Mouth pain is brutal. All of you who suffered through braces at some point or another know just what I am talking about. And if you are like me and totally ignorant to this process, you probably didn't know that chemotherapy causes a mouth full of sores. Some people (one of which would be my mom) say that it is the worst part. She says her mouth feels like bubble wrap and we will be firing up the vitamix to puree her food because she is starting to lose a little weight. Other than that, as far as Jane goes, everything is going pretty well.
On other fronts, Alex had surgery this morning to stabilize his lung. It involves talc, staples and more than a little discomfort. He will be in the hospital for at least 4 days. Don't feel too sorry for him, he has his laptop, a DVD player and access to the best apple juice the world has ever seen. We love you Alex, get well soon.
And on another other front, Michael's beloved wife Ruth has recently had some medical problems of her own. No details as they are not mine to share, but please pray for her to have a comfortable return to normal life and quick healing. God has delivered us another miracle! We love you Ruth and we are all missing you dearly right now.
Life is marching forward. Dad is up to full steam, busily supervising and critiquing all that I do. What would we do without him? The cats are nitwits and are still hissing angrily and acting surprised when they see one another. Liam and Christian run right past me in the morning as though I am invisible and straight into Grandma's arms/lap. Whatever, it's not like I gave birth to them or anything (cough, ingrates, cough, cough).
We have reports of prayers pouring in from all over and it is so wonderful. We are now on the Mormon wall (shout out to the Clapps), we have been added to a Catholic prayer list (Good old Uncle Bill), the Red Hat Ladies are praying like sassy little maniacs (you ladies are hot stuff, you know that right?), Jane's former co-workers and cohorts (she misses you all dearly) and Liam faithfully asking for Grammy's full recovery. You are all so amazing. We pray you all have many blessings returning your way, starting with a really good dinner and a great night's sleep tonight (does it get any better than that?).

Well folks, fatigue has arrived. Miss Jane had her Chemo fanny pack removed on Friday and she doesn't miss it. That night we had an icky reflux episode that was very painful and scary but taught us all an important lesson about how to better manage side effects. Mom is up for about 2-3 hours at a time. She is very worn out. She should be walking or exercising everyday but it is difficult due to the fatigue. Pray for her to have the strength to do this important thing everyday.
She is in good spirits but wasn't able to make it to church this morning. I know she was disappointed and she missed all of her buddies so we are hoping that will be a powerful motivator for her to make it next weekend. Besides, she needs to go and pray for her team to cover the spread.
In other news, Melissa's beloved husband Alex went to the doctor on Saturday due to tightness in the chest and found out he had a collapsed lung (!). Apparently, this can spontaneously happen, particularly to tall, thin people. I told him that if he was short and fat like the rest of us, he wouldn't have problems like this. All joking aside, this was scary and we are all praying for him to recover quickly. He is in the hospital still tonight enjoying funny DVDs and a chest catheter. When he gets out he will be staying with us here so that I can keep an eye on him throughout the day for a while. I wonder if I need any special licensing for all these sick people in my house. More importantly, I wonder how much it costs to rent a honey bucket.
Mom loves the comments and emails, especially because phone calls are hard for her to manage at times. Keep them coming along with the prayers. We love you all and appreciate what you are doing for our family.

