Looking back on 2010

I decided to write down my thought about 2010. Let's just start from the beginning.

**January. Happy New Year. Back to school. Very cold. Lots of sickness in the Swinney house...the flu, pneumonia, stomach viruses, sinus infections. yuck. good riddance January.

**It snowed in February. Beautiful snow. We spent alot of time helping mama and daddy work on their house. It was a very cold month.

**In March Dave and I went to Hawaii with the band and choir from Donoho. This was a great trip. We had so much fun. The kids spent the week with family in Talladega. We were away from each other for 8 days. Little did we know at the time how much time we would be separated from the kids this year.

**April. So much to say about April. I was sick alot during April. I had to have my gallbladder removed on April 14th. What a nightmare that turned out to be. I spent 12 days in the hospital because of a leak in the duct of luschka . A rare thing to happen, but of course it happened to me. This was another big span of time spent away from the kids. Our dog Charlie died this month also. We loved that pup. He was our first family dog. Erin and Samuel played soccer this Spring. The girls took SAT's.

**May was a month of recovery for me. I came home from the hospital with a drainage tube in my side and was still very sore. Dave was a wonderful nurse. He took really good care of me. He was mommy and daddy for a while. He had to do all of his jobs plus all of mine. Abby turned 10. She also had a piano recital. We finished school and began our summer break.

**Erin turned 9 in June. We were enjoying summer bliss. Swimming, skiing, fishing....just being lazy and enjoying it. Dave and I celebrated our 12th anniversary at a little cabin in the mountains. We got a new pup...Copper (he now lives at my sisters house).

**Dave went to Russia in July. He was gone from the 14th to the 26th. It seemed like forever to us. We missed him so much. The kids and I spent alot of time at the lake while he was gone. It was a very good trip for Dave. On this trip he started having pain in is side and back. The day after he got back he went to the doctor. They sent him for a CT scan.

**August was a BUSY month. It was also a month full of waiting. Dave was sent to a doctor in Birmingham on August 9th who biopsied the tumor they found with the CT scan. They sent the biopsy to Johns Hopkins and it took a long time to get results. Either Dave or I called every other day checking to see if we could get results. Dave turned 37. We started school. Erin was taking violin. The girls started taking an Acting class. Samuel started Karate.

**September came in with us still waiting on test results. On September 8th our lives changed forever. This is the day we got the news. Dave had cancer. What? Really. Surely not. Well if he has cancer its not the bad kind. Its going to be an easy fix. We were somewhat in denial of what was in store for us. But I think that was good in a way. Sometimes ignorance is bliss. My new job other than wife and mommy was now going to be to get Dave into a sarcoma center. So the process began.

**We had our first appointment at MD Anderson on October 11. WOW. We were totally not prepared for what we heard on that first visit. . We had to wrap our minds around the fact that things were worse than we thought and we would be living n Houston for about 6 months. Our kids came out after two weeks, we moved into an apartment, Dave started chemotherapy, and we learned to adjust to our new life....we are still learning.

**Samuel turned 8 and I turned 36 in November. We got a brand new nephew named William. Dave continued chemotherapy.We made our first trip to the MDA Emergency room. Scary! We had Thanksgiving dinner with Mama and Daddy in Houston. The food was Delicious. We continued to be thankful for the little things like Dave feeling well enough to go to the park or walk on the beach.

**December brought lots of visitors to Houston.It also brought news that the chemotherapy was not working. The tumor had grown. Dave started a new regiment of chemo. We visited the Space Center and Houston Zoo. We got to go home for a visit. We had a Merry Christmas in Texas.

I must say I am not sad to bid farewell to 2010. I am kinda glad to see it go. I am continually hopeful for what 2011 will bring. There are many good memories from 2010. There were also some really hard times in 2010. So...what have I learned in 2010? Hmmm...let's see. I know how thankful I am for family. I always knew how important family was, but going through a crisis reminds you. I am thankful for sisters who love my children almost as much as I do. I now know personally that God uses the prayers of His people to get us through some hard days.` I have seen the best in people this year. People who don't know us have sent us cards. Our church family constantly encourages us. Gods people from all over the country have let us know they are praying. It's been truly amazing!! I have learned to enjoy every day. We should all live like we are dying....because we all are or will eventually. I hope the New Year brings good news about Dave's cancer. I hope to be a better mother. I hope to be a better wife. I hope to read more, exercise more, eat better........you know all those things I want every year.

