I got to come home today!!!! :) :) I was discharged in the morning. Fortunately, the doctor came by very early, so it all happened before noon. But then I still had my doctor's appt over at the clinic, as was previously arranged. But we were able to head for home around 3pm. It was great to be home and see my kiddos!! :) And I actually got Aria to smile at me for the very first time!!!
As for my xrays (taken at 4am....grrr...), they showed no progression of the cancer in my bones - so that was a great relief!! There was a fear at the beginning of the weekend that the increased pain could have been from disease progression. Thank God that nothing was noticed on the xrays! However, this wasn't the most precise way of discovering that information...and that won't truly be known until they redo the other scans (CT scans, bone scan) in another 2 months. (Those scans will be done once every 3 months.) But any potential progression wasn't significant enough to have shown up in the xrays. And any bone loss due to cancer was less than my nurse practitioner would have expected. She seemed very pleased! And the other good news was that there wasn't any new fracture in the painful areas, which was another fear.
Amazingly, this new drug has really been keeping me out of pain!!! I've just had some minor pain since Saturday in my lower back (really, it's in my sitting area, if you want to be precise ;) ). That is one of the main areas where I usually feel pain, in addition to down my legs, which is caused by 2 pinched nerves in the lower back. And of course, my left arm is the other main area of pain. I was able to elevate my left arm by a couple inches today!
It took quite awhile to go over my prescription changes with a doctor and then with the floor nurse this morning before being discharged. Then I had 5 prescriptions to fill. Back at home, I revised the spreadsheet on my computer that shows when I take everything during the day - but now it has become more complicated! I now have drugs to take 4 times per day instead of 3 times per day. And there are certain things that can't be taken together. It's quite an analytical puzzle to figure out when to take each thing during the day. And now I need to stay up until midnight to get my final doses...so that's in a few minutes, and then I can go off to bed!
I slept fabulously for the 2nd night in a row!!!! So I hope that my sleep will be just as good now that I'm back at home!!! :) I can't believe how well I slept at the hospital!!! 11 hours on Sat night and 10 hours on Sun night!!! Wow!!!
I walked through the clinic to get to my appointment this afternoon, and then everyone who saw me raved about how I looked!! They all said I looked sooo great!!!! :) :) They were so impressed with how I was doing!!!! :) :) One nurse often refers to how awful I looked the first day I ever came there. They were all concerned. Another nurse had seen me in the waiting area and had taken me back to a bed because I looked so terrible! So I've been repeatedly complimented on my improved color and appearance -- but especially today!! :) And they were so happy to see me walking!! I had a limp and was kind of slow -- but I was walking!!! :)
So now I'm home! And Aria's finally home after months and months of prayer!!!! And we expect to have a fabulous Thanksgiving this week!!!! There's a lot to celebrate. :)
Monday, November 24, 2008
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Sat and Sun in the Hospital
I'm here! I wanted to type up a quick run-down of what's gone on since Friday.
So... Steve took me to the hospital Friday night, and I was admitted - which took a very long time! We were able to sit around in my room, but my pain was getting worse and worse as I waited... so eventually, I went ahead and took my own meds, even though an IV was supposedly coming. So I just told them what I had taken when they finally were ready (quite a bit later) & all was fine. Steve didn't leave here until 1am! And it's a fairly long drive home (not like the hospital in Sept, which was so close to our house). This time, Steve also has not been spending the night with me - now that Aria is newly home and there are 3 kiddos to take care of. So that was a big bummer as well. On top of the fact that I came to the hospital the day after Aria finally came home!!! sigh.
Anyway... The first night was quite bad. They woke me up a lot. INCLUDING.... wheeling me down for xrays at 4am!!!!! I couldn't believe it. And I probably should have refused. That was so absurd and unnecessary. And then the xray tech was NOT nice to me!! I had to lie on a hard surface (ouch). And she had me move in some funny directions. Well, I couldn't always do it - either due to my broken left shoulder or my very sore right hip. And she would get annoyed with me!! No sympathy at all. In the end, she helped me up, but I had laid there for long enough that it was VERY painful, so I screamed!!! And totally cried!! When someone is sobbing and crying, shouldn't people usually act a little sympathetic??? There were 3 people in the room with me... but nothing. sigh. So back to bed. But the guy who wheeled me back (in my bed) didn't set my bed up. So later, the nurse came in and realized and was annoyed and hooked me up. But at 6am or so, I woke up in pain and needed help, so I tried to hit the nurse call button on the bed. But nope....it hadn't be reconnected. I could not call the nurse!!! I could hear people in the hall, so I just kept yelling, "Hello??? Hello????" Talk about a miserable opening experience at the hospital. sigh. Someone eventually came in (by chance though, I think).
