Hi Everyone,
I am truly blessed! This Christmas our daughter, Dana, and her family came out for about a week and it was really fun. The day before they got here I started feeling really good, I had a lot of energy and didn't get tired when I did things. From that day on I have felt as good as I did before I was diagnosed with the Leukemia. Deb and I had a great time playing with Hailey and Aiden, our grandkids, and visiting with Dana and Dave. They went way out of their way to drive all the way from Denver to be here for just 6 days. They drive to protect me because when they fly the kids always get sick when they get here. Thank you sooooo much Dave and Dana!!!
I picked up Hailey just before they left on Thursday and the next day my back hurt pretty bad. Its now Sunday and it got a little better today so it should be ok soon. I am still on blood thinners (until late Feb) and still have a hernia (to be repaired in March) but things are looking up finally, because I have had so little energy until now. I feel like I could do just about anything but I'm not going to overdo it, I'm still going to take it slowly so I can keep on healing.
Sunday, December 30, 2007
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Dec 11 Day 220
Hi Everyone!
I got back home on Saturday from the hospital! Yeeeaaahhhh! This time I actually wanted to go into the hospital because I was feeling so poorly. That pneumonia really made me feel bad. It really feels good to get home again, and eating that good ole' home cooking is the best!!! I've been in the hospital (before the Leukemia) for a few days at a time and never complained about the hospital food, but when you're in a long time it really gets to you. It's not so bad, its just that everything starts to taste the same, all bad!!! I think they really do a good job of preparing the food for so many at a time, my tastes just got tired of it. Harrison, you know what I mean, right? Harrison has had 3 sessions of chemo already and is going back in for a bone marrow transplant soon. We have been posting comments on each other's blog, he has leukemia too, so please pray for him as well. I feel so much better than last week when I went in, but I still have some symtoms of the pneumonia so I have to be careful. If I see any of you I probably will not hug you or shake hands at least thru the cold and flu season, but its good to see you (when you're not sick! LOL!). This whole experience has helped me to appreciate the little things in life that I used to take for granted, like waking up in your own bed, sitting on your own couch and just sitting and watching people go by on the street where I live. Deb has been great, I really mean great!!! She still has to do most of the work around here because I'm still weak (I wonder how long I can use that excuse? LOL!!!) I honestly try to do things but have to sit down and rest often, so not much is accomplished and I really feel guilty about it. Deb says not to worry cause when I get my strength back, I can do everything for a year!!! LOL! She's such a sweetheart!!! Thank you all sooooooo much for the thoughts and especially the prayers! God bless you all.
IN HIS HANDS,
Ernie
I got back home on Saturday from the hospital! Yeeeaaahhhh! This time I actually wanted to go into the hospital because I was feeling so poorly. That pneumonia really made me feel bad. It really feels good to get home again, and eating that good ole' home cooking is the best!!! I've been in the hospital (before the Leukemia) for a few days at a time and never complained about the hospital food, but when you're in a long time it really gets to you. It's not so bad, its just that everything starts to taste the same, all bad!!! I think they really do a good job of preparing the food for so many at a time, my tastes just got tired of it. Harrison, you know what I mean, right? Harrison has had 3 sessions of chemo already and is going back in for a bone marrow transplant soon. We have been posting comments on each other's blog, he has leukemia too, so please pray for him as well. I feel so much better than last week when I went in, but I still have some symtoms of the pneumonia so I have to be careful. If I see any of you I probably will not hug you or shake hands at least thru the cold and flu season, but its good to see you (when you're not sick! LOL!). This whole experience has helped me to appreciate the little things in life that I used to take for granted, like waking up in your own bed, sitting on your own couch and just sitting and watching people go by on the street where I live. Deb has been great, I really mean great!!! She still has to do most of the work around here because I'm still weak (I wonder how long I can use that excuse? LOL!!!) I honestly try to do things but have to sit down and rest often, so not much is accomplished and I really feel guilty about it. Deb says not to worry cause when I get my strength back, I can do everything for a year!!! LOL! She's such a sweetheart!!! Thank you all sooooooo much for the thoughts and especially the prayers! God bless you all.
