James Arvin Cook
(Jim)
1958 - 2009
Our beloved husband, father, and son, Jim Cook, returned home to his Heavenly Father June 11, 2009, after a courageous battle with cancer.
Jim was born September 14, 1958, in Murray, Utah to Arvin and Darlene Johnson Cook. He graduated from Murray High School in 1976, where he was a cheerleader and member of the swim team. He was a faithful member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, and served a two year mission to Canada.
While attending BYU, he met and married the love of his life, Julie Lynn Faerber, on April 30, 1982, in the SLC temple. He then attended the University of Utah, where he received his bachelors degree in Information Technology. He worked at the U of U for many years as manager of computer network systems. Jim then realized his dream of working for the City of St George, Ut, and later for Rapid City, SD as I.T. director.
Jim's gift to the world was life, laughter, and love. He valued friendships, and spent many hours building relationships on and off the golf course. Jim was always the life of the party, had a joke for every occasion, and could bring a smile to everyone's face. Our memories of Jim will always bring back those smiles.
Serving others in any capacity was Jim's passion. He is deeply loved by his family, and will be greatly missed by friends, family, and everyone who's heart he lightened with his spirit.
Jim is survived by his eternal sweetheart, Julie Lynn Faerber; his five children, Joshua (Kirby) Cook, Brittany (Clint) Lambson, Nicole, Justin, and Katie; his parents, Arvin and Darlene Cook; his parents-in-law LeRoy and Kathleen Faerber; siblings Keldon (Vickie) Cook, Holly (Ken) Peterson, Wendy (Brent) Anderson, Dan (Melanie) Cook, Judy (Matthew) Binns; Julie's siblings; many aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces and nephews, and grandmother Maurine Cook.
A viewing will be held in St George, Monday, June 15th, from 6:30-8:00 pm at the Spilsbury Mortuary, 110 S. Bluff Street. A viewing will be held the following evening from 6:00-8:00 pm at the Brownstone Church, 6410 So 725 East, in Murray, Utah. An additional viewing will be held Wed, June 17th, from 10:00-10:45 am at the same chapel. Funeral services will follow at 11:00 am. Internment will be at the Elysian Gardens. Friends and family are invited to offer their condolences at www.spilsburymortuary.com.
Thank you all so much for your love and support.
Friday, June 12, 2009
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Tuesday morning
Thanks so much for all your faith and prayers. We can really feel the presence of angels giving us strength and comfort.
Jim is now in that never never land between life and death. He is sometimes coherent, sometimes not. He is fighting the good fight however, and is not giving in easily.
Last week he started wandering around the house a lot, aimlessly. He would walk into the kitchen, stand there, then walk to the living room, stand there, etc. When we would talk to him, sometimes he would understand and respond, sometimes he would close his eyes and not respond at all. He had a hard time being still. Our hospice nurse told us that this is called terminal restlessness. It happens quite a bit in terminal cancer patients.
Jims parents and my parents both came down for a few days to see him. Brittany also is here, she is staying to help. Nicole came down for the weekend, and Jim perked up quite a bit over the weekend. He was lucid, aware, and had a surge of energy that took him through Sunday afternoon. He even wanted to go to Church Sunday, so we all went to the deaf branch with him. He was able to stay for all of Sac Meeting. He ate several meals over the weekend, and we had a wonderful and enjoyable time with all the family being here.
Sunday evening he started to slip back into the restless stage. We have someone with him 24/7, making sure he does not fall or try the stairs. He is not sleeping well at night, kind of walks around the house a lot. Walking is becoming harder for him. It takes him several minutes to stand up, then he stands for a long time before trying to move. The hospice nurse can't believe he can still get himself up, much less walk around the house. He is on a lot of medication for pain, but can't swallow pills so he has drops by mouth. We also have some cream we rub on his wrists, which helps with pain and also calms him.
His vital signs are still strong. His blood pressure is good, and heart beat is even but rapid. He is still breathing well from one lung, and does not seem to be air hungry. That is a blessing. He is still drinking liquids, but not eating solid food. The hospice nurse comes every day now.
He has been quite confused this morning. I asked him if he was hurting and wanted pain meds, and he shook his head no. A minute later he asked Brittany why no one had brought him a drink and his pain meds, because he just told her he wanted them. (He didn't.) We give him pain meds about every two hours, around the clock.
I'm not sure how long he will continue to be mobile, possibly a few days. He is laying on the bed sleeping now. Sometimes when Brittany says hi to him, he will give her the sweetest smile. He seems so innocent and trusting.
We don't know how much longer he will be with us, maybe a few weeks. There is a peaceful, calm feeling in our home, and we know the Spirit of the Lord is here with us. We know there are spirits here from the other side, excited and eager to welcome Jim into the next realm. We are so grateful for the Gospel, and the principle of eternal families. We know that we will be together again in the next life, and throughout eternity.
Jim is now in that never never land between life and death. He is sometimes coherent, sometimes not. He is fighting the good fight however, and is not giving in easily.
Last week he started wandering around the house a lot, aimlessly. He would walk into the kitchen, stand there, then walk to the living room, stand there, etc. When we would talk to him, sometimes he would understand and respond, sometimes he would close his eyes and not respond at all. He had a hard time being still. Our hospice nurse told us that this is called terminal restlessness. It happens quite a bit in terminal cancer patients.
Jims parents and my parents both came down for a few days to see him. Brittany also is here, she is staying to help. Nicole came down for the weekend, and Jim perked up quite a bit over the weekend. He was lucid, aware, and had a surge of energy that took him through Sunday afternoon. He even wanted to go to Church Sunday, so we all went to the deaf branch with him. He was able to stay for all of Sac Meeting. He ate several meals over the weekend, and we had a wonderful and enjoyable time with all the family being here.
Sunday evening he started to slip back into the restless stage. We have someone with him 24/7, making sure he does not fall or try the stairs. He is not sleeping well at night, kind of walks around the house a lot. Walking is becoming harder for him. It takes him several minutes to stand up, then he stands for a long time before trying to move. The hospice nurse can't believe he can still get himself up, much less walk around the house. He is on a lot of medication for pain, but can't swallow pills so he has drops by mouth. We also have some cream we rub on his wrists, which helps with pain and also calms him.
His vital signs are still strong. His blood pressure is good, and heart beat is even but rapid. He is still breathing well from one lung, and does not seem to be air hungry. That is a blessing. He is still drinking liquids, but not eating solid food. The hospice nurse comes every day now.
He has been quite confused this morning. I asked him if he was hurting and wanted pain meds, and he shook his head no. A minute later he asked Brittany why no one had brought him a drink and his pain meds, because he just told her he wanted them. (He didn't.) We give him pain meds about every two hours, around the clock.
I'm not sure how long he will continue to be mobile, possibly a few days. He is laying on the bed sleeping now. Sometimes when Brittany says hi to him, he will give her the sweetest smile. He seems so innocent and trusting.
