We're Leavin on a Jet Plane

That's how the old song goes. That will be us on Saturday morning. We leave tomorrow afternoon, flying to Chicago. We will spend the night with Paul and Diana, flying from O Hare
Saturday at 10:00 AM. We are nearly packed. That's pretty good for us.

Randy is feeling better. His biggest problem is muscle strength and stamina. We went downtown to vote today which required more walking than he has been doing. We had to stop a couple of times for him to sit a minute, but he made it. I am hoping that he will regain some strength while we are on vacation. No better place to recuperate than Maui, huh?

We return on Sunday, November 16. Randy is scheduled for a CT scan on Monday. He sees Dr. Ahmed on Tuesday with labs and another chemotherapy session. The CT scan will tell us if the therapy is effective and what our next steps will be.

Thanks to all who continue to lift us up in prayer. Your cards, emails and phone calls just keep coming. You will never know how important those are to Randy's outlook. It would be so easy to give up if we didn't have so much love and support from family and friends.

I will keep you posted on our adventures in paradise.

Aloha,

Randy & Sue

Low on Fluids

Randy had a good couple of days last week. Friday and Saturday were his best in awhile. That all came to an abrupt halt on Sunday afternoon. We did make it to church Sunday morning and out to lunch with friends. Around 4:00PM the diarrhea began and really hasn't stopped yet. It is much better, but still is a problem. This morning, I called Dr. Ahmed's nurse to apprise
her of the situation. She forwarded the information to Dr. Ahmed. Long story, short, Randy ended up at the clinic for two bags of fluids. They also did blood work and his white count is low. Not a surprise, but something to watch. If his temperature climbs to 100.5 or higher, I will call the doctor. Hopefully, that won't happen, but it is a possibility.

He thought that McDonald's cheeseburger and fries sounded good. But after trying it decided that it wasn't so good after all. Everything tastes like metal from the Carboplatin. That will pass, but will take a little time. Until then, he is sucking on wintergreen mints to mask the metal taste.

Not much more to report. We are taking it a day at a time, waiting for improvement. We know that it will come in time.

Continue to pray for us.

Randy & Sue

Wedding Bells

We had a great time in Arizona. The festivities surrounding Pat and Mary's wedding were fantastic. Even the weather cooperated and cooled off for the weekend. It was so nice to spend time with family and friends. Those are times we will always remember. Thanks to everyone who was able to make the trip.

The welcome dinner and the wedding were the only things not held at the hotel. That made it much easier for Randy. With the help of Joe Winterman and a wheelchair, he was able to motor the long distances and save his energy for the short walks. He did great. It was good for him to be able to rest between events and he did. We even went to a restaurant in downtown Tempe on Sunday evening with the folks that stayed until Monday. We had some good laughs when the boys nearly threw poor Randy out of the wheelchair onto the street. It doesn't sound funny, but you just had to be there. He was a good sport about all of it.

Randy had his second chemo treatment today. Everything went well. Dr. Ahmed did say that his hemoglobin is low again. So, we will spend most of tomorrow at Deaconess Gateway getting two units of blood. His hemoglobin has always run a little low with the drugs to suppress his immune system from the kidney transplant. But, the chemo just makes it worse. We are hoping that the side effects will not be as severe as last time. If they are, I think we are better prepared to deal with them and recognize them earlier.

We are planning for our trip to Maui in November. Dr. Ahmed is modifying the chemotherapy schedule to accommodate our plans. We will be going four weeks between treatments instead of three. But he said there are things more important than missing a week of chemotherapy. He is such a caring person. We feel blessed to have him as Randy's oncologist.

On the table beside my mother's chair was a calendar. It was the kind that you flip everyday and it has the date and a quote. When she passed away, I brought that calendar home with me. It was special because she touched everyday. Today it is on the shelf above my desk and everyday I flip the page. When I flipped it today, I could almost hear her voice reading the quote to me. It said: Even if it burns a little low at times, the secret of life is to always keep the flame of hope alive. Thanks, Mom. I am trying.

Continue to pray for us.

Peace be to you.

Randy & Sue

Sleeping In My Own Bed

Randy got home from the hospital last night about 9:30. When Dr. Ahmed made rounds yesterday morning, he said that he wanted to give Randy two units of blood. That is a long, drawn out procedure. Long story, short, it was a very long day.

