Posts
Friday, August 31, 2007
END OF A LONG WEEK
Good morning! I just got home after spending the night camping at Doheny with Matt, Jen, Trey and our boys! Our tent was right next to the train tracks so needless to say I am not as heavy of a sleeper as I once thought! Our "neighbors" in campsite 116 showed up at midnight and started to party until the wee hours of the morning! I forgot is was Labor Day Weekend! Lots of partying going on!
All that being said we woke up to Matt & Jen cooking eggs and bacon on the camp stove and the kids were pumped to go surfing! Zach and Nate are still surfing and Jax and I came home to get ready to see Gary and get ready for Meet & Greet at school!
I hate that summer is over! Thank God we can still go to the beach in the afternoons and on the weekends until October! That is precisely why we live here!
So, Stacy and I went up to the hospital to see Gary last night and when we walked in I noticed that he looked a little flush. I bent down to kiss him and could feel heat radiating off of his body. Sure enough he had 101.5 fever. It climbed a little but as fast as it came on it went away and he has been fever free all night. He took a sleeping pill and slept again last night.
He was given 8 oz. of fluid yesterday and was so happy to have apple juice! Maybe they will increase his liquid intake today and hopefully he will get some food soon.
He loves his new "Bladder Man" posters! The doctors all come into his room and love our decor! He has been getting so many E-mails and cards and posters! KEEP IT COMING! He loves them all and they are all hanging up on the walls in his room!
I need to get ready to see him now and will update everyone later!
KEEP PRAYING for the pathology reports! NO MORE CANCER NO MORE CANCER NO MORE CANCER!!!! We should hear something early next week!
Love,
L
All that being said we woke up to Matt & Jen cooking eggs and bacon on the camp stove and the kids were pumped to go surfing! Zach and Nate are still surfing and Jax and I came home to get ready to see Gary and get ready for Meet & Greet at school!
I hate that summer is over! Thank God we can still go to the beach in the afternoons and on the weekends until October! That is precisely why we live here!
So, Stacy and I went up to the hospital to see Gary last night and when we walked in I noticed that he looked a little flush. I bent down to kiss him and could feel heat radiating off of his body. Sure enough he had 101.5 fever. It climbed a little but as fast as it came on it went away and he has been fever free all night. He took a sleeping pill and slept again last night.
He was given 8 oz. of fluid yesterday and was so happy to have apple juice! Maybe they will increase his liquid intake today and hopefully he will get some food soon.
He loves his new "Bladder Man" posters! The doctors all come into his room and love our decor! He has been getting so many E-mails and cards and posters! KEEP IT COMING! He loves them all and they are all hanging up on the walls in his room!
I need to get ready to see him now and will update everyone later!
KEEP PRAYING for the pathology reports! NO MORE CANCER NO MORE CANCER NO MORE CANCER!!!! We should hear something early next week!
Love,
L
Thursday, August 30, 2007
Pain With Purpose
This is the first time Gary has had pain that actually has a purpose - HEALING! Gary has had pain that has slowly increased since Christmas of last year. Through his pain he remained dedicated to his family, his job and church every Sunday morning!
Now, things are changing for him.
For those of you who have come to visit us in the hospital know that I joke around with him LOTS about his discomfort and about all the things he is going through right now. I have watched him be in pain for so long and it has really torn me apart. However, he is in pain now and I can make light of it because after months of being misdiagnosed he is finally experiencing pain that is part of a healing process! HEAL AWAY!!!!
Gary is a trooper. As we did some "laps" around the 5th floor yesterday he told me that had he known how much pain he would be in he would have never signed up for this! We are so fortunate that we left our last doctor to find our next doctor that referred us to these surgeons. UCI is a wonderful hospital and the staff and doctors and surgeons have been awesome. Gary is getting great care. The jury is still out as to whether the food holds any kind of merit but hopefully Gary will get to test it out soon. He still has had nothing to eat since Saturday and nothing to drink since Sunday.
