And We Have Another One!

As I have been preparing for my next treatments and appointments, I have been trying hard in these good days to help the kids crank out extra school work. Today, Colton and I came upon an art assignment that had a project attached to it. The goal of the project was to create an artwork that showed examples of focal point, contrast, and emphasis. It is funny that in the whole assignment, every example given was of photography, and not any other form of artwork. It shouldnt have surprised me when Colton asked if he could use photography for this assignment. The directions indicated art materials would be required, but knowing his teacher so well, I went ahead and sent a note off requesting using the camera vs paints and papers and such. Colton was thrilled when we got the OK.
While my dear friend Christy did a LL with the little ones, Colton and I spent a blissful 30 minutes outside with my camera. At first he was unsure about using the camera (and so was I), but after just a few minutes, he was very comfortable with holding it and following instructions. He had a very keen eye in finding subjects to photograph, and pointed them out very quickly to me. I had the fun of teaching him about perspective and angles. I pretty much let him do the rest. I have to admit, some of these are as good as I have done after years of practice. He is going to be a natural, just like his big sister!

I wanted so much to get a picture of Colton taking Kels' pict, but ended up peeking over his shoulder to get her to smile and laugh for him. Even though we had a dry day, the leaves and ground were still really wet. We ended up using an old towel and folded it up small underneath her to sit on. She was a great sport to let Colton take her pict, even though they both decided it was too freezing to be out there after all :)

I have to share about this image. Colton was working so hard to try different angles and just when he was ready, a whole flock of geese flew by overhead. Kels was enthralled with those geese and wouldnt look at Colton for anything, so I told him to go ahead and take her pict anyway. I think it is one of my favorites, esp when she sees this pict and can tell me why she wasnt looking at Colton. Gotta love that.

When we got the OK for our assignment, my brain just started churning out ideas for contrast images. I really wanted something striking that would show off the difference in color of the leaves outside. They are all dark and faded now, so I knew something bright and shiny would be needed. I nearly ransacked the upstairs trying to find anything that would be bright and season appropriate. In the midst of my destructive forces Christy had quietly sneaked home and gathered a bunch her Fall silk leaves. They even had a small bit of glitter, and ended up being the perfect thing! Thank you to Christy for many things today, esp for coming to the rescue of all the kids art projects today! Love ya, friend!

One of the examples in Colton's lesson was of a winter tree scene. Our weather today was ideal for a similar image. Colton had a lot of fun, and once he got the hang of things, he just kept shooting. For some of the tree images I told him we were going to lay on the ground and shoot from there. He gave me that look of "I dont think so". I put down an old towel and lay down and slowly he got down and lay there with me. At first he didnt think it was too cool, but he quickly relaxed and was happy to shoot away. This top image is one of my faves too. Mostly because of the funny story behind it. We were laying on the sidewalk between our tree and the neighbor's Magnolia tree. I told him that the Magnolia would be a great subject and he informed me he couldnt take the pict because we were upside down. I told him to go for it anyway, and I am pretty sure he thought I was crazy, but he tried anyway. I told him how to hold the camera, and then just let him have at it. He got this one on the first try. It was upside down, which he thought was hilarious, but thanks to technology, we got it turned around for everyone to enjoy.

I think that Colton enjoyed the editing process almost as much as the photography. I let him pick which images he wanted for his project and then I let him tell me what he thought needed to be done to give the images a bit more contrast for the assignment. He knew just when to ask for more light or more dark to make the trees stand out. I think for one image, he even decided he like the B&W the best (yea, for having another one like B&W images!)

I was so proud of him that I knew I had to get picts too. I told him to stay put and ran in and got my phone and took picts of him taking picts. He was so busy shooting that I am pretty sure he didnt even know I was taking these.

This is a pict of a plant in our front yard. It is amazing to me the things that we have that seem to have color or bloom year round. Colton knew this had all of the things that his lesson had talked about and had to photograph it.
We went back inside after poor Colton decided he had had enough of the "cold" (if the boy would have any fat at all on his body, he would have realized how nice it was) :) He really still wanted to shoot though, so I gathered some misc objects and told him to put them together and then photograph them so only the subject was in the view window. This is what he put together all on his own! He got some hits and misses on making sure he got only what he wanted to photograph in the window, but I was so impressed at his creativity and making something fun out of just whatever. Ky also got in on the act and even took some from the floor angle that I didnt even think of!

