Survivor 29 weeks

So many miracles have occurred in our lives since Barbara was notified that she had cancer. We have always thought there were more people with more serious problems.
This week a good friend Helen had surgery she has been in a lot of pain. She is to be released from the hospital today.
My former secretary, Quin has had to have another surgery on her throat. This time to remove scar tissue. She was the voice of the Inspection Service in Oklahoma for 30 years. She also sang in the church choir. Beautiful voice. She is no longer able to sing (to her high standard)
A friend of Leanna's
had her grandmother missing while on the way home. Ten days they searched for her. Today they found her deceased in her car that was turned on its top
Yesterday Barbara's cousin put on Facebook that they were being evacuated from their home in the Rocky Mountains. Today their daughter let us know that their home had been leveled by the fires in southern Wyoming

So you see there are lots of people that need your prayers.

God has blessed us with His Word. He promised to take care of us at all times. We have also been blessed by having good friends and good family and good prayer partners
Thank you God for taking care of us. Barbara is continuing to improve. Not great strides but improvement each day. We keep praying that the platelets continue to grow.

Sunday is coming. Sunday is coming

Friday

Barbara got up at 7 this morning and announced that she was hungry. Wow hadn't heard that in a week. So I fixed her breakfast. We then took a nap. Leanna got up and barbara told Leanna that she was hungry. So her appetite has returned. We just rested today. Nothing special. I did talk to the oncologist. She said that things were going ok. She said that hopefully the Monday blood work would show that Barbara's platelets had raided enough that she could start chemo again.

I think that the change of medicine earlier this week has helped Barbara

Thursday

Barbara didn't want to get up she didn't want to eat breakfast she didn't want to go to therapy

We got up we ate and we went to therapy. She used the glider for 10 minutes and other exercises
She asked the therapist where to get a hand bike. She wants to use it at home. So we are going to buy a hand bike to exercise her arms and hands at home.

So you see she is starting to think about getting her life back. We came home and rested but it was a good day

Greg Mona and Joseph came to visit and pray with Barbara. Then Seth Micah and Bethany came over and watered the trees. They were afraid that the 350 trees we planted would die because of the dry and heat. Thank you good neighbors.

Tonight Leanna arrived She is going to stay with us for a few days to be with her Mom and Dad. Thank you Brian for letting her spend time with us. I know she misses you already. They just had their 3 year anniversary. In 7 more days Barbara and I will celebrate 43 years of marriage

Pray that the blood platelets grow fast

Wednesday

We did not have any doctor related appointments. We just rested. I did call the oncologist about 1 left side of body useless 2 loss of appetite 3 Barbara feels hopeless (first time in 7 months) 4 she hasn't walked since taking the seizure medicine

The doctor is changing some of the medicine. We are taking more seizure medicine and less anxiety medicine in the anticipation that Barbara will begin to get use of her left side back

Also the doctor thinks that Barbara's body will regenerate blood plateletts so that we can start chemo again. (without a blood platelet infusion

I will be talking to the doctor again on Friday.

Thanks for the prayers

Tuesday

Barbara did not want to get up today. We had therapy so I made her eat then we went to therapy. The therapist re very good with Barbara and giving her good tips to do at home. After therapy we got lunch and ate it at the park.

We came home and Barbara rested. She was very confused during the occupational therapy part of the morning. I think it was just the low platelets causing the confusion and the tired feeling. She did some exercises at home after her nap.

Monday

Barbara is still very weak. We went to hospital and gave blood. Then we went to the park to just enjoy the park. We have rested the rest of the day. The blood results came back and Barbara's blood platelets are low. The oncologist said not to start the chemo tonight as scheduled. They were afraid that with the platelets so low that the chemo would cause the platelets to go lower and Barbara would begin bleeding through her skin

So we are on hold regarding chemo with the hope that her platelets will increase this week. The doctor said that it is best to do 5 days and 23 days off chemo but they said that often there are reasons to deviate. This is one of those times. So just pray that Barbara will be able to raise the blood platelets There is no food that she can eat that will raise the blood platelets. Just time will get the existing chemo out of her system so that her blood platelets will go up.

