Are you thinking, "NO NEWS IS GOOD NEWS?" Well, I think you would be correct!
Dina is feeling good and in my humble opinion, looking good too! Three weeks after her last chemo she took off for a four day week-end over the President's Day holiday to San Francisco with her older daughter, Ellie, for a Volleyball tournament. She survived, had fun, enjoyed the trip and the excursions they took in the city (Ghiradelli was definitely on the list!) Although she was disappointed to see hair on her towel after showering...it was starting to grow back, little baby fuzz...oh well, it will grow again!
After she came back, she had a birthday...36 years! Seriously? How did that happen? We had dinner with her and the kids, along with Lacey and her kiddos...the husbands were working the Pizza bus! The next day we took Dina to lunch and shopping. We bought her a new scarf to wear on her head...something a little lighter weight for our upcoming trip to Arizona! She didn't think all the knit hats would be the thing to wear while in AZ around the pool! (we are sure hoping we can be at the pool!!)
And to top off her birthday week (yes, around these parts, we celebrate the WEEK!) Jamie took her to LA for a one night trip to watch the Trailblazers play the Lakers! Up on the BIG screen he managed to have written: Love you, Dina! And she wore her RED wig and black hat for the game!
To keep you all in the loop: Dina has some tests this Thursday...EKG is one of them. HOWEVER, the BIG test occurs on MONDAY, March 4...the PET and CT scan! Pray, pray, pray. She sees the doctor on Thursday the 7th to get the results! She knows that she will need another bone biopsy...the last one hurt a lot but that was because the cancer was packed in pretty tight, the doctor really had to struggle to get the needle in...we are thinking because it is gone (!!!) it won't be as painful! How is that for positive thinking??
I am feeling better too! About time, wouldn't you say? The cough is so much better...still lingering, but it is good. I go in this week for another urine test to be sure the UTI is all cleared up! YEAH!!
The rest of the family is doing well. My dad came to Jalen's BB game yesterday morning and from there we went to Lily's BB game...he loves watching the kids...and of course watching 5 year old boys play basketball is really a hoot...they could be on America's Funniest Videos!
I will post the Good News as soon as I know it! Thank you all again for continued prayers.
Sunday, February 24, 2013
Thursday, February 7, 2013
13 days post 6th chemo
I mentioned in the previous post that Dina was running a fever. She went into the oncologist office Wednesday so they could draw blood and check her white count, it looked good. She had a chest x-ray and her lungs also looked good. She was definitely not feeling good, stuffy nose, sore throat, but I think her fever broke. She spent the day in bed...just where she needs to be. Jalen started coughing again this morning too...I think this is just a tough time of year, lots of flu and cold bugs going around...and Dina has those three children...one being a kindergartener who keeps catching things and bringing them home. Not good for someone who has gone through chemo and the immunity system is compromised.
I woke up this morning, two days after completing my last antibiotics and knew immediately the UTI was not cleared up. I called the doctor and they in turn called the Urologist to see if he could see me ASAP (my appointment was for next Monday and no way could I last that long without some intervention). My urologist saw me in the afternoon. I have a bacteria that in 5% of people, it takes the BIG guns to clear it up. Apparently it is a nasty one that really likes to latch onto the bladder walls and doesn't easily let go. So I got a SHOT in my TUSHIE today and will get another one tomorrow and Friday also. I will go back in a week for another urine culture to make sure it is all cleared up. YEAH! I am hoping this will do the trick and I will feel better.
Of course I still have the cough...the nasty dreaded cough, but I feel it is getting better, too.
I am sure Dina and I are both hoping by the weekend we are feeling better.
Did you read the Caring Bridge Post that Ellie made Wednesday night? You can go HERE to read Ellie's story.
I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in His word I put my hope. Psalm 130:5
That was the quote at the end of Ellie's post. I like that and wanted to repeat it here. He gives us HOPE and we trust in His hope and live for it...!
Thank you for your continued prayers for healing and for complete remission of this disease.
I woke up this morning, two days after completing my last antibiotics and knew immediately the UTI was not cleared up. I called the doctor and they in turn called the Urologist to see if he could see me ASAP (my appointment was for next Monday and no way could I last that long without some intervention). My urologist saw me in the afternoon. I have a bacteria that in 5% of people, it takes the BIG guns to clear it up. Apparently it is a nasty one that really likes to latch onto the bladder walls and doesn't easily let go. So I got a SHOT in my TUSHIE today and will get another one tomorrow and Friday also. I will go back in a week for another urine culture to make sure it is all cleared up. YEAH! I am hoping this will do the trick and I will feel better.
