I HAD to post this one. Make sure you're not eating when you watch this.
Friday, March 27, 2009
Saturday, March 21, 2009
March 21st update
Yesterday the twins (dragon girl and jabber box) turned 9. I will post picts of the awesome cakes we made (hubby helped me with some of the details) later. I can't believe how fast time has flown.
Vehicles - We got the van fixed and put back into much needed use at the exact same time our truck died. Hubby has a theory that we are allowed to have only one working vehicle at a time. The truck had a very expensive problem - fuel pump went bad. Got that fixed so we now have two working vehicles. YAY!! Nothing in the bank account but we can at least drive to go visit our empty account. ha ha
Dad - Tuesday my parents and brother went to the oncologist. Dad had a 102.5 degree fever and had a very difficult time getting from the car to the doc's office. Thank goodness my bro went to offer a strong arm. Dad was leaning so hard on his walker that it wasn't moving very fast. The bad news.... Dad will NOT be getting chemotherapy. They were told that pancreatic cancer chemotherapy has a history of giving the patient an average of only 1 year of life and the person has to have been an active and fairly healthy person prior to being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Dad has 2 of the most evil cancers a person can get. Primary pancreatic cancer and secondary liver cancer. The docs have been very honest and have said over and over that dad is "a very sick man". Mom is trying to make things easier on him by providing as much fresh fruit and veggies he can eat. They are much easier on his digestion. She fixes him an egg or two or beans for iron since he's pretty anemic. It seems that we are basically waiting for the cancer to win. I enjoy being able to talk with him as much as I can right now. I feel that each conversation is a gift.
Baby - My contractions are down to a dull roar now. On their own. I have some meds that are supposed to calm them down if we have too many again. I haven't had to take any yet. I've been pretty much just laying down on the couch and being a slug. My FFN (fetal fibronectin) test results were negative!!! YAY!!! That just means that from the day the test was done the chances are high that I will NOT go into labor during the following 2 weeks. I have 1 more week of this "peace of mind".
So... there's the latest. I hope our lives continue to get calmer and calmer. I am looking forward to sharing picts of the awesome b-day cakes that we all enjoyed for the twin's birthday. We will be munching on them for several days. Next week is my hubby's 40th b-day. Wish we could do something awesome for that day. Seems that a quiet typical b-day party is what we will have to have.
Vehicles - We got the van fixed and put back into much needed use at the exact same time our truck died. Hubby has a theory that we are allowed to have only one working vehicle at a time. The truck had a very expensive problem - fuel pump went bad. Got that fixed so we now have two working vehicles. YAY!! Nothing in the bank account but we can at least drive to go visit our empty account. ha ha
Dad - Tuesday my parents and brother went to the oncologist. Dad had a 102.5 degree fever and had a very difficult time getting from the car to the doc's office. Thank goodness my bro went to offer a strong arm. Dad was leaning so hard on his walker that it wasn't moving very fast. The bad news.... Dad will NOT be getting chemotherapy. They were told that pancreatic cancer chemotherapy has a history of giving the patient an average of only 1 year of life and the person has to have been an active and fairly healthy person prior to being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Dad has 2 of the most evil cancers a person can get. Primary pancreatic cancer and secondary liver cancer. The docs have been very honest and have said over and over that dad is "a very sick man". Mom is trying to make things easier on him by providing as much fresh fruit and veggies he can eat. They are much easier on his digestion. She fixes him an egg or two or beans for iron since he's pretty anemic. It seems that we are basically waiting for the cancer to win. I enjoy being able to talk with him as much as I can right now. I feel that each conversation is a gift.
Baby - My contractions are down to a dull roar now. On their own. I have some meds that are supposed to calm them down if we have too many again. I haven't had to take any yet. I've been pretty much just laying down on the couch and being a slug. My FFN (fetal fibronectin) test results were negative!!! YAY!!! That just means that from the day the test was done the chances are high that I will NOT go into labor during the following 2 weeks. I have 1 more week of this "peace of mind".
So... there's the latest. I hope our lives continue to get calmer and calmer. I am looking forward to sharing picts of the awesome b-day cakes that we all enjoyed for the twin's birthday. We will be munching on them for several days. Next week is my hubby's 40th b-day. Wish we could do something awesome for that day. Seems that a quiet typical b-day party is what we will have to have.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Update - Lots have been happening
Ok... I've been wanting to update for a few days now but things have been really hopping lately.
