Ray Huseman

We Can Feel the Prayers

2010-03-29T13:16:00.000-07:00

This beautiful painting was created by Jack Sorenson, a good friend of Ray and family. It was presented to the family at the recent Diocesan Respect Life Banquet in Amarillo.

Update: We are all feeling a tremendous amount of grace. Actually, I can't speak for everyone, but I know that I and his immediate family are feeling your prayers!!! Keep them coming.

We miss you, Raymond! We miss you!

-Sr. Mary Michael posting (with Kim's permission)

Video of Ray's Life and Family -- Enjoy!

2010-03-10T06:02:00.000-08:00

Stories about Raymond ?

2010-03-08T16:58:00.001-08:00

We realize that there are many stories that people would like to share about Ray. We invite you to post them here on the comments. We'd love to hear more about how Raymond touched people's lives.

The funeral this morning was very nice. The sun came out shining upon us. (We're going to miss you, Raymond!!! We love you SO much!)

If Ray were here, I think he'd be telling us this:

"If you were touched by my life (only possible with God's Grace), then go ahead and have an inspiring life yourself. Ask God for the grace, say YES to Him on a daily basis, and live the paradox of the Gospel: faith, hope, and love."

Post your stories here if you like . . . or write Kim a letter.

God bless you all! "You're precious!"

-Sr. Mary Michael, OSF

Obituary

2010-03-06T17:34:00.001-08:00

http://www.schoolerfuneralhome.com/services.asp?page=odetail&id=12412&locid=44

Funeral Arrangements

2010-03-06T09:28:00.000-08:00

Rosary at St. Thomas on Sunday evening -- 6:30 p.m.
Funeral Mass in Nazareth on Monday morning -- 10:30 a.m.
Dinner to follow in the Community Hall

The Fight is Over

2010-03-05T12:29:00.001-08:00

Ray's body began to shut down last night. They called us in and there was really nothing else they could do for him.....

Ray died peacefully this morning surrounded by family. He quit breathing as they finished the Divine Mercy Chaplet.

Details on rosary and funeral will be posted as we know about them.

Same Today

2010-03-04T19:44:00.000-08:00

Things are about the same today. The Drs. have cautioned us about watching all the numbers and looking for quick improvements. We're told recovery is going to be an "arduous" process, and not to get discouraged when numbers that need to go up tend to decline. To keep it all in perspective, one Dr. said it's "like trying to tell time by only looking at the second hand." There's so much to the big picture.

Encouraging news, WBC is going up so that's good news for the immune system. Letting him rest tonight with 100% oxygen while on the ventilator. We're hoping to decrease that percentage of O2 ASAP.

Thanks for all the prayers, visits, phone calls, food, laughter and tears.
More later.
Love you all,
Kim

Waiting and Waiting

2010-03-03T13:48:00.000-08:00

The pulmonologist said that things are a little more improved from yesterday. White blood count continues to improve, so that's a good sign. We wished it would improve faster, but we'll take what we get.

We're told that things should be more clarified by the end of the week, which means we should be able to tell more about how Ray's body is responding and recovering.

The oncologist said he plans to do a bone marrow biopsy in a few days as those results will also be a determining factor for future treatment.

Thank you all for your love and support!

This Family of Faith

2010-03-02T15:05:00.000-08:00

Things look better than they did 24 hours ago. The doctors are a little encouraged by the immune system recovering, and the body being given a chance to rest and heal with the help of the ventilator. The doctors are quick to add that things could get worse at any moment. We really do not know for sure what is going to happen (this top paragraph is from Kim).

I have to say, it's so edifying to watch this family of faith. We love Ray SO much! He has lived a good life. He and Kim and their family have touched so many people. Now in this time of waiting, we are crying, we're grieving, we're hoping, we're telling funny stories about Raymond that we remember, we're laughing. We are a people of faith. We know down deep in our hearts that whatever happens, he and we will be okay. We have high hopes that he will get out of this mess and get back to a normal life. But we also know that that may not be in the Father's Plan. He has had every saint relic in Texas, he's been blessed with some of them by priests, he's had every holy person pray for him, over him and bless him. If he still does not survive this, he will be going to his goal of life and ours -- eternal life!

Thank you all for your prayers and love. We can feel them! May God's Will be done!

Thank you, Raymond, for teaching us and leading us in this family of faith. We're reaping the beautiful fruit of your life and love in our lives.
-Your little sis, Sr. M.Mich.

Keep the Prayers and Love Coming

2010-03-01T13:24:00.000-08:00

Ray was struggling to breathe this morning. He's in ICU on a ventilator now. He's not doing well. Please keep the prayers coming.
-posted for Kim by Sr. Mary Michael, OSF

Early Morning

2010-03-01T03:46:00.000-08:00

I wish I could say things are so much better on this early Monday morning, but they just are not. The big concern now, is what's going on in the lungs. Back in November when the lung biopsy showed a fungus in the lungs, well now it appears (the fear) that after Ray being immune suppressed for so long that possibly the fungus has had a chance to spread. Ray has been on two anti fungal antibiotics since November, but it was explained to us that the fungus is never completely eliminated, you only try to contain it. Only a biopsy would show for sure what is happening in the lungs, and another biopsy is totally out of the question. X-rays show more infiltrations in the lungs, blood work shows very little immune system, and spiking temps still a big problem. We're locked into numbers. The Dr.'s words Sunday morning: "It doesn't look good."

Nighttime is always a bad time for Ray, which makes it hard for me to leave. I went home last night around 10:00, and came back this morning around 5:00. He does need a lot of help and is always needing a drink. Andy & Britteny were here most of Saturday, and Amber & Steve drove down yesterday afternoon. Ryan is also in & out often. I'm thankful I can be here as much as I can.

Love you all,
Kim

P.S. Happy Birthday, Becky! Man, you're getting old!!

One Small Step

2010-02-26T14:38:00.000-08:00

The WBC once again increased by another tenth of a point. The Dr. said that it would great to have incremental increases, but we're encouraged by even these small ones. A push for more protein in the diet has begun. We'll be adding protein powder to food and drinks for starters. The dietition is also adding some protein snacks. It's going to be difficult when there's no desire to eat.

Still sleeping most of the time, and says he's got so much sleep to catch up on. About the only time he's awake is to eat, get a drink and use the bathroom. I usually have to wake him up to eat. We did manage to convince him he needed to shower today. He really didn't need to, but we hoped it would invigorate him. By the time he finished and dressed he was ready to pass out from exhaustion so I hurried to get him back in bed.

As far as Mary and Daniel, I try to keep life as normal as possible for them...whatever the heck normal is. Daniel is participating in a history fair @ WTAMU tomorrow. Also on his team are three of his classmates, who do not have their project ready. So tonight they'll be working until the eleventh hour, I'm sure. Mary is going to "A Night at the Museum" that is being held at the American Quarter Horse Museum for four hours tonight. Something I signed her up for a few weeks ago, having no idea all this other stuff would be going on in our lives. Don't know what I was thinking, but it's a good distraction for them.

Had lunch todaywith Gary & Peggy. Gary is one of Ray's cousins (Mother's side) from Tucumcari, NM. His mom LaRose, Ray's aunt just moved into a nursing home yesterday. We had a good chance to catch up.

Have a blessed weekend.
Love you all,
Kim

Any Improvement?

2010-02-25T19:39:00.000-08:00

We look for any improvement, no matter how small. The white blood cell count is one-tenth of a point higher today. I asked the Dr. if he's encouraged at all by that. His response is that's really no change, but let's be hopeful that it's the beginning of an upward trend. So we'll wait and see what tomorrow's counts bring.

Everything else is about the same as yesterday. The second dose of the new antibiotic went pretty much the same as yesterday. He's has fever spikes as the drug is being administered and also some slight shaking. The nurses tell him he's handling it very well. Pre-meds (Demerol & Benadryl) are given before this drug is started, making it easier to tolerate.

His appetite is still poor. I did manage to get him to eat some homemade chicken soup tonight that I brought in for him. Strawberry Ensure has been his staple food. Yum!

Love you all,
Kim

Fever Troubles

2010-02-24T18:46:00.000-08:00

With a persistent fever, and the fever spikes occurring more frequently it's become obvious the current assortment of antibiotics is just not cutting it. Today the two Docs, (oncologist & infection Dr.) decided "it's time to pull out all the stops". The antibiotic, amphotericin known as one of the "big guns" was started. He's just now finishing up the first dose, and has to be monitored closely while it's being administered. We're told it rough stuff to take, but it's good stuff... it works. He also received a transfusion of platelets and packed red blood cells this morning.

He really needs for all the blood counts to come up and it's just not happening. Pray hard.

Love you all,
Kim

More Waiting

2010-02-23T15:39:00.000-08:00

The oncologist said today that the bone marrow has not yet begun to recover from the chemo, and until that happens the blood counts will remain in the basement...there will be no white blood cells, no hanging onto platelets, etc. In the meantime, we'll keep doing what we're doing...transfusing as needed, continuing with the daily neupogen shots, (that promote the growth of white blood cells) continue with the assortment of antibiotics that are keeping the infections to a minimum, and.....waiting.

Certainly not the most encouraging news, especially since he's now been in the hospital for two weeks (since he bottomed out) and today we're still waiting for the same thing we were waiting for two weeks ago.

As we continue to wait, we'll continue "praying with great fervor." That's from one of my favorite quotes from St. Faustina's diary--I love the imagery.

Love you all,
Kim

Patience is the Key

2010-02-22T18:40:00.000-08:00

The blood test results were not improved as we had hoped they would be, but I was able to get him out of the room today and walking more. We're pleased with that! The Dr. decided another transfusion of packed red blood cells was needed, which he received late this afternoon. So maybe that will help with the weakness and be a turning point for him. Even though he's hardly eating, he's become very particular about what he eats. Can't be too salty...can't be too sweet..can't have too much cheese...nothing raw due to the low white blood cell count. Ryan had to make a run to the hospital tonight with something for him to eat. It's real hard to not just say, "You have two choices, take it or leave it." You know, like we tell our kids.

