Sorry it has been this long ... many of you have asked how things are. Here's the latest.
After Liz had her SRS on brain mets May 24-25th, she restarted her study drugs on 5/31 at half strength, then whole dose on Wed June 2nd for her appointments at UCLA.
This early June trip to L.A. was a driving one. Liz and Matt and I went in my Acura. After a short trip to Springville from staying overnight in Provo we went back for Matt's wallet so he could drive too. Unfortunately we forgot the bag of treats I put by the back door until we were down the road farther. We stopped in St George for snacks and lunch. Soon after that we tried to use an old power converter so Matt could plug in his laptop... but it didn't work. It killed my radio instead. Okay, it just blew the fuse, but that meant we had no music from CDs either. We made it through traffic and unfamiliar freeways with good directions from Val. We always appreciate the warm welcome, beds and food waiting for us there!
Her appointments in L.A. were fine. We saw Dr. Lo, dermatologist. We got another 3 weeks of medicine. (Next trip is on Monday 6/21 because Dr. Ribas will be gone the 23rd.) We even got to Diddy Riese's for an ice cream cookie sandwich - we shared, this time.
We had fun playing card games and hanging around with Val, Madison, Stillman and Brent for those two days, then got back on the road. Liz wore her back brace while traveling most of the time. After replacing fuses (Liz and I did it by ourselves!) the radio/CD player worked. We tried the converter once more and replaced the fuse again, then we told Matt no more tries. We listened to some talks on (marriage) relationships and communicating from Rachel - they are by Dr. John Lund, called "For All Eternity." We enjoyed the ideas and his examples. I recommend them. We arrived in Provo at 10:30 Thursday night, and slept there. We drove home to Farmington the next day.
We had a great surprise Friday night after we went to a movie. A "surprise package" had arrived: Amy and Liberty were on our front porch waiting for us! They came earlier than expected (June 30th was scheduled) and we were very happy to see them. We had lots of fun trying to get Libby to be happy about being here. After three days she let her grandma hold her and was fine. Then Tuesday Phil came too! Another surprise! We are just tickled to have them. Phil will head to Chicago late in July for a chance to interview with IP (intellectual property) opportunites, then finish the volunteer internship hours with the Red Cross before school starts. Amy and Lib will go August 11th I think.
Tuesday June 8th Liz went for Moh's surgery* on the jawline where a squamous cell carcinoma was removed in April. (It was postponed from the 24th) She was apprehensive and we asked for a Valium to help her calm down. Then Dr. Hadley looked at her face and said we don't need to do anything. Hurray! She will just monitor it and report quickly if anything new appears. Great news. (*Moh's surgery involves taking thin slices off and checking the slides to see if the tissue is free of cancer cells; then more is removed as needed.)
Liz has her side effects back: aching in various joints, usually knees, ankles, hips, sometimes feet and hands; some fever, loss of appetite and nausea, rash/bumps, and trouble sleeping. She tries to get rest she needs and still do some fun things.
Saturday we went to Provo for a shower/luncheon at Brick Oven. We had lots of people there and Liz got some fun gifts and gift cards. Dar and Shelly brought her two dozen red roses and delicious chocolate, besides coordinating the shower. Liz later went to see "The A-Team" and loved it. Sunday was a little harder, and she didn't keep her Cheerios down. She stayed home from church with JD. I wish she didn't need to repeat the joint pain every time she restarts the study drugs, and it was hard to see her get sick today. Hopefully she will feel more like herself tomorrow. She has developed redness and a bump in her left eye too, and we hope that will clear up quickly.
This Wednesday we have an appointment with a back specialist; her monthly Zometa infusion, and MRI and CT scans. It will be a long day at Huntsman. We will follow up Friday with Dr. Grossmann to see results of scans.
We thank so many for your prayers. We feel them! We have great family, friends and neighbors who are jumping in to help us plan and carry out a wedding reception in ... less than 4 weeks! (yikes!) We know things will work out. Thanks for your added faith.
