Hi Friends!
This will be short as I just got home from chemo and I need to go lay down. Annie and Shirlene took me. I slept through most of the chemo, because it really wipes you out.
In other news -- Isaac has pneumonia. He woke up this morning with a horrible cough and trouble breathing. So, Bill took the day off from work to take him to the doctor.
Please pray that Isaac and I feel better soon. Also, pray that I don't catch his sickness with my compromised immune system.
Much Love,
Michele
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Monday, January 12, 2009
Sunday, January 11, 2009
SUNDAY BEFORE CHEMO #5
Hi Friends!
I'm having a good day. We went to church this morning, and then I spent the rest of the day at home. I had groceries delivered and got the house prepped for my week off. It usually takes about 7 days for me to recover from the chemo. Although this time, I felt like I got jipped, because of how I spent last week being sick. Bill took Nate and Isaac to EB Games to spend their allowance. We also finished construction of the wall in Cam/Isaac's room. It still needs to be painted (maybe next weekend), but we got all the furniture back in and rearranged with the bunkbeds down. It should be much safer now.
Shirlene and Annie are taking me to chemo tomorrow. It is scheduled for 9:45 a.m. Then, Annie will be staying with us for the week to help me and Bill with the kids. It's also nice to have someone here to take care of me while the kids and Bill are at school and work.
I'll try to blog or have someone blog for me tomorrow.
Much Love,
Michele
I'm having a good day. We went to church this morning, and then I spent the rest of the day at home. I had groceries delivered and got the house prepped for my week off. It usually takes about 7 days for me to recover from the chemo. Although this time, I felt like I got jipped, because of how I spent last week being sick. Bill took Nate and Isaac to EB Games to spend their allowance. We also finished construction of the wall in Cam/Isaac's room. It still needs to be painted (maybe next weekend), but we got all the furniture back in and rearranged with the bunkbeds down. It should be much safer now.
Shirlene and Annie are taking me to chemo tomorrow. It is scheduled for 9:45 a.m. Then, Annie will be staying with us for the week to help me and Bill with the kids. It's also nice to have someone here to take care of me while the kids and Bill are at school and work.
I'll try to blog or have someone blog for me tomorrow.
Much Love,
Michele
Saturday, January 10, 2009
SATURDAY!!!
Hi Friends!
We are having a quiet Saturday evening. The kids are watching a movie, and Bill is putting a wall up in Cam/Isaac's room. It was a loft, and he is boxing it back in. That way we can take the bunkbeds down and spread the boys out a bit in their room. (Necessary since Isaac broke his arm last week launching out of the top bunk!) It's looking good so far. I am catching up on my paperwork and ordering groceries tonight. Last minute nesting before doing my chemo on Monday! (Yes, I did get the OK.)
Last night we had a Bible Study potluck at our house. Social interaction tends to exhaust me at this point -- so I had to sleep in this morning to recover. I took Cam and Molly to Wal-Mart today to spend some of their Christmas money. We had a good time and ate at the McDonald's, too. They both bought videos and some clothes. Shopping with teenagers can be fun although Cameron thought me and Molly were taking much too much time looking at the clothes. He is definitely faster at decision-making!
Brandon was over today, so we had someone here to entertain the boys. They did a lot of skateboarding.
Tomorrow I'm looking forward to going to church, and it will be nice to spend one last "normal day" before chemo begins.
Much Love,
Michele
We are having a quiet Saturday evening. The kids are watching a movie, and Bill is putting a wall up in Cam/Isaac's room. It was a loft, and he is boxing it back in. That way we can take the bunkbeds down and spread the boys out a bit in their room. (Necessary since Isaac broke his arm last week launching out of the top bunk!) It's looking good so far. I am catching up on my paperwork and ordering groceries tonight. Last minute nesting before doing my chemo on Monday! (Yes, I did get the OK.)
Last night we had a Bible Study potluck at our house. Social interaction tends to exhaust me at this point -- so I had to sleep in this morning to recover. I took Cam and Molly to Wal-Mart today to spend some of their Christmas money. We had a good time and ate at the McDonald's, too. They both bought videos and some clothes. Shopping with teenagers can be fun although Cameron thought me and Molly were taking much too much time looking at the clothes. He is definitely faster at decision-making!
Brandon was over today, so we had someone here to entertain the boys. They did a lot of skateboarding.
Tomorrow I'm looking forward to going to church, and it will be nice to spend one last "normal day" before chemo begins.