Once again snow is falling, and is fore casted to fall during the night. Makes me wonder what the roads will be like in the morning. They were surprisingly treacherous this morning. I heard on the news today that the snow that fell overnight caused more traffic accidents than any of the previous snowstorms this season--and only about an inch fell last night.

Be safe.
Love you all,
Kim

Needing Some Good News

2010-02-21T20:54:00.000-08:00

We're hoping for some good news Monday...like an improved white blood count. I'm worried Ray is getting depressed and tired. He spent most of today in bed sleeping, getting up only when I was there to force him out. Even then he'd get up (after arguing) and even do some exercises, but then fall back in bed and sleep. His appetite is still poor, weight loss becoming a concern.

His room is at the end of a quiet hall that has large windows. Tomorrow I'm planning to get him out to those windows (with a mask on, of course) for as long as he'll endure. Hopefully, we'll see some sunshine, but the forecast sounds as though we'll have clouds and snow. No matter what the weather, the change of scenery can't hurt. Those four walls are really closing in on him.

Thanks for your prayers.
Love you all,
Kim

More of the Same

2010-02-20T18:57:00.000-08:00

Friday and Saturday blood counts are pretty much the same...the white blood count which we need to come up so badly remains in the basement. Each day we expect for it to start climbing, but it's just not happening. The Dr. told us it's still too dangerous for him to even leave his room, much less the hospital.

He's still very weak and spends a lot of time sleeping, but also complains that he's not getting any sleep. I brought some 1# weights to the hospital this morning and told him he's got to start doing some simple exercises and weightlifting. Daniel and I helped him do some exercises this morning, then later Amber came into town, she did some with him, and then this evening Andy went by and exercised with him. Hopefully tomorrow we'll be able to do the same. He's beginning to sink into that mattress, and I don't like the looks of it.

Appetite is still very poor. The dietitian gave him a "talkin' to" yesterday about eating more and maintaining his weight. I'm hoping these exercises will also help improve that. I tell him I'll bring him ANYTHING he wants to eat, but his answer is always the same--"nothing." That's changing tomorrow...I've been cooking and I've got plans.

Love you all,
Kim

Baby Steps Indeed

2010-02-18T19:38:00.000-08:00

Slow improvements continue, but nonetheless we're grateful for improvements. He's still on a "regular" diet and eating very little at a time, but today about 45 minutes before his lunch arrived he said he was hungry! That was great to hear after so many days of hearing, "I don't feel like eating anything."

Another transfusion of platelets was given today. He's having a hard time holding onto those things. We have a great appreciation for those platelets and the donors who take the time to donate. It's a time comsuming process as any platelet donor knows.

Love you all,
Kim

Real Food

2010-02-17T18:19:00.000-08:00

Finally the diet has been changed from "clear liquid" to a regular diet. The stomach issues are still no better after 8 days, so the dietitian said we should give it a try--we can always go back to the liquid if things get worse. The problem is a lack of appetite. When given the choice of any food he wanted, Ray's answer was that nothing appealed to him. But after eating part of a baked potato it was as though his whole outlook changed. He was more alert and even up and out of bed more. He can't eat a large amount, but ate nearly half of the evening meal. You know how he is with his food...he's already looking forward to oatmeal in the morning! Wow, the things we get excited about.

The white blood count is just above non-existent, but we're looking for that to improve over the next few days. He'll then be able to get out of his room for a little change in scenery. Then maybe, we can think about getting him back home.

I hope you were able to get your ashes today, and I pray this Lent will be a season of conversion for each of us.

Love you all,
Kim

Not Much Change

2010-02-16T19:43:00.000-08:00

Still running a low grade fever, so the antibiotic routine has been tweaked. One was dropped and another one added. The infection spec. told us today that he has Ray on a "scorcher therapy" --meaning the drugs he's on should be taking care of any infection he could possibly have, so he should not be running a fever anymore. Maybe this tweaking will make a difference.

Three transfusions (two of packed red blood cells and one of platelets) were given during the night and early this morning--white blood count still non-existent. We were able to get him in the shower this afternoon and then he sat in the recliner for a while. Probably the transfusions is what gave him the energy for that. He's still sleeping a lot during the day.

As I'm reading back over this I'm thinking it's rather dull. Maybe tomorrow there will be more exciting news. I'm really tired.

Love you all,
Kim

Slow Progress

2010-02-15T17:37:00.000-08:00

Things are just not progressing as quickly as we wish they were. A few of the problems...low grade fever which spikes periodically for no apparent reason; very fatigued due to dangerously low blood counts; because of stomach issues, he's on a clear liquid diet and has been since last Wed. As of this afternoon, he's taking 6 antibiotics. I got the chance today to speak with the infection specialists about all these meds. Basically he said, Ray is so "immune compromised" right now, and because of the temp. we cannot take any risks. Maybe in a few days we'll back off of one or two of the antibiotics. He also said these are "heavy duty antibiotics" and may be part of the reason for the stomach issues. One thing for sure, there's no room left on his I.V. pole to hang another bag. It's a good thing he's still got such good veins. There's so much going in, that the port can't take it all so another peripheral I.V. line was started this evening. Oh yeah, he's also receiving blood and platelet transfusions.

Katie and Jenna flew back to College Station this afternoon. It was hard for them to go and hard for me to let them go. It was great having them here, the time just went by too quickly. Glad Ray wasn't in CCU the entire time they were here, giving them more time to spend with him.

Doug and Alice were by for a short visit today. They'll be heading back to Denver tomorrow. Mary and Daniel were out of school today for President's Day. Daniel's already saying he's going to think of an excuse to stay home tomorrow. Days off only make it harder for him to go back.

Love you all,
Kim

Out of CCU!!

2010-02-13T19:01:00.000-08:00

This afternoon Ray moved out of the CCU and back to the 6th floor. We are thrilled for his progress. He's still very weak and will be for a while, but there is a marked improvement from even just this morning. It's great we can all be in his room together and at the same time without having to worry with all the restrictions of the CCU visiting hours. He 's still immune compromised so we have to be very careful with the hand washing and mask wearing.

Thank you for all your prayers!
Love you all,
Kim

Little Improvement??

2010-02-12T08:21:00.000-08:00

Things are about the same this morning, maybe a little improvement, possibly due to him being transfused during the night with a unit of packed red blood cells, a unit of platelets, and lots of fluids throughout the day yesterday. The Dr.'s words were "time will tell if this is a short term fix, or if we're on the way to real improvement." Problems with the lungs is the main concern and they're always trying stay one step ahead of any infections throughout the body. They are planning to get him up and in a chair later this morning. This will be a challenge since all he wants to do is sleep, and he is so terribly weak.

Amber is here--arrived yesterday afternoon. Katie and Jenna will be getting in late this evening. Looking forward to having all the kids together. Andy has been working in OK but will be back this evening. Heather and Ryan have been helping run Daniel & Mary around.

Thanks so so much for your prayers, calls, comments,and thoughts. You are a blessing to our family.

Love you all,
Kim

Critical Care

2010-02-11T13:56:00.000-08:00

We just had a helluva scare, which has landed Ray in CCU. Dr. is concerned about his oxygenation among other things. He is very, very sick. I just talked to Ray after he was moved, of course he's hating it that he has to be there, but also knows he wouldn't be there if it weren't necessary. Please keep him in your prayers.

Love you all,
Kim

Back to the ER

2010-02-10T18:58:00.000-08:00

Just as we feared, we had to make a run for the ER early this morning. Ray was up a couple times during the night, and then around 4:00 a.m. all the nasty (fainting, vomiting, etc.) stuff started. Hydration began immediately in the ER, and then after a couple hours he was admitted and back on the 6th floor. A "No Visitors" sign has been put on his door, due to him being so fragile right now and at risk for catching something. He's very weak and has spent most of the day sleeping, only waking for a short time while vital sign are being taken.

It's scary how quickly things can change for him. Yesterday was a good day for him all the way up to bedtime. There was no indication whatsoever as to what was coming in just a few short hours. The best as anyone can tell, this is "fallout" from the last round of chemo. However, his immune system is so compromised at this point, tests and cultures are being done in case there's an infection of some sort. Of course he's already on an array of antibiotics, just in case.

More later, as I plan to be back to the hospital early in the morning.
Love you all,
Kim

Home Again

2010-02-08T19:54:00.000-08:00

The Dr. released Ray this morning when making rounds. What a relief to have him back home again. He'll be returning to the outpatient room at the hospital each day for an injection to increase his white blood cell count, and blood work (CBC) will be done every other day for a few days at the Dr.'s office. We'll be doing quite a bit of sitting in waiting rooms, but it's so much better than being IN the hospital. Thank you for all your prayers. Please pray he can make it through the "bottomed out" days without serious problems.

Love you all,
Kim

Super Bowl Sunday

2010-02-07T18:04:00.000-08:00

Today is the last day of the chemo flowing into the body. Blood counts are all still fairly good; not great, but good. His Doc was not on call this weekend, so each day another Doc paid him a visit. Our plans are for him to go home tomorrow since he's doing so well, but we'll have to see if his Dr. sees things the same as we do. Appetite is as good as ever. In fact he called me this morning around 8:15 (I was still in bed) requesting some menudo be brought to the hospital. He loves that stuff, (the smell reminds me of walking through the pigpen as a kid) so I picked some up from his favorite restaurant, and brought it to him. As you can tell, he's doing good. We hope and pray it continues.

Daniel and a couple of his friends are watching the Super Bowl at our house tonight. Well, they're not just watching the game, there's lots of eating and some running around the house going on too. It's fun to see them having fun. I've always loved it when the kids have friends over. It's certainly a good way to get to know their friends. I'm watching the game a little, (mostly the ads) and eating more than I should. Why do we think occasions such as this are a good reason to overeat?