When I called and told Preston of our adventures of the afternoon, he teased that we need to teach the kids some cheap hobbies.... like folding paper airplanes....Hahaha. He was excited that the boys and I had had so much fun. When I asked him about using the PP program for Colton's project, he reminded me that when it came time for the techy stuff of the project to be sure to ask my big girls for help. ;) He was back to teasing today, and that was a relief to me that even though he is still feeling crummy, that if he is well enough to tease, that he is going to be ok. Hopefully this dumb cold wont keep him down long. Thanx for all of the well wishes in his behalf, I know they help tons and mean so much!

Today ROCKED!

After a really bad night, I thought for sure that today was going to be rock bottom. Instead we rocked the day!

We got off to a great start with Preston and the big girls tag-teaming the little ones in getting all the AM jobs done and helped make a hot breakfast. We also got a good start on homework.

Then, much to our surprise, we got a visit from Preston's sister who lives in Albany. She came bearing MANY gifts and played and talked with the kids. She also quietly did dishes and laundry. She was a super auntie when she bounced up from the table and announced that she would help the little kids whip out deviled eggs (Colton had asked for them since we missed them at Thanxgiving, but I knew I was more tired than could do it all at once). They had a total blast and I got some good picts of their fun. This one is of Kari's special trick that she taught the kids. Colton could NOT wait another minute to dig into them. He ended up eating about 5 of them all at once. He was in heaven!Kari had extra egg stuff and she was looking for a taker to eat it. Ky reluctantly volunteered, it was funny watching them both in the kitchen and as she squeezed it onto his tongue.

Our other surprises that arrived today were an amazing dinner that was unexpected. My visiting teacher has been working extra hard to make sure we are well taken care of. We werent planning on anything for today, but it arrived from a sweet sister in the ward anyway. We also had a sweet older couple in our ward deliver a beautiful Christmas Poinsettia. I made sure it went up high away from kids and dogs, but where we could all enjoy its blazing color. We had other cards and gifts and things also arrive today. I dont think I have ever had such a flood of meals, gifts, cards, and flowers in my whole life - not even when the kids arrived :) The love that is pouring from our ward is miraculous to say the very least. We are truly blessed to have so many wonderful people surrounding us and caring for and about us.

After Kari needed to go, we tried for a little rest time, but everyone was still too geared up. Colton ended up sitting with me and cranking out 2 of his courses for the whole week through next Tues! Ky is also almost completely done with this week's lessons already. It helps me tons to know that we can crank things out ahead with the boys. Esp knowing that next week the little ones will be bustling about at playdates because I will be too sick to care for them. It will be nice to know we wont have to worry about school things and they can just play and enjoy their playdates.

Most amazing to me is that I have been up and about nearly the WHOLE day. Not sure what that will mean for tomorrow, but for today, it has been amazing. It is my first good day in many weeks. It felt wonderful to be able to help the little ones and spend extra time with each of them. (I was feeling extra sad that little ones didnt get much one-on-one time during the long break because I was still down most of the time)

Kids are now back from karate, big kids are working on some more homework, and I think little ones are mostly down for the night. Hoping to get there soon too. Just really thrilled with such a productive day.

Just a PS - poor Preston has apparently come down with a nasty cold, as have several good friends in the ward. Please send hugs and prayers his way so he will feel better soon. Thanx tons to everyone!

Thanksgiving

Author = Preston with

[modifications by Rory]

Rory tried going to bed last night without taking any nausea meds at all. While the nausea was bearable, she still didn't sleep very well because "the sheets hurt."

[The chemo has changed everything about my system already. Including making my skin very tender and sensitive to just about everything. The sheets literally hurt my skin.]

I guess that hyper sensitivity strikes again! We'll put the other sheets back on for tonight and see how she does without meds again tonight.

[Preston did change to another set of flannel sheets. It was amazing the difference that it made.]

She was still tired most of the day, but felt good enough this morning to get up and make breakfast for everyone! (That pretty much wiped her out, but it was a good sign that she was up!)

We were invited to eat Thanksgiving with good friends and their family, so the girls spent much of the morning preparing the salads and other dishes. Part of my morning was spent giving haircuts to the boys. I thought I was done with Kylan, but he refused to get down off of the stool because he "still had hair." He proceeded to tell me that he wanted a haircut like mine. I told him mom probably wouldn't appreciate that, but from the other end of the room she said, "If that's what he wants, that is fine." The result:

He has been VERY proud to show off his new "do."

