June 1, 2009

Our family just returned from a wonderful trip to St. Louis for the weekend, and we had a great time. This was our last opportunity to get away from the store for quite a while because Whitney starts her new full-time job this week. We’re really proud of her, but we’ll miss her (especially Mark) terribly at the store.

Maybe it’s the gloomy, rainy Monday affecting me, but I’m a little down again about my health. I haven’t been feeling very good, and I’ve had to take pain medicine again since we cut back on the strength of my pain patches. I wouldn’t trade our activities over the weekend for anything, but it wore me completely out. I threw up yesterday on our way home, and we’re concerned again that something is going on with my cancer. I see my OB/GYN doc today for a check-up and to discuss some concerns. Next week is my appointment at the Oncology office and a treatment.

Please keep praying for complete healing and strength.

Sandy

May 21, 2009

This has been a great week. I’m feeling much better, and we got a status quo report from the doctor this week. She reduced my pain patch to the lowest level, and I should be totally off of them in about two weeks! My appetite isn’t what it used to be, especially for meat. I’m also trying to avoid anything high in fat or greasy in my diet. We think all of this is related to the gall bladder disease and surgery, but it’s very manageable (and a great diet plan!).

Thanks for your continued support and encouragement.

Love,

Sandy

We made it!!! May 14, 2009

May 13, 2009

Last night was great! I kept thinking…Look what God can do when we trust Him! This night wouldn’t have been possible without sacrifices and support. I give God the credit first, but my husband, Mark, and our family has been behind me 100% of the way through this journey. I also am grateful to work for such a great boss and work family that always encourage me and help in any way they can…IPFW Division of Continuing Studies rocks!

PS–I am finally pain free from my surgery, too. Yippee!!

May 11, 2009

We made it through the graduation party for me and Whitney yesterday, and it very touching to me to have people share how our struggle has helped or encouraged them. If any good can come of what we’ve been through, then it may all be worth it. The love and support we felt from all that came to share with us or sent their greetings has given us new energy and strength to keep going.

We’re looking forward to the graduation ceremony on Wednesday night at IPFW. Thank you for blessing our family.

Sandy

PS– No doctor’s appointments last week or this week!!!

May 8, 2009

Most of the gall bladder surgery drama has subsided, and I went back to work this week about 75% of full time. I have been feeling much better, and the pain seems to keep going down, which is a huge blessing! I’ll return to work full time next week, and it’s going to be very busy!

On May 13, Whitney and I will both graduate from IPFW. Whitney is receiving her BS degree, and I’ll be getting my MS degree in Educational Leadership. We’re looking forward to being in the ceremony together. It’s quite an accomplishment for both of us.

Dr. Aggarwal has given me a two-month break from treatments or medication, and we’re weaning off of the pain patches. They should be done next week. It’s exciting to live a somewhat normal life for a while and not spend time in doctors’ offices. My hair is just barely starting to grow back, and I think my eyelashes and brows are too. This might sound petty, but a woman’s hair is a pretty important feature. I’d love to shed the wig before summre, but I doubt that will happen.

Thanks for your prayers and support as we overcome another battle. Through God’s blessing, this story is To Be Continued!

Sandy

April 27, 2009

Today the doctor took out my staples, and I survived without much pain. Praise God for answers to small requests! I was really nervous about the procedure, but it wasn’t that bad at all. It only took about 10 minutes to do the whole process, and it feels like I’m better already!

We’ll see Dr. Aggarwal tomorrow for an update on my chemotherapy and pain management, but I’m hoping to cut totally off of the pain patches on a gradual basis. I think I’ll feel like a new person without the narcotics when they are taken away.

I’m hoping to return to work part-time next week and then full-time the week after that. I am getting closer to running out of leave time and still have my job protected, so we need to be careful from now on.

To Be Continued…

Sandy

April 23, 2009

Today’s bright and sunny weather has really lifted my spirits, and I’m feeling good too. I actually drove today for the first time since my surgery, and it felt great to regain some of my independence.

Mark and I were able to spend some time together today through the lunch hour too, and we had fun! Believe it or not, we both enjoy driving to look at other hardware stores, and we drove up to Auburn to check one out today. A great benefit of being off work is to find extra time we can be together, and Mark suggested that we try to do something fun every week while I’m off until the middle of May. After May, Whitney, our oldest daughter, will be quitting her job at the store, and we won’t have as many opportunities to get away. She’s going to National City Bank (her first real job after college) for a two-year Branch Manager training program. Mark will really miss her and the great help she has been, but we’re very proud of what she’s accomplished and how amazing she is to all of us.

