Dad did get to have the CAT scan yesterday. He should have the test results sometime next week. I talked to him this morning and this has been a hard week health wise for him. He says he just "feels" his health is declining and wants to start to get some things in order so that mom doesn't have to deal with them.
He also told me he has made a very hard decision; he is going to give up his plumbing business. This was very difficult for many reasons but mostly not interacting and meeting new people along with the loss of income. He must now try to figure out what he can do to replace that income. He really enjoyed meeting new people and sharing his faith with them. He has had some very loyal customers over the years and hopes to continue those relationships outside of plumbing.
They did get the lift on Thursday and dad installed it. It has been very helpful for loading the electric chair in and out of the van. Mom said it is dragging a bit and so they need to make some adjustments but they are very glad to have it. Mom loves the electric chair and is using it almost all the time now instead of the wheelchair, even at home. It took her sometime to learn how to drive it. Dad said you can see where she has been in the apartment by the dents in the dishwasher and walls.
This week dad will be having chemo again. Hopefully, he will have his test results before so if there needs to be changes to his treatment it could happen this week. Just a reminder about the fund. Even though they now have the lift, there is still great financial need. Even more so now that dad is giving up his business. He told me that each chemo treatment is about $30,000.00 of which he has to pay 20%. That means that he has to pay $12,000.00 a month just for chemo not including all the other doctor appts and testing they are doing.
Calls, visits, emails, prayers and blog comments are all welcome by mom and dad. They really appreciate every one of you and your support.
Saturday, May 2, 2009
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Bummed
Well, today was supposed to be an exciting day for dad - CAT scan day. Yes, I said supposed to be. His insurance denied it; darn it. He was really looking forward to it. Not so much the actual procedure but the end result of actually knowing if all that he is going through is making a difference or not. They did reschedule it for Friday, May 1st, because the doctor's office was going to appeal it.
He has been trying to do a few little plumbing jobs just to generate some income and so that he wouldn't be so bored at home. When I talked to him last night he felt like his health was declining again. He hasn't been using the oxygen very much but yesterday he came home from working and put it on and decided to sleep with it on as well. He said he just isn't feeling as well as he has the last couple of weeks.
The lift for the van is scheduled to be delivered tomorrow. That will be very helpful for dad. Mom has let Aunt Charlene use her scooter and so mom is using a much heavier electric chair. This has limited their ability to be as mobile because the chair is just too heavy for dad to lift in and out of the van. (Aunt Charlene, whom has been a tremendous help for mom and dad has to have knee replacement surgery on May 5th or 9th - I can't remember for sure. Keep her in your prayers as she has been a great support for mom and dad despite dealing with her own health issues.)
As for dad's other issues, I don't know if the doctors have resolved any of them. Some things a daughter just doesn't want to know!!!! :0)
He has been trying to do a few little plumbing jobs just to generate some income and so that he wouldn't be so bored at home. When I talked to him last night he felt like his health was declining again. He hasn't been using the oxygen very much but yesterday he came home from working and put it on and decided to sleep with it on as well. He said he just isn't feeling as well as he has the last couple of weeks.
The lift for the van is scheduled to be delivered tomorrow. That will be very helpful for dad. Mom has let Aunt Charlene use her scooter and so mom is using a much heavier electric chair. This has limited their ability to be as mobile because the chair is just too heavy for dad to lift in and out of the van. (Aunt Charlene, whom has been a tremendous help for mom and dad has to have knee replacement surgery on May 5th or 9th - I can't remember for sure. Keep her in your prayers as she has been a great support for mom and dad despite dealing with her own health issues.)
As for dad's other issues, I don't know if the doctors have resolved any of them. Some things a daughter just doesn't want to know!!!! :0)
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
No news is Good news?!
Yes, it has been awhile since we have updated the blog. Mom and Dad had a good weekend. They did make it to church again; two weeks in a row!! After church they went out to lunch and then to the Woodburn Tulip Festival. Apparently they kept losing dad because he would wander off taking pictures. He did quite a bit of walking and went without oxygen all day. He really enjoyed being able to take his pictures again. We are going to try and get some more pictures on here so you can see what a gifted photographer he is.
Monday was chemo day. He was supposed to get a shot because his red cell count was low. When he went back today to get the "take home bag" removed, they gave him the shot which has turned out to be quite painful. He said with this round of chemo he has had some shakes and shivers that he hasn't had with previous treatment but he still hasn't lost any of his hair.
Pray for several upcoming dr. appts. The most important is on April 29th. He will be having a CAT Scan to see if there has been any progress from his treatments. I think he mentioned he had a couple of other appts too but I can't remember what for or if he even told me.