So Happy New Year from the Swinney's. We are entering this new year hopeful.

He has shown you O man what is good; and what does the Lord require of you? To act justly, to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. Micah 6:8

Doctor Visit

Todays visit with Dr. R went well. He was not happy with the fact that Dave had not been given his steroid and assured us he would handle that. Dave will begin his next round of chemotherapy on Jan 6. This is the same Gem/Tax that he just completed. Now that we know he is supposed to take the steroid it should not be such a bad round. His Next CT scan is scheduled for Jan. 24. Then he will see Dr. R on Jan. 25. This is a day we look forward to and dread all the same. If the tumor is shrinking we will move on to two more rounds of Gem/Tax. If the tumor is not shrinking or has grown we will stop chemotherapy and start radiation. Then have surgery to remove the tumor. The reason it is so important for the chemo to work is that if it shrinking the tumor we know that it is killing the seeds that may have traveled to other parts of the body. It has been amazing how God has given us grace to make it through this. I have to take this minute by minute. Yesterday we went to Bethel Church. The pastor talked about Gideon. Most of us know the story of how Gideon defeated the Midianite's with 300 men who were armed with trumpets and jars. He didn't have the biggest army and all the latest equipment. Why? Because God didn't want the Iraelites to be able to take credit for the victory. You know how we like to take credit for things God does. No one else would be able to take the credit for the victory. God really used this to speak to me yesterday. Whatever God chooses to do with this cancer, He will be glorified.

Well, now I must go get packed. We are heading home for 8 days!!! Hooorayyyy!!! I can't wait to see our family and friends, go to church at Grace Fellowship, sleep in my own bed, drive my van, and see those beuatiful mountains. If you are not busy tomorrow night the 28th, you should watch The Kennedy Center Honors as our friend Jamey Johnson honors Merle Haggard. Gotta love that old country music :) I hope you all have a Happy New Year. I'll check back in after the first of the year, unless something really exciting happens that I really need to tell you!

Christmas

This is what our house looked like on Christmas day. We sure missed being home on Christmas. It was cold in Houston....but no snow!! We did have a good Christmas here though. It was emotional for me and Dave as everything seems to be lately. We could learn from our kids though....they said this was the best Christmas ever. They are happy as long as they are with us. We enjoyed having family here for a few days before Christmas. We went to see the new Narnia movie on Christmas Eve. We also went to the Christmas Eve service at Bethel Church. It was a very worshipful service. Christmas Day was good. The kids got lots of fun stuff. They each had a gift card to Target that a sweet Secret Santa sent to us. Instead of using it for themselves they wanted to buy me and Dave a gift. So Dave and I got some fun gifts too! Our Christmas dinner was Chinese Buffet. I thought it would be quiet and not crowded, but apparently alot of people eat Chinese buffet on Christmas day. We are looking forward to going home for a few days. Due to the New Years holiday Dave will have a break in his treatment. This will let us spend about a week in Alabama. Maybe we will get to see the remnants of that snow at our house.

Down below is a slideshow of our December in Houston. Enjoy the pictures !!

Create a slideshow

Wow. What a busy week this has been. My days are beginning to run together. Dave has been feeling better today. We found out he was suppose to be taking a steroid along with his chemo. How did this get overlooked? Not sure. But it seems he would have had a much better weekend if he had been taking the steroid. Maybe we could have avoided a trip to the ER. Well its neither here nor there now.....we just have to make sure to ask more questions and not let this happen again.

We have been enjoying the week with family. I have had the best time with my sisters, brothers, nieces and nephews and my mama and daddy. Yesterday we all went shopping......a man walked by us and said.....wow, you are a big pack of people. That made us laugh. It was a fun day. We went to the Bass Pro Shop and then walked around an outdoor shopping area. Today we all went to the Johnson Space Center. This was great!! We went on the tram tour and got to go see the control room which was totally cool!! Afterwards we went to a neat little town called Kemah. We walked on the boardwalk and let the kids ride a couple of things. We got back to the apartment around 7:30. Then Tracy, Lori, Giny, Mama, and I went to the Galleria and Target. This was so much fun. It has been so good for me to get to spend so much time with them this week. We laughed til we cried tonight. Then of course we came home and cleaned up and washed a couple of loads of clothes. : ) We had a picture taken of all 20 of us at the space center today...I'll post that soon. Well it's really late so I should try to sleep.....or go wash more clothes. Hmmmm....hard decision. Any way, Dave see's Dr. R on Monday then we get to go home. yay!! If you don't here from me again, I hope you all have a Merry Christmas.

