It seems like forever since I have journaled here, though I have thought about it a lot. Not long ago I was telling my mom that I was just at a point where I could do it or I could write about it. And the obvious choice was doing. So we have been doing a good deal and the Lord has been mercifully blessing.
Thursday Hannah and I took James to Atlanta for his spinal tap with IV methotrexate and vincristine. We are so grateful to all who prayed for us... I know you are still praying and we are very grateful for that too! Several folks let us know they were praying much even though they couldn't sign up for a time slot. The time is not so important as the praying and the goal is just to pray extra and especially fervently to show the Lord we are serious about our desire to see James well. A sacrifice of praise and other things, as it were.
Our drive to Atlanta was pretty uneventful (although we were a little late--they factor that into their schedule and it didn't hold anyone up). There was plenty of parking (a miracle from our view ;*)). And James didn't seem to have any trouble being hungry although he had been NPO (nothing by mouth--no food or drink) since 4 in the morning.
He had some oral versed (a sedative) and his spinal tap was uneventful. We had some trouble getting a good vein for the vincristine--such are the perils of being NPO before a procedure--but finally one of the nurses got a good vein and by then, James was done being horizontal following the spinal tap. This was the first time he didn't fall asleep! James'counts had actually improved since last week--ANC nearly 2200; Hgb 11.9 (maybe due to mild dehydration).
He did vomit some at the clinic and more on the way home. Thankfully it wasn't a lot and it was only twice, but it surprised all of us--probably James mostly. It was a little disconcerting, but nothing a little I-C-E-C-R-E-A-M couldn't settle. He did finally get a good nap on the way home and once we arrived home, he was still a little loopy and seemed to lack some muscle control.
This morning, however, he was raring to go and hasn't missed much all day today. To me, he still seems just a little off in the muscle control department. But I think it is a mom-thing and not something readily apparent to folks who don't study his motor control!
Stacy, our nurse practitioner, reminded me to take special note of James' mobility during the next while. This is the first vincristine James has had being so active and walking. Vincristine affects the nerve cells and it can often look like it is affecting muscles. She just said to keep an eye on him for his safety and to let them know how it seems to affect him.
James has had three doses of his new steroids (prednisone) and so far is doing just fine. We are keeping a close eye on his g-tube and hoping we won't be making a trip to Atlanta before our next scheduled office visit on June 12th.
In other little news around here: The Mothers' Day storm knocked out our power and we enjoyed a very quiet day at home. Some of the tornadoes hit near here (within 20 miles) and so we had no church. One of the ladies from church had significant damage to her home and barn, but she, her daughter and all their critters are safe. The insurance adjuster comes tomorrow--pray he would deal justly.
While cleaning up from the storm, Vern picked up a whopper poison ivy rash. It is getting better, but something else is coming up behind it... some sort of dermatitis, so we need to get him looked at.
We have kittens--2 mamas, 8 babies. They're really cute and it looks like some will be great, active mousers. Anyone know someone who'd like one (or more). The first batch of 3 will be 8 weeks old June 2. Their momma has already litter box trained them and they can be indoor, outdoor or both.
Vern's last day of school with students was today. Two more days of post-planning next week, then summer break (except for a three-day class). He also finished his first online college course-- a good experience overall.
Our garden is doing well, although with warmer temps come more bugs and some disease, so we are spraying some. We are curious to see how our potatoes fare. We dug up under one plant to get new potatoes and there wasn't much. Maybe we will have all leaves. Some here have had great success with potatoes and others not. The Lord really blessed our cabbage, peas and lettuce. We have agreed we need to plant LOTS more peas and broccoli in fall. We have picked some summer squash and are watching the corn (which is about ankle high), beans, tomatoes, little watermelons, cukes, peppers and eggplants.
The chickens are over on friends' land--150+ meat birds. They have about four weeks til they cool off in the freezer and they are doing MUCH better than last year. The children and I enjoy going over to chore and seeing how quickly we can move, feed and water them. We've also enjoyed picking some wild blackberries when we can. We are looking into alternative feed options to baat rising feed and gas costs.
The weather promises to be warming up here--we've had some wonderfully late cool weather up til now. With the warming weather, we will, more than likely, be spending more quiet time inside staying cool and trying not to make the house too warm! Time to catch up on some academics and some blogging, Lord willing!