Refridg -
We got the evap fan motor. I installed it but the fan still did not start up. I found that Sears parts center had a thermostat in stock. Hubby picked one up, installed it, and the 12 year old refridge LIVES again!!!!! AND we got to save probably a good $100 by doing the work ourselves.
Dad -
Dad got home from the hospital Monday evening. He is on oxygen day and night (yay). He's still on antibiotics. My mom has to give him his heprin shots (for the blood clots in his lungs). The shot goes into his tummy which is a little creepy for my mom... she's getting her nursing 101 degree I guess. He sounds great on the phone. I'm not sure when they will be starting the chemo. I think they may be waiting for the lungs to clear the clots before they impose more stress on his body.
Van -
It has been towed to the repair shop and we will get some word of it's demise / repair in the morning. We are getting assistance in the repair costs - Yay!
Truck -
Hubby has been working on all the problems that are preventing it from being registered. He did stop off and get it temporarly registered. He has 2 weeks to get things fixed and passed before the temp registration expires. At least now we can drive it around to get the parts we need and not have to look over our shoulders worrying about getting pulled over.
$$$ -
Still haven't received anything... BUT... Hubby is heading over to his biggest client in the morning - with the aid of the guy he works for there - to bug the "big wigs" for payment of some sort. We shall see. Hubby's services are greatly needed right now but he refuses to work further for this company until he receives some sort of show of good intent (ie $$$ for past work completed). Keeping fingers crossed for that to work out. I do understand that you can't get blood from a rock. I know they're very strapped for cash but they seem to be able to make payroll for their employees... just not their contract labor guys.
Baby -
We made an emergency run to L&D (labor and delivery) this morning. I was woken up from a dead sleep (3:30am) by a barrage of owie contractions. They wouldn't let up and pain was starting to come from my lower back during them. After I got hooked up we could see they were coming every 3 - 5 minutes. After being there for 4 hours they lightened up on their own. They ran a few tests. The important one came back inconclusive so I will have that one run again on Friday at my regular midwife appt. Today I am 27 weeks 4 days along. I DO NOT want to see this little one until MUCH later - May at the earliest. My contractions will not stop until this peanut is born. I just get nervous when trying to figure out if they are just "regular" contractions or ones I need to be worried about.
------
So there you have all the updates. I have very few comments left here but I have heard of several people stopping by to read these. I want to say HI to everyone and thank you for being concerned about how my life is progressing.
Refridg -
We got the evap fan motor. I installed it but the fan still did not start up. I found that Sears parts center had a thermostat in stock. Hubby picked one up, installed it, and the 12 year old refridge LIVES again!!!!! AND we got to save probably a good $100 by doing the work ourselves.
Dad -
Dad got home from the hospital Monday evening. He is on oxygen day and night (yay). He's still on antibiotics. My mom has to give him his heprin shots (for the blood clots in his lungs). The shot goes into his tummy which is a little creepy for my mom... she's getting her nursing 101 degree I guess. He sounds great on the phone. I'm not sure when they will be starting the chemo. I think they may be waiting for the lungs to clear the clots before they impose more stress on his body.
Van -
It has been towed to the repair shop and we will get some word of it's demise / repair in the morning. We are getting assistance in the repair costs - Yay!
Truck -
Hubby has been working on all the problems that are preventing it from being registered. He did stop off and get it temporarly registered. He has 2 weeks to get things fixed and passed before the temp registration expires. At least now we can drive it around to get the parts we need and not have to look over our shoulders worrying about getting pulled over.
$$$ -
Still haven't received anything... BUT... Hubby is heading over to his biggest client in the morning - with the aid of the guy he works for there - to bug the "big wigs" for payment of some sort. We shall see. Hubby's services are greatly needed right now but he refuses to work further for this company until he receives some sort of show of good intent (ie $$$ for past work completed). Keeping fingers crossed for that to work out. I do understand that you can't get blood from a rock. I know they're very strapped for cash but they seem to be able to make payroll for their employees... just not their contract labor guys.
