HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY TO ALL

The past three days have been uneventful. After the blood
transfusions on Friday evening, Michael has been a different
person. He said if he had known how much better he would
feel, he would have let them give him one on Wednesday
night at the emergency room when they wanted to.
He has been up and about in the house, with a few
periods for resting. His attitude has got a lot
better and his color is excellent. Hair is almost
gone with just a little stubble here and there.
He is pretty much slick on his face and his head except
for his eyebrows. They are still thick and red.
I think he has shaved once since starting chemo.
He never liked to shave. We had labs drawn today,
but no one there to give a report so guess we will
have to wait until tomorrow. Evidently they weren't
too bad or we would have hear from the nurse on duty.
I mowed about 3/4 of my brother-in-laws back yard which
he lives on an acre this morning. This is hard on an old
woman who hasn't had much exercise in the past couple
of months. Thought this was the least I could do for
letting us move in on him. We can stay home tomorrow
all day which is quite a change from all the days up to
now. Nothing scheduled. Wednesday we have lab drawn again
and a visit with the internal medicine doctor for our final
checkup from the fever we went to the hospital with on
Wednesday night of last week. Thursday is our big day!!!!!!
We are going to see what the first two rounds of chemo have
done. Have a id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">PETCT scan and a regular
CT Scan that day. The PetCT will tell us every little place this
cancer is in Michael's body. This is the first PetCT
we have had since we have been here. Pray for the best
results possible. The regular CT Scan will tell us
how much the cancer has shrunk in his pelvic, spine,
leg bone and lungs. Michael said it would certainly be
nice if they found no sign of any Cancer or ever having
any Cancer. We are thinking positive. Hopefully, we
will be able to sneak home for a couple of days this weekend.
Haven't made any plans so far, depending on what his labs do
Wednesday. Don't want to get home and wish we hadn't left here.
We want to thank everyone for calling us. It certainly is
nice to hear from people you love and appreciate. Call
when you can. Michael likes to call people and just hear
their voices. He certainly misses all the customers at
the store and I miss the CITY OF OLNEY.

A verse I have found to be a great comfort in my life the past
week is Joshua 1:9 ("Have
I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do
not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with
you wherever you go".) I always thought this verse was
given in reference to our witnessing for our Lord and in the
role of leadership. As I have prayed for strength and peace
from God during this difficult time, God has showed me a
different way to understand this verse. The personal
encouragement that God has given me through this verse
is that there is no need for us to be anxious, for He knew
about this (even before it was diagnosed) and has already
made provisions. (a place to stay, a quick appointment at
M.D. Anderson, people to take care of things at home for us,
the bake sale, provisions for my job at the City, a Doctor
who has a vested interest in Ewing Sarcoma patients because
his brother had the same cancer, Marc's and my niece who has
been so faithful in going to doctors appointments with us,
Marc's wonderful family here). Just think, if God hadn't put
Marc in my life, I would have never known his family here)
.
Isn't our God Awesome??????!?!?!?!?!?!?!?

Friday and Saturday

Hope all is well at home and wherever your home might be.
We are much better today than we have been all week.
I know you all are tired of hearing about all our trouble,
so just wanted you to know that Michael is 100% better today
than he has been all week. I did get some much needed
sleep this afternoon and feel better myself.
Had to have two units of blood yesterday so today he
feels like a new person. Michael wanted me to give him
some blood last night, and I told him my blood was
too old and tired for him. He needed some good blood.
Love to all,
Terri and Michael

Another long day at the hospital

We thought this round was going to go as well as the first round,
but boy, were we mistaken. After the ordeal in the emergency room
on Wednesday night and early Thursday morning, we were looking
forward to a nice quiet Thursday and Friday. Michael's temperature
went up and down Thursday the better part of the day. His temperature
went up to 102.2 about 4:35 pm and I called the triage nurse and
she said it was okay since they had already started him on Augmentin and Cipro
for infection. His temperature did not get any higher and actually
came down before bedtime. Came to the hospital this morning for
a visit with a doctor in the internal medicine department for
a followup on the ER visit. Said his chemo had bottomed out his
magnesium and white blood count was bottomed out. He wants me
to give him blood if I match so he won't have to have another
persons blood he doesn't know . I will oblige to his desires
if I match. He is afraid he might get s omething from blood
that he doesn't know who gave it. I told him mine was old,
tired blood right now. This has
been the worse week physically and mentally we have had since we
have been here.I am sorry Heaven we missed your senior day......
Congratulations on all your awards and scholarships.
Memaw didn't want to miss your special day.
I wanted to see my little boy's (Jose) track meet today,
but will see it next year for
sure with a healed son. I was thinking of you for sure...