Thank you again for praying with us for James. God is good all the time!
Love, Stephanie
Friday, May 23, 2008
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Five prayer requests
In February, when James last got vincristine and steroids. Momma posted five prayer requests for James. We decided to copy and post them here as they still apply. If you want to read that post, click here.
The focus for the prayer time includes (but is not limited to! :*) ) praying:
1. that the vincristine and steroids would attack their intended target (any remaining, but unseen leukemia cells).
2. that the Lord would protect James from any side effects from the vincristine. Especially any slowdown in the movement of the intestine.
3. that, in spite of the steroids in his system, his body would continue to heal and protect itself from breakdown and erosion.
4. that James' counts would remain stable, there would be not infection and no need for a hospital stay.
5. most importantly, that God's perfect will would be done and He would get the glory for it!
Thank you for praying for James.
Blessings, Hannah
The focus for the prayer time includes (but is not limited to! :*) ) praying:
1. that the vincristine and steroids would attack their intended target (any remaining, but unseen leukemia cells).
2. that the Lord would protect James from any side effects from the vincristine. Especially any slowdown in the movement of the intestine.
3. that, in spite of the steroids in his system, his body would continue to heal and protect itself from breakdown and erosion.
4. that James' counts would remain stable, there would be not infection and no need for a hospital stay.
5. most importantly, that God's perfect will would be done and He would get the glory for it!
Thank you for praying for James.
Blessings, Hannah
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Week 55 and a prayer push
James' course of chemotherapy is 110 weeks. This past Thursday, May 15th, marked week number 55 of treatment. He is now half-way through.
Last Thursday, James' nurse called to say that James is cleared for chemo. She also gave me his counts. WBC (white blood cells) were 3.24. Hemoglobin was 11.1. Platelets 735k. ANC (Absolute Neutraphil Count--his ability to fight infection) is 1.97.
We are very proud of James. James doesn't like it when the nurses at clinic hold his finger to poke it for blood, but he will hold out a finger for them and after the poke, he will intently watch the nurse 'milk' his finger. After the nurse gets the blood, she will put a band-aid on. It's isn't usually long before he takes the bandaid off, or he won't do anything with that hand.
This past couple weeks we have been working on James taking his 6-MP tablets (chemo that he gets every day) by mouth. He has done very well. Momma and I decided to try James on taking his methotrexate by mouth. I woke James up at 4a.m. to take 5 1/2 tablets, he wasn't thrilled till I asked him if he wanted ice cream. After the not-so-smart move on my part, James thought it was time to play. He did go back to sleep around 4:30a.m. and Daddy said later that if James is asleep, 'use the g-tube.' James took the two other doses of methotrexate and one of his two doses of his leucovorin by mouth. He has been doing a little better working on eating too.
After three trys on Saturday, I managed to set up a prayer sign up for James. Its at mysignup.com again, under jamesskelly.
If the link doesn't work, type in www.mysignup.com/jamesskelly. If that doesn't work, please leave a comment on the blog or let us know somehow. If anyone knows how to put up a picture on the sign up, please let me know. I've been trying to get a picture up of James, but the picture won't show up.
James' g-tube is a little red and tender. Please pray that the g-tube site would heal up and not erode with the vincristine and steroids this time and that the chemo would do it's job without any side damage. Other things to pray for: that he would continue to eat more and more food to meet his calorie and nutrition needs and that he would like good food.
Thank you for praying for our family and James! It means so much to us!
Blessings, Hannah
(with a little editing from Momma.)
Last Thursday, James' nurse called to say that James is cleared for chemo. She also gave me his counts. WBC (white blood cells) were 3.24. Hemoglobin was 11.1. Platelets 735k. ANC (Absolute Neutraphil Count--his ability to fight infection) is 1.97.
We are very proud of James. James doesn't like it when the nurses at clinic hold his finger to poke it for blood, but he will hold out a finger for them and after the poke, he will intently watch the nurse 'milk' his finger. After the nurse gets the blood, she will put a band-aid on. It's isn't usually long before he takes the bandaid off, or he won't do anything with that hand.
