Long time no communication....

Hey Y'all,

Sorry about the long time between posts... 

Quick little update here:

Laura started this school year with a bang. She has been very busy with lesson plans and extracurricular activities.

A few weeks ago, she got a cold which, long story, short turned into pneumonia. With a fair amount of rigamarole, she finally saw her doctor at Emory who (in addition to her local oncologist) recommended that she take short-term disability to straighten out a multitude of issues related to her GVHD (Graft v. Host Disease). Some of those issues are: dry eyes, joint issues, and a significant decrease in her lung capacity. 

They want her to go up next week to insert a "line" (kinda like a port, but I can't remember the official name) so that they can treat her with photophoresis. That means, that they will remove her blood and treat it with a light treatment of some kind. Her line makes that possible. They take out her blood and put it back in after the photophoresis. She'll have to go weekly for 2-3 days at a time until they feel like she no longer needs to go.  They're also giving her some meds for the issues she has with her joints (can't remember the name of that either.) It's pretty bad stiffness in her joints. 

I feel pretty good about her taking some time to focus on straightening out her GVHD. And, I feel hopeful that they have some treatment options to help her feel better.  I would appreciate it if you would pray that insurance approve it, that this treatment is successful and that it works quickly. It would be nice not to have to drive to Atlanta every week.

She's a GoFightWinner!, though... :-)

We appreciate you all. 

Carrie's Gonna Ride...

I did it! I signed up for the 50 mile ride in Obliteride. My hands are shakin' 'cause it's a big, fat deal. But it's not quite as scary as facing the monster called cancer. And, it is SO great to me to be part of the research that is currently saving lives and will continue to save lives. 

And the thing is... helping solve the mystery of cancer helps EVERYONE. Most everyone I know has been affected by cancer in one way or another. Imagine how great it would be if it just wasn't even out there anymore...

I'm ridin' for Laura...and my husband, Harvey...and all the cousins and aunts and uncles and friends who have had cancer during my lifetime. I'm ridin' 'cause I believe that Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center has made a REAL difference in Harvey's life and in our family's life, too. I'm ridin' 'cause I am sick and tired of finding out that someone else has gotten cancer or because we've lost someone because of cancer. 

It is time to put cancer in its place!

Cancer touches all of us - half of all men and one third of all women in the U.S. will get cancer in their lifetime. These figures are shocking, but, I believe we can change the stats by funding lifesaving research at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.

All of us participating in Obliteride will come together August 9-11, 2013 to tell cancer we're not gonna take it anymore. And here's where I need your help. I've made a big commitment to make a statement against cancer. And I hope you'll make a statement, too. With 100% of every dollar donated going directly to cancer research at Fred Hutch, we can make a direct impact on research to save lives faster. I hope you'll donate as much as you can because you believe in me, what I'm doing and that together, we can defeat cancer.
 

If you'd like to support me in this ride and if you believe that it's time to kick cancer in the butt click here to make a donation and make a difference....   100% of all money donated goes directly to research. 

(Please find out if your company has a matching gift program. The process is simple and quickly doubles your generous donation and gets me closer to reaching my goal. Once you make a donation, contact your HR rep or your employer's matching gift rep to submit the paperwork to Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. Please make sure that the matching gift includes my name AND Obliteride, so Fred Hutch knows who should receive credit for the matching gift. Thanks so much!)

Laura went back to work on Monday. The doctor called yesterday to let her know that they found mold in her lungs. (Evidently it's not uncommon for people to have mold in their lungs, but since she already has the two viruses there, too, it compounds things.) So, she was given a prescription for some medicine and we are hoping that BOTH of her viruses and the mold in her lungs will go away.

Still believing that it's time for Laura to feel absolutely wonderful and still asking God to do just that.

Please pray with me.

Laura was discharged from the hospital today...and then she drove THREE HOURS to get home. And, thankfully, Mrs. Cannon is cookin' her somethin' good for dinner. (Thanks, Mrs. Cannon! ♥)

She has two viruses, RSV and peri influenza.  So her resistance is low. Because of that, she was told that she shouldn't go back to work until Monday. Please pray that she heals well and is ready for work on Monday.

The doctors listened to her lungs and said she doesn't have a lot of lung capacity, but she was able to go home without oxygen.

If she can get rid of the viruses, then her breathing, etc. will get better.

I love my sister. I want her to be well and to be able to just plain ol' enjoy life.

Please pray that God will heal her and will make it so that she can do just that.

Thank you for standing beside her and for loving her (and all of us).

We love you.

Today

Mary just called and said they haven't gotten all the air out of Laura's lungs yet so they want to keep her overnight again tonight. Mary said that the doctors didn't seem to be too concerned about it.

Please pray that they can get all the air out and that she can go home soon. And, please continue to pray for healing.

Thank you.

Bronchoscopy

 

Little update from Mary's texts...

The procedure was delayed a little bit, but they finished at about 3:30-ish. We won't know anything for 3 days or so. She's okay but was still groggy when I received the text that she was in recovery. She was told that she needed to rest for the remainder of the day.

I just now (4:40p.m. Eastern) received a text saying that she would be staying overnight at the hospital. 

Turns out that sometimes during the procedure air gets in the lungs. So now they are inserting a tube in her lungs to pull the air out. They'll keep it in for 12 hours (I think). They said it's not uncommon, but they're gonna keep her in to make sure the air has been removed.  She also has a really bad headache (which we think is a caffeine headache) so she's drinkin' a Coke to help with that.

Please pray that she rests well and that whatever they discovered can be treated or, even better, that it's nothing to worry about.

Very thankful that Mary was able to be with her today. 

And, very thankful that you are all pullin' for Laura.

We love you.

Comin' up on Monday

On Monday, Laura's gonna have a bronchoscopy -- which will give a clearer picture of what's happening in her lungs. She is currently coughing a lot, gets winded easily and they noticed last time that the spot that had been on her lungs is getting bigger. The spot was one they found when she had breast cancer and they determined at the time that it was scar tissue. 

Please pray with me that the spot is not an issue. Please pray that what they discover will lead them to a way to make her feel better. I truly believe that it is about time that she just plain ol' feels GOOD. ALL OVER. ALL THE TIME. FOR A LONG TIME. PERIOD. THE END.

Amen.