Well friends, it has been way too long. I feel pretty good today and so am forcing myself to do all the things I keep putting off. You know, those things that are not necessarily hard just not the most enjoyable. So here I am. It is amazing how when you have nothing scheduled to do, nothing gets done. Not that there isn't alot to do, it's just that evening comes and you wonder what happened to all the time in that day. I have noticed also that inactivity breeds inactivity and laziness breeds laziness. So I am trying to break the cycle no matter how I feel. It is also amazing to me how easy it is to use being sick as an excuse to get out of doing things I just don't want to do. Sometimes though I have Jeff do things just because he so badly wants to help me. He has been the most awesome bestest friend and partner anyone could ever ask for. I thank God everyday for this marvelous human being He has been gracious enough to put in my life.
Well I guess everyone is wondering how I am doing since last I posted. Well, we did go out in the truck for a week and 1/2. The second week I had to have my Stent replaced and assumed everything would be okay with it. Silly me. So we set out on that second week and got as far as Roseburg, OR. Ended up in the hospital there where they gave me enough meds to get us back up north and we haven't been out since. I was in the hospital up here for almost a week while they tried to figure out how to fix the stent. That whole process plus the time in the hospital made me sicker than I had been before. It took me over a month to start feeling any better. During that time my neck started hurting really bad. Doc said it was because the tumor was getting bigger there. So I started radiation on the 6th Vertebrae the 12th of July. I can finally sleep in my bed and my range of motion is much better with not very much pain. It is nice to know that some medical intervention actually does work like it is supposed to. Otherwise, I have good days and not so good days. I've noticed if I stay on top of any pain, my days usually go much better. There really is not alot of pain but evidently enough to make me not want to get out of my chair. It really is kind of weird.
I have enjoyed the company of many people over the last couple of months. Some of them being Shannon and Robyn Pence who brought Grandpa Pence out with them. It was an awesome visit and Shannon got to see what Jeff was doing with the car business. Then another weekend my mom's brother Ed and his wife Kathy came over. What an enjoyable time. Jasmine and Gaby and Briar have been coming over every week and most of the time have been fixing dinner for us. They have really gotten into the whole food/organic thing also. So we are trying out new recipes. It has been fun. I found several outlets for raw milk and have started to make ice cream. Nummy. The girls took us to Seattle a couple weeks ago to the Taste of Seattle or Bite of Seattle. Whatever it was it was fun. It was a very good day. My mom has been to visit along with Gary during their vacation. She is coming back up on the 2nd of August. My Uncle Milan from Boise and his wife Karen are coming the 1st for a couple of days. I have not seen them is awhile so it will be very good to visit. My sister has been over a couple time to see me. I had forgotten how much I enjoy her company. I did miss Heather Pence's wedding. I wish I had just forced myself to get out of the house and go. Not only did we miss what I'm sure was a beautiful celebration but we also missed out on seeing people we haven't seen in a long time. That is why I have decided to just do things anyway now.
We have a new addition to our family. Her name is Shelby. When Jeff walked in the door with this little black fluffy thing draped over one shoulder, of course I couldn't resist. When she came here she was about the same size as our big cat. Now she is twice his size. She is a very calm and obedient puppy which is very surprising to me. But I know alot better how to be a pack leader now that I have been watching Cesar Milan. It works on cats to. The cats and the dog all get along real well. Chad's dog Shooter likes the puppy too.
Well, I think that is enough for now. I will leave you with the statement that God is Good and always works everything for the good for those who follow His ways. We are over comers in Christ and look forward to all the encounters God has in store for us as we go through this period in our lives. Love you all. Good day.
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Staying Busy
Hello friends,
Chemo last week was not so great. I ate something really heavy before going and that was a big mistake. I have not had nausea before this but it sure hit me good this week. Oh, well. I am able to do more than I have been and am not taking anything for pain except for occasional Ibuprofen. Yeah!!!!!! Still alot of discomfort but I think that has more to do with my sitting around alot. I still have 17 pounds to go to get to an acceptable weight but really 27 would be ideal.