Love you all,
Kim

Doing Well

2010-02-04T20:08:00.000-08:00

Ray has been doing well. His energy is pretty good. We walked the halls a couple times today, stopping at the windows, marveling at the latest snowfall. A little over 5 inches fell so beautifully last night. The trees were flocked so pretty this morning, making it look more like Christmas. Thankfully, driving wasn't too bad. You know, that makes close to 20" of snow in the past 8 days; with more on the way. I know, I know, "we need the moisture!" Some of the parking lots around town have mountains of snow in them.

He's also able to read for pleasure again. He's always loved to read when he had time, but during much of his treatment these past 18 months, due to lack of energy and stamina just could not concentrate on reading. It's good he can catch up on that.

Other than that, not much else happening.
Love you all,
Kim

On Track

2010-02-03T17:54:00.000-08:00

I wasn't able to make it to the hospital at all today. I really hate that, the days can get so long for Ray. Although each time I've spoken to him on the phone today, he's always upbeat and doesn't seem to be bothered that his wife is out tending to other duties. Each time he checks back into the hospital, when he arrives on the 6th floor it's like a family reunion seeing all the nurses again. After spending many, many days there during the past 18 months, he has gotten to know all the staff like family. It sure makes it easier for me, knowing they're taking care of him like one of the family. A couple of the 6th floor nurses call him their "adopted son."

This week is Catholic Schools Week which lends to even more activities than usual--plus Mary had a Dr. appt this afternoon, and then Daniel had drivers ed. after school. Late this afternoon, sleet and snow started, we figured the best place for us is off the streets and safe at home. Ray agreed. It's still early in this round, so the yuckiness (is that even a word?) hasn't started yet. Tomorrow looks much better for me getting to the hospital...unless we're snowed in again. Yikes!

Love you all,
Kim

Back to the Chemo Regimen

2010-02-02T19:14:00.000-08:00

The liver function tests results were all back in the normal range this morning...THANK YOU, LORD!, but this also means beginning another round of chemo. After taking his time getting there, Ray checked into the hospital around 2:30 this afternoon. While he was in the admissions office, the Dr.'s office even called his cell phone asking where he was and if he'd changed his mind about going to the hospital. The nurse told him she was considering calling for the troops to "hunt him down." Understandably so, he was NOT wanting to start another round, but at the same time knows he has no choice.

This snow! What a mess! Now, they're calling for more, more and possibly more over the next week. The groundhog is even saying six more weeks of winter. Amy, I'm with you, please find that furry, rodent groundhog and shoot him!

Amber and Brooke (15 months) were here last night and today for a Dr. appt. There were some concerns with possible heart problems for Brooke. But the cardiologist said everything is fine, perfectly normal, AOK!! More answered prayers.

More later.
Love you all,
Kim

A Little Improvement

2010-01-25T18:26:00.000-08:00

The liver function tests today shows a little improvement....very little, but improvement nonetheless. The Dr. said we should wait another week before he tests again, but is hopeful that by next week things will be well enough that chemo treatment can begin again. Ray returns for tests on Tues. Feb. 2. We're trying so hard to be patient and yet we feel once again we're in a race with time.

We were certainly disappointed, but are grateful that Ray is feeling well. We had a busy weekend, even made it to Naz for my uncles', twins Jerry & James 80th birthday party. It was great to get to see and visit with so many relatives and friends. We also had the opportunity to attend a memorial service at the Texas Panhandle War Memorial honoring 31 from the Texas Panhandle killed in Iraq and Afghanistan. Wow! A very moving ceremony. That certainly helps keep things in perspective.

We don't expect any change until next Tues., but if there is, I'll let you know.

Love you all,
Kim

Bummer

2010-01-20T17:43:00.000-08:00

It looks as though our metal is being tested once again. Chemo had to be stopped this morning due to "liver function imbalances." At this point, it's not clear if the liver problems are from the previous chemo or from some other meds that Ray is currently taking. To avoid the risk of further liver damage, the chemo has been stopped, the other meds are being adjusted and we'll wait a few days to see if the liver recovers/reacts.

Ray was discharged from the hospital late this afternoon. His next blood tests won't be done until Monday, so we'll know then if there is any change. The decision as to when chemo will resume, won't be made for at least two weeks.

We'll wait and see....hope and pray. Thanks for all your prayers!!

Love you all,
Kim

Here We Go Again

2010-01-19T19:38:00.000-08:00

The next round of chemo did indeed begin today. Ray checked into the hospital around noon, optimistic that after this round he'll be ready for the transplant. The Dr. was really encouraging today after receiving more results from the last bone marrow biopsy, and after speaking to the Dr. in Maryland.

This round should go pretty much the same as the last one did. Chemo will be administered for seven days....Ray will be able to go home for a few days....and then probably return to the hospital to ride out the "bottomed out" period. He's ready to get it started and get it finished. He'd been feeling good most days, but still experiencing times of extreme fatigue. But that's been the routine for quite some time now. I'll keep you posted.

Love you all,
Kim

Events of Today

2010-01-15T18:09:00.000-08:00

Not long after we arrived at the Dr. office this morning, Ray had another one of those fainting spells...like the one he had on Christmas Eve morning. This time he really scared about 15 nurses and Drs. At the time, I was waiting for him, while he was in the lab when I heard and saw nurses and Drs. running into the lab. Of course, I took off running too (didn't want to be left behind) and there he was on the floor with a room full of people working to arouse him. After several minutes, they had him on a gurney and had an IV going. Long story--short, he was dehydrated and after about four hours of IV fluids (given in the Dr. office) he's had a rapid and complete recovery. The Dr. called it a "vagal response" and is a result of the body going into a "fight or flight" mode.

Great news on the biopsy: The results show there's no leukemia cells in the marrow. His blood counts for today were all improved since Monday...more good news. He'll have a few more days to continue getting stronger, and then start another round of chemo next Wed. or Thurs.

I asked the Dr. if he is calling this "remission"--to which he answered, he is calling it "preliminary remission." He and the Dr. in Maryland agreed in order to have a "sustained remission" another round of chemo needs to be given. We knew he would most likely have another round (protocol) but were hoping for the possibilty of moving forward with the stem cell transplant.

When in doubt, just take the next small step.

Love you all,
Kim

Better & Better

2010-01-11T19:12:00.000-08:00

Ray continues feeling better each day. He had another CBC this morning showing his counts continue to improve. In fact, last Friday he was given appt. times to have CBC for Mon., Wed., and Fri. of this week...but since his counts were so improved this morning, he was told he could cancel the Wed. appt. He will return on Fri., and of course more blood work will be done then, and we'll also get results from the biopsy done last Fri.

He really is doing better and better each day. Sunday afternoon he took a walk (1 mile) around the park, and today he did some shopping on his own. Thank you for all your prayers!

Love you all,
Kim

Biopsy

2010-01-08T19:09:00.000-08:00

Ray was feeling well enough this morning he felt he could make it on his own to the Dr. for the blood work. After all he was just going in for the daily CBC routinely done dozens of times before. Well the Dr. sprang a surprise on him and decided another bone marrow biopsy should be done today. I felt terrible that I wasn't there with him while that was being done. He did make it through the whole procedure just fine...without me. They kept him there a little longer than usual, drinking plenty of fluids, making sure he was OK before he left, and he made it home without any problem. Those biopsies are done with a local anethesia in the hip. We'll know the results in about a week.

His counts are still improving each day, so he's been given the weekend off. Nice! Have a great weekend!

Love you all,
Kim

Doing Better

2010-01-07T18:23:00.000-08:00

Ray's feeling better today than he has in a couple of weeks. He even did some driving today...that could just mean that he's had it with my driving!

The daily blood tests are showing steady improvements--slow but steady. Tomorrow (Friday) will be a repeat of a blood test at the Dr. office and then on to the hospital (outpatient) for an injection, but there's talk of taking the weekend off. That would be nice as it has been taking about four hours each day, mostly spent waiting.

I hope everyone has been keeping warm in this bitter cold.
Love you all,
Kim

Yes!

2010-01-05T19:58:00.000-08:00

We got Ray home today around noon. The Dr. decided I.V. antibiotics (at home) won't be necessary--oral should do the job. That makes things so much simpler and easier. We do have to make that trip in for blood work every day for a few days, and then depending on the counts possibly onto the outpatient clinic. We're glad to do that as opposed to actually being IN the hospital.

Ray feels good, although he does tire easily and is pretty weak. Just as you would expect after nearly two weeks of laying in the hospital, not to mention chemotherapy. It's going to get better though. The nutritionist gave him a stern talking to about maintaining his weight. I've got plans to do lots of cooking of all the foods he loves. You know what happens though....his weight stay the same or drops, and mine climbs.

Love you all,
Kim

Home Tomorrow

2010-01-04T18:55:00.000-08:00

We found out just a few minutes ago that Ray will be able to go home tomorrow morning. It looks as though he'll be continuing some I.V. antibiotics and also a daily injection for a while at home. Not sure yet how often he'll have to return to the Dr. for blood tests. We'll be given further details on all that when he's dimissed. It will be great to finally have him back home. Thanks for all your prayers!

Love you all,
Kim

Brief Update

2010-01-03T17:03:00.000-08:00

Wow! I didn't realize so many many days had slipped passed since I last posted. So how about a brief update on the patient and other happenings at the Husemans'.

Ray is still in the hospital with all the blood counts bottomed out. This morning he was given two more transfusions--one unit of platelets and one of packed red blood cells. I asked him if he'd started asking the Dr. when he could possibly be going home. He hadn't asked, and just looked at me and said he wasn't ready to go home yet. I was sure hoping by now he'd be stronger and his counts on an upward trend. Since he's not itching to get out of there, that tells me he has a ways to go yet. I continue to ask the Lord for patience for me and strength and healing for Ray.

Andy and Britteny's wedding was beautiful. God has truly blessed us with another beautiful daughter-in-law. Ray was able to watch the entire ceremony...live! from his hospital room, via webstream. Joe and Andy worked hard setting this up, and Joe did a fantastic job with the camera during the ceremony. Modern technology--isn't it great?

