 31:3

And finally, "...I have loved you with an everlasting love..." Jeremiah 31:3

So in Him we find protection, comfort, peace, a friend to listen and carry us, strength, rest, His presence and His everlasting love.

Love,

Kimberly, Carmen and family

Saturday evening Two

Brian and I went to see Mom and Dad tonight. Our good friends John and Nichole Gruber (and blog administrator extraordinaire) kept the kids overnight for us. THANK YOU!
Mom was getting her hair cut short tonight to help her transition into her chemotherapy treatment. ( Thank you Aunt Sherry for doing it for her ) It was the fastest haircut in the history of haircuts as she was trying to do it before the nurse came in.
Mom has been dreading the side effects that will most definitely come from the chemo, and was hoping the transition might help her and the grandkids adjust as well.
She looks absolutely lovely with short hair and was in good spirits. She was supposed to be home this weekend and Sherry had told her they would cut it before treatment, but then we found out Mom wasn’t coming home. It was a huge relief when she said she could run up and take care of it for her this weekend.
She is still very sore, and the needle to the port is still not in place. I believe they will wait until they need to access it on Monday and fix it then. She is sore and tender in that area and she can’t put her arms around Daddy’s neck when he helps her stand. It is tender under her arm as well, so they did a little experimenting to get it to not hurt when he helps her stand up. He is so gentle with her and so worried about hurting her. Mom’s leg looked less infected, red and swollen to me tonight. The redness had decreased and they are still giving her iv antibiotics.
Carmen drove home tonight and left when we did just after 10:00PM. It’s a long drive for her and Troy and Maria when they come up. If you think of it and have a little extra room in your prayers, please pray for their safety as they commute.
One of Mom’s biggest disappointments about not coming home was that we had a family birthday party scheduled for Paris tomorrow. Mom was very concerned that she wouldn’t get to celebrate with our family, so we are taking the party to her tomorrow.
We spoke with the nurses and have found a clinic waiting room that we can use to have the shrimp pasta that Paris has requested. Don’t all 10 year olds ask for that on their birthday?
We are hoping that tomorrow will help in keeping her happy and distracted. It gets pretty boring for her in there day after day.
One thing I want to mention is that we still have not met with the Oncologist that will be administering the chemo. We don’t have the pathology report back so we don’t know what kind of chemo Mom will be getting. Once we know what kind she will receive, we can ask some more intelligent questions. For now, we just don’t know what to expect or ask. Some chemotherapy is administered once a day for 5 days and drips into the port in about 2 hours each day. Another kind of chemotherapy runs 24 hours a day for 5 days.
At this point we just don’t know what the situation will be like after she comes home. We have been told that the immune system really takes a hit 4-5 days after she starts to receive the treatment and her white blood cell count will decrease. It will be imperative that she not be exposed to anyone who is sick, sniffling, coughing etc. I am hoping we can get educated on the whole matter Monday and have more information to share with you then.
Thank you for your continued love, support, calls, emails, blog messages, offers for housing and childcare, meals, prayer and so much more that I know I am forgetting.
Mom and Dad feel very loved through this ordeal and we kids, and kids – in-law, thank you.
Will post something later Sunday night after we get home.

With gratitude and thanksgiving,
Kimberly and family

Saturday Evening

Hello all,
About noon today, Mom had another C-Scan. So far no reports have come from that. Mom is resting now. Her pain levels continue to change. Her port is VERY sore. The port is located around her left collar bone area. It really hurts to be touched, when she moves, and bending over even a little bitis too painful to do. As you know, I'm a light weight, but I did try to look at it a little at a time. There is a needle that is inserted through her skin and into the port. That is where they will be able to access the line. When the nurse checked it this morning to confirm it was working and to clean the line, she found the needle was not placed correctly. WHY??? We are so frustrated! She was as gentle as she could be. Taking it out wasn't fun, but Mom was a trooper. Her nurse told Mom that she wouldn't lie to her. When the needle has to be reinserted, it will be painful. They will have to push on the port area to get the needle inserted. Mom is so tired of being poked on. It breaks our hearts to see her have to suffer more than what was expected yet again. I know Mom would appreciate prayers for the reinsertion of the needle. Mom's nurse thought the needle might not have to be place today and maybe she can have a bit of a break from being poked for the rest of the day. We'll see. I'll try to shoot another report later this evening. Thank you for your prayers.

