Home!

Little Rock was solid fog thick enough to walk on this morning! Fortunately, it improved and we were able to depart IFR (Instrument Flight Rules) and fly in weather most of the way back to Peachtree City. Over Mississippi we had a clear spell, then back into the clouds.

Here are a few pix of my passenger and several barges on the big river!

After we got home, Deb wanted a bowl of chili and a grilled cheeses sandwich from her favorite little food shop.

Friday morning-still in Arkansas

Our 2 pm Thursday appointment was planned so that we could be loaded and off to Georgia by 4 pm. What's that about plans of mice and men?

We had a good visit with classmates Pat and Patty. 

We stayed at the doctor's until after 6 pm. Bottom line: we got a good report! PTL! So, back in another 3 months.

Dr Nair changed some of the chemo to improve Deb's daily life. Of course, new meds come with their own issues.

So, we are waiting here for the fog to lift before starting home in Gracie. As usual, you can follow our flight home at www.flightaware.com   , enter N353RV

Adventures of the Day

Last night I treated Deb to a good supper at her favorite Brazilian restaurant. While we were dining, a couple was walking down the sidewalk. They stopped just outside our table and were checking out the restaurant. I gave them a big thumbs up and they laughed and came in. They were seated next to us and thanked us for our recommendation. We chatted and found out that Bev and Larry owned an insurance agency in St. Louis. They come to Little Rock each year for an insurance gathering. Deb shared that she wanted to do breakfast at a certain restaurant across town that was noted for healthy food. Then we said our good byes.

Fast forward to this morning. We used Mr Google to locate the restaurant and drove the rental car over there. When we walked in, there was Bev and Larry seated there. We joined them and shared  our lives with one another. Turns out they are believers and Bev is involved in a ministry to provide dresses to Central American girls. Apparently the sex trade seeks out poorly dressed young girls and forces them into the sex trades. Better dressed girls are not bothered because it appears that 'someone cares for them' and there might be consequences if they were bothered.
see    http://dressagirlaroundtheworld.com/    

The unsolved issue for their national group is getting the dresses from the volunteer sewing ladies around the USA to the missionaries who oversee the distribution in the countries. When Bev talked about this issue, I immediately thought of my airline pilot friends who frequent those countries and I put Bev in touch with one who might could take an extra  suitcase on each trip down there.

Then we talked about clothing for infants. The restaurant was very close to a clothe and sewing shop. We had met the owner of the store because she is a volunteer at the bone marrow clinic and has helped Deb many times when we have been here. The store owner has a ministry of making beautiful smocked gowns for infants stillborn or who die at the hospital. She has a group of ladies who help make the gowns.

So, we had Bev and Larry follow us to the store where the owner was introduced. She was eager to get involved in the project to clothe the Central American girls. She donated a dress on the spot. Afterwards, we exchanged contact info with Larry and Bev and said our good byes.

I talked to Larry and Bev about how God weaves a believer's life into a tapestry. He sees the finished side: we see the backside here on earth. Someday we will see what he sees!

Back before we left the restaurant, we met Nancy the owner. She is a recovered drug addict from Chicago. She hires and trains workers who are not employable otherwise. Her recipes and ingredients are very healthy and our cancer clinic has started referring patients to the restaurant. She gave us several samples  of her cooking. Very different and good! We hope to go back tonight for supper.

She actually owns two side-by-side restaurants. Tonight is Lilly's.
Their website is:  www.lillysdimsum.com
Nancy Agreed to make the Dress the Girls ministry the benefactor for her monthly fund raiser. Wow!

Needless to say, we had a God-ordained day! WOW!

Tuesday Tests!

Started at 5:30 am and ended about 5 pm. Long day! We bumped into a number of classmates all day long. There were delays in some of the labs. The bone marrow folks were short two complete crews due to training, vacations, etc. That meant that the same number of procedures had to happen. So, instead of one procedure every :45 mins, each team had to perform two procedures.

Our classmate Israel was here with his daughter Leah. He was glad to see us.

The nurse who drew Deb's labs every day last year while we were here saw us in the hospital hallway and we had a reunion.

After  the long hard day, Deb was comforted by a nice meal at her favorite Brazilian restaurant.

Debate ongoing

The moving of multiple myeloma from 'incurable' to 'curable' is our prayer! UAMS is taking the leadership in making this move. Deb is part of the group whose long-term survival can provide the data to make the move.

Dr. Barlogie from UAMS is debating the data with an MD from the Mayo clinic. Unfortunately we will not be here for the event.

That's why we are doing what we are doing: intense and prolonged treatment. Who else have you heard of who is in remission and taking three more years of weekly chemo? That's what it will take to defeat this killer cancer.

