Normal week

   Hi all, there’s not a lot to report because we have the week off from Mayo. Although it’s not that far to Rochester it usually takes the whole day so a full week at home has been awesome🙌🏼 We took Jackson and Lindsey out for lunch and to coffee midweek, had fun with the grandkids, Mike has worked more at the dealership and we've been getting ready for fall/winter by putting planters away, putting out pumpkins and mums, blowing leaves and putting some patio furniture away. Some days Mike thinks the neuropathy is getting better and other days it seems the same or worse. We go back for bloodwork, and oncology appointment at 7 am Monday and are praying the liver enzymes have stabilized or gone down. This has been a very normal week and normal is perfect!

    Mike just finished Erwin McManus’s book The Last Arrow and now I am reading it. It is about saving nothing for the next life... because we only have this one life. We highly recommend the book and the lesson it teaches!

    Until next week,
    Just Breathe,

    Paula

   

Trusting the Word not the “wind”

    Monday at Mayo was supposed to be pretty short, just a blood draw, then take Blu in front of the nurses, then meet with the oncologist an hour later, but since Mike has neuropathy in his hands and feet they wanted him to wait to take the drug until after he talked with Dr. Molina. We walked around Rochester a little and then met with the doctor around noon. Mikes bloodwork is still good but his liver enzymes are rising a little every time so we just need to keep a close eye on that. After an examination we, along with the doctor decided for a Mike to stay on the trial, but if the neuropathy gets worse he will need to go off of it for a week and then start back up at a smaller dosage, per protocol.  We had to go back to the chemo area where they did another ECG, then wait for his next months supply of Blu-667 to be brought from the pharmacy. Finally at about 2:30 pm and 20 hours of fasting Mike took his trial drug and we were off to lunch, but... we had to wait another hour because of the “empty stomach” directions. Now we only have to go to Mayo every two weeks, so that will be nice.  The neuropathy doesn’t seem to be getting any worse, so we are thankful for that.

    On the way to Rochester on Monday we listened to Elevation church and Pastor Furtick’s sermon was titled Word vs. Wind (trusting God’s timing). Ecclesiastes 11:4 Whoever watches the wind will not plant; whoever looks at the clouds will not reap, and Matthew 1422-32...He preached about the disciples being in the boat and seeing Jesus walking on the water thinking he was a ghost. When Peter asked him to call him to walk on the water, he didn’t get afraid until he “saw the wind”. Basically his message was to keep our mind/eyes on Gods word and not on the “wind” or our problems! Human nature is to focus on what’s in front of us, but we really need to just trust God, his word and his timing. Good lesson for us! Have a great week!

    Just Breathe,

    Paula

 

 

Never take normal for granted

    I love this time of year, when the leaves start to change, the temperature cools a bit, football is in full gear and basketball is just around the corner😉,  and cozy sweaters and sweatshirts get pulled out of the closet. Don’t get me wrong I love, love, love summer, but change is nice and living in Iowa with the four seasons is great. I like change (just ask Mike or my kids, I move things all the time, including furniture, decorations, clothes, everything),  but I also like “normal” and I don’t like when my normal is suddenly taken away from me! The normal things that we take for granted are changing some for Mike, things like taste (can’t taste much), sunshine (too bright), normal feeling hands and feet (tingling, and painful neuropathy), among some other things. These aren’t huge issues but they aren’t normal either, so just  today Dr. Molina reduced Mikes clinical trial drug in half to see if these issues resolve...back to “normal”... our “new normal” anyway.

    I have a lot of songs on repeat lately, and not just Need to Breathe although they will always be my favorite... my “normal band”. I love Zach Williams song Fear is a Liar,  Jenn Johnson/Bethel music’s song Goodness of God,  and Michael W. Smiths song Surrounded (fight my battles) and I loudly sing along.........”this is how I fight my battles, it may look like I’m surrounded but.....I’m surrounded by YOU”!!!!

    As we live our new normal life we want to encourage everyone to embrace normal...it’s the normal stuff that fill the highs and lows of life and make up most of our days. Sometimes in the highs of life we just cruise along and forget to really rely on God and in the lows we get down on our knees and plead with Him to answer our prayers, but He is always faithful,  He does know what He is doing even if at times it doesn’t seem like it.  So.......” with every breath that we are able we should sing of the goodness of God”!!!


    Just Breathe,

    Paula

No more denial

    We have been in denial. Denial that Mike has Lung Cancer, because he has looked and felt healthy since his first lung  surgery\thoracotomy over 18 years ago, and even though we have known that the tumors have been slowly growing the last 4 years, we were still in a bit of denial, hoping and praying that they would just “behave” and go away. When Mikes PET scan lit up and the brain MRI showed a small metastasis there was no more denial. He has now been on the clinical trial for 17 days and is doing well.  The worst side effect is some neuropathy in his hands, which isn’t a common side effect so if it gets worse they will have to cut his dosage. We are treating the visits to Rochester as day dates and are going for coffee, out to lunch and on walks in between appointments, which helps mentally.

    We’ve also been in denial that our last child would be moving out and off to college, leaving  us empty nesters. Jackson was just 1year old when Mike was first diagnosed with Lung Cancer, and now he is a 19 year old Wartburg College freshman. We know he is in the right place and are so happy for him, but it is hard on us because he brought a lot of joy and laughter to our home, and.....time just went too fast!

    James 1:12 Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.

    Just Breathe,

    Paula