Mom has been a little under the weather but is doing better now. The deal with her ears is that she has water in her ear drums. She is on a stronger antibiotic and if it isn't better in 3 weeks, she goes in and they put a hole in her ear drum so that it can drain. She is hoping the antibiotics work.
Another prayer request would be that dad would be well enough to come to Sisters for Emily's graduation. She graduates from high school on June 5th and we would really like mom and dad to be there, Lord willing.
This Saturday they will be getting a hitch on their van so that they can then get the lift installed. They are very excited about this and are very thankful for the gifts that have been given to the fund. Without those gifts, this would not be possible. Dad has not worked for several months yet God continues to provide for their every need.
That's about all I know or can at least remember at this late hour. I noticed mom and dad had both been on Facebook this past week. If you aren't their friend, ask them to be and that would be another way to be able to get updates.
Monday was chemo day. He was supposed to get a shot because his red cell count was low. When he went back today to get the "take home bag" removed, they gave him the shot which has turned out to be quite painful. He said with this round of chemo he has had some shakes and shivers that he hasn't had with previous treatment but he still hasn't lost any of his hair.
Pray for several upcoming dr. appts. The most important is on April 29th. He will be having a CAT Scan to see if there has been any progress from his treatments. I think he mentioned he had a couple of other appts too but I can't remember what for or if he even told me.
Mom has been a little under the weather but is doing better now. The deal with her ears is that she has water in her ear drums. She is on a stronger antibiotic and if it isn't better in 3 weeks, she goes in and they put a hole in her ear drum so that it can drain. She is hoping the antibiotics work.
Another prayer request would be that dad would be well enough to come to Sisters for Emily's graduation. She graduates from high school on June 5th and we would really like mom and dad to be there, Lord willing.
This Saturday they will be getting a hitch on their van so that they can then get the lift installed. They are very excited about this and are very thankful for the gifts that have been given to the fund. Without those gifts, this would not be possible. Dad has not worked for several months yet God continues to provide for their every need.
That's about all I know or can at least remember at this late hour. I noticed mom and dad had both been on Facebook this past week. If you aren't their friend, ask them to be and that would be another way to be able to get updates.
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Not Today
Hope everyone had a wonderful Easter. Mom and Dad did get to go to church and that meant a lot to them. Dad said it was nice to go to where there were familiar hymns and a good ol' altar call. I know he has had a few visits with this pastor and that they would like to try and go again soon. They went out to lunch with Chuck and Charlene and then just had a quiet afternoon at home.
Today was supposed to be chemo day but dad's doctor was sick so no chemo treatment today. Chuck had taken dad to treatment so they decided that if dad couldn't get chemo that he could go and get a Krispy Kreme doughnut and coffee. I'm so jealous - we don't have one of those in Central Oregon. His chemo is rescheduled for Monday but at a different clinic that is further away from their apartment. Dad has been having some other pain that he thought was a side effect of the chemo so he went to the doctor earlier this week. Found out that it isn't from the chemo and so he is supposed to be seeing another dr. They called and got him an appt with that dr on Tuesday at 4:00 but Dad didn't get the message until it was too late to be able to go.
Mom's ears aren't getting any better and she has lost a lot of her hearing so she is going to an Ear Nose Throat specialist on Friday. She is hoping that she can get some answers for whatever it is that is going on.
Everything else seems to be going well. Dad actually drove himself down the hill the other day to get a haircut. First time has driven in a couple of months. I think mom has told him he shouldn't drive to far from home and so far he has been obedient. He has told me that he is getting pretty tired of being home and can't wait to get back to work, Lord willing.
Thanks for caring about my dad and mom.
Today was supposed to be chemo day but dad's doctor was sick so no chemo treatment today. Chuck had taken dad to treatment so they decided that if dad couldn't get chemo that he could go and get a Krispy Kreme doughnut and coffee. I'm so jealous - we don't have one of those in Central Oregon. His chemo is rescheduled for Monday but at a different clinic that is further away from their apartment. Dad has been having some other pain that he thought was a side effect of the chemo so he went to the doctor earlier this week. Found out that it isn't from the chemo and so he is supposed to be seeing another dr. They called and got him an appt with that dr on Tuesday at 4:00 but Dad didn't get the message until it was too late to be able to go.
Mom's ears aren't getting any better and she has lost a lot of her hearing so she is going to an Ear Nose Throat specialist on Friday. She is hoping that she can get some answers for whatever it is that is going on.
Everything else seems to be going well. Dad actually drove himself down the hill the other day to get a haircut. First time has driven in a couple of months. I think mom has told him he shouldn't drive to far from home and so far he has been obedient. He has told me that he is getting pretty tired of being home and can't wait to get back to work, Lord willing.
Thanks for caring about my dad and mom.