This past couple weeks we have been working on James taking his 6-MP tablets (chemo that he gets every day) by mouth. He has done very well. Momma and I decided to try James on taking his methotrexate by mouth. I woke James up at 4a.m. to take 5 1/2 tablets, he wasn't thrilled till I asked him if he wanted ice cream. After the not-so-smart move on my part, James thought it was time to play. He did go back to sleep around 4:30a.m. and Daddy said later that if James is asleep, 'use the g-tube.' James took the two other doses of methotrexate and one of his two doses of his leucovorin by mouth. He has been doing a little better working on eating too.
After three trys on Saturday, I managed to set up a prayer sign up for James. Its at mysignup.com again, under jamesskelly.
If the link doesn't work, type in www.mysignup.com/jamesskelly. If that doesn't work, please leave a comment on the blog or let us know somehow. If anyone knows how to put up a picture on the sign up, please let me know. I've been trying to get a picture up of James, but the picture won't show up.
James' g-tube is a little red and tender. Please pray that the g-tube site would heal up and not erode with the vincristine and steroids this time and that the chemo would do it's job without any side damage. Other things to pray for: that he would continue to eat more and more food to meet his calorie and nutrition needs and that he would like good food.
Thank you for praying for our family and James! It means so much to us!
Blessings, Hannah
(with a little editing from Momma.)
Friday, May 2, 2008
Counts
Yesterday was counts and chemo day. Momma, James and I left here around 8 a.m. to shop in Milledgeville and in Atlanta as well. We got to the clinic early and so we visited the third floor of the hospital to say 'Hi' to some of our favorite nurses who were working. They were pretty excited to see a taller James with a head full of hair toddling on the floor!
James' counts were good. WBC (white blood cells) 3.56. Hemoglobin was 12 and his platelets were 706k. James' ANC (Absolute Neutraphil Count--his ability to fight infection) was 2.28.
Momma talked to Dr.Keller about a protocol for the next time James gets vincristine and steroids. This time, we're going to try prednisone (James has gotten dexamethasone in the past.) to see what happens. Hopefully, the side effects from the prednisone won't be as bad as the dexamethasone. James will get vincristine and steroids on May 22nd. If I can get it to work, we will attempt to set up a sign-up to pray for James.
Dr. Mohammed, from GI, came over to see James and said his g-tube site looks "Excellent". He said to let them know if we have any trouble with this round of steroids.
We finished our shopping (at SAM's) and headed home, arriving around 10p.m--a long day, but a good one.
May 15th, we go to Macon for counts and James will get chemo at home.
Thank you all for praying, it does make a difference.
Blessings, Hannah
James' counts were good. WBC (white blood cells) 3.56. Hemoglobin was 12 and his platelets were 706k. James' ANC (Absolute Neutraphil Count--his ability to fight infection) was 2.28.
Momma talked to Dr.Keller about a protocol for the next time James gets vincristine and steroids. This time, we're going to try prednisone (James has gotten dexamethasone in the past.) to see what happens. Hopefully, the side effects from the prednisone won't be as bad as the dexamethasone. James will get vincristine and steroids on May 22nd. If I can get it to work, we will attempt to set up a sign-up to pray for James.
Dr. Mohammed, from GI, came over to see James and said his g-tube site looks "Excellent". He said to let them know if we have any trouble with this round of steroids.
We finished our shopping (at SAM's) and headed home, arriving around 10p.m--a long day, but a good one.
May 15th, we go to Macon for counts and James will get chemo at home.
Thank you all for praying, it does make a difference.
Blessings, Hannah
Sunday, April 6, 2008
Since I last wrote...
.... a lot of things have happened around here! Here is a sample from the last almost-month!
We celebrated Owen's 12th birthday with a work day and all the food (a BIG part of our birthday celebrations) was cooked outside over the fire. For breakfast, we have French Toast, fried eggs, sausage and orange juice to drink. For dinner, we came inside (because of a wind storm), and enjoyed Low Country Boil and Berry Cobbler with Butter Pecan Ice Cream (which was NOT cooked over the fire!).
The flower arrangement on the table is all from things on our little homestead that are BLOOMING!
Pedal-boating--we FILLED two boats!
All the children got to shoot a compound bow. Archery has been a family dream and now we know it is do-able.
We played putt-putt--some at a very relaxed pace!
