Dragonflys...

Something to Share... Jean, our Hospice Nurse gave us this story to help the kids understand what was happening with Grammi, I think it helped the rest of us more than we would have ever thought. I think we're more aware of Dragonfly's now, but it seems that we're seeing them everywhere! Just before I left I went to the cemetery and there were 6 or 7 of them flying around her grave - every time I see one from now on I will think of her and what she meant to all of us.  This Blog will be concluded soon, but hang in there with me a few more weeks. I plan to share the past two weeks with you and make sure to post some pictures of the funeral and our Relay for Life. Thank you everyone for everything.

The Dragonfly Story

By Kaminski Robinson, PMC

Down below the surface of a quiet pond lived a little colony of water bugs. They were a happy colony, living far away from the sun. For many months they were very busy, scurrying over the soft mud on the bottom of the pond. They did notice that every once in awhile one of their colony seemed to lose interest in going about. Clinging to the stem of a pond lily it gradually moved out of sight and was seen no more.

“Look,” said one of the water bugs to another. “One of our colony is climbing up the lily stalk. Where do you think she is going?”

Up, up, up it slowly went. Even as they watched, the water bug disappeared from sight. Its friends waited and waited but it didn’t return…

“That’s funny,” said one water bug to another. “Wasn’t she happy here?” asked a second. “Where do you suppose she went?” wondered a third.

No one had an answer. They were greatly puzzled. Finally one of the water bugs, a leader in the colony, gathered its friends together. “I have an idea. The next one of us who climbs up the lily stalk must promise to come back and tell us where he or she went and why.”

“We promise,” they said solemnly.

One spring day, not long after, the very water bug who had suggested the plan found himself climbing up the lily stalk. Up, up, up he went. Before he knew what was happening, be broke through the surface of the water and fell onto the broad, green lily pad above.

When he awoke, he looked about with surprise. He couldn’t believe what he saw. A startling change had come to his old body. His movement revealed four silver wings and a long tail. Even as he struggled, he felt an impulse to move his wings…the warmth of the sun soon dried the moisture from the new body. He moved his wings again and suddenly found himself up above the water. He had become a dragonfly.

Swooping and dipping in great curves, he flew through the air. He felt exhilarated in the new atmosphere. By and by the new dragonfly lighted

happily on a lily pad to rest. Then it was that he chanced to look below to the bottom of the pond. Why, he was right above his old friends, the water bugs. There they were scurrying around, just as he had been doing some time before.

The dragonfly remembered the promise: “The next one of us who climbs up the lily stalk will come back and tell where he or she went and why.” Without thinking, the dragonfly darted down. Suddenly he hit the surface of the water and bounced away. Now that he was a dragonfly, he could no longer go into the water.

“I can’t return,” he said in dismay. “At least, I tried. But I can’t keep my promise. Even if I could go back, not one of the water bugs would know me in my new body. I guess I’ll just have to wait until they become dragonflies too. Then they’ll understand what has happened to me, and where I went.”

And the dragonfly winged off happily into its wonderful new world of sun and air…

Once we become a Child of God through faith in Jesus Christ our Lord, we have started our journey to heaven. When we die and leave this world, and enter into our eternal home, we cannot come back; just like the dragonfly could not return to the bugs from whence he came.

In the Bible it says that Jesus is preparing our home for us. He said in John 14:1-3, “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In my Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. And if I go to prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, you may be also.”

Thank You, God, for the story of the water bugs and the dragonflies. Thank You, God, for our home in heaven when we leave this earth.

Today...

I've been dreading this day for a while. The day we take our Momma to her final resting place. We know she is in a better place, but that doesn't make us miss her any less.

Today the plan is as follows for those of you who wish to join in...

The Funeral is at Lutheran Church of Our Redeemer at 2pm.
The Burial will follow at Mt. Hope Cemetery where we will lay her to rest right beside her Grandparents and Great Grandparents.
There will be a cookie and coffee reception at the Church following the burial.

