Happy Sunday! Earlier this week I had another God Wink. I am able to start driving again after about a week after treatment. When I started driving this week, I soon realized that the seatbelt lands directly over my port. I told Sally here, "I think I need to get a seat belt cushion to cover my port." Fast forward 4 hours later. I was picking up Allie from school and another mom Holly, comes up to me and says she has a friend that works for the American Cancer Society. Holly told her about my situation and that I got a port...this lady sent me a cushion for my port (even has tropical fish on it). Allie brought it home in her backpack the next day with a handful of other resources. Sometimes God makes it really hard to deny His provision. I didn't ask Him for a cushion, who would really?! It just goes to show us how much He cares for us, even our smallest need. Thank you Holly for reaching out for me. I'm thankful for this blog. I'm thankful for all of you reading it. I hope you see God winking at you this week. Daniel and his Wizard Before school Rainbow
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Rainbow alert. In the front yard. I really needed it. Monday was really difficult, and Tuesday was slightly better. After 2 rounds we see a pattern of the days following chemo being "ok" then Sunday is really good. Then Monday my WBC start to drop and my body really feels it. It happened both Mondays post chemo. I'm so thankful for today, it has been so good. I'm thankful for tomorrow. Please be thankful for today. I found myself grateful this week when I wiped the kitchen table and got Daniel dressed. So much is taken for granted. I was inspired this week reading my bible study, John 10:10 Jesus said, "...I have come that they may have life and have it abundantly." He came and died for us not just have life but have an abundant one...go out and celebrate it!
What I Know God is good Daniel substitutes "W" for "L" when he talks...so when Mike caught him a lizard he shouted "Wook mommy a wizard!!" What I don't Know When I will use a ponytail tie again Where to begin when the medical assistant asks, "Are you taking any medication?" Why Daniel cried today at lunch, something to do with his sandwich and fork #itshardbeingtwo What made today normal It's raining Praise Fever free this week Energy has increased today I made dinner last night, paninis #masterchef Prayer Requests Prayers against infection and sickness Prayers for continued stomach healing, not nearling as bad as round 1 but not gone Prayers for sleep thru the night (I am constantly dreaming and waking up) Prayers for the port to continue to heal Shout Out Summer for dinner gift card Hamlin family for the soup bread and freezer meals Hannah for soup/brownies Janelle for doing our laundry each week Donna W for Thursday carpool Aloha Thank you for your continued prayers, can't get by without them. Much Aloha~Nikki I am slowly coming out of zombie mode...so today's post is short and sweet
What I Know God is good Yesterday was difficult (nauseous, foggy/dizzy head, exhausted) Today is better with those symptoms. I am looking forward to eating a cheeseburger this weekend What I don't Know Why my arm and leg hair isn't falling out What made today normal Daniel played with the hose and got soaked Praise No fevers thus far this week Stomach troubles are very little this week We all went to the beach last night I was able to take a shower this morning Prayer Requests Prayers against infection and sickness Prayers for some increased energy Prayers for continued no fevers Prayers for sleep thru the night (I am waking up and unable to go back to sleep) Prayers for our Allie as she is struggling with my hair loss Shout Out Shara for the soup and cornbread Sheila for the Costco run Aloha Thank you for your continued prayers, can't get by without them. Much Aloha~Nikki We started out our day at the hospital again. This time it was all 4 of us for a program called "Oncology on Canvas." Patients, survivors and families are urged to come and then given painting and canvas materials to paint their story. I didn't really come with a vision in mind but low and behold one came. It all started with a green bump you see...then now is turning into blues and purples as the healing begins. Each brush stroke representing all your prayers (aka my light bulbs) turning on all over the world. Beauty from ashes. It was nice to see how it came out in a painting. I want to thank you all for the marks you have made towards my healing.
