April 30, 2010

Haven’t posted in a long while as mom has been doing well.  She has regained strength and has had many adventures recently.  She was hoping to have reconnection options discussed this summer.   Recently however, mom had a mamogram and it was discovered she had a mass in her breast, went for a biopsy this week and was told yesterday that it was malignant.  Will see surgeon on Wednesday.  Hoping for good news on Wednesday.  Will keep you posted.  Keep her in your prayers please.  Hope all is well with everyone.  Have a lovely weekend.  Hope all are safe from this weeks storms.

1 comment April 30, 2011

January 23, 2011

Sorry it has been so long since posting.  Things have been rocking along pretty well for mom.  Until….. this week.  She developed a picc line infection and she is in the hospital for IV antibiotics for a few days.  She is already feeling much better.  Hopefully she will be back on track soon.

Add a comment January 23, 2011

November 9, 2010

Mom has had a great couple of weeks.  Her fistula seems to be progressing well.  Her PICC line has remained healthy.  She even drove herself to the dr in Athens last week. We are so blessed that she has made the progress she has made.  She still does not have the stamina but it is coming. She had an extremely busy week, last week and by the weekend, she was wiped out!!!  She rested most of the weekend and was feeling better the first of this week.  Hope all is well with everyone!

1 comment November 9, 2010

October 26, 2010

Mom’s procedure went well.  She is in recovery and waiting to get dismissed for home.  I am hoping for good results from this procedure and progress will continue!  Pslam 91 reminds us that He alone is my refuge, my place of safety, he is my God and I am trusting Him.

1 comment October 26, 2010

October 24

Greeting, –

Sorry it has been so long since I have posted.  Mom is doing so well, I sometimes forget about the post.  Thanks for your diligence in checking in and keeping up with us.  I had the most incredible weekend with Aunt Libby, mom’s sister.  Maryville College was celebrating homecoming and I had the privilege of taking her to her 60th college reunion.  What a wealth of knowledge I was surrounded with.  The weather was gorgeous, the campus was beautiful and the company was fantastic.  What a wonderful way to spend a lovely fall weekend.

Now to mom- she is doing better each week, getting stronger and more independent.  We have been back and forth to the dr. all with good reports.   The surgeon however has decided that mom will need her nutrition (TPN) for an extended period of time, so they referred us to a vascular dr. to determine the best kind of system to have for the extended time of IV nutrition.  He felt like a fistula was the best solution.  We were very skeptical at first, even saying no to the procedure – all we were hearing was negative information.  We did more investigating through her trusted drs. and all recommended this procedure.  Therefore we will be going in on Tuesday for an outpatient procedure to form a fistula in her left arm.  What is a fistula you might ask????  Well – it is usually used by dialysis patients.  The dr will take an artery and connect it to one of her veins.  Then over the course of the next three months, her body will do the rest of the work.  The vein will enlarge and its walls will thicken due to the pressure and oxygen of the artery blood flowing through it.  This will enable mom to have the foreign object that the picc line has to have in her body.  It should drastically reduce the risk of infection.  This is a very good thing.  Other good things about this are  she will have no tubes dangling from her arm and she will be able to shower again.  (which she has not been able to do since April)  We are still a little uncertain about the procedure because we will have to learn a new procedure for connecting her each night which will involve us sticking her and inserting a needle into the fistula.  I hope we will be able to do this successfully.  We told mom that it had to be her decision, because it would be her that would have to be stuck…  But – mom with her positive outlook said, “I have always prided myself in following what my dr. think is best, and I have three good dr. recommending a fistula.  Therefore I think I should have it done.”   I will keep you posted on the progress of our new journey.  We will continue to use the picc line until the fistula become operational.  Hope everyone has a good week.  Love to all — Joyce

1 comment October 24, 2010

September 18, 2010

Mom is doing very well.  Went to the dr this week and she got a good check up.  Able to come off of two more medications.  Her stamina is slowly improving.  Might try driving to church tomorrow.  Dr. told her to be wise and do what she felt like when it comes to driving.  I think we will start with something small like a mile to church.

We are so thankful that she is able to be more and more independent.  We still hook her up every night and unhook her before work each morning.  Dr. said we could try 10 hours,  but the Critical Care people who care for the TPN say that 12 hours is the smallest amount of time that TPN can be infused.  It appears that TPN will be with us for a long while.  The surgeon is looking into putting in a more permanent line since it appears the TPN will be necessary for a longer time.  The PICC line is more easily infected and has to be changed periodically.  We will keep you posted on that —

Update again soon – Bye for now—

2 comments September 18, 2010

August 15, 2010

Mom is making steady progress.  She has had a good week.  The 12 hour TPN (nutrition) seems to be working well. I start back to school tomorrow and will miss the time I have been spending with mom.  We have had many good breakfasts and conversations this summer.

Mom went to worship again today this is the fourth week she has been – she said each week she is getting stronger and feels better each Sunday.  The first Sunday she had to come home and lie down, but now she is able to go get something to eat before exhaustion hits.

Have a good week!

2 comments August 15, 2010

August 4, 2010

Mom is doing well.  We are down to twelve hours of TPN which gives her more free time.  I have enjoyed spending time with her this summer.  We made chicken salad today for a couple of her friends who are coming for lunch tomorrow.  We are thankful that she is doing as well as she is– she has been dismissed from her occupational and physical therapy.  She tries to walk about 15 minutes each day.  Thanks for the outpouring of love and prayers you all have extended to mom over her long sickness — Please continue to pray for her contentment as she adjusts to being less independent for a few more months.  Love to all — Joyce

1 comment August 4, 2010

Sunday, July 18, 2010

Mom has had a very good week.  We are now only on 18 hours of tpn.  She went to church for the first time today since Easter!  We can tell each day she is getting stronger and stronger.  She is staying by herself most of the day.  We pop in and help with meals, bath, and connecting the tpn.  I was talking with mom last night and we were talking about all the changes that has happened to her lifestyle, but still there are so many blessings.  Too many to name – but two that I realize often is the fact that mom sleeps so well, her skin has stayed healthy with being in the bed for so long — she has a great attitude and is appreciative of everything you do for her.  Really exciting new — is that her ostomy is working great now – we are so thankful that we were able to find a pouch that works well for her.

Dr. report — we went to the oncologist this week.  He thinks that chemo would do mom more harm than good at this point.  The dr will assess some of the tests she has had recently, and if there is nothing out of the ordinary, she will not have further procedures for her colon cancer.  The surgeon got clean margins around all that was removed, the concern was that she had two of eighteen lymphnodes with cancer cells.  But we feel that this is the right thing for mom and that the Lord’s hand has been with her each step of the way.  Our thanks to the many prayer warriors that have covered her with prayer.  Hope everyone has a fabulous week!!!!

1 comment July 18, 2010

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Mom is doing better.  Making plans to come home tomorrow.  She has lost 14 pounds since she has been without supplemental nutrition for the past ten days.  So we will go home with TPN for an indefinite period of time.  She has had a really good day!

3 comments July 7, 2010