Update from the doctor visit

We flew back to Houston yesterday and met with Dr. Ravi today.  He said NO MORE CHEMO !!!!   The next step is meeting with the urologist and surgeon and then the radiation therapist.  So overall this has been a good day.  We are flying back home tonight and will return to Houston around May 10th for all those appointments.  Dave is looking forward to his hair growing back, the swelling  going away, and the pain and fatigue in his legs going away.  I told him i was going to put a survey box on the blog to see what people thought his hair would come back like......curly, grey :).........we'll see.

I also wanted to say how sad we have been about the tornado damage in Alabama. It has been unbelievable seeing the pictures from all over the state.  We continue to pray for the people who lost everything. 

All tests done at UAB looked good.  No blood clots.  Still having swelling.  Next update will be after scan results Friday.  Thanks for continuing to pray.       Exhausted.      Bed.     Good night.

cancer stinks...really it does

This post could be a mile long if I wanted it to......but I don't want it to be that long.  We brought Dave to UAB on Monday because the swelling has gotten really bad and after emailing with Dr. Ravi we knew he needed to be checked out.  So we got here around 3 yesterday and they admitted Dave last night.  They are checking him to make sure there are no blockages in his abdomen.  Then hopefully they will up his dose of lasix and get this fluid off!! He actually feels good other than not really being mobile.  We are still scheduled to fly to Houston on Thursday morning.  I am overwhelmed and just want to scream......but I'm in the hospital room and that might alarm the nurses. I wonder....do doctors really want you to ask questions about your treatment...or is it just politically correct for them to say they do.   So that is what  I am thinking about today and what we are doing today.  I was so looking forward to being home for some bad weather...guess I'll just have to enjoy the storms from Birmingham. 

they're not bluebonnets.....but they sure are beautiful!!!

We had a very good weekend.  We were able to attend all of our services with our church family and spend time with both sides of our family on Saturday and Sunday.  We were hoping Dave would be doing better by now.  He is still having a lot of fluid in his legs and just not feeling so great.  Please continue to pray for this swelling to decrease and also that this tumor will be gone.....or at least will have shrunk significantly by Thursday.  We love being at home.  Just wanted to give a quick update, now to get the kids busy with school work. 

has it really been a year?

This time last year I had just had what was suppose to be a routine surgery.  This is the post I wrote last year about my experience.

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Routine Surgery.....what's that?


On April 14 I went in for my outpatient gallbladder surgery. Everything went fine and I was back at home by 5pm. I was having the normal to be expected pains that come with surgery, but overall I was feeling good. My Mama was staying with me and I sent her home Thursday because I thought I would be fine alone on Friday. So I was alone on Friday morning, went upstairs to fix me a cup of coffee. While my coffee was brewing I watered the plants in my sun room. That's when it started. The pain that lasted until the following Wednesday. I thought it was gas pains from the air used during surgery. That was the longest day and night of my life. By Saturday morning, it was unbearable. Dave loaded me and the kids up and headed to Birmingham. Mama and Giny met us in Lincoln. Mama came with us. Giny took our kids. I guess I thought we would get to the emergency room and my pain would magically stop. Well that didn't happen. No amount of morphine would stop the pain. I just cried and prayed. By 5pm I had been admitted to the 5th floor, where I spent the next 12 days. It was determined that I had a bile leak. They took me to surgery at 10pm to do an ERCP. This is where they go down your esophagus and install a stint where the bile was leaking. It didn't work!! He was able to put a slit in the sphincter which alleviated the pain for about 24 hours. Tuesday he attempted this procedure again. It still didn't work, probably because my abdomen was so swollen. I looked 9 months pregnant. It was really unbelievable. So days are passing with no answers, no relief from the pain and I was really afraid. My Mama and Dave were with me constantly. They held my hand alot while I cried and prayed. I would just beg God to help me, to stop the pain. Wednesday morning I had my final surgery. The doctor went in and irrigated my abdomen and put in a drain. FINALLY!!! the pain stopped. Then Friday the fevers started. They would spike to almost 103. I had been given a pain pump so when my fever shot up I would just sleep. But in order to ever get out of the hospital I had to start working on it. I first had to get rid of my pain pump. I walked the halls as much as possible to build my strength. At one point the doc said I could go home as soon as I didn't run fever for 24 hours. Well there was never a 24 hour period when I didn't run fever. Then on Tuesday the doc was going to check out my drain, and we find out it was stopped up, as in not working!! It hurts me to even type the rest of this. Just remembering how bad this hurt. I had to go to the CT lab to have a new drainage tube in. This is on my right side above my ribs. It hurt soooooooo bad when they took the old one out and put the new one in. They didn't give me anything before this, I wish I had been put to sleep. I have cried alot this week. So that is where I am now. I am in my hospital bed, on what I think to be my last night. My Mama is asleep in the chair beside me where she has been 8 of the 12 nights I have been here. Dave has been home this week with our kids. The girls have SAT testing this week. I know it has been good for them to have Daddy home with them this week. I am so ready to be home with them too! If all goes well, I will be home by lunchtime. So many people have prayed for me this week and I could never tell you how much that means. God has brought me through a tough couple of weeks. I have learned alot. Dave has learned alot. I'm sure our kids have learned alot. I still have a long way to go. Where the drain tube is it feels like someone punched me in my ribs. I'm weak. As soon as I am able I will walk to build my strength. Hopefully the worst is over. I will never look at surgery as "routine" ever again.

