Hello everyone. Mark is here at the hospital today helping us figure out how to post comments on the Blog. For some reason our passwords did not work. I have written out a letter at my apartment and I will get it posted soon. Lee had a rough day yesterday. He just felt sick. But today is father's day and he feels much better. He says he wants everyone to know he is alive and kicking.
Shonda, Alvin, Mark and all his family went to church with me this morning at the Capitol Hill Ward. The church is beautiful. The chapel is on the 3rd floor, the bishop's office is on the 4th, the class rooms on the second I think. Luckily there is an elevator. There is a lot of diversity in the ward. It reminds me of New York City. The members were very helpful, friendly and concerned about us. We now feel like we have some friends in the church here. Everyone we talked to had been in Rawlins or knew of it. However we love Wyoming more than they do. One of our new friends works for Wyoming tourism here in Denver. I got Lee a pepper mill for Father's day. Maybe it will spice up his food so it tasetes better. Cherilyn and Thayne will be here anytime. We also expect Dave and Erin and John and Rachel. We feel very happy today. I think I will be able to get my detailed message in later today...We love you all so much. You comments do a ton to cheer us. Thank you all for writing. love, Jeri Lou
Hello Dear Friends and Family, I have loved reading and rereading all your wonderful messages...Lee has too. I was especially glad to hear from Paige. Thank you Paige.
Michael---We would love to see you . Come any time. You can even bring your baby if he is not sick. Room 3208 1-303-839-6208.
Friends often ask, "How did you discover you have Lukemia? Lee was beginning to notice he did not have the strength and stamina he was used to. It was really tough even trying to do yard work. Then while camping at Seminoe he felt a painful pressure in his chest. Of course we thought heart attack. John and Shonda drove us to the ER in Casper. They were with us the whole weekend in Casper. What a help and blessing. At the hospital in Casper, it was discovered right away that Lee's heart was fine but there were cancer cells in his blood. The chest pain was actually caused by the cancer stuffed bone marrow in his sternum. His bones were so full of extra white cells that it caused pain. At Saint Luke's Lee has been contented, happy and feeling safe. A team of 6 doctors and many other student doctors and very well trained nurses are doing a great job. Cheo therapy is not the same every day. The treatments were at nine AM and 9Pm. but the drugs were not always the same. The staff and labs monitor his blood hour by hour even minute by minute to keep all his needs met and balanced. He has a picc-line. It is an I V line that goes into his arm vein and down close to his heart. There are three ports, or lines off the first, through which the medicine is administered. He recieves Chemo, Red Blood, Platelates, Insulin and many drugs. The ports off the picc-line are taped with ends dangling near the inside of his left elbow.. The lines from the I V pole can be attached or unattached as needed to the port. Chemo therapy to the nervous system is given by a spinal intrusion. They take fluid out and put the exact same amount of chemo in. The fluid in the spinal chord has to remain the same. If any leaks out the brain gets less protection from the skull and you get a terrible headache. The body naturally protects the brain and nervous system from toxins in the blood so luikemia can hide there if not treated directly through the spinal chord. Lukemia can hide in the brain or liver etc. but it is still lukemia. Lukemia does not cause liver tumors or lung cancer or brain cancer. I was really glad to learn that. Some of my reading had misled me to believe otherwise. How has Lee's body accepted Chemo Therapy? Perfectly well! He has had a few days of annoying hickups and two differnet times has needed medicine for nausea. That med makes him sleepy but takes away the dizzy sick stomach. Today June 14th he has felt yucky. Lee hads a nicely decorated Homey private room. Other patients and families of patients are friendly. It is a scary time for us all, but we do not fee scareed. The lovce and prayers of family and friends makes a huge difference. The intelligence confidence and good cheer of the coctors is also wonderful. Every day I am amazed at the technology and knowledge that is here to help us. When we pray "Bless the sick and aflicted" they are blessed! I will never think that that is a trite phrase again.
Many of our grand children have sent letters, pictures and art work. We tape them up in Lee's room. Inevitably the nurses and doctors ask about them. Lee never passes an opportunity to tell about his 19 grandchildren and brag on them.
Denver is very green. The skies are blue and roses are blooming everywhere. Ginger and Lenny visited today. It was great to see them for a few hours.
what now? Next week, about Thursday Lee will have another bone marrow biopsi to tell if his marrow is beginning to make healthy cells.As of this moment Lee has no more detectable lukemia cells and no philadelphia chromosomes which are the trouble causer. Every thing so far has gone remarkably well. Thank you so much for all your faith and prayers. Love, Jeri Lou
Lee had a great day! It appears that his own bone marrow is producing healthy white blood cells and the platelate count is also up. We are so happy that he has done so well with this initial round of chemo therapy. It is really as good as could be possible. We got him some nice earphones. He likes to watch movies on his lap top and with the ear phones he can turn it as loud as he wants.
We found another great snack that he loves. They are honey butter cracker sticks by Pringles. He is doing better about ordering food from food service. Even if he is not feeling like eating, when it comes he is finding he can eat and it tastes pretty good. We love all ofy you and hope everything is going well on the home front.
4 comments:
We are getting this figured out. I am doing much better today than I was yesterday. Thank you all for your concern and comments.