We got home from the ER around 4 am Sunday morning. Dave has continued to run a fever all day. It has stayed between 99 and 100 all day. He feels so bad. He told my sister that this is the worst he has felt since he found out he had cancer. So sad. I feel very helpless. I take his temp, make sure he takes his medicine, give shots, change bandages, and try to make sure he eats and drinks. But I can't make him feel better. I treasure the days when he feels good. When he feels like joking and laughing. If you have ever heard Dave laugh you know what I mean. It's his distinct laugh. Samuel laughs just like him. I love to be in another room and hear him laugh while hes watching TV. It makes me smile. Hopefully he will start to feel better and be able to enjoy Christmas. Tracy and her family arrived yesterday along with Abby. Everyone else along with Erin and Samo will be here tomorrow. Tracy and I are going to cook a big dinner tomorrow. We are all (all 20 of us) gonna squeeze into our little apartment for a meal and I am gonna enjoy every minute of it.

update

The fever has gone down and he is feeling better. They have been giving him fluids along with pain medicine and antibiotics. We will know if there is more infection in a day or so. He had a headache and he was also very dehydrated. We will go home in a couple of hours after he has had enough fluids. Gotta run get his prescription filled. I'll update again tomorrow.

A trip to the ER

Today Dave started feeling really bad. He has been achy, which we knew was a side effect of this chemo. He started running fever this afternoon. The doctor told us if his temperature ever gets above 101 to go to the ER. His temp stayed at 100.9 for a while. So we waited.....Dave did not want to go to the ER until it went over 101. So we are now at the ER at MDA. They are running test trying to find the source of the fever. Hopefully it's nothing, but we can't be too careful. I'll post again when we know more.

Dave had chemo today. He is having a little nausea tonight. He has taken some compazine and is snoozing soundly on the couch!! I'm watching the 10:00 news.... that will scare you to death. In other news..... I think the people who live above us either dance or do aerobics all night. I had a flashback to living in an apartment in college the other night...I actually got the broom out and beat on the ceiling. They did stop for a while, but the noise eventually was back. I think I get mean when I'm tired. I was tired that night. Well I really could ramble on all night, but I won't. Tomorrow Dave gets a nuelasta shot. I hope he continues to feel good. I think the next scan will probably be Jan 31 or so. We are praying that the tumor is gone or significantly shrunk by then.......so pray with us please.

10 days til Christmas

I can hardly believe its almost Christmas. All of our shopping is done and now we are waiting to see the family. We are excited about a possible trip home at the end of December. If all is well with Dave's numbers we will be coming home. He has felt amazingly well this round. An old friend of his came for a visit this week. They have enjoyed catching up and Dave has laughed alot! It does my heart good to see Dave feeling well and enjoying life.

Tomorrow he goes for the next dose of chemo which is Gemzar/Taxotere. He will see Dr. R on the 27th and if all is well we will come home. yay!!! I hope everyone is having a great December.

Until September 8, 2010 I didn't know what sarcoma was. We have become very acquainted with this terrible disease over the past few months. One thing we have discovered is that there is very little information and research on this type of cancer. I have linked several sites in the right column of this blog to sarcoma sites. I know God is the one who will ultimately heal Dave's cancer if he chooses to do so. I also know that He is using the doctors and their wisdom to treat Dave. My prayer tonight is that there will eventually be a cure for Leiomyosarcoma!! I am hopeful that this chemotherapy is killing the cancer in Dave's body. He is feeling good physically. Sometimes his emotions can wreak havoc on him. He tires easily, but has not had much nausea. Maybe I can get him to do a post soon. I would like to hear what he has to say....wouldn't you?