Much Love,
Michele
Thursday, January 8, 2009
ON THE ROAD TO RECOVERY, I HOPE!
Hi Friends!
I'm starting to feel a bit better with the Zofran (anti-nauseau meds) and Ultram (new pain med for my kidneys and head). The big news is that I've kept some food down. Yesterday I managed two bananas and a Jamba Juice (with bananas in it). Do you sense a theme? Yes, my potassium is low, so I'm supposed to eat lots of bananas. Today I ate a blueberry muffin for breakfast, so I'm off to a good start. Now, I'm just playing the waiting game with all my labs to see if I can do chemo on Monday.
Bill is working from home today, because he has a neurology appointment. Also, Nate has a doctor's appointment that Bill will take him to. So, he's doing work stuff in between. It's nice to have him home, though.
My dear friend and chemo buddy, Shirlene, just called and offered to bring us chicken for dinner tonight. So, once again I'm being well cared for.
Yesterday Bill went to Wal-Mart to pick up all my meds. They were out of my new anti-depressant and it won't be in until 2 p.m. today. I thought it was pretty funny, and I asked him why he didn't plead his case by saying how irritable and sad his wife was. So, he said he did tell the pharmacist he'd be back at the stroke of 2 p.m. I'll let you know if I become a lot happier with 2 anti-depressants rather than one.
I decided yesterday to try to be a bit more active and started doing some stuff around the house. Everyone keeps telling me to rest. I know it's important, but when I lay around I can't sleep because of the pain. So, if I putter around the house -- at least it seems to keep my mind occupied. But I'll have to be careful today with Bill around, because he likes to police my activity level!
Much Love,
Michele
I'm starting to feel a bit better with the Zofran (anti-nauseau meds) and Ultram (new pain med for my kidneys and head). The big news is that I've kept some food down. Yesterday I managed two bananas and a Jamba Juice (with bananas in it). Do you sense a theme? Yes, my potassium is low, so I'm supposed to eat lots of bananas. Today I ate a blueberry muffin for breakfast, so I'm off to a good start. Now, I'm just playing the waiting game with all my labs to see if I can do chemo on Monday.
Bill is working from home today, because he has a neurology appointment. Also, Nate has a doctor's appointment that Bill will take him to. So, he's doing work stuff in between. It's nice to have him home, though.
My dear friend and chemo buddy, Shirlene, just called and offered to bring us chicken for dinner tonight. So, once again I'm being well cared for.
Yesterday Bill went to Wal-Mart to pick up all my meds. They were out of my new anti-depressant and it won't be in until 2 p.m. today. I thought it was pretty funny, and I asked him why he didn't plead his case by saying how irritable and sad his wife was. So, he said he did tell the pharmacist he'd be back at the stroke of 2 p.m. I'll let you know if I become a lot happier with 2 anti-depressants rather than one.
I decided yesterday to try to be a bit more active and started doing some stuff around the house. Everyone keeps telling me to rest. I know it's important, but when I lay around I can't sleep because of the pain. So, if I putter around the house -- at least it seems to keep my mind occupied. But I'll have to be careful today with Bill around, because he likes to police my activity level!
Much Love,
Michele
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
HELLO!!
Hi Friends,
This will be very short, but I didn't want anyone to worry as I haven't posted for a while. I ended up with 2 kidney infections in a row, then I caught the flu. I hadn't kept anything down since Saturday. So, yesterday my doctor sent me to the ER to get bloodwork/testing and most importantly IV fluids. I went to see him today. I have a little more energy after the fluids, but still a horrible backache (kidney area) and blood in my urine. So, best case scenario -- it's just the flu and an antibiotic-resistant UTI/kidney infection. Worse case scenarios -- the lupus could be coming back or I may have kidney damage due to the Cytoxan. Not looking forward to the cystosocopy of my bladder -- they put a camera in there. Already had it done once.
Also, not sure if I'll be doing chemo next week due to possible infections. So, keep on praying. My doctor upped my anti-depressant today as I find the whole situation a bit unbearable!
Much Love,
Michele
This will be very short, but I didn't want anyone to worry as I haven't posted for a while. I ended up with 2 kidney infections in a row, then I caught the flu. I hadn't kept anything down since Saturday. So, yesterday my doctor sent me to the ER to get bloodwork/testing and most importantly IV fluids. I went to see him today. I have a little more energy after the fluids, but still a horrible backache (kidney area) and blood in my urine. So, best case scenario -- it's just the flu and an antibiotic-resistant UTI/kidney infection. Worse case scenarios -- the lupus could be coming back or I may have kidney damage due to the Cytoxan. Not looking forward to the cystosocopy of my bladder -- they put a camera in there. Already had it done once.