(PS - Rory got hers most of the way cut as well, but isn't ready yet to have me post her picture.)

[I lay in bed listening to Ky & Preston cackle during the process of his new haircut. I contemplated whether today would be the right time for me as well. Colton missed his meds and struggled during his haircut so much that I decided not to contemplate mine. In the end, though, I knew it had to be done. My head and skin have become so tender already that I knew by my next appt that I would be too sick to handle a haircut then. Preston was willing and did his best to be gentle. I cried and cried as more hair came off. He kept asking me if I needed him to stop, but I chose to just go forward. I couldnt stop crying and when he was done I couldnt even look him in the face. I felt so ugly, and repulsed at my broken body and my now shaved head. He tried to convince me it would be ok, but I didnt believe him. I just hung my head doing everything possible to not look in any of the zillion mirrors in our room. The kids did much better with it than I thought they would. Both the big girls gave me hugs and Ky's declaration that my haircut was "AWESOME!" made Preston smile I think. Caiden is still unsure about things I think, and Kels just pats my head and cheeks and gives me kisses and comments that I got a haircut. Colton knows it is short, but still seems pretty unaware of the current cirumstances. I was very grateful for the handmade gift of a sweet neighbor - a soft, pink, knitted hat. She has also been through cancer, and her gift couldnt have been more perfectly timed for me needing it so much.]

The meal itself was awesome. There was SO much good food, and it was very nice of our friends to invite us. The kids ate and played (mostly just played) with "cousins," Rory got to chat, and everyone had a great time. The family may THINK they know that we appreciated the invite, but they can never know how much we REALLY appreciated it.

[Preston is right that they will never know how much it meant to us to see the kids enjoy their friends and the "cousins". To know that we were still with family even though our immediate family were all far away. I know that many blessings were sent from Heavenly Father: being well enough to actually sit and visit with dear friends, to be able to eat a little taste of all the amazing foods that had been prepared, to be able to enjoy watching my children play, to be so welcomed sporting my new hat and not have one comment made that I was any different than I have been before, to have seen AND heard the white dragon 2x in 2 days (those who have long followed my posts will know the significance of this. It is too sacred to put anywhere but my personal journal though) and also the blessings of the scriptures and the joy and peace that they can bring in their own Thanksgiving message (see Alma 26)]

An aside ... a couple days ago I bought some whole wheat (normal for us) and some potato bread at the store. The kids saw the potato bread yesterday and asked me if it was "white bread." It appears they decided to bypass the already-open wheat bread and destroyed the entire loaf of potato bread in a single meal this morning.

[So, I have to totally comment on this one. Apparently when Preston posted this he did not know or realize that I had used all the bread to make breakfast (he was gone in the AM). I originally got up feeling ok, and hungry for french toast. It was more difficult than I would have ever expected though. As I prepared breakfast with the girls help, I found that I didnt even have strength to stand at the cupboard. I had to ask Kaeli to get me a chair so I would be more stable. By the time I was done (which was 20 min max) I had to go back to bed. I was totally and completely drained, so much that my breathing had become labored again and I couldnt even move. Preston found me like that when he came home. I guess when I tried to tell him I had attempted to make breakfast I didnt get it out clear enough. We havent had french toast in forever so I guess it didnt click where it had come from or that the bread was gone because of breakfast. Even though I ended up being down again for hours, it was worth it because ALL of the kids decided that it was the best breakfast ever. Maybe something new to add back into our family menu!]

Day 4

I am sitting here at the desk trying not to pass out or throw up, still waiting for a heating/cooling contractor to show up...Maybe it wasnt such a good idea to schedule him now, but we have to get the fireplace fixed for the winter so our room isnt such a meatlocker. Also listening to all of the little kiddos do battle this morning. Ceana is sick, and little people are fighting everything they have been asked to do. I dont have the energy or strength to do battle today, and poor Kaeli is trying to work on school jobs around mediating all the hysterics. I have separated everyone for now, will see if that really works or not...

