Mom Update: Doing Better!

Mom is feeling better!  She had a good day yesterday, and we are hoping she will have a great week and enjoy feeling good!  She will have her second chemo treatment next week, on Wednesday.  The first one was scary, because she didn't know what to expect.  I think this one will be even more scary because now she does know what to expect.  She is strong and determined, though,...so she'll do it.  She's a great example to us.  It's just hard for me and my sisters and my dad to watch her suffer and to know that she's had such a rough week.  We wish we knew what to do to make it all better!  We are so thankful she's doing well, and she is grateful for the love and support of so many friends and family members!

Mom Update: Two Steps Forward, One Step Back

Well, mom was pretty sick Saturday, and couldn't keep anything down.  She was achy all over and still had a headache.  By Sunday morning, she felt quite a bit better, and we were all relieved!  Her appetite was back,  she was able to eat, and she had a pretty good day.  By Sunday night, she was beginning to be sick to her stomach, and has been throwing up again today. No headache or body aches today though, so that's a good thing! We are hoping this is just a little setback, and she will be feeling good again by tomorrow! Thanks so much for your love and prayers.  It helps!

Mom Update: Chemo Is My Friend?????

When mom was diagnosed with cancer, one of the first things she asked the doctor was "Will I have to have chemotherapy?"  He said, "Yes, but chemo is your friend.  It's going to save your life."   We are trying to keep that in mind now, because mom is pretty miserable. 

I know many of you have been worried about her, so I thought I'd let you know how she's handling the chemo.  She didn't sleep at all Wednesday night.  She was too nauseous and had a really bad headache.  She talked to the nurse the next morning, and the nurse prescribed some Phenegran and told her to quit the Zofran that she'd been taking for nausea, because that could be the cause of her headache. (Please excuse my spelling when it comes to the meds!) Thursday the Phenegran helped a little, the nausea wasn't as constant but just came in waves.  She is drinking water and trying to eat a little, but only had a little yogurt and chicken broth yesterday.  Today she is exhausted, still fighting the nausea, the headache, and is aching all over.  She feels like she has the stomach flu and the flu that comes with headache and muscle aches, too.  She was able to sleep well last night, though, and is getting some sleep today.  Emily is staying with her and taking good care of her.  We knew this would be hard, and we also know this will get better.  We are so thankful for our blessings, including chemo!

Mom Update: Chemo and Cherry Lifesavers

Well, Mom had her first chemotherapy treatment today.  She has had a busy week, and a lot to do to get ready.  Last Wednesday she went wig shopping with Alli and Lid, and picked out a sassy little wig.  She said she thinks it will be cuter than her own hair.  I don't know, mom...your own hair is pretty darn cute!  Then Wed. afternoon, she met with the surgeon for the pre-op appointment for the port.  Friday was her port surgery, and by Sunday she was feeling good enough to go have a picnic in the canyon with the whole family.  She was in the mood for some yummy dutch oven cookin', and that's what she got!  She really wanted to be with all of the grandkids while her immune system is still nice and strong.  Now that chemo has started, she has to be very careful of germs and she will have to stay away from anyone who is even slightly sick.  With cold and flu season coming, it's a good bet that there will always be at least one of the grandkids sick with something.  So, we have to party while we can.   We had fun on our picnic, and the kids always love being with grandma and grandpa.  On Monday, Catherine went with her to her echo cardiogram appointment, (followed by lunch at Zupas and some delicious custard and fresh berries--no, this is not a food blog, it just seems like it sometimes, I'm sure!) and then she squeezed in a trip to the dentist.  Any dental work she needed had to be done before chemo, too. 