The exciting news this week is we are going back to work today. I love traveling and I have missed being in the truck. When we get down to California we supposedly have a new truck waiting for us. Yeah. No more stinky truck. (We think this one has an exhaust leak). I am frantically trying to get ready with all my new foods and stuff. So it should be interesting. I go in for Chemo at 2:00pm today then off to the truck.
Jeff is getting ready to send his first car out this week and has a gentleman coming over today to see about ordering one. This is so exciting. We just feel like this is where God has been leading us all this time and as we get back on track of finishing paying off our debts we will be able to start looking for property to build on. Chad has been a Godsend. We just love having him here and he always seems to have a smile on his face.
Everyone have an awesome week. Love you all.
Chemo last week was not so great. I ate something really heavy before going and that was a big mistake. I have not had nausea before this but it sure hit me good this week. Oh, well. I am able to do more than I have been and am not taking anything for pain except for occasional Ibuprofen. Yeah!!!!!! Still alot of discomfort but I think that has more to do with my sitting around alot. I still have 17 pounds to go to get to an acceptable weight but really 27 would be ideal.
The exciting news this week is we are going back to work today. I love traveling and I have missed being in the truck. When we get down to California we supposedly have a new truck waiting for us. Yeah. No more stinky truck. (We think this one has an exhaust leak). I am frantically trying to get ready with all my new foods and stuff. So it should be interesting. I go in for Chemo at 2:00pm today then off to the truck.
Jeff is getting ready to send his first car out this week and has a gentleman coming over today to see about ordering one. This is so exciting. We just feel like this is where God has been leading us all this time and as we get back on track of finishing paying off our debts we will be able to start looking for property to build on. Chad has been a Godsend. We just love having him here and he always seems to have a smile on his face.
Everyone have an awesome week. Love you all.
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
The Sun Is Shining
Another beautiful day in our neighborhood. Last week was so wonderful with the sunshine and warmer temps. The grass is growing and the birds are singing and my cats are going outside. Yay!!! (Now if they would only GO outside.)
It has been two weeks or so since I posted and not much has gone on. The first week I was down with some kind of fever but that eventually got better. This last week was my off week from Chemo and I have felt better every day with more energy. I've been walking and things seems to be working right. I start into another three week cycle of Chemo today. So we will see how that goes. After this three weeks, they will do all the tests again to see how things are going. We've been doing alot of reading on alternatives to Chemo and if the Chemo is not doing what it is supposed to we will probably try something different. I am getting set up to do raw foods and juicing.
We are going to try to go back to work next week. They really needed us this week but Jeff has a few things left on the car and I am having trouble getting released back to work. I feel alert enough and I will probably just have to get into the bunk earlier than I used to. Otherwise I don't know what the difference is of sitting around here or sitting in the truck. It is a set route so we know everywhere we can stop. I will just have to plan my food a little better since I refuse to eat at a truck stop or fast food anymore. Thank goodness for the frig in the truck.
I want to thank all my friends and family for all the support you are giving us. I feel so privileged to be part of all of your lives. Aidan has been able to come over every weekend and he has had fun with Grandpa in the shop. Jasmine and Gaby and Briar and Gaby's brother Ollie and his girlfriend Lisa have been coming over quite a bit. At least once a week. Jasmine and Gaby have been fixing wonderful dinners for us that they took the time to get cancer recipes off the internet for. Pretty cool huh!
Today I am going to replace the kitchen faucet. (I love to do stuff like that). Oh, but first I better get dressed. Then I'm going to iron, then I'll go for my Chemo appt. that will take all afternoon. Oh, well what else do I have to do. lol
Love you all lots and lots and thanks for all your prayers and good wishes.
It has been two weeks or so since I posted and not much has gone on. The first week I was down with some kind of fever but that eventually got better. This last week was my off week from Chemo and I have felt better every day with more energy. I've been walking and things seems to be working right. I start into another three week cycle of Chemo today. So we will see how that goes. After this three weeks, they will do all the tests again to see how things are going. We've been doing alot of reading on alternatives to Chemo and if the Chemo is not doing what it is supposed to we will probably try something different. I am getting set up to do raw foods and juicing.