The children enjoyed a rest time pillow fight, since James was all wound up and wouldn't sleep.
Until we went to the dining hall to play BINGO--because it rained.
Since Carrie's birthday was Sunday, she was given some cupcakes, some of which we enjoyed on the ride home!
Carrie Rose, our princess, turned FIVE! She enjoyed her day along with brunch, a dress up tea party (with no reading)and a picnic dinner and movie with a wonderful stacked berry trifle cake!
We celebrated Owen's 12th birthday with a work day and all the food (a BIG part of our birthday celebrations) was cooked outside over the fire. For breakfast, we have French Toast, fried eggs, sausage and orange juice to drink. For dinner, we came inside (because of a wind storm), and enjoyed Low Country Boil and Berry Cobbler with Butter Pecan Ice Cream (which was NOT cooked over the fire!).
We burned our HUGE pile of brush, cut and stacked firewood, moved dirt (lost some to a downpour), and done general land improvement.
Our garden has been growing and flourishing and we have eaten lettuce, spinach and a few peas. The broccoli is getting bigger, the cabbage is looking like a small head and the potatoes are growing like weeds! We are looking forward to eating more of 'the fruit of our hands'!
We celebrated the incredible resurrection of the Lord who has walked with us, and at times, carried us through this past year. We are grateful for the abundant life He rose to give us!
We always enjoy making Resurrection Cookies the eve of Resurrection Day. They go into the oven overnight... kind of like Jesus went into the tomb after He was crucified... and they come out as sweet, hollow treats (a reminder of the empty tomb!) in the morning! Making them is a great object lesson devotional and has become a cherished tradition for our family.
After a sweet Resurrection morning service with our church family, we spent the day at home, enjoying a traditional "Easter Sunday" dinner, candy, egg coloring and a Resurrection egg hunt (we have trinkets, representing various events of the Passion Week, that we place in plastic eggs and hide in the yard (weather permitting...and it was a beautiful afternoon for this activity!) I did realize that it is time to find more plastic eggs! They don't last forever!
The flower arrangement on the table is all from things on our little homestead that are BLOOMING!We went to Camp Sunshine Family Camp, a special camp held for children with cancer and their families, at Camp Twin Lakes in Rutledge, GA. We were thoroughly impressed with the camp facilities. Several organizations that assist families with children with special medical needs, and other limitations, came together to start this camp to meet needs that other facilities could not. The whole camp was first class and totally accessible. We had a cabin with plenty of room for our family (it had twelve beds, 2 toilet stalls, 2 showers (one of which was wheelchair accessible) and two sinks. it also had PLENTY of windows to look out, heat (which we didn't use) and air conditioning (which we did use) and places for all James' medical supplies.)
Courtesy of Camp Sunshine, it's staff and volunteers, we did not have to cook a thing. We only bussed our tables, swept the dining area and our cabins and had a wonderful, refreshing time together. We also met some other families facing similar things with their children. The biggest blessing was that we only paid for gas to get there and a small registration fee ($25)! Thanks to the great folks at Camp Sunshine!
We enjoyed early morning fishing (and catching!)
A family hike.
Pedal-boating--we FILLED two boats!
All the children got to shoot a compound bow. Archery has been a family dream and now we know it is do-able.
We played putt-putt--some at a very relaxed pace!
The children enjoyed a rest time pillow fight, since James was all wound up and wouldn't sleep.
Until we went to the dining hall to play BINGO--because it rained.
Since Carrie's birthday was Sunday, she was given some cupcakes, some of which we enjoyed on the ride home!
Carrie Rose, our princess, turned FIVE! She enjoyed her day along with brunch, a dress up tea party (with no reading)and a picnic dinner and movie with a wonderful stacked berry trifle cake!
We celebrated a new addition to the family. For those who didn't know...
Hannah was a little disappointed we couldn't get the photos before April 1st so we could have done a photo with the children, Zeke and Vern and me for an April Fool's joke. Ah, well.
our friends, Jarod and Anna (whose wedding we came down for in January 2007) welcomed their first child, a son, named Ezekiel, in December.
Anna came to help us when Becca, Carrie and James were born. She has a special place in our hearts (so do Jarod and Zeke, now) and it was a real pleasure and privilege to have them down for dinner and a visit and to take some of our 'traditional' baby pictures. And one of Jarod's traditional family funny pictures (bottom right, below).