Love and prayers,

Terri and Michael

LONG NIGHT WITH LITTLE SLEEP

Just an update on Michael this morning. Talked with some last night on our way to the Emergency Room about 7:15pm. Michael became very weak and fatigued starting about 5:00pm yesterday and went downhill from there. He went to bed about 6:00pm so I knew something was brewing inside his body. Took his temp about 7:00pm and his temperature was 100.3 and then again at 7:15pm and it was 101.1. That is the signal to call the doctor and go to the emergency room. In about 3 minutes Dr. Ravi called us and advised me to take him to the emergency room. Got there about 7:40 and they took his vitals and such and did a blood culture on him. His fever got to 101.6 before it started coming down from the medicine they gave him. We left the hospital about 4:38 this morning and arrived at my brother-in-laws about 4:55 am. Not much traffic in Houston those hours. Just hoped and prayed I didn't meet a drunk or someone in the parking garage. Bless Michael's heart, he didn't want me pushing him to the car in a wheelchair....guess he wanted to look strong in case we encountered someone. Probably couldn't have knocked over a butterfly.....but he was my protection. God is good. This will halt our attempt to come home this weekend for certain as we have to go to the hospital each day until Tuesday to have them check his lungs and blood work. Oh the diagnosis from last night.....he has fluid on his lungs........couldn't conclude for certain that it was pneumonia, but probably is......Keep on Keeping on with you prayers....we are going to win this battle through the rough times as well.....maybe this was God's way of saying he wasn't strong enough to make the trip home and this is where He wants at this time.
Love to all,
Terri and Michael

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Just got back from the hospital having lab work done. Went to Burger King and ate breakfast, and then strolled across the street to the waterfall park. It was so nice and relaxing hearing all the water falling from the towers. Michael got pretty tired walking so we didn't stay in the park very long, but enjoyed it while we could. His lab results are really down today...no wonder he got so tired so quickly.....wbc---0.3, hemoglobin---7.4, platelets --204, creatinine---1.1, sodium---138, potassium---4.7, chloride ---108, carbon dioxide---27, magnesium---1.9........he is afraid to lay down, he is afraid he might go to sleep......ha!



Love to all,

Terri

Nothing to carry around

Michael had the CVC catheter removed about 8:30pm tonight. He said he was free at last. His arm is really blue where the catheter was inserted, but it will go away with time. We took a couple of photos at the front of the hospital tonight to show you how much weight he has lost and the beautiful rose garden. They are really gorgeous.......Lab work tomorrow morning and then we are going to the water garden park across from Medical City for breakfast. Will stop at Burger King, pick up breakfast and walk across to the park. Hopefully have some good photos tomorrow night.

Love,
Terri and Michael

MONDAY, MAY 18, 2009

Well, we have one more day of fluids after today, and we will only have to go back to the hospital this Wednesday and Friday for lab work. Things are looking up. Received our lab work results just a while ago and they look much better than the first ones we got after the first round of chemo. Michael is in some pain today, but when the nurse called I asked her about it and she advised that it was from the shot he got Saturday night to help keep his while blood count up. Said it affects the shoulders and rib area and that is where he is hurting today. He has been asleep since we got in from the lab work. Looks so peaceful and I know he isn't hurting. We stopped at the Silver Palace Chinese Restaurant to eat lunch and he ate really well. I try to feed him what he wants when he wants it because I know his appetite will probably be leaving soon. WBC is 8.4, platelets is 344, potassium is 139, potassium is 4.7, magnesium is 2.4. All of these are higher than they were after the first round........Keep lifting him up to the Great Physician......we are in His hands and know He can do anything. Michael said he is in need of an 'OLNEY FIX' so we are waiting to hear back from the doctors nurse regarding next weekend.
We sure did miss the Cowboy Church Picnic yesterday. Thanks everyone who called and said hi during it. We were just a little jealous because we couldn't be there, but you know what, we will be there NEXT YEAR with bells on and a body in remission from cancer.
Report on Ronnie Dixon- I talked with Kay this morning and she said Ronnie is having some complications from his surgery. I told her I would ask everyone to remember to pray for them and that the doctors can find out what is causing the problems.
Love,
Terri and Michael