IN HIS HANDS,
Ernie
Thursday, December 6, 2007
Thursday Dec. 6 Day 215
Hi All,
Unfortunately for Ernie his cough and fever turned out to be pneumonia, so he is in the hospital again. At least they figured out what was wrong so they can make him feel betteragain. They are giving him heavy doses of IV antibiotics and he already feels better. Barring any other complications he will be able to come home Sunday or Monday. It's another bump in the road but thank God the doctors are able to take care of whatever has come up. Please pray for him to be well and home where he belongs.
In His Hands,
Debby
Unfortunately for Ernie his cough and fever turned out to be pneumonia, so he is in the hospital again. At least they figured out what was wrong so they can make him feel betteragain. They are giving him heavy doses of IV antibiotics and he already feels better. Barring any other complications he will be able to come home Sunday or Monday. It's another bump in the road but thank God the doctors are able to take care of whatever has come up. Please pray for him to be well and home where he belongs.
In His Hands,
Debby
Monday, December 3, 2007
Dec 3 Day 212
Hi Everyone,
We just got back from Dana's in Colorado where we spent Thanksgiving. We had a great time visiting and playing with our grandkids!!! Unfortunately I caught a cough and got a fever and am still sick. We had to go to the emergency room and they did all sorts of tests which all came back negative, which means that I only have a cough and fever!!! With me though its more complicated in that my immune system is still not what it should be so they have to be more careful with me. It has left me really weak, weaker than I've been from the transplant. The pain from the shingles has diminished somewhat, which is a good sign, but it is still there. I hope this cough and fever goes away soon so I can get ready to enjoy Christmas, I will be really disappointed if I'm sick at Christmas cause I missed the last one (I was in the hospital). Hope you are all well!
IN HIS HANDS,
Ernie
We just got back from Dana's in Colorado where we spent Thanksgiving. We had a great time visiting and playing with our grandkids!!! Unfortunately I caught a cough and got a fever and am still sick. We had to go to the emergency room and they did all sorts of tests which all came back negative, which means that I only have a cough and fever!!! With me though its more complicated in that my immune system is still not what it should be so they have to be more careful with me. It has left me really weak, weaker than I've been from the transplant. The pain from the shingles has diminished somewhat, which is a good sign, but it is still there. I hope this cough and fever goes away soon so I can get ready to enjoy Christmas, I will be really disappointed if I'm sick at Christmas cause I missed the last one (I was in the hospital). Hope you are all well!
IN HIS HANDS,
Ernie
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
November 21 Day 200
Hi Everyone,
It's getting to be time for the holidays and I am really looking forward to them! We were at Brian's for Thanksgiving last year and I remember that I got worn out if I did anything too strenuous, and for Christmas I was already in the hospital. Both my kids and their families came out for Christmas and I only got to see them in the hospital, so it just wasn't the same. We believe that next year we will be moving to Colorado, so this will probably be the last time I get to spend Christmas with my brother and sisters and their families. The tradition has been going on for a lot of years and I'm really sad for it to end, but it happens in most families eventually. Dana and Dave and the kids are coming out this Christmas too, but Brian and his family probably won't be coming and we will dearly miss them! I have always loved this time of year, yes because of all the goodies we get to eat, but also because it seems that people are nicer, more friendly. I also love singing Christmas carols and hymns, maybe we can even go caroling!
The pain from my shingles is still with me. I had one day that I could hardly feel anything, but it came back with a vengeance! I have days that it hurts more than ever and it will be really sweet when the pain goes away. I am also still on blood thinners and the clot is still there. Please pray for both to go away. My energy level is still low, I'm usually alright as long as I'm not doing anything strenuous, but get really tired when I do too much. My hernia hasn't gotten any worse and that's reassuring. They say it can be really painful if it tears more!