We don't know how much longer he will be with us, maybe a few weeks. There is a peaceful, calm feeling in our home, and we know the Spirit of the Lord is here with us. We know there are spirits here from the other side, excited and eager to welcome Jim into the next realm. We are so grateful for the Gospel, and the principle of eternal families. We know that we will be together again in the next life, and throughout eternity.
Monday, May 25, 2009
Friday, May 15, 2009
Latest news
Sorry its been so long.
We had a wonderful trip to SLC. Jim was able to see a lot of family and friends, and the trip was great. Thanks to Great Grandma Cook for letting us use the condo, it was perfect! Thanks also to all the U of U people who showed their love and appreciation for Jim at the lunch. It meant so much to him to see all of you and feel your support. It was great to see old high school friends and family!
Josh graduated from college, and Jim and I went to the graduation lunch with Josh and Kirby. It was wonderful, we are so proud of all his hard work!! Nicole came down and spent several days with us between semesters, we really loved spending some time with her.
We have been working hard with Jim and the hospice nurse the control the cancer pain. He is doing pretty well for the most part, just very tired. He sleeps a good part of every day, but is still able to wake up and participate in some activities. Justin has had several performances the last few weeks, for the school musical, jazz band, and orchestra. Jim made it to everything but the jazz band, and really enjoyed seeing Justin perform. Katie also had a performance for her fourth grade class, and Jim was there to cheer her on!
We did something last weekend that we have not done for a very long time. We saw a movie at the movie theater!! :) We saw the Star Trek movie, and Jim made it through the entire show! It was so great, we did popcorn and drinks and the whole thing. I think I may have enjoyed it more than he did... lol ... but we both had a good time.
Between all the performances and the movie, we pretty much wore Jim out. He has had several days of sleeping and not much else. His feet have swollen to about twice the normal size, and he has lots of numbness and tingling in his hands and feet. He threw up again today, has not done that for a while. For the most part, the nausea has stopped, although sometimes it just comes on for unknown reasons.
He is still unsteady on his feet, and fell again last week, this time outside on the cement. He bruised his ribs and scraped his arm, but didn't break anything. He uses the walker most of the time when we go out, sometimes the wheelchair. He still eats, but not as much. He likes fruit and fudge bars (which is not good for his diabetes), but we just kind of feed him whatever he wants. He still loves to watch movies, although he dozes off a lot in the middle of them. It takes a lot of energy for him to talk, so he is very quiet most of the time.
He did have a good day yesterday, and we went to his Uncle Lou's house to sit in the hot tub. That helped his feet feel better.
We love our hospice nurse. She comes over twice a week to check on Jim, make sure his pain is under control, orders his pain meds, and takes his vitals. We have also had some aids come to help us move furniture and do errands. This is much easier on Jim than the constant trips to the Dr and hospital. We are grateful for the hospice program, and the wonderful people who work with us.
We are so grateful for the Gospel, for the knowledge that we have that life will continue for us on the other side of the veil. We are grateful for all the angels here and on the other side who give us strength and support.
We had a wonderful trip to SLC. Jim was able to see a lot of family and friends, and the trip was great. Thanks to Great Grandma Cook for letting us use the condo, it was perfect! Thanks also to all the U of U people who showed their love and appreciation for Jim at the lunch. It meant so much to him to see all of you and feel your support. It was great to see old high school friends and family!
Josh graduated from college, and Jim and I went to the graduation lunch with Josh and Kirby. It was wonderful, we are so proud of all his hard work!! Nicole came down and spent several days with us between semesters, we really loved spending some time with her.
We have been working hard with Jim and the hospice nurse the control the cancer pain. He is doing pretty well for the most part, just very tired. He sleeps a good part of every day, but is still able to wake up and participate in some activities. Justin has had several performances the last few weeks, for the school musical, jazz band, and orchestra. Jim made it to everything but the jazz band, and really enjoyed seeing Justin perform. Katie also had a performance for her fourth grade class, and Jim was there to cheer her on!
We did something last weekend that we have not done for a very long time. We saw a movie at the movie theater!! :) We saw the Star Trek movie, and Jim made it through the entire show! It was so great, we did popcorn and drinks and the whole thing. I think I may have enjoyed it more than he did... lol ... but we both had a good time.
Between all the performances and the movie, we pretty much wore Jim out. He has had several days of sleeping and not much else. His feet have swollen to about twice the normal size, and he has lots of numbness and tingling in his hands and feet. He threw up again today, has not done that for a while. For the most part, the nausea has stopped, although sometimes it just comes on for unknown reasons.
He is still unsteady on his feet, and fell again last week, this time outside on the cement. He bruised his ribs and scraped his arm, but didn't break anything. He uses the walker most of the time when we go out, sometimes the wheelchair. He still eats, but not as much. He likes fruit and fudge bars (which is not good for his diabetes), but we just kind of feed him whatever he wants. He still loves to watch movies, although he dozes off a lot in the middle of them. It takes a lot of energy for him to talk, so he is very quiet most of the time.
He did have a good day yesterday, and we went to his Uncle Lou's house to sit in the hot tub. That helped his feet feel better.
We love our hospice nurse. She comes over twice a week to check on Jim, make sure his pain is under control, orders his pain meds, and takes his vitals. We have also had some aids come to help us move furniture and do errands. This is much easier on Jim than the constant trips to the Dr and hospital. We are grateful for the hospice program, and the wonderful people who work with us.
We are so grateful for the Gospel, for the knowledge that we have that life will continue for us on the other side of the veil. We are grateful for all the angels here and on the other side who give us strength and support.
Friday, April 24, 2009
SLC trip.
OK, here is the plan for the weekend. We will be at Jims parents house on Saturday from 10:00 am to about 5:00 pm. Anyone who wants to visit us there, that would be great.
Address: 614 Wilford Avenue, Murray, Utah
Its about 6200 south, find the street (Wilford Ave) off of 725 east. Actually, look it up on the internet :) Monday Jim is having lunch with some former work friends, then a little get together with some High School friends in the evening. Tuesday is another free day, probably be at his parents house again.
We would love any and all visitors!!! Jim really wants to see as many people as possible while we are in town.
Address: 614 Wilford Avenue, Murray, Utah
Its about 6200 south, find the street (Wilford Ave) off of 725 east. Actually, look it up on the internet :) Monday Jim is having lunch with some former work friends, then a little get together with some High School friends in the evening. Tuesday is another free day, probably be at his parents house again.
We would love any and all visitors!!! Jim really wants to see as many people as possible while we are in town.
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Quick update
After much prayer and consideration, Jim and I both feel that hospice is the best option for him now. Its a good program. We will have a nurse come in twice a week to check on Jim, take his vitals, and she orders all his medications. There is also a nurse on call 24/7 if we ever need a nurse in an emergency situation. We can have an aid come in if needed to help with any additional needs we may have. They will even come and stay with Jim if I need to run errands or need a break, so that he won't be alone. They will also provide any medical equipment, such as a hospital bed or shower stool, if we have need of that. They have social workers who will help with bereavement, funeral arrangements, emotional support or whatever else you need. It is a service designed to make the last several months of a persons life easier in whatever way they can. Our Relief Society President is the nurse who will be caring for Jim, and she is a wonderful, loving person. We are grateful to have her.
