Where we are and how we got here...

This was the family at our 50th Anniversary celebration in June 2011. Seems like everyone had a great time. Everyone was able to come and return home safely.

Since that time, Jody has developed some health issues and we'd like to bring everyone up to date. We'll be going back in time a bit so memory may not be entirely perfect but we'll do our best.

Before the celebration, in December of 2010, she developed diabetes on her way home from visiting Sherri and Roger. She was getting severe headaches and after getting home she lived with the headache for several days before finally going to a health clinic (or as Sherri calls them: Doc in the Box). They checked her out and sent us to the Emergency Department at Stormont Vail Hospital. The first thing they did was do an MRI of her head to verify that there was no tumor or such that would be causing the headache.

Then came other tests: blood tests - which shows that she was now diabetic with an A1C of about 12 something (they like to see the A1C at about 6.5). This was very upsetting to her because she had worked most of her life knowing she was susceptible to diabetes: she ate well, exercised, kept her weight at a proper weight. Her mother, a brother and a sister all developed diabetes so she was always concerned because she had a family history of it.

She was determined not to have to ever use injections, so she went on a strict diet and soon had her A1C down to about 6.5. The A1C is a test that looks at your blood and compiles a composite history of your blood for the past three months. Amazing what tests can do these days. She learned to live with diabetes without any restrictions in her daily life and controlled it with diet and exercise alone. She was able to continue to do all the activities that she had always enjoyed doing - with no restrictions or problems.

About August of 2011, Jody had pains in her abdomen and went to see her regular doctor (not the Doc in the Box). Tests again sonogram which showed major problems: Cancer.

She was sent to a cancer specialist that ran more tests - do you have any idea how tough all these tests are for someone who doesn't like blood and needles? Tests included: liver biopsy, CT scans, blood tests - again. The first liver biopsy was one of the most painful things for her. After many hours in the hospital we were finally able to go home. On the way home we stopped for Chinese carry out. Shortly after we got home she started having severe stomach pains. So severe that I felt I couldn't get her out of the house and to the hospital so we called an ambulance. It was determined that the pains were just the liver reacting to the biopsy and the only thing they could do for Jody were to give her pain killers (again, tough for someone who doesn't like taking medicine and has never really taken any her entire life). After the pain killers kicked in and she started feeling a little better she decided she could be in pain much better at home than in the hospital and so we went home at around 2:00 in the morning. That night we had one of the worst storms around we’d had in ages. Seems like the winds were gusting up to 60-80 miles per hour.

With the diagnosis of pancreatic cancer we soon learned a new vocabulary. One of these new words was metasticize. The results of the liver biopsy was that the cancer had metasticized (or spread) to the liver. After talking to the local doctor it was determined that we would go to the cancer center in Omaha, Nebraska, for a second opinion - and another liver biopsy and CT scan. At that time it was thought that she had the less agressive kind of cancer and was prescribed two types of oral chemo: xeloda and temodar. We started this round of chemo in November right after Thanksgiving.

She did this in two 21 day cycles: 14 days on and 7 days off. After this round of oral chemo, Jody went back to Nebraska on January 11th for a check up that included another CT scan and liver biopsy. She had been retaining fluid in her abdomen, so while having the liver biopsy they also removed 2 1/2 liters of fluid.The results of this check up showed that the tumor in her liver had grown significantly. As a result, they changed her medication to intravenious chemotherapy.

She will be doing this treatment in Topeka once a week for three weeks and then one week off. This first treatment took seven hours of sitting in the chair waiting for the medicine to s-l-o-w-l-y drip. There were seven bags of different types of fluids. Saline solution as well as the chemo medicine. She was also given medicine to help with nausea and to help relax her.

It seems like everytime we go to the doctor Jody has to have blood drawn. Her veins are not very good and it takes several tries before they can hit a good vein and she often comes home with bruises on both arms. She is still retaining fluid and that is causing us some concern, so she went back to the hospital in Topeka to have another 2 1/2 liters removed. The doctors seem to think it is the liver not doing it's job that is causing the fluid retention.

Monday, January 30, she was having a lot of pain and went in to have fluid removed again but they couldn't find enough so nothing was done.

On Wednesday, the first of February, she went in to have a port put in her collarbone area that will make it easier to administer the chemo. At that time they also removed another 2 quarts of fluid. The blood tests they ran this day showed that her platelet count was low. Next Thursday (February 9) they will do another blood test, and if the platelet count has decreased some more, they may put off chemo for another week - which would make it two weeks in a row with one week off.

Thursday, February 2, we went back for the second round of chemo. Having the port in made it so they didn't have to try to put a needle in a vein in her arm.

And that brings us to today. She is experiencing a lot of pain and taking pain killers. One that is good for 12 hours and another that is good for three hours. The three hour kind can be stacked onto the 12-hour kind. The pain seems to come on suddenly without much warning and then we have to use a three hour pain killer to get the pain back under control. As a result we are having to learn how to stay ahead of the pain. Still have not perfected that as yet.

Jody's energy level is decreasing and she is not getting to get out and walk any more. We had been going to the Mall to walk while the weather has been so cold. She needs a regular nap and it is hard to keep her from getting up to do things. She has quilting she wants to get done but frequently has no energy for the work. She has a yellowish star quilt she is working on for her granddaughter, Cheyenne (when she gets married about six years from now!). She has several already made but still has several more to make for the rest of the grandchildren's weddings.

As for me it is rough. Enough said.