At 9pm the family will be headed to the Codington County Relay for Life to walk a couple laps in memory of our Mom; please join us, because Dianne's Battle is Our Battle!

A Poem of Comfort

God saw you getting tired,

When a cure was not to be.

So He wrapped his arms around you,

and whispered, "Come to me".

You didn't deserve what you went through,

...So He gave you rest.

God's garden must be beautiful,

He only takes the best

And when I saw you sleeping,

So peaceful and free from pain

I could not wish you back

To suffer that again.

Funeral & Visitation Schedule

Visitation at Crawford Funeral Home on Thursday June 23rd from 4pm to 7pm

Funeral at Lutheran Church of Our Redeemer in Watertown on Friday June 24th 2pm,  coffee and cake reception to follow.

Also, Come join us for a few laps at Allen Mitchell track for Codington County Relay for Life after the service and reception to continue our fight against Cancer to honor Mom.

Funeral Arrangements

We will be holding Mom's funeral at Lutheran Church of Our Redeemer in Watertown, South Dakota.
It will be on Friday June 24th at 2pm.

The visitation will likely be the night before, but we have not yet confirmed that.

More information to come.

The Fight is over...

Last night at 11:15pm Mom passed away with Kathy, Grandma Nani, Tony, Shannon and I all at her bedside. It was a peaceful ending to a well fought battle.

We appreciate your love, support and prayers, and wish that they continue as we prepare to lay her to rest.

Funeral date, location and time is in the works, I will post it here as soon as we make the arrangements.

Crawford Funeral chapel of Watertown, South Dakota will be taking great care of our Momma.

We will miss her so dearly, and all ready do.

♥ abby

Slow Goes it

We have all been sitting and waiting with baited breath. Seeing how she'll react to our new concotion of medication.
She's been having a lot of pain the past 24 hours and it breaks our hearts to hear "ow" come from her when she can't even tell us what is making her hurt.

It's been a trying time for all of us, please keep the prayers coming.
All our Love,

By her bedside

We have barely left her side all day, for only a moment or two here or there.
Her breathing is getting harder and her medicine intake keeps going up.
Her body is fighting still, but she is weak.
We pray for God to take her pain away, please pray with us.
Thank you for your love and support,
-a

Box of Love!

I know my co-workers miss me, they tell me so. But I also know they're awesome because they sent me this! Also, because everyone who hears that I'm able to work remotely and take care of my Momma tells me how lucky I am to work for a company that is so wonderful - my answer to that? I know.

Thank  you Patsy & Meg for the box of goodies!

Momma's doing okay today - she's sleeping, the bath nurse was here this morning, and Missy should be out later today (from what I hear). I am working here and there, and plan to take a nap right beside Mom. Sounds like bliss.

The Difference a Month Can Make

 These two pictures were taken about one month apart to the day. Above: Mother's day (or the day after May 11th) Below the 12th of June.

Wow.

Sometimes you need to step back and look at how much difference a month can make.

We're here beside you Momma!

Love,

Your kids

Dianne's 53rd and Brenda's 57th Birthday Extravaganza!

 Did you know... Mom shares her birthday with Brenda ??? The Birthday girls have been sharing sisters for a long time, and they always love to celebrate their birthdays together...

 This year was maybe a little bitter sweet, but they still enjoyed themselves none the less.

 Because they love eachother; and who better to spend your birthday with than your sister?

 and your new nieces!

 And a little nap time

 And your kids?!

 She ventured outside for the first time since Tuesday the 30th. It was really bright out for her so Tony loaned her his sunglasses!

 And her Grandbabies were there...

 And she had a wonderful day.

 Topped off with some icecream cake which she just skewered with her fork and ate it all!

 

She had a wonderful day with her family... we were all very thankful to celebrate with her.

Today is a good day - she slept nearly 23 hours yesterday and last night... Crazy.

She has been napping on and off, and DelRita the hospice nurse came in and gave her some more medicine.

LIfe is moving pretty slow, but we are enjoying the sweet moments.