Of course I still have the cough...the nasty dreaded cough, but I feel it is getting better, too.
I am sure Dina and I are both hoping by the weekend we are feeling better.
Did you read the Caring Bridge Post that Ellie made Wednesday night? You can go HERE to read Ellie's story.
I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in His word I put my hope. Psalm 130:5
That was the quote at the end of Ellie's post. I like that and wanted to repeat it here. He gives us HOPE and we trust in His hope and live for it...!
Thank you for your continued prayers for healing and for complete remission of this disease.
Wednesday, February 6, 2013
A Community of Love and Support
Sunday, February 3, yes it was Super Bowl Sunday, but it was also a Super day for Dina. Our church sold Team Dina gear for three weekends and everyone wore them on Sunday at the 11 Mass...or they wore purple in honor of Dina. It was pretty awesome to see the church filled with a sea of purple to support Dina. My 91 year old dad came proudly wearing his Fight Like a Girl T-shirt!
At the end of Mass, after Father gave his final blessing for us to go out and be Jesus to the world, he and the deacon took off their vestments and laid them on the chairs, they each wore their own Team Dina T-shirts! It was a very touching and emotional moment to see that support and love from our pastor and deacon. Then Father Bill took the holy anointing oil and stood in front of the alter. Dina was sitting on the side, but she walked up to Father and he anointed her with the oil by making the sign of the cross on her forehead and on both of her palms saying a prayer. Dina cried, she hugged Father and walked back to her pew. The church clapped. Not many dry eyes in the church. It was a very touching, moving and emotional moment.
I wanted to copy from an exerpt what the anointing oil signifies to us in the Catholic Church. This was the fourth time that Father anointed Dina during her illness.
"The anointing of the sick conveys several graces and imparts gifts of strengthening in the Holy Spirit against anxiety, discouragement, and temptation, and conveys peace and fortitude (CCC 1520). These graces flow from the atoning death of Jesus Christ, for "this was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah, ‘He took our infirmities and bore our diseases’" (Matt. 8:17).
Mark refers to the sacrament when he recounts how Jesus sent out the twelve disciples to preach, and "they cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many that were sick and healed them" (Mark 6:13). In his epistle, James says, "Is any among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; and the prayer of faith will save the sick man, and the Lord will raise him up; and if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven" (Jas. 5:14–15)."
We BELIEVE. We have FAITH. We TRUST in the Lord. We pray for His will to know what is best for us. We pray for Dina to be healed.
Friends, family, church members, even two sisters from a nearby parish who read about this event in the Catholic Sentinel came to be there on Sunday to show their support. They told Dina this...she did not know them. She was given a bouquet of flowers from a special lady, she was given hugs and words of encouragement. She is loved and admired.
What a beautiful and glorious day. People are glorifying Our Lord through their actions...through their love and support for Dina. We must remember this moment always. We must remember to always give to the least of those among us. We must remember even though we may personally not know someone who is going through difficulties, it is important to reach out and touch them...to be "Jesus" to them. I know this journey with Dina and even myself has opened my eyes to be more aware and to be more open and giving with anyone and everyone.
~ Dina news: she started running a fever last night. Are we surprised? There is so much 'stuff' going around, her son who was running a fever and had a horrible cough on the day of her last chemo, is back to coughing and having a runny nose. She is having a chest x-ray done today, she is having more blood drawn today, even though she had it done yesterday...they keep a close eye on anyone who has a fever and going through chemo. Pray that she can get through this little set back and bounce back on her feet.
~ Lacey's family has seen this also, her little guy has had the fever twice in the last two weeks and vomiting. Now her husband and older son have the diarrhea and fevers. Even Lacey had it last week. Addie has the cough, but so far no fever.
~ My cough changed last Friday...I could feel it and it was deep. I saw the doctor on Monday and it is bronchitis. Thankful it was not pneumonia! The doctor was concerned about giving me more antibiotics for the bronchitis, he feared my immune system is compromised from the last 7 weeks of being on antibiotics because of the UTI. I finished the last round of antibiotics on Sunday night, and are you surprised to learn that it is back now on Wednesday? OMG! I had an appointment with a urologist as my family doctor was concerned about the 7 weeks of trying different drugs to knock this thing out and it is fine while I am on the drugs but within two days it is back. Thankfully I was able to move my appointment up to TODAY with the urologist...hoping he has some tricks up his sleeve that will kill this bacteria once and for all. You know what they say about hospitals and bacteria. My doctor is sure it came from my lung surgery and having a catheter.