Love you, Carmen

Saturday

Hi there,
Mom is now sleeping soundly. When she got back from recovery, her pain was between a 7 & 8. It was quite a bit rougher on her than she had expected. She is extremely sore. They gave her some pain meds and she was able to eat a half of a sandwich before the meds knocked her out. The port site is very sore. It was giving her throbbing pain prior to the pain meds kicking in. Mom says she feels beat up. They gave her a new IV in her left arm in OR. They will need that line for the CAT scan which will most likely be done today (Saturday). It looks like they were trying to get a line in her right hand but failed. Her little hand is black and blue and swollen. It made me nauseous to see her bruised again. We are not sure when they expect to take her for the CAT scan. To be determined... I plan on staying the night here. .
Love you lots,
Carmen

Saturday morning

This came last night

Hi everyone,
Mom did not get taken into surgery until about 8:30PM. She is out of surgery and the Dr. says it went as planned. Carmen, Troy and Dad are all with her. I will update you all tomorrow after she has had a chance to wake up and eat and relax.
Thank you for praying.
Kimberly

Friday

Ok. The theme for the day is “Just kidding!”
Mom had to fast again to be ready for the surgery today so no food after last night.
First we were told yesterday, that her port was scheduled to be put in at 5:30 PM. Not great, as this will be the 5th (?) day of fasting for procedures etc. but then as I was preparing to leave late last night the surgery was moved up to 3:30 due to a cancellation. I just spoke with Carmen and now surgery is behind and she isn’t scheduled until 7:00 PM. So, it will probably be later for her as they are moving it back to 7:00 because they are running late. If anything else happens it could be even later.
This is a long day for her, so please pray for her as now she has to make it through the day and evening without eating. We were so worried about her being hungry today that Dad and I pushed food at her all evening. She finally made some joke about us being “food pushers”. For those of you who know my Mom well and have been to their home, you know what an ironic statement that is. No one wants to feed people more than Mom. Food, drink, dessert? Anything?..................... WHO’S the food pusher?
Carmen will call me tonight when Mom is out of surgery and back in her room.
She is running a slight temp. and her iv is uncomfortable, so we are really thankful for the port being placed tonight.
Will keep you posted.
Love you all.
Kimberly

Thursday evening

Hi everyone,
Dad spoke with Mom and told her the schedule for the week. She was disappointed and sad, but handled it beautifully and with the grace and dignity she has demonstrated my whole life.
She is not in any pain right now, but when she stands she has a new pain in the side of her knee.
She is quite worried about the knee replacement. We will ask the Dr. about it in the morning. Please pray that this is not a complication.
She is talking with Sadie and Nate while I write this and they are keeping her laughing.
Now that, is good for the soul!
Carmen is going to be here with Dad and Mom tomorrow, but I will update this after her port placement. It is scheduled for 3:30 so we won’t have anything to report until the evening sometime.
We had another sweet nurse today 7:00AM to 7:00 PM. Her name is Mandy and she is a believer. She is back on Monday and chemo certified, so we are hoping to have her the day Mom starts treatment. She was so sweet. When she got off work, she told Dad out in the hall, that she loved Mom and cried. Then she added that this is only the second time she has ever broken down and cried like that. I’m not surprised. Mom has that affect on people. She’s so sweet and genuine and loving. She complimented Mandy on her scrubs once and they giggled about clothes. Later they chatted about Mandy’s “darling” shoes. Turns out Mom has a pair just like them. Groovy.
Thank you to all of you who have emailed . I read the blog, comments and her email to her daily. She looks forward to it and it makes her smile. She tells me little snippets about each of you she knows, and I tell her little snippets about the ones I know. :-)

We have decided we have the best friends and family that can be found. We are blessed.
We are reading through some of the Psalms. It’s a good read.
Love and hugs to you all.
Kimberly