Things have been really rough. I did try the 1/2 sleep & anti-nausea med, which led to a really bad night. The 1/2 didnt even touch the nausea and I was awake most of the night. I am finding that the one med that always worked during pregnancies is not doing so well this time. I have to force myself to not spit it out and then it adds a headache and only works for a short window of time. The other meds bring some relief, but they do by keeping me mostly or totally sedated. With that sedation is coming lots of nightmares too....Still lots to ask about and figure out.

I talked to my chemo nurse late yesterday who was concerned that fatigue and nausea are so extreme, but it is not uncommon. She said that next treatment we will keep tweaking the anti-nausea meds and see if we can find something to keep me more comfy. I could tell she was concerned, but not sure what direction to take. We have a call into my medical oncology Dr and will see what they might be able to suggest.

In the meantime, we keep doing what we are doing, and being extra thankful to all of those who are serving our family in so many ways. The meals have been wonderful and so generous. It is also good to know that little ones are being taken care of. Hopefully we will be able to work in school jobs soon too, esp if I am going to be so sick. That will be a huge help and relief for me.

We are ever grateful to all of those around us who are doing so much for our family. I know that thank you will never be enough to say all we would like to.

111120

True to form, Rory did very well both Friday and Saturday. Unfortunately the "good stuff" had worn off by today, and it was rough. Actually, worse than rough.

I guess it started last night, when she and the girls had a GREAT time at a girls-only party. Before bed she took the night-time anti-nausea med - phenegran - but now we know that has to be taken MUCH earlier. Even if she wanted to, she wouldn't have been able to attend church this morning because that stuff pretty much kept her "drugged out" all morning and beyond. We're hoping that taking only half a pill tonight will give her a better chance at being somewhat coherent tomorrow.

She was able to wake up enough to take the Zofran when the nausea resurfaced, but between being super tired and having upset tummy and probably the beginnings of her taste buds changing, she wasn't able to each much. Even her favorite Chinese food was yucky. Applesauce? Nope. Scrambled egg and bacon? Blech. Maybe with a bit more energy she will be able to experiment a bit more to find something she can tolerate. Gonna need to recharge the batteries to help her body keep up the fight.

Speaking up keeping up a fight, for some reason Kylan chose tonight to go completely anti-"black belt behavior" and is still sitting at the table in front of his dinner. I know Rory won't like reading this, but I'm pretty determined for him to ultimately make the right decision. I think (I hope) he's getting closer, because I am REALLY tired myself. {Update ... he is now eating. Yay!}

Friends and neighbors continue rallying around us. The little ones will go visit a dear sister in the ward so the older ones can get some homework time in. Visiting teachers checked in with me, and after hearing some of the struggles we have additional meals on the schedule. Offers for childcare, homecare, and just about every other kind of care keep pouring in. I'm not very good at expressing my appreciation; Rory has always been MUCH better at that and I'm pretty sure she will spend the rest of her life working to repay the kindness shown to us. I will, too.

CHEMO #1

{Preston}

Yesterday morning I had my own "shaving party." When Kylan saw me he had a good laugh and let everyone know "You look so WEIRD!" Kelsianne followed right along parroting the sentiment. My hope is that it won't be so "weird" when their mother has the same style.

It was also chemo day #1. One of the sisters in the ward was Rory's chauffeur since we weren't really sure how Rory was going to react to the medications, and it was nice for her to have someone to talk to. I stopped in for a few minutes and joined in the teasing of Rory's nurse who was completely decked out in green and yellow "O" gear. When they started talking about sparkly girls shoes it was definitely time to go back to work.

Rory was in great hands, seemed to be in good spirits, and by all reports was feeling fine. Much of that is likely attributable to the "good meds" which will wear off after a couple of days, so we'll see how the next week goes.

1 down, only 7 more to go!

{Rory}

I am not sure I can add many more details to Preston's post. I will just fill in a bit more I guess.

This is a pict of me that my friend from the ward took. She was wanting to take lots more, but I didnt feel up to it after an extra rough start to the morning. Maybe we will add more along the way.

I had a very darling, attentive nurse who was just really great. She took time to explain everything that was happening, what the meds were, why they did things a certain way. She took time to answer all of our questions. She was very good natured to take on my friend's teasing (our nurse is a UofO fan, and my friend is hardcore OSU Beaver fan) Miss J bantered back and forth with my friend and Preston, it was kind of funny to listen to them go at it the whole entire morning.

