Happy Halloween

We had a fun Halloween weekend!

Friday Britney picked me up and we took the kids to Derek's work.  They had a Halloween Carnival and trick or treating.  Derek loved seeing his niece and nephew and they enjoyed playing the games.

Saturday we went to the movie " Sorcerer's Apprentice" We all enjoyed the show and would recommend it.

Sunday we had Britney's  family and Cameron and Kristi over for dinner.  We watched the Jazz beat Oklahoma City! 

We had a fun Halloween Weekend!

A Night to Remember

Two weeeks ago, Alden finished all his paperwork for his  mission.  They were submitted the day before my surgery.  Alden has done this without me pushing him.  He asked me to sign some paperwork and make his medical appointment.  I asked if he wanted me to review the answers to his questions but he felt confident with them.

We figured it would be two weeks to recieve his call.  I put mail in the mailbox today so that I could watch for the flag to go down.  At three o'clock the flag was down.  I calmly went to the mailbox and found the big white envelope address to "Elder Alden Hyde".  I sat it on the piano and sent a text to everyone that it had come.

Alden had spent the night deer hunting with his friends so he was not home yet.  We made arrangements to open it at 7pm.    Here is a video of how it all happened.

I am so pleased with the decision that Alden has made to serve the Lord on a mission.  Austraila, Adelaide will be blessed to have such a great young man serve them.

My Two Right Arms

I am not able to use my right arm, but  I do have two really strong right arms.  Derek and Alden have really stepped up and don't mind doing extra to help me out.  For example:  One day they got up early and canned tomatoes,  they have swept the floor, cleaned out the dishwasher, washed dishes, laundry and helped me do my daily arm exercises.  Derek is already gearing up to make the traditional holiday candy.

I don't know what I would do if they weren't around.  I would be a mess without Shane also.  He has done so much for me.  He has been working really hard all day long.

I am so grateful for my boys.

My Sister

A sister is a gift to the heart,
a friend to the spirit,
a golden thread to the meaning of life.
Isadora James

Tammy, my sister, came to visit from Wyoming.  She stayed Sunday night and had an appointment Monday afternoon before going back home.  It was fun to visit with her.

She also did a lot for me.  She cleaned the Sunday dishes.  She cut fabric for one of my projects.   She took me to the craft store. She lifted my spirits.  I am grateful for my sisters!

Fabulous Friday

My fabulous Friday was spent with my fantastic friend Gwen.   I met Gwen through the Internet when our son Derek received his mission call to Peru two and a half years ago.   I signed up on this website LDS Missionary Moms to connect with other moms who had sons in Peru.  Immediately  I heard from Gwen and Bonnie.  We met for lunch where I was able to listen to them talk with complete excitement about their missionaries.  I loved being able to ask them questions and get help with what I needed to do to prepare for Derek's mission.  I have learned so much from these ladies and we will be forever friends.

Gwen quickly offered to come help me with whatever I needed.  I had started a project this summer that I am going to have a difficult time finishing.   Gwen jumped in with both hands at the sewing machine!

Later she picked up some Chinese food for lunch.  This is my fortune from my cookie, it couldn't be more true.

      "Good things come to those who wait.  Be Patient."

Shane's parents, Doyle and Hazel came by to visit today on their way to Logan.  They were surprised to see me up and moving around.  I am feeling really well,  I just can't do anything with my right arm.

One Week Down

It has been one week since Surgery, five more weeks until I see the doctor and hope to get out of the brace.
Today was a fantastic day.  My friend Kathy came over to sweep and vacuum my floors.  The best part of her visit was when she pulled out her guitar.  My spirit was lifted as she played and sang.  What a beautiful talent!

As Kathy left, Brianna came and we visited for a couple of hours  We walk to the garden and she picked tomatoes and peppers to take home.  The weather is  warm and there are still a lot of tomatoes.

In the evening Elaine brought over dinner and we  got to visit awhile.  I am grateful for the wonderful friends that have fed us this week!  Michelle, Carla, Jill, Natalie you are all wonderful cooks.  Thank you for blessing our lives.

