Better?

I hope that everyone had a blessed Christmas. Our family was busy with all the family parties, food, and unwrapping of presents. This year we gave a "live" present to Cody. He loves his little rat and Kyle ended up buying one for his room as well. If either the dog or cat would've gotten them, they would have thought it was a grand Christmas as well! Hopefully this will not happen as we welcome Sara and Hannah to our home. They are soft and I have petted them each once, but I don't think they will be crawling on me anytime soon.

On Christmas day I noticed that Tom was talking above a horse whisper. The day after he said that he slept almost through the night. A few nights this week he did not take his cough medicine before bed. I think we are slowly turning the corner to a healthier Tom. On Thursday, December 27 Tom had a follow up appointment with Dr. Buth who said that Tom's skin was healing nicely. Tom will have hair growth again at the base of his neck, but Tom was told that he will probably never have to shave more than he is doing currently, so much for the electric shaver I bought him! Dr. Buth also said that if they do the PET scan too early it will give a false positive due to the radiation. Dr. Buth will contact U of M to see where the scan needs to be done and Tom said he prefers to do it in Grand Rapids. We still do not have a date set for the scan, but Dr. Buth thinks it will be set up for sometime in March or April. Dr. Buth is also referring Tom back to Dr. Campbell, Oncology, for a further consultation and a discussion about chemotherapy. I do not think that Tom will have chemo otherwise it would have been in the post op plans back in August. I am grateful that these Dr.'s are not taking anything for granted and Tom will go to 100 consultations (my opinion of course) until the group of Dr's are satisfied that Tom is cancer free. Tom, on the other hand is littlerly "sick" of Dr's and wants the whole ordeal over yesterday! His energy level has not yet increased and his right shoulder is numb. He gets jolts every once in a while on his right side, especially when touched in that area. I appreciate that so many of you are praying for Tom. Thanks for the wonderful Christmas cards. Your well wishes and generosity has been overwhelming to Tom and myself. Have a safe and happy new year!

Merry Christmas

It's always so busy this time of the year, but I thought it was important to acknowledge this wonderful holiday. We have already had a few parties under our belt these last few weekends and have enjoyed all of them. It's Christmas Eve and Katie will be singing in the choir tonight which brings back some of my family to our hometown. The boys are not so excited to go to church again truthfully since "We were just there yesterday". However, I hope they get the meaning of what Christmas is and who this holiday is for. Unlike the commericals, it's not all about "me".

Tom has not improved much in the last (almost) week. His breathing issues and coughing are persistent. He tires easily and that frustrates him. Tom is really starting to peal. It looks very painful and some of the new skin on his right side looks raw as though it were not ready yet to come off. I can't scratch him long enough or hard enough to make that itchy feeling go away. I worry I will do more damage than good when I sink my claws in. As Tom starts feeling better he will have a hard time waiting to go back to U of M to get his exam at the end of January. I know we are both looking to turn the page to a New Year.

As I look back at 2007 and see the roller coaster ride we've been on I think about so many things. I am grateful that Tom has pulled through and done so well under the circumstances. I look at my family and see how blessed we are and how precious our children are to both of us. I see our extended family and thank God for their support. I think of our friends and don't know how we could ever repay what they've done and realize how much they are an extension of "family". I think about our church and know that many of our "faith family" have upheld us in their prayers daily. I also think about the people we work with and how they have helped us. We have heard from people that we do not often communicate with some we have lost touch with. So even though this year has held many challenges for us physically, mentally, and emotionally I just wanted you to know that I thank God for you.

Wrapping up Christmas

Tomorrow, Thursday, December 20 we are going to try and finish the Christmas shopping. The kids are already looking at the presents we have under the tree, trying to find one with their name on it. School Christmas parties for the kids are Friday and they are ready for the break from their routine. We all are looking forward to the family Christmas parties as well.

