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8/1/2009 Thoughts and prayers please...for my niece Dee who is in the hospital this morning with severe stomach pains. I just received a call from my sister and they are getting ready to do a cat scan. Dee needs a liver transplant and she is scheduled to go to John Hopkins in Maryland on the 10th. Prayers are very welcome. Kind thoughts are welcome too.
I made potato salad and have the fixings for baked beans and will get fried chicken from the deli for when my visitors arrive. Also fresh sliced tomatoes. I got the rest of the carrot cake from the freezer and that will be lunch or whenever we eat.
I am pretty upset this morning so I will cut this short. Thank you again for your prayers.
 6/15/2009 Monday...and the start of a brand new week. I have been to workout. The trainer has set me up for almost 2 hours of workout 3 days a week and 20 minutes of cardio on the days in between. That is way too much for this old gal to start with and so I am picking and choosing what amounts to an hour. I want to keep fit but I don't want to be dead and fit.
 I will try to add one extra machine each day and hopefully I can eventually work up to the full program. I also found out that nobody comes in early except the young ones and they hog the machines.  It is nice out today so far anyway. The forecast has a chance of thunderstorms for the next 3 days. The farmers have their crops in and now we actually need some rain. I have little green tomatoes on my plants and I am wishing my summer away waiting for them to get ripe. My rhubarb has about died out so I am going to ask my neighbors if I can have enough to make a pie. I have to have one rhubarb pie each summer and then I am satisfied.
Nothing exciting happening here at this minute and for that I am very thankful. I don't do exciting well.
I hope you all make the most of today, I am going to try to.
Hugs,
Beth Marie 4/28/2009 Special Prayer RequestMy cousin Gaylean has been in the U of M hospital in Ann Arbor since March 30th being treated for acute luekemia. She has been told the treatment did not work. We would all be very grateful for thoughts and prayers on her behalf. I haven't seen Gaylean for many years. She is very special to me as are all of my cousins in Michigan. Please continue to remember Nate in your prayers. Thank you!
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Yesterday was not a great day for me. I am beginning to think that I am accident prone. I was cleaning my bathroom mirrors on the cabinet. The same mirror that fell off last December and injured my arm came off in my hands but thank heaven it didn't break. I am thinking more and more about just getting a new cabinet although I really like this one. My day also began badly as I titled my post yesterday as Tuesday instead of Monday.
Then I sat down to read the newspaper and the headlines jumped right out at me.
GM to slash 21,000 factory jobs. They are asking the government to take 50% of its common stock in exchange for canceling half the government loans to the company as of June1. Oh my aching head!!!
Swine flu case found in Europe. The top EU health official urged Europeans today to postpone nonessential travel to the US and Mexico because of the swine flu virus, and Spanish health officials confirmed the first case outside of North America. Oh my aching head!!!
Exercise beefs up ability to focus. Kids who worked out prior to test did better than those who rested. Oh my aching head!!!
Then it went on to talk about the Roger Ebert film festival in his home town which also happens to be my big city that I am constantly referring to. And those were the front page headlines for April 27, 2009.
Today, April 28, is the birthdays of my dad and my sister Chris. I miss both of you but I know that you are in a better place.
Gotta close for now and get some extra strength tylenol for my aching head.
 Beth Marie4/22/2009 Prayer Urgently RequestedThis is an email that I received last night from my cousin Audrey in Michigan concerning her grandson Nathaniel.
"I have just learned today that our 7 year old grandson, Nathaniel's, heart problems have gotten a lot worse and Dan and Jeni are going to have to make some very difficult decisions before too much longer. Please, pray that God will give them the wisdom to make the decisions that are best for Nathaniel and that He will continue to take care of all of them.
