We are home from Houston

I know that when I get really quiet....poop has hit the oscillator. I wrote via email that brain mets were not present and that Mary started a new chemo regimen. What I didn't write is how sick she got in the last 10 days. They call it tumor sick....cause there is no better name for it. Tumor sick means that the body cant handle the load of illness and it starts 3rd spacing water. Mary went from ambulatory to weak Thursday before last to hospitalized friday to confused to OMG. The confusion and weakness progressed until chemo started. She is better.....she can stand with help and is walking now with her walker. Her sister Cindy and brother in law Larry flew to Houston Thursday am to help me as I spent Wed night in a panic cause I was having to lift Mary & the level of decline was precipitous. The confusion has cleared and they started chemo emergently Wed night. They admitted her on intermediate care Thur and did a tune up with blood, thyroid hormone, with lasix and with fluids. So back from the edge we are...Mary is bossing me again....kissing me and thanking me for saving her life. I say it is God and not me.

The Chemo regimen is high dosages of two medicines. In 9 previous patients 80% were PET Negative...meaning the tumors were there but there were no growth activity within 8 weeks. We would then stay on the regimen indefinitely....giving the body more time to heal. These two weeks will be intense as when cancer dies it has a fit. When the stuff works....the body gets better in two-three weeks....or back from the edge. The rest is about healing.

I'm still working....mary is not. I may ask for folks help just to be here till I find a reliable source of person to stay with Mary when I cannot be here. Cindy is staying the week and we have other relatives coming in Tuesday to help.

May I sent out a special thankyou to Cindy, Larry, Jason, Gary, Rose, Linda, Mel, Scorby, Supie and Lennie. Linda made sure we had a hospital bed and equipment set up upon our arrival home, Gary was here for delivary and cooked us a beautiful dinner last night; Scorby-fed our cats and prayed when we were getting mary up the stairs; Cindy and Larry-took the first flight out at 7am after my 11pm call and didn't leave our side; Supie-saved mary's life by finding the right health care; Rose-stayed here and cooked/helped mary when Jason and I ran all over chicago looking for a lift chair; Larry and Jason-took a pickup truck to NorthBrook so mary could have a lift chair last night; Lennie, Mel, Larry and Jason; carried Mary up the stairs in a wheelchair with me having a breakdown and yelling at them to be careful; Al-Mary's dad paid for the lift chair; Cindy-continues to be here and helps me make sure Mary can get to the bathroom and is doing out laundry/taking down the xmas tree/and feeding Mary so I can work.

This all in the last two days......I can't tell you how much I appreciate everything people continue to do and support us. love, lg

I'll be sending out an affirmation prayer soon via email.

Thank you for being there...thankyou for all