Baby -
We made an emergency run to L&D (labor and delivery) this morning. I was woken up from a dead sleep (3:30am) by a barrage of owie contractions. They wouldn't let up and pain was starting to come from my lower back during them. After I got hooked up we could see they were coming every 3 - 5 minutes. After being there for 4 hours they lightened up on their own. They ran a few tests. The important one came back inconclusive so I will have that one run again on Friday at my regular midwife appt. Today I am 27 weeks 4 days along. I DO NOT want to see this little one until MUCH later - May at the earliest. My contractions will not stop until this peanut is born. I just get nervous when trying to figure out if they are just "regular" contractions or ones I need to be worried about.
------
So there you have all the updates. I have very few comments left here but I have heard of several people stopping by to read these. I want to say HI to everyone and thank you for being concerned about how my life is progressing.
Friday, March 6, 2009
Dad update Fri 3/6
The docs ordered a CAT scan of his chest this morning. They've been trying to figure out why he's had a fever (101). The scan showed that he has several blood clots in his lungs. They are keeping him in the hospital for a couple more days to give him heprin to help clear out the clots. When he goes home he will be on some oral pill that is not as strong but will work similar to heprin.
The biopsy results varified that dad does have pancreatic cancer. He will be starting chemotherapy soon. Right now they're waiting for his oncologist to give the thumbs up. The concern was about his fever. It may delay treatment of the cancer. The chemo will be in a pill form taken once a week.
Mom said that dad has eaten quite well today. She got to the hospital pretty early this morning so she could be there when any of the doctors showed up. She's been sitting there and making sure he eats as much as she can convince him to eat. She got him an ensure drink that he liked. Concentrated and easy to digest boost of nutrition. They will be sending a diatitian in to see if anything else needs to be done to keep proper nutrition in him.
My sister and 2 of her kids and one of her grandson's are sneaking (driving) out to be with mom as I type this. Mom doesn't know - thank goodness. She would find some goofy reason to object to anyone coming out (she doesn't like to be a burden). I find a great deal of peace to know that she will be there for mom's sanity. I can't imagine being the sole caretaker of dad with such a huge "project" underway without having someone physically there to voice concerns to. Phone calls are good but not nearly as good as being there. Also, my sister has a LOT of experience in hospitals (one family member or another). She comes up with questions for the docs that most people would never think of to ask. What a relief for all of us to have her there.
The biopsy results varified that dad does have pancreatic cancer. He will be starting chemotherapy soon. Right now they're waiting for his oncologist to give the thumbs up. The concern was about his fever. It may delay treatment of the cancer. The chemo will be in a pill form taken once a week.
Mom said that dad has eaten quite well today. She got to the hospital pretty early this morning so she could be there when any of the doctors showed up. She's been sitting there and making sure he eats as much as she can convince him to eat. She got him an ensure drink that he liked. Concentrated and easy to digest boost of nutrition. They will be sending a diatitian in to see if anything else needs to be done to keep proper nutrition in him.
My sister and 2 of her kids and one of her grandson's are sneaking (driving) out to be with mom as I type this. Mom doesn't know - thank goodness. She would find some goofy reason to object to anyone coming out (she doesn't like to be a burden). I find a great deal of peace to know that she will be there for mom's sanity. I can't imagine being the sole caretaker of dad with such a huge "project" underway without having someone physically there to voice concerns to. Phone calls are good but not nearly as good as being there. Also, my sister has a LOT of experience in hospitals (one family member or another). She comes up with questions for the docs that most people would never think of to ask. What a relief for all of us to have her there.
Life is getting to be a bit much right now
I was afraid that I was going to go into labor tonight from the stress of life....
1. Hubby just got a ticket for failure to signal
2. Our fridge/freezer is still on the blink. Part won't be here until anywhere from tomorrow to Tuesday. It's been out for several days already.
3. Still haven't been paid!!!
4. Van is still dead.
5. Mortgage is due.
6. Truck needs some repairs before it will pass safety and IM inspections. Registration expired at the end of LAST YEAR!
7. Got a pretty grim update from my mom about my dad's health.
Am thankful for:
1. Hubby got his driver's license renewed YESTERDAY (it had expired a year ago).
UPDATE ON MY DAD:
Yesterday I had a small ray of hope. Turned out that his legs had been infected and it is called cellulitis. The infection had been going on for more than a year. He was responding very well to the antibiotics. Legs were looking quite normal colored (except for one area on his right leg). We were hoping that perhaps the spots in his liver and pancreas could be infection rather than cancer. He actually ate somewhat normal amounts of food...