I've gotten to know a lot of people who are in worse shape than I am in, and I worry about them and pray for them. My doctor had two patients who had a bone marrow transplant on the same day, me and a lady named Jane. We have both had our ups and downs and are pulling for eachother, and ask eachother how the other is doing when we meet at the doctor. Our doctor calls us transplant twins, which we laugh about! When something like this happens to you (as some of you know) you don't really think about things you will be doing in the future, you just live day to day and hope tomorrow will be a little better than today. What you are going thru seems to go on and on and on, and sometimes you wonder if it will ever go away. Lately that has bothered me more than anything, the one thing after the other that happens to you, you almost don't want to leave the room you are in because the next room might be worse. All of this, however, is the physical, the human element, and it fades away when you remind yourself that it's all temporary. It really helps knowing that the bible says that we can know for sure if we're going to heaven and even tells us how to get there! I look around me and the wonders that I see, the high mountains, the beautiful sky and sunsets, and the great and vast oceans make it clear to me that this could not have happened by chance. The human body is so remarkable and complicated, I just don't have that much faith to believe it could have begun as a cosmic mud puddle and evolved down throught the ages. This all had to come from an intelligent designer. Think about the human eye and how it sends messages to our brain and voila, we see and comprehend! Wow, amazing, huh? Thank you for praying for me to the Intelligent Designer, it helps me and countless others who get blessed just because someone asks Him to. God bless you all!
Ernie
It's getting to be time for the holidays and I am really looking forward to them! We were at Brian's for Thanksgiving last year and I remember that I got worn out if I did anything too strenuous, and for Christmas I was already in the hospital. Both my kids and their families came out for Christmas and I only got to see them in the hospital, so it just wasn't the same. We believe that next year we will be moving to Colorado, so this will probably be the last time I get to spend Christmas with my brother and sisters and their families. The tradition has been going on for a lot of years and I'm really sad for it to end, but it happens in most families eventually. Dana and Dave and the kids are coming out this Christmas too, but Brian and his family probably won't be coming and we will dearly miss them! I have always loved this time of year, yes because of all the goodies we get to eat, but also because it seems that people are nicer, more friendly. I also love singing Christmas carols and hymns, maybe we can even go caroling!
The pain from my shingles is still with me. I had one day that I could hardly feel anything, but it came back with a vengeance! I have days that it hurts more than ever and it will be really sweet when the pain goes away. I am also still on blood thinners and the clot is still there. Please pray for both to go away. My energy level is still low, I'm usually alright as long as I'm not doing anything strenuous, but get really tired when I do too much. My hernia hasn't gotten any worse and that's reassuring. They say it can be really painful if it tears more!
I've gotten to know a lot of people who are in worse shape than I am in, and I worry about them and pray for them. My doctor had two patients who had a bone marrow transplant on the same day, me and a lady named Jane. We have both had our ups and downs and are pulling for eachother, and ask eachother how the other is doing when we meet at the doctor. Our doctor calls us transplant twins, which we laugh about! When something like this happens to you (as some of you know) you don't really think about things you will be doing in the future, you just live day to day and hope tomorrow will be a little better than today. What you are going thru seems to go on and on and on, and sometimes you wonder if it will ever go away. Lately that has bothered me more than anything, the one thing after the other that happens to you, you almost don't want to leave the room you are in because the next room might be worse. All of this, however, is the physical, the human element, and it fades away when you remind yourself that it's all temporary. It really helps knowing that the bible says that we can know for sure if we're going to heaven and even tells us how to get there! I look around me and the wonders that I see, the high mountains, the beautiful sky and sunsets, and the great and vast oceans make it clear to me that this could not have happened by chance. The human body is so remarkable and complicated, I just don't have that much faith to believe it could have begun as a cosmic mud puddle and evolved down throught the ages. This all had to come from an intelligent designer. Think about the human eye and how it sends messages to our brain and voila, we see and comprehend! Wow, amazing, huh? Thank you for praying for me to the Intelligent Designer, it helps me and countless others who get blessed just because someone asks Him to. God bless you all!