An Update From Home

We are definitely enjoying our time at home.  We have been able to see some of our friends and family and look forward to being at our church for all the Easter services.  Tonight we were able to spend some time with the JSU Campus Outreach students at Christy and Jason's house.  This was kinda their last time together before everyone goes there different ways for summer.  It was so exciting to see how much they have grown since we left back in October.  Some of them are going on overseas missions for the summer, a couple are going to beach project, some are going to school, and some are going home to spend the summer with their families. We can't wait to get home and be involved with them again.  Jason and Christy picked it up when we left and it has been amazing for us to see how well everything has gone.  We are so thankful for them.

Dave is doing pretty well.  He is still having a lot of swelling and retaining a lot of fluid.  This adds to the difficulty he already has walking due to the neuropathy.  We are hoping this begins to go away the further he get out from chemo.  So this is the plan.....Dave and I will fly out to Houston next Thursday for his scan and we will see Dr. Ravi on Friday and then fly back here on Friday night.  He will then present the case again and see what they say.  We are hoping to be home through Relay for Life on May 6th. 

The girls are spending some time with their baby cousins.  They have missed them so much. I have gotten use to being with the girls so much....I really miss them when their not with me.  Samuel started complaining of a sore ear this afternoon so I ran him up to the after hours clinic and of course he had an ear infection.  I cannot tell you how bad I did not want to go to a doctors office....but  I'm glad we did.  They gave him a shot so he should be feeling better soon. He and Erin both got to shoot their BB guns with my Daddy yesterday.  They got them for Christmas, but have not gotten to shoot them much in Houston.   So what have I been doing?  Soaking up every minute of just being at home.  I pulled out the crock pot today, dusted it off and cooked some chicken.  Now it feels like I'm home when I get the crock pot turned on, the dish washer on, and the washer and dryer going.  Ahhhhh how sweet it is to be home. :)

Home......it does a body good

I thought I would update since my last post was so sad. We decided late Friday afternoon to come home. Dave and I will fly back to Houston for the scan and doctor appointment some time after Easter. We knew they did not want to move the scan up but they will be able to move it forward to Monday or Tuesday of the next week. We really needed some time at home. Dave is still very weak. He is still not able to get around very well. Thank you for continuing to pray for him. A trip home may be the best medicine for Dave and the rest of us too.