Yesterday was a LONG day. It was a good day though. We flew out of Birmingham at 9:30, had a plane change in Nashville, and arrived in Houston at 2:00 which was 25 minutes early. His appointment was at 3:00 and we were signing in at 3:02. Pretty good huh? We got back to the room ready to begin treatment when the nurse realized Dave had not signed any consent forms for this new medicine. Soooo......we walked from the Mays Clinic all the way to the Sarcoma Center. That is a long walk! We had to wait 45 min. to see Dr. R's nurse. So we learned about the two new drugs, signed the forms, and took the long walk back. So it was 5:30 before he was able to start the treatment. He was done around 8:30. We had taken the shuttle to the hospital, which stops running at 7:00, so we had to take a cab home. What a long day.

The two new chemo drugs are Gemzar and Taxotere. The side effects are not supposed to be as bad. Nothing should be as bad as the Adriamyacin. It was brutal!! He is feeling good this morning. No nausea overnight. I'll let you know how he does.

I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day - Steven Curtis Chapman

This is my favorite Christmas song! Listen to the words. You need to go scroll down to the bottom of the page and mute my playlist so you can hear this song.

As I type this morning I am feeling sad. It was very good for us to come home and see everyone, but also very hard. As we were leaving our house last night we all just cried as we sat in the driveway. Not because of the house, although we do love that cozy little house, but because of what that house has always meant to us. It has always been full of people. College students, friends, family, neighbors, children. That’s what yesterday was like. People in and out all day. Eating, playing games, talking, and just hanging out. That’s what we miss…..
We loved watching our kids play with their friends. They pulled out every toy they could find. Samuel played outside for two days! It was cold but he didn’t care. Erin nurtured all her baby dolls and played office with some calculators she found in the desk. Abby sat with the adults mostly. That’s what she likes to do. She did enjoy getting to see her friends Kade and Bailey.
We will board our flight to Houston in a few minutes. Dave will begin chemo this afternoon. We are so hopeful that this new medicine will do the trick. Also hopeful that it will not make him as sick! I’ll update soon and let you know how he does.

Sweet Home Alabama.....oh so sweet

After our not so good news yesterday, we decided to fly home for a couple of days. It's going to be a short visit, but it is doing our hearts good to see family and friends and be in familiar territory. Dave's mama and sister were waiting for us at the airport....oh the emotion when we saw them. We surprised our kids : ) I got to hold my new nephew William....so sweet! Got to see my sisters, brothers, and mama and daddy. Now I am looking forward to going home, our home.

Results

Today's results from the CT scan were not what we had hoped for. The tumor has actually grown a little. Dr. R was disappointed and so were we. The plan now is to change the chemo drugs. He is going to discuss Dave's case on Wednesday and he is due to start round 3 on Thursday. He is still planning to do radiation and surgery as scheduled. The surgery should be in April or so. One bit of good news today was that the pulmonary embolism was gone. Dave is doing OK. It seems we just get bad news at these visits. But we are still hopeful for good results with the next round. I am thankful today that we had such a good weekend with friends. Dave laughed alot and that was good for me to see! Continue to pray for us.

The last few days have been really good for Dave. He has been walking on the treadmill, trying to build up his strength. The kids left on Wednesday with Mama and Daddy. It was so hard! Everybody cried!! I cry every time anyone leaves. We got to skype with them once they got home and they were running around, laughing, hugging their cousins......so that made us feel better about them leaving. Dave and I are homesick. We know we are in the right place for him to get the best treatment, but we miss our friends and families terribly! Tomorrow is the big day. He will have his first scan since having chemotherapy. He has an appointment with Dr. Ravi on Monday and will begin round 3 of chemo that afternoon. So next week will be busy with going back and forth to the hospital for treatment. I am so thankful the kids will not have to be here. I hope they have a couple of weeks to not think about cancer. I sent their schoolwork with them. My Daddy is responsible for making sure they do their work each day :) They are right on track, and will be ready for 2nd semester after Christmas. Dave has been teaching the girls Latin for the past year and a half, but I'm thinking about maybe teaching them a little Spanish next semester. Houston is such a melting pot. We hear lots of different languages everywhere we go. So maybe we should start learning one. If anyone has any ideas for a good, inexpensive Spanish curriculum, please let me know.

I will let you know how the scan goes. Have a good weekend!