Saturday, April 11, 2009
So Far, So Good
Well, Dad has had a great week. He has been doing well at home getting things done. Mom has worked almost a full week this week. This is good since her boss broke her foot and has been out. (We hope your foot heals well and quickly!) The home healthcare nurse came by on Wednesday. She was very pleased with his health (considering he has cancer in 4 major organs) except that his blood pressure was a little low. She is going to recommend that they have a physical therapist come in and do some work with dad to get his strength back and help with his equilibrim.
One night this week, mom and dad actually met up with some friends for wine tasting. This is something they use to do on a weekly basis with friends. Dad couldn't taste the wine but these special friends had made it into a bit of a birthday celebration for him too. I think they both enjoyed getting out and doing something "normal" that they haven't done for quite awhile.
Today was a little rougher for dad. He said that he was in quite a bit of pain this morning and couldn't really get it under control. He spent most of the afternoon on a higher dose than normal of oxygen. He thinks he was supposed to change the pain patch a few days ago and that perhaps it is doing more for his pain than he thinks it is. He promised me that he would change it before he went to bed tonight.
Thank you for your continued prayer and support. We hope that everyone has a wonderful Easter Sunday. We are so thankful that Jesus chose to die and rose from the dead so that we may have the choice to believe and have eternal life. God is good!!
One night this week, mom and dad actually met up with some friends for wine tasting. This is something they use to do on a weekly basis with friends. Dad couldn't taste the wine but these special friends had made it into a bit of a birthday celebration for him too. I think they both enjoyed getting out and doing something "normal" that they haven't done for quite awhile.
Today was a little rougher for dad. He said that he was in quite a bit of pain this morning and couldn't really get it under control. He spent most of the afternoon on a higher dose than normal of oxygen. He thinks he was supposed to change the pain patch a few days ago and that perhaps it is doing more for his pain than he thinks it is. He promised me that he would change it before he went to bed tonight.
Thank you for your continued prayer and support. We hope that everyone has a wonderful Easter Sunday. We are so thankful that Jesus chose to die and rose from the dead so that we may have the choice to believe and have eternal life. God is good!!
Monday, April 6, 2009
Another good day....
We cannot express how grateful we are for all of your prayers and thoughts on behalf of Larry. Today was another good day. We're on a roll!
Larry ended up sleeping last evening so didn't venture out like he had hoped. But today, Chuck, Larry's brother-in-law, came over for part of the day. They shared lunch together and went to a couple of Larry's favorite spots (Target and Fry's, an electronics store). Larry also spent some time in his garage puttering around, organizing and cleaning. He did take a minor fall and bonk his head while in the garage, but he is okay and Sherry has scolded him appropriately. Perhaps we need to wind him up in bubble-wrap so he doesn't hurt himself when he falls!
Chuck and Charlene's Pastor and his wife came over today to visit and do some cleaning. They have become good friends through all this. Larry loves to talk about his faith...and NASCAR (not necessarily in that order!)
The day ended with Sherry getting off work and the two of them heading to Chuck and Charlene's house for a good meal. Having had a late evening nap Larry didn't sleep too well last night but with all his activity today he will likely get good rest tonight.
We'd mentioned a computer program that was found on Sunday (Adobe Photoshop CS3). Larry got some time to load that onto his computer. A kind tech support guy at Adobe helped Larry over the phone get it installed and didn't charge Larry the $400 support call charge. He had compassion on Larry's situation and helped him out. Larry was happy to get his program loaded. We are all the beneficiaries of viewing Larry's photography, so we are excited to see what he will come up with using his new program.
Thanks again for your love and support of Larry and Sherry that has been displayed in so many ways.
Larry ended up sleeping last evening so didn't venture out like he had hoped. But today, Chuck, Larry's brother-in-law, came over for part of the day. They shared lunch together and went to a couple of Larry's favorite spots (Target and Fry's, an electronics store). Larry also spent some time in his garage puttering around, organizing and cleaning. He did take a minor fall and bonk his head while in the garage, but he is okay and Sherry has scolded him appropriately. Perhaps we need to wind him up in bubble-wrap so he doesn't hurt himself when he falls!
Chuck and Charlene's Pastor and his wife came over today to visit and do some cleaning. They have become good friends through all this. Larry loves to talk about his faith...and NASCAR (not necessarily in that order!)
The day ended with Sherry getting off work and the two of them heading to Chuck and Charlene's house for a good meal. Having had a late evening nap Larry didn't sleep too well last night but with all his activity today he will likely get good rest tonight.
We'd mentioned a computer program that was found on Sunday (Adobe Photoshop CS3). Larry got some time to load that onto his computer. A kind tech support guy at Adobe helped Larry over the phone get it installed and didn't charge Larry the $400 support call charge. He had compassion on Larry's situation and helped him out. Larry was happy to get his program loaded. We are all the beneficiaries of viewing Larry's photography, so we are excited to see what he will come up with using his new program.