In the morning, Steve came back. And a friend came to our house to help my mom with the kids! :) So they went to Target with 3 kids. While Steve was here with me, 2 different doctors came to talk to us (one who works with my doctor). I'm on an oncology floor, so it's very specialized. And around lunch, another friend came to the hospital to be with me. :) She's actually a nurse at Duke herself, so that was also helpful. And when Steve had to leave, it was so nice to have someone with me!!! :) She stayed for probably about 9 hours? In the evening, Steve and my mom brought the kids after dinner. So that was fun to see them all!! :) Kevin told me, "I miss you so much." He originally said that to me on the phone, and it was hard to keep from crying. He talked to a nurse and asked her about taking care of me and even said something about wanting me to come home and her making me better soon. :) He was very sweet and almost made me cry here in person too. The babies were just held, and Kien was very active! Steve put Aria on my lap, but she doesn't want to have anything to do with me yet, of course. :( She really doesn't know me at all. I know that that's the case and fully understand, but considering the circumstances, it was heartbreaking for me.
As for my pain (the reason I'm here), it did get better on Saturday. I had a PCA pump, where I could press a button to release medicine through an IV. (I really love having my port!!!) But I was rarely fully comfortable. And that would only happen while sitting on the bed. When I got up, my legs would immediately start aching, so I'd press the button and sit down again. But later in the day, Janet and I went for a couple walks for a very short distance down the hall (with the IV pole following us). Then in the evening, the doctors had me switched to a new type of pain medicine. And it seemed to work!! I was really concerned that the transition would be tough, but it wasn't!
Then I fell asleep for the night at 9pm!! AND... I slept until 8am Sunday morning!!!!!! I slept for 11 hours!!!!!! I haven't done that in MONTHS!!!! I normally sleep in 2 hour increments!! I NEVER sleept that well!!! Wow!!! Praise God!!!! :) :) People had to come in through the night to give me meds or do my vitals, etc. - but I'd just pop my head up or lift my arm out - and then go back to sleep. I even had a blood test, which I basically slept through - because they could just access it from my port (which was already accessed, so no needle was required!).
Then Steve came back late this morning. I was doing great! When I first got up, I was quite stiff and had some pain. And I couldn't get it under control for awhile with the PCA pump, although the pain wasn't as bad as it sometimes is. But after awhile, it settled down. Then the doctor came by, and I was doing great! So they asked me if I wanted to go ahead and remove the IV meds (morphine) to transition to pills. I knew that I needed to do this in order to go home -- and I want to go home Monday! So I said yes!! And it was a great choice!!! :) I NEVER had to ask for the pills as breakthrough pain medicine all day!!!!! :) :) :) I was almost pain free all day long!!! I could even do things that I couldn't do on Saturday -- such as sitting on the side of my bed, standing up, walking around, etc. And eventually, they removed the IV. So I could MOVE around!!! :) :) Steve and I took a walk down a couple hallways. I did great!! :) Then some friends came to visit and then the interim pastor at our church came to visit too. We had never officially met him before (he came this fall -- and needless to say, we've been busy!), so that was really nice of him to come. And right before dinner, my mom arrived with all 3 kids. She used valet parking, and Steve met her down at the car to help get them up here.