How Do You Keep a Good Woman Down?

For me, I have to be strapped.  Here is a look at my brace/sling.

Twice a day we take it off to do exercises.  The exercise work out my wrist and elbow.  I also feel it in my bicep and triceps.

We changed the dressing and this is what is underneath it.

Another war wound in this battle to join the other scars.  (hysterectomy, left thoracotomy, port a cath, right thorocotomy.  and many RFA sites)

Cute Kids at the Corn Maze

All the kids went to the corn maze on Saturday.  I didn't miss much because they brought me these pictures.

My First Full Day at Home Sunday October 17, 2010

I have had  a wonderful first full day at home.  My pain was very manageable with Ibuprofen.

Shane made dinner for 13 of us.  Chantel and her kids, Britney's family, my nephew, Cameron and his wife, our boys and us.  The company was great, the food was fabulous!  Joe made his traditional Sunday night cookies and we watched "How to Train Your Dragon".

It was a fun day.

Shane and the gradkids looking at a book of pictures from our Disneyland trip.

I am a hard stick.

Which means that my veins will do anything to avoid being stuck by a needle!  They roll, move, disappear and then if they are found the person with the needle ends up blowing the vein.  As a result my left arm looks worse than my right arm.

Luckily I have a port a cath in the left side of my chest that connects to an artery.  This gives direct access to a vein.  Before surgery they started an iv through my port.  After they put me out they accessed an artery in my wrist and put in a catheter for monitoring my blood pressure and oxygen level.  They also put another iv in the top of my left hand. 
The bruise at my wrist is from the access of the artery.

The bruise by my elbow is from a blood draw before surgery. 
The bruise in the middle is from a failed blood draw on Thursday morning.  He was able to get blood from my hand in between my thumb and pointer finger.  (no bruise)

Friday morning when they want more blood, my awesome nurse Janis tried to get some from my port and my iv.  This did not work, I tried to convince them that I did not have blood.  The person taking the blood pulled up a chair and took her time to find a vein.  She got one right above the last successful stick.  This blood sample showed that my red blood counts were low and I received two units of donor blood.

Saturday morning was the last blood draw.  I was not looking forward to it.  The guy came in and started preparing things.  I asked if he was using his smallest needle.  He did.  I told him to pull up a chair.  He did.  He looked and felt all over my arm.  I showed him were the last two successful sticks were.  He did do it right above the last draw. 
No more blood draws for a while.

My Surgery October 13, 2010

We arrived at the Huntsman Hospital at 7 am.  We checked in on the third floor and they took us right back to a room. I changed into a gown and they took care of my belongings.  They got me a pretty pink bracelet with my name on it and  started an iv by accessing my port, so far pain free.

We met the anesthesiologist team.  They explained what hey would do.   They promised to not leave my side and take good care of me. We met the surgery nurse, she would call Shane and give him updates.  Dr Randall's team came in, he greeted me by calling me beautiful.  H e looked at my arm, noticing the protruding tumor and said, " we will not miss this one."  He marked an X on my arm.  H explained what He would do. They gave me a drug through the iv and I don't remember anything else.  Shane says that I got goofy.  I asked if we were on time as they wheeled me out, it was 8:36, just a few minutes behind.

It was just after two o'clock that I woke up in the recovery room.  I was not in a lot of pain.  I was breathing well. My arm was in a sling that holds it close to my body and does not allow the new bone to move away from the shoulder joint.  They came in and took X rays.  That was my first challenge, He removed my arm from the sling and slide the big screen under my back. I had to hold it in position while he took the x-ray.

The anesthesia team came in and gave me a nerve block.  They used ultrasound to find the nerves to my arm.  they inserted a catheter into the area and attached a baby bottle to the end of it. In side what looked like a baby bottle was a balloon filled with medication that would numb my nerves.  This nerve block was a life saver for me.  I felt very little pain and did not have to take narcotics.  By four o'clock I was taken to my room where I was joined by Shane and Britney. 