Back in Little Rock for Checkup

Deb and I left Ptc in Gracie about noon Monday. Our delay was caused by a weather system blocking our path. We timed our flight to have a narrow path available between the large storms. We had a great flight even  tho we flew in moderate to heavy rain at times. Gracie arrived clean! Free plane wash!

After stopping at the fuel pit to refuel Gracie, the line boy saw us and came over to help. He said the limo driver Calvin who had helped us so much last year had been at the airport yesterday and they had talked about how good Deb is doing.

We picked up our rental car and headed to the Markham House where we were warmly greeted by the staff. Then we went to chow down. Deb's first appointment is at 6 am Tuesday. We leave the Markham House at 05:30am. The owner is driving us to the hospital. Great service, huh?

Being back here is a bittersweet experience. We have some horrible memories from last year being offset by the miracles we experienced. Miracles win!

The last few weeks...

. . . . have been pretty much the same day after day. Deb has continued to suffer withdrawal symptoms from her ending her strong pain killers. She worked so hard to accomplish this. Her Dr's and nurses are surprised that she was able to do it so soon. However, she's basically spent the last month housebound with a few short trips out in the community.

Monday we head out for Little Rock. We don't expect any surprises but will certainly be glad when we get our report actually saying that!

Weekly chemo in our local hospital continue for another 2.5 years.

So, follow us on www.flightaware.com N353RV

Vern

Grand daughters at the Beach(s)-Florida and France

 Eliana near Tampa, Florida with Amanda

 Picking Berries in the Czech Republic where Evelyn's other grandmother lives

 Calais, France

August update + A Big Milestone!

Chemo at the the local hospital this week.

Sweethearts

The posts are spaced out and not made so often because our life is in a routine without so much excitement. Chemo every Tuesday: rest and recovery until the next Tuesday! For 2.5 more years. Back to Arkansas every three months. The next visit is Sept 19th.

Deb is still in remission.

Now, the big news! Deb has finally gotten off the strong pain killers! A year ago she was taking (3) ninety milligram oxicotins a day. She has worked so hard and endured the awful side-affects of reducing that med and has amazed her medical staff by her desire and endurance in this painful process. So, kudos, congrats, and hats off to Deb for her accomplishment!

Vern's Mother's 80th B-day

We had my uncle and aunt Alton and Esther, sister Kay and husband Lee, Amanda and Eliana, Stephen, and Vern's parents. Trey,Katka, and Evelyn joined us via a few Skype sessions.

We had a great burger cookout and mom got to blow out the candles on the home cooked coconut cake.
Deb enjoyed being surrounded by family but was very tired afterwards.
Oscar the dog was glad it is over!

Evelyn walking in the park in Brussels

The Berry monster of Brussels

Granddaughter Evelyn found a bowl of berries. Guess what she did with them?

News

Amanda and Jon are expecting a little boy! Eliana will have a little brother about Dec 31,2011!

Today Deb got to play the role of a grandmother. . .something she was unable to do last year when she was undergoing cancer treatment in Arkansas. Amanda invited us to attend the 3-D ultrasound and we really enjoyed seeing the little fellow kicking and moving and sucking his thumb. Wow!

After the ultrasound we had a nice meal and reveled in the blessings of the day.

We heard from Trey from Brussels. He, Katka,and little Evelyn had just returned from a week in Romania. He said little Evelyn was really moving about and saying words in French, English, and Czech. {can your grandkid do that???-proud grandpa}

Blessings!

Eliana's First Birthday Party...

Deb got to be an active 'grandmother' today. She was not able to be there last year for either Evelyn or Eliana.

Good word from another

"I am not sure whether platelets at 63 and going down is a good thing or a bad thing. But, we will continue praying for Debbi. We can’t imagine what it must be to be on chemotherapy every day. I noted in the Scriptures this morning that the questions “How Long?” and “Why?” are in Psalm after Psalm after Psalm And there is no answer. But of many of these people, the Holy Spirit says, “The world was not worthy of them.” I myself have been praying for 15 years for a “desperate” family situation. From my perspective, instead of it getting better, it seems to be getting more desperate. But the Lord continually says to me, “Be still before the Lord, and wait patiently for him.” All I know is that the Lord is good, his mercy is everlasting and his truth endures for all generations. (Ps. 100).

You both are in our prayers."


A Friend

Question from an Encourager

"Got a bit confused over the blog, where the doctor declared Deb cancer free, but still notice she is taking chemo?"

a friend

++++++++

Deb's diagnosis was for the high risk variety. Deb is now in full remission, meaning that there are no measurable cancer cells. That doesn't mean there aren't any! Myeloma is famous for 'hiding' and then roaring back even worse than before. Therefore, she is under 3 years local chemo with periodic tests in Arkansas which include MRIs, PET Scans, Bone Marrow tests, DNA tests, blood, and urine tests plus weekly labs at the hospital in Georgia and monthly blood tests sent back to Arkansas.