Hello everyone. Mark is here at the hospital today helping us figure out how to post comments on the Blog. For some reason our passwords did not work. I have written out a letter at my apartment and I will get it posted soon.
Lee had a rough day yesterday. He just felt sick. But today is father's day and he feels much better. He says he wants everyone to know he is alive and kicking.
Shonda, Alvin, Mark and all his family went to church with me this morning at the Capitol Hill Ward. The church is beautiful. The chapel is on the 3rd floor, the bishop's office is on the 4th, the class rooms on the second I think. Luckily there is an elevator. There is a lot of diversity in the ward. It reminds me of New York City. The members were very helpful, friendly and concerned about us. We now feel like we have some friends in the church here. Everyone we talked to had been in Rawlins or knew of it. However we love Wyoming more than they do. One of our new friends works for Wyoming tourism here in Denver. I got Lee a pepper mill for Father's day. Maybe it will spice up his food so it tasetes better.
Cherilyn and Thayne will be here anytime. We also expect Dave and Erin and John and Rachel. We feel very happy today. I think I will be able to get my detailed message in later today...We love you all so much. You comments do a ton to cheer us. Thank you all for writing. love, Jeri Lou
Hello Dear Friends and Family,
I have loved reading and rereading all your wonderful messages...Lee has too. I was especially glad to hear from Paige. Thank you Paige.
Michael---We would love to see you . Come any time. You can even bring your baby if he is not sick. Room 3208 1-303-839-6208.
Friends often ask, "How did you discover you have Lukemia?
Lee was beginning to notice he did not have the strength and stamina he was used to. It was really tough even trying to do yard work. Then while camping at Seminoe he felt a painful pressure in his chest. Of course we thought heart attack. John and Shonda drove us to the ER in Casper. They were with us the whole weekend in Casper. What a help and blessing.
At the hospital in Casper, it was discovered right away that Lee's heart was fine but there were cancer cells in his blood. The chest pain was actually caused by the cancer stuffed bone marrow in his sternum. His bones were so full of extra white cells that it caused pain.
At Saint Luke's Lee has been contented, happy and feeling safe. A team of 6 doctors and many other student doctors and very well trained nurses are doing a great job.
Cheo therapy is not the same every day. The treatments were at nine AM and 9Pm. but the drugs were not always the same. The staff and labs monitor his blood hour by hour even minute by minute to keep all his needs met and balanced. He has a picc-line. It is an I V line that goes into his arm vein and down close to his heart. There are three ports, or lines off the first, through which the medicine is administered. He recieves Chemo, Red Blood, Platelates, Insulin and many drugs. The ports off the picc-line are taped with ends dangling near the inside of his left elbow.. The lines from the I V pole can be attached or unattached as needed to the port.
Chemo therapy to the nervous system is given by a spinal intrusion. They take fluid out and put the exact same amount of chemo in. The fluid in the spinal chord has to remain the same. If any leaks out the brain gets less protection from the skull and you get a terrible headache. The body naturally protects the brain and nervous system from toxins in the blood so luikemia can hide there if not treated directly through the spinal chord. Lukemia can hide in the brain or liver etc. but it is still lukemia. Lukemia does not cause liver tumors or lung cancer or brain cancer. I was really glad to learn that. Some of my reading had misled me to believe otherwise.
How has Lee's body accepted Chemo Therapy? Perfectly well! He has had a few days of annoying hickups and two differnet times has needed medicine for nausea. That med makes him sleepy but takes away the dizzy sick stomach. Today June 14th he has felt yucky.
Lee hads a nicely decorated Homey private room. Other patients and families of patients are friendly. It is a scary time for us all, but we do not fee scareed. The lovce and prayers of family and friends makes a huge difference. The intelligence confidence and good cheer of the coctors is also wonderful. Every day I am amazed at the technology and knowledge that is here to help us. When we pray "Bless the sick and aflicted" they are blessed! I will never think that that is a trite phrase again.
Many of our grand children have sent letters, pictures and art work. We tape them up in Lee's room. Inevitably the nurses and doctors ask about them. Lee never passes an opportunity to tell about his 19 grandchildren and brag on them.
Denver is very green. The skies are blue and roses are blooming everywhere. Ginger and Lenny visited today. It was great to see them for a few hours.
what now? Next week, about Thursday Lee will have another bone marrow biopsi to tell if his marrow is beginning to make healthy cells.As of this moment Lee has no more detectable lukemia cells and no philadelphia chromosomes which are the trouble causer.
Every thing so far has gone remarkably well. Thank you so much for all your faith and prayers.
Love, Jeri Lou
Lee had a great day! It appears that his own bone marrow is producing healthy white blood cells and the platelate count is also up. We are so happy that he has done so well with this initial round of chemo therapy. It is really as good as could be possible.
We got him some nice earphones. He likes to watch movies on his lap top and with the ear phones he can turn it as loud as he wants.
We found another great snack that he loves. They are honey butter cracker sticks by Pringles. He is doing better about ordering food from food service. Even if he is not feeling like eating, when it comes he is finding he can eat and it tastes pretty good.
We love all ofy you and hope everything is going well on the home front.
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