SIX DAYS DOWN, TWO TO GO ON 2ND ROUND

Just thought we would give everyone an update on the past two days happenings. Friday night was the night my chemo ended and yesterday and today was fluid days only. I still am carrying around the back pack with a large bag of magnesium, potassium and something else that runs constantly until Tuesday night when the CVC catheter will be removed from my arm. Then I will be free from a backpack until June 1, when my 3rd round of chemo will start again. This week will be kind of a slow week as I have blood work on MWF in the morning and back on Monday night for one more bag of fluids and then the IV comes out on Tuesday night. We met an interesting young man tonight while waiting for the bag to be changed. He was a moral booster that God sent our way. It was very interesting about how God had changed his life somewhat during his first bout with cancer (Hodgkins Lymphoma) and the reoccurrence of it later and how God had taught him how to deal with it again but to a greater magnitude. Sometimes God has to give us a taste of things before we get the real thing. He was an inspiration to us both. Keep up the prayers and pray that the CT Scan next week will show a significant difference from the first one I had and that one. Love, Michael
*****************************************************
As I was sitting listening to the young man who was talking with us tonight, it came to mind that sometimes more often than not, that God is trying his best to help us get through a situation, but we are so hard nosed that we want to do it all alone. God puts people in our paths each and every day that he wants us to help invest in their inheritance with Him, but we ignore the opportunity to tell them of our relationship with Jesus Christ. God has taught Michael and I a lot the past year regarding how precious time and our relationship with Him is. He has shown us since being at MD Anderson, that He will put His loving arms around us and pull us up from the ground with not an ounce of energy to get up and shake us just a little and sometimes hard as to say, " You are not in this alone, I want to guide you through this situation if only you will let me have the reins of your life." I want you to know I am outside my box in Houston, Texas. If I can only help plant a seed in one person who will eventually make a lifetime commitment for eternity because of something Michael or I say to them or because of our love for each other , this whole ordeal with be worth all the heartache and misplacement that we have had to endure. God is an awesome God and we are certainly glad we have Him on our side. Love to all and keep praying, Terri
"You can trust God not to let you be tried beyond your strength, and with any trial he will give you a way out of it and the strength to bear it." I Cor. 10:13

GETTING MY CHEMO FIX

Sleeping beauty getting his chemo fix....The photo at the top was taken in the hospital yesterday while he was hooked up to his last hour of chemo.

Thursday, May 14, 2009

This has been a super week!!!!!!!!! Started off with us attending Cowboy Church Sunday before we left to make our trip back to Houston. Isn't God good? He allowed some time at home for a short period of time and then back to start what we had started 4 weeks ago. This has been a great week in that Michael has felt good all week and hopefully will continue feeling pretty good. We do know that his counts will probably start going down next week, but it should be a easier week two, second round as we know what to expect now. Him being an outpatient has been a blessing in disguise and he has done excellent in caring for the IV bags and watching his body react. We have to wrap his arm in Cling Wrap when he bathes so that he will not get the catheter wet where it goes in his arm. We have a plan for Dr. Ravi come time for our next visit. We have something scheduled through Memorial Day weekend but we are going to try and work a deal with him to have our blood work done in Olney or Wichita Falls on the Friday before Memorial Day so we get another Olney fix. Hopefully he will make a deal with Michael. We could leave here on Thursday afternoon after the CT scan which we are anxiously waiting to see how small the tumor has got, and come back on Sunday to start Chemo again on Monday, June 1, 2009. Would give me some time at the office to get the bills printed and mailed so no one would be disappointed in not getting a water bill. I know you are already disappointed. I could do this on Friday. Anyway, this is our deal to try and make with the Dr. Michael has put on 9 lbs since Monday.....from all the fluid he has been given by IV. It will all start to come off next week. We may have to drag out the pre MD Anderson pants before then. Keep up the thoughts and prayers and we will get through this before you know it. Love, Terri and Michael
8:00pm My oh my how things change. . . . kinda like the weather in North Texas. We left the hospital this evening about 7:30pm and before we got to the parking garage, Michael's fatigue had set in greatly and he nearly didn't make it to the car. When we left, he was real hungry and stopped at Burger King for a smokehouse burger, but couldn't eat it when he got it. He just barely made it to the couch inside the house before he collapsed. He is as white as a sheet and can't hardly hold his head up. They took the red devil out today and will pump fluids for the next three days. He nearly wore me out today at the hospital disconnecting the IV pole for him to go to the rest room. This is the worse part of the treatment, seeing him so helpless. . . . reminds me of a newborn baby. Will go in a while and get him to bed with some help. He wouldn't let me push him to the parking garage today in a wheelchair. . . he is so much like my mother......independent and all until it hits.