We had talked about Preston just planning to be at work for the day since things have been crazy for him all week. I was extra surprised to see him walking down the hallway to my "suite" with a long stemmed red rose in his hand. It overwhelmed me that he would take time to come and bring me such a special present. I also got another unexpected visitor when the oncology Family Support Coordinator also dropped in to meet/see me, also bearing wonderful gifts. She brought a wonderful bag packed full of small gifts and goodies. We discovered that she was a CHS graduate and that our leadership kids are one of the high schools providing these gift bags for cancer patients. She also brought an amazing box of goodies from a local's women's church group. We had a great visit and it was nice to finally put a face with the voice I have been talking to all these weeks.

Miss J seemed extra pleased with how everything went with all of the medications. She made the 5 hour appt seem to go by quickly. I was truly grateful to her for all that she did for me. I will be going back down to the hospital today for the secondary injection. Its purpose is to rebuild white blood cells and build bone marrow. It is supposed to be really amazing at helping minimalize the recovery window between treatments. Not looking forward to having the shot given though. It is put directly into fatty tissue layers either in my arm or my stomach.

Thankfully it is a pretty quick thing and hopefully all will be ok with that too.

I am really thankful that this next week will be pretty low key with the holiday. The kids only have 2 days of "school" and I will have lots of time to rest as needed as we gauge each day and my reaction to all of the stuff that was put into my system yesterday.

Will plan to write more soon.

This is Rory

I added this photo in Facebook, but Rory asked that I re-post it here also. (This blog doubles as her "journal.")

This is Rory. This is Rory being prepped for surgery. This is Rory being prepped for surgery and STILL helping kids with their homework. What a woman!

More Test Results

I got a personal phone call from my surgeon tonight about a couple of tests results.

PETscan (specialized CT scan to look for cancer througout body) came back with cancer localized to breast tissue. He was very pleased about that.

Node biopsy came back positive for cancer. He seems hopeful that chemo will be successful in working on that though. He apparently fought hard for leaving my options open at their oncology team meeting today. He really fights to stay on the cutting edge and is working hard to do what is right for me vs doing "what has always been done". I am grateful to him for that.

He wants me to check in 1/2 way through treatments and we will reassess things and see if he wants to do surgery then or wait until all my treatments are completed. He is planning on doing a sentinal node test -removing just that node and possibly one close to it to verify if positive for cancer still - when I go to surgery and will make the final decision then if all the nodes will need to come out or not. He seems hopeful that the others will be able to be saved if it is just that one that is affected. This is a huge thing because if it is just localized to that one node then he can save the rest and remove the concern of lymphadema (damaging all nerves in that arm) that can be a painful, lifelong concern.

Tonight I am having bishop's wife come and take a look at the port site again. I have been pretty sick all day, and hardly been out of bed. The port site seems to be alot more painful, all the way up into my throat. Hoping she can see any outward signs if there is something wrong.

I will be contacting the oncology office tomorrow to see if I can gather info about the echocardiogram results. I will also check to see what the final plan for Friday and Saturday will be. Hopefully I will have more to post then.

Rory Update 11/13

The last few days have been so full. I am not sure where to even start to write about everything. I will probably just do a recap here and hopefully remember everything.

Preston's post summed up our Thursday pretty well. He had more to share since I was pretty much unconscious for the surgical procedure and then most of the rest of that day/evening.

The one thing I do want to share is another little miracle that happened for surgery itself.

We didnt find out until that morning that the surgery location and procedure itself had changed. I was expecting my surgeon and to be put under general anesthetic. Instead I was surprised to find another surgeon, and that I was going to be conscious for the whole thing because they needed me to breathe for myself....I was not ok with that.

Just when they took me back for the surgery, the meds nurse could see I was very nervous. I told her I was not expecting to be conscious and that I was not doing ok with that. She again explained to me why it was necessary. She was very kind and trying to find humor in things told me that if I would breathe, she would give (meds). I knew that this was more than I could handle and silently plead with Heavenly Father to breathe for me so they could completely sedate me. He was so good in his answer. I ended up being so completely sedated that they had to call the heart tech to my recovery room because I was still unconscious way past when my appt at the heart center was supposed to be. {Preston update ... this wasn't a problem. She always wakes up slowly, so it wasn't unexpected. They called the technician - not a "heart tech" - to do her EKG while she was still asleep.} It was 2 hrs after surgery before I was awake enough to ask to please go home. The nurses were unsure about letting me go yet, but with Preston's reassurance that he would be with me the rest of the day they let me go home.