Melanie and I went to the chemo appointment with her today.  First, she met with her oncologist, who told her the echo showed her heart was looking great, and then the nurse explained all of the chemo info to her one more time.  There sure is a lot to keep track of!  Today her chemo was Cytoxan and Adriamycin.  The nurses have all been telling her that lots of patients call Adriamycin  "red devil" or "red death" because it is so awful and makes you so sick.  We decided we weren't too excited about that, chemo is scary enough.  So, we renamed in "cherry lifesaver", cause that's what it is, really...a lifesaver.  Even if it's awful, in the long run, it's going to save her life-- and we are thankful for that!  It is bright red, though, so we snacked on a bag of cherry lifesavers to remind us that Adriamycin is a good thing!  She will have treatments every two weeks, with the next three being the same as today, and then Taxotere for the last four.  We'll deal with radiation when the time comes.  Right now, we are focusing on getting through the chemo.  She felt fine during treatment, but started getting a headache about an hour into it, which the nurse said was normal.  We know it will get a lot worse over the next few days.

After chemo, the nausea hadn't hit yet, so, yes...we went to lunch at Rhumbi Island Grill and did a little more visiting.  I guess we didn't get enough in during the four hours we were at the clinic.  Mom had a really sweet nurse, and we met some very nice people who were getting chemo also.  I even shared my meatloaf recipe with the lady in the chair next to mom.  (Are you wondering if every thought I have revolves around food?) Everyone was so nice and friendly and concerned about each other.  It was a really nice atmosphere and we will keep all of these people we met today in our prayers.  

When I talked to mom tonight, she was really tired and still had the headache.  With the chemo she can't take aspirin or Excedrin, only Advil or Tylenol, which don't work well for her. She was also a little nauseous and still had a few hours to wait until it would be time for an another anti-nausea pill. She was excited though, because Emily and Jackson had just come from Colorado a day early.  She wasn't expecting them until tomorrow, but Em came early to help.  She's awesome, and we're always glad when she's home for a visit!  Hopefully she can get some sleep tonight, and we'll see what tomorrow brings.  We'll just hang on for the ride! 



Mom holding a bag of cherry lifesavers, getting

ready for the "cherry lifesaver"



Grandma and Grandpa and grandkids in the canyon on
Sunday.  All of the grandkids were there except Tyson
(up at Utah State) and baby Trig, who was with his
grandma and grandpa Camberlango because he had a
cold, and new little baby Jackson, who lives in Colorado.

P.S.--If this post wasn't long enough for you, (sorry, there's just so much to say!) Melanie has some more "mom" info on her blog.  There is a link on my sidebar (The Christensen Family). Thanks for caring about and loving our mom. We love her too!!!

Mom Update: Putting in the Port

Mom had surgery bright and early this morning to have the portacath put in her chest.  It is a little plastic connector on the end of a catheter just below the collarbone on her left side.  The catheter was inserted into the venacava, the vein going into her heart.  (Excuse my spelling, here--I'm just guessing with the medical terms!) This will make it easier for them to give her the chemo, and any other medication she might need, and she won't have to keep having IV's.  Also, the larger vein in her chest will handle the chemo better than a small one would.

Everything went really well.  She was at the hospital at 6:00 a.m.  Her surgery was scheduled for 7:30, and really began around 8:00.  She told the nurse and anesthesiologist that she would sure like to listen to her favorite music in the operating room as she being put under the anesthesia. They thought that was a great idea, so she fell alseep to the sweet sounds of a little Michael Buble.  She's so funny!  Surgery lasted a little over an hour, and went smoothly.  The doctor said he had to look around a little for the vein, so she will have some bruising and she is pretty sore.  The incision is probably about two inches long, and should heal quickly.

Around noon, the nurses were getting ready to discharge her and we noticed swelling in her left hand and arm.  The nurses checked with the surgeon, who was in the middle of another surgery, and he ordered an ultrasound to make sure the swelling was not due to a blood clot.  The ultrasound was done at 2:00, and showed that everything looked OK.  (Thank goodness!)  The swelling is probably because of the blood pressure cuff that was on her arm during surgery, and should go away soon.  After we got the ultrasound report, they released her around 3:30.  So, she is all set for chemo to start this Wednesday. 

Dad and I were at the hospital this morning and Aunt Mary came and stayed with me and mom until she was released.  By the time we left, we were all starving-- the Oreos and Lorna Dunes we took from the nurses station didn't go very far.  On the way home from the hospital we stopped at Kneaders and had a yummy late lunch and dessert, too. (Of course!)  It's my opinion that any medical procedure should be followed up with something delicious to brighten your day.  Mom and Aunt Mary and I had a great time at lunch and stayed a long time laughing and talking, and were glad for the time we had to visit.  We finally left when mom's Lortab kicked in and we thought we'd better get her home before she nodded off in her soup.  I had to get home to my kids, so Aunt Mary took mom home and stayed to help.