Ernie
Monday, October 29, 2007
October 29 Day 186
Hi Everyone,
October 22nd was my 6 month mark and my doctor seemed really pleased by it. It must be a good sign!!! I am doing OK but have been having issues all along. I still have the blood clot, although it has gotten smaller and I'm still on the blood thinners. I'll probably be on them thru February. The shingles have faded so you can barely see them but they still hurt. It's really weird having the pain when they seem to be gone and I'm looking forward to having the pain be gone too! My father-in-law had them for a year so hopefully mine won't last that long, but you never know. I had a PSA test done a while ago that showed readings that were too high, and they think I might have prostate cancer. I went to a urologist and after he examined me he said that we would wait until March or April and do the test again because the high reading might have been from an infection I had a few weeks before I had the test done. He said that prostate cancer is very slow growing and not much would happen between now and March so it's OK to wait. Normally they would do a biopsy but they don't want to do it now because I'm still on the blood thinners. When I was at the urologist he informed me that I have a hernia. I hadn't noticed it but about a week later we were moving some boxes in the garage and that night it was more pronounced, I can really tell I have one now. My bone marrow doctor sent a referal to the surgeons, who will figure out if it needs to be repaired now or if it can wait. I'm thinking they'll do it soon cause it's a little painful now and they won't want it to get worse. They also found that my blood sugar reading was in the range of being diabetic so I've been testing myself but the readings have been only slightly high when I do it. The high readings (I've been told) could have been from some of the meds I'm taking so they aren't too concerned right now. My spirits are still high but it is frustrating because it seems like things just keep coming at me, one right after the other. I would really like to be well and healthy again so I can do all the things I did before, but that's in God's hands, and I trust Him completely.
In his sermon last Sunday my pastor said that when he died he would like to be martyred. I thought that was kindof a strange thing to say until I thought about it. If we are really sold out for Christ, then we would be able to do that, to be martyred for Him. Quite a lot of Christians down thru the centuries have been, and I have wondered how they were able to do that, or if I would ever be able to do that, because it's such a huge thing to do for Christ. My pastor said the secret is to do all the little things for Christ, then if it ever came time that God wanted us to do something huge like that for Christ, we would be able to. The little things (obeying Him, helping others who aren't as fortunate, etc) are things we can do every day, right now. The bible says that if we're Christians, we're just visitors here on earth, our real home is in heaven with God, FOREVER!!! I'm not saying you'll have to be a martyr, but it's truly something to think about, no?
IN HIS HANDS,
Ernie
October 22nd was my 6 month mark and my doctor seemed really pleased by it. It must be a good sign!!! I am doing OK but have been having issues all along. I still have the blood clot, although it has gotten smaller and I'm still on the blood thinners. I'll probably be on them thru February. The shingles have faded so you can barely see them but they still hurt. It's really weird having the pain when they seem to be gone and I'm looking forward to having the pain be gone too! My father-in-law had them for a year so hopefully mine won't last that long, but you never know. I had a PSA test done a while ago that showed readings that were too high, and they think I might have prostate cancer. I went to a urologist and after he examined me he said that we would wait until March or April and do the test again because the high reading might have been from an infection I had a few weeks before I had the test done. He said that prostate cancer is very slow growing and not much would happen between now and March so it's OK to wait. Normally they would do a biopsy but they don't want to do it now because I'm still on the blood thinners. When I was at the urologist he informed me that I have a hernia. I hadn't noticed it but about a week later we were moving some boxes in the garage and that night it was more pronounced, I can really tell I have one now. My bone marrow doctor sent a referal to the surgeons, who will figure out if it needs to be repaired now or if it can wait. I'm thinking they'll do it soon cause it's a little painful now and they won't want it to get worse. They also found that my blood sugar reading was in the range of being diabetic so I've been testing myself but the readings have been only slightly high when I do it. The high readings (I've been told) could have been from some of the meds I'm taking so they aren't too concerned right now. My spirits are still high but it is frustrating because it seems like things just keep coming at me, one right after the other. I would really like to be well and healthy again so I can do all the things I did before, but that's in God's hands, and I trust Him completely.
In his sermon last Sunday my pastor said that when he died he would like to be martyred. I thought that was kindof a strange thing to say until I thought about it. If we are really sold out for Christ, then we would be able to do that, to be martyred for Him. Quite a lot of Christians down thru the centuries have been, and I have wondered how they were able to do that, or if I would ever be able to do that, because it's such a huge thing to do for Christ. My pastor said the secret is to do all the little things for Christ, then if it ever came time that God wanted us to do something huge like that for Christ, we would be able to. The little things (obeying Him, helping others who aren't as fortunate, etc) are things we can do every day, right now. The bible says that if we're Christians, we're just visitors here on earth, our real home is in heaven with God, FOREVER!!! I'm not saying you'll have to be a martyr, but it's truly something to think about, no?