Suddenly, Kevin ran into the room to see me! :) And he was followed by a double stroller full of our 2 littlest blessings!!! :) :) I almost wanted to cry right then!!!! I spent so much time researching these crazy double strollers and waiting for the day that it would be occupied by our TWO babies. And finally, there they were!!!! :) :) I immediately asked for my mom's camera to take a picture!!!! :) They were bundled up like 2 little snowmen. ha! And their big brother was taking such good care of them, taking off their hoods, etc. He was soooo great with them here tonight!!! :) :) I'm very proud of him!! At the end of the evening, he was playing a peek game with them, and both babies were cracking up hysterically!! Yes, even Aria!!!! :) :) She's usually stone-faced, so this was very impressive!!!! :) :) The game always ended with Kevin hugging them both in the stroller, and even Aria loved it! She eventually hugged him, and Kevin exclaimed, "That was her first time to hug me!!" :) :)
We all ate dinner down in the cafeteria. And I walked there!!!!! :) :) While choosing food, I even pushed the double stroller!!! :) Steve fed the babies some fries while we were choosing food, and then I saw Aria grab Kien's fry!! HA! And she started doing it repeatedly!!! She's a little piggie, and Kien barely eats! So she would eat hers really fast - and then dive over for Kien's!! HA! It was hysterical. :) Kevin also helped feed them. He's so responsible and helpful! It was very cute and fun. :) And I got out of my room!!!! :) :) Yipppeeee!!
My mom stayed for a little bit after Steve left to take the kids home to bed. And now I'm finally on my computer! It's really the first time that I've felt up to doing this all weekend. But I'm off to bed soon and really hoping to be home tomorrow!!! However, I do have a dr's appt here at 2:30pm tomorrow. ugh. So I'm going to call in the morning to try to get that moved earlier, in hopes that we can get home earlier!! I want out of here!!!!! Unfortunately, it isn't as nice as the other hospital (no comparison, actually). Even the food is atrocious here. sigh. And my room is half the size as before.
Thanks so much for the prayers!!!! They're working!!!!!! This new medicine has really gotten me out of pain!!!!! :) :) I guess they want to monitor it for another day. But my prayer is that all will be well and I can leave tomorrow!!!! :) Please pray that I remain pain-free!!!! :) :)
So... Steve took me to the hospital Friday night, and I was admitted - which took a very long time! We were able to sit around in my room, but my pain was getting worse and worse as I waited... so eventually, I went ahead and took my own meds, even though an IV was supposedly coming. So I just told them what I had taken when they finally were ready (quite a bit later) & all was fine. Steve didn't leave here until 1am! And it's a fairly long drive home (not like the hospital in Sept, which was so close to our house). This time, Steve also has not been spending the night with me - now that Aria is newly home and there are 3 kiddos to take care of. So that was a big bummer as well. On top of the fact that I came to the hospital the day after Aria finally came home!!! sigh.
Anyway... The first night was quite bad. They woke me up a lot. INCLUDING.... wheeling me down for xrays at 4am!!!!! I couldn't believe it. And I probably should have refused. That was so absurd and unnecessary. And then the xray tech was NOT nice to me!! I had to lie on a hard surface (ouch). And she had me move in some funny directions. Well, I couldn't always do it - either due to my broken left shoulder or my very sore right hip. And she would get annoyed with me!! No sympathy at all. In the end, she helped me up, but I had laid there for long enough that it was VERY painful, so I screamed!!! And totally cried!! When someone is sobbing and crying, shouldn't people usually act a little sympathetic??? There were 3 people in the room with me... but nothing. sigh. So back to bed. But the guy who wheeled me back (in my bed) didn't set my bed up. So later, the nurse came in and realized and was annoyed and hooked me up. But at 6am or so, I woke up in pain and needed help, so I tried to hit the nurse call button on the bed. But nope....it hadn't be reconnected. I could not call the nurse!!! I could hear people in the hall, so I just kept yelling, "Hello??? Hello????" Talk about a miserable opening experience at the hospital. sigh. Someone eventually came in (by chance though, I think).
