Katie and I had a lot of fun decorating the Christmas tree. I can say that the Andrews' house is finally ready for the Holidays. It is a two day process to move furniture, take the everyday stuff down, bring boxes up, unpack and repack to bring the boxes back down; but it is done until the new year. The boys were more interested in sledding in the new snow and tonight there are inquiries in the house as to whether we will have school tomorrow. The kids all are hoping to add another day to the Holiday break.
Tom was busy this weekend working, but he did take a break to enjoy some turkey and family time. We had a lot of fun on Thanksgiving with the family and were literally "stuffed" before we left. It was nice to connect with our loved ones and have a day to just be thankful for all that we have.
This past week we also started making the list of who we bought for and what we still need. I wondered again what our focus is and should be for the holiday season. I get so caught up in the shopping, baking, volunteering, and planning that I sometimes forget to stop and think about the "Reason for the Season" This year I plan to take some time and thank God for his precious life-giving gift.
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Monday, November 24, 2008
That's Life
What a busy week we have had, and it only gets busier as the holidays near! The kids have a bunch of school programs coming up this month and that does not include the Cheer leading, church parties, work parties, and family parties. I am not stressing yet.
Tom and Kyle got their deer on opening day...OK they actually got 4 deer all together. Tom got 3 and Kyle got his first buck. Way to go Kyle! My frig was full on Thursday, and I worried about the shelves breaking from all that weight. Then on Friday was the start of our mini vacation to Ohio. Yes, we traveled 300 miles to visit friends and watch Michigan get the wind knocked out one last time this year. There were 7 families (28 people) at our friend's house. We all had a good time regardless of the loss. The nice part is that we were warm and dry watching the game on one of their many big TV screens. We had a good time connecting with friends, some that we have not seen for 2 years. Now we are all back home settled in and tired! I am glad that this is a short work/school week and then we have family time. I am looking forward to turkey and catching up with the family members we do not have many chances to see.
Tom's schedule is not getting any lighter. I am glad that he at least made time for the important medical visits. He is also looking forward to the family get together this holiday season. Tom continues to have good days and bad. There are days that he looks very swollen. The mornings are the worse as he tries to get his mouth and salivary glands working again. The other day he flicked the bottom of his chin, it was as hard as a rock. He doesn't let these things get him down though; and I am grateful for that.
I can say that our family has come a long way in the last year and we still have many more memories to make. We have a lot to be grateful for and still some lessons to learn. As Cody would say when he was a little boy, "That's life"
Tom and Kyle got their deer on opening day...OK they actually got 4 deer all together. Tom got 3 and Kyle got his first buck. Way to go Kyle! My frig was full on Thursday, and I worried about the shelves breaking from all that weight. Then on Friday was the start of our mini vacation to Ohio. Yes, we traveled 300 miles to visit friends and watch Michigan get the wind knocked out one last time this year. There were 7 families (28 people) at our friend's house. We all had a good time regardless of the loss. The nice part is that we were warm and dry watching the game on one of their many big TV screens. We had a good time connecting with friends, some that we have not seen for 2 years. Now we are all back home settled in and tired! I am glad that this is a short work/school week and then we have family time. I am looking forward to turkey and catching up with the family members we do not have many chances to see.
Tom's schedule is not getting any lighter. I am glad that he at least made time for the important medical visits. He is also looking forward to the family get together this holiday season. Tom continues to have good days and bad. There are days that he looks very swollen. The mornings are the worse as he tries to get his mouth and salivary glands working again. The other day he flicked the bottom of his chin, it was as hard as a rock. He doesn't let these things get him down though; and I am grateful for that.
I can say that our family has come a long way in the last year and we still have many more memories to make. We have a lot to be grateful for and still some lessons to learn. As Cody would say when he was a little boy, "That's life"
Friday, November 14, 2008
Deer Hunting
Another week has passed. I don't know where the time goes between blogs. Weeks feel like days and months fly by like weeks. This week was fun because I went Christmas shopping and did not need to spend a dime. Every year Grandma needs assistance with the kids ideas (they are specific on the video/DS games, toys, etc.) and it gives me an excuse to spend a day with my mom. Katie wanted to know what she was getting and did not think it was fair that I knew and she had to wait. Cody tried to "find" them until I reminded him that Grandma brought them home to wrap. Oh well, anticipation is half the fun!