Birthday Fun

I have a lot more birthday pictures for you - but Amanda took most of those so you'll need to wait till she gets back to Rapid and edits them, don't worry - it doesn't usually take her very long :)

Mom is doing okay today - she got up and got a bath which made her feel better and now she has a quiet household which doesn't hurt either. All you can hear right now is the clicking of my keyboard. Peaceful.

Thank you for your continued thoughts and prayers, we appreciate them from the bottom of our hearts.
And here's one to make you smile, Mom with her baby boy...

Monday Madness

Mom had a rough night after all her celebrating yesterday.
She was restless, and somehow her cough came back. Her Hospice Nurse Missy gave her a shot to help get some of the wetness off her lungs and hopefully that will help her cough.

We backed off some of her cardio pills which was a big decision for us, but Hospice care is about comfort not about cure; and right now, comfort is a hard medium to reach.

Today after giving her a dose of morphine and a couple of pills she asked Shannon and I if we were trying to kill her... our answer was of course no, but it made us giggle. She takes so much medicine I'm sure it feels like we're trying to O.D. her.

I will get pictures posted from her Birthday here in a few - I need to steal them from my cousin Amanda first.

Todd & Jeff stopped by with a beautiful bouquet of flowers for her birthday... Thanks guys, she loves the smell.

One step at a time!

The Hope Corps Walk On

Due to slow internet connection please go HERE to see the pictures...

Any ways... Last night was Relay for Life in Des Moines Washington. I would have done anything to be there for it - but I am where I need to be ... which is here with my Family.

Mom had a good day yesterday - there were a lot of people around and she enjoyed the company very much.

Today we celebrate her Birthday with a picnic ... eventhough her Birthday is tomorrow technically.

Thanks Hope Corps for walking for Mom... she appreciates every step!

Lots of People Lots of Love

Every single one of Mom's siblings, her Grandchildren and Children were by her side at one point in time or another today.

She had a good day - awake, talking and happy.

She did sleep a little, but I think she'll sleep nice and hard tonight.

Thanks for all the visits....

Pictures of Highline Relay & The Hope Corps to come tomorrow!

night everyone,
a

Living Life

Here's a little something Aunt Kathy shared with me today... I thought It was worth a post. It makes me smile, and think.

Today has been a decent day, but each passing day is as difficult as the last.

"Living Life"

"Life is not a race - But indeed a journey.

Be honest. Work Hard. Be choosy. Say "Thank you",

"I love you", and "Great job" to someone each day.

Go to church, take time for prayer. The Lord giveth

and the Lord taketh. Let your handshake mean

more than pen and paper. Love your life and what you've been given,

it is not accidental - search for your purpose and do it as best you can.

Dreaming does matter. It allows you to become that which you inspire to be.

Laugh often. Appreciate the little things in life and enjoy them.

Some of the best things really are free.

Do not worry, less wrinkles are more becoming. Forgive, it frees the soul.

Take time for yourself - plan for longevity. Recognize the special people

you've been blessed to know.

Live for today, enjoy the moment."

By Bonnie Mohr.

Shannie and I could have used this as we stood in the birthday card section at Wal-mart trying to pick out a card for Mom. We were in tears, and in laughter.

Prayers are ALWAYS appreciated.

The Norm

She sleeps a lot.
That's the norm now days.
She keeps asking where Brenda is, I think she's excited to see her.

She's sick of us asking her to eat, asking her to take her pills asking her if she needs to go to the bathroom.

She just wants to sleep.

Thanks to the visitors today... Mark, Brent, Scott, Elliott, Don & Nick. So good to see you guys.

Love and hugs,
abby

Cowboys & Indians...

They've been running around like this all day... how could you blame them? heat of summer and they're having fun! Meanwhile - Mom's inside sleeping most of the day. She's doing okay and is still enjoying having people stop by.

Missy stopped by to see her and mix up some more medicine and some of her co-workers stopped to say hey. Other than that, Just us family!

Shannon and I have been working on digging through bills and making sure Mom's are being paid and things are running smoothly for her.

A few pictures from the week so far...