Also, not sure if I'll be doing chemo next week due to possible infections. So, keep on praying. My doctor upped my anti-depressant today as I find the whole situation a bit unbearable!
Much Love,
Michele
Thursday, January 1, 2009
TOP 10 GREAT THINGS ABOUT HAVING LUPUS!!!
Hello Again!
I've been working for a while on some top ten lists. Some funny, some not! Lupus, like life, can be funny and also change your heart, body and mind all at the same time.
So, here's my first list. I'm calling it:
TOP 10 GREAT THINGS ABOUT HAVING LUPUS!!!
(or any other life-threatening disease, I'm guessing!)
1. Getting ready is so much faster when you have very little hair.
(I remember Julia saying to me and Judi when she went through chemo -- "Oh, you girls and
your hair!" Now I know what she meant. At this point -- I find appearance to be overrated.)
2. I realized I'm not immortal.
(Yes, I always knew I would die someday, but I took it for granted I'd be very old. When
you receive the blessing of knowing you're very ill -- that's when you really begin to live.)
3. There are no expectations of you.
(When you are very sick, people are just happy if you get up and out of bed in the morning.
No one expects you to grocery shop, make dinner, clean house, etc. Those things all seem to
take care of themself -- or not, because maybe they weren't that important anyway. And
on my good days, when I am up to things -- my family says,"It's so nice that you came to
dinner, Mom." or "I'm so happy you picked me up from school, Mom." These little moment
now are special to me as I no longer take them for granted.)
4. People tell you to sleep.
(In fact, the people who really care for me have encouraged me to take care of myself this
year, allowing myself to heal. At first that was hard for me to comprehend, but when I came
to terms with it -- I embraced it and declared this year the "Year of Me." I'm not trying to
sound rude or self-centered, but if I don't get better, which requires focus on myself, then I
won't be around at all for my family.)
5. People are like angels, bringing exactly what God thinks you need.
(Now, more than ever, I rely on God to meet my needs -- for food, shelter, clothing,
a friend when I'm lonely -- and he also reminds me of how loved I am -- through my
the right medical care, and family and sweet friends who are always bringing me trinkets
and Big Gulps, the ultimate key to my heart. Bill and I have learned to accept whatever
help is offered. My motto is "Say yes to anything that's free, and the blessings keep
coming your way!")
6. I love better.
(I don't know how else to say it. I think that I'm a better wife, mother, and friend. I now
value and nurture these relationships more rather than getting caught up in the busy-ness
of life.)
7. I have learned to be less judgemental.
(This has been a big lesson for me. I used to think I knew better than others at times, but
after some bad experiences with judgemental people during this illness -- I won't make that
mistake again. No one really can walk in someone else's shoes, so you don't really know how
you would react in their situation.)
8. You find out who your friends are.
(As the song says, right? People I thought would really be there for me are not, and other
people have been like angels, dropping everything for me. This is not a bad thing -- it's
taught me who my friends are, and it's also taught me to be a better friend and caregiver.)
9. You learn what's important and what's not.
(It seems so obvious, but we often get caught up in life. Examples -- Important: Friends,
family, God's work; Not important/Overrated: Material things, a clean and organized
house, etc.)
10. Prayer Works and God has my back!
(I have been transformed from a "do-er" to a "pray-er." I have never been prayed for or
prayed as much in my life as I did this year -- and both my family and I have been
blessed by the prayers. I have people all over the country praying for me. Also, I spent
many nights both at home and in the hospital unable to sleep due to pain. God has used the
pain to draw me closer to Him. It truly has been a journey, but he has prepared me and
guided me every step of the way. Sometimes I'm too stubborn to listen. But I can think of
3 specific examples of Him speaking to me this year.
1. The first day I went to my primary care doctor and failed the neurological exam --
I felt God tell me "It's going to be a long road, but you'll never be the same again." I
now realize He was preparing me to accept the year ahead.
2. After numerous MRI's and test, I found myself in yet another MRI machine pondering
my role in the universe. I asked God in my prayer,"How can I be a wife and mother
and be this sick? " That's how I defined myself, until at that moment he reminded me
that my most important role was child of God.