Jim has a few things that he would really like to do, and the first is to travel to SLC to spend time with family and friends there. We are driving to SLC on Friday, and will be there until next Wed. We would love to see anyone who has a chance to visit with Jim. (Jim lost his cell phone, so please call mine.. 801-201-0935 if you need to make arrangements.)
He also would like to visit Rapid City one more time, so we are trying to arrange to go there towards the end of May. We'll keep you updated on that.
This is a difficult time, but we feel the sweet peace of the spirit in our home. We know that God is mindful of us, and that His plan is being fulfilled. Thanks again for all your prayers, love and support.
Jim has a few things that he would really like to do, and the first is to travel to SLC to spend time with family and friends there. We are driving to SLC on Friday, and will be there until next Wed. We would love to see anyone who has a chance to visit with Jim. (Jim lost his cell phone, so please call mine.. 801-201-0935 if you need to make arrangements.)
He also would like to visit Rapid City one more time, so we are trying to arrange to go there towards the end of May. We'll keep you updated on that.
This is a difficult time, but we feel the sweet peace of the spirit in our home. We know that God is mindful of us, and that His plan is being fulfilled. Thanks again for all your prayers, love and support.
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Whats new
Jim has asked me to take over writing the blog for a while, so here is the latest.
Jim was having a lot of problems with the radiation, so we decided that it was probably harming him more than helping him. We stopped after seven treatments. His ability to swallow has been getting better, along with his appetite. He is not so sleepy, and is able to get around a little better, although he has fallen twice in the last week here at home.
Tuesday we went in for the second round of chemo. While there, they did a blood test (PT/INR) to check the thickness of his blood. He has been on a medication to thin the blood since last Oct, when he got blood clots in his arm. This medication is tricky to dose, and they do blood thickness tests once a week. We are constantly changing the dose of the medication, depending on how his blood looks for that week. Normal blood is about 1, and with the medication they like his to be between 2 and 2.5. When they did the test on Tuesday, his blood was 7.9, which is very very thin. They called the Dr, had us stop the medication, and scheduled another PT/INR for today. We went in this morning, and his blood is still very thin, 5.9 today. They scheduled another test for Sunday morning.
While we were at the hospital, Jim got up to use the restroom. He got very dizzy and almost fell, but the nurse caught him. They sat him down and looked at his eyes, and found that one pupil was significantly more dilated than the other. They checked his speech and reflexes, and then called the Dr again. We went straight over to the Dr office, and met with the on call Dr. Our regular oncologist has been out of town for a few weeks. She called to talk to Dr Richards (radiation Dr) about Jim. She originally wanted to do an MRI, because they feel that cancer growth in the brain is causing these additional symptoms. However, after consulting with Dr Richards, they feel that Jim is too weak to undergo any type of treatment for cancer in the brain, and so decided not to do an MRI. It would only confirm what we already suspect, and we would not treat anyway. They feel that maybe the best course of action at this point is to go on Hospice. The chemo does not seem to be slowing the growth of the cancer, and is hard on Jims body. We have not decided what we are going to do, we are considering all the options.
Easter was a beautiful day here in St George, a little windy but sunny and warm. After Church, we took the kids to the park and had a picnic. After we ate, Jim and I lay on a blanket in the grass, and the kids played soccer and hit a tennis ball around. It was really nice.
Jims brother Kelly came to visit for several days last week. It was nice to see him, and he and Jim had a good visit. Grandma Cook and Becky drove down from SLC last Thursday. They came over to see Jim, stayed for about an hour, then drove back to SLC on Friday. Grandma is still looking good, 95 years young and still full of energy! It was really nice to see her.
It is rainy and cold today. Jim is snuggled up on the couch in the living room, watching movies. Please continue to pray for us. We know that the Lord will give us strength equal to the task.
Jim was having a lot of problems with the radiation, so we decided that it was probably harming him more than helping him. We stopped after seven treatments. His ability to swallow has been getting better, along with his appetite. He is not so sleepy, and is able to get around a little better, although he has fallen twice in the last week here at home.
Tuesday we went in for the second round of chemo. While there, they did a blood test (PT/INR) to check the thickness of his blood. He has been on a medication to thin the blood since last Oct, when he got blood clots in his arm. This medication is tricky to dose, and they do blood thickness tests once a week. We are constantly changing the dose of the medication, depending on how his blood looks for that week. Normal blood is about 1, and with the medication they like his to be between 2 and 2.5. When they did the test on Tuesday, his blood was 7.9, which is very very thin. They called the Dr, had us stop the medication, and scheduled another PT/INR for today. We went in this morning, and his blood is still very thin, 5.9 today. They scheduled another test for Sunday morning.
While we were at the hospital, Jim got up to use the restroom. He got very dizzy and almost fell, but the nurse caught him. They sat him down and looked at his eyes, and found that one pupil was significantly more dilated than the other. They checked his speech and reflexes, and then called the Dr again. We went straight over to the Dr office, and met with the on call Dr. Our regular oncologist has been out of town for a few weeks. She called to talk to Dr Richards (radiation Dr) about Jim. She originally wanted to do an MRI, because they feel that cancer growth in the brain is causing these additional symptoms. However, after consulting with Dr Richards, they feel that Jim is too weak to undergo any type of treatment for cancer in the brain, and so decided not to do an MRI. It would only confirm what we already suspect, and we would not treat anyway. They feel that maybe the best course of action at this point is to go on Hospice. The chemo does not seem to be slowing the growth of the cancer, and is hard on Jims body. We have not decided what we are going to do, we are considering all the options.
Easter was a beautiful day here in St George, a little windy but sunny and warm. After Church, we took the kids to the park and had a picnic. After we ate, Jim and I lay on a blanket in the grass, and the kids played soccer and hit a tennis ball around. It was really nice.
Jims brother Kelly came to visit for several days last week. It was nice to see him, and he and Jim had a good visit. Grandma Cook and Becky drove down from SLC last Thursday. They came over to see Jim, stayed for about an hour, then drove back to SLC on Friday. Grandma is still looking good, 95 years young and still full of energy! It was really nice to see her.
It is rainy and cold today. Jim is snuggled up on the couch in the living room, watching movies. Please continue to pray for us. We know that the Lord will give us strength equal to the task.
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Update from Julie
Sorry we haven't posted for a while. Jim seems to have a hard time writing on the computer lately, so I may be taking over for a while.
Jim started his new chemo about two weeks ago. We went in to IV therapy at 9:00 am, prepared to stay all day as we have done with his old chemo. We had a happy surprise when the nurse told us that we would probably be done by 10:00! Everything went very smoothly, and we were back in the car by 10:30. Jim was feeling great, so we decided to run some errands and then go to lunch. It was a beautiful day, warm and sunny, and we felt like we had really been blessed with a "bonus day" that we didn't expect to have.