Disappointment

Today we got disappointing news.  We are not going to be able to be home for Easter. The doctor cannot see Dave on Friday so his appointment will have to be Monday. After I cried and sulked for a while...I realized there is nothing I can do about it and we still get to go home Monday after the appointment.  The day has continued to get worse though. This afternoon I dropped Dave out in front of MDA for labs as I  have so many times before.  I usually circle the block a couple of times or park out front and wait on him....it usually doesn't take long.  He was feeling really weak today so I called him to make sure he made it up...when he answered he sounded terrible but said he was there.  In a few minutes he called me back and said ...help me. I was down the street a couple of blocks so I flew to the parking deck and ran inside.  Let me just pause right here and tell you that I will never take him anywhere else without getting dressed like I am going in with him.  I had to run in the hospital wearing the shortest shorts I own....you know the kind of shorts you just wear at home or maybe to the pool.  Anyway...back to Dave.  When I got to him he was laid back in the chair and had apparently passed out.  I shouldn't have let him go in by himself.  We got him a wheel chair and they wheeled him to the front to meet me.  He is resting now.  Please pray for his strength to return.  He is discouraged because he feels so weak all the time.  So that is our day so far.  I've been meaning to do a post on what I'm learning.  I'll do that soon....thank you Lord for teaching me what I need to know when I need it.

I have read these verses many times and had them memorized for years, but they had new meaning to me as I read them today.

30  Even youths grow tired and weary,

and young men stumble and fall;

31 but those who hope in the LORD

will renew their strength.

They will soar on wings like eagles;

they will run and not grow weary,

they will walk and not be faint.

Isaiah 40: 30-31

Fundraiser for Relay for Life

My dear friend Kim is donating her sales from her scentsy candles for our Relay for Life team.  If you go to Kim's Scentsy Page 

Look under "My Open Parties" for "Dave Swinney - Relay For Life"

Click on "Buy From Party" It's that simple! 100% of my proceeds on all orders placed here will go directly to Relay For Life in honor of Dave. Thank you in advance for your support! 

 How sweet is that?  Go check it!  I have several of these candles and I love them. This would be a great Mother's Day gift and it supports a great cause!  Thanks Kim for doing this!!

Also if you haven't gotten involved in Relay for Life yet and need a team...join ours,  Team Grace.  Just go here  and join.  It is looking like we are going to be home for the big event on May 6th and we are super excited! 

Six Months

Today, April 10th, marks six months since we packed up the Jeep and made the long drive to Houston.  We arrived at the Marriott at around 8:30 on Sunday night October 10th for what we thought would be a week long stay.  Well we know that's not how it turned out and we find ourselves six months into Dave's treatment.  Today was the first day in  many days that he didn't run fever.  We went down to the pool area around 6 and sat and talked while the kids swam.  How nice it was to just sit and have a conversation.  There have been so many days when he was so sick we haven't even been able to talk.  I have become so very thankful for little things like a cool night,  grilled hot dogs, talking to Dave, and watching the kids run and play.  This was a good night.  We are hopeful this will be a good week too.

Dave's fever continued to rise and he started having trouble breathing around 1 am.  We went to the EC....Sarah and Ron met us there and took the kids home with them.  The x-ray looked clear and all the other test looked good.  His white blood count was a little elevated.  Of course we have to wait on cultures but they went ahead and started him on antibiotics last night.  We are home now and his temperature is normal as of 10 minutes ago.  He still has a bad cough.  Please pray with us that he will be well enough to get chemo on Monday.  He usually has a hard time with the taxotere which he gets Monday. It's hard watching him like this. 

His next scan is Thursday April 21.  He will see Dr. R on Friday April 22 to get scan results.  Then we will leave on our long drive home.  We are so excited to be coming home for Easter.  We aren't sure how long we will be home.  Dr. R will present Dave's case again and let us know what the surgeon says.  I hope Dave is feeling much better then so he can enjoy his time at home.