Thursday

Mom's surgery was moved up from this afternoon to 8:50 am Fortunately, Daddy called just before 6:00 so I was able to get dressed and out the door in time before she left and dad sat alone.( even with the morning traffic )

The surgeon came to talk to me after the surgery and told me that it had gone well. It did not appear to be super infected, but he cultured it and did a thorough wash out. They have her on iv antibiotics now. She does not know this yet, and I hope to shield her from it for a while longer.But she will be staying over the weekend and will start chemo Monday. PLEASE DO NOT say anything to her about this if you call. I want her mental state to be positive and to just take one day at a time. Not getting to go home before she starts the chemo will be really hard for her. I just want her to have another day to come out of the medicine haze. She will go back into surgery again tomorrow for the port placement.
Please pray for her as this is always a tough thing for her to bounce back from when she goes under general anesthesia. (it may be the conscious sedation, not sure yet)

Thank you again for all your prayers and support.
We love you.
Kimberly

Thursday morning

Kim just got a call around 5:45 that Ladeva’s surgery to clean out the infected wound is going to be moved up to 8:50 this a.m.
I’ll/she’ll keep you updated as soon as we can. Thanks for everyone’s prayers, notes, emails, and cards.
Brian

Late Tuesday

The iv is in. Praise God.
They put it in at the bend in her elbow and splinted her arm so she cannot bend it and have it fall out. Makes it hard to sit down as she holds her right leg out straight when sitting and uses her arms to support herself on the arm rails. But, the sooner they get the antibiotic in the better. Hopefully she can sleep through the night. Thank you for your prayers. Dad is doing pretty well.
Thank you all. I love you and appreciate each and every one of you.
Kimberly

Tuesday

Please read this entire post, as it contains two notes from Kimberly, one from Tuesday afternoon and one from Tuesday night.

Hi everyone,
I don’t have a lot to report on Mom today.
I got up here about 10:00 am. Daddy went home to get some clothes and night gowns for Mama and get the mail etc. and will return in a few hours.
We still have no word on if her leg is infected or not, but feel it is probable she will have the wash out surgery on Thursday, and the port put in on Friday. We won’t know about going home until we find out the infection status. So once again, I’m asking everyone to pray that there is no infection and no need for the surgery on Thursday.
Mom’s long time friend Ann Sjoden came to see her sister who is on the 4^th floor here at UWMC and also received a recent diagnosis of cancer. Her name is Jodee and we would like to ask you to pray for her as well.
I had a sweet surprise today. Christa Ellis, my Supervisor and friend, from my years at PCLI came by to see me and give me a much needed hug, and a beautiful bouquet of flowers picked from her yard for Mom. They are beautiful and smell so nice. I hadn’t seen Christa in a few years, but she emailed me out of the blue a month or so ago and Brian sent her the blog address. Thank you Christa, the flowers were beautiful and the hug was needed and appreciated.
Mom’s leg is sore and hurting today. Please pray that she gets some rest and that the pain eases for her.
Tomorrow is our daughter Paris’s birthday. She will be 10 and has been looking forward to tomorrow for about 364 days. J Wednesday is a half day of school for the kids so I will be staying home. Nothing is scheduled for Mom on Wednesday so I will stay close and pick the kids up at noon. If anything happens, Dad will call me and I get it on the blog. I hate to not be here, but I have not seen the kids more than a few hours since last Monday. I will be back up here on Thursday for the surgery and to stay with Daddy. I will keep you all posted.
Once again we thank you for your love and support and are so grateful for the love God has sent us from unexpected places.
Yesterday, Dad’s sister Sherry and her boyfriend Tom drove all the way up here to come into the lobby and deliver a few cards and lots of love. They didn’t stay but a few minutes and then drove all the way back home. On Dad’s way down to the lobby, the patient’s husband from next door, asked Dad what was going on with Mom. Dad told him and the man asked Daddy if he could pray with him right there in the hall. Dad was so humbled and thanked him, and they bowed their heads and prayed together. Two men, total strangers, yet bound together by their love, trust, and faith in Jesus Christ. A total stranger blessed my Dad right on the spot. That man didn’t have to approach Dad, but he did and the gift he gave was not one you can describe. Later, they were checking out as Dad came back up and they told him they would continue praying for Mama. God sent His love through a stranger. He is always faithful. Always.