Mom with baby Alaina...
Our Prayer shawls from LCOOR...

Us Three Kids' shawls.

And I end with another of the boys... because I like Kye and T-roy's winky faces as they aim their "guns" at me.

Please continue thoughts and prayers - We really appreciate it.

Word on the street is that Doctor Horn reads this blog too... so, Hi Doc!

Mom's FAVORITE Nurses!

Kelly & Kristi have been Mom's Oncology Nurses for the past two years, and they have spent many hours together helping her heal, laugh, and tolerate Chemo.

Last night I got a phone call that Kristi & Kelly wanted to come for a visit. How often would you find nurses that want to come visit their patients after hours? These girls are wonderful and it immediately brought a smile to Mom's face to see them here.

They read the blog regularly and keep track of how she's doing right along with Dr Horn - I am constantly amazed how many people keep up with this thing.

They joked with her about not letting Missy (our Hospice Nurse) take their place as her favorite. Then again, maybe they weren't joking.

I don't think you can ever be replaced ladies, the love and care you've given our Mom over the past two years is unmatched by anyone. I can't thank you enough for what you've done and for helping us keep the humor when battling cancer gets scary.

You are a blessing to us, and most importantly to Mom. She will miss hanging out with you but probably not the drugs you administer.

We love you!

-a

Hospice and Prayer Shawls

It's been a pretty busy day around here.

Mom's hospice nurses came over to bathe her and get her vitals measured. Missy should be here tomorrow.

We've had lots of visitors, and Mom's really enjoyed having all of her grandchildren here running and giggling.

Nancy from the church stopped by and brought each of us kids a prayer shawl. They're beautiful! Each one is hand crafted by someone at the church, and they are blessed by the congregation during service. Each one is to represent God and our community hugging us in hard times.

Angie, Joe and family stopped by with the new baby, so Mom got to meet the two newest additions to the Nielsen clann, Jett and Alaina.

Jean with Hospice stopped by to drop off pamphlets and booklets to help us through this difficult time, and also brought us some tools to help the kids understand what's going on with Grammi. We're really loving all the support they give.

We're hanging in there, and appreciate all the love and support.

Thank you,
A

Nap Time at the Brink House

It's nap time here at the homestead so I thought I'd give a quick status report and share some photos from our past few days.

Mom woke at some point a couple days ago and really wanted her fingernails painted - so she let Erica pick out the polish... now she has iradescent green glow to her fingers. It makes us giggle

We've been taking turns sleeping next to her - the other morning it was Erica's turn. This picture kind of melts my heart ... just a little.

This is Shannon sorting out Mom's DAILY pill intake... oye vey.

And that's Missy... we like her.

It's been pretty quiet today, but pretty good.

Mom slept through the night, and only woke at 6 am to use the restroom - that's pretty awesome.

Pastor Tom stopped in and gave us communion as a family, there may have been a few tears during that one.

We are doing pretty well - getting along.

Sunday

My posts are getting less creative. Especially the titles. But the most important part is getting you all the "Deets" (details).

Mom had a rough night, she was up and trying to get comfortable about every half hour. She finally settled in and has been sleeping for a couple hours now, but let's just say it was a long night.

She's been telling us all sorts of goofy stories. Yesterday she was "writing tickets" and "mixing paint... Forest green paint" so, Wayne & Linda if you're reading this, I think she's still on the clock ;o).

The syringe driver seems to help her keep a more even pace, but we still tend to have some pretty long episodes of trying to catch her breath.

The door is still open for visitors, She may not talk a whole lot, but she does know you're here, and enjoys the company. I think she gets sick of seeing Me, Kathy, Shannie & Nani all the time... or maybe just us poking at her for pills, medicine, and washing times.

Her nurse Missy will be here tomorrow to help out some more. We'll be glad to see her - she's a breath of fresh air and gives us new ideas to make Mom comfortable.

Thank you for your continued love and prayers,
They mean the world
-a

Saturday

Mom is getting along pretty well with her new morphine driver, and she has been a little more alert this afternoon.

