A new chapter begins

Nancy and i met with the home healthcare supervisor this morning &will transition to outpatient care bext week. this is a huge change as we will not have nurses& therapists herer5 days each weeek. we will be driving to therapyand handling all my personal health needs on our own. it will take a significant adjustment, but we expect greater progress in the long run.

Sunday after Thanksgiving

As we drove to church this a.m. we noticed many, many Christmas decorations. It doesn't seem like it is time for that yet... Our time references have changed so much. I suppose sometime this week Hannah will help with decorating. She will have to come back and help take it down. We may downsize the decorations this year.

We ate roast for dinner. It was nice to not eat turkey again. Turkey is great for a bit, but the first "real" meal after Thanksgiving leftovers always tastes so good. Mike has had a very good appetite lately. I told him today that he is going to have to start moving more if he plans on eating lots...He needs to fit into his clothes :)

We have enjoyed having family visit for the last several days. Allen returns home tomorrow and Hannah at the end of the week. They have been such a help to me. We have given our "regulars" the week off.

Last evening my sister treated Mike and I to a massage. The therapist worked on each of us for over an hour. It was heavenly! I slept like a baby last night while Hannah took care of Mike's needs. Mike has been sleeping fairly well also. I think he was more relaxed than usual last night. We may have to make a habit of massages!

We are so thankful at this time of year for all of our amazing friends and family members. We are thankful for our faith. We thank each of you for your kindness and care during these last several months. Our journey continues a day at a time. Thanks for walking with us.

laid back Saturday

rick,Sally &Cami left early today to return to Georgia.i've beendozing in bed and decidedi' been there long enough,so blogging was my next priority. we still havel of lots of food,so we don't need to go anywhere. We are thankful for a wonderful days with our family.We hope you have been blessed with a great holiday as well

Black Friday...

We made it through Thanksgiving and are on to black Friday. We have no plans to shop as we have done so much of that online. We are hoping that we can get Mike to his office today. Mike's family is visiting and his brother offered to make the trip to the office with us. We are anxious to eat some of the left overs from yesterday. We are blessed with many... Allen and Hannah are here, Allen for a few days and Hannah for another week. It was so nice for the monitor to go in their room last night. I slept for 9 straight hours last night. Mike slept for 7. My how a good night's sleep helps revive one's soul. We have so much to be grateful for... Let us never forget.

Giving Thanks!!!!!

how grateful we are for this special day of Thanksgiving. We have had family here constantly the last 2 days with Hannanh & Allen here and Nancy's family here for a wonderful feast. i have even gotten in a couple of naps while football is on tv. we have lots of food left if someone out there is still hungry.

we are extremely thankful for the porogress we are making from this medical challenge. the Lord continues to bless us with healing power and strengthto endure. we are also thankful for your love, support and prayers.

trip to rehab flooor

this afternoon Nancy hauled me out of bed and we went toBMH3rd floor rehab to deliver a thankyou gift of a Wii Fit system. they were alll thrilledto see me and gratefulfor the gift. ffor the gift, we hope they will find creative ways to engagepatients. i got lots of hugs&a kiss from my favorite nurse. it was a wonderful excursion.

Mike

Busy Monday

we got some good restlast nightand,we have beenbusy. our physical therapist came this afternoon. i walked a record distance for her and she was pleased.

Nancy picked up a "Wii-Fit" system for therehab flooor at the hospital as a thnkyou giftfor their service during my stays there. We hope to mtake a field trip this weeek to deliver it.

Sunday update

we got a bit of a late start to church,but were still on time. we were both very tired after abusy weekend with guests Nancy stayed up too late talkinglast night.

we both need more naps today and some rest tonight.

Round 3, Day5

you willnote a new poster today. One of the therapists suggestedIget more involved in the blog.Tonight is my lastday of chemo for 3 weeeks.

Last nightwe went to a public showing of a commmunity health center we designed. it was wonderful to seelots of clients and community volunteer friends. i wastired and slept well, but i'm"still tired this afternoon after sleeping most the day..

