Letter from Linda

Dear Friends and Family,

Thank-you all for your prayers. I did not get a migraine nor get violently ill from the MRI last Wednesday. :o) The results did not show anything, but it does give us a baseline. After all this is the first MRI since my sinus cancer surgery on April 3.

The results of the culture did not show anything abnormal. So my ENT surgeon has done another one. He will also do one after I am done with my current 3 week supply of antibiotics, which I finish up tomorrow. I have been seeing my ENT surgeon at least once a week, sometimes even four times in week during the toughest weeks, since July 1.

One of the schools of thought is that after 30 radiation treatments and 3 chemotherapies, my eyes and sinus might be inflamed, not infected. It is just another possibility since no one can really figure out why I am still having sinus and eye issues, and occasional raised temperatures (similar symptoms of an infection) since July 11.

I am still having acupuncture twice a week, and am grateful that I am able to continue with the treatments.

My ovarian cyst surgery is still scheduled for September 18.

Life is moving along, the local Arvada, Colorado children are back in school. The autumn colors are not starting to turn yet. The majority of the birds have already left, which might mean an early fall. We are having lovely weather, mostly in the 80’s. Not too hot and not too cold.

My elementary school class of 1964 is having a reunion in LA on the weekend of March 20, 2010. I have been hearing from friends via email and the memories are flying back and forth! It brings me such joy to be back in touch with my St. Matthew’s buddies. :o)

The majority of us were together from preschool to sixth grade. They all are really like family, since we all grew up together and have known one another for over 50 years! The reunion is definitely an event that I am looking forward to! 2010 is definitely going to be a more interesting and exciting year than 2009.

Again, thank-you all for your love and prayers, especially for my next surgery.

Linda

Letter from Linda

Dear Friends and Family,

I am still battling my sinus infection, the same one I have had since July 11! I am on my 3rd set of antibiotics. We are still waiting for the culture that we took on Tuesday, August 11, to come back. I guess the chemo and radiation really did mess with my immune system! Before this year, I have rarely gotten sick, and when I did, I usually got over it pretty quickly.

In addition, the neurologist would like me to do another MRI. Wednesday night, August 19 at 8:30PM, I will go to Good Samaritan Hospital and have an MRI. MRI’s don’t hurt, but they are quite noisy. I will be given a set of earphones which will play music. However, it is still like I will be in-between a set of jack hammers for 45min-1 hour.

The last time I had an MRI I was got a migraine, was nauseous and threw-up for three days. Of course, I had 2 MRI’s within the 24 hour span of my last surgery. So it was a double dose in a relatively short time right after major surgery. Please keep me in your prayers for an easy MRI with no side effects.

Katrina has come down with a sinus infection, too. It is responding to antibiotics – yea! Technically sinus infections are not contagious, but the bacterium is transferable which can lead to a sinus infection. So, Katrina did not catch it from me, but I probably gave it to her!

Since Katrina came on February 24 for two weeks, she filed an extension on her taxes. Time was up on August 15. So, she drove to LA on July 29 (the first time she has returned since February) and got back here August 3. Katrina has been driving to LA, by herself since she was 19 years old. She enjoys the quiet and solitude (she is an only child, after all!) of the two day drive. Katrina spent 2 days in LA and then spent 2 days driving back to Colorado.

My sister, Annie, came and stayed with me during this time. We had a great visit and laughed a lot. We watched a DVD called “Young at Heart”. It is a documentary about a group of senior citizens who sing songs ranging from James Brown to Coldplay. We laughed, cried, clapped and sang along. It reminded us of our dad, who sang barbershop all of his life. It was very uplifting and left us smiling.

My next surgery on September 18 is rapidly approaching. I must be well, without any infection in order to have the surgery. Please pray for me to get over this stubborn infection! Since I had my uterus out 32 years ago, I have found out that my ovaries have travelled north. (Who knew?) My surgery will involve an incision several inches above my belly button on my stomach! So, please don’t make me laugh too much right after surgery. I remember my Momma sitting in the hospital room after my C-section when Katrina was born. Every time we looked at each other we started laughing. It was so painful, several times I had to ask her to leave the room. I miss laughing with my Momma.