Hannah was a little disappointed we couldn't get the photos before April 1st so we could have done a photo with the children, Zeke and Vern and me for an April Fool's joke. Ah, well. In addition, we had plenty of unphotographed activities. James had counts and chemo twice--his counts remain good, but not TOO good. Which is good. Vern was home for spring break this past week (which has been wonderful!) and we have gotten a lot of things moving around the homestead. We actually finished a few things!
The girls and I did some sewing for our Camp Sunshine trip. We made three jumpers (one for me, one for Katie and one for Carrie), pantalettes for play and sleeping, pajama pants for Owen and a skirt for Hannah. We are looking forward to doing more.
We also made the trip to Atlanta for James' counts and then toured Your Dekalb Farmers' Market. We hadn't been there since 1998, we think. It was quite the education and we picked up some fun-to-eat treats--including sugar cane and a coconut!
Thanks for thinking of us, for stopping by to check on us and for loving us. We treasure your notes and comments still... your prayers even more.
Have a sweet and blessed week!
Love, Stephanie
Thursday, March 13, 2008
The Poppins
While we were away, we missed out on some fun. Since we left the camera at home, we got to see some of the fun we missed! And you get to too!
Becca Poppins--with the perfect shoes for the job!
Owen Poppins demonstrates proper technique.
Katie Poppins sets the standard.
Becca Poppins--with the perfect shoes for the job!I heard there would have been a Carrie Poppins, but the umbrella was almost too heavy for Becca Poppins.
Have a wonderful day!
Love, Stephanie
Belated update
Well, I tried to do an update from the hospital Saturday evening and it was lost in cyberspace. Saturday was a boring day in the hospital day--which was just fine with us. We snuggled a lot and watched LOTS of episodes of the old TV Superman show. James is pretty fun to watch--he does the motions to the whole "faster-than-a-speeding-bullet; stronger-than-a-locomotive; able to leap tall buildings in a single bound. It's a bird, it's a plane......"
Mostly our goal was to keep him lying down, so the ever-so-slight pressure of the g-tube button inside his belly didn't press inside preventing further erosion and allowing healing to begin. Saturday night, we began using James' g-tube for feeding and Sunday morning he got a bolus of formula. There was no leakage and it didn't seem like it was getting any worse, so they discharged us on Sunday.
Between the time James got his IV out and we left, he was walking around (with the help of a Little Tikes shopping cart toy) and visiting some of the nurses. One even commented that she didn't know that James could use his legs! He was really doing great and all the nurses that had seen him back in April (when he had colitis and got his ileosotomy) were pretty excited for him. Of course, we were glad to head home and even more glad to BE home!
During our visit at the hospital, we ran in to Nathan Suerdieck and his mom, Allison. Nathan was having a BMT for a rare disease called, HLH. It usually occurs in small children, but Nathan got it last year in his teens. Just a year ago, they weren't sure he would even make it. Nathan has lots of medical issues to deal with now, but he has a great attitude and Allison is a big encouragement to me too. They live just 25 miles away from us, but we had lost touch when we all left the hospital... so we exchanged info and now we can keep in touch! If you would like to learn more about Nathan or pray for him (I know he and his family would be grateful), you can look him up on http://www.carepages.com/ and enter his name.
When we 'moved in' from the car to the hospital, we met a very helpful young man on the elevator, Germaine, whose five-year-old son had been in the hospital for a week with inexplicable high blood pressure. We talked and shared and were able to pray with him. I'm sure he would appreciate any prayers you might offer for his precious son.
One thought I did have about regular hospital visits is to wonder if James would do better when he finally gets his ileostomy reversed, if we have some regular contact with the hospital and some of the nurses.
I should have written sooner (I did try last night, but couldn't sign it), because I don't remember all the silver linings from this visit, but there were more...
As always, the best part is coming home! Thanks for praying for us and checking in on us.
Love, Stephanie
Mostly our goal was to keep him lying down, so the ever-so-slight pressure of the g-tube button inside his belly didn't press inside preventing further erosion and allowing healing to begin. Saturday night, we began using James' g-tube for feeding and Sunday morning he got a bolus of formula. There was no leakage and it didn't seem like it was getting any worse, so they discharged us on Sunday.
