Hospital Stay #...... We've Lost Count

 This past Sunday Mom was admitted again in UAB.  She had been hurting on and off all last week and by Friday it had gotten pretty bad.  She threw up most of the weekend, but wasn't getting any relief.  Usually with her obstructions she gets some relief when she throws up.

I tried to convince her to go Friday night, but she didn't want to yet.  Bless her! She stood it til Sunday and finally had all she could take.  

By all means it was a #IHATECANCER weekend!

The top picture is one she snapped when she first got in her bed.  This next one is one she sent after the tube was put back in. 

 She had her CT scan yesterday around lunch time.  Yesterday afternoon Dr. Huh came back with the results.  Her CA125 is up to 3600.  It went up 300 from last month.  He was pleased that it had only gone up a few hundred rather than thousands like the month before.  

She does however have pneumonia, a blood clot in her left side, and he said her cancer is worse than it was on her last scan.  It's not as bad as he was thinking it may be (because of her levels), but yet still worse than the last scan.  He still has high hopes for this chemo to work.  We really need for her tumor nodules on her intestines to go down or better yet... away.  That would help prevent these obstructions from happening monthly.  

She is on a good bit of pain medicine & she is getting 4 shots of blood thinner a day in her stomach. Hopefully the blood clot will go away.  We are so very thankful that Dr. Huh decided to do the CT Scan because without it we wouldn't have known about the blood clot.  Even though these days are the toughest days of our lives thus far (And by our I am referring to our whole family), I can still see God at work.  He knew she needed that scan so we would know there was a clot.  Wouldn't it be a heck of a note to fight this long and then end the battle with a blood clot?  

Side note.... mom & I were just talking about that... how so many people battle things and then end up losing to something not even related to their battle.  Even like a car wreck or something.  

She'll be here a little while longer.  We're not sure if she'll be able to get chemo before she leaves or not.  He said that was up in the air right now.  She needs to be well before chemo.  

He is trying really hard to avoid surgery.  Opening her up puts the cancer at risk for spreading, plus it takes weeks to recovery from the surgery he would have to do on her intestines.  

Watching what she goes through daily is pretty tough.  I cannot imagine being in her shoes and feeling the physical AND emotional pain that she feels constantly.  She is so brave and so strong and is constantly being positive for all of us.  

Please keep praying!

This was last night when she was face-timing us.  I couldn't get one of her face-timing with the other 2.

Sophie's Mouth Surgery

 Poor Sophie has had not so good teeth from the beginning.  Not really an explanation, just not very strong.  Heidi has never had a cavity and Karter has had cavities, but nothing like Sophie's.  She has always kept cavities.... and it was just steadily getting worse.  

We have been to NUMEROUS dental specialists this year and majority told us she needed too much work for them to be able to do it.  

We finally were referred to one that could do it.  HALLELUJAH!  

I took her to see her in..... I think Sept or Oct (I don't remember our first consult date).  She said she needed 10 total crowns.  :-(..... So we scheduled her first surgery date as this past Wednesday.  

I must add that back this summer one of Sophie's 12 year molar's had broken off.... twice.... it looked terrible.  Just like it rotted off.  I then took her to a specialist in Montgomery and they had told me they could operate and then ended up canceling on us (without notifying us).  

About 5 weeks ago now, she bumped her two front teeth and caused them to be knocked loose.  According to her MANY xrays, those two teeth were not coming out any time soon (Karter is 6 (1st grade) & still hasn't lost any.... Heidi lost several in Kindergarten).  One of the ones that were now loose looked abscessed and was wiggling more in the gums than the actual tooth.  Once again we went to the dentist to get them checked out.  He gave her some medicine to hopefully stop it from becoming an abscess.

 Then last week another one of her big girl molar's chipped off..... (the dark spot you see in the picture)......

 ..... and then this past weekend she got another abscess and was put back on an antibiotic.....

 ..... her abscess got better and Wednesday we headed to Dothan for surgery.  Surprisingly she was excited for two reasons: (1) Losing teeth before Karter and (2) she is very excited about having a mouth full of silver teeth.

 At first when she heard she was getting crowns, she wanted to know if they would put a crown on her head.  :)!  So Mom made her this super cute shirt to wear......

Everyone at the dentist office loved her shirt and one of the employees took her (while I paid.... for the 2nd time) & her Daddy to show the dentist and get her picture made with her.  Sophie wouldn't take one without Kyle.

I am that Mom that recorded her as she was getting "loopy".  She was sitting in her Daddy's lap, so it was easy for me to do.  And she has enjoyed watching and laughing at them.

They took us to a room with toys and she had two different "drink sessions".  The first one she took she could still play after taking it and the second was stronger and she had to stay seated.  It made her VERY drowsy.