The next day was the first day of radiation. They are doing 15 treatments, one each weekday for three weeks. The area they are targeting is the middle 1/3rd or so of the spine. The Drs found some new cancer growth mainly in his bones, a lot in the spine, and this treatment will hopefully kill some of this new cancer and relieve some of the spinal pain. This treatment went well, and the daily treatments only take about 30 minutes. We had another "bonus day", and were excited that Jim was doing so well.
By Friday, (April 27th), things started to catch up to him. He was feeling weak and exhausted, and started throwing up. He had a rough weekend.
Monday we got bloodwork and saw Dr Te. Jim's blood was still looking pretty good, and we got a new kind of nausea medication to try. The Dr did think that Jim was starting to get dehydrated, so we decided to get some hydration therapy Mon and Tues. It takes about three hours, and is just a good way to get some liquid into his body. It seemed to help a little.
We had some wonderful visitors this week. Monday, a good friend of Jims from High School, Hal Erickson and his wife, were able to spend most of the day with us. He and his wife live in France, and were in SLC to go through the temple with a daughter who is going on a mission. They made the long drive down to St George, and spent the morning with him at IV therapy. We went to lunch together afterwards. Hal gave Jim and I each a beautiful blessing before they left to go home. They brought such a beautiful spirit into our home.
Jim continued to get more tired and weak and the week progressed. He is sleeping most of the time now, kind of drifting in and out of sleep all day.
Friday morning I dropped him off at the door of the hospital where he gets his radiation therapy, and when I parked the car and got inside, I found him in a wheelchair with a couple of nurses talking to him. He had been unable to swallow anything all morning, and was too weak to walk. The radiation technologists were worried about doing his treatment, and called the radiation Dr to come see him. They put him in a bed in the radiation room, and we sat there for 30 min or so waiting to see Dr Richards. When Dr Richards arrived, we talked to him a little about how Jim was feeling, the nausea which had continued, his inability to swallow, and the general tiredness. The Dr also found some thrush in his mouth, which is a yeast infection. We decided to hold off and not do a treatment on Friday, and see how he feels by Monday. Dr gave us a prescription for the thrush. We got home and he started throwing up again. Rough day.
Saturday night Jim really wanted to go the the priesthood session of conference. Josh came over and got him and Justin, and they all went to the priesthood session. Jim took his wheelchair, and slept through most of it, but he made it to the end.
Jim is having a hard time walking, and is somewhat unsteady on his feet. He is feeling dizzy a lot. He has been somewhat withdrawn, very quiet and sleeping most of the day. I am not sure if we will continue with the radiation. I guess we will see how he is feeling tomorrow morning.
We appreciate all the love and prayers said on our behalf. We are so grateful for wonderful home teachers and Relief Society sisters. We are grateful for the Gospel, and the blessing of the Spirit in our home.
Jim started his new chemo about two weeks ago. We went in to IV therapy at 9:00 am, prepared to stay all day as we have done with his old chemo. We had a happy surprise when the nurse told us that we would probably be done by 10:00! Everything went very smoothly, and we were back in the car by 10:30. Jim was feeling great, so we decided to run some errands and then go to lunch. It was a beautiful day, warm and sunny, and we felt like we had really been blessed with a "bonus day" that we didn't expect to have.
The next day was the first day of radiation. They are doing 15 treatments, one each weekday for three weeks. The area they are targeting is the middle 1/3rd or so of the spine. The Drs found some new cancer growth mainly in his bones, a lot in the spine, and this treatment will hopefully kill some of this new cancer and relieve some of the spinal pain. This treatment went well, and the daily treatments only take about 30 minutes. We had another "bonus day", and were excited that Jim was doing so well.
By Friday, (April 27th), things started to catch up to him. He was feeling weak and exhausted, and started throwing up. He had a rough weekend.
Monday we got bloodwork and saw Dr Te. Jim's blood was still looking pretty good, and we got a new kind of nausea medication to try. The Dr did think that Jim was starting to get dehydrated, so we decided to get some hydration therapy Mon and Tues. It takes about three hours, and is just a good way to get some liquid into his body. It seemed to help a little.
We had some wonderful visitors this week. Monday, a good friend of Jims from High School, Hal Erickson and his wife, were able to spend most of the day with us. He and his wife live in France, and were in SLC to go through the temple with a daughter who is going on a mission. They made the long drive down to St George, and spent the morning with him at IV therapy. We went to lunch together afterwards. Hal gave Jim and I each a beautiful blessing before they left to go home. They brought such a beautiful spirit into our home.
Jim continued to get more tired and weak and the week progressed. He is sleeping most of the time now, kind of drifting in and out of sleep all day.
Friday morning I dropped him off at the door of the hospital where he gets his radiation therapy, and when I parked the car and got inside, I found him in a wheelchair with a couple of nurses talking to him. He had been unable to swallow anything all morning, and was too weak to walk. The radiation technologists were worried about doing his treatment, and called the radiation Dr to come see him. They put him in a bed in the radiation room, and we sat there for 30 min or so waiting to see Dr Richards. When Dr Richards arrived, we talked to him a little about how Jim was feeling, the nausea which had continued, his inability to swallow, and the general tiredness. The Dr also found some thrush in his mouth, which is a yeast infection. We decided to hold off and not do a treatment on Friday, and see how he feels by Monday. Dr gave us a prescription for the thrush. We got home and he started throwing up again. Rough day.
Saturday night Jim really wanted to go the the priesthood session of conference. Josh came over and got him and Justin, and they all went to the priesthood session. Jim took his wheelchair, and slept through most of it, but he made it to the end.
Jim is having a hard time walking, and is somewhat unsteady on his feet. He is feeling dizzy a lot. He has been somewhat withdrawn, very quiet and sleeping most of the day. I am not sure if we will continue with the radiation. I guess we will see how he is feeling tomorrow morning.
We appreciate all the love and prayers said on our behalf. We are so grateful for wonderful home teachers and Relief Society sisters. We are grateful for the Gospel, and the blessing of the Spirit in our home.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
This may jump around bit but I have been reminded again to write
UPDATE:
My friend from the U of U reminded me how important it is. Thanks, Mitchell.
I went to the doctor's office today, as well as IV Therapy, and radiation. Starting tomorrow, we will head again in a different direction. As a lot of you may have been able to tell, I have been struggling with the old chemo treatment. And also we want to explore the possibility of me having depression issues. So along with the new chemo, we are going to start some radiation therapy down my spine. I went to get setup for that today too and found that difficult to do. It has been rough couple of weeks. Lost my appetite a lot (we think it was the antibiotics i was given by the lung specialist or maybe the iron we started or something so we are going to go off them one at time and see if it makes any difference. I apologize for the delay, but it has actually been hard to blog into the computer again.
