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Dr Ng gets Jen on the Mend

My favorite day of the week! Sunday!

Jennifer is continuing to do well. She has a bit of a lingering cough but she is mostly 100% again. We really believe she responded well to Dr Ng’s regimen and we are looking forward to these covid days being in the past.

Randy must be one of those asystematic people because he has shown zero signs of illness. Thank goodness! He is pretty much holding down the fort.

Matt is still here. He has had an off and on headache and feeling tired and achy as well. He seems have moments of not bad at all. And moments where he wants to sleep.

As for me, I haven’t had any new headaches since mid week but exhausted. I curl up near Jen when she is sleeping or on the couch. I think I am sleeping a good 14 hours a day. But no cough or fever.

Thank goodness Jessica tested negative. She dropped off groceries yesterday. Poor Andrew was so sad he couldn’t come in and play with papa. He gave her the what for their whole ride home.

My friend Holly has started a meal train for us because cooking is the last thing I want to do right now. I will leave a link for it in the comments. She lives in Florida, otherwise I could see my friend dropping off food every day. Thank you to Mary E Ricker for the meal today.

Once this is behind us, we will schedule once again Jen to begin radiation. It is on hold until she is covid negative. In the meantime, we pray no cancer finds its way back.104123575_10223033452761918_9202170118853846042_o

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Holistic for Covid-19

This is what we are learning. And I feel strongly these things are making a difference.

I am not a doctor…nor do I pretend to be. But Jen went from feeling like a 0 on late Saturday to saying she feels 100% better.

1. Hydrate with good quality mountain spring water that comes in a glass bottle and is drank out of a glass cup.

2. Increase vitamin D, especially if you are over 60 or you have darker colored skin. Or living in a colder climate or do not get much time outdoors. Vitamin D doesn’t not prevent covid-19, but can make recovery quicker.

2000-6000 IU for prevention and maintenance (with a protein)

50,000 IU for four days if treating (with a protein)

3. Add vitamin A to you diet also. (If not pregnant)

Prevention and maintenance – 5000 IU with a protein

If Covid-19 positive
100,000 IU with a protein for four days.

4. Now the key to all this…. vitamin C. Not a tablet. Capsule ok…but even better in powder form. Powder form you will need to look at health food stores or online.

In high doses if you are feeling sick or covid-19 positive. Don’t take all at once but every hour giving yourself 1000-5000mg (up to 10,000 a day). If your digestive system is irritated…take less. You don’t need to do this while you sleep. Do this for four days.

If you are not sick, take also daily. 3000-5000 a day….not all at once

More to come. But want to help others as much as we can to stay out of hospital. And recover quicker.

If these things are helping Jen, I know it can help those of us not as sick as she is. This is not to be a substitute for you getting medical treatment if you are having troubles breathing with a pulse ox under 90, a low blood pressure, or a racing heart. However we have found these steps have improved all Jen’s vitals.

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Today Has Been A Long Year

Today has been a year long.

Talking to Jennifer hasn’t been easy. She has slept through me calling and texting at times. And when the doctors were in room, there was no attempt to contact me. I have made it known to the nurse, that request doesn’t not fall on Jen as she is too sick and exhausted to keep all that on her mind when they come in. I insisted I get a call when they are in the room. When she improves or declines. It’s frustrating!

She has been stable most of the day. She is now in a stepdown ICU unit at OSU. Her fever has come and gone a few times. Her voice is weak. But no need for O2 as her pulse ox has been good.

We are hoping to add to her treatment some holistic approaches. This may be very difficult to make happen as it would need be on her doctors to add to her treatments. Matt and I have done lots of research the last several months just in case we found ourselves right where we are. We want them to increase her vitamin and iodine intake. I’m not sure if we cant get this added, what decisions as to her care we will need to make. But we are exploring every possibility.

Unfortunately, we live in a world right now in which it’s become difficult to trust anyone or anything. People have been shouting so many theories, we are feeling pretty lost. Even as one explores what has happened at protest throughout this country, so many fingers being pointed. We are living in dark, hard times. But for us, we are living with it while fighting the most horrible cancer.

I don’t say this to start a debate but to do just the opposite. I feel the need for us to pull back and reflect. The only thing that is constant right now…is one thing. And that is God. We are needing to seek Him in our darkest hour.

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Day + 52  – Happy Friday To You All

* Good News Report Today*

1. No transfusions.  If she notices more blood in nose between now and Sunday she can go in on Sunday and get blood products
2. (And this made me scream with delight) NO CANCER IN PLIMINARY BONE MARROW RESULTS!!!!!!

3. We went to hospital and left on the same day  (and in less than two hours may I add)

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Good morning from The James! Jessica here again. Jenny’s vitals were all pretty normal all night and we went the full evening through this morning fever free. Jenny’s had several coughing fits, one that made her get sick, but they found a couple medications that have helped clear up her congestion and quieted her cough.
She ate a little breakfast this morning and the plan is to go for a walk when some of the spaciness had worn off from the cough meds.
Thank you all for your continued prayers!

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Yesterday my thoughts were on how it’s been 20 years since we said goodbye to my grandma. I almost forgot until tonight that is that yesterday marked 4 months for me.

4 months ago yesterday we got the call from my Doctor that we needed to go to the James. That I was sick. That I had leukemia. That I had cancer.

Even though my official diagnosis wouldn’t be until a few days later. That day my life changed.

