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
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
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
Friday, August 24, 2007
Aug 24 Day 121
Hi Everyone,
They did take my PIC line out on Aug16 and it sure felt good not to have any tubes coming out of my body. This week, however, I noticed a lump in my armpit on the side that had the PIC line, and then my arm started swelling. The doctor thinks that I have a blood clot somewhere in that arm and is sending me for a test that will confirm it. He also put me on blood thinners to try to get rid of it. He said it's not uncommon to get one if you have had a PIC line. I have to try to keep my arm elevated as much as possible and so I couldn't go on a motorcycle trip we have been planning for today, tomorrow and Sunday. We were really disappointed but it's happened a lot already that we have had to cancel plans so we're getting used to it. Hope all is well with you.
IN HIS HANDS,
Ernie
They did take my PIC line out on Aug16 and it sure felt good not to have any tubes coming out of my body. This week, however, I noticed a lump in my armpit on the side that had the PIC line, and then my arm started swelling. The doctor thinks that I have a blood clot somewhere in that arm and is sending me for a test that will confirm it. He also put me on blood thinners to try to get rid of it. He said it's not uncommon to get one if you have had a PIC line. I have to try to keep my arm elevated as much as possible and so I couldn't go on a motorcycle trip we have been planning for today, tomorrow and Sunday. We were really disappointed but it's happened a lot already that we have had to cancel plans so we're getting used to it. Hope all is well with you.
IN HIS HANDS,
Ernie
Thursday, August 16, 2007
Aug 16 Day 113
Hi Everyone,
I did have a PIC line put into my left arm and have been taking the IV antibiotics. Today is my last dose and I have a doctor appointment so we're hoping he'll take out the PIC line today. The lines that come out are about a foot long and there are two of them. We have to wrap them in an ace bandage or a tube netting to keep from getting them caught on things. I got a stiff neck in the hospital and it is just now almost gone. Last Friday I got the flu and have been fighting it, but today I think I'm finally over it. It hasn't been a very good few weeks. I have been leaning on God more lately than earlier in my treatments, I guess because of how long it's been going on. It gets frustrating knowing that the treatments will last probably until next summer and I might be on some of the meds the rest of my life. Then God reminds me that things could be worse by letting me see some of the other patients at the doctors office and the hospitals. Hope all of you are well.
IN HIS HANDS,
Ernie
I did have a PIC line put into my left arm and have been taking the IV antibiotics. Today is my last dose and I have a doctor appointment so we're hoping he'll take out the PIC line today. The lines that come out are about a foot long and there are two of them. We have to wrap them in an ace bandage or a tube netting to keep from getting them caught on things. I got a stiff neck in the hospital and it is just now almost gone. Last Friday I got the flu and have been fighting it, but today I think I'm finally over it. It hasn't been a very good few weeks. I have been leaning on God more lately than earlier in my treatments, I guess because of how long it's been going on. It gets frustrating knowing that the treatments will last probably until next summer and I might be on some of the meds the rest of my life. Then God reminds me that things could be worse by letting me see some of the other patients at the doctors office and the hospitals. Hope all of you are well.
IN HIS HANDS,
Ernie
Tuesday, August 7, 2007
Aug 7 Day 104
Hi Everyone,
Well, I'm out of the hospital, again!!! LOL! I had to stay in until my infection was gone and on Monday the cultures showed negative for infection. We have heard from nurses and doctors that it is common to get an infection from a Hickman catheter like I had. They showed us how to administer the IV antibiotics when we get home, and we got home about 5pm on Monday. I will have to take the antibiotics twice a day until Aug 16th. Until now they have given it thru the regular IV line but today I have to go and have a PIC line installed, which goes from your arm up into your heart area. They do this because the antibiotics I have to take are very strong and there are problems if you do it very long thru the regular IV lines. I have already had problems with the antibiotics getting out of the vein and into my skin (it forms a bubble under your skin). On a good note, the bone marrow biopsy that they did on July 27th (something fun to do on our anniversary!! LOL!) turned out good. The results were just what they were looking for and everything in that area is looking good! I have to admit that I am really ready for this to be all over, but understand that it will be quite a while for it to be over (if ever). I don't know what I would have done if God hadn't been there every step of the way and without all your prayers to encourage Him to be there. Thank you Lord, and thank you all for everthing you've done!!! God bless you all!
IN HIS HANDS,
Ernie
Well, I'm out of the hospital, again!!! LOL! I had to stay in until my infection was gone and on Monday the cultures showed negative for infection. We have heard from nurses and doctors that it is common to get an infection from a Hickman catheter like I had. They showed us how to administer the IV antibiotics when we get home, and we got home about 5pm on Monday. I will have to take the antibiotics twice a day until Aug 16th. Until now they have given it thru the regular IV line but today I have to go and have a PIC line installed, which goes from your arm up into your heart area. They do this because the antibiotics I have to take are very strong and there are problems if you do it very long thru the regular IV lines. I have already had problems with the antibiotics getting out of the vein and into my skin (it forms a bubble under your skin). On a good note, the bone marrow biopsy that they did on July 27th (something fun to do on our anniversary!! LOL!) turned out good. The results were just what they were looking for and everything in that area is looking good! I have to admit that I am really ready for this to be all over, but understand that it will be quite a while for it to be over (if ever). I don't know what I would have done if God hadn't been there every step of the way and without all your prayers to encourage Him to be there. Thank you Lord, and thank you all for everthing you've done!!! God bless you all!
IN HIS HANDS,
Ernie
Saturday, August 4, 2007
August 4, 2007 Day 101
Hi everyone,
Well day 100 wasn't such a good day for us. Wednesday Ernie developed a fever so we went to the ER. He was admitted for the night while they tried to determine the cause of the infection. We came home Thursday afternoon without knowing anything, but received a call from Kaiser that night saying one of his cultures was positive for an infection and he needed to be in the hospital. So Friday morning (day 100) he was admitted again. His catheter seemed to be the source of the infection so it was removed and he was given heavy doses of antibiotics. He will most likely spend the weekend in the hospital and then come home with some IV antibiotics. They will be sending a home health nurse to show us how to do the IVs at home. He's at Kaiser Panorama City. Dave, Dana and the kids have been here for the week which has been alot of fun me, but unfortunately for Ernie he has not felt well most of the week. They say now that the catheter is out he should begin to feel better as soon as today.
We'll keep you posted.
God Bless,
Debby
Well day 100 wasn't such a good day for us. Wednesday Ernie developed a fever so we went to the ER. He was admitted for the night while they tried to determine the cause of the infection. We came home Thursday afternoon without knowing anything, but received a call from Kaiser that night saying one of his cultures was positive for an infection and he needed to be in the hospital. So Friday morning (day 100) he was admitted again. His catheter seemed to be the source of the infection so it was removed and he was given heavy doses of antibiotics. He will most likely spend the weekend in the hospital and then come home with some IV antibiotics. They will be sending a home health nurse to show us how to do the IVs at home. He's at Kaiser Panorama City. Dave, Dana and the kids have been here for the week which has been alot of fun me, but unfortunately for Ernie he has not felt well most of the week. They say now that the catheter is out he should begin to feel better as soon as today.
We'll keep you posted.
God Bless,
Debby
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