I have had many questions about how Tom is doing. There are nights that his breathing is more like a plan old snore; other nights his breathing still sounds labored. He is still waking up with his coughing fits a few times a night. He brings his Michigan blanket to bed with him many nights, much unlike in the years past where I am covered under all the blankets including the ones he kicks off and he always had the fan on. I think he is finally over all the flu symptoms which has been a long recovery road for him. Tom is still on one solid meal a day, which many times consists of cereal or soup. We are not sure what type of scans Tom will have whether it will be the CAT or PET. Also, I am wondering what his blood test will show in accordance with his calcitonin level. Tom thinks he wants to get back to work, but I am not sure his physical and mental capacities are in conjunction with each other. I keep telling him in each phase, "This to will pass" and not to push himself too hard. Thanks again for the support and encouraging words. It still amazes me how many people are reading this blog, friends and families of friends. Thanks for walking this path with us as we could not handle this by ourselves. Your prayers have kept us positive and your encouragement gives us hope.

Another Hurdle Down

The good news is what we hope will be Tom's last radiation treatment was Thursday, December 13. Of course, like everything else, this was not an easy accomplishment. Tom came down with the flu on Wednesday night but a team of wild horses could not keep him away from his last treatment. There were two other patients that had a numerous amount of treatments along with Tom. One patient completed last Friday. The other patient was done on the same day as Tom. As Tom was getting his last dose this patient came out of the changing room with a graduation cap on her head. This brought a bunch of cheers in the waiting room. The other patient surprisingly came in with flowers for her. I think when he presented them to her there was not a dry eye in that room. Tom entered at that time with his certificate of completion and there were hugs all around! It's hard to explain, but there is a special bond when people go through this together. Total strangers become friends.

Now we enter the final phase of healing. Tom goes back to Dr. Buth on Thursday, December 27 for a recheck and a scan. He will meet with the surgeon, Dr. Teknos at the U of M on Tuesday, January 22, 2008. Tom is very anxious to get back to life as usual now. The reality is he has a lot of healing ahead of him yet. His back and face are still burnt with new skin coming through. His neck and face is still very swollen and his voice continues to be a little above a whisper. As we are getting closer to Christmas we are touched with so many generous Christmas cars and wishes. Thanks again for supporting us each step of the way. Prayer warriors: Pray that the scans come back with good news and that Tom heals quickly.

End of Week

Another week of radiation done. Tom has had a rough week. He eats one solid meal a day (which is a struggle) and the other two are a liquid diet. His weight is going into the downward motion again. He is now talking in a glorified whisper. His coughing has increased due to his saliva becoming more like a thick mucus. On Monday Dr. Buth put him on a new prescription to relax him and help him sleep because the tightening in his throat has given him "panic attacks" during the night and he is having difficulty sleeping. At the pharmacy they know me be sight now, and I am starting to feel like a drug distributor. We have put the Radiation calendar on the frig and I remind him each day how many treatments that we have to go. I'm not sure how he keeps such a good attitude about all this. In all honesty if the tables were turned, I'm not sure how I would handle all that he has gone through. This week Tom had mentioned that he does not want to do this anymore. Though I try to be his cheerleader, I know that I would not make such good patient. Throughout Tom's treatments we have met so many other cancer patients that have a dimmer survival rate of success and their stories touch my heart. It makes me think once again how fortunate we are. I am realizing that I have taken a lot for granted in my life. I know God did not allow cancer in our lives just to show me I should be grateful, but I am learning to be more so through this experience than I ever could have in life's daily path.

A New Week

I can't believe how much better Tom feels now that he is off the shots. He has a great attitude about the rest of this treatments. I am relieved that they are moving the radiation off his salivary glands and that the threat of not having saliva is not an issue. Tom still has a long stretch to go though. Tom had his blood test results and they continue to adjust his Thyroid medication. He is up many nights struggling with sore throat, coughing, and breathing issues. In the mornings he does not have a voice at all. It's becoming more noticeable where Tom is getting his radiation treatments. His neck and face appears as though he has a bad sunburn. He is losing hair on the back side of his head and he does not have to worry about shaving for a while. I'm glad that they are not anticipating this to be permanent. The kids are geared up for Christmas. We have Kyle's band concert this week, he plays a trumpet and is 2nd chair. The boys have started their Christmas shopping and Katie will buy her gifts through Santa's Secret Shop at school. As our Christmas season begins, things are swinging into the hectic side once again. I hope to sit back and remember "The Reason for the Season" every once in a while.