As Dina's favorite bible verse says and what is written on the back of all the Team Dina gear: "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean NOT on your own understanding. Proverbs 3:5" this is our mantra....this is what we believe.
Thank you all for your prayers. Did I tell you March 7 is the PET and CT scan day? Hopefully we will get the results the very next day...which happens to be Jamie's birthday...wouldn't that be the BEST present ever?
At the end of Mass, after Father gave his final blessing for us to go out and be Jesus to the world, he and the deacon took off their vestments and laid them on the chairs, they each wore their own Team Dina T-shirts! It was a very touching and emotional moment to see that support and love from our pastor and deacon. Then Father Bill took the holy anointing oil and stood in front of the alter. Dina was sitting on the side, but she walked up to Father and he anointed her with the oil by making the sign of the cross on her forehead and on both of her palms saying a prayer. Dina cried, she hugged Father and walked back to her pew. The church clapped. Not many dry eyes in the church. It was a very touching, moving and emotional moment.
I wanted to copy from an exerpt what the anointing oil signifies to us in the Catholic Church. This was the fourth time that Father anointed Dina during her illness.
"The anointing of the sick conveys several graces and imparts gifts of strengthening in the Holy Spirit against anxiety, discouragement, and temptation, and conveys peace and fortitude (CCC 1520). These graces flow from the atoning death of Jesus Christ, for "this was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah, ‘He took our infirmities and bore our diseases’" (Matt. 8:17).
Mark refers to the sacrament when he recounts how Jesus sent out the twelve disciples to preach, and "they cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many that were sick and healed them" (Mark 6:13). In his epistle, James says, "Is any among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; and the prayer of faith will save the sick man, and the Lord will raise him up; and if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven" (Jas. 5:14–15)."
We BELIEVE. We have FAITH. We TRUST in the Lord. We pray for His will to know what is best for us. We pray for Dina to be healed.
Friends, family, church members, even two sisters from a nearby parish who read about this event in the Catholic Sentinel came to be there on Sunday to show their support. They told Dina this...she did not know them. She was given a bouquet of flowers from a special lady, she was given hugs and words of encouragement. She is loved and admired.
What a beautiful and glorious day. People are glorifying Our Lord through their actions...through their love and support for Dina. We must remember this moment always. We must remember to always give to the least of those among us. We must remember even though we may personally not know someone who is going through difficulties, it is important to reach out and touch them...to be "Jesus" to them. I know this journey with Dina and even myself has opened my eyes to be more aware and to be more open and giving with anyone and everyone.
~ Dina news: she started running a fever last night. Are we surprised? There is so much 'stuff' going around, her son who was running a fever and had a horrible cough on the day of her last chemo, is back to coughing and having a runny nose. She is having a chest x-ray done today, she is having more blood drawn today, even though she had it done yesterday...they keep a close eye on anyone who has a fever and going through chemo. Pray that she can get through this little set back and bounce back on her feet.
~ Lacey's family has seen this also, her little guy has had the fever twice in the last two weeks and vomiting. Now her husband and older son have the diarrhea and fevers. Even Lacey had it last week. Addie has the cough, but so far no fever.
~ My cough changed last Friday...I could feel it and it was deep. I saw the doctor on Monday and it is bronchitis. Thankful it was not pneumonia! The doctor was concerned about giving me more antibiotics for the bronchitis, he feared my immune system is compromised from the last 7 weeks of being on antibiotics because of the UTI. I finished the last round of antibiotics on Sunday night, and are you surprised to learn that it is back now on Wednesday? OMG! I had an appointment with a urologist as my family doctor was concerned about the 7 weeks of trying different drugs to knock this thing out and it is fine while I am on the drugs but within two days it is back. Thankfully I was able to move my appointment up to TODAY with the urologist...hoping he has some tricks up his sleeve that will kill this bacteria once and for all. You know what they say about hospitals and bacteria. My doctor is sure it came from my lung surgery and having a catheter.
As Dina's favorite bible verse says and what is written on the back of all the Team Dina gear: "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean NOT on your own understanding. Proverbs 3:5" this is our mantra....this is what we believe.
Thank you all for your prayers. Did I tell you March 7 is the PET and CT scan day? Hopefully we will get the results the very next day...which happens to be Jamie's birthday...wouldn't that be the BEST present ever?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)