3. Finally, at the hospital and feeling really lonely -- Bill brought Nate and Isaac to
visit me. It was late and Isaac didn't want to leave. So, he climbed up into my hospital
bed with me, and I put my arm around him. He snuggled up to me and fell peacefully
asleep in my arms. I kept that vision with me to get me through the hard times, and
often when I felt discouraged or alone, I visualized our heavenly Father holding me
with the same love and tenderness I felt for my child. Because I am his child! )
Well, I hope I haven't scared you with my reflective lessons of 2008 today! I'll let you know when my next Top Ten List is done.
Much Love,
Michele
I've been working for a while on some top ten lists. Some funny, some not! Lupus, like life, can be funny and also change your heart, body and mind all at the same time.
So, here's my first list. I'm calling it:
TOP 10 GREAT THINGS ABOUT HAVING LUPUS!!!
(or any other life-threatening disease, I'm guessing!)
1. Getting ready is so much faster when you have very little hair.
(I remember Julia saying to me and Judi when she went through chemo -- "Oh, you girls and
your hair!" Now I know what she meant. At this point -- I find appearance to be overrated.)
2. I realized I'm not immortal.
(Yes, I always knew I would die someday, but I took it for granted I'd be very old. When
you receive the blessing of knowing you're very ill -- that's when you really begin to live.)
3. There are no expectations of you.
(When you are very sick, people are just happy if you get up and out of bed in the morning.
No one expects you to grocery shop, make dinner, clean house, etc. Those things all seem to
take care of themself -- or not, because maybe they weren't that important anyway. And
on my good days, when I am up to things -- my family says,"It's so nice that you came to
dinner, Mom." or "I'm so happy you picked me up from school, Mom." These little moment
now are special to me as I no longer take them for granted.)
4. People tell you to sleep.
(In fact, the people who really care for me have encouraged me to take care of myself this
year, allowing myself to heal. At first that was hard for me to comprehend, but when I came
to terms with it -- I embraced it and declared this year the "Year of Me." I'm not trying to
sound rude or self-centered, but if I don't get better, which requires focus on myself, then I
won't be around at all for my family.)
5. People are like angels, bringing exactly what God thinks you need.
(Now, more than ever, I rely on God to meet my needs -- for food, shelter, clothing,
a friend when I'm lonely -- and he also reminds me of how loved I am -- through my
the right medical care, and family and sweet friends who are always bringing me trinkets
and Big Gulps, the ultimate key to my heart. Bill and I have learned to accept whatever
help is offered. My motto is "Say yes to anything that's free, and the blessings keep
coming your way!")
6. I love better.
(I don't know how else to say it. I think that I'm a better wife, mother, and friend. I now
value and nurture these relationships more rather than getting caught up in the busy-ness
of life.)
7. I have learned to be less judgemental.
(This has been a big lesson for me. I used to think I knew better than others at times, but
after some bad experiences with judgemental people during this illness -- I won't make that
mistake again. No one really can walk in someone else's shoes, so you don't really know how
you would react in their situation.)
8. You find out who your friends are.
(As the song says, right? People I thought would really be there for me are not, and other
people have been like angels, dropping everything for me. This is not a bad thing -- it's
taught me who my friends are, and it's also taught me to be a better friend and caregiver.)
9. You learn what's important and what's not.
(It seems so obvious, but we often get caught up in life. Examples -- Important: Friends,
family, God's work; Not important/Overrated: Material things, a clean and organized
house, etc.)
10. Prayer Works and God has my back!
(I have been transformed from a "do-er" to a "pray-er." I have never been prayed for or
prayed as much in my life as I did this year -- and both my family and I have been
blessed by the prayers. I have people all over the country praying for me. Also, I spent
many nights both at home and in the hospital unable to sleep due to pain. God has used the
pain to draw me closer to Him. It truly has been a journey, but he has prepared me and
guided me every step of the way. Sometimes I'm too stubborn to listen. But I can think of
3 specific examples of Him speaking to me this year.
1. The first day I went to my primary care doctor and failed the neurological exam --
I felt God tell me "It's going to be a long road, but you'll never be the same again." I
now realize He was preparing me to accept the year ahead.
2. After numerous MRI's and test, I found myself in yet another MRI machine pondering
my role in the universe. I asked God in my prayer,"How can I be a wife and mother
and be this sick? " That's how I defined myself, until at that moment he reminded me
that my most important role was child of God.
