The Adventure Continues...

What I mean by "adventure" is that my life is so full of surprises. I wish all the surprises were happy good ones like birthday presents. But I know God allows difficult things in our lives so we can grow. I have another chance to grow.

Today my friend, Debbie, took care of Matthew, Sebastian and Julian so both Emily and Betsy could go to my appointment with Dr. Tezcan. My Greg was with me too of course. It was so sweet because Betsy sat on one side of me and Emily on the other. And just before the doctor came in the room, Jake called and it felt like our whole family was in that room. Anyway, the CAT scan showed that the chemo kept the cancer in my liver stable, but my entire left lung is completely collapsed because the cancer in my lung didn't respond to the chemo. That explains why I'm so short of breath these days! The chemo was not effective in preventing cancer from growing like crazy in my thyroid. Dr. T. told us that he looked carefully at the list of chemo drugs I have received and he said he's run out of options as far as chemo drugs.

The radiation is supposed to shrink the tumor in my thyroid so I can swallow better. My main concern at this point is to not be so short of breath. Dr. Tezcan told me that there is a procedure where a stint is placed in the area allowing for more air. I don't understand this at all but I'm certainly willing to give it a try so I can enjoy more than the view from my couch. They don't do this procedure in CDA or Spokane. Dr. Tezcan called a doctor in Seattle and I will have an appointment with him Wednesday and if I'm a candidate for the stint, he will put it in place in my chest on Thursday! Wow!

After that, we will probably take some time off from treatments and enjoy life for awhile. It will be so great to live without the side effects of chemo and radiation especially if I can breathe and swallow easily! Then when I'm ready, Dr. T. has an idea for further treatment. He's amazing.

I hope this hasn't been too confusing. I appreciate your prayers and your words of encouragement. Please pray that I will be able to get the stint and that the whole process will go smoothly. Thank you so much for caring about us. Love, Julie

Tuesday greetings!

My goodness, I can't believe a whole week has passed since I entered something in my blog. It's been hopping around here!

Liz came from Tri-Cities Saturday morning with all her Silpada jewelry party stuff. Emily came and got snacks and drinks ready and we had a great Silpada party Saturday afternoon. Lots of my friends from Fernan came and it was so good to see everyone. It was a successful party for Liz and lots of fun for Em and me...plus we earned some free jewelry!

Sunday afternoon Betsy and Sebastian and Julian came and they get to stay till next Saturday! Sunday night the Russells were here too and Jake came after the Spokane Symphony concert and we enjoyed having dinner together and letting the kids play. Poor Sebastian and Julian's cousins are in school this week so they don't get to play with them as much as they'd like. But that means I don't have to share them as much! I feel lucky to have Betsy around--she's very thoughtful and helpful. She's been doing the dishes, laundry, and even vacuuming. Plus she spoils me with massages. mmmmm

I have radiation treatments every day this week. Tomorrow I have an appointment with Dr. Tezcan and I expect we'll be making decisions about my further treatment. I've been really short of breath lately and that gets so annoying. I'm hoping Dr. T can pull something out of his hat that will make all the symptoms subside again. I have confidence that if any doctor can figure it out--Dr. Tezcan can!

I appreciate your love and prayers. Your prayers are such an encouragement to Greg and me. Love, Julie

Cindy's farm

I loved hearing about your dog and your chickens, Cindy. My brother, Darrel, knows a lot about chickens so maybe he can give you some advice. I love hearing about what you are doing!

I am waiting for Greg to come and pick me up and take me to my second radiation treatment. It isn't very fun and I'll be glad to get it over with this morning so I can enjoy the rest of the day.

Several of my music teacher friends who are retired are going out to lunch today and I'm looking forward to joining them! I love feeling connected with people.

Hope you are having a wonderful Tuesday. Thanks for your prayers. Love, Julie

The fight continues...

Today was a two-cup coffee day! I'm so grateful for the days when I feel so good!

I went to church this weekend! It was so great to go Friday night with Jake and the Russells.

We're empty nesters again. This morning I went to Freddies with Jake and we got the rest of the essentials he'll need for his apartment in Cheney. He officially left home to live in his apartment this afternoon. This Wednesday he'll start classes at EWU and he'll have his audition for the Spokane Symphony. He was already hired to play for the concert next weekend so he'll start rehearsing with them Tuesday. A big week for him.