A few people have come by this past week and made my week survivable including a quick visit back to the ER 0n Sunday. My folks came down for a few days, my brother Dan and his wife and their little baby. Both of my daughters came down, and tonight, Captain Lynn Mitchell came over for w a while. I forgot to take hiw picture before he left so I made him come back. I have a few pictures, scattered through my cameras, so I will try and find them. If I get them on twice forgive me and if I forget them, forgive me too. More later.
MOM an DAD and I in Snow Canyon:
My friend from the U of U reminded me how important it is. Thanks, Mitchell.
I went to the doctor's office today, as well as IV Therapy, and radiation. Starting tomorrow, we will head again in a different direction. As a lot of you may have been able to tell, I have been struggling with the old chemo treatment. And also we want to explore the possibility of me having depression issues. So along with the new chemo, we are going to start some radiation therapy down my spine. I went to get setup for that today too and found that difficult to do. It has been rough couple of weeks. Lost my appetite a lot (we think it was the antibiotics i was given by the lung specialist or maybe the iron we started or something so we are going to go off them one at time and see if it makes any difference. I apologize for the delay, but it has actually been hard to blog into the computer again.
A few people have come by this past week and made my week survivable including a quick visit back to the ER 0n Sunday. My folks came down for a few days, my brother Dan and his wife and their little baby. Both of my daughters came down, and tonight, Captain Lynn Mitchell came over for w a while. I forgot to take hiw picture before he left so I made him come back. I have a few pictures, scattered through my cameras, so I will try and find them. If I get them on twice forgive me and if I forget them, forgive me too. More later.
MOM an DAD and I in Snow Canyon:
Monday, March 16, 2009
Couple of new visitors
I had a few visitors that stopped on their way through. I am glad they stopped for whatever reason. Steve Allen and his wife have been longtime friends and golfing partners forever. Steve is one of the ones that we did the all-day marathon with every year. Going to really miss it.
Then Dave Copier and his boy stopped to visit again on their way down to the Mountainwest Tournament. Seems like everyone is headed down that way. So here is Dave in front of the blog wall.
Then these guys make it tough to know where they are going. Some more golfing buddies from a previous life (so to speak). Pugmire has already been on here once, but since his sweet daughter took good care of us in the hospital when I had my tube taken out (she was a sweetheart) I figured I would let Bryan be in twice for her. And Mike Dahle another good friend that we did a lot of golfing. All headed down for the Mountain West tournament. I almost got in and went with them. It was tempting.
Then Dave Copier and his boy stopped to visit again on their way down to the Mountainwest Tournament. Seems like everyone is headed down that way. So here is Dave in front of the blog wall.
Then these guys make it tough to know where they are going. Some more golfing buddies from a previous life (so to speak). Pugmire has already been on here once, but since his sweet daughter took good care of us in the hospital when I had my tube taken out (she was a sweetheart) I figured I would let Bryan be in twice for her. And Mike Dahle another good friend that we did a lot of golfing. All headed down for the Mountain West tournament. I almost got in and went with them. It was tempting.
Friday, March 13, 2009
Julie's take on things
Jim asked me to write for him today, since he is getting behind in blogging.
This has been a busy week. On Monday morning, we had an appt with Dr Te, (pronounced Tay) Jims oncologist. We had blood work done, and everything looked good clinically, except that Jim is losing weight again. He has been suffering from a lot of nausea, and has not had an appetite for a few weeks. We are not sure why, because he has not had chemo for five weeks. Possibly a side effect of some of the medications he is taking. But he didn't want to start another round of chemo if he was already feeling sick. The Dr agreed. He felt that we should change to a different type of chemo, and maybe that would make Jim less sick. The one he is on now is very harsh. So we are going to another regimen, once a week for three weeks, then one week off. We are scheduled to start that next Tues. We will see....
After the Dr, we went over the the new hospital to radiology. Jims drainage tube has not been working, and we, along with Dr Te, had decided that there was no reason to keep it in. They did a CT scan of his lungs, and there was not much fluid present. There also has been no shortness of breath, or pain in the lung area. We were baffled by this, because he has been producing so much fluid since October. The Dr told us there could be many reasons for the lack of fluid, but the most likely cause is that scar tissue has built up and fused the lining of the lung to the chest wall. This does not allow any space for the fluid to build up, which is actually a very good thing. The removal was easy, and only took about 10 minutes after the Dr came into the OR. Jim felt pretty good afterwards, and we went home after about 90 minutes in recovery.
Wednesday morning, Jim was scheduled for a PET scan. For this test, he has to drink a liter or so of radioactive fluid, then they strap him to a table and run a scan for about 30 minutes. He has to hold really still. They can then look at the results, and it tells us if the cancer is actively growing, and where and how much there is. He had one in October, another in December. Jim has been having increased pain in his back, so we were afraid that the cancer had been growing more in his spine and bones. He did pretty well for the scan, but had a hard time drinking all the fluid.
Wed afternoon, Justin competed in the regional solo and ensemble festival. Jim and I really wanted to see him perform, so we went to the school after the PET scan. We arrived in plenty of time, but were told the wrong room, so we sat in an empty auditorium while Justin played in the Seminary building. :( Such is life......
Wed evening, I was singing and speaking for a RS program, and Katie had a special fireside at the temple visitors center at the same time. So Jim packed up his oxygen, his blankie, pillow and fentanyl stick one more time, and drove Katie to the fireside. They even stopped by the Church on the way to hear me sing! Jim was exhausted when they got home, but he slept better Wed night than he has for a long time. :)
Thursday afternoon we had an appt with the lung Dr. He saw Jim in the hospital several weeks ago, and has been treating him with antibiotics for the lung infection. He looked at the CT scan, and told us that it looked like the infection was cleared up. Jim was very happy to hear this, because the antibiotics he has been taking were really yucky, and Jim had to take them four times a day for a month. It also has been upsetting his stomach. No more icky antibiotics, yeah!
The Dr. listened to Jims chest, looked at his bloodwork, and also looked at the PET scan results.
He told us that there is some new growth of the cancer, mostly in his bones and spine. There is also a small new growth in the upper lobe of the left lung. He said Jim has about 2/3 lung capacity still in his left lung. He also saw a small amount of fluid between the top and bottom lobes of the lung. Jims oxygen levels continue to look good. His blood count for the cancer is still high. We have another appt with Dr Te on monday, and we will discuss the possibility of radiation again, as well as the new chemo.
Today, we went for a drive. One thing that Jim really enjoys is going for a drive. We drove north today, and went all the way to Enterprise. Its a tiny little town, one gas station/grocery store, a miniature library, and a wee bitty post office. It looks a lot like Richfield, but much smaller. To get there, we drove through some amazingly beautiful country. Jagged red and white rocks one minute, forrest the next. We even saw some snow! We have gone lots of places the past few months that neither of us had ever been before, just driving around the countryside down here. It is so beautiful, we are truly blessed to live in such an amazing place.