Then today happened.
He ate - maybe 500 calories worth of food all day (I actually think it was less). His fever came back this evening. Even though they still haven't received the biopsy results they are calling it cancer and are proceeding with chemo tomorrow. The 2 - 4 "spots" they found in his liver a few weeks ago have now grown into a softball size mass on the right side of his liver.
The logic side of my brain has come to terms with the very high probability that my dad won't be here on earth much longer. The emotional side of me wants to break down into tears just at the thought of him not being here. Logic says it will actually be a "gift" for him to not have to suffer from his dimentia for many more years.
I'm VERY grateful that I have had the opportunity to be with him recently. I got to hug him and tell him how much I love him.
I hope that whenever he does pass (now or 10 years from now) that there won't be any blocks to being able to attend the funeral. I couldn't handle life if I couldn't go.
Dang contractions....
Better go lay down...
1. Hubby just got a ticket for failure to signal
2. Our fridge/freezer is still on the blink. Part won't be here until anywhere from tomorrow to Tuesday. It's been out for several days already.
3. Still haven't been paid!!!
4. Van is still dead.
5. Mortgage is due.
6. Truck needs some repairs before it will pass safety and IM inspections. Registration expired at the end of LAST YEAR!
7. Got a pretty grim update from my mom about my dad's health.
Am thankful for:
1. Hubby got his driver's license renewed YESTERDAY (it had expired a year ago).
UPDATE ON MY DAD:
Yesterday I had a small ray of hope. Turned out that his legs had been infected and it is called cellulitis. The infection had been going on for more than a year. He was responding very well to the antibiotics. Legs were looking quite normal colored (except for one area on his right leg). We were hoping that perhaps the spots in his liver and pancreas could be infection rather than cancer. He actually ate somewhat normal amounts of food...
Then today happened.
He ate - maybe 500 calories worth of food all day (I actually think it was less). His fever came back this evening. Even though they still haven't received the biopsy results they are calling it cancer and are proceeding with chemo tomorrow. The 2 - 4 "spots" they found in his liver a few weeks ago have now grown into a softball size mass on the right side of his liver.
The logic side of my brain has come to terms with the very high probability that my dad won't be here on earth much longer. The emotional side of me wants to break down into tears just at the thought of him not being here. Logic says it will actually be a "gift" for him to not have to suffer from his dimentia for many more years.
I'm VERY grateful that I have had the opportunity to be with him recently. I got to hug him and tell him how much I love him.
I hope that whenever he does pass (now or 10 years from now) that there won't be any blocks to being able to attend the funeral. I couldn't handle life if I couldn't go.
Dang contractions....
Better go lay down...
Monday, March 2, 2009
Dad
My mom just called to tell me that my dad's in the hospital today. He will be there for several days. He came down with a fever and was just not moving or eating much. He's on monitors, oxygen and antibiotics.
My mom took him to the ER this afternoon at the urging of his oncologist. She sat there with him until 9pm when he begged her to go home and get some food and rest. He didn't have a room yet but he's being taken care of in one of the ER cubicles.
She said that he's pink now and very chatty (opposite of how he was when she took him).
I think this is his pneumonia coming back with a vengence. I didn't think the antibiotics he was on when he was here were working well enough. He was on the last few days of a 10 day course and he looked and acted like someone who needed to be on some major oxygen. (Dragon Girl has had pneumonia enough times that I know more than a thing or two about that evil desiese).
We all doubt they will be doing the biopsy tomorrow since he has a fever right now. We shall see...
My mom took him to the ER this afternoon at the urging of his oncologist. She sat there with him until 9pm when he begged her to go home and get some food and rest. He didn't have a room yet but he's being taken care of in one of the ER cubicles.
She said that he's pink now and very chatty (opposite of how he was when she took him).
I think this is his pneumonia coming back with a vengence. I didn't think the antibiotics he was on when he was here were working well enough. He was on the last few days of a 10 day course and he looked and acted like someone who needed to be on some major oxygen. (Dragon Girl has had pneumonia enough times that I know more than a thing or two about that evil desiese).
We all doubt they will be doing the biopsy tomorrow since he has a fever right now. We shall see...
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