Between the time James got his IV out and we left, he was walking around (with the help of a Little Tikes shopping cart toy) and visiting some of the nurses. One even commented that she didn't know that James could use his legs! He was really doing great and all the nurses that had seen him back in April (when he had colitis and got his ileosotomy) were pretty excited for him. Of course, we were glad to head home and even more glad to BE home!
During our visit at the hospital, we ran in to Nathan Suerdieck and his mom, Allison. Nathan was having a BMT for a rare disease called, HLH. It usually occurs in small children, but Nathan got it last year in his teens. Just a year ago, they weren't sure he would even make it. Nathan has lots of medical issues to deal with now, but he has a great attitude and Allison is a big encouragement to me too. They live just 25 miles away from us, but we had lost touch when we all left the hospital... so we exchanged info and now we can keep in touch! If you would like to learn more about Nathan or pray for him (I know he and his family would be grateful), you can look him up on http://www.carepages.com/ and enter his name.
When we 'moved in' from the car to the hospital, we met a very helpful young man on the elevator, Germaine, whose five-year-old son had been in the hospital for a week with inexplicable high blood pressure. We talked and shared and were able to pray with him. I'm sure he would appreciate any prayers you might offer for his precious son.
One thought I did have about regular hospital visits is to wonder if James would do better when he finally gets his ileostomy reversed, if we have some regular contact with the hospital and some of the nurses.
I should have written sooner (I did try last night, but couldn't sign it), because I don't remember all the silver linings from this visit, but there were more...
As always, the best part is coming home! Thanks for praying for us and checking in on us.
Love, Stephanie
Thursday, March 6, 2008
In the hospital
James is doing great. Dr. Tenjarla, his GI doctor, when ahead and admitted him last night. He can have anything he wants by mouth, but nothing by g-tube. Miraculously, he has taken all of his meds by mouth and, most of the time, willlingly! (thanks, in part, I am sure to grape flavored syrup!).
He has an IV and is getting fluids and he has been eating some, which is good (though the choice of foods is certainly not optimal!). Since we haven't used his g-tube in since 10 a.m. yesterday, it is doing much better and we do not think it is going to erode may more.
James got his last dose of steroids this morning, by mouth, and we are hopeful that things will only get better from here.
We have been blest to have nurses on his team--that means we know them and they know us. All have been tickled to see James and we are glad to see them too.
I haven't seen his counts yet, but have heard they are very good. His protocol calls for James to get chemo tonight, but they are wondering if they should give him a break. I think we should press on, as long as his counts are good.
Other numbers: While home, we figured that last year, between 28 February and 20 November, James and I (and mostly Hannah) spent at least 118 days in one hospital or another. Our last discharge date was 20 November, 2007, which was 106 days before our most recent admit (last night, 5 March). The main reason we are here is to prevent James' g-tube from further eroding. As soon as we can safely use the g-tube again (Sun, Mon, Tues would be my not-very-educated guess--the educated folks aren't making any guesses yet :*)).
The hardest thing is that James' IV is in his hand (we had the choice of putting it in his main signing hand or in his walking foot--so we chose the hand). Taping up his hand is almost the same as putting a gag around his mouth, but he really doesn't want to walk either, since he is uncomfortable using his taped and boarded arm to hold on to things. Occasionally, he growls (James on steroids), but mostly he is doing well. I think he'll be really glad to 1) have the family visit or 2) go home!
Later I hope to share some more thoughts on our ending up here and some of the silver linings.
Thanks for checking on us! Be blessed!
Love, Stephanie
He has an IV and is getting fluids and he has been eating some, which is good (though the choice of foods is certainly not optimal!). Since we haven't used his g-tube in since 10 a.m. yesterday, it is doing much better and we do not think it is going to erode may more.
James got his last dose of steroids this morning, by mouth, and we are hopeful that things will only get better from here.
We have been blest to have nurses on his team--that means we know them and they know us. All have been tickled to see James and we are glad to see them too.
I haven't seen his counts yet, but have heard they are very good. His protocol calls for James to get chemo tonight, but they are wondering if they should give him a break. I think we should press on, as long as his counts are good.