Thanks again for your love and support of Larry and Sherry that has been displayed in so many ways.
Sunday, April 5, 2009
A Great Weekend
Well, Dad is now another year older! Congratulations!! A very nice birthday gift of $500 was deposited into the benevolence fund. Again, thank you to the very nice giver for being so generous. You have totally blown the socks off of dad. He just can't believe that someone would care enough about him to give such a large sum. Thank you for the blessing and may God bless you ten-fold for it.
You have heard the saying "All work and no play makes for a dull boy"? Well, dad decided suddenly that "All sickness and no work makes for a dull boy" so he decided to accomplish everything he hasn't been able to do the last several weeks into 2 days. He was given a liquid steroid in his chemo and he has been like the energizer bunny. He has pushed himself a little too much but is getting better at realizing when he needs to stop and rest and put his oxygen back on.
Mom has been sick for several days so she went to the Dr. Friday morning and turns out that she has ear infections in both ears. She can hardly hear but hopefully the medicine will kick in soon. Dad had a difficult night Friday. Couldn't sleep and in a lot of pain. He ate so he could take some pain medicine. Eventual he lost all that he ate, all over his keyboard.
When we got there Saturday about 10:30am he had already been cleaning house so we told him he needed to rest so he was able to enjoy his visitors. Thank you everyone who stopped by or called or left messages on the blog for Dad's birthday. After several visitors, we went to dinner at Claim Jumpers. Good food, slow service. We had reservations for 7:30 and finally got our food about 8:45. We didn't get out of there until close to 10:00 which is way past Mom and Dad's bedtime. On the way home Dad did say he had a wonderful birthday and that he was very blessed.
This morning, we got over to the house about 11:00 and dad was out in the parking lot in his pj's. He had moved his work van to a parking spot further away so someone else could park closer. It was the first time he had driven since his accident about 5 or 6 weeks ago. He also moved the very heavy scooter out of mom's van and into the garage to get it charged for mom to use. He had moved another large and heavy motorized chair from their back deck into the garage. He had cleaned off their back deck and was moving seats around in their van. Like I said, he went from Lazarus to the energizer bunny in just a few days. It is hard to believe that a week ago he was at the hospital and the Dr was offering him a free stay at his assisted living facility. We left about 2:30 and I believe he had plans to go to Fry's, his favorite electronic store just to do something he enjoys. The fact that he is well enough to even go is an amazing turn around from 2 weeks ago.
He has big plans for catching up on paperwork this week. We will have to see what adventures he has planned after that. It could be an interesting week.
Thanks again for sharing in his life.
You have heard the saying "All work and no play makes for a dull boy"? Well, dad decided suddenly that "All sickness and no work makes for a dull boy" so he decided to accomplish everything he hasn't been able to do the last several weeks into 2 days. He was given a liquid steroid in his chemo and he has been like the energizer bunny. He has pushed himself a little too much but is getting better at realizing when he needs to stop and rest and put his oxygen back on.
Mom has been sick for several days so she went to the Dr. Friday morning and turns out that she has ear infections in both ears. She can hardly hear but hopefully the medicine will kick in soon. Dad had a difficult night Friday. Couldn't sleep and in a lot of pain. He ate so he could take some pain medicine. Eventual he lost all that he ate, all over his keyboard.
When we got there Saturday about 10:30am he had already been cleaning house so we told him he needed to rest so he was able to enjoy his visitors. Thank you everyone who stopped by or called or left messages on the blog for Dad's birthday. After several visitors, we went to dinner at Claim Jumpers. Good food, slow service. We had reservations for 7:30 and finally got our food about 8:45. We didn't get out of there until close to 10:00 which is way past Mom and Dad's bedtime. On the way home Dad did say he had a wonderful birthday and that he was very blessed.
This morning, we got over to the house about 11:00 and dad was out in the parking lot in his pj's. He had moved his work van to a parking spot further away so someone else could park closer. It was the first time he had driven since his accident about 5 or 6 weeks ago. He also moved the very heavy scooter out of mom's van and into the garage to get it charged for mom to use. He had moved another large and heavy motorized chair from their back deck into the garage. He had cleaned off their back deck and was moving seats around in their van. Like I said, he went from Lazarus to the energizer bunny in just a few days. It is hard to believe that a week ago he was at the hospital and the Dr was offering him a free stay at his assisted living facility. We left about 2:30 and I believe he had plans to go to Fry's, his favorite electronic store just to do something he enjoys. The fact that he is well enough to even go is an amazing turn around from 2 weeks ago.
He has big plans for catching up on paperwork this week. We will have to see what adventures he has planned after that. It could be an interesting week.
Thanks again for sharing in his life.
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