Our new rescue dog – Lily has adjusted beautifully. She and Mabel, our 9 year old Golden Retriever are becoming friends. Mabel always wanted to play since day one, but Lily was afraid and not sure of a dog twice her size. Lily did not know that Mabel was used to playing with Reggie, who was Lily’s size. Mabel seems so happy to have a friend again. Lily follows me around like a little shadow, just like my beloved Reggie used to. :o)

Thank-you, again, for all of your prayers and support.

Linda

Letter from Linda

Dear Friends and Family,

Sorry for such a delayed update. The last 2 months have been quite challenging. The chemo and radiation treatments snowballed and built up with each additional treatment. My last chemo was June 29, and my last radiation was July 1. It is very interesting, but I am just now starting to feel most of the side effects wearing off. They still weren’t as bad as many other survivors experiences, so thank-you all for your prayers.

I have had a sinus infection since July 11. It has been quite a challenge to get rid of it. The second set of antibiotics seems to do the trick. I have another appointment with my ENT surgeon tomorrow; he has been seeing me regularly, sometimes several times each week, trying to keep on top of my infection. He is a wonderful person, and has steady, gentle hands, I am so lucky to have him as my doctor! I am old enough to be his mother! :o)

So, here is a wonderful blessing: my Eye surgeon does not detect any vision loss at this time! Of, course, it will take about 6 months before I am totally cleared, but I am not worried at this point. She feels very positive about my recovery and progress, so I am just going take her positive energy and run with it!

My second blood test for ovarian cancer CA-125, was 27 (the first one in March was 11), but it is still in the normal range, which is under 30.

My second ultrasound for the ovarian cyst was 9.9 cm. (the first one was 7.7 cm, although I thought they had told me 10 cm the first time?) So, actually, again, I am not going to worry about it. The chemo that was used to treat my sinus cancer is often used to treat ovarian cancer. I have an ovarian cancer specialist surgeon, along with my OBGYN doctor have both looked at the results and they both feel that the cyst is benign. Of course, we won’t know for sure until they actually biopsy it. So, let’s not worry, but let’s keep those positive prayers coming! The surgery is scheduled for September 18.

I forgot to mention my hair! After my last update and my second chemo more than a few strands fell out, so on June 10 I went in and had all of my hair, except for about one inch cut off. (I was concerned about shaving too close because of my ear to ear scar, which is healing nicely). I have the same haircut that my brother, Hughie, used to get every summer. We always referred to it as a “Cubby Bear” haircut. When I saw my radiologist, he was amazed that even though my hair had thinned in places, the only real hair loss was on the crown of my head. He said that it was the focus point of the radiation (30 treatments.) I attribute my limited hair loss to my acupuncture, which I have been going to at least twice a week since the beginning of my radiation and chemo treatments. My chemo doctor had told me that I would definitely lose all of my hair. So, if you know of anyone who is having chemo and radiation, let them know that acupuncture might help. Of course, there are good and bad acupuncturists just like good and bad massage therapists. My lady, Jana has a passion for cancer patients, since her sister has had cancer 4 times!

I want to thank-you all for your love, prayers and continued support. I am still getting notes, cards and letters. Please know that I love them all and love hearing from you! My cousin Jimmy even sent pictures of his children, along with other family pictures. I love hearing about your lives and families. Please let me know of any challenges that you might be having, too. I find that I gain strength and inner peace when I am praying for others. My other cousin Ginny, shared with me about her grandchildren being with her and her husband for “Cousins Camp”. How wonderful and uplifting! So, please keep sharing about your families and events in your lives. I get such great joy in hearing from all of you!

Much love to all of you! Thank-you all, again, for your thoughts and prayers.

Linda

Update on CAT Scan

At this point they don’t believe that the CAT Scan revealed any spinal fluid leakage. :o) Praise GOD! Dr. Andrews changed the antibiotic that Linda is on and we have a follow up appointment with him tomorrow afternoon. The hope is that the new antibiotic will get the infection nipped in the bud. However if it doesn’t, they may have to admit Linda into the hospital and give her a stronger antibiotic via IV. Thank you all for your prayers during this new challenge.

Linda needs Prayers…

Linda’s facial swelling initially started to go down once she started the antibiotics late Saturday night. However over that last couple of days her swelling has progressively gotten worse. She did see her primary ENT, Dr. Andrews, yesterday for a follow up and nose cleaning. At that time he said if there were any changes to call.

This morning Linda’s swelling was more pronounced then it was Saturday night. I immediately contact Dr. Andrews. Within an hour his office had arranged for a CAT Scan with contrast. Linda is currently having the CAT Scan. Once it is completed we will go over to Dr. Andrews’s office where he will read the results. When I know more I will make sure and post the results.