In my devotions this morning, I came across a thought that has really jumped out at me. The devotion was about how we can be full of hope because of the resurrection of Jesus that we just celebrated on Easter. Because I’m alive, well, and full of hope every day, my story here will always be…To Be Continued.

Sunny blessings to you!

Sandy

April 22, 2009

First of all, let me start with thank you’s for your prayers, cards and calls. We appreciate your visits in the hospital and at home, and the meals that have been delivered for our dinners have been wonderful! We’re especially grateful to the people who have helped with the store so Mark could spend more time with me in the hospital and here at home.

I’m starting to get back on my feet,  but it will take a few more weeks of R&R to fully recover. I have 9 staples in my abdomen from the gall bladder surgery that I had last Tuesday. Monday Mark took me to the doctor and he removed my drain tube, and next week we go back to have the staples taken out. It was a great relief to have the tube removed, and it made daily activities much easier.

I’m still in quite a bit of pain from the surgery, but I”m getting better every day. I can tell when I do too much and need to rest, which is often. The simple tasks of laundry, cleaning, and walking much are still too much for me to do, and there’s not much that my stomach can handle in the way of food.

I’m working on setting up a new schedule with Dr. Aggarwal for my Herceptin treatments, which I think will be every three weeks now. The surgeon we met with on Monday recommended that we take a 3-6 month break from scans and chemo to see what the cancer will do. He found 3 old lesions on my liver that have shrunk to half their size, but there is also a new tiny lesion of cancer. He still doesn’t think there’s any chance to have the spots removed surgically, but he suggested a possibility of laser treatment to “burn them out” after we watch them for a while.

My goals are to be free of staples and pain by next week, so I can start returning to a normal life. I probably won’t be allowed to return to work for 2-3 more weeks, but I hope to be functioning well on my own at home and with the kids. I can’t drive until my pain medicine is reduced, but I really don’t feel up to it right now anyway.

Thanks again for your encouragement.

Sandy

Hospital Stay April 16, 2009

 This is Whitney, Sandy’s daughter, and Mark, posting for her. 

Late Monday night, Mom had a gall bladder attack in Ohio while Pat, Sharon, and her were on a short get-a-way.  She was admitted to a local hospital where the doctors determined that she was having trouble with her gall bladder.  The next morning, they came straight to Parkview North Emergency room.  The doctors here determined that they needed to remove the gall bladder and the surgery started around 5:30 pm that night. 

The surgery went well but she is still in a lot of pain and still in the hospital as of Thursday night.  We are praying that this was the cause of all of the pain she has been in for the last year or so.  This could turn out to be a blessing.

Please continue to pray for her healing and ability to deal with the intense pain.  We thank you for all of the visits that we have gotten already and all of the prayers lifted up to the ultimate healer.

April 7, 2009

We met with the surgeon that has done all of my procedures so far because Dr. Aggarwal wanted his opinion about having surgery to remove the liver spot that still shows on my scan. He wasn’t very positive about doing surgery to remove the spot because he said it rarely makes any difference in patients with Stage 4 breast cancer. He told us that even if he removed the one spot now, the others would come back at some point, and there was no reason to take the risk of a dangerous surgery at this point. He decided to run an MRI test of my liver to take a closer look, but he wasn’t very positive about changing his mind after this test. The test is this Wednesday afternoon, so please pray for some answers.

Mark and I were both pretty disappointed after this meeting. I had been sick since Saturday with a fever and horrible cold, so we didn’t need any more bad news. The surgeon left us feeling like there was no hope. I’ll continue my weekly Herceptin treatment, and we also see Dr. Aggarwal next week, so she’ll probably know the results of the MRI at that time.

I found some encouragement in a devotional book I’m reading by Max Lucado.  He had an entry titled, Sole Provider, Sole Comforter, and the reference is Matthew 11:28. Here’s the entry…I hope it encourages you if you’re down, too.

As long as Jesus is one of many options, he is no option.

As long as you can carry your burdens alone, you don’t need a burden-bearer. As long as your situation brings you no grief, you will receive no comfort. And as long as you can take him or leave him, you might as well leave him, because he won’t be taken half-heartedly.

But when you mourn, when you get to the point of sorrow that you have no other option but to cast all your cares on him, and when there is truly no other name that you can call, then cast all your cares on him, for he is waiting in the midst of the storm.

Our burdens are carried by him, and our sorrow is comforted by your prayers and support. Bless you.

Sandy