Later Dr Randall came in, again calling me beautiful.  H explained that the surgery went well.  They were not able to get all of the tumor out because of how involved it was with the muscle, blood vessels and nerve.  I ask how much he thought he got.  He explained about 98 to 99 percent but by not having wide margins it will require follow up treatment of radiation and chemotherapy.   He asked if I had a post op x-ray and if they took me out of the sling.  He was very upset that they had moved my arm.  He has lectured on the reasons they cannot do that.  He ordered another x-ray to be sure that the new bone had not been moved out of position.   I love Dr Randall for his passion and that he calls me beautiful,  He has given me quality of life!

Hospital Update

Theresa is doing well.  They took her nerve block (pain killer that was directly in her shoulder) out and she is feeling good.  She is on ibuprofen alone and feels fine.  She was released from the hospital this afternoon and made it home.  She enjoyed having lots of visitors while she was in the hospital including her grand kids.  More pictures to come:

Another Update

Theresa is in her room now.  Recovery went well and she was able to get a pain block directly in her shoulder.  She says she is feeling great because there is no longer the lingering pain she has felt for months and months.  My dad spoke to the surgeon for just a moment and learned that the tumor had surrounded muscles, tendons, and blood vessels which made it impractical to remove all of the tumor.  The surgeon felt confident that enough had been removed to stop the pain and improve the function of her arm. They will be following up with the doctors to plan further treatments. 

Surgery Update

Hi! This is Theresa's daugther, Britney.  I just got word that my mom is finished with surgery and in recovery.  My dad hasn't seen her yet it will probably be an hour or so.  It sounds like things went as planned just took quite a bit longer than expected. (about 5 1/2 hours).   I will add more updates as I receive them!

Surprise!

Some of my dearest friends gathered tonight to give me a big hug and encouragement for tomorrow.  I have the ultimate support group.  We shared good memories, ate yummy food, had many hugs and words of encouragement.  I love you all.  Thank you for taking time for me.

I am excited to read your notes and use my rest and relaxing gifts.  I can't say thank you enough.  I am so blessed. 

 I am grateful for you all.

Nice surprises that have come to my door.

Wonderful gifts, from my awesome friends.

October 12 2010 What Do You Do the Day Before Surgery?

In my mind I am cleaning my house, making sure all the bills are paid, putting together a bag, water the plants, and the list goes on.  My body is telling me it doesn't want to do anything.  So I visit!  I have had wonderful, dear friends call me on the phone, drop by with flowers, stop over to make preparations to help and visit about our friendship and love.   Others are texting and emailing  their thoughts and prayers for me.

THANK YOU ALL for your love, prayers and help.

I have received the call to schedule my time tomorrow.  We will be at the Huntsman by 7 am.  The surgery will begin around 8:30 am.   It will be a couple of hours long.  I will be in the hospital for a few days.

Thank you for your continuing faith, prayers, love and concern for me and our family.

This is a picture of the tumor protruding forward.  The bruises are from the biopsy.

September 17 2010 ^^^^^ Let's Go See the Doctor

After the MRI I expected to have to wait until Monday’s appointment with the Orthopedic Surgeon to hear the results.
However, we received a call from the doctor on a Friday afternoon.  She said, "Theresa, could you come down to my office.  I need to talk to you about the results of your MRI."  I replied, "Yes, I will bring my husband."  She responded with, “Yes, that will be good."   You know from that conversation that it is not going to be good.  My primary care doctor is very compassionate and caring towards me.  She was very sorry to tell us that the cancer was in the humorous bone and muscles around it.  The best thing she could do for me until I could see the doctors at Huntsman would be to give me pain pills.  I told her I hated taking them because I do not want to get hooked on them.  Her response was startling to us.  At this point, we are not concerned about you becoming addicted.  Wow reality has a way of slapping you in the face!
The doctor's office said that they would cancel the appointment on Monday and would set up the appointment at Huntsman for us.

September 16 2010 ** MRI

Thursday was a busy day.  Tammy and I flew in from California at 10 am.  When we arrived home we picked tomatoes for Tammy and got her on her way home to Wyoming.