She's had quite a few visitors today and that brings a smile to her face.

Kris, Tamijo, Addison, Avery, Jeremy, Jayven, Kevin, Bentley, Rusty, Tammy, Linda & Wayne, thank you for stopping by for the smile :).

Love,
A

Momma's New Bed

Momma has a new bed! Right smack dab in the middle of all the commotion - where she likes it.
Her home health care nurse Missy stopped by today and we talked about Hospice care which Mom agreed to. Missy just walked back in to get her set up with her morphine syringe driver. It will help keep her medicated evenly and help her be more comfortable.

We're all feeling a little relief having the conversation out of the way, It's in Gods hands now, and really, always has been.
thanks for your love and support, and again, visitors welcome :)

Sleep over!

We've been having sleep-overs in Kathy's living room taking turns so Mom doesn't wake up without someone there. Grandma was the first shift of last night - then I took over.
Her hospital bed was just delivered, so she'll be way more comfortable than in her chair.
Thanks for the thoughts and prayers,
A

She screams for Ice Cream!

Mom's been having a decent day - sleeping a lot.
Her breakfast was ice cream with carnation instant breakfast - at this point we need her to eat what she will eat. For Dinner? Rhubarb pie!


Missy her home health care nurse was in today and is arranging for a hospital bed to be brought over so she is more comfortable. She loves her chair, but sitting up in a hospital bed will help her breathe more easily.

Visitors are WELCOME and ENCOURAGED - she really brightens up when someone comes and sits and visits with her - even if for only a few minutes. Tina stopped by to bring her a Rhubarb pie tonight and she was very excited! So please, come on over to Kathy's and visit. No need to call ahead, someone's here with her all the time. But if you'd prefer to call ahead - contact me, I'll get you a number :o)


Life is good, hard, but we're together.
All my love,
A

All Settled In for June

I got in yesterday afternoon around 1 and Shannie and Erica were at the airport to greet me! Momma really wanted to come with, but another trip to Sioux Falls this week was just not something she was up for.

We spent a lot of time hanging out last night and enjoying eachother.

Momma is doing okay, she's had a really rough couple of weeks, but seems to be still kicking right along the path. The morphine and adavan keeps her breathing a little normal, but makes her pretty sleepy.

Thank you for your thoughts and prayers,
abby

500ML Later

That's HALF a liter (take that nurse Shannon).
That's how much fluid they removed this morning from Mom's lungs. They weren't able to get her chest tube in today like we had hoped, but the 500 off has been helping her breathe easier.
She was admitted and discharged this morning, and is home comfy in her chair already. No worries though ... Kathy was keeping her plenty company while they waited to be discharged - Nothing like a little sisterly bonding time :o)

Tomorrow I plan to report from South Dakota... YES!

Just keep swimming

Mom's continuing to fight. Easy breathing is hard to come by, but she's taking it one day at a time.
She goes in to get more fluid drained off her lung in Sioux Falls tomorrow and from there, I will be there to report from the sidelines.
She did manage to walk to the restroom by herself today - but not without some difficulty...
We love you Momma! Keep up the hard work!

Mom's Doctors

It dawned on me today that even though Mom's been seeing these two for quite some time and we mention them often, we've never done a post showing their credentials or what they look like. I can't thank these two enough for all the love and care they've given and continue to give Mom. Above : Dr Horn , her Family Doctor and below Dr. McHale her Oncologist.

Leavin on a Jet Plane

Me... I am... on Wednesday (I think).
Going to spend time with Momma and help her heal.

She had a rough day; hard time catching her breath and getting around. She got some answers from Dr. McHale though and looks like she'll be headed to Sioux Falls on Tuesday for some more fluid drainage.

Thanks for your love,
Abby

Still Waiting

We're still waiting on more news from the doc's, but the news we did get is that there's more fluid on Mom's heart and lungs. It just won't go away! Dr. McHale will call with a plan tomorrow. For now? Wait.
Love,
Abby

Retraction... Thanks Nurse Shannon

So... There's a reason why Shannon should be blogging all the medical jargin...
- there's 1,000ml in 1 liter... so my math was a little off
- Mom had a pericardial window not a pericardium.
Lastly and probably most important...
- Mom was at SANford... not STANford...