Mary and Daniel will be back in school tomorrow morning. Katie and Jenna left this morning for College Station. Soon we'll be settled in our usual routine (whatever that is). After a whirlwind weekend full of holiday cheer, out of town wedding, numerous kids, grand kids, nieces, nephews, brothers and sisters in and out of our house; this afternoon we had no choice but to clean house and do laundry. As of now, it's looking as though we might be able to salvage the house, so please come back and visit again real soon.

Throughout the holidays and the wedding we were reminded many, many times of how we are so blessed to have such wonderful family and friends. We truly do love each and every one of you, and daily thank God for you!

Love you all,
Kim

Improving

2009-12-28T15:18:00.000-08:00

Things are better today. Ray's eating better and resting a little easier. We even made it out for a short walk down the hall. He's on four different antibiotics and of course still on I.V fluids. We're all being very careful with the hand washing and other precautions, as his blood counts are about as low as they can get. We pray for steady improvements each day, and thank the Lord for progress being made.

Love you all,
Kim

Out of ICU

2009-12-27T20:21:00.000-08:00

He 's now out of ICU and back in a regular room, however still being closely monitored. Last night he was given two more transfusions--one unit of platelets and one of packed red blood cells. He's really weak, and getting out of bed very little. He's having trouble sleeping, probably due to meds he's taking. The blood pressure readings are back in the normal range, making it a little easier for the rest of us to get some sleep anyway.

I think we're finished with all the Christmas parties and gift exchanges. Santa was way too good to all of us. Once again we realize how we're so blessed with family and friends. We thank God for each of you.

Love you all,
Kim

Back In

2009-12-26T04:38:00.000-08:00

Ray had to be admitted into he hospital Thursday morning (Dec. 24) after a fainting spell that took us all by surprise. He had been doing so well--we were gearing up for Christmas, but quickly our plans were changed. He received a unit of blood, and soon was ready to go back home, claiming we'd made a big mistake by going to the hospital.

Yesterday, (a different story) was really a rough day for him. High temp (103.1) plagued him for several hours. After putting the I.V. tubing in ice, and cooling him off with wet washcloths, and of course an assortment of drugs were administered, by late afternoon the temp was finally manageable. Now low blood pressure (due to dehydration) is the problem. Around 10:00 last night he had to be moved to ICU. I had already gone home for the evening, but Jenna was here with him.

It's a balancing act with the meds, temp, fluids, etc., etc. I learned too many fluids, given too quickly presents even greater problems. I just left his ICU room (first visiting time 6:00-6:30 a.m.) , and he was resting well. The nurse said he'd had a "good night, requiring little support." I talked to Ray just a couple minutes, he said he just wanted to sleep. What do you think my chances are for getting to talk to the Dr. today--Christmas weekend? We'll just keep fighting the battle. Thank you for all your prayers.

Love you all,
Kim

Merry Christmas to All

2009-12-23T16:57:00.000-08:00

We still have Ray at home other than daily visits to the Dr. and then on to the hospital (outpatient) for his injection. We continually praise God for his good health. Our daily trips are totally exhausting for him. Hard to believe, but each day it takes about 4 hours just to get this done. So by the time we finish, he's begging for the recliner or bed. Today it took a little longer because he also had to have a unit of platelets at the hospital. His white blood cell count is nearly wiped out, meaning his immune system is also wiped out. We're being very, very careful while we're out, and looks as though his only outings over the holidays will be the daily trips to the Dr. and hospital.

Merry Christmas! We love you all!!
Ray, Kim and Family

Home This Evening

2009-12-21T20:35:00.000-08:00

We were pleasantly surprised this morning as the Dr. was making rounds and made mention of the possibility of Ray going home for a few days. As it turns out, he was dismissed from the hospital around 7:30 this evening since his blood counts are still at a fair level. Counts are not great, therefore he will be going into the Dr. each day for blood tests and then on to the hospital (outpatient room) for an injection. He finished the first seven days of chemo infusions this morning, so he can now continue the regimen as an outpatient. Feeling fatigued is his only complaint right now.

We were assured that he will be returning to the hospital (probably within a week) and we're on high alert to watch for fever, bleeding and many other wicked side effects. We're just so happy to get to have him home for a little while. It does ALL of us a world of good!

I'm still tyring to finish up Christmas shopping, (Christmas cards?--maybe next year) and have decided to wait until after Christmas to wrap up the last few details of wedding preparations. Thank heavens we're just the parents of the groom.

Jenna made it home last Friday--so each day as I'm hyperventilating, I send her out with a list of "things to do." Really it's O.K. if it doesn't all get done, just having family together is the greatest gift of all.

Thank you for all your concern and prayers which continues to be our source of strength.
Love you all,
Kim

Christmas Carolers

2009-12-16T20:06:00.000-08:00

Ray was surprised by some "Christmas Carolers" that happened by his room this evening. There were others on the floor who were also surprised to see so many Sisters filing into his room. What a treat! Thanks Sisters & Terri (we begged her to take off that burnt orange) for the visit. Please do it again real soon.

Ray is wondering how he will ever be able to stand the boredom for the next month. He feels good now, but has been promised that will change in a few days. He loves to have visitors and phone calls, and of course has his cell phone close by. He's got a stack of books there also, but finds it hard to concentrate.

Daniel and Mary love to go visit him, but after a very short while we're ready to throw 'em out of the room. Those walls start closing in really fast. Christmas break begins Friday. Surely not!

Love you all,

Kim

Next Challenge

2009-12-15T16:39:00.000-08:00

Ray has been admitted to the hospital to begin what may prove to be his biggest challenge yet. Each round means approx. 30 days in the hospital and he'll have at least two rounds. This regimen of chemo is what the Amarillo Dr. and the NIH Dr. after consultation are prescribing. He will have a break at home between cycles. The Docs feel that in order to gain remission for a third time, the leukemia is going to have to be hit quickly and hard. His blood counts today, showed he's lost ground just since his last tests which were done Thurs. at NIH in Maryland. Plenty of warning has been given to us about the difficulty of this treatment.

It's been a rough day. We can't help thinking of the upcoming holidays and Andy & Britteny's wedding that Ray will have to miss. We also know that one day this will all be behind us and we'll have many holidays and anniversaries to celebrate.

Love you all,
Kim

Back in the Groove

2009-12-14T13:28:00.000-08:00

We're getting back into the groove of things. The kids are are back in school, the laundry is done, and we waded through all the mail. We found out this morning, Ray's appt. will be tomorrow morning at 8:00. We're anxious to hear the plan.

Happy 26th, Andy!
More later,
Kim

No-So-Good News

2009-12-10T10:35:00.000-08:00

The results are in. The leukemia is no longer in remission so a transplant is not possible at this time. I've mentioned before about how the severity of the leukemia is measured in percentage blasts--well Ray's blast count is at 50% and it needs to be 10% or less. The strategy is still the same, as far as when the blast count is lower, we can plan on a transplant then. We'll be heading back to Amarillo tomorrow and plan to see the Dr. there ASAP.

I think the transplant Dr. here in MD is just as disappointed as we are. He did say the best place for Ray is in Amarillo for the chemo. He also said if there were a regimen/potion here that we knew for sure would do the job, he'd start him here. But since there is none, the two Drs. will put their heads together once more and go to work putting together the best plan.

Obviously, we're very disappointed. However, we've done this before and feel confident it can be done again. Thank you for all your prayers and support. Please continue to pray for Ray, especially. I do wonder at times, just how much can he take?

Love you all,
Kim

In DC Today

2009-12-09T18:28:00.000-08:00

We made it down to DC today and had a great day! We left our hotel around 9:00 this morning and didn't get back until 6:00 this evening. We saw so many fascinating sites, and still only saw a small fraction of what we wanted to see. We tried to do things that didn't require too much walking for Ray's benefit, but we still did so much walking--but we're not complaining. The weather was nice, temps in the mid 50's, mostly sunny. We did quite a bit of hopping on and off the Metro and also a trolley. We're feeling like seasoned tourists now. Can't wait for our kids to visit DC.

Getting away from the hospital and hotel was a good break. In the morning, back to the real reason we're here.
God's blessing on everyone!
Love you all,
Kim

Testing is Done

2009-12-08T12:37:00.000-08:00

Ray had two procedures this morning that's got him horizontal this afternoon. Within a two hour span he had a bone marrow biopsy and a lumbar puncture. He said the lumbar puncture (the first one for him) wasn't too bad. The biopsy one the other hand was a different story. He's such a trooper, and takes it all so well. Just watching him endure all this, at times has me in tears. I know I would not be a good patient. He is a very patient patient. As far as we know now, he has no appts. tomorrow. They give an extra day in case more tests need to be done or redone. Thursday is the big day we get all the results. Needless to say, we're quite anxious to find out the plan. Right now we don't even know what we'll be doing Friday. Our return flight is scheduled for Friday, but of course we may be changing that.

We've heard often this past week, mostly from other patients about what a great facility NIH is. I talked at length this morning to a lady from Missouri whose husband had a transplant 3 months ago. She had so much good advice especially for a place to stay long term. She also has young kids at home with Grandma. It's awesome the way God puts these people in our lives just when we need them most. Yesterday we had a great visit with a Lebonese Jesuit priest, chaplain at NIH. He was so encouraging to Ray, telling him not to fear the future and to never dwell on the dark side of the cross he's carrying. Just before we left the hospital today, we ran into a lady chaplain that was so eager to help with anything we needed.

If Ray's up to it in the morning, we plan to head to D.C. and take in some tours. We've been so busy with appts./screening that we haven't been out much, only a couple of short trips to downtown Bethesda. Had a great visit with Doug yesterday afternoon, just wasn't nearly long enough. Thanks, Doug for taking the time to come by. It was great to see you here.

Never take your good health or your kids' good health for granted!
Love you all,
Kim

A Beautiful Snow

2009-12-06T16:59:00.000-08:00

We had the most beautiful snowfall yesterday--big flakes that fell straight down. The temp. was in the 40's keeping the roads clear. We have a beautiful view of pine trees outside our hotel room, making a picturesque scene with the fallen snow.