We are going to try to go back to work next week. They really needed us this week but Jeff has a few things left on the car and I am having trouble getting released back to work. I feel alert enough and I will probably just have to get into the bunk earlier than I used to. Otherwise I don't know what the difference is of sitting around here or sitting in the truck. It is a set route so we know everywhere we can stop. I will just have to plan my food a little better since I refuse to eat at a truck stop or fast food anymore. Thank goodness for the frig in the truck.
I want to thank all my friends and family for all the support you are giving us. I feel so privileged to be part of all of your lives. Aidan has been able to come over every weekend and he has had fun with Grandpa in the shop. Jasmine and Gaby and Briar and Gaby's brother Ollie and his girlfriend Lisa have been coming over quite a bit. At least once a week. Jasmine and Gaby have been fixing wonderful dinners for us that they took the time to get cancer recipes off the internet for. Pretty cool huh!
Today I am going to replace the kitchen faucet. (I love to do stuff like that). Oh, but first I better get dressed. Then I'm going to iron, then I'll go for my Chemo appt. that will take all afternoon. Oh, well what else do I have to do. lol
Love you all lots and lots and thanks for all your prayers and good wishes.
Monday, May 9, 2011
Posting Procrastination
Dear Friends,
Every day I say to myself "go write a few words on your blog". Well, you see how far that has got me. Any way, this week has been another good week with God being involved every step of the way. I think God is always involved but don't always stop and take notice. I'm trying to stop more and take notice. My white cell count was down so they scheduled my for a couple Lukine shots this last week. Since we were in town Thursday for the shot, we took the opportunity to go shopping. We started out at Costco (our favorite place to shop). Jeff went one way and I went another with me ending up in the health products section. I just wanted to see if they had anything I thought might be useful. A lady was at a sample stand with samples of a digestive aid thing that looked interesting so I stopped and started asking questions. I explained that I had just been diagnosed with cancer and that I was looking for products that would help me naturally. Her name is Viola and she said she was over 65 and as the conversation continued she stopped and came around the stand and said, "I just feel a desire to lay hands on you and pray". So right there in the middle of Costco this wonderful women whom I did not know, prayed for me and said she would add me to her prayer groups prayer list. WOW! What an awesome God we have.
When I got home later, I got a phone call from my mother that she had just flown into town so she could spend Mother's day with me. How cool is that. We have had a very enjoyable visit. Aidan came over for Friday night and Saturday and we had an awesome time. The kitten that Aidan brought over with him last weekend has finally learned how to use the litter box, so she is turning out to be a very welcome addition to the house. It is absolutely a pleasure to have Jeff's nephew Chad living with us. He loves to vacuum so my carpets are clean all the time. What a relief.
For Mother's Day we went to Sizzler for lunch and after we got back home Jeff said he and Chad needed to run to the parts store. Well, they might have done that too, but when they got back, Jeff had this beautiful vase of flowers that made me cry. I was totally not expecting it. Then later that evening Jasmine, Gaby and the babe came over and they had made a little poster that was very special. I need to get a nice frame for it.
We are in the process right now of trying to go back to work. We will find out today hopefully. I think we just need to work while I feel like it just in case later down the road we need to use the sick pay/disability worse than we do now. If we go back to work it would be for four days leaving out of Ft Lewis Tuesday afternoon after Chemo. We would go down to French Camp, be back here Thursday, turn Ft. Lewis to go back to French Camp and then back here on Saturday for the weekend, then do it all over again Tuesday.
That is our goal anyway. But God knows what is going to happen in the next days so I will just do what I can and trust.
I'm sure getting alot of needlework and sewing done. I feels good to get projects done. We just sold our first kit car so we are getting that ready to ship out. So we should have enough money to go get our stuff from Texas. Yay!!!!!! I'm tired of sleeping on the floor when we have such wonderful furniture a mere 2200 miles away. :-D
My mom will be here later this morning and I think we are going to go see a friend of hers up north a ways. That will leave the guys free to work on the car or whatever. They are having so much fun. It is good to see people enjoying the work they do.