In the morning, Steve came back. And a friend came to our house to help my mom with the kids! :) So they went to Target with 3 kids. While Steve was here with me, 2 different doctors came to talk to us (one who works with my doctor). I'm on an oncology floor, so it's very specialized. And around lunch, another friend came to the hospital to be with me. :) She's actually a nurse at Duke herself, so that was also helpful. And when Steve had to leave, it was so nice to have someone with me!!! :) She stayed for probably about 9 hours? In the evening, Steve and my mom brought the kids after dinner. So that was fun to see them all!! :) Kevin told me, "I miss you so much." He originally said that to me on the phone, and it was hard to keep from crying. He talked to a nurse and asked her about taking care of me and even said something about wanting me to come home and her making me better soon. :) He was very sweet and almost made me cry here in person too. The babies were just held, and Kien was very active! Steve put Aria on my lap, but she doesn't want to have anything to do with me yet, of course. :( She really doesn't know me at all. I know that that's the case and fully understand, but considering the circumstances, it was heartbreaking for me.
As for my pain (the reason I'm here), it did get better on Saturday. I had a PCA pump, where I could press a button to release medicine through an IV. (I really love having my port!!!) But I was rarely fully comfortable. And that would only happen while sitting on the bed. When I got up, my legs would immediately start aching, so I'd press the button and sit down again. But later in the day, Janet and I went for a couple walks for a very short distance down the hall (with the IV pole following us). Then in the evening, the doctors had me switched to a new type of pain medicine. And it seemed to work!! I was really concerned that the transition would be tough, but it wasn't!
Then I fell asleep for the night at 9pm!! AND... I slept until 8am Sunday morning!!!!!! I slept for 11 hours!!!!!! I haven't done that in MONTHS!!!! I normally sleep in 2 hour increments!! I NEVER sleept that well!!! Wow!!! Praise God!!!! :) :) People had to come in through the night to give me meds or do my vitals, etc. - but I'd just pop my head up or lift my arm out - and then go back to sleep. I even had a blood test, which I basically slept through - because they could just access it from my port (which was already accessed, so no needle was required!).
Then Steve came back late this morning. I was doing great! When I first got up, I was quite stiff and had some pain. And I couldn't get it under control for awhile with the PCA pump, although the pain wasn't as bad as it sometimes is. But after awhile, it settled down. Then the doctor came by, and I was doing great! So they asked me if I wanted to go ahead and remove the IV meds (morphine) to transition to pills. I knew that I needed to do this in order to go home -- and I want to go home Monday! So I said yes!! And it was a great choice!!! :) I NEVER had to ask for the pills as breakthrough pain medicine all day!!!!! :) :) :) I was almost pain free all day long!!! I could even do things that I couldn't do on Saturday -- such as sitting on the side of my bed, standing up, walking around, etc. And eventually, they removed the IV. So I could MOVE around!!! :) :) Steve and I took a walk down a couple hallways. I did great!! :) Then some friends came to visit and then the interim pastor at our church came to visit too. We had never officially met him before (he came this fall -- and needless to say, we've been busy!), so that was really nice of him to come. And right before dinner, my mom arrived with all 3 kids. She used valet parking, and Steve met her down at the car to help get them up here.
Suddenly, Kevin ran into the room to see me! :) And he was followed by a double stroller full of our 2 littlest blessings!!! :) :) I almost wanted to cry right then!!!! I spent so much time researching these crazy double strollers and waiting for the day that it would be occupied by our TWO babies. And finally, there they were!!!! :) :) I immediately asked for my mom's camera to take a picture!!!! :) They were bundled up like 2 little snowmen. ha! And their big brother was taking such good care of them, taking off their hoods, etc. He was soooo great with them here tonight!!! :) :) I'm very proud of him!! At the end of the evening, he was playing a peek game with them, and both babies were cracking up hysterically!! Yes, even Aria!!!! :) :) She's usually stone-faced, so this was very impressive!!!! :) :) The game always ended with Kevin hugging them both in the stroller, and even Aria loved it! She eventually hugged him, and Kevin exclaimed, "That was her first time to hug me!!" :) :)
We all ate dinner down in the cafeteria. And I walked there!!!!! :) :) While choosing food, I even pushed the double stroller!!! :) Steve fed the babies some fries while we were choosing food, and then I saw Aria grab Kien's fry!! HA! And she started doing it repeatedly!!! She's a little piggie, and Kien barely eats! So she would eat hers really fast - and then dive over for Kien's!! HA! It was hysterical. :) Kevin also helped feed them. He's so responsible and helpful! It was very cute and fun. :) And I got out of my room!!!! :) :) Yipppeeee!!