3. Finally, at the hospital and feeling really lonely -- Bill brought Nate and Isaac to
visit me. It was late and Isaac didn't want to leave. So, he climbed up into my hospital
bed with me, and I put my arm around him. He snuggled up to me and fell peacefully
asleep in my arms. I kept that vision with me to get me through the hard times, and
often when I felt discouraged or alone, I visualized our heavenly Father holding me
with the same love and tenderness I felt for my child. Because I am his child! )
Well, I hope I haven't scared you with my reflective lessons of 2008 today! I'll let you know when my next Top Ten List is done.
Much Love,
Michele
PEACE IS MINE IN 2009!!!
Hi Friends!
I hope that you will find joy and peace in 2009. This year is certainly looking up for me. I wouldn't necessarily trade anything that happened in 2008 or say it was too hard for me -- but what I would say is that it was a challenging year!
We had a quiet New Year's Eve at home with the kids. We were talking about having a party at our house that night, but things never panned out. I think it worked out better this way, and it was nice to just spend time together as a family. We watched GroundHog's Day, which the kids hadn't seen before. And Bill and I hadn't seen it since it first came out in the 1990's. We all found it very amusing. The movie was filmed in Woodstock, IL where Bill used to catch the train when we lived in Lake Geneva, WI (the first year after we got married). So, we had visited the set and it brought back memories to see it again.
Bill made dinner and spectacular ice cream sundaes and we had sparkling cider in "fancy" glasses at midnight. Thanks to Annie for the cider. It was a big hit!
I'm back to walking daily with Judi and I'm feeling quite good. It's nice to sleep in every day while the kids are on Christmas vacation. It will be hard when we all have to start getting up early again. After 5 days on antibiotics, my kidney infection is much better -- so here's hoping I make it a while before the next one hits. Bill's ear is feeling better, too. And Isaac's sprained wrist is much improved. He again wants to be very active and he is upset that we won't let him ride his bike with his cast on.
The kids are starting to get a bit stir-crazy since we've been home the last couple of days. So, tomorrow we're planning a hiking day trip and picnic to wear off their energy. Tonight they're distracted as 2 of the Malone kids from next door are spending the night. Molly has Heather (who's like a little sister to her) spending the night, and Nate and Isaac have Will spending the night. So, the girls are doing "girlie stuff" and the boys have built an elaborate tent city and are playing some type of war game. Cameron has nicely offered to sleep in Nate's room tonight so that Nate, Isaac, and Will can all sleep together in the room that Isaac and Cam share. Hopefully we'll make it through the night without any bunk bed injuries.
Bill is putting the finishing touches on our Bland Family 2008 DVDs. So, he's hoping to burn them and send them out soon.
Much Love,
Michele
I hope that you will find joy and peace in 2009. This year is certainly looking up for me. I wouldn't necessarily trade anything that happened in 2008 or say it was too hard for me -- but what I would say is that it was a challenging year!
We had a quiet New Year's Eve at home with the kids. We were talking about having a party at our house that night, but things never panned out. I think it worked out better this way, and it was nice to just spend time together as a family. We watched GroundHog's Day, which the kids hadn't seen before. And Bill and I hadn't seen it since it first came out in the 1990's. We all found it very amusing. The movie was filmed in Woodstock, IL where Bill used to catch the train when we lived in Lake Geneva, WI (the first year after we got married). So, we had visited the set and it brought back memories to see it again.
Bill made dinner and spectacular ice cream sundaes and we had sparkling cider in "fancy" glasses at midnight. Thanks to Annie for the cider. It was a big hit!
I'm back to walking daily with Judi and I'm feeling quite good. It's nice to sleep in every day while the kids are on Christmas vacation. It will be hard when we all have to start getting up early again. After 5 days on antibiotics, my kidney infection is much better -- so here's hoping I make it a while before the next one hits. Bill's ear is feeling better, too. And Isaac's sprained wrist is much improved. He again wants to be very active and he is upset that we won't let him ride his bike with his cast on.
The kids are starting to get a bit stir-crazy since we've been home the last couple of days. So, tomorrow we're planning a hiking day trip and picnic to wear off their energy. Tonight they're distracted as 2 of the Malone kids from next door are spending the night. Molly has Heather (who's like a little sister to her) spending the night, and Nate and Isaac have Will spending the night. So, the girls are doing "girlie stuff" and the boys have built an elaborate tent city and are playing some type of war game. Cameron has nicely offered to sleep in Nate's room tonight so that Nate, Isaac, and Will can all sleep together in the room that Isaac and Cam share. Hopefully we'll make it through the night without any bunk bed injuries.
Bill is putting the finishing touches on our Bland Family 2008 DVDs. So, he's hoping to burn them and send them out soon.
Much Love,
Michele
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