Oye Vey...

any ways,
Mom's been resting a lot and trying to gain back some of her strength. She has a doctor's appointment with Dr. McHale today and we'll know more about where we go from here after she see's him. It's only been a week since her surgery (not even) and sleep is necessary for her recovery. Visitors are more than welcome; just give her a call, she would love to see you!
Thank you for your love, thoughts and prayers.
-A

Home again Jiggity Jig

I imagine that Mom looks something like this right now. Home in her chair... happy.

They pulled the chest tube this morning, and sent her home with some home oxygen.

So glad to have her back where she is more comfortable.

Dear Hospital, We wanted her home more than you wanted to keep her... so there!

♥ abby

Headed Home?

Mom's doctor was in this morning and pulled her chest tube.
They said everything looks good and if they can get the orders from Dr. McHale (her oncologist) she can go home today!

Weekend in Stanford.

Spending a weekend in the hospital isn't so bad when unexpected visitors drop by!
This is my cousin (Mom's Nephew) Luke. Look! They have matching hair-do's!
This is Mom's "Collection Unit" that pulls the fluid off hear lungs. The unit gets more out if Mom's been up moving around.
Shannon says she'd be more comfortable at home, but it looks like she's kickin it pretty good here too!
This isn't the best way to spend a weekend, but all in all she's doing pretty good.
All my Love,
A

Okay is OK

After speaking with Shannon and Kathy AND MOM yesterday - she's recovering remarkably well.

We can't thank you enough for your thoughts and prayers - the support from you all is what gets us through the scary parts.

All our Love,
A

Recovery

Mom made it in and out of surgery like a champ.
She came out of recovery and the operation went well.
They removed 500-600 ML of Fluid off of her heart, and another 500-600 off of her Lung. That's about a 1/2 liter - 1.5 liters in a week if you're counting!

I will post more updates as she heals.
Thanks for your thoughts and prayers.
-A

WE HAVE A PLAN!

Mom's doctors, cardiologists and surgeons have finally reached a decision.
Tomorrow (we think) they will be doing another pericardium window - and Shannon, you can correct me on that later. The one they did at her last hospital visit has closed, so there is a need to open it up again. Also, they'll be working on getting a tube in her chest to help her hook up to a machine and drain the fluid off her lungs weekly or daily as needed.
Again, once Shannon reads this she'll tell me what I posted wrong, so I'll get back to you, but that's the general plan right now.
Thanks again for your thoughts and prayers!

Nap Time!

We haven't gotten much news on what they're going to do for Mom yet. They've run a bunch of tests and her doctor was supposed to be in for a visit shortly - that's the last I heard. Shannon just got down there from working the overnight, and this is the sight she walked into. Tony on the bed, Mom in a trusty chair, and Kathy sleeping waaaay in the corner (see her?).

Waiting is difficult. Not knowing sucks.
Thanks for your thoughts and prayers ♥

Back to Stanford.

Apparently the Hospital loves Mom so much they want to keep her.
She went to Dr. Horn today and found that her lung is still pretty full of fluid and they're having a hard time keeping it off.
So she's going to be hanging out in the Sioux Falls Hospital for awhile.
Stop by and see her if you're in the area.

Rough Week

Mom's been fighting to catch her breath this week.
She found herself in getting 1 liter of fluid removed from her right lung - that's the WORKING one if you're keeping track.
She experienced quite a bit of relief but still had some trouble catching her breath.
She went in today for an echo-cardiogram and concurred with Dr. McHale that she had quite a bit of fluid around her heart again.
They sent her to the ER and put her on some oxygen for the day with thoughts of sending her to Sioux Falls to get the fluid removed and then decided to send her home.
We have no plan of action as of yet - just a lot of frustration.
Please send thoughts and prayers her way.
love,
abby

CT Scan-ness

Shannon's taking Mom in for her CT Scan today.

