What?

A little something to Aunt Patti from Austin........a little something to help bring a smile to your day!

 

 Oh, and to remind you that he is one of many reasons to keep up the good fight! 

 

As some of you may already know, Patti had a tough weekend.  She started feeling ill midday on Saturday with nausea.  It has come and gone.....and then it came back for another visit - ugh!

She goes for a few hours feeling better and believes she is on the mend.......then it bites her again :-/

I remind her of the plan, the fight and yep, she knows all of this.   She told this cheerleader (me!) to take a seat for a few days. 

She needs time to get past this, and as much as she hates this part, she's just got to let the meds work through their lousy course.  Better days are ahead Patti - hang in there.........

Please pray for her recovery and strength - the power of prayer..........a wonderful gift.

Day THREE and all continues to be going VERY WELL :-)

Patti continues to feel really good as of 11am.  She's still buzzing around, but has a great attitude - YEA!

She's also lacking sleep and is usually crabby when tired.......not today!  She needs to find a way to go to sleep tonight.  I saw a post suggesting to count rolls of wallpaper, as opposed to sheep - FUNNY!

Her friend Rich from up north just sent her a sound machine to see if this will help her rest and sleep (see pictures).  Apparently, she favors the babbling brook. Hmmmmm.......wondering if this may be due to the effects of the medicine (get it? Babbling, racing around -hee hee - couldn't resist :-)

Mark's sis Linda also sent Patti a book called, "Throw the damn ball"......classic poetry by dogs :-)  She says it's making her giggle a lot. 

Thanks to all for your prayers and well wishes to Patti - she loves and appreciates all you do and say to keep it positive and in helping her to keep her spirits bright.

God is over watching Patti and allowing her to make her own story of her progress and get well plan.  Stay well Patti and keep up that fantastic attitude, as that attitude is half the battle in beating this monster!

Happy Friday to all!

Chemo - Day ONE is DONE!

Patti is a fighter!



The sign says it all.....



Showing cancer who's boss! -



Hee hee - I slipped this one in while she wasn't looking :-)




Sister Support system!



Sisters - need I say more?



Mike by her side...........



Hi!

I thought I would start this note with pictures of Patti's support system!  First day of Chemo went something like this:

4 Drugs:

1. Dex (nickname for Dexamethasone) - this is an antiemetic med (anti-nausea) - 15 minutes via IV and this stuff "jazzes" Patti up!  She's still running in place today!
2. Aloxi - This is a drug that they "push".  They basically feed it directly into the IV line so it goes right into the vein.  (anti-nausea med)
3. EMend - this is another antiemetic med (anti-nausea).  15 minutes via IV. 
4. Adriamycin - this is another push (IV push to be sure it's in the vein)
5. Cytoxan - The last of the IV drips (takes about 30 minutes).  This takes 48 hours to process through your body.

Other interesting facts:

• She was also given meds to take if she feels nausea in between treatments.  The meds were referred to as "O" and "P" anti-nausea medicines.  First she would take the "O" and if that does not work in between the 8 hours that it is allowed, she moves to the "P" medicine.  The doctor says, " "O" caused more constipation than "P" - I leave it at that!
• She will not be given Neulasta (bone stimulator) as this has a reaction that is much worse than the 4 others listed above "combined"
• Oh, and did I tell you that we had a victory dance!  The three sisters got up, started dancing and boxing in the air to the theme of "Rocky".  The whole room was smiling and definitely enjoying the entertainment. 

Things they told us may happen:

• She might not feel well.............hmmmmmmmmmm - she sounds good to me so far!  Thank you GOD!
• In two weeks, she could start seeing hair loss and possibly gone by week three (we're not buying that just yet!)

Her support system yesterday? 

• Mike took her there stayed by her side through this. 
• I was her note taker to be sure we understood what they were doing, her sign maker so she could tell the world the important stuff, and naturally slip in a note that she and I tease about often (sister age thing:-)
• Lynn brought her a bag to carry all the goodies she will probably bring with to each visit, and naturally, to support her as well.

A good day for a bad day - she will fight and she will win!  Funny how God works :-) 

I hope you are having as good of a day as she is.  Besides being tired, she is doing very well.

Christmas in November!!??

As Patti prepares for treatment, we thought we would take her there in style!

Patti and I went to the store to pick out her Christmas gifts, as the 80's called and they want their coats back! Patti was in need of a coat makeover, along with some clothes that will be user-friendly when she goes through treatment (zipper down type stuff).  Merry Christmas from us Patti!! 

It was a good week for Patti, as many family members helped to prepare her for next week.  She will do well and she will get though this.......looking good and with style! 

I strongly encouraged her to get all decked out on Wednesday as she heads into treatment.  She needs to show this disease who's boss! 

Going into the unknown - scared and enough already!

After a week of visits to her oncologist and a tour of "that" place that she will need to visit every 3 weeks, Patti's schedule is set, and we start her program on November 20th.  If you noticed, I did not mention any terms associated with her illness.  I did this on purpose, as she is having a REALLY tough week with a plan that REALLY scares her. 