My mom stayed for a little bit after Steve left to take the kids home to bed. And now I'm finally on my computer! It's really the first time that I've felt up to doing this all weekend. But I'm off to bed soon and really hoping to be home tomorrow!!! However, I do have a dr's appt here at 2:30pm tomorrow. ugh. So I'm going to call in the morning to try to get that moved earlier, in hopes that we can get home earlier!! I want out of here!!!!! Unfortunately, it isn't as nice as the other hospital (no comparison, actually). Even the food is atrocious here. sigh. And my room is half the size as before.
Thanks so much for the prayers!!!! They're working!!!!!! This new medicine has really gotten me out of pain!!!!! :) :) I guess they want to monitor it for another day. But my prayer is that all will be well and I can leave tomorrow!!!! :) Please pray that I remain pain-free!!!! :) :)
Friday, November 21, 2008
Weekend in the Hospital
So now that Aria is home.... I'm heading to the hospital. Their response to my pain today was to suggest checking into Duke Hospital for the weekend to get my pain under control and then have new scans done.
Aria just came home yesterday. She only wants her Daddy. But I want him too!! So now we have some dilemmas to solve. I'm nervous and scared. Please pray for everything to go smoothly, for them to relieve my pain quickly, for peace within our family with all the chaos, and for there to be nothing new found in the new scans.
Thank you!!!! I am probably heading to the hospital tonight, but we are just waiting on a call to confirm it.
Aria just came home yesterday. She only wants her Daddy. But I want him too!! So now we have some dilemmas to solve. I'm nervous and scared. Please pray for everything to go smoothly, for them to relieve my pain quickly, for peace within our family with all the chaos, and for there to be nothing new found in the new scans.
Thank you!!!! I am probably heading to the hospital tonight, but we are just waiting on a call to confirm it.
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Aria is Home!!!
Steve and Aria arrived at about 11am on Thursday morning!!! :) During their 12-hour layover in LA, Aria had a big "problem" in her pants... and Daddy didn't pack extra clothes in the carry-on! Oops! ;) So they took a cab to a nearby mall to go shopping. ha! Thus the new outfit for her arrival was chosen by Daddy. :)
Kevin was so excited to see Daddy!!!
And I was so excited to see them too!! Friends came with us to the airport and met us there in order to push me in a wheelchair. (There was no way I could have walked that far that day!)
Here's our family of five and Grandma!!! :)
And our family of five!!
Kien looked pretty intrigued with Aria. :) They likely knew each other before...but we'll never know to what extent.
Here's our welcoming committee!!! :)
I LOVE this picture of Daddy with his kiddos!!!
This was Aria's first ride in a car seat. She did ok for awhile, but then the crying began.
Our first time finally using 3 car seats in our mini-van!!! :)
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
"It's a Girl!" YES, She's Finally Coming Home!!!!!
God has been doing something else major in our lives this fall, and many of you who read this blog and pray for our family may not know yet. So I will backtrack a bit to give a recap of the story.In early fall 2007, we received pictures of our 2 beautiful babies in Vietnam!! Kien and Aria were only about 4 months old, and they are 4 days apart. They are becoming twins. We expected to travel to Vietnam only 8-12 weeks later (which is what always happened with all other families). But to make a loooong story short.... that was not the case for us. The US changed the process for applying for a baby's visa to enter the country and become a US citizen. And then we ran into problems in early 2008. We were constantly waiting and believing that we would be getting on a plane within as little as a week. We lived that way for months! Finally, we were approved to bring Kien home....but not Aria yet. It was never supposed to happen that way. But we got on a plane in June to bring home our baby boy, not knowing when Aria would be able to come home.
We boarded the plane to Vietnam on Kien's 1st birthday and completed his adoption a few days later! And on his adoption day, we also spent an hour with our baby girl. She fell asleep in Steve's arms. I held our sleeping princess as well and even sang "Jesus Loves Me" to her. After an hour with her, we had to say good-bye. We hoped that she would be coming home within weeks, but we knew that Steve would have to go back alone when it was time.