IN HIS HANDS,
Ernie
Saturday, September 22, 2007
Sept 22 Day 149
Hi Everyone,
Sorry I haven't written in a while. They did confirm that I do have a blood clot in my left arm and are treating it by giving me blood thinners. They say I might be on the thinners for 6 months and that it might take a few months for the clot to disolve. Sometimes the clot never completely goes away. Two weeks ago I came down with shingles, which is a form of chicken pox. When you have chicken pox it never completely goes away and when your immune system is low, like mine, or when you get older, like me, you tend to come down with shingles. The chicken pox stays in your nerve endings until it comes out. Shingles are painful, they itch a lot, and don't rub or scratch them because when you do they really hurt! Mine are around my waist line and some down my left leg, so my pants rub them when I walk or actually move at all. I am looking forward to when they are gone!! LOL! Deb and I went to the American Cancer Society "Relay For Life" at the local college last Saturday. We didn't know what to expect because we had never been to one, and it was pretty emotional. People get sponsors and then walk the track around the football field to raise money for cancer research. The very first lap they do is for 'survivors', they call it the "Survivor's Lap". They really do it well too. Anyone who has had cancer and is still alive gets to walk along with their caregiver or spouse. You walk around the track for one lap and everyone else stands on both sides of the track cheering you on and blowing bubbles all around you. It was really an emotional time for me and I'm tearing up right now just thinking about it. We were part of a team that was put togther by Mary Bow, who we met thru church. Her daughter, Elisha, had brain cancer and is doing great now!!! I can't tell you how much seeing people like Elisha come thru cancer helps people like me who are still going thru it, it is a great encouragement!!! Way to go Elisha! We are now at my daughter's in Denver, enjoying a great visit and playing with our grandkids. They are so much fun we can't stand it. We are also planning on visiting Brian and his family but he has been working most weekends so it might be a while before we get to see them. I received email from some of "Ernie's Angels", they were Mrs. Puglia's fifth grade class last year who prayed for me every day. They are still praying and wishing me the best, and Mrs. Puglia said that her home room this year is praying for me too! She said that the number of "Ernie's Angels" is growing! Thanks to everyone who has or is still praying for me, it really helps, and God bless you all.
IN HIS HANDS,
Ernie
Sorry I haven't written in a while. They did confirm that I do have a blood clot in my left arm and are treating it by giving me blood thinners. They say I might be on the thinners for 6 months and that it might take a few months for the clot to disolve. Sometimes the clot never completely goes away. Two weeks ago I came down with shingles, which is a form of chicken pox. When you have chicken pox it never completely goes away and when your immune system is low, like mine, or when you get older, like me, you tend to come down with shingles. The chicken pox stays in your nerve endings until it comes out. Shingles are painful, they itch a lot, and don't rub or scratch them because when you do they really hurt! Mine are around my waist line and some down my left leg, so my pants rub them when I walk or actually move at all. I am looking forward to when they are gone!! LOL! Deb and I went to the American Cancer Society "Relay For Life" at the local college last Saturday. We didn't know what to expect because we had never been to one, and it was pretty emotional. People get sponsors and then walk the track around the football field to raise money for cancer research. The very first lap they do is for 'survivors', they call it the "Survivor's Lap". They really do it well too. Anyone who has had cancer and is still alive gets to walk along with their caregiver or spouse. You walk around the track for one lap and everyone else stands on both sides of the track cheering you on and blowing bubbles all around you. It was really an emotional time for me and I'm tearing up right now just thinking about it. We were part of a team that was put togther by Mary Bow, who we met thru church. Her daughter, Elisha, had brain cancer and is doing great now!!! I can't tell you how much seeing people like Elisha come thru cancer helps people like me who are still going thru it, it is a great encouragement!!! Way to go Elisha! We are now at my daughter's in Denver, enjoying a great visit and playing with our grandkids. They are so much fun we can't stand it. We are also planning on visiting Brian and his family but he has been working most weekends so it might be a while before we get to see them. I received email from some of "Ernie's Angels", they were Mrs. Puglia's fifth grade class last year who prayed for me every day. They are still praying and wishing me the best, and Mrs. Puglia said that her home room this year is praying for me too! She said that the number of "Ernie's Angels" is growing! Thanks to everyone who has or is still praying for me, it really helps, and God bless you all.
IN HIS HANDS,
Ernie
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