Shelley (Ray's niece, Linda's daughter) made it here around 1:00 yesterday afternoon. We had a great time with her, catching up on this past year. She spent the night with us giving us lots of time to visit and laugh. She had reservations for us last night at a great Italian restaurant. We took advantage of her having a car, and did a little shopping before she left today, Thanks Shelley for braving the snow and making the trip. She's our Goddaughter, and we decided we've done a pretty good job on her, but still needs a little tweaking. :)

My brother Doug (from Denver) called today and he's going to be in this area tomorrow afternoon. So we'll get to see him! Can't wait.

We've talked to Mary and Daniel over the weekend. Sounds like they're not missing us too bad, for which we are most grateful. Thanks, Alan, Chrissy and Willie Faye! Yesterday Daniel rode along with Eric's family to watch Bretts' football game. He was so happy to get to go. Bushland won, what sounded like a most exciting game.

We'll be heading back to NIH in the morning for more tests and appts. for Ray; should finish around 2:30.

Love you all,
Kim

Test, 1.2.3

2009-12-04T18:24:00.000-08:00

Really nothing new to report for today, just more testing. The tests done today was a CT scan, an echo, a lung function test and even a visit to the dentist. Things really do move quite fast around here. Ray has spent very little time in waiting rooms. They've always got him doing something. I am left sitting in waiting rooms that are a whirlwind of activity with at least two televisions blaring. I've heard every angle possible on "Tiger's Transgressions" and the "White House Crashers" blah, blah, blah. However, today I found a chapel with Mass everyday and even an Adoration Chapel. We started using the chapel as our meeting place. No appts. for Sat. or Sun.

We're waiting for snow now. It's been warm, so they're saying the snow that is coming won't be a problem for the roads. Not sure what we'll be doing this weekend.

More later,
Kim

Testing, Testing

2009-12-03T19:41:00.000-08:00

Many, many tests were done today. Ray was quite surprised with the blood work done very first thing this morning--21 vacutainers of blood were drawn! He first thought it must be some kind of mistake. Chrissy had 17 drawn. They were both kept busy moving from one dept. to another. We returned to the hotel around 5:30 this evening. Chrissy is finished with her screening and will head back to Amarillo early in the morning. Wish she were going to be here longer, but she'll be coming back when it's time for the transplant and be here 7-10 days then. Not exactly sure yet when that will be.

More tests still to be done tomorrow, Mon. & Tues. for Ray. This NIH is an amazing place with so many people, every size, shape and color. People from all over the world and all are here with one goal in mind--healing for themselves or for someone they love. There's definitely a camaraderie among the patients.

Shelley, one of Ray's nieces, lives in Joppa, MD and will be meeting us this weekend. Her husband, Aaron is stationed there, but is currently training in Utah. We're sure looking forward to seeing her. The weather for the weekend is supposed to turn colder and there's a chance of rain and snow. Temps were in the 60's today.

Love you all,
Kim

A New Grandbaby!

2009-12-02T19:26:00.000-08:00

We have a new granddaughter!! Ava Maria was born this afternoon @ 1:31, weighs 7# 7 oz. She's beautiful. Ryan sent a pic to Ray's phone shortly after her arrival. I know Heather is relieved to have that baby here. I wanted to talk to her this afternoon, but decided to wait and call her tomorrow.

We were able to get around today and do a few things. This morning was spent at NIH going through the admissions process and becoming familiar with the hospital. This afternoon we decided to hop on the Metro (subway) and spent a couple hours in downtown Bethesda. We are feeling much more confident about being able to get around now. This hotel has a great staff that is more than eager to help answer any questions. This hotel also has a complimentary shuttle that goes to NIH and the Metro every 30 minutes. The driver that brought us to the Metro today, explained every detail for us about buying tickets, and where to get off and where to get back on. I suppose we had a lost look on our faces.

Chrissy made it in this evening. She and Ray have an early start in the morning. I better get to bed.

Love you all,
Kim

We've Arrived

2009-12-01T18:14:00.000-08:00

Everything was great today. We could not have asked for anything better. Our flight into BWI even arrived about 25 minutes early, allowing us to catch an earlier shuttle than we expected into Bethesda. We were told to tell all our friends to fly SW Airlines. Ha! I hope all goes the same for Chrissy tomorrow as she makes her trip out here.

The appts. will begin on Thurs, we plan to spend tomorrow getting acclimated and learning our way around, especially NIH (the hospital/campus). We've got so much to learn.

More later,
Kim

Preparing for Lift Off

2009-11-30T20:55:00.000-08:00

The turkey's all gone. The kids and grandkids have all gone back home. It just all went by too fast. We had a great time with all the kids being here, except for Jenna, and all the grandkids were here too at one time or another over the weekend. So much laughing, eating and just having a good time being together.

With the holiday behind us, we're quickly shifting gears and getting packed for the trip to MD. We're flying out tomorrow morning, arriving in Baltimore late in the afternoon and then catching a shuttle to Bethesda. I hope it all goes as planned and flights are on time. Billy will be taking us to the airport. Thank you Lord for large families, this way we can spread our peskiness around.

Daniel is staying with Alan and Chrissy (Ray's sister). What a great guy that Alan is. We're leaving a teenage son with him indefinitely and also taking his wife for a couple days. Mary will be staying with Willie Faye (Ray's mom). Leaving Mary had us all in tears. She's been so worried for these past two weeks about how bad she was going to miss us, and then not being able to tell her exactly when we'll be back makes it even harder. She was excited about getting to stay with Willie Faye all by herself and you know Grandma is always so good to her.

I'll keep you updated each day. Please keep our family in your prayers as we thank God for each of you. Love you all,
Kim

Getting Ready

2009-11-25T11:44:00.000-08:00

We heard from Bethesda yesterday afternoon, and it looks as though Chrissy will be the donor. She will also be traveling to Bethesda next week and staying for a couple days for her screening process. We'll all be learning together as we begin this new adventure. This will work out really well for the three of us to be there together.

Everything has really been falling into place as these days do pass quickly with many things yet to do. Yesterday, I finally booked a place to stay. I've spent an unbelievable amount of time on the phone and the computer this past week. Our liaison has also been a great help.

Hope everyone has a happy and safe Thanksgiving. We plan to spend time enjoying family. We'll have a big feast here tomorrow with Amber's crew and Ryan's as well. Andy and Britteny will be in Dallas with some of Britteny's family and also taking in the Cowboys game. Katie will be driving in on Saturday. Jenna's not coming , but plans to be home when semester ends. My Mom, Gaylene and Craig will also be here tomorrow. I'm getting as many things as possible done today, so maybe--less stress tomorrow. We're looking forward to a great time. On Saturday many, many Husemans will be invading Nazareth for a reunion.

Happy Thanksgiving! Hold tightly those you love!
Kim

We Have a Plan!

2009-11-23T20:47:00.000-08:00

Ray & I will be flying out next Tuesday, Dec.1 and Ray's appts. will begin Dec. 3. He'll go through a week long screening process. At this point, we have no idea when we'll be returning. We'll take things one day at a time.

We had another phone interview with our liaison this afternoon explaining more of the details for the whole process. She suggested during our first week there, we should spend some time looking for a place to stay that would be long term. So when we get to that point we'll have somewhat of a plan. We've been given phone numbers, websites, etc. We'll be talking with the liaison again tomorrow.

We're still not sure who the donor is going to be, but that will be determined in the next couple days.

Ray had blood work done today at the oncologists office, and his counts are all very good. The Dr. is quite pleased. He'll have one more appt., next Mon. The Dr. said he'd like to have one last look at the counts before we take off.

We're very excited for the opportunity--excited and nervous, as I've said before. It's overwhelming to think about it all, with the holidays quickly approaching and also Andy's wedding. Oh yeah, one day at at time, I have to constantly remind myself.

Love you all,
Kim

Today's Appt

2009-11-17T19:15:00.000-08:00

The staples were taken out this morning, and the surgeon is quite pleased with himself for a job well done and was glad to see Ray doing so well. After visiting with the surgeon, we found out he spent several years training and interning in Bethesda. He's very excited for us that Ray is getting the opportunity to go. He even had some recommendations of some good restaurants we need to try, and some tips for using the subway. These "country bumpkins" are open to any and all suggestions.

We plan to just cruise these next two weeks, continuing the meds. regimen and Ray getting stronger with each passing day. I probably won't be posting again until we have firm plans for the big trip. In other words, life at the Husemans' (on an ordinary day) is pretty boring. We're ready for some boring days for a while. Although when I think of what all I need to do before leaving, I break out in a sweat.

Thanks for all the comments posted on this blog, phone calls, visits, emails and prayers. Each of you have made these times of duress so much easier. Thank you for being so supportive and encouraging.

Love you all,
Kim

We Have A Date!

2009-11-16T20:14:00.000-08:00

We talked to our liaison this morning, and Dec. 3rd is when Ray will begin his evaluation in Bethesda, MD. This evaluation will be a week of testing and then the results are reviewed to determine where we go from there. At this moment, we don't know much more than that. Someone will be getting in touch with us to help figure out all the details. We are so excited and yet nervous at the same time.

The appt. with the oncologist this morning went well. All the blood counts are in good shape. Tomorrow is the follow-up appt. with the surgeon to have the staples removed. They do cause alot of discomfort (across the back) when sitting in a chair or lying down. I've offered to remove them for him, but he won't hear of it!

Love you all,
Kim

Home

2009-11-14T12:18:00.000-08:00

Ray was discharged from the hospital around 7:00 last night (Fri). He will be on a different I.V. anti fungal med. now for a few weeks. Not sure yet exactly how long he'll be on it, because we're planning for him to be in Bethesda, MD soon. He has an appt. Mon. morning for blood tests at the oncologists office and then Tues. with the surgeon to have the staples removed. The surgeon has already said it would be OK to travel to MD. The oncologist, the infection spec. and the transplant Dr. have been conferring this week. We're told the transplant Dr. will be calling Ray soon, however we plan to call him first thing Mon. morning.