BLOG UNDER CONSTRUCTION

I am working on our blog. If you have popped in for an update and have seen strange children at the top.....it's because I am not a computer expert and I am trying to do this on my own. I have literally been working on this for hours.  Ughhh!!!  So....stop back tomorrow and see how it turns out.

Dave is running fever and feeling yucky.  We are watching the temp and hoping not to have to go to the EC tonight. 

a few bad days

The last few days have been hard for Dave.  He is having flu like symptoms.....achy, bad cough, fever.  So far his fever has only gotten up to 100.5.  They want him to go to the EC (that's what Dave call it) or ER (that's what I call it) , anyway they want him to go there if his fever goes above 101.  Hopefully it will hold on below that and go back down tonight.  He is still having swelling in his legs and feet.  He had blood work labs done today and they all look good.  Please pray that he will begin to feel better before he has to go back Monday for the 2nd part of this chemo.  I hope the chemo is working.....but I also hope he never has to have chemo again.  It is just horrible what it does to him.  

my cupcake baker

Abby loves watching TLC. She watches 19 Kids and Counting, Cake Boss, and DC Cupcakes. There are probably other shows I just can't think of them right now. Every time I go to the grocery store she asks me to pick up some cake mix. Today she picked out green icing...maybe for Easter.  She has become quite the little baker. She mixes and bakes the cupcakes and then she lets Erin help her ice and decorate them. They look good and are quite tasty.

Dave had a lot of nausea during the night.  He said it was of the worst nights he has had since he began chemo.  He has slept a lot today.  I'm fixing him some yummy chicken n' dumplings for supper so maybe that will make him feel better.

Round 8 of chemo today.....well actually its round 6 of gem/tax, but he had 2 rounds of some other chemo first.  So this is what 8 rounds of chemo looks like.....not bad, huh?

He is doing ok today. He was having a little nausea but has taken some meds and is napping now. We saw the doc today. It was just a visit to make sure Dave was doing ok and address any problems he was having. Now we've got to get through this next three weeks of chemo and he will have a scan. Dr. R will take it back to the surgeon and see what they say then.  Dave will also be seeing a Urologist sometime in the next couple of weeks. The surgeon wants them to be involved since the tumor is in that area. We are super duper excited that we will probably get to go home for a week? or so after the scan. The kids are closing in on finishing English and Spelling. YAY!! Math will take a little longer. Science and History will probably take a little longer too. Our goal has been to get as much completed before Dave's surgery. Boy oh boy am I ready for summer!! Not quite ready for the Houston heat....but oh to be done with school!!!

Happy Birthday

Today, April 3rd, my Daddy turned 60 years old. Tomorrow. April 4th, my Mama will be 58......should I have typed that....oh well, she doesn't look old so I guess it's OK. They have been a good mama and daddy. Tracy, Lori, Giny, and I have always known we were loved well taken care of. We know that that they would drop whatever they are doing and come to us no matter where we are. They worked hard to always give us what we needed. They still work hard. Their jobs are just different now. They do a lot of babysitting :) We often say we don't know what we all did before Daddy retired. They have spent a lot of time here with us in Houston. We know they are only a phone call away....and they would be right back out here. I think we all would say some of our best memories are from our family vacations. Every year we go somewhere. It started with the 6 of us...then we added Bradley...then Dave... then Chloe and Abby...then Emma and Erin and Samuel....then Ryan...then Ricky...then Andrew, Ruthie, Brady, Katie, and William. now we all go...all of us...all 20 of us. and it is so much fun. Thank you mama and daddy for giving us a good childhood and good memories to cherish forever.



me and daddy...I think I'm his favorite :)

Proverbs 20:29
The glory of young men is their strength, but the splendor of old men is their gray hair.




4 little girls

mama and her girls....I'm  probably still the favorite :)

Proverbs 31:28-30
Her children rise up and call her blessed;
her husband also, and he praises her:
“Many women have done excellently,
but you surpass them all.”
Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain,
but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.

Proverbs 16:31
Gray hair is a crown of glory; it is gained in a righteous life.