Well, I guess I better go do something productive, like get dressed. lol. Everyone have an awesome day in Christ. And touch someones life today for the positive. Even if it is only with a heartfelt smile.
Every day I say to myself "go write a few words on your blog". Well, you see how far that has got me. Any way, this week has been another good week with God being involved every step of the way. I think God is always involved but don't always stop and take notice. I'm trying to stop more and take notice. My white cell count was down so they scheduled my for a couple Lukine shots this last week. Since we were in town Thursday for the shot, we took the opportunity to go shopping. We started out at Costco (our favorite place to shop). Jeff went one way and I went another with me ending up in the health products section. I just wanted to see if they had anything I thought might be useful. A lady was at a sample stand with samples of a digestive aid thing that looked interesting so I stopped and started asking questions. I explained that I had just been diagnosed with cancer and that I was looking for products that would help me naturally. Her name is Viola and she said she was over 65 and as the conversation continued she stopped and came around the stand and said, "I just feel a desire to lay hands on you and pray". So right there in the middle of Costco this wonderful women whom I did not know, prayed for me and said she would add me to her prayer groups prayer list. WOW! What an awesome God we have.
When I got home later, I got a phone call from my mother that she had just flown into town so she could spend Mother's day with me. How cool is that. We have had a very enjoyable visit. Aidan came over for Friday night and Saturday and we had an awesome time. The kitten that Aidan brought over with him last weekend has finally learned how to use the litter box, so she is turning out to be a very welcome addition to the house. It is absolutely a pleasure to have Jeff's nephew Chad living with us. He loves to vacuum so my carpets are clean all the time. What a relief.
For Mother's Day we went to Sizzler for lunch and after we got back home Jeff said he and Chad needed to run to the parts store. Well, they might have done that too, but when they got back, Jeff had this beautiful vase of flowers that made me cry. I was totally not expecting it. Then later that evening Jasmine, Gaby and the babe came over and they had made a little poster that was very special. I need to get a nice frame for it.
We are in the process right now of trying to go back to work. We will find out today hopefully. I think we just need to work while I feel like it just in case later down the road we need to use the sick pay/disability worse than we do now. If we go back to work it would be for four days leaving out of Ft Lewis Tuesday afternoon after Chemo. We would go down to French Camp, be back here Thursday, turn Ft. Lewis to go back to French Camp and then back here on Saturday for the weekend, then do it all over again Tuesday.
That is our goal anyway. But God knows what is going to happen in the next days so I will just do what I can and trust.
I'm sure getting alot of needlework and sewing done. I feels good to get projects done. We just sold our first kit car so we are getting that ready to ship out. So we should have enough money to go get our stuff from Texas. Yay!!!!!! I'm tired of sleeping on the floor when we have such wonderful furniture a mere 2200 miles away. :-D
My mom will be here later this morning and I think we are going to go see a friend of hers up north a ways. That will leave the guys free to work on the car or whatever. They are having so much fun. It is good to see people enjoying the work they do.
Well, I guess I better go do something productive, like get dressed. lol. Everyone have an awesome day in Christ. And touch someones life today for the positive. Even if it is only with a heartfelt smile.
Monday, May 2, 2011
The Wonder of the Pacific Northwest
What a wonderful weekend. The weather was absolutely beautiful this weekend. Seeing Mount Rainier Sunday made me remember why I missed being up here.
I got to spend Saturday with my sister Genae. She called and said she wanted to go see Grandpa Pence and would I like to go with her. Since I hadn't seen him in a very loooong time, I said sure. She came to pick me up and we went up Swedish to see him. It was so good to spend the day with my sister. We stopped and had lunch at Whole Foods Supermarket. Wow! I could spend my whole pay check there. On the way back to my house we stopped and picked up Aidan so he could spend the weekend with me & Jeff.
On Sunday (with a totally clear blue sky) we played games with Aidan and then some friends came over to visit in the afternoon. We still haven't found a church home since we have been here. I guess it would help if we actually made the effort to visit. Maybe next week. No seriously.