Mom's been very short of breath lately and it's hard for her to walk even a short distance without becoming very winded.

We're hoping they'll be able to relieve some of that discomfort and get her breathing back to normal, well, as normal as her breathing gets these days.

I just got home on Tuesday from a flight home to visit (surprise) her for Mother's day - I'll post pictures a little later.

♥ a

Dumpy

In a word... how Mom feels today.
Achy - icky - dumpy - gross.

We all have "those days" it just makes me more sad when SHE has "Those days".

Hopefully the painkillers and muscle relaxers kick in REAL good!

Wonder.

"Life is hard sometimes - Crazy, Mixed up, Messed up.
And there you are, in the middle of it all, just doing your thing...
being strong and brave and beautiful, like it's no big deal.
But let me tell you, girl, it is. Not everyone can do what you do.
Not everyone can handle things the way you can.
While you wonder sometimes if you're doing okay..."
I got this card for Mom a couple months ago - I ran across it online, and wanted to share it.
It was just so perfect.

Keep up the fight Momma!
We love you!

Slow goes it

Mom's still healing from her last round of Chemo. This morning she was short of breath, and was working on getting some of the fluid away from her heart to help her breath better by taking some water pills.

There's improvement, but it's not as fast as we'd like it.

She's still headed into work!

Nothing slows this lady down :)

Pain Managment

Mom's pain seems to have backed off enough for her to enjoy her Easter.


She'll know more this week as she goes to visit her regular doctors.


For now, the pain killers have become her best bud.


-a

ERoom

Mom' headed to the ER (Emergency room) this morning with a really bad pain in her right lung (yep, that's the 'good' one). She had x-rays done and blood drawn and they weren't able to see anything that would cause the pain. Her x-rays looked as normal as her x-rays look now a days.

They prescribed her some pain medication and sent her home. She was feeling pretty good once they left - but I think that was the Vicodin talking.

Hopefully she'll get some rest and heal up over the Easter weekend.

Chemo Hangover

Mom's been feeling craptastic all week since her Chemo treatments.
She has been feeling pretty weak and has "jell-o" legs.

Yesterday she went and got some fluids and they did it a little differently to help her not retain as much in places she doesn't want it to stay - so they injected 1 liter over 4 hours. She said it was a LOOONG day.

She did get to nap a little, and is back at work today though still not feeling up to par.

I told her she could just order the new kid around... she says he's all ready really wonderful and helps out a ton.

Back to Chemo next week - hope she gets a little reprieve from feeling crappy.

More, More, More!!!!

Mom's going to try MORE aggressive Chemo Treatments because it appears that the Chemo tends to keep the lump in her neck in check. I hate that she has to do more, but if it helps, it helps. Things seem to be going okay though- she's feeling decent and having a great time trying out all her new scarfs / hats / wigs! Thanks for the continued thoughts and prayers, Love, Abby

Bald is Beautiful : Round 2

Mom called this afternoon and let me know that she and Tony took the shavers to their heads this morning! Bald is Beautiful!

That Darn Cold

And no, I'm not talking about the weather... Mom's caught a bug, she was feeling pretty crap-tastic at her Benefit, but wasn't goin to miss it for the world.

She visited her doctor this past week and got on some antibiotics and is working on fighting it off - she sounded kind of like a bull frog yesterday when we spoke, but she assured me she felt a little better than earlier this week.

Our grand total for the Benefit has passed our inital count of $27,300 and is now up to $28,350 (or something like that). Thank you again, each and every red cent is appreciated.

Mom texted me this morning and it looks like the head is getting shaved again this weekend with Tony. The Chemo that "works" on her also makes her lose her hair, and it's starting to go, so wig shopping is on the agenda.

Thanks for your love, support and prayers. -a

A Few Benefit Pictures

Julie got right on the stick this morning and sent me a few pictures she took at the Benefit. I thought I'd be just as speedy at getting them posted for you! Enjoy!