That night Jill and Preston babied my IV working hard and all of us continually praying to Heavenly Father to keep the IV line clear so it would be useable for my procedure on Friday. {Preston update: remember that they had to stick her FOUR times to get that line started, and we didn't want to go through THAT again.}

It was a very long night for all of us having to wake and flush the line every few hours and into the late morning.

An angel came forward on Friday AM to take me to and stay with me for all of my appts. It was hard for me and Preston knowing he had to be at drill to fulfill all of his responsibilities for the big day the unit had. A sister from our ward volunteered her time so that I would not be alone. It was a great blessing for all of us.

The back-to-back procedures on Friday were exhausting, but went better than expected. I was esp pleasantly surprised with the PETscan. If I had been given all of the "why's" of the test and the info I got that morning, there would have been nothing to worry about. The tech was great and explained everything and answered every question. I ended up with the test pretty much being a 1 hour nap!

When everything was done Heavenly Father again answered unspoken prayers. Just when I finished the last appt and walked out the door, wishing I didnt have to walk to the other building for our last appt, there was Preston pulling into the driveway. That might not seem unsual, except he was at the wrong building, and had not gotten any of my messages that our last appt time had been moved up by 30 min. Heavenly Father had heard me tell the sister who had taken me to the appts to not worry about staying because Preston would be there when I was done. He was there, and he was the one surprised when I told him it was so perfect because our appt was right then. Heavenly Father had led him to be with me at just the very most perfect second and perfect timing for our appt with the surgeon. True tender mercies.

Our appt with the surgeon went well. I am more and more sure every time we see him that he has been heaven sent to us for this time. I think that has been true of all of the oncology team that we have met so far. It has made these last weeks more bearable for sure.

I wish I could say I have stayed so positive. Yesterday and today, however, I think everything finally caught up to me too. I did a total meltdown on Preston yesterday and spent the day being very angry about everything. Today I have just cried and cried. I didnt end up going to meetings. I was so physically exhausted and struggling with the port site, plus I was just emotionally not stable enough to be around others. The tears flowed even more when 4 of our YM from the ward came to administer the sacrament just for me after the block. I am sure Ceana thought I had completely lost it because all I could do was cry, and I couldnt even tell her why...

This afternoon we had special friends from the ward, including bishop's wife and RS presidency, come to calendar and brainstorm with us to help start filling needs that we can forsee at this time. We got help in place for chemo on Friday and Saturday. We also have sisters ready to help kiddos with homework as will be needed. I feel so overwhelmed right now, it is hard for me to process all of these wonderful sisters being ready and so willing to help me and us through these difficult months. One sister teased that she thought it hysterical that they were trying to put together a team of women to do all the things I do by myself. The other sisters got a good laugh out of that too. It is going to be part of the learning process for me to allow myself and our family to be given service in so many areas....it is easy to serve, but hard to learn to allow ourselves to be given service.

We should have several test results back in the next couple of days. I will be sure to post more when I have more updates.

111111

(Start Preston)

Big day today ...

Since we got permission yesterday to leave the IV in place overnight, we needed to "flush" it periodically. I guess that pesky blot clotting thing not only helps heal skin cuts, but also tries to heal openings in veins. Especially since the line was so small ("a 24"), there was worry that it needed to be flushed every few hours. Jill came over late last night and had to prod, massage, and squeeze to break the clot free and get some saline through the line. Four hours later (1am) it was my turn, and we were VERY disappointed when I couldn't get anything to enter. About to give up, we decided to try the second "port" on the IV line and for some reason that one worked fine. Odd. Four hours later (5am) we again couldn't get the saline to enter. We tried both ports, gentle massage, but nothing was working. Not wanting to give up on that line I tried calling Jill, who had offered to run over if needed. After ringing about 10 times someone picked up, then immediately hung up. I called again and it eventually went to a computer-voiced message. Next was a text message saying it looked like we had a clot, and could use her help. While waiting for a reply we tried the push some more, and voila! It started going in! After 5cc I sent another text to Jill saying "Never mind ... we got it." A few seconds later I got a return text message: "You must have a wrong number." Sorry. Oops.