Love you all,
Kim

Tubes Out

2009-11-12T16:50:00.000-08:00

The chest tubes were taken out this morning around 11:00. I gotta tell you, I envisioned these tubes to be probably 2-3 inches long inside the lungs. I was standing there while the nurse pulled them out and could NOT believe my eyes. Each tube (he had two) was approx. 9 inches long, 22 cm to be exact-- INSIDE the lung! No wonder he gasped in pain with each breath and tried to lay as still as possible. As I said last night, pray you never have to have a chest tube. Needless to say, things are much better now. He's off the morphine, just taking an oral pain killer every 4 hours. We even walked a short distance in the hall after lunch.

We did get a pathology report today telling us what type of fungal infection we're dealing with. The doctors are planning a "meeting of the minds" to figure out what med. is going to be best for Ray, considering he's getting ready for a transplant.

I'm expecting great strides to be made now and be able to get him home in the next day or two. Thanks for all your prayers. Please don't stop!

Love you all,
Kim

Improving

2009-11-11T20:16:00.000-08:00

Things are pretty much the same today. All the breathing exercises/treatments are paying off--we were told that today's chest x-ray was improved from yesterday's. The surgeon came in this evening to say the chest tubes (two of them) will be coming out in the morning. Just knowing the end's in sight was a tremendous boost. These chest tubes are most painful. Pray you never have to have one.

We sure hope to have him back home in a couple days.
More later,
Kim

Yes!

2009-11-10T17:59:00.000-08:00

Finally this evening around 5:00, Ray was able to leave ICU, and not a moment too soon. He's being warned about the risk of pneumonia, because of what they're hearing in his chest. He must be diligent with breathing exercises (which he hates, because it's so painful) and also some breathing treatments. He's knows he doesn't want to end up with pneumonia, which is a good incentive to do the exercises no matter how painful--just keep that morphine button handy! Thanks for the prayers.

Love you all,
Kim

Tomorrow...maybe?

2009-11-09T20:03:00.000-08:00

We just can't seem to get him back out of ICU. A rapid heart rate still being the problem, another drug was added to the regimen this afternoon, hoping that will be the answer. The Dr. says a rapid heart rate is not at all uncommon after this type of surgery and is usually only a problem for a short time. It's been frustrating to all of us, most especially to Ray. He needs his freedom and those four walls are starting to close in on him; not to mention that while he's in ICU he has all the telemetry hooked up. It's nearly impossible to even roll over with the mess of wires.

I'm praying that tomorrow I'll be posting with news of moving him to a regular room.

Love you all,
Kim

P.S. Confidential to the "Rosary Circle": prayers have been answered!

Still in ICU

2009-11-08T19:59:00.000-08:00

Having to spend a least one more day in ICU because of dehydration. We were sure hoping to get him moved this afternoon, but the Dr. felt otherwise. The Dr. said the dehydration can be caused by a number of things--the surgery and trauma to the body, and the chest tube. More fluids are being pumped in, hoping that will take care of it. Maybe tomorrow.

I'll let you know,
Kim

All Things Considered

2009-11-07T12:50:00.000-08:00

Still in ICU, and things are going as well as can be expected--all things considered. He's restless this afternoon, which I'm blaming on the fact that he's once again on narcotics (as he puts it). Pumping the morphine quite frequently, so the pain must be pretty intense. He says he can't stand the "loopy" feeling that the morphine causes, but the pain is too much. He trying to find that happy medium.

The Dr. is saying, possibly tomorrow he'll be moved from ICU. The Dr. also informed him today that during surgery a small section of one of the ribs was cut out so the Dr. could access the area of the lung he needed to without breaking the rib. Sounds terrible, but the Dr. also said you'd never know it if you weren't told. We'll see about that. Along with that, muscle also had to be cut. Just knowing this would make me restless. Last surgery, they were able to access the nodule without having to do this.

From experience, we knew these first 2-3 days wouldn't be easy ones, but things will get better.

Love you all,
Kim

Out of Surgery

2009-11-06T12:29:00.000-08:00

Surgery took about 3 hours, the Dr. said there were no surprises, and that everything went well. Ray is now resting in ICU where he'll probably be for a couple days. It's going to be real interesting to see what kind of report we get back from pathology--which won't be for a few days. He'll be in the hospital for about 7-10 days.

More later,
Kim

It's a Go!

2009-11-06T05:04:00.002-08:00

We arrived at day surgery at 5;30 this morning, the blood test shows he's in good shape for surgery. Around 6:45 he was whisked away for all the pre-op procedures. Surgery is still scheduled for 8:00. I'm guessing the surgery will last 2-3 hrs. from our experience last time. The Dr. didn't give an estimated time. I'll post again after surgery and I see the Dr.

Thanks for all your prayers,
Kim

Correction

2009-11-04T19:35:00.000-08:00

I need to correct one thing from yesterday's post. The blood levels will not be tested again until Fri. morn when we show up for surgery at 5:30. Only after the test is done, will it be determined whether surgery will be done then or postponed until Sat. Ray received a small I.V. injection of vitamin K this morning which is supposed to help get the PT/INR where it needs to be. Some thing else I didn't mention, Ray gives himself a shot each morning (in the belly)--meds that are going to have him ready for Friday morning.

The phone interview took place as scheduled, so we had the opportunity to speak with the transplant Dr. from Maryland today. He was so encouraging to talk to. We both were elated after speaking with him. He assured us both that this biopsy will go smoothly, and then we'll pursue getting to Bethesda, MD. We later heard from our case liaison, and she also had some great insight, advice and talked to us about the protocol for the transplant.

We have no appointments tomorrow. No sitting in a Dr.'s office or having blood drawn or waiting for test results. Ray plans to go flying with a good friend of his.

Love you all,
Kim

Friday or Saturday

2009-11-03T17:52:00.000-08:00

We met with the surgeon and the oncologist for most of this morning looking over different views of the scan and discussing many options.

Looks as though we're headed to surgery--probably Friday morning but may be Saturday morning. Let me explain. A patient that is on blood thinners,as Ray is, cannot go into surgery without a "washout" period. For the next two days, his blood will be monitored (PT/INR) to be sure that level is at a safe level for surgery. If it is not by Thurs., the surgery will be postponed until Saturday, but we're aiming for Friday. Some of you may have more experience with blood thinners and understand this better than we do since we're still learning. For now, Ray just shows up when he's told to.

Now for the surgery: In a nutshell, he's pretty much having the same surgery, this time on the right lung, that he had on the left lung six weeks ago. At least two nodules will be removed. There was alot of medical jargon being tossed around, but I'll explain it the way I understand it. Both Drs. are confidant we're still dealing with a fungal infection. A fungus growing in this sort of environment (the inside of the lung) is very difficult to pinpoint and treat. Specifically because once it is removed from that environment where it is viable, it CAN change even to the point where it is no longer viable and it becomes impossible to get a good stain in the lab. No matter how fast it is rushed to the lab for pathology. With that in mind, this time more of the lung will be taken with it. Evidently there must be many different fungus/fungi. If you recall, six weeks ago the nodule in the left lung (rather than the right) was biopsied because it was easier to access. So doing the right lung is going to require a little more digging. The surgeon is hoping no muscles or bones will have to be cut.

How's Ray feeling and dealing with all this?? As far as how he's feeling, he's been doing amazingly well. He continues exercising every day--walking around the park (1 1/2 miles today) and spending time on the stationary bike. Dealing with it--after he agreed to go forth with the surgery, (the Dr. stepped out of the room) he looked at me with tears in his eyes and said, "You know, Kim we are so blessed" and then went on naming the many ways which we are so blessed.

During these past 15 months, I find myself repeating the quote Eva, a family friend and also a concentration camp survivor so frequently said, "Life is hard some of the time, but God is good all of the time."

Please continue to pray for us as we continue to thank God for each of you.

Love you all,
Kim

More Appts.

2009-11-02T20:05:00.000-08:00

The phone interview (with the Maryland Dr.) that was to take place this afternoon had to be postponed until Wed. afternoon due to a conflict the Dr. had.

We received a call late this afternoon from one of Ray's Drs. asking him to be in his office at 9:00 tomorrow morning. Hopefully we'll find out something as to what's going on with the lungs and what the next plan of attack will be. After making and receiving a couple of phone calls today, we know nothing other than there's a 9:00 appt.

More later...
Kim

Disappointing

2009-10-30T15:33:00.000-07:00

The CT scan shows that the nodules in the lungs, otherwise known as the bacterial infection have been unaffected by these past four weeks of IV antibiotics. In fact, the nodules are larger today than they were a month ago. We are currently waiting to hear from the infection spec. about what to do next. We're told there are many factors involved when dealing with infection when the patient is "immune suppressed" making it more difficult to hit with the best antibiotic.

Our hearts sank as we listened to these results. Mostly because this postpones the chances of a transplant, and at least four weeks have been wasted--the best we can tell. We hope to learn more soon. But now it's the weekend.

We're going to Booker in the morning to spend Sat. and Sun. with Amber, Steve and kids. Kyler turns 13 on October 31st, and there's lots going on in that little town for Halloween.

Love you all,
Kim

Scan Tomorrow

2009-10-28T19:06:00.000-07:00

A CT scan is scheduled for Thurs. afternoon, and we'll get the results Fri. morning. We're really anxious to see what this scan shows. Of course, we hoping it shows the lungs to be clear of all infection. In other words, we're hoping it shows nothing.

The latest development: the liaison from Maryland called today; we've scheduled a phone interview with the transplant Dr. for Monday afternoon. Can it possibly be--we're slowly inching closer to the possibility of the transplant?

Ray continues feeling great. We sometimes forget he's still dealing with an illness. These past two days he's been doing some maintenance on a couple of the Catholic School buses. One of the buses is really testing his patience, making him want to pull his hair out. Oh wait, he doesn't have any hair!

Love you all,
Kim

Blessed Weekend

2009-10-25T19:45:00.000-07:00

I hope everyone had a blessed weekend. We certainly have. Ray has been feeling so good, at times we tend to forget all this is going on. His hair is growing back, his color is good. As always, his appetite is good. I need to get another picture of him on here.