Chemo treatment tomorrow. The treatments aren't bad. You just sit and relax for a couple of hours. Its the after stuff. Haven't had to take to much pain meds this week so that feels good. Looking forward to it getting better and better. We found an eating program that I think is going to work really good. It is something I think I can cope with. I just wish organic didn't cost so much. I am good at watching sales though. :-)
Well, we need to go pay rent and get my hair cut. I always wait way to long. Anybody else do that too? Found a place that does $10.00 cuts. yeah!
I got to spend Saturday with my sister Genae. She called and said she wanted to go see Grandpa Pence and would I like to go with her. Since I hadn't seen him in a very loooong time, I said sure. She came to pick me up and we went up Swedish to see him. It was so good to spend the day with my sister. We stopped and had lunch at Whole Foods Supermarket. Wow! I could spend my whole pay check there. On the way back to my house we stopped and picked up Aidan so he could spend the weekend with me & Jeff.
On Sunday (with a totally clear blue sky) we played games with Aidan and then some friends came over to visit in the afternoon. We still haven't found a church home since we have been here. I guess it would help if we actually made the effort to visit. Maybe next week. No seriously.
Chemo treatment tomorrow. The treatments aren't bad. You just sit and relax for a couple of hours. Its the after stuff. Haven't had to take to much pain meds this week so that feels good. Looking forward to it getting better and better. We found an eating program that I think is going to work really good. It is something I think I can cope with. I just wish organic didn't cost so much. I am good at watching sales though. :-)
Well, we need to go pay rent and get my hair cut. I always wait way to long. Anybody else do that too? Found a place that does $10.00 cuts. yeah!
Saturday, April 30, 2011
The Chemo diet
Okay, I know it sounds silly but I've already lost 15 pounds and so I only have maybe 35 to 40 to go. So not only will this help with my recovery (since bad stuff gets stored in fat) it also makes me feel good. Fortunately I have my "skinny" clothes with me as most of our stuff is still in storage in Texas. I have had no nausea so I'm hanging on the positive side. We are continuing to plan for our future and will continue to speak positive things in our lives. Our God is Great and greatly to be praised. I am so blessed to have all of you as friends and that you know where our strength comes from.
Some other cool things are that I hadn't seen my sister in a couple of years and now I've seen her twice in two weeks. I think that is pretty great. My cats are loving it that I am home and today we get to pick Aidan up to spend the night.
God bless and keep you all today. Love You
Some other cool things are that I hadn't seen my sister in a couple of years and now I've seen her twice in two weeks. I think that is pretty great. My cats are loving it that I am home and today we get to pick Aidan up to spend the night.
God bless and keep you all today. Love You
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
The New Adventure
Well the new adventure started the beginning of April with my noticing that my pee was a funny color. (Great way to start, huh!) We waited until the 7th to go into the doctor to see what might be causing it. They ran blood tests that indicated my liver enzymes were way off the chart and that I was definitely a very interesting shade of yellow. I actually didn't believe them and was going to wait until we got back in town on Saturday but when we got back out to the car, I looked in the visor mirror. Wow! Definitely yellow. So that is when it all started. I went for Ultra Sound, CT Scan and more blood tests. They finally said it appeared there was a blockage of my bile duct (e.g yellow skin). So then I was scheduled for a procedure that went down my throat and into the duct and they took pictures and put in a stint. That was on Tuesday the 12th. So all this time I've had to go without food and water after midnight. So that went well except for I woke up early on the 13th with some pain. Tried to eat and drink something and it came right back up. Come to find out that one of the possible side effects of this procedure is Pancreatitis. Wow, did it hit me. Ended up in the hospital for four days while my poor little pancreas calmed down. IV fluid (no nutrients). Very nummy :-(
While I was in hospital they had an Oncologist come in to see me. He is a very nice man and seems very knowledgeable. Oh, this is all taking place in Puyallup, WA. He started talking about getting me in for a PET Scan and biopsy. Nothing is really said but we are not the last crumb on the plate. So Jeff and I looked at each other with tears in our eyes but still never really addressed that it was cancer only that it might be. Dr. Liao not only scheduled us for those two tests but scheduled me to get a Port placed and to start Chemotherapy. Got out of hospital Sun, 17th, appt with Dr. Liao Mon, 18th, PET Scan Wed, 20th, Biopsy Thurs, 21st, Port placed Fri, 22. We did get to go over to Tri-Cities to spend Easter with Jeff's sister and family. Then Mon, 25th had an appt with Dr. Liao before Chemo and he went over the test results from the previous week. From PET Scan it shows cancer in pancreas, liver, lung and bone marrow. Chemo was very interesting. You sit in this chair for one and a half to three hours hooked up to an IV line. You wanna know the great part is now that the Port is in, no more pokes in the arm. That was a huge relief. I was starting to feel like a pin cushion. They can do most anything they need through the port. :-) I am scheduled for Chemo every week at this point but we are scouring the internet for alternatives. I have an appointment with a Naturalpath next week to pursue other options.