Gary's parents left early this morning to go home. They have been here 3X over the past month and it has been awesome having them here for all of us. Don't worry - I will take great care of your boy! I might smack him around a little to keep him in line but we won't be doing wind sprints until the middle of September! :)
Yesterday the boys had a crazy good time with the Marvel's and Muck's at Wild Rivers! Zach got to sleepover at the Merk's and today everyone will swim at Stacy's! I think i will have to join them for a while! I need some R&R too you know!
I will update all of you tonight. Keep praying that Gary's pathology tests come back CLEAN & CLEAR!
Love, Hugs, THANKS and Smiles,
Lisa
Now, things are changing for him.
For those of you who have come to visit us in the hospital know that I joke around with him LOTS about his discomfort and about all the things he is going through right now. I have watched him be in pain for so long and it has really torn me apart. However, he is in pain now and I can make light of it because after months of being misdiagnosed he is finally experiencing pain that is part of a healing process! HEAL AWAY!!!!
Gary is a trooper. As we did some "laps" around the 5th floor yesterday he told me that had he known how much pain he would be in he would have never signed up for this! We are so fortunate that we left our last doctor to find our next doctor that referred us to these surgeons. UCI is a wonderful hospital and the staff and doctors and surgeons have been awesome. Gary is getting great care. The jury is still out as to whether the food holds any kind of merit but hopefully Gary will get to test it out soon. He still has had nothing to eat since Saturday and nothing to drink since Sunday.
Gary's parents left early this morning to go home. They have been here 3X over the past month and it has been awesome having them here for all of us. Don't worry - I will take great care of your boy! I might smack him around a little to keep him in line but we won't be doing wind sprints until the middle of September! :)
Yesterday the boys had a crazy good time with the Marvel's and Muck's at Wild Rivers! Zach got to sleepover at the Merk's and today everyone will swim at Stacy's! I think i will have to join them for a while! I need some R&R too you know!
I will update all of you tonight. Keep praying that Gary's pathology tests come back CLEAN & CLEAR!
Love, Hugs, THANKS and Smiles,
Lisa
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
R U STILL PRAYING?
One last thought that I forgot to include in my last post tonight.
I want to thank God for being such a presence in my life and for showing me how to grow in my faith through this trial. I have truly had an unwavering faith through this. I am not worried, scared or fearful. I am calm, trusting and I believe that God has a plan and a story for us to share! God has sustained Gary and grown him incredibly as well. You will all see and hear the amazing ways God has worked in so many people through this.
PLEASE CONTINUE TO PRAY........pray that the pathology reports come back clean. Pray that the cancer is completely gone and that Gary can return to his life as he knew it! Pray for his speedy recovery and pray for COMPLETE HEALING!
The pathology report will most likely be in the first of next week.
PRAYER WORKS! Keep it up!
Hugs and Smiles,
L
I want to thank God for being such a presence in my life and for showing me how to grow in my faith through this trial. I have truly had an unwavering faith through this. I am not worried, scared or fearful. I am calm, trusting and I believe that God has a plan and a story for us to share! God has sustained Gary and grown him incredibly as well. You will all see and hear the amazing ways God has worked in so many people through this.
PLEASE CONTINUE TO PRAY........pray that the pathology reports come back clean. Pray that the cancer is completely gone and that Gary can return to his life as he knew it! Pray for his speedy recovery and pray for COMPLETE HEALING!
The pathology report will most likely be in the first of next week.
PRAYER WORKS! Keep it up!
Hugs and Smiles,
L
Tuesday Late Night
Hi! I just got home. It is 11:20 PM and I had to wait until I woke up a little to drive all the way home. I brought a beach chair to the hospital this time and I at least had a comfy chair to sit in while Gary and I watched his favorite shows! He is so lucky he is recouperating from surgery because I would normally grab the stinking controller and turn the channel! Gary loves to watch anything about weather (tornado and hurricane episodes in particular) and he loves to watch some show where truck drivers travel across large patches of ice??? What is up with that? I think we watched 3 episodes of Dirty Jobs and oh let's not forget Deadliest Catch! I tease him very lovingly because he puts up with a whole lot of my shows - believe me!!