He is very pleased with the way the auction went. There was a great crowd. The auctioneers even commented a couple times to me about the good number of registered bidders there. However, it was really hard seeing all his equipment being parted out. It's one of those "smile when you want to cry" experiences. Friday and Saturday were pick up days for items bought to be loaded out of the shop. This afternoon, we stopped by the shop, I think just to see if it were really true. The building is completely empty. Lots of mixed emotions through it all.

The appt. with the oncologist last Fri. went well. Blood counts all good. Just a few more days left of the IV antibiotics. A CT scan is scheduled for Thurs. afternoon, we'll get the results Fri. morning. We pray that bacterial infection in the lungs is outta here, so he can be finished with the IV therapy.

We had eight of Mary's classmates here for a slumber party Friday night. There was much giggling and activity as you can imagine. It really did our "ole" hearts good. The girls seem to have a great time too.

Thanks again for your continued prayers!

Love you all,
Kim

Marathon

2009-10-20T20:02:00.000-07:00

I want to tell you all about something very exciting. My neice, Melissa (Barbara's daughter) is training to run her very first marathon in Houston, this coming January. She's raising money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and she's running in Ray's honor. You can check out her sponsorship page by clicking on http://pages.teamintraining.org/txg/houston10/mrigas
Wow! 26.2 miles, that's a long way! God bless you, Melissa!

Ray continues doing well. The four hours of antibiotics each day is getting really old for him. He's counting the days for this to be done. He's been at his shop quite a bit the past few days. His auction will be Thursday.

Mary's birthday is today. She's planning to have some friends over on Friday. N0thing could be more exciting for this 9 year old!

Love you all,
Kim

Busy Weekend

2009-10-18T20:32:00.000-07:00

Our weekend was a busy one, but a great one. We had a good time with Katie and Veronica here. Neal, Colleen and Seth (and Rascal, too!) were also in town. They were in and out several times and last night we all went to Eric & Leona's for hamburgers. My Mom and Hugh made it up for that, so we got to see them too. We stayed until about 9:00, and then we had to get Ray back home so he could get hooked up to his hose.

The alternator in Katie's car went out just as they were driving into Wichita Falls Friday night. She and Veronica even ended up pushing the car a short distance to Neal's house. Katie called Neal, who was in Amarillo, and he told her where the keys were for his pickup, which she ended up bringing to Amarillo. Thank you ,Lord for Neal! (we don't say THAT very often) Ray sure hated the thought of the car broken down, and nothing he could do about it. You know how he is about fixin' things.

Love you all,
Kim

Daily Grind

2009-10-16T20:34:00.000-07:00

Yesterday and today's blood work both look good. Still making some minor adjustments on some of the meds. It can be most frustrating with the daily routine (grind) of meds. and appts. Somedays it's really hard to not let it get you down. Here's a brief rundown;

-four bags of IV antibiotics daily for bacterial infection in lungs
-daily meds for high blood pressure (due to the chemo)
-blood thinner/daily
-steroid/daily
-chemo once a week
-pain killers as needed
-"Now, Mrs Huseman watch that incision, (nearly 12") and make sure it doesn't get infected"

Ray was questioning today as to whether or not he made the right decision to let the surgeon do the lung biopsy three weeks ago. The recovery is taking its toll. It's hard not to look back and keep pressing forward.

He only has 12 more days of the IV therapy left. It'll be good to get that behind him, since that takes about 4 hours each day. I make sure to get him out of the house each day at least for a little while. The weather was perfect today--he and Mary took a walk after she got home from school today. I think they both enjoyed that.

Katie and Veronica are driving in tonight. Their stay will be way too short, but it'll be great to have them here. Veronica is a dear lady, about my age and was Katie's adoptive mother during Katie's freshman year at A&M. At St. Mary's in College Station they do an "Adopt an Aggie" ministry for the new students, and Veronica adopted Katie. Now four years later, they're still great friends and Veronica has always been so good to Katie. I've said before, "It's nice when somebody else like your kids, because there are times, when I don't even like 'em."

Love you all,
Kim

Home Tonight

2009-10-14T19:03:00.000-07:00

The Dr. really surprised Ray this morning when he came in early, and said he was taking him off the morphine and the oxygen, and if he did O.K. during the day, he could go home this evening. Ray had a great day-- no pain, O2 sats. at a good level; then around 6:00 this evening the Dr. said he could go home. After all the dismissal process, we got home around 8:00. Praise the Lord!

We have to be back to the Dr.'s office early tomorrow morning for blood work. This is to monitor the level of blood thinner (PT/INR). Evidently, that takes careful monitoring for a few days to get it just right.

Thanks once again for prayers, visits, concern and love! Please don't stop.

Love you all,
Kim

Walking Today

2009-10-13T20:13:00.000-07:00

Walking in the halls was allowed today. Yeeeaaa! We took several short walks, down the hall, mostly from window to window. Ray was glad just to be able to see the outside world. He has a terrible view from his room--a wall. He was happy, to see fog and drizzle.

Still on the morphine; the Dr. is saying maybe tomorrow he'll begin the weaning process. We were sure hoping by now, the morphine would be out of his room. Maybe we're expecting too much, too soon. The pain is completely gone now--even when coughing or hiccups. He's also on a low amount of oxygen. I'm thinking he may be taking that home with him. Who knows?

Needless to say, he's ready to come home and sees no reason for being stuck in there. He's thinking of all the things he needs to be doing and will be doing as soon as he's turned loose. (auction at his shop next week) That's one of the hazards of feeling better. I'm guessing, that Dr. already has this one figured out!

Love you all,
Kim

Stand By Me

2009-10-12T18:59:00.000-07:00

He is allowed to get out of bed today, but still not allowed to walk. He can stand for a few seconds , then is set on a chair with wheels and taken into the shower and bathroom. After taking a shower this afternoon, he said he felt like a new person. Possibly tomorrow he'll be able to walk some; depending on what something in the blood work tells them.

He's ready to get off the morphine because of some of the side effects/problems he's having. He's now on coumadin, (blood thinner) and we're told that he'll be on that forever. Our education began today about diet and many "dos & don'ts" of being on that.

His pain is much better this evening. When I got to his room this morning, he was complaining about sore muscles, especially in the chest area and aching all over. That got better as the day went on. He says now it only hurts when he takes a really deep breath.

As usual his appetite is good and he loves having visitors and phone calls.

Love you all,
Kim

Better

2009-10-11T18:45:00.001-07:00

The pain is not as severe today as it was yesterday. He's still on a pretty heavy dose of morphine via the pump, and the weaning process will probably begin in a couple days. He had a good number of visitors and phone calls today, and had no problem carrying on a conversation. It was a totally different story yesterday. He's still confined to bed, due to a blood clot in one of his legs (behind the left knee). I posted yesterday that the blood thinners cause the clots to dissolve, I found out today that's not really what happens--they allow the body to absorb the clots. Hopefully, he'll be able to be up and around some tomorrow (Mon), which the Dr says is probable because of the length of time he's been on blood thinners.

When the Dr. came in today, he said that everything looks good on paper--meaning the blood work is all in good shape. A big question we had for the Dr. was,"Does this change anything as far as receiving a transplant?" His answer was: he is not sure, but said he would be talking to the transplant Dr. in MD about the whole situation.

Andy spent the weekend (nights) with us, which was a tremendous help, especially Friday when we made an unexpected visit to the ER during the wee hours. (Isn't God good?) Since he was here last night, I decided to get a cot and stay at the hospital in Ray's room. I was thinking he would really NEED me, plus I was worried and hated to leave. It was more than likely due to sleep deprivation, but I couldn't believe how well we both slept. Plus I found out, he really didn't NEED me, so I'll be sleeping in my own bed tonight.

We need your continued prayers--for healing, strength, good attitudes, patience, and stamina.

Love you all,
Kim

Into the ER

2009-10-10T12:14:00.000-07:00

About 4:00 this morning we headed to the ER due to horrific pain that Ray was having on the right side of his chest. The pain was so bad, he could barely take a breath. If you recall, the surgery he had two weeks ago was on the LEFT side, so we couldn't imagine what could possibly be going on. The ER Dr. quickly suspected a blood clot in the lung, and a CT scan proved him correct. Now it looks as though he'll be spending a few days in the hospital again. He's going to be on blood thinners to dissolve the clot and to keep more clots from forming. We're told this is not uncommon after surgery and to be thankful that he had pain-- forcing action.

At the moment the pain is manageable, thanks to a morphine pump and Ray is able to get some sleep.

More later,
Kim

Today's Appt.

2009-10-09T20:53:00.000-07:00

The visit today with the oncologist was affirming as he is talking very favorably of Ray getting to Bethesda, MD for a transplant. He is talking with the Dr. in MD that will be doing the transplant, making certain the protocol. First things first--the bacterial infection in the lungs must be completely gone. He still has another 3 weeks of the IV antibiotics. Over the next couple weeks, a CT scan or two will be done to insure the lungs are clear. Also, another bone marrow biopsy will be done in the next 1-2 weeks.

Ray did get another dose of chemo today as an outpatient. The Dr. said this needs to be done in order to retain remission.

We 're excited and nervous at the same time at the possibility of getting closer to the transplant. We trust God has a plan.

Love you all,
Kim

Staples Are Out

2009-10-07T08:33:00.000-07:00

The follow-up visit with the surgeon went very well and amazingly quick. We were only in the office for 15 minutes, and in that time, we saw the Dr., had the 25 staples removed by the nurse, and spoke to the Dr. one more time; this time telling Ray he didn't need to make another appt. to see him. The Dr. was very pleased with how well Ray was doing and said the incision would not need any more care. Walking out, we breathed a big sigh as though we had just checked off a biggie! on our "things to do" list. We're waiting to hear from the oncologist as to when the next appt. is--not sure if we'll be seeing him this week or not.

The IV therapy at home continues going great. On Monday, blood work was done and Ray's counts are all good.

I constantly thank God for His goodness and how well things are going.