All that to say we KNOW who is ultimately in control and from the very start we are looking at this as an adventure to see what awesome things God is going to do through all of this. To see what lives we get to touch and to be a part of. I will continue to try to post through this blog when anything knew comes up, but other than that just know that we are okay and ready to live.
We are currently renting a house in Spanaway, WA, 6515 208th St East, 98387. We decided to rent up here after we bought a business making 3/4 scale '32 Roadster kits. We don't build the cars, just the kits for somebody else to build. We weld the frame together and make the fiberglass body and some sundry other parts. Put it together and ship it off. We are getting ready to ship our first one out just shortly. We had to get permission to live up here from our boss. But since our bid run puts us up here twice a week, they realized it would not interfere with our working. The cats have lots of room to run and it is nice to have a real flush toilet again. Oh, the things we take for granted. It has been wonderful to see the grandkids on a regular basis. Up until the hospital stay, Aidan was over every weekend. It has been great.
Well bye for now. God bless and keep you all. - Lori
While I was in hospital they had an Oncologist come in to see me. He is a very nice man and seems very knowledgeable. Oh, this is all taking place in Puyallup, WA. He started talking about getting me in for a PET Scan and biopsy. Nothing is really said but we are not the last crumb on the plate. So Jeff and I looked at each other with tears in our eyes but still never really addressed that it was cancer only that it might be. Dr. Liao not only scheduled us for those two tests but scheduled me to get a Port placed and to start Chemotherapy. Got out of hospital Sun, 17th, appt with Dr. Liao Mon, 18th, PET Scan Wed, 20th, Biopsy Thurs, 21st, Port placed Fri, 22. We did get to go over to Tri-Cities to spend Easter with Jeff's sister and family. Then Mon, 25th had an appt with Dr. Liao before Chemo and he went over the test results from the previous week. From PET Scan it shows cancer in pancreas, liver, lung and bone marrow. Chemo was very interesting. You sit in this chair for one and a half to three hours hooked up to an IV line. You wanna know the great part is now that the Port is in, no more pokes in the arm. That was a huge relief. I was starting to feel like a pin cushion. They can do most anything they need through the port. :-) I am scheduled for Chemo every week at this point but we are scouring the internet for alternatives. I have an appointment with a Naturalpath next week to pursue other options.
All that to say we KNOW who is ultimately in control and from the very start we are looking at this as an adventure to see what awesome things God is going to do through all of this. To see what lives we get to touch and to be a part of. I will continue to try to post through this blog when anything knew comes up, but other than that just know that we are okay and ready to live.
We are currently renting a house in Spanaway, WA, 6515 208th St East, 98387. We decided to rent up here after we bought a business making 3/4 scale '32 Roadster kits. We don't build the cars, just the kits for somebody else to build. We weld the frame together and make the fiberglass body and some sundry other parts. Put it together and ship it off. We are getting ready to ship our first one out just shortly. We had to get permission to live up here from our boss. But since our bid run puts us up here twice a week, they realized it would not interfere with our working. The cats have lots of room to run and it is nice to have a real flush toilet again. Oh, the things we take for granted. It has been wonderful to see the grandkids on a regular basis. Up until the hospital stay, Aidan was over every weekend. It has been great.
Well bye for now. God bless and keep you all. - Lori
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