And a big week for me! I will have two weeks of radiation treatments on my thyroid and my first treatment is tomorrow afternoon.

I am so excited that Betsy plans to come to visit next week with Sebastian and Julian. She is such a sweetie and I enjoy the boys so much. She told me that last Monday Sebastian was on his way to a time out and he said "There's no time out in this house! There's just walls, and doors, and rooms!" My grandchildren are so clever.

Thank you for praying for me. I sure appreciate your encouragement and support. Love, Julie

Playing music together

Jake is getting ready for the Spokane Symphony audition next week and he found the piano accompaniment to the solo he will be playing so we played it together. Fun! Greg, our paparazzi, wanted us to pose for the camera so we really cheesed it!

More music news...I finally broke down and bought the music to Pride and Prejudice and I'm having such a great time with it. It's such pretty music and is more of a challenge than I thought. My rusty fingers have to practice. Playing music is so enjoyable and relaxing yet it takes a lot of concentration.

More music news... We also went to Burt's Music Store and rented a clarinet for Hannah to play. I'm excited to be able to help her with it. I was never that great, but that's the instrument I played in Band.

Hope you're having a great week. Thanks for your prayers. Love, Julie

Feeling better!

I knew I would feel better! I was so busy I didn't have time to take a nap today! I went shopping with Jake to hunt for great bargains for his apartment. We went to four different stores and had lots of fun comparing prices. I almost felt like we were on a TV show. I appreciated Jake letting me be part of the shopping. He could have done it himself, but he knew I would really enjoy it.

I can't start radiation until the radiologist sees the results of Thursday's CAT scan. So I have an appointment with the radiologist on Friday morning. We were hoping to get started even sooner.

It is so amazing to know that so many people are praying for me. I so appreciate all of you and I'm so thankful that we have a God who hears our prayers and loves us more than we can begin to understand. Thank you. Love, Julie

Catching Up

Last week was wonderful. Tonight Greg will post some pictures of the unbelievably beautiful Oregon Coast. The weather was spectacular and we stayed in a house that was right on the beach. We saw whales, sea lions, seals, and pelicans. One afternoon a doe went walking right behind our deck. It was so great to spend time with Rob and Carolyn and Mom and Dad. We got to see lots of other family members at Mom and Dad's house. A highlight of that time together was when everyone was gathered on Mom and Dad's deck and we all watched the space station fly by. We had a good time. It reminded me of when I was a kid and we'd all watch for shooting stars.

Last week was truly a vacation from cancer. No appointments, breathing was pretty good, and I felt pretty good almost the whole time. Now it's back to reality.

I had an appointment with Dr. Tezcan this morning and he explained that my thyroid now has the same cancer as my lung and liver. The plan is to attack it with radiation starting this week. I'm scheduled for another CAT scan on Thursday to see if the other cancer is growing. If it is growing, we know the chemo is no longer working and Dr. T. said he'll come up with another plan. It's hard not to feel discouraged. I'm so thankful for your prayers of encouragement and I'm sure I'll feel better tomorrow.

One very cool thing is that after the doctor left the room, the nurse heard Greg say "Well we need to pray that the cancer is located just in the thyroid so they can zap it with radiation." She asked if we really prayed and we said yes and she asked if we prayed to Jesus and we said yes and she said "Well let's pray right now." And she drew us in and prayed for us. It was so amazing. She told us she loved that she sometimes got to pray with her patients.

Thank you for your love and prayers. Love, Julie

wonderful day

It was a wonderful day. This evening I got to go to a potluck for the music teachers in CDA. It was so special to see old friends and to meet new ones. I'm so glad that we retirees were invited.

It makes me sad to think of not being part of the new school year. I'm grateful for the timing of the Oregon Coast trip next week so I won't be here to see the buses full of excited children that first week of school. But my friend, Pat, was talking about bus duty and that put things in perspective. There are things about teaching that aren't that fun. But I loved it.

Jake was a very patient son today. He took me to Safeway and to Costco. He followed me around while I drove an electric scooter cart at both places. I had fun turning really fast and sharp a few times and almost ran into him just to keep him on his toes. I'm getting pretty good at driving those things but it would be a shame to run into my sweet son. Just kidding.

Today I felt so good! My response to coffee always lets me know how I'm feeling. No coffee=okay day. Once cup=good day. Two cups=amazing day. Today was a two cup day!

Thank you for your love and prayers. Love, Julie