Sunday

Barbara did not go to church. She just doesn't have the strength.
Church was good. We learned about being a positive spokesperson for God no matter what the circumstances are. Paul kept singing praises even though he had been beaten and placed in prison.

Barbara and I just rested today. We did invite Dwight over for a root beer float. We traded him a float for fresh tomatoes from his garden. They sure taste good fresh from the garden.

Saturday

We went to the doctor for a field of vision test. On Jan 4 the surgeon said he would probably cause vision loss in the left side. Well it appears that Barbara has lost some vision on her left side. We will find out for sure after the doctor reads today's tests results

Leanna and I have noticed that Barbara does not see things on her left side. So what the surgeon said may be true.

Barbara is real tired. She has trouble walking but does enjoy riding in the car. I think she is related to her father.

Today after the vision test we just rested.

Sunday is coming. Looking forward to the Biblical tried that we will hear tomorrow

Friday

Today was a day of rest. We did not have anywhere to go. Barbara had difficulty selling during the night but got some good rest from 3 to 10.

She rested while I worked in the yard. Tonight she did her exercises. Those are the ones that the therapist asked her to do at home

Very quiet day. Hopefully the coming days will allow her quality of life experiences

She still wants to make a couple of trips and get some more geocaches

Tomorrow we visit the eye doctor for a field of vision test.

Thursday

Barbara was exhausted this morning. It was hard to get her ready for therapy she did some of her exercises she was cold and her stomach hurt. After lunch she slept.

Michelle bath came over and gave Barbara a foot massage. It made Barbara feel better.

The good thing is that we don't have therapy tomorrow. It is a rest day.

Wednesday

Barbara was really tired but we went to therapy. She was on the walking machine 15 minutes. Made me tired just watching her. We came home and she slept.
The reality that the cancer has returned (even though it is just 1 centimeter ) caused her a lot of anxiety and stress.
She is so much stronger than I am.

Thanks for your prayers

Tuesday

Got up at 4:30 to go to hospital with David and Sarah. Sarah had minor surgery this morning. She came through with flying colors. The doctor said surgery went well
Then Barbara and I drove home. We are tired but glad to be at our house. We love to spend time with our children but it is always good to be home

Barbara began her seizure medicine tonight. We got the report on her blood test. Hemoglobin was low and blood sugar was high. They said we needed to see our primary doctor already scheduled

Monday

Had a good drive to Baylor Medical center. The oncologist thinks that Barbara had a seizure last week in Rolla. Barbara will begin taking seizure medicine. The doctor seemed relieved that she was going to be taking the medicine. It may help her to get off the steroids. All the doctors are concerned about her being on steroids for so long

He also wanted her to continue the physical therapy to gain mobility on her left side.

The doctor said that the she has a one centimeter spot of cancer on the top of her brain. He thinks that may be the reason for the need for steroids

Barbara will continue to be on chemo 5 days and then off 23. So she starts chemo the 25th.

Thank you all for your prayers. That is the only way Barbara and I have made it this far

Sunday

Barbara didn't feel good this morning but she got up and went to teach Sunday School. After church we ate then headed to OKC. We have an oncologist appointment Monday. So we are staying with Leanna and Brian tonight

Sarah is having surgery on Tuesday so we are staying with Leanna and Brian this trip.

Barbara slept most of the trip here.