What I Know God is good Painting event was a nice way to start the day Daniel and I had haircuts yesterday, my hair is officially falling out. There were a few days there were we thought we mad a monumentous mistake cutting my hair early! Whether allowing the kids to have a slumber party on Daniel's bedroom floor is a good idea #lotsofgiggliing What I don't Know What happens to mosquitoes if they bite me with chemo still in me What made today normal BLT sandwiches for dinner #laurasidea Praise Port procedure went well (hardest part was fasting) Less pain than yesterday Prayer Requests Prayers against infection and sickness Prayers for some energy (the nausea medicine that helps the most wipes me out) Prayers for no fevers this round Prayers for no stomach complications/heartburn this round Prayers for sleep thru the night (I am waking up and unable to go back to sleep) Prayers for strength and patience for Mike and the kids Prayers for safe travels for Laura/Lucy as they head home tomorrow and Mike's mom Sally arrives tomorrow Shout Out Ginny for the pork dinner Laura, Adam and Lucy for your constant help, encouragement and support these last 2 weeks, we are so grateful! Aloha Thanks for your prayers, comments and encouragement, I read and cherish each one. Much aloha~ Nikki Mikey here.... what do these three have in common? They are all places in which, regardless of your race, religion, economic status, you are force to go at some point in your life. In these institutions you will find every demographic possible and get the opportunity to have a snapshot into their culture and lifestyle. But of the three, the hospital is unique in that people from every tribe and tongue are forced to go there because of some illness that they have. Their busy lives and "important" chores are all put on hold until the situation is resolved. For some this means no outdoor activities for a while, for others, cutting back on work--- just depends on what demographic they come from. However, the largest difference amongst the population, particularly at the cancer center, is not something you can necessarily see from how people dress or what car they drive but rather it something internal. Hope. Some folks have it and others do not. Being at a hospital creates this realization, people are more apt and willing to drop their external facades and be real. We've been blessed to be able to exchange our story with them and hear what they are dealing with. This vulnerability has drawn me to an important realization that there are really the only two categories of people in our world, those with hope and those without.....all other differences are superficial. Is your hope based on something eternal?
Nikki's second round of chemo went well. The medical crew was superb once again, tweaked her medication a bit and she was visibly better than last round. Still tired (who wouldnt be!) and slightly nauseous but overall in good spirits. Thursday Nikki goes in for a short procedure to insert a "port" which is a subcutaneous device placed near the clavicle to allow for easy IV access--- this means no more arm pokes! The only downside is Nikki had to fast 8 hours prior to the procedure so I woke her up at 430 am to put some food in her. What I Know God is good Round 2 of 4 complete for the first cycle This week started off with a giant rainbow, what a great sign Thursday Nikki will have a port procedure What You Can Do for Me Today Ask someone "how they are doing" after they answer "fine" ask them, "but how are you really doing" (and mean it) What made today normal When a patient at the cancer center was asked if she wanted a lemon cake desert she replied "No, my butt is big enough" ...had to be there Praise Much better response to chemo- good sleep and able to have conversations Prayer Requests Pray for port procedure Prayers against infection of any kind Prayers against sickness Prayers for no fevers this round Prayers for no stomach complications/heartburn this round Prayers for sleep thru the night (sometimes I am waking up and unable to go back to sleep) Prayers for strength and patience for Mike and the kids Prayers for safe travels for Laura/Lucy as they head home Sunday and Mike's mom Sally arrives Sunday Shout Out Taylor for the soup--- delicious and gave me energy Aloha IThanks for your continue prayers Round 2 is tomorrow (Wednesday 4/19). I feel like we will name the 1st round "learning curve." This time I am not nearly as anxious going in as last time. I met with Dr. B yesterday and he suggested adjusting the chemo dose in hopes of avoiding the fevers this time. Sounded good to me. Also, i am going to eat differently and tweak my medications in hopes of healing and cleaning my stomach this time. As I am not anxious this time, I am not looking forward to starting over again. A friend asked me today what verse has been helping me, my answer was Dueteronomy 31: 8. "The Lord goes before you..." Sometimes all I can get out is "Go Before Me." I've noticed some people are hestitant to share their trials and burdens with me now because compared to cancer it seems "like nothing." Trials are trials and valleys are valleys. Whatever your burden is this week, ask HIM to go ahead of you. I am.
What I Know God is good Having Laura and Lucy (Adam too) here has been a blessing Unfortunately I am cleared to change Daniel's diapers. Mike is happy. What You Can Do for Me Today Take Facebook off your phone for a week and see what a difference it makes What made today normal Daniel cried for 20 min because he could not have a 3rd cereal refill #honeynutcheerios Lucy got hiccups when I made her laugh Praise Easter was a blessed day from start to finish, I will cherish this and hold onto it I was blessed my my MOMtime mamas today Prayer Requests Prayers against infection of any kind Prayers against sickness Prayers for no fevers this round Prayers for no stomach complications/heartburn this round Prayers for sleep thru the night (sometimes I am waking up and unable to go back to sleep) Prayers for strength and patience for Mike and the kids Prayers for safe travels for Laura/Lucy as they head home Sunday and Mike's mom Sally arrives Sunday Shout Out Katelyn M for spaghetti dinner Cat for the 'wig care' notes Aloha I'll write again as soon as I can~ much aloha....Nikki Sonrise service at the beach, out for breakfast, dinner with friends... feeling so blessed. He is Risen!