Tom and Kyle were out the door as soon as Kyle got home from school Friday to do the "manly bonding" a.k.a Hunting. I told them both that if they saw brown, shoot it down! Our freezer is empty and waiting. Tom and I laughed as we were pulling onto our street today and saw two does standing in the middle of the road in the "swamp" area. The biggest one was not quick to move, almost daring Tom to start his season one day early. I hope that this is a symbol for the weekend. The boys are actually going hunting for more than one day this year as friends of ours, we call them Mom and Dad Shaw, are home this winter and have graciously opened their home to the guys. I know that they will be taken care of as the Freyblers and Andrews are trying to encourage another generation of "hunters"
I made traded calls to Tom's primary doctor about the upcoming procedures; you would think we'd remember how these went in the past. I do know that after the PET/CT scan is done that the primary doctor will call us with the results. Not much else to report. I can't express how much it means to have others continually praying for Tom. I know that we are not the only family facing "things". With this down economy and others challenges, we all need to pray for each other. I will end with this verse that has been placed upon my heart. 1Timothy 2:1 "Pray much for others: plead for God's mercy upon them; give thanks for all he is going to do for them."
Tom and Kyle were out the door as soon as Kyle got home from school Friday to do the "manly bonding" a.k.a Hunting. I told them both that if they saw brown, shoot it down! Our freezer is empty and waiting. Tom and I laughed as we were pulling onto our street today and saw two does standing in the middle of the road in the "swamp" area. The biggest one was not quick to move, almost daring Tom to start his season one day early. I hope that this is a symbol for the weekend. The boys are actually going hunting for more than one day this year as friends of ours, we call them Mom and Dad Shaw, are home this winter and have graciously opened their home to the guys. I know that they will be taken care of as the Freyblers and Andrews are trying to encourage another generation of "hunters"
I made traded calls to Tom's primary doctor about the upcoming procedures; you would think we'd remember how these went in the past. I do know that after the PET/CT scan is done that the primary doctor will call us with the results. Not much else to report. I can't express how much it means to have others continually praying for Tom. I know that we are not the only family facing "things". With this down economy and others challenges, we all need to pray for each other. I will end with this verse that has been placed upon my heart. 1Timothy 2:1 "Pray much for others: plead for God's mercy upon them; give thanks for all he is going to do for them."
Friday, November 7, 2008
Another Friday
We have enjoyed the "spring" like weather here in Michigan. This is probably the last warm day until early spring of 2009. The darker evenings are always hard for me to get used to and the kids hate being kept closer to home so early in evening. We were watching a lot of TV this week as we were tracking the outcome of the 2008 election. I found it interesting that the kids had their opinions about the election and who they wanted to win. Kyle was even talking a lot about the Proposals. I am glad that they took an interest and hope they continue this interest into their adult lives.
Thursday I received a call from Tom's primary doctor and the PET/CT scan is set up for December 11. I am not sure how we will get the results back. I assume that his primary doctor will call us as he has in the past. I am glad that the approval process did not have to go through Arbitration and was settled rather quickly between Dr. and insurance. So until December, we will be in the waiting pattern enjoying another year together and, along with millions of other families, joining the hustle and bustle of the Christmas holiday shopping and preparing for the big day. I pray that we will also be celebrating another clean scan.
Thursday I received a call from Tom's primary doctor and the PET/CT scan is set up for December 11. I am not sure how we will get the results back. I assume that his primary doctor will call us as he has in the past. I am glad that the approval process did not have to go through Arbitration and was settled rather quickly between Dr. and insurance. So until December, we will be in the waiting pattern enjoying another year together and, along with millions of other families, joining the hustle and bustle of the Christmas holiday shopping and preparing for the big day. I pray that we will also be celebrating another clean scan.
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Round 1, Winner...The Doctor
As our weeks typically go, it was another busy one at the Andrews. The kids were all anticipating the Friday night event of collecting free candy, a.k.a Halloween! However Thursday evening was special for Tom as he was invited to the Middle School as a guest of honor. Each 8th Grade student picked a Hero and Kyle (no surprise) picked his father. It was very touching. Tom and I thought he did a great job. Tom also had his first instructing class and had really enjoyed it. He is looking forward to the next two weeks when he can do it again.
On Tuesday we had received a letter from the insurance company rejecting the request for the PET/CT scan. It stated that since this was not a FDA Clinic treatment they were considering this as an Investigative study and denied the scan. Of course, Wednesday started my phone calls to the various offices asking what this meant and what was the next step? Thursday evening, we received a phone call from Tom's primary doctor's office stating that the doctor was working very hard with the insurance companies along with talking with other physicians to get this scan approved. Apparently he has taken Tom's case to heart and was out there fighting for him. The office manager said that she had never seen him so upset. Then on Friday while I was at the kids' parties at school, Tom talked with the office manager and she said that Tom would be scheduled for the scan in December. I was so relieved! Of course my sarcastic husband would joke with others this weekend stating that the insurance company has deemed him "cancer free" and that he was "cured" I however told him that there were people out there that cared for him and were fighting for his life. As if others did not know before, I am the serious one.