The main concern at this point is if there is any spinal fluid leaking. Please pray that the medical staff would make the correct diagnoses and of course for a complete healing!

An Exciting Saturday Evening

Last night Linda & I (Katrina) spent our Saturday evening in the emergency room. Yesterday as the day progressed, the more swollen Linda’s face became. By dinner time her face resembled her post surgery swelling. Linda’s temperature was slightly elevated, so off to the ER we went.

After hours in the ER, blood work, and consultation with the ENT (Ear Nose Throat) on call, it was decided that Linda has a sinus infection. Thankfully Linda’s white blood count was 3.9, which is NORMAL (for a non-chemo patient). The doctors felt that it would be best to give her antibiotics and send us home.

This morning the swelling has started to decrease, although it is still pronounced. She is feeling a bit better, although Linda forehead and eye region is still tender. Please continue to pray that Linda’s body is able to fight off the infection and to bring forth complete healing!

Currently Linda is having her second ultrasound on her ovaries. We believe that her 3rd surgery is going to be September 18th, although the date is not a definite yet.

Dad’s healing is going very well! Michael returned to work on Friday the 10th. He feels good and is happy to be back to work.

Thank you for continuing to pray and support our family in the midst of this challenging year!

With Love & Gratitude!

What a month!

This last month has brought many new challenges. Linda’s second round of chemo was very challenging. Her energy levels were very low and she battled with extreme nausea, although she never threw up. Linda also has been struggling with swallowing. The further we got into the radiation treatments the more challenging swallowing became. On and off Linda has been limited to a liquid diet. Thankfully Linda’s sister, Annie, suggested that we get a Vita-mixer. It has truly kept Linda out of the hospital, because we have been mixing and puréeing EVERYTHING!!

Linda had her last chemo treatment on Monday the 29th and her last radiation treatment was on Wednesday July 1st. So far this round of chemo has not been as hard as the second. However she is still struggling with her energy and swallowing. Linda’s radiologist told us to expect the side effects of the treatment to continue for at least the first three weeks preceding her final treatment. At this point they are just beginning to lessen. Yesterday she was actually able to eat a whole thing of yogurt without having to blend it. This may not sound like much, but was a really big deal! Overall Linda is doing very well…all things considered.

To say that the last four months has been a bit stressful is an understatement. It has affected us all in different ways. My father Michael started experiencing chest pain and arrhythmias. A couple of weeks ago he had an abnormal stress test, which lead to a referral for a cardiologist. Michael met with his cardiologist while mother was having her last chemo treatment on the 29th. During that meeting the cardiologist suggested that Michael have a Cardiac Catheterization to make sure that he didn’t have any blockages, etc. Before we knew it Michael was scheduled for his procedure on July 2nd at St. Joe’s downtown. Thankfully, Michael only had minor plaque buildup and did not need any further intervention. He is currently home recovering from his procedure. We are so thankful that the Lord Blessed us with another ideal outcome!

Many of you have known that my mother’s little dog Reggie had not been doing well. Unfortunately on June 20th we had to put Reggie to sleep. He could barely walk, lead a lone get up from a laying potion. Then he started passing blood in his stools, as well as coughing up blood. Mom, Mabel (our golden retriever) & I (Katrina) were with Reggie when he took his last breath. Unfortunately, Michael had to be at work. We all love and miss our little dude, but know that it was the right choice.

Linda was so distraught when we got home from putting Reggie down that she got online and started looking for a shelter dog. I was determined to wait, after all we still had radiation everyday and there was no way I was going to deal with house training a new dog. However, there was this poodle mix out at the Adams County Animal Control that caught our attention. On Monday the 22nd in between doctor’s appointments and radiation we went to the pound and found the newest member of our family. Lily is an 8 year old poodle cocker mix. She is the sweetest little girl. We brought her home that Wednesday and have not had one single accident in the house. Our only challenge is that she has been struggling with a case of kennel cough. After three doctors visits our little girl is finally acting like a health well adjusted dog.

Thank you for everyone’s love, support and prayers during this challenging time. I truly could not have survived without the six weeks of dinners. You all have helped to take a huge load of my shoulders. I can’t thank you enough!

Please continue to pray for Linda’s & Michael’s complete healing. Love to you all!