Jims parents drove down to visit today, we are grateful to have them here. Next week is spring break for school and college, so we hope (with Justins help) to get some yard work done. Anyone who would like to volunteer to help........ :)
We rely so much on the Lord, and are so grateful for all the prayers and service in our behalf. We are reading a book together, The Peacegiver, by James L. Ferrell. It is a wonderful book, and we are having some great discussions about the atonement and forgiveness. It is really neat to have this time together, to draw closer to each other and to the Lord.
This has been a busy week. On Monday morning, we had an appt with Dr Te, (pronounced Tay) Jims oncologist. We had blood work done, and everything looked good clinically, except that Jim is losing weight again. He has been suffering from a lot of nausea, and has not had an appetite for a few weeks. We are not sure why, because he has not had chemo for five weeks. Possibly a side effect of some of the medications he is taking. But he didn't want to start another round of chemo if he was already feeling sick. The Dr agreed. He felt that we should change to a different type of chemo, and maybe that would make Jim less sick. The one he is on now is very harsh. So we are going to another regimen, once a week for three weeks, then one week off. We are scheduled to start that next Tues. We will see....
After the Dr, we went over the the new hospital to radiology. Jims drainage tube has not been working, and we, along with Dr Te, had decided that there was no reason to keep it in. They did a CT scan of his lungs, and there was not much fluid present. There also has been no shortness of breath, or pain in the lung area. We were baffled by this, because he has been producing so much fluid since October. The Dr told us there could be many reasons for the lack of fluid, but the most likely cause is that scar tissue has built up and fused the lining of the lung to the chest wall. This does not allow any space for the fluid to build up, which is actually a very good thing. The removal was easy, and only took about 10 minutes after the Dr came into the OR. Jim felt pretty good afterwards, and we went home after about 90 minutes in recovery.
Wednesday morning, Jim was scheduled for a PET scan. For this test, he has to drink a liter or so of radioactive fluid, then they strap him to a table and run a scan for about 30 minutes. He has to hold really still. They can then look at the results, and it tells us if the cancer is actively growing, and where and how much there is. He had one in October, another in December. Jim has been having increased pain in his back, so we were afraid that the cancer had been growing more in his spine and bones. He did pretty well for the scan, but had a hard time drinking all the fluid.
Wed afternoon, Justin competed in the regional solo and ensemble festival. Jim and I really wanted to see him perform, so we went to the school after the PET scan. We arrived in plenty of time, but were told the wrong room, so we sat in an empty auditorium while Justin played in the Seminary building. :( Such is life......
Wed evening, I was singing and speaking for a RS program, and Katie had a special fireside at the temple visitors center at the same time. So Jim packed up his oxygen, his blankie, pillow and fentanyl stick one more time, and drove Katie to the fireside. They even stopped by the Church on the way to hear me sing! Jim was exhausted when they got home, but he slept better Wed night than he has for a long time. :)
Thursday afternoon we had an appt with the lung Dr. He saw Jim in the hospital several weeks ago, and has been treating him with antibiotics for the lung infection. He looked at the CT scan, and told us that it looked like the infection was cleared up. Jim was very happy to hear this, because the antibiotics he has been taking were really yucky, and Jim had to take them four times a day for a month. It also has been upsetting his stomach. No more icky antibiotics, yeah!
The Dr. listened to Jims chest, looked at his bloodwork, and also looked at the PET scan results.
He told us that there is some new growth of the cancer, mostly in his bones and spine. There is also a small new growth in the upper lobe of the left lung. He said Jim has about 2/3 lung capacity still in his left lung. He also saw a small amount of fluid between the top and bottom lobes of the lung. Jims oxygen levels continue to look good. His blood count for the cancer is still high. We have another appt with Dr Te on monday, and we will discuss the possibility of radiation again, as well as the new chemo.
Today, we went for a drive. One thing that Jim really enjoys is going for a drive. We drove north today, and went all the way to Enterprise. Its a tiny little town, one gas station/grocery store, a miniature library, and a wee bitty post office. It looks a lot like Richfield, but much smaller. To get there, we drove through some amazingly beautiful country. Jagged red and white rocks one minute, forrest the next. We even saw some snow! We have gone lots of places the past few months that neither of us had ever been before, just driving around the countryside down here. It is so beautiful, we are truly blessed to live in such an amazing place.
Jims parents drove down to visit today, we are grateful to have them here. Next week is spring break for school and college, so we hope (with Justins help) to get some yard work done. Anyone who would like to volunteer to help........ :)
We rely so much on the Lord, and are so grateful for all the prayers and service in our behalf. We are reading a book together, The Peacegiver, by James L. Ferrell. It is a wonderful book, and we are having some great discussions about the atonement and forgiveness. It is really neat to have this time together, to draw closer to each other and to the Lord.
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Sunday Morn again
Well here it is Sunday morning again and once again I am unable to sleep. Today it is for a more logical reason.... I somehow came down with the flu bug. Lee and Sharon W. stopped over and she made a special trip to bring me (what she called) contraband. She had made some chocolate dipped strawberries and even brought a box of chocolate doughnuts. They were down from Salt Lake for a golf tournament Lee played in and I am glad he stopped with Sharon to talk about golf a little. It was almost as good as talking about computers with Josh and Kirby. Now normally this would have been heaven for me, but just before they got here (and also right after they left) I got to visit the bathroom again in the kneeling position. I didn't think there was anything in there but enough to do the trick twice. So at the time it made it even worse when those two things (chocolate anything really) I would normally want so badly but they didn't even appeal to me. I appreciated the effort and the visit and I hope they don't catch the flu (I did warn them).
I have really been having a struggle with all this lately and I can't seem to shake it. I am tired of being sick all the time. I guess it is the opposite of the 5 weeks of relatively good health I had and the things I was able to do. In the Book of Mormon, Lehi tells Jacob there must needs be opposition in all things. I used to joke and tell people that is why I was brought into the world. Now I believe I was brought into the world to "experience" all the opposition instead of "be" it. I am sorry for the lack of writing and I got reprimanded by several people when I let my blog go for a few days. I apologize because I never thought that people would read into the silence the "worst case scenario" and I also never thought people had the time or inclination to check this every day but I heard from some people that they do. Again I am sorry.
So now to keep you updated: I am still scheduled to take out the drain tomorrow. Some of you might have missed it all, but a couple of weeks ago the drain stopped working. We went in to have it checked and they eventually replaced it. The "new" one didn't do any better so after talking with the doctors, we determined if it isn't going to work we might as well take it out. The current theory is that scar tissue or something has created pockets instead of one big pool of fluid laying in the lung area to drain. But on the same token, for some reason I have not been creating as much fluid to drain either. It could be the same scar tissue that is the cause of that as well. The interesting part is I am not sure my doctors are all communicating well because I have chemo scheduled for Tues., right after this little "removal" surgery. I am hoping the surgery is not that bad, but that is what they told me about the last time when they replaced it. I guess we will see. Prayers are in order again so I am putting out the cry for help through the prayers again. While you are at it, pray for a little help to get over this stupid emotional and mental depression I am going though. I could use a lot of help there as well.