This afternoon I went for my MRI.  They put a brace type thing on my shoulder, laid me flat on the table and strapped me in.  I asked how long it would take.  She said 30 to 40 minutes.  I was given a headset with the radio station FM 100 playing.  I was given a ball to hold onto, if  I needed to stop I could squeeze the ball.

I figured that if each song was about 3 minutes I would need to listen to 10 songs.  After about three songs I began to feel great pain in my shoulder.  The pain radiated down to my hand.  Finally five songs had played, half way through.  Oh the pain is horrible, I try to think of other things,  I wiggle my toes.  I realize that my shins hurt from all the walking that Tammy and I did in California.  I stretch my shins to take my mind off the pain in my arm.  Seven songs and then it goes to commercials.  How do I figure this out  now?  I start listening to the machine, knowing that it is still working and making alot of noise.  More songs,  I am going to make it!

I hear the machine stop and begin thinking, is someone going to come save me?  What is taking so long?  I can't wait any longer SOO I squeeze the ball.  Help, get me out of here.  She couldn't have come fast enough.  I was relieved to be able to sit up and stretch, however the pain was radiating through my shoulder up my neck and through my head.   I hope to not have to do that again for a really long time.

Now waiting for the results....

September 14 2010 ++ As if LMS is not enough....

So BERKLEY here we come. The University of Berkley has a camera that they use to take pictures of the retina. They are able to take each section of the eye and take detailed pictures of it. We were chosen to have picture of our eyes taken. They flew us in on Tuesday September 14th.

We stayed at the Hotel Durant. It took us back to the 70s. We knew it as week walked into the room. The decor was of a dorm room. Above the toilet was a picture of two people streaking! The do not disturb sign was a plastic sock hanging on the knob. The picture in the bedroom was of the movie "The Graduate" with Dustin Hoffman. The base of the lamp is a bong. Of course, I would not have understood most of it without my sister pointing it out. How did we live such different lives? I am so naive.

                                                                                  

                                                                                                  

We spent most of our day at the University. At five o'clock we were finished and we walked down to the BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) and took it into San Francisco. Wow what an experience. When we got there we waited in a long line to get on the street car.

We took that to HYDE Street and Ghirardelli square and the pier. It was fun to see the steep streets of SF. The sights and sounds were wonderful. Some times I was afraid we would make it up to the top. At the bottom I wondered if we would stop. One time we almost ran over a car that got in the way. We had to stop and back down the hill so that we could get a new start up the hill.

When we got to the pier it was cold. It was starting to get dark. We did not have anywhere that we really wanted to go. So we got back into the long line to go back to Berkley. We had not gone back to our hotel room before leaving so we did not have our jackets with us. As the sun went down it got really cold. We were the only one is line that were in short sleeved shirts, shorts and sandals. My sister saved me by running across the street and buying us sweatshirts. The trip back was much warmer, especially with the warm caramel apple cider from Starbucks.

When we got back to Berkley, Tammy wanted to get a taxi. I though we could walk. It was a LITTLE scary. My poor sis had a hard time keeping up with my very fast pace. I know she was thinking I was crazy for not getting the taxi.

We had a great time together for this short time!

September 2010 WHAT A JAM PACKED MONTH--HERE IS HOW IT BEGAN

Pain** The pain in my shoulder has continued. I am at the point that Ibuprofen 600 is not working. Am I wimp? Finally I decide to make an appointment with my primary care physician. My excuse, the arm is still bothering me, I need to get refills on other meds, and I should get a flu shot. This seems like enough reasons to give the receptionist when she asks why I am coming to see the doctor.

September 9th just before noon I see the Dr. She asks where the pain is and how well I can move my arm. She pushed near the shoulder and asked if it hurt there. YES it does! She decides that I should have an MRI and an appointment with an orthopedic surgeon. The surgeon could decide if it is something that a shot would take care of or if it needed more.

Shane surprised me at this visit. He was able to leave work at lunch time to come check on me. What a great man! He also got a flu shot while he was there.

I left with refills, flu shot a MRI appointment (Sept 16), and Orthopedic surgeon appointment (Sept 20).