Multiple myeloma is a different kind of cancer. Even our local Oncologist is amazed at the way UAMS treats cancer. Many of our local friends who have experienced cancer have gotten 4-6 treatments then no more chemo or radiation, all in the course of a few months. Deb's treatment on the other hand has been extremely aggressive treatment and has taken her to the point of death and back.

Our classmates in Arkansas said 'the UAMS staff pulls you thru a keyhole' with their treatments.

Vern

Overdue update

Yesterday a friend reminded me that there had been no posts in a while. He's right! Thanks Paul!

Since we returned from Little Rock, Deb has been on a 28 day cycle of Revlimid, a strong chemo drug. She has the worst reaction to this drug and has not had much of a social life this month. In fact, except for the Tuesday chemo session and me taking her out for a brief Friday night supper, she spent last week in the sun room. What a blessing the sun room has been for her!

Today is another chemo day and we are expecting Deb's blood work to reveal the need to reduce the Revlimid dosage. Her blood counts are really affected and she has very little strength.


FLASH!!!! Just returned from labs. Platelets are at 63. Off Revlimid for a while.


Deb has not been in the kitchen very much except to make a sandwich. However, last night when I got home from work, a feast awaited me! Peas, sliced tomatoes,cornbread, and a peach cobbler! Wow! A summer favorite!

Results: Deb checks her records

Dr Nair said Deb is still in remission and should continue the weekly chemo and plan. The protocol Deb is on is fairly new and the senior person with Deb's degree of myeloma on that same plan is only 2.5 years on it and doing very well. Dr Nair feels that is very effective.

Magazine Article

Folks we met in LR

We met a man who was 6'4" tall. When the nurse checked his height, he was now 5'10" as a result of the myeloma. Deb lost 4". She started off short and got shorter.

We visited with our classmate from Austria. She has a PhD in computer interfaces and several masters degrees yet is unable to work because she is so weak and tired. Sometimes she said she sleeps 20 hours a day. Her 9 year old son lives with her parents in Austria. Her marrow is so weak she is unable to take full-strength chemo. She is planning to live in Little Rock until researchers can find help for her.

Our Thai friend is doing so well she is returning to Thailand to visit her 102 year old mother and 108 year old aunt before returning to Little Rock for more treatment.

We keep meeting classmate after classmate from the Mobile-Pensacola area. It's as if the chemical industries there are affecting many people's health.

We touch base with Harold in Tennessee weekly. He lost Gwen last year. He is so lonely but carrying on with life.

The staff at UAMS is so nice and friendly. Because of the long day and the failure of the PET which required pushing Deb's PET until late at night, Deb took her diamond earrings out then forgot them when we finished. When we were packing to leave, Deb missed them. We unpacked and searched everywhere. Then we called the various clinics. When we called PET, they asked if we would describe them. They had saved them for Deb and returned them. Honest folks!

At another location, Deb got very cold. A lady gave her a light jacket to keep.
Nice folks in Arkansas!

Friday-fatigue!

Friday has been a rest and recovery day! We are both wiped out by the 'invisible' stress of the week. Deb has slept most of the day.

It always amazes me to consider what stress does to our bodies. We did not even realize we were stressed! After all, traveling to another city to do 15 hours of invasive painful medical tests and meet with a doctor who has the news of what to expect the rest of your life; where's the stress in that?

Getting home last night seemed to prep us for a relaxing re-entry into Georgia life. WRONG!

Tomorrow is a new day!

Weds/ Thursday in Arkansas

Tuesday was a killer schedule...about 15 hours in tests. Weds was a day off while the test data was compiled. Thursday in an hour we sit down with Dr Nair and get the reports.Then, off to Gracie for the ride home. Scattered thunderstorms forecast. Follow us on www.flightaware.com N353RV

Since we spent so much time in Arkansas last year you might think we explored it in detail. Not so! Deb seldom felt like leaving the room and we had no wheels most of the last year.Deb and Amanda in April 2010

Yesterday was the rare opportunity to take a drive in the country. Petit Jean State Park is about 1:15 out of Little Rock in the mountainous area. We took the kids out there about 26 years ago when we were here for the USAFR C-130 school.



I drove out thru the country while Deb slept. We toured the top of the mountain and saw the grave of 'Little John'-more later. Then we ate at the Rockefeller Conference Center of the Univ of Arkansas on the farm owned by the Rockefellers. We drove thru the state park and visited the visitor center.We saw a 'beep-beep' roadrunner in the field next to us about 20 feet away! He was about 16-18" tall and very fast! (Poor coyote!)