She is doing great tonight, just sore and tired, but that's to be expected.  We are so thankful for all of our blessings and for all of the love she has felt from so many of you.  It really makes a difference!  I have to thank my kids, too.  Lauren and Kamryn stayed home from school today to babysit Cade and Cooper, and we really appreciated their help.  They love their grandma and would do anything for her, even if it means missing school (ha-ha).  My kids were all good sports today, and didn't even complain about having canned ravioli for lunch AND dinner.   I am pretty tired tonight, too!

So, we are glad mom is one step closer to being cancer free! She will have her echo cardiogram Monday, and then gear up for the chemo.  Thanks to all of you who love and care about her.  She is so thankful for the support!  Love ya, mom!!!

P.S.
For previous posts on mom, just scroll down or check the sidebar.  They should all be there!

Happy 17!!!

Today was Josh's 17th birthday.  I can't believe it!  I was 17 not very long ago, wasn't I? Time is seriously going by way too fast!  We are so proud of Josh.  He had a pretty rough start!  He was born 10 weeks early and weighed 3 lbs., 5 oz.  He was only 15" long, and now he's taller than I am.  He is an awesome son and we are so thankful that he's a part of our family.  He's a great example and we learn a lot from him! I hope Josh had a happy birthday,  I made his favorite dinner and his favorite cake.  I always secretly hope my kids ask for this cake for their birthdays, cause I love it, too.  It's a Harris family favorite.  Super yummy, and super easy--it doesn't get any better than that!  Caden gave Josh a play-by-play of what was in every present right before he unwrapped it, but Josh was a good sport and acted surprised anyway.  It was a fun night.  Happy birthday, bud!  We love you!!!

Me holding Josh for the first time.  He
was two weeks old.

Josh, one month old, recovering from surgery.  He was in the NICU
for 8 1/2 long, long weeks.  We were sure excited to take him home!

One year old--such a sweetie-pie! I love those
blue eyes!

Josh's friend Heather came over to celebrate and had dinner with us.

HAPPY 17TH BIRTHDAY!!!

And...Caden started preschool today.  He was pretty excited to go to school like the big kids.  He had a fun time, and can't wait to go again.  Busy day at our house today!

Oh, What Do You Do in the Summertime?

Well, I guess summer has just about come to an end, darn it!  We had lots of fun this year at our favorite family hangout, grandma and grandpa's neighborhood pool.  Once a week, we had a cousin's swim day.  We all met at grandma and grandpa's for lunch, then headed to the pool for an afternoon of swimming and fun with the cousins.  Grandma never likes anyone to go home hungry, so she usually had a big juicy watermelon or some cookies for an after swimming snack.  The kids always came home from the pool starving!  After the swimming and the snack, they usually enjoyed a little trampoline time in grandma and grandpa's backyard.  It's been lots of fun.  We look forward to our summer swim days every year!  Ty and Josh didn't get to make it to the pool much this year, their summer jobs kept them pretty busy.  Sorry boys!

Caden and cousin, Trey

Kamryn and her cousin, Brooklyn.  Brooklyn
had stitches in her chin this summer and
got pretty good at swimming and not
letting her chin get wet!

Caden

Cooper splashin around in the baby pool

Last year, Caden wasn't a big fan of the slide.  This year, he couldn't
get enough of it.

Zac never passes up a good opportunity to
strike a pose!

Cooper soaking up the sun, life jacket and all.

My kids were always wanting me to catch them in
action, which wasn't an easy thing, cause I'm not
the best photographer.  Here's Caden, mid-air, doing
a "candy-ball", as he calls it.

Kamryn's "action shot"

Lauren's ready to make a splash!

Zac loves this picture.  I think it's because he looks like Superman,
flying through the air.

This is my favorite picture.  It says it all!!!