Other numbers: While home, we figured that last year, between 28 February and 20 November, James and I (and mostly Hannah) spent at least 118 days in one hospital or another. Our last discharge date was 20 November, 2007, which was 106 days before our most recent admit (last night, 5 March). The main reason we are here is to prevent James' g-tube from further eroding. As soon as we can safely use the g-tube again (Sun, Mon, Tues would be my not-very-educated guess--the educated folks aren't making any guesses yet :*)).
The hardest thing is that James' IV is in his hand (we had the choice of putting it in his main signing hand or in his walking foot--so we chose the hand). Taping up his hand is almost the same as putting a gag around his mouth, but he really doesn't want to walk either, since he is uncomfortable using his taped and boarded arm to hold on to things. Occasionally, he growls (James on steroids), but mostly he is doing well. I think he'll be really glad to 1) have the family visit or 2) go home!
Later I hope to share some more thoughts on our ending up here and some of the silver linings.
Thanks for checking on us! Be blessed!
Love, Stephanie
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
A good and timely quote
"Pain and suffering in this life are inevitable. Misery is optional."
Love, Stephanie
I spoke too soon
Actually, the g-tube was looking better--we all here agreed it was. In fact, it still looks pretty good from the outside. No signs of cellulitis or other infection yet, which is good. BUT, The actually g-tube button (called a MIC-key) is getting looser and it is looking to us like the site is, once again, eroding from the inside out.
SO, many phone calls later, we have an appointment with James' GI doctor this afternoon at 4p.m. We'll leave home around 1p.m. to allow time to park and all.
We have packed as though we were having a planned hospital stay, so we are prepared in the probably likely event that James' is admitted. We've not gotten up there this early before, so I'm really not sure what to expect. Whatever happens, I think we're covered, Praise the Lord!
Love, Stephanie
SO, many phone calls later, we have an appointment with James' GI doctor this afternoon at 4p.m. We'll leave home around 1p.m. to allow time to park and all.
We have packed as though we were having a planned hospital stay, so we are prepared in the probably likely event that James' is admitted. We've not gotten up there this early before, so I'm really not sure what to expect. Whatever happens, I think we're covered, Praise the Lord!
Love, Stephanie
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
It's raining, it's pouring
And James' g-tube site is improving! Praise the Lord! So we are still home and really grateful. James is a little cranky, mostly due to steroids, I think. His g-tube site is still tender and needs to heal more. So please don't stop praying!
Thanks! And God bless you... each and every one!
Love, Stephanie
Thanks! And God bless you... each and every one!
Love, Stephanie
Monday, March 3, 2008
A quick update
We have been busy here. James has been a little needier the last couple of days and we have been working on homestead things--like clearing land and trying to plant 2 peach trees and a fig tree which were gifts for Vern's birthday. We hit another big root in the garden too. It wasn't a pine stump and so didn't burn like the second stump did. Today Owen was able to dig down further and cut it out. Yeah, Owen!
James is doing well, all things considered. His g-tube site is showing some signs of begin to erode. I spoke with several folks today and the wound/ostomy nurse attributes it to any form of pressure combined with steroids. James' oncologist said the steroids should be in his system enough to inhibit healing until day 10--day 1 on steroids was last Thursday, so day 10 is this Sunday. We have been using tylenol some to help with James' discomfort--the g-tube site is tender--and we are dressing the g-tube differently. If this doesn't help and it gets worse in the next day or so, we will need to see about getting James in to see Dr. Tenjarla, his GI doctor.
We continue to be grateful for your prayers and encouraging notes. We always enjoy hearing from you!
Thanks for checking on us.
Love, Stephanie
James is doing well, all things considered. His g-tube site is showing some signs of begin to erode. I spoke with several folks today and the wound/ostomy nurse attributes it to any form of pressure combined with steroids. James' oncologist said the steroids should be in his system enough to inhibit healing until day 10--day 1 on steroids was last Thursday, so day 10 is this Sunday. We have been using tylenol some to help with James' discomfort--the g-tube site is tender--and we are dressing the g-tube differently. If this doesn't help and it gets worse in the next day or so, we will need to see about getting James in to see Dr. Tenjarla, his GI doctor.
We continue to be grateful for your prayers and encouraging notes. We always enjoy hearing from you!
Thanks for checking on us.
Love, Stephanie
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