I also wanted to brag on my kids again. Josh's choir concert was awesome (even though we forgot the pictures like I said), but then Justin's orchestra concert went over the top again. He played with both the High School and the Middle School and is first chair for both. Unfortunately he is a perfectionist and never happy if his performance is not perfect and we have to assure him that he did an awesome job anyway. He had a solo inbetween the High School and Middle School concerts along with several other kids. There was one kid that played the violin and was probably in the same level of ability as Justin, but everyone forgets to mention that he is only in Middle School. I really am proud of both of them. Josh just decides to pick up the sticks and play the Marimba this semester (I think there was a little desire to be with Kirby too...lol) and Justin just always blows us away. I need to also say that Kirby (was in Josh's concerts too) was great too, and she deserves some recognition because not only is she gifted on percussion and the piano, she makes Josh try harder too at the things he does. We love her being a part of our family and she is an angel as well. I love my boys (and girls) and in a discussion with one of my friends (and former employee) from Rapid City he commented on how lucky I was to have a close relationship with my family and when he wrote that to me, it reminded me again of how grateful I was for my second chance. I know that this should help me overcome some of the depression, and I forget how grateful I am sometimes, but it seems to be harder to remember as time goes on.
I also want to thank my wife publicly for all she does. When Katie got the flu a few weeks ago, it pushed her to her limit having two extremely needy and whining "kids" so I was so glad when her parents came down and rescued her. And Teresa the week before. Thanks to all of you, and while we are at it, I want to thank all our other angels here on earth. Our home and visiting teachers, and Julie's companion Marsha. I did make it to the hearing ward last Sunday and bore my testimony which was one of my short range goals. Then last Friday night we went over to the deaf branch for an activity. It always amazes me how many people show up to those activities and also what good food they have too. I wished I could have eaten more. We need to take Katie to all the activities for the branch because they called her to be the branch Historian. So she took her camera and took pictures. Now we have to put them on the branch blog I created. She is pretty excited about that too.
Well I hope that updates you on my status so no one gets mad at me again for a while. Pray hard and you are all in my prayers as well.
I have really been having a struggle with all this lately and I can't seem to shake it. I am tired of being sick all the time. I guess it is the opposite of the 5 weeks of relatively good health I had and the things I was able to do. In the Book of Mormon, Lehi tells Jacob there must needs be opposition in all things. I used to joke and tell people that is why I was brought into the world. Now I believe I was brought into the world to "experience" all the opposition instead of "be" it. I am sorry for the lack of writing and I got reprimanded by several people when I let my blog go for a few days. I apologize because I never thought that people would read into the silence the "worst case scenario" and I also never thought people had the time or inclination to check this every day but I heard from some people that they do. Again I am sorry.
So now to keep you updated: I am still scheduled to take out the drain tomorrow. Some of you might have missed it all, but a couple of weeks ago the drain stopped working. We went in to have it checked and they eventually replaced it. The "new" one didn't do any better so after talking with the doctors, we determined if it isn't going to work we might as well take it out. The current theory is that scar tissue or something has created pockets instead of one big pool of fluid laying in the lung area to drain. But on the same token, for some reason I have not been creating as much fluid to drain either. It could be the same scar tissue that is the cause of that as well. The interesting part is I am not sure my doctors are all communicating well because I have chemo scheduled for Tues., right after this little "removal" surgery. I am hoping the surgery is not that bad, but that is what they told me about the last time when they replaced it. I guess we will see. Prayers are in order again so I am putting out the cry for help through the prayers again. While you are at it, pray for a little help to get over this stupid emotional and mental depression I am going though. I could use a lot of help there as well.
I also wanted to brag on my kids again. Josh's choir concert was awesome (even though we forgot the pictures like I said), but then Justin's orchestra concert went over the top again. He played with both the High School and the Middle School and is first chair for both. Unfortunately he is a perfectionist and never happy if his performance is not perfect and we have to assure him that he did an awesome job anyway. He had a solo inbetween the High School and Middle School concerts along with several other kids. There was one kid that played the violin and was probably in the same level of ability as Justin, but everyone forgets to mention that he is only in Middle School. I really am proud of both of them. Josh just decides to pick up the sticks and play the Marimba this semester (I think there was a little desire to be with Kirby too...lol) and Justin just always blows us away. I need to also say that Kirby (was in Josh's concerts too) was great too, and she deserves some recognition because not only is she gifted on percussion and the piano, she makes Josh try harder too at the things he does. We love her being a part of our family and she is an angel as well. I love my boys (and girls) and in a discussion with one of my friends (and former employee) from Rapid City he commented on how lucky I was to have a close relationship with my family and when he wrote that to me, it reminded me again of how grateful I was for my second chance. I know that this should help me overcome some of the depression, and I forget how grateful I am sometimes, but it seems to be harder to remember as time goes on.
I also want to thank my wife publicly for all she does. When Katie got the flu a few weeks ago, it pushed her to her limit having two extremely needy and whining "kids" so I was so glad when her parents came down and rescued her. And Teresa the week before. Thanks to all of you, and while we are at it, I want to thank all our other angels here on earth. Our home and visiting teachers, and Julie's companion Marsha. I did make it to the hearing ward last Sunday and bore my testimony which was one of my short range goals. Then last Friday night we went over to the deaf branch for an activity. It always amazes me how many people show up to those activities and also what good food they have too. I wished I could have eaten more. We need to take Katie to all the activities for the branch because they called her to be the branch Historian. So she took her camera and took pictures. Now we have to put them on the branch blog I created. She is pretty excited about that too.
Well I hope that updates you on my status so no one gets mad at me again for a while. Pray hard and you are all in my prayers as well.
Saturday, March 7, 2009
Sorry it has been a while
I apologize for the delay. I have been getting out a lot and doing some things that are good for I think, but they really wear me out. I also am having a real hard struggle emotionally. I talked to Josh Haycock about it a little and he said it is normal. Well since I have never been considered normal in my life, I was hoping to bypass that. But no....I get a full on dose of depression, emotional breakdowns, and even one or two "Why me's" have escaped my lips. So since everyone wants to see me be mr. positive on m blog and I haven't been really positive at all, I have had a hard time writing anything. I have even lost my apetite which is terrible because I had a great appetite a while ago. But now my stomach is in constant turmoil and I have even lost two more pounds according to them doctors office last week.
So I will try and pull myself out of it and do better. Don't give up on me. I am scheduled to have the drain in my chest taken out still on Monday (it quit working 3 weeks ago) and if all goes well then another round of chemo on Tues. Fun times for all....... Hang on......
So I will try and pull myself out of it and do better. Don't give up on me. I am scheduled to have the drain in my chest taken out still on Monday (it quit working 3 weeks ago) and if all goes well then another round of chemo on Tues. Fun times for all....... Hang on......
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Another word from our sponsor.....