Nancy is busy making my dinner to eat before th medications start. we look forward to one more good nightbefore the break.

Mike

It matters that things get done, not that any one in particular does them.

Having chemotherapy causes some real introspection. Mike had a restless night last night, but dear Andy was here to quietly chat with Mike. I slept very soundly after having a restless night on Monday. Mike has an appetite and is up and ready for physical therapy today. We are trying to conserve energy to go to a community function tomorrow. I think it will be so good for Mike to get out and so good for many to see him.

We are so grateful for time we have together to share our thoughts and feelings. Mike is such an incredible man. Last night he was asked by a friend to tell some of his "accomplishments" and things he is most proud of. His comment was, "It doesn't matter that I did those things, it just matters that they got done."

Round 3 underway

Mike started round number 3 of his chemo treatments last night. He took it like a pro. We both had anxiety leading up to it since the last time didn't go so well. Last night was great. Mike slept well with no nausea. He ate a good breakfast and is ready for the rest of the day. We are so very grateful for the many prayers, kind thoughts and words in our behalf. You pulled us through this one! We know Heavenly Father hears and answers our prayers. We are thankful people.

It's the week end again...

Today has been a good day for us. Mike is making such great strides in his physical therapy. He is now able to get to the shower with minimal help. We are so grateful for the work that our contractor friends did in our bathroom to make it accessible for Mike. We are also so thankful for our physical therapist who is so patient and kind as we try new things. We are planning on a "Saturday night shower" tomorrow so Mike can be ready for church on Sunday. Again we will attempt to go to church but must not shake hands or give hugs. Mike's chemo starts again on Monday. The results of Mike's blood tests were great last Tuesday, so it looks like Mike is strong enough for another round of treatment. We will have some out of town guests visiting at the end of next week. We feel so blessed that they are willing to travel long distances for a visit. We are truly surrounded by wonderful people.

The doctor's visit went well yesterday. As is usually the case after an outing, Mike is exhausted. Today he has slept the morning away. The therapist just called and said she has a cold so she won't be coming until tomorrow. Looks like we have a day without any home health care! It is kind of nice to just have peace and quiet.

Mike and I have enjoyed doing some Christmas shopping on the internet. We are looking forward to the holidays. It will be wonderful spending time with our family.

Thanks so much for everyone who has helped us recently. Staying with me during the night, meals, yard work, flowers, visits, etc. have been so appreciated. We continue to be comforted by your goodness.

Sitting together in church

We started the process very early... but we made it to church this morning. Mike was determined to go and go we did! It has been 11 weeks since Mike has been to church. I was beginning to wonder if he would ever be able to sit with me in church again. What a difference a week makes.

It was our children's program today and it was absolutely delightful. The children reminded us of the importance of eternal families. Their sweet messages and music filled our souls.

We plan another outing on Tuesday to see the doctor. Chemo starts a week from tomorrow, so we need to make hay while the sun shines!

A nice outing...

Yesterday Mike got in the car for the first time in 7 weeks. We drove and drove and drove! We visited 4 project sites, went the BMV and got a handicap hang tag, stopped for a few errands, got gas and came home. It was glorious. Mike was dog tired today, but still had the stamina to walk with his quad cane when the therapist came. We had a nice visit from an old friend today. We are grateful for every positive moment we share. We are thinking of church Sunday... but must be very, very careful of germs... Mike may appear in a mask and will definitely not shake anyone's hand or hug anyone.

The word from the doctor today was good. Mike has had no significant changes since the last MRI. We are grateful for the news. Thanks to everyone who prayed and sent good thoughts for us. We will press forward again and pray that the next round of chemo will be doable.

Mike had another MRI last evening. It went well. He said it was the easiest he has had yet. I am sure that is due to the prayers of many in his behalf. We feel very peaceful as we await the results of the exam. We continue to have angels who help us every day as we continue this journey. I received another beautiful bouquet of flowers yesterday, signed "love Mike." Thanks to whoever is sending those in Mike's stead.