10 things you don't know about Jane

Jane is doing quite well this morning. We are sitting at dueling laptops and discussing current events and family news. One of our hot topics this morning is wig VS turban. Wigs are nice and all but nothing says "fancy" like a nice turban. If you need a mental picture, Chevy Chase in National Lampoons Christmas Vacation. I personally think the jewel encrusted brooch in the center is not only feminine, it also adds an air of sophistication, sort of like a swami.
Fonzy is very busy trying to add his 10 cents through persistent nose bumps on the keyboard. I'm beginning to hear the gunslinger showdown music every time we lock eyes. I think I drank 14 hairs in my coffee this morning. All I can hope is that they are not hiny hairs.
So, here are ten things you probably didn't know about your dear friend:
1. She hates surprise parties. My mom could have been a caterer but never an emcee.
2. She is quite feisty in the car- inlcuding, but not limited to hand gestures at times (I know!!)
3. She has never had a cup of coffee while wearing a white shirt and not spilled some on herself (true story).
4. Michael is her favorite child.
5. She is somewhat fond of Elvis.
6. Her favorite color is RED (just like me!!)
7. When she feels sick, no matter how wretched, cinnamon rolls fix it.
8. The only time she has sweet coffee is in the fall and only pumpkin spice lattes from Starbucks.
9. She can stretch out a quick trip for bread and milk to the grocery store into a two hour shopping excursion. In fact, if she offers to go to the store, it's probably to go decompress. She likes to go and peruse in solitude- this I did not inherit.
10. She is a gifted artist. She drew letter faces on every lunch sack she ever made for me and Melissa, complete with flower hats and the like. I never saw anybody else with such a cute lunch bag. And, it usually had a love note tucked in as well.
Do you feel like you know her even better now? Have a great day and don't forget to pray!

One down, 28 to go♦♦

Mom had her first dance with Chemo on Monday. They arrived at the hospital at 7:45 for check in and then 2 hours of IV hydration. Then on to several hours of one kind of chemo. She was set up with her fanny pack (just like Susan Sarandon in Stepmom) for continuous IV chemo administration which will end on Friday. This is part one of 2 with the chemotherapy.

Today she is having her first radiation appointment. We can expect her skin to feel almost sunburned, but worse. She has some aloe vera and Eucerin to help with this problem.

The pharmacist sent her home with a collection of medication and a spreadsheet to help keep it all straight. I set up her stuff and dad's stuff on the top of the dresser. They have more pills than Carter has pills.

And as for mom, she felt pretty good last night and this morning. She slept very well. We only had a little nausea after taking a new medication but she had another pill to help with that and she is probably loopy as heck right about now, but everything went very well, thank you for all of

And I know that you all have one question weighing heavily on your minds- yes the cat is settling in just fine. In fact, he feels completely at home here; we brought the blankets from their bed, mom and dad are here and Fox news is blaring at about 56 decibels in the room- right at home. And just to show me that he's settling in, he took a leisurely stroll across the breakfast table. He is keeping his mind busy while they're away by spreading a fine layer of hair evenly across the carpet and bed. That Fonzy, always taking care of the details.your prayers.

PS-Yesterday, she woke up in a great mood, she got the 60 something nurse that shares her love of politics, a private room with a TV, and my dad got to stay with her all day- The Lord provides for us! Have a great day and keep on praying!

Hospital, hospital, jiggity, jig...

It is 10:53 pm and my mom is standing on her tiptoes on the edge of something very big and scary. I can't watch a show or finish a conversation because my mind keeps drifting back to her. In about 9 or so hours, she will be starting her day at the hospital to begin receiving chemotherapy. I bet she isn't sleeping very well tonight. I bet my dad isn't either. I bet they held hands and kissed each other before they fell asleep. I am praying that they get some rest. Tomorrow they will arrive here from the hospital, stressed, emotional and drained. My mom will probably go straight to bed. I saved her a vegan coconut cupcake, just in case everything is, miraculously, a breeze tomorrow. I have been very torn between going with them to the hospital or staying home and making a spot for them. In case you didn't know, they will be staying at my house for most of her treatment. I can baby her here. I can baby him here. I can keep the germs out and the thermostat up. I can help her wrap her arm tightly so that she can take a shower. I know that a shower is like therapy for your soul, it's important to uptight gals like me and mom.
I am thinking about you mom. I am thinking about your amazing grace in all of this. I am thinking that people have a bit of confusion on their faces when they see you because you are always smiling and you look beautiful. I am so thankful that my birthday party could be just before all of this. I can't wait for your birthday party. I pray that your nurses will be really funny tomorrow. I pray that there are some Lucy reruns on a TV that you can hear perfectly. I pray that whatever they are serving for lunch is dyn-o-mite. The boys can't wait for their grandma-grandpa sleep over. We will dutifully retrieve your furry little man. And I will take a quick cruise around your house and check for comfies. Just wait until you see this place! It's gonna be like a Hilton in here. And even though it would be so funny, I won't post that picture of you sleeping in the recliner next to Christian just to illustrate what you look like really worn out- it would be so funny though. Tell dad, go back for thirdsies at the cafeteria and that when he gets here, the cribbage is on. And as for you young lady, I've got all kinds of treats and a foot rub waitin' for you.
The rest of you- pray, pray, pray.
ps- isn't, comfies, dyn-o-mite did not pass spell check; Thirdsies (?) totally Kosher with the spell check. Hmm.....