My favorite verse that I clung to when our son Brittain was in the hospital as a baby for all those months was:
Psalm 46:10
“ Be still, and know that I am God”

I will continue to cling to that verse and God’s sovereignty in all of this.
Even though we were shocked by this diagnosis, He was not.
Thank you,
Kimberly

It’s 10:00 pm Tuesday night. Mom’s fever is starting to rise again and after numerous discussions and consulting with Dr.’s they have made the decision to go ahead and start a wide range antibiotic now. The problem however, is Mom’s iv has failed. She needs the iv for the antibiotic, and she was poked over a dozen times to get the this one in.

We NEED that port placed so she doesn’t have to keep going through this. She is still not scheduled until Friday for that.

Please pray that they get it in on the first try and that they move her up earlier in the surgery schedule rather than later so we don’t have to watch her go through more needle poking.
Please also pray that her knee replacement is protected. She can get an infection there as well and it would not be good. The wound is only about 4” from her knee.
Please pray for my Dad. He says he is doing “ok”. But I am hating it that I am not there with them right now.
My sweet Mom. My precious Dad. I love you so very much and am in constant prayer for you.

Kimberly

Monday Evening

The Dr.'s have decided to do the wash out surgery on Thursday but the port may not happen until Friday, so Mom has won another week at hotel UWMC.
They are trying to keep their spirits up, but it is hard to face another week here when they came ready for just a few days. I will be coming up again tomorrow and Dad is going to run home to get himself a few more clothes and check the house and mail, then back up here. I am leaving to head home in a little while.
There was a mix up with if she should or shouldn't get an antibiotic tonight, so I was glad we got it figured out before I leave. They took a culture from her wound today, so we will have to wait and see what grows.
I will try to update you in the morning after rounds with the Dr. in the morning.
Thanks again and much love to you all.

XOXO
Kimberly

Posting Comments

Kimberly has requested that I give everyone reading this blog a tutorial on how to post comments, just in case you are new to this whole blogging and commenting phenomenon. I'll do my best, and please feel free to email me via the link on the right. Just click email me and then let me know your questions. Thanks.

Step 1: At the bottom of each post, look for the little speech bubble and how many comments have been posted. Click on these words. When you click on them, a new page will appear that looks like this.


Step 2: Type your message in the box underneath "Leave your comment" Be sure to leave your name so that Ladeva will know who left the comment.

Step 3: Type the word that you see, (it will be different every time you post a comment) into the word verification box.

Step 4: Pick "Anonymous" for the identity.

Step 5: Click on "Publish your comment"

I hope this helps. Please email me if you need further help or have more questions. Thanks.

Monday Afternoon

The Dr. just came in and saw Mom.
Her wound is still oozing and the Dr. is not happy with what he is seeing.
It may still be another one to three days before she gets the port. It has to be put in by a general surgeon and they are looking at his schedule to see when there is an opening to put her in.
If the wound does not improve they may go back into surgery on Thursday to open the wound and do a "wash out" and culture it. He does not want to put her on a "general" antibiotic as it would be too broad and not specific enough to what she may need. He is not willing to say that it is infected, but he is concerned enough that he will not be sending her home until they have been able to determine if it is infected or not.
Having seen the wound, I too am concerned at the appearance, but I am not a Dr. I have seen it daily during the daily bandage changes and it looked angry to me.
Mom is struggling today. It is hard to take so many blows day after day and keep your spirits up.

Our fervent prayer request today is:

1) That the wound would not be, or get infected. If it is and they have to start an antibiotic, that causes problems for chemo and delays her by a minimum of a week to start.
2) She would get in and get a port placed ASAP. This will give them access for blood draws and a port for administering meds and her chemo without having to be poked multiple times daily.
3) For her spirits to be lifted. It seems nothing with Mom has been straight forward for many, many months. She was really looking forward to going home today.
4) For Dad to continue to be strong and to not allow fear to creep in.
5) For wisdom for the Dr.'s to know how best to treat Mom.
6) For healing.