Deb slept most of the way home but did not feel like going out to eat, so I joined new classmates from Memphis and brought Deb some soup. Ken(patient) and Marsha(caregiver) are here for their initial testing and intake. Ken has smoldering myeloma. We spent some time talking about what is ahead. This morning I had a cup of coffee with Bob, whose wife was his caregiver. She unexpectedly died while he was in his transplant about 5 years ago.

Tuesday update

As we were waiting for the PET scan, the pharmacy that mixes the radioactive mix that gets injected into Deb's body to circulate an hour prior to the scan called to warn the crew not to use the mix because it did not pass QC. That created a riot among those waiting as the PET and MRI departments run full day after day.

Fortunately, the nurses rescheduled Deb for 7 PM tonight after her MRI. She got to come back to the room for few bites of food and a nap to sleep off the morning drugs. We are walking out the door now for the MRI.

Emotional Reminders

Yesterday we flew out to Arkansas in Gracie. Deb sat in the co-pilot seat and was fully alert and enjoyed the sightseeing. The flight was smooth until we were on final approach for the airport. The last thousand feet had moderate turbulence and 45 knot winds. Nevertheless, a smooth touchdown was made and as we taxied up to the gas pumps, the lineman was there to help us put Gracie in the hangar. Gracie enjoys this hangar because it is full of muscular jets. She's the only small prop plane in the large hangar and gets all their attention!

It took a while to get our rental car so we enjoyed the company of some of the local airport folks. One of them was moving to Montgomery to become an active duty adviser to my old AF Reserve Squadron. Small world!

As we arrived at the Markham house we were greeted with staff showing us the magazine Deb was featured in. It had a nice full page photo of us and an article about how our treatment at UAMS has gone. We were assigned the very same room that we had on our first trip to UAMS over a year ago when daughter Amanda saved our bacon by accompanying us and helping us get around. On that original trip, I was so useless! I was almost non-functional and unable to oversee the various appointments and tests Deb had. The huge hospital campus and the C word (cancer) caused me to be emotionally non-functional. Amanda stepped in and got us through it. Thanks Amanda!

Well, being in that same room revived some of the same emotions in both Deb and me this visit.

Deb's eye has been very irritated so our nurse arranged for us to be seen by the on-duty doctor in the myeloma clinic. We were taken back to one of the chemo chairs that Deb had spent so much time in last year. With familiar staff members around us, we both had emotional issues with not ever wanting to be there and do that again. It was like visiting an old battle field, or scene of loss in the past. We were glad to leave because we no longer belonged there!

We saw an article about Deb's doctor, Dr Nair, who is now in charge of a research project using a body's own 'killer cells' to combat cancers. It sounds so high tech and futuristic. We are so happy Dr Nair is involved.

Last night Deb did not have the energy to go out for supper so I went to the grocery and brought is supper for us.

This is now Tuesday morning. Deb had a few slices of Canadian bacon and water for breakfast. She has limitations on food all day as she endures test after test. She has been restricted from her normal pain killer she has used all other times for the awful bone marrow test she has around around noon. We have to go to the pharmacy and pick up an alternative. Hope it works!

So, we're up and getting ready for a long painful day.

We are resting in the fact that the same Lord who brought us thus far is still guiding us and will not abandon us.

Blessings all!

Vern

Update

We had lunch today with Eliana. She was delightful to dine with and ate plenty of healthy veggies.

Today is Father's Day. Happy Father's day fathers: especially mine!

It's been too long since the last update.So,here 'tis!

Deb has been steadily improving in strength and endurance. She has gutted thru the pain of continuing reduction in pain meds. Some of the medical types have been very surprised at the progress she has made. Deb has a strong sense of determination to get off them as soon as possible. Her weekly chemo continues. The oncologist cleared her for short local drives in the neighborhood and this week Deb drove herself to to a hair cut.

We have been packing and planning for our Monday morning departure for Little Rock in Gracie as it's been three months since the last checkup and this is the week.

So, standby for reports from Arkansas this week.

As we consider where we were a year ago we are so grateful for the blessings we have received!

Friends

Evelyn with her friend Nadia in the garden in Brussels

Saturday plan

Another weekend has rolled around and Deb went to bed last evening hoping for a trip out for breakfast at our favorite spot. When I awakened her this morning at our planned time, she was a no-go. That's our lifestyle now: we plan, we wait, we do it if she has the pizzaz. This morning the pizzaz tank was on empty!

So, I fetched her a take out of pancakes and ham! She got to eat in her PJ's and then go back to sleep.

Later, our friend Wayne from Wales (in the UK) dropped by. Many years ago I spent a week with his family in the Southeast area of England (Sussex I think). A few years ago Wayne,wife Hillary, and two daughters moved to the USA.

Wayne was impressed by Deb's two lush tomato plants and asked for her secret. Do you want to know it too? Ask Deb!