A Yukon Adventure

The Fabulous Miss Janie is at Kaiser this morning with her beloved having a picc line inserted. It is not anything to do with mountain climbing or gold prospecting. It is basically an IV line, just one that is meant to stay in for an extended period of time. She also has some last minute business with the Radiology Department. It all adds up to one whole day of icky hospital, hopefully followed up by an afternoon of running free like teenagers.
Some of you may already know this, but my parents are incredibly hip. My mom and dad have more techy stuff than we do. Dad got his first Blackberry a couple of weeks ago. He can get emails, shopping lists and directions all from the palm of his hand. He is unstoppable. He wants to get one for his beautiful bride this weekend so that she can get email, and (brace yourself) text with the grandkids. He thinks that while she is going through her treatments, this will be a groovy way to stay connected. I think they are both growing umbilical USB cords. I'll update you as to when you can start sending the kitten laced inspirationals directly to her anywhere in the world.
And remember, send a good prayer in our direction!

In the beginning...

The world apparently is conspiring to force me to write a blog. Well, just remember, you asked for it.

If you're reading this, you know that my mom has cancer. More specifically, my mom has esophageal adenocarcinoma. This means that she has a tumor in her esophagus that started in her glandular tissue. Scary stuff.
There are some important things that people who love Jane need to know.
First, this cancer typically has a 5 to 15 percent five year survival rate because by the time symptoms are apparent, the cancer is pretty far along. Typically, the first symptom that people notice is difficulty swallowing meat or bread. Early detection of this cancer is critical. If you have a history of reflux, or any difficulty swallowing, tell your doctor. They can thread a camera right down your nose and check it out- no big thing. Way less work than a colonoscopy.
My mom had her first brush with this in August of 2008 while on vacation. She thought it was probably just a hiatal hernia and didn't immediately go to the doctor. The swallowing began to get worse so she saw the doctor in October who thought it might just be a case of reflux. We prayed and waited for tests to be conducted and reviewed and then got this news. By all accounts, the prognosis did not seem like it was going to be great.
Then, one sunny friday morning, I called mom to check on her. I asked her how she was feeling and she said she felt great. She told me that she had an amazing night of prayer and awoke to calm and peace and wanted to click her heels. I told her I felt the same way and I was so thankful that her spirits were good. We weren't expecting any news until Monday or Tuesday so we figured it would be a tense and long weekend. That afternoon, my phone rang. The doctor called to tell my mom personally that the cancer was just in her esophagus and there was limited
to no lymph node involvement.
God gave us a miracle. God gave us a fighting chance. And we are going to fight people. I will try and keep this up to date so that no one feels like they are out of the loop. I will share with my mom any comments, I'm sure that they will lift her up everyday. We are joyful, not scared. And we are defiant. We are eating vegan in solidarity. We are cleaning with vinegar. We are watching Everybody Loves Raymond. We will be feeding the ducks together. We will be terrorizing Fred Meyer customers with the electric scooter (picture Mr. Toad with a flag on the back). My boys will be making it their personal business to watch Disney videos with her EVERYDAY if that's what's required (they are super commited). We are going to hold her hand and make her laugh and we are going to pray and say "thank you" to our saviour, everyday.
One last thing, we have a rule in our family now. If you start to think about Jane, and worry is making your heart heavy, that's your cue. You need to pray for her and for us and for everybody else who loves her so much. Pray for us to be strong. Pray for healing. Pray for humor. Pray for my dad. We are full up on worriers, but the prayer team can always use a new member.