We thank you, and appreciate your prayers.
We have been praying together this morning and will continue to call on Him to renew us every minute. I pray that we have the grace and strength to face this in a way that will bring the Lord glory. We have just started this road and have a long way to go, so we have to pace ourselves. Just wish we could pause and catch our breath first. :) :)

Psalm 136:1
"Oh give thanks to Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever."

Love to you all,
Kimberly , Ladeva, and Warren.

Monday Morning

Hi everyone,
I need to make this quick. I am heading out the door to get the kids to school then up to UWMC to hopefully bring Mom and Dad home sometime today.
Sunday was a fairly quiet day. Mom slept and rested most of the morning. Dad and mom both slept well Saturday night and by noon Mom was up to a trip to the gift shop and the cafeteria for lunch. Cameron (Carmen’s son) came by to sit and visit. Mom loved having him.
I went home about 3:00 Sunday afternoon and checked in a few times with them both. They were doing well.
There is some talk of putting Mom’s port in today and giving it time to heal a bit before she sees the chemo Dr. on the 29th. It can be accessed immediately, but Mom would like to get it in while she is still in the hospital and they have an iv.
I was able to show Mom the blog Friday and Saturday. She has read all the comments and Mom and Dad are so appreciative of the love and support she is reading there.
I have read her all the emails from those of you sending them to my email as well. Just a reminder that her email is not working right now.
I have been asked several times for Mom and Dad’s address so you can send cards so here it is:

127 Brian Dr.
Chehalis, WA 98532

I have to trust that you will all understand that Mom and Dad will need some time to decompress before they are up to visitors.
I don’t want to sound harsh as I appreciate you and love you all so much. My role right now is to protect them where I can. I can’t take this from her, but I can be a liaison to help facilitate communication to everyone. I promise I will let you know when they are up to it. After chemo starts I am just not sure what protocol is. Please be patient with us as we travel this unfamiliar road.

Again,
Thank you all for your love, prayer, cards and emails.
We are blessed beyond measure.

Kimberly

Surgery Successful

Here is the latest:
Mom is back from surgery. The never could get in an iv, even using ultrasound. They did the procedure without using the iv meds, she only had local anesthesia. They went in through her jugular vein in her neck and not the groin.
They want to start a pic line (a longer lasting iv than a typical line) so the prayer now is that they will be able to get that in without multiple tries. Otherwise the filter is in.
Praise the Lord. Thank you for your prayers,
Kimberly

Two updates

Update #1

It's 5:00 and a Dr. just came to see Mom.
They feel that they should not wait until Monday or Tuesday to do the surgery, so she will go down for surgery in two hours. (7:00 pm )
They will go in through the groin and go to where the vein meets at the abdomen. It will lace up to just before the heart. This will be a filter that will help prevent any future blood clots.
Her leg is still really really swollen. It makes it difficult to walk, but she has walked three times today with a walker.
I gave her a "birdbath" and washed her hair in the sink since she can't shower yet. Next we played beauty parlor and put her makeup on for her. So, now she is ready for surgery!! :)
Dad is relieved because he was going to leave in a few hours to go home and sleep, but just couldn't bring himself to go yet. He would have been down the road a ways and would have had to turn around to come back. He is amazing. He dotes on her constantly. They are precious to watch.
Please pray for the Lord to direct the surgeon's hands. She will not go under general , but will be under a conscious sedation.
Thanks you for praying. I will update you after the surgery.
Love,
Kimberly

Update #2

Mom was supposed to go into surgery at 7pm.
They tried 8 times to get an iv started. (They took out her good one this morning)
After all the failed attempts, the Dr. in radiology took her back to use a doppler (ultrasound) to find a vein.
She has been sweet to all of them, but is bruised and sore in both hands and arms.
Please pray for:
1) Peace, comfort and a pain free experience for Mom.
2) Skill for the surgeon's hands.
3) Success in the outcome.
4) Comfort for my Dad.