The lives of my family changed. Life how I thought would be for me went out the window. Although I know I will beat this there is so much of my future that is still unknown.

For instance. I don’t know if the transplant that I will get here in 2 weeks will leave me unable to have kids.

I’ve always pictured myself being a mom. And I know I will be a mom. But I may never get to experience being pregnant. There are days this saddens me more than I can even begin to express. You hold an idea of what your future will be and then poof it’s gone.

Or how it will take me two years or more for me to grow my hair back to the length it was before this all happened. That I will have to have “boy hair” as I call it for months before I may feel girlie again. And the fact that my hair color my no be brown.

I do the best I can to smile and look for the blessings in all this. Most days are not easy but good enough and happy. But there are days where it is very hard to smile and put on that brave face.

I am so blessed to have my amazing family at my side. I couldn’t imagine going through this without their love and support. I know this hasn’t been easy on any of them.

There are days that I worry about my mom not working so she can take care of me and drive me to appointments. There are days where I worry that my dad will be too focused on me while at work and something bad will happen. I worry how I will be able to afford not being able to work for another year. How will I or my family pay bills if two of us can’t work.

But then I think about how I’ve been blessed with an opportunity to share my story. To spread the word of the need for donors through Be The Match. How I may be able to change the world and help others while I fight the hardest fight I will ever know.

So as I write this tonight I hope all of you embrace what you gave in front of you. Don’t take for granted the small things in life like being able to drive a car, to walk, to breathe comfortably, to being able to work and make a living, or knowing you can one day have your own family. Don’t lose sight of what is in front of you. Because one day you may wake up and everything has changed. Enjoy life. Make a bucket list and live your life. No regrets.

I hope out of all this ugly cancer that is for sure no damn fairytale that someone out there finds peace or hope or whatever it may be for my story. I hope my being sick and my fight is good for something or someone. So tomorrow head into your Monday not with dismay because it’s the start of another week. Go into Monday knowing you have a new week to embrace life and live it to the fullest every chance you get.

Tomorrow my mom and I travel to Columbus to be there for my Biopsy on Tuesday. I know all signs still point to remission with me but I still worry about it throwing and hitch into my transplant plan. Keep me any my family lifted up in your thoughts and feelings prayers as we prepare for battle.

Love you all! God bless. Goodnight.

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Lashes

At 33 weeks gestation, Jennifer was born. Back then, we didn’t say it quite like that. We said 7 weeks premature. Jen’s lungs were immature and she only weighed four pounds 5 ounces. But this little baby had eyelashes like she had mascara covering every lash. Besides her tiny size, it was the first thing you noticed about her. And this drew you in to her deep eyes.

When Jen’s hair fell out, I found her eyes just drew you in even more. And when she shot you one of her big smiles, your heart would just melt away. Over the last few weeks, Jen’s eyebrows and lashes have been thinning. And like when her hair fell out, the change has been hard for her. Not hard like maybe you and I would find it, Jen is stronger than most others, including me. But hard like another thing she adds to her list of how much her life has changed over the last 100 days.

Funny yesterday when she had made note of her lashes and brows thinning, I had just prior to that had thought my lashes were so short and my brow so needing a touch up. And I had frowned at myself in the mirror, not liking what I saw. Stupid me…..sometimes I have no idea how ignorant my thoughts can be. Maybe some day, I will see the blessings of short lashes and thick brows.

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Her attitude is still very good. Her bp most likely low (100/50) because she is dehydrated so giving her fluids. But her wc has dropped way down so the trend up has stopped. This most likely because of an infection. They think it was the pic line that was infected so it was pulled and a new central line put in at her neck. She is fighting fevers. Her pulse has remained decent in the low hundreds. And respirations in the low 20s.

Also she received a hemoglobin transfusion this morning

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The Cost of Cancer

For the last 3+ months, our lives have changed dramatically. As it has changed, we are also now witness to the many others who have the same journey we have. Each day, whether at home or at hospital, we find ourselves in discussions with other families who are learning this difficult path. When we sit down to eat in the cafeteria or take a walk to a restroom, we encounter the world of cancer. Or if we participate in a conversation in a support group, we often hear of the daily struggles.

Each day, you start with sorting out medications, appointments, new terminology you hadn’t heard before, and new staff brought on board. Connections to your pets, children and spouses change and rely on pictures and phone calls. The world looks different then ever before.

When you start thinking about the overall cost of it all, it is mental, physical, and financial. Mentally you cope as best you can, attempting to live in the moment but your dreams lash you into your subconscious mind. Physically you are exhausted. You find yourself no longer able to wear the same clothes as your weight falls or rises. And body aches from the tension and from sleeping on hospital furniture.

The things you are having to spend money on haven’t been budgeted for. Tanks of gas to and from hospital, to the pharmacy, to the doctors. Money for parking, even at $2 a day drains your pocket. Petcare, eating on the run, and double the number of hairbrushes, hairdryers, and shampoo because you no longer are all in the same place at once. They all add up. And when your income takes a hit from not being able to work, you go back to the mental anguish that enters your dreams.

The loss of another across the hall rings loud throughout the floor. The biggest fear of death is only compounded by all the other stresses. And the floor at the hospital becomes so stressed by all those fears.

This is cancer. This is the life of so many each day. This is not only my life, but too many in this world. So care a little more. Complain a lot less. And live each day to the fullest.