I can't say it enough times, thank you for listening, reading, and caring about our family's situation. Though we have had some rough days & events, we are still just going on with life. This week as I was talking with my mother I was explaining to her that our God has a total sense of humor. Wednesday when things seemed bad I was just going over & over how miserable things can be... complaining in my head & heart. Then it came to my mind that I can't change the circumstance but I can change my attitude, (a Beth Moore sermon) and I thought of many things she had said. That night I sat down to watch her show and that sermon came on. I had to stop myself from laughing the whole show. God not only told me, but showed me. It was like Wednesday he was saying, "You just listen child, I am going to get this through your head one way or another!"
On Tuesday we had received a letter from the insurance company rejecting the request for the PET/CT scan. It stated that since this was not a FDA Clinic treatment they were considering this as an Investigative study and denied the scan. Of course, Wednesday started my phone calls to the various offices asking what this meant and what was the next step? Thursday evening, we received a phone call from Tom's primary doctor's office stating that the doctor was working very hard with the insurance companies along with talking with other physicians to get this scan approved. Apparently he has taken Tom's case to heart and was out there fighting for him. The office manager said that she had never seen him so upset. Then on Friday while I was at the kids' parties at school, Tom talked with the office manager and she said that Tom would be scheduled for the scan in December. I was so relieved! Of course my sarcastic husband would joke with others this weekend stating that the insurance company has deemed him "cancer free" and that he was "cured" I however told him that there were people out there that cared for him and were fighting for his life. As if others did not know before, I am the serious one.
I can't say it enough times, thank you for listening, reading, and caring about our family's situation. Though we have had some rough days & events, we are still just going on with life. This week as I was talking with my mother I was explaining to her that our God has a total sense of humor. Wednesday when things seemed bad I was just going over & over how miserable things can be... complaining in my head & heart. Then it came to my mind that I can't change the circumstance but I can change my attitude, (a Beth Moore sermon) and I thought of many things she had said. That night I sat down to watch her show and that sermon came on. I had to stop myself from laughing the whole show. God not only told me, but showed me. It was like Wednesday he was saying, "You just listen child, I am going to get this through your head one way or another!"
Friday, October 24, 2008
TGIF
It is a rainy one today. It is not the best day for the last high school football game of the year. Though I was considering going to it, I guess I'm a fair weather kind of fan because I have decided to open a window and listen to the announcers from the comfort of my home. That's one advantage to being close to the school. We had parent teacher conferences and again all the kids are doing as expected. They have all made improvements and I know where our challenges lie again this year. Who said the that parents have the "easy" job?
Tom continues to balance home, work, and the task of instructing. He is working on a presentation that he has to give next Wednesday. Luckily Kyle is, what I consider, hi-tech and is helping his father put together a powerpoint. All those months of Kyle making little movies and such has given him the understanding of how the software package works. It is interesting to watch son teach father.
The order for a PET/CT scan is now in the hands of Tom's primary doctor. His office manager has called me to confirm that they are submitting this to have it scheduled. The insurance will more than likely need a Letter of Medical Necessity, which I believe holds up the procedure more so than the other types of scans. We have time to wait anyway so this time I am not jumping on the phone everyday to see if it has been approved.
Thanks again for all the phone calls, e-mails, and conversations. I know that it is hard to understand the procedures and the past week the question was asked by many, why do you have to wait so long for another test? The best answer I can give is that the doctors do have a plan of attack and are being cautious in this plan. I have confidence in these doctors that are caring for Tom. I also have faith that even though I do not understand the path that we are on right now, there is a purpose for events that happen in our lives. This summer as I was on one of my many walks I stopped asking the "why" is this happening. I acknowledged this hard path and started asking God, "what" do you want me to do with this?
Tom continues to balance home, work, and the task of instructing. He is working on a presentation that he has to give next Wednesday. Luckily Kyle is, what I consider, hi-tech and is helping his father put together a powerpoint. All those months of Kyle making little movies and such has given him the understanding of how the software package works. It is interesting to watch son teach father.
The order for a PET/CT scan is now in the hands of Tom's primary doctor. His office manager has called me to confirm that they are submitting this to have it scheduled. The insurance will more than likely need a Letter of Medical Necessity, which I believe holds up the procedure more so than the other types of scans. We have time to wait anyway so this time I am not jumping on the phone everyday to see if it has been approved.
Thanks again for all the phone calls, e-mails, and conversations. I know that it is hard to understand the procedures and the past week the question was asked by many, why do you have to wait so long for another test? The best answer I can give is that the doctors do have a plan of attack and are being cautious in this plan. I have confidence in these doctors that are caring for Tom. I also have faith that even though I do not understand the path that we are on right now, there is a purpose for events that happen in our lives. This summer as I was on one of my many walks I stopped asking the "why" is this happening. I acknowledged this hard path and started asking God, "what" do you want me to do with this?