Thank you all for prayer and support.
We love and appreciate you all.
Kimberly

It's snowing

Before I share what Kimberly wrote I wanted to clarify that the surgery Ladeva has had so far was to biopsy the cancer. After chemotherapy she will then have surgery to remove the tumor.

The Dr.’s came in this morning and have decided mom needs to have the filter inserted into her leg to prevent blood clots. That won’t happen until Monday or Tuesday. Her leg is quite swollen which indicates that she has some internal bleeding around the wound site from the biopsy. The section he removed was vascular and fluid filled along with a portion of the tumor itself. She did bleed a lot. The upside of this is that she has not had any nerve pain at all since the biopsy. He may have relieved enough so that the nerve is not being pushed on anymore.
I came home late last night and dad stayed with mom. I am going to spend some time with Brian and the kids and head back up there this afternoon so Dad can come home and shower, sleep and decompress.
Mom and Dad are doing well. They are more relaxed as Mom’s pain is under control. Her temperature was up slightly this morning, but not enough to make her uncomfortable. Certainly better than the 105˚ it was yesterday. We have had some good nurses which also makes it easier to relax.
The snow falling will be beautiful from her window, so I am happy to see it, even if it is late April.

Our prayers are that she has no blood clotting before surgery, that she responds well to the procedure and the swelling will subside so she can go home. She will now see the Dr.’s Tuesday the 29th for the biopsy results and to meet with the chemotherapy doctor. She will start chemotherapy a few days after that.
Thank you for praying with us.

Kimberly

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From Kimberly

Mom's fever is down from 100.5 so much better. She ate a full breakfast and is managing her pain well. Her fever was attributed to the blood transfusions and we were told it is common. If she has further problems, they will take her in and put some kind of a filter in a vein in her leg to prevent a clot. So far that is not needed. She will stay here today and tomorrow at this point. She may go home Sunday if she is doing better. Dad is holding up. I am so proud of him. He has a physical reaction to hospitals due to watching his own father suffer in a hospital before he died, but would not leave mom's side. He is so tender and loving with her. She is so grateful to him for his gentle tender love. They are a great team. I am blessed.
Right now, her leg has a bit more swelling so they called the Dr. to advise. Mom seems to be comfortable and has slept today. Please pray for dad as well. He is running on empty. God has been faithful in keeping us in His hand. We know He is comforting and loving us in the midst of all this. Mom like always is worried about everyone else. Please continue to pray for her healing, wisdom for the Dr.'s and that she will respond favorably to the chemotherapy coming up. She is so very precious to us.
We are grateful to you all for your love and support.
Kimberly

Friday 6:22 am from Brian

Ladeva bled in surgery and got two units of blood last night and another unit this morning. She’s suffering from a 105 degree temperature and it’s possibly still rising.

Kim is heading back to the hospital now to help Warren and make sure that proper communication is taking place.

Please pray for the fever.

First day at the hospital

I just talked with Brian and got an update.

Ladeva had some tests today to find out the severity of the cancer. They revealed the rest of her body is clear from cancer. She will be in the hospital at least one more night until her current pain situation is manageable. She will return to the hospital on Tuesday for the pre-chemotherapy consultation. Chemotherapy will start on Wednesday or Thursday. For the next two months she will be on a schedule of 5 days treatment, then two days recovery. If the cancer responds to the chemo, they may even treat her for the next four months. The reason for this is that doctors want to see the tumor shrink as much as possible. After her chemotherapy she will then have surgery to remove the tumor.
Please pray often as this is going to be a difficult time for Ladeva.

Psalm 61:1-4
Hear my cry, O God; listen to my prayer. From the ends of the earth I call to you, I call as my heart grows faint; lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the foe. I long to dwell in your tent forever and take refuge in the shelter of your wings.

First Post

Hello everyone. I am a friend of Brian and Kimberly Gibson's and have met Ladeva a few times. My wife and I wanted to do something to help out while she is going through this time in her life and we came up with this.
This blog will help family and friends stay connected to Ladeva during this time. I hope to post updates as regularly as possible. If you are reading this, you can also post comments to Ladeva in the comment section below each post. I believe she will have access to read what you have posted and I know this will be a great encouragement to her. Thanks.