She is still tired but able to use her left foot and leg better today than the last 4 or 5 days. Pray she continues to improve

Saturday

Today we rested. Relay for life was last night. It lasted from 6 pm to 6 am. So most of the people rested. Then we had a Weiner roast for the family's to just relax. What a perfect evening. Good weather good friends and good family relay for life stories were told and lots of laughter

Barbara still gets very tired. She is still having trouble using her left leg. The therapist is working with her to be able to use the left side of her body. She very much appreciates all of your prayers

Remember Sunday is coming. Sunday is coming

Friday

Today we had therapy and then we set up for the relay for life. Then we came home to take a nap. Yes I took a nap with Barbara

Then we went back to parsons for the relay for life. We had 5 survivors on our team. Pretty emotional when Mike Barbara Michelle Leava and John walked the survivor lap holding hands.

Thank you all for making this evening possible. A lot of you put a lot of work into this activity. So I don't forget someone I will just say thanks to all

I found out today that my brother was the one who mowed our yard. I think that I have the best brother in the whole world. Thank you

Thursday

Went to therapy Barbara very tired. Left side still not working great. At least she can stand using her left leg. We came home to rest and she had leg spasms again. Not near ad bad. Only lasted about 3 minutes The next one only lasted about 30 seconds

The garage is done except for the doors and electricity. It sure looks good

I had asked the neighbor boys to mow while we were in DC. Well the yard was mowed but they tell me that someone mowed our yard. Don't know who yet. Just good neighbors. One of the many reasons we enjoy living in Altamont.

God is good all the time

Wednesday

Wow we finally made it home. Barbara enjoyed getting to go to the Girl Scout event at the mall in Washington DC. But she did not enjoy her day yesterday. It really scared her that her body would shake with muscle spasms. But after a night of sleep we made it home and she rested the entire afternoon

Her left leg strength was a little better today. At least today she could stand on both feet.

We got an answer to prayer today. Our friend Mike is going to be allowed to remain in the military. He had cancer 2 years ago and has been clear of cancer for 2 years. The military wants him to be clear 5 years ( duh so does Mike) they notified him today that he can remain in the military even though he is not deplorable until he is clear 5 years. He has already been deployed 3 times

Thanks God for taking care of each of us You are awesome

Monday

Wow what a day
We left Shiloh this morning headed for home. We made it to Rolla Missouri

We had lunch and as we were getting back into the car Barbara began to have leg cramps. They continued and I tried to massage them away. They grew more intense and moved to both legs

Leanna call 911 and the ambulance came. The medic thought that because of Barbara's anxiety that she was not able to relax. While on the way to the hospital he gave her a shot that made the leg cramps stop

The gave her two units of fluid then released her from the ER. we decided that we would get a room here in Rolla and let Barbara rest

The doctors do not think she had a stroke or a seizure. They think one of the side affects of chemo is that you will get cramps. Then Barbara got anxious about the situation and could not stop it

We are hoping and praying that a good nights sleep will allow us to finish the trip tomorrow as planned and be home tomorrow evening


So she is sleeping in the room

Monday

We had a good day. We ate breakfast with h Robinson then we drove to indy and had lunch with Sharon Paul then we drove to Shiloh and ate dinner with Mike Melissa and Hayden

It is so good to have good friends.

Barbara is still tired but very glad she went to the sing along and then we have met up with friends and family

Her legs are swollen a little but that is because she is in the vehicle for 6 hours

Sunday

Today we wanted to drive about 5 hours. We drove to the longer ether basket place. They were a sponsor of the event on the mall and had designed a basket for 100 years of scouting. We made the contact but don't have the baskets yet. Anyway we had a good day. The last 2 hours were hard on Barbara. She got really tired and felt like a wet noodle.

So we called it a day and she is sleeping

Saturday

We drove to dc today. Barbara wanted to be at the 100 year anniversary sing along for girl scouts. Wow we made it
200,000 scouts. The mall was swarming with scouts. Barbara jda a great time. Them she got tired and hot. So we left the mall and drove to Gettysburg to be at graduation party for Jordon. She was a
Scout in Barbara's troop.
Stopped early to rest then head he tomorrow

Friday

Today we drove to Charlottesville to spend the night with Brenda and Jeff. Jeff is at a drill weekend and since he is the commander he needed to be there early so we did not get to see him

It was great spending time with Anya Naomi Mason and Emma.