He got up and walked around in his room for about 45 minutes this evening. He got a chance to wander into the bathroom to catch a glimpse of himself in the mirror. I recall himself referring to his face and body as "The Pillsbury Doughboy"!
He actually looks better tonight - not as swollen. Being in surgery and being pumped full of fluid for such a long time takes a toll. He is tired and I hope and pray he gets a good rest tonight.
I took the boys to see Gary this morning and they brought him a Build A Bear that the Muck's had taken them to make! He loved his bear and loved seeing his boys even more! They were so glad to see their Dad.
Jen and I took the boys to the beach for a few hours this afternoon and then Jen took Zach to karate. Tomorrow the Marvel's and the Muck's will take all three boys to Wild Rivers! They are super excited!!!
Thanks Angela for the Costco Run and thanks Sam for dinner! Thanks Gay for bringing over all the deli stuff and of course to everyone who has brought me RED VINES! Yum Yum Yum!!!!
If you want to send Gary some E-mail you can through the hospital. They deliver it to him every day and he loves getting them. The web address is www.ucihealth.com and click on patient and visitor information on the menu bar.
I am going to bed now!
Love to all and talk to you tomorrow!
Love, Lisa
He got up and walked around in his room for about 45 minutes this evening. He got a chance to wander into the bathroom to catch a glimpse of himself in the mirror. I recall himself referring to his face and body as "The Pillsbury Doughboy"!
He actually looks better tonight - not as swollen. Being in surgery and being pumped full of fluid for such a long time takes a toll. He is tired and I hope and pray he gets a good rest tonight.
I took the boys to see Gary this morning and they brought him a Build A Bear that the Muck's had taken them to make! He loved his bear and loved seeing his boys even more! They were so glad to see their Dad.
Jen and I took the boys to the beach for a few hours this afternoon and then Jen took Zach to karate. Tomorrow the Marvel's and the Muck's will take all three boys to Wild Rivers! They are super excited!!!
Thanks Angela for the Costco Run and thanks Sam for dinner! Thanks Gay for bringing over all the deli stuff and of course to everyone who has brought me RED VINES! Yum Yum Yum!!!!
If you want to send Gary some E-mail you can through the hospital. They deliver it to him every day and he loves getting them. The web address is www.ucihealth.com and click on patient and visitor information on the menu bar.
I am going to bed now!
Love to all and talk to you tomorrow!
Love, Lisa
TUESDAY EARLY MORNING
THE ONCOLOGY TOWER - Never thought I would be visitng my husband there but here I am and here he is post-op!
I am super tired tonight! I decided to come home after getting Gary settled in room 5019. What a room and what a view! Yes, I am being sarcastic. He does however have a private room so I am not complaining.
After 11 grueling hours (for everyone) Gary appeared and everything went extremely well. They cleaned him out and sent all of the tissue to pathology and we have 1 week to wait for results. Without results, the doctors think everything looks good. They are 97% positive that the cancer was inside of a diverticulum - which is what we were hoping for. He will be in the hospital for 6-8 days and he will not be able to eat for the first 4 days. If everyone could hold off on planning to visit him until Wednesday I think he would appreciate it. You know how vain he is - he doesn't want to be "puffy" when you all see him! He needs some beauty rest and a gel eye pack! :)
While Gary was in recovery we went to Corner Bakery for dinner tonight and had a relaxing time. The posters that all the kids made for Gary are AWESOME and he LOVES them! Jen, Jenn, Michele and I hung all of them before the girls left tonight.