Thank you all." This little boy has gone through so many surgeries. Some of you may remember when you were asked to pray for him last year before surgery. He is just a little guy but he is loved so much by everyone that he comes in contact with. All prayers will be appreciated so much. 'May God be with Nathaniel's family and keep them safe in His care...Amen.' ##################################################################################################### After workout this morning I am heading straight for 57 to the big city to get groceries, especially spaghetti. lol Although by the time I get home from the big city it will be too late to fix the spaghetti and meatballs so I will have to do that tomorrow. I have pretty much cleaned out drawers and closets. I found quite a few things that caused me to shed some tears. Who would know that I still had Jim's Knoxville Iowa racing Tshirts. Gosh he loved going to Knoxville to the races with our SIL and his nephew. What fun they had. I had best get moving. I want to visit some of you before I leave for workout. Beth Marie 8/27/2007 A prayer request from my cousin Audrey...UPDATE: I just spoke to Audrey on the phone. Nathaniel came through the surgery in fine shape. THANK YOU!! for your thoughts and prayers. Beth "Tomorrow, Tuesday, morning our five year old grandson, Nathaniel, will be at U of M Children's Hospital in Ann Arbor to have surgery to replace the shunt in his heart. Please, pray that this will be successful with minimal pain and also pray for his family." Thank you, Audrey
***Thank you for your thoughts and prayers for this wonderful little boy. Beth 7/15/2007 Peaceful Sunday...I made a promise to myself yesterday that I would try to think only positive thoughts from now on. I will be honest and say that the last few months I have had many more negative thoughts than positive ones. It has also seemed that I was not being as kind as I should be in my thoughts and actions. I attribute this mostly to depression that I have been fighting now for the last few months. My Florida relatives visited today. We had lunch together and I enjoyed reminiscing about family and friends. I received an email from a cousin in Flint MI that I haven't seen since we were children. It will be fun exchanging pictures and keeping in touch. My sister and I had just talked the other day about the many first cousins we have and how we wouldn't recognize them if we came face to face. It is supposed to be hot again tomorrow and the grass is browning up again because of lack of rain but I've gotta tell you guys, the tomatoes are coming on big time!! :o) 10/10/2006 Tuesday update...Jim saw the oncologist today. His blood count was good. We will get the results of the blood chemistry tomorrow. If everything is ok he will go in the hospital next Monday Oct 16th for more salvage chemo; beginning on Monday and finishing on Saturday Oct 21st. A reprieve for a few more days. Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers. 8/30/2006 Wednesday, home again...The last few days have been traumatic ones. Jim was hospitalized on Sunday with fluid on his left lung and pneumonia. I just brought him home from the hospital today. But another side effect of the chemo. This puts off his next round of chemo which could be dangerous as the lymphoma will start to grow again. I returned my new computer from Sam's ( they returned my money with no question) and had the same folks that built my previous computer build me another one. I just got it today so I haven't had access to the internet for the last few days. Sorry to leave everyone without letting you all know. I spent all day long each day at the hospital. I am very tired. I will be around to visit everyone tomorrow if possible. Thank you all for your comments and prayers. 7/2/2006 Sunday...We are home from the hospital a few minutes ago. They kept Jim overnight because they used a new drug in the chemo and were watching for any side effects. So far, so good! It had been exactly one year ago when he had his last chemo treatment. We had about 9 months where he felt good and was able to get out and go places. I thank God for that time.
It is very hot here today. 94.5 as I read it. Too hot to do anything outside so I will tackle the watering of the flowers and garden when it is cooler this evening. I wonder if I will be serenaded tonight from 2 doors down. If so, I would request George Jones instead of Charlie Daniels. E., the Nascar/Gordon fan, has decorated for the 4th and has a big sign that says 'honk for freedom' on it in his front yard. I think he puts this sign out and then leaves. That is what he did last year. lol The traffic in our little town is not so heavy that we only hear a horn honk every few minutes. I'll honk for freedom myself!!
Heartfelt thanks to each of you for your comments and your prayers. We love you all! God Bless You!
6/28/2006 Wednesday...I have tried to get on here and post for two days now. Everytime I try to edit my space it hangs up my computer. I have about worn out contro/alt/delete. I sneaked on here someway today by commenting on a space.
We are on our way to the doctor in a few minutes. If I can get back on here when we get home I will give an update.
I have mowed the yard this morning and we still don't have the curb in front of our house yet. LOL!! 6/19/2006 Not such good news...Jim is still having a lot of pain. This is on the right side of his body, not in the area of the spleen. The doctor says it is rib cage pain. We are both not convinced of that. The pain, even with the pain pills is keeping him from resting at night, and if he doesn't rest, I don't rest.
The oncologist said there are active lymph nodes in the abdomen. He wants to study the pet scan further before he starts chemo again. In the meantime Jim has an appointment on the 28th with his cardiologist. This is to make a determination if it is safe for him to start the blood thinner shots again. He has been off them for over a month now. With his irregular heartbeat there is a very real possiblility of his developing blood clots again without the blood thinner shots.
I weeded our little garden and mowed the lawn today. Then this afternoon we had a much needed shower. Cheryl, we are very dry here and could use some of the rain you got this morning...
I am trying to keep my spirits up and Jim's too but it is getting harder each day. The golden years are just a little bit tarnished. 6/7/2006 Home again...Jim is home again with pain meds. The Pet Scan is scheduled for next Tuesday morning.
Thank you again for your kind thoughts and prayers. 6/6/2006 Update...Jim's oncologist is in charge of this hospital stay. He told us this morning that the doctor that read the cat scan said in his opinion that the lymphoma was back in the spleen. The oncologist says he didn't interpret the cat scan that way but the doctor that read it is the expert instead of him. He said the only way that we could know for sure would be for Jim to have a pet scan when the mobile unit comes to the hospital next week. He is being watched today and if everything goes OK he will come home tomorrow.
If the pet scan shows lymphoma then he will have to begin another round of chemotherapy and his remission will be over.
Thank you all for thinking of us and praying for us. It means so very much. 6/5/2006 Hospital again...Just wanted to let you all know that Jim is back in the hospital again. We had another emergency room run yesterday morning before 4:00 AM. The doctor on duty in the emergency room just came in and said "We're admitting you." This was at 5:30 AM but he didn't get a room until 10:30 AM. He has the pain in the spleen area again. They finally did a cat scan about 2:30PM this afternoon. We should know something in the morning. Needless to say I am worried sick and still fighting the bronchitis I picked up at the hospital from his last visit there.