Most of you that know Sophie know that she is not one to just go off with a stranger.  When the sweet girl came to get her with the wheel chair to carry her back, she gladly went and I just laugh at this picture because she is so chilled back.... see her little arms folded over the sides.... you can tell she is leaned back and chillin'.  

 They ended up pulling 3 teeth and doing 2 partial root canals and 2 crowns. Her little mouth was so swollen when she got out and bleeding.....

 I ended up crawling in the very back with her, buckling her up and letting her lay in my lap. She slept the whole way home......

 ...... and ended up bleeding on me and the pillow......

 While we were on the way to Dothan to take Sophie, the school nurse called and said she was pretty sure Karter had strep throat.  Thankfully Dad was able to pick him up from school and take him to the doctor and sure enough he tested positive.  Thankfully he hadn't ran fever (well except one time it got to 100, but that was the highest), so he was able to go back to school today.  

He and Dad were at our house waiting when we got back.  Karter could hardly wait to see in Sophie's mouth.

We had 1 baby post surgery and 1 baby with a sore throat.

Heidi did a snaggle tooth selfie with her :)!

She wanted a picture of her snaggle tooth self after her shower.

 The 3rd tooth they pulled was the rest of the 12 year molar that was still hanging on.  Look how nasty the hole looks......

We were planned to go back next week for the rest of her procedures, but they called me yesterday and unfortunately Sophie has maxed out our dental insurance this year with our MANY dental trips.  So if we don't want to pay it all out of pocket then we have to wait until January.  So January it is.  We are already paying a butt load out of pocket, so I don't even want to imagine what it is like without insurance.  

She started 2015 off by breaking her foot and ended it by having dental work.  What a year for her!

Thanksgiving 2015

"Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, His love endures forever"

 Psalm 107:1

 We had a wonderful Thanksgiving WEEK!  The kiddos were out all week and I so enjoyed being "schedule" free so to speak. 

Before school got out, Soph had a Thanksgiving program.  It really was so cute.  They all did such a good job.

1st grade was able to watch the program.  I loved watching Karter smile at Sophie as she sang.

 We celebrated Thanksgiving with Kyle's family the Sunday before Thanksgiving.  Thanksgiving day we had 2 of my families and then this past Saturday we had a 3rd for my family.  

Kyle requested a key lime cake and my little chef.... Sophie..... loves to help me in the kitchen.  She helped me make the cake and then we were doing the icing.... I put the powder sugar in and said, "Don't turn it on high".... HAHA!!!  You guessed it..... she turned it on high..... powdered sugar EVERYWHERE!

 Sadly, Kyle said Karter is too big (boo hoo) to wear a pumpkin shirt. 

 He is all boy.  He packed his footballs so that the boys could play.

 Thanksgiving evening we went to my Aunt Becky's for the Messer gathering :)! 

Love these 3!

A lot to be thankful for this Thanksgiving!

 Just for fun.... here are some pictures from past Thanksgivings.  I have a love hate relationship with Timehop.  I love looking at old pictures, but I hate how fast time is going by.

What Does Your Hair Say About YOU?

 I am sure that YOU just like me have never really thought much about what your hair really says about you?

I got to thinking about it now that Mom is bald for the second time.  She has zero hair and is just as beautiful.  All those years of her worrying about her hair, not wanting one single strand out of place... never really mattered.  She'll often say that she wishes she would have let the windows in the car down more or let us play with it when we would try.  When I was little I had to have mine perfect.  I didn't like bumps.  Now a days, I just do my best :-)!

Ever wondered what you would look like bald?  Would your smile still shine? Would people still see you as YOU and not just a baldy?  We focus so much on our looks and our hair style when all that matters is what's on the inside.  I have told Mom I was going to shave my head so that we could be twins, but she has begged me not to.

 

 I love that quote.  I know SEVERAL people that have really nasty attitudes.  They rarely smile and their behavior and actions are not very kind.  I don't want people to say those things about me.  We need to live each and every day like it is our last and always strive to put a smile on someone's face.

We need to let our hair blow in the wind.

Mom wanted a new wig this time, so she and Tyler spent several hours in the wig store trying on different ones and playing with them.  To me it just shows you that no matter what your hair looks like, your inner beauty still shines outwardly. 

This was her wig from the 1st time. 

Some of my friends' husbands are very opinionated about their hair.  Sometimes I wish Kyle was, but he just always tells me I am beautiful no matter what my hair style is.  To me that helps me to be more of myself.  I don't feel like I have to keep it a certain way just to make him attracted to me.  He loves me for me and not because of how my hair is.  

So what does your hair say about you?

- Are you fun and adventurous and like to try new things (cough cough Kayla)?

- Do you mostly wear your hair in one style..... all the time?

- Do you like it short? Long?

- Do you try different colors? Cuts?

* Just remember, one day you may not have any hair.  Don't let it define who you are.