So today I'm reaching out to all of you and asking to keep your conversations, gifts, cards, etc. limited to positive stuff in life such as:

1. What are you doing for Thanksgiving?
2. How are your furry kids doing?
3. Can you believe they are already talking about Christmas and we haven't sat down for our turkey dinner yet!
4. Share pictures of your grand kids such as this one in honor of the Badger game today! (Mark's granddaughter).  She is just as excited as Grandpa Mark about the game!

Come on.....this cute face HAD to make you smile, right?

Happy - bright - cheery - feel good stories, pictures, funny things, and good political jokes are always good with Patti.  This is what she needs right now.  As we all know, she is fully aware of her illness and the crummy stuff she has and will have to deal with.

Please take a time out with us and leave the drama at the door, as that will help remind Patti that there is a lot of great things going on, and stuff that she has to look forward to.  Together, we can help raise her spirit.

So.....when you decide to chat with her on FB, on the phone, send a gift, a card, keep it light and leave the illness out of the conversations for a while.   I know she will appreciate it, and God knows she needs it. 

Also, as stated in her previous blog on "physical" help, it is still needed.  Mike is working just about everyday of the week and Patti is home alone, looking at many chores that she simply cannot tend to with her wounds still healing.  With that said, off I go with my hedge trimmer to help her today.  Please think about where you can help and thanks to those who have made those visits in the past week. 

Did you know........it takes about 43 muscles to frown and only 15-17 muscles to smile :-)

Team up to help make a difference.....

So.......we know Patti and Mike are about to travel down a tough road....together.   

Mike has been working 6-7 days a week to keep up with the basic bills and is doing a fantastic job of managing this task (Thank You Mike!!!!). However, its still not enough to keep them going, as owning your own business can be a tough road...even without an illness in your life.  Also, what we all may tend to forget in this progress is that Mike is also affected by Patti's illness but in a different way, and that his life has forever changed as well.  He has been there for her more now than ever, and I know she appreciates the time she and Mike spend together.  She actually gets excited when Mike gets home, as she looks forward to sharing the latest news and anxious to see how work went for him, and of course, checking up on her work and customers she can no longer tend to as well. 

Isn't it amazing how God works?  Patti's illness has brought the two of them closer together .......yes, he ALWAYS has a plan....

Patti will not be able to work for quite a while in the paperhanging business and will spend the next 6 months traveling back and forth to doctors and treatments of some sort, along with the most important thing - eating well and keeping a good diet plan in place.  Patti will have many times where she will not want to eat (apparently, this is a well known fact in this sort of treatment....staying away from the "C" word).  We (ALL of US) have to help her along to ensure she maintains weight as she goes through this process.  Cheering is allowed :-)

Like I said, they are on this journey together............we are there to help them along the way because we love and care for them so much.

With that said, I am reaching out to all who have so kindly followed her progress and ask for you to help where they really will need it. 

You can offer any of the following:
Gas - Gas cards are helpful with the travels to Menomonee Falls and east Mequon for doctor visits and treatment, and to ensure Mike can go to work to keep up with his job, as well as Patti's work that he is now taking on.

Food - These gift cards are more valuable than anything else, as Patti will need to keep her food intake up in order to get through this!  VERY IMPORTANT for her recovery.   Now some may be thinking......."I will bring Patti some nice things that she may like to eat, or make a special dish".......not so much with Patti. 

Side Note:  What you may not know about Patti is that she is a VERY FINICKY eater :-/  Believe me when I say this, as both Dale and I got to watch her grow up not liking a lot of food that both he and I ate (like most kids).  With that said, a gift card to Pick and Save or Piggly Wiggly (two of her favorite places to shop for her favorite foods) would be the best gift you can give.  She really is a picky eater.

While all the wonderful gifts that she has received from all of you wonderful people looking out for her and trying to help keep her mind busy, she just doesn't have that desire to entertain this for now.  Maybe down the road it will change but for now, the suggestions above are best (she has a cute, but small house and not much in the way of storage or space)

You can also donate to her web page that I set up a few months back, as those funds would be used for bills and other necessities that may be needed on her road to recovery:

Donate to Patti's Road to Recovery

Thanks again to all for your ongoing support.  This is a scary time for us and we know she will win this fight......just gotta keep the faith, keep the strength, and continue on with all of the wonderful, ongoing support from all of you!

Overcomer!

 Today, Patti met with the doctor who had to talk about the "C" word, and we are not talking Cancer. This was a tough visit for Patti, as she was hoping to avoid treatment such as this. 

God has a plan - we are human - you are entitled to be mad today -it's okay.  Just remember you have to fight and keep the faith Patti.  We are ALL here for you and YOU WILL GET THOUGH THIS!

Here is a link to remind you (and everyone reading this note):
Patti you ARE an overcomer

To all:
Please keep it positive - doctors orders!!  Patti needs ALL the virtual hugs she can get :-)