We appreciate all thoughts and prayers. 5/27/2006 When it comes to heart attacks, men and women are different...When men have heart attacks, they usually have chest pain. Some women have chest pain during a heart attack too. But many women have more subtle signs. Signs they may not think are from a heart attack.
Know what all the signs of a heart attack are. And listen to your body. If you think you are having a heart attack, call 911 right away.
Signs to watch for:
***Jim suffered a heart attack on our daughter's birthday, Feb. 14, 2003. We didn't know what it was. His only symptom was feeling sick to his stomach. He took some Maalox and it seemed to help a little. We were having a blizzard that day. The interstate and highway roads were closed from our town to where the hospital is. He went to bed and early the next morning he told me he was feeling really sick. I called 911 and the ambulance was able to get through on the road. I rode in the ambulance. At the hospital he was diagnosed as having a heart attack. The cardiologist saw him and he was taken to the rooms where they iimplant stents. He had 2 stents implanted in the arteries leading to his heart. We went home from the hospital a couple of days later. On Feb. 28 he suffered another heart attack. I was smart this time and called 911 immediately. He was hospitalized and had bed rest until the surgeon could fit it in his schedule. He ended up having 5 by-passes on March 3, 2003. He remembers it as his 3-3-3 surgery.
5/23/2006 One day at a time..."One day at a time, Dear Jesus, is all I'm asking from you
Give me the strength to do everyday what I have to do
Yesterday's gone, Dear Jesus, and tomorrow may never be mine
So for my sake, teach me to take one day at a time."
Jim had his first doctor appointment yesterday. So far everything is going well.
While we were in the doctor's office I was coughing a lot. After the doctor got through with Jim he said "Hop up on the table young lady." He then proceeded to listen to my chest, etc. and told me I should call my doctor and get an appointment ASAP. I did and turns out I have a bad case of bronchitis which I picked up in the hospital. I am on antibiotics and codeine cough syrup. I am just praying that Jim does not get this. I have the auctioneers family to thank for this. It is always nice when a sick person spreads the wealth around. LOL
So, yesterday was spent going to doctor appointments. Jim has one appointment late this afternoon with the surgeon.
*** "Did you ever notice that sometimes a bad experience is funny when you look back on it?" 5/19/2006 Home again...Jim and I came home from the hospital this evening. It is so wonderful to be home. I am hoping for us both to get a good nights sleep.
The diagnosis was hematoma of the spleen. At this time it is stable and not bleeding. Jim will have to be careful for a few weeks as he is not to lift anything at all. We have appointments with 3 of the doctors next week and one the week after.
We are just glad to be home! Tomorrow I want to write in my blog about the interesting roommates he has had in the hospital. I'm just too tired tonight.
Again, thank you all so much for your thoughts and prayers. 5/17/2006 UpdateI don't know where to begin.
Jim has been seen by his primary care physician, his oncologist, a surgeon, and his cardiologist. He has had 3 cat scans and an MRI. Today after the MRI all doctors agreed...It is not his heart (he had quintuple by-pass in 2003), the lymphoma has been ruled out. They concur that he has suffered some kind of trauma that caused the bleeding in his spleen. Because he is on Lovenox shots (a blood thinner) even a mild trauma could have caused the bleeding to begin. He will be taken off the Lovenox shots for about 8 weeks. It will take about that long for his spleen to be cleared up. Then they will do another cat scan to see how things look. He is still in quite a bit of pain. Until yesterday he was on a morphine pump. Today they have him on pain pills.
If all goes well he may get to come home tomorrow or Friday.
I probably will never meet any of you but I will never forget the feeling of love that you have sent our way. May God Bless each of you. Thank you for your thoughts and prayers. 5/15/2006 Hospital again...Just to let everyone know. Jim is back in the hospital again. I am home to gather my meds and some clothes. He is bleeding in the spleen and the doctors don't know the cause buts suspect the lymphoma again. I will be staying at the hospital most of the time for the next few days. Jim and I appreciate all prayers for him. 5/12/2006 In shock...A most remarkable thing happened this everning. The phone rang. That in itself is not particularly remarkable as it happens frequently. The remarkable thing about the call was the caller.
I said "Hello."
He said "Hi, this is Dr. J., may I speak to your husband please?"
I said "Yes, he's right here, hold just a minute please."
Jim gets on the phone, "Hello."
Dr. J. said "Hi Jim, I am just calling to see how you are feeling and if you have any concerns of any kind."
Jim said "I am sore at the incisions but I am feeling better every day."
Dr. J. said that was to be expected and that the soreness would go away. He then said goodbye and he would see Jim at the followup visit on the 23rd.
I know that by now you are thinking what is so remarkable about this phone call.
OK, here it is. Jim has had numerous serious surgeries and this is the first time ever that a doctor (in this case the surgeon who performed the emergency appendectomy) has called our home and inquired about his well-being.
Restores my faith in humanity. |
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