So, Gary is in a lot of pain and he is on a morphine drip. He was already trying to tough the pain out BUT I TOOK CARE OF THAT ONE! Up the man's morphine NOW! He is such a pain in the rear sometimes but you gotta love him.
Speaking of love.............
We feel soooooo loved! We have not gone through this alone and that is so evident! My heavens - we had so many family members and friends at the hospital today. Todd and the Elders came at 6 AM this morning and prayed over Gary and prayed for me. It was so uplifting and many hospital staff commented on how awesome our support group was! We have one amazing church body!
Our family, friends and church family has continually poured out love. We could never tell you all how much everything you have done and contunue to do for us means!
A shout out to my girlfriends - I love you and could not and would not want to go through this without you! You are stuck with me! Claudia, Stacy, Gay, Angela, Ren, Monica, Jenn, Jen, Michele, Todd, John, Rob, Kim, Mom, Mom & Dad, Dave and anyone else I missed who came to the hospital today - thanks so much! The Muck's ROCK!!! My kids love you and we love your family! Matt - thanks for having Hobie over for a playdate with Stella and Murphy! STACY - love you and love you Kenny! Thanks for taking the boys for a sleepover tonight! I am sure they miss me, huh? Probably not as much as they love playing the Wii!! :)
I need to take a shower and get some sleep.
Love to all and talk to you in the morning!
Lisa
I am super tired tonight! I decided to come home after getting Gary settled in room 5019. What a room and what a view! Yes, I am being sarcastic. He does however have a private room so I am not complaining.
After 11 grueling hours (for everyone) Gary appeared and everything went extremely well. They cleaned him out and sent all of the tissue to pathology and we have 1 week to wait for results. Without results, the doctors think everything looks good. They are 97% positive that the cancer was inside of a diverticulum - which is what we were hoping for. He will be in the hospital for 6-8 days and he will not be able to eat for the first 4 days. If everyone could hold off on planning to visit him until Wednesday I think he would appreciate it. You know how vain he is - he doesn't want to be "puffy" when you all see him! He needs some beauty rest and a gel eye pack! :)
While Gary was in recovery we went to Corner Bakery for dinner tonight and had a relaxing time. The posters that all the kids made for Gary are AWESOME and he LOVES them! Jen, Jenn, Michele and I hung all of them before the girls left tonight.
So, Gary is in a lot of pain and he is on a morphine drip. He was already trying to tough the pain out BUT I TOOK CARE OF THAT ONE! Up the man's morphine NOW! He is such a pain in the rear sometimes but you gotta love him.
Speaking of love.............
We feel soooooo loved! We have not gone through this alone and that is so evident! My heavens - we had so many family members and friends at the hospital today. Todd and the Elders came at 6 AM this morning and prayed over Gary and prayed for me. It was so uplifting and many hospital staff commented on how awesome our support group was! We have one amazing church body!
Our family, friends and church family has continually poured out love. We could never tell you all how much everything you have done and contunue to do for us means!
A shout out to my girlfriends - I love you and could not and would not want to go through this without you! You are stuck with me! Claudia, Stacy, Gay, Angela, Ren, Monica, Jenn, Jen, Michele, Todd, John, Rob, Kim, Mom, Mom & Dad, Dave and anyone else I missed who came to the hospital today - thanks so much! The Muck's ROCK!!! My kids love you and we love your family! Matt - thanks for having Hobie over for a playdate with Stella and Murphy! STACY - love you and love you Kenny! Thanks for taking the boys for a sleepover tonight! I am sure they miss me, huh? Probably not as much as they love playing the Wii!! :)
I need to take a shower and get some sleep.
Love to all and talk to you in the morning!
Lisa
Monday, August 27, 2007
Praise God!
Hey everyone....after 11 hours of surgery Gary is doing great! OK, so he's a little loopy, but he still has that great sense of humor in tact! Lisa will update everyone tomorrow, but she and Gary wanted to thank everyone for their prayers, love and support!!
Michele :)
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