Barbara had a good day today. She is still tired but had more energy getting into and out of the car.

We did get geocaches Ohio west virginia and virginia

Barbara read online about the scout event and is very excited about tomorrow

Thursday

We left Shiloh and drove to Morhead Kentucky. It was not a hard drive. We kept it short so that Barbara did not get too worn out.

Her legs swelled a little but that is just from riding in a car. Barbara is tired but excited about going to the sing along

We got geocaches in illinois Indiana and Kentucky today. Barbara has a goal of getting a geocaches in each state. Be ready for more trips

Wednesday

Had therapy. They covered a lot. We were going to leave and head to Washington DC for Girl Scout Sing a long 100 year anniversary we had a couple delays

One they finished our roof today. Yippie

Second they started work on our three car garage. So it was late leaving so we drove to Shilo to see Mike Melissa and Hayden. Hayden and Mike had company so we met
Melissa at her favorite restaurant. Then we got a room so Barbara could rest. So we will try to get an earlier start tomorrow. We need to let Barbara walk every 2 hours.

We received call from doctor at Baylor medical that Barbara had a good blood test except that her white cell were way out of normal. They think that is due to the steroids she is taking

Tuesday

Had therapy this morning the we got a wheel chair for Barbara

Then we had some bloodworm done. We will find out results this week. Barbara is still tired so she slept this afternoon. Leanna and Michelle Pkatt came up this afternoon for the relay for life survivors dinner. Lea a came up last night. So tonight we went to the dinner. We had four survivors at our table. So we found out what is going to happen on June 15. Leava has turned in the most donations of all 15 teams. Michelle is third. We missed Mike SMS Mrlissa bit Judy did an excellent job leading our team and our table decorations were the best.
Notice the team shirts that Melissa and Mike designed

They are still working on the roof as they didn't order enough material.

Monday

Drove home today. Barbara slept all the way. She had no energy. Was hard getting her in house because left side was like rubber. She slept all afternoon

When we got home there wereen here putting a new roof on. We had storm damage in March and the roof is being replaced now. It looks good. Will have pictures tomorrow

We went to Sonny and Judy for a weiner roast. Becky was home and we celebrated her birthday. Good time bit needed to get home and to bed as we have therapy early on the morning

Sunday

Went church. It was good pastor taught on being a witness in the last days

Then Barbara Leanna and I went to a dance recital. It was fun to watch. The girls we went to watch are in the first grade and the sixth grade

Then I brought Barbara home to rest. I went to see Charlie. He has been in the hospital and they gave him 4 units of blood. He is home now recovering

So many friends with sickness.

We go back to Kansas tomorrow

Saturday

Wow what a day. Barbara got up and didn't feel good. Upset stomach and weak left side we had a great lunch celebrating David and Sarah 16th anniversary. Way to go David and Sarah. Then we went to a wedding of one of Barbara's girl scouts. It was really fun to see Bridgett so happy.
They are moving to Albuquerque where she will work on her masters degree.

Barbara is done with chemo for this cycle.

Sunday is coming

It was hard for Barbara but she is very glad she went to the wedding

Friday

Today we to see de Parikh. She was glad that Barbara did not have cancer in her brain. She very disturbed by the hodge blood sugar readings. She wants Barbara to eat all the green vegetables possible and lots of protein. Cheese and other protein but limit her eating of fruits because of the high sugar content inpatient fruits.

So it looks like we need to watch her eating.

Tonight I went to the Moore relay for life event I just wanted to see how it was done AI I would have an idea about ours on June 15. As I was waking around I found a luminary in honor of Barbara thompson I have money to the event chair and she wa going to read Barbara's name as a survivor.

Barbara did pretty good today. Tonight was the last night of chemo for 3 weeks.