To make even more of our long story short.... we finally got her approval this fall. So then we were faced with one of the biggest decisions we will ever make. We didn't mention it here, since it was such a huge and personal decision. Anyway, we felt that proceeding would definitely be a case of stepping out in faith....and trusting in God to provide. And that's the decision we made! We have considered her to be our daughter for over a year now. This wasn't just a matter of deciding whether or not to have a 3rd child. She really exists, and she was living in an orphanage. And we believe that we were her last chance at having a family...and she was our last chance at having a daughter. So after lots and lots of prayer... 2 weeks ago, we were told that Steve could travel that coming weekend for an adoption ceremony the following week!!!! Steve left 5 days later, and Aria's adoption ceremony took place on November 13!
My mom came back a couple weeks ago and is still here. We are planning to hire a nanny, but we still need to figure out the details. Prayers would definitely be appreciated for that as well!! ....for the decisions involved in hiring a nanny... and the finances involved!!!!
Thanks so much for the prayers for wisdom in making this big decision!!!! And thank you for all the prayers for Aria's approval so that she can finally come home to her family!!!!!!!! And PRAISE GOD for our beautiful blessing!!!! :) :)
So tomorrow morning, Steve and Aria will be arriving home!!!!!!
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Status Update on Pain
I hear a lot of people have been asking about me, since I haven't posted since Thursday. ;) So I just wanted to write something really quick - but I have more to write later. I spent 12 hours at Duke on Monday, so that was pretty exhausting - and then had to go back again this morning! Again, I'll tell about that later. But regarding the pain, yes, I've still really been in pain. It's been quite miserable at times. I have had some good moments though. But today has been an improvement! I've still had some pain, but it's been so much better! I was up in the middle of the night (not due to pain), and I took pain meds before going back to bed -- so I think that's why I wasn't too bad when I woke up today!! :) And now they have increased my dosage of pain meds again as of yesterday (which will take 3 days to fully kick in ). But yes, prayers would still be appreciated for the pain! I've been in pain in my lower back and then down my legs (due to the pinched nerves in my lower back). The location varies. And my left arm has also been in pain. We stayed home from church on Sunday and I haven't been able to do much for the past few days (except spend hours at Duke!!). Until today, I have had to lie in bed for the first hour of each day before I can even move. It's hard to find any comfortable side on which to lie. And sometimes I can barely walk at all (literally - I have trouble getting from the bed to the dresser to get my pills). I hate to sound so miserably depressing.... but that is what has been happening. But I expect that the increased medication will help this week. And your continued prayers would be so appreciated too!!! I want to be able to get back to doing Mommy things and spending time with my kids. :)
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Prayer for Pain
My pain started up again 2 weeks ago, and it's been getting progressively worse. This week has been pretty bad. In fact, when I woke up Tuesday morning, I was in the most pain I think I've ever experienced in my life. I could barely move. I'm often very stiff and have trouble walking. It doesn't last all day, but it usually happens first thing in the morning, then after lunch, and then again in the evening.
So on Tuesday, I had my dosing increased of "breakthrough" pain meds. Then I was supposed to call back later in the week (today) to report on how much I had ended up taking. Well, the answer was a lot!! So now my regular narcotics dose (3x per day) has been increased as well.
Please pray that my pain goes away!! I have spent too much time lying in bed, praying out loud that God will relieve my pain. I hate to sound like a big complainer, but that is the state of things this week.... Prayer would really be appreciated!! I want to get back to a somewhat normal life again. My doctor doesn't want me in pain either, so they will increase the dose as necessary. I'll be back there on Monday.
So on Tuesday, I had my dosing increased of "breakthrough" pain meds. Then I was supposed to call back later in the week (today) to report on how much I had ended up taking. Well, the answer was a lot!! So now my regular narcotics dose (3x per day) has been increased as well.
Please pray that my pain goes away!! I have spent too much time lying in bed, praying out loud that God will relieve my pain. I hate to sound like a big complainer, but that is the state of things this week.... Prayer would really be appreciated!! I want to get back to a somewhat normal life again. My doctor doesn't want me in pain either, so they will increase the dose as necessary. I'll be back there on Monday.
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