Oh wait I don't have a sponsor yet.......anyone want to be my sponsor. I don't know what for but I am sure we could come up with something. So here is the latest for today. I am scheduled to have my drain removed next Monday after the tests in the morning. The morning tests are to determine if I am still good for chemo on Tues. We postponed the chemo for a week and I am finding reasons everyday why it was a good thing. I was thinking about the reasons I believe I have been given a second chance here on earth. I have been saying since last year that one major reason for the second chance was to build better relationships with my family and to be able to attend their plays and concerts and to be able to see how gifted my kids are (and then brag about it on my blog). So since I believe that wholeheartedly, it happened again several times this week and if I had had chemo, I would not have been able to go to these performances.
Josh had a choir concert and when we got there (a little late) we ended up on the very front row and when Josh stepped forward for one of the songs we got to hear him sing a grat solo, and see him right in front of us. It was awesome but even though we took the camera, we were so enthralled with his performance, we forgot to get some pictures. He did a great job and I made it to the very end. Then on Tues he had another concert. This one was for the percussion and jazz band. I decided no matter how tired I was I would be there. Thanks to my fentinel sticks and hydrocodone I went and thoroughly enjoyed every song. I found out Josh did something new this semester that I didn't know he tried. Kirby talked him into taking the percussion class and even though he had never plyed it before, I watched him play the marimba in this concert. He looked like he was having a great time and he said later he was. It was totally awesome. Plus I was able to stay again to the very end.
Then, just about 10 minutes ago Justin brought me a paper telling us he had a couple of concerts tomorrow night. I am so glad that I am able to go and now I think I may know another possible reason for me not feeling ready for chemo. I would have missed some pretty important concerts for me to have missed. So if it was something else,then that is ok too, but it has given me a chance to make good on my committment and I am really trying hard to take advantage of my second chance. So with my medication and the Lord's support I will be there.
Josh had a choir concert and when we got there (a little late) we ended up on the very front row and when Josh stepped forward for one of the songs we got to hear him sing a grat solo, and see him right in front of us. It was awesome but even though we took the camera, we were so enthralled with his performance, we forgot to get some pictures. He did a great job and I made it to the very end. Then on Tues he had another concert. This one was for the percussion and jazz band. I decided no matter how tired I was I would be there. Thanks to my fentinel sticks and hydrocodone I went and thoroughly enjoyed every song. I found out Josh did something new this semester that I didn't know he tried. Kirby talked him into taking the percussion class and even though he had never plyed it before, I watched him play the marimba in this concert. He looked like he was having a great time and he said later he was. It was totally awesome. Plus I was able to stay again to the very end.
Then, just about 10 minutes ago Justin brought me a paper telling us he had a couple of concerts tomorrow night. I am so glad that I am able to go and now I think I may know another possible reason for me not feeling ready for chemo. I would have missed some pretty important concerts for me to have missed. So if it was something else,then that is ok too, but it has given me a chance to make good on my committment and I am really trying hard to take advantage of my second chance. So with my medication and the Lord's support I will be there.
Monday, March 2, 2009
My wife is correct
Julie has been telling me all week that it is my life and I am in charge because I was not feeling good about going in for chemo already. We went in for the blood tests and all systems were go from the tests, but I talked to my doctor about my concerns and after discussing everything we postponed it one week. Then we went to radiology and checked on the drain. In that discussion we decided that the drain is not going to do any more good so we are going to take it out (possibly in the next day or two (which we wouldn't be able to do if I had had chemo). I hope it works out so we can get it done. I also hope I am feeling better next week because I do want to get this chemo done as it is the last one before another PT scan which will tell us how well the chemo is working. Anyway I am still tired (really tired) but I hope I can get better by next week. In fact I am too tired to write any more, but I will try and keep you updated as the week develops. Thanks again for the prayers.
Friday, February 27, 2009
Concert was awesome
I made it through the concert and it was awesome. Josh even had a solo part and did a terrific job. I think we blew it though because we got so caught up in the concert we forgot to take any pictures and we even remembered to take the camera. Oh boy are we sorry. Anyway Josh was great and Kirby did some percussion stuff for them. Great fun and I made it all the way to the end of Josh's songs. Gotta love my "morphine sticks". Congrats you two.
Little by Little
Well it seems to be true. Every day I get feeling better and better. Yesterday, we went to a spa place where Julie and Katie played tennis and I watched. It was good to get out and then we went to the hottub and I actually put my feet in and it felt so good. One of the side effects of both chemo and diabetes is you can lose some of the feeling in your feet and so since I have both, it is a for sure thing that my feet are always tingling and feel cold. Most of the time it feels like I have hundreds of tiny needles pushing up from the bottom and when I walk it makes it even worse. Anyway, the hottub helped take some of the needles away so I think I will try and go as often as I can with them. It helped Julie feel better too. We had a good time all together. Katie even met a new friend in the hottub. A girl that knew a little sign language and tried to sign with her. After a few minutes, we found out she was Justin's drama teacher at the middle school. What a small world.
Today I am resting as much as I can to get ready for Josh's concert tonight. I really want to see it. So we are praying hard for some extra strength for tonight. I will let you know how it goes.
Today I am resting as much as I can to get ready for Josh's concert tonight. I really want to see it. So we are praying hard for some extra strength for tonight. I will let you know how it goes.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Finally
After many many days of no better changes, I think today is better. I walked with Julie's dad yesterday up the street and it wore me out a little but I think it was good too. I feel a little bit better today and have actually been able to get out of bed for a while. I am hoping this is the first day of the upward trend. Will keep you posted.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Today's update
I am still extremely tired and all I do is sleep it seems. It seems like that part never gets any better. Julie's dad is here "tending" us and so far he has spent quite a bit of time paying attention to Katie because i have just been sleeping. But Katie has kept him pretty busy playing "Sorry" (the board game) and making three different things for lunch that Katie says taste weird so she won't eat (he thinks they taste fine). I tried to get up and go for a walk up and down the circle, but all it did was make me even more tired. I am totally exhausted now. I am trying to stay sitting in my chair, but I keep looking at my bed next to me and wondering if it is really calling me or if I am just hearing voices like I used to. I thought years and years of therapy got rid of the voices.
I am so glad they came down and I hope Julie has a good break with her mom. Sometimes all you need is your mommy to make things all better.
I am so glad they came down and I hope Julie has a good break with her mom. Sometimes all you need is your mommy to make things all better.
Monday, February 23, 2009
New test
I guess the Lord decided we didn't have enough trials and tests, so he blessed us with the flu. While Brittany was here over the weekend, Katie picked up the flu bug somewhere. She started throwing up Saturday. So we are quarantined into our rooms and poor Julie has been pushed to the limit. Luckily her parents are coming down today and try and give her a break. Her Dad is going to "tend" us (me and Katie) and her Mom is going to take her out for "Julie day". I am so glad. She needs a break. One of us dependent, whining, needy patients is enough to do anyone under, but now two is what I would consider cruel and unusual punishment. My thanks goes to them even before they get here. Julie is so looking forward to it.
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