Friday, October 17, 2008
Time Will Tell
Thanks again to Dawn and Tom for putting us up for the night. Also, thanks to Grandma for taking the kids for the night and getting them off to school. It was nice to know that all was well in the home front as we traveled across our state. Tom and I joked about how well we are learning Ann Arbor and how we can get around so that we did not even bring the map this trip! OK, so I forgot to pack it, but it was not needed anyway.
We met with Dr. Prince this morning and had a good "Meet and Greet" He stated that he had looked over the September scans and patiently answered my questions. Basically the consult was covering this once again:
Only the thyroid can create C-cells (calcitonin)
Calcitonin levels means that these cells are somewhere in the body
Calcitonin levels can fluctuate but a steady increase means an increase of levels indicating activity
These cells can grow rapidly or take a longer course of time to form into a tumor
Choices are either to do nothing or repeat scans. Here are the scans we can choose:
Octreoscan - Most of the time the dye is receptive to this type of cancer, small possibility that it will not be receptive
CT scan - Shows lump size where there may be infection, does not indicate activity
PET scan - Active cells show up the more active the cancer is the brighter the indication, hard to decipher if there is cancer if there is any infection or what is possibly the effects from a surgery
PET/CT scan - Done together is the most effective way and as we have a history of the cells uptaking this type of dye there is a good indication this will happen again
So with that being said, we will choose the course of a PET/CT scan. This will be done sometime in December on our side of the state. Dr. Prince also explained the reason for waiting a minimum of 3 months between scans. The first and foremost is that when these scans are done they do contain radiation and there is precaution as to how much a patient should receive. The other reason is that doing scans farther apart gives the active cells time to form and to find where the cancer is. He stated that the tumor could likely be either in his lungs or in the lymph nodes behind his lungs. He did not feel that it would be in the neck area due to the extensive surgery and radiation in that area, but would not entirely rule it out. Simply stated "They can't treat something that they can't see."
For now we are in a wait and see pattern again. As Tom and I were heading home we once again talked how this is possibly what life will be like for the rest of Tom's life. It is hard for Tom and I to understand all the whys and hows, but once again we will go on as life as usual, no with a better appreciation for life. I will thank God everyday that he is here. One year after surgery is a huge accomplishment and I do not take that lightly. Thanks Prayer Warriors, as you have covered us in your prayers, you have help us through one more step. My last thoughts I will share with you comes from 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 "What a wonderful God we have-he is the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the source of every mercy, and the one who so wonderfully comforts and strengthens us in our hardships and trials. And why does he do this? So that when others are troubled, needing our sympathy and encouragement, we can pass on to them the same help and comfort God has given us."
We met with Dr. Prince this morning and had a good "Meet and Greet" He stated that he had looked over the September scans and patiently answered my questions. Basically the consult was covering this once again:
Only the thyroid can create C-cells (calcitonin)
Calcitonin levels means that these cells are somewhere in the body
Calcitonin levels can fluctuate but a steady increase means an increase of levels indicating activity
These cells can grow rapidly or take a longer course of time to form into a tumor
Choices are either to do nothing or repeat scans. Here are the scans we can choose:
Octreoscan - Most of the time the dye is receptive to this type of cancer, small possibility that it will not be receptive
CT scan - Shows lump size where there may be infection, does not indicate activity
PET scan - Active cells show up the more active the cancer is the brighter the indication, hard to decipher if there is cancer if there is any infection or what is possibly the effects from a surgery
PET/CT scan - Done together is the most effective way and as we have a history of the cells uptaking this type of dye there is a good indication this will happen again
So with that being said, we will choose the course of a PET/CT scan. This will be done sometime in December on our side of the state. Dr. Prince also explained the reason for waiting a minimum of 3 months between scans. The first and foremost is that when these scans are done they do contain radiation and there is precaution as to how much a patient should receive. The other reason is that doing scans farther apart gives the active cells time to form and to find where the cancer is. He stated that the tumor could likely be either in his lungs or in the lymph nodes behind his lungs. He did not feel that it would be in the neck area due to the extensive surgery and radiation in that area, but would not entirely rule it out. Simply stated "They can't treat something that they can't see."
For now we are in a wait and see pattern again. As Tom and I were heading home we once again talked how this is possibly what life will be like for the rest of Tom's life. It is hard for Tom and I to understand all the whys and hows, but once again we will go on as life as usual, no with a better appreciation for life. I will thank God everyday that he is here. One year after surgery is a huge accomplishment and I do not take that lightly. Thanks Prayer Warriors, as you have covered us in your prayers, you have help us through one more step. My last thoughts I will share with you comes from 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 "What a wonderful God we have-he is the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the source of every mercy, and the one who so wonderfully comforts and strengthens us in our hardships and trials. And why does he do this? So that when others are troubled, needing our sympathy and encouragement, we can pass on to them the same help and comfort God has given us."
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)