Tracy
After Liz had her SRS on brain mets May 24-25th, she restarted her study drugs on 5/31 at half strength, then whole dose on Wed June 2nd for her appointments at UCLA.
This early June trip to L.A. was a driving one. Liz and Matt and I went in my Acura. After a short trip to Springville from staying overnight in Provo we went back for Matt's wallet so he could drive too. Unfortunately we forgot the bag of treats I put by the back door until we were down the road farther. We stopped in St George for snacks and lunch. Soon after that we tried to use an old power converter so Matt could plug in his laptop... but it didn't work. It killed my radio instead. Okay, it just blew the fuse, but that meant we had no music from CDs either. We made it through traffic and unfamiliar freeways with good directions from Val. We always appreciate the warm welcome, beds and food waiting for us there!
Her appointments in L.A. were fine. We saw Dr. Lo, dermatologist. We got another 3 weeks of medicine. (Next trip is on Monday 6/21 because Dr. Ribas will be gone the 23rd.) We even got to Diddy Riese's for an ice cream cookie sandwich - we shared, this time.
We had fun playing card games and hanging around with Val, Madison, Stillman and Brent for those two days, then got back on the road. Liz wore her back brace while traveling most of the time. After replacing fuses (Liz and I did it by ourselves!) the radio/CD player worked. We tried the converter once more and replaced the fuse again, then we told Matt no more tries. We listened to some talks on (marriage) relationships and communicating from Rachel - they are by Dr. John Lund, called "For All Eternity." We enjoyed the ideas and his examples. I recommend them. We arrived in Provo at 10:30 Thursday night, and slept there. We drove home to Farmington the next day.
We had a great surprise Friday night after we went to a movie. A "surprise package" had arrived: Amy and Liberty were on our front porch waiting for us! They came earlier than expected (June 30th was scheduled) and we were very happy to see them. We had lots of fun trying to get Libby to be happy about being here. After three days she let her grandma hold her and was fine. Then Tuesday Phil came too! Another surprise! We are just tickled to have them. Phil will head to Chicago late in July for a chance to interview with IP (intellectual property) opportunites, then finish the volunteer internship hours with the Red Cross before school starts. Amy and Lib will go August 11th I think.
Tuesday June 8th Liz went for Moh's surgery* on the jawline where a squamous cell carcinoma was removed in April. (It was postponed from the 24th) She was apprehensive and we asked for a Valium to help her calm down. Then Dr. Hadley looked at her face and said we don't need to do anything. Hurray! She will just monitor it and report quickly if anything new appears. Great news. (*Moh's surgery involves taking thin slices off and checking the slides to see if the tissue is free of cancer cells; then more is removed as needed.)
Liz has her side effects back: aching in various joints, usually knees, ankles, hips, sometimes feet and hands; some fever, loss of appetite and nausea, rash/bumps, and trouble sleeping. She tries to get rest she needs and still do some fun things.
Saturday we went to Provo for a shower/luncheon at Brick Oven. We had lots of people there and Liz got some fun gifts and gift cards. Dar and Shelly brought her two dozen red roses and delicious chocolate, besides coordinating the shower. Liz later went to see "The A-Team" and loved it. Sunday was a little harder, and she didn't keep her Cheerios down. She stayed home from church with JD. I wish she didn't need to repeat the joint pain every time she restarts the study drugs, and it was hard to see her get sick today. Hopefully she will feel more like herself tomorrow. She has developed redness and a bump in her left eye too, and we hope that will clear up quickly.
This Wednesday we have an appointment with a back specialist; her monthly Zometa infusion, and MRI and CT scans. It will be a long day at Huntsman. We will follow up Friday with Dr. Grossmann to see results of scans.
We thank so many for your prayers. We feel them! We have great family, friends and neighbors who are jumping in to help us plan and carry out a wedding reception in ... less than 4 weeks! (yikes!) We know things will work out. Thanks for your added faith.
Tracy
1 comment:
Love the photos! How fun to have Phil, Amy and Liberty visiting. Glad we got a chance to visit on Memorial Day. Thanks for the update.
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