Love you all,
Kim

Going Smoothly

2009-10-04T19:46:00.000-07:00

We're learning fast and everything is going smoothly. We've had two very good teachers/nurses from the home health care. Four times each day, Ray has to have a dose of the antibiotic, which means a small bag is connected to tubing and then goes in through the port. There is also an injection of saline and heparin that also has to be put into the port. This whole procedure takes about an hour. It sounds more complicated than it really is. A couple times today, he has done the whole procedure completely by himself. This will make things much simpler for these next four weeks.

Recovery from surgery has been going very well. There's less soreness with each passing day. He even drove to Mass last night.

There's also a couple Dr. appts. scheduled for this week. Sitting in the waiting room is our social life these days. Well, I take that back; we went to a surprise birthday party this afternoon for a short while. It was great to see many of our good friends that we don't get to see nearly as much as we'd like.

Thanks for all the cards, messages, phone calls, and most especially your prayers. We are so blessed to have so many great friends and great family.

Love you all,
Kim

Home Sweet Home

2009-10-02T19:39:00.000-07:00

Just a quick post to let you know, we got Ray home late this afternoon. We're so thankful to have him home. It makes life so much easier. Maybe easier isn't what I meant to say. We are charting new territory once again. He's going to be on 4 weeks of home IV therapy--two different antibiotics. Sounds like we're going to become good friends with home health care nurses who are going to teaching me (us) how to do all this IV therapy. Yikes!

I feel confident we can do this. (or so they say) Many others have done it; so can we. Our first lesson is going to be later this evening. I'll let you know how it goes.

Love you all,
Kim

More Antibiotics

2009-09-30T20:04:00.000-07:00

Just as we suspected another antibiotic (through the IV) has been added to the plan of attack. If a comparable antibiotic can be taken orally at home, then he may be getting to come home in the next day or two. Bacteria in the lungs must be a little more difficult to eliminate.

Ray is feeling really good! What a change from just a few short hours ago. Currently, he is not taking any pain meds. Yes, he finally did give up the epidural. His Dr. told him this morning to walk as much as possible, so we made laps around the 6th floor today--over and over. We also walked down to the cafeteria and sat in the dining room for awhile. The change of scenery is always nice. I was able to be at the hospital only this morning, and he said he did lots of walking, solo.

Daniel turned 15 today. How can that be? Oh no, that means he can start drivers ed. Honestly, I have wished many times for him to be driving, especially after football practices. I've missed it terribly, not having a kid at home that drives, ever since Jenna left in the summer of '07.

Love you all,
Kim

Results

2009-09-29T17:10:00.000-07:00

The results showed it to be a bacterial abscess. Most importantly, there is no malignancy. We also know it's not viral, for whatever that's worth. Cultures are still being done to determine which antibiotic will be most effective in fighting it. It takes 48 hours for those sensitivities to be determined. Early in the morning, Primaxin (antibiotic) was started through the IV. Not sure yet how many days he'll need to be on that, or if another will be added.

The chest tube was removed late this afternoon. (OUCH!) The pain is not instsantly gone as we were told it would be. In fact, he would NOT let them disconnect the epidural when the crew came in to remove it. Surely, that will get better rather quickly. He's also on an oral pain med.(Yes, he still has a fear of living like MJ) For the first time today, we saw the incision on his back and side. It's about 8 inches long with 25 staples. (Another OUCH!) Not sure when the staples will come out--however the surgeon said today he plans to leave them in a little longer than usual.

We make no plans that can't be changed in a moment's notice. The oncologist, of course has also been in to visit each day, and says he's got to get started on chemo again ASAP! BLAAAHHH!!!

Thank you for your continued prayers for Ray's recovery. May God bless each of you and your family.

Love you all,
Kim

Making Strides

2009-09-28T19:01:00.000-07:00

Plans are to remove the chest tube tomorrow morning after an x-ray is done. However, we won't hold our breath. Plans seem to change quite often around here. There is still nothing to report from the pathologist. We continue to wait--gives us more time to pray.

Ray is feeling better and better. We just got back to his room after taking a stroll in the hallways. A couple of devices were disconnected earlier today, making him a little more mobile. This has also done wonders for his attitude.

What a gorgeous afternoon we had today. I made sure to get out and walk for about an hour after I picked up Mary from school.

Love you all,
Kim

A Big Difference

2009-09-27T19:36:00.000-07:00

What a difference a day makes. Today, things were much, much improved. Thank you, Lord! He's been able to sit up and stand up by himself. I couldn't believe my eyes as I walked into his room this morning. He still has the chest tube, and the Dr. said this evening it needs to stay in at least until Tues. I did not realize until this afternoon, he also has a drainage tube in the incision on his back, and that was removed this evening. Still using plenty of pain medication, (epidural w/pump) after being advised to keep that pain under control and to not let it get away.

His appetite is great. His color is amazingly good, and his voice is strong. He's pretty much confined to staying right beside the bed, due to so many tubes, wires, pumps, etc. He said this evening, he'd never before realized just getting to walk into the bathroom or hall as a privilege.

We should hear something about the pathology report Mon. or Tues.

Love you all,
Kim

Out of ICU

2009-09-26T18:37:00.000-07:00

Around 3:00 this afternoon, Ray was moved out of ICU. He was so glad to get to move, however I hope he wasn't moved too soon. He has to have help doing everything, since he is so sore. I do mean everthing. Sometimes, requiring 3 people to move/help him. He has to have help moving his legs, sitting up, standing up... everything. The Dr. knows what he's doing. (I hope)

The chest tube is still in; I know I was told he would be in ICU as long as he had that in. However, I was told today, patients go home with those things still in. They are talking about taking Ray's out tomorrow, which they assure him will make moving much, much easier. As you can imagine, the pain at times, is unbearable. He's also been assured that will be much better after the chest tube is removed. He still has the epidural and the pump to go with it. "Pain Management" people visit often to check on him and offer help and advice. He has breathing and coughing exercises that must be done in order to avoid pneumonia or infection.

Believe it or not, the surgeon says he's doing great and could possibly be going home Monday or Tuesday. I'm sure many of you have heard me say before, that there's alot of security being in the hospital--where some one else is calling the shots, and someone else is responsible for making decisions, and someone else is responsible for doing all the work. I look at him now and nearly panic, thinking I could possibly be taking him home in a couple days.

Thank you for all your prayers. Ray & I have talked often, how we truly do feel the power of your prayers. I ask the Lord many times each day to bless all the people praying for our family.

By the way, Ray has his cell phone handy, now that he's back on the 6th floor.

Love you all,
Kim

Out of Surgery

2009-09-25T13:12:00.000-07:00

Surgery finished around 10:00 this morning. Not sure exactly what time it was started, he was whisked away about 7:00. The surgeon was very pleased with the way it all went. Prior to surgery, the plan was to go into the right lung and remove two nodules, but after a scan during surgery, the Dr. decided a nodule in the left lung would be much easier to access. Right now, he is resting comfortably in ICU. I was with him for the first hour in ICU and he was good. In and out of sleep, but conversing coherently. He has an epidural to manage the post-op pain. He also has a drainage tube in the lung, and must stay in ICU as long as that is draining. Typically, that lasts 24-48 hours. The nodule was sent to pathology and we're told we'll have results in 2-3 days...more waiting.

He was already asking for something to eat, but was told nothing until dinner. He's gonna be alright!

Thank you Willie Faye and Kim for waiting with me during surgery. It made the wait so much easier. Thanks Chrissy, for making sure Daniel and Mary made it to school.

Hold tightly those you love.

Love you all,
Kim

Rescheduled

2009-09-23T17:29:00.000-07:00

Around noon today the surgery was changed to 8:00 a.m., Friday. So that means we have to be there at 5:30 (ouch!). We did all the pre-admit, EKG, and lab work this afternoon. The medical term for the procedure is "thoracotomy" (you didn't know I could type a word that big, did ya). After the surgery, recovery, etc., he'll be going to ICU. How long he's there, obviously depends on his recovery. We're not sure how many days he'll spend in the hospital, we're told to plan for 3-8 days.

He's nervous about the whole ordeal, but ready to get on with it. He was really bummed when we found out about the rescheduling, since that meant another 24 hours of anticipation. He spent a couple hours this afternoon cleaning and organizing in the shop. I've been asking the Lord to calm his fears and worries.

Love you all,
Kim

Biopsy

2009-09-22T13:16:00.000-07:00

We've just learned that a lung biopsy will be done on Thursday. The procedure that will be done is known as an open biopsy. We're supposed to pick up an information packet Wed. morning that will explain all we need to know. This will be a surgical procedure done under general anethsia. I'll post more tomorrow as I know more.

We're thankful that Ray has been feeling so good these past few days. That will help tremendously as he recovers from the biopsy. Please keep him in your prayers.

Love you all,
Kim

Feeling Better

2009-09-18T14:15:00.000-07:00

We just found out this morning, Ray will be going in to see the infection spec. Tues. morning and see what he suggests to do about the nodules in the lungs. At the appt. yesterday with the oncologist, it seems he didn't follow up like he said he would, and consult another Dr. about last week's findings on the CT scan. The liver counts have been the bigger issue, but now that is all back to the normal range, so before we can move forward with any treatment the lungs must be clear.

Yesterday, the blood counts and liver counts were all in good shape. Ray has been feeling better each day. He's even been able to get out and walk around the park--real exercise. We're really anxious to see what the Dr. says on Tues.

Love you all,
Kim

Just Waiting

2009-09-16T08:35:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to do a quick post to say there has been no news from the Dr. about what is being suggested for the CT scan. I told Ray yesterday that we really should call the Dr., but he just wants to wait until his appt. tomorrow morning. He's enjoying this time of feeling better and all the side effects from the chemo, drugs, etc., etc. lessening each day. He knows it will be time to start chemo again soon and he just can't bear that thought! We should know more tomorrow.

Love you all,
Kim

Nothing New

2009-09-12T07:51:00.000-07:00

We still do not know what the two Docs are going to recommend about the lung CT scan. We were told yesterday, they were unable to make contact with each other. That's how it sometimes goes for busy people. We hope to hear something on Monday.

Have a great weekend!
Kim