Well Ta Da...today was hair cutting day! It still hasn't fallen out but I decided to donate it which means the hair has to be cut in a ponytail. Here are pictures of the event. Allie and I both had our hard moments during but having the wig and hats on the way make all the difference. Shout Out Schlenz and Relyea family for wonderful homemade care package Kimi C for care package, love the ginger chews! Jodi and girls for beautiful artwork Aloha Happy Easter, much aloha....Nikki Introducing my brunette self!
I got a wig today. My hair hasn't started to fall out yet but as Mike and I are over planners we thought we'd get ahead of it. The original place we had been told to go we found out last minute was now permanantly closed. So a quick google search landed us at Shangri La Hairstyles. Yup that's right. The front entrance of the store said "Wigs" and had 3-4 neon colored wigs in the window. Yikes. Upon entering the small shop there were hundreds of manikin heads with every wig hair color, cut and style you could possibly imagine. One might think this would be overwhelming, but as there are 100s to choose from there are also 100s to rule out. Angie is the shop owner and she could have not been more kind and helpful. She selected two wigs and the first one was well ummm...the right color? Think Charlie's Angels hair. I knew immediately it wasn't right. Mike was very good at holding back his laughter. The 2nd one was it. It is darker than my hair but not by a lot. It has highlights in it. So it kind of looks like I got my hair styled and colored. Angie showed me how to put it on and take care of it. It was a really nice experience. I feel more confident now that I have it when I start to lose my hair. Stay tuned for the 'great' reveal photos coming soon.
What I Know God is good My wig is made out of real human hair Daniel is heavy What I don't know What my WBC (white blood count) is. I spent most of Tuesday and half of yesterday checking on my WBC. Tuesday they were low and yesterday they were lower. I was almost admitted to the hospital because of this combined with the fevers. It is common for the body to react with fevers when your WBC is low. I never had an infection but had to go on anti-biotics to prevent one. So I will go back in tomorrow to get them checked again, if they rise then I can stop the antibiotic. That would be nice. What made today normal I drove carpool Praise I have been fever free for over 24 hours Thank you for your prayers for more energy, they are working Prayer Requests Prayers against infection/sickness Prayers for my WBC to rise The past 2 days I have been having trouble with digestion, please pray for healing. Also prayers for a better plan going forward to manage this side effect. Shout Out Mike for managing all my persciptions Julia R for lentil dinner and flowers Janelle W for doing our laundry Heather for care package Erin C for gift card to dinner Aloha Thank you all for praying for my specific prayer requests. I really really appreciate it and feel them being answered. Much aloha~Nikki Well its me again. I have come out of "zombie" mode for now PTL and am able to write tonight. The last week has been full of ups and downs. Last night I started with a low fever and was on the phone with the 'on call' nurse Jacqui several times hoping to avoid a trip to the ER. If I get a fever at any time during chemo over 100.4. I have to call because they have to rule out any kind of infection. God gave us a good night's sleep and then we spend most of today at the hospital doing labs and checks etc. I don't have an infection. But I am still taking antibiotics for now to prevent one. One thing they have to check is a chest X-ray. So I wheeled me and my IV cart down to radiology and was asked back by a young man named Kennedy. He asked me if I had been doing chemo long, and when I said, "No I just started" he said "it's ok you'll get through it, I was there about six months. Breast cancer." (Insert wide eyed emoji). Then he left and we never saw him again because another man called me back for the X-ray. Mike calls those moments "God Winks." When God sends an angel or situation to tell you He's got this. It was nice to have that today, a rainbow in disguise.
What I Know God is good Chicken noodle soup tastes like Thanksgiving dinner during chemo I don't have a fever right now Older man 'George' in chemo corner today was blasting his "oldies" music whether you wanted to hear it or not Hammocks in Hawaii are nice What I don't know Why I have negative reactions to some medications #nauseamedsmademenauseous Why Tripler has the worst parking I have ever seen at a hospital, people are making up their own parking spaces! What made today normal Allie can't lay still long enough to fall asleep Praise We have a awesome 24/7 nurse to call for help at anytime I can eat and am getting in good water everyday Prayer Requests Prayers against infection of any kind Prayers for better tolerance of medications Prayers for no more fevers Prayers against sickness Prayers for nausea and heartburn to decrease Prayers for energy to increase Prayers for emotional health as the days seem very long which makes it seem like Chemo will never end Shout Out Andrea R and Rachel for dinner Aloha Thank you all for reaching out to me the last few days. Many of you with long prayers and encouragements. Sometimes all I can get out is thank you, but really it means so much more than that. But still I want to say thank you. Much aloha~Nikki |
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