He slept fairly well, but had several bathroom breaks. Because of all the fluids that he was given, he now needs diuretics to get rid of the unneeded extra fluid. We are both glad to be home, sleeping in our own bed. Sophie (the dog) was very confused and is so happy to have Randy home again.

Now, we turn our sights to Thursday. We changed our travel plans a bit. We are now flying to Tempe on a chartered flight. I felt that Randy needs to save his energy for the weekend festivities and not use it for getting through airports and traveling with 250 other people who may or may not have germs. As I have said many times before, we are blessed with many wonderful friends. One of them is Joe Winterman. Joe was an ICU nurse for 20+ years at St. Mary's Hospital and has offered to travel with us. We are not anticipating any problems, but it never hurts to have backup. Joyce, my sister-in-law, is also a nurse and will be in Tempe for the wedding. Short of taking Dr. Ahmed with us, I think Randy will have all the medical care he can possibly need. The best medicine, of course, will be that he will be with family and close friends attending a wedding we have anticipated for some time. It's all good.

Many thanks for all of your phone calls, cards and prayers offered on our behalf. The last five days have been pretty rough, but you were all only a phone call away. God has given us three great kids who love their Dad above everything else on this earth. They have been so attentive to him and supportive of me. Thanks, guys. We will be seeing all of you in a few days.

Today, I meditate on Isaiah 40:31 :
...those who wait on the Lord
Shall renew their strength;
They shall mount up with wings like eagles,
They shall run and not be weary,
They shall walk and not faint.

The Lord give you peace.

Randy & Sue

Seeing Improvement

Today was definitely a better day. Randy ate his breakfast sitting in a chair. He was able to take a sponge bath and watch CNBC. I'm not sure that following the stock market is good for his mental health, but that's what he did. Last night was the first decent night's sleep that he has had since he was admitted. The nursing staff didn't check his vital signs every hour and he didn't have to have a CAT Scan at 3:00 AM.

Dr. Ahmed is pleased with his progress but wants to keep him in the hospital through the weekend. Randy is trying to negotiate that point. Dr. Ahmed just smiled and said that he would see him in the morning. Randy is still weak and needs more IV antibiotics. His white count is coming up, but he is still isolated. I am discouraging visitors because he doesn't need any more germs than he already has and he also still needs extra rest.

The physical therapist came by for an evaluation. Randy is going to require physical therapy for a while. He needs to build his strength and stamina in order to be able to do all the things that he enjoys doing. He is determined to regain the strength that he has lost during his Tarceva treatment and subsequent chemotherapy.

Thank you for all of your calls and emails. Although Randy doesn't feel well enough to talk on the phone yet, be assured that he really appreciates your concern.

Contine to pray for us.

Randy & Sue

A New Complication

Randy has had a rough few days. A week ago today was his first chemotherapy treatment. It went downhill from there. He is the king of side effects. If there is a side effect, you can bet he will have it. He has not had much of an appetite for some time. That began with the Tarceva. So, he has lost a considerable amount of weight. Another side effect is diarrhea. He had been battling that for the last several days. On Tuesday, he had blood work and nearly passed out at the clinic. The oncology nurses gave him two bags of fluids and he seemed to feel better. After we were home a couple of hours, he was beginning to feel worse. I took his temp and it was 100.6. Not a good sign.

I called the doctor and he wanted him immediately admitted to Deaconess. And that is where he remains.

He has been receiving IV fluids and antibiotics. His blood pressure drops when he is on his feet, so he has been confined to bed. Today he was allowed to sit on the side of the bed and dangle his feet. He has been pretty wiped out and has been sleeping most of the time. He seems to be more responsive this evening and his temp is normal. Maybe we have rounded the bend. Hope so.

Not the news we were hoping for, but we have had several bumps in this road we are traveling. Thanks to everyone who has been calling to check in. A special thank you to our bible study. Your concern and prayers are so very important to us. Thank you, Pastor Karen, as always for being our strength just when we need it. God most certainly does provide for our every need.

I'll keep you posted on the progress. Continue to pray for us. Indeed, we are in the palm of His hand.

God Bless,

Randy & Sue