Shortly thereafter I left for the Albany Veterans' Memorial Service and Parade (two separate events), so Rory will have to fill in the details on all her appointments. She was VERY appreciative of the sister in the ward to offered to drive her down to the hospital and stay for a few hours.

After finishing in Albany I drove back to the hospital and arrived about 30 minutes before our appointment with the surgeon ... and good thing I got there when I did, because he was running ahead of schedule and was ready to meet right then! He wanted to go over the MRI results with us in person, and discuss the plan going forward.

The MRI definitely showed the tumor on the left side, as well as several other "suspicious nodules" around the tumor. Since we're going with chemo before the surgery happens, there is some hope that the therapy will possibly eliminate those smaller spots. If that happens, then lumpectomy would be an option; if not, mastectomy will be likely.

The MRI also showed similar "suspicious nodules" on the right side. One of the exams today was a "focused ultrasound" to get a better idea of what is on the right, and the radiologist and surgeon both think they are nothing to worry about. So for now, no biopsy or surgery or anything scheduled for that side.

Part of today's ultrasound targeted the lymph nodes to see if any are already cancerous, and they think one of them is. Again, pre-operative chemo has about a 30% chance of clearing that up. During the main surgery they can do a "sentinel lymph node biopsy" meaning they inject a dye, and they can use the coloration / radiation to find which is the first (or "sentinel") node downstream from the cancer. The "sentinel" node is removed and biopsied immediately during the operation. If the results are negative for the cancer then they don't have to remove the rest of them. If the results are positive then there is a chance it has already spread so they remove all the nodes from that arm. Unfortunately that can cause other complications later on, so we're hoping to be part of the 30%. And it's nice to have a surgeon who is a self-described "maverick" when it comes to using this sentinel node procedure.

A ward member made some awesome home-made pizza for us for dinner, but since Rory doesn't do yeast or milk products we stopped to get her some Chinese from her favorite place. After two days of food restrictions she really wolfed down that treat! Too bad she can't have the pizza ... it was awesome. Kylan even went back for seconds!

I was able to get some homework done with the girls before they left for the local high school football game. What a blessing that others are willing to help with meals; we would have had cold cereal again otherwise. :+)

I guess that's about all I have for today. When she's feeling a bit better I'm sure Rory will update this entry with details from the other appointments.

(End Preston)

111110

This is a "man post" (ie very short and to the point) about today's activities.

7am: intended to check in at Short Stay, but were directed to the Cath Lab instead. Sister Tharp (from the ward, an RN at the hospital, and a HUGE help today) found us even in the new location. We thought Dr. Faddis (the surgeon) would be doing the procedure, but his schedule was already full so we were routed to the other unit.

8am: started the long process of trying to start an IV. Rory warned the nurses repeatedly about the difficulty they would have. After three tries the first nurse gave up. Another "highly experienced" nurse was called in, and she had a young lady along to observe. We joked that made four nurses, 4 pokes, and almost an hour to get the IV started. Rory was in tears for the pain and for getting stuck so many times again.

10:30am: finally taken back for surgery. Good news ... the scan technician for tomorrow's procedure agreed to use the current IV, and the doctor agreed to sign the order to leave it in place overnight. No more pokes tomorrow!

12pm: sleepy Rory wheeled back into the recovery room. Realizing she was NOT going to be awake enough to go to her 1pm EKG appointment, they requested that a technician come down and he did the EKG while she was still asleep.

2:30pm: finally awake enough to drive home. Did some homework with the kids, drove Caiden to and from scouts, attending online webinar for church calendar, etc. Also worked out details for tomorrow ... office surgery ("target" installation), focused ultrasound (they might have found additional cancer nodules and want to check them in more detail), and PETscan (radioactive CT scan to give more detail, look at other major organs, etc), and meet with the surgeon to go over last week's MRI results.

It's already been a long day and it's not over yet. Rory wrote down copious notes and I expect she'll have lots to add when she's awake and alert. I might add more when I have time and maybe more energy (not likely).

Preston

Rory Medical Update #2

Hi there, it's me, again....
I just got a phone call from the dr office with all the rest of the big procedures in place - all crammed into the next TWO days...

I am scheduled for the pre-op (port placement) surgical procedure tomorrow AM. I have to be at the hospital 7am (30 min drive away). The procedure is supposed to be a couple of hours. I am then also scheduled for a heart echocardiogram in the afternoon. I will be away from home all day tomorrow, and then resting/recovering for the remainder of the day in accordance with requirements for PETscan on Friday.

Friday AM I am scheduled for 3 big procedures back-to-back - focused ultrasound, another in-office pre-op procedure, and a huge test called a PETscan. I have heard it is going to be a monster test thing. Hoping to gain more info from our good friend who is an RN. Having all the info I can will help me better prep. Again, I will be away from home the entire day, and hopefully resting once home.

Poor Preston is supposed to travel for work, and again, he will instead be with me. I love him dearly for being willing to be with me, but worry that work stuff is being compromised...
I am also at a loss today as to finding childcare for 3 little peeps so big kids can still keep working on school. This is going to be our biggest challenge, I think. The big kids cant lose their school time so they can stay on track. Finding non-stop care for little ones may become a great burden to others through these many months...Hoping we will be able to find the care and help, and patience we will need....

That is all for now. I will be sure that Preston posts here over the next couple of days to keep everyone updated on my progress.

Preston Update:

This morning's call from Rory: "So, are you ready to have your world turned upside-down? They scheduled me for surgery tomorrow."

OK so a few details got left out of that initial announcement. I of course thought she meant the doctors decided to schedule a double mastectomy, lobotomy, organoscopy lots of other nasty stuff that just jumped into my head. After making her back up, slow down, and give me some details it came out that she's scheduled to get the permanent "port" installed tomorrow.

Whew!

Rory Quick Update

I have started this post several times, never quite knowing what to include.

I am planning to try to post here so everyone can get our most current news. Hopefully that will help me not forget to send somone an email...

We are slowly getting some pieces in place. We thought we had them, and then had everything unravel last week because of some stress with insurance....

Here is where we are as of last Thursday:

1) Preston & I met with the medical oncologist on Thursday AM. She is wonderful and so is her staff. They were very attentive to our questions and made sure we didnt leave the office before we had all the info that we needed. We agreed that pre-surgical chemo will be best for me, then surgery, then possible radiation, and long term hormone treatments. I had labs done last week as well to specifically look at my iron and Vit D levels again. Dont have those back as of yet.

2) BOTH pathology reports came back negative. That takes away 2 big things we wont have to worry about at all. That is a huge blessing and something the surgeon is VERY pleased about.

3) MRI results came back with not good news - cancer has spread outside the main tumor area within left side. There were also cancer nodules detected in the right side as well. We knew this could potentially be a concern as the type of cancer this is. The MRI results will give better documentation for other full body scan that has been requested. They need to make sure it hasnt spread anywhere else.

4) I am scheduled this Friday for a focused ultrasound on both sides, and a small pre-surgical procedure that will help them pinpoint, track and measure the main tumor during chemo. Depending on what the ultrasound shows, they may also do a 2nd biopsy on the right side while I am there in the office.

5) Because we are still waiting for several tests and the surgical procedure for the port to be put in, my 1st chemo treatment is going to be pushed out to next weekend (Nov 18). Most likely Thurs will be a pre-lim dr appt and labs, chemo on Fri, secondary injection on Sat. We have been told that I WILL lose all of my hair between the 1st and 2nd treatment (2 weeks). Right now, I am thinking that we are going to have our hair shaving party on the 18th or 19th. We could potentially wait until Thanxgiving weekend, but expect that I may be too sick to handle the haircut by then....so anyone who wants in on the party can join us :) If you do, we would love for you to send picts so we can post them here :)

We are hoping to hear from the oncology office in the next day or two and that we will be able to put the other tests (PETscan, echocardiogram) and the port procedure in place before next weekend. As soon as we know more I will post it here.

We are very grateful to all of those who are keeping us in their prayers. Knowing that you love and care about our family means so much.

This Is A Test

Hi,

As everyone is now aware of our news of recent weeks, I am hoping to post here exclusively, so that we make sure to not forget anyone via email.

I am doing a test to make sure everyone can see the most recent update. If you can please respond to this post and leave a comment or send me an email to let me know if you can see these.

So much has been happening the last few days. I am in the process of writing journal pages and I will post our most current basic news from those here on the blog.

Do watch for more to come ASAP. Hopefully with good news that all the needed tests and